Cleveland Browns free agency debacle with Harv – WFNY Podcast No. 468
March 10, 2016The Cleveland Browns are worse today. Period.
March 10, 2016Are you left wondering what the Cleveland Browns are doing in free agency? We are too.
Through no choice of their own, the Browns were left on the outside looking in as their four main free agents went elsewhere in Day 1. According to NFL reporter Jason Cole, the Browns front office was not prepared to negotiate with their own players. Making matters worse, agents for other players throughout the league stated that the newfangled group of negotiators was ill prepared to discuss matters with outside options as well.
“There was not a coordinated effort by the Browns front office to keep their own players, or find replacements, on the first and most critical day of free agency,” said Cole.
Cole reiterated what many others were reporting in that offensive tackle Mitchell Schwartz attempted to return to the Browns only to have his initial offer pulled off of the table by Sashi Brown and company. Schwartz, in turn, signed a very reasonable deal with the Kansas City Chiefs. It would appear that the handling of Schwartz ultimately led to center Alex Mack looking elsewhere as well.
That the Browns were unprepared for the speed and action of a day everyone in and outside of the league knew was coming speaks volumes. For a team that has horrible PR issues and is attempting to sell fans on a new, analytics-driven front office model, this could not have been the start Jimmy Haslam was looking for when he turned things over yet again. Save for extending Dwayne Bowe, Day 1 of free agency could not have gone any worse for the new front office of the Cleveland Browns.
83 Comments
Schwartz and his bro said Browns were dealing in bad faith during the negotiations. Fed Up with Berea. Off to Hotlanta.
Ya think? Don’t lawyers usually Excell at football?
Yes, I will discount report that “the Browns weren’t prepared” until we know what that even means.
As for Schwartz’s brother, Schwartz’s camp–there is no surprise that Mitchell leaving accompanies reports that the Browns weren’t prepared (whatever that means), it was a mess, etc etc. Is that surprising to you that when a player leaves, they try to show to the fans that mgmt was at fault (and that they weren’t just leaving for more money)? This is nothing new at all in sports. It’s FA 101.
What I would love is for the Browns to actually leak (although no team would ever do it) their version of events and show that they made an offer and the player wasn’t negotiating in good faith. In this case, looks like the Browns actually are suggesting this happened. See the facts as you will.
On another note–very seriously (I do legitimately want to know)–did you expect the Browns to sign 1 or all of the 4 FAs? Which ones did you think we could have signed?
Pardon me for not accepting what two brothers say in defense of each other, particularly when there are other reliable reports stating that the Schwartz team was using the Browns offer as pure leverage for a better deal elsewhere.
Introduced analytics as a major component
Not spending on free agency
Ensuring high draft picks
Losing previous draft picks due to abysmal culture
……this. sounds. familiar.
http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/9505b7f9272c4abbcd9f36993d3601f1eb450eec/c=205-0-2369-1627&r=x404&c=534×401/local/-/media/2015/11/22/USATODAY/USATODAY/635837947605573334-USP-NBA–Utah-Jazz-at-Philadelphia-76ers.jpg
When you model it after Pilot Flying J….you sure do. Which insider will wear a wire for the Feds.
Players and fans are screwed.
Actually it was the Browns who were suggesting that Schwartz wasn’t negotiating in good faith, as he was simply shopping their offer to other teams. And he went to Kansas City. But small details and such.
Don’t you need a baby walker before the tricycle.
The Ides of March are upon Cleveland . As Usual.
But Haslam is an extortionist. That’s what he does, runs everything as corrupt as possible. I’m sure he’s taking kick backs from fantasy football too.
“. . . particularly when we can almost definitely find other (younger, cheaper)
guys that can maintain the same standards, and possibly put us in
position to improve.”
I have zero confidence that this organization is going to replace these guys with better or even equal talent. I’m tired of watchinig a team with a room-temperature football IQ trying to over-think things and outsmart people.
The idea is to get better, not worse. Yes, a long-term strategy is a nice idea, but you can’t keep throwing away the short term year after year after year.
I’m not asserting that yesterday was the Browns’ plan. All I’m saying is that yesterday is not the end of the world. But I do think that the Browns have been champions of throwing away the short term year after year, in many different ways. Why not give this new way a chance? (That’s sort of tongue in cheek.)
This is not a shocking statement, this is a factual statement. Period. The team was Bad with these players, all four of whom are over-rated. And now, they are all over-paid. The Browns would have had to pay all four of these players more money to keep them in brown and orange than they were offered elsewhere.
Your rational calm in the face of impending disaster is annoying. Don’t you realize that now is the time to panic?
Yes, it was those 4 players that resulted in the 3-13 season.
You. Nailed. It.
“Try a new experiment get guys to run the team that have actual football experience.”
The Browns did this action multiple times before. How well did that turn out?
Edit: Also, If Jimmy decided to go with football people again, I doubt that the top, top football minds that could turn this team around, probably wouldn’t make themselves available due to possibly being ousted within two years. So I wouldn’t be surprised if we still have this conversation again if we went that route.
I can’t upvote this enough.
I do think the “This is are our first deals, we have to make a stand or we’ll never get a good deal done in the future” premise is at work.
Until the Browns get a stud QB, and even then, they need to accept they will have to overpay a bit.
well , Mr. Optimistic here is going to give the new FO the benefit of the doubt & wait until AFTER THE DRAFT to give an opinion … not after one day , even as ugly as it was.
#TeamRational
LMFAO !!
well , the football guys didn’t .. so …
Old Schwatz had his share of clubouse drama. He’s just as unreliable as any source.
Mitchell should be a man and put his name on it. Has he?
Deep down, I’d of liked aggressive offers to Benjamin and Schwartz but again, that should of been done 18 mos. ago – and they could of simply taken more elswhere.
i would at least give Haslam credit for visiting the top NFL , MLB & NBA organizations to see how the good franchises do things … at least he’s not set in his ways. and he’s obviously doing something very radical with his current FO.
extortionists need lovin’ too …
yeah , but at least Thomas WANTS to be here … that says a lot in my book.
LMAO !!
wow !! … “they have no clue” after only one day ?? … and we already tried guys with football experience , remember ?? … and how did that work ? give ’em a freakin’ chance !
No, but we do know for sure that Schwartz DOESN’T sign if the offer is rescinded before he gets a chance to.
wait- i don’t get it.
Dude – go easy on the guy. After all, he did sign Dwayne Bowe.
After hearing and seeing what happened yesterday, I don’t care what anyone “says” anymore. It’s all just leverage for the next deal.