The Clevelend Palace

I want to start out by apologizing to everyone. I was hoping that my first post on believeland blogs would be more of a stirring, inspirational and uplifting expression of my love for Cleveland sports. However, due to my timing I was left with only this exhausted representation of how I am feeling right now after the Brown’s deplorable effort against Houston on Sunday.

I was there to face the lake’s onslaught of 15 degree weather at 7:00 AM. And with about 5,000 others, was there internally in shambles as I watched the game clock strike 00:00. Although it got warmer from the start of my day till the end physically, it got much colder for me emotionally, and how I now feel about the name on the front of the jersey and the name of it’s leadership.

Al Lerner purchased this team with a vision of what could be the palace of the Cleveland Browns. This was a palace that could be described as an impenetrable fortress that graced these shores for many years. Al Lerner unfortunately had a run in with Clevelend sports luck hiring individuals at the top of their game who couldn’t turn the franchise into that palace, (Policy, Palmer, Davis) or even launch a competitive run at being able to gain the first few bricks. This season, after gaining the first few bricks the season before, we had the opportunity to place the foundation that would make Cleveland Browns football a palace again, only to falter and waver, all with expressionless faces from our team leadership.

Randy Lerner has implicated a “does not care” policy on his fathers investment. He has done this by not engaging the customers (fans), or hiring someone to engage for him. He seems to have made a recent effort to disassociate himself from those underneath him who are failing. Something that I feel would make his father cringe. He is set to speak to writers the day this is written. We can only hope that he will give us some clues as to how this team will move forward.

Ownership of a company demands consistent attention, management and foresight, the ability to predict ups and downs. Owning a company means the wherewithal to hire those who embody your vision, spirit and passion for the company that you run. The best CEO’s watch over their company every day. If you have no vision, spirit and passion for the company, how do those underneath you lead? They have to create their own vision, and build their own passion for the company. If this does not happen, it will not be successful.

There is a fat line between Jerry Jones and Randy Lerner, and it is drawn with the pen of passion. Jerry Jones told his team in the beginning of the season, “I can be doing anything in the world I want to be doing. But I want to be right here with the Cowboys.”

Randy Lerner reportedly told Mike Trivisanno in a private conversation (not public) that he “hires people to do a job, that way they can’t say he didn’t let them do it, if they fail.” The problem with this is, when they fail, everyone around them fails as well. This makes it easier to release those who fail, but this pushes that company into a cycle of up and down deteriorating a little the entire way.

He needs to make the right decisions this off season, and at least steer the ship from time to time. Especially if he is not going to sell the team, which he also indicated to Trivisanno in a private conversation.

Where do we go now?

After wishing Romeo and Savage the best of luck in their future endeavors, it will be time for new leadership. I don’t think we rebuild, I think we add key pieces, keep the talent we have and mold it. We can still be a contender, there is talent on this team, and we’ve seen them with all cylinders clicking. It is just time to find the leadership, and coaching needed to get everyone on the same page. Hire a GM, talent evaluator and head coach. Make Cleveland a palace again.

~Shawn VanHuss