Finally!!!!!

[darubes]

Finally! Browns name Kokinis GM

by Tony Grossi

Sunday January 25, 2009, 6:35 PM

 

George KokinisThe Browns acknowledged one of the worst-kept secrets in the NFL -- George Kokinis is their new general manager.

 

The Baltimore Ravens pro personnel director was named to the position Sunday, almost a month after he emerged as a surprise front-runner for the position.

 

Kokinis was recommended for the position by Eric Mangini in the eventual coach's first interview with owner Randy Lerner on Dec. 30. Until Mangini brought forth the name of his longtime friend, Kokinis was not on the same radar screen with higher-profile executives Scott Pioli, Rich McKay and Tom Heckert as candidates for the job.

 

Kokinis, 41, was well-known in NFL circles as a diligent worker, a tireless viewer of game video to evaluate players already on team rosters. He was a finalist for the Atlanta Falcons general manager job a year ago, but his name didn't surface publicly because the team chose Thomas Dimitroff before interviewing Kokinis.

 

Like Mangini, Kokinis' roots were planted in the Browns organization in the 1990s under the auspices of former coach Bill Belichick. Mangini started as a Browns ball boy and public relations intern.

 

Kokinis was actually hired in 1991 by Ernie Accorsi, then the team's executive director of football operations. Kokinis' first job was as an intern in the club's operations department, but he quickly gravitated to the scouting department being built by Belichick.

 

By 1994, the group of young, entry-level staffers included Kokinis, Mangini, Pioli, Mike Tennenbaum, Jim Schwartz and Phil Savage -- the man whom Kokinis eventually replaced as Browns general manager.

 

Kokinis followed Art Modell's team to Baltimore in 1996 and worked as a college scout for four years. He specialized in testing college players with "the box" -- a scouting tool for measuring quickness and athleticism -- and keeping meticulous records to which future prospects could be compared.

 

In 2000, the Ravens promoted Kokinis to assistant director of pro personnel -- a position switch that drew him closer to the coaching staff. Kokinis prepared scouting reports on upcoming opponents and prospective NFL free agents.

 

Kokinis was named director of pro personnel in 2003, giving him full supervision of all aspects of the department. Soon there after he began negotiating contracts of draft picks and veteran free agent acquisitions.

 

When Savage left the Ravens for the Browns GM job in 2005, the Ravens did not replace him. At that point, Kokinis reported directly to General Manager Ozzie Newsome.

 

Kokinis inherits a team with obvious weaknesses at linebacker, cornerback, receiver and offensive line, and deficient of a full complement of draft choices. Past trades by Savage left the Browns with only four selections in the April 25-26 draft -- first, second, fourth and sixth rounds.

 

He also must address the contract situations of at least three players who last season asked for new deals -- tight end Kellen Winslow, specialist Josh Cribbs and kicker Phil Dawson.

 

Together, Kokinis and Mangini must decide what to do with quarterback Derek Anderson, who has a guaranteed $5 million roster bonus due in March and lost his starting job last year to Brady Quinn.

 

While Kokinis was fingered as the front-runner for the job in the first interview Lerner conducted with Mangini, Lerner also interviewed others for the position. Those included Pioli, who chose the Kansas City general manager job; T.J. McCreight, Browns player personnel director who was fired last week; James Harris, formerly Jacksonville vice president of player personnel; and David Gettleman, New York Giants director of pro personnel.

 

McKay and Heckert pulled themselves out of the running after Mangini was hired as coach.