Who is the Browns' General Manager for the 2013 off-season?

[Amherstcavsfan]

People actually care what Grossi says?

You are right, we should totally take random Pro Football Weekly guy's opinion over the local beat writer...

[The Voice]

You are right, we should totally take random Pro Football Weekly guy's opinion over the local beat writer...

That pro football weekly guy might know Haslam and Banner better. Not to mention Grossi comes off as an asshat. I don't know how more people don't see this.

[Amherstcavsfan]

That pro football weekly guy might know Haslam and Banner better. Not to mention Grossi comes off as an asshat. I don't know how more people don't see this.

Grossi definitely comes off as an fool, but he's been covering the Browns for 30 years. I think we can take his word for it when it comes to the Browns. Also, he was around the Lombardi Browns.

I'll believe it when I see it.

[MDLT]

I'm not a Grossi fan, but that doesn't mean he's wrong when saying there is a reason Belichick never brought him back to his organization, or that he was a disaster in CLE and OAK. It's not entirely a coincidence he's been out of the league for 5 years.

EDIT - If what Grossi says is true about Lombardi's time in Oakland, I will say that this move makes more sense if Banner wants to be the guy calling the real shots.

I hope that Haslam/Banner understand that their honeymoon with the fanbase will be fleeting if they start off making a disastrous move at the top of the organization. Sure, they'll still show up for games but constant criticism from Browns fans is never in short supply. Lombardi or not, they have to get it right.

[b00bie]

There isn't much in Grossi's writing or level of professionalism that would lead me to trust his 'inside info'

[Malt]

There isn't much in Grossi's writing or level of professionalism that would lead me to trust his 'inside info'

Nor would the simple act of hiring Michael Lombardi (if that were to happen) be proof Haslam did something wrong. Haslam knows these people, he has for years. He knows what kind of person Lombardi is, and how he evaluates talent. If he wants him running this team, he would have a better pulse on it than fans would who form an opinion by creating what they imagine were decisions made by him, and judging him for those decisions. I wouldn't be thrilled by his track record, nor has Heckert done anything I'm aware of which would warrant him losing his job, but I'll trust Haslam knows best until he proves otherwise.

I was firmly in the "get rid of Lerner" camp, and I believe the poor ownership was far more responsible for our past failure than anything else. Now it's time to see if Haslam can turn it around.

[b00bie]

When you fire a guy who has OBVIOUSLY brought in a plethora of young talent to this team and replace him with a guy who's most notable for being a douchebag media member, some people aren't just going to take his word for it.

There is good reason to raise a red flag if they fire Heckert.

[MGMT]

When you fire a guy who has OBVIOUSLY brought in a plethora of young talent to this team and replace him with a guy who's most notable for being a douchebag media member, some people aren't just going to take his word for it.

There is good reason to raise a red flag if they fire Heckert.

I'm curious to know what rationale they could try to provide for letting him go. I mean really, would reason could you have for firing him as far as HIS decisions are concerned? Marecic? Ward for being bad in pass coverage?

I think it is even worse than raising just a red flag.

[FiveThous]

I have not knowledge on the relationship between Heckert and Banner but Id have to guess one's ego is too big for the others liking and its likely just a dick measuring contest that will be the reason Heckert is let go.

[kiji]

Just looking at Heckerts body of work and I can't understand why he's not lock to remain. The only thing I could possibly see is a situation where you're bringing in a coach, probably college, that will require more authority over player decisions than can be currently offered while Heckert is on staff. In that case, you bring in a guy with a lesser job title and the coach has more authority over the roster. I really can't see how this would be based on what Heckert has done, only on how they envision the front office setup to function. This is basically what was going on in Philly for a long time before the power grabs. I think the only way it would work in that scenario is if Heckert agreed to reduce his role. I don't think he's power hungry to begin with. There's never been anything leaked about how Shurmur, Mangini or Holmgren and he fought over draft picks. I can understand how he would not be pleased with what basically amounts to a demotion though. I still think it's bullshit, maybe I'm just hoping it is, but I think Lombardi would be a fucking ridiculous choice. Anyone know if there is a coach out there that actually happens to like him, or has connections to him? May lead to some coaching candidates.

[Juicy]

Can someone explain why Lombardi is god awful. I see posts just bitching about him but I want facts on why he is awful.

[b00bie]

Can someone explain why Lombardi is god awful. I see posts just bitching about him but I want facts on why he is awful.

For me, it's his hackery as a sportscaster coupled with the fact that his resume is not even close to that of the current Browns general manager.

[RappSoda]

Can someone explain why Lombardi is god awful. I see posts just bitching about him but I want facts on why he is awful.

Go find what he's done right. Both NFL and in media/mock drafts. I tried.

[b00bie]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/wri...bardi/archive/

[Malt]

When you fire a guy who has OBVIOUSLY brought in a plethora of young talent to this team and replace him with a guy who's most notable for being a douchebag media member, some people aren't just going to take his word for it.

There is good reason to raise a red flag if they fire Heckert.

There are two different issues at play. The firing of Heckert, and the hiring of his replacement. If I was the guy who paid a billion dollars for a football team, I think I'd trust Heckert to run the ship for at least a couple more years. But I certainly understand how a guy who is taking over an organization would want to put his mark on the team. He wants the Browns organization to be his, and Heckert was a Holmgren guy. Decisions like that are made all of the time. So while I agree Heckert can't justifiably be fired for his track record, I don't think his track record is the reason he may be out of a job. He just not be a Haslam/ Banner guy.

The second issue is hiring the replacement. Everything out there on Lombardi makes him seem like a terrible pick. Being skeptical makes a ton of sense. But Haslam and Banner know everything we do that's been said. They are privileged to more information, and have the real concept behind how the team is going to be structured. Dismissing a hire before it takes place is a bit premature. What if we're bringing in a HC who wants control, and Lombardi is willing to defer to that coach? If the coach is the guy Haslam has picked, then a great GM isn't taking a job without final say. Or perhaps Lombardi can do a good job, honestly I've got no idea. Heckert has done exceptional, and I'd hope they'd just stick with him, but we'll see what happens.