Mike Holmgren: What Does He Do Now?

After weeks of speculation, it's official. Mike Holmgren is now the president of football operations for the Cleveland Browns.

Holmgren comes in with a proven record as a head coach. That should be good experience for him to be successful in the front office as well.

Holmgren will have many key decisions to make this offseason, two of which will get the most attention: do you bring back Eric Mangini and do you bring back Brady Quinn?

Looking at these decisions, I think Holmgren will need to keep his options open. Starting with Quinn, many think he is a good fit for a West Coast offense that could come with Holmgren. Being that Holmgren won't be coaching, the west coast style may or may not be in Cleveland next year.

The reality is that Quinn does have experience in a West Coast offense; but he was very mediocre in it. He really excelled under Charlie Weis. Therefore, I think what makes the most sense is to bring Quinn back and bring in Weis as offensive coordinator. But more on that later.

Certainly regarding Quinn, Holmgren has to keep options open. If he gets a good trade offer for him, he should look at it.

At the end of the day however, I still think it best to bring Quinn back. Reason being, he has improved as the year has progressed. While he may not have had a good game throwing on Sunday, he did contribute in running the ball. He looks more comfortable out there now than he did at the beginning.

Holmgren also has to consider who else is out there. Michael Vick will be available and should be looked at. However, odds are he will want to go somewhere else. 

Besides Vick, who else will be available as a veteran? Chad Pennington will be, but his past injuries raise red flags. Also, Cleveland may not be appealing to veteran quarterbacks.

Looking at the draft this year, the best quarterback available is apparently Jimmy Clausen. He has played in a pro-style offense, so he could fit. But at the end of the day, Clausen is just not a fit for Cleveland. The reason is that he has to go to a team with an established line.

He is not a runner at all and isn't very elusive. He couldn't escape a rush against Navy. How would he do against the Steelers, Ravens, and Bengals with the holes in this line?

Clausen has a great arm, but it wouldn't matter if he were on his back.

The other choices would be Sam Bradford, Colt McCoy, or Tim Tebow. These guys were all great in college systems but converting them to the pro game will take time. Vince Young and Alex Smith are examples of that.

Therefore, the Browns should bring Quinn back to see if he can develop further.

I know that will cause some to scratch their heads, but remember Drew Brees after his third season in San Diego? He was horrible. Now look at him.

People do forget that although he has been around for three years, Quinn will still have less than a full season of playing at the end of this year.

That is not to say Holmgren shouldn't draft a quarterback at all. He should in the middle rounds. That would serve as a plan B if Quinn doesn't pan out next year. The perfect choice would be Dan LeFevour out of Central Michigan; another one who was great in a college system.

Lefevour can throw the ball. He won't be ready right away, but that's okay since Quinn would still be there. Lefevour is also athletic enough that he could move to a different position if Quinn were to work out.

As for Mangini, most know that I was not a fan, right from the start. However, I have to give credit where it is due. The team is playing hard for him and it is definitely starting to come together.

Holmgren has to look at the whole picture with Mangini. That includes his tenure with the New York Jets and this season in Cleveland. Mangini has shown he knows how to find players on the defensive side of the ball.

The Jets now have one of the young and upcoming defenses in football. Mangini did help bring some of those guys in. The guy that stands out is Darrelle Revis.

Looking at the offensive side of the ball, that is where the concerns are. For starters, he can never pick a quarterback. He was constantly back and forth with Chad Pennington and Kellen Clemens. Then he couldn't build an offense with Brett Favre. 

We saw more of that in Cleveland when he had Quinn and Derek Anderson compete for the job rather than just naming one. It does sound good to make a guy earn the spot, but the problem is that when you split reps, you don't really give either the chance to develop chemistry with the receivers.

Looking beyond the quarterback position, he has been very indecisive with the running backs as well. It was stated on ESPN earlier that the Browns have had a different runner get the bulk of the carries in four straight games. Jerome Harrison was on the bench most of the year, but look what happens when he plays.

The linemen Mangini brought in just stink, especially John St. Clair. The jury is still out on Alex Mack.

The decision to make Brian Daboll the offensive coordinator has just been an epic failure.

So with all this information, what should Holmgren do? If I were him, I would recognize that the most important hire I have is not the head coach, but the offensive coordinator. In doing that, I wouldn't settle for anybody not named Charlie Weis.

I would tell Mangini that I am bringing him back under these conditions: Weis would come in as offensive coordinator/assistant head coach; he would have complete control over the offense and would bring in his coaches and players; most importantly he would decide who is under center.

If Mangini is okay with those terms, I'd bring him back. If not, then there's the door.

Bottom line, Holmgren should bring both Quinn and Mangini back but with conditions attached.