CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Cleveland Browns host the Seattle Seahawks in a matchup of 2-3 teams on Sunday at Browns Stadium.

The game is certain to stir memories for Browns president Mike Holmgren. He coached Seattle to an 86-74 record, and 4-6 in playoff games, from 1999-2008. Holmgren and the Seahawks reached the 2005 Super Bowl, losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers, 21-10.

Holmgren was interviewed today on Seattle radio station KJR 950/AM, on the Mitch in the Morning Show.

Click here to hear Holmgren’s interview on KJR’s Mitch in the Morning.

A couple highlights of what Holmgren had to say, from the Waiting For Next Year blog:

Mitch: How long you going to do this?  In 10 years are you going to be the President of the Cleveland Browns?

Holmgren: Well, you know it’s hard to tell for sure.  I’m pretty sure it’s not going to be 10 years.  We still have our home in Seattle.  The kids are there.  The grandkids are there.  I don’t think they’re going to be moving anytime soon.  Our vision is to get back into that area at some point.  Exactly when that is?  I’d like to see improvement here and lay the foundation here so that they can feel good about the team again before I make any changes.

Mitch: What kind of team are the Seahawks going to face this week on Sunday?  Is it a good football team?  Is it an O.K. football team?  What’s your honest assessment of what kind of Browns squad you’ve got over there?

Holmgren: You’ll watch us play, and you know we’re a young football team.  You combine the youth we have on the team and a new coach and at times we kind of look young out there.  And then at other times we actually play pretty well.  I think we play pretty good defense.  Dick Jauron, who’s the defensive coordinator, is doing a heck of a job.  Ray Rhodes is on the staff who you know.  They’re doing a great job.

Offensively, we’re inconsistent.  That comes with having a young quarterback, young receivers, rookie starting at left guard and all those things.  But, when we can eliminate our own mistakes we aren’t bad.  So, you know. We’ll see.

About no longer being on the field as a coach, Holmgren said: 

After being on the field for so long and feeling like you have some control over the outcome or what’s happening out there, now I’m upstairs and I have no control over anything. I’m working through that. I’m better this year than I was last year. That’s a tough thing because that’s the chess game of calling plays and outfoxing the defense and the emotions of what’s happening on the field. That’s why you get into coaching in the first place….

 

 

Cleveland Browns’ four-time pro bowl left tackle Joe Thomas said one of the reasons he signed a seven-year contract worth $84 million is the direction the team is heading.  The hiring of Mike Holmgren, Tom Heckert, Pat Shurmur and the young talent the team is acquiring has him excited about the future.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Most of the constants for the Cleveland Browns in recent seasons have been negatives.

Such as losing games.

Talent experts, though, have constantly referred to Browns left tackle Joe Thomas, as one of the NFL’s premier offfensive linemen.

In fact, USA Today — as have some other publications — has picked Thomas as the best offensive tackle in the NFL.

Scott Zucker writes about Thomas for USAToday.com (the Tucker referred to is former NFL — and Browns — offensive lineman Ross Tucker):  

He’s more than surpassed his own hype (even if it was relatively muted four years ago), collecting four Pro Bowl invitations and twice being named first-team all-pro. Despite being surrounded by fairly mediocre offensive talent, Thomas, 26, has helped lead aging Jamal Lewis (twice) and formerly unheralded Peyton Hillis (acquired in the Quinn trade) to 1,000-yard rushing seasons. Such accomplishments helped Thomas emerge as USA TODAY’s top vote-getter at the tackle position.

Jamie Dukes played offensive line in the league for a decade before joining the NFL Network. He calls Thomas “smooth as silk.” He also praises his “great footwork and functional strength.”

Tucker agrees with Dukes mostly: “I like that (Thomas is) so consistent and so smooth. But I’d liked to see him be more physical. There used to be a lot of guys that wanted to physically dominate their opponent. We don’t see that much anymore.”

Thomas leads off the USAToday.com photo gallery of the top 10 offensive tackles.

Plain Dealer and cleveland.com Browns coverage includes a Starting Blocks report, citing ESPN.com, that the NFL and the NFL Players Association have — according to sources — agreed to a new labor deal that will end the lockout; Tony Grossi’s report that Browns president Mike Holmgren is optimistic about a new labor contract; Grossi’s “Hey, Tony,!” answering readers’ questions; also, “Terry Pluto’s Talkin;’ ” and much more.

Post patterns

Once free agency begins, the Browns might pursue a wide receiver. Re-visiting an SI.com photo gallery of wide receivers who might be available as free agents.

Fullback Lawrence Vickers could still return to the Browns, writes Samuel Ingro for the National Football Authority.

General manager Tom Heckert says the Browns want to win now, writes Jeff Schudel for th News-Herald and Lorain Morning Journal.

Mike Holmgren is hopeful that players will approve a new labor deal, writes Nate Ulrich for the Akron Beacon Journal.

Mike Holmgren talks about the Browns. By Matt Florjancic on clevelandbrowns.com.

Issues that Browns first-year coach Pat Shurmur will be facing, by Dave Kolonich for the Orange and Brown Report on Scout.com.

With the NFL lockout now stretching into a fourth month, things have been pretty quiet around Cleveland Browns headquarters in Berea and at Browns Stadium downtown. But that will soon change.

On Saturday, July 23, the team will host the inaugural Cleveland Browns Motorcycle Rally, bringing that unmistakable thunderous chopper sound through downtown Cleveland. The Browns have teamed up with South East Harley-Davidson in an effort to support and help local charities.

And Browns President Mike Holmgren will be leading the pack of riders on his own Harley.

“I’m really looking forward to it,” said Holmgren. “It’s for a good cause and it’s something I’ve enjoyed doing for a long time.”

Holmgren is no novice on a motorcycle. He learned to ride a while coaching in Green Bay and participated in similar charity events during his time there and in Seattle. One of his motorcycles, a 2009 Screamin’ Eagle, was presented to him by Seahawks players as a token of their appreciation after he left the team in 2008. The model is one of Harley-Davidson’s top-of-the-line motorcycles.

“This combines a true passion of mine along with the Browns’ commitment to the community,” Holmgren explained.

Proceeds from the event will be donated to support two different local causes. The Cleveland Browns Foundation, founded in 1999 to provide assistance to those in need, will benefit from the support of participating Cleveland riders.

Also supported is the Three-Deuce-Five Foundation, which is directly connected with the 3rd Battalion, 25th Marines, headquartered in Brook Park, Ohio. This worthy cause offers assistance to soldiers and their families as they recover from the hardships of service.

The ride begins at 11 a.m. on July 23 at the Harley-Davidson store and will wind its way through the streets of Cleveland through Shaker and University Heights before it ends at Cleveland Browns Stadium. A post-ride tailgate will begin around noon with food and beverages, live music, and opportunities for autographs.

Those interested can register at South East Harley-Davidson at 23105 Aurora Road in Cleveland. Cost is $35 per rider or $45 with a rider and passenger. According to the Browns, space is limited and spots are filling up quickly.

So, while this endless lockout drags on into the summer, the Browns are staying busy in the community. Hopefully, participating riders will be able to talk football with Holmgren after the players and owners reach an agreement. Even still, it should be a great event for those who like to ride their motorcycles in style.

For more stories in your area, check out Yahoo! Local Cleveland.

Read More: Colt McCoy (QB – CLE), Cleveland Browns

Colt McCoy has been leading the Cleveland Browns through their unofficial team workouts, as reported here earlier. Not surprisingly, this has put him in the mix to lead the Browns during the regular season as the Browns starting quarterback according to team president Mike Holmgren.

McCoy, who started eight games for the Browns last season, seems to be the front-runner in Holmgren’s eyes whenever the NFL Lockout finishes.

“We have Seneca Wallace, too, and Jake Delhomme as well right now,” Holmgren told the NFL Network’s Albert Breer. “But (McCoy) got his feet wet last year. I didn’t necessarily want him to play that much last year, but we were injured, and so he had a chance to play. He showed us enough where he will go in, and we’re hopeful that — it’ll be competitive — but if he does what I think he can do, he’ll probably be the guy, yeah.”

The former Texas signal-caller has impressed Holmgren quite a bit, it seems.

“I’ve always been impressed with Colt and his leadership ability — that’s one of the reasons we drafted him (in the third round),” Holmgren said. “So I’m not surprised by this. They love to play the game, so he’s going to do what he has to now as he gets his chance to be the starting quarterback and the leader of the football team.

“He’s going to do what he has to do, what he thinks is best, in this time we’re going through right now. I’m not surprised by it. And yeah, it puts a little smile on my face.”

If Holmgren is smiling, all is good in the Dawg Pound, right?

INDIANAPOLIS — Colt McCoy has acted like the quarterback and leader of the Cleveland Browns throughout this offseason.

But that doesn’t mean competition at the position is closed.

Browns president Mike Holmgren expressed satisfaction Tuesday in McCoy’s rookie-year performance and his standing on the team. Yet Holmgren stopped just short of saying the former University of Texas standout is the answer to a quarterback question the franchise has asked since re-entering the NFL in 1999.

“We have Seneca Wallace, too, and Jake Delhomme as well right now,” Holmgren said at the NFL Spring Meeting. “But (McCoy) got his feet wet last year. I didn’t necessarily want him to play that much last year, but we were injured, and so he had a chance to play. He showed us enough where he will go in, and we’re hopeful that — it’ll be competitive — but if he does what I think he can do, he’ll probably be the guy, yeah.”

Coming off a season in which he started eight games and threw for 1,576 yards and six touchdowns with nine interceptions, McCoy has taken a leadership role with the team in organizing workouts in Austin, Texas, for Cleveland’s offensive players.

“I’ve always been impressed with Colt and his leadership ability — that’s one of the reasons we drafted him (in the third round),” Holmgren said. “So I’m not surprised by this. They love to play the game, so he’s going to do what he has to now as he gets his chance to be the starting quarterback and the leader of the football team.

“He’s going to do what he has to do, what he thinks is best, in this time we’re going through right now. I’m not surprised by it. And yeah, it puts a little smile on my face.”

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Controversial Auburn quarterback Cam Newton was among the nine big-name draft prospects visiting the Browns today at their Berea facility, a league source told the Plain Dealer.

The others included Georgia receiver A.J. Green, Alabama receiver Julio Jones, Clemson defensive end Da’Quan Bowers, Wisconsin defensive end J.J. Watt, Baylor nosetackle Phil Taylor and Colorado cornerback Jimmy Smith.

Browns President Mike Holmgren acknowledged during a press conference in March that the Browns would “look hard” at Newton, and they’ve done just that. In addition to hosting him  Wednesday, the Browns worked him out privately in March. Holmgren said not to discount anything in the draft, including taking a quarterback with the No. 6 pick.

“I think with our due diligence as an organization and a personnel department, it’s our obligation to evaluate the best players coming out of college football,” Holmgren said at the press conference. “Cam Newton is one of those and so, yes, we are looking hard. It’s fun for me anyway; I’ve told you this before.

“Even though I don’t have anything to do around here, it’s fun for me to grade the quarterbacks and watch the quarterbacks and try to get an idea of how they play.”

One of Holmgren’s proteges, ESPN’s Jon Gruden, spent considerable time with Newton for his quarterback series and concluded he deserves to go No. 1 overall.
“I think Cam Newton’s the best player in the country,” Gruden told the Tampa Tribune. “I agree with the Heisman Trophy people that gave him the award. He’s got everything I’m looking for.”

Newton is controversial because he has amazing athletic ability but questionable character, according to some experts. Pro Football Weekly’s Nolan Nawrocki ripped Newton on a conference call, saying he’s been told by NFL people that he’s “a fraud, a narcissist and a con artist.”

Despite that, the Panthers are believed to be considering him with the first overall pick, and the Bengals might also take him at No. 4.

Watt is a premier end the Browns like to help power their new 4-3 defense. Taylor is a stout nose tackle that might be there in round two or three, and Smith is a cornerback the Browns like, but most likely after the first round.

“I could get real excited about that,” Holmgren said this week. “That’s a good combination for this reason: I think they both have excellent ball skills, catching the ball and running skills. So you don’t have to have one guy as the runner, one guy as the catcher, one guy as the blocker, you don’t have to do that.”

Peyton Hillis

#40 RB
Cleveland Browns

2010 STATS

• Rush270
• Yds1177
• TD11
• Rec61
• Yds477
• TD2

The Browns, who finished 5-11 last season, need all the help they can get to close the gap with the Baltimore Ravens (12-4) and Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4) in the AFC North. Holmgren and general manager Tom Heckert joined the Browns one year ago with a significant talent deficit. But the pair did a good job of bringing good, young players to Cleveland last season.

Two of those additions were Hillis and Hardesty. Hillis was acquired in a trade with the Denver Broncos for quarterback Brady Quinn, and Hardesty was Cleveland’s second-round draft pick.

Hillis had a breakout season in 2010, rushing for 1,177 yards and scoring 13 total touchdowns. Hardesty showed promise in camps but suffered a season-ending knee injury in the final game of the preseason.

Next season, both players will start the year healthy. With fullback and pending free agent Lawrence Vickers’ future with Cleveland in doubt, you could see a lot of Hillis and Hardesty sharing the same backfield.

“They both have to be willing to do all those things for each other,” Holmgren explained. “If those are the two in the game at the same time, they have to block for each other and they have to do everything. I think they are capable of doing that. I hope I get a chance to see that.”

By Tony Grossi

The Cleveland Plain Dealer

BEREA

Cleveland Browns president Mike Holmgren pledged a ‘business as usual’ approach as the NFL’s work stoppage kicked off for the first full week.

But it’s not exactly business as usual.

The Browns’ offseason conditioning program was supposed to start on Monday, but players are locked out of the team facility. Because of that, food service workers ordinarily on hand to serve meals did not report for work. They’re the first victims, financially, of the labor dispute.

Players rehabilitating from surgeries or season-ending injuries — such as running back Montario Hardesty, offensive tackle Tony Pashos and linebacker D’Qwell Jackson — now have to undergo treatment at other facilities and under the auspices of an independent supervisor.

All communications between the Browns and players — and their agents — have been stopped cold. Holmgren said that quarterback Colt McCoy was given new coach Pat Shurmur’s playbook prior to the shutdown.

All transactions involving veteran players have ceased. The Browns won’t even disclose which of their potential restricted free agents were tendered qualifying offers. Sources have confirmed only that cornerback Eric Wright and tight end Evan Moore received second-round tenders.

The only business going on as usual is research for the draft on April 28-30 and club requests for season-ticket renewals. Toward the latter, Holmgren delivered a positive message to fans in his first comments since labor negotiations came to a halt on Friday, sending the dispute into the hands of lawyers and judges.

“It is our feeling and hope that we will play football games [this season],” Holmgren said. “We’ve worked very, very hard to begin to establish a program that will win and we are proceeding along those lines.

“I just want to encourage our fans to hang in there. They’ve been so good so far in the year-plus that I’ve been here. They’re a sense of encouragement to me. I appreciate that. This will have a good ending, as well. We’ll get back to playing football like we all want.”

Holmgren said that the club plans no employee furloughs or layoffs during the work stoppage and no coaches will be asked to take a paycut. Some teams have instituted those cost-saving measures.

“If the time comes where financially we get struck down, it probably starts with me. I’ve got to contribute to the pot,” said Holmgren, whose five-year contract has been reported to be worth $40 million to $50 million. He added, in jest, “Although I’m going on record — I am not working for $1 a year.”

Holmgren said the Browns will refund any ticket sold in Cleveland Browns stadium — “plus interest” — for any games canceled.

At times, the Cleveland Browns have seemed to be passing through lead.

That’s lead as in dense metal, not “lead the league.”

Just twice in the 12 years of the expansion era have the Browns ranked in the top 20 in passing.

They were 12th in 2007, when they posted a 10-6 record, and 18th in 2002, when they went to the playoffs with a 9-7 mark.

In the other 10 (all losing) seasons, they ranked no higher than 23rd and as low as 32nd in passing yards.

This makes pass-happy President Mike Holmgren ill. He hired Pat Shurmur as the cure.

Shurmur, a first-time head coach at age 45, finishes a circle that arcs back to the late Bill Walsh, whom he knew.

Walsh first made the West Coast offense sing in San Francisco, where he taught the system to Holmgren.

Holmgren imparted the West Coast ways to Andy Reid, who became Shurmur’s boss in Philadelphia.

Now Shurmur and Holmgren talk to each other almost every day about how their vision of a West Coast attack will transform the dreary offenses that have clung sullenly to Ohio’s North Coast.

In a one-on-one interview with The Repository, Shurmur fleshed out many of the key elements of the plan.

As to his quick definition of a West Coast offense, he said:

“It’s obviously a passing game. It is seen through the eyes of the quarterback and what you teach the quarterback.

“It’s about a quarterback that’s a good decision-maker. It’s about a quarterback that understands rhythm and timing and is an accurate passer.”

That quarterback probably will be Colt McCoy.

 “Colt has the skill set to be a very effective quarterback in this system,” Shurmur said. “He’s a good decision maker. He understands timing. He’s an accurate passer.

“He can be very mobile, so he can throw the ball moving his feet in the pocket as well as outside the pocket … all the attributes. You just need an opportunity to develop him.”

That’s an anxious point now that players are locked out, but Berea is a beehive of bustle, with the parking lot full of cars. Shurmur is planning as if he will have a full spring schedule to work with his offensive players.

Production never quite sprang from the usual 2010 starting wide receivers, Mohamed Massaquoi and Brian Robiskie. Consider the AFC North tandems.

Mike Wallace and Hines Ward gave the Steelers 2,012 yards. Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco gave the Bengals 1,814 yards. Anquan Boldin and Derrick Mason gave the Ravens 1,639 yards.

Massaquoi and Robiskie gave the Browns 793 yards. By now, Shurmur has reviewed every route they ran. He thinks both of the 2009 Round 2 picks can break through in the new system.

“I’ve been impressed,” he said. “I thought Mo did a nice job when given the opportunity. Both of ’em have size. They have the ability to separate. And then they both have displayed good hands.”

The popular theory has it that Massaquoi and Robiskie are No. 2 and No. 3 receivers who would benefit if the team adds a major talent as the No. 1 wideout.

“I don’t know about 1s, 2s and 3s, but to me, these guys are 1s,” Shurmur said. “That’s a common way to try to phrase it … how a 1 helps a 2 or a 3. We’ve got what I would consider to be NFL receivers, and then we’re going to play NFL games, and we’ll look forward to them making NFL plays.”

Running back Peyton Hillis ranked sixth in the NFL in 2010 rushing-receiving yards.

“I think Peyton fits extremely well,” Shurmur said. “He’s a good runner. He can run from close to the quarterback or in the I. He can catch the football. He’s a good blocker. He understands pass protection.

“With those good hands, you can throw him a checkdown and he can run with it.

So, whether he’s the featured guy you’re handing the football to or part of a run concept where he’ll catch a ball and run with it, I think he’s going to be good.”

Boss Holmgren is downright fired up about the prospect of a Hillis-Montario Hardesty platoon. Shurmur’s take:

“I mean, there’s a place for either one of them being on the field, and there’s a place for both of them being on the field at the same time,” Shurmur said. “I think you can create a threat for the defense by having two-halfback type sets, so that will hopefully be part of that deal.”

Hardesty, a Round 2 pick in 2010, must rebound from knee surgery that wrecked his rookie year.

Joining Hillis as a pleasant 2010 surprise was 30-year-old tight end Ben Watson, who led AFC tight ends with 68 catches. Shurmur’s first NFL coaching job included coaching tight ends in Philadelphia.

“I think Ben had his best year,” Shurmur said. “He became an efficient blocker. He was very productive in the passing game.

“I had a chance to meet him in this offseason, and it’s hard not to like him.”

Tight end Evan Moore, who had just 16 catches but averaged 20.1 yards, is a restricted free agent, but indications are the Browns won’t let him go when the labor clouds clear.

“Evan’s biggest strength is as a pass receiver,” Shurmur said. “I think we’ll try to use him that way. We’re hopeful that he’ll be back.”

Much has been made of the Browns’ lack of speed among the pass catchers, a point addressed by Shurmur’s boss.

“Our receivers, believe it or not, run pretty well,” Holmgren said. “How do you make them effective? That’s the challenge for the coaching staff.

“Do you have willing workers? Tough guys? Guys with good speed … good hands? Then figure out a way to get them the football.

“Is that everyone going out for a long one? Maybe not. But maybe there are other ways to get them the football and move the chains.”

Shurmur is doing precisely that figuring, on paper, for now.
cantonrep.com.

Published: Monday, March 14, 2011, 8:07 PM     Updated: Monday, March 14, 2011, 9:05 PM

Plain Dealer’s Cleveland Browns beat writers Tony Grossi and Mary Kay Cabot discuss what the NFL’s lockout of the players means to the team.  Browns president Mike Holmgren talked with the media about the lockout at their headquarters in Berea Monday.