Playing Hardball with Myles Garrett

 

Here is a provocative question:  "Why are the Browns playing hardball with Myles Garrett as if he is their property?"

The answer is not simple however perhaps if Myles Garrett is financially prepared to take a season off, which I believe he is, he could be a change agent by opening a conversation about fairness in employment law as it relates to professional sports.   

Fact:   In European professional sports, if an athlete wants to change employer, it works much more like it works for regular working folks.   In European soccer, players can change teams despite having multiyear contracts due to the transfer system, which operates differently from how contracts work in American sports. Here’s how it works:

• Unlike in American sports, where trades are common, European soccer teams buy out a player’s contract by paying a transfer fee to the selling club.
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• If a player is under contract, the buying club negotiates with the selling club to agree on a transfer price. Once they agree, the player is free to negotiate personal terms with the new team.

• Some contracts have release clauses, meaning if a club offers a pre-agreed fee (e.g., €100M), the selling club is obligated to let the player go.
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• In some leagues (like Spain’s La Liga), players can directly buy out their own contracts using funds (often provided by the new team).

Why is it different in the US?

Your guess is as good as mine but there's a long tradition in the US of owners seeing employees as tantamount to property.   Most American fans would get angry that I even think the thought that Myles Garrett should have the same freedom to change employer that each of us have.  Why?  Because he's well paid?   Myles Garrett is well paid for one reason.  He is the best in the world at what he does and in our capitalist system he is paid his market value, not a penny more.  The fact that he's the best of the best and paid accordingly in no way justifies him being stuck working a job that he's unhappy with. 

Myles Garrett might need to highlight that he is not anybody's property by engaging in a long holdout and maybe the absurdity of the Browns refusing to let him leave will become apparent to all of us.  Garrett can help that debate along by communicating in no uncertain terms that he is not property he is a human being.   

I for one hope Myles Garrett will go down in history as helping open the door to a transfer system that allows freedom of movement to professional athletes.

Two Predictions: Shedeur Sanders QB

Prediction 1:  Shedeur Sanders will have a Joe Montana like career.   

Why do I feel this way?   Several factors:

• The way the pundits describe him sounds a lot like the way they described Joe Montana.  Athletic but not a great athlete.  Arm talent - slightly above average.   Good pocket presence.   Good leader.
• Sanders father was one of the best defensive backs in NFL history and he's been coaching his son his entire life.  Watch Shedeur Sanders, he understands at a very high level exactly what defenses are trying to do.
• This young man was well raised and has ambition and desire.   Both key ingredients to success as a QB in the NFL.

Prediction 2:   One way or another the Browns won't get Sanders.   Most likely Tennessee will figure this all out and grab Sanders while the getting is good.   But if they don't the Browns will find a way to talk themselves out of a future Hall of Famer.

Why?

Because Browns is Browns 

Challenging the NFL's Hegemony

For decades, the National Football League (NFL) has enjoyed a virtual monopoly over professional football in America. The roots of this dominance trace back to a pivotal moment in history: President John F. Kennedy's decision to grant the NFL an antitrust exemption. This exemption allowed the league to consolidate power, leveraging its position to dictate terms to television networks. By holding exclusive rights to its broadcast contracts, the NFL ensured that no rival league could gain a foothold. Any network that dared to support competition risked losing access to the NFL’s coveted product. This strategy effectively locked out potential competitors, cementing the NFL’s stranglehold on professional football.

However, the landscape of football is shifting. The rise of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals and direct player compensation means that college football is no longer confined to the realm of amateur athletics. The evolution of the college game into a quasi-professional entity places it in a unique position to challenge the NFL’s supremacy—not just as a secondary alternative, but as a true competitor in the professional football market.

One of the most significant steps college football programs could take to expand their influence is the radical expansion of eligibility rules. Under current NCAA guidelines, players must meet strict criteria to participate. But what if those restrictions were lifted? If colleges allowed any athlete taking at least one class to play football, it could dramatically increase the talent pool. Former NFL players seeking a second chance, undrafted free agents, and even those who simply wish to extend their playing careers beyond the rigid constraints of the NFL could find a home in college football. This would not only boost the quality of competition but also provide a direct alternative to the NFL’s exclusive control over professional football careers.

Perhaps the boldest move college football could make is to schedule games on Sundays, directly competing with the NFL’s most sacred time slot. Currently, college football is predominantly played on Saturdays, with occasional games on Thursdays and Fridays. But why not take the fight to the NFL on its own turf?

The financial incentives are undeniable. The NFL’s Sunday television contracts are worth billions, but if major college programs started playing marquee matchups on Sundays, they could siphon off a significant share of viewership. Networks, always eager for premium football content, might be willing to shift their investments toward college programs, especially if schools continue to attract top-tier talent through competitive pay structures.  Imagine Ohio State vs Michigan taking place on Sunday at 1 PM!  I can guarantee that a veritable mountain of Browns fans would chose the Buckeye's over the Browns.

If there were ever a sign that college football is preparing to challenge the NFL’s dominance, it is the stunning hiring of Bill Belichick as the head coach of the University of North Carolina football program. After an unceremonious exit from the New England Patriots, Belichick—arguably the greatest coach in NFL history—found himself frozen out of any head coaching opportunities in the NFL. Despite his unmatched resume, NFL owners seemingly colluded to keep him from returning to the league’s coaching ranks.

Now, Belichick has a new mission. His presence at UNC signals that major college programs are serious about elevating their status to the highest level of the sport. With his deep knowledge of NFL operations, Belichick is uniquely positioned to advise college football’s power brokers on how to challenge the NFL’s hegemony. It is difficult to imagine that he will not be whispering in the ears of university administrators, athletic directors, and television executives, encouraging them to seize the opportunity to expand their reach and revenue streams.

The stage is set for college football to disrupt the NFL’s long-standing monopoly. By expanding player eligibility, aggressively scheduling games on Sundays, and leveraging the expertise of figures like Belichick, the college game has a chance to grow beyond its traditional boundaries. The NFL may have held onto its dominance for decades, but with the shifting landscape of player compensation, television contracts, and strategic decision-making, college football has a legitimate path to becoming more than just a developmental league—it can become a full-fledged professional alternative.

As the battle for football’s future unfolds, the question is no longer whether college football can challenge the NFL’s supremacy, but rather, how far it is willing to go to seize its share of the market. One thing is clear: the opportunity is there, and the powers that be in college football may be ready to take it.

Brown BLog Predicts: Super Bowl 59

I have had the worst run of my predicting career in this season's playoffs and I now take a perfect record of being wrong predicting any Chiefs playoff game going back to last season's Super Bowl.

With that in mind, the George Costanza strategy might be a sure thing if you want to know who's going to win the Super Bowl, just do the opposite of whatever I predict.

I am now fully convinced that NFL refs did favor the Chiefs in the AFC playoffs because the financial impact to the NFL of having Taylor Swift's fanbase interested in the Super Bowl was simply too significant for the powers to be in the NFL to resist.   Every single call went KC's way including some calls that were ridiculous.

That said, now that the NFL has their wish and all the Swifties worldwide will be tuning in and pundits everywhere noted that lopsided nature of the ref calls in the Chiefs Bills game, I believe the NFL will allow the refs to call the Super Bowl fairly.   That fact favors the Eagles because Philadelphia are in fact the better team.  

Brown BLog Predicts

Philadelphia        31

Kansas City        24

The Brown Blog are 4-8 in our playoff predictions. 

ALIGNMENT

A lot of fans and pundits were surprised by Myles Garrett's request for a trade and in particular his statement that his goal never was to go from Cleveland to Canton, which parrots the words of Browns General Manager Andrew Berry.  I was surprised too but what I found more interesting was Myles Garrett's use of the term aligned.   Browns owner Jimmy Haslam focused on "alignment" as a guideline to his leadership team.   He wanted the drama to stop, probably because he's not capable of navigating the complexities of managing a room full of Alpha personalities.

When Myles Garrett stated to Rich Eisen that he was "not aligned with the Browns vision" I realized, maybe behind closed doors in Berea what alignment really is about is going along with the crowd, no matter how much you disagree with a strategy.

Anthony Schwartz is an NFL player?   Sure, why not?

Deshaun Watson gives us the best chance to win?   Of course he does!

The Browns can compete for a Super Bowl in 2025?  Heck yeah!

Trouble is that Myles does not have to align with the Browns front office to keep his job....

Brown BLog Predicts: NFL Playoffs - Conference Finals

Two excellent match ups this weekend to determine who will face off in the Super Bowl.

Bills at Chiefs

Normally, I would pick the Bills without hesitation because they have the better team.  Two factors give me pause:

Factor 1:  The Bills are on the road

Factor 2:  I believe the NFL will influence the refs this week to give any benefit of the doubt to the Chiefs due to the extraordinary economic implications of having Taylor Swift fans around the world tune into the Super Bowl.

So what's it going to be, the fix or the talent?

I have my doubts that the NFL really does fix games, maybe they don't so I'll go Bills

Brown BLog Predicts:        Bills 24    Chiefs 20

Commanders at Eagles

Jayden Daniels is the best thing to happen to the NFL in a long time.   He is so poised.  I keep waiting for that critical rookie mistake and he keeps coming through every single time.  The Eagles QB meanwhile has a banged up knee.

I have to go with the rook

Brown BLog Predicts        Commanders 31   Eagles  21  

The Brown BLog are 4-6 predicting playoff outcomes thus far.

Brown BLog Predicts: NFL Playoffs - Round 2 Divisional Playoffs

There are 8 teams left and the real question now is which of these 8 teams is going to win the next 3 games?   I like the Ravens to win 3 in a row but for now I will stick with who I believe will win this weekend

Ravens at Bills

This is the most difficult game to predict.  I believe Lamar Jackson is the best player in the NFL and I am choosing the Ravens to win.   I am conflicted because the Bills are at home and Josh Allen is pretty darn good too.   But I've been following the Ravens all year and they just keep getting a little better every week.

Brown BLog Predicts:       Ravens 27    Bills 24

Texans at Chiefs

I don't see this game as a slam dunk for the Chiefs.  They keep winning because Patrick Mahomes is so skilled at running his offense and executing when the pressure is on but it feels like they are overdue for everything to fall apart.   I might be the only human on earth that thinks CJ Stroud and the Texans are going to be the ones to dethrone Patrick Mahomes, but that's where I am going.   

Brown BLog Predicts:    Texans 24    Chiefs    20

Commanders at Lions

I am a bit nervous about all the injuries that have piled up in Detroit and Jaylen Daniels keeps proving me wrong when I predict he will make some rookie mistakes but I have to go with Detroit here.   They're deep and they're well coached.

Brown BLog Predicts:        Lions 30    Commanders 20

Rams at Eagles

Philadelphia is peaking at the right time and they're at home.

Brown BLog Predicts:        Eagles    31    Rams 28

The Brown Blog went 3-3 predicting Round 1 Playoff Games.

Brown BLog Predicts: NFL Playoffs - Round 1 Wild Card Round

An exciting weekend of playoff football is upon us and the Brown BLog is here to predict them all

Chargers at Texans

The Texans have not played well in over a month and the Chargers seem to be peaking.

Brown BLog Predicts:    Chargers 27    Texans 13

Steelers at Ravens

I hate that these two teams have to face each other in the first round because one of them will have to lose and that's a shame.   But I have to go with Lamar in this matchup.  He is the player destined to win it all this season.

Brown BLog Predicts:    Ravens 27    Steelers 20

Broncos at Bills

Easiest game to predict here.  I feel like the Broncos have played above their ability and caught breaks all season long.   The Bills will be ready for them.

Brown BLog Predicts:        Bills 30    Broncos 10

Packers at Eagles

Another obvious outcome.   The Pack are beset by injuries and Jalen Hurts has been cleared to play coming off a concussion and he's had a week's rest.   Eagles coast

Brown BLog Predicts:     Eagles 24    Packers 10

Commanders at Buccaneers

I follow the local media here in Cleveland and respect them all but they all have to moderate what they believe in order to maintain relations with the Browns.  Hence most of them are predicting an early exit for Baker Mayfield, because, well because it's less embarrassing for the Browns if playoff and franchise QB Baker Mayfield exits early.    Sorry Browns.  It won't happen.   Baker is going to keep making you look like idiots

Brown BLog Predicts:    Buccaneers 40    Commanders  24

Vikings at Rams

Unlike some pundits, I think the Vikings are for real.

Brown BLog Predicts:    Vikings 27    Rams 20

What a season: 3-14!

 This play sums up the whole pathetic 3 - 14 season:

Brown BLog Predicts: Game 17 Browns vs Ravens - The Post Vrabel Era

There is little doubt the Browns investment in hiring Mike Vrabel as a Coaching and Personnel Consultant in 2024 paid off with a few extra wins during the Browns miraculous 3-13 season, and since Vrabel's contract expired last Monday, winning this week vs the Ravens just got exponentially more difficult.

However, the Browns do have Bailey Zappe at the commands today which could tilt the game in the Browns favor.   But as Dorian Thompson Robinson and Kevin Stefanski have pointed out this season, it takes 11 athletes doing their job for an offense to function efficiently so a bad offense is never the fault of the QB therefore it would be irresponsible to shoulder Bailey Zappe with any accountability should the Browns offense struggle.

I actually think we will see Zappe move the team at times because unlike Dorian Thompson Robinson, in his short time with New England, Zappe has shown he can throw a football accurately downfield further than 5 yards past the line of scrimmage.   Last week, Dorian Thompson Robinson completed 1, yes, 1 pass that was actually caught by a receiver in an area that extended further than 10 yards past the line of scrimmage.    All other DTR completions were caught barely beyond the line of scrimmage and any gains that extended past 10 yards were picked up after the catch.  Look for Zappe to stretch the Ravens D enough to buy some breathing room even if his 10 teammates on offense don't  pitch in on a given play. 

The above all said, the big question today is will the Ravens cover that 20 point spread.   I am going to say they will not.

Brown BLog Predicts

Ravens         27

Browns        14

The Brown BLog is 10-6 predicting Browns games this season.

Brown BLog Predicts: Game 16 vs Dolphins - Wasting the Season

One of the reasons that our Browns wasted their 2024 Regular Season is that they set the tone by wasting their 2024 Pre Season.   Today's game will serve up a primary example of exactly how the Browns disrespected their pre season because it is likely the Dolphin's starting QB will be none other than Tyler Huntley.

I suspected from the first day the Brown signed Huntley that the signing had Paul DePodesta's fingerprints on it.   Why?   Because only Paul DePodesta would suggest to sign a player to showcase him in the preseason in order to trade him away for a draft pick before the regular season starts.   The Browns used valuable pre season reps that could have been given to Deshaun Watson and the starters, in order to showcase Tyler Huntley.   The result was predictable.   No NFL team was willing to give up so much as a 7th round pick for Huntley even when the Browns pretended to protect 4 Quarterbacks and the Browns were forced to cut him once the entire NFL called their bluff.  Meanwhile, Watson and the Browns offense was woefully underprepared for the start of the NFL regular season and we all witnessed the disaster that ensued.

I would be remiss if I did not point out the Browns also used the pre season to showcase Cade York instead of giving Dustin Hopkins a few kicks to work the kinks out.   The result, the Browns traded Cade York to the Redskins for a valuable 7th round pick, but the Redskins wisely conditioned that 7th round pick on York successfully playing in at least two NFL regular season games.   Oops!!  York missed two field goals in game 1, cost the Redskins a game and they cut him loose.   Meanwhile Hopkins never quite got in sync and has had a terrible season, costing the Browns a few opportunities to win games.   The Browns of course will say that Hopkins was injured in the pre season but at least I believed even back then that their claims that Hopkins was hurt were lame.   It was obvious what the Browns were up to.  They spent valuable pre season reps on Cade York chasing after that illustrious 7th round gold. 

Today will be yet another symbolic slap in the face as Tyler Huntley outplays DTR while Jimmy Haslam sits in his cold loge seat dreaming of his Brook Park dome and perhaps also dreaming of the day that Paul DePodesta actually develops a strategy that works.   It might actually happen someday, keep on dreaming!

Brown BLog Predicts

Miami     24

Browns   10 

The Brown Blog are 9-6 season to date predicting Browns games. 

Would Jimmy Haslam demote himself?

A few years ago Seth Wickersham of ESPN wrote a piece that exposed the inner workings of the Browns organization.  The article was extremely embarrassing for Browns owner Jimmy Haslam because it exposed his failings.  That was the day that "alignment" became a priority for the Browns.  Why?  To find that answer, simply ask yourself what the primary benefit of alignment is.   The biggest payoff of alignment is nobody outside the Browns organization knows who in Berea decides what.  Hence the spotlight is off Browns owner Mr. Haslam.   But if you look at the organization not much has changed.  Haslam did hire a couple of smart and mature adults to run his team in Andrew Berry and Kevin Stefanski and those gentlemen have done a solid job, however things have once again fallen off the rails in Berea in 2024.   

Why has 2024 been so bad?   Well let's look at the key milestones leading up to the 2024 season and speculate what undercurrents might have led to these decisions:

- Punish Kevin Stefanski for not producing more with Deshaun Watson by forcing him to fire trusted confidant and Offensive Coordinator Alex Van Pelt and arrange a new marriage with Ken Dorsey because you believe that Dorsey knows how to scheme an offense to fit the talents of Deshaun Watson.   This impulsive move to bet the farm has Mr. Haslam's fingerprints all over it.  You have a coach who just won Coach of the Year and you force him to fire a  member of his inner coaching circle?   Why?   Makes no sense whatsoever unless Paul DePodesta was whispering in Haslam's ear that the only reason Haslam's move to sign Watson was failing was because AVP wasn't scheming up enough chunk plays.   It's exactly the narrative that fit Jimmy Haslam's need to feel he is smarter than pundits give him credit for.   And feeding Jimmy Haslam a narrative that makes him feel good about himself is exactly how to influence him.

- Speaking of impulsive.   Signing Deshaun Watson to that $230M fully guaranteed contract is the Grassy Knoll of Cleveland Browns history.   The entire Browns org drove the Watson decision?  OK.....  After all 27 year old franchise QB's almost never become available.   Nevermind that the Houston Texans were willing to say goodbye to Watson, because your impulsive nature won't let you take a realistic view of why the Texans were willing to move Watson.  So spend $230M and assume the Houston Texans were fools for giving up on Deshaun Watson.    

The above decisions have everything to do with the 2024 nightmare of 3-12, soon to be 3-14.  And the failure of the Browns starts and ends with Jimmy Haslam.   But there is one major issue with correcting this problem.   That is that Mr. Haslam has NEVER been held accountable in his entire career.   Did he do a good job running Pilot Flying J.   It's hard to deny that Pilot Flying J was well run, one need only witness their success and the premium Warren Buffett paid to own it.  However the visionary of Pilot Flying J was Jimmy Haslam's father, Jim Haslam and I have no doubt Jimmy Haslam was a hard driving aggressive CEO who produced results.   But I also have no doubt that in a family business, the son NEVER gets fired and the son has the benefit of extraordinary mentoring.   I kept on top of the infamous rebate scandal at Pilot Flying J and what is clear is that leadership in Pilot Flying J did not understand that a rebate program has to be carefully accounted for with provisions and strong oversight.  This is Business 101 stuff but I honestly think that Pilot Flying J leadership believed they were doing nothing wrong by playing fast and loose with rebate accounting.   Any decent manager in a major corporation should understand those basic accounting standards, yet in Pilot Flying J nobody apparently did.   Jimmy Haslam was the CEO of that organization, he damn well should have created a culture that enabled sufficient governance.   Instead that organization was driven by profit motive.   Profit is a good way to run a business, but your accountants need to have teeth and assure that rules are followed.

Conclusion - Jimmy Haslam has probably rarely been held accountable the way normal folks are nor does he particularly relish admitting to his own mistakes.  The Browns do NOT need to fire Andrew Berry and Kevin Stefanski to right their ship.  What needs to be done is that Jimmy Haslam implement an organizational structure like that implemented by Sheila Ford when she took control of the Detroit Lions.  Ownership must be separated from Football Operations.   Give Haslam a liaison to operations like Sheila Ford Hamp has in Chris Spielman but please, for the love of God, remove Jimmy Haslam from any direct reports who run the football operations.   Today, Andrew Berry and Kevin Stefanski both report to Haslam,   End that as soon as possible and Haslam will have held accountable the one executive who has presided over most of the major issues this team has, himself!

Brown BLog Predicts: Week 15 vs Bengals - It's Obvious

The Browns never cease to amaze me with their persistent belief in the power of positive thinking and their determination to cling to their belief in an athlete's potential to succeed in the NFL when facts and data scream otherwise.

I am a fan.  I played two years of organized football, in other words I know less than nothing about the NFL but still... I watch every Browns game and in spite of what little I know, I can tell you that Dorian Thompson Robinson is not an NFL QB.  Because it is obvious.  He might not even be a CFL QB for that matter.  What DTR possesses in character and intelligence he lacks in arm strength and the physical make up needed to survive in the NFL.  He has played more than enough for anybody to see.   But the Browns continue to lie to themselves.   They do this over and over.  It still blows my mind that the Browns choose to keep DTR over Tyler Huntley during the pre season.  Any idiot can see that Tyler Huntley is a far better QB than DTR. 

But the Browns under Paul DePodesta, cling to the belief that there are athletes who fail in the NFL who might succeed if simply given the chance to play.   Wrong yet again, Paul.   Dorian Thompson Robinson indeed has several of the characteristics needed to play NFL football, but for a QB, smarts and moxie don't matter if you cannot throw a football accurately 40 yards down field while athletic 270 pound men are trying to beat you into a pulp.

Don't expect much this week

Brown BLog Predicts

Bengals        30

Browns        13

The Brown BLog are 8-6 season to date predicting Browns games.