Written by Thomas Moore

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The Cleveland Browns made a front-office move on Tuesday, hiring Alec Scheiner to be the team’s new president.

Schenier spent the past eight seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, the last five as senior vice president and general counsel. With the Browns, he will oversee all aspects of the Browns’ day-to-day business operations, including in-game stadium enhancements (finally) and local TV/radio broadcasting.

He will also work closely with CEO Joe Banner on strategic planning (as opposed to just regular planning), including stadium projects.

Now we know why owner Jimmy Haslam spent so much time talking with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones when the Browns played in Dallas early in the year.

“We are extremely excited about the addition of Alec to our team,” Haslam said. “For many years the Cowboys have been a leading innovator among NFL franchises, and Alec played an integral role in this success. We are confident that his expertise will be a tremendous asset, not only for our organization but our fans as well.”

“Our objective is to build the Browns organization with the best people in their respective fields, and we believe the hiring of Alec is indicative of this goal,” Banner said. “Alec brings a wealth of experience and knowledge in many facets with one of the most successful franchises in the NFL.”

The Cowboys may be a “leading innovator,” but calling them one of the “most successful franchises” is a bit of stretch, at least when it comes to on-field results. Since 1999, Dallas has won exactly one more playoff game than the Browns.

“I want to thank Jerry Jones, Stephen Jones and the entire Dallas Cowboys organization for giving me my start in the National Football League and making my eight years there some of the most rewarding of my professional career,” Scheiner said. “I am looking forward to this challenge with the Browns, which I view as a tremendous opportunity to start at the ground level with a new and exciting leadership group. Jimmy Haslam and Joe Banner have a great vision of what they want the Cleveland Browns to become and I am grateful to be able to be a part of it. The Browns are an iconic franchise with an outstanding fan base and tradition. Together, we hope to do incredible things for the organization and Northeast Ohio.”

Seriously, though, it sounds like the Browns are bringing in Scheiner for the business side of the franchise, and if he is a good as advertised – he made the Sports Business Journal’s “Forty Under 40” list in 2010, then there’s not too much to get worked up about.

And if he can help maximize the cash end of the Browns brand – you can only do so many Travel Channel shows after all – without the team constantly putting its hands in the pockets of its fans, things should work out.