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CLEVELAND, Ohio – I have no idea what will happen on Sunday when the Browns play in Kansas City.
But looking at the Chiefs, Browns fans should have some confidence in the future of their favorite team.
That's because John Dorsey played a major role in helping the Chiefs become a playoff team and a consistent winner.
He did not do it alone.
The current Browns general manager was fortunate to be paired with Andy Reid, an elite coach who had reached the Super Bowl after coaching in Philadelphia.
Thanks to Reid, the leaders do not have to suffer the internal drama and discord that Brown's fans witnessed this week.
The insecurities of former head coach Hue Jackson and offensive coordinator Todd Haley added poison to an already toxic and losing environment.
This is what Dorsey inherited from Cleveland when he was hired on December 7, 2017. Losing breeds indifference and discontent. It also creates despair, such as the fact that Jackson brought Haley to lead the offense.
Some fans and media representatives thought Haley was Dorsey's choice.
Nope.
Owners Jimmy Haslam and Dorsey wanted Jackson to hire an offensive coordinator. Jackson brought Haley.
Now, both are gone.
And Gregg Williams is the interim coach while the Browns face the former Dorsey team.
MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICES
Dorsey had problems with the bosses, especially with regard to the salary cap.
But he worked well with his coach. He immediately traded against veteran quarterback Alex Smith, allowing the Chiefs team to be more stable 2-14 in 2012.
To be fair to the former Kansas City general manager, Scott Pioli, he left the Chiefs with five Pro Bowl players.
But during his four years with Kansas City (2009-12), Pioli was not able to find a coach or a quarterback. His main coaches were Romeo Crennel and Haley. They went through a lot of quarters.
Reid had been hired a week before Dorsey. The owner of the chiefs, Clark Hunt, brought in Dorsey, giving him the last word on the line-up.
The main point was Dorsey and Reid together to rebuild the leaders.
"John is going to do a phenomenal job for your guys," Reid told Cleveland media during a conference call. "He has already done it. You saw what he did (in Kansas City). "
If you can find a coach and a quarterback …
If you can find a way for a volunteer coach and a volunteer general manager to make decisions …
If you have five drafts producing a dozen starters and five professional bowlers …
That's what happened in Kansas City while Dorsey was there.
TAKE THE CREDIT
On several occasions, I mentioned that Dorsey was the managing director who recruited Patrick Mahomes for the Chiefs in 2017 – he even traded up to # 10 to pick him.
Mahomes became a star with the Chiefs in his first full season as a starter. He sat behind Smith in 2017.
Several fans contacted me to say that Dorsey had little to do with the choice. The main voice was Brett Veach, Kansas City's staff manager.
"Brett Beach took Dorsey and me on this guy," Reid said. "Every five minutes he's talking about this guy. We (Dorsey and Reid) looked at it and we said, "You know what, this guy is very good." We ended up taking it. "
Just as most executives / coaches leave a choice that fails, many try to take credit when it succeeds.
Reid explained that it had nothing to do with trading to acquire Texas Tech's quarterback.
"Brett and Dorsey did all that stuff," Reid said. "I do not worry about all this. I just know that I wanted it.
Suppose Veach is the first member of this organization to fall in love with Mahomes.
Several months ago, I had an informal conversation with Dorsey about Mahomes.
Mahomes' father is Pat Mahomes, who has played eleven seasons in the major leagues for several teams. He was the second All-Academic All-American team. Dorsey said that all the most prominent members of the front office and coaching staff "were stunned" when they interviewed Mahomes and then put him on the whiteboard to compose plays.
The fact is that the entire organization has worked well to identify and write a franchise quarterback. Dorsey was a big part of that.
We'll see if Baker Mayfield will eventually become the Browns' long-term answer to the quarterback. But the draft was Dorsey's first choice with the Browns, and that sounds promising.
Then find the right head coach.
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