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!
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