On Mike Holmgren In The Front Office: The Cleveland Browns Big Draft Trade

by Brandon on May 10, 2011 6:00 PM CDT in Green Bay Packers Draft

It was with some schadenfreude that I watched as Mike Holmgren was fired as GM of the Seattle Seahawks back in 2002, since he left the Green Bay Packers to take that job and stick them with the Ray Rhodes ~~error~~ era. He was a good coach, but he's lousy in the front office. So it was surprising when the Browns hired him, not as a coach, but to run their front office and rebuild the team. Really?

This time Holmgren is only the team's president, who's still involved in the draft process, but Tom Heckert is their GM. With so much involvement on Holmgren's part, I was surprised that his team had such a great draft day trade. Five draft choices (including two No. 1s) for the No. 6 overall pick. Is it "one of the greatest trades in draft history"? Holmgren was asked about it on KJR radio in Seattle, via Sports Radio Interviews:

When he [GM Tom Heckert] laid it out and explained it it makes all the sense in the world as long as we did a nice job picking the players. After you make a deal if you don’t do a good job picking the players then it was foolish. Heckert is about as good as you can be in this business. I have a lot of confidence in him.

He's right on when he said it's about "picking the players." The trade could turn their franchise around if those five players are all starters or valuable role players. The player they wanted in the first round instead of WR Julio Jones was NT Phil Taylor, who will team with returning NT Ahtyba Rubin, to form a giant middle of their new 4-3 defense. Their new defensive coordinator is former Bears coach Dick Jauron, who had a pretty good defense for the Bears in 2001-2002 when his 4-3 defense was anchored by NT Ted Washington and NT Keith Traylor. He appears to be doing the same thing now in Cleveland.

With their extra second round pick, they took a very good wide receiver prospect, Greg Little, from North Carolina. I'd be higher on him if he'd played more than one season in college at receiver. Their fourth round selection, Stanford RB Owen Marecic, sounds like a John Kuhn type of player who might be a good backup to RB Peyton Hillis. Curse you Peyton Hillis! These are the players that could make this trade a huge success for the Browns.

The last two players involved won't be known until 2012, but so far it looks like a good return. If the Falcons are right about Jones, then it'll be a good trade for them too, but they paid a high price no matter how well he plays. I'd rather have the package the Browns received, and I'm really surprised that Mike Holmgren was part of the front office that obtained such a haul.

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I really didn't understand the Falcons mentality with this trade

Yea, they need another guy to pair with Roddy White and it’s never a bad thing to give your QB more weapons. However, it wasn’t their lack of receiving that killed them against the Packers, it was the lack of a pass rush that ultimately exposed a weak secondary. Unless they go on a spending spree when free agency starts, I don’t see how this move puts them any closer to a title. Also, I think Jones will be great but I’d only wanna give up that much if I assured a Larry Fitzgerald or Andre Johnson type player.

by Charlie Kelly on May 10, 2011 7:27 PM CDT reply actions

They could have easily gotten a good WR to pair w/ White in the 2nd.

That they decimated their draft this year and next for a WR is idiotic IMO. You just don’t build an offense around the WR, when the QB is the trigger man. Don’t need great WR to have a great passing game or be a SB contender. That trade was an act of desperation.

You've been Stroh'd™!!!

by Strohman on May 10, 2011 10:41 PM CDT up reply actions

From a different perspecive, the falcons could make a move for nnamdi...?

Atlanta isnt going anywhere, but the NFC east and the falcons are ALLEGEDLY making moves for him…..kinda scary really

Packers over the Bears, Illini over the Badgers...

by SpaceGhost34 on May 11, 2011 12:02 AM CDT via mobile up reply actions

That would actually make alot of sense.

Theyre pass defense in the secondary was putrid. They need a damn good CB to take the pressure of everyone else and drop them each down the chain would do wonders. They still needed another pass rusher to tho.

You've been Stroh'd™!!!

by Strohman on May 11, 2011 12:41 AM CDT up reply actions

The more I look at what the Falcons had last year

I actually think this was a pretty good move on their part. They already have their franchise QB, and they have an elite WR in White, but that’s really it for their aerial game. Yeah, Tony Gonzalez, but he’s not the same player that he once was, which isn’t to say he can’t still get it done, but he’s not a game-changer anymore.

Atlanta needed more targets. When trailing in the fourth quarter, White was the target on HALF the pass attempts and accounted for 60% of the passing yardage. That’s unbelievable. Their offense could be scary good if Jones shows that he’s even an above average WR in the NFL.

Greinke: "It’s not about the guacamole itself. I just don’t want to let them win."

by GoGregGo on May 11, 2011 7:55 AM CDT up reply actions

I agree that it could make their offense pretty scary

But I still think they should’ve gone defense, that was their undoing. When you allow an opposing QB to play the way Rodgers did in your own building, something is definitely wrong. Of course, none of that will matter if they get Nnamdi or some other marquee free agent defensive players.

by Charlie Kelly on May 11, 2011 8:03 AM CDT up reply actions

That's kind of the thing though

There are a few impact defensive players available in FA (Nnamdi, Jenkins, Babin, Carlos Rodgers). There aren’t any impact WR. The two best WR available in FA are Braylon Edwards and Santana Moss.

Greinke: "It’s not about the guacamole itself. I just don’t want to let them win."

by GoGregGo on May 11, 2011 11:22 AM CDT up reply actions

Clearly they needed a WR

But what did they give up to get one? 2 1st, 2 2nd and this years 4th or something like that. Its been shown it fairly easy to find good WR in the 2nd and alot of them are playmakers if they have a good QB throwing to them. IMO, they should have went Defense in the 1st, more up for a WR in the 2nd and then they can still get a impact defensive player in FA. That way they get 3 players and lose only one draft pick to move up in the 2nd. This way they gave up what amounts to 5 players just to get one. That just doesn’t make alot of sense to me…

You've been Stroh'd™!!!

by Strohman on May 11, 2011 11:43 AM CDT up reply actions

I admit

I’d probably be ticked if TT made a move like this (which would likely never happen), but I can see the Falcons rationale at least. They clearly felt strongly about Jones potential, and were willing to pay for it. I mean, beyond the top two were guys with significant question marks, there really wasn’t an impact WR remaining, so the Falcons possibly felt that any WR taken in the second wouldn’t be the boost their offense needed.

Now, obviously the first round would have changed had they not traded up, but if you look at their original position in the draft, there weren’t really any impact defensive players still available at 26, so they likely would have needed to trade up in the first round to get a defensive contributor anyways.

Greinke: "It’s not about the guacamole itself. I just don’t want to let them win."

by GoGregGo on May 11, 2011 11:53 AM CDT up reply actions

Could have got Baldwin at their original draft spot.

And look CB or pass rusher in the 2nd. Houston would have been a good pick at that point for them, w/ the risk being much lower. And sitll get Nnamdi if they wanted. Then they still have all their picks next year. They were desperate to keep up w/ the Pack, IMO thats why they did it. Won’t work tho! And now they have to get there cuz they didn’t improve except at WR.

You've been Stroh'd™!!!

by Strohman on May 11, 2011 12:46 PM CDT up reply actions

Yeah, I certainly can see why they did it but I still think they just gave up too much. They’ve almost got to go to FA now, which doesn’t always work out well, and now don’t have a 1st or 2nd round pick next year.

I think they would have been better off going Baldwin at 26 and Houston at 52 like you suggested.

Fire Slocum

by packallday555 on May 11, 2011 1:18 PM CDT up reply actions

I like the move of getting a really good #2, but not at that price. What they gave up needs to have more of an impact on a game than someone who catches like 8 passes a game.

I do think he’ll help make their offense much scarier though.

The Green Bay Packers...Putting bad coaches out of their misery since 2010

by TrevorR on May 13, 2011 9:20 AM CDT up reply actions

I loved the aggressiveness of the Falcons to move up to get a playmaker to get them to the next level…I just didn’t like who they grabbed.

The Green Bay Packers...Putting bad coaches out of their misery since 2010

by TrevorR on May 11, 2011 6:54 AM CDT up reply actions

Atlanta thinks improving their offense will defeat the Packers for NFC supremacy

But the Packers made a point to improve our own offense in this draft. That is simply sick and wrong, but it is so cool. Atlanta made a move to catch up to us, yet I think they got trumped.

by Welzy on May 10, 2011 7:42 PM CDT reply actions

Yep

They’re trying to beat us in a shootout. Problem is, we have a solid defense too.

"I'm tired of pretending I'm not a rock star from Mars."

by Kuhl on May 10, 2011 10:10 PM CDT up reply actions

What about the possibility

He was a good coach, but he’s lousy in the front office. So it was surprising when the Browns hired him, not as a coach, but to run their front office and rebuild the team. Really?

that he was lousy in the front office merely because being the head coach got in the way?

"It's a great day to be great, baby!"

"Here I am, brain the size of a planet,
and they ask me to pick up a piece of paper.
You call that job satisfaction?
'Cause, I don't."

THE BEARS STILL SUCK!

by NorthStarr on May 11, 2011 2:50 AM CDT reply actions

That was my thinking

Few people can handle both jobs.

"I'm tired of pretending I'm not a rock star from Mars."

by Kuhl on May 11, 2011 8:18 AM CDT up reply actions

no matter how good Julio Jones is, Atlanta gave up too much

I get the thinking that they were one piece away (13-3 last year) from being a true contender, but they gave up way too much for one player, especially a player at a position where they already had talent. It was a luxury pick, and they gave up a TON for that luxury pick. It would be one thing if they had a fantastic defense, but their offense struggled to score, I could see it then. But their secondary and pass-rush need major help. Now, if they went out and got Ray Edwards from Minnesota and Nmadi from the Raiders in free agency, then I think this would look like a better move, but that is asking a lot.

Even if Jones is great in the NFL, he’s still playing next to a top-5 NFL receiver, so I just don’t see any way that his value is able to equal that of 5 draft picks (and those are high picks, 4th round and above). Kudos to the Browns for getting them to bite on that deal. No player they would have drafted there (once Patrick Peterson was off the board) would have helped them enough to make it worth turning it down, and now they have a haul of picks. As the article states, if they draft wisely, they’ll be in great shape

by rip_city_swagger on May 11, 2011 11:33 AM CDT reply actions

Now, if they went out and got Ray Edwards from Minnesota and Nmadi from the Raiders in free agency, then I think this would look like a better move, but that is asking a lot.

Even then though, I think you’ve got to be careful with Edwards. I think he’s pretty good but his play could have definitely been inflated by the guys around him. I don’t know that he’d be able to effectively replace Abraham as a pass rusher and that’s what they really badly need.

Fire Slocum

by packallday555 on May 11, 2011 1:21 PM CDT up reply actions

Good player, but a poor fit

I liked the rest of the Falcons draft, but I just dont see how this pick works. There is absolutley no value in giving up 5 players. WR was not the least of the reasons that they lost in the playoffs; poor offensive line play, DBs who looked lost repeatedly, sloppy route running, and bad play calling.

And if they really wanted a guy named Jones who drops a lot of balls, we could probably have helped them out!

He’s actually underrated, but that’s another can of worms…

by jarlbartar on May 12, 2011 7:21 AM CDT reply actions

No kidding...

James Jones makes his share of plays and drops his share of passes! Just like Julio… And they could get our Jones for the paltry price of a 2nd! WHat is it w/ WR w/ the intials JJ? Is it a prerequisite that they are playmaking, ball dropping WR?! LOL

You've been Stroh'd™!!!

by Strohman on May 12, 2011 8:14 PM CDT up reply actions