Well after making what I thought were good moves in Chudzinski and Turner, they go and do this.......
Update: Michael Lombardi's title in Cleveland will be VP player personnel.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 18, 2013
Why must it always be one step forward two steps back for this organization....?







Slap in the face to us browns fans
i really don't want to play the idiot, but what is wrong with this hire? i have no knowledge on the guy or situation.
"Winter is coming" - Urban Meyer
Just 2 words out of a hundred will tell you what's wrong with this guy.....Tommy Vardell.
"It's just another case of there you are". ~ Doc (1918-2012)
2 more....JaMarcus Russell. Purple drank!!
The guy has been fired from his last 4 player personnel jobs, and has been out of the league (save for some NFL Network stuff) for a while now.....He was with the Browns before and wasnt really that good in my opinion.
"Attack the Strong, Trample the Weak, Hurdle the Dead!"
-Former OSU S&C Coach Lichter
yeah, just looking at his bio i'm not impressed. Really interested to see why this guy would get a second chance with the same team.
"Winter is coming" - Urban Meyer
Ummm...they fired chudzinski twice too. So I guess it makes total sense. Let's say we are going to try and change the culture of losing. Then go hire guys who were part of that culture. Guess what I'm saying is it looks like haslam and banner have no better idea of what they're doing than anyone else who's been in charge since they came back.
As a lifelong Browns fan, I'm getting awfully tired of "rebuilding" every 2-3 years. Poor choices for coaches and management by clueless owners lead to this situation. And the player personnel decisions: Draft a 29-year old rookie quarterback? Sure. Adress a poor wide-receiving corp through the draft or free agency? Nope. <sigh>
Unfortunately, it seems like we can now put another "rebuilding" on the schedule again for 2015 or 2016.
I really hope I'm wrong and eat my words when the Browns reach the playoffs, but I'm not holding my breath.
I'm not even sure it can be called rebuilding any more. That implies there was something built there before. I think the statute of limitations may have run out on that one.
The Browns don't ever make it to rebuilding mode. They are stuck in planning mode right now with 45 sets of blueprints from 8 coaches and 6 GMs, trying to figure out what they in the hell they are supposed to be building in the first place. By the time they figure it out and decide which route to take, draw up a new blueprint, they get fired for going 4-12 or 6-9 or whatever for 2-3 years.
Lather. Rinse. Repeat.
When told OSU set school record for 50+ games this year, UFM said "That's good. We're gonna break that next year."
I always tell my wife our house is just like the Browns: in perpetual remodel.
Will he have the last word on the drafts and free agent signings or will the new GM? Browns have a terrible draft this April you'll know who the blame.
"Sherman ran an option play right through the south" - Greatest.Civil.War.Analogy.Ever
Pro Football Talk makes it sound like Lombardi is the G.M. and VP of Player Personnel is an additional title he holds.
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/01/18/mike-lombardi-interviews-with-browns-today/
I can hear the Commish now...
"With the sixth pick in the 2013 NFL Draft, the Cleveland Browns select, Denard Robinson, wide receiver, Michigan"
"Sherman ran an option play right through the south" - Greatest.Civil.War.Analogy.Ever
You're walking a real fine line there, buddy.
"Attack the Strong, Trample the Weak, Hurdle the Dead!"
-Former OSU S&C Coach Lichter
Sorry, it was the most absurd thing I could think of, much like the reasoning behind this hire.
"Sherman ran an option play right through the south" - Greatest.Civil.War.Analogy.Ever
Could be worse:
"After trading up to get the 3rd pick in the NFL draft, the Cleveland Browns select Denard Robinson, quarterback, Michigan"
Wow. Just wow.
-The Aristocrats!
Terrible...Absolutely terrible...
saw a stat, that when he and Belichek were in charge of the Browns draft in the early 90's that 15 of their 40 draft choices never even made the opening day roster, and that they only drafted one pro bowler.
I remember those years. This guy just can't evaluate talent.
Bad move Mr. Banner and Mr. Haslem!! This Guy's resume has more failure in it than Notre Dames Investigators. He failed in Cleveland once, I have a horrible feeling he will again. First two things that come to mind....he hated the Josh Gordon supplemental pick and he said Joe Haden was too slow to play in the NFL. Dude, you couldn't have been further off in both instances. I hate this hire
This was by far the worst hire the Browns have made. This guy is an awful, awful evaluator of talent.
What i really don't get is if that, as the general population has shown, he is such a horrible hire why are people in charge of such a large entity stupid enough to make this hire? i just don't get it.
"Winter is coming" - Urban Meyer
Thank You Factory of Sadness...
+1 for your name
I guess Matt Millen was not available. LOL!
I went back and looked at those drafts and they were just godawful. However, to be honest the years directly following him weren't much better.
Why do I have to be cursed to be the fan of such an inept organization! Browns fans deserve better.
Belichick and Ozzie Newsome had a hand in those drafts as well. Can't give one guy all of the blame and absolve the other two genius talent evaluators.
Granted, the Browns have been terrible for a long time, but I feel like they have been turning the corner from a talent standpoint the last couple of years. I generally like to give the new guys the benefit of the doubt until they prove otherwise. However, everything I've heard and read about Banner, and especially the fact that he is bringing Lombardi back leads me to believe that he is going to undo what little progress has been made recently.
I was optimistic when Haslam bought the team. Didn't take long for that to go out the window.
As a life long Browns fan I am not going to jump off a cliff or go on a bender(well still might go on a bender) until I see what happens. Just because Tony Grossi has a vendetta against him doesn't mean the guy is a complete idiot. Hell, it's not like we expect the Browns are going to be good, so if they trip and fall into success- or maybe even do know what they are doing then that's great. If not I will accept my wins graciously from Urban and crew on Saturdays and hope for the best with my Brownies.
In related news, the Browns have hired David Modell to be their chief contract negotiator...
At this point they would be futher ahead using a Ouija Board and summoning Al Davis...
Paging JaMarcus Russell...
The next Browns hire?
"Sherman ran an option play right through the south" - Greatest.Civil.War.Analogy.Ever
Oatmeal can run like a 28.4 40. Draft him!
Just Pick Oatmeal Baby!.....................
NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! Please, sombebody wake me from this nightmare!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Just when I was starting to buy into all the new hires, I now have to go back to square one. I feel like a committed recruit who just got blindsided by this hire.
We're suppose to get the " Lombardi Trophy" NOT the GUY Named Mike 'Lombardi". Geez
I've heard Joe Banner is a real a-hole. My guess is nobody wanted to work with the guy, so that's why we got stuck with this turd. Joe Banner was the worst hire of all IMHO.
Presser intoducimg Lombardi at 11:30. Anyone think Teo's girlfriend will show up too?
In hologram form.
Exactly. With Tupac. Also likely in attendance, a unicorn, the Tooth Fairy and Big Foot.
Keep Calm and Ignore the Trolls.
Phil Savage would have been a more respectable hire here. Why would you make this move when you know your team will face a huge PR backlash? Any move this guy makes will be thought of as terrible right out of the gate. Nightmare for the Browns. I'll see you next Sunday.
I would've taken Phil Savage as well. I wouldn't have minded Ray Farmer either.
If you thought Chud and Turner were good hires and Lombardi bad, wouldn't that make it two steps forward and one back?
I'm just....whatever. I feel like I'm in an abusive relationship. I mean, I get slapped around. Then they apologize and say it won't happen again. I believe them...and stay around. Then pow, right in the kisser. They won't change...but I still think they will. Is there a hotline for this? Seriously cleveland, you make me feel abused. But I love you. Its a vicious cycle.
Speechless although I note that William and I agree for possibly the first time ever on a topic related to the Browns
Well done
I think you're right. This may be a first. Scary stuff haha.
Can you Browns fans start a petition & demand he's fired before the offseason really gets going? Hell, I can only imagine the conniption "T-Bone" is going to have today on the Fan, should be entertaining.
"Leave...Your...Mark..."
Today at the presser...Lombardi: "I'm not the same guy I was 20 years ago".
Really?
"It's just another case of there you are". ~ Doc (1918-2012)
He's right. Today he's like 50 pounds or so heavier.
Hey BROWNS fans, maybe this will help put you guys at ease: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1490404-mike-lombardi-will-have-minimal-impact-on-browns-rebuilding-process
"Step back from the ledge, Cleveland Browns fans.
NFL analyst and former personnel man Michael Lombardi has been hired as the vice president of player personnel, according to the team’s website. He is not the team’s general manager and will likely not have final say on draft-day decisions and trades."
"Leave...Your...Mark..."
So who will have final say on draft picks and trades, Banner? Is that supposed to make me feel better?
[jumps off ledge]
Good question. Are they gonna hire a GM or not? And who will have final say?
I had heard that Chudzinski was going to essentially break down the roster and request for certain types or molds of players that he would want, and that then Banner/Chudzinksi/Lombardi would all collaborate about their possible picks, with the final say coming to Banner.
Looks like the Browns have hired former Steelers assistant and most recently Cardinals DC, Ray Horton as their DC. I think it's a solid hire. He was up for several head coaching positions, including in Cleveland and Arizona.
Although I believe he runs a 3-4
ugh to moving to a 3-4. Let the dumpster fire continue.
~Because we couldn't go for three~
don't know enough to comment although that has never stopped me before. Anyone know what tupe of defene he runs?
Again, I hate to be negative out of the gate, and he may be a great coach, but for a team that has some of its best players as 4-3 defensive lineman who probably cannot make the switch (I can't see Sheard at LB or Taylor at DE), and is thin on LB's, it just seems like another step backwards (at least initially).
As a long suffering Bengals fan it always brings me comfort to think that even though the Bengals have been historically horrible, they aren't even the worst team in the state!............lol
"Because I couldn't go for 3"
Give me break. Let's not act like the Bengals are some great franchise.
Browns have last won a playoff game and they were gone for a while. The bungles are their own debacle. Maybe some of the local high schools can pitch in and build them an indoor practice facility.
The 3-4 thing really gets my goat. The D was SOOOO close to being good. For the first time since the 99 return, the Browns were getting pressure on opposing QBs. Heckert was finding gems in late rounds and hitting in the first and second round (Weeden remains to be seen but: Sheard, Hayden, Gordon, Taylor,Ward,Pinkston, and Schwartz all seem to be nice choices).
I would have put up with Shurmur's, at times inept, game managing to keep Heckert around. I liked the Chud, and Norv hire but 3-4 and Lombardi are killing me. Truthfully, I am not sure how much more losing I can take. I have been a fan since 1992 about 21 years. In that time the Cleveland Browns have had 3 winning seasons. Let that sink in- 3. 3 in 21 years. So many "next years." At a certain point its time to move on.
At least I have the Buckeyes. The Buckeyes over the last 10 years have been undefeated twice and went to 3 championship games (woulda been 4 without the bowl ban). 3 winning seasons in 21 years v 3 championship seasons and a NC in half the time.
So they hire a HC who no one else was talking to. They hire a personnel guy who no one has talked to for an actual football job in years. Why do I get the idea they are trying to prove that they are smarter than everyone else?
I'm not saying these hires will work out. But its not unprecedented. Banner did hire Andy Reid in Philly when Reid was an unknown guy who'd been an offensive assistant with zero head coaching experience, and many in Philly hated the hire because there were several guys interviewed who had more experience. Despite how it ended, I'd say the Reid hire was a success.
No argument on Andy Reid. And I don't necessarily think Chud was a bad hire, but I hate the Lombardi hire. My main concern is that Banner, who is more of an administrator than a football guy, seems to be insinuating himself into every aspect of football operations and hiring people that he can control rather than hiring capable people and letting them do their jobs. I just have a bad feeling that Banner is going to end up being on a list with Modell and LBJ. I really hope I am wrong.
Joe banner is the gm. Lombardi will be his bitch/ whipping boy.
O'Deez330
stark county football
ugh.... how has that been working out for Jerry Jones?
~Because we couldn't go for three~
I didn't hate the Chud hiring. I loved the Turner hiring and I love the Horton hiring.
I am not too familiar with Lombardi but I don't like what I am hearing.
Jim Nantz on fire on a local radio show imploring Cleveland fans to give Lombardi a chance. He also is pissed at local writers for vendettas they may have against Lombardi. Interesting listen.
http://cleveland.cbslocal.com/2013/01/18/jim-nantz-says-fans-dont-really...
............I still wouldn't piss on him
I must say that this made me feel much better. I guess we'll wait and see.
http://cleveland.cbslocal.com/2013/01/18/jim-nantz-says-fans-dont-really-know-lombardi/
i think everyone who posted on this forum needs to listen to this. Great info on Mike Lombardi