Problem with John Dorsey - he never successfully identified or drafted a QB, even with a terrific head coach (Andy Reid) to lean on. He did trade for Alex Smith (pending 2018 free agent) and that worked out, but that's more on the head coach, IMO.
So who are we going after that has the "experience" we are looking for? Does this mean the end for Depodesta? At the end of the day Sashi failed miserably. He has final say, and he didn't pull the trigger on Wentz or Watson, and it got him fired...Kinda knew this was coming after that hugely embarrassing bye week. First the Niners land a guy we coveted (Garopollo) for cheap, and then the epic fail on the McCarron deal. Whether that was a good deal or not is open for debate, but the humiliation felt by the Haslams is not. It was a total clusterphuq . That was probably the final nail for Sashi. He might as well have cleaned out his desk after that...
Sigh.........without canning Hue or forcing him to hire an OC, this whole thing is just re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.
Only two names thus far are Scot McCloughan (great idea) and John Dorsey (less so). Could still mean a dark horse gets the position, but Dorsey was fired in Kansas City, didn't have a great drafting track record, and never identified a quarterback. In contract, McCloughan was the personnel adviser when the Seahawks drafted Russell Wilson. Both men are tied to Alex Smith, though (McCloughan drafted him in 2005 and Dorsey traded for him in 2013. It's being reported right now that DePodesta and everyone else in the organization are safe. Feels like Sashi was the "fall guy" and it's easy to see why. Haslam sought out DePodesta and he's been the brains behind the numbers. Haslam sought out Hue and he's been an unmitigated failure, but he's the first first-choice coach to say "yes" to Jimmy. Sashi was from the previous regime, a lawyer promoted to a position ill-suited for his strengths. Also being reported that Sashi and Hue haven't been on talking terms for the past six weeks - so even before the trade that wasn't. Sashi certainly had some short-comings and it ultimately came down to quarterback. However, wasn't it made clear early on that that's why they sought out Hue Jackson? His success in coaching and identifying QB talent? He was supposed to be the qualified expert. He preferred Goff and Mahomes to Wentz and Watson. If your argument is Sashi didn't work hard enough to get Goff or Mahomes (Chiefs swooped the Browns), then fine. But if they were in agreement they couldn't get those players and were going a different route... how is that on Sashi?
Mike Silver is lying about Watson, FTR... he wanted Hooker, not Watson. Probably planned on grabbing Mahomes at #12.
I would be okay with the shedding of Sashi blood for this purpose, but Haslam's comment about it being a "proven track record" guy makes me think less likely to happen. John Dorsey has a track record, at least. And the hiring of a search firm to find a GM would make me think Peyton has politely declined the position:
Again, they're hiring the GM after the HC. What GM is going to take this job without wanting his own hand-picked coach sometime soon? Looking into the crystal ball.... I see that the new GM inherits Sashi's 5 picks in the first two rounds of the draft + $100M in cap space and has to keep Haslam's buddy Hue for 2018. I see new GM handing Hue 5 new top players and Hue once again stinking the joint up and 1-7 by mid-season. I see new GM giving Hue the boot and then hiring his own HC who brings along a new OC and DC with their new systems, which of course brings about more roster transition since they don't have the right players on the roster for said new systems. Let the friggin' merry-go-round continue as the Browns take another trip on the old "2 maybe 3 years and fired" hiring carousel for coaches and GM's.
If they get a well-respected guy like Dorsey, he could have the caveat in his contract that he gets to pick the next head coach if/when Hue is fired. I think it is beyond reproach for Haslam to allow Hue to return in general, but for sure without pressuring him to hire an offensive coordinator in 2018. And who knows... 0-16 may be enough to make Haslam back-track on his word.
I'm just so tired of this whole frickin' thing. Haslam and his phuquing itchy trigger finger (not that some change was not warranted). I would have rather seen them hire a President who was the final say between the HC and Sashi with the analytics guys. The FO/HC dynamic is just a wreck. Sashi had a bold plan and a 5-year plan and stockpiled some picks and cap space that is going to pay off in a few years. Hue.....well, not sure what he had other than the owners ear. I truly place this whole mess at Haslam's feet. The only way I see this organization not imploding yet again is by hiring Gregg Williams as the next HC after Hue proves his ineptitude in 2018 (if he lasts). Otherwise......here we go again..............
Somewhere on this thread I posted my opinion on Hue's decision to start Kizer and my belief that it sped up what appeared to be a 3 year clock on identifying a franchise quarterback. I stated that starting Kizer would lead to Hue being fired at season's end. Apparently, starting DeShone only quickened the release of a GM that had amassed more draft ammunition while adding quality young talent than any first time general manager in recent history. This feels like the wrong move...
Amen. And for a fourth consecutive regime, we have a coaching staff and front office that do not trust each other, actively work to undermine each other, and fail to take accountability for their own issues. It'd be real interesting to see what Sashi thought the plan was. By all accounts - even his own account during the BYE week press conference - this was the offseason and draft to go nuts for the Browns. The 2017 QB class was much-maligned prior to the start of the 2017 season, and only Deshaun Watson looks like a viable QB at this moment. The 2018 QB class is being called things like "historic", "rich", "best since 2012", etc. Sashi's decisions positioned this franchise to have seven picks in the Top 100 choices, two in the Top 10 in a class rich with QB talent. They basically rebuilt the defense in one draft (2017) and offseason after drafting the middle class of talent in 2016. With #1 overall (now Rosen, would have preferred Mayfield) and #7 overall (Barkley/Guice/Ridley) and a pick or two in the second on that side of the ball, would it not stand to reason they could rebuild the offense in the same manner? That's most discouraging is that Hue is still around. QB issues aside, he's shown no ability to adapt an offense to his talent or manage a game. He's especially awful as a head coach, which is more concerning. The only thing going for him is "players haven't quit" which is true for every coach we've had in the building the past 19 seasons with the exception of Chudzinski or any interim guys (Carthon, Robiksie).
They want a "qualified GM to build the roster". It's almost impossible to mess this up. #1 - QB (Rosen) #7 - RB/WR (Barkley, if available - if not, Ridley) #33 - WR/RB (Sutton, if available - if not, Chubb/Love/Jones/Montgomery) #40 - CB (Davis) #62 - OL (Hernandez) #65 - FS (Elliott) #97 - DL (Ejiofor/Brown) Use Mel's "BIg Board" to fill in the names and you win. Seven picks in the Top 100 is insane.
I agree, but confidence cannot be high with regards to having Hue more involved in the selection process. "Qualified GM to build the roster" seems like code speak for "we're taking a quarterback #1 overall". With that in mind, the Vegas odds on the Browns trading for McCarron will probably spike.
