When Mike Holmgren took over as president of the Cleveland Browns, he brought with him his former offensive coordinator Gil Haskell. But while Holmgren and Haskell are keeping a close eye on the offense, Holmgren says they’re letting coach Eric Mangini and his staff run the show.
“I’m comfortable with our involvement [in the offense], which is minimal, I will say,” Holmgren said. “But the guys come into my office all the time. We have healthy conversations. I believe it’s a very, very healthy situation and communication.”
Holmgren acknowledged that he might get “antsy” if he sees the Browns’ coaching staff doing things differently than he would do things as a coach. But the bottom line is that Holmgren took the job of team president, not head coach, and he says he’s not in Cleveland to be the head coach.
Still, Holmgren has been a head coach for 17 of the last 18 years, and he acknowledges that he might have a hard time turning off the “head coach” mindset.
“Will it be difficult for me?” Holmgren wondered aloud. “We’ll see.”
