The Next Coach

Butch Davis's career as Browns coach is over. Bank on it. Now it's a matter of time, and my money is that all of the statements coming out from the Browns this week are chess moves trying to motivate Davis to resign and go coach elsewhere, maybe Florida. It was obviously a mistake for Lerner to re-up the coach's contract to 2007, but unlike Butch it seems like Lerner has learned something from his mistake. And, jusst judging from a distance, I have to believe John Collins is making the right moves within the organization to push for a structure that if, you know, professional.

Davis, you can bet, is taking a cold look at his situation. How much does he have left on his Browns contract? (around 10 mil) What job options are currently available? What kind of settlement can he extract from Lerner? How much damage to his coaching career would coaching out the year do? I'd have to think that both Davis and the Browns would be satisfied with a 4-6 million settlement (what a deal!) and the guy going off to Florida or another big conference, Southern school. I don't know enough about what college openings are imminent to really judge where he could land, but it should be clear Butch won't be back in the NFL for a while.

As for the Browns, I have a feeling it will come down to Romeo Crennel or Dave Campo. Crennel's resume is impressive and, in one of life's ironies, is associated with two regimes who have exited Cleveland without fanfare. If he's willing, I'd like to see him here. And Campo, IMO, has been excellent as defensive coordinator and he'd do well if paired with a good GM.

Robiskie, I am ruling out based on the offense's horrible showing, his reported closeness with punks on the team like Northcutt and Morgan (that's okay for an assistant, not for a head coach) and his dumb lawsuit about his house that just smacks of sour grapes and a lack of intelligence. Maybe the guy ispopular with the players but it should be obvious that a popular coach is not what these players need.