Cleveland Browns Seriously Considering Charlie Casserly for GM?

When the Cleveland Browns decided to fire George Kokinis, I thought it was a step in the right direction. With rumors this week that the Browns were interested in bringing in Mike Holmgren as a Bill Parcells type of role, I though, WOW, the Browns are finally turning the corner.

Now with news that the Browns are possibly interested in offering the position to former Washington Redskins GM Charlie Casserly , I have to wonder, really?

Casserly started his career in 1977 with the Washington Redskins as an unpaid assistant to Bobby Beathard. He was then hired the next year as a scout. Casserly became the GM of the Redskins in 1989.

Casserly did a good job at drafting good players, like Brian Mitchell, Steven Davis, Keenan McCardell, and Frank Wycheck.

His best season as a GM came before the 1999 season when he traded the Redskins first—round pick (fifth) to the New Orleans Saints for their entire draft, plus their first and second pick in the 2000 draft.

Even trading down, he still managed to land Champ Bailey, the player the Skins would have drafted in the five spot.

Dan Snyder decided after the 1999 season that Casserly was not the man to take his team into the future and decided to fire him. Casserly bounced back, signing on as the GM of the Houston Texans.

Though none of the players from Casserly's first draft really amounted to anything, he did a fantastic job in 2006 when the Texans chose Mario Williams over Reggie Bush and Vince Young. In 2006, he also drafted future Pro Bowl players DeMeco Ryans and Owen Daniels.

But, it was a move in 2005 that would eventually seal the fate of Casserly.

He traded the Texans' second— and third—round picks in the 2005 draft to the Oakland Raiders for CB Phillip Buchanon. Casserly was fired four games into the 2006 season, never getting to reap the rewards of the 2006 draft class.

After failing to secure a position with the NFL League Office, Casserly now works for CBS on The NFL Today.

So, though Casserly has made some good decisions as a GM in the NFL (2006 Texans draft class), he has also made some bone headed decisions that have hurt the teams he was running (Heath Shuler and Buchanon come to mind).

The Browns do not need someone that is so hot and cold running their franchise. They need someone who is a proven winner that knows how to make changes and adjustments to a roster that has a long way to go before it can be competitive.

Mike Holmgren, who has stated he is interested in rebuilding the Browns, knows how to bring a franchise back from the dead.

He did it with the Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks. But, just because it is a no—brainer move that the Browns should make, does not mean Mr. Learner is going to make the right decision.

What it ultimately boils down to is this: will Learner be willing to give the keys to the franchise to someone that will be able to turn things around their way, or will he insist on keeping his hand in the decision making, even though he has proven that it is not his strong suit?

Every time Learner has made a decision, it has been the wrong one. This is a chance to either turn the franchise around or set it back even further. Hopefully for Browns fans, this will be the start of something great.