Plain Dealer beat writer Tony Grossi is saying that the Browns are interested in former Denver Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan.

Browns owner Randy Lerner may want to do his homework on Shanahan. The man is an amazing coach, but if he is demanding total control over personnel decisions, it could get ugly. Shanahan has been spotty at best over the past five years in both the draft and free agency.

If Shanahan is willing to come as a coach only, it's a huge upgrade.  The man is an offensive genius, and the man who revolutionized the zone blocking scheme in the NFL.

Shanahan is a hot commodity, and won't be unemployed long.  That will be good and bad for the impulsive Lerner.  Let's hope if Shanny becomes the Browns head coach, it's not with total power.

Although he has a career record of 146-98, the Broncos have been 24-24 the past three years. As their coach, Shanahan's Broncos won back-to-back Super Bowls in 1997 and 1998.

According to Plain Dealer beat reporter May Kay Cabot, the Browns will interview former Jets coach Eric Mangini either today or tomorrow. Update: According to the Associated Press, Mangini will interview today.

With the Jets, Mangini had a 23-25 record and went 9-7 this season. New York got off to an 8-3 start this year, before faltering down the stretch. Mangini was reportedly let go because he didn't want Bret Favre to be the team's quarterback this season. Neither general manager Mike Tannenbaum or owner Woody Johnson were that specific.

Tannenbaum in the New York Times:

“I respect Eric, I admire him. He’s loyal, he’s smart. I think the world of him. But at the end of day, when I sat down with Woody, we had to make the right decision, not the easy one. But I am human and it hurt on a personal standpoint. But it’s what’s best for the New York Jets. We’ve made that decision and now we’re going to move forward.”

Johnson:

“This is about the most difficult thing you can do as franchise owner, and that’s making a change at head coach. Eric’s been our coach for three years. He’s done some amazing things. Nobody’s worked harder. He knows his X’s and O’s. He’s a good teacher.

“But Mike and I felt it was time to make a change. It’s not a decision we reached yesterday or 10 minutes ago. This was a decision running through the season.”

What makes this puzzling is that owner Randy Lerner indicated on Monday that a general manager would be selecting the head coach.

Mangini, 38, began his career with the Browns in 1994 as a ball boy. Mangini then latched on as an intern in the team's public relations department before being asked by head coach Bill Belichick to break down film for coaches.

Mangini gained notoriety during the 2005 season as the defensive coordinator for the New England Patriots. That catapulted him into the Jets job in 2006. The team went to the playoffs in 2007, losing in the first round to the Patriots.

Also see: Welcome back, RAC?

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Pick other? Let us know who in the comments!

The Browns dimissal of Romeo Crennel as head coach does not mean we won't see the loveable quote machine back in 2009.

Per ESPN's James Walker, Crennel would consider coming back to the team in another capacity next season, presumably as the defensive coordinator.  That all hinges on the hiring of Patriots vice president of player personnel, Scott Pioli.  Pioli is expected to be the front runner for the Browns general manager job.

Towards the end of the post, Walker, a former Browns beat writer in Columbus, OH gives a small clue as to who the Browns could be looking at for a head coach should Pioli come aboard:

If Pioli is hired, head coaching candidates are expected to be Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz.

McDaniels is not a shock, but he's fairly green.  He's only 32 years old, but he's a local boy who grew up in Barberton, OH and played football at John Carroll University.

On the other hand, Ferentz is a seasoned NCAA coach, having been at the helm of the University of Iowa since 1998.  He's a popular name who has come up previous head coaching hunts in 2001 and then again in 2005.

If Crennel does return to the team, it's likely to pair with the young McDaniels.  He has only been a coordinator for three seasons, and would be one of the NFL's youngest head coaches.  Crennel would likely run the defense on his own then.

So you tell us, if Josh McDaniels becomes the Browns head coach, are you okay with the possibility of Romeo Crennel coming back as the defensive coordinator?  Leave a comment.

The following is a collection of the best Browns news. Not necessarily all of it, just what you'll need to know to follow along with news as it happens.
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The Browns just released the following statements.

First, from former general manager Phil Savage:

“I would like to thank Randy Lerner for giving me the opportunity to work for the Cleveland Browns over these past four seasons. Things did not go as well as we had expected, particularly in 2008, however, I do anticipate this team bouncing back and having success in the future.”

And from Romeo Crennel:

“I would like to thank Randy Lerner for giving me the opportunity to coach the Cleveland Browns. Some progress was made in my four years here, but not enough to go forward in this position. The support from the community and the fans has been greatly appreciated. Though this past year has been tough, my experience in Cleveland has been a good one. I did not win enough games so I must move on. Thank you for the opportunity.”

That last post? Forget it. The Browns have received permission from the Patriots to interview Scott Pioli.

Just to clue everyone in on Pioli, he's the 43-year-old vice president of player personnel for the New England Patriots. That basically means he, along with head coach Bill Belichick, make all the personnel moves for the Patriots.

He's had that job since 2002. Prior to that, he held less significant personnel jobs with the Patriots. He got his big break in the NFL in 1992. It was then, while he was coaching the Browns, that Belichick hired Pioli as a pro personnel assistant.

Pioli won the NFL Executive of the Year Award from Pro Football Weekly in 2003 and 2007. In 2004, he won the same award from the NFL Players Association, the San Francisco Chronicle, Sporting News, Sports Illustrated and USA Today.

Coincidentally, Pioli is the son-in-law of Bill Parcells, another target of the Browns.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk is much smarter than I am. The basic answer to the question above is yes.

Let the highly large-brained Florio explain why here.

You're a fan. You pay for tickets and sit through the games. Now, once again, the course of the Cleveland Browns franchise is changing.

If you had your choice who would be the new head coach and who would be the new general manager of the Cleveland Browns?

Let us know in the comments. Just don't say Bill Cowher, he doesn't want to coach in 2009.

Phil Savage is out, that is not a doubt.  Romeo Crennel is likely in the same boat, but let's wait on that.

Common perception is that Savage helped improve the Browns, and bring them back to respectability.  After the debacle of former head coach Butch Davis, improvement seemed to be a near guarantee.  What if I told you that Savage was actually worse than Davis?

While it seems unlikely, it's the truth (partially).  The Browns from 2001 through the end of 2004 had a combined record of 25 wins and 39 losses.  During the Savage era, the Browns were able to muster up 24 wins, compared to 40 losses.  Making things even worse, Butch's Browns made the playoffs once, whereas as Savage/Crennel did not make the playoffs at all.

It just doesn't stop at wins and losses though.  The Browns under Davis featured an average ranking of 25th in scoring offenese per year.  Under Savage/Crennel, they averaged 24th in scoring offense.  Much to surprise of this blogger, the defense stayed about the same in scoring defense, averaging a respectable 17th per season, compared to Davis' 15th in scoring defense.

So let's get this straight:  The Browns offense, including a season where they ranked 8th in scoring in the NFL, was only one notch on average per year better than Davis' teams, which once featured Adimchinobe Echemandu at running back.  The Browns defense, under Davis which featured constant scheme and personnel changes, was about the same as Crennel's, the guy who has been a vaunted defensive assistant for teams such as the Giants and Patriots who won Super Bowls?

A popular point brought up about Savage is that he increased the talent level on the roster from what he inheritted from Davis in 2005.  That's great and it gives the team a solid base to build upon, but the Browns statistically were barely better then some Browns teams with far inferior talent.  Does it matter who is on your roster if they don't produce?

Take some time to peruse the lineups of the Davis Browns versus the Savage/Crennel Browns, and see what I'm talking about.  The 2008 Browns were just about even as their 2003 counterpart.

For as much as credit as I would like to give Savage, it seems like after four years all he's done is change pieces.  I will say that he did inherit a bad team, but the players he was putting on the field were not as productive as talent far less superior.  Barry Stokes is not the same player as Eric Steinbach, but they both were on bad teams.  So does it really matter?

Looking at the Falcons and Dolphins resurrection this season though has to give Cleveland fans hope.  Turnarounds can be done, and quickly, if the right vision and direction is placed in the front office.  The Browns have talent on their roster, so this job might be much more appealing than it was after the 2004 season.

On a closing note, speaking of the Dolphins, could Bill Parcells be in the Browns plans?  He could be able to get out of his contract with the Dolphins, pending the team's sale.  One interesting note is that Parcells would not pursue any opening his son-in-law would be interested in.  That son-in-law is Patriots vice president Scott Pioli.