According to some people, timing is everything when it comes to hiring a new GM and coach. In a way, that makes sense. You want to hire your guy before someone else does. You want people in place to analyze the free agents and college prospects. Speaking of college prospects, it seems like we have a lot of useless college bowl games. It seems like almost every team makes a bowl, even ones that only have 6 wins. Some of these so-called bowl teams aren't even ranked in the Top 25, so why do we have these bowls? Wouldn't be more interesting if we have a playoff bracket, maybe involve the top eight teams in an NCAA bracket? Then, the next eight teams could make an NIT bracket. Obviously, it comes down to money. These colleges get money, and the players get gifts, as well. Furthermore, these games give scouts one more look at pro prospects.
Also, according to ESPN, I'm guessing that Cleveland will be interviewing Scott Pioli from New England for the GM position, Mangini (former Jets' coach), Steve Spagnuolo (Giants' DC), and Jim Schwartz (Titans' DC) for the head coach position. Owner Randy Lerner is high on Pioli. He has been with Bill Belichick since 1992, when Belichick coached the Browns. Pioli has experience with player contracts, evaluating college players, and with player personnel, so he has experience. But with Belichick there, how much input did Pioli have? And why do I question this? Well, many of us thought that RAC was the right person for our job as HC of the Browns, and we all know how that turned out. Plus, the Jets thought Mangini was the right man for the job, and he got fired too. Lastly, Charlie Weis's tenure in Notre Dame hasn't been very successful. All three of these coaches have come from Belichick's family tree, and none of them had great success. So, why should I believe that Pioli will be successful in Cleveland? And now that I think about it, if Pioli is hired, I don't know why I originally thought that he would hire Mangini after Spygate. Can the two of them work together or are there some hard feelings? On the other hand, ESPN reported that Pioli is interested in bringing in Kirk Ferentz to coach the team. Ferentz coached under Belichick in Cleveland, and then Ferentz followed the team to Baltimore.
Spagnuolo seems to be a good choice; he has had success with the Giants for two years and with the Eagles for eight. Furthermore, since I play fantasy football, I watch just about all of the teams. I noticed that Spagnuolo makes changes to his defense during half time, and usually these adjustments work. His defense, although injury-riddled, held Carolina to just seven points in the second half, helping the Giants win home-field advantage throughout the playoffs in the NFC. Like Spagnuolo, Jim Schwartz is a good choice, too. Schwartz also worked with Belichick in Cleveland. Can you see a pattern here?
After Cowher said no to the Browns--which really pisses me off--and assuming that Marty Schottenheimer has little interest in the Browns, I wouldn't mind taking a shot at Brian Billick or Mike Shanahan (former Denver coach). If you don't want a hot coordinator or college coach, why not try a proven winner--Billick or Shanahan.
Keywords: Cleveland Browns
