I wasn’t too keen on writing another Browns post, but I have nothing to add to the increasingly sad Delonte West situation, and the Indians are obviously not doing any noteworthy. Plus, I realized something yesterday that I thought was worth discussing.
We’ve heard in subsequent reports that prior to Alpha Dog becoming unexpectedly available, Randy Lerner was on the verge of hiring Jim Schwarz as head coach. However, for most Browns fans, Door #2 for Lerner this past offseason was Patriots personnel ace Scott Pioli as the new Browns GM.
At the time, various NFL newshounds reported that Pioli’s contract demands to Lerner were so outrageous that no team would give in to them - with the implication being that Pioli was trying to price (or power) himself out of the Browns job.
Ultimately, Pioli and Lerner agreed to disagree permanently. Lerner hired the ManKok hydra as his savior, and Pioli took over the GM post in Kansas City.
I don’t pretend to know anything about Randy Lerner’s personal life, but if he’s never had the actual experience of going on a raging, celebratory binge only to wake up next to some stomach-turning goblin who seemed like a great idea a few hours earlier…his hiring of Mangini is probably a good simulation about now.
In situations like this, we fans have a tendency to look back and wonder “what if?” So what if Lerner had submitted to Pioli’s demands and hired him instead of Mangini and Kokinis?
To review, here’s a quick summary of what the Browns have done, starting with the installation of the new kings.
Cleveland Browns | Notable offseason moves:
1) Hire Eric Mangini, a divisive head coach accused of a) mishandling the ego and preparation of his starting quarterback, and b) poisoning the locker room before the NFL’s first bye week
2) Trade a star tight end (Kellen Winslow Jr) to an NFC team (Tampa Bay) for draft picks (a second-rounder in 2009 and a fifth-rounder in 2010)
3) Trade an existing draft pick for a new QB (Bret Ratliff) and various veteran defenders (S Abe Elam and DE Kenyon Coleman) while many still believe that the roster already has two possible starting QBs (Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson)
[Sidenote: here’s a link to an insightful article by SI’s Peter King on some of the behind-the-scenes maneuvering that went into the draft-day trade for the 5th pick. Interesting for anyone like me who’s intrigued by the gamesmanship and moving parts behind the scenes.]
4) Refuse to cut or trade either of the two potential starting QBs, both of whom are signed to substantial contracts (Quinn in the third year of a 5-year deal worth up to $30M, DA in the second year of a 3-year deal worth up to $26M)
Results: Browns 0-3
OK, that’s ManKok. So let’s see how Pioli’s been building his new team.
KC Chiefs | Notable offseason moves:
1) Hire Todd Haley, a divisive head coach accused of a) mishandling the ego and preparation of his starting quarterback, and b) poisoning the locker room before the NFL’s first bye week
2) Trade a star tight end (Tony Gonzales) to an NFC team (Atlanta) for a draft pick (a second-rounder in 2010)
3) Trade an existing draft pick for a new QB (Matt Cassel) and a veteran defender (LB Mike Vrabel) while some still believe that your roster already has two possible starters (Brodie Croyle and Tyler Thigpen)
4) Sign the (new) starting QB to a massive contract (KC absorbs Cassel’s one-year, $14M franchise tag and agrees to an extension of 6 years, $60M, with $28M in guarantees)
Results: KC 0-3
In addition to the similar personnel moves (and their matching Adonis-like physiques), there are two other strong links between Mangini and Pioli. One is factual, the other editorial.
The factual link is that both men earned their reputations as ‘geniuses’ from their association with - who else - Bill Belichick during the course of the New England dynasty.
The editorial link is that, according to various sports pundits and league sources, both have gargantuan egos that directly conflict with the skills needed to build a positive working environment and a roster with the talent to win.
Former Chief and current Kansas City Star writer Jason Whitlock writes a harsh but controlled review of the Pioli empire here. If you don’t have time to read it, the summary is that Pioli seems to want to push people around for no good reason and prove that he’s smarter than everyone else - and that together, these two deficiencies may submarine the entire franchise by alienating the players and the fans.
Have you heard this story somewhere before?
Here’s what another way Mangini and Pioli are similar: if they both fail this go-round, they will become Exhibit B and C in the case that Bill Belichick’s football genius is non-transferrable. Exhibit A would be Romeo Crennel. Waiting in the wings as Exhibit D is Notre Dame’s Charlie Weis, who is on the verge of being run out of South Bend like some Depression-era faith healer.
That would leave Denver’s Josh McDaniels as the only hope of the great myth of the Belichick genealogy. But even though he looks good right now atop the AFC West, the reality is that McDaniels won on a miracle play against the Bengals, then beat two degenerate franchises (Oakland and your hometown Cleveland Browns) to get to first place. Denver’s next 5 games are against Dallas, New England, San Diego, Baltimore, and Pittsburgh. In the words of the grandfather of this whole race, Bill Parcells, “Let’s not get out the anointing oil just yet.”
But the bottom line is that we as Browns fans shouldn’t trick ourselves into believing that things would’ve been any different had Lerner chosen to go through Door #2 rather than Door #1. I strain under the weight of trying to stay hopeful, but right now, it looks like Lerner just put down the gun to opt for the noose.
-T
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