Mike Holmgren interview

[SJ_Browns]

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nf...s-mangini_N.htm

 

By Jon Saraceno, USA TODAY

This Cleveland Browns front-office thing is not going to be painless, or uncomplicated, for Mike Holmgren.

He knows it. His family knows it. The franchise knows it.

 

So, too, does coach Eric Mangini.

 

Holmgren is the newest president in yet another Browns management cycle. But he is a dyed-in-the-wool coach cloaked in sometimes tight-fitting executive garb, a towering and intimidating figure driven by the quest for perfection — on the field.

 

Emerging from a one-year hiatus, Holmgren always has sated his ravenous football appetite along the sweaty scrum of the sidelines, never in the antiseptic environs of a sky-high press box as an administrative type. X's and O's drive Holmgren, not dollar signs on a financial ledger.

 

Game days will be vastly different for the Harley-riding grandfather, 62, who roamed — and sometimes foamed — along NFL sidelines from 1992 to 2008. He is one of five NFL coaches to revive a pair of moribund franchises when he led two teams to the Super Bowl, the Green Bay Packers, then the Seattle Seahawks.

 

"I know this about myself: I am going to have to find a way to funnel my energy," he says in an exclusive interview. "Even in our minicamps, my tendency was to (want to) run out there, grab (rookie quarterback) Colt McCoy and say, 'Now, look!' I have told Eric I am not going to say, 'Do this or do that.' It is not fair. I kept Eric when everyone thought I was going to let him go. I believe he is a fine coach — and he is going to get a chance to prove it."

 

Holmgren, the respected football scholar and teacher, will not be able to watch, much less direct, his favored West Coast offense because the Browns do not run it. But the hovering specter of the native San Franciscan as head coach — somewhere, if not in Cleveland — hangs like fog.

 

Holmgren has proved to be a sturdy limb from the football tree of Bill Walsh, the late San Francisco 49ers coach who strongly influenced him.

 

Holmgren was a rigorous molder of quarterbacks for two decades — including Joe Montana, Steve Young, Brett Favre and Matt Hasselbeck— and his rep as a clever play-caller in his precision passing offense was well earned.

 

During his days in Green Bay (1992-98) and Seattle (1999-2008), his teams finished first or second in the division 15 times, winning eight division titles. Holmgren cut a wide, imposing coaching swath at a burly, sometimes gruff, 6-6.

 

"Bill was a dictator, and Mike learned that," says Browns adviser Gil Haskell, a longtime confidant. "But Mike Holmgren is his own man and did it his way."

 

Haskell says the pair will watch Browns games from the press box, but don't look for Holmgren's jowly implosions to be captured on TV: "He will sit in a place where it is not easy for people to see his reactions," Haskell says. "He will pick a place that is not in front of the cameras."

 

Holmgren says the "rush" for him was calling plays as a head coach — "the chess game, being there, making quick decisions," a lure that leaves him vulnerable to another foray into coaching.

 

"I think there is that possibility," he says. "But really not until I think I have accomplished what I need to do here. So the odds become less and less the longer I am here, if it takes awhile to fix this.

 

"This opportunity came up, so I grabbed it before I had too much time to think about coaching opportunities. I made the right decision for me right now."

 

And for the city's often-crushed faithful. The beloved Brownies have not won an NFL title since 1964.

 

The Packers were in a championship drought from 1968 to 1995. Along with Favre, his wildly effective Mississippi slinger, Holmgren teamed with then-general manager Ron Wolf to put the title back in "Title Town." The Packers won the Super Bowl after the 1996 season.

 

Says Favre, quarterback of the Minnesota Vikings: "My gut tells me he'll want to be down there orchestrating the offense," as coach one day. "(But) will he hold out for the job he wants — or take whatever comes available?"

 

If Holmgren has a blueprint, he guards it like a game plan. This much is known: The former Southern California quarterback and his wife, Kathy, have homes in California and Arizona. Three of their four daughters live in the Pacific Northwest.

 

"That (geographical separation) is the hardest thing about living in Cleveland. We don't want that to go on indefinitely," Kathy says.

 

In the meantime, Holmgren, recuperating from big-toe surgery, will survey his new team. The Browns open camp Friday in Berea, Ohio. Kathy Holmgren says her husband initially used the word "retirement" in 2008.

 

"The closer it got to reality, the word changed to sabbatical," she says. "I'm not sure I realized how much it still consumed him."

 

That became readily apparent after the couple toured Europe last year, performed missionary work in Mexico and visited their daughters and six grandchildren..

 

"It was really hard for him to be away from football," says twin daughter Calla, who, for the first time last season, watched an NFL game in person with her father. "He was just so fidgety. He couldn't sit and just watch a game — it drove him crazy."

 

Lessons learned in Seattle

 

Holmgren was hired in Seattle as head coach and executive vice president-general manager, but ownership stripped him of his GM duties after four seasons. Yet his 2005 Seahawks registered the franchise's first playoff win in 25 seasons. The Seahawks advanced to Super Bowl XL but lost.

 

Holmgren says he has something to prove — to himself.

 

"In Seattle, I made some errors in the personnel part," he says. "And I waited too long to make key changes, leading to (competing) factions. I did some things I wish I had not.

 

"When they took away the GM thing, my ego was like, 'Sheesh.' It stuck with me — always has. I would like to do this just to say, 'OK, I can do this.' "

 

Browns reserve quarterback Seneca Wallace, a former Seahawk, saw something else, too.

 

"When guys try to manage too much — being a head coach and a GM — they don't focus on what they need to," he says. "I think Mike learned from it."

 

Holmgren quickly picked up the coaching scent during the Browns minicamps. He sniffed around the offense, standing behind it during practices with Mangini's blessing.

 

"It was a different situation for him not to be in control — I can tell when he wants to influence, or to step in and try to change things," Wallace says.

 

"Watching Mangini interacting with players, you could tell Mike wanted to interject. He tried to restrain himself. That's just his attitude: He is a teacher. He knows the game; he loves the game. And he knows how to get a team to the Super Bowl."

 

Success is scarce in Cleveland

 

Holmgren would cherish nothing more than to deliver the bite for disgruntled "Dawg Pounders" weary of front-office bark.

 

Following a three-year absence from the league after the franchise relocated to Baltimore for the 1996 season, the Browns franchise was re-established for the 1999 season. Since then, the Browns' 59-117 record is eclipsed for feebleness only by the Detroit Lions (50-126).

 

The death of owner Al Lerner in 2002 triggered instability that produced multiple front-office reorganizations and poor drafts. The dizzying head count the last dozen years: four team presidents, six executives in general manager roles, five head coaches.

 

The Browns last appeared in the playoffs in 2002, the same year Lerner's son, Randy, inherited the team. Lerner does not like to be front and center with the news media. This is where Holmgren is comfortable as the face of the franchise.

 

"I am going to attempt to use the same formula that we used in Green Bay," he says. "One, you have to have the right coach. Two, you have to get better players. And if … (Lerner) is going to let me do it, then we should be able to fix it. Now, do you get to the Super Bowl? You need to be a little lucky and all that stuff."

 

As a coach, Holmgren was quite the intelligent, persnickety and salty-tongued strategist. Demanding, but loyal and fair — a "straight shooter," Wallace says.

 

"He was the guy with the glare," Wallace says. "People would shy away from him, walk the other direction. As he got older, he changed. He talked more. But he still has that aura."

 

When Holmgren was hired last winter to right the Browns' lurching vessel along the shores of Lake Erie, many believed he would fire Mangini. The Browns started 1-11 in 2009, his first year in Cleveland. A four-game winning streak at season's end did little to lift speculation.

 

Instead of dumping him overboard — Mangini unexpectedly had been burdened with general manager duties last season after the firing of George Kokinis — Holmgren tossed the 39-year-old a life preserver.

 

Holmgren also hired what he calls an "All-Star" front-office group. "I kind of coaxed them into coming with me for the 'Last Great Adventure,' " he says.

 

As Holmgren, general manager Tom Heckert and Mangini restock the player cupboard, the coach's mission is to blend free agent acquisitions and rookies into a system that returnees only seemed to grasp late last season.

 

"We don't have to have the most talented guys, but I think we all want smart, tough, physical (players)," Heckert says.

 

The Browns hope to be stabilized at quarterback with veterans Jake Delhomme and Wallace replacing the fruitless duo of Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson.

 

Mangini, a Bill Belichick disciple, insists he wants — and needs — sage counsel. He says mentorship is something to be valued, not feared.

 

He says he is not worried about being big-footed by Holmgren — or perhaps replaced by the old coach.

 

"If someone helps you avoid mistakes, you would be foolish not to embrace him," Mangini says. "I think where Mike can be most effective is to help teach the teachers. He is still a coach — he is always going to be a coach."

[SJ_Browns]

this is one of the best holmgren articles i've read thus far. it's just great to read about guys that truly understand how a football team is supposed to be run and what it takes to make it successful. i also think that mangini is going to be a good coach for the browns. it takes alot for a guy to humble himself and accept help. this quote from the artilce says it all.

 

"If someone helps you avoid mistakes, you would be foolish not to embrace him," Mangini says. "I think where Mike can be most effective is to help teach the teachers. He is still a coach — he is always going to be a coach."

[TheClevelandSound]

I still get this impression that he doesn't want to be in it for the long haul. He is with us for 5 years and I have a feeling that if we are still failing 5 years from now, he will leave and become a head coach somewhere else. Just a feeling.

[SJ_Browns]

I still get this impression that he doesn't want to be in it for the long haul. He is with us for 5 years and I have a feeling that if we are still failing 5 years from now, he will leave and become a head coach somewhere else. Just a feeling.

 

i don't get that feeling at all. i think he's all in for turning this team around. i think he'll adjust to the prez job and grow to like it more than he does now. he's not getting any younger and he was talking about retiring from coaching back in 08. i think just being the prez (for the browns) and not coaching will extend his career in the nfl.

[DawgTracker]

I was once told that one sign of intelligence is using other people's knowledge to accomplish your own tasks. I think Mangini is smart to open his arms to what holmgren and heckert will tell him, it will make him a better coach

[marcus]

this is one of the best holmgren articles i've read thus far. it's just great to read about guys that truly understand how a football team is supposed to be run and what it takes to make it successful. i also think that mangini is going to be a good coach for the browns. it takes alot for a guy to humble himself and accept help. this quote from the artilce says it all.

 

I too thought that Mangini was a good choice to coach the Browns. I just laugh at the people that were a part of the lynch mob last year calling for him to be fired. Given what he had to deal with last year it's remarkable that he steered this team to five wins especially after a 1-11 start. He's changed the mindset of a lot of players that were used to and were beginning to accept losing. If he does his part to keep the momentum going I see no reason for him not to be around for a few years to come.

[Canton Mike]

I too thought that Mangini was a good choice to coach the Browns. I just laugh at the people that were a part of the lynch mob last year calling for him to be fired. Given what he had to deal with last year it's remarkable that he steered this team to five wins especially after a 1-11 start. He's changed the mindset of a lot of players that were used to and were beginning to accept losing. If he does his part to keep the momentum going I see no reason for him not to be around for a few years to come.

 

I agree. Last year, Mangini had little REAL talent & he inherited a team with NO discipline & players who balked when he attempted to bring discipline to the front. Changing the TEAM's mindset is indeed what he had to do. Granted, the Browns are still a work in progress, but the key word (previously invisible) that we can see now, is PROGRESS.

We are definitely back on the right track.

Mike

 

[Gips]

I still get this impression that he doesn't want to be in it for the long haul. He is with us for 5 years and I have a feeling that if we are still failing 5 years from now, he will leave and become a head coach somewhere else. Just a feeling.

 

Cha Ching...I also get the impression that holmgren is only in it for lerner and as a learning experience for himself, he keeps making a reference to "helping turn the franchise around" minced with words related to getting the hell out of dodge quick when its done...it seems he has no attachment to the area only a commitment to helping lerner fix the browns...regardless i love his honesty and believe he will set the browns up for future consistant success..

 

As far as mangini goes i believe a great coach will utilize what he has finding a creative/deceptive way to end up doing average with a poorly talented team and a bad coach will turn a great team into a mediocre team and a bad team into a pile of shit..

 

I have wiped my mangini hate chalkboard clean as he deserves a second chance, however i am still very apprehensive and skeptical of both mangini and daboll...in my book they still have to earn the right to stay in cleveland as they are both very much unproven...

 

My personal feelings are that mangini couldnt coach his way out of a wet paper sack if you punched a hole in it for him..he has 4 years under his belt and yet still looks like a pee wee coach, he also seems to lack creativity and the balls to know when to go for it prefering to turtle up offensively and put the game on an exhausted defenses back...

 

Im really hoping that the coaching staff can prove me wrong im very open to liking them but only if they have what it takes and do everything necessary to try and win without losing games from bad playcalling/decision making..i have a hard time putting the whole blame on a bad team, the fact is mangini made many bad mistakes/decisions and failed to utilize the talent he had until it was way to late...i go into this season hoping for the best for this coaching staff and the team but expect to see poor offensive coordinating and bad decision making by the head coach..

 

I believe rob ryans defense will be tough this year as long as mangini keeps his grubby little hands off of it and may save us from another totally insidious season...

[marcus]

Cha Ching...I also get the impression that holmgren is only in it for lerner and as a learning experience for himself, he keeps making a reference to "helping turn the franchise around" minced with words related to getting the hell out of dodge quick when its done...it seems he has no attachment to the area only a commitment to helping lerner fix the browns...regardless i love his honesty and believe he will set the browns up for future consistant success..

 

As far as mangini goes i believe a great coach will utilize what he has finding a creative/deceptive way to end up doing average with a poorly talented team and a bad coach will turn a great team into a mediocre team and a bad team into a pile of shit..

 

I have wiped my mangini hate chalkboard clean as he deserves a second chance, however i am still very apprehensive and skeptical of both mangini and daboll...in my book they still have to earn the right to stay in cleveland as they are both very much unproven...

 

My personal feelings are that mangini couldnt coach his way out of a wet paper sack if you punched a hole in it for him..he has 4 years under his belt and yet still looks like a pee wee coach, he also seems to lack creativity and the balls to know when to go for it prefering to turtle up offensively and put the game on an exhausted defenses back...

 

Im really hoping that the coaching staff can prove me wrong im very open to liking them but only if they have what it takes and do everything necessary to try and win without losing games from bad playcalling/decision making..i have a hard time putting the whole blame on a bad team, the fact is mangini made many bad mistakes/decisions and failed to utilize the talent he had until it was way to late...i go into this season hoping for the best for this coaching staff and the team but expect to see poor offensive coordinating and bad decision making by the head coach..

 

I believe rob ryans defense will be tough this year as long as mangini keeps his grubby little hands off of it and may save us from another totally insidious season...

 

I don't fault play calling in this case. There were times where the simplest plays weren't executed. It is unreasonable to ask a coaching staff to be creative or take chances on players that either couldn't or wouldn't execute the simplest of plays. That's like asking a D or F student to max out the SAT or ACT. It's not a reasonable request. Besides it's the players that make plays exciting they're the ones executing them on the field. A simple dive play can explode for 60+ yards but it's not coach running the ball either. A simple play action pass can go for 40+ yards if the ball is accurately thrown and there's someone who can catch it. Coach isn't either one of those. When the team starts making plays, then you'll see the play book open up. Until that day it just not reasonable to expect a reverse or a flea flicker when we can run a much simpler sweep or screen pass. Rob Ryan is a great coordinator I knew that when he was with the Raiders. It was just unfortunate that JaMarcus Russell shot wholes in every aspect of the offense. By and by how do you "coach yourself out of a paper bag"? One last thing, for a team that was this disorganized, wouldn't you find it difficult to find talented in players that are scattered about. All of these things are much harder than they sound. If you have ever supervised anything, you will understand what I mean.

[FearTheRoo]

Well if he doesn't have the team turned around in 5 years hopefully Holmgren doesn't have ESPN put on a special (all about himself) to say that he will be moving to Miami to be with Bill Parcells and maybe Andy Reid.

 

...Nah no one with a soul could do something like that, especially since we love Holmgren in Cleveland