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Ravens' director of pro personnel, friend of Mangini, won't be available to talk until Sunday
By Marla Ridenour
Beacon Journal sports writer
POSTED: 10:40 p.m. EST, Jan 05, 2009
An apparent fast track to hire former New York Jets coach Eric Mangini and his suggested choice for general manager hit a snag Monday when the Browns learned they must wait to interview George Kokinis.
A league source said the Baltimore Ravens deemed Sunday as the first opportunity to talk to Kokinis, their director of pro personnel and a close friend of Mangini's.
The Ravens face a short week of preparation for their playoff game Saturday against the Tennessee Titans after defeating the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.
The same window will apply for Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan, also drawing interest from at least two teams in their coaching search. Should the Ravens lose to the Titans, both Kokinis and Ryan would be available after Saturday for interviews.
Kokinis' name emerged over the weekend as someone Mangini would be comfortable working with. Mangini and Kokinis have been friends since 1994, when Mangini was hired as a ball boy and public relations intern in Cleveland and Kokinis was a college scouting assistant.
While Mangini and Kokinis have been touted as somewhat of a package deal, it seems unlikely that Mangini told Browns owner Randy Lerner in his interview a week ago that he wouldn't come to Cleveland without Kokinis.
Mangini, 37, has not been mentioned in connection with other coaching openings, although some teams may have backed away because of widespread reports that Lerner is fascinated with Mangini.
Whether Lerner will hire Mangini this week before he talks to Kokinis remains uncertain. The delay could also give Lerner time to set up an interview with Atlanta Falcons president Rich McKay. The Falcons were knocked out of the playoffs Saturday by the Arizona Cardinals.
Kokinis has also been mentioned as a possible general manager candidate for the Kansas City Chiefs, who reportedly interviewed New England Patriots vice president of player personnel Scott Pioli today. Lerner interviewed Pioli on Wednesday.
An apparent fast track to hire former New York Jets coach Eric Mangini and his suggested choice for general manager hit a snag Monday when the Browns learned they must wait to interview George Kokinis.
A league source said the Baltimore Ravens deemed Sunday as the first opportunity to talk to Kokinis, their director of pro personnel and a close friend of Mangini's.
The Ravens face a short week of preparation for their playoff game Saturday against the Tennessee Titans after defeating the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.
The same window will apply for Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan, also drawing interest from at least two teams in their coaching search. Should the Ravens lose to the Titans, both Kokinis and Ryan would be available after Saturday for interviews.
Kokinis' name emerged over the weekend as someone Mangini would be comfortable working with. Mangini and Kokinis have been friends since 1994, when Mangini was hired as a ball boy and public relations intern in Cleveland and Kokinis was a college scouting assistant.
While Mangini and Kokinis have been touted as somewhat of a package deal, it seems unlikely that Mangini told Browns owner Randy Lerner in his interview a week ago that he wouldn't come to Cleveland without Kokinis.
Mangini, 37, has not been mentioned in connection with other coaching openings, although some teams may have backed away because of widespread reports that Lerner is fascinated with Mangini.
Whether Lerner will hire Mangini this week before he talks to Kokinis remains uncertain. The delay could also give Lerner time to set up an interview with Atlanta Falcons president Rich McKay. The Falcons were knocked out of the playoffs Saturday by the Arizona Cardinals.
Kokinis has also been mentioned as a possible general manager candidate for the Kansas City Chiefs, who reportedly interviewed New England Patriots vice president of player personnel Scott Pioli today. Lerner interviewed Pioli on Wednesday.
Comments
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This Place, 32
Posted 08:46 AM, 01/06/2009
Not a football pro, but I have a good business mind....so I ask....
If you are building a company (in this case, The Browns) then why would you start with the Shop Foreman (The Coach) and THEN look for the President of the Company? (The GM)
Answer, you wouldn't. LERNER MUST SELL or the Browns Fail.
Posted 09:56 AM, 01/06/2009
More of a business mind, a business professional by education, reputation, and participation, so I rebut:
The UNIQUE DYNAMIC of professional sports negates any so-called common sense/standard approach to the process. It has worked this way, and it can work this way again.
Will it work?
No one knows.
Vatican , It
Posted 07:02 PM, 01/06/2009
@UrbanRenaissace---You're right...and sometimes it happens by accident or because of prior accidents....Like Belicheck's Cleveland accident that taught him valuable lessons....We just weren't on the receiving end of that one, though..
Posted 01:34 AM, 01/08/2009
i applaud lerner for doing what he considered was proper due diligence, making a choice based on that research, and finally acknowledging that some fans won't like he did. good for him.
trying to please everyone invariably pleases no one - and while he has a certain amount of trust with the fans - it's still *his* team to do with as he pleases.
