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LERNER SAYS COACH, G.M. WILL BOTH REPORT TO HIM

Posted by Mike Florio on January 10, 2009, 9:12 a.m.

 

With plenty of Browns fans up in arms and plenty of media types scratching their heads over the Browns’ decision to hire a head coach before locking down a General Manager, owner Randy Lerner continues to try to win hearts and minds as to the reasons for the move.

 

”Fans say I don’t get it, I’m not a football guy, but I’ve been doing this six years in a row,” Lerner told the Akron Beacon-Journal. ”When you think about it every day of your life, you do pick up one or two things. The Browns are trying to become a legitimate organization with checks and balances, roles and responsibilities.”

 

The checks and balances will include both men will report directly to Lerner.

 

”These are going to be two guys reporting to me, not one reporting to the other,” Lerner said. “I’m not going to fall into that trap.”

 

Trap? It’s not a trap. It’s the manner in which many successful teams have been constructed, with the G.M. typically superior to the head coach.

 

Of course, with the head coach hired, it makes it hard to lure a G.M. whose top employee already has been hired for him.

 

So Lerner and the Browns are avoiding that problem by not establishing a reporting obligation from coach to G.M. But this only makes the G.M. job look less attractive to the potential candidates, which Lerner suggested now include Pats director of player personnel Nick Caserio and former Redskins and Texans G.M. Charley Casserly.

 

Moreover, it creates a possible Jaguars-style situation, in which the head coach and the top personnel guy are engaging in continuous tugs-o-war regarding this player or that player or who should start at quarterback or who should be signed to a long-term deal.

 

But there’s still hope for the Browns, Mr. Lerner. If you make your coach and G.M. equally accountable, this arrangement could work.

 

By making it clear to both men from the get-go that either the team will succeed and both will be rewarded or the team will fail and both will be fired, Lerner will force a sense of teamwork upon them.

 

And that’s better than any set of checks and balances. Get your top two football employees on the same page by making it clear that their job security is identical, and they won’t try to undermine each other — they’ll realize that they need to work together.

 

Take it from me. I’ve been doing this seven years in a row. And when you think about it every day of your life, you do pick up one or two things

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LERNER SAYS COACH, G.M. WILL BOTH REPORT TO HIM

Posted by Mike Florio on January 10, 2009, 9:12 a.m.

 

With plenty of Browns fans up in arms and plenty of media types scratching their heads over the Browns’ decision to hire a head coach before locking down a General Manager, owner Randy Lerner continues to try to win hearts and minds as to the reasons for the move.

 

”Fans say I don’t get it, I’m not a football guy, but I’ve been doing this six years in a row,” Lerner told the Akron Beacon-Journal. ”When you think about it every day of your life, you do pick up one or two things. The Browns are trying to become a legitimate organization with checks and balances, roles and responsibilities.”

 

The checks and balances will include both men will report directly to Lerner.

 

”These are going to be two guys reporting to me, not one reporting to the other,” Lerner said. “I’m not going to fall into that trap.”

 

Trap? It’s not a trap. It’s the manner in which many successful teams have been constructed, with the G.M. typically superior to the head coach.

 

Of course, with the head coach hired, it makes it hard to lure a G.M. whose top employee already has been hired for him.

 

So Lerner and the Browns are avoiding that problem by not establishing a reporting obligation from coach to G.M. But this only makes the G.M. job look less attractive to the potential candidates, which Lerner suggested now include Pats director of player personnel Nick Caserio and former Redskins and Texans G.M. Charley Casserly.

 

Moreover, it creates a possible Jaguars-style situation, in which the head coach and the top personnel guy are engaging in continuous tugs-o-war regarding this player or that player or who should start at quarterback or who should be signed to a long-term deal.

 

But there’s still hope for the Browns, Mr. Lerner. If you make your coach and G.M. equally accountable, this arrangement could work.

 

By making it clear to both men from the get-go that either the team will succeed and both will be rewarded or the team will fail and both will be fired, Lerner will force a sense of teamwork upon them.

 

And that’s better than any set of checks and balances. Get your top two football employees on the same page by making it clear that their job security is identical, and they won’t try to undermine each other — they’ll realize that they need to work together.

 

Take it from me. I’ve been doing this seven years in a row. And when you think about it every day of your life, you do pick up one or two things

 

 

 

I've heard of Caserio's name quite a bit...any thoughts on him?

 

 

 

 

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I do agree with the writer both positions need to be tied together in a big way.

 

The owner is going to know if one or the other is a total goof and the largest reason the team might not be preforming. Then you allow some separation....but if both guys seem to be doing their jobs, and the team is still sucking, both need to hit the road.

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Guest 88fingerslewy

Nothing wrong with the 2 guys working together. When Lerner sits the two guys down he should tell them to check the egos at the door and bring Cleveland back a winner. Total autonomy isn't required to do either job.

 

BTW 'Peen. Congrats on the Gators.

 

 

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For your guys sake, I hope this is just Lerner trying to do something to stop Kokinis from demanding team ownership as a condition for taking the GM position.

 

When Lerner jumped the gun to hire Mangini (because he was in high demand elsewhere in the NFL? Which other teams had interviewed Mangini?) the rationale was that Kokinis also must be a done deal - and most Browns fans recognized that its important to have a perfect match between GM and Coach (and it is).

 

Of course, that puts Lerner in a helluva bad negotiating position - and makes him look even MORE stupid for jumping the gun to quickly hire a coach who no one else had any interest in, even as an assistant coach.

 

If this is REALLY some legitimate interest in other GMs, this really makes the move to quickly hire a coach no one else wanted - or ANY coach for that matter before settling on the guy who is going to direct all football operations - look incredibly stupid.

 

I know you guys will have to try to justify the fact that this is part of the master plan that Lerner has set into motion and everything has gone as planned, but I think you guys recognize its really not.

 

 

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I really dont see a problem with the way lerner is doing this..belichick hired pioli and is the boss..in my mind he was a loser then...by making both accountable to himself randy is saying he is finally taking charge as an owner and he wants to bring order and identity back he wants to win...

 

As the new gm and coach prove they can run the show he will likely put the gm in full charge depending on the circumstances..theres more than one way to build a solid structure and a winner..and randy taking charge and making people accountable is where it has to start..

 

Truth is we dont need the big names all the big name guys were once no names and or retreads..its more about teamwork and technique from the owner on down..its not rocket science and if randy does this right we could finally be on our way...im convinced lerner means business and is going to turn things around maybe faster than we think..

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I really dont see a problem with the way lerner is doing this..belichick hired pioli and is the boss..in my mind he was a loser then...by making both accountable to himself randy is saying he is finally taking charge as an owner and he wants to bring order and identity back he wants to win...

 

As the new gm and coach prove they can run the show he will likely put the gm in full charge depending on the circumstances..theres more than one way to build a solid structure and a winner..and randy taking charge and making people accountable is where it has to start..

 

Truth is we dont need the big names all the big name guys were once no names and or retreads..its more about teamwork and technique from the owner on down..its not rocket science and if randy does this right we could finally be on our way...im convinced lerner means business and is going to turn things around maybe faster than we think..

 

Assuming Mangini = Belichick - which I guess in the mind of Browns fans right now, it does, we have to acknolwedlge that Pioli wasn't exactly a hot commodity back when Belichick made him his handpicked Personnel partner.... but he was Belichick's first choice as GM and that's what's important.

 

I'd absolutely agree that a coach and GM need to be on the same page. And Mangini has made it clear that his "Pioli" is Kokinis.

 

Unfortunately by committing to Mangini (when there was absolutely no need to) Lerner put the team's "eggs" in Kokinis' basket - and Kokinis knows he holds all the negotiating cards.

 

So if its anyone and everyone in the GM derby now, I guess you'd have to ask yourself whether the team's in better or worse shape if Mangini gets his second, third, fourth or fifthe choice as the best GM to work with.

 

Browns fans may think that Mangini is as good a coach as Belichick (and that's questionable given Mangini's defacto 8-8 sesason with a $140 million spending spree and the healthiest team in the NFL last season compared to Belichick's 11-5 team that was the LEAST healthy) but would Belichick have been as successful without his hand picked GM partner? Would he have been as successful if his first, second, third and fourth choice had spurned him?

 

I'd probably admit the answer is probably not - so for the Browns fans, let's hope that this talk is just Lerner trying to insulate himself from Kokinis asking for everything short of team ownership as a condition for coming to the team (which come to think of it might not be a bad thing).

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For your guys sake, I hope this is just Lerner trying to do something to stop Kokinis from demanding team ownership as a condition for taking the GM position.

 

When Lerner jumped the gun to hire Mangini (because he was in high demand elsewhere in the NFL? Which other teams had interviewed Mangini?) the rationale was that Kokinis also must be a done deal - and most Browns fans recognized that its important to have a perfect match between GM and Coach (and it is).

 

Of course, that puts Lerner in a helluva bad negotiating position - and makes him look even MORE stupid for jumping the gun to quickly hire a coach who no one else had any interest in, even as an assistant coach.

 

If this is REALLY some legitimate interest in other GMs, this really makes the move to quickly hire a coach no one else wanted - or ANY coach for that matter before settling on the guy who is going to direct all football operations - look incredibly stupid.

 

I know you guys will have to try to justify the fact that this is part of the master plan that Lerner has set into motion and everything has gone as planned, but I think you guys recognize its really not.

 

I've never understood why the GM and the coach aren't 'equals'. Making the HC subordinate just allows the GM to hide his own mistakes by blaming them on the coach. They both do entirely different things and the positions are equally as important. I can't imagine a guy like Belichick truly being anyone's subordinate; nor Tony Dungy.

 

The only problem I see here is that Lerner isn't a football guy like some of the other owners, although I do agree he's probably picked up a few things. I think he's smart enough to see through the BS, but not get involved like Jones or Davis.

 

What we need is someone who can bring in good personnel and deal with the personnel well - there's no reason why that person has to be the boss of the HC. For oen, it allows the GM to force the coach to play the guys he brought in hopes of proving himself correct (see Phil Savage and Travis Wilson, and numerous other players).

 

The GM most certainly shouldn't have full roster control. If the coach is going to live and die by player performance, he should be able to pick the players that will be on the roster.

 

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Guest 88fingerslewy
Lerner wanted Mangini putting together his staff before the other guys swooped down on them. I think Ryan would've been very popular, for instance.

 

I like the idea of Kokinis because he gets great reviews and he and Mangini are friends. That makes sense to me. Hope it happens.

Shep, is Ryan out of the picture? I was hoping we'd get him.

 

And second, you're right about the friends being a good thing. Friends won't always see eye to eye but won't let things get personal or turn into a power struggle. Kokinis has probably been reading Browns news and how EM feels about getting him. I'm anxious to see the final assembled staff and what we do in the upcoming draft.

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Lerner wanted Mangini putting together his staff before the other guys swooped down on them. I think Ryan would've been very popular, for instance.

 

I like the idea of Kokinis because he gets great reviews and he and Mangini are friends. That makes sense to me. Hope it happens.

 

I think you're stretching a bit here - the most in demand cooridnators are usually those coming from teams that have been succesful - i.e. they've gone deep into the playoffs.

 

So jumping the gun to hire your coordinators and assistants BEFORE you even have the benefit of hiring guys who have won even one game in the playoffs doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And I think you missed the reports about Rob Ryan and league sources questioning whether he had the right temperment to be a good sideline presence.

 

If you're keen to snatch up a head coach, coordinators and assistants who's teams have all crapped out - by all means, don't waste any time. But if you want to get the assistants from successful teams, you need to be patient and wait until their teams are done.

 

Honestly, I like the idea of Kokinis for the simple reason that that's the guy your HC wants. And now Kokinis knows he holds all the cards with Lerner - and he might well ask too much, leaving you guys settling for the HC's 2nd, 3rd or 4th choice. Not good.

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Lerner wanted Mangini putting together his staff before the other guys swooped down on them. I think Ryan would've been very popular, for instance.

 

I like the idea of Kokinis because he gets great reviews and he and Mangini are friends. That makes sense to me. Hope it happens.

 

Shep, Ozzie has brought the hammer down. That is why you see others in the interview process. Kokinis was basically a done deal through Mangini but Lerner reserved the right to interview him and get his take on him.

 

I read 2 articles from Maryland papers, specifically Annapolis, MD and they say Ozzie has called Lerner and is irate, because of Kokinis and the fact that Kokinis wants to bring another guy from their FO with him. since he has not given permission to even talk to him yet, he believes the Browns are guilty of tampering. He plans to notify the NFL and make Lerner and the Browns pay hell to get him. He believes the Ravens should be compensated for the tampering. Everybody know that even if his contract says he has final football authority, it isn't going to be that way. Ozzie wants the NFL to intercede.

 

It could be that Lerner is just trying to show all watching that he hasn't hired Kokinis before he interviewed him by doing more interviews. He also could be putting together a Plan B in case the NFL steps in and says he crossed the line because the Raven's season isn't over yet.

 

The other thing that I find funny, is supposedly Ozzie is telling Kokinis that Cleveland is a dysfunctional organization and that it is a burial ground, career ender for FO personnel (ALA Savage). Basically I believe Ozzie is trying to buy some time to make a counter offer for Kokinis, because he loves this guy and his work ethic. Ozzie may move up to VP of Football Operations and Kokinis would become the GM of the Ravens.

 

It will be interesting. I don't believe for one second that Kokinis is backing out on his own. If he told his very close friend and former roommate, Mangini, that he would come, then I believe he will, if all possible. They should have been a little more discrete before the hiring. But, that was mostly media spin and the organization never said much about Kokinis.

 

I have no problem with getting the coach you want and let him get a head start on everybody else putting his staff together. The GM neds to be in place by the beginning of FA. I don't care if they hire him until after the super bowl. As a matter of fact I don't care if they keep TJ McCreight in the interium role until you get the right guy.

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