Jimmy

Haslam

Per Jackson, “Gov. Mike DeWine has a June 30 deadline to sign the state budget into law,” though he must first wait for state Senate approval. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell recently joined Browns owner Jimmy Haslam for a meeting with DeWine and other state leaders to help secure public money, per NBC Sports’ ProFootballTalk. Goodell proclaimed the theoretical Brook Park stadium “would clearly be Super Bowl material,” and would benefit Cleveland’s small businesses located roughly 20 minutes away. Although Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb intends to fight the move, per Jackson, “the team essentially said it will move forward even without the county’s support.” The desired new stadium would also host other events and can be viewed as an “entertainment complex.” For fantasy-point purposes, moving to an indoor stadium would have a positive impact on December games, leaving behind the at-times snowy environs of the Browns’ roofless Huntington Bank Field.

A decision was expected Saturday but apparently the Browns were still deliberating. Josh McDaniels had been thought of as the favorite to succeed Freddie Kitchens, though neither of the GM candidates Cleveland plans to interview (Eagles VP of football operations Andrew Berry and Colts assistant GM Ed Dodds) have any connection to him. Kay Cabot also confirmed a report by ESPN’s Chris Mortensen that Bills OC Brian Daboll, who had a “very strong” interview with Cleveland brass last week, has emerged as a dark horse candidate for the Browns’ head-coaching seat. In addition to McDaniels and Daboll, the Browns have also conducted sit-downs with Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy, Ravens OC Greg Roman, 49ers DC Robert Saleh, Eagles DC Jim Schwartz and Vikings OC Kevin Stefanski. Mike McCarthy also interviewed with Cleveland before accepting the Cowboys’ top job.

“I think we got it right this time,” Haslam said. The Browns ditched their classic look in 2015 for something straight out of the MAC conference. They were instantly unpopular with fans and have remained so since. The quick cut and run is absolutely the right call.

What. This report was so wild and out there that we hesitated to post, fearing Schefter may have been hacked. He has not been. This is just the Cleveland Browns in action. The former George W. Bush administration official is well known for her football fandom, but aside from a stint on the college football playoff committee has never worked in the field. That makes sense since, you know, she has had bigger fish to fry. The whole plan is so crazy that we have a hard time believing it’s anything other than a lark, but owner Jimmy Haslam was famously put over the top to draft Johnny Manziel by the advice of a random person on the street. If sanity prevails, Rice would probably be a better fit somewhere in the Browns’ front office than on the sideline.

This would be a doozy. The Browns have reached a new low in terms of organizational dysfunction under (accused) federal criminal Jimmy Haslam, drafting Johnny Manziel per the owner’s orders and also whiffing (so far) on No. 8 overall pick Justin Gilbert. Manziel has been in rehab for more than six weeks. GM Ray Farmer proved in well above his head in his first year on the job, illegally text messaging the Browns’ sideline during 2014 games. The dysfunction led to OC Kyle Shanahan essentially quitting after the season. Currently, the Browns have easily the NFL’s worst offensive depth chart. The Browns opening their doors to HBO’s cameras would give the world a real chance to see what a perennial loser looks like, and why bad teams in the NFL tend to stay bad.

Pilot Flying J will pay a $92 million penalty over the next two years as part of the plea deal. It also must cooperate with the terms of the agreement. The CEO of Pilot Flying J, Haslam stood accused by the IRS and FBI of engaging in a fraud scheme to keep millions of dollars owed to customers on gas rebates. It was once feared that Haslam’s ownership of the Browns might be tenuous.

The Browns wisely don’t want to expose Johnny Manziel and their wayward program to further public scrutiny. “When we decided not to volunteer for ‘Hard Knocks,’ we discussed everything that was involved with it,” said coach Mike Pettine, who was with the Jets when they did the show in 2010. "[Manziel] is certainly something we needed to consider.” The Browns could still be forced to do the series, but NFL Films prefers that a team volunteers.

Based on a collection of national and local reports on the topic, it appears as if Browns ownership has taken the side of Hue Jackson over the front office. Jackson spent time with McCarron in Cincinnati and was the driving force behind Tuesday’s trade talks. Multiple reports also indicate the front office -- known to be at odds with Jackson -- was the driving force behind the trade not going through. Ownership will ultimately decide the front office’s fate. At present, it’s not looking good for Sashi Brown, Paul DePodesta, and company. Jackson appears to have won the power struggle, for better or (more likely) worse.

Haslam is feeling energized after a recent “team-building and strategic planning session.” The pow wow included GM Ray Farmer, coach Mike Pettine, team president Alec Scheiner and, for some reason, general counsel Sashi Brown. “I feel very good directionally about where we’re headed,” Haslam said Wednesday. Haslam is in a special kind of denial if he doesn’t think his organization has been dysfunctional, but perhaps he’s finally beginning to learn some hard lessons. We wouldn’t hold our breath.

Jackson, as he did all season, continued accept zero accountability for the Browns’ winless campaign following Sunday’s loss to the Steelers’ backups. “I don’t think anyone else could have done this job for the last two years,” said Jackson, playing the victim. “I don’t think Jackson has lost his magic,” Haslam said. Haslam has been investigated by the FBI for defrauding customers in his Pilot Flying J trucking business, while Jackson is by far the losingest coach in Browns franchise history. Clearly, these two deserve each other.