In a stunning bit of news, the man making decisions for the Cleveland Browns disagrees heartily with the man ripping the guy making decisions for the Cleveland Browns.
After former Browns honcho Mike Holmgren said he’d quit if he were the Browns coach when management traded away last year’s No. 3 overall pick to build for the future, Browns CEO Joe Banner largely took the high road in response.
Banner, appearing on ESPN Radio’s Mike and Mike show, said current Browns coach Rob Chudzinski supported the trade which sent running back Trent Richardson to the Colts for their first-round pick next season.
“Mike’s entitled to his opinion,” Banner said, via the Cleveland Plain Dealer. “He ran the team for three years and was able to do what he believed in. It’s our turn trying to do what we think is right. Obviously wouldn’t have done this if we agreed with his comments. . . .
“I think the most important thing for me to say is we don’t do anything with Chud not right in the middle of every discussion, every evaluation. Every single time I got off the phone with [Colts General Manager] Ryan Grigson I went down, reported to him where we’re at. He’s a very strong believer in where we’re at and where we’re headed and how this is going to help us.’'
Of course, if anyone had noticed how Chudzinski handled a gajillion dollars’ worth of backs in Carolina the previous two years, they’d know he’s not particularly interested in the position at large, so the fact he was willing to let Richardson slide shouldn’t be that much of a surprise.