Browns fire General Manager

[Archer]

General manager George Kokinis is "no longer actively involved" with the Cleveland Browns organization, the team said in a statement Monday night.

Earlier in the day, several reports surfaced indicating that Kokinis had been fired by the 1-7 team. Citing unnamed league sources, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and NBC affiliate WKYC-TV3 in Cleveland said Kokinis was escorted out of the Browns' headquarters by security on Monday.

"In response to rumors and reports that Kokinis was escorted out of the building today, the Browns deny those reports," the Browns' statement said. "In the interest of protecting the parties involved we will withhold further comment."

According to NFL Network insider Michael Lombardi, Kokinis has not been involved in any of the team's recent decisions and has been something of an outcast within the organization, with coach Eric Mangini making the front office decisions.

When the Browns traded wide receiver Braylon Edwards to the Jets last month, it was Mangini and not Kokinis who explained Cleveland's decision to deal one of its only stars.

Kokinis was hired in January, just two weeks after the team named Mangini as its fourth coach since 1999. Following Sunday’s 30-6 loss in Chicago, Browns owner Randy Lerner said he was "sick" about the state of his team, and that he would like to bring in a "strong, credible, serious leader" to help run his team, according to multiple published reports.

Recently, Lerner brought in former Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar in an unspecified consulting role. One possibility could be Ernie Accorsi, who was Cleveland's GM from 1985-92, when Kosar led the Browns to three AFC title games. Accorsi was the New York Giants' GM for nine years before retiring after the 2006 season. His biggest move was a trade with San Diego for quarterback Eli Manning.

Mangini said he would welcome anyone who could help the Browns get better.

"If you can add quality people that can help you get better, then you do that," he said. "You're always searching for those opportunities."

Kokinis essentially was hand-picked by Mangini to be his GM. The two worked together under former Browns coach Bill Belichick in the 1990s.

Already in Mangini's first year in Cleveland, the Browns have dealt with a lengthy list of on- and off-the-field circumstances.

Mangini was criticized for making his rookies take a 10-hour bus ride to his football camp in Connecticut and later for fining one of his players $1,701 for not paying for a $3 bottle of water during a hotel stay. There's been the ongoing quarterback saga involving Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn, the trade of Edwards two days after he allegedly punched a friend of NBA star LeBron James, a flu outbreak that hit 12 players, cornerback Eric Wright's car accident and other situations.

Kokinis had 18 years of NFL experience. Before joining the Browns, he spent 13 seasons with the Baltimore Ravens. He spent the final six years as the team's director of pro personnel.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d813e996b&template=with-video-with-comments&confirm=true

 

[BazookaJoe5]

How can you fire your GM, who was hired AFTER the head coach, less than a year into his time with the team? I don't know of many 10 month plans to turn a team as bad as Cleveland was around...

What a terrible organization. I find it funny that they had Crennel and Phil Savage, a former Patriot and a former Raven, and then Mangini and Kokinis, another former Patriot and former Raven. Think their owner would realize at this point he's not getting Belichick and Ozzie...

 

[RyanLeaf16]

How can you fire your GM, who was hired AFTER the head coach, less than a year into his time with the team? I don't know of many 10 month plans to turn a team as bad as Cleveland was around...

What a terrible organization. I find it funny that they had Crennel and Phil Savage, a former Patriot and a former Raven, and then Mangini and Kokinis, another former Patriot and former Raven. Think their owner would realize at this point he's not getting Belichick and Ozzie...

Apparently Kokinis was fired for "cause" and he and Mangini were not getting along at all. Reports are that their friendship "quickly disintegrated."

Cleveland was not as bad off as some would like to think. It went from lack of leadership and direction to god awful and bordering on a fan revolt. I don't blame Lerner for taking swift action.

 

[Senser81]

Lerner can only blame himself for rushing to hire Eric Mangini. The guy is like 5 years removed from being a grad assistant in college.

 

[Woy]

That's what you get for picking Brady Quinn.

 

[Maynard]

Apparently Kokinis was fired for "cause" and he and Mangini were not getting along at all. Reports are that their friendship "quickly disintegrated."

Cleveland was not as bad off as some would like to think. It went from lack of leadership and direction to god awful and bordering on a fan revolt. I don't blame Lerner for taking swift action.

interesting, i hadnt heard this stuff. What i saw on local news was that they pulled phone records of the GM before escorting him out of the building.....when i first heard about this i thought it was a attempt to pass blame....but now, who knows

Lerner can only blame himself for rushing to hire Eric Mangini. The guy is like 5 years removed from being a grad assistant in college.

funny story went like this.....learner is in the press room. Reporters discussed mangina being fired....learner hears it and his eyes light up. He immediately leaves and makes the call. Mangina was hired within a day (even though nothing was signed for a few days)

That's what you get for picking Brady Quinn.

uhh, quinn was picked by the previous regime

 

[Woy]

lol @ woyakabrownnoser.

 

[jeffx]

Lerner can only blame himself for rushing to hire Eric Mangini. The guy is like 5 years removed from being a grad assistant in college.

Not only that, word here is, he pissed off Woody Johnson(and Jet players) with his ultra-paranoid, double-secret-probation ways. I heard he'd have players come into his office during the week and take written quizzes. Dude is more of a control freak than Parcells & Belichick combined. You'd think Lerner would have done his homework on this cat before hiring him. So Lerner has to keep paying Kokinis, Romeo, Savage, and maybe Mangini(if he gets the ax) - what a hot mess.

 

[PEYMAN18]

Hmmm... I heard Matt Millen is available.

 

[Hasselbeck]

lol @ anyone who still thinks Mangini is a decent coach.

He's one of the worst coaches in the NFL today. Absolutely terrible coach.

 

[Hasselbeck]

That's what you get for picking Brady Quinn.

Quinn's not the problem. He was actually playing pretty well last season. He has absolutely no help whatsoever.. what do you expect him to do with a bunch of #3 and #4 WR's.. no offensive line.. no running back.. and a dumbass running your offense and an even BIGGER dumbass coaching the team.

Unfortunately for Quinn - he didn't get moved at the deadline, his career would have been saved then.

 

[Hasselbeck]

Who's calling the plays on offense there? He shouldn't just be fired, he should be banned from football.

Brian Daboll. And he basically makes Ron Turner look like Bill Walsh.

 

[Vinsane]

Ugh :facepalm:

Really that's all you can say for this situation.

 

[jeffx]

lol @ anyone who still thinks Mangini is a decent coach.

He's one of the worst coaches in the NFL today. Absolutely terrible coach.

The New York media was calling him "Mangenius" after his first season. Typical NY.

He's young, so maybe he could be a better coach with time. But unless he improves his people skills, he's sunk. The feeling you get from players is he sucks the life out of you. The Belichick no-personality-act only works when you have the resume, the rings and Tom Brady to back it up. And I never heard Belichick doing the crazy gestapo shit Mangini does. Who's going to bust his ass for a nut like that, and how will the Browns attract top free agents? Damn, I feel for Browns fans, some of the best in the NFL.

According to Gary Myers, Lerner asked ex-Giants(and Browns) GM Ernie Acorsi to act as a consultant. He also wrote Cowher is the logical choice to replace Mangini after the season. Cowher's living the good life right now, relaxing, doing the TV thing. Why sign up for this torture?

 

[BazookaJoe5]

Bill Cowher is not going to go to Cleveland. No chance.

Cleveland will be in the same situation as Washington was when they hired Zorn, if they should fire Mangini. Doubt any promising young coach or someone of Cowher's stature would step into that situation. Look at the similarities. Your in a division that could potentially send three teams to the playoffs, and you aren't one of those teams. A division where you are going to play a Pro Bowl caliber QB six times a year, when you don't have an even serviceable QB. A team with a talent level that is well below the other three. A team with bad ownership.

Who would step into that, other than a coach that doesn't really have any other options? ...like Mangini. Not hating on the Browns to hate on the Browns, it's a legit question. Browns fans expecting Cowher or someone like that to walk through the doors come the offseason are kidding themselves.

 

[jeffx]

Thing is, in today's NFL, you can turn things around pretty quickly with the right moves and getting lucky in the draft. But you need a smart front-office, and the Browns don't have that.

Vinsane is right....how does Cleveland get out of this mess?

 

[Hasselbeck]

Cowher shot down Cleveland last season, leading to Lerner going to Mangini.. I highly doubt Cowher changes his mind.. especially since the perfect job for him is likely to be open here in a few months (Carolina).

 

[Vinsane]

....how does Cleveland get out of this mess?

I wasn't expecting a damn thing from this regime. And to be honest NONE of this is their fault except for the actions that they themselves can be held accountable for. My guess is Kokinis had some dirty dealings going on somewhere on the side. He got busted and before the news is breaking, he's been axed as the GM.

What other explanation is there?

Especially at this point of the season. It doesn't make a lot of sense to put a guy on the chopping block when really you have nothing to show for it. Did anyone outside of Cleveland expect this team to be anywhere else then where they are right now? No. Did anyone inside of Cleveland expect any different, No. They hoped, but no. Facts are facts this franchise needs to implode and start all over again from brick one.

The problem is, we don't have the man, or the brick, to set in place. It all starts at the top. Carmen Policy came in and he did a decent job at getting the ground work set. He even put together a team that went to the playoffs. Then he was sent out as soon as the following season, the Browns fell flat on their face.

Fast forward to this asshole Phil Savage and the mess he made in Cleveland. He set the franchise back five years with bullshit contracts to over the hill and under achieving players. Jamal Lewis is the answer Phil? Really?

Kokinis and Mangini traded Edwards because honestly, outside of Quinn. That's all this team has. After ruining Quinn's chances at a solid draft pick trade they had to do the next best thing. And that's call up the former buddies because no one else wanted Sir-Drops-Alot.

Again it starts at the top. If they can find a GM that's worth a damn, then it'll get going. Get the GM in place, get someone to straighten out Mangini and let him know that Cleveland is not the home for concentration camps, then maybe, just maybe? The Browns can get the first brick to lay the new foundation. Until they get their heads out of their asses though? Cleveland is kaput.

 

[bringbackjimmy]

Mangini will be fired by seasons end. Goes from being the next great coach in yr 1 with the Jets to a complete joke....

 

[jeffx]

Hiring Acorsi as a consultant is a step right direction.