When the Browns announced that newbie head coach Pat Shurmur would also be the offensive coordinator, I wrote an editorial saying that was not a good idea. After a total disaster offensively in 2011, we were told that Shurmur wanted to hire an OC prior to the year but could not find one that fit his system.

This week the team hired Brad Childress, the former head coach of the Vikes and longtime assistant with the Eagles working alongside Shurmur. But Childress was available before the start of the 2011 season.

He was fired 10 games into a 3-7 start for the Vikes in 2010.  So this, like so many other statements made by the team, is nothing short of a lie. 

Either they were not looking for an OC in 2011 or they considered Childress not acceptable for the
position. Either way, we were told another lie by the team. Either way the hiring of Childress is not a positive for the Browns fans.

Childress is no offensive guru. He called plays only one year for the Vikes, and that team was able to score only 18 points per game. While that was not good enough for them, it would represent a 38 percent increase over the 13 points the Browns averaged in 2011.

394772_crop_340x234 Bob LaMonte with Holmgren
Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images

It should surprise no one that Shurmur will continue to call plays. We knew that he wanted to retain that duty. That is why he was not able to find an OC in 2011. No experienced OC worth his salt would take a job where he was not permitted to call plays.

Here is another surprise which will not shock any fan of the Browns. Bob LaMonte represents Childress. He also represents Shurmur, President Mike Holmgren and General Manager Tom Heckert, among others. 

What is clear to anyone with an IQ over 11 is that the Browns under Holmgren have searched for the best head coach, general manager and offensive coordinator candidates represented by his buddy LaMonte.

It is not how much you know or who you know that counts. It is how much you know about who you know that truly gives you power.

The bottom line is this—the Browns have suffered because the powers that be are more interested in employing their buddies than getting the best talent to turn the team around. The current administration of the team has less concern for the future success of the team than for supporting the “old boy network” and putting your money in LaMonte's pocket.

Strong leaders gather staffs of the best minds they can find. Weak leaders surround themselves with weaker subordinates. One of the reasons they do that is they do not want to hire anyone that could potentially be a threat to their job. Weakness breads more weakness.

Those of us that support the Browns are being cheated as well as lied to. The total focus of the team management must be to gather the best talent both on the field and the sideline. Clearly no top-quality coach wants to join a team where the primary focus is not winning. No top coaching candidate wants to coach under a weak head coach. 

A couple of weeks ago I wrote an article Cleveland Browns: Six Reasons to Be Skeptical About the Current Regime. In my opinion, the hiring of Childress gives us a seventh reason to doubt this group will turn the team around.

 

That is what I think. Tell us what you think.

If you like this, join me on the Internet radio version of News, Notes and Rumors M-Th at 6 PM EST on http://mooheadradio.com/2.0/. 

Bill Smith is a former coach of several semi-pro teams, has done color on radio for college football and basketball and has scouted talent. He edits http://fryingpansports.com. He is a senior writer for http://nfldraftdog.com/index.html. He has also published several novels on http://www.eBooks-Library.com/Contemporary/ and a non-fiction work at http://www.merriam-press.com/.

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