It has been reported that Cleveland Browns CEO Joe Banner is in Arizona where he has interviewed Arizona Cardinals defensive coordinator Ray Horton. Horton is one of the coordinators who is a hot head coaching prospect. The interview satisfies the NFL's Rooney Rule which clears the track for Banner to move onto his reported top head coaching prospect: Chip Kelly. Kelly's Oregon Ducks are in Arizona preparing for their Fiesta Bowl matchup against Kansas State.
At their press conference on Monday, Banner and Browns owner Jimmy Haslam said that they were looking for a head coach who is strong, pays attention to detail and is a dynamic leader. This new head coach will also play a major role in players selected in the draft and free agency. That being the case, one has to wonder if hiring Kelly is the right answer based upon the Browns current team roster.
You can narrow the concerns on the roster even more by looking at the quarterback position. The Browns spent a first round draft pick on Brandon Weeden in the 2012 draft. Weeden himself has admitted that he doesn't see himself being able to run the offense that Kelly is noted for. The prospect of a high-tempo quick paced offense is certainly intriguing to think about but who will run it?? Would it be Colt McCoy? Thad Lewis? Or are we looking at the 13th starting quarterback since 1999?
It would appear that Mike Holmgren made a mistake by bringing in a strong-armed quarterback who operated out of the shotgun in college to run the West Coast offense. Will Banner make the same mistake by bringing in a coach with a system that doesn't fit the personnel on the roster?? Time will tell but I'm not so sure that a fan base which has been sold a bill of goods every time there is a regime change is going to buy another one.
Eklund’s Hockey Buzz