On NFL Radio, a Browns fan called in to say he was starting a petition to remove Jimmy Haslam as owner of the Cleveland Browns.
Pat Kirwan happily agreed with everything the guy said about Sashi Brown, DePodesta, and everybody else being too clueless about football to be competent in their roles, etc.
That was predictable, and therefore meaningless.
Later, however, Hall of Fame GM Bill Polian confessed to not having a clue about what they are doing. Bill searched for diplomatic words, but it was clear that he's extremely skeptical.
Unlike Pat, Bill is a neutral observer, and I have to pay attention to him.
Incredibly, I might understand this better than this great General Manager:
Old school says you have to try to win, even as you rebuild. Otherwise your players all want to leave, and no free agent with other options wants to come to the team.
These guys don't agree. Sure, the Coaches try to win every Sunday, and probably badly want to retain seasoned veterans to help them tread water during the transition.
That's the disagreement. This front office figures that the Browns won't contend for three years, and won't be truly elite for four or five years. They place a much lower value on players who will be in their thirties three springs from now.
Or players who get hurt a lot, or will get hurt, or care more about money than football.
Everything is of course being dramatized and overstated in re the team's talent. Josh Gordon (along with Terrelle Pryor) are being utterly ignored. Duke and Crow rate a shrug. Barnidge is an object of pity.
Hell, when the petition clown said if they trade Big Joe, any quarterback they draft will get killed, Pat Kirwan offered some advice:
The Browns should sign a seasoned veteran to take the lumps while the kid stays on the bench.
Dumb and dumber. Nothing Josh McCown did last season even registered with Pat Kirwan. And the quarterback they draft now is not intended to start as a rookie. Kaepernick would be insurance.
The new front office is lowering expectations to buy themselves time for a real rebuild, but they inherit a lot of young and growing talent.
Old school says you play your veterans for the best chance to win. Hue Jackson might wish for that. But he'll have to play young guys, because pretty soon that's all he'll have.
The youngsters will develop much faster, and as an integrated team, this way.
As for Jimmy Haslam, he stuck with the Old School for four years. Until now, he had to hire his fifth or sixth choices of head coaches sans head coaching experience.
I can't fault him for firing a head coach who's team nose dives in the second half, or in his second season.
Kirwan and more objective people keep saying, you need to give a coach several years. Don't you think Haslam knows that?
But he never got the guy he wanted!!! He had to take his chances. He rolled snake eyes. Hue Jackson is a different story. Wait and see, he'll have four or more years. Jimmy knows he's capable.
Thanks to Sashi and company, he also knows that his team is going to take a lot of beatings. He's determined to endure it.
Jimmy is thinking big. He's bucking the old school. He wants redemption. He wants to make his mark. If he can pull this off, everybody who made fun of him and bashed him will look like idiots. He wants that bad.
The clown with the petition has zero confidence in Cam Erving. Said he didn't like that pick when they made it. EVERY scout or expert I heard from disagreed, and regarded him as one of the best players in his draft class.
That's how these nimrods think. A rookie looks bad, move on he sucks. An owner doesn't settle on one of his fourth or sixth option unknown assistant coaches or win the Division in three years, let's get him out of here.
Nothing has worked so far, ergo nothing will.
This clown called back and called Brown and DePodesta idiots, so he's psychotic too!
As I've been telling you, the Browns have a strong defensive line, good safeties, decent but undersized corners, okay inside linebackers, Orchard, Kruger, Solomon, and Mingo.
THAT DOESNT SUCK.
They've got good running backs, Gordon, excellent guards, Barnidge, and yes PRYOR.
Undeniably, Schwartz and Mack won't be replaced with equal talent (at least not this season). Benjamin and Gipson were big losses, as well. Grampsbee was massively underrated and will be missed.
I would trade Joe Thomas for a first and third round pick or so. Sashi and Paul have to consider it.
Think: There are around eight offensive tackles rated high in this draft, including three to five with potential on the left side. For that matter, Michigan State has a four hundred pound TIGHT END.
Starting calibre right tackles will be available into the fourth round.
This draft is even deeper in 3-4 outside linebackers and defensive linemen.
Joe Thomas won't be the same player in four years. A first and third round pick will be in their primes.
Between the damage done on day one of free agency, growing pains, and new offensive and defensive systems, this team could go 3-13 or worse in 2016 (now), and they'll draft high again.
Old School says you don't think about that. Paul and Sashi include it in the equation.
Oh, no! You can't have your players thinking you're not playing to win!
Who said anything about that?
I believe the YOUNG players, on their four and five year contracts, will understand what is being attempted here, and will do what they would do anyway: Bust ass and play as hard as they can. They'll feel like they're in on the ground floor of something big.
They won't believe you when you tell them they suck. They'll band together, and try to stick it in your ear.
I believe Sashi and Paul understand psychology. Adversity can cause finger-pointing and division on some veteran teams. But on a team full of new, young, hungry players will bring on an "us against them" dynamic. It will put a huge chip on their shoulders.
Think about it. All the snickering, jokes, and bashing will insult them.
Free Agents who come to a team on their second contracts (or to retire) have a different mind set than undrafted free agents and draft picks made by a team.
The new guys are insecure. They're fighting for their careers, or to make it big.
They'll look around and see a bunch of other young new guys. One of them will say "Did you hear the radio show? They say we suck."
"That's not what I heard."
"How can you go 0-16 and not suck?"
"Fuck 'em. We got the right coaches. We lose, it's on us. I'm here four years. We'll fix 'em."
"Said it would take five."
"That's idiotic!"
"True that!"
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