CaineDeSoulis Posted March 15, 2016 Report Share Posted March 15, 2016 http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000644495/article/depodesta-people-talking-trash-about-me-at-combine The Cleveland Browns are taking their lumps The team's quiet approach to free agency hasn't helped, with four key players walking out the door -- an exodus that only turned up the heat on a newfangled front office led by executive VP of football operations Sashi Brown and former MLB executive Paul DePodesta. The DePodesta hire caused plenty of heads to turn as general managers and scouts around the league asked what the Browns were doing hiring a baseball guy. Speaking Friday at MIT's Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, DePodesta said he overheard NFL team officials ripping him and the Browns at the airport after last month's Scouting Combine. "I was standing right in front of them in line and I could hear them in back of me and they were talking trash about me and the Cleveland Browns," DePodesta said Friday at MIT's Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, per Baseball America. "I said, 'All right, this is like 17 years ago in Oakland all over again.' That's part of the fun." DePodesta's handiwork with the Oakland Athletics, Dodgers and most recently the Mets makes him a well-known face in baseball circles. Not so much in the NFL. The pressure will only expand from here, with the Browns staring down another potentially dismal season on the field. The addition of coach Hue Jackson helps, but the key for DePodesta in Cleveland is a willingness to see this rebuilding project through. It's likely to get worse before it gets better, but that's something DePodesta is prepared for: "When I was going to the Browns," DePodesta said, "I had met with the ownership, Jimmy and Dee Haslam, and they asked me, 'What do you want out of an owner?' And I said, 'Well, I'll tell you what I don't want.' I said, 'If you ever take your kids to an amusement park at Disneyland or whatever, they beg you to go on the big daddy roller coaster. They beg you. You say, 'Are you sure?' They say, 'Absolutely, I want to go on this thing.' So you wait in line for 45 minutes, it takes up a good chunk of your day, you finally get to the front of the line, they eyeball it, and they say, 'Uh, I'm not getting on that thing. Not at all.' Said DePodesta: "And that's what happens to a lot of owners. They would say, 'Hey, we want 'Moneyball,' we want this disciplined approach to what we're doing.' But then when it comes time to making that hard decision, they say, 'I donât want any part of this.' I said, 'I need someone who's going to want to get on the roller coaster with me knowing that it's not always going to be fun. There are going to be parts of the roller coaster that are going to be scary, that are going to be uncomfortable, but hopefully at the end of the ride when we get off, you're going to want to say, let's do that again.' But I think that's how we always got through it, was having that shared vision from the beginning and giving you the conviction to actually go through with it." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D Bone Posted March 16, 2016 Report Share Posted March 16, 2016 In a few short years, the Browns will either be geniuses or the worst organization in professional sports........ Time will tell, and it's brutal with its honesty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canton Mike Posted March 16, 2016 Report Share Posted March 16, 2016 In a few short years, the Browns will either be geniuses or the worst organization in professional sports........ Time will tell, and it's brutal with its honesty. Yep. I'm going along for the ride. Sure, it seems a little scary because it's different, but at least we're not doing things the same way as we have done through out these many failed years. Also, we're taking guff for not diving into free agency. Remember the Eagles "Super Team"?...HA! How about "Super Dud"? Cal remembers my saying they would crash & burn, which they did. I also don't recall seeing the TOP NFL teams going bonkers in free agency & not only this year. I think the Browns are willing to take some lumps & build this the right way, through the draft. Only time will tell, so "we'll see". Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D Bone Posted March 16, 2016 Report Share Posted March 16, 2016 Yep. I'm going along for the ride. Sure, it seems a little scary because it's different, but at least we're not doing things the same way as we have done through out these many failed years. Also, we're taking guff for not diving into free agency. Remember the Eagles "Super Team"?...HA! How about "Super Dud"? Cal remembers my saying they would crash & burn, which they did. I also don't recall seeing the TOP NFL teams going bonkers in free agency & not only this year. I think the Browns are willing to take some lumps & build this the right way, through the draft. Only time will tell, so "we'll see". Mike I am not stressed one bit about our lack of participation in FA. The players we lost are easily replaceable, but we need to hit on this draft like we haven't before........ We can not afford any swings and misses in the first 3 rounds, and we need to have one sleeper in the 5th-6th that becomes a starter/heavy roll player by week 6-9. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canton Mike Posted March 16, 2016 Report Share Posted March 16, 2016 I am not stressed one bit about our lack of participation in FA. The players we lost are easily replaceable, but we need to hit on this draft like we haven't before........ We can not afford any swings and misses in the first 3 rounds, and we need to have one sleeper in the 5th-6th that becomes a starter/heavy roll player by week 6-9. You & I, my friend, seem to be on the same page. I'm excited about the analytics PLUS a very experienced coaching staff. No more "blind leading the blind" as it was last year. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tour2ma Posted March 16, 2016 Report Share Posted March 16, 2016 I am not stressed one bit about our lack of participation in FA. The players we lost are easily replaceable, but we need to hit on this draft like we haven't before... Losing Mitch hurt, and I believe we will pay a price at least in the short-term. That said I am proud that our FO called "Bullshit" on him using our good faith, high offer to shop around the horn one more time... I'll take a good, solid draft yielding a least two 2016 starters.... plus our future QB. That will be unlike any in recent times... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D Bone Posted March 16, 2016 Report Share Posted March 16, 2016 I'll take a good, solid draft yielding a least two 2016 starters.... plus our future QB. That will be unlike any in recent times... Like Hozier would say........ Amen ~ Amen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clevfan4life Posted March 16, 2016 Report Share Posted March 16, 2016 Wait, is depodesta the guy brad pitts character in moneyball was written around? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexasAg1969 Posted March 16, 2016 Report Share Posted March 16, 2016 Wait, is depodesta the guy brad pitts character in moneyball was written around? Can't tell if serious or living in a closet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Furious Styles Posted March 16, 2016 Report Share Posted March 16, 2016 Those Oakland A's teams eere "ok" but didn't win a World Series. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark O Posted March 16, 2016 Report Share Posted March 16, 2016 Those Oakland A's teams eere "ok" but didn't win a World Series. But in a sport that allows teams to essentially buy a world series, his teams were remarkably competitive without spending 300+ million dollars because they were always able to find the right players who could play in the draft and in trades with other teams. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Furious Styles Posted March 16, 2016 Report Share Posted March 16, 2016 But in a sport that allows teams to essentially buy a world series, his teams were remarkably competitive without spending 300+ million dollars because they were always able to find the right players who could play in the draft and in trades with other teams. If being cost efficiently "ok" is the goal I guess thats a good thing.Not even an AL title so what is your definition of "remarkably competitive" ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Gipper Posted March 16, 2016 Report Share Posted March 16, 2016 Wait, is depodesta the guy brad pitts character in moneyball was written around? Not Pitt....the Jonah Hill character. (except they did not have Depo's permission to use his name, so they gave him a fake name) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Gipper Posted March 16, 2016 Report Share Posted March 16, 2016 If being cost efficiently "ok" is the goal I guess thats a good thing.Not even an AL title so what is your definition of "remarkably competitive" ? They made some deep playoff runs if I recall. Just no WS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zombo Posted March 16, 2016 Report Share Posted March 16, 2016 In a few short years, the Browns will either be geniuses or the worst organization in professional sports........ Time will tell, and it's brutal with its honesty. So we will either be geniuses or be exactly what we are right now. That's worth a ticket. I'm in. Zombo --Get the QB right and we are all geniuses Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D Bone Posted March 16, 2016 Report Share Posted March 16, 2016 So we will either be geniuses or be exactly what we are right now. lol - ouch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Gipper Posted March 16, 2016 Report Share Posted March 16, 2016 So we will either be geniuses or be exactly what we are right now. That's worth a ticket. I'm in. Zombo --Get the QB right and we are all geniuses And these writers will continue to be what they are right now.....and they ain't geniuses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrb12711 Posted March 16, 2016 Report Share Posted March 16, 2016 The simple reason I'm riding the wave too is because literally nothing has worked in almost 20 years. They say don't reinvent the wheel, but the Browns weren't moving with the crap they kept recycling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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