Sashi Brown is in Charge of the Final Budget

In this article by Mary Kay Cabot, Mary Kay talks about how some NFL officials are angry about the Browns' new management structure.

I found this rather irksome.  "They should be ashamed of themseves", one guy said.

Ashamed?  Of all the words this clown could have used, he used that one?  Ashamed of what?

This would make sense if they had said that this was stupid, or wouldn't work.  Some of them have said that, and that's a reasoned opinion I respect.

That argument, as you know, says that a non-football person (Sashi Brown) shouldn't have final control over the roster.  He lacks the expertise.  He'll screw up.

The clown who said that the Browns should be ashamed of themselves lit himself up in neon lights for me, along with many others who think like him.

The axe this guy is grinding is about seniority.  DePodesta didn't pay his dues.  He should have started at the bottom, and worked his way up.  Sashi Brown should have gone into scouting, and done that for several years.

You've heard this before.  I've been here longer, so I deserve more.  The antithesis of meritocracy.  Meritocracy says promote the best.  Seniority says promote the oldest, even if they suck.

As for whether or not this arrangement will work, I fail to see why it won't.  

As DePodesta famously says, "If this isn't how you'd always done it, would you do it this way?"  That's not in the least profound.  It's a simple question, and one which DePodesta no doubt asked Jimmy Haslam long before his hire.

As I've explained repeatedly, the idea is to put the CAP EXPERT and chief negotiator in charge of the final budget.

This is why there is a VP of personnel, and a head coach with a voice, involved.  Sashi Brown has no intention of telling them who to draft or sign.  This is most likely in writing as part of their contracts.

Sashi has said he'll start watching more film now.  Soon, this will be twisted into his intention to take over the scouting process.  It's really a way of his getting on the same page as his scouting department, and knowing what they're talking about.

As Head Coach of the Oakland Raiders, Hue Jackson traded mid-season for Carson Palmer.  He paid too much, and gave up too much.  Palmer had been out of football, and didn't accomplish much that season.

I know that Hue would tell you today, this was a mistake.  Today, he no doubt wishes he'd had a Sashi Brown.

Will Brown choose between Goff and Wentz, should that choice show up?  No.  Each costs the same.  For that matter, I doubt that Sashi Brown will effect the draft at all, since the costs are all fixed.

Free agency is different, of course.  The coaches might well want to retain Alex Mack no matter what.  With the recent cap increases, he can pay more now.  Maybe eleven million/year.  But some idiot is libel to offer thirteen million.  The "football guys" might do that.  Sashi won't.

For this reason, this might indeed be the superior system, provided the guy in Sashi Brown's position isn't power hungry or a know-it-all.

Ashamed of themselves.  Really.

I was encouraged to hear what Alex Mack said about the Browns' new direction.  It doesn't mean he won't still squeeze every nickel til the buffalo craps, but could mean that he's not determined to leave.

All the free agents believe in Hue Jackson, and are impressed by the veteran coaching staff he's assembled.

Local pundits continue to rehash the long history of failure here, as if it has anything whatsoever to do with Hue Jackson and company, but the players only see the here and now.  If the same regime had stayed in place, they'd all want out.  With the new regime, they all want to stay (if the money is right).

Free Agents around the NFL avoided the Browns last season, but this season will check Sashi out.  They want to play for Hue Jackson or Ray Horton.

Several Bengals players come to mind, including Malualuga, Marvin Brown, and Jones.

The Steelers lack cap space again.  Kelvin Beachum, on his rookie contract, was their starting left tackle, then got injured.  His replacement is better, and the Browns could bid low for him.  Brandon Boykin and Sean Spence are a couple other guys Sashi could raid.

Boykin, especially, is probably feeling vengeful.  The Steelers traded for him, then wouldn't play him, even as their secondary got shredded last season.  (Could be a seniority thing!)

Sashi won't overpay.  He'll sign young guys long and old guys short.  He's not a personnel guy.  He's an efficient money guy.

Hue Jackson gets it, even if the old guard doesn't.

Ernie Accorsi was a football guy who had paid his dues.  He traded two first round picks, a third round pick and a fifth round pick for Eli Manning (instead of Philip Rivers).

All the talk about two Superbowl wins aside, Philip Rivers may in fact be the better of the two quarterbacks.  It wasn't only the draft picks, but the money that made this a dumb trade.

He gave all that up to get his favorite of two virtually interchangeable quarterbacks.  The two Superbowl wins Eli got have convinced everybody that Accorsi was a genius, but in reality, Rivers on the same team might well have done the same thing.  If they'd saved that money and those draft picks, they might have gone to three or four Superbowls!

Accorsi was, on balance, a great GM.  But he sure could have used Sashi Brown that day!