http://football.realgm.com/src_wiretap_ ... _be_fired/
My follow-up piece, after texting a couple of players, some staffers, and a couple of beat reporters:
With the news on Monday that Browns owner Al Lerner fired GM George Kokinis, an awful season on the shores of Lake Erie officially sank to new depths. Handpicked by embattled head coach Eric Mangini just 10 months ago to take over the GM duties, numerous sources report Kokinis had to be escorted by security from the Browns HQ in Berea.
Cleveland hero Bernie Kosar recently joined the team in a consulting role, a move widely interpreted as a harbinger of doom for the current regime. Kosar lacks experience, and that was thought to provide the Kokinis/Mangini braintrust at least until the end of the year. But a disgusting loss in Chicago that one Browns staffer told me was “the most embarrassing 3 hours of my life” was apparently enough for Lerner. Under increasing fan venom and decreasing ticket and merchandise sales, Lerner has been under pressure to make more drastic changes. The firing of the quiet Kokinis, who rarely spoke to the media or showed little emotion, is another bold move after trading enigmatic receiver Braylon Edwards, arguably the team’s most talented player.
All signs point to Kosar as Kokinis’ eventual replacement. Though nobody speaks with any sort of assuredness or authority, several people around the Browns that I texted and emailed indicated that they believe Bernie will assume the role in some form. Former GM Ernie Accorsi, who ran the team during Kosar’s heyday, is widely regarded to be involved in some form as well, most likely as Kosar’s mentor and advisor. A recent report on Cleveland.com denied this, however.
There is a great deal of work to be done. The Browns rank dead last in defense, yet that’s arguably the better half of the team. The QB carousel has spun to Brady Quinn again after Derek Anderson couldn’t put up a QB rating higher than his shoe size (sadly that’s not hyperbole!) against a porous Bears defense. Only the 2005 49ers ever posted a worse offensive efficiency rating over the first half of any season, and the Browns are actually getting worse in that regard by the week. There is open enmity towards Mangini, a task-master who fined players for taking water bottles and has created a curtain of secrecy that alienates the fans and has clearly not inspired the players. Mangini recently received the vote of confidence that he will finish out the season as coach, but the long-term future remains as unclear as Lake Erie at Edgewater Park after a thunderstorm.
Jeff.Risdon@RealGM.com
that will be up on teh main page soon. Kokinis and Mangini are close friends, and I strongly beleive this move indicates Mangini is one and done in Cleveland. To quote one player, "It's worse than you could ever imagine."
