Posted by ESPN.com’s James Walker
CINCINNATI -- As the AFC North blog prepares for Sunday's 1 p.m. game between the Bengals and Baltimore Ravens, let me offer some quick thoughts on the situation with the Cleveland Browns.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Browns owner Randy Lerner plans to pursue former Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers head coach Mike Holmgren to be vice president of football operations.
This is good example of starting at the top of the food chain. Holmgren is the type of experienced and successful football voice the Browns have lacked since returning to the NFL a decade ago. According to Schefter, Holmgren wants back into the NFL and it’s his job to lose.
But keep in mind recruiting big names to Cleveland is not easy.
Last year, Lerner also started at the top of the coaching food chain by trying to get Bill Cowher, who quickly declined. Could the same situation play out with Holmgren? It’s possible, especially considering the potential openings with more successful franchises like the Washington Redskins and Carolina Panthers.
There are many questions with the Browns.
Lerner is showing his public support for Browns coach Eric Mangini. But what if Holmgren wants to choose his own coach? Is that a deal breaker for Lerner? Is that a deal breaker for Holmgren? Could Mangini and Holmgren coexist in the same building?
These are all the initial questions that come to mind in Cleveland's pursuit of Holmgren. Nonetheless, it should be an interesting next few months.
CINCINNATI -- As the AFC North blog prepares for Sunday's 1 p.m. game between the Bengals and Baltimore Ravens, let me offer some quick thoughts on the situation with the Cleveland Browns.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Browns owner Randy Lerner plans to pursue former Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers head coach Mike Holmgren to be vice president of football operations.
This is good example of starting at the top of the food chain. Holmgren is the type of experienced and successful football voice the Browns have lacked since returning to the NFL a decade ago. According to Schefter, Holmgren wants back into the NFL and it’s his job to lose.
But keep in mind recruiting big names to Cleveland is not easy.
Last year, Lerner also started at the top of the coaching food chain by trying to get Bill Cowher, who quickly declined. Could the same situation play out with Holmgren? It’s possible, especially considering the potential openings with more successful franchises like the Washington Redskins and Carolina Panthers.
There are many questions with the Browns.
Lerner is showing his public support for Browns coach Eric Mangini. But what if Holmgren wants to choose his own coach? Is that a deal breaker for Lerner? Is that a deal breaker for Holmgren? Could Mangini and Holmgren coexist in the same building?
These are all the initial questions that come to mind in Cleveland's pursuit of Holmgren. Nonetheless, it should be an interesting next few months.
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ABOUT THIS BLOG
James Walker
Walker joined ESPN.com in 2008 after three seasons covering the Cleveland Browns for the Columbus Dispatch. He also covered the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Cavaliers at the Dispatch. Walker grew up in Hyattsville, Md., before attending Temple University, graduating in 2001 with a B.A. in communications and mass media. He resides in the Cleveland area.