Well, it is back the the waiting game for the Cleveland Browns and Chip Kelly. The Browns who were to meet with Kelly over dinner last night were stood up by Kelly who was locked in a meeting with the Philadelphia Eagles for 9 hours. The Browns should have had their lawyers there on Friday when they met with Kelly and they should have had him sign on the dotted line if indeed Jimmy Haslam III and Joe Banner really had Kelly that close to coming to the Browns.
Doug Marrone the other coach the Cleveland Browns interviewed, has agreed to leave Syracuse and he signed to become a coach for the Buffalo Bills. That may be good news for the Browns. Marrone had some NFL experience but he was never very high on the Browns list. Now we see what kind of deal makers Jimmy Haslam III and Joe Banner are. They are caught up in a bidding war with Kelly and they may lose him the the Eagles. You have to wonder if the Eagles are just trying to get Kelly or if they are doing this deal to get back at Joe Banner who spent 19 years with the Eagles organization.
After two days of meetings it still is not clear whether Kelly is leaning more toward the Eagles, Cleveland Browns or a return to Oregon. One thing is for sure, Kelly who wanted to make this process short is certainly being held in these meetings for a long time. Each time he meets with a team, the reports that surface say he is close to a deal. It may be now up to Kelly to pick one and make a decision.
Why the Cleveland Browns don’t pursue a guy like Bruce Arians from the Colts is anyone’s guess. The guy did a great job this season taking over the head coaching job and he has a ton of NFL experience. There is no reason to think a guy without head coaching experience can’t make it in the NFL. After all once upon a time there was a guy by the name of Paul Brown who came from the College ranks and did very well as a NFL head coach.
Filed under: Cleveland Browns
Tagged with: Buffalo Bills, Chip Kelly, Cleveland Browns, Doug Marrone, jimmy haslam III, Joe Banner, philladelphia eagles
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Maybe I am reaching here, but as we approach the BCS championship that is set for tomorrow, the Browns still don’t have a head coach. What if we hear Tuesday that it’s Nick Saban as the new coach for the Browns. Just saying because way to many reports Saban declaring he’s not leaving Alabama. One thing to think about is why would Saban declare he’s leaving before the title game? I don’t think he would announce leaving Alabama going into tomorrow’s game because it would be a big distraction for the team as a whole going in to the game.
BTW – I question Kelly’s character standing up the Browns for their dinner meeting yesterday. I was not there obviously, but if one commits to an appointment, especially to someone who will be signing your checks and then does not show up, I believe that could be a signs of a future problem. Didn’t Kelly string Tampa Bay last year? IMO Kelly appears to think way to high of himself.
Now hearing Haslam & Banner are on their way back to Cleveland. No talk of any other interviews, no Mike McCoy or Arians. Wonder if something else is up with another coaching prospect or a big announcement.