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Ravens found success by forming committee
By Patrick McManamon
Beacon Journal sports columnist
POSTED: 08:26 p.m. EST, Jan 05, 2009
The Browns' search for a coach and general manager basically has been conducted by owner Randy Lerner.
He's done the interviewing and has been directing the team's search, with support from team president Mike Keenan and vice chairman Bob Kain.
A year ago, the Baltimore Ravens hired John Harbaugh to replace Brian Billick as coach, and they did it with an eight-member committee chaired by Ozzie Newsome.
The committee included Newsome, Steve Biscotti (the owner), Dick Cass (president), Eric DeCosta (director of college scouting), George Kokinis (director of pro personnel), Vince Newsome (assistant director of pro personnel), Pat Moriarty (vice president for football administration) and Kevin Byrne (senior vice president for public and community relations).
Each member of the committee interviewed candidates, and the entire group met as a whole to discuss each person after the interviews. All made a few personal calls to gain as much information as possible.
By the time the process was finished, Ravens officials had talked to 34 different people about Harbaugh.
It's the same process the Ravens used to hire Billick in 1999, and it's a process the league asked the Ravens to explain to all the teams at an NFL meeting a year ago.
The process actually sprung from former Ravens and Browns owner Art Modell, who marveled that more money was spent researching a late-round draft pick than a coach.
Lerner is following a style similar to what the Rooneys did when the Pittsburgh Steelers hired Mike Tomlin and Robert Kraft when the New England Patriots hired Bill Belichick.
Patrick McManamon can be reached at pmcmanamon@thebeaconjournal.com. Read his blog at http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/mcmanamon/.
The Browns' search for a coach and general manager basically has been conducted by owner Randy Lerner.
He's done the interviewing and has been directing the team's search, with support from team president Mike Keenan and vice chairman Bob Kain.
A year ago, the Baltimore Ravens hired John Harbaugh to replace Brian Billick as coach, and they did it with an eight-member committee chaired by Ozzie Newsome.
The committee included Newsome, Steve Biscotti (the owner), Dick Cass (president), Eric DeCosta (director of college scouting), George Kokinis (director of pro personnel), Vince Newsome (assistant director of pro personnel), Pat Moriarty (vice president for football administration) and Kevin Byrne (senior vice president for public and community relations).
Each member of the committee interviewed candidates, and the entire group met as a whole to discuss each person after the interviews. All made a few personal calls to gain as much information as possible.
By the time the process was finished, Ravens officials had talked to 34 different people about Harbaugh.
It's the same process the Ravens used to hire Billick in 1999, and it's a process the league asked the Ravens to explain to all the teams at an NFL meeting a year ago.
The process actually sprung from former Ravens and Browns owner Art Modell, who marveled that more money was spent researching a late-round draft pick than a coach.
Lerner is following a style similar to what the Rooneys did when the Pittsburgh Steelers hired Mike Tomlin and Robert Kraft when the New England Patriots hired Bill Belichick.
Patrick McManamon can be reached at pmcmanamon@thebeaconjournal.com. Read his blog at http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/mcmanamon/.
More than merely a head coach is being hired here. This is about getting someone in here who can transform an entire culture, one replete with chronic losing, dysfunction, in-fighting, under-achievement, allegations of quitting and a persistent absence of identity.
The Browns just finished an unabated spiral from first to worst and realistically would have been beaten by the sport's first 0-16 outfit, if only the matchup had been scheduled as the finale.
One could also realistically allege no progress was made this season whatsoever, this despite the infusion of outstanding NT Rogers. What is more, the team is without three of its April's picks and is much too near the salcap than any 4-12 outfit ought to be.
Into this mess the owner is poised to bring this reported duo when more certain solutions with indisputable track records exist with expressed interest?
It is not about me, but I am not encouraged.
hopefully the biggest lesson lerner has learned is to ignore the rants of the idiot fans and make choices *he* can live with.
now the fans have a choice: support the team or not.
los angeles doesn't have a team, and an owner could probably get a decent deal to move there.

