Randy's UK PR firm is working overtime!

Here is yet another Randy article in the British press, I guess one could say that the Brown's owner is quite randy for publicity these days. This one on a BBC blog written by Matt Slater, and it is rather appropriately titled "Why Cleveland's villain is Villa's hero"

"Randy" Lerner and the British Premiership

Here is a very interesting article which includes a rare interview with "Randy" Lerner in the British newspaper, The Independent.

In addition to being owner of the Cleveland Browns, "Randy" Lerner is majority owner of the British Premiership soccer squad, Aston Villa, which is also the favorite team of new British Prime Minister David Cameron. It is quite rare to see Lerner's own words in print as he is notoriously shy about talking to the press but maybe the fact that the new Prime Minister is an Aston Villa fan has "Randy" sensing an opportunity to form a friendship with one of the world's most powerful politicians hence "Randy" is suddenly working hard to increase his visibility in the UK. That may sound like idle speculation but the fact is that Cameron was elected less than two weeks ago and all of the sudden silent "Randy" is giving interviews?

"Randy" states in the interview that spending is not the answer to Villa's challenges, and while I agree with "Randy" that he should not spend £30,000,000 on a star forward, I would add that many soccer teams in Europe have risen to the Champions League without spending a fortune on star players. Success in sports does not come down to spending, it comes down to the judgement of ownership and management.

Footnote: Speaking of judgement, "Randy" may have spent some time living in the UK but if he wants to be taken seriously by the Prime Minister and the rest of the British population, he really ought to consider what the word randy signifies in British slang and take into very serious consideration, at least when giving an interview in a British newspaper, to use the name his mother gave him, Randolph. I guarantee you that every time a Brit reads about "Randy" Lerner, a few laughs and a snide comment are not far behind. I just have a hard time imaging David Cameron forming a friendship with someone who he will have to refer to as "randy" in public...

The signing spree continues

The Browns continued their March signing spree by picking up veteran QB Jake Delhomme. Interesting to note that 3 of the 4 free agent players the Browns have signed this month have Super Bowl experience. Could it be that Randy Lerner has decided that the non salary cap year of 2010, pending the 2011 work stoppage, might be his best chance to win a Super Bowl for Cleveland? Consider that most NFL teams right now are sitting tight and not spending, while Mike Holmgren has been extraordinarily active. It's a very good sign.

It's probably a bit early but I'm starting to get excited about 2010. The signings made to date at a minimum are going to make the Browns very competitive in 2010, furthermore they will free Holmgren to draft players in the upcoming draft, who can contribute immediately. We all know that a QB drafted in round 1 almost always needs a year or two to develop but a linebacker, DB, WR or RB can almost always hit the ground running from day one.

Huh???

I'm not sure how sound this journalist's sources are but if the information in the article we've linked to has any factual basis, then the Browns backup plan if Holmgren would have fallen through was to hire a baseball man to run their professional football team.

I'd like to believe that Randy Lerner is smart enough to have not even considered such lunacy.

Thank you Randy Lerner

USA Today summed it up best in an article today. The Browns have hired a proven winner and taken a critical first step in moving this franchise towards it's first Super Bowl. A Merry Christmas to all!