Shurmur and Heckert fired (ESPN)

[RealKingofCleve]

His team doesn't suck though. Players aren't being used properly. Guess whose fault that is?

Head coach.

Its tough to win in the NFL without a quality quarterback.

 

[TwoPistols]

I'm not really buying all of this Lombardi hype. He has been let go by at least 5 NFL teams. His track record has been terrible. He seems like a horrible person based on his tenure with Oakland, always throwing Al Davis under the bus. By simply googling him, I can't even find any real positive information on him. If Banner has a list of championship caliber replacements, then surely he has done the research, spoken with all his so called great connections, and does not have Lombardi on his list.

 

[DJTJ]

His team doesn't suck though. Players aren't being used properly. Guess whose fault that is?

Head coach.

Who's team still has a losing record? :chuckles:

He's an elite evaluator, and a great person, but he's getting canned because the on field product that he's most responsible for is a sub .500 team.

 

[Pyro]

Its tough to win in the NFL without a quality quarterback.

Well, we all know who is to blame for that, and he just left on a Magical Mystery Tour.

 

[Ruken]

Who's team still has a losing record? :chuckles:

He's an elite evaluator, and a great person, but he's getting canned because the on field product that he's most responsible for is a sub .500 team.

Please tell me what other moves you would have made in the last three years that would make us above 500

 

[DJTJ]

Please tell me what other moves you would have made in the last three years that would make us above 500

I don't get paid million of dollars to hire, fire, scout, and draft players. I understand why everyone is upset, but I really don't understand why everyone is making his exit so dramatic, when it's obvious to see reasons why he is to be let go.

 

[MoFlo]

From Pluto's column today:

ABOUT MIKE LOMBARDI . . .

Fans have been asking me where to write or call urging the Browns not to hire Mike Lombardi as the new general manager.

There's no reason to contact the Browns, other than a way to let off steam. Unless owner Jimmy Haslam and CEO Joe Banner live on Mars (they don't), they know fan and media reaction will be incredibly negative if Lombardi comes back to town.

There's also no reason to reheat all the old, harsh hash of Lombardi's problems here in the early 1990s. Or his rather undistinguished record drafting for the Browns and Oakland. Or the key fact that he's not been with an NFL team for five years.

Lombardi is glib and opinionated, making him effective in the media.

But if he comes to town, he will have absolutely no grace period with the majority of fans or media. Almost any moves made on his watch will initially be viewed with skepticism, simply because he was behind the decision.

I can't recall a single instance in the history of Cleveland sports where the hiring of someone would be greeted with such animosity.

I have three messages for Banner and Haslam:

1. If you are determined to fire Tom Heckert, at least don't hire Lombardi. There are many other options in terms of younger player-personnel guys who work in the league. They will at least be given a chance to succeed or fail by fans and media.

2. The fan base would view a Lombardi hiring as an insult. It screams, "We don't care what you think." This is not a wise way to start a new front office and ownership. Nor has Lombardi done anything to inspire confidence.

3. The most important guy in a football organization is the one drafting and picking the players. If you have the right talent, you can find the right coach. If you mess up the draft, it doesn't matter who is the coach. The GM decision is perhaps the most important move Haslam/Banner will make in terms of impacting the team for the next few years.

http://www.cleveland.com/pluto/blog/index.ssf/2012/12/hiring_mike_lombardi_as_browns.html

 

[Phills14]

Wow Smooth thanks for sharing. Mcdaniels sounds like a very Browns type of hire.

 

[Soda]

The GM decision is perhaps the most important move Haslam/Banner will make in terms of impacting the team for the next few years.

But not the most important move that Haslam himself will have made. I'm personally critical of Banner and IF Lombardi were to get hired, I want transparency on the decision and the mindset. If you don't want to take the pulse of the fans into account, at least be straight with them.

 

[caf]

I don't get paid million of dollars to hire, fire, scout, and draft players. I understand why everyone is upset, but I really don't understand why everyone is making his exit so dramatic, when it's obvious to see reasons why he is to be let go.

The reasons aren't obvious. The Cleveland Browns were a broken car... scratch that... they were a car fire.

So I take this car to the mechanic who has a parts supplier. That parts supplier obtains quality parts to repair the car. Is it his fault if the mechanic doesn't know the difference between a nut and a bolt?

You can't evaluate the GM based on anything that happens in a game except for the quality of each individual part. He is the part supplier. His job isn't making sure these parts run as on cohesive unit. That's the mechanics job. Thinking otherwise is just asinine.

 

[Soda]

Browns looking for fresh start

People who know new Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam III and CEO Joe Banner insist they are looking to provide their franchise a fresh start and a new culture, which is one reason they will fire both coach Pat Shurmur and general manager Tom Heckert, according to sources.

Wanting a fresh approach means not hiring a coach looking for a second chance such as New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, who had been linked to Cleveland as a potential head coaching candidate but is not expected to be a candidate.

Cleveland is expected to make a major run at a college coach such as Oregons Chip Kelly or Penn States Bill O'Brien or search for a bright young offensive NFL mind.

Cleveland already has hired San Diego Padres vice president Brent Stehlik as its executive vice president and chief revenue officer, a move that will be announced soon, according to league sources.

But these type of moves prove that the Browns brain-trust wants to clean up Cleveland, which entails cleaning house.

Earlier this month, the Browns hired Alec Scheiner to be their new team president. Scheiner had spent eight years with the Cowboys, including the past five as senior vice president and general counsel.

Heckert, 45, was the first person hired by former team president Mike Holmgren in 2010 and he rebuilt the Browns, infusing them with talent and adding depth to a roster that had none.

But his status became in doubt when Haslam bought the team and hired Banner to replace Holmgren.

He transformed Cleveland's roster through the draft and a few key free-agent signings. In 2012 alone, he selected running back Trent Richardson, quarterback Brandon Weeden and offensive tackle Mitchell Schwartz -- who all started as rookies -- in the first three rounds.

The Browns are 9-22 in two seasons under the 47-year-old Shurmur.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/8...ns-eye-fresh-offensive-mind-coach-sources-say

Since the NFL returned to Cleveland in 1999, the Browns have had five head coaches (not including interim). All of them are more than 10 games under .500 with the team. In those 14 seasons, the Browns have finished with a winning record just twice. Here's a look:

Years Coach W-L
2011-12 Pat Shurmur 9-22
2009-10 Eric Mangini 10-22
2005-08 Romeo Crennel 24-40
2001-04 Butch Davis 24-35
1999-00 Chris Palmer 5-27

A lot of new info from Schefty. Nothing on Saban yet, but it looks like they're going to go the younger route.

 

[JMcCurry08]

I feel better now knowing more than likely McDaniels isnt coming

 

[DCunleaded]

I liked Heckert, but he is not above criticism. With an NFL head coach, this current roster is easily a .500 team; with an offense built around its skill players, perhaps even better.

I would probably put Heckert in the top half of NFL GMs, probably even into the 8-12 range. I wish him nothing but the best in San Diego.

Oh, and fuck Mike Lombardi.

 

[Otsego Mar]

Kelly & O'Brien dont exactly do much to excite me...we'll see.

 

[AZ_]

Brent Stehlik
Senior Vice President, Business Operations

Brent Stehlik enters his third season with the Padres, his first in the role of senior vice president, business operations. Stehlik joined the Padres as senior vice president, ballpark operations in May 2010, and was promoted to his current role in October 2011. He oversees all aspects of revenue generation and marketing including ticket sales and operations, corporate sponsorships, concessions and merchandising, sales and booking of non-baseball events, revenue-generating capital projects, entertainment, marketing and creative services.

Stehlik reduced ballpark operating costs by more than $2M per year and served as the lead negotiator on contracts with outsourced building partners. In addition, Stehlik oversaw the expansion of the Padres' non-baseball events department, which led to a net profit increase of more than 120 percent and a gross profit increase of nearly 60 percent from 2010 to 2011, marking the highest profit margin since the opening of Petco Park.

Under Stehlik's leadership, the Padres in 2010 and 2011 increased annual attendance in back-to-back seasons (not following a strike) for the first time since 1988-89. In addition, the club achieved the first year-over-year increase in season ticket base in the history of PETCO Park in 2010, and did it again in 2011. New season ticket sales increased seven-fold from 2009 to 2010 and increased by another 45 percent from 2010 to 2011.

Prior to joining the Padres, Stehlik was director of business development for the National Football League's Dallas Cowboys, where he was involved in the overall ticket strategy and several key projects, including the creation of the group sales department. In addition, he focused on increasing revenues across all of the Cowboys and Legends platforms.

Stehlik has held additional roles as vice president, ticket sales and service for the Arizona Diamondbacks, chief operating officer of the Frisco RoughRiders (MiLB) and director of group sales for the Tampa Bay Lightning (NHL).

Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Stehlik graduated from the University of Mount Union in 1999, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in sport business and a double minor in business administration and computer information systems. He and his wife, Molly, have a daughter, Sophie, and two sons, Boone and Griffin.

Looks like a former colleague/connection of Alec Scheiner, who came over from Dallas.