What is the answer for the Browns?

[OldBrownsFan]

I'm not putting up this topic to make any arguments with anyone just to get feedback from some of the football guru's on the board. What solutions would you come up with to end this nightmare since 99?

 

As a fan I thought we had turned the corner with Pettine and Farmer. I finally realized Farmer was a poor GM after the horrible signing of Dwayne Bowe (being the last straw for me).

 

With Pettine I thought he was put in a terrible position with having to babysit an immature Manziel and all the distractions that came with it but that doesn't explain how bad our defense was last year. Our defense was hyped up before the season that we might have one of the elites in the league. We did salary wise having the highest paid defense in the NFL but we were at the bottom rating wise. And defense was supposed to be Pettine's speciality.

 

My guess (and that is all it is) is this: We have have been in a continual state of flux since 99. A constant stream of coaches and GM's all with different philosophies. We not only have drafted poorly but with all the different GM's we haven't had any long term planning and drafting and we have a mish mosh of draft picks.

 

My guess solution at this point is to try and ride out for 4 years with our same coaching and front office personnel and not expecting a quick fix (although I see other NFL teams who seem to be able to turn things around in a couple of years).

 

Surely not all the coaches and GM's since 99 have been duds and what if we had given some of them a little more time?

[Captain Cheesedick]

Since Al Learner died, we don't have good direction from the top.

 

The current owner has no direction. He bought a team as an investment. It didn't matter what team, he made a business decision to purchase an NFL team. He will follow/copy other successful owners, but doesn't have what it takes to provide a "direction" for the team. He'll throw stuff at the wall and see what sticks, but he has no convictions. This will lead to a winning season every once in a while, but not a sustained winning franchise.

 

What is needed is an owner who knows Cleveland, has a philosophy and convictions (in the realm of football) that he believes in, and implements.

 

Until we have that, we will have the "let's do what they're doing" approach, which can lead to winning seasons, but not to a winning franchise. There is a big difference.

 

A winning season here and there is the product of the NFL and it's design to make bad teams better. by virtue of high draft picks. A winning franchise is the product of a good owner and organization.

 

My opinion.

[StinkHole]

Since Al Learner died, we don't have good direction from the top.

 

The current owner has no direction. He bought a team as an investment. It didn't matter what team, he made a business decision to purchase an NFL team. He will follow/copy other successful owners, but doesn't have what it takes to provide a "direction" for the team. He'll throw stuff at the wall and see what sticks, but he has no convictions. This will lead to a winning season every once in a while, but not a sustained winning franchise.

 

What is needed is an owner who knows Cleveland, has a philosophy and convictions (in the realm of football) that he believes in, and implements.

 

Until we have that, we will have the "let's do what they're doing" approach, which can lead to winning seasons, but not to a winning franchise. There is a big difference.

 

A winning season here and there is the product of the NFL and it's design to make bad teams better. by virtue of high draft picks. A winning franchise is the product of a good owner and organization.

 

My opinion.

 

I think you're wrong about Haslam. Once a minority owner of a team that does win, he wants to win. Badly. So badly he cleaned house twice.

 

If he had no convictions or was just in it for the investment he would have just sat on the sidelines and watched.

[OldBrownsFan]

Since Al Learner died, we don't have good direction from the top.

 

The current owner has no direction. He bought a team as an investment. It didn't matter what team, he made a business decision to purchase an NFL team. He will follow/copy other successful owners, but doesn't have what it takes to provide a "direction" for the team. He'll throw stuff at the wall and see what sticks, but he has no convictions. This will lead to a winning season every once in a while, but not a sustained winning franchise.

 

What is needed is an owner who knows Cleveland, has a philosophy and convictions (in the realm of football) that he believes in, and implements.

 

Until we have that, we will have the "let's do what they're doing" approach, which can lead to winning seasons, but not to a winning franchise. There is a big difference.

 

A winning season here and there is the product of the NFL and it's design to make bad teams better. by virtue of high draft picks. A winning franchise is the product of a good owner and organization.

 

My opinion.

 

I think you are right about Al Lerner. Randy Lerner was not the team owner his father was and had divided interests with his futbol team in England. Although I think Haslam is committed to bringing winning football to Cleveland his results so far have been terrible (although he was becoming owner of a troubled team)...but still why do other NFL teams turn things around rather quickly while we stay in the cellar? I think you are also right about having a good owner and organization.