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| 3rd November, 2009 - 10:51 am |  Jeff Risdon/RealGM - With the news on Monday that Browns owner Randy Lerner fired general manager George Kokinis, an awful season on the shores of Lake Erie officially sank to new depths.
Handpicked by embattled head coach Eric Mangini just 10 months ago to take over as general manager, numerous sources report that Kokinis had to be escorted by security from Cleveland's headquarters in Berea.
Browns hero Bernie Kosar recently joined the team in a consulting role, a move widely interpreted as a harbinger of doom for the current regime. Kosar lacks experience, and that was thought to provide the Kokinis/Mangini brain trust at least until the end of the year.
However, a disgusting loss in Chicago that one Browns staffer told me was "the most embarrassing three hours of my life" was apparently enough for Lerner.
Under increasing fan venom and decreasing ticket and merchandise sales, Lerner has been under pressure to make more drastic changes. The firing of the quiet Kokinis, who rarely spoke to the media and showed little emotion, is another bold move after trading enigmatic receiver Braylon Edwards, arguably the team's most talented player.
All signs point to Kosar as Kokinis' eventual replacement. Though nobody speaks with any sort of authority, several people around the Browns that I exchanged text messages and e-mails with indicated that they believe Bernie will assume the role in some form.
Former general manager Ernie Accorsi, who ran the team during Kosar's heyday, is widely believed to be involved in some form as well, most likely as Kosar's mentor and advisor. A recent report on Cleveland.com denied this, however.
There is a great deal of work to be done. The Browns rank dead last in defense, yet that's arguably the better half of the team. The quarterback carousel has spun to Brady Quinn again after Derek Anderson couldn't put up a quarterback rating higher than his shoe size (sadly that's not hyperbole!) against a porous Bears defense.
Only the 2005 49ers posted a worse offensive efficiency rating over the first half of any season, and the Browns are actually getting worse in that regard. There is open enmity towards Mangini, a task-master who fined players for taking water bottles and has created a curtain of secrecy that alienates the fans and has clearly not inspired the players.
Mangini recently received a vote of confidence that he will finish out the season as coach, but the long-term future remains as unclear as Lake Erie at Edgewater Park after a thunderstorm.
--Jeff.Risdon@RealGM.com [READ] |
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