Events Calendar
In This Section
Most Read Stories
NFL star Chris Spielman's wife loses cancer battle
Man found dead in North Akron home is identified
Dad accused of forcing son into field, killing him
Coventry man killed in crash at I-77 ramp
Poor machine maintenance blamed for fire at Akron business
College student mistaken for deer, shot to death
Man allegedly paid teens to spit in his face
Indians add 7 players to 40-man roster
Body with gunshot wounds found in Canton Township creek
Blogs:
Pets:
Sick Pets Get High-tech Health Care
The Heldenfiles:
Friday Night Notebook
Patrick McManamon:
The proposed new LeBron mural doesn't do it for me
Akron Zips:
Two blowouts, one night
Tribe Matters:
Seven players added to Tribe’s 40-man roster
Cleveland Browns:
Hey, somebody's gotta stick up for the Browns
Kent State Sports:
Singletary update
Cleveland Cavaliers:
Gameblog: Cavs at Indiana Pacers – Here’s to LBJ and Free Throws
Buckeye Blogging:
OSU – Michigan college football rivals meet in Baghdad
Varsity Letters:
Bowling season starts today
All Da King's Men:
Attention Haters, Palin And Hannity Together
Blog of Mass Destruction:
Muslim McCarthyism & Death Prayers
Akron Law Café:
Federal Judge Declares DOMA Unconstitutional
See Jane Style:
Vintage Chic
Car Chase:
TIME TO GET YOUR COLLECTOR CARS WINTERIZED
Let's Talk Real Estate:
Silverdome Potentially SOLD!
Ohio Travels with Betty:
Norma asks if Barkitecture is still at Stan Hywet.
Sound Check:
Steely Dan Plays "The Royal Scam" at E.J. Thomas Hall
HRLite House:
Colloquium at University of Akron
Akron Gamer:
Nintendo's Mario endures even as games come and go
Patriots' executive with links to Cleveland ranks high on list. Selection of coach to come later
By Marla Ridenour
Beacon Journal sports writer
Published on Wednesday, Dec 31, 2008
BEREA:| Browns owner Randy Lerner appears ready to give Scott Pioli the chance to step out of Bill Belichick's shadow.
Lerner has asked for and received permission to interview the New England Patriots' vice president for player personnel to replace General Manager Phil Savage, who was fired Saturday. Pioli would then head the search to replace Romeo Crennel, who was relieved of his duties as coach Monday.
Pioli, 43, got his start in the NFL as a Browns pro personnel assistant under Belichick in 1992. He has worked with Belichick for 16 years, including three with the New York Jets when Belichick was an assistant under Bill Parcells.
Lerner said Pioli's interview had not been scheduled. Presumably it will be this week because the Patriots did not make the playoffs.
Pioli became Lerner's target after former Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cowher rebuffed Lerner's overture to lead his struggling franchise in a Saturday night meeting in New York. Lerner said Cowher ''made it very clear he did not anticipate coaching in '09'' and told Lerner not to include him on his list of candidates.
Lerner said he did not get the chance to present a formal financial package to Cowher, who is concluding his second season as a CBS analyst after spending 15 years with the Steelers.
Lerner is interested in another general manager candidate currently employed in the NFL, but did not wish to name him to tip off others with jobs to fill. A league source told the Beacon Journal that it is Atlanta Falcons President Rich McKay.
''It is a competitive situation,'' Lerner said. ''There are teams positioning for the opportunity to get in front of guys, guys are available based on playoffs, based on the bye week, based on how their contract's written, based on what an organization may do to keep them.''
Although he characterized the session with Cowher as ''an informal conversation,'' Lerner sounded disappointed in how it turned out. Lerner was thought to be in London for an Aston Villa soccer match, but instead was huddling with Cowher before his Sunday CBS appearance on The NFL Today.
''He was aware through mutual contacts that I had him at the top of the list as someone to talk to,'' Lerner said.
Family first
Cowher told him he was not interested because ''he is very focused on his kids and his life in North Carolina and the way he's living in a civilian existence and that he wasn't finished with that,'' Lerner said.
Money was never discussed, Lerner said.
''It wasn't that kind of meeting,'' Lerner said. ''It was an informal visit to get out on the table that he was not prepared to be considered a candidate. Had I heard otherwise, I would have skipped that meeting and said, 'Let's [get down to business].'
''I suppose I would have liked the chance to dig in deeper and see if it was a possibility.''
No dancing
Former University of Miami coach Butch Davis initially rebuffed Lerner's father Al before being hired by the Browns in 2001. Asked when he walked away Saturday whether he felt this was his last meeting with Cowher, Lerner said, ''Umm, I mostly did. Yeah. He wasn't coy. He spoke very clearly. He was very well prepared to describe his position. It wasn't a dance.''
Lerner didn't want to call Cowher his first choice, instead referring to him as ''the clear no-questions-asked guy you want to talk to and understand where he stood as the process began.''
Pioli has been with the Patriots for nine years, but has close friends in Cleveland, including Indians General Manager Mark Shapiro.
''He's very well trained,'' Lerner said of Pioli. ''He's got a very attractive football demeanor. It's the right time of life for him. I think he's a fundamentally good guy.''
Proven skills
Asked whether Pioli is a projection at general manager like Savage was, Lerner said, ''I look at him as more proven. [With the Baltimore Ravens], you had a head coach and you had [GM] Ozzie [Newsome]. I don't think that Phil had the role within the Ravens that Pioli has had within the Patriots.''
As for the availability of Pioli's father-in-law, Parcells, Lerner said he would talk to him if he's available. An ESPN report Sunday said Parcells has an escape clause in his contract as Miami Dolphins vice president of football operations that would allow him to leave with his full salary when owner Wayne Huizenga sells the team. That could happen in January.
Interest in Mangini
Lerner also seemed interested to learn that the New York Jets had fired coach Eric Mangini, who started in the NFL as a Browns public relations intern in the Belichick regime. Asked whether he would talk to Mangini, he said, ''I think I would.''
While he goes after his top two general manager candidates, Lerner will also try to juggle interviews with possible coaches and their playoff schedules.
More possibilities
Among those he's considering are Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, a Canton native (''he's on the list,'' Lerner said); Mike Holmgren, who just stepped down as coach of the Seattle Seahawks and intends to take at least a year off (''I will make further inquiry''); former Browns coach Marty Schottenheimer (''worth reaching out to''); and two unnamed minority candidates to comply with the NFL's Rooney Rule. Ruled out were former Ravens coach Brian Billick (''I haven't thought about that one''); ex-Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar (''I don't have him listed as a GM candidate''); and anyone from the college ranks.
With so much to be done, Lerner seemed somewhat frazzled, leaving the conference room once during a 45-minute media session and also accepting a note from his assistant.
But he knows it's his responsibility that he's looking for another coach and general manager after Savage and Crennel went 24-40 in four years.
''I would like to think we have some things to show for it in terms of a much improved roster,'' Lerner said. ''I think we have a far more stable organization. I would like to think that we are therefore a more compelling organization to come be a part of than we were four years ago.
''[But] yeah, it's my responsibility. There's absolutely no question about it.''
Marla Ridenour can be reached at mridenour@thebeaconjournal.com. Read her Browns blog at http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/browns/.
BEREA:| Browns owner Randy Lerner appears ready to give Scott Pioli the chance to step out of Bill Belichick's shadow.
Get the full article here.
Comments
Click here to post your comments
Tallmadge, OH
Posted 07:05 AM, 12/30/2008
Bill Cowher does not want to come to a NFL franchise that is so screwed up. Bill Cowher would have been the ideal Head Coach/GM, but he wants no part of Lerner and his losers. That has to tell you Clowns fans tons about how the NFL world views the Clowns and it's owner.
Meanwhile, how about those Steelers. Playoffs again, first round bye, homefeld for game 1, and the best defense in the NFL.
G O S T E E L E R S !!!
Posted 08:17 AM, 12/30/2008
Guess Pittsboigh isn't that great, you here in Ohio.
Akron, OH
Posted 08:39 AM, 12/30/2008
I hope the Steelers get ripped apart when they play their first game.
Posted 08:42 AM, 12/30/2008
If you keep doing what you always do, you keep getting what you always get.
Port Saint Lucie, Fl
Posted 08:45 AM, 12/30/2008
Amazing how many NFL people outthere got there start with the Browns or are from Ohio,and they're sucessful!Starnge the Browns Org.can't recognize these people when they are right under their nose!
Akron (west), OH
Posted 08:58 AM, 12/30/2008
Ken---
That statement goes for all professional Cleveland sports. Think of all the Indians and Cavs whose next stop is a championship team.
akron, oh
Posted 10:20 AM, 12/30/2008
Hopefully he get a GM who knows what he's doing. Plus a coach who has a back bone. We need someone to ride them and get into the play off in the near future.RIGHT
Yo Mama, PA
Posted 11:37 AM, 12/30/2008
AllyV80, Steelers already played their first game. 1933.
Ravenna, OH
Posted 12:01 PM, 12/30/2008
If you think firing these two will fix things, you are dreaming. If you get rid of Winslow and Edwards, then you are serious about fixing the Browns.
Posted 12:38 PM, 12/30/2008
Cleveland is a group of good players who are a bad team. When you practice easy all week with no pads you play easy on Sunday. Crennel was a terrible coach with little experience on discipline. Maybe he will discover that on his next job. The Browns have a decent roster that needs some work but could be competetive quick. If I were a coach looking for an opportunity Clevelnad would be somewhat attractive. The downfall is the owner is a finacncier which is the worst thing to have.
Posted 01:08 PM, 12/30/2008
They should NOT have fired Romeo and Savage, just use them for tackling dummies!The first thing the new coach should teach this team is,"this is not touch or flag football, IT IS TACKLE FOOTBALL!"
Akron, OH
Posted 02:32 PM, 12/30/2008
It's time for Randy Lerner to realize that he knows nothing about football and to sell the franchise. In my opinion, Lerner is the problem.
kraus
Akron, OH
Posted 08:43 AM, 12/31/2008
r m kraus, It doesn't matter if he is a football guy if he hires the right people!!
I think this entire season that there has been something going on behind the scenes that was a huge distraction for the whole team. How does a team fall from 10-6 to 4-12 with vurtually the same roster? First, there were injuries (not an excuse), second there was no discipline on the field, and third MISSED TACKLES and DROPPED PASSES!!, come on Randy Lerner didn't miss those tackles or drop those passes.
Where would the defense have been ranked if the offensive had at least the NFL average for time of possession?
I am sick of people blaming the owner; after all HE'S NOT ART MODELL.
Give Randy a chance, I think in the few short years that he has been in full control of the Browns, that he has "lerned" a lot about football.
He has been a successful owner in the UK with his "football" (soccer) team.
As for the old grumpy Stillers fan, go choke on your terrible towel!!
Akron, OH
Posted 10:09 AM, 12/31/2008
Disarmed - their first PLAYOFF game. Sorry for not specifying.
A couple other points to add:
-It's not that Cowher doesn't want to come to Cleveland, it's that he doesn't want to coach at all. He turned down a job with the Jets, I believe. He'd refuse to come back to Pittsburgh, if they asked him.
-Eff Art Modell. He's cursed us!
Yo Mama, PA
Posted 10:52 AM, 12/31/2008
AllV80. Their first playoff game was decades ago. Feel free to clarify again?
In the meantime......GO STEELERS!!
