The New Cleveland Browns Front Office

Derrick GMar 24, 2010

I'll start off by admitting after hearing about the Quinn and Wimbley trades at first I was upset, actually I was pissed. I didn't feel we got the value we could have for Quinn, and I thought Wimbley had shown enough improvement last season that his spot on the roster was safe. Obviously I was wrong (although I still think we could have gotten more for Quinn), but after I had a few hours to get over it I was reminded of this blog I was planning on writing but never got around to. It was about the new front office in Cleveland, and why they should bring optimism to Browns fans.

Although at first glance the new front office seems like an odd setup, when you look at the indivuals running it you get a sense of how they are expected to operate. Eric Mangini (coach) Tom Heckert (GM) and Mike Holmgren (president) all bring their own unique experience to the team.

Eric Mangini finished his first year as coach with 4 wins in a row, and he is the only one of the three who was a part of the organization last season. He may have gotten off to a rough start, but Mike Holmgren had a chance to fire him and didn't. To me this says a lot about what the Browns are trying to do, and I see why mangini may fit into this plan. Remember his first coaching job with the Jets? He turned the team around his first year and made the playoffs, this is what he's expected to be for the Browns. Eric Mangini is the turn-around guy, that's his role.

Tom Heckert is a GM with experience. He came from the Eagles,a perennial contender. The knock on Heckert is he took over a winning team, but the important fact here is he kept them there. The Eagles have been in the playoff hunt since Heckert took over, they compete for the NFC championship consistently. This is Heckert's role with the Browns, After the team is turned around he is expected to keep him at the top. He is the consistency guy, that's his role.

Finally the big name guy, Mike Holmgren. Holmgren is talked about as a type of "savior" for the Browns, and in a way that is true. Holmgren will help Mangini and Heckert because he's been in both those roles before, but now he has a new role. Mike Holmgren has been to multiple Super Bowls with multiple teams, now he is expected to deliver for the Browns. If Mangini is the guy to turn the team around, and Heckert is the guy to keep them at the top, Holmgren is the guy to make that final push and deliver a championship. He has done it for the Packers as a coach, he has done it for the Seahawks as coach (though the refs gave his trophy to someone else), and you could even say he has done it for San Francisco as an assistant coach. Holmgren is the championship guy, that is his role.

While it may be a new idea, you can see the structure Lerner and Holmgren may have in mind. Maybe this has only occured to me, but I can see the unique experience each piece brings. With Holmgren, Heckert, and Mangini it is about more than just hiring big names, it is about finding a new approach to the NFL front office. If it works it wont take long for other teams to follow suit, if it doesn't the Browns end up right where they startes. It may be a gamble, but it should be one that inspires hope in Browns fans. Turnaround. Consistency. Championship.