Pluto on the ball like always

[Guest Masters]

Ten things about the Browns' search...

 

 

1. Unless something shocking happens, Eric Mangini will become the next coach of the Browns. They are convinced he is the best coach available, given that Bill Cowher, Mike Holmgren and some other big names are taking a year off. There is no guarantee Mike Shanahan will even want to coach when he returns from his vacation. He is tired and has about $20 million coming in from his contract over the next few years.

 

2. Losing the press conference when new coaches and general managers are announced doesn't always mean the team loses on the field. A year ago, Atlanta named former Browns and New England scout Thomas Dimitroff as general manager. The new coach was career assistant Mike Smith. Talk about a yawner. Then they drafted Matt Ryan and put together a team that went from 4-12 to the playoffs.

 

3. Dimitroff is the son of former Browns scout Tom Dimitroff. He also is a branch from the Bill Belichick tree, as he was the No. 2 personnel man behind Scott Pioli with the Patriots before Atlanta. He used some of the New England way to revamp the Falcons' front office, where team president Rich McKay was moved from football operations to handling more of the business side.

 

 

4. Suppose the Browns hire George Kokinis as general manager as he has a good working relationship with Mangini. Tampa did something like that when Jon Gruden was hired away from Oakland, and Gruden brought along Bruce Allen as GM. Yes, Allen had the title of GM in Oakland, but owner Al Davis has a major say over everything. Kokinis is Baltimore's pro player personnel director, meaning he primarily scouts the pros for free agents. Before taking that job, he did some college scouting.

 

5. If the Browns hire Kokinis, they will need a director of college scouting. No one had that title, as former GM Phil Savage did most of it. His assistant, T.J. McCreight, worked with Kokinis in Baltimore and he could move up to that spot. But the Browns must resolve who will run the college draft, because that was Savage's domain.

 

6. It's easy to say Savage came from Baltimore, and that didn't work out. So Kokinis won't, either. Or to say that no one from Belichick is doing well, forgetting Dimitroff, who works quietly and out of the public eye in Atlanta. Or to say that if Mangini were any good, why did New York fire him? Tony Dungy was fired in Tampa because they wanted a bigger name in Gruden. The Jets thought they could dump Mangini and get Cowher.

 

7. Who picks the players for the Steelers? Kevin Colbert, hardly a widely known name. In Pittsburgh, fans know the head coach and coordinators. In Philadelphia, Tom Heckert is the GM, but coach Andy Reid has a strong say about the roster.

 

The key is the front office leadership meshing with the coaching staff to put a roster together. Maybe Mangini/Kokinis can do that, as Smith/Dimitroff did in Atlanta. It's not a return to Romeo Crennel/Savage, who were rookies in their new jobs.

 

8. Mangini has three years of experience, two winning seasons. Who was the last Browns coach to have two winning seasons in three years? How about Marty Schottenheimer (winning seasons from 1986-88). Yes, it has been more than 20 years.

 

9. The Browns do have something to offer a new coach. They are about $9 million under the salary cap and it will be about $15 million when "year end adjustments" are made next month. That puts them in the middle of the pack. They have picks in the first, second, fourth and sixth rounds. They had only one Pro Bowl player before Savage arrived in 2005, and have had eight in the last two years. Some guys have underachieved. But players such as Joshua Cribbs, Kellen Winslow, Joe Thomas and even Braylon Edwards do have talent.

 

10. The Browns also have two quarterbacks in Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn, both of whom could start for some teams. Quarterbacks are the key to turning teams around. Assuming he's the coach, Mangini will need to commit to one soon and build an offense around him. The other could be used for a trade or depth. But they need clarity with the QBs.

 

http://www.cleveland.com/pluto/blog/index....e_fans_but.html

[Herman M]

I think they will trade DA to get another pick, this will be Quinns team.

[JewDago]

not having a director of college scouting is a major blow. we've needed someone at bowl games, watching tape and evaluating kids since the season ended. we've got some major decisions to make with this draft and, though there's still plenty of time until april, it's a lot easier to make the right decision when you put in more time early and don't feel rushed later.

[Gips]

I think lerner will weigh in heavy to the new regime that he wants quinn to start but i really hope he lets the new coach decide who to build around..it would be great to keep da around but he will fetch us decent picks and end the qb controversy so he is likely gone...but who knows?

[Pumpkin Eater]

good stuff

[OconRecon]

Amen to Pluto. None of this extreme "this guy is the greatest" or "this guy sucks" stuff.

 

Just a reasonable way to wade through the situation.

 

I still say a 1-year contract to Mangini is perfect. If it doesn't work out, then hire one of the umpteen experienced coaches available at the end of next season.

 

My hunch is it'll work out though. The "rat" talk is a big zero to me. And if he catches the Steelers doing the same thing, nail them. Play by the fricken' rules. I still think NE got off light.

 

$.02

[YtownBrownsBacker]

Pluto makes sense. Too many media types try to sensationalize everything and add too much speculation.

 

I think Pluto just tries to be informative and let's you make your own decisions.

 

Thanks for posting that.