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January 2010
Holmgren to bring in old pal Haskell
Billy Martin had Art Fowler. Mike Holmgren has Gil Haskell.
Sometimes the guy in charge just wants to surround himself with trusted confidants, the more the better.
Toward that end, Haskell soon will be joining the Browns as an adviser to President Holmgren, according to a report in The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer.
Haskell, 66, was on Holmgren’s coaching staffs in Green Bay and Seattle. Like Martin, the old Yankees manager, and his pitching coach/bobo Fowler, they’ve been together longer than a lot of married couples — for 15 of Holmgren’s 17 years as a head coach, to be precise.
The PD speculates that Haskell “may be called on to conduct a thorough evaluation of the Browns’ offense and have major input in the direction it takes in the second season of coach Eric Mangini.”
Haskell was the Carolina Panthers’ offensive coordinator for two seasons before rejoining Holmgren in Seattle, rising to the level of assistant head coach there. Holmgren has campaigned for Haskell to be hired as a head coach, but there have been no takers.
As the PD points out, Haskell was Seattle’s offensive coordinator in 2005 when the Seahawks boasted the No. 2 overall offense, the NFL’s leading rusher in Shaun Alexander and No. 4 passer in Matt Hasselbeck.
If added to the payroll, you can bet Haskell will have more than a little input into who the quarterback will be next year and whether or not to expend a high draft pick on one.
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A quarterback in the first round?
ESPN’s original draft guru Mel Kiper has come out with his analysis of Browns’ draft needs. He ranks them this way: quarterback, big running back, cornerback, safety, outside linebacker, wide receiver, tight end.
Makes sense, but would Mike Holmgren and Co. sink the No. 7 overall pick into a QB? I’m thinking not, and so is Kiper, who suggests Colt McCoy of Texas in the second round as a more realistic grab.
Then again, I saw one mock draft that had Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford falling into the 6-10 range. In that case, maybe a quarterback in that spot is the way to go.
Kiper’s recent mock draft — and I’ve seen this other places as well — has the Browns taking Florida cornerback Joe Haden. Says the guru, “I’m not convinced the Browns will be willing to draft a quarterback simply because the position is unsettled. In Haden, they can’t go wrong with by far the top CB on the board, a player they can plug in from day one. A deft cover corner and great tackler, Haden is the total package.”
With 11 draft picks and almost as many needs, the Browns will have a chance to infuse the roster with youth. Of course, now they must make those picks count, which they haven’t always done. No need here to recall the string of busts from years gone by. Plenty of time for that later.
In the second round, Kiper suggests these options for the Browns: Fresno State running back Ryan Matthews, Georgia Tech running back Jonathan Dwyer, McCoy and South Carolina outside linebacker Eric Norwood.
Kiper also mentions Stanford RB Toby Gerhart as a possibility. If nothing else, it would conjure images of “Touchdown Tommy” Vardell, a Stanford RB who turned out to be a colossal bust when Bill Belichick drafted him.
Also from Kiper: “I think there’s a good chance Cleveland will wait a while to make a decision on a QB, so while the ‘need’ is at that position, it’s also one of direction. Do the Browns stick with one of their guys or make a deal? I’d like to see them add a big back. They could also add a rushing linebacker or a tight end and fulfill needs there.”
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Sandusky to run personnel department
Former Penn State safety John Sandusky has signed on to be director of player personnel. Bios from the press release on Sandusky and the three other members of the personnel department who were named Wednesday:
John Sandusky joins the Browns as Director of Player Personnel after spending the previous nine seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, with the last two as Director of Pro Personnel. He spent his first six seasons with the club as a pro scout after joining the Eagles as an intern in the personnel department in 2001. A native of State College, Pa., Sandusky was a safety for Penn State from 1996-99. He is the son of former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky.
Keith Gilbertson, who brings more than 30 years of coaching experience to Cleveland, joins the team as Director of Pro Personnel. He previously spent four seasons (2005-08) in multiple capacities with the Seattle Seahawks. He spent his second tenure with the team as an offensive consultant (2005), assistant offensive line coach (2006-07) and wide receivers coach (2008). During his career, he has made collegiate coaching stops at Utah State (1977-81), Idaho (1982, ‘86-88), Washington (1989-91, ’99-04), and Cal-Berkeley (1992-95). His previously coached professionally with the Seattle Seahawks from 1996-98 and with the L.A. Express of the USFL from 1983-85. He is a native of Snohomish, Wash.
John Spytek joins the Browns as a Personnel Executive. He spent his previous five seasons in the Eagles’ personnel department, including the last three as a college/pro scout. He spent the 2006 season as Philadelphia’s college scouting assistant and 2005 as an intern in the pro personnel department. He also spent the 2004 season as an intern in the Detroit Lions’ football operations department. Spytek attended the University of Michigan, where he lettered four seasons at linebacker. He is a native of Pewaukee, Wis.
A.J. Durso joins the team as a pro scout after spending the previous four seasons with the Seahawks. He spent his first three in football operations (2006-08), as an assistant to Head Coach Mike Holmgren and the 2009 season as an offensive assistant. In 2005, he interned in the Seahawks’ operations department. He is a graduate of the SUNY Institute of Technology, where he was a member of the baseball team. He grew up in Utica, N.Y.
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More awards for Thomas, Cribbs
Judging from the awards they keep piling up, you would swear the Browns made the playoffs rather than finishing a relatively dismal 5-11.
The latest: Left tackle Joe Thomas and return specialist Josh Cribbs were named to the Pro Football Weekly/Professional Football Writers of America all-NFL team on Monday.
It is perhaps further ammunition for Cribbs to use in his ongoing contract battle with the front office. That is, if anyone’s still listening to his “I’m unperpaid and I’m not playing here anymore” cries.
Thomas and Cribbs already had been selected to the AFC Pro Bowl team and also the Associated Press All-Pro team.
Also, center Alex Mack was named to the PFW/PFWA all-rookie team, seeming to justify head coach Eric Mangini’s decision to make him a first-round draft choice last April after swapping the No. 5 overall pick (Mark Sanchez) to the Jets. Of course, the Jets are still playing.
Mack, Baltimore offensive tackle Michael Oher (the inspiration for the “Blind Side” movie), and Cincinnati punt returner Quan Cosby were the only rookies honored from the AFC North.
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Housecleaning continues in Berea
The moves were considered inevitable once Mike Holmgren brought in Bryan Wiedmeier from the Dolphins to run the business side, so it’s hardly a surprise that Mike Keenan and Dawn Aponte are being swept out of the front office, as The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer reported late Friday.
Keenan had been team president until Holmgren showed up and he was bumped down to chief financial officer. A non-football guy, he won’t be missed.
Aponte had been the team’s chief contract negotiator and salary cap handler. She has a good reputation in the league and should find other employment if she wants it.
Wiedmeier’s title is executive vice president for business administration, but he’s apparently more than just a bean counter and even the legendary Don Shula issued a statement singing his praises when Holmgren coaxed him into coming north.
Keenan had been owner Randy Lerner’s right-hand man. He represented the team at league meetings, but he was a ghost in public after being chosen to introduce head coach Eric Mangini a year ago.
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Scouting department overhaul begins
With a new front office in place and the head coach secure (for now), heads have started to roll at the lower levels.
New GM Tom Heckert cleaned house with four firings in the personnel department Thursday, according to this Associated Press report:
Heckert dismissed the pro personnel group, spokesman Neal Gulkis said. The department was headed by senior director Steve Sabo, who had been with the Browns since 1998. Keith O’Quinn, Jim Jauch and James Kirkland were also let go.
Sabo was responsible for scouting NFL teams and assisted with advance game scouting. Pro personnel director O’Quinn spent one year with the Browns after coming over from the Dallas Cowboys. Jauch, associate director of college and pro personnel, spent six seasons in Cleveland, and assistant director Kirkland joined the Browns in 2004.
Heckert, Philadelphia’s former GM, is expected to bring in his own people to oversee pro personnel and scouting.
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Mangini’s back, and it’s not bad
The Browns just announced that Eric Mangini will return for a second season as coach.
It’s the right move, and not just because the team reeled off four consecutive wins to close the season.
It’s the right move because what the team needed least was another head coach, which would have made five since the rebirth of the franchise in 1999.
Throw in the fact that the Browns actually did seem to respond better to Mangini’s tactics and methods as the season droned on and perhaps there actually is a foundation here for success even if all-everything Josh Cribbs retires or does whatever he’s threatening to do.
If nothing else, Mangini should be better now that he doesn’t have to be the building’s reigning football authority and can just concentrate on coaching. At least one can hope.
Keeping Mangini comes as a major upset when nearly every national pundit with an opinion insisted he was a goner once new team president Mike Holmgren got around to assessing the situation. Holmgren surely was bound to take over the team himself, they said, or bring in an old pal like Marty Mornhengweg, the guy who once took the wind instead of the ball in overtime while coaching the Detroit Lions.
It’s good that neither happened.
Coaching will remain an option for Holmgren, of course, and don’t be surprised next season if the Browns stumble out of the gate and the Craig Stadler lookalike is back on the sideline. I’m sure it’s still in his blood.
If nothing else, Holmgren’s giant shadow will keep Mangini honest and perhaps guard against repeating some of last year’s troubling stunts such as dragging the rookies on an 11-hour bus trip to work a youth camp in Hartford.
Sorry, Mangini-haters. This was a good day for the Browns.
