Johnny Manziel: Swan Won't Return His Calls

[Tornicade]

ray farmer, Kyle shanahan, Mike Pettine+,schreiner are all banner men.
Banner stepping aside allows these guys to do and use the skills he hired them for.

Theres alot more continuity within the browns than on the surface.

The problem with what Haslem brought in the first year was the combination of Lombardi and Banner just didnt work. furthermore there are rumours that suggest Banner was looking to come out with more power.

It was clear that Banner shouldnt be calling the shots on the roster but he did do a fantastic job at recognizing front off ice talent.
Haslem seemed to come to the conclusion to let the guys banner brought in do the job they were supposed to.
Haslem managed to change out his gm,President and head coach without starting from scratch.

Haslem also made sure to structure it so the coach, president and gm all report to him which establishes a direct line of accountability for operations, personnel and team management.

farmer also appears to have drafted a much stronger group of the players this off season compared to what the lombardi/banner team were putting together on the whole.

The leadership in the browns organization seem to be working together instead of against each other

 

[MalTalm]

ray farmer, Kyle shanahan, Mike Pettine+,schreiner are all banner men.
Banner stepping aside allows these guys to do and use the skills he hired them for.

Theres alot more continuity within the browns than on the surface.

The problem with what Haslem brought in the first year was the combination of Lombardi and Banner just didnt work. furthermore there are rumours that suggest Banner was looking to come out with more power.

It was clear that Banner shouldnt be calling the shots on the roster but he did do a fantastic job at recognizing front off ice talent.
Haslem seemed to come to the conclusion to let the guys banner brought in do the job they were supposed to.
Haslem managed to change out his gm,President and head coach without starting from scratch.

Haslem also made sure to structure it so the coach, president and gm all report to him which establishes a direct line of accountability for operations, personnel and team management.

farmer also appears to have drafted a much stronger group of the players this off season compared to what the lombardi/banner team were putting together on the whole.

The leadership in the browns organization seem to be working together instead of against each other

Everything about this is absurd. The combination of Banner and Lombardi didn't work after one season. One season which largely was punted if you consider how the Browns essentially traded out of last year's draft to pick up some better picks this year. Rumors or no, Banner was team president, I'm not exactly sure how there could be a "power struggle." He'd be involved in all decisions from the top down, with significant say in the process. Are you implying he was stepping on Lombardi's toes? I imagine Lombardi had agreed to those terms when he was hired. Perhaps he wanted more say on personnel decisions the coach made? I could see that, but without knowing the details of any disagreement, it's hard to say what should have been done.

But onto the next point: Haslam absolutely didn't succeed on changing out important roles in the organization without "starting from scratch." I mean, yes, there are still a significant amount of Browns staffers who had jobs prior to Haslam's razing of the front office who still have jobs, but everything about the structure of this organization has shifted dramatically. There is a new chain of command, we are installing a new offense and new defense with a completely new coaching staff, and we have a rookie GM taking control of the future of the organization. This is as close to a complete reboot we could get without simply annexing the team and starting over.

On to Farmer draft prowess: I have absolutely no idea how you can draw any conclusion on that before one game has been played. Banner and Lombardi combined for, what, 4 draft picks? They managed to turn TRich into a 1st round pick as well, they deserve credit for that, but essentially Banner and Lombardi got to pick one marquee player in Mingo. It's still way too soon to draw any conclusions on him, but he at least looks like he belongs in the league. (That's a significant upgrade for this franchise's history of 1st round picks in the past decade) Meanwhile, Farmer benefited from having a trove of selections due to Banner's long term thought process in punting on the draft last season. Whether or not he capitalized on that certainly remains to be seen. Will Gilbert pan out? He's had some struggles in the offseason. (I expect he'll be fine tbh, but still an unknown currently). Will Manziel succeed at QB? In a draft lacking top end talent but very deep in terms of "solid" prospects, we took a big risk drafting Manziel in the 1st. If he doesn't pan out, there's almost certainly a 10 year starter we passed on who could have helped this team for the next decade.

In the end, it's almost impossible to draw any significant comparisons, simply because 1 year isn't long enough to judge the tenure and decision making of a front office. It's clear Banner and Lombardi had a 5 year plan, but were released only a year into it. I wasn't a big fan of the FO whatsoever, but I'm with Keys on this one. Haslam absolutely needs to give guys some window to execute their vision.

Let me put it this way: If Gilbert struggles this season in coverage and doesn't crack the starting rotation, and Manziel is a dumpster fire of a QB, should Farmer be fired after this season? If this team goes 3-13 and underperforms the low bar set by Chud, should Pettine be fired after a year? If your answer to either of those questions is "no, they need more time" What specifically is different between Farmer and Pettine's positions than Lombanner and Chuds?

 

[The Oi]

Lombardi was just a horrible hire from the beginning. And Banner truly did not seem qualified to have any input whatsoever into personnel decisions given his background.

I'm honestly glad that FO was ditched. With that said, on paper the guys in the office right now at least make some logical sense and would appear to be qualified for their positions, with Farmer being the primary example of a guy who's resume looks perfect for the job.

Who knows whether it'll pan out. It really never does, so I get Browns fans being wary of anything this franchise does regardless of the owner, front office, coach or personnel.

 

[Soda]

Lombardi was just a horrible hire from the beginning. And Banner truly did not seem qualified to have any input whatsoever into personnel decisions given his background.

I'm honestly glad that FO was ditched. With that said, on paper the guys in the office right now at least make some logical sense and would appear to be qualified for their positions, with Farmer being the primary example of a guy who's resume looks perfect for the job.

Who knows whether it'll pan out. It really never does, so I get Browns fans being wary of anything this franchise does regardless of the owner, front office, coach or personnel.

I honestly still wonder...

 

[The Oi]

I to this day do not understand twitter. And I swear to God I've tried. Who said what there?

Richardson and Weeden remains the worst two pick 1st round combo I can think of from an NFL team.

 

[MalTalm]

Lombardi was just a horrible hire from the beginning. And Banner truly did not seem qualified to have any input whatsoever into personnel decisions given his background.

I'm honestly glad that FO was ditched. With that said, on paper the guys in the office right now at least make some logical sense and would appear to be qualified for their positions, with Farmer being the primary example of a guy who's resume looks perfect for the job.

Who knows whether it'll pan out. It really never does, so I get Browns fans being wary of anything this franchise does regardless of the owner, front office, coach or personnel.

I hated that FO too, but the point is, they were brought in by Haslam. If he's going to hire the guys, it should be because he has faith in their ability to see their vision through. Firing them after one season is absurd, is, if he had such little confidence in their abilities, they shouldn't have had the job in the first place.

Hopefully we've got it right now, but time will tell. I'm not so sure Pettine is a long term solution, and Farmer's credentials are solid, but not exactly super-star worthy.

All I'm saying is, we can't ever really judge Lombardi and Banner, they weren't here long enough to fuck things up royally. And when you look at the sum of the parts, they weren't a complete dumpster fire: They loaded up on assets, unloaded bad picks made by the previous regime for what seems to be above market value (a move I admittedly killed them for at the time) and seemed to have their eyes on this season.

My question still remains: If this team performs at or below the level they were at last year (call me a pessimist, I actually would be surprised if they did better this season than last) do Farmer and Pettine keep their jobs where Chud and the 2 stooges lost theirs? And if so, what's changed? What would Pettine and Farmer have proved that the other 3 did not?

 

[Soda]

I to this day do not understand twitter. And I swear to God I've tried. Who said what there?

Richardson and Weeden remains the worst two pick 1st round combo I can think of from an NFL team.

Someone basically ripped on Banner for having that shitty draft and he said, in all caps, that it wasn't him making those picks....

Banner joined Twitter like last week and hasn't shut up.

 

[Phills14]

Banner is an interesting follow on twitter.

I thought Banner and Lombardi did some good things here. Honestly, they were the ones that put the ball on the tee for this off season. They traded low round picks in a bad draft for higher picks in a much better draft, they traded T-Rich for $0.95 on the dollar where he'd get you $0.05 now and they gave the team a tremendous cap situation.

Still their personalities and the way they controlled or failed to control the media is what doomed them. They were so grating and unlikeable as personalities, their controversial moves were not given the benefit of the doubt but they were immediately and relentlessly ridiculed by the local media which turned the fans against them. They also failed miserably in the coaching search. The fact they did it twice in 2 years was troubling enough but even more so was they were perceived, right or wrong, to be on the 4th-5th-6th-7th options after being turned down each year.

 

[Simmy]

http://www.ohio.com/news/break-news...ohnny-cleveland-1.519635#.VAjIN7PEKiE.twitter

Johnny Manziel not only wants to wreck the NFL, he also wants to own Cleveland.

The Browns rookie has undertaken steps to trademark the phrase “Johnny Cleveland.”

Filed last month, the application is among at least 10 that Manziel and his marketing company are seeking through the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office.

A Strongsville man and a man from California earlier this year were denied a trademark for Johnny Cleveland. In their applications, the men sought to make apparel bearing a Johnny Cleveland label.

The government office cited the moniker’s close association with Manziel, records show.

Manziel’s application for Johnny Cleveland is expected to take several months before a decision is made.

In the application, his marketing company, JMAN2 Enterprises LLC, asks for trademark protection for Johnny Cleveland on all sorts of athletic garb — from shirts, pants and jackets to padded elbow compression sleeves, padded shirts and “women’s athletic tops with built-in bras.”

A search of the trademark index shows Johnny-anything has been a popular application since Manziel became known nationally as Johnny Football during his Heisman Trophy season in 2012 at Texas A&M.

In fact, two Texas apparel companies tried but failed to have Johnny Heisman trademarked in 2013.

Applications have come and gone for Johnny Dawg Pound, Johnny Hemp and Johnny Middlefinger, which was denied months before Manziel’s infamous bird flip during a preseason game last month against Washington.

Other applications — sometime naughty, some nice — are being sought. A Pennsylvania man wants to sell shirts bearing the words Johnny Fragile, either thinking Manziel is Italian or injury prone.

Another Pennsylvania man is trying for Johnny Benchwarmer, a reference to Manziel’s current second-string status as he heads into Sunday’s season opener at Pittsburgh.

Johnny Man’z Ale, a trademark for a beer, is being sought by a Clevelander. Earlier this year, the Beacon Journal reported the ale moniker was used by a different man who was an amateur brewer looking for a name for his new Belgian-style golden ale.

 

[GaryBriggs]

Banner is an interesting follow on twitter.

I thought Banner and Lombardi did some good things here. Honestly, they were the ones that put the ball on the tee for this off season. They traded low round picks in a bad draft for higher picks in a much better draft, they traded T-Rich for $0.95 on the dollar where he'd get you $0.05 now and they gave the team a tremendous cap situation.

Still their personalities and the way they controlled or failed to control the media is what doomed them. They were so grating and unlikeable as personalities, their controversial moves were not given the benefit of the doubt but they were immediately and relentlessly ridiculed by the local media which turned the fans against them. They also failed miserably in the coaching search. The fact they did it twice in 2 years was troubling enough but even more so was they were perceived, right or wrong, to be on the 4th-5th-6th-7th options after being turned down each year.

Couldn't agree with this more. Particularly the part about handling the media, and Grossi in particular. That's definitely part of the job, and the piece that they did the worst with. It's also the piece that least impacts the actual team, so I'd probably also give that the shortest shrift if it were me.

 

[Tornicade]

Everything about this is absurd. The combination of Banner and Lombardi didn't work after one season. One season which largely was punted if you consider how the Browns essentially traded out of last year's draft to pick up some better picks this year. Rumors or no, Banner was team president, I'm not exactly sure how there could be a "power struggle." He'd be involved in all decisions from the top down, with significant say in the process. Are you implying he was stepping on Lombardi's toes? I imagine Lombardi had agreed to those terms when he was hired. Perhaps he wanted more say on personnel decisions the coach made? I could see that, but without knowing the details of any disagreement, it's hard to say what should have been done.

But onto the next point: Haslam absolutely didn't succeed on changing out important roles in the organization without "starting from scratch." I mean, yes, there are still a significant amount of Browns staffers who had jobs prior to Haslam's razing of the front office who still have jobs, but everything about the structure of this organization has shifted dramatically. There is a new chain of command, we are installing a new offense and new defense with a completely new coaching staff, and we have a rookie GM taking control of the future of the organization. This is as close to a complete reboot we could get without simply annexing the team and starting over.

On to Farmer draft prowess: I have absolutely no idea how you can draw any conclusion on that before one game has been played. Banner and Lombardi combined for, what, 4 draft picks? They managed to turn TRich into a 1st round pick as well, they deserve credit for that, but essentially Banner and Lombardi got to pick one marquee player in Mingo. It's still way too soon to draw any conclusions on him, but he at least looks like he belongs in the league. (That's a significant upgrade for this franchise's history of 1st round picks in the past decade) Meanwhile, Farmer benefited from having a trove of selections due to Banner's long term thought process in punting on the draft last season. Whether or not he capitalized on that certainly remains to be seen. Will Gilbert pan out? He's had some struggles in the offseason. (I expect he'll be fine tbh, but still an unknown currently). Will Manziel succeed at QB? In a draft lacking top end talent but very deep in terms of "solid" prospects, we took a big risk drafting Manziel in the 1st. If he doesn't pan out, there's almost certainly a 10 year starter we passed on who could have helped this team for the next decade.

In the end, it's almost impossible to draw any significant comparisons, simply because 1 year isn't long enough to judge the tenure and decision making of a front office. It's clear Banner and Lombardi had a 5 year plan, but were released only a year into it. I wasn't a big fan of the FO whatsoever, but I'm with Keys on this one. Haslam absolutely needs to give guys some window to execute their vision.

Let me put it this way: If Gilbert struggles this season in coverage and doesn't crack the starting rotation, and Manziel is a dumpster fire of a QB, should Farmer be fired after this season? If this team goes 3-13 and underperforms the low bar set by Chud, should Pettine be fired after a year? If your answer to either of those questions is "no, they need more time" What specifically is different between Farmer and Pettine's positions than Lombanner and Chuds?

OKay im not sure ywhat your saying here.. that Haslam after seeing lombardi in action should of kept him to maintain conitnuity.

Chud didnt report Haslam. Chud was a sacrificial lamb by two guys keeping trying to keep their job.

why keep lombardi when Ray Farmer was getting prepped for the gm job.

the current front office big shots were all hired by banner . everything is the same except for lombardi isnt messing up the personell decisions and Banner isnt vetoing farmers and shreiners moves.

Banner brought in alot fo talent and up and comers into the browns front office. He wanted more power tha haslam was willing to give after seeing 12 months of questionable decisions.

its additiona by subtraction and the only casualty was chud.

you guys rip banner and lombardi on one hand then rip haslam for getting rid of them.

is farmer an upgrade to lombardi? I think so
is Schriner as solid exec who wont meddle in the football stuff.... i believe so.

Did Halsem by having all three incliding the coach now report to him a structure that will keep the browns on mostly the same page? it certainly seems so

Haslam didnt bring in guys from the outside . he brought up guys within who were a part of bringing the coach in. he also made it so the coach doesnt answer to the gm or president and the gm doesnt answer to the president.

Haslams doing a good job at building the team from the top.

Banner brought in the blue chip front office guys - mission accomplished.

Lombardi was just a bad hire all around. problem solved

As far as farmer he has a strong pedigree and has been getting props around the league and he was smart enough to turn down the miami job.
the question is.. is he better than lombardi. I think he is. apparently your not so sure.. while thats your opinion.. its far from absurd.

Schriener or however you spell his name doesn have to sign off or make team personell decisions. thats already a better situation than what the browns had with banner. let him run the business side.

people have clear defined roles and all of the guys on the front office side are guys who were brought in when haslam took over.

thats a bit different than bringin in a whole new regime.

 

[AZ_]

It's nice when Torn can educate us about the clarity of the roles in the front office.

With almost no information whatsoever, it's hard not to believe everything he's speculating to be 100 percent accurate.

 

[Randolphkeys]

Torn has entered year two of trolling the shit out of the Browns board full steam ahead, with no regard for human grammar.

At this point, nobody has suggested Johnny Football play a significant role for the Browns because he is universally considered not ready.

Let's see how long it lasts...

 

[Tornicade]

It's nice when Torn can educate us about the clarity of the roles in the front office.

With almost no information whatsoever, it's hard not to believe everything he's speculating to be 100 percent accurate.

you want sources ?

Mar 5, 2013 - The Browns today named Ray Farmer as the club's Assistant General Manager and changed Mike Lombardi's title to General Manager.

Mike Lombardi's title from Vice President / Player Personnel to General Manager and hired former Chiefs Director of Pro Personnel Ray Farmer as assistant general manager.

now typically a vice president reports to the president.

Alec Sheiner. 8 years of working for Jerry Jones.

Sheiner has the same title

Scheiner, 39, will join Cleveland after eight years with the Cowboys. He was senior vice president and general counsel with Dallas the last five years.

AFC North blog

ESPN.com's Jamison Hensley writes about all things AFC North in his division blog.

• Blog network: NFL Nation

"Alec and I started talking last June. We had a series of meetings," Banner said. "We just felt like it was a great fit. He's going to impact the organization in a lot of ways."

alec doesnt report to joe banner anymore he reports directly to Haslam . he doesnt anymore.

and from haslams own mouth

Joe was obviously solely instrumental in bringing Alec Scheiner, our president, who will continue to run our business operations in place, and played a key role in hiring (Browns Head) Coach (Mike) Pettine and in bringing in (Browns general manager) Ray Farmer to our organization and ensuring that Ray Farmer did stay with our organization. Joe and I, after a lot of conversation, mutually agreed that it was best for the organization if we streamlined things, where accountability and reporting lines were much clearer. Accordingly, effective today, we’ve announced that Alec Scheiner, as I mentioned earlier, will run our business side and remain as president, Mike Pettine will obviously be the head coach and Ray Farmer will be our GM. We will not have a CEO, and those three people will report directly to me.

 

[AZ_]

Weren't you just chastising us all for having to wait for "insider sources" and beat writers to report this?

Weak.