If Holmgren is gonna hire a GM then what exactly is he going to be doing to fill his days? Will Heckert handle the contracts and negotiations while Holmgren does the scouting and drafting? Does this forebode a future move back into coaching for Holmgren?
I don’t know, actually. Something like Parcells in Miami, I guess - they have a full time GM, right? A guy to delegate responsibilities, supervise thing, resolve issues, offer advice on coordinators and prospects and stuff.
I’m in Philly right now and it’s making me very unhappy. And I’ve only been here a few hours. 
Better mustache.
The Browns, after promising Cribbs they’d take care of him all year, offered him a contract in the 1.4m per year range. People often complain about athletes being overpaid, but this is the first time I’ve pretty much seen an entire fanbase begging a team to pay someone more, and I agree with them. 1.4m is pathetic for everything he does. He’s done everything he’s asked of him with great enthusiasm, he’s a model teammate, and from what I hear, a genuinely good guy, and they’re trying to lowball him.
Yeah, they have him by the balls because he has 3 years left on his contract, but FFS with all the overpaying that goes around on the NFL you can afford to do the right thing and pay him decently. I don’t even mean a bank breaker, just give him a decent signing bonus with a modest extension and maybe 4m a year. FFS he’s one of the few players who actually wants to be here and you’re going to make him hate you.
He apparently posted this on his twitter a few hours ago:
"Thanks everyone, I love playing for the browns & put my all in to it, but it doesn’t look good 4me at this point on returning… "
“I don’t believe I made the to do list for the team in 2010…”
I assume (hope) it’s posturing and normally I hate that shit, but in this case I think something nasty might’ve went down - maybe Mangini told him all year that he’d get taken care of, and now Mangini could be on his way out and Holmgren is lowballing him. He has a right to be pissed. Stupid fucking team overpays shitty free agents but we can’t give a modest salary to one of the best players on our team.
But he’s just a special teamer. 4m a year for a special teamer would be obscenely overpriced, akin to paying a QB 20m a year. I think 1.4m might be a touch low, but not by much. I wuld be stunned if he cracked 2m a year anywhere in the league.
He’s not just a special teamer. His wildcat plays were instrumental in a few wins this year, and he contributes everywhere they put him. He is probably the best special teamer in history. Not only is he a great kick and punt returner, but he’s the key man on coverage too. He’s the guy that’s making plays to down punts at the 1, or hitting the opposing returner hard enough to cause a fumble. He single handedly lead to at least 3 or 4 wins in 2007, our only good year in recent history, and probably some wins in other years too. He does everything, he’s clutch, and the team rallies around him. He’s constantly making game changing plays. He’s “only a special teamer”, but he’s easily one of the 3 most valuable players on the team. He wouldn’t be overpaid at 8m a year, considering everything he does for the team. There are certainly players that make more and contribute less.
Ha! You should have posted that nugget in the “Sixburgh Going Somewhere Something Something” thread.
Sadly, Mangini will probably trade Harrison to the Jets for a seventh round pick and a bag of footballs, and somehow the Browns starting RB will still be Jamal Lewis.
Cribbs’ agent basically said in an ESPN article I read that “They (The Browns) may think they have three years, but they actually have NO years” or some such, going on to indicate that Cribbs would demand a trade. That would suck for you guys, he’s an intriguing and exciting player. Maybe Craig Stadler, er, Andy Reid, er, Mike Holmgren will pony up the dough to keep him.
He has 3 years left on a contract and he can’t really demand shit. But he’s beloved by the fanbase and valuable to the team and he’s always been a standup guy. He’s been underpaid for 2 years now and he’s kept his mouth shut because successive front offices have promised to take care of him - first Phil Savage, who got fired, and then possibly Mangini. The article seems to state that Holmgren approved of the lowball offer, so I can see why he’s pissed. There’s no reason not to pay him at least as much as someone like Roscoe Parrish makes (IIRC over 3m). He’s a team leader and the way they’re treating him is going to damage team morale.
Can morale drop below 0?
The team played hard enough to win 4 straight at the end when they very well could’ve packed it in - it’s something to build on.
From http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d8158f951&template=with-video-with-comments&confirm=true:
Fucking fantastic.
I don’t even know why this is such an issue now. Holmgren has an insanely busy week and doesn’t have time to deal with this shit, so he would’ve been very justified in saying hey, let’s get to this in a few weeks. But the other article says he approved of the lowball offer, which is not going to endear him to anyone.
Lets hope the Cleveland papers break out the pitchforks and get Holmgren’s ass-a-roasting.
Mmmm… Director of Football Operations s’mores.
Why is a certain scene from Young Frankenstein popping into my mind?
Heard Cribbs on the radio this morning (NFL Radio on Sirius). He sounded pretty hurt, actually, by the offer. He didn’t say as much, and it wasn’t like hhe wass demanding a shitload of money. But $1.4 mln a year? That is just ridiculous. He may just be a special teamer but you know what, he gets about 4-8 touches a game on special teams and he can change games with his ability. He can change field position, a threat to score a TD, he in some ways can be as valuable as a game changing reciever (I am not saying he is, mind you). Plus he is so athletic that gives you soome options on offense you wouldn’t normally have. I am simply flabergasted by the $1.4 mln. And I am not even a Browns fan.
Can we have a picture of you flabbergasted?
He needs to do more on regular plays to get more respect. Of course, as screwed up as the Browns are, who knows what they would use him for next year.
Besides, I mean, really. What is he going to do, sit out and not get paid for three years? :dubious:
Looks Mangini gets another year.
I think this says interesting stuff about Holmgren, actually. Based on the language of his press conferences, I thought Mangini was gone. He talked about having to still interview Mangini, and he’d have a fair chance to make his case, and all that - but I thought the subtext was “I’ll go through the token motions and then bring in my own guy” … the fact that Holmgren was willing to honestly give Mangini a chance was unexpected. Not necesarily good of course if Mangini ends up tanking, but I was impressed that he didn’t automatically blow things up and bring his own people.
I’ve got mixed feelings about this one. I think Mangini creates an unpleasant work environment that’s going to drive off potential free agents and alienate some of his players. On the other hand, we were a 1-win team heading into the end of the season with turmoil and nothing to play for, and Mangini managed to get them rip off 4 wins in a row - so clearly the whole team hasn’t given up on him.
I’m guessing Holmgren told Mangini something to the effect of, “I’ll let you stay if you tone down the total prick shtick.”