Cleveland let's GM go

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PhxRam

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apparently it wasn't clean enough. They let the GM and CEO go
 

mr.stlouis

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A FO that impatient may pay a premium for an overrated QB. We shall see...
 

Angry Ram

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Joe Banner, Mike Lombardi. This is like when Jay Zygmunt and John Shaw were let go.

All 4 of those guys were stooges with their teams. But with the Browns this should've happened right after the season ended. Better late than never I suppose.
 

BonifayRam

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http://www.rotoworld.com/player/nfl/9384/ray-farmer
Browns promoted assistant GM Ray Farmer to general manager and fired GM Mike Lombardi.
CEO Joe Banner has also been relieved of his duties and will be out of the organization by May. So, the madness in Cleveland continues on. Lombardi and Banner joined the Browns, along with coach Rob Chudzinski, ahead of the 2013 season, and now all three have been fired a year into the job. This also partly explains why Farmer, 39, pulled out of the running for the Dolphins' GM job last month. While it's been a crazy time in Cleveland, it's arguable that the Browns are actually upgrading with this move. Farmer is a well-respected personnel man, while Lombardi was merely a figurehead. Owner Jimmy Haslam will allow Farmer and new coach Mike Pettine -- who we assume is safe -- to handle things for at least the next couple seasons, we'd imagine. Feb 11 - 10:14 AM


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Farmer

Prior to his position with the Browns, he was Director of Pro Personnel for the Kansas City Chiefs from 2006-2012 and a scout for the Atlanta Falcons from 2002-2006.[4] Before working in the NFL, he was Academic Coordinator for Football at Duke University in 2001, and worked in TV and radio from 1998-2000.[1]


http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-s...4Z2o2BHNlYwNzcgRwb3MDMQRjb2xvA2JmMQR2dGlkAw--

The Cleveland Browns' offseason seemed to settle down with the hiring of head coach Mike Pettine. But it's the Browns, and it's never calm with them.

CEO Joe Banner will step down and general manager Mike Lombardi will leave the organization, according to published reports including the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Ray Farmer, formerly the team's assistant general manager, will be promoted to general manager. Farmer passed up Miami's general manager job last month to stay in Cleveland, but insisted to the Plain Dealer he wasn't promised a promotion to stay. That claim appears dubious given the most recent developments.

Here is part of owner Jimmy Haslam's statement, via the team's web site:

"We simply wanted to give Ray this opportunity that he’s earned," Haslam said. "We wanted to move forward under his leadership and capabilities."

Haslam also said Farmer "embraces his partnership with Mike Pettine, which is critical in helping build the right team," which seems to mean that Banner and Lombardi didn't.

Even if Farmer is deserving of the job, to be clear, losing the two top people in the front office a week before the scouting combine is not good.

The Browns, who have the fourth and 26th picks in the first round, have had little continuity in the organization since re-entering the NFL in 1999. They are headed into a huge offseason, with seven picks in the first four rounds of the draft and about $46 million in cap room. Having a massive front office shakeup now, more than a month after the season, is a shocking development. Maybe it turns out well – Banner and Lombardi weren't exactly the most popular people in Cleveland – but it's still unusual at this point in the offseason.

That this happened in Cleveland makes it sad but unfortunately less surprising. The Browns are one of the worst-run organizations in the league, and the fans deserve better. No wonder the Browns had such a tough time finding a coach who would take their job.

The group of Banner, Lombardi and owner Jimmy Haslam were mocked at a press conference as the "Three Stooges" after they fired coach Rob Chudzinski after just one season. Two of them have left the building. Goodness knows what the third one will do next.
 
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Yamahopper

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It's Tuesday, lets change the front office day. Next week they will fire the new coach they hired.
 

Elmgrovegnome

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I wondered how long it would take Haslam to realize that Lombardi was a Snake oil salesman. The prospective coaches all knew it. Maybe he learned a lesson about guys that talk and guys that do.

This move is very good for Cleveland fans, but it really sucks that it didn't happen before those two bums dismantled a good oaching staff.