1) I awoke to NPR this morning stating that the Browns released an "awkwardly worded statement" that General Manager George Kokinis was gone. Calling the statement awkward — it said Kokinis "is no longer actively with the organization" — would be like calling winter in Nome chilly. You read that statement and you wonder what it means.
2) Then coach Eric Mangini stands up in his news conference and says he won't talk about what happened with Kokinis other than to say "it didn't work out." So the one voice that the team has isn't taking questions about it. Next thing you know the Browns will wonder why there's so much speculation and rumor about what happened. Not addressing the situation smacks of cowardice. Leadership means standing up when things are tough (see Mark Shapiro discussing and addressing the firing of Eric Wedge). In this case, Mangini and the Browns sat down. The really frightening thing: Mangini kept saying "we" when talking about the organization and the team's future, as if to imply he would be part of it long-term. Guess we now know the subject of the next paranormal activity movie.
3) I don't know what happened that caused this to happen with Kokinis so suddenly. Randy Lerner obviously felt strong enough about something to act. I have heard that Kokinis worked in Cleveland the same way he did in Baltimore. He kept coaches hours, which means arrive early and stay late and sometimes sleep in the office. He had his scouts doing the same thing, and that didn't sit real well with all of them. He also worked quietly, behind the scenes. Kokinis was not a real public guy, though he's always been a good guy in my private dealings with him.
4) The way this went down, though, clearly makes it seem like Kokinis is taking the fall for a bad start. Mangini somehow continues in his job, yet the GM is fired? After the majority of players brought in were ex-Jets? After the quarterback situation was completely mishandled on the field? After all the garbage we've seen on the playing field? True or not, this clearly makes it look like Mangini sacrificed his friend to save his job. And the Browns statement and Mangini's nonexplanation do nothing to rectify that impression. As for Mangini calling Kokinis a friend … I can hardly wait to see what gifts they exchange this Christmas.
5) The flip side is that if Kokinis was simply not up to the job and the pressures of the job and losing got to him — a possibility — then Mangini was wrong to suggest him as GM and the Browns made a mistake picking him. Either way, Mangini does not come out of this well. Nor should he. He's overseeing a season of disastrous proportions.
6) Let's not forget, too, Mangini's history in New England. He wanted a head coaching job, and Bill Belichick asked him not to take one job — with the Jets. Belichick's thinking: The rivalry and feelings between the two teams were too intense for the friendship to continue. Any other team … Belichick said, he'd do anything he could to help him. Mangini took the Jets job anyway, and he knew he was getting it as the Patriots flew back from a playoff loss in Denver. So on the team plane, Mangini was recruiting coaches from Belichick's staff to join him in New York. When Belichick heard this, he was irate, and the next day locked Mangini out of the building. Once Mangini got to New York, Spygate followed. Now we have Kokinis recommended by Mangini, hired, and fired. Err … no longer actively involved.
7) One thing can't be debated: Kokinis waited to take the job with the Browns last January because he wanted it in his contract that he had final say over personnel. He got that. It seems quite obvious that once he got in the building, Mangini had final say over everything — including how Kokinis should act (he was not the same person he was in Baltimore), who parks where and the fact that the first floor should have plaster board covering up the cinder block. Not to mention moving the mural of the hall of famers that has never been placed in the lobby like the team said it would (though there are nice plaques with the names of the hall of famers).
8) Walking out of Solider Field on Sunday, I heard another writer from the Chicago area describe the game this way while talking on his cell phone: "Wasn't much of a game. The Bears played really bad, and the Browns are just horrible." Sums it up, doesn't it? The Bears had a day they'd like to forget, a day when they openly admitted they played down to the Browns level — and they won BY 24 POINTS.
9) What did Jamal Lewis mean when he said he "stuck his neck out" for the Browns? Two things: First is he is playing on a very painful ankle, one that required an offseason procedure and would sideline a lot of others players. Second is he stood up for the new regime, and did what he could to get everyone on the team to "buy in." Now he sees what's happening, and he's rightly disgusted.
10) There's no sense hiding from another reality: The majority of the players cannot stand playing for Mangini. Yes, there is a small group that believes in him, and most are the guys he brought in from New York. But others simply don't like him. Because he belittles them in meetings, beats them down mentally and has no clear plan to win a game. Anyone who believes that this team believes in this coach is not looking at the reality on the field. Too, the players look at how he says everyone should be treated the same and they see that Mangini treats employees in the building shabbily and they think "hypocrite." As one league insider very knowledgeable in the workings of this and any team said: "That situation there will get 100 times worse before it even starts to get better."
Three and Out
There were so many letters the past eight days, so many from which to choose. I'm sticking with four as a representative sample.
Dear Pat,
Webster's defines death as "a state of being." That's a pretty good definition of the Cleveland Browns. Eric Mangini claims it's a process and he is right; it has been a slow death over the last 39 years.
Ineptitude can creep in and destroy a beloved franchise. Greedy owners, mismanagement, a revolving door of incompetent general managers, coaches, support staff and quarterbacks can over time lead to the fall of a once storied championship team.
This has all created a dysfunctional organization that is an embarrassment to itself, its loyal fans and the city it represents. To paraphrase Einstein: "The problems that face us today as the Cleveland Browns cannot be solved by the level of thinking that has created it."
Be respectful of the "dead." Don't try and leave it on life support with a parade of old legends like Jim Brown or Bernie Kosar. It's too late simply cremate it and spread the ashes over Los Angeles, and like Braylon Edwards give it a new start.
We the Baby Boomers are tired of grieving year in and year out over this ailing parent. Let it go! It's over already
Craig Bassett
Ft Mill SC
Dear Craig,
I think many share your pain.
Dear Pat,
Is Randy Lerner clueless. He fires a guy who did nothing. I have not seen a quote or anything else from George Kokinis since he was hired. That's like blaming the cook for the Titanic sinking.
Have a great day!
Ed Miller
New Waterford, OH
Dear Ed,
Every day is a great day when you're involved with the Cleveland Browns.
Dear Pat,
Thanks for starting the firing process of Eric Mangini. Please add Brian Daboll, the clown who is our offensive coordinator, to the list of people to be fired immediately.
I hope you can convince Randy Lerner why Mangini has to go. The players have lost all confidence in him. He is simply going to make it even worse by hanging around.
Thanks for all your help.
Best Regards
Tom Joseph
Season Ticket holder since 1979
Dear Tom,
I take no pride in "starting" a process that leads to someone losing his job. I simply have the opinion that you are right: This is going to get worse before it gets better, and I don't see it getting better with Mangini guiding the ship.
Dear Pat,
I’ve been a Browns fan all my life. I was eight when they won it all in 1964. I’ve seen a lot, heard a lot, etc. I’ve lived in four different states, currently in the Chicago area. I’m around plenty of Bears fans all the time.
Today, the day after the Bears-Browns game, I’m getting pity. Even the most ardent Bears fans realize Sunday’s game was poorly played from the Bears standpoint, yet they had no trouble winning.
Here is the most common thing I’ve heard today – I feel sorry for the city of Cleveland that the Browns are so bad. They say the Browns are the worst team they’ve played in they can’t remember when. This is coming from fans whose team plays the Lions twice a year! How sad that is.
I didn’t see the game live. I taped it but I won’t watch it. I was traveling back from Ohio to Chicago yesterday afternoon so I listened to the game on the Bears radio network. More than once the Bears announcers (Jeff Joniak and Tom Thayer) asked the question – what has Brady Quinn done that he can’t even get on the field? This was before the one series mop up at the end of the game.
To me the Browns are at the lowest point in their history. There is no reason to be optimistic about the future. What building blocks do they even have in place? What free agent player other than one that no other team wants would play for this team or this coaching staff? There are holes everywhere. We are watching the destruction of a franchise that will take years to rebuild if it can be rebuilt.
Delusional Browns fans can quit dreaming about Bill Cowher or any other big name coach coming in to save them. Not going to happen.
I’m still a fan but I’m becoming a very apathetic one.
Tom Shenberger
Crystal Lake, Illinois
Dear Tom,
You sound much more than apathetic. But you also sound correct. Very, very correct.
(Want to be recognized in “Three and Out”? It’s a rare treat. Comment here or send an e-mail to pmcmanamon@thebeaconjournal.com, and put “First and 10” in the subject line.)
the "process" that mangini likes to refer to is called "decomposition".
oh yeah….kokonis worked under the next opponent for years. i'd expect hits like the one ed reed laid on knowshon moreno all game. i'm looking forward to seeing bloody and bruised browns. what this team needs is an utter and complete public humiliation. then maybe randy lerner will find an ounce of shame and do right by the city and sell the team.
"what this team needs is an utter and complete public humiliation."
31-3 and 30-6 the last two weeks not enough humiliation for ya, terje?
no, because almost no one outside of the local team's areas and some scattered other fans saw those games. monday night is the only game in town. crapping yourself in front of a small gathering of friends is nothing compared to a full blow out in front of millions.
agreed terje, if they stink it up on MNF it will really open some eyes nationally. People know we suck, but I think the true fans of Cleveland are privy to just how bad we are…remember no one likes losers…but millions will watch MNF and see what we all have been sitting through.
Sheez, I would think that even the commish would get invoived if it got worse enough…seriously there are standards for NFL teams right?
I would like to see Kosar involved…he's knows football AND business…a big plus. For me it's the last straw, I already don't watch full games and have not went to a game in 2 years. Lerner needs to take control, it's his name on the line, and his father's wish that the Browns be winners again.
terje, while the media market for the Monday Night game will be bigger than the team(s) local markets have been, I am sure there are not many people across this country planning to tune in to that nights broadcast. It certainly will not be the ratings of Green Bay going to Minnesota last month. I don't even know how ESPN will be able to put a positive spin on the commercials leading up to the game. "Tune in to watch the "Old Browns" completely tear up the "New Browns!" I don't think many people are tuning in.
After today's events, the Browns have been embarrassed enough. It is time to put the tail between the legs, move out of the spotlight and quietly rebuild a crumbled unstable foundation. Bring in proven architects to create a solid foundation so that in three years we might at least be competitive.
Kokonis's firing further reinforces my opinion that Lerner is incapable of leading this team in any way. Lerner needed to hire a Parcels type and get the !@#$ out of the way. If we were a laughing stock before, it has just gotten worse.
I have a question for all the people who would like to see Kosar come in and participate in any capacity. I am 24, so I faintly remember Kosar playing, and didn’t follow him after he left Cleveland, but just because he played quarter back, what makes him a good evaluator of talent? Look at the Jim Zorn problems in Washington. He played quarterback, and from what I learned, probably was not much different than Kosar.
My question is (I am only asking it to be more informed) what other than being a former quarterback, a lawyer, and having good business sense, makes Kosar right for a position in evaluating talent and helping to lay the foundation for the future of the Browns.
not sure where you guys heard bernie has good business sense. the guy's bankrupt, a recovering alcoholic and is lucky his kids aren't like hasselhoff's daughter and he's not on youtube hacking away at a loaf of bread with a saw.
All of the descriptive terms I used have been posted in various forums over the past couple of days. I know nothing of the man. My step-father was never a huge fan of Kosar. He respected him, but didn't think he was that outstanding. That is my background on Kosar.
where do we go from here? looks to me like mangini finishes the season and then they start the process all over again and try to get it right. probably by getting a general manager first. or the owner throws the fans a bone by firing mangini in the last month, or week. tough to be a browns fan right now. i was in nyc this weekend wearing a browns jersey on sunday at espn in time square, which was loaded with jet and giant fans. i got nothing but sympathy. i would have preferred that i was being woofed at or cracked on but these fans know we are a pathetic organization.
michael, you've been hearing a bunch of nonsense. lebatard of the miami herald had an article on kosar recently. the guy has a ton of problems. part of the reason lerner hired him is because he owes the browns money.
That is why I asked the question. I didn't know there was much to Kosar to be excited about, and then to see so many people desiring the organization to bring him in left me scratching my head. I have not seen anything from him that warrents bringing him in. I just wanted the proponents of Kosar to share why they think he would be the savior of the organization.
Pat, I saw your large oddly shaped head in the clips of Jamal Lewis crying about being done with football. Why didn't you ask him why he's still here now? Six inches and a cloud of dust, homey!
I just hope the rest of the NFL appreciates what we're doing here in Cleveland. If he had a slight chance of ever becoming a head coach after the Jets, this is definitely the death knell for Mangini's head coaching career.
You're welcome NFL teams, you're welcome.
Mr. Lerner….for the love of all that's good and right, please, sir, PLEASE….get Mangini out of here now. He physically turns the stomach of your fandom. The players cannot stand him (go ahead, ask them one by one in private). He is a pompous, arrogant little tyrant. A backstabber like we've never known before. I mean, his personal integrity is ZERO. He'll throw anyone under the bus to save his own slimy skin. This is the type of person to avoided in all avenues of life. They cannot be trusted, and—why must I even SAY this?—are certainly not qualified to be leaders of men or the "face" of a professional franchise worth over a 1/2-billion dollars!!!! Come on! WAKE UP, Mr. Lerner.
@Michael D:"My question is (I am only asking it to be more informed) what other than being a former quarterback, a lawyer, and having good business sense, makes Kosar right for a position in evaluating talent and helping to lay the foundation for the future of the Browns."
When did Bernie become a lawyer? His degree is in finance and economics.
When Bernie played QB for the Browns, he usually had a better grasp of the offense than the head coach. He was never very athletic, it was his football smarts that allowed him to succeed as an NFL QB. He was always calling audibles to change the play at the line of scrimmage.
Want to know how bad it is? I'm a Bengals fan and I feel sorry for you. Seriously though, I had to laugh at the comment about the Commissioner stepping in because of low standards. If that were the case Mike Brown would have been dealt with long ago.
I always thought the cook had something to do with the sinking of the Titanic
@Brian D. I was not saying that Kosar was a Lawyer, but it was said on a couple comments on a few of the Beacon Journals Browns Articles. It was something that caught my eye, and made me question why he would be appropriate to help resurrect the Browns. I was just wandered why so many wanted to see him a part of the process, and what made him qualified for that process.
fake alan t., first of all, you're not funny. That's the #1 mistake when you get drunk and decide to do your "comedy act" on open-mic night at the Tuscaloosa Chuckle Hut.
With that being said and now out of the way, let's get to your stupid post, shall be? I believe Pat's head is the perfect size for the rest of his body. And I'm not even gay, just a guy who knows how to compare head proportion. So don't further disparage him, let alone don't further disparage me with idiot online posts. Would you also accuse Herman Munster of having a head too huge and out of proportion with the rest of his body? Unfortuntately born with your Joe Piscopo comedy routine and your Mr. Magoo eyesight, you probably would.
Oh, and for a couple of other posts, that's pretty damn funny, the mere thought of Kosar becoming a lawyer. Seriously, that made me chuckle. The guy would need to buy an electric sander just to be able sharpen his #2 pencil. The guy can't even pronounce the term "the Socratic Method," let alone knows what it is. Oh, and one last cheap joke at Kosar's expense regarding this absolutely ridiculous lawyer thing: One thing that is absolutely certain is Bernie would Never Never EVER "pass the bar."
You wrote, "Not addressing the situation smacks of cowardice." If I understand how the Browns are organized, it would not be Eric Mangini's place to discuss why the owner fired the general manager. The man may not be a good coach, but attackng him by implying he is a coward is a bit much.
Oh, and even though I am a strong Pat McManamon supporter, a columnist who at least get on the phone while the actual beat writer Marla Ridenour gets on her ESPN, Miami Herald and assorted rotten fan websites to acquire the local Cleveland news, I do have a major issue with the first paragraph … A straight guy actually wakes up to NPR??? WHAT? What's next, are you going to usurp Mr. Blackwell on which celebs wear really, really distasteful clothes at the Oscars?
@Michael D: I'd like Kosar to be more involved, if for no other reason that he has consistently seemed to care about the Cleveland Browns and tells it like it is. He does have some experience with running a professional football team.
Mangini's better days are behind him. Seems as though he's into a phase of "diminishing skills".
Kinda like being disgusted with presidents like Bill Clinton and GW Bush. The voters just wanted someone new. Qualifications meant very little. Heck, even Rocky Balboa blubbered about "Change" after fighting that big Russian guy! May as well have elected Rocky as President…
Alan t. – NPR offers the most serious (and best) news on the radio – sorry it doesn't have the usual menu of dopey disc jockeys or ultra-right wing bloviators calling the President names. You must be a meathead conservative who revels in his own ignorance. I am glad to hear Pat listens to NPR…makes sense since he is the most intelligent journalist covering the Browns.
…and how did we get on MNF ??? This team really stinks !!!
GETTING kOSAR INVOLVED IS A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION THIS GUY IS ATRUE BROWN TO THE CORE AND IS RIGHT IN SAYING THAT WE CAN'T MISS ON ALL THESE DRAFT CHOICES NEXT YEAR HE WILL BE VERY INFLUENTAL IN HAVING THE OWNERS EAR AS TO WHO WE NEED TO BRING IN TO RUN THIS TEAM
Brad, NPR is for folks who tripped down the steps, landed on their head, were in a coma for six months, wake up believing they're George Will, and then hold the nurse hostage until an orderly brings hima bowtie to attach to his bodycast. Hate to break the news to ya, but sportswriters wake up to sports. Always. Sports. Sports. And nothing but sports. But I'll give the Irish guy a free pass, though, perhaps he thinks Obama is going to try out for the Cavs after LeBron leaves.
And Larry, (the fake one, not the real larry d.), you must have extraordinarily high expectations when it comes to referring to somebody as a coward, when this chump Mangini obviously is. And so is his sugardaddy Lerner, for that matter. Or is that extraodinarily low expectations. I always get the two confused.
Stan, not singling you out, but are people truly that unbelievably stupid to believe that Kosar can manage anything more than a bad ESPN fantasy team?
He was a mediocre quarterback, but that really means nothing. You don't need talent to have pro football management skills and all the other qualifications necessary to be a good NFL leader. But Kosar is the proverbial book-smart college kid who is a total loser in the game of life. And when I say "loser," I mean a guy who doesn't have a chance, nor will ever have a legitimate chance to redeem himself. His AA sponsor should be the only person who should have free access to him, and I mean that. No common sense, no business sense, no sense at all. Hasn't been near an NFL play since the middle of the Clinton Administration. Worthless. The guy goes to one Pro Bowl in 12 seasons, spends his post-football career robbing everybody blind, including Al Lerner for millions and that Arena League chump who was connived by Kosar out of $750,000, and now naive fans actually think he's Jesus Christ with a playbook simply because they've heard of him and had slightly more talent at the quarterback position than Bill Nelson.
I have one single simple question for you: Are you high???!!! And for once, I'm not directing this question to Bernie Kosar.
ok geoff, i take back the pass i gave terry pluto. once again he is guilty of gauging wind speed and direction before offering an opinion. if he's in south dakota he should take a break. but apparently he's either not in south dakota or he once again had to wait for the general consesus so he doesn't go against the grain.
terje, in Pluto's defense, I believe that Three Feathers Epstein and Dances Without Underwear, who both live on the Sioux tribe reservation where Pluto stays, allow Pluto full usage of their sports telegraph machines located in their teepees. Coincidentally, the teepees are located a mere quarter-mile from Gilbert's Dakota casinos.
Alan T is 100% correct – no straight male should be listening to NPR. I like Pat but that is too much.
Pretend Siegfried is Lerner, and I have an extremely strong suspicion that the last Browns meeting preceding this latest ridiculous fiasco went exactly like this: http://xr.com/vji
pat get Sirius and wake up to Stern at least its funny! How have i gone from someone who had tears in his eyes watching the im leaving you for Bmore to a guy who is now rooting for them to get beat to get this missgenie OUTTA HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! For the love of all that is good in O H I O ! S…can the man! randy have pat make the call or get Jim Rome just DO IT do it now ill forgive you just DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO IT!!!!!!!!! OK wheres my Ativan?????
howard stern is funny? wow, i've heard the guy on and off for over 20 years and i never noticed.
@ Real alan t.
I said he had a large and oddly shaped head. You didn't address the oddly shaped observation. Please tell me he doesn't look like Sam Cassell or that guy who buries skulls in his East Cleveland flower garden. At least a white version.
While we're on the Pete or Pat or whoever subject… when did 'journalists' start throwing in their opinion? It just occurred to me that Mac daddy is trying too hard to be a basement GM like a few of you home slices on this poor excuse for a chatter board.
fake alan t., Sam Cassell looks like an alien that had sex with a Milk Dud. I can't speak for the East Cleveland rapist who buries skulls like Danny Ferry and the Lerner Family bury hope. I've never laid eyes on the perv, but I'll take your word for it.
But now that's get to your main course, which is Pat McManamon's purportedly enormous head which you allege has both strong alien and rapist qualities to it. First, all Irish heads are huge. That's a genetic fact. Some Irish heads are larger than others, like the Kennedys' heads, which are literally six times the size of the tiger that ate Roy's head from Siegfried & Roy. But the McManamon skull gene is body-proportional, large or not, with not an openly visible hint of alien or rapist grey matter anywhere on his melon.
But unfortunately for women, rumor has it that Pat has extremely small feet. And we all know what that means.
To alan t.: My name actually is Larry.
All Alans, fake and real,
I can agree that Bernie Kosar is not the answer. He is to fiscal responsibility as Mangini is to fitness. At least that's how I remember the SATs were written.
People love him here. Much like they loved Charlie Frye and any cadaver that ever played for the Buckeyes. That doesn't mean that he should be in charge of anything more than shaving himself and peeling an orange.
Kosar should be in charge of shaving himself and peeling an orange? For the Browns? For anybody? The last time Kosar did anything resembling your advice, he peeled a razor blade, shaved himself with an orange, and then spent the next seven months in the burn ward of Miami Children's Hospital.
Kosar isn't a lawyer. While I realize some people think he walks on water and raises the dead neither is true. He was a QB with a little better then average skills which he used very well. He had a a good football mind, to be sure but he isn't a coach, a G M or football executive. I think enough on the job training, learn the job as you go has happened here already.
A few years ago Dan Marino, a better QB than Kosar, was hired as GM of the Dolphins. He resigned a couple days later as I recall. Maybe someone told him he was in over his head or maybe he realized it. We have already had a learn as you go former player as GM, Remember Dwight Clark?
To hire Kosar and put him in any position of authority and responsibility above entry level would be a continuation of what the Lerner's have done since the old man bought the team. They need to do the one thing they have refused to do to date. They need to hire a successful head coach or successful GM or successful head coach who has been successful as a GM as well to be the man in charge of the football side of the operation, He in turn needs to hire a GM who has a successful track record who will hire a head coach who has had a successful run at that job. Maybe then this organization will finally begin to right itself.
Actually, in one particular case, I really do think Kosar can raise the dead repeatedly. Seriously. A drink called the Deadly Duck Fart is made of 25% Kaulua, 25% Bailey's Irish Creme, and 50% vodka. I think Kosar could raise more dead than all the guys on the show "Lost" combined.
Dandy,Dandy…I got nuthin. Regarding big heads. Please tell me Newt Gingrich is not Irish and that his giant cranium is the result of inbreeding.
hey whats wrong with small feet! its how nimble you skate on the ice not how hard you HIT IT ! Fake alans are like fumunda cheese a good wash will clean it up! There you have it…..GO CAVS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GO Steelers!!! come on randy S***CAN THE BOY !!!!!!
randy should have fired mangini and daboll. promoted ryan to head coach and made kosar offensive coordinator,then spent some cash to bring in bill cower as general manger big cheese in charge
I felt that my qualms about Kosar would be backed up. Just because you have been around football for a long time does not mean you are position coach, head coach, GM, or "person in charge of football operations" material. People need to get of the Kosar kick and bring in proven talent at each spot to run this orginization. This learning on the job stuff is for the birds. Competetive football is what we need in Cleveland, not learning on the job loosing and non-competitiveness.
@Michael D. Kosar has a good offensive mind. I am not sure he would make a good GM but I think he would make a good offensive coordinator. He would be a balls to the wall type of guy. You would need to really have the best players. What got him in trouble with Belichek was he did not do what he was told. He changed plays. He drew them up in the sand. He had the players to do that. They trusted him and believed in him. He just wasn't the same athletically after a guy in KC blitzed him and killed his arm. His mind knew what to do but his body was not quite capable.
His bankruptcy happened because his holdings were real estate based. I lost $30,000 in value on my house and didn't do a damned thing to deserve it. So did just about everyone else in America that owned a house in the past two years. Imagine having loans against millions of dollars of property that you own and then the devaluation takes place. You're upside down before you know it and bankruptcy is the only thing that makes sense. Why try to work your way out of a mess like that? It would nearly be impossible. Just eat the embarassment and start over.
Could he learn to be a good GM? Yes I think he could. The guy is smart. I think he can evaluate talent pretty well. I think he would be pretty smart in picking coaches. We would have aggressive teams because he was an aggressive player. But as Mangini says…it would be a process!
@terje: the "process" that mangini likes to refer to is called "decomposition" – well said.
If Kokinis indeed did not have any authority there was no point keeping him around. That much makes sense to me. I still cannot figure out why he and Mangini were hired in the first place.
If Lerner scores on a GM and/or head of football ops this can all change for the better. Presumably Mangini would be out after this season and the Browns could move on. Kosar is not the answer – much like the outpouring of love for Schottenheimer – this is all based on good times and memories now long past.
I had been in favor of giving Mangini time beyond this season but it is clear to me now he is much more a part of the problem than any possible solution. I would need to see dramatic improvement organizationally as well as on the field to even think about reconsidering.
I love this team and the organization. With respect to the Lerner family, it takes time. The fans need to take a few tums while we work out the kinks. See you in the Super Bowl next year!!!!
First of all Pat McWhiner is awful. He can't look past his own nose to see anything good. Honestly, losing is the best thing that can happen to the Browns this year as long as they evaluate potential draftees well. If anyone thought that Anderson or Quinn were NFL material, they were looking at Fool's Gold. This team is not a Man Genie problem. This team is a mess of bad drafts. At least the offensive line is better and so when the Browns trade or draft a QB, that guy won't get killed. And for all you whiners, remember how Bad Boy Bill, now the revered one in New England, was vilified by the Press here. It takes time and I give Man Genie and his staff some leeway. I was here in 1964 and saw Brees and Orton in college. Kyle was never as smart as Brees but could throw the ball. Brees reminds me of Kosar — smart and accurate. I saw Quinn, too. He was never that good.