When Mike Holmgren became president of the Browns, we provided him with a 10-topic to-do list.
Gradually, he’s working through the various items.
According to the News-Herald, No. 6 has been addressed, sort of. We suggested that Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown, a member of the team’s senior management staff, be silenced.
Though Brown hasn’t been fired, he’s no longer an “Executive Adviser” to the team.
“He’s still part of the Browns family,” V.P. of media relations Neal Gulkis told the News-Herald. “He’s the greatest
running back of all time. He’ll talk with [Browns owner] Randy [
Lerner], [president] Mike [Holmgren], and [head coach] Eric [Mangini] and the players like he
has in the past. He spoke at the rookie minicamp. His role hasn’t
really changed.”
What’s changed is that Brown’s comments no longer will carry the weight of a title that placed him within the inner circle of the organization. And that’s likely the smartest move Holmgren has made.
The Browns, like the Bills, tend to give former players too much influence over the affairs of the franchise. Though former players shouldn’t be shunned, teams should be careful not to give them too much power or information.
mr. sharpton on line 3…
Jim Brown is going to kick all your asses for that!
“He’s still a member of the family, but we’ve given him a nice private room in the attic completely soundproofed so he won’t be disturbed, with a nice slot to slip in the food tray.”.
YEAH Jim Brown is the problem behind their troubles. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
… what happened to that mural that Mangini took down last year again?
We’ll file this under “B” for “Bout damn time”
now all that is left is for the team to start winning,but that wont happen for a long,long time
allday28,
Shouldn’t you be getting Brett Favre his slippers or something?
They have actually followed alot of your advice. Separating themself from Jim Brown was long overdue though. I said a long time ago that just because he was a great football player, it doesn’t qualify him to give other people advice. I can’t remember any time at all when Jim Brown has ever said anything even remotely intelligent.
“When Mike Holmgren became president of the Browns, we provided him with a 10-topic to-do list.”
While it’s easy to give Florio grief, PFT is an amazing website. But when you write things like that to a potential hall of fame coach you really sound pompus…
i’ll bet at his age that he could still kick holmgren’s ass.
hell, he could probably put the pads on and be better than any RB on the current roster.
Browns better be good after this stunt!!LOL!!
It’s about time. Jim Brown is a good man. But he’s not a football executive. And he certainly doesn’t know a thing about running a team.
HOLY CLEVELAND STEAMER!
He went on a Baltimore radio station and said all kinds of shit against Cavs fans. Hey dickhead, most cavs fans are browns fans. I don’t have to give a shit about you, you were a ghost when I was born.
Once you are out of “the circle of trust” you are out.
hey florio – did you bring up #1 and 2 during your recent sit down with eric mangini? hahahaha.
since those are now impossible, one could argue the Big Show has accomplished everything on your list except for trading jerome harrison, which was a stupid idea then and remains a stupid idea now, given the very limited return he (or any running back) would bring.
however, if you’re feeling generous, you could even give him partial credit on that one for drafting monterrio hardesty since you wrote that harrison’s replacement could be found in a draft “replete with guys who can move the chains if they get the blocking.”
Bush league move by Cleveland. Geez, how many times have people said that over the past 20 years ?? hahaha
I’m glad. Bernie Kosar actually has some business acumen and an eye for talent…Jim Brown’s advice has pretty much been disastrous. See: Maurice Clarett, among others.
Get the Rev. Jesse Jackson on the horn! First Toby Garhart ond now this! The sky is falling….
“We suggested that Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown, a member of the team’s senior management staff, be silenced.
…he’s now no longer an Executive Advisor to the team.”
You make it sound like Holmgren actually listened to you and gives a happy rat’s hiney what you say.
I can’t say silencing Brown, in favor of you, is an improvement.
About 15 years ago on a cold very rainy night I was driving slowly through the passenger arrival lane at Cleveland Hopkins Airport and out of nowhere this guy walk right in front of the car.
I slam on the brakes and miss Jim Brown by about this much. The skullcap and stare that I got are forever ingrained in my brain. I still have sleepless nights.
Could you imagine hitting and possibly killing JB? I’d have to move to Pittsburgh! Another very scary thought.
Much as I hate to say it because I hate the Clowns, this is the best move they have made in years. Jim Brown has been whispering in the owners ear for years and undermining the coach and the GM. They were never going to be successful in that situation. Now they need to dump Bernie Kosar the same way and let the team sink (hopefully) or swim (hopefully not) on the merits of Holmgren and Heckert. This had to happen if they were going to succeed. I am surprised that it did and actually unhappy about it. Jim Brown’s unneeded insertion of himself in the situation made accountability in the organization impossible. Maybe now there will be a real chain of command. That is assuming Randy Lerner lets it really happen
I thought Jim Brown died near the end of “The Dirty Dozen.”
allday28 says:
May 27, 2010 8:44 PM
YEAH Jim Brown is the problem behind their troubles. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
————————————————-
That might have been a funny comment if it made any sense. Who claimed Jim Brown is responsible for all the Browns troubles?
Obama will be scolding America for not bowing to the great Jim Brown.
i often wondered why the team employed a woman beater….He actually served no purpose, his racist black men get no respect act was old and tired when you consider that black men probably make about 75% of nfl salaries….The once greatest running back in the nfl has become like token on south park……..He should be grateful
Smartest personnel move the staff has made in quite a while. I, for one, have had enough of this cranky curmudgeon pontificating on every friggin’ thing that happens. he just sounds like a bitter, crotchety old man every time he bitches about something. Enough- he’s tarnishing his history with the franchise.
@allday28
No, Jim Brown is not THE problem. With an organization like the Browns, there are problems ALL OVER THE PLACE. Being a Bengals fan in the 90′s, I can relate. Jim Brown just had too much influence IMO and ran his mouth too much. You have to respect him as one of the all-time greats, but he had too much influence and it reeked of “too many chiefs, not enough indians” with JB always throwing in his 2 cents.
Let’s hope Holmgren had enough sense to give Mrs. Brown and advance warning that Jim’s going to be in a BAD mood tonight.
Yeah piss off the most legitimate, best player in the history of your franchise.
Jim Brown is a coward who feels like a man by beating up women. An absolute scumbag.
I guess he’s leaving with Lebron for New York.
@allday28
No, Jim Brown is not THE problem. With an organization like the Browns, there are problems ALL OVER THE PLACE. Being a Bengals fan in the 90′s, I can relate. Jim Brown just had too much influence IMO and ran his mouth too much. You have to respect him as one of the all-time greats, but he had too much influence and it reeked of “too many chiefs, not enough indians” with JB always throwing in his 2 cents.
Well I think Jim is just like everyone else. He’s been looking for a way out of Cleveland for a long time.
Yeaaahh… we’re gonna need to go ahead and move you downstairs into storage B. We have some new people coming in, and we need all the space we can get. So if you could just go ahead and pack up your stuff and move it down there, that would be terrific, OK?
Excuse me, I believe you have my stapler…
I love Jim Brown, but maybe if he didn’t pontificate every chance he got about how players have to stand up and or make statements alienating genrally over-faithful fans (like about Lebron), management might not be so gun shy about having their name attached to him.
Yea! Who asked you about LBJ, mmmOK?
To Mr Vanhelsing:
What a great line! (and probably true)
“The Browns, like the Bills, tend to give former players too much influence over the affairs of the franchise. ”
That’s obviously worked out well for both teams…
I never understood it. While a great player he was always a nasty, violent dirtbag.
Just keep him on the staff so he gets steady income. Salaries back then were a joke compared to what they are now.
Nice to see one team take care if firmer players, even if he was the greatest player they ever had.
Brown is a rancorous, ratchet-jawed trouble-maker, who is bitter about the salaries of modern day players (compared to what he made) and regrets that he pissed away theyears of his football career to go bang Hollywood starlets. Good riddance!
Yeah the Browns whould seperate themselves from Jim Browm as far as possible. When you think about it they hurt his legacy more that he hurts the organizations. Really? What has the Browns ever done besides having Jim Brown as a player??
Who cares they are still the browns …the last time they got in the big game JB was still running the ball.
“Mr Sayers? Meet your new roommate, Mr. Brown. We know you’ll enjoy each other’s company.”
Dixon29 says:
May 27, 2010 9:03 PM
allday28,
Shouldn’t you be getting Brett Favre his slippers or something?
_________
Actually I have and always will hate Favre. I cant change 16 years of hate for 1 maybe 2 years of love
yeah florio I am sure holmgren was listening to your advice when he made this and the other moves he has made to improve the browns. like listening to a lawyer is any smarter than a former player.
“What has the Browns ever done besides having Jim Brown as a player??”
how about 4 AAFC league championships (15-0 in 1948) before being admitted to the NFL and 4 more afterwards. How about complete and absolute dominance of the NFL during the golden years that helped define the NFL as it developed and grew. How about a legendary head coach who helped define the way games and teams were and helped to formulate many of the styles and plays that are in use even today? How about a team so storied that when stolen from the city in the middle of winter it was revived by direct action of the NFL itself and it’s history retained in this city for supplantation in the reincarnated franchise?
Cleveland football history is virtually unmatched.
The recent years have been a travesty. NOBODY knows this more than us lifelong Browns fans. We have stood and supported notoriously bad teams and simply miserably bad football. Finally last year we the fans made our voices heard and andy Lerner listened. He gave us a chance. He hired Mike Holmgren.
Holmgren retained Mangini, which I personally was glad to see happen. He brought in Tom Heckert, a fine football mind. He has begun the process of bringing the Browns back to their place in the elite of the NFL. This is a monumental task, and it will not happen overnight. But I believe it will happen.
The Big Show is in town. Watch what happens in that stadium down by the lake. You will be surprised.
Jim Brown in nothing more than a sterotypical wife beating black racist……Besides running the ball……….like 40 years ago……..How in the hell would anyone have him on their executive committee…He’s a walking embarrassment
Like we’ll notice or something. Yawn.
“I’m glad. Bernie Kosar actually has some business acumen and an eye for talent…Jim Brown’s advice has pretty much been disastrous. See: Maurice Clarett, among others.”
Kosar has an eye for talent? Yeah, he’s spent years watching game film and traveling to college games on scouting missions, huh?
“Yeah the Browns whould seperate themselves from Jim Browm as far as possible. When you think about it they hurt his legacy more that he hurts the organizations. Really? What has the Browns ever done besides having Jim Brown as a player??”
Well, I know the fan base gave a three year blowjob to Brady Quinn.
As a Browns fan, I’m OK with this.. We need our leadership to worry more about football and less about public relations.. If it were up to Browns fan, we would have drafted Maurice Clarette, Dustin Fox, Vernon Ghoulston, Michael Jenkins, Teddy Ginn, Troy Smith, Pepe Pearson, James Lauranitis, and Craig Krenzel..
Good decision, long overdue. Being one of the greatest to ever play the game, and one of the scariest to ever walk the planet, does not equal management experience. But I certainly wouldn’t be the one who gets tagged to tell Jim Brown, “You’re fired.”
Are you happy Mike???
allday28 says:
May 27, 2010 8:44 PM
YEAH Jim Brown is the problem behind their troubles. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
allday28 says:
May 27, 2010 8:44 PM
YEAH Jim Brown is the problem behind their troubles. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
The team Jim Brown played for didn’t have many troubles last year. They had a nice deep run into the playoffs. Somebody needs to tell him they wear purple uniforms, and they moved a few years back. Hell you might want to let him know they won it all in 2000.
You mean a racist, wife beater isn’t good PR for the team?
Maybe Cleveland finally got rid of their staph (staff) infection!!!!
Good post civilwar.
I am in no way a Brown’s fan.
But the Browns were once a class franchise.
True they have fallen into the pit of NFL cellar dwellers for a long time now. But that in no way diminishes what they had back in the day.
But this is a “what have you done for me lately” league. ANd lately the Browns have sucked.
I know Jim Brown has been way over the top many times. I know like many men who play a violent sport, that he let that violence spill over into his personal life. That is horrible and hopefully he paid the price and made up with his victim. Who knows?
But to all you haters, get over your own self-righteousness. If you have never seen Jim Brown run a football then you missed one of the truly remarkable talents the NFL has ever seen. I wish NFL films would put together a real highlight film of some of his runs. He played like he was a man among boys. He belongs on the list of all time greats. Don’t let your bigotry cloud the truth of his amazing talent. He along with Walter Payton are two of the top 3 RBs of all time. I guess Barry Sanders and maybe even Emmitt are in his class of RBs.
I am tired of hearing about a mistake that happened what, 40 years ago? Get over yourselves you hating bigots.
civilwarfish says:
May 27, 2010 11:26 PM
“What has the Browns ever done besides having Jim Brown as a player??”
how about 4 AAFC league championships (15-0 in 1948) before being admitted to the NFL and 4 more afterwards. How about………supplantation in the reincarnated franchise?
Cleveland football history is virtually unmatched.
The recent years have been a travesty………bringing the Browns back to their place in the elite of the NFL. This is a monumental task, and it will not happen overnight. But I believe it will happen.
The Big Show is in town. Watch what happens in that stadium down by the lake. You will be surprised.
—————————————-
While I appreciate your passion and you appear to have a great deal of knowledge about Cleveland, as well as understand how good Mike Holmgren is (We miss him here in Green Bay), I must point out to you that there is only one franchise that has football history that is unmatched (virtual or otherwise) with 12 championships. This includes the greatest coaches in NFL history.
The answer is and has always been the Green Bay Packers.
That was RACIST of them to let him go. Not.
Rosenthal is a tool. What a shibacle
Girthyone…I concede to the record Green Bay brings to the table. They were the successors to the Browns and preceded them as well. The coach question remains a bit more clouded. Lombardi is probably the first name that comes to mind when one asks about historical coaching excellence…but when one starts to look at the impact of any one coach, the eyes eventually must turn to Paul Brown.
But Brown also illustrates perfectly the fact that no one man, regardless who it is…can make the difference for a team, as his upstart Bengals so aptly illustrate. While his newly formed Browns immediately impacted their league, the Bengals did not. The Browns under Blanton Collier went on and continued to succeed for a good number of years in spite of Art Model, where Paul Browns Bengals remained a doormat, and with few exceptions have done so under Mike Brown’s control as well.
But yes…I will tip my hat to ya…those Packers have quite a history!
Black man gets canned…….race baiters come with comments………….thank God no one is taking the bait……….thank you for being an seemingly intelligent sports board!!!!!!!
That being said,Jim Brown is an angry old man (regardless of color) and is no different than any other old timer who cries about the old days.Love him or hate him, he sure gets people talking.IS THERE ANY OTHER REASON THE CLEVELAND BROWNS ARE BEING DISCUSSED?
He then took out a golf club and beat a few women that were at arms legnth….and take that gay african hat off..
is “florio” italian for mildly retarded?
#2 on the list makes it hard to argue that it isnt! fire mangini and replace him with mora or zorn? yea fire one bad coach and hire one of those two other bad coaches…thats intelligent!
i went thru this before re brown’s browns.
someone pointed out their gloried history pre-jim.
and note that brown quit because he knew he couldnt keep leroy kelly on the bench any longer.
i think jimmie b is where the star system came in and screwed the browns.
was he good? yes. he played from 1957-1965.
before he got there they went 110-24-4 in the aafc and nfl and won 7 championships in 10 tries, + 2 other playoff wins.
otto graham was a damn good qb hisself.
with brown the brownies went 79-34-5. and were 1-2 in championship games and 0-1 in playoffs.
their lone championship victory, like the jets, was over a blowhard colts team.
the first 8 years after brown left the browns were 71-38-3 plus 2-5 in the playoffs. i dont think they really missed him.
was he good? yes. was he the greatest ever… not really.
At least now he’ll have plenty of time to defend the actions of Milton Bradley.
dybzinski,
Great Office Space reference!
For all of you ragging on Allday28, I suggest you get a dictionary and look up the word “sarcasm”.
OVERRATED!!!
Being an exceptional athlete does not mean you know how to run a franchise. I respect Brown, but he would have been better served to politely decline the post like Marino did in Miami.
Brown tends to be too vocal about issues that he has no business sticking his nose in.
Mike Holmgren is so overrated. If you take a second look he only won the SB as a head coach with a team that was loaded from the coachinig staff all the way down to the special teams. Hell, they may have even had a pro-bowler on the practice squad that year. During his next two SB appearances he lost both and was relieved of his personnel duties in Seattle. Cleveland, enjoy!
Brown is outspoken and controversial, but is also involved in trying to make positive change, unlike many former advantaged athletes.
See website for organization founded by Jim.
http://www.amer-i-can.org/
After all this time you telling me that Mr. Brown was the cause for you guy losing like you have been doing. In I thought it was THE PLAYERS,THE COACHS OR EVEN THE DAM BIG BOSS THAT MADE’S THAT HAPPEN