Re-Welcome to Cleveland, Mike Lombardi

[Gradysmanldy]

Mary Kay Cabot ‏@MaryKayCabot
Breaking: former #Browns personnel exec Mike Lombardi will be in Cleveland today for interview. If all goes well, could get GM job.





If it's wrong, i'll happily eat crow; you just feel like with Chud, Norv, and possibly Horton, there had to be some way the Browns were going to COMPLETELY @*#* the pooch.

/ledge

[Gradysmanldy]

Never mind, not wrong.

#Browns have hired Mike Lombardi as GM, @AdamSchefter reports.

[andrew6586]

VP of player personel.

[Hikohadon]

Another stellar Banner move.

This team's goin' places, folks!

[Gradysmanldy]

Bet this means they bring in Morris as DC over Horton, also. (Apparently they're connected from playing days)

[e0y2e3]

LUZLULZLULZLULZ

I'm tellin ya, Joe Banner = Walrus. HE WANTS FINAL SAY ON EVERYTHING.

[e0y2e3]

BTW, was that a ten minute interview?

[Gradysmanldy]

You're actually spot on, Lee.

Tom Withers ‏@twithersAP
Appears Banner will maintain control over roster with input from Lombardi, Chudzinski, others. #Browns

[rbm0183]

BTW, was that a ten minute interview?

Saw it reported that they actually interviewed him earlier in the week and this was just him coming in to accept the job.

According to Grossi Lombardi has been on board since October when Banner came in, and the whole authority structure that was established was done knowing that Lombardi was the only one who would take that job.

Then again, Grossi also said that Chip Kelly as Browns coach was a done deal.

Actually, the way Grossi jumps to conclusions and whines about every move the Browns make really would fit better on these boards than on a paid gig where he's purported to be a Browns "expert."

[Gradysmanldy]

What sucks is that I was completely satisfied with a Norv/Chud/HortonMorris coaching staff, and a quality GM would have been the lynchpin there.

I think that the "preference" for having a coach involved in the personnel process is really just a smoke screen for the fact that they didn't want a traditional GM here, because a traditional GM wouldn't tolerate Banner having final personnel decisions.

Even worse? We're 4-5 years away from Haslam getting sick of Banner and firing him. We'll go through 2-3 coaches/VPP before he realizes that Banner is potentially the problem.

[googleeph2]

Ah, no big deal. Keep on interviewing. At some point, they will have done their due diligence for all the openings they'll have in 2015.

This may be the third Cleveland sports team to be sold that has declined in value afterward.

[e0y2e3]

What sucks is that I was completely satisfied with a Norv/Chud/HortonMorris coaching staff, and a quality GM would have been the lynchpin there.

I think that the "preference" for having a coach involved in the personnel process is really just a smoke screen for the fact that they didn't want a traditional GM here, because a traditional GM wouldn't tolerate Banner having final personnel decisions.

Even worse? We're 4-5 years away from Haslam getting sick of Banner and firing him. We'll go through 2-3 coaches/VPP before he realizes that Banner is potentially the problem.

I get all of this, but meh.

The biggest problem is that they decided they wanted nothing more than a scout to come in and they didn't even hire a quality scout because they are too invested in the NFL Good Ole Boy Network to hire for talent.

[motherscratcher]

Remember the good ole' days when we were all excited to get rid of Lerner? A new era of competence in Browns football.

Banner, Lomardi, Chudziznski

Abandon all hope.

[jerryroche]

Dear Lord, please let me live long enough to see the Browns have a winning record again. I could be pushing 70, 75 by the time Haslam gets it figured out ... if ever!

[Govbarney]

So is Lombardi going to be the GM, or the VP of Player Personnel? If he is the "VP of PP" then Id have to imagine they are still going to hire a GM, if that's the case then who answers to who?

[pup]

Boy, do I wish Jimmy and Joe were as smart as all you cats.

[Gradysmanldy]

We'll find out today if they still want to bring in a GM, but I'd say it's 50/50.

Here ya go, Swerb:

Bill Livingston ‏@LivyPD
Lombardi was front office poison 20 years ago. Guess all you can do is hope he's changed.

So it begins.

[neoleo]

So is Lombardi going to be the GM, or the VP of Player Personnel? If he is the "VP of PP" then Id have to imagine they are still going to hire a GM, if that's the case then who answers to who?

No, they said they were going to hire one or the other (GM or player personnel). Supposedly depending on who the coach was and they would suppliment the coaches personnel experience with a GM/Personnel hire. But it's seeming more likely that they knew all along that everybody would be answering to Banner no matter the roles/titles.

[Hikohadon]

Boy, do I wish Jimmy and Joe were as smart as all you cats.

Me too.

[motherscratcher]

Boy, do I wish Jimmy and Joe were as smart as all you cats.

You know, you could make the same sarcastic comment about damn near every asshat that has moseyed on through the offices in Berea for 2 decades. And yeah, I think Peeker, Hiko, and LP would have done just as well as most of those guys picking the players.

[peeker643]

Boy, do I wish Jimmy and Joe were as smart as all you cats.

I personally don't have a huge issue with this set up thus far, given the OC/DC combo and the coaching staff they're building to go with the personnel.

But I do recall making the exact same type of comment as you make above when Holmgren got here and hired Shurmur, and that was probably the dumbest shit I ever ended up saying on these boards. At least it's what I regret the most.

Which is saying a lot. Said a lot of dumb shit and a lot I regret.

[Gradysmanldy]

From Rotoworld (via ESPN):

New Browns VP of player personnel Michael Lombardi called the selection of Brandon Weeden at No. 22 overall last year a "panicked disaster."
Lombardi also told a Cleveland radio station in September that Colt McCoy gives the team a better chance to win. On the flip side, Weeden's arm strength is better suited to new coach Rob Chudzinski's vertical attack. One source told ESPN Cleveland that team president Joe Banner assured McCoy he is still in the team's plans, though likely not as the starter. We've seen no evidence that Weeden has been given similar assurance.


Fantastic. We'll put McArmpunts out there to run a vertical style offense.

[motherscratcher]

Boy, do I wish Jimmy and Joe were as smart as all you cats.

I personally don't have a huge issue with this set up thus far, given the OC/DC combo and the coaching staff they're building to go with the personnel.

But I do recall making the exact same type of comment as you make above when Holmgren got here and hired Shurmur, and that was probably the dumbest shit I ever ended up saying on these boards. At least it's what I regret the most.

Which is saying a lot. Said a lot of dumb shit and a lot I regret.

I like the OC/DC also, but the "talent" has to navigate a pretty big maze of incompetence before it gets there.

[peeker643]

From Rotoworld (via ESPN):

New Browns VP of player personnel Michael Lombardi called the selection of Brandon Weeden at No. 22 overall last year a "panicked disaster."

Lombardi is growing on me already. Of course, the stopped clock is right twice a day too...

[Gradysmanldy]

From Rotoworld (via ESPN):

New Browns VP of player personnel Michael Lombardi called the selection of Brandon Weeden at No. 22 overall last year a "panicked disaster."

Lombardi is growing on me already. Of course, the stopped clock is right twice a day too...

He said similar things about Haden and Thomas and Mack, where they were selected.

[General]

You can't make this shit up. Epic.

[Gradysmanldy]

......continuing.......

"The Boston Globe's Greg Bedard suggests that Ryan Mallett could be targeted by the Browns via trade now that Mike Lombardi is Cleveland's VP of Player Personnel.
Lombardi was one of the few media types smitten with Mallett before the 2011 draft, stating in April of that year that he was "convinced" Mallett would be a top-20 pick. Mallett was drafted 74th by the Patriots. It's no secret Lombardi isn't high on Brandon Weeden, and big-armed Mallett would be a fit for Rob Chudzinski's vertical offense. The Pats would probably want at least a second-round pick."

[peeker643]

From Rotoworld (via ESPN):

New Browns VP of player personnel Michael Lombardi called the selection of Brandon Weeden at No. 22 overall last year a "panicked disaster."

Lombardi is growing on me already. Of course, the stopped clock is right twice a day too...

He said similar things about Haden and Thomas and Mack, where they were selected.

See "stopped clock" reference above

I will say the Mack selection was met with widespread disappointment given the number of tradedowns that preceded it (and given I believe they had a similar type center in Faine at the time?) and the Haden pick was widely debated too. The Thomas pick was about as much a sure thing as you could get though, even in real time.

[Madre Hill, Superstar]

Lombardi was the 'smartest guy' Banner ever worked with. And he left to go work for Al Davis.

That said, Banner had to know how divisive Lombardi is and how much of a hornet's nest he'd be kicking over by hiring him. He's Haslam's honey badger.

[motherscratcher]

From Rotoworld (via ESPN):

New Browns VP of player personnel Michael Lombardi called the selection of Brandon Weeden at No. 22 overall last year a "panicked disaster."

Lombardi is growing on me already. Of course, the stopped clock is right twice a day too...

He said similar things about Haden and Thomas and Mack, where they were selected.

See "stopped clock" reference above

I will say the Mack selection was met with widespread disappointment given the number of tradedowns that preceded it (and given I believe they had a similar type center in Faine at the time?) and the Haden pick was widely debated too. The Thomas pick was about as much a sure thing as you could get though, even in real time.

I could be wrong, but wasn't Faine long gone by then? LeCharles was after Faine, right? And then we had about 3 centers in 5 days after LCB went down.

Not that it has anything to do with your point.

[peeker643]

From Rotoworld (via ESPN):

New Browns VP of player personnel Michael Lombardi called the selection of Brandon Weeden at No. 22 overall last year a "panicked disaster."

Lombardi is growing on me already. Of course, the stopped clock is right twice a day too...

He said similar things about Haden and Thomas and Mack, where they were selected.

See "stopped clock" reference above

I will say the Mack selection was met with widespread disappointment given the number of tradedowns that preceded it (and given I believe they had a similar type center in Faine at the time?) and the Haden pick was widely debated too. The Thomas pick was about as much a sure thing as you could get though, even in real time.

I could be wrong, but wasn't Faine long gone by then? LeCharles was after Faine, right? And then we had about 3 centers in 5 days after LCB went down.

Not that it has anything to do with your point.

yeah...think you're right on Faine. Not sure what Mack was about other than trade downs and fact he wasn't regarded as road grader type.

[Hikohadon]

Boy, do I wish Jimmy and Joe were as smart as all you cats.

I personally don't have a huge issue with this set up thus far, given the OC/DC combo and the coaching staff they're building to go with the personnel.

But I do recall making the exact same type of comment as you make above when Holmgren got here and hired Shurmur, and that was probably the dumbest shit I ever ended up saying on these boards. At least it's what I regret the most.

Which is saying a lot. Said a lot of dumb shit and a lot I regret.

Why regret? Right or wrong doesn't matter. If you feel that way, then go with it. If you're wrong, big fucking deal. No one cares what anyone here thinks anyway.

Pup has every right to take the position that Jimmy is doing things right (which is strange that he would do seeing the positions he took on Holmgren and seeing as there's no evidence at all supporting his point, but whatever). If he's right, good on him. If he's wrong, big fucking deal.

The easiest thing in the world is to be negative about any/every move the Browns make.

With that in mind, I can't help it b/c I'm pissed because I don't feel like we're any better off now than with Lerner and there is no light at the end of the failure tunnel because WE'RE STUCK WITH THIS GUY. Almost every move they make is only compounding that feeling.

I like the coaching side of things fine (not great, but fine). Maybe they can overcome the incompetence of the owner and front office. That's fucking hard to do, but maybe they get lucky. We'll have to see what personnel moves they make and how the draft rolls. I will be surprised if they don't fuck it up.

In the end, any guy they hired (loved or hated) wasn't getting much of a honeymoon to turn things around, so all HasBanArdi has to do to get Cleveland back on their side is win. Good luck, kids!

The only good thing I can say about Jimmy Joe so far is that at least they don't give a damn about what the fans and media think.

[Hikohadon]

The thing that most impressed me about Lombardi in that presser was his ability to repeatedly answer questions in a way that in no way addressed the actual question.

[Gradysmanldy]

The thing that most impressed me about Lombardi in that presser was his ability to repeatedly answer questions in a way that in no way addressed the actual question.

Pat Shurmur school of coachspeak.

Banner is going to be enemy #1 here if this move doesn't work; he just evaporated any kind of free pass he had from the media/fan base. You can't hire a guy with a track record of failure and expect the city to get behind it.

Win, and win fast, or its going to get awfully ugly.

[e0y2e3]

I've never in my entire life seen a business or sports franchise have it's first impression be defined by hiring two guys that were previously fired from said organization. It's gawd damn amazing and something that could only happen in Cleveland.

[Gradysmanldy]

I've also never seen the Browns organization make a move that was quite so universally detested by the entire city.

Banner quite literally just told the city to go fuck itself, he'll do what he wants.

[Hikohadon]

I've also never seen the Browns organization make a move that was quite so universally detested by the entire city.

Banner quite literally just told the city to go fuck itself, he'll do what he wants.

Which is totally fine. Just better be right.

[bac5665]

I've also never seen the Browns organization make a move that was quite so universally detested by the entire city.

Banner quite literally just told the city to go fuck itself, he'll do what he wants.

Which is totally fine. Just better be right.

I actually like this move in the sense that we'll find out real quick whether or not Haslem is a better owner than Lerner. Either Banner will get wins or he won't, and two years from now, Haslem had better be ready to fire him if it goes south. We'll find out pretty quick what kind of owner he is.

[Hikohadon]

And from one of our main competitors in the Battle of the Retards - Jets interviewing Pat Shurmur to be their OC.

Matching that set of offensive talent with Shurmur... scoreboards will break.

[peeker643]

Adam Schefter ‏@AdamSchefter
Former Cardinals DC Ray Horton expected to become Browns new DC. And as @MikeSilver reported, Todd Bowles expected to become DC in Arizona.

[e0y2e3]

Want to post this in any more threads baldy?

[peeker643]

Want to post this in any more threads baldy?

I do. I really do. But one needs to show some restraint. I'm excited because Horton will likely be the next HC.

[leadpipe]

I understand the angst about Lombardi, and I'm definitely the oppostite of hiring from within the "Good old boys club" but the one thought I have concerning player personel..personel is.....how many guys on GGE are actually good for their entire careers?

Pretty much a job defined as part time genius. Cause Bobby Beathard was the first genius I remember in that role...until he wasn't. And Scott Pioli was a genius..... and on and on. Remember when Phil Savage's stock was high?

There's a handful of guys IN PRACTICALLY EVERY SPORT that answer the bell practically every year.

So I don't like Lombardi, but at the end of the day, he'll end up having a stretch that's pretty comparable to everyone else, save a select few.

[Hikohadon]

I understand the angst about Lombardi, and I'm definitely the oppostite of hiring from within the "Good old boys club" but the one thought I have concerning player personel..personel is.....how many guys on GGE are actually good for their entire careers?

Pretty much a job defined as part time genius. Cause Bobby Beathard was the first genius I remember in that role...until he wasn't. And Scott Pioli was a genius..... and on and on. Remember when Phil Savage's stock was high?

There's a handful of guys IN PRACTICALLY EVERY SPORT that answer the bell practically every year.

So I don't like Lombardi, but at the end of the day, he'll end up having a stretch that's pretty comparable to everyone else, save a select few.

In other words, even some of the most highly regarded GM's have periods where they fuck up, and during those periods Lombardi is probably no worse than they are.

A glowing endorsement indeed.

[bookelly]

The Hick has got his team in place, and by all indications and actions we can safely say that he's a fucking joke. Welcome to your new Browns, same as the old Browns.

Let's recap:

Hick buys team, immediately announces he's gonna change the helmets. Backlash ensues, reverses himself
Hick hires Banner, who is considered to be one of the biggest assholes on the planet
Hick chases after Chip, who makes him look the fool
Hick panics and hires Chud, jury still out on this
Hick, against the wishes of anybody who has ever watched football, hires Lombardi - one of the dumbest men in pro sports, to head his draft.

All in the span of a few months. Way to burn through all respect for your fanbase asshat.

[Triple-S]

http://cleveland.cbslocal.com/2013/01/1 ... -lombardi/

Jim Nantz actually gave a good interview here. Normally a huge critic, but this is a good listen.

I don't like the hire, but meh, we'll see.

[TouchEmAllTime]

I've also never seen the Browns organization make a move that was quite so universally detested by the entire city.

Banner quite literally just told the city to go fuck itself, he'll do what he wants.

Which is totally fine. Just better be right.

I actually like this move in the sense that we'll find out real quick whether or not Haslem is a better owner than Lerner. Either Banner will get wins or he won't, and two years from now, Haslem had better be ready to fire him if it goes south. We'll find out pretty quick what kind of owner he is.

Then in two years we'll get A.J. Smith, Scott Pioli, Tony Sparano, Mike Tannebaum, and Chan Gailey.

[leadpipe]

I understand the angst about Lombardi, and I'm definitely the oppostite of hiring from within the "Good old boys club" but the one thought I have concerning player personel..personel is.....how many guys on GGE are actually good for their entire careers?

Pretty much a job defined as part time genius. Cause Bobby Beathard was the first genius I remember in that role...until he wasn't. And Scott Pioli was a genius..... and on and on. Remember when Phil Savage's stock was high?

There's a handful of guys IN PRACTICALLY EVERY SPORT that answer the bell practically every year.

So I don't like Lombardi, but at the end of the day, he'll end up having a stretch that's pretty comparable to everyone else, save a select few.

In other words, even some of the most highly regarded GM's have periods where they fuck up, and during those periods Lombardi is probably no worse than they are.

A glowing endorsement indeed.

Not sure how you see this as any type of endorsement.

To the point, who would you have liked them to bring in that has a very nice track record over several years? Does that guy exist? Was he available? I'll wait for the long list of names that fill these requirements.

I didn't want Lombardi, for some of the reasons mentioned here, and some others. I'm just sayin' I'm not jumping off the Titanic before the iceberg.

[motherscratcher]

We are well past the iceberg my friend. The boat is split in half and the ass end of that sumbitch is damn near vertical. You're hanging onto that railing waiting to ride it into the drink, which is preferable to me.

I'm the guy who just a few minutes prior lost my grip and split my head open on the prop halfway down.

[Cerebral_DownTime]

We are well past the iceberg my friend. The boat is split in half and the ass end of that sumbitch is damn near vertical. You're hanging onto that railing waiting to ride it into the drink, which is preferable to me.

I'm the guy who just a few minutes prior lost my grip and split my head open on the prop halfway down.

Nah. I would have saved you. But don't you try and get in my life boat, I need leg room.