Michael Lombardi and Joe Banner OUT

Don't be sorry for Browns fans. They get to play in the off season Super Bowl, aka the NFL Draft, every year with high picks. Two first rounders this year ... If they play their cards right they will set themselves up to be competitive in 2016. But by then their current GM and coach will likely be gone and the players they drafted will no longer fit the new regime's system.

Originally posted by LifelongNiner:
This is...quite funny. So here's the question, do the Cleveland Browns of late top the San Francisco 49ers from 2003? The front office that fired Steve Marriucci will no clear replacement in mind. Sending the team into a tailspin where it took 8 years, 4 head coaches, and 4 general managers to recover from?

Actually, they hired Mike Pettine before all this happened. Pettine is a pretty good coach. I expect he will do a good job there although it is hard to operate without a QB. That will be the next task for Farmer.

That is some nice karma for Lombardi... since he hired and fired Chud in a year.

Browns LOL

Originally posted by threelittlebirds:
That is some nice karma for Lombardi... since he hired and fired Chud in a year.

he didnt hire Chud, at least not oficial because he wasnt in the organziation yet.

Originally posted by NeeJ49er:
I still feel bad for them their team moved away in the middle of the night, and then won a superbowl with a lot of the players they drafted ...those fans got screwed in a big way

i agree that it was pretty s**tty the way the browns left town, but on their 2000 super bowl winning roster only 1 starter from that team was drafted while the team was still in cleveland. it was DE rob burnett, everyone else was drafted after the move or was a free agent brought in.

Next stop for the Peyton Manning Experience-- http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/02/11/peyton-manning-could-be-clevelands-best-hope/

Originally posted by communist:

Originally posted by threelittlebirds:
That is some nice karma for Lombardi... since he hired and fired Chud in a year.

he didnt hire Chud, at least not oficial because he wasnt in the organziation yet.

I see, my mistake. Well, at least his boss only gave him a year to turn it around too.

I think all the people poking fun at Cleveland over this are looking at it in the wrong way. Farmer sounds a lot like Baalke in many ways, well-respected around the NFL, have been seeing nothing but accolades about him from former bosses and teams. I think they made the correct decision, keeping Lombardi and Banner would have continued the dysfunction and really hindered the franchise long-term. They actually have more front office stability than they did a month ago, Farmer knows the organization well and if he drafts well, could put them in place to be a contender very shortly.

Originally posted by Phoenix49ers:
I think all the people poking fun at Cleveland over this are looking at it in the wrong way. Farmer sounds a lot like Baalke in many ways, well-respected around the NFL, have been seeing nothing but accolades about him from former bosses and teams. I think they made the correct decision, keeping Lombardi and Banner would have continued the dysfunction and really hindered the franchise long-term. They actually have more front office stability than they did a month ago, Farmer knows the organization well and if he drafts well, could put them in place to be a contender very shortly.

Farmer should've been given the GM job last year. They f**ked up by waiting another year, they also f**ked up by letting Ray Horton and Norv walk without giving them the time of day for HC. Even if Pettine could be a decent guy in the long run.

I actually like Cleveland's roster especially on the defensive end.They just need a running back and decent QB and they could easily be a playoff contender.The problem is the owner is a hothead according to the papers and now no one wants any part of that coaching wise..

Originally posted by 9er2k:
I actually like Cleveland's roster especially on the defensive end.They just need a running back and decent QB and they could easily be a playoff contender.The problem is the owner is a hothead according to the papers and now no one wants any part of that coaching wise..

The main issue was Lombardi and Banner, particularly Banner who managed to absolutely piss off two head coaching candidates.

Here are five reasons why the Browns fired Banner on Tuesday:

1. Ticked off Ken Whisenhunt: Banner built a reputation for being hard to work with in Philadelphia, and it is part of the reason he had to leave. It seems his sometimes cold way of dealing with people translated over to Cleveland, as according to Sports Illustrated, he got into it with Ken Whisenhunt during an interview. Here are the details, according to Peter King: Whisenhunt said (to Banner), "Why didn't you guys hire me last year?'' The Browns' CEO who was in both interviews, Joe Banner, told Whisenhunt he didn't think the staff he was putting together at the time was "a championship coaching staff." Whisenhunt, one NFL source said, was peeved that a man who had never coached and who'd been involved in football mainly on the business side would sit in judgment of his potential coaches. "Who are you to tell me what makes up a championship coaching staff?" Whisenhunt said, with an edge in his voice. Banner's cold ways didn't stop there. In the same Sports Illustrated piece, King writes that Banner was rude to Greg Schiano during an interview, barely taking part. Ironically, part of the criticism of Eagles general manager Howie Roseman last season was that no one would want to work with him because of his lack of football experience. It appears, however, that turned out to be Banner's downfall -- combined with an abrasive personality.

2. He hired Michael Lombardi: If you have ever listened to Bill Simmons' podcast or watched NFL Network, you know that Michael Lombardi is an excellent football analyst. As a general manager, however, he certainly didn't get the job done. One of Banner's first big decisions as Browns CEO was to hire Lombardi, a move that now proved to be a mistake. It was also a move he had to convince Cleveland owner Jimmy Haslam to make, and it was perhaps the beginning of the end of their relationship. Lombardi's only first-round pick -- linebacker Barkevious Mingo -- wasn't a complete bust, but with just 42 tackles last season, certainly wasn't a home run. The decision to hire Lombardi was a curious one from the jump. He had not been in a football front office for seven seasons prior to being hired in Cleveland. Lombardi lasted just one season on the job.


3. Didn't get a quarterback: Success in the NFL is often dictated by one simple factor -- do you have a good starting quarterback? The Browns have not been able to answer yes to that question in a long, long time, and they certainly couldn't during the Banner era. The Browns had three starting quarterbacks during Banner's only full season in Cleveland, with Jason Campbell, Brandon Weeden and Brian Hoyer all getting at least one start. The Banner/Lombardi duo had a chance to land a quarterback high in last year's draft, but they passed on Geno Smith. The Jets' QB may not have been lights out, but he was better than anyone the Browns had.



4. Hired, then fired Rob Chudzinski: When people look back at the short lived Banner era in Cleveland, they will think of the chaotic head coaching search. The chaos started with Banner's decision to hire Rob Chudzinski, a candidate some were surprised they hired in the first place. After just one season, and a 4-12 record, Banner decided it was time to move on from Chudzinski -- and thus began maybe the most embarrassing coaching search in recent NFL history. One after one, candidates dropped out of the race, electing to remain with their current teams rather than take a promotion in Cleveland. As other franchises found head coaches, the Browns were left searching. The process was mocked by media members, and although Banner did eventually hire a coach in Mike Pettine, the damage was done.


5. He didn't get Chip Kelly: In the end, Banner's failure in Cleveland could probably be boiled down to one moment -- the moment that then-Oregon head coach Chip Kelly told the Browns no. Last offseason, as Kelly was pursued by a few NFL franchises, it was widely reported that it was down to two -- the Eagles and Browns. At one point, it even looked like the Browns had Kelly, with reports circulating that a deal was close to being in place. How close the Browns were to landing Kelly will never be known for sure, but one thing is clear -- had Kelly chosen Cleveland, and not Philadelphia, Banner would likely still be in Cleveland. Maybe Kelly doesn't lead the Browns to a 10-6 record like he did the Eagles, but it's likely he does better than Chudzinski did. Kelly provided the Eagles with a clear direction as a franchise, and gave them hope going forward. Ultimately, those are two things Banner could never give the Browns -- which is why, just 16 months after being given the job, he is gone.

I feel bad for these guys. A real franchise with tradition and history with great fans and they have to deal with this s**t.

Originally posted by BobS:

Originally posted by OKC49erFan:

...and dude was pissy the 49ers weren't going to hire him.


Michael Lombardi is simply living off his last name.

He is of no relation to Vince, in case anyone didn't know.

Thank you, I didn't know that, but he'll still live off the name regardless.