WPB Dawg Fan Posted January 2, 2009 Report Share Posted January 2, 2009 Tucked away in an article by Grossi is an item about a 3rd option at GM....an inside guy: Cleveland Browns interviews continue today and tomorrow by Tony Grossi Friday January 02, 2009, 12:49 PM Browns owner Randy Lerner is conducting interviews in the New York City area today with New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and two Browns hoping to be a part of the new regime -- defensive coordinator Mel Tucker and director of player personnel T.J. McCreight. McDaniels, of Canton, would be the third person interviewed for Browns head coach. Lerner previously sat down with fired Jets coach Eric Mangini and New York Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. Tucker will be the first minority candidate to get an interview, and would put the Browns in compliance with the NFL's "Rooney Rule." The Browns had laid some ground work for other interviews with minority candidates but have not yet acted on them. McCreight is hoping to ascend to the general manager position vacated by the firing of Phil Savage. McCreight joined Savage from Baltimore in 2005 and eventually displaced Bill Rees as director of player personnel. McCreight has been in charge of the personnel department since Savage was fired last weekend. I don't know anything about McCreight....but it could be a viable option if we are looking at Mangini. Here is a blurb on him from the Browns official web-site T.J. McCreight Director, Player Personnel T.J. McCreight is in his fourth season with the Browns and was elevated to the position of Director, Player Personnel in 2007 after serving the previous two seasons as Assistant Director, Player Personnel. McCreight’s duties with the team include assisting in pro scouting, advance scouting of upcoming opponents, unrestricted free agency and assisting the college scouting staff in preparation for the NFL Draft. McCreight also assists with contract negotiations with some draft selections. McCreight spent the previous eight seasons (1997-2004) in the Baltimore Ravens personnel department, including his last two seasons with the Ravens’ as the club’s national scout. McCreight spent three seasons with Baltimore as the East area scout and was then assigned expanded coverage to scout players throughout the United States. McCreight gained his football experience in the college ranks both as a player and a coach. He was a tight end at Liberty University (Lynchburg, Va.), where he played under former Browns head coach Sam Rutigliano. McCreight graduated in 1992 with a degree in marketing. McCreight’s college coaching resume includes defensive line coach at Delaware State University from 1994-97 and receivers coach at Oberlin College in 1993. He and his wife, Linda, live with their son Matthew, 7, and daughter, Maggie, 5, in Bainbridge, Ohio. In another article....he was given credit for being the driving force behind drafting Jamal Lewis for Baltimore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Aloysius Posted January 2, 2009 Report Share Posted January 2, 2009 I think DesertDawg played HS football with McCreight. I'm guessing that McCreight's really interviewing to keep his current job, especially if we end up bringing in a non-draft guru to be our next GM (someone like McKay). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gips Posted January 2, 2009 Report Share Posted January 2, 2009 Jeepers creepers man wake up! We dont want McCreight as a matter of fact lerner should get rid of him pronto! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Masters Posted January 2, 2009 Report Share Posted January 2, 2009 If that's the case then, and Piloi has reservationsd about Magini, then tell Piloi thanks but no thanks. I jsut fear that Lerner is attempting to get them both and HOPE they work well together. I don't like that idea at all. Well if Lerner wants Pioli and Mangini, and Pioli doesn't want Mangini, there is no way Lerner will get both. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Masters Posted January 2, 2009 Report Share Posted January 2, 2009 But how much time is he going to waste trying to make it happen? Hopefully not too much (assuming our speculation is correct). Then again, there isn't quite the rush yet. It's 1 week into the search after all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlaygroundLegend Posted January 2, 2009 Report Share Posted January 2, 2009 Since he is from Liberty, if he was our GM, we would most likely draft RASHAD JENNINGS!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zombo Posted January 2, 2009 Report Share Posted January 2, 2009 It's starting to feel like Mangini is the real priority based on research that shows the success of coaches in their second job, after being an HC a few years and getting fired (like Belicheck and Dungy). Other examples of coaches who won championships in their second job include Shula, Shanahan, Vermeil, Gruden and Coughlin. But then you get your Wandestadts and Kotites too. Is Mangini the man? My gut says I'd rather see him as DC ... but my gut has been wrong before. Zombo --very wrong Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zombo Posted January 2, 2009 Report Share Posted January 2, 2009 who could stay in corn country close to home (having lived there, I have no idea why). The dude's from Pittsburgh. Is staying close to Iowa City really that important to him? Or to anybody, for that matter? I think we could pull him out of corn country if needed to. And I doubt Pioli wants to go to KC where there are no QBs when you can be a hero for life by bringing the Browns back. I still think Pioli will come to Cleveland if he's Lerner's first choice. Zombo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vegasdogg Posted January 2, 2009 Report Share Posted January 2, 2009 I think DesertDawg played HS football with McCreight. I'm guessing that McCreight's really interviewing to keep his current job, especially if we end up bringing in a non-draft guru to be our next GM (someone like McKay). Wow Alo, great memory. Yes I did go to HS with TJ and we played ball together. He has the best pair if hands of anyone I have met. He used to pluck bombs out of the air with one hand during practice. Not cradle into his body - snatch the fooker right out of the air, for 15-20 mins after practice. 98% of the time he caught them. Kid was a freak of nature catching the ball. I think TJ is being given the interview for two reasons. 1) Lerner wants him to stick around as VP of PP, and 2) it is a courtesy to TJ. Sort of allows him to practice interviewing for a future "top dog" front office position, i.e GM. I don't think he is - at this time, anway - what the Browns need right now. But he is a good, good person and very bright. Really knows his shit. He started out as a regional scout, than was promoted up the ranks via Savage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YtownBrownsBacker Posted January 2, 2009 Report Share Posted January 2, 2009 McCreight is the type of guy you would put in place if you got a coach like Shanahan who had the final say players and the draft. He's a good personnel guy but not ready to run a FO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Aloysius Posted January 2, 2009 Report Share Posted January 2, 2009 Of course I'm going to remember something like that. Hell, I still think it's cool that Stan's brother speaks in tongues with Savage's bro. McCreight's going to be a cool an even cooler guy to know when he becomes a GM some day. Maybe I should ask you for a rec: according to Rich & Ghoolie, being the GM's personal coffee fetcher is a very good job to have Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WPB Dawg Fan Posted January 2, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2009 Or a guy who could be put under someone like McKay who would be VP of football operations, and mangini as coach. which is kind of where I was going with this...and the Pioli in NE thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YtownBrownsBacker Posted January 2, 2009 Report Share Posted January 2, 2009 Or a guy who could be put under someone like McKay who would be VP of football operations, and mangini as coach. TJ under McKay with Mangini..............................That works for me. Who knows, Pioli might just be looking for a raise in NE. He has done this crap before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vegasdogg Posted January 3, 2009 Report Share Posted January 3, 2009 Who knows, Pioli might just be looking for a raise in NE. He has done this crap before. I think if Lerner wants the guy, than pay him. If you need to get into a negotiation with his Agent and/or New England, than maybe you don't know if he is the guy. All I have heard about was that Cowher was his guy. If that is your guy, pay him out of retirement. Believe me Lerner is gun shy about long term contracts right now. Not because of money, but because he is not the football guy. All I am saying is money talks. If Pioli is looking for a raise by interviewing with the Browns, and money is not a problem for Lerner, than pay the fooker, or let NE overpay for him. No hurry in this decision. I am just thinking that if Cowher is not interested, make him interested. Like Crapgame said at the end of Kelly's Heroes "Make him a deal." If you lose Cowher, and then Pioli, your 3rd option is going to be overpaid anyway. And possibly have zero mandate because he was the 3rd choice. Not this shit again, please. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YtownBrownsBacker Posted January 3, 2009 Report Share Posted January 3, 2009 I think if Lerner wants the guy, than pay him. If you need to get into a negotiation with his Agent and/or New England, than maybe you don't know if he is the guy. All I have heard about was that Cowher was his guy. If that is your guy, pay him out of retirement. Believe me Lerner is gun shy about long term contracts right now. Not because of money, but because he is not the football guy. All I am saying is money talks. If Pioli is looking for a raise by interviewing with the Browns, and money is not a problem for Lerner, than pay the fooker, or let NE overpay for him. No hurry in this decision. I am just thinking that if Cowher is not interested, make him interested. Like Crapgame said at the end of Kelly's Heroes "Make him a deal." If you lose Cowher, and then Pioli, your 3rd option is going to be overpaid anyway. And possibly have zero mandate because he was the 3rd choice. Not this shit again, please. It has nothing to do with money. It has to do with the guy he wants to bring in as coach and the fact that he wants "absolute power". Cowher could have named his ticket also. As much as you would like to think money is the answer to everything, you are wrong in this case. Pioli supposedly asked for $4 million per and Lerner said fine. Lerner wants a coach with NFL experience and pioli want to bring in a college coach. You want to make that deal. Did you ever hear the saying, "sometimes the best deal is the deal you don't make". Just because you interview a guy 2nd or 3rd doesn't make him worse then the first guy you interviewed. Maybe he isn't available because his team is playing this weekend. Or, maybe after you interview your first choice you realize he isn't the best choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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