Official Browns GM Search Thread

[mds]

I'm looking forward to Joshua Redman being our starting wide receiver.

 

[MoFlo]

In other words, we are essentially letting the GM pick his HC:

View: https://twitter.com/NathanZegura/status/683849844084109312


As someone stated before, they're just different titles.

Sashi is basically the GM, and the new "GM" is basically a "scouting director" type.

 

[MoFlo]

I actually think this could be an attractive job for a 1st time GM..

He'll get to concentrate solely on scouting, talent evaluating, and finding said talent.

He'd essentially get credit if it turns around, but none of the blame since Sashi has final say.

If Sashi truly is a guy who will tell Haslam no and will listen to his GM, this could work.

 

[spydy13]

@EdMonix11 mentioned the potential Chip Kelly - Ed Marynowitz pairing. Is Ed well regarded? Does he know his shit?

Are there any GM candidates connected to Gase?

Edit: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2016/01/04/browns-may-have-made-it-harder-to-hire-a-g-m/

This says that since our GM won't have say over the 53 then we can't hire away someone under contract with another team unless they give us permission. Hopefully that doesn't hurt us.

 

[Jordan]

I actually am not too pissed about the Sashi hiring. Is he inexperienced? Heck yeah. But football team-building is trending more and more towards analytics. The Panthers and Seahawks have both built their teams around a similar model. Moreover, Cardinals and Bengals have leaned towards this approach to team-building in recent years.

Essentially, on offense, you want to be able to move the ball effectively with a variety of threats. Quarterback thus will have a quick release (not to be confused with strong arm, although that never hurts) and be somewhat mobile, runningbacks will be able to catch the ball out of the backfield, tight ends will focus on improving other areas of the offense, receivers mainly speedy who can make yards after the catch.

Other metrics, such as arm strength, creative power running, precise routes, etc. are valued, but not nearly as important. This is why a player like Deangelo Williams, who is a great runningback, is frankly irrelevant and unnecessary for this type of offense.

On defense, the goal is to make your opponent's offense inefficient and one dimensional. Thus, the primary job is to stop the running game. On top of that, one wants an incredibly strong pass rush, which further reduces the opponent's passing game's efficiency.

This is opposed to the successful Belichikian and Cowherian school, where matchups are much more important than efficiency. Every defense wants to stop the run, it is how they stop the pass that makes an analytic defense. Effectively, there is a willingness to give up big plays in an analytic-heavy defense, but to do so as little as possible.

I think that was a bit of gibberish, but everyone should get the point. I wouldn't be surprised to see the Browns pursue Sean McDermott, Josh McDaniels, and Adam Gase as coaching candidates. All three have experienced analytics previously during their careers and would be a good fit with Sashi.








Dear god... We're fucked.

 

[EdMonix11]

@EdMonix11 mentioned the potential Chip Kelly - Ed Marynowitz pairing. Is Ed well regarded? Does he know his shit?

Are there any GM candidates connected to Gase?

Edit: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2016/01/04/browns-may-have-made-it-harder-to-hire-a-g-m/

This says that since our GM won't have say over the 53 then we can't hire away someone under contract with another team unless they give us permission. Hopefully that doesn't hurt us.

I think Ed Marynowitz will follow Chip, where ever he goes. Ed was the Director of Player Personnel for Nick Saban at Alabama from 2008-2011 before taking the assistant director of pro scouting job with the Eagles in 2012. Saban gives him strong recommendations consistently-- three #1 recruiting classes, two National Championships.

The Director of Player Personnel at the collegiate level is not a coach, so he can't recruit off campus, but he's the guy who pours through ALL of those HS game tapes so he can tell the coaching staff who to pursue. Mark Pantoni is in that role at Ohio State, FWIW. It's hard to say what role Ed played in their draft picks this year since Chip called the shots but I think he's the TYPE of guy the Browns will attract to the GM job-- i.e. a young guy, inexperienced, scouting background.

I think someone with a title like assistant director of player personnel, 2-3 steps below the GM, is who the Browns should target. The title will vary from team to team but it looks like the Browns REALLY limited their options in this search, if that article is correct. Wouldn't surprise me if they didn't know that was a rule.....

This will be a really tricky hire for the Browns. The top GM candidates are off the board immediately based on NFL rules and the Browns organizational structure alone-- no final roster decisions, head coach being hired first-- that's a really tough sell for even a moderate-level candidate. That's not to say this CAN'T work, because it can, but the search got a whole lot harder. The Browns are really hedging their bets on the new head coach and his opinion. That sounds like a veteran coach is likely, to me at least.

 

[gratefuldead]

I read a Sashi quote that lull posted. It sounded exactly like David griffin.

 

[spydy13]

I think Ed Marynowitz will follow Chip, where ever he goes. Ed was the Director of Player Personnel for Nick Saban at Alabama from 2008-2011 before taking the assistant director of pro scouting job with the Eagles in 2012. Saban gives him strong recommendations consistently-- three #1 recruiting classes, two National Championships.

The Director of Player Personnel at the collegiate level is not a coach, so he can't recruit off campus, but he's the guy who pours through ALL of those HS game tapes so he can tell the coaching staff who to pursue. Mark Pantoni is in that role at Ohio State, FWIW. It's hard to say what role Ed played in their draft picks this year since Chip called the shots but I think he's the TYPE of guy the Browns will attract to the GM job-- i.e. a young guy, inexperienced, scouting background.

I think someone with a title like assistant director of player personnel, 2-3 steps below the GM, is who the Browns should target. The title will vary from team to team but it looks like the Browns REALLY limited their options in this search, if that article is correct. Wouldn't surprise me if they didn't know that was a rule.....

This will be a really tricky hire for the Browns. The top GM candidates are off the board immediately based on NFL rules and the Browns organizational structure alone-- no final roster decisions, head coach being hired first-- that's a really tough sell for even a moderate-level candidate. That's not to say this CAN'T work, because it can, but the search got a whole lot harder.

Gotta hope they have something in mind, and it wasn't a decision made out of naivete.

 

[Randolphkeys]

Also, I would love to hear the thoughts of @MoFlo and @Randolphkeys right now!

Over a year ago, I compared the ownership strategy of Haslam to the ownership strategy of Sacramento Kings owner Vivek Ranidive. Both are new owners who believe their success in business will translate directly to being the main voice in every aspect of a professional sports franchise. They have both built their own visions and philosophies on what the end product should look like, and they have built a complex beurocracy of yes men around them with vague responsibilities and questionable authority.

This is how Ranidive justifies firing a good coach "because he wants to become uptempo" or Haslam gets two years of journalists asking, "Who had final say on the Manziel pick?" without a definitive answer. They can keep finishing in the bottom 20% of the league because of a watered down front office. There is absolutely no way you can fire bad owners.

Never forget, pro sports franchises are less about the community paying the sin taxes for stadium renovations than you are told. These franchises are primarily the billion dollar playthings of the uber-wealthy. If they want to screw up year after year as they slowly learn a small fraction of what the best advisors already know, well it's their right to screw up again and again, never giving away an inch of say so. They can even lose for a decade, but if they make money, they withhold the right to keep fucking up in purpetuity.

So expect a new yes man to replace the last. Just remember who is really calling the shots, and don't let Haslam blame the yes men for saying yes.

 

[Amherstcavsfan]

Bad ownership can be overcome. Carolina, Arizona and Cincy have terrible owners. All have been overcome.

 

[Real Deal]

The man with the plan.

 

[The Human Q-Tip]

I actually am not too pissed about the Sashi hiring. Is he inexperienced? Heck yeah. But football team-building is trending more and more towards analytics. The Panthers and Seahawks have both built their teams around a similar model. Moreover, Cardinals and Bengals have leaned towards this approach to team-building in recent years.

Essentially, on offense, you want to be able to move the ball effectively with a variety of threats. Quarterback thus will have a quick release (not to be confused with strong arm, although that never hurts) and be somewhat mobile, runningbacks will be able to catch the ball out of the backfield, tight ends will focus on improving other areas of the offense, receivers mainly speedy who can make yards after the catch.

Other metrics, such as arm strength, creative power running, precise routes, etc. are valued, but not nearly as important. This is why a player like Deangelo Williams, who is a great runningback, is frankly irrelevant and unnecessary for this type of offense.

On defense, the goal is to make your opponent's offense inefficient and one dimensional. Thus, the primary job is to stop the running game. On top of that, one wants an incredibly strong pass rush, which further reduces the opponent's passing game's efficiency.

This is opposed to the successful Belichikian and Cowherian school, where matchups are much more important than efficiency. Every defense wants to stop the run, it is how they stop the pass that makes an analytic defense. Effectively, there is a willingness to give up big plays in an analytic-heavy defense, but to do so as little as possible.

I think that was a bit of gibberish, but everyone should get the point. I wouldn't be surprised to see the Browns pursue Sean McDermott, Josh McDaniels, and Adam Gase as coaching candidates. All three have experienced analytics previously during their careers and would be a good fit with Sashi.








Dear god... We're fucked.

One big problem is that most non-skill positions on football don't have much truly objective data that can be used as the basis for analytics. So if that's the sole basis of knowledge of the guy making key drafting decisions (which it is in this case for all practical purposes), then he essentially knows nothing about evaluating all those players.

Having an analytics guy for input is great. Having him with final decision-making authority is not.

 

[Jordan]

One big problem is that most non-skill positions on football don't have much truly objective data that can be used as the basis for analytics. So if that's the sole basis of knowledge of the guy making key drafting decisions (which it is in this case for all practical purposes), then he essentially knows nothing about evaluating all those players.

Having an analytics guy for input is great. Having him with final decision-making authority is not.

I would argue having an analytics guy that knows other aspects of football with final decision-making authority is great. And while the NFL is clearly lagging behind basketball, baseball, and even soccer in the analytics department, there are clear ways to measure efficiency. Thus, it is these measurements that are being used by teams like the Panthers and the Seahawks, and will hopefully be utilized by the Browns.

Listen, I'm not saying I think this is the turning point for the Browns. Knowing our luck, Sashi will be surrounded by a bunch of incompetent scouts that don't know their ass from a hole in the ground. Ultimately, though, I think, all else being equal, this isn't the worst "GM" hire in recent memory. Kokinis and Farmer take the cake on that one.

 

[Binkster]

I don't think I have any confusion surrounding the structure. What I am confused about are the separation of duties.

Is the GM providing draft pick recommendations to Brown who ultimately pulls the trigger? Who is executing trades? If the coach is helping to hire the GM, is the coach technically elevated above the GM in terms of personnel?

 

[Binkster]

Also, when it comes to Brown, I've sort of talked myself into it a bit. The fact that the guy has not scouted a combine means nothing if he has analytical formulas that can spit out the perfect draft scenario and roster construction in every situation.

That might be a high level take but it makes sense on the surface.