Cleveland Browns' Mike Holmgren Should Remain in His Current Role

What a difference a year makes. With two weeks remaining in the 2010 season, the Cleveland Browns have come a long way.

A little over one year ago the Browns had a record of 1-11 and an offense chasing the record for fewest points scored in a season. Ever. A few weeks following a one-point loss to the Detroit Lions, the organization had hit rock bottom. Stuck at the drawing board a decade removed from expansion, no progress in laying the first brick to a stable foundation.

Then came the Pittsburgh game.

With an improbable victory against the Steelers, the Browns seemed to come alive. The last month of 2009 was amazing. The first exciting month of Browns football since the tumultuous run-and-shoot, play-no-defense team of 2007.

Not only did the Browns win their final four games of the season, they won by playing a brand of football we could relate to as fans. Can't throw the ball? No problem. We will just run it down your throat for four straight quarters.

The team caught fire. The players gained confidence before our eyes. All of the work demanded by Eric Mangini and staff was finally showing results, the players bought in and for the first time in a long we felt optimistic.

As we near the end of year two of the Mike Holmgren era in Cleveland, the optimism has been replaced by a sense of doom and gloom that is as irrational to fans as it is contagious.

What were your expectations coming into the season?

Did you honestly feel that the Cleveland Browns should be in playoff contention?

Let's focus on the positive for once: When was the last time you remember the Browns beating opponents like New Orleans and New England? Or the last time we witnessed a season where every game was competitive?

For once can we take a step back, see the big picture and think in terms of perspective rather than impulse?

Have things been perfect? Absolutely not.

Are there areas that need to be fixed? Only a fool would say no.

Winning is a powerful thing. Like a drug, it's addictive. When you experience it, you want more. And it magically has the power to erase the bad and make you forget the past. In this particular case, we have forgotten how bad things were.

Cleveland has held a lead in the fourth quarter of nearly every game lost this season. What some see as a negative, I see as an incredible progression by a team playing the third hardest schedule in the NFL. The 2010 Browns have lost nine games by a combined 59 points. Just one season ago we lost 11 games by 167.

As the saying goes: Mathematics allow for no vagueness or hypocrisy.

The numbers tell the story. The fact is, the Browns have improved. 

Despite the obvious progress, speculation of a coaching change continues to grow. Many among us are blinded by the romanticism and lure of a "big named" coach. Some call for Gruden, others for various coordinators. Of all the speculation that surrounds the team, one name that is mentioned greatly concerns me.

Mike Holmgren.

I'd like to remind these people that we already have Mike Holmgren. That's right people, he's on our side right now at this very moment. Why must we complicate things by calling him out of his comfortable suite? 

Mike Holmgren was 4-12 his last season in Seattle as head coach. He won less games than the Browns have this season, or even last season. He did this with a team that he personally built. Faced with no scapegoat, no excuses, nobody to point the finger of blame, he bolted.

What a tragedy if a similar situation develops in Cleveland.

Let us not forget that Mike Holmgren was hired as team president, to set the direction of the team and stabilize the front office, not coach. He is doing a fantastic job. The Cleveland Browns have eliminated the personalities that made us the punch line of jokes. The atmosphere that made winning impossible.

Berea is now void of executives cursing the fans in e-mail exchanges. The focus is now off of the awkward Randy Learner and assumed by one of the most respected men in all of football.

We have a veteran backup quarterback accepting a demotion, genuinely happy to help the progression of Colt McCoy, for the good of the team. Players now talk of cohesion, no longer fist fighting in the locker room, or referring to themselves in third person.

Holmgren recognized the lack of recognition to our storied past. He has reached out to former greats, and honored them with permanent enshrinement in name along the rim of Cleveland Browns Stadium. A simple yet telling gesture that proves that Holmgren can see the big picture.

He recognizes even the smallest details of creating a winning culture.

In a short period of time Holmgren has successfully implemented a functional front office team and hierarchy. With the appointment of Tom Heckert, the Browns have a talented young general manager. The collective effect of the moves in only one off-season finally have the Browns in the right direction.

Through the draft Cleveland has added potential stars in Joe Haden, T.J. Ward, and Colt McCoy. In utilizing trades and free agency, adding impact players like Peyton Hillis, Sheldon Brown, Chris Gocong and Scott Fujita. All of these players are outstanding additions in the process of replenishing talent.

But there is more work to be done.

Cleveland fans have perhaps the shortest fuse of any fans in the entire NFL. We seem fascinated with firing every coach who comes our way. We demand greatness and perfection, but lack the patience required for either to be established.

Why then would anyone want him exposed to these elements of unrealistic expectations?

If so many of us choose to ignore the progression we have made in only a year, by calling for Eric Mangini to be fired, what is the advantage of inviting our team president into a similar demise?

Assume for a moment that Holmgren became head coach next season.

Imagine what people would be saying after firing Mangini and taking over if God forbid he had a similar season to his last in Seattle? The entire situation is a slippery slope, that runs the risk of causing the entire franchise to collapse. Again Randy Learner would be helpless but holding the key.

Why risk that?

What is the possible advantage?

The job of revamping the Browns is not finished. Despite the success, there is more work to be done. If Holmgren is the closer in the equation, we don't even have a starting rotation yet. Finally, we have a team president who has brought stability when we needed it the most.

Aware that he may still have a desire to coach, we must proceed with caution. Chances are if we continue to call for him, he may hear us, and the unintended consequences could spell disaster.

With needs much larger than just X's and O's, please stay in the suite Mike, we need you there. We understand your desire to coach, but please understand our desire to win.