What about James Harris for Browns GM?
Posted January 9th, 2009 by Pat McManamon
Cavs-Celtics tonight should capture all our attention. The Celtics come limping in, losing six of eight. The Cavs must play without Z. The home-court advantage in the playoffs is huge, which makes tonight like the first playoff game of this season. I shall be in attendance, dancing with a lampshade on my head before writing a story for the Beacon Journal.
As to the Browns, we're getting to the point where there's not much more to say. My e-mail has been about 3-2 opposed to the Eric Mangini hire, with most people complaining that the Browns hired a coach first and the search was conducted by owner Randy Lerner by himself. Lerner was not viewed as a football guy. Many are upset the Browns did not hire a GM first, and let said football guy hire the coach.
If it were me, I'd have hired a strong GM, a strong front office presence, and let him choose the coach in conjunction with the owner. To pretend the owner will not be involved in picking the guy who's going to make millions of his dollars and who's going to represent him and his team every day of the year is just not realistic. That being said, it was my opinion that the Browns needed a strong leader in the front office, a football guy. It's why I favored Rich McKay - or someone like him.
I also thought that given the Browns struggles that the team needed a dynamic communicator with the public. This matters. And it matters how a coach communicates with the media, because it's through the media that he communicates with the public. If a coach or GM or writer for that matter is not forthright and candid and open and if he or she conceals or fudges or obfuscates (like that word?), then the public can see that. It gets to credibility. I thought the Browns needed a guy with the personal profile of a Tony Dungy, who is consistent, honest and willing to answer any question. Mangini did a nice job at his news conference yesterday, but his track record does not indicate he'll be that kind of open-door communicator. And he comes from a tree that treats that kind of thing as a problem. Whether he grows into that role or not time will tell. And whether that matters in the next couple or three years, time will tell as well.
Lerner chose to do it different. That does not make him wrong. Time will answer whether his approach was right. It just seems a shame that at such an important time and important hiring that there isn't more unanimous excitement.
There is one thing that will take care of that, though, and that's wins on the field. If Mangini wins, most people won't care how he does.
And … the GM search continues.
Here's a name to consider: James Harris, formerly of Baltimore and Jacksonville. Harris was scapegoated for the Jaguars disappointing season, but he previously worked for Ozzie Newsome in Baltimore. He has experience and the ability to spot talent, and seems worth an interview. I submit that if the Browns hire a strong GM, the Mangini hire will be more readily accepted. Harris would be a strong GM to me.
Finally, if I have to one day write that I was wrong about my opinion on this process … well … it'd be something I'd be more than happy to do, and to admit. Because it means that things worked out and the Browns are winning.
Meantime, the New York Times offered this take on Mangini, and the New York Daily News had this opinion. From this point on, it's about building a team and trying to win, and the past shall be in the past.
January 9th, 2009 at 10:25 am
It's amazing to me how things always come back to the media. Always whining that Mangini will treat press conferences as a "problem". Yeah, it's a problem for you and your access, but not the rest of us. I don't care if he has the personality of Belichick, just give me Belichicks record! I also hope that I see you back to apologize, then we'd all be happy!
January 9th, 2009 at 10:49 am
I did not think about James Harris. Lerner discussed on the radio yesterday that he had a long list of GM candidates, some still in the playoff. He mentioned there could be educational benefits (poor paraphrase) to future GM interviews. He also said he hoped he did not have to interview all the GMs on his list.
It is amazing how short the New York Jets ownership and media can change their opinions so fast on Mangini. When the team was 8-3, they were thinking of extending his contract and the media thought he could walk on water. Now a few days or weeks after he is fired, Mangini lost those games on purpose so he could become the Browns head coach. Great New York news reporting.
The Browns fans want a winner. Lets say, we have the right coach. There is the text book approach to hire the GM, then the HC and continue following the book.
Lerner talks about time sensitive hires. Mangini falls into that category, whereas, Lerner found out the timing of Crennel's, all the good assistant coaches were off the market. Again, there are always three sides to every story.
I sure hope Lerner got it right this time. It is much more fun being a Browns fan when they are winning!
January 9th, 2009 at 12:48 pm
That NYT article was the worst kind of rag journalism. Actually, calling it anything that uses the word "jounalism" is being too kind on my part.
I, too, think Randy Lerner is some sort of nut, and I think this hiring process was ridiculously insulated and done far too quickly. However, my reservations about Mangini do not extend to the baseless BS being spewed by the New York Times in that article. These guys wanted Mangini out, apparently because they disliked him, and now they are simply pissed that he landed another job so quickly, so they are throwing around totally baseless accusations that Mangini blew the final few Jets games because he was busy lining up the Browns job.
Oh, wait, or did the hack writer from the NYT actually have some evidence to suggest that I missed to back up his spurious contention? Something other than his baseless speculation, that is. If he did, he did not mention it in his harangue.
He did, however, mention that the Jets management must have taken a long time to make the decision to fire Mangini, because according to him they always take their time and make prudent decisions.
Yeah, like the prudent decision to bring in Favre? Like the prudent decision to give Mangini an extension that they were considering just five weeks ago? Sounds to me like the Jets are run by the same type of ADD folks who have been running the Browns this past few years.
By the way, Mangini wins that last game, he's still the J-E-T-S coach, so exactly why would he lose it on purpose?
Also, Pat reported here that Randy Lerner had no clue that Mangini was fired when Pat and the other local reporters met with Lerner during his secret press conference after the season. Pat mentioned that Lerner was surprised by that news, and that seemed to be the moment when Magini coming here crystalized in Lerner's brain.
So either Randy Lerner, who is practically a dysfunctional hermit, all of a sudden displayed heretofore unknown acting skills and snowed over the entire NE Ohio press corp, or else this NYT article is a load of crap.
So which is it, Pat? Because you are the one who linked this article and are giving it credence. Are you that gullible that Randy put one over on you to your face? Or is the Grey Lady just printing more BS to go along with the numerous articles they have had to retract over the past decade?
Like I said, Magnini may or may not work out, and I think the process that led to his hiring was gargabe, but that doesn't mean National Enquirer level journalism (oh, wait, at the least the NE cites unnamed sources) should be allowed to go unchallanged.
Sports ain't politics. Reporters who think it deserves the same life-or-death treatment are self important d*ckwads. I could give two damns about what goes on the injury report, and that guy who gave Mangini such a hard time in the press conference about calling a hamstring injury a leg injury is as big a tool as he was accusing Mangini of being.
Too bad you were not half this critical of Romeo, Pat. You might actually have some credibility on this issue then, but you were pushing to retain Romeo right until the bitter end.
January 9th, 2009 at 12:57 pm
I want a GM who understands the type of team we are. { The Coaches schemes } Who will draft and sign to those needs. I don't want a GM who gets players who don't fit what we are doing and say here they are go coachem up! We need a united effort between the GM, Player Personal, Coaching to get the best players, Keep the best Players.
Hind sight 20/20 we could have gotten a 1 rd pick and a 3rd pick for DA. Would have been nice to have that DE and CB with those picks. But who am I? One of many who screamed when they signed DA again instead of letting him go for picks!
January 9th, 2009 at 1:41 pm
The perfect solution is if the Tuna leaves Miami and heads for the shores of Lake Erie. Most likely this will not happen, but (insert Gammons dramatic pause here) stranger things have happended and Parcells is anything but predictable. Supposedly the new Miami owner wants to bring in Carl Peterson which means Parcells will take the buyout, pickup shop & move. Let's hope he is coming to c - town. A leadership team of Parcells, Kokinis, & Mangini is light years better than Pioli or Heckert with an inexperienced coach like Ferentz or McDaniels.
January 9th, 2009 at 1:44 pm
As far as I can remember, nobody questioned the hirings of Palmer, Davis, and Crennel and look at how well those turned out. So what if Randy is going about this in a rather unconventional manner. It was clear that what was being done before wasn't working. So get the coach you want, who shares the vision you do, and help build a front office staff that can work with him and help this team win. No?
Funny. Everyone talks about having a strong "football guy" as a GM or a VP of football operations. So tell me, what is a "football guy"? Scott Pioli is a "football guy"? What makes him so? Is George Kokinis not a "football guy"? Is Mangini not a "football guy"? How about getting a team full of "football guys" starting with the GUY who will be directly involved with coaching the guys who actually play FOOTBALL.
Isn't this what Randy did with his beloved Aston Villa football team across the pond? But Randy's not a football guy. Randy isn't a European football guy either, but last time I checked, it's working pretty well over there isn't it? I'm glad people are willing to give him a chance and see what plays out (as if you have a choice) but to be so negative and to make such claims just because it's a different appproach is somewhat of a outdated, flat-earth mentality, don't you think?
January 9th, 2009 at 2:25 pm
i'm in favor of trying new things. but i'm also in favor of the quick hook. i was ready to see romeo gone after year 2. one strategy that lerner didn't consider is the redskins one. hire a coach will no pull, sign him for low money and can him after a year if not satisfied. that way, if cowher gets a wild hair up his butt to coach the browns can be bidders. if the new coach pulls if off then great! only in football is the coach treated like royalty. in every other sport you are only as good as your last game. football is essentially a basic sport not multi-variable calculus.
January 9th, 2009 at 2:42 pm
Give a coach in the NFL ONE year to turn around a franchise and then pull the plug? Are you kidding? Most high school coaches get 5 years (I should know) and they're working with kids. But all it takes is one year in the high-pressured, bottom-lined NFL? Wow, I'm glad you're not the man in charge.
January 9th, 2009 at 3:12 pm
Shack Harris is awful … He can't draft any better than savage and his free agency record is no better (Hugh douglas, Dennis Northcutt, Jerry Porter,) … The Browns are in bad enough shape with mangini and the mess that was left in cleveland… Back to the doodle board.. again…
January 9th, 2009 at 3:36 pm
ryan, i'm not sure what high school has to do with the pros. but if i was the man in charge you wouldn't have had to see romeo choke one playoff appearance away and then see the savage/romeo show rip the team apart last year.
one year for mangini. if he doesn't make the playoffs then bring in cowher.
January 9th, 2009 at 4:46 pm
Aside from the Browns, I follow the Jags because I live in Florida and, trust me, Shack Harris was a disaster in Jacksonville. Moreover, he's a blatant racist.
It would be a nightmare if the Browns hired Harris, he'd be worst than the Savage/Dough Boy combo.
January 9th, 2009 at 4:57 pm
Another thing about Shack Harris, he drafted only one Pro Bowl player (DB R. Mathis) in six years.
Moreover, the Jags only had one playoff win and zero divisional titles in six years under Harris.
Harris rode the coattails of the Coughlin players and when they grew old, his ineptitude was exposed.
Pat: Pull your head out of your arse, Harris would be a horrible hire and you hurt your credibility by mentioning it..
January 9th, 2009 at 6:08 pm
Same with McKay!
January 9th, 2009 at 6:15 pm
Mike, it does seem kind of fishy. Way too fast. By the way, nowhere did Rhoden, who, by the way, is very well respected for a "hack," accuse Mangini of losing "on purpose," whatever that means.
Who knows what kind of preliminary feelers went on between agents and third-parties. Either Lerner is a compulsive dope, which is unlikely, or there is something amiss in the sniff test. It's not a crazy notion.
These guys all travel in the same circles. Dollars to donuts Lerner chatted with Mangini's agent, Ron Shapiro, during the season, even in an unofficial capacity. Everybody knows who Ron Shapiro is, the guy is one of the most powerful dudes out there. Maybe Lerner and Shapiro bumped into each other at a Bar Mitzvah in a Cleveland suburb, and chatted over a piece of lean brisket, who knows. Ron is Mark Shapiro's father and Ron Shapiro's daughter is married to Mangini. It's not an unreasonable notion that feelers went out from both Lerner's camp and from Mangini's camp long before any interview was even scheduled, long before the season ended. It doesn't mean that Mangini took a dive, but it's always comforting to know you're going to land on a soft pillow if you fall.
Pat, James Harris? Hey, why not hire Franco Harris? Makes as much sense as the other silliness going on inside the offices located at 100 Alfred Lerner Way.
January 10th, 2009 at 12:05 am
Alan, again, it's been widely reported that Lerner was visibly shocked and brimming with excitement when a reporter told him that Mangini had been fired. Doesn't sound like someone who was working behind the scenes with Mangini's agent trying to conspire to steal him away from the Jets. I truely believe that Lerner didn't even think of Mangini as a possibility until the reporter told him that he just was fired. Lerner wanted Cowher, and when that failed, he was just going to bring several candidates in as plan B. I'm sure he's followed Mangini's career and liked him before he even became available, but that doesn't mean he had any thoughts of him being the next head coach of the Brown's until the Crennel firing press conference.
January 10th, 2009 at 1:31 am
I don't think anybody was hardcore "working behind the scenes," but it's conceivable that Mangini was always Plan B if Cowher declined. That's what I mean, Mangini's agent working behind the scenes for months, putting in a good word for his boy in the event he was canned. Son Mark Shapiro chatting with Lerner at Corky & Lenny's, putting in a good word for his brother-in-law in the event his brother-in-law. Heck, Ron Shapiro also happens to also be on the Ravens' payroll. There are plenty of connections with Lerner here.
Who knows how it came to be, but something just ain't right here. When an owner who appears to be out of his element gets all giggly and impulsive when somebody, apparently without much demand elsewhere, has become available, in this instance you tend to wonder who said what to whom the past few months. I think Lerner was looking for sage advice, and for months he's gotten it from Mangini's and Lerner's common friends, acquaintances and family.
January 10th, 2009 at 8:57 am
I suspect Lerner's just a Jets fan.
January 10th, 2009 at 12:22 pm
Alan…don't you think there wasn't much of a public demand for Mangini from other teams because when contacted his agent flat out said he'd only interview if the Browns job did not happen? Lerner was extremely quick in getting Mangini interviewed (24 hrs after he was fired). Heck, he had someone contact Mangini during the presser. I don't think any other team was acting that quickly.
Realistically, Mangini was the best option out there after Cowher decided to stay in the tv studio. Shanahan would have wanted too much control. Inexperience with any of the coordinators avail. And Lerner wanted an experienced coach.
Before everyone jumps on the "fire Mangini" bandwagon, lets see what he can do. Everyone was giddy about Butch Davis, Savage and Romeo getting hired, look how that turned out. Hopefully because so many seem to disagree with the hiring this time things work out the right way.
Personally, I don't care who the coach and GM are. Just win some games! GO BROWNS!