The Hill
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This morning Mike Holmgren was on the Really Big Show on KNR. This afternoon, he'll be on Bull and the Fox on 92.3. (Thanks to Phills1 and kiji for the heads-up in this thread.)
Here is a recap from his KNR interview:
The first four minutes was a discussion of Holmgren's coaching history. Some interesting stuff if you want to hear about how he developed as a coach.
Skip ahead to 6:20 if you want to hear about the Browns. (If I were listening live I would have lost my mind with them waiting so long to discuss anything topical.)
On Wide Receivers
Seemed to confirm the rumors that Plan A was Richardson, Wright and Weeden with our first three picks. When the Titans took Wright we went to plan B, which was to take Weeden at 22.
We might have an addition to the WR group by opening day, but he likes our receivers right now.
Our WR success hinges on Mo Mass. He thinks his concussions altered his play, and that he is back from those issues. Holmgren really believes in him.
Really likes Benjamin's speed.
Wanted to come out of the draft with another good WR, but it didn't unfold that way.
On QBs
Everyone (Heckert, Shurmur and Holmgren) was on the same page in regard to Weeden.
In their pre-draft interview, Weeden told Holmgren that he feels he can play for 10 years.
Holmgren thinks Weeden's play in college speaks for itself, and also likes his arm strength and throwing motion. What he likes most is his maturity. They aren't going to hand him the job; he'll have to earn it.
Just talked to Colt McCoy earlier today. Agrees that the situation he was in last year was unfair. He got beat up and we didn't have a good running game to support him.
It is Holmgren's obligation to strengthen the team when he sees an opportunity to do so. McCoy is competing for the starting job and is handling the situation well. He is a professional.
Seneca is in the mix, too. He feels Seneca has always been underrated. He can go into a game without a lot of practice reps. Good running ability helps him as well.
On Richardson and the Draft
There were three players we felt comfortable taking at 4. But after looking at team need, it became obvious that Richardson was the best choice for us.
Richardson is special for a lot of reasons. Fans are going to love him.
Said we had Andrew Luck rated No. 1 and RG3 rated No. 2 in the draft. Richardson was rated No. 3.
Thinks RG3 is going to make the Redskins better right away.
We made a play for RG3, but we had other needs that needed to be met too. When it got to a certain point, he felt the price was too high when we had so many other things to address.
On His Job and Future
Halfway through five-year contract. He is a man of his word and he feels a contract is a contract. He wants to be here to enjoy the turnaround.
He feels the president job gets confused because of how Bill Parcells approached a similar position in Miami. Parcells handled all football issues and none of the business issues.
When Holmgren got the job, Lerner asked him to handle the "whole enchilada" -- football, business, stadium issues, suite sales, etc. When he can, he gets to coaching meetings.
Holmgren's job is to help and support the coach, personnel and the rest of his staff. He is in meetings every day with Shurmur and Heckert.
He misses coaching. There is nothing like game day. But he is happy with what he is doing now.
Expectations for 2012 Season
He expects us to make a jump this year. Will not be happy if our record doesn't improve. Believes in our coach and our people. Thinks we have to persevere.
Acknowledges that we, as Clevelanders, have heard this all before. He knows it's hard to hear again. But he believes in this group and thinks we're on the right track.
Looking at last year, if just a couple plays had gone differently (mentioned the muffed snaps on field goals with the game on the line), we would have won seven or eight games.
Will be disappointed if we don't make a jump this year. (Offhandedly, he mentioned year 4 as the one where special things can happen. Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but I think that is the year of their plan when we become a threat.)
In closing, mentioned that he is very excited about this year's draft.
Here is a recap from his KNR interview:
The first four minutes was a discussion of Holmgren's coaching history. Some interesting stuff if you want to hear about how he developed as a coach.
Skip ahead to 6:20 if you want to hear about the Browns. (If I were listening live I would have lost my mind with them waiting so long to discuss anything topical.)
On Wide Receivers
Seemed to confirm the rumors that Plan A was Richardson, Wright and Weeden with our first three picks. When the Titans took Wright we went to plan B, which was to take Weeden at 22.
We might have an addition to the WR group by opening day, but he likes our receivers right now.
Our WR success hinges on Mo Mass. He thinks his concussions altered his play, and that he is back from those issues. Holmgren really believes in him.
Really likes Benjamin's speed.
Wanted to come out of the draft with another good WR, but it didn't unfold that way.
On QBs
Everyone (Heckert, Shurmur and Holmgren) was on the same page in regard to Weeden.
In their pre-draft interview, Weeden told Holmgren that he feels he can play for 10 years.
Holmgren thinks Weeden's play in college speaks for itself, and also likes his arm strength and throwing motion. What he likes most is his maturity. They aren't going to hand him the job; he'll have to earn it.
Just talked to Colt McCoy earlier today. Agrees that the situation he was in last year was unfair. He got beat up and we didn't have a good running game to support him.
It is Holmgren's obligation to strengthen the team when he sees an opportunity to do so. McCoy is competing for the starting job and is handling the situation well. He is a professional.
Seneca is in the mix, too. He feels Seneca has always been underrated. He can go into a game without a lot of practice reps. Good running ability helps him as well.
On Richardson and the Draft
There were three players we felt comfortable taking at 4. But after looking at team need, it became obvious that Richardson was the best choice for us.
Richardson is special for a lot of reasons. Fans are going to love him.
Said we had Andrew Luck rated No. 1 and RG3 rated No. 2 in the draft. Richardson was rated No. 3.
Thinks RG3 is going to make the Redskins better right away.
We made a play for RG3, but we had other needs that needed to be met too. When it got to a certain point, he felt the price was too high when we had so many other things to address.
On His Job and Future
Halfway through five-year contract. He is a man of his word and he feels a contract is a contract. He wants to be here to enjoy the turnaround.
He feels the president job gets confused because of how Bill Parcells approached a similar position in Miami. Parcells handled all football issues and none of the business issues.
When Holmgren got the job, Lerner asked him to handle the "whole enchilada" -- football, business, stadium issues, suite sales, etc. When he can, he gets to coaching meetings.
Holmgren's job is to help and support the coach, personnel and the rest of his staff. He is in meetings every day with Shurmur and Heckert.
He misses coaching. There is nothing like game day. But he is happy with what he is doing now.
Expectations for 2012 Season
He expects us to make a jump this year. Will not be happy if our record doesn't improve. Believes in our coach and our people. Thinks we have to persevere.
Acknowledges that we, as Clevelanders, have heard this all before. He knows it's hard to hear again. But he believes in this group and thinks we're on the right track.
Looking at last year, if just a couple plays had gone differently (mentioned the muffed snaps on field goals with the game on the line), we would have won seven or eight games.
Will be disappointed if we don't make a jump this year. (Offhandedly, he mentioned year 4 as the one where special things can happen. Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but I think that is the year of their plan when we become a threat.)
In closing, mentioned that he is very excited about this year's draft.