Tag: Cleveland Browns (Page 43 of 57)

Broncos fire Mike Shanahan

In a rather shocking development, NFL.com is reporting that the Denver Broncos have fired head coach Mike Shanahan.

The blockbuster of the coaching season just came in: The Denver Broncos fired Mike Shanahan.
Shanahan had three years and upwards of $20 million remaining on his contract.

Shanahan, who just completed his 14th season at the helm of the Broncos, was the longest tenured coach in franchise history. He also held the title of executive vice president of football operations.
The two-time Super Bowl-winning coach guided the Broncos to nine winning seasons, seven playoff berths and three conference championships. The Broncos finished 8-8 this season, missing the playoffs for the third consecutive season.

Wow. Along with the Jets and Buccaneers, the Broncos had one of the biggest collapses in 2008. But it’s not Shanahan’s fault that the defense couldn’t tackle anybody and gave up 30 points a game. Is this a move in effort to bring in Bill Cowher? Why fire Shanahan with what will be available this offseason in terms of coaching candidates?

This surprising to say the least, but if you’re a Brown, Jet or Lions fan, you’ve got to love the fact that Shanahan is now available. Holy crap.

Is Bill Parcells getting the itch to coach again?

According to the Newark Star-Ledger, Bill Parcells might be interested in returning to the sidelines as a head coach in the near future.

One other tidbit I gathered this morning is that a certain former coach of the Giants, Patriots, Jets and Cowboys has the itch to coach again. That’s right, a source has told me Bill Parcells is telling those close to him he would consider a return to the sidelines. I’m guessing it would have to be the right opportunity for a premier franchise (Jets again????). Parcells has an out in his Dolphins contract if Wayne Huizenga sells the team, which apparently is going to happen. So far, reports have Parcells potentially jumping ship to be the GM of another franchise. But I’m hearing he would also like to coach the talent he selects.

This shouldn’t surprise anyone – especially with a couple of franchises ready for a complete overhaul. Parcells loves to take coal and polish it into a diamond, which he did in just one season this year in Miami. With the Browns, Lions and Jets in need of a head coach, its no wonder Parcells may want to coach again. (Although I wouldn’t get too excited if I were a Lion fan, because William Clay Ford Sr. already gave the GM job to Martin Mayhew on Monday and the “Big Tuna” probably wouldn’t return unless he had complete control.)

Crennel out, Cohwer tells Browns he’s not interested

The Cleveland Browns fired one coach and were told to buzz off by the one they wanted to hire. The Browns officially fired Romeo Crennel on Monday, but were told by hopeful candidate Bill Cowher that he wasn’t interested in the position.

Romeo CrennelLerner met with the media this morning to announce that Romeo Crennel has been fired as head coach.

Speculation for his replacement had been centered on Cowher for several weeks, but Lerner said Monday that he met with Cowher on Saturday night and that Cowher said he would not return to coaching in 2009 and asked Lerner to take him off the Browns list of candidates.

Cowher told Lerner that he was comfortable with his lifestyle in North Carolina at this time.

Lerner said he’s already asked for permission to talk to New England Patriots Executive Vice President Scott Pioli and that he’ll focus on the general manager role next.

Lerner also said he’s receiving permission to talk to another unnamed NFL exec. He appeared interested when informed that Eric Mangini had been fired by the New York Jets this morning. Mangini, a former Browns employee, worked with Pioli in New England.

Crennel, 61, was fired after going 24-40 in his four seasons at Browns head coach. He had three years left on his contract, which had been extended in January after he guided the Browns to a 10-6 record and just missed the playoffs.

I’m always a little leery when teams fire their head coach and immediately start looking at other coaches that were fired in the same year. Maybe Mangini would be a nice fit in Cleveland, but I think at this point the Browns need a candidate with a little more experience. I still don’t think Marty Schottenheimer would be a bad hire, although they would need to groom another coach under him because he wouldn’t be a long-term solution.

But before hiring a coach, they need to go out and get a solid GM. Then have that GM hire the head coach so that they know everyone can work together. It doesn’t make sense to hire a head coach and then a general manager if they’re going to butt heads all the time about personnel decisions.

Browns could fire Savage, Crennel by Monday

After getting trounced 31-0 by the Steelers on Sunday, the Cleveland Browns may fire general manager Phil Savage and head coach Romeo Crennel as soon as Monday.

Romeo CrennelThe Cleveland Plain Dealer reported that while Crennel likely will be fired, he could be asked to stay on with the team in another capacity.

After a surprising 2007 campaign in which they won 10 games, the Browns have been a major disappointment this season and enter Sunday’s season finale against the Pittsburgh Steelers with a 4-11 record.

Crennel, who was rewarded with a two-year contract extension through 2011 last January, has compiled just a 24-39 record in three-plus seasons. One major negative for Crennel has been an 0-7 record against the rival Steelers.

Despite Crennel’s woeful record, the Plain Dealer reported that over the last two months the Browns have received plenty of positive feedback about Crennel within the organization, leading to speculation that he may return in another role.

One scenario that has Crennel returning is if the Browns hire Patriots executive vice president Scott Pioli as the club’s new general manager. Crennel previously worked with Pioli while he was defensive coordinator of the Patriots.

The newspaper reported that Savage likely will be fired as GM or asked to relinquish his final say on the 53-man roster. If asked to give up authority on the roster, he could resign, according to the report.

Savage, in his fourth season as GM, signed a three-year contract extension through 2012 following last season.

Savage is done because the Browns want to go after Bill Cowher and they don’t want to have any lingering questions about whether or not Cowher would have the opportunity to have full control. But the Crennel situation could get interesting over the offseason. While it’s great that he’s created a positive situation in Cleveland, sometimes it’s better just to cut ties and start fresh.

NFL Week 17 Quick Hit Thoughts: Lions 0-16, Brees falls short, Big Ben hurt

Detroit Lions– With their 31-21 loss to the Green Bay Packers, the Detroit Lions wound up on the wrong side of history in 2008, finishing the season 0-16. No team in the NFL history has ever finished 0-16, but the good news for Lion fans is that owner William Clay Ford Sr. doesn’t plan on changing a thing about the organization. Yikes.

– I feel bad for Drew Brees. He needed just 16 more passing yards in the Saints’ 33-31 loss to the Panthers on Sunday to eclipse Dan Marino’s record for most passing yards in a single-season. I’m a little surprised that with Carolina’s defenders playing so far back, that Brees didn’t just zing one over the middle for 10 or 12 yards and let one of his receivers pick up the rest of the yardage. But I admire Brees for slinging it down field in an attempt to try and win the game. (I think that’s what he was doing?)

– In a nightmare situation for the Steelers in their 31-0 win over the hapless Cleveland Browns on Sunday, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was carted off the field after suffering a concussion late in the second quarter. Big Ben’s head slammed hard against the turf after he was crushed by two Brown defenders and it took the trainers nearly 15 minutes to attend to him. It’s unclear at this point the status of his health, although the Steelers do have a bye week before they host a playoff game.

– I didn’t see much of the Ravens’ 27-7 win over the Jaguars, but I do know that Baltimore is one scary looking playoff team. Their defense will allow them to compete with anyone and Joe Flacco might be playing better than any rookie in the league – including Matt Ryan.

– Peyton Manning went 7 for 7 for 95 yards and a touchdown in his final tune up before the playoffs. Whoever wins the AFC West between the Chargers and Broncos Sunday night should savor the moment because it’s going to be short-lived considering they’ll have to play Indy next weekend.

– I can’t believe how far the Bears’ defense has fallen since Chicago’s appearance in the Super Bowl two years ago. I mean, the Texans did whatever they wanted to the Bears and Chicago’s secondary made Matt Schaub look like Joe Theismann.

– According to the St. Petersburg Times, Buccaneers’ running back Cadillac Williams appears to have suffered a torn left patellar tendon in Tampa’s 31-24 loss to the Raiders. I don’t want to speculate before more information is released, but it’s a shame that such a promising career might be cut short.

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