Clashing in Cleveland: How Hue Jackson, Jimmy Haslam and Baker Mayfield collided (and how they almost hired Sean McDermott)

[YoloinOhio]

6 minutes ago, stevewin said:

Even better was the follow-up "Haslam told the group he felt Jackson could relate better to players."

 

Surprised they didn't mention if Haslam tried to have any input on drafting Mayfield - the lack of any mention of that probably shows Dorsey was able to have control and get the guys he wanted without meddling from the owner.   Also, it seems Mayfield really hated Hue - seems like he probably had "input" into getting rid of him and with the Kitchens hire - but no real stories that got into that.

 

Can you imagine a situation where the OC is walking around saying "1-31" to disparage the coach.  That's pretty hard core dysfunction.

He did and I think those stories are out there. I posted the one about the Kitchens hire. Hue publically blamed Baker for getting fired. 

42 minutes ago, Coach Tuesday said:

 

He said it to Dorsey, not Haslam, but it was still Hue-ish.

 

This is a great article, one of the best I've ever read on management dysfunction in pro sports.  Just fascinating.  Lots for me to process still.

I had read this too - not sure which version is accurate 

http://m.tmz.com/#!2019/01/24/hue-jackson-browns-owner-jimmy-haslem/

[Hapless Bills Fan]

1 hour ago, YoloinOhio said:

Hue saying  “get the f*** out of my office” to the person who literally owns his office is the most Hue-ish thing ever

 

Well, to give Hue his due, he was saying it in the context of being told he was fired.

 

 

[cle23]

1 hour ago, YoloinOhio said:

Mayfield has been good, but letting him choose the HC may have been a little premature (i like Kitchens btw, just saying the process raised some eyebrows). Depodesta wanted Stefanski.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/247sports.com/nfl/cleveland-browns/Article/Baker-Mayfield-Browns-head-coach-Kevin-Stefanski-Freddie-Kitchens-127644466/Amp/

 

I'm not sure which is true because right after kitchens was hired it was reported multiple places that Baker was never consulted at all about which coach to hire. Florio is a Steelers fan so it's hard to tell when it comes to stuff like this if it's accurate. He trashes the Browns as many chances he can get.

[Augie]

For better or worse, it all starts at the top....

[Hapless Bills Fan]

1 hour ago, FeelingOnYouboty said:

Good news for Browns fans is they're going to be a major player in the AFC for the next decade. I thought they were a playoff team last year if Hue wasn't the coach and Baker was starting. I expect them to win their division next year.

 

You know, I have a soft spot in my heart for Browns fans.  They have suffered in some ways, worse than Bills fans.

 

But I'll wait and see.  This will not be the first year that I would  expressed agreement with you "wow, the Browns are finally poised to go somewhere!" only to see the wheels fall off.

 

[Augie]

1 minute ago, cle23 said:

 

I'm not sure which is true because right after kitchens was hired it was reported multiple places that Baker was never consulted at all about which coach to hire. Florio is a Steelers fan so it's hard to tell when it comes to stuff like this if it's accurate. He trashes the Browns as many chances he can get.

 

I’m guessing that’s would be a whole lot! 

[Just Joshin']

It will be interesting to see how this plays out:  wildcard Mayfield with a dysfunctional organization.  It could blow up huge.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

1 hour ago, YoloinOhio said:

Mayfield has been good, but letting him choose the HC may have been a little premature (i like Kitchens btw, just saying the process raised some eyebrows). Depodesta wanted Stefanski.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/247sports.com/nfl/cleveland-browns/Article/Baker-Mayfield-Browns-head-coach-Kevin-Stefanski-Freddie-Kitchens-127644466/Amp/

 

Am I the only one who considers that a final choice between Stefanski and Kitchens may be indicative of a flawed hiring process?  I don't find either of them inspiring, but if I had to pick, Kitchens >> Stephanski.

 

I have encountered execs who fit the profile described for Haslam.  They feel that they're "in the know" because they talk directly to their "little people", but actually they gather a scattershot picture biased by the last guy they chat up in the hall.

[Just Joshin']

1 minute ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

Am I the only one who considers that a final choice between Stefanski and Kitchens may be indicative of a flawed hiring process?  I don't find either of them inspiring, but if I had to pick, Kitchens >> Stephanski.

 

I have encountered execs who fit the profile described for Haslam.  They feel that they're "in the know" because they talk directly to their "little people", but actually they gather a scattershot picture biased by the last guy they chat up in the hall.

This style  sounds like triangulation where instead of doing his own analysis talks to many folks.  This leads to agendas and bad decision making.  IMO one of the worst management styles as you have no vision, just many conflicting opinions.

[YoloinOhio]

1 hour ago, FeelingOnYouboty said:

Good news for Browns fans is they're going to be a major player in the AFC for the next decade. I thought they were a playoff team last year if Hue wasn't the coach and Baker was starting. I expect them to win their division next year.

Even if you don’t take this article at face value, watching how this ownership operates the team - the question of “can Jimmy Haslam get in the way of Baker Mayfield’s success?” seems like a fair question to ask.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

1 minute ago, Just Joshin' said:

This style  sounds like triangulation where instead of doing his own analysis talks to many folks.  This leads to agendas and bad decision making.  IMO one of the worst management styles as you have no vision, just many conflicting opinions.

 

Exactly.  It's one thing to sanity check an analysis by talking to people.  It's something else when talking to people becomes a substitute for analysis.

 

Who was it in the Steelers org who said "hire good people and give them time to figure it out"?  Sounds like even when Haslam hires good people, the second part is MIA.

[Bangarang]

This is amazing. Whaley would be so proud of this.

 

It was like broadcasting talk radio over the entire building, and one day in particular, it was worse than that. One of the marketing staffers entered a search for #dp -- for Dawg Pound. The problem was, that hashtag carried a few different meanings, one of which triggered an array of porn to be broadcast onto a wall for the entire office to see for more than 20 minutes, until a tech employee killed the feed.

[YoloinOhio]

Just now, Bangarang said:

This is amazing. Whaley would be so proud of this.

 

 

 

They did interview him for GM at one point. He leaves a little sparkle wherever he goes 

 

[Hapless Bills Fan]

1 minute ago, YoloinOhio said:

Even if you don’t take this article at face value, watching how this ownership operates the team - the question of “can Jimmy Haslam get in the way of Baker Mayfield’s success?” seems like a fair question to ask.

 

I felt that the Browns have the ingredients for success before, only to watch them implode (the Manziel circus, the Gordon sideshow).  This article shows why.

[Watkins90]

1 hour ago, Doc said:

 

Would McD have picked Cleveland over Buffalo?  I have my doubts about that one.

Hue was hired the season before McDermott came to Buffalo. There was no choice, as Rex was still our head coach. 

[BillsVet]

1 hour ago, Wo-Bah said:

I guess we don't have it so bad here.

 

Being better than the worst was a common refrain here during the late RW years as Buffalo toed the dysfunction line.  The effect of an owner like Haslam flip-flopping all the time is no one wants to work for you, regardless of it being a NFL franchise. 

 

Thankfully, the last of the Wilson cronies is out and the Bills hopefully are under better front office management, although I've heard rumblings that the Pegula's are involved on certain decisions I'd rather they not be.

[EasternOHBillsFan]

I was going to just post this and I see it's already being discussed.

 

I found it interesting that Haslam passed on Bridgewater because he didn't like his handshake and he hired Hue Jackson over Sean McDermott because he could better relate to players. It seems as if Haslam thought he was still in Tennessee. The article points out that the NFL was his first experience in diversity. Putting all of this together, I think Haslam is in over his head with respect to a diverse work environment and judging people and players. If any of you watch Undercover Boss, you know how badly some of these executive types relate to ordinary people and the business they operate and it sometimes can be embarrassing.

[GunnerBill]

3 hours ago, dpberr said:

"DePodesta wrote Haslam an email arguing that the Jackson hire went against many of the characteristics of successful coaches they had discussed. Brown met with Haslam -- there's always a race to be the last one to talk to Haslam before a big decision -- and told him he thought hiring Jackson would be a bad call. "I hear you," Haslam said."

 

In any field, a sign of a bad owner or manager is to go out of your way to hire intelligent people and then prevent them from doing the job you're paying them to do.  

 

 

 

Haslam has always operated that way. 

[BillyWhiteShows]

A real bombshell of an article.  I would love to read an account of the Bills during the final decade of Ralph Wilson’s ownership.  I feel that you would see many of the same missteps.  It’s probably not anywhere big enough for Wickersham to even look into

[OldTimeAFLGuy]

1 hour ago, Just Joshin' said:

It will be interesting to see how this plays out:  wildcard Mayfield with a dysfunctional organization.  It could blow up huge.

 

...Dorsey is the steadying influence....Haslam cannot afford to lose him....needs to stay out of the way.....