The Case against Art "Judas" Modell Redux

(EDITOR'S NOTE: This blog entry originally was written and posted back on Jan. 9, 2011. It was my fourth-ever Joe Cleveland blog entry, and it has been one of my most read and commented on pieces. Due to the circumstances with Art Modell's candidacy with the 2013 Pro Football Hall of Fame class, I felt it was time to not only repost this, but also give it a bit of an update. So, here goes. Hope this shows how unworthy Modell is of a Hall of Fame bust.)

Among the 15 finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, which will be voted on next weekend and revealed the day before the Super Bowl, was former Cleveland Browns owner Art Modell.

Joe Cleveland was not happy to see that Modell made the final cut. It's only the second time that Modell has been a finalist. However, with his death back in September, I'm not necessarily surprised his name is on this list.

It amazes me every year that a guy like Modell can continue to garner interest in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Only once has Modell become a finalist. Thanks to the efforts of former Plain Dealer Browns writer Tony Grossi, he was passed over. But, it seems like he's always on the preliminary list for Hall of Fame consideration, and it baffles a guy like Joe Cleveland.

What exactly did Modell do that was so noteworthy? Everything I can think of was pretty negative.

First and foremost, he moved a franchise with one of the deepest NFL traditions with a rabid fanbase to a different location. The man moved the Browns to Baltimore because he was broke. Why was he broke? Because he was (and is) a poor businessman, plain and simple. People can blame the City of Cleveland for not building the Browns a new stadium when Jacobs Field and Gund Arena were built, but the fact is, Modell voluntarily took over control of Stadium Corp. from the City of Cleveland and had an iron-clad lease.

Plus, he turned down the opportunity to get in on the Gateway project, focusing on trying to remodel and refurbish his current stadium, until he saw the "palaces" being built for the Indians and the Cavs, and all the revenue it generated, along with the sweet leases their team's owners got for moving into those new facilities. Also, it didn't dawn on him until later that his biggest tenant, the Indians, would be leaving his stadium, and right when they were on the cusp of becoming a winner.

Modell mishandled the situation with Cleveland from the rip, to the point that he painted himself in a corner and felt that he had "no choice" but to move to Baltimore.

He's probably the only NFL owner to continually be in the red every single year. I could take over an NFL team and make money without even trying. Modell continually was broke. Why? He can only blame himself. Only a guy Modell could go broke by only paying $1 a year to the City of Cleveland to rent his stadium.

Moving the Browns is a bad enough sin on its own and should immediatly strike down any conversation about the man being an NFL "immortal." He's an immortal jackass, but not an immortal.

But, wait, there's more.

Secondly, he fired one of the greatest coaches in football history in Paul Brown. You don't fire a guy like Paul Brown!

Paul Brown revolutionized the game of football. He changed the way people coach the game and the way people play the game. He invented the screen pass, the draw play, the messenger guard system that paved the way for those helmet-to-helmet devices all QBs have (by the way, he invented that, too. Look it up. He put a speaker in QB George Ratterman's helmet in 1956 during a preseason game, but unfortunately, the signal kept picking up the police and cab radios so it was scrapped), coaches calling plays, scripting plays, the passing game, you name it. The man was ahead of his time, and that was why his Browns won NFL championships seven times in his first 10 years and lost in the championship game the three other times. He even got back to the NFL Championship game (1957) after a mediocre 1956 season thanks to his drafting of the great Jim Brown, but lost.

Then in 1961, Modell bought the team and decided to stick his nose into things. Brown didn't like that. Brown had supposedly lost the ear of his team, and, after a decent 1962 season, Modell fired him. Sure, the Browns recovered to win the 1964 title under Blanton Collier, but they haven't won a title since.

Modell believed that the 1964 title "vindicated" him. All it really did was prove that another guy would win with the team that Paul Brown assembled.
Collier kept the Browns' ship afloat with winning seasons from 1965-69. The Browns reached three other NFL Championship games during that span, but lost them all (and lost them all in convincing fashion). The last two of those games (1968 and 69) would have put them in Super Bowls III and IV, respectively, had they won.

Prior to the 1966 season, the great Jim Brown was off in London filming the movie "The Dirty Dozen." Filming was delayed, and Brown was needed in London while the Browns were in training camp in July and August. Modell decided that Brown needed to focus on football and not on movies, and decided to fine him $1,000 for every day that he didn't show up. When news of the fine got back to Brown, he called an impromptu press conference and announced his retirement from football, effective immediately.

Yes, Art Modell FORCED Jim Brown to retire from football in his prime. While Leroy Kelly became a Hall of Fame running back in Brown's absence, you could only imagine how Brown's presence in the backfield for either of those two NFL Championship games he missed may have helped change the outcome of those games. Perhaps the Browns don't lose in the playoffs in 1966 or 1967 if Brown was lined up in the backfield.

We'll never know because Modell decided to stick his nose into business he shouldn't have, and Jim Brown called his bluff.

Modell stubbornly refused to hire a legitimate personnel man. Whenever he did (George Hadhazy, Ernie Accorsi), the team would see immediate success. However, Modell continued overstep his bounds and wound up running these guys out of town.

Hadhazy was the architect of the 1980 "Kardiac Kids" season. He was run out of town by Modell after that season. The team subsequently slumped to 5-11 in 1981 and only made the playoffs one other time between 1981-84.

Accorsi, who was already a well-respected NFL personnel man from his days with the Baltimore Colts, was the genius behind the trade to get Bernie Kosar in the 1985 supplemental draft. Accorsi was the architect behind the Browns roster that reached the playoffs five consecutive years from 1985-89 and reached three AFC Championship games in that span. But, Modell allowed two new hires -- head coach Bill Belichick and front office person Michael Lombardi -- to push Accorsi out the door. Accorsi wound up being the architect of the New York Giants team that won the Super Bowl in 2007.

Modell, on the eve of the 1970 season, traded his Hall of Fame receiver, Paul Warfield, for the third-overall draft pick, Purdue quarterback Mike Phipps. Phipps was God-awful; Warfield went on to become a champion with the Miami Dolphins. Coincidentally, the Browns (after some decent seasons in the early 1970s) spiraled into mediocrity until a guy named Brian Sipe and a coach named Sam Rutigliano came along with a season for the ages in 1980, which only ended in heartbreak.

Modell's players constantly held out for more money because Modell had underpaid them, or broken his word on contracts. Holdouts by Frank Minnifield and Webster Slaughter helped derail the Browns' playoff successes of the late 80s as the 1990s came aboard.

Modell hired Belichick, but it was before Belichick was truly ready to become a head coach. He passed on Bill Cowher, who wound up leading the rival Steelers to immediate success. Belichick, meanwhile, alienated most of the team's fanbase with questionable in-game decisions, questionable personnel decisions and a notable feud with popular Bernie Kosar that wound up leading to Kosar's PR-disaster mid-season release in 1993.

It can also be added to Modell's "legacy" that he FIRED Belichick in February of 1996, shortly after the ink dried on the deal to move the franchise to Baltimore. Belichick wound up becoming the modern-day version of Vince Lombardi when he resussicated his coaching career with the New England Patriots. So yes, Modell fired both Paul Brown and Bill Belichick, two of the best NFL head coaches in the modern era.

If it's moves like that that make you Hall of Fame worthy, that's pretty darn scary.

Modell decided he wanted to make a big spash in free agency, so he borrowed a ton of money to sign Andre Rison. Rison was a poor fit with Belichick's team and rubbed fans the wrong way with his Diva attitude. Meanwhile, Modell couldn't pay off his loans. It was a prominant reason why Modell, as he famously said, "had no choice" but to move the team.

A modern-day NFL owner shouldn't have to borrow A DIME to sign a free agent. And yet, this is what Art Modell had to do to sign Rison. The sad part is, Modell screwed himself in the deal. After announcing the deal and bringing Rison in for the press conference, his agent discovered the Browns failed to sign some paperwork. Knowing he had Modell over a barrel, he demanded more money or else he and his client would walk away, embarassing the organization.

This is the type of businessman Art Modell was and always was.

Heck, he even tried to move his team in the 1970s ... to STRONGSVILLE! Modell purchased a plot of land that he threatned to build a new stadium on if Cleveland didn't cow-tow to his demands. In the end, it proved to be a giant bluff, and both parties came to (what they believed to be) and equally beneficial agreement on a future lease. Modell wound up taking over Cleveland Municipal Stadium for the small fee of $1 per year and was in charge of all the revenue coming in. However, he was also in charge of all the maintenance and upkeep. Nobody's fault but Modell's, who failed to see the forest for the trees.

I could go on. Modell ran off Marty Schottenheimer (his most successful coach besides Collier) by sticking his nose into football business. Modell ran off Forrest Gregg, who wound up taking the Bengals to the Super Bowl (something that was sure to stick in Modell's craw, since Paul Brown founded and ran the Bengals). Modell hung on to Sam Rutigliano too long, and his decision to move the team helped derail any momentum the football team had gained by qualifying for the playoffs in 1994 under Belichick.

And, let's not forget the shabby condition his stadium was in. It constantly needed work, and the playing surface was also terrible. It was HIS stadium because of HIS decision to take over Stadium Corp. from the city. He probably thought that controlling the stadium revenue would help him make money. He was wrong.

Now, let's dissect what people believe Modell did right.

A myth is that Modell helped create Monday Night Football. Roone Aldridge of ABC Sports created Monday Night Football. All Modell did was volunteer his team and his stadium to host the very first installment. Modell was on the committee, but it wasn't his decision or his brainchild. He wasn't against the idea, but so were other people. A Hall of Famer is not created because he "agreed" with a decision to start a Monday Night game and then lobbied for his team to host it.

Also, let the record reflect that it was Modell's decision, despite that first Monday Night Football game drew a record 85,000 fans to Cleveland Stadium, to BLACK OUT the game from local television. Modell also blacked out the 1964 NFL Championship win over the Colts, despite the game being a sellout. A man of the people who "cared" about the people of Cleveland, that's for sure.

Another myth is that Modell helped smooth over the AFL-NFL merger by volunteering the Browns to join the AFL teams in the new AFC. Modell had stubbornly rebuffed any chances to jump ship during a highly-contentious negotiation session between the two leagues but finally changed his mind along with his good friend, Art Rooney, the owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Modell's motives was that he felt that his Browns (which had recently won an NFL championship, mind you, and had reached back-to-back NFL Championship games in the late 1960s) would come over to the "weaker" AFC and dominate.

Unfortunately, his good friend Rooney, who jointly with Modell decided to take his Steelers to the AFC, would be the one to dominate in the 1970s after many, many years of moribund play. Also, the Colts (who were the other team to jump to the AFC) qualified for the first true NFL Super Bowl in 1970 and won. It was Modell's idea, but the others who joined him reaped the rewards while Modell ran his team into the toilet.

From 1970-1995, Modell's Browns went 194-195-3. They reached the playoffs only 10 times during that span (8 times from 1980-95) and only won four total playoff games in those 10 appearances. By the way, did I mention how many championships the Browns won during that span? That would be ZERO!

Modell helped introduce revenue sharing to the league (debatable) and helped negotiate lucritive TV deals for the league (true, but only until 1990). He was on the television committee for a lot of his early years in the league, and during that time, the NFL became the country's "national pastime" thanks to TV, to the point where the market is saturated with NFL coverage and programming.

However, the caveat with this is that NONE of that expansion happened while Modell was the head of the TV committee. In fact, he was against the billion-dollar deal Jerry Jones negotiated with the upstart FOX network and voted against it. In turn, his fellow owners removed him from the committee. With visionaries like Jones running the show, the NFL's marriage with TV exploded, to the point to where networks are paying billions of dollars for the right to broadcast the games and games are now on five different networks (two cable) and playing in prime-time three nights a week.

But, in reality, that's something that helped his fellow owners get rich and didn't really pay any true dividend to the fans, other than an oversaturation of the market. You shouldn't take a spot in a Pro Football Hall of Fame from a deserving player because you helped make your fellow owners rich because of some TV deals. That's just ridiculous.

All the Baltimore love going toward Modell is downright nauseating. I wonder if they'd still be singing his praises if they realized how instrumental Modell was in the early 1990s expansion vote that went against Baltimore and benefitted Jacksonville, Fla., and Charlotte, N.C. Modell, after telling Baltimore folks that he would be their ally in the negotiating room, went back on his word by saying what a horrible market it was and that the NFL would be better off exploring these different markets. Fact is, Modell had his eye on the Baltimore market all to himself back then. It was a totally greedy and selfish maneuver. Then again, those of us who lived through his Browns' ownership aren't surprised.

The myth that Modell voluntarily gave up the Browns' name, colors and lineage to move to Baltimore is also asinine. The NFL FORCED Modell to do this because of the threat of lawsuits and injunctions filed by the City of Cleveland and Browns season ticket holders. The entire move itself was a giant black-eye for the league, especially when Modell was such a huge critic of guys like Al Davis and Bob Irsay, who moved their franchises to different towns. He angered a lot of his fellow owners by going back on his word and moving his team when he always so outspoken against franchise relocation in the NFL.

A new nickname and uniforms would have cost Modell money, and the money Baltimore paid him to move had just helped him break even. He didn't want to spend any more than he had to. which included consultants for the nickname, color scheme, logo, mascot and uniform design. A "Name the Team" contest also cost him and his staff a lot of man hours to sift through the ideas. Besides, you think he wanted to voluntarily give up the one thing he paid for back in 1961, which was the BROWNS franchise and lineage?

The NFL forced Modell to do this as a compromise to placate Cleveland (while also promising a new franchise would begin play there in three years, something the NFL never did and hasn't done since). Modell was also forced to play money to Cleveland and their season ticket holders, buying out his silent partners Bob Gries and Al Lerner, along with paying some of his fellow owners to allow him to move. In the end, he would up right back where he started -- broke, and teetering with being out of football.

The Baltimore media and fans who, with their blinders on, believe that Modell did this out of the kindness of his heart need to lay off the Kool-Aid. This is how they legitmize the fact that, while their own franchise (the Colts) was stolen out of town by Bob Irsay, they turned around and did the exact same thing, stealing another town's franchise right out from under them. This is how those folks sleep at night while still cursing the corpse that is Bob Irsay.

I'll tell you what, Baltimore -- We'll get over what Modell did to us when you get over what Irsay did to you. That starts when you guys acknowledge the fact that they are the INDIANAPOLIS COLTS and not just "Indianapolis" on your scoreboards.

Go ahead, I'll wait. Perhaps if you guys were a better fanbase, your team would still be called "Colts" instead of "Ravens."

In the end, Modell wound up selling his team (something he stubbornly refused to do in Cleveland) to a billioniare named Steve Bisciotti. With Bisciotti as his partner, the Ravens won the Super Bowl in 2000 (giving Modell his long-awaited Lombardi Trophy) while also turning most of the football operations over to Ozzie Newsome. Three years later, Bisciotti bought out Modell, leaving him a 1 percent interest in the team that was by and large an honorary thing until the day he died.

The fact that Modell did this allows him to be continually revered in Baltimore. Had he not done so and perhaps sold to an out-of-town interest (who might have moved the team), he'd be roasted over the spigot down there as he is up here. Just be glad, Baltimore, that you were spared the horror that would have been David Modell, Team Owner.

Modell begged and borrowed his way into the NFL when he bought the Browns (mostly with loans and with only $250,000 of his own money) and continued to run his team into debt (on TWO DIFFERENT OCCASIONS) until he finally found a billionaire to buy him out. He actually had a billionaire who wanted to buy him out in Cleveland in Al Lerner, but Modell refused. Ironcially, the Lerner family wound up owning the Browns, while Modell's family does not even own an NFL team anymore. And, that's what he gets.

He was a poor businessman before, during and after his tenure with Cleveland and into his tenure with Baltimore. For that, he does not deserve to be rewarded with a bust among such great legendary players and other contributors to the NFL. He deserved what he wound up getting -- to die, alone, as a martyr, and that's all he deserved.

If Modell ever sneaks his slimy way into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, even posthumously, Joe Cleveland will NEVER, EVER step foot into that building in Canton again. And, I'm sure I'm not alone in that thinking around these parts. I will be there for that induction ceremony. And, it won't be pleasent.

Here's hoping the Hall of Fame voters can overlook the sympathy factor and realize there is a lot more to Arthur Bertrum Modell than his shady maneuver to move the Browns from Cleveland to Baltimore. In fact, the more you dig deep about the guy, the more you realize just how terrible and un-Hall of Fame worthy he really and truly is.

But, that's just my opinion. Differ if you like, but remember ...

Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!

Clean slate, but a short leash

There's no secret as to Joe Cleveland's feelings about Michael Lombardi, who came back to Cleveland a few days ago as Jimmy Haslam's and Joe Banner's choice as Vice President of Player Personnel.

In case you need a refresher course, here's the blog I wrote about Lombardi just a month ago, when he was heavily rumored to be the de-facto replacement for general manager Tom Heckert:

http://joeclevelandblog.blogspot.com/2012/12/no-trophy-for-this-lombardi.html

Joe Cleveland woke up Thursday to the news that Lombardi was introduced as the new GM and wished that he was still having a nightmare. Unfortunately, it wasn't the case.

It was funny to see the images contrast between the press conferences announcing Rob Chudzinski's hiring to the hiring of Lombardi. Just a week ago, Banner and Haslam were all smiles flanking Chud. One week later, Haslam and Banner wore dour grins flanking Lombardi as the Cleveland media raked all three over the coals.

Lombardi began his press conference begging for a "clean slate" and for people to be "fair." Banner, who said that he "went out on an extreme limb" to land Lombardi, also echoed those "fair" statements. Essentially, they are trying to paint the media with a brush, so that if they (and rightly so) lambaste Lombardi's first questionable move, it will show that the media just isn't giving him a chance.

Oh, they may give him a chance. Browns fans who have almost universally ripped this move a new one, may give him a chance.

But it won't come with a long leash, that's for sure.

Just when it seemed that Browns fans were accepting Chud's hiring (especially in light of some of the other NFL coaching hires in his wake, including Chip Kelly's wishy-washy flip-flop maneuver to take over the Eagles), especially considering the hiring of Norv Turner as his offensive coordinator and Ray Horton, who interviewed for the Browns head coaching job before Chud, as his defensive coordinator, that Brown and Orange balloon loudly burst with a pinprick named Lombardi.

CBS play-by-play voice Jim Nantz came on a Cleveland radio station the day of Lombardi's hiring defending it, while also ripping several members of the Cleveland media for having "personal vendettas" against him. Tony Grossi, who has been accused of personal vendettas many times during his long career covering the Browns here, and Bud Shaw were the two main culprits.

Nantz is also a friend of both Lombardi and Patriots head coach Bill Belichick (and wasn't shy about admitting that fact several times during the interview), so his take can be skewered as well.

While Banner admits to going out on a limb, Haslam proclaims that he talked to numerous NFL owners who told him, "if you have the chance to hire Lombardi, don't hesitate to pounce." I can only imagine those guys were holding back snickers and guffawing after hanging up the phone with Haslam if that was the case.

If all those owners were really sold on Lombardi, than why was he a TV network shill for the last five years? Why didn't all of those other owners bring him in if he was such a "slam-dunk personnel hire?"

If he and Belichick were so closely connected at the hip, why did Belichick never hire Lombardi officially with New England? He certainly had several chances to do so, and if he did, the Boston media and fans that still call him a "genius" for winning three Super Bowls in four years (albeit with the help of some illegal videotaping, but so be it) would have accepted it.

Bill Belichick could take a dump in the middle of Downtown Boston, and it would be lauded as a great thing.

But yet, Belichick kept Lombardi at arms length during his lengthy coaching career in New England, only using him as an unofficial consultant. He did hire his son, Mick, in his scouting department, but that's not the same as hiring the man himself.

Everywhere Lombardi has gone where he's stayed for a while has been a failure. Especially his time in Cleveland during the early 1990s.

I don't need to rehash all the gory details.

Perhaps Banner, realizing that the Cleveland media and fanbase were turning on him, decided to deflect some of that criticism by bringing in the main pariah, Lombardi, to take some of the heat on him. Sure, he'll still be zinged as the guy who ultimately made the call to hire Lombardi (no one believes Haslam hired him). However, if things go south, Lombardi is the ready-made fall guy.

Perhaps they brought him in knowing that they need to win and win now. Banner proclaimed there was no such thing as a "five-year plan" under him, and with this hire, that is certainly the case. Anything less than a 7-9 season will definitely turn up the heat on Banner and Lombardi.

Perhaps Lombardi gives Chud a free pass. Suddenly, folks aren't complaining that much about Chud and his "inexperience." Now, if Chud struggles, the media and fans will blame Lombardi's personnel decisions.

Lombardi is the Hyde to Chud's Jeckyl. That may be how Haslam wants it.

In the past, the coach (Pat Shurmur) got lambasted while the GM (Heckert) was lauded. In the beginning, Phil Savage was lauded while Romeo Crennel was lambasted (that quickly turned into both being lambasted on their way out the door). In Haslam and Banner's mind, why not bring in the GM that the media and fans already dislike to take the heat off their hand-picked young rising star of a coach?

Unfortunately for Belichick, it didn't work that way during his time in Cleveland. The fans and media turned on him when it became apparent that he influenced the Dead Judas to squeeze Ernie Accorsi out the door and give Lombardi more front office responsibilities, essentially taking Accorsi's job. When it came out that Lombardi was the impetus behind Bernie Kosar's benching and subsequent release, the media and fans ripped him apart. Both men were pariahs during that final 1995 season as the team slumped from 11-5 while the franchise was in an upheaval to Baltimore.

Lombardi needs to strike gold with EVERYTHING that he does in order to keep the sharks at bay. Never has a person been hired to Cleveland who is under immense pressure to succeed from Day 1 as Lombardi is, and most of it is self-imposed.

Lombardi wasn't shy in ripping the Browns organization from his media perch after his departure. Recently, he shredded Heckert's draft, saying the drafting of Brandon Weeden was a "panicked disaster," saying that Mitchell Schwartz and John Hughes were "substantial reaches," saying that they gave up too much to move up to get Trent Richardson and then ripping them for "throwing away" a second round pick on Josh Gordon in the supplemental draft.

Now, Lombardi takes over a team where his starting quarterback is the panicked disaster, the "reaches" are his starting right tackle and key defensive line depth, his starting tailback is the guy they should have never moved up to get and his best wide receiver is the guy they "threw away" a pick on. Gordon Tweeted out, "Uh-oh, am I in trouble?" upon hearing Lombardi was hired, which shows these guys watched the NFL Network and read up on this guy.

Good luck with that, Mike.

It amazes me that an ownership group that oozed positive PR upon their debut has done such an opposite thing, especially since the media and fans were not shy about letting their feelings on Lombardi be known when it was rumored back in October that he'd be coming in. Cleveland fans have long memories.

Who knows, perhaps there is a method to their madness.

If you think about it, most every regime change was lauded by the media and fanbase. Butch Davis? Fans loved it. Phil Savage? Fans loved it. Eric Mangini? Fans (at first) loved it. Mike Holmgren? Fans loved it. All of those hires failed.

Maybe the fans hate is a good thing. Maybe the opposite reaction will get the desired action. Who knows.

Lombardi has quickly taken Chris Antonetti and Mark Sharpiro's role away as most hated Cleveland sports executive, and he hasn't even made an official move yet. That's saying something.

The Browns put themselves square in the bulls-eye with this hiring. The honeymoon is over for Jimmy Haslam. Fans are threatening to cancel their season ticket orders as a result. They are now under pressure to win and to do well. Anything less, and the short leash will be snapped back on Lombardi.

As a lifelong Browns fan who is optimistic that they will reach (and win) a Super Bowl or two during my lifetime, I can only hope they know what they are doing. As a fanbase, we can only trust Haslam and Banner that they are not the same-old, same-old when it comes to Cleveland sports owners and there is a method to their madness.

Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!

Chud hiring not a 'dud'

Joe Cleveland will admit that when he found out that the Cleveland Browns hired a new head football coach and his name was Rob Chudzinski, my first thought was, "Chud? Really?"

Chudzinski's choice seemed totally out of left field. In fact, when the local and national media reported that Chudzinski was in town a few days ago for an interview, I made a joke about how it's become "The ghosts of Browns offensive coordinators past."

With Montreal Alouetttes head coach Marc Trestman (quarterbacks coach 1988, offensive coordinator 1989) already in for an interview and Colts offensive coordinator/interim head coach Bruce Arians (offensive coordinator 2001-03) supposedly coming in for an interview, the Chud addition (tight ends coach/interim OC 2004, offensive coordinator 2007-08) seemed pretty crazy.

Who would be next, Lindy Infante? Jim Shofner? Jeff Davidson? Brian Daboll?

However, it appeared Chudzinski, who had spent the last two seasons as the offensive coordinator of the Carolina Panthers, helping turn Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton into one of the most dynamic offensive performers in the NFL, showed enough of the virtues that Browns owner Jimmy Haslam III and CEO Joe Banner were seeking in their first head coaching hire (and 14th full-time head coach in Browns history -- sixth since the franchise returned in 1999).

And, as the hiring ruminated around my mind, the more I really liked it.

When the Chip Kelly infatuation went away, either because Haslam and Banner didn't feel he was fully committed to becoming an NFL coach or Kelly didn't want to come to Cleveland (or a combination of the two -- he wound up taking a pay raise to stay in Oregon after talking with the Browns, the Eagles and the Bills), and the Nick Saban ship sailed with Saban wanting to stay in Alabama, the Browns turned to coaches who had been in the NFL.

Haslam wouldn't confirm who he interviewed, but judging by media reports, you could say they talked to the following: Chudzinski, Kelly, Syracuse head coach Doug Marrone (took the Bills job), ex-Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt, Trestman, Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer and Cardinals defensive coordinator Ray Horton. Arians was on the radar, but his recent hospitalization may have soured the Browns on him. They also reportedly contacted ex-Steeler head coach and current CBS analyst Bill Cowher when Cowher told Newsday was interested in returning to coach, but Cowher told the Browns (and the four other teams that were looking) that he didn't mean he'd return "this year."

It was clear that Haslam and Banner wanted an offensive-minded NFL head coach, even though they did talk to Zimmer and Horton. Zimmer, Trestman and Whisenhunt would have to be considered finalists for the Browns job, especially since Whisenhunt was brought back for a second interview after they talked to him last week in Arizona.

Banner boasted a lot about how, when he was with the Eagles, they unearthed Andy Reid and made him their head coach in 1999. Reid, a Green Bay quarterbacks coach who had never called offensive plays, was on nobody's radar as a legitimate coaching candidate. He wound up staying there 14 years and would likely still be there if his team didn't slump to 8-8 and 4-12 finishes the last two seasons.

When Haslam joined the Steelers, they were in the midst of replacing Cowher, who "retired" to the comforts of being an analyst. The three choices were Whisenhunt (the team's offensive coordinator), Russ Grimm (the team's offensive line coach) and Mike Tomlin (the Vikings' defensive coordinator). Tomlin, who had never been on anybody's radar as a legitimate head coaching candidate, was surprisingly given the job over the two in-house candidates. Tomlin has since taken the Steelers to two Super Bowls in his first four years of coaching, winning one of them.

Chudzinski was a hot candidate last season after Newton's emergence. He interviewed for the Jaguars', Rams' and Buccaneers' openings, but was passed over for all three. This season, the only team out of the seven that were seeking a head coach to contact him was the Browns.

Chud, a Toledo native who grew up a die-hard Browns fan, seemed to fit the profile of the type of guy that Banner and Haslam were looking for -- an off-the-radar guy that they felt would be the next diamond in the rough.

There's no denying Chud's status as one of the NFL's up-and-coming offensive minds. Look no further than the job he did here in Cleveland in 2007.

Chudzinski, who was brought to the NFL by Butch Davis in 2004 after a successful playing and coaching career at the University of Miami, didn't survive the regime change from Davis to GM Phil Savage and Romeo Crennel. He spent the next two seasons coaching tight ends in San Diego, overseeing Antonio Gates' emergence into on of the NFL's best tight ends ever.

After Crennel's hand-picked offensive coordinator, Maurice Carthon, was a colossal failure and run out of town midway through his second season, the Browns needed a new offensive mind. They turned to Chudzinski.

The result was, arguably, the best offense this town has seen during the expansion era. In fact, you could say that it was the best offense since the Bernie Kosar heydays of 1986-89.

The Browns were eighth in the NFL in total offense that year. The offense sent four players to the Pro Bowl -- quarterback Derek Anderson, wide receiver Braylon Edwards, tight end Kellen Winslow and rookie left tackle Joe Thomas. Anderson came out of nowhere to throw for 29 touchdowns and 3,500 yards. Edwards and Winslow gave the Browns a pair of 1,000-yard receivers for the first time in team history. Also, Jamal Lewis rushed for 1,300 yards, so the Browns had a 3,000-yard passer, a 1,000-yard rusher and two 1,000-yard receivers all in the same year.

And, that team won 10 games, the only time since 1999 the Browns have reached double-digits in wins and the most wins the Browns have had since they won 11 (12 overall) in 1994. They were denied a playoff berth due to tiebreakers with the Tennessee Titans.

The following season, the Browns slumped to 31st in total offense and to a 4-12 record. The Browns went through four starting quarterbacks that season -- Anderson, Brady Quinn, Ken Dorsey and Bruce Gradkowski. Lewis barely rushed for over 1,000 yards, but was clearly not the same runner. Edwards regressed and became a liability due to his butterfingers and antics on the sideline, and Winslow ended the season not only injured, but bickering with the team's GM.

Savage and Crennel were shown the door following that dismal season. New head coach Eric Mangini elected not to retain Chudzinski, despite his being under contract through 2011, and decided to go with his hand-picked OC, Brian Daboll. Great choice, Mangini!

Chudzinski went back to San Diego, where he was named the assistant head coach behind Norv Turner in 2009 and 2010, before joining Ron Rivera's staff as the offensive coordinator in Carolina in 2011.

History will show that Chudzinski got the absolute most of his offensive personnel in 2007. Anderson's career has flamed out since that miracle season, to the point where he's been nothing more than a clipboard holder in Carolina the last two seasons. Edwards got to back-to-back AFC Championship Games with the Jets, but never made the Pro Bowl again and has spent the last two seasons as a journeyman. Winslow battled injuries in Tampa Bay and was released by both Seattle and New England this past season, only playing in one regular season game. Lewis' career ended in 2009 on injured reserve, while Joe Jurevicus (who caught 50 balls for 800 yards in 2007) was out of the NFL following the 2008 season.

You could make a case that the best Brady Quinn has ever looked as an NFL quarterback occurred while Chudzinski was the offensive coordinator in Cleveland. He put up 30 points against Denver in his first professional start in 2008, but was injured the following week and missed the rest of the regular season. He regressed in 2009 under Daboll and didn't take another NFL regular season snap until this past season with the Kansas City Chiefs.

After hearing all the talk about Chip Kelly and how his gimmicky offense would be a poor fit for Brandon Weeden and Colt McCoy, you've got to think that Weeden fits Chud's offense like a glove. His vertical-based passing attack should play into Weeden's strengths, which is a strong arm that can make all the throws. Weeden was really reined in with Pat Shurmur's and Brad Childress' West Coast Offense, rarely getting the chance to throw deep. Chud wouldn't comment on Weeden or any of the Browns' personnel, but I'm sure Weeden isn't worried about his status for next year anymore.

Same goes for Trent Richardson. Chud's offenses can get the most out of their running backs. In Carolina, he split things pretty evenly around DeAngelo Williams, Jonathan Stewart, Newton and Mike Tolbert. But, as we've seen with the Browns, a powerful runner can excel. Jamal Lewis rushed for the most yards in a single season by a Browns running back not named Jim Brown or Leroy Kelly (both Hall of Famers) in 2007. I'd expect the same for T-Rich, if he stays healthy.

Joe Thomas has already proclaimed this to be a great hire. Winslow has chimed in via Twitter and Cleveland radio to say that Browns fans won't regret it and that Chud was the most innovative offensive mind he'd ever been around. Of course, Bernie Kosar gave his 100 percent endorsement, considering both are from "The U."

Above all else -- his offensive prowess, his age (44), who he's bringing with him (Norv Turner) -- probably the one thing that sold me the most on Chud was this one intangible -- he gets it.

Chudzinski talked about how coaching the Cleveland Browns was his "dream job," and how he grew up pretending to be Ozzie Newsome and Brian Sipe in his backyard. He talked about how he and his family always wanted to sit in the Dawg Pound but never got a chance to, so, during cold-weather games, they'd face the TV out the window and they'd all sit outside watching the game. He says he's eaten a few dog biscuits back in the day.

Obviously, you won't have to twist his arm to have him watch "Cleveland 95: A Football Life" like the media did with Pat Shurmur. Hell, he probably doesn't have to watch it because he LIVED IT.

He doesn't have to be schooled about why the Steeler games mean so much to this fan base, or why there is still a deep-seeded hatred for the Ravens because of what the Dead Judas did to this town, or why the Battle of Ohio still means something around here. He suffered through The Drive and The Fumble and Red Right 88 like we all did. He remembers the Kardiac Kids and Bernie's Bunch.

You don't think a guy who spent his childhood living and dying with every Browns game wouldn't be totally motivated to turn this franchise into a winner so the next generation of children will have the same love affair with this team as he did, as you and I did?

I'll use Ohio State as an analogy. We all remember how miserable it was under John Cooper's tenure as Buckeyes' coach. His 2-10-1 record as Michigan speaks for itself, because he never understood the rivalry and what it meant to Buckeyes fans. Ohio State replaced him with a Division I-AA head coach named Jim Tressel -- a life-long Ohio resident who spent a few seasons as an assistant under Earle Bruce. The first thing he tells the fan base is that they'll be proud of his teams "in the classroom, in the community and especially in 310 days in Ann Arbor, Mich., on the football field," and everyone went nuts!

Tressel went 9-1 against Michigan in his 10 years. He GOT IT! And that's why a lot of Buckeyes fans have forgiven his transgressions that caused him to be fired and place the school on probation.

They replaced him with Urban Meyer, another native Ohioan who had an impeccable college coaching resume who grew up bleeding Scarlet and Gray. He said Ohio State was his "dream job."

Despite a bowl ban, his Buckeyes went 12-0, the only undefeated team in the country. Oh yeah, and they beat Michigan, who Meyer refers to as "That Team Up North."

Most everyone wanted Jon Gruden to come here because he grew up in Ohio and was a die-hard Browns fan growing up. Saban was attractive because he spent time in Ohio while in college and coached the Browns from 1991-94. Both those guys appeared to GET IT.

Chudzinski doesn't have the resume that Gruden or Saban have, but there's no denying that the man GETS IT.

All the Browns fans lamenting about what a "letdown" this hiring is now I believe will be singing a different tune in about a year or two. It's funny how some fans proclaim they really wanted Trestman to be the head coach (really? Marc Trestman?). In reality, those fans would be crying about hiring a Canadian retread who failed as the Browns' offensive coordinator in 1989. Hearing fans say they wanted Whisenhunt makes me believe those same fans would be crying about why the Browns would hire a retread who couldn't develop a QB and suffered through some dismal seasons in Arizona the last 2-3 seasons. Listening to fans pine for Arians like he's the second coming of Tom Landry makes me laugh.

Honestly, the only coach the Browns could have hired that would have been universally accepted is Bill Cowher. Not even Gruden or Saban would have been universally accepted. No matter who the Browns hired, a large segment of the fan base was going to bitch and moan.

I don't agree with it, but I get it. We're all tired of losing and we want to see a winner. We want to see a champion. We want to see our team bring in the big-name head coach, but it doesn't always work that way. And, I'll remind everyone again -- Andy Reid, John Harbaugh and Mike Tomlin weren't "sexy" big names when the Eagles, Ravens and Steelers hired them as their head coaches.

Yes, Chud's lack of head coaching experience ANYWHERE is concerning. But, I'll say it again -- would you have rather had an unproven NFL commodity and career college coach in Chip Kelly come here? Would you have rather had an NFL head coach that flamed out in his previous job with back-to-back losing seasons like Ken Whisenhunt come here? How about a college coach that went 25-25 in the Big East like Doug Marrone? Sure, there would be a segment that would have been on board with these hires, but there would still be a lot of naysayers.

People complain about not hiring Zimmer, but there's a reason why so many teams bring him in to get interviewed and he gets passed over year after year after year after year. The man's been on the head coaching radar for a long as I can remember. Yet, he doesn't get any jobs. Perhaps because he says what's on his mind without a filter. Fans may love it, but it could alienate his own players, his opponents, his bosses, even some of his fans. Just look at Rex Ryan and what a buffoon he's turned out to be, and realize that Rob Ryan was nothing more than a windbag during his two years as the Browns' defensive coordinator and is out of job once again.

Some fans are concerned that Chud may switch defenses from a base 4-3 to a base 3-4. We all remember how Crennel tried to force feed a 3-4 to the Browns and how it failed for four years and then another two under Mangini's watch. We saw how the defense immediately got better when Mike Holmgren, Tom Heckert and Shurmur switched to a 4-3 with Dick Jauron as defensive coordinator, and fear that a switch would set the team back a few years. Calm down.

Chudzinski said he'd leave the choice of schemes to whoever he hires as his defensive coordinator and favored a "hybrid" scheme that featured multiple mix-and-match defensive fronts. Yes, they'd need immediate help at linebacker if they go to a 3-4, but then again, they need immediate help at linebacker if they stay with a 4-3. D'Qwell Jackson is the only legitimate starter this team has, and keep in mind he began his career as an inside linebacker in Crennel's 3-4.

Some fans may see Chud as not a legitimate upgrade from Shurmur, and I can see your point. Both guys were unproven head coaching commodoties. Both were off-the-radar hires. However, Shurmur got his job because Mike Holmgren wanted to hire everyone that his agent represented and felt like he could manipulate Shurmur into becoming a legitimate head coach (he failed, which is why he's in Arizona sipping umbrella drinks begging teams to bring him in for interviews). Chudzinski got his job because Haslam and Banner believe he's the best candidate.

Haslam and Banner may have "settled" for Chud after losing out on the grand college coach sweepstakes last week. However, if the other choice was bringing in Chip "Don't call me Steve Spurrier" Kelly, than I'll take this type of "settling" any day of the week.

Go Browns!

Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!

Chip shot

Joe Cleveland is relieved that the Chip Kelly infatuation is over and done without him being named the 16th full-time head coach in Cleveland Browns history.

I never understood the infatuation with the guy, other than his college teams tend to score a lot of points.

This was Kelly's second flirtation with the NFL in as many years. Last season, he appeared to have a deal in place with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but walked away. They wound up hiring Greg Schiano from Rutgers.

This season, the Browns, Eagles and Bills all staked out Arizona to try to interview the University of Oregon coach after his Ducks finished beating the tar out of Collin Klein and Kansas State, 35-17. In the meantime, all three interviewed some candidates that were affiliated with the Arizona Cardinals (Ray Horton and ex-head coach Ken Whisenhunt) along with former Saints offensive coordinator and Syracuse head coach Doug Marrone while they waited for Kelly's game to finish.

Jimmy Haslam III and Joe Banner were up first on Friday, and they wined and dined Kelly for about seven hours. It was to the point that many media members were saying that Kelly to the Browns was essentially a "done deal." However, Kelly walked away from that meeting without a contract, expressing a desire to meet with the Bills and Eagles.

On Saturday, the Eagles wined and dined Kelly for over eight hours. It caused Kelly to cancel his follow-up meeting with Haslam and Banner that evening.

By Sunday, Haslam and Banner decided that it wasn't worth the trouble and flew back to Ohio. Kelly wound up spurning the Eagles overtures as well, getting a hefty pay raise to stay put at Oregon when it seemed all but a virtual certainty that he was going to leave for the NFL.

The Browns fan base seemed divided about Kelly, although most of them weren't sold on the so-called offensive "genius" taking his gimmicky zone-read offense to the NFL. For every one who thought that Kelly's playcalling would revolutionize Browns football, there were at least three who feared the worst.

This is what happens when a college coach who has never been affiliated with NFL in any fashion -- as a player, front office person or an assistant coach -- gets talked to. Kelly would have been the ultimate boom-or-bust choice to be the head coach of the Browns.

Haslam and Banner ultimately walked away because they didn't believe he was fully committed to being an NFL head coach. They were right. Better to find that out now than this time next season, when Kelly pulls a Bobby Petrino and leaves midway through his first season to go back to the college ranks.

The NFL is a different animal than Division I college football. There's no Southwest Louisana States on your schedule in the NFL. Sure, there's usually a handful of teams that suck in the NFL (like the Browns, sad to say), but the beauty of the NFL is that any team can win on any Sunday.

You don't have that assurance in college football. Thanks to recruiting, there is a big disparity between the haves and the have-nots in Division I football. Teams aren't as focused on building a defense in college and seem to be more focused on putting up gaudy offensive numbers instead.

That's Chip Kelly in a heartbeat, and that's what the Browns almost got.

To be honest, I don't see the appeal of a Chip Kelly. It's not like his hands are lined with BCS National Championship rings or anything.

Kelly was an assistant coach at such football hotspots like Columbia, Johns Hopkins and New Hampshire before becoming Oregon's offensive coordinator in 2007. In his two years as the offensive coordinator, the Ducks led the PAC-10 in both scoring and total offense each year. When Mike Bellotti was promoted to athletic director, Kelly ascended to the head coaching job.

Kelly's first game as a head coach, which was a 19-8 loss to Boise State, was marred by running back LaGarrette Blount's punch to a Bronco player's face following the game. Kelly kicked Blount off the team.

Kelly wound up winning PAC-10 Coach of the Year honors and won Oregon's first PAC-10 championship since 1995. He became the first rookie head coach to win the PAC-10 outright title in his first season. His Ducks wound up losing to Jim Tressel, Terrelle Pryor and the Ohio State Buckeyes, 26-17, in the Rose Bowl to finish 10-2.

The next season, the Ducks went a perfect 12-0 in the regular season and finished as the No. 2 team in the BCS standings, earning a berth in the National Championship Game. Against Heisman Trophy-winner Cam Newton and Auburn, the Ducks trailed 19-11 before a touchdown and 2-point conversion with 2:33 remaining tied the score. However, a failure to tackle Michael Dyer on what wound up being a 37-yard run highlighted a game-winning 73-yard drive by the Tigers, and Wes Bynum's chip-shot field goal with no time remaining handed Kelly's Ducks a 22-19 loss.

Kelly's Ducks won the PAC-12 each of the last two seasons and qualified for BCS bowls each year. They defeated a Russell Wilson-led Wisconsin team, 45-38, in the 2012 Rose Bowl, then beat K-State in the Fiesta Bowl a few days ago.

His teams were 46-7 overall over the last four years and were known for their flashy uniform combinations and overall team speed and offensive prowess.

Kelly's methods achieved some legitimacy within the NFL when Bill Belichick, the NFL's so-called "genius" coach of the New England Patriots, summoned him to talk two seasons ago and share some of his offensive secrets. While the Patriots don't run a zone-read option offense, they have utilized his spread tendencies, the break-neck speed of offensive plays and the simple playcalling terminology to make that happen. New England has had one of the best offenses in the NFL the last several seasons.

Because "Don Belichick" seemed to give his seal of approval to Kelly's methods, many NFL teams were willing to risk their franchises for this unproven commodity. The Browns, included.

While the Browns waited for Kelly, Marrone (who was believed to be their second choice) accepted the Bills head coaching position. Also, Penn State head coach Bill O'Brien, Belichick's former offensive coordinator, interviewed with the Browns and Eagles but decided to stick around (especially after PSU gave him a nice pay raise).

Alabama coach Nick Saban, whose Crimson Tide are playing Notre Dame in tonight's BCS National Championship Game, was believed to be Haslam's first choice. However, both publicly and privately, Saban has said he's not leaving Tuscaloosa. We'll see if that's still the case 24 hours from now, but it appears he's out of the running.

So, where does that leave the Browns?

Of course, that Baltimore-shilling AFC North blogger for ESPN was trying to say that not landing Kelly made Haslam and Banner look bad. That same person couldn't stop typing sonnets dedicated to that accessory-to-murdering linebacker on the Ravens who decided he was ready to retire this week, so you see where his objectivity plays in.

Here's a few people to keep your eyes on this week:

1. Whisenhunt -- Haslam was reportedly impressed with the former Browns special teams coordinator (1999), Steelers offensive assistant (2001-06) and Cardinals head coach (2007-12). Under Whisenhunt, the Steelers reached their first Super Bowl since 1995 in 2004, where they won, 21-10, over Mike Holmgren's Seahawks. The defining play of that Super Bowl was Whisenhunt's decision to call a flea-flicker wide receiver pass from former college quarterback Antwaan Randle-El to Hines Ward that went for the game-clinching touchdown. Two seasons later, Whisenhunt was passed over by the Steelers to replace Bill Cowher for Mike Tomlin, and he took several Steeler offensive assistants with him to Arizona. Two seasons later, he took the Cardinals to their first-ever Super Bowl against (coincidentally) the Steelers. His 9-7, AFC West champion Cards led Pittsburgh, 23-20, following 16 unanswered fourth-quarter points with 35 seconds left before Santonio Holmes made the play of his life for a fantastic, six-yard touchdown reception, which gave the Steelers a 27-23 victory. The Cardinals have struggled since Kurt Warner retired following the 10-6 2009 season and haven't found a capable replacement, going through Matt Leinart, Derek Anderson, Max Hall, Kevin Kolb, John Skelton, Ryan Lindley and Brian Hoyer. All four started this past season, which the Cards squandered their first 4-0 start since 1974 and finished 5-11. His ties to the North Division, and his ability to turn around a moribund franchise, makes him appealing to the Browns.

2. Lovie Smith -- Smith is reportedly going to be interviewed by the Browns this week. Smith had been the head coach of the Chicago Bears since 2004, where he compiled an 81-63 regular season record. Like Whisenhunt, Smith took a team to the Super Bowl (the 2006 Bears), where they lost, 29-17, to the Indianapolis Colts. Prior to the Bears job, he was the defensive coordinator for the St. Louis Rams from 2001-03. The 2001 Rams reached the Super Bowl, but were stunned, 20-17, by the heavy-underdog Patriots. Smith led the Bears to the playoffs three times over his 9-year career, but was let go after the final game of this season despite a 10-6 overall record. The Bears squandered a 7-1 start and wound up missing the playoffs when the Vikings knocked off the Packers in one of the season's final regular season games. Smith has a defensive background, which may not appeal to Haslam and Banner. However, Smith's teams have won, and he does have a Super Bowl to his resume. In fact, his resume is arguably more appealing than Whisenhunt's is because of his win-loss record and more recent success.

3. Bruce Arians -- Arians guided the Colts to a 9-3 record as their interim head coach while Chuck Pagano was sidelined due to leiukemia. Arians helped rookie first-round choice Andrew Luck blossom in his first professional year while lending some stability to an otherwise rocky coaching situation. However, the 60-year-old Arians is currently hospitalized in Baltimore with an undisclosed illness. The illness prevented Arians from fulfilling his duties as the team's offensive coordinator in yesterday's 23-9 playoff loss to the Ravens, and may be a red-flag to some prospective suitors. The Chargers, Cardinals and Eagles have also sought permission to interview the long-time assistant, and it looks like he'll parlay that successful interim stint into a head-coaching gig. Arians does have links to the Browns -- he served as the offensive coordinator under Butch Davis from 2001-03 before becoming a Steelers offensive assistant from 2004-11. He was their offensive coordinator from 07-11, helping Ben Roethlisberger reach two Super Bowls during that span and winning one. He was the offensive playcaller for the the 2002 Browns team that reached the playoffs with a 9-7 record -- still the only team in the expansion era to reach the postseason -- and helped turn a non-descript backup journeyman quarterback in Kelly Holcomb into a decent starting quarterback. He was forced out by the Steeler brass before last season because they felt he was "too close" with Roethlisberger, and the offense struggled with Todd Haley calling the plays this season. Haslam was a minority owner of the Steelers while Arians was the team's offensive coordinator.

4. Marc Trestman -- Trestman's name has suddenly popped up on the NFL radar ever since the Bears sought to interview him for their vacant head coaching gig. Trestman has been the head coach of the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League since 2008, and his team reached three straight Grey Cups in his first three seasons, winning the last two in a row (2009-10). He is 59-31 in five seasons as a head CFL coach and is a respected offensive coach. In fact, he has deep ties with Browns legend Bernie Kosar. He served as Kosar's offensive coordinator at the University of Miami from 1981-84 (including that 1983 National Championship year), then joined the Browns' coaching staff in 1988 as Kosar's quarterbacks coach. He served as the offensive coordinator in 1989 under Bud Carson, which was the last year the Browns reached the AFC Championship Game, before he resigned under pressure after some up-and-down play calls. He stayed in the NFL from 1990-04 with the Vikings, 49ers, Lions, Cardinals, Raiders and Dolphins as an offensive assistant, varying from quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator. Prior to joining the CFL, Trestman was the offensive coordinator at North Carolina State from 2005-06. He is actually a licensed Florida attorney after graduating from Miami Law School in 1983. Browns fans old enough to remember yelling for Trestman's head during 1989 (like me) may not be comfortable with the idea of him being the head coach. However, the 56-year-old Trestman has become a respected offensive mind at the professional ranks. The Browns are set to interview him this week.

5. Mike McCoy -- The 40-year-old McCoy was one of the candidates reportedly interviewed by Mike Holmgren and Tom Heckert two years ago when they ultimately decided to hire Pat Shurmur. McCoy has been the Broncos' offensive coordinator since 2009, when he stayed with John Fox after Fox left the Carolina Panthers to take the Broncos' job. McCoy had been an offensive assistant with the Panthers since 2000 after a two-year quarterbacking career in the CFL and a successful collegiate career at the University of Utah. McCoy has helped three different starting quarterbacks with the Broncos have successful seasons. Kyle Orton set career-highs in virtually every passing category in 2009, and Orton finished fourth in passing yards in 2010. In 2011, McCoy adopted a new offensive scheme on the fly to accomodate new starting quarterback Tim Tebow, and the team not only led the NFL in rushing using an option scheme, but also reached the playoffs and won their first-round game with Tebow under center. This season, McCoy switching things up with Peyton Manning under center, and Manning is enjoying an MVP-esque season for the Broncos. The Bears, Cardinals and Eagles have also requested to interview McCoy, and the Browns may have to wait until after the Super Bowl if they believe he is their guy. McCoy's versatility and ability to get the very best out of his offensive personnel, along with his age, make him a very appealing head coaching candidate.

I would expect the Browns' next head coach to come from that group of five names, unless Saban suddenly has a change of heart in the next 48 hours or Haslam is able to pull Jon Gruden out of thin air.

None of those five are as "sexy" as Chip Kelly. However, they all may be more stable hires in both the short and long-term for a franchise that is desperately trying to become a perennnial winner that has a lot of young building blocks already in place.

One other good thing to come out of this -- Kelly, Marrone, O'Brien and Saban were all head coaching candidates being built up by NFL "insider" Michael Lombardi, who has been linked to a Browns front office job since midseason. It appears that Lombardi was unable to deliver on any of these candidates, which I'm sure doesn't help his future job prospects here in town.

Losing out on Chip Kelly is not the worst thing ever, Browns fans. In reality, the Browns probably avoided hiring the next Steve Spurrier, Bobby Petrino, Butch Davis, Howard Schellenberger, Lou Holtz and Dennis Erickson, among other college coaches that became NFL washouts. I can only imagine how much the Ravens and Steelers would have licked their chops trying to stop that gimmicky Kelly offense in December.

Hiring Kelly would have prompted another change at quarterback. Supposedly, Kelly told Haslam and Banner that none of the Browns' current quarterbacks could run the type of offense he wanted to run. What's disturbing is that Haslam and Banner were still interested in hiring the guy. Weeden was already linked to being possibily traded to the Kansas City Chiefs (where Tom Heckert could wind up being Andy Reid's hand-picked GM) before the Browns decided the risk outweighed the reward on Kelly.

Who knows, perhaps any one of these new hires will prompt a change at quarterback again. Weeden's rookie season was certainly an up-and-down one, but perhaps a change in schemes -- away from the basic West Coast offense Shurmur was trying to install to a more vertical-based, run-oriented attack -- would help him develop more as a second-year quarterback.

Joe Cleveland, for one, was ecstatic that the rumors (by the way, nice job, media, for blowing every little rumor out of proportion and virtually assuring everyone that Kelly was the new head coach) were unfounded and Kelly will keep his gimmicky-ass in Eugene, Ore. Now, let's bring in a proven commodity and turn this Brown and Orange ship around.

Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!

A Banner New Year?

First of all, here's wishing you and yours a very Happy New Year. Hopefully 2013 is a better year for you than 2012 was.

Joe Cleveland wants to thank all of you for taking the time to visit this blog whenever I update it. I got a lot more readers in 2012 than in 2011, so hopefully, things can keep taking off for Joe Cleveland in 2013.

The new year is only a few hours old, but I felt it was worth doing my first update of the year about what transpired just 24 hours ago and what could transpire during this week for the Cleveland Browns.

Shortly after a 24-10 loss to the hated Steelers at Heinz Field, in a game that was started by practice squad quarterback Thaddeus Lewis and where the leading rusher was a guy who was only active in one other game during his two-year stint with the Browns -- Brandon Jackson -- and where the longest run from scrimmage was by a backup safety. Despite all of that, the Browns were competitive until the bitter end and didn't back down when the Steelers tried to intimidate them with some extracurricular activities as plays ended.

It was fitting that the final offensive play of the Pat Shurmur era came when a quarterback named Josh Johnson -- who had been on his couch the entire season before the Browns placed a desperate call to him last Monday -- was leveled on a blitz by Lawrence Timmons past a rookie guard, Ryan Miller, who had never even played a single snap before that possession started, and Johnson fumbled. So ended the tumultuious two-year tenure of Pat Shurmur as the head coach of your Cleveland Browns.

The ax came swiftly and decisively on New Year's Eve morning. New owner Jimmy Haslam III and Joe Banner, as expected, fired both Shurmur and general manager Tom Heckert. Both were hired by departed president Mike Holmgren under the guise of absantee owner Randy Lerner -- Heckert a year earlier than Shurmur.

Joe Cleveland believes that both firings were the right choice. However, I've got to give Shurmur (begrudgingly) a bit of credit.

Shurmur's two seasons were held under difficult circumstances. Shurmur was a surprising choice by Holmgren in 2011 to replace Eric Mangini, and just a month after his hiring, the NFL locked out its players. That deprived Shurmur of an offseason, in which he was going to impliment a new offensive scheme (the West Coast offense). Believe it or not, the Browns had records of 2-1 and 3-3 under Shurmur before the bottom fell out in a disappointing 4-12 2011 season.

On the eve of training camp, news broke that Lerner had sold the team to Haslam. Suddenly, the "5-year plan" net and the security of having the Big Show in the building was going to be gone, with the impetus on winning if people wanted to retain their jobs. Despite that, Shurmur and Heckert trotted out a roster that was heavy on rookies and 1st-year players that were competitive in most games, but wound up a disappointing 5-11. The season ended on a 3-game losing streak, in which the Browns were outscored 96-43.

I still blame Holmgren for these last three years of 5-11, 4-12 and 5-11 ball. Holmgren was given a Brinks truck worth of money by an exasperated Lerner after the Browns stumbled to a 1-11 start under Mangini. It was expected that Holmgren would fire Mangini after the season and name himself as the head coach. However, Holmgren held on to Mangini for one more 5-11 season, despite a clash of overall philosophies, then "discorvered" the unknown Shurmur to be his hand-picked head coach one season later.

Halfway through the season, Holmgren was gone. By that point, Heckert and Shurmur were fresh out of friends, and only a miraculous finish to the regular season could save them.

It almost happened. A three-game win streak put the Browns at 5-8 and on the outer cusp of playoff contention. However, a dismal 38-21 loss to the Washington Redskins, led by fourth-round rookie backup QB Kirk Cousins, virtually sealed Shurmur's fate.

There was a mild push to retain Heckert because of some of the draft picks he had made in his three seasons. However, 14 wins in three seasons is difficult to ignore. When the teams in last year's NFL draft that picked first (Colts), second (Redskins) and fourth (Vikings) are all in the postseason while you, who picked third, are not, it's pretty indiciaitive of the job Heckert and Shurmur had done.

The trade of Julio Jones to the Falcons, the non-trade to obtain Robert Griffin III and the drafting of 28-year-old Brandon Weeden with the 22nd overall pick are the most heavily scrutinized moves, and Joe Cleveland actually supported all three of those maneuvers.

Essentially, Haslam and Banner had to do this to remake this once-proud franchise in their image. They want a "strong personality" at head coach, which is why they are hiring the coach first and the GM/personnel director second. You can say the Browns did that twice before and it failed both times when they hired Butch Davis and Mangini. However, the common denomonator in both of those hiring were the hand's-off, no-accountability Lerner family ownership.

Haslam is about as hand's on an owner as you want without him becoming meddling. Banner is a proven football executive that oversaw the rebirth of a Philadelphia Eagles organization that had fallen on hard times. I think they know what they're doing.

College coaches like Alabama's Nick Saban, Oregon's Chip Kelly, Penn State's Bill O'Brien and Syracuses's Doug Marrone are on the radar, as are NFL coordinators such as the 49ers' Greg Roman, the Falcons' Dirk Koetter, the Bengals' Jay Gruden and the Colts' Bruce Arians (who was once the Browns' offensive coordinator and may wind up winning the NFL Coach of the Year Award for the job he did helping Indy reach the playoffs in the stead of regular head coach Chuck Pagano). Ex-Bears head coach Lovie Smith is rumored to have been contacted by the Browns, and they may be interested in Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett if Jerry Jones fires him tomorrow or the next day.

All of the current assistants are under contract and can be retained by the new coach. They will be granted permission to interview for other jobs. There still is a chance that defensive coordinator Dick Jauron is retained by the new head coach.

Both the new coach and the new GM/personnel director will report directly to Banner, who will report directly to Haslam. Haslam and Banner want a coach who will command respect by the players, the media and the fanbase that will help mold this team into a winner. They will give the new coach equal say in the final roster, and he will be expected to work in concert with the new GM. Since Banner is the de-facto poobah and he and Haslam are conducting the searches, both decided it was imperitive to hire a head coach first.

If you think about, NONE of the models have worked for the Browns. Carmen Policy hired Dwight Clark as his GM, who then hired Chris Palmer as the team's first expansion head coach. Five wins and two seasons later, Palmer was out and Clark's authority was ursupped by the incoming Butch Davis.

Davis brought along his former University of Miami cronie Pete Garcia to be his Director of Player Personnel. Three-and-half seasons later, despite a 9-7 playoff season in 2002, Davis resigned and Garcia followed him out the door.

Next, Lerner hired Phil Savage to be his new GM, and Savage tapped Romeo Crennel, the Patriots' DC during their three Super Bowl wins in a four-year span, to be his new head coach. Savage barely lasted the first season due to a power struggle with then-team President John Collins. Four seasons later, Savage and Crennel were fired in one-fell swoop by Lerner.

Lerner was heavily rumored to hire former Patriots GM Scott Pioli as his GM. However, his love affair with fired Jets' coach Eric Mangini changed all that. Lerner quickly hired Mangini without hiring a GM, and most of the experienced GM candidates that were available (such as Pioli and Tom Dimitroff) passed on the job. Mangini reccommended George Kokinis to be his new GM, and one failed draft later, Kokins was fired and Lerner was willing to give ANYONE a boatload of cash to help save him from the mess his franchise was becoming.

I believe that if Nick Saban wants to leave Alabama, the job is his. I don't think he'd leave Alabama, but there are some sources that say that Saban could leave if his Crimson Tide win the national championship later this week. The only job on his radar is the Browns job, where he once served as the defensive coordinator with great success.

Chip Kelly has become the darling coach prospect. However, he runs a gimmicky offense with Oregon that I don't think can succeed in the NFL. Let the Eagles and Chargers fall over themselves to try to hire him. I'd rather have Bill O'Brien if you're going the college-coach route.

Josh McDaniels, the former Patriots offensive coordinator, already took himself out of the equation for any head coach openings (not many Browns fans were unhappy to hear that), and it looks like Jon Gruden and Bill Cowher aren't in any hurry to resume their coaching careers. If either them got hired by the Browns, I'd be surprised.

I'm anxious to see what happens these next few days. I'm willing to show Haslam and Banner my confidence as a Browns fan on what they can do. I really have no other choice.

Until next time, Happy New Year to you all, and remember that Cleveland Rocks!