2014 NFL off-season thread

The speculation I've seen is that Banner & Lombardi talked big to ownership about which coach they could land when they fired Chud, and then they hired the virtually unknown defensive coordinator from the Buffalo Bills.

 

I'm sure the coach feels great about his job security. It's a good thing they gave Kyle Shanahan that 3-year-deal.

Even the Raiders are looking at the Browns and shaking their heads.

 

Simple. They told the owner they would get a guy as coach - they didn't get that guy. TWICE. If I'm Pettine, I might just offer them an out right now (with a nice payout for himself and his staff).

 

The Factory of Sadness! When does it end!

 

How many coaches would the browns be paying if they fired Pettine? (I don't think they will. Not until the end of the season, anyway. Hopefully not even then) At least 4, right (Shumur, Chud, Pettine, whoever is new) plus a boatload of fired assistants? Coaching the Browns is the best unemployment program in the world.

 

http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2014/01/the_big_owe_cleveland_browns_h.html

The Sopranos might have glamorized no-work jobs, but few retain more than the Browns. Compiling figures from various media reports, the franchise has been scheduled to pay six fired head coaches approximately $49 million not to show up in Berea.

Coach Yrs. after fired Sum owed
Chris Palmer 3 years $3 million
Butch Davis 3 years $12 million
Romeo Crennel 3 years Approx. $10 million
Eric Mangini 2 years $7.8 million
Pat Shurmur 2 years left About $5.6 million
Rob Chudzinski 3 years left $10.5 million
Source: Various media reports

Put another way, the sum could cover the city’s cost for FirstEnergy Stadium renovations -- $30 million over the next 15 years – with plenty left over for down payments on Browns' All-Pro free agents Alex Mack and T.J. Ward.

 

Mizzou fan tweets: "If the Browns draft Michael Sam, I bet he hides it from his family and friends."

 

smart

 

What really makes this a problem for Cleveland is that Banner and Lombardi were likely preparing for the draft and upcoming free agency period, and now those who remain with the organization are likely to follow their own path, resulting in poor draft preparation.

Meaning I can already see the band warming up for Cleveland to have a 2014 draft full of busts.

 

Albert Breer ✔ @AlbertBreer
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Word was rampant that owner Jimmy Haslam was embarrassed by how the Browns were viewed locally in January. Change was coming.

 

Browns fans will be embarrassed when the Federal Grand Jury indicts Haslam for the fraud involving his truck stops.

 

That's the next shoe to drop.
So all of this is another senseless game of musical chairs for the Browns.
Will the doughy-faced Lombardi wind up back at NFL Network? Or grovel to Belichick for a job?