Saban to Browns, not as crazy as it may sound

It has been a very sobering last two days for many Cleveland Browns Fans… Most of us went to bed Friday night feeling good about the news that the Cleveland Browns and Chip Kelly from Oregon were working on a deal to make Coach Kelly the new head man in Cleveland. Like Coach Kelly or not, he brings a lot to a franchise that drastically needs leadership from the Head Coaching position. By Saturday night, the tone is very different, Philadelphia seems to be the new front-runner in the race for Chip Kelly. Has Jimmy Haslam and Joe Banner been edged out by Eagles franchise looking to retool itself? Or, is this just the grand plan Jimmy Haslam has concocted to land Coach Nick Saban from Alabama?- the man some people believe was Jimmy Haslam’s first choice for Head Coach of The Cleveland Browns. If you believe Nick Saban is Jimmy Haslam’s first pick for coach, then let’s connect some dots and view this hire from a business point of view (Jimmy Haslam’s most likely point of view)… Then Nick Saban in Cleveland may not be as far-fetched as it sounds.It is very important to look at all the players involved, their actions, and the things they have stated publicly. When Jimmy purchased the Browns back in the summer, he made it very clear that you don’t get a company like Pilot Flying J to the top without the right people. Jimmy has been very public about his desire for the best people to help run the franchise. It is no accident Jimmy Haslam was paired with “franchise advisor” Joe Banner, formerly one of the Eagles top franchise executives. Let’s assume (and hope I don’t make an “ass” out of myself) Joe Banner’s knowledge of football and Jimmy Haslam’s business prowess is a winning combination. Assuming the ladder, Banner’s connections in football warrant further examination.

Joe Banner and Michael Lombardi seem to be privately married at the hip. Rumors of a relationship between Lombardi and the Browns have been flying around for months, with many National and Cleveland media members linking Lombardi to Cleveland. What role is Lombardi playing? He is still currently employed by the NFL network and wrote as late as yesterday that Nick Saban has no desire to return to the NFL- sediments echoed by Saban’s press conference comments Saturday at the National Championship- but I’ll get to that later. Lombardi is not only linked to the Browns, but also other players in this situation including Coach Kelly and Coach Saban. Assuming Lombardi is helping the Browns and will soon be employed in Cleveland, he currently is acting as the “go between while working the back channels” for the Browns. Michael Lombardi is a “football guy” with many connections throughout the league, making him the perfect player for his current role as the “go between”. I know there is a lot of hard feelings resonating from fans and the media in Cleveland, but I have reason to believe these hard feelings cannot be smoothed over with an additional personnel hire (more on this later) along with Lombardi’s.

Now that we know the players involved in the Saban to Cleveland scenario, let’s put on our business hats and explain how Saban to Cleveland makes EVERYBODY happy. The Browns Happy. The Eagles Happy. Both fan bases of the respective franchises happy. Even Alabama fans should be reasonably be “ok” with Coach Saban moving on. I want to preface the following Saban to Cleveland scenario with the following THREE assumptions: 1)THE BROWNS WANT SABAN 2)THE EAGLES WANT KELLY 3)The BROWNS and EAGLES are working together

Now that we have our business hats on let’s take a look at a situation where everybody wins, Cleveland is put back on the map, and Browns as a franchise start to regain creditability nationally and just as important locally. Some elements of the business strategy I like to think Jimmy Haslam has come up with is as follows…

THE SABAN EXIT STRATEGY
Every good business man may need to use an exit strategy at some point and Nick Saban will need one to preserve his legacy at Alabama. The most important rule in exiting Coach Saban is he should not be mentioned by any football organization or creditable source as being linked to the job in Cleveland. As of 1:51am on January 6th 2012 (the current time I’m writing this)- Nick Saban has not said “no”. Lombardi has been on the record stating Saban has no desire to come back to the NFL. Lombardi is the perfect guy who potentially knows the truth but has a national platform to throw fellow media and fans off Saban’s trail. Why no mention of Saban to Browns? For the simple fact, Saban wants ZERO distractions heading to the National Title Game Monday night (something I’m sure Jimmy Haslam respects). If the powers at be can make Saban appear to be 110% into the National Championship and squash any NFL rumors to limit distractions (taking away from the National Title game), than Saban could reasonably leave Alabama in a respectful manner. Coach Saban could then leave Alabama with a polished career and positive legacy at Alabama leaving Crimson Tide fans fulfilled.

THE CHIP KELLY NEGOTIATION
Assuming the Browns and Eagles agreed on their respective coaches (Saban to Cleveland, Kelly to Phili), the Chip Kelly negotiations play a very important role…. the role as a smoke screen. The Kelly and Saban hires are very time sensitive in respect to the National Title Game. It is clear that Saban does not want to talk NFL at all, but Chip Kelly is free to interview. Chip plans on interviewing with as many teams as he can, and he has thus far. Assuming the Kelly to Eagles job was a done deal whenever Browns came to their “handshake” agreement with Saban- there was a lot of time to kill between the ending of the Festia Bowl last Thursday and the national title game on Monday. Best thing both franchises could do, thanks for Banner’s strong relationship with the Eagles, is to work together and stall until after the national title game. The Browns can appear to being doing their due diligence while waiting for Monday. I think it was important to make it appear early the Browns would land Kelly- Something they did Friday night. If the Eagles would have swept Kelly up on Friday night, the Browns would be left holding nothing and Haslam/Browns would suffer the appearance of looking desperate to land the “next best coach” and missing out on the “splash hire”. It makes sense to drag the Kelly interview process out, kill time, and make the Browns appear to be a player for Kelly. The last thing Haslam does not want to appear to be is a weak owner, he definitely wants to make a statement.

HOW TO GET NICK SABAN FOR LESS THAN $100 MILLION
I remembering listening to various sports radio shows suggesting Haslam would maybe be willing/could offer Nick Saban “an offer he can’t refuse”- definitely said in his best GodFather voice. Our owner has money, that is no secret and will probably never be a huge breaking point in any decision Mr. Haslam will make during his ownership. Money is great, but it can even better if used properly and not abused. You can still pay Nick Saban an offer that makes him one of the highest paid coaches in the league without offending “the good ol’ boy” network of owners. This can be accomplished by creating a an artificial market/bidding war for Chip Kelly between the Browns and Eagles. Let it appear that Browns are ready to ink Kelly to a deal, have the Eagles swoop in and woo Kelly while also making him an offer he can’t refuse. I would guess Kelly will be paid somewhere in the top 1/3 of the league compared to other coaches. The Eagles get their coach for a reasonable price and that is another feather in the Eagles’ cap- no pun intended. How does this effect the Browns payment of Coach Saban? I think it is safe to say, Saban is going to command more money than Chip Kelly. I highly doubt Jimmy Haslam has any reservations about making Saban potentially one of the top paid coaches in the league. Everybody wins in this situation, including the other owners who are thankful Mr. Haslam did not drastically over pay for Nick Saban- inversely potentially inflating contracts of coaches in the future.

THE MICHAEL LOMBARDI HIRE
I think it is safe to assume Lombardi is a shoe in for some role within the Browns GM ranks. Like I said before, Cleveland as a whole may see Lombardi in a negative light, but I think he can be a valuable player in our organization. Assuming Lombardi is working the back channels for the Browns like the rumors are saying, he is earning a spot with the Browns. I think it’s fair to assume after the Haslam/Banner press conference on Black Monday, that the GM people will report to Banner. The Browns are currently shopping additional people in GM field- I look for the Browns to bring in a GM/Salary type guy along with Lombardi to run that part of the organization. I see Halsam and Banner having strong organizational structure in place helping set up people like Lombardi for success.

THE BERNIE KOSAR HIRE MENDS MANY FENCES
I really really really hope I’m right about this, but I like to think Mr. Haslam will bring Bernie back into the organization in some role. Give him some position within the organization, make him feel important- because he is important to Cleveland. This is potentially a great public relations move by the Browns and can really help mend fences with Browns fans and media alike regarding Lombardi (Rumor has Bernie and Lombardi have made good on their past, and Bernie has endorsed Lombardi). Hiring Bernie also produces an excellent opportunity to win back fans lost over the last 14 seasons, especially the older fan base that can relate to ‘the good old days’ with number 19 at QB.

So to recap, EVERYBODY WINS in the Saban to Cleveland Strategy.
*The Browns Win- Saban is your coach and the Browns did not have to overpay to get him
*The Eagles Win- Kelly is your coach and they did not have to overpay
*All other NFL Owners Win- No owner had to pay through the nose for their guy
*Lombardi proves/deserves his place in the organization
*Bernie Wins/Cleveland wins- Bernie comes back to work in some capacity with the Browns

Most of all Jimmy Haslam wins and solidifies himself in the elite owners club by making all the right moves… all that is left to do now is WIN, and nothing can speed that up like a great coach.

I guess the ball is in Saban’s court till Monday night- we will find out then if Coach Saban actually had any interest in Cleveland.

WHAT IF THE BROWNS EAGLES ARE NOT WORKING TOGETHER? ***I know- I maybe asking a lot you, the reader, to assume the Browns and Eagles may actually be working together- but for the sake of balance and logic, what if the Browns and Eagles are NOT working together… It actually does not kill the Saban to Cleveland plan. What if the “ultimate business man” Jimmy Haslam knows he has Nick Saban, via a handshake agreement, and was sworn to secrecy until the end of the College Football Season. During his press conference on “Black Monday”, Jimmy Haslam was asked by a member of the media- “What is the difference between this hire and an executive hire at Pilot Flying J?”… Jimmy Haslam went on to point out the biggest difference is how “high profile this hire is compared to a hire at Pilot Flying J”. Jimmy Haslam also mentioned that at Pilot Flying J, a search for an executive at his company may take around 3 months to conduct. I have to believe, based on things Jimmy Haslam said in his press conference last Monday, that his search for the right head coach started months ago- maybe even ending months ago. Maybe, just maybe, the Browns have been in the drivers seat all along- appearing to do their due diligence, while having Nick Saban in their back pocket the entire time. Nothing would reek of business prowess more than landing “your guy” when it appeared the chips were down.***

and most importantly…. GO BROWNS