It appears that all signs point to the hiring of Mike Holmgren as “football czar” of the Cleveland Browns, perhaps as early as Friday.
I’m wary about this decision, to say the least.
It strikes me as a “safe hire,” the kind that is often made by people in executive decision-making positions who lack conviction. These types of individuals are most attracted to name talent, that way if things go wrong they can say, “Well, I hired Mike Holmgren … what do you want me to do?”
Is there any reason for us to believe that Randy Lerner knows how to hire football personnel?
Are we convinced that Holmgren is the best person for the job, and not just the biggest name available?
Seattle, after all - where Mike spent many years - doesn’t want him to be their GM.
Now I know the Browns are talking about bringing Holmgren in as President of some sort, meaning he would then have to hire a GM, negating some of this concern.
However, how much should the Browns be willing to pay a President? Rumors are that Holmgren will want $8-$10M per (he was paid $7M as a coach his final year in Seattle).
What does it say about Randy Lerner’s business sense if he’s willing to add that kind of money to an absurd pre-existing payroll that’s centered on still paying a bunch of ex-coaches and executives already?
Are we ready to effectively fire Alpha Dog?
Holmgren will want to bring in people from the Bill Walsh tree, which may have had a ton of success in the past with the West Coast Offense … but that was a long, long time ago.
More reading here (Michael Lombardi) and here (Bleacher Report), but I think there’s definitely reason to be hesitant.
What do you guys think?
