A smart front-office hire could turn Browns around

By Doug Harris, Staff Writer 10:12 PM Wednesday, November 25, 2009

The Cleveland Browns’ flirtation with Mike Holmgren should make Cincinnati Bengals fans uneasy.

Sure, the Browns may be the NFL’s worst team, and they’re entirely devoid of playmakers. But it would take a gifted football man just a couple of years of smart draft choices, savvy trades and free-agent signings to turn around that franchise.

Despite repeated misfiring on coaches, the Browns at least seem committed to putting a winner on the field. The Bengals? You get the feeling they’re rationing towels in the locker room in an effort to save a buck.

The Bengals don’t want to pay for a general manager, but another football mind in the war room might have prevented one of the biggest draft blunders in history. Mike Ditka, in all his hubris, offered the Bengals nine draft choices from the New Orleans Saints to move up to take Ricky Williams in 1999. Cincy stood pat and burned that No. 3 pick on Akili Smith, one of the all-time great busts.

A GM might also have prevented the latest gaffe by the club — the drafting of Coastal Carolina receiver Jerome Simpson in the second round two years ago. DeSean Jackson was on the board at the time, but I gave the Bengals the benefit of the doubt.

Simpson has one catch for 2 yards in the NFL, while Jackson is a future All-Pro with the Philadelphia Eagles. Mike Holmgren wouldn’t have made that mistake.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2125 or dharris@DaytonDailyNews.com.

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