Takeaways from Jimmy Haslam's Press Conference

Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam had a press conference Thursday in lieu of the end of season press conference normally held by the general manager. Since they don't currently have a general manager, having just agreed to part ways with John Dorsey Tuesday, Haslam was at the podium. While Haslam did echo a lot of sentiments he has in the past, such as reaffirming their desire to get this hire right, there were a few important details.

It's been widely reported, but Haslam repeated that Chief Strategy Officer Paul DePodesta will be heading the search, but the final decision will be a collective effort between ownership and a few top level executives including Chris Cooper, the Vice President of Football Administration. Haslam also noted that Eliot Wolf will remain the assistant general manager of the team. DePodesta's role as Chief Strategy Officer will not change.

The team is going to hire the head coach first and then with their input as well as input from several other people, they will proceed to determine the general manager hire. The GM will have control over the 53 man roster while the head coach will determine the 46 who play on game day.

When asked about former Ohio State Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer being a candidate, Haslam said they are only focusing on candidates with NFL experience right now. So Meyer theoretically could be a candidate down the road, but he's not at the moment.

Haslam was unwilling to comment specifically on why Dorsey is no longer a part of the organization or why they fired Kitchens, but he made it pretty clear when he was talking about what he's hoping to find in the upcoming hires.

The word he kept mentioning was alignment. He wants organizational alignment, so that everyone is headed in the same direction, which they have not had at any point since the Haslams bought the team. Even when he was asked about the relationship between Dorsey and Kitchens, he said they can always do better.

Haslam also made it clear that Dorsey wasn't willing to embrace data and analytics. When he was asked if that meant the team was going back to a full analytics approach, Haslam provided a good answer. He referenced his past at Pilot Flying J, saying that he thinks it's important the Browns utilize accurate information to make decisions.

Haslam felt the process they went through last time was a good one and this will be better. He did take responsibility for the choice of Kitchens, saying it was an organizational decision, rather than just Dorsey's, which is the fear everyone has. Good suggestions from the people he hired are overruled by ownership.

Assuming they stick to their goal of organizational alignment, it would seem like ownership will be more likely to listen to the employees who will actually work with the next head coach and GM, but that remains to be seen.

Haslam said he was looking for five things from the next head coach.

1. Strong leader

2. Smart

3. Possesses good football acumen

4. Will work well within the organization

5. A continuous learner

The only conclusions one might draw from this list are that four may refer specifically to people like DePodesta. It seems unlikely that DePodesta is going to run the coaching search only to have the Browns then hire someone that he doesn't feel is a good fit with him. The fallout from that might be DePodesta leaving the organization. Stranger things have happened with the Browns.

And while five doesn't necessarily mean they want someone younger, but it could easily be construed that way. Younger candidates are more likely to still be learning and evolving with the game. Mike McCarthy is 56 and much of his interview may be prodding him about how he has evolved since he was fired by the Green Bay Packers. At that point, he was criticized for the game having passed him by in his 13-year tenure with the team. If they like what he has to say about his attempts to modernize and adapt, he may fit, but this might point more towards candidates on the younger side. The rest of the field that has been mentioned to this point ranges from 37 to 46 years old.