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Owner has always liked former quarterback, and Cleveland players certainly need the help
By Patrick McManamon
Beacon Journal sports columnist
Published on Sunday, Nov 01, 2009
Which is well and good.
Just because I have an opinion does not mean Lerner should act. It's his team, after all.
But in the offseason, things could get very interesting — and it might not all deal with the coach.
Lerner said this past week that bringing in an experienced, respected individual to run the football side of the business this offseason is ''a priority.''
''There is no question that the Browns need a credible, vocal leader that is accountable for all levels of performance,'' Lerner said in an e-mail this week to the Orange and Brown Report, an online site that covers the Browns. ''Regardless of the title, that person, whether they're in the building currently or not, is a priority.''
Which sounds like a pretty major shift in emphasis.
Who has a good chance to be that person?
An educated guess points to Bernie Kosar.
Do not be surprised in the least if he winds up with the team in a full-time capacity.
My theory — which is based on observation, consideration, deduction and (Irish) logic — goes this way:
Lerner has always liked Kosar and hiring Kosar could enable Kosar to help his beloved Browns (and perhaps pay off the debt he owes the team, which was revealed in his bankruptcy filings).
Lerner believes in Kosar's football savvy and acumen. It's why he turned to Kosar after the Cincinnati Bengals loss to be a ''consultant,'' and why a few weeks earlier, he backed up Mangini's request to bring Kosar in for some discussions.
Read between the lines and Lerner clearly thinks that his team needs shoring. He could wait for the offseason and try to cherry-pick someone (and there could be viable candidates), but that's a ''perhaps'' proposition that would come a few months down the line.
There was no one in the building Lerner could promote, so he turned to Kosar to try to tap into his football smarts. Kosar has no experience running a team, so the hope is that over time — a short time, perhaps — Kosar gains enough knowledge to assume a position of responsibility.
How that would affect the present regime — Mangini/George Kokinis — remains to be seen.
A week ago, Kosar talked as if they were present and accounted for, saying it has been 10 years of suffering but ''George and Eric haven't been here 10 years, so it's not their fault.''
But Kosar would seem to have the authority over the coach and general manager, and Kokinis has been very deep in the background since training camp began.
Kosar has been very careful in his public statements not to criticize the coach but to say the Browns need playmakers. That Mangini is building a foundation, and that foundation must be supplemented.
There are some ''ifs'' involved, but this could be another very interesting offseason for the Browns.
If Kosar grows into his role, he could at long last return to the team.
If he does, he must decide whether Mangini should coach the team.
If Mangini stays, he must accept Kosar (if he's truly the man in charge) and Kosar must develop a working relationship with him.
And if Mangini doesn't stay, Kosar gets to make — or be heavily involved in — a most intriguing hire.
NEW MANNY BEING MANNY
The Indians named Manny Acta their manager this past week, and in the news conference announcing his hire, Acta said, ''This is a perfect place for me.''
Does that mean that the Houston Astros, with whom Acta was negotiating first, was a more perfect place?
Ah, no need to rain on Acta's parade.
Because the guy was affable, eager, excited and ready to go as Indians manager.
And he didn't take the job minimizing any expectations. More than once, Acta said that the Indians could contend in 2010, and that he intended to work toward that goal.
''We can win this year, in 2010,'' he said. ''If we get our pitching in order.''
That might be a tall order, and Acta didn't diminish that, but he wasn't shooting low.
He said if the Indians can get the pitching in order and get the defense to where it should be, ''we're right back in there'' in the American League Central.
Time will tell.
Among his other statements:
• Acta had to thrill his bosses when he said on-base percentage and OPS (on base-percentage plus slugging percentage) were among his two cornerstone stats. Compare that to Bobby Valentine, who said he didn't even know what OPS was.
• Acta would not shrug off a lot of strikeouts from nonpower hitters. He said there was no reason for anybody to have more than 150 strikeouts without 40 or 50 home runs to go with them. Wonder whether Grady Sizemore was listening?
• We could see Sizemore hitting in a different spot than leadoff, too. Acta said he could move Sizemore down, but he did not want to wind up with three lefties in a row — Sizemore, Shin-Soo Choo and Travis Hafner.
• He said the Indians have ''a very good lineup,'' with a lot of the pieces in place to succeed. He said it over and over.
• He even acknowledged that managing in the American League is ''a lot easier'' than the National League, calling the AL a league of offense and power arms. The designated hitter, he said, removed the need to double-switch and to start thinking about what to do with the starting pitcher when he came to the plate in the fifth or sixth innings.
• When the point was made that he was criticized after he was fired with the Washington Nationals because his team lacked discipline, he (symbolically) bit his lower lip. ''If that were really the case,'' he said, ''I wouldn't be sitting here.'' He bit that lip a long way, because the Nationals had some very difficult players to control on their roster.
• Acta clearly has done his homework on the Indians. He had a great grasp of the pitching staff, the lineup and several top players in the minors.
• Acta also sounded encouraging about trying to score runs in different ways. One thing about former manager Eric Wedge, to me at least, was that once the game started, he didn't do a lot. There weren't a lot of hit-and-runs, squeeze plays or other efforts to manufacture runs. Acta sounds like he's willing to take advantage of the speed of Michael Brantley and Sizemore and try to concoct some runs.
It'd be nice if he made a tape of Cliff Lee and showed it to his pitchers. There's something about working fast and throwing strikes.
Acta wasn't high on many outsiders' lists before the search started.
But two teams pursued him.
He's ready.
But he just might find straightening out the pitching staff will be a lot bigger job than he thinks.
EARLY CAVS LUMPS
The Cavaliers didn't lose two in a row last season until February, nor did they lose at home until February. They did both in their first two games this season.
Clearly, this isn't your 66-win season anymore, Toto.
It was only two games, but before and after the first two games, there was a lot of talk about what needs to be done and knowing how to get it done but not of lot of . . . well . . . actually getting it done.
The Cavs lost at home to a team with strong big men (Boston Celtics) and on the road to a team with more athletic big men (Toronto Raptors).
Suddenly, the Cavs look like they have two aging big men trying to fit in rather than two big men who can help LeBron James. A few wins can change this, but the Cavs seem a ways from the Celtics and Orlando Magic.
The Raptors looked pretty good — like a playoff team. If they're that improved and the Washington Wizards are that improved, lump the Cavs in with those two teams, Boston, Orlando, Miami, Chicago and Detroit, and suddenly the East doesn't seem to be the Cavs' to claim anymore.
It's a long way to go and the reigning MVP is on the roster, but a lot went right a year ago en route to the 66 wins. It was almost idyllic. This season looks like it might be a little more challenging.
Perhaps a lot more challenging. As in 50-wins-and-the-fourth-seed-in-the-playoffs challenging.
JUMP ON ZIPS' BANDWAGON
The team that is the area's most consistently excellent just keeps rolling along.
Caleb Porter's soccer team at the University of Akron rolled to its 16th win in 16 matches with a 3-0 win over Penn State this week.
The Zips remain the consensus No. 1 team in the nation.
UA has:
• Outscored Big Ten opponents 12-1.
• Allowed three goals in 1,440 minutes of play.
• Has a team goals-against average of 0.19, which threatens the NCAA record of 0.24.
• Recorded 13 shutouts this season.
• Gone 28 matches since it gave up a goal in the first half, and 52 matches since it was behind at halftime.
The 16-0 start is obviously the best in school history, and the majority of the starters are freshmen or sophomores.
UA leads the NCAA in goals scored and goals against.
Porter is 61-11-7 since he arrived at UA.
Two more regular-season matches remain before the MAC Tournament and the real fun beings: the NCAA Tournament and the chase for the national championship.
Incidentally, the Zips will not see one of their tournament games transported to Chicago or Dubuque or anywhere again.
The NCAA passed ''the Akron rule,'' which ensures that top seeds for the tournament will not lose home field because of weather.
Matches now can be played in another spot in the city — like St. Vincent-St. Mary — as long as game officials and the NCAA representative on site approve the switch.
RANDOM THOUGHTS
• It was offered to me in the hallowed halls of the Beacon Journal that the Browns are already paying a lot of people not to coach or be general manager of the Browns.
It was suggested that maybe the Browns could bring back former General Manager Phil Savage and coach Romeo Crennel and save themselves, since they're being paid anyway.
• Regarding the Cavs . . . this might change as the season goes on, but Zydrunas Ilgauskas sure seems like he'll struggle coming off the bench. He looks a little bit lost.
And when he and Shaquille O'Neal play together, the Cavs open themselves up to other teams' big men either taking them outside or using their athleticism to go by them.
• It's a bit of a quandary.
• Interesting that coach Mike Brown spent a lengthy chunk of time discussing something with General Manager Danny Ferry after the loss in Toronto.
• Philadelphia Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said this after Game 1 of the World Series when discussing his starter Cliff Lee:
''Most of the time when he starts a game, and he's in control of the game, and everything around it he's controlling — he's throwing strikes and he's getting the ball, what I call he handles the flow of the game, if you know what I mean. Everything about it. The flow of the game, the way the game goes.
''Not only does he have command of the game, but he has the flow of the game. To me he sets the tone by his rhythm, getting the ball back, and he knows what he's going to throw. I like the way he pitches. I like everything about how he goes about it. But that's part of his success, too, is the fact that's how he handles the game.''
• Nice move by Major League Baseball to change the postseason schedule so the World Series starts the last week in October and carries through to November. The November Classic.
• Los Angeles Angels manager Mike Scioscia was 100 percent correct when he stated that off days during the playoffs negate the advantage held by some teams. Baseball is not meant to be played with off days other than travel days, and with November moons shining at midnight.
• Until next time . . . there you have it.
Which is well and good.
Just because I have an opinion does not mean Lerner should act. It's his team, after all.
But in the offseason, things could get very interesting — and it might not all deal with the coach.
Lerner said this past week that bringing in an experienced, respected individual to run the football side of the business this offseason is ''a priority.''
''There is no question that the Browns need a credible, vocal leader that is accountable for all levels of performance,'' Lerner said in an e-mail this week to the Orange and Brown Report, an online site that covers the Browns. ''Regardless of the title, that person, whether they're in the building currently or not, is a priority.''
Which sounds like a pretty major shift in emphasis.
Who has a good chance to be that person?
An educated guess points to Bernie Kosar.
Do not be surprised in the least if he winds up with the team in a full-time capacity.
My theory — which is based on observation, consideration, deduction and (Irish) logic — goes this way:
Lerner has always liked Kosar and hiring Kosar could enable Kosar to help his beloved Browns (and perhaps pay off the debt he owes the team, which was revealed in his bankruptcy filings).
Lerner believes in Kosar's football savvy and acumen. It's why he turned to Kosar after the Cincinnati Bengals loss to be a ''consultant,'' and why a few weeks earlier, he backed up Mangini's request to bring Kosar in for some discussions.
Read between the lines and Lerner clearly thinks that his team needs shoring. He could wait for the offseason and try to cherry-pick someone (and there could be viable candidates), but that's a ''perhaps'' proposition that would come a few months down the line.
There was no one in the building Lerner could promote, so he turned to Kosar to try to tap into his football smarts. Kosar has no experience running a team, so the hope is that over time — a short time, perhaps — Kosar gains enough knowledge to assume a position of responsibility.
How that would affect the present regime — Mangini/George Kokinis — remains to be seen.
A week ago, Kosar talked as if they were present and accounted for, saying it has been 10 years of suffering but ''George and Eric haven't been here 10 years, so it's not their fault.''
But Kosar would seem to have the authority over the coach and general manager, and Kokinis has been very deep in the background since training camp began.
Kosar has been very careful in his public statements not to criticize the coach but to say the Browns need playmakers. That Mangini is building a foundation, and that foundation must be supplemented.
There are some ''ifs'' involved, but this could be another very interesting offseason for the Browns.
If Kosar grows into his role, he could at long last return to the team.
If he does, he must decide whether Mangini should coach the team.
If Mangini stays, he must accept Kosar (if he's truly the man in charge) and Kosar must develop a working relationship with him.
And if Mangini doesn't stay, Kosar gets to make — or be heavily involved in — a most intriguing hire.
NEW MANNY BEING MANNY
The Indians named Manny Acta their manager this past week, and in the news conference announcing his hire, Acta said, ''This is a perfect place for me.''
Does that mean that the Houston Astros, with whom Acta was negotiating first, was a more perfect place?
Ah, no need to rain on Acta's parade.
Because the guy was affable, eager, excited and ready to go as Indians manager.
And he didn't take the job minimizing any expectations. More than once, Acta said that the Indians could contend in 2010, and that he intended to work toward that goal.
''We can win this year, in 2010,'' he said. ''If we get our pitching in order.''
That might be a tall order, and Acta didn't diminish that, but he wasn't shooting low.
He said if the Indians can get the pitching in order and get the defense to where it should be, ''we're right back in there'' in the American League Central.
Time will tell.
Among his other statements:
• Acta had to thrill his bosses when he said on-base percentage and OPS (on base-percentage plus slugging percentage) were among his two cornerstone stats. Compare that to Bobby Valentine, who said he didn't even know what OPS was.
• Acta would not shrug off a lot of strikeouts from nonpower hitters. He said there was no reason for anybody to have more than 150 strikeouts without 40 or 50 home runs to go with them. Wonder whether Grady Sizemore was listening?
• We could see Sizemore hitting in a different spot than leadoff, too. Acta said he could move Sizemore down, but he did not want to wind up with three lefties in a row — Sizemore, Shin-Soo Choo and Travis Hafner.
• He said the Indians have ''a very good lineup,'' with a lot of the pieces in place to succeed. He said it over and over.
• He even acknowledged that managing in the American League is ''a lot easier'' than the National League, calling the AL a league of offense and power arms. The designated hitter, he said, removed the need to double-switch and to start thinking about what to do with the starting pitcher when he came to the plate in the fifth or sixth innings.
• When the point was made that he was criticized after he was fired with the Washington Nationals because his team lacked discipline, he (symbolically) bit his lower lip. ''If that were really the case,'' he said, ''I wouldn't be sitting here.'' He bit that lip a long way, because the Nationals had some very difficult players to control on their roster.
• Acta clearly has done his homework on the Indians. He had a great grasp of the pitching staff, the lineup and several top players in the minors.
• Acta also sounded encouraging about trying to score runs in different ways. One thing about former manager Eric Wedge, to me at least, was that once the game started, he didn't do a lot. There weren't a lot of hit-and-runs, squeeze plays or other efforts to manufacture runs. Acta sounds like he's willing to take advantage of the speed of Michael Brantley and Sizemore and try to concoct some runs.
It'd be nice if he made a tape of Cliff Lee and showed it to his pitchers. There's something about working fast and throwing strikes.
Acta wasn't high on many outsiders' lists before the search started.
But two teams pursued him.
He's ready.
But he just might find straightening out the pitching staff will be a lot bigger job than he thinks.
EARLY CAVS LUMPS
The Cavaliers didn't lose two in a row last season until February, nor did they lose at home until February. They did both in their first two games this season.
Clearly, this isn't your 66-win season anymore, Toto.
It was only two games, but before and after the first two games, there was a lot of talk about what needs to be done and knowing how to get it done but not of lot of . . . well . . . actually getting it done.
The Cavs lost at home to a team with strong big men (Boston Celtics) and on the road to a team with more athletic big men (Toronto Raptors).
Suddenly, the Cavs look like they have two aging big men trying to fit in rather than two big men who can help LeBron James. A few wins can change this, but the Cavs seem a ways from the Celtics and Orlando Magic.
The Raptors looked pretty good — like a playoff team. If they're that improved and the Washington Wizards are that improved, lump the Cavs in with those two teams, Boston, Orlando, Miami, Chicago and Detroit, and suddenly the East doesn't seem to be the Cavs' to claim anymore.
It's a long way to go and the reigning MVP is on the roster, but a lot went right a year ago en route to the 66 wins. It was almost idyllic. This season looks like it might be a little more challenging.
Perhaps a lot more challenging. As in 50-wins-and-the-fourth-seed-in-the-playoffs challenging.
JUMP ON ZIPS' BANDWAGON
The team that is the area's most consistently excellent just keeps rolling along.
Caleb Porter's soccer team at the University of Akron rolled to its 16th win in 16 matches with a 3-0 win over Penn State this week.
The Zips remain the consensus No. 1 team in the nation.
UA has:
• Outscored Big Ten opponents 12-1.
• Allowed three goals in 1,440 minutes of play.
• Has a team goals-against average of 0.19, which threatens the NCAA record of 0.24.
• Recorded 13 shutouts this season.
• Gone 28 matches since it gave up a goal in the first half, and 52 matches since it was behind at halftime.
The 16-0 start is obviously the best in school history, and the majority of the starters are freshmen or sophomores.
UA leads the NCAA in goals scored and goals against.
Porter is 61-11-7 since he arrived at UA.
Two more regular-season matches remain before the MAC Tournament and the real fun beings: the NCAA Tournament and the chase for the national championship.
Incidentally, the Zips will not see one of their tournament games transported to Chicago or Dubuque or anywhere again.
The NCAA passed ''the Akron rule,'' which ensures that top seeds for the tournament will not lose home field because of weather.
Matches now can be played in another spot in the city — like St. Vincent-St. Mary — as long as game officials and the NCAA representative on site approve the switch.
RANDOM THOUGHTS
• It was offered to me in the hallowed halls of the Beacon Journal that the Browns are already paying a lot of people not to coach or be general manager of the Browns.
It was suggested that maybe the Browns could bring back former General Manager Phil Savage and coach Romeo Crennel and save themselves, since they're being paid anyway.
• Regarding the Cavs . . . this might change as the season goes on, but Zydrunas Ilgauskas sure seems like he'll struggle coming off the bench. He looks a little bit lost.
And when he and Shaquille O'Neal play together, the Cavs open themselves up to other teams' big men either taking them outside or using their athleticism to go by them.
• It's a bit of a quandary.
• Interesting that coach Mike Brown spent a lengthy chunk of time discussing something with General Manager Danny Ferry after the loss in Toronto.
• Philadelphia Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said this after Game 1 of the World Series when discussing his starter Cliff Lee:
''Most of the time when he starts a game, and he's in control of the game, and everything around it he's controlling — he's throwing strikes and he's getting the ball, what I call he handles the flow of the game, if you know what I mean. Everything about it. The flow of the game, the way the game goes.
''Not only does he have command of the game, but he has the flow of the game. To me he sets the tone by his rhythm, getting the ball back, and he knows what he's going to throw. I like the way he pitches. I like everything about how he goes about it. But that's part of his success, too, is the fact that's how he handles the game.''
• Nice move by Major League Baseball to change the postseason schedule so the World Series starts the last week in October and carries through to November. The November Classic.
• Los Angeles Angels manager Mike Scioscia was 100 percent correct when he stated that off days during the playoffs negate the advantage held by some teams. Baseball is not meant to be played with off days other than travel days, and with November moons shining at midnight.
• Until next time . . . there you have it.
Comments
Click here to post your comments
Wichita Falls, Tx
Posted 08:06 AM, 11/01/2009
Bring back Crennel & Savage? Are you Friggin Nuts? As far as Bernie being the BIG guy in the front office, no disrespect -- We already have too many "ROOKIES" in positions, that we plainly need a veteran. Why not a Co-head of football ops, get a few years under his belt to that position. The Browns need to stop taking chances, hoping people will be good at this job, "MAYBE". I take nothing away from Bernie, he's still a beast, just get a bit of training for the position first.
Cleveland, Oh
Posted 08:14 AM, 11/01/2009
Regarding Bernie Kosar: It would be very interesting to see what Bernie could do to fix this horrendous mess. Hey Ozzie Newsome did it in Baltimore. Why cant Bernie do it in Cleveland. Bernie has alwaays been successful when it comes to football and his knowledge of the game. Something in my gut tells me he could very well bring back this franchise to its rightful place among the leagues elite teams.
Posted 08:38 AM, 11/01/2009
i think Pats tongue is firmly planted in cheek there TX fan GO CAVS!!!!!!!!!!! GO STEELERS! AH whatever lil clownies!!HEY HEY HO HO E MISSGENIE gotta go!!
Naples, FL
Posted 09:04 AM, 11/01/2009
"The Cavs lost at home to a team with strong big men (Boston Celtics) and on the road to a team with more athletic big men (Toronto Raptors)."
Yes, Pat and these two examples are also teams that have been together for a few years with few changes. The Cavs on the other hand had 2-3 new starters and no Delonte West the first two games. In the past two games they have already shown they are beginning to get comfortable with one another and Delonte being back is huge. Don't count that 66 game season out after 2 games.
akron, oh
Posted 10:41 AM, 11/01/2009
Will Bernie be sober enough to help?
maysville, nc
Posted 11:24 AM, 11/01/2009
Man we suck from front to back. What is wrong with this team is it in the front offices,the coaches the owner or are we just cursed? I'm just tired of losing.Maybe Kosar can help but I doubt it. Im done with this team. Good bye.
Posted 02:11 PM, 11/01/2009
all teams in cleveland will suck until the end of time
Posted 02:12 PM, 11/01/2009
Bernie Kosar....is that the same Bernie that won a Super Bowl in Cleveland....oh yeah they didn't win it that year.....loserville Cleveland You people baffle me!!!
Posted 02:14 PM, 11/01/2009
Ozzie doesn't get wasted and drool all over the place.....you people in loserville baffle me!!!!
cuyahoga falls, oh
Posted 03:10 PM, 11/01/2009
2 yards passing halfway thru the third quarter? horrifying...the entire coaching staff should be canned...kosar can't be any worse and probably would be terrifically better, given his ability to draw up touchdown scoring plays in the field dirt when he played that got him traded by bill the nil
righthere, oh
Posted 04:26 PM, 11/01/2009
Bring Kosar back to QB. He should be able have more than a 10.2 rating, unless he's drunk again.
Keep your coach, keep supporting your owner.
Keep being a joke.
Now they have focus groups to find out why the browns are losing fans......look at the drunks in the puppy pen, then the scorebored. No wonder people don't care anymore.
Politics is war without bloodshed, while war is politics with it, ..
Posted 05:06 PM, 11/01/2009
@All
I can't wait until Quinn starts week 10. I can't wait until all these Quinntisential football idiots get their presumptuous wish.
Both QB's are a joke. The entire coaching staff is a joke. The Front Office is a joke. The owner is a joke.
And you people keep commenting about two bad quarterbacks instead of focusing on the real issues that ail this organization.
The bi-product is what all of you keep inanely arguing about. The profound lack of talent on both sides of the ball is the fault of Randolph Lerner because of three mistakes he's made in a row.
Three times now he's hired Coaches first, Front Office Execs second. Three times now he's gotten the same result.
This organization is desperate for a President of Football Operations. A proven football executive with a proven football mind.
From there, the rest is laid in place. And from there, the PFO is in charge, accountable, answering to Lerner.
Hiring Coaches first and Front Office Execs second, like the proverbial horse before the cart, is something anyone with a normal IQ would not do once, let alone three times.
Structuring an NFL Football Organization is further from splitting the atom than drafting, coaching, trading, free agency, etc.
The proof in that is Georgia Frontiere. A woman who at least had the intelligence to bring in real football people to run her organization. Result: A Super Bowl!!! And she didn't hire a Coach first.
Frontiere gained control of the Rams by injection. Lerner gained control of the Browns by Lucky Spe*m Club Membership.
Go figure.
Akron, OH
Posted 05:52 PM, 11/01/2009
R U KIDDING?? Why can't Bernie be sucessfull, everybody that knows the guy, will tell you he's addicted to prescription pills, and he's a drunk..During the Preseason games you can hear him slurring his words, and falling asleep by the end of the game..I love Bernie as a LifeLong Browns Fan, I think he should be around, as a consultant, but as a GM, and a team VP, or something?? That's gotta be a bad Halloween joke..We need someone with EXPERIENCE as a GM, or VP, or President..Bill Parcells, Mike Holmgren, John Gruden, Bill Cowher, Mike Shannahan..Jeff Fisher is even talkin he wants out of Tennesee and would like a fresh start..No College Coaches, Belechek REJECTS!!! We need football people..Yeah bring Kosar in as GM, and bring Kevin Mack as Offensive Coordinator, just cuz they played here and were sucessful don't mean they can build a team..Fire Mangini at the end of the year, this is one of the best seasons after this year to have a Coaching Opening with all the big names out there..It could actually be the biggest break Cleveland's had in a long time, so we can get a REAL COACH..
Woodbine, MD
Posted 07:55 PM, 11/01/2009
Do we really know if there is a George Kokinis, and if so, is he is still alive? I think the last time he was seen was on the side of a milk carton. How long do we have to wait before someone files a missing person report?
Wichita Falls, Tx
Posted 09:02 PM, 11/01/2009
I agree hole heartedly. A top flight professional Director of footbal operations would be my #1 signing, #2 would be a new GM, # 3 , well you already know that.
Trade off anderson know, you wouldn't get any takers, so he is actually good in his spot -someones got to get beat up!
Trade Brady, he's gonna have a good career if he gets away from cleveland.
We know how to build a team, get the pro's to do the draft, and sign as many free agents with some quality, no more rejects from the Jets. Draft where you want to build the most. Do we want offense or defense? This coming draft has more of an offensive feel, though due to an uncapped season coming up, we could actually pick of the cream of the crop, and sign some good undrafted talent.
Lastly, send the old guys away! we want new, fresh talent that will last more than 2 years -bye Jamal.
Bernie, I want you to be trained to be a great GM, don't let them throw you into it to sell tickets.
Posted 10:08 PM, 11/01/2009
I got nothing,,,,,
Bethesda, MD
Posted 12:25 AM, 11/02/2009
PLEASE NO KOSAR!!! We've seen these kinds of stunts before. How embarrassing can you get? This is a delusional loser way of thinking.
Bethesda, MD
Posted 12:37 AM, 11/02/2009
But why stop at Kosar? How about going back in time even further. There are plenty of ancient heroes we can't seem to help conjuring up to kill the pain. You know, "On this date in 1949..."
How about Lou Groza as the next coach? Hopefully he is still alive, bless him. Or, Paul Brown's great grandson? I don't care if he drives a forklift in a warehouse in Bucyrus. Whatever the heck he is doing for a living we will take him!
cranberry twp, pa
Posted 12:59 AM, 11/02/2009
HEY!!! You can even get BILL BELICHICK to be the Coa....errrrr...wait. Nevermind. HEY!! You can get Ozzie Newsome to be the GM...err...nevermind.
Now you idiots want to bring back Marty Schottenheimer?? Didnt you go through that like 20 years ago?
It'll be better this time, right?
medina, oh
Posted 09:04 AM, 11/02/2009
I say kick this team out of Cleveland, once and for all, and this time for good. We would be better off without the embarassmment decade after decade after decade after decade. GET OUT OF OUR TOWN BROWNS!
Green, Ohio
Posted 09:43 AM, 11/02/2009
I really like Bernie Kosar, I do, but I would like to say one thing. Bernie never won a Super Bowl, now did he? I mean come on now folks, the ultimate goal is a ring and if the person they bring in doesn't have one in any way, then why bother.
, OH
Posted 10:15 AM, 11/02/2009
Anyboby who tells you that they thought that Belichick was going to become a great coach based upon his time here is full of it. For Pete's sake he started Todd Philcox in a game and tried to convince us that it put the team in a better position to win! Belichick became a great head coach from what he learned from the mistakes he made here.
Anti-Politically Correct & Anti-GOP, OH
Posted 12:05 PM, 11/02/2009
Can Bernie still play? Can't be worse than DA or BQ.
tallmadge, OH
Posted 12:09 PM, 11/02/2009
portagelakesguy, Kosar was on the Dallas team that won a Superbowl. He really didn't have anything to do with it and was picked up because his college coach happened to be the head coach at the time. He still has a ring unless he sold it for beer.
munroe falls, oh
Posted 12:17 PM, 11/02/2009
There's nothing wrong with Kosar... he's a decent guy who has had some bad luck. I'm sure no one reading this has had some bad luck????
somewhere near you, OH
Posted 01:45 PM, 11/02/2009
Like kosar will help.
Officially rename yourself the Cleveland Clowns to acknowledge your performance. Once you do that your fans will have expectations equal to your performance and everyone will be happy.
Millis, MA
Posted 01:47 PM, 11/02/2009
Way to overreact to the Cavs first 2 games Pat.
This team is better than last years. They were playing without Delonte (arguably their 2nd best player the last year and a half) and with 2 new starters. I didn't expect them to start the season hitting on all cylinders. Pre-season they were hit hard with the flu and dealing with the Delonte issue, and dealing with the loss of their offensive coach.
Cavs and Boston are the 2 deepest teams in the league.
I see the Cavs finishing regular season 67-15 and beating the Lakers in the finals.
Posted 02:18 PM, 11/02/2009
Try Bernie out as the offensive coordinator.
Posted 06:36 PM, 11/02/2009
So it would take events of monstrous proportions to fire Mangini. In case you haven't noticed, it's already happened!
Posted 08:25 PM, 11/02/2009
Maybe I'll get my Bernie shrine out again!
Posted 08:37 AM, 11/06/2009
Firing Mangini won't help. The Browns don't have enough talent to be a winning team. They're at least two good drafts (of mostly defensive linemen and backs) away from being even a winning team. And, they need to establish an offensive line that doesn't keep losing key players to long-term injury.
Acta will only be as successful with the Tribe as his patchwork rotation lets him be. But, it doesn't really matter anyhow, since the current ownership cannot afford to retain star-caliber talent. As things now stand in MLB, the Indians are a de facto farm team for the championship-level clubs, like the Yankees, the best team money can buy.
As for the Cavs, it will take a little time for them to re-orient their offense around the new players, particularly O'Neal, who is an entirely different type of center than Ilgauskus.
