Cleveland Browns (2009 Season)

[LitlBuck]

Originally Posted by Buckrock

Ernie Acorsi gave Kokinis a very strong recommendation. I think it was more importnat to Randy Lerner to find a Coach and GM on the same page. Mangini is going to do a great job IMO. He's solid.

I think you might have missed the point of the article. I too have a great deal of respect for Ernie Accorsi and go along with the fact that the HC and GM has to have a very solid relationship. I think what Grossi was going was that he would have liked to see Reese brought in as President or VP of football operations. I don't know maybe the other two guys would not have like that but Reese has an awful lot of football/business knowledge.

When I was reading articles before they signed Mangini most successful NFL teams have a VP of football operations or someone with a similar title along with a GM and coach. If not Reese, I would have liked to see them bring in someone with football knowledge to oversee the entire organization.

[LitlBuck]

Dispatch

When Hall of Famer Dante Lavelli died last week, the Cleveland Browns didn't even send out a news release. Steve King wrote a story about Lavelli for the team's Web site; the next day he was one of 15 employees laid off by the team.

A Browns insider said that if King had been laid off a day earlier, the team likely wouldn't have had even done that much.

The Browns' oversight is another example of the team's ham-handed tactics since the firing of coach Romeo Crennel and general manager Phil Savage and the hiring of their replacements. The team is going to pay approximately $20 million to Crennel and Savage for not working, yet they are lopping off the low salaries of many of their loyal and long-standing personnel.

While on the topic of Browns Hall of Famers, there's this: When coach Eric Mangini landed the Cleveland job, he made a big deal about the team's tradition and history. But one of his first acts was to have a huge mural of the team's Hall of Famers, located at the team's Berea practice facility, taken down.

What's left in the place of images of Jim Brown, Otto Graham, Paul Brown, Marion Motley, Lou Groza, Leroy Kelly and Lavelli? Simply a white wall.

Mangini has not lost one game yet for the Browns but if this is any indication of how he is going to handle the history of the Browns I do not like it

[LitlBuck]

Cleveland.com

Cleveland Browns: Safety Mike Adams wants to stay
Posted by Branson Wright / Plain Dealer Reporter January 29, 2009 16:31PM

Cleveland Browns safety Mike Adams is a free agent. He will be able to sign with any team. Adams, however, wants to remain with the Browns.

Back to that later, because he's also looking forward to working with new coach Eric Mangini. After Mangini was hired, Adams did his own research and made calls to some of Mangini's former players with the New York Jets.
He
Adams told Starting Blocks in an exclusive interview:

"I hear he's a good guy. I was told he's a great defensive-minded guy, and as a defensive back, that's exactly what I want to hear. [Some of his former players] said he really knows his stuff and he gets the job done. He's also humble."

But will Adams get to play for Mangini this coming season? Since Adams is a free agent, there's no guarantee the Browns will keep him in Cleveland. Adams is prepared for the possible disappointment.

Continued

[jlb1705]

Originally Posted by LitlBuck

Dispatch



Mangini has not lost one game yet for the Browns but if this is any indication of how he is going to handle the history of the Browns I do not like it

Not paying some sort of tribute to Lavelli is horrible.

Taking down the mural though? I love it. At this point that stuff is more myth than tradition. This franchise can once more stake a claim to its tradition by being great in the future. The last thing I want right now is some sort of atmosphere in Berea & Cleveland that makes any of the current or recent ass clowns think they have any part of what those legends built in the now distant past. I hope that's the message that's being sent here.

[LitlBuck]

Cleveland.com

NFL beat writers share "tales" of new Cleveland Browns coach Eric Mangini
by Tony Grossi, Plain Dealer Reporter
Thursday January 29, 2009, 10:29 AM

TAMPA -- To be a Browns beat writer at Super Bowl XLIII is to be the recipient of condolences from other scribes. Specifically from those that covered the New York Jets while Eric Mangini was coach.

"So he painted over a mural of Browns Hall of Famers?" said one. "In New York, he removed the Jets' one Super Bowl trophy displayed in the players locker room. He replaced it with a paper shredder so they could destroy their gameplans each week."

Tales of Mangini's restrictive ways in New York are rampant here.

"Oh, you'll love him talking about injuries," one writer said. "If he even conceded a player had a knee injury, he would refuse to say if it was his right knee or his left."

"It took me three weeks once to get an interview with the offensive line coach," said another.

They said that Mangini instructed Jets PR staffers to keep track of which players were talking to which writers -- just in case a disturbing quote was published from an unidentified player.

"We were stunned, absolutely stunned, he was hired so soon after being fired," said one. "Even people in the (Jets') building felt he needed time -- a year or two -- to reflect on things he did wrong."

The reviews were not all bad.

"He's more human than (Bill) Belichick."

"He's really not a bad guy. Never treated anybody in the media with disrespect. Even when it was warranted."

"He'll bring discipline to that team."

"He's great talking about his family."

She had better coach like hell next season or the Browns writers will take him to the woodshed.

[ysubuck]

I'm so happy that I'm a Browns fan. I mean, look at all the time that's going to be wasted today by those Steelers fans and Cardinals fans.

I mean, I've gotten to hang pictures and shovel my walk (AGAIN). I've played Hullabaloo with my kids. Wife got me Guitar Hero for my birthday. I'm cleaning up on Motorhead's OVERKILL. I'm already on the medium level there. Yeah, no wasting time with any Super Bowl party for this Browns fan.

I don't have to sit around and listen to the play by play guys talk about how good my team is. How resilient they are. No talk about number one defenses and solid offense in this household. I don't have to waste 5 hours watching pre game coverage of the Browns. Hell no.

[censored]...it's not so bad being a Browns fan. I mean...



Oh [censored]. Man, my team is miserable.

[NFBuck]

Originally Posted by ysubuck

[censored]...it's not so bad being a Browns fan. I mean...



Oh [censored]. Man, my team is miserable.

Man, think of it this way, you could be a heartbroken Cardinals fan right now. I bet all six of them are just miserable right now.

[LitlBuck]

Originally Posted by NFBuck

Man, think of it this way, you could be a heartbroken Cardinals fan right now. I bet all six of them are just miserable right now.

After the game, I was thinking the same thing and tried to remember how I felt after the two Denver games and Red Right 88 not to mention Jose Mesa

[LitlBuck]

Cleveland.com

Cleveland Browns coach Eric Mangini still not saying much about his immediate plans
by Tony Grossi/Plain Dealer Reporter
Wednesday February 04, 2009, 3:08 PM

BEREA -- Eric Mangini disclosed he has named George Warhop, formerly of the San Francisco 49ers, as his offensive line coach.

Also, strength coach Tom Myslinski and assistant Alan DeGennaro have been retained.

But in his second news conference in a month, the new Browns coach offered little other insight or information.

He was most expansive explaining why he had a mural of Browns Hall of Famers removed from the players entrance to the Browns facility.

"I would love to tell you about that," Mangini said when asked about the act that's become a cause celebre with Browns alums and fans.

"When I got here, that hall of fame mural that we had for the tribute area we had, the organization was discussing about moving to the front of the building, which I think is important. We have a lot of different ideas in terms of how we're going to present that. I thought that would be better in a more prominent place with a higher traffic area. What I said in my opening press conference is true. I believe in the importance of the history of this organization and the men that made this team great. I think that tribute will be better off in front ... in the lobby."

Mangini said he has met and talked only briefly with players who have been through the team's facility and doesn't expect to conduct formal one-on-ones with them until the offseason conditioning program commences around March 16.

He declined to say anything substantive about the roster he has been evaluating for the better part of three weeks. When pressed further, he singled out linebacker D'Qwell Jackson, running back Jamal Lewis, return specialist Josh Cribbs, offensive tackle Joe Thomas and nose tackle Shaun Rogers as players he likes.

Continued

[LitlBuck]

Cleveland.com

Cleveland Browns part ways with two scouts
by Mary Kay Cabot / Plain Dealer reporter
Thursday February 05, 2009, 2:23 PM

BEREA -- Two scouts have been fired by the Browns, one of them confirmed today to The Plain Dealer.

Midwest scout Kevin Kelly confirmed a report on profootballtalk.com that he and national scout Daniel Jeremiah have been let go by the team.
Kelly, the longest-tenured scout in the organization with eight years of service, said he showed up for personnel meetings this week and was dismissed instead.

"It's disappointing," he said. "It's been a long eight years and I've always had tremendous respect for the Browns organization, the tradition and the fans. I'm proud of the Browns who've come from my area."

Kelly's biggest claim to fame was luring Josh Cribbs to the Browns as an undrafted free agent despite the fact he had a chance to sign with his hometown Washington Redskins. Kelly convinced Cribbs that his greatest value in the beginning would be as a returner and receiver rather than the quarterback he was at Kent State. Cribbs, of course, made the Pro Bowl last season and is a first-alternate this year as a special-teamer.

Kelly, who first worked under former Browns general manager Dwight Clark, was also responsible for scouting starters such as Pro Bowl left tackle Joe Thomas, Pro Bowl receiver Braylon Edwards and quarterback Brady Quinn. In his eight seasons, seven of his undrafted free agents made the roster.

The timing of the moves was odd because Kelly and Jeremiah have spent the past year preparing for the 2009 draft in April, and both have extensive reports on hundreds of draft eligible players. With the NFL Scouting Combine starting February 18 in Indianapolis, this is the most pivotal time of the year for NFL scouts.

Jeremiah, who spent two seasons with the Browns, was brought in by former Browns Director of Player Personnel T.J. McCreight, who was fired last month.

[LitlBuck]

Cleveland.com

See you later: Ken Dorsey, Antwan Peek top list of post-season releases by the Browns
by Tony Grossi/Plain Dealer Reporter
Monday February 09, 2009, 7:19 PM

CLEVELAND -- We're not sure who will be the Browns' starting quarterback in 2009, but we know for sure it won't be Ken Dorsey or Bruce Gradkowski.

We also know linebacker Antwan Peek will not suffer another injury or record another sack for the Browns.

Those players were among seven released by the Browns on Monday, the first day NFL teams were permitted to begin cleaning up their rosters for the 2009 off-season. Others dismissed were veteran cornerback Terry Cousin, and four developmental players -- punter Mike Dragosavich, kicker Jason Reda and offensive lineman Eric Young.

Dorsey, the Browns' No. 3 quarterback the past three seasons, was considered Brady Quinn's mentor because he knew the Rob Chudzinski offensive system better than any of the coaches. The fact his arm resembled hamburger meat wasn't a problem until he was forced to start three games last year.

Continued

It will be interesting to see who they pick up as their 3rd string QB since those guys are usually veterans to tutor the younger guys. Letting Peek go is a very good indicator that an LBs will be a priority in the draft and free agency.

[DaytonBuck]

Can a Browns fan clue me into how good Eric Metcalf actually was?

[jlb1705]

I remember him as Reggie Bush without the publicity.

[jlb1705]

Oh, and this trade makes the trade to move up one spot to pick Winslow look like a stroke of genius (from the Wik):

Metcalf was traded along with two first round and one second round draft picks by the San Diego Chargers to the Arizona Cardinals for moving one spot in the 1998 NFL Draft to pick quarterback Ryan Leaf.

ouch.

[NFBuck]

Originally Posted by jlb1705

I remember him as Reggie Bush without the publicity.

...and the injuries.