Browns 6.0: Reviewing SI.com & MMQB Browns Article

Peter King has recently launched his separate, but still connected to SI.com, website MMQB.com, think Grantland.com for ESPN. One of his writers Greg Bedard did an outstanding piece, title and picture shown above, related to the relaunch of the Browns under new owner Jimmy Haslam. Early today we reviewed some of the PR moves the team has made. Similar to our review of CBS Sports’ Kyrie Irving article, this article will be a review of Bedard’s writing. Pieces from Bedard’s article will be copied with FoS review to follow each. You can read the whole article here.

"Banner’s reputation inside league circles is one of a shrewd, calculating and patient businessman. He was instrumental in the Eagles’ ascent to becoming one of the NFL’s most respected and consistently successful franchises. The root of that came from Banner’s expertise with the salary cap. Philly was ahead of the curve in extending deserving young players before their contract was due to expire, usually at a big discount compared to the market rate. The Eagles were so disciplined with their cap that they rarely had to release a player due to money—it was almost always performance and/or age."

• Browns fans have already seen this with the departures of productive Phil Dawson and Josh Cribbs. While Banner may have learned a little from his regularity in doing this, don’t expect him to use sentimentality in making roster decisions. Banner was ahead of the curve there, the hope is that he can continue to be ahead of the curve in other areas. His pursuit of Chip Kelly is a sign that Banner also wants to be ahead of the curve.

"You can see that approach in the way Banner went about filling out the organization: The depth of the challenge in Cleveland became a recruitment tool. “Off-the-field business, on-field performance, all of it—there’s a lot of room for growth,” Banner said of the Browns. “Some of the people from other organizations, I told them: ‘You can be part of one of the more conspicuous turnarounds that anyone has ever been a part of.’ ”Banner said one of the top qualities he looks for is people who have an unusual drive to prove themselves. Probably better than most front-office executives in the NFL, he knows what that means. There are still those both in the game and outside it who won’t let Banner forget that he didn’t come from a football background—he was in the clothing business before joining the Eagles."

• Its a great positive that Banner is willing and able to take a holistic approach to the team. In the past often the team would make 1 decision they believed would make the whole thing better, whether that was hiring Carmen Policy, Eric Mangini or Mike Holmgren. Those moves often led to other hires of people who were not seen as a risk to take power. Banner, secure in his position, is seeking out people driven like himself. This writer has always wondered if players, coaches or executives ever knew how revered and loved they would be if they ever helped turn the Browns into a winner, Banner seems to be using this as a recruitment tool.

"Banner’s first hire was Alec Scheiner as team president. He most recently had been the senior vice president and general counsel for the Cowboys; he had also been involved in Steve Biscotti’s purchase of the Ravens and the Hornets’ relocation to New Orleans in the NBA. Still, Scheiner has never been entrusted with this kind of power position before. While he’s the point man on renovations to FirstEnergy Stadium, Scheiner has been at Banner’s side throughout the reshuffling and restocking of the Browns."

• We touched on Scheiner’s hire in our PR review, but its important to note that Banner was able to draw over such a high profile executive from Jerry Jones. Jones’ desire to maintain power may have been a huge part in this, but Banner’s willingness to give power to quality people is a sign of things to come. Get good driven people and put them in a position to succeed; if they succeed I succeed.

"This is Chudzinski’s first head-coaching job, but as a Toledo native he’s familiar with his proving ground. “I’m from here; grew up a Browns fans,” said Chudzinski, 45, who was tight ends coach in Cleveland in 2004 under Butch Davis and offensive coordinator in ’07 and ’08 under Romeo Crennel. “I know what this team means to these people better than most.”"

• That Chudzinski is from Ohio and knows the angst and desire of Browns fans is a bonus. He ability to coach up QBs like Derek Anderson and Cam Newton and his overall offensive work is what he will be judged by. To be clear though, this is not Brady Quinn excited to be playing for his hometown team, this is the head coach with a pulse on the city. This has been very apparent as “Chud” has been highly engaging with the fans during Training Camp, and has brought a energy to the team that is different from laid back Shurmur and Mangini (who was intense in a different way).

"But Banner saved his most daring hire for last, when he pulled Michael Lombardi from the NFL Network studios to be the general manager. Lombardi had been the personnel director for the Browns and then-coach Bill Belichick when Art Modell relocated the franchise to Baltimore, so the mere mention of him as a candidate—let alone his actual hiring—stoked criticism from fans and the Cleveland media. Yet Banner proceeded.“I’m not sure trepidation is the right word; it was certainly something I had to think through,” Banner admitted. “But my job is to try to do what I think in the end is what the fans want and what we all want—to win as many games as we can. I felt we had to put all that aside, and if Mike was the guy who I thought, in conjunction with myself and Chud, was going to give us the best chance to win, then I had to hire him and trust that [animosity] would resolve itself."

• The most controversial hire by Banner was Lombardi. The most interesting part of Lombardi’s hire is that fans and the media will have a tough time judging his contributions and performance. Similar to the way things were setup in Philly where Banner and Andy Reid had the real power, Lombardi will be in the shadows to some degree. This year for the Eagles will be the first time GM Howie Roseman will really start to be under the microscope with both Banner and Reid gone. Lombardi’s future is closely tied to Banner and Chudzinski, and if the team struggles over the next few years Lombardi will probably be the first shown the door.

"On the football side, the Browns want to be aggressive in all phases of the game. That’s why the hiring of coordinators Norv Turner (offense) and Ray Horton (defense) and the decision to retain Chris Tabor (special teams) were viewed as major coups within the building and around the league. The players, including those who are going on their fourth coach in eight years, certainly took note.“What’s new to me is I haven’t been around an offensive coordinator, defensive and head coach that want to attack,” said linebacker D’Qwell Jackson. “Everyone has a sense that we’re not waiting around for people. We’re going to live and die by how we play. We’re not going to let the offense dictate what we do on defense, and vice versa. That is what any player wants. You want to be able to be aggressive. As a defensive player, that’s the mentality you have and that’s how you want to play it.”"

• As we have noted all off-season the players are excited. Instead of waiting to be hit in the mouth the Browns plan to try to dictate to the other team what will happen. Much like in business, and in life, being proactive is much more successful then being reactive. The attackative nature of the team may lead to big plays on both sides, but player buy in like Jackson’s means the players will be bought in and going all out.

"The new Browns, who are armed with $31.7 million in cap room, hope that’s the case overall. “Having cap room is a huge asset, so we’re going to make sure we protect our assets,” Lombardi said. “Just because you have it doesn’t mean you should spend it. Every decision you make, you have to be judicious in terms of value. You have to be careful—measure twice, cut once, and understand that that money can be used in the next seasons.”"

• This measure twice, cut once philosophy seems appropriate but for many Browns fans it seems to be doing the same thing over and over again expecting the same results. The fans will have to be patient, as seen this off-season, because Banner will not seek to fill every need right away. They will build as seen by not using even close to all of their salary cap this year, trading out of the 4th and 5th rounds and drafting for talent (Mingo) over need (Millner).

"But there’s no doubt that the Browns have two leaders with successful track record in Banner and Scheiner. Lombardi has been around some of the greats in the game, and his time away from the front lines seem to have given him perspective. Chudzinski is an unknown quantity at the top, but Reid hadn’t even been a coordinator when Banner gave him a shot in Philadelphia. And Chudzinski has surrounded himself quality assistants by making Turner and Horton his coordinators. Add in the cap money going forward, and the Browns appear to have the framework to get things right, the sixth time around."

• The hope of the Browns is now not in one man. The owner is passionate about the team, the city and the fans. Banner has a history of success but has brought in Scheiner, Lombardi and Chudzinski to to their jobs. Chudzinski has brought in Norv Turner and Ray Horton to make this team an attacking team. This team has a foundation to build on, and the hopes of many Browns’ faithful are now not riding on 1 man but a team effort.

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