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Lombardi’s dismissal necessary in light of Bess revelations

Jan 18, 2014 -- 8:11pm

By Bruce Hooley | ESPNCleveland.com

Mike-Lombardi-and-Joe-Banner-Getty.jpg

Photo/Getty

The irony for the Browns’ owner Jimmy Haslam is that what branded him a buffoon just three weeks ago could rehabilitate his image now.

By ordering, or allowing, the firing of head coach Rob Chudzinski after just one season, Haslam lost what fraction of his fan base still believed in him as the leader of the franchise.

A ponderous, halting search for Chudzinski’s replacement has since further alienated Browns Nation, but Haslam could win back some or all of the doubters by immediately firing first-year General Manager Michael Lombardi for negligence and serial incompetence.

The arrest of Browns wide receiver Davone Bess in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on Friday for assaulting a law enforcement officer is only the latest demonstration of Lombardi’s colossal ineptitude. He has damaged the organization far beyond salary cap and roster ramifications, branding it with another public relations black eye at a time it can ill afford.

Police reports say Bess was acting erratically when approached by an officer in the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood Airport. The officer suspected Bess to be under the influence of drugs – this on the morning after Bess posted a suspicious picture on his Twitter page that depicted a substance believed to be marijuana.

Early Friday evening, details surfaced of Bess’ arrest and forced hospitalization in March after six Broward County deputies subdued him at his home, where he also appeared to be under the influence of drugs.

One month after that arrest, Lombardi exchanged fourth-round picks with Miami and traded a fifth-rounder for a seventh-rounder to obtain Bess, a five-year veteran coming off back surgery, who the Dolphins did not attempt to re-sign.

The Browns signed Bess to a three-year extension for $11.5 million, with $5.75 million guaranteed.

Clearly, then-Miami general manager Jeff Ireland fleeced the Browns on the deal, the same Jeff Ireland Miami fired after the season.

One of the candidates Miami has interviewed for Ireland’s job is Ray Farmer, the Browns’ assistant GM.

Firing Lombardi immediately would not introduce the unrest that firing Chudzinski inflicted, because Farmer is in place to seamlessly take over the Browns’ personnel department.

Lombardi’s failure to – through his web of scouts and NFL insiders he often trumpets – learn of Bess’ March arrest shows him undeserving of the trust a team must have in a general manager charged with reshaping the roster through the upcoming college draft.

Some may say CEO Joe Banner, who brought Lombardi into the organization, is as culpable as Lombardi for the Browns’ personnel blunders. But Lombardi has the GM title, and if he’s going to claim the glory for signing Brian Hoyer, then he must accept the blame for roster moves that blow up.

That, of course, is a new concept to Lombardi, who has insulated himself from responsibility at previous NFL stops by always having a dominant coach (Bill Belichick) or owner (Al Davis) to hide behind.

If Bess were Lombardi’s only such error, it would be easier to excuse, but the litany of bad acquisitions Lombardi has masterminded shows him incapable and unfit for the job he has.

  • Free agent Desmond Bryant signed a $34 million contract with the Browns weeks after his arrest for criminal mischief, having drunkenly harassed a neighbor, birthing a mug shot that went viral.

Bryant played well through 12 games until a second bout with an irregular heartbeat forced him to injured reserve and required a December medical procedure.

Bryant had the same heart problem during his career in Oakland. If he cannot resume his career, his Browns contract guarantees him $15 million.

  • Free agent linebacker Quinton Groves was arrested in a prostitution sting one month after signing with the Browns in mid-March.

Groves suffered a high-ankle sprain in Week Two and played five games before going on injured reserve with additional ankle issues.

  • Bess ranked second in the NFL in dropped passes among wide receivers and fumbled a punt in the fourth quarter that figured prominently in the Browns’ loss at Kansas City.
  • Wide receiver Charles Johnson, who Lombardi signed off the Packers’ practice squad in October, reported to Cleveland with a torn knee ligament. NFL rules required him to remain on the roster for three weeks, forcing the team to play a man short of the 53-man roster limit for those games.
  • Barkevious Mingo, the sixth overall pick in the 2012 draft, started three games and registered five quarterback sacks.

Mingo’s minimal impact nevertheless proved the greatest of any Browns rookie in the first draft under Lombardi’s direction.

Think about that.

Astoundingly, Lombardi failed to draft one player capable of making an appreciable impact on upgrading a team that went 5-11 the year before.

  • Seventh-round choice Armonty Bryant, who the Browns took despite an arrest for selling marijuana to an undercover police officer on campus, was arrested for drunken driving shortly after the draft.

Lombardi’s chief achievement so far has been his acquisition of Hoyer, who went 2-0 in three starts before tearing a knee ligament that ended his season.

Hoyer’s brief emergence seems a modest offset to all the damage Lombardi has done to the Browns’ roster, to the franchise’s reputation, and by connection, to Haslam’s personal reputation.

How many players who wind up on the police blotter after signing with the Browns, or who have been there before getting big money from the team, must Lombardi attach to Haslam’s name before the owner gets his fill?

How many inexcusable personnel gaffes – either via inadequate research or outright wrong judgments on players’ abilities -- must Lombardi make before Haslam overrules Banner and fires Lombardi to restore credibility and competence to the team’s front office?

Lombardi is indefensible on the Bess matter if he didn’t’ know about the March arrest in Miami.

And Lombardi is doubly- derelict in his duty if he did know of that March arrest and took the risk of allowing Bess to work aside Pro Bowl receiver Josh Gordon, who is one additional violation of NFL drug policy away from a season-long suspension.

Either way, there is no excusing Lombardi’s latest gaffe. It should be his last as a Browns executive, not because Haslam reacts too swiftly, as he did with Chudzinski, but because Lombardi’s firing is both merited and necessary for the franchise’s greater good going forward.

 

 

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This team has way to many holes to be trading up in the draft...

 

Yep, but you need quality guys to fill them, and with Lombardi's draft track record, I have ZERO hope that we can fill any of them, much less most of them. We are currently the worst team in all of professional sports.......... It's beyond sad.

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This team has way to many holes to be trading up in the draft...

Trading up to get a franchise QB is not crazy. Every team has holes, outside of QB I dont think our holes are huge. I fail to understand why some many Browns fans wants to fill holes at other positions and constantly ignore the most importan position in football. I am not advocating for Manziel, I am advocating for doing whatever it takes to get the franchise QB position resolved or do you like stating 3 QBs every yr?

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I'll sign the Lose Lombardi petition.

Poetic G

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We know who he is.. Lombardi was a no-talent hack before he came to the Browns. Why did Banner think anything would have changed? Just give Farmer the job already.

 

 

Farmer has taken the GM post at Miami.

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The trade up for Manziel was the plan all along.

 

Do you think it's coincidence that we traded TR only a couple days after Manziel nearly took down Alabama?

 

When TR was traded, Manziel already had nearly 1,000 passing yards and 11 TD's. He had, at that point, most recently passed for 464 yards and 5 TD's and rushed for another 100 yards against the #1 defense in the NCAA.

 

At that exact same moment, the entire Cleveland Browns offense had exactly 550 total offensive yards and only one TD.

 

So, Manziel was effectively responsible for more offensive production in one game against the best college defense than the entire Browns offense, with TR, through two games.

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Trading up to get a franchise QB is not crazy. Every team has holes, outside of QB I dont think our holes are huge. I fail to understand why some many Browns fans wants to fill holes at other positions and constantly ignore the most importan position in football. I am not advocating for Manziel, I am advocating for doing whatever it takes to get the franchise QB position resolved or do you like stating 3 QBs every yr?

 

aren't huge??? With Mack, Jackson & Ward probably leaving they have huge holes all over the place.. 0 RB, 1 WR, 0 iLB, 1 CB, 1 SF and need to rebuild the entire OL outside of Thomas. So they trade up and get a QB, now like Skins he has no one to throw to or block in front of him.. If its Manziel he will be out by week 4..

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Lombardi is a fuckin dimwit of biblical proportions. I guarantee he'll fuck up this organization for the next ten years. Please Mr. Haslam, fire this turd now before its too late!

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Beyond the alleged incompetence is the fact that Lombardi is now a major public relations liability.

 

Whatever talents he may have as a talent evaluator....and they seem few, cannot make up for the complete lack of confidence the buying public has in this guy.

They...and by they I mean WE....do not trust him to:

A. NOT bring in players who have negative histories, be that injuries, outside issues etc.

B. Bring in players with much talent. He has acquired one apparently decent backup QB and maybe 10 flops....and that is in less than a year on the job.

C. It is not as if Lombardi has a track record of success that would call for patience concerning the current ineptitude. His record overall is as a failure. His current operation seems to be a failure. How can one not conclude that it should be expected that his future would be a failure.

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aren't huge??? With Mack, Jackson & Ward probably leaving they have huge holes all over the place.. 0 RB, 1 WR, 0 iLB, 1 CB, 1 SF and need to rebuild the entire OL outside of Thomas. So they trade up and get a QB, now like Skins he has no one to throw to or block in front of him.. If its Manziel he will be out by week 4..

First off I believe Jackson is currently under contract, the other two you have no idea how that will pan out. Second, which position is more important a QB or a LB or a DB. Who the hell cares if we are weaker on D if the price is a true franchise QB. Third we have Gordon and Cameron to throw 2, thats better than anything the Seahawks can field right now. I am not saying we should draft Manziel, just whoever the best QB we can get is, if its Bortles or Bridgewater I don't care as long as he is the guy. If we continue to "fill" holes we will continue to suck because we have no QB, if you get a QB, you can mask holes a lot easier and can find replacements a lot easier too through the draft or FA. Hard to find a franchise QB. If you believe you have identified one, you go get that guy and if the cost is a low first round pick, you jump on that.

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That was a good write up. We have not been an overly attractive place for players or coaches since our return. What little we had going for us has been destroyed. First Lombardi coming on board and having the reputation as having zero loyalty to players. His draft reputation is among the worst ever. Add to that the one and out firing of Chud and noone wants to come here. The ONLY way to change that at this point is to fire Banner and Lombardi both. It won't happen but it should, its the only answer now.

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there will be a QB there @4.

 

no need to trade up. if they do i swear i'm gonna go on a kiliing spree (let's see, train ticket to cleveland, cab ride to berea, phony moustache and glasses, overcoat, a bottle of gin and a AK with a banana clip...............round $600. walking away a free man: priceless).

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The trade up for Manziel was the plan all along.

 

Do you think it's coincidence that we traded TR only a couple days after Manziel nearly took down Alabama?

 

When TR was traded, Manziel already had nearly 1,000 passing yards and 11 TD's. He had, at that point, most recently passed for 464 yards and 5 TD's and rushed for another 100 yards against the #1 defense in the NCAA.

 

At that exact same moment, the entire Cleveland Browns offense had exactly 550 total offensive yards and only one TD.

 

So, Manziel was effectively responsible for more offensive production in one game against the best college defense than the entire Browns offense, with TR, through two games.

 

Yeah, it might be coincidence, And whoopee shit, Alabama isn't the Seahawks defense. This is the NFL, not trying to get a date with the Prom Queen. They would be seriously guilty of not doing due diligence investigating investigating every quarterback option, if they fell that much in love with Manziel a year early- they're even dumber than I though they were. Where's the interviews, the private workout(s) huh? If true, shooting your mouth off prematurely like that means the Texans can hold The Stooges to a RGIII sell the ranch deal, and Lobotomy might just be dumb enough to do it.

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You can still want him fired, but not over the Bess incident. The story is now out, and Miami is the one with egg on their face. There was no way we could have found out using normal means.

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