ON TODAY'S SCORECARD
Haslem Strikes Again

After a lengthy search process that featured multiple rejections and a slew of coaching candidates, the Browns finally landed their next head coach on Wednesday.

The team announced that Todd Monken, former offensive coordinator of the Ravens, would be taking up the role vacated by Kevin Stefanski.

That decision, it seems, is already having ripple effects within the building. According to reporting from NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero, defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, who was a candidate for the vacant head coaching role, was “visibly upset” after learning that he’d not been given the job.

Pelissero reports that Schwartz went as far as to “say goodbyes” to people in the building and told other coaches that he’s “not coming back.”

Schwartz has been Cleveland’s defensive coordinator since 2023, and he remains under contract through the 2026 campaign. He interviewed twice for the head coaching vacancy before the team opted to go with Monken. ESPN reports that Monken is open to the idea of Schwartz staying on as defensive coordinator, though that feeling may not be mutual.

The Browns’ coaching search was a mess from the start. Multiple reports indicated that various candidates had pulled out of the running for the job - even those without prior head coaching experience, such as Jaguars OC Grant Udinski and former Chargers DC Jesse Minter (who took the Ravens’ job).

Now that they’ve finally landed their next coach, that decision has seemingly fractured the locker room and could even lead to the departure of their defensive coordinator, who has been one of the most influential individuals in the building in recent years.

So, in the end the Browns let Mike Vrabel walk, fired former two-time NFL Coach of the Year Stefanski, and settled on Todd Monken, former Southern Miss head coach where he went 13-25 outright and 9-15 in conference games in his ONLY tenure as a professional head coach.

And you wonder why the Browns are such a mess! Welcome to the 'Jimmy Haslem world of incompetence!

TRENDING TODAY
Bill’s Big Bust

In August of 2019, Bill Belichick took his New England Patriots on a detour.

Having arrived in Canton, Ohio to attend the Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinement of former Patriots cornerback Ty Law, Belichick combed over the Hall’s historic collections for the better part of an entire weekend. He studied exhibits, archives and videos, spending hours in between with staff asking and answering questions. He then wandered through a vast expanse of bronze busts and plaques telling the story of how football has been shaped over more than a century.

As we have learned this week, that bust reportedly won’t be going up this summer. Belichick inexplicably missed the HOF cut on his first ballot appearance, failing to attain the necessary 40 of 50 votes for enshrinement. That means if Patriots owner Robert Kraft gets his much coveted “door knock” next week in Santa Clara, California, informing him of his entrance into the Hall, it will be an honor that came at the expense of leaving Belichick’s doorway silent.

Kraft may be in. Belichick apparently isn’t. And that could end up depriving both of one last jointly shared football victory. It’s a moment that, frankly, might have been able to douse the smoldering mess between them and heal some wounds.

Now it threatens to become the deepest cut, with Kraft potentially going into the Hall of Fame ahead of Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady, the two biggest football architects of a shared Patriots dynasty.

That is, if Kraft wants it to go this way.

In reality, he may end up with a monumentally unfair opportunity at extending an extraordinary olive branch here. Not one that he asked for and not one that he should be burdened with. Certainly not one that anyone in football should expect. But it’s there nonetheless: If the Hall of Fame beckons him next week, Kraft could accept the honor, but decline his enshrinement until he and Belichick can enter together.

It would be an unprecedented moment in NFL history, of course. And also completely implausible and preposterous considering the rift that has developed between Kraft and Belichick. Not to mention an act of pure grace that would be cleaning up a vote that is being admonished by a multitude of HOF selectors.

Ramierz hit .283 last season while banging out 30 home runs and stealing 44 bases last season.

He joined the Guardians in 2009 as an international free agent from the Dominican Republic. A franchise stalwart, he is second in franchise history with 285 home runs, 52 behind Jim Thome. He is also top-five in games played (1,609), stolen bases (287) and runs scored (1,001).

Ramirez is now committed to Cleveland through the 2032 season.

The question is: Which Ramierz was the better player for Cleveland: Jose, or Manny - a nine-time Silver Slugger winner?