“I’ve made a huge mistake.”
So as you may have noticed (you haven’t) Blown Call Sports hasn’t been posting anything for going on a bunch of months now. I just want you to know it’s not entirely your fault. The main issue was that the batteries in the mouse were dead and I hate using the touch pad on the laptop. First world problem? Probably, but I’d never actually check with a dirt person to find out for sure.
We missed out on some of the most important sports stories in the history of Cleveland while we were gone and there’s no excuse for that. LeBron coming back to Cleveland. The Browns on their way to having a great season only to have the front office completely undermine the coaches and force a unprepared quarterback onto the field and calling plays from the owners box. (Not sure if the last 3 parts of that are true but that’s the perception around town so it might as well be true.) It’s not like you missed out on a whole lot though. I can guarantee that my LeBron homecoming post would have been a bunch of YouTube links to his greatest Cavs moments followed by a short sappy love letter to all the suffering Cleveland fans. September through November posts would have all been titled “Browns to the Super Bowl” and I would have been begging Ray Farmer to give Brian Hoyer a $100 million contract. Everything after that until now would have been a drunken rant about how I hate my mother for not only giving me life but raising me in Northeast Ohio. Which leads us to now…
Cleveland.com- Browns offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan will consider leaving Cleveland — even for a lateral move — because of friction between some of the coaches and some in the front office, multiple league sources have told cleveland.com.
Shanahan will interview Thursday morning for the Bills head coaching vacancy, and it’s his ultimate goal to become a head coach. But he also might have an opportunity to be reunited with his father Mike, which is enticing to him. Kyle worked under Mike for four seasons in Washington before they were let go after the 2013 season.
Three teams are interested in possibly hiring Mike Shanahan as head coach and Kyle as offensive coordinator, sources said. They are the 49ers, Raiders and Bills. Mike Shanahan has interviewed with those teams and will also interview with the Chicago Bears.
Kyle Shanahan was eager to strike out on his own again, but landed in a situation that has become dysfunctional for him, the sources said. The biggest problem, they say is that the personnel side and coaches aren’t seeing eye to eye on some key issues. One source said some coaches became upset when a high-ranking personnel member texted from the press box to the sidelines about play calls.
The coaches also may have felt pressure to start Johnny Manziel in the biggest game of the season, with the playoffs on the line. No mandate was given from the front office, but some staffers felt that the higher-ups wanted to see what their No. 22 overall pick could do. Shanahan did his best to bring Manziel up to speed, but it was evident he wasn’t ready to play when he started against the Bengals, and flopped miserably.
Now, it appears that general manager Ray Farmer is willing to give Manziel another shot next year, and not everyone in the building is in agreement that the former Heisman Trophy winner has what it takes to succeed. Browns coach Mike Pettine has said the quarterback situation is “muddy at best” and that the Browns will leave no stone unturned in their bid to fix it.
Shanahan is receiving head coaching interest this year because of the job he did with an offense that had major issues. He lost all three of his Pro Bowlers for much of the season in center Alex Mack, receiver Josh Gordon and tight end Jordan Cameron.
Still, Shanahan helped the Browns climb to the top of the AFC North after their 24-3 rout of the Bengals. At one point, he had quarterback Brian Hoyer in the top 10, and the offense was ranked No. 14 overall as late as week 11.
“(Becoming a head coach) has always been my goal,” Shanahan said in October. “About 95 percent of coaches, if you ask them, that’s eventually their goal. Everyone wants to be at the top of their profession, and head coach is the top of our profession.”The climate, however, is such that Shanahan might be willing to leave even if he doesn’t get a head coaching job. What’s more, he’s excited about the idea of trying to win a Super Bowl with his father and finishing the job they started in Washington.
The Browns would have to let him out of his contract in order for him to make a lateral move. Not even the additional title of assistant head coach would be enough for the Browns to have to let him go.
Shanahan, who’s been an offensive coordinator for seven seasons, worked under Mike in Washington from 2010-2013, where the two led the Redskins’ offense to a top 10 finish in 2013. Quarterback Robert Griffin III also enjoyed his finest season in Washington under the Shanahans, and running back Alfred Morris rushed for more than 1,200 yards in each of his first two seasons.
Shanahan looked forward to stepping out his father’s shadow in Cleveland and re-establishing himself as a top coordinator in his own right. But if Mike takes a head job and wants to hire Kyle, it’s a good bet he’ll ask the Browns to let him go.
At that point, they’d likely have no choice but to accommodate him, considering it’s the top offensive position on the club. If he doesn’t want to be here, the Browns are unlikely to force him to stay.
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Let me give you the basic rundown of that article: Kyle Shanahan was going to interview with the Buffalo Bills.
That should pretty much explain the situation in Cleveland. Pure, uncut, grade A dysfunction. Coaches are bailing to go somewhere that’s colder and more depressing. Am I surprised? Of course not. I’m already positive that no real player wants to be here, why would any smart coach want to stick around long enough to get fired for coaching a bunch of losers? The problem is that Kyle isn’t even a proven coach yet. He’s still mostly known for his dad winning a Super Bowl in the 90’s. We’re at the point where we can’t afford to lose coaches who’ve MET winning coaches. I’ve met Gerry Faust a couple of times. That pretty much means I deserve an interview to be a tight end coach at least right?
This whole situation just sets the franchise back another 3 years on top of the 4 years it was already set back form the new head coach and 4 years of bad drafting. We’re basically looking at 2022 before we can expect the Browns to be relevant again. And that all hinges on whether or not we blow up the coaching staff after next season.
It’s good to be back.
-Ken
Blown Call Sports 