The first mailbag of the new year is a big one for the Browns' beat writer.

View full sizeDavid I. Andersen / The Plain DealerWebster Slaughter's OT touchdown in 1986 gave the Browns a memorable victory over the Steelers and earned the top spot in rankings of Browns' triumphs over Pittsburgh by Tony Grossi.

Hey, Tony: Now that we are in the all too familiar "root for the other teams with bad records to improve our draft position" phase of the season, let's have some fun for a change. What are your top three favorite Browns/Steelers memories? I hate to admit it, but mine start with Turkey Jones, followed by Bernie Kosar and Webster Slaughter drawing plays in the dirt. -- Steve Cornelius, Avon Lake

Hey, Steve: Mine are limited to my time on the beat.

1. The Kosar-to-Slaughter TD for a Browns win in overtime in 1986.

2. The 51-0 win in the 1989 season opener under Bud Carson, which, to this day, is the greatest debut for a first-time coach in NFL history.

3a. The Eric Metcalf two-TD return game in 1993.

3b. The 16-15 win in 1999 on a last-second field goal, avenging Bill Cowher's 43-0 humiliation in the first game.

Hey, Tony: Has Rob Ryan ever coached a defense that has been ranked in the top 10 in the NFL? The defense is better than in the past, but I am just not sold on him. -- Cris Szitas, Jefferson

Hey, Cris: I believe the Browns currently rank seventh in points allowed. That's pretty much the most important statistic for a defense.

Hey, Tony: Two questions/comments -- First, have you ever seen a more overrated coach than Mike Shanahan? He owes his entire career to John Elway. Second, any player offended by Colt McCoy and Peyton Hillis questioning the team's intensity should be shown the door. When you lose two weeks in a row to two-win teams I think their "questioning" is more than fair. -- Justin Zawaly, Mariemont

Hey, Justin: At least Shanahan won two Super Bowls with Elway. I can think of at least one coach more overrated than him. It's Jeff Fisher, who owns more .500 seasons than any active coach. On your second point, I'm not aware of any player being offended by the comments made by McCoy and Hillis. I think the coach took more exception than anyone.

Hey, Tony: Do you think the loss of Scott Fujita has been underestimated by the Browns? His role as the defensive signal caller is in many ways as important as QB, and I think our young defense relied on his field leadership more than he was given credit for. The defensive inconsistency patterns seemed to track his presence and absence on the field. -- Pete Yehl, Princeton, N.J.

Hey, Pete: I don't think the Browns underestimated Fujita's loss. It's not only Fujita's role as the signal caller that was lost. Rob Ryan absolutely maximized Fujita's abilities to rush the passer, defend the run and drop back in coverage. We only saw Fujita play half a season in a system new to him. Had he been able to play 16 games, I believe Fujita would have clearly established himself as the team MVP on defense and possibly pressed for a Pro Bowl berth.

Hey, Tony: I think that all of the talk about Colt McCoy's arm strength or lack thereof is overrated. I'll take a QB who commands the huddle, is a leader on the field, can read defenses, can move in the pocket and is accurate any day. There once was a QB named Montana who didn't exactly have a cannon for an arm either, but he was put into an offense that was a good match for him, and as I recall, he had a pretty decent NFL career. What do you say? -- Steve Martinko, Belvidere, N.J.

Hey, Steve: I like everything about McCoy, but I still question his ability to put RPMs on the ball and spin it through bad climate. The Montana comparison is unfair. First, he played in San Francisco -- not Cleveland. He had maybe a handful of games in his entire career in the type of weather we see here regularly in December and January. Secondly, Montana was a unique talent, a Hall of Famer, one of the top five quarterbacks of all time. To cite Montana as some kind of standard for quarterbacks with average arms is unfair to all the quarterbacks that follow him.

Hey, Tony: Since 1966, which three Browns teams do you think have been the best, and why? -- Matt Wetzel, West St. Paul, Minn.

Hey, Matt: I picked up the beat in 1984. So I'm biased towards my era. I think the best I covered was the 1987 team. The players strike interrupted one month of that season. The one game canceled because of the strike was Denver's scheduled return to Cleveland one year after The Drive. If that game were played and the Browns had won, the Browns would have had home-field advantage for the AFC Championship. As it was, the game was played in Denver and resulted in The Fumble. Next best was the 1986 team that lost to The Drive in the AFC Championship. I guess I'd have to name the 1994 team the third best. I realize Bill Belichick's defense posted awesome numbers that year, but I just regard that season as the most unloved playoff team in Browns history because of the divisiveness created by the Bernie Kosar release the year before.

Hey, Tony: If Mangini beats either Baltimore or Pittsburgh some have said Holmgren would likely give his coach another year. I feel if Mangini somehow conjures up a win it would prove only one thing: Mangini is an inconsistent coach whose team always plays down (or up) to its competition. Your thoughts? -- Brailey Austin, Orange Park, Fla.

Hey, Brailey: He believes in all the right things. But when it comes to game-day decisions, he might not have what it takes to be a consistent winner. In the NFL, head coaches are paid to win, not to coach.

View full sizeJohn Kuntz / The Plain DealerTony Grossi is convinced that Colt McCoy has the intangibles to be a winner. But those tangibles? They are still in question.

Hey, Tony: Do you agree we need to draft a QB in the first round or trade for a QB like Kevin Kolb next year? Now don't roll your eyes. I am as hopeful for young McCoy as anyone. But us fans have had the wool pooled over our eyes before with a few good games from Couch, Quinn, Frye, Anderson etc. All were supposed to be our next savior and showed signs of promise just like Colt.

Doesn't Colt remind you of Quinn in 2008? A few good games like against Denver and we think he could be the one? I would rather go into next year with two bright prospects at QB than commit our whole 2011 season on yet another savior who has yet to show he can consistently throw an accurate deep ball. -- Nathan Cornell, Minneapolis, Minn.

Hey, Nathan: (Rolling my eyes at the mention of Kevin Kolb.) In my mind, McCoy possesses more qualities than the QBs you mention. Using the Gary Danielson standard he proferred in an interview with me earlier in the season, McCoy does possess the one quality absolutely essential for a quarterback to succeed -- mental toughness. But I still wonder if McCoy can make every throw necessary to take a team to the Super Bowl. Drew Brees plays half his games in a dome, so he doesn't have to win in Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Cincinnati in December to claim a division title. Brian Sipe never won a playoff game.

The question that must be answered is this: Do you want a quarterback like Chad Pennington, who has all the intangibles to win a lot of games but not enough arm to go all the way? Or can McCoy take this team in this climate to the Super Bowl? Mike Holmgren is the only one in town with the expertise to answer those questions.

Hey, Tony: I understand that you'll have another presentation to keep Art Modell out of the Hall of Fame. Good luck and thanks for keeping up the good fight! Do you think the prospect of coaching Colt McCoy is too tempting for Holmgren to pass up? -- Jason Renaud, Cleveland

Hey, Jason: On the Modell front, I've only had to make a presentation in front of the entire selection committee the one time he made the final 15. The final cut to 15 is announced in mid-January, so we'll see if Modell makes it. On the other question, I do think the prospect of coaching McCoy is keeping Holmgren's fires burning. If Holmgren does not return to the sideline, I think McCoy's future development will weigh heavily on who he thinks should coach the team moving forward.

Hey, Tony: I fully endorse and welcome your recent Hey Tony reply that the Browns first draft pick should be a DE, as I believe Shaun Rogers will never recover health wise his All Pro status. Why can't the Cleveland Clinic get Browns' IR players healthy? This leads to another free agent injury bust - RT Tony Pashos. You have often said the Browns need a standout RT and free-agent talent with a history of injury is drawing to an inside straight. So, should the Browns go after OSU OT Mike Adams, assuming he goes pro? -- Alan Fojt, Manassas, Va.

Hey, Alan: I don't mean to minimize the position of right tackle, but I believe Pashos should be back next year and that would surely lessen the need to draft one in the first round. I believe the position could also be improved if Shawn Lauvao advances to the starting right guard position and Floyd Womack moves to tackle. Womack is a very solid player.

Hey, Tony: Straight up, who is going to be coaching the Browns next season? -- George Boyle, Hoffman Estates, Ill.

Hey, George: Six weeks ago, I thought Holmgren. Now I'm not sure. Eric Mangini, Jon Gruden, John Fox? We should find out this week. The drama.

View full sizeJoshua Gunter / The Plain DealerPeyton Hillis scoring a touchdown? Hey, it's such a great idea, how about the Browns planning on doing it more often in 2011?

Hey, Tony: All Browns fans want for Christmas is a offense that can score some TDs. -- Johnny D'Ambrosia, Garfield Heights

Hey, Johnny: Amen, brother. Touchdowns are what it's all about in the NFL.

Hey, Tony: A lot of people want Mangini to stay, myself included, but only under the circumstance of several coaching staff replacements, specifically Brian Daboll. Who do you think are the best available offensive minds out there? -- Joe, Cleveland

Hey, Joe: I believe if Mangini says, the next offensive coordinator will be Josh McDaniels.

Hey, Tony: Do you think that the Brown' biggest offseason priority is a big play WR or a solid RT? A big-play reciever would sound nice but John St. Clair is the master of the matador style pass blocking. -- Joe Wolber, Ada

Hey, Joe: People forget that Tony Pashos was signed in free agency to take over the right tackle position. His season-ending injury put St. Clair back into the lineup. If Pashos is healthy next year, there isn't a huge need for an immediate replacement at right tackle. So I would say the bigger priorities are at defensive line and cornerback on defense and wide receiver on offense. A big-play receiver is essential, but only if the offense is revamped to incorporate the forward pass to the wideouts as a means of moving the ball.

Hey, Tony: We are now hearing Steve Mariucci's name bandied about. I kinda like that idea. He wasn't quite ready for prime time in San Fran and walked into the feeble little world of Matt Millen and Bill Ford, yet produced a couple of winning seasons. Your thoughts on him as a replacement for Mangini, if not just Daboll. Still would like to know about Eric Reinders. He may have been able to replace someone on the right side of the line by now. Is he stashed away somewhere? Or is he back in the CFL whooping on undersized DEs? -- Jimmy, Elyria

Hey, Jimmy: I don't envision Mariucci being a viable candidate to join the Browns in any capacity. I don't sense he wants to return to coaching. Reinders was a great story in May but didn't seem capable of competing at the NFL level.

Hey, Tony: With the offense in such horrible shape and Mangini and his staff having such a poor track record of developing offensive talent. Do you think that will weigh into the decision to keep him at the end of the year? -- Ralph Reis, Ft. Mitchell, Ky.

Hey, Ralph: I'm sure that Holmgren is taking all of that into consideration.

Hey, Tony: If Mangini goes and Holmgren takes over, do we go back to the 4-3? Can Rob Ryan coach that type of D? -- Dennis Bartlett, Queensbury, N.Y.

Hey, Dennis: I've heard the theory that if Holmgren takes over as coach he might retain Ryan and switch to a 4-3 scheme. Ryan ran a 4-3 as coordinator in Oakland. His 3-4 roots go back to his days as LB coach with New England. I would like to see a switch to the 4-3, but there sure seems to be a dearth of linemen on this roster.

Hey, Tony: What happens to the draft class of 2011 if there is no draft that year? Do they go into the 2012 draft? -- Jim Plunkett, Coral Springs, Fla.

Hey, Jim: The 2011 draft is assured of taking place no matter what happens with the current uncertain labor situation. The bigger question is whether a rookie wage-scale will be set in place comparable to the one in the NBA.

Hey, Tony: Is it just me or does Brian Daboll seem to scheme well during the first part of the game but invariably resorts back to the same predictable, one-dimensional, Hillis all the time offense? My next question has to do with Gil Haskell. What exactly is his role within the organization and if it's nothing more than a consultant, is this typical of many teams? Could it be that Holmgren brought him along in the event Mangini failed this year he'd already have his OC in place? -- Michael Dobson, Mogadore

Hey, Michael: 1. Daboll certainly seems to have more success in the opening parts of games than in the later quarters. Frankly, he does not receive high marks for making adjustments during games or after halftime. 2. Haskell is a personal adviser to Mike Holmgren. He was Holmgren's offensive coordinator in Green Bay and Seattle. I suppose he could return to that position if Holgmren were to return to the sideline.

Hey, Tony: Lets just suppose that Mike Holmgren does step in to coach next year. Who do you see as defensive and offensive coordinators? -- Tom Masters, Columbus

Hey, Tom: If Holmgren stepped in, Josh McDaniels wouldn't be offensive coordinator. Holmgren would want a West Coast-disciple. But if he merely demands a new coordinator, I don't think a West Coast-disciple would be required. As far as defensive coordinator, there's no reason for Rob Ryan to leave.

Hey, Tony: We always hear about Browns quarterbacks having to be able to play in the howling winds and snow on the frozen tundra in Cleveland. If you go back over the last 10 years, what percent of Browns home games after Nov. 1 actually had snow and winds in excess of 15-20 mph at game time? -- Tom Herlevi, Concord

Hey, Tom: Some seasons the schedule might take them on the road in the South or West in November and December, or in a dome or two. But in general the home games after Nov. 1 are likely to played in temperatures near freezing with some wind and possibly snow, on occasion. I can't cite you a percentage of games like this, but I can say it's not a myth.

Hey, Tony: Although I love what Holmgren has done with the front office, I can't help but disagree about him becoming head coach. Yes, he is a great coach and would develop Mccoy, but he will be 63. The smart hire is Gruden because he, along with Heckert, can offer the stability for years to come that the team has been lacking. Holmgren would just be a four-4 year solution then back to where we are at now. -- Joe Crespo, Houston, Texas

Hey, Joe: A four-year solution? Well, that would be long enough to establish his system and perhaps make a postseason appearance or two. Besides, Holmgren could groom his successor so that a transition to the next coach would be seamless.

Hey, Tony: Most national pundits picked the Browns to be a 5- to 6-win team this year with the limited talent they had and 3 new QBs to the team. I am curious if the national media as well as you knew at the start of the year the Browns would have to switch QBs five times during the year due to injury if 5 or 6 wins would be that bad? Do you in your heart believe Holmgren or any others would have done better? I just can't see throwing out Mangini without ever giving him a solid year with a solid starter at QB and at least 3 years of adding talent. -- Michael Spitale, Galena

Hey, Michael: I don't think the injuries are to blame for repeated questionable game management decisions and the overall mentality to play for field goals, etc. I'm of the opinion that you can tell over two seasons whether a coach has "it" -- the qualities to lead your team to future greatness. If Holmgren thinks Mangini has "it," then he should bring him back. But, please, no more one-year trial. Either he believes in him or he doesn't.

Hey, Tony: I have been reading your articles long enough to know you often cringe when your readers overrate Ohio State players in the draft. I often agree with you. But does Cameron Heyward not seem like the perfect 3-4 end that you mention we need two of? Size, speed, tenacity, and a non-stop motor. -- Joshua Jones, Fullerton, Calif.

Hey, Joshua: I'm sure he'd be a nice player to have, but whether he's good enough to take with the Browns' first pick is something I'm not able to answer at this time. I haven't studied him enough.

Hey, Tony: Obviously the Ravens have a fine defense. They were embarrassed that Hillis had 144 yards on them last time. So Ed Reed hits him with a cheap shot to the kidneys to put him out of the ball game? Is that the mark of a Pro Bowl safety? You know he was trying to hurt him. How would you vote for that head hunter? -- Stephen Bickerton, Avon Lake

View full sizeJoshua Gunter / The Plain DealerJoe Haden is so good, there's reason to believe it would behoove the Browns to continue to improve their defensive backfield in the 2011 draft. But Tony Grossi says there are other priorities to address first.

Hey, Stephen: I don't believe Reed's hit on Hillis was a cheap shot. Besides, it is not in the Ravens' best interests to knock out Hillis for the Steelers game. The Ravens need the Browns to beat Pittsburgh to have a shot at winning the AFC North title, and doing it without Hillis would seem impossible.

Hey, Tony: When is Jon Gruden coming in as coach? -- Dan Cochran, Ashtabula

Hey, Dan: Tuesday or Wednesday. No, seriously, I don't know if he's Holmgren's top choice.

Hey, Tony: Now that the Niners' coaching position is open, and Holmgren has strong ties to the Bay Area, how likely is it that San Francisco could steal Holmgren away? -- Sean Samuels, Chandler, Ariz.

Hey, Sean: The present San Francisco management does not consider Holmgren a candidate. If the team were still run by Eddie DeBartolo Jr., I would think things would be different.

Hey, Tony: I've flipped-flopped more on Mangini than any single fan probably has, but the last three losses have put me firmly in the fire him camp. After 10+ years it's time for the first-ever proven head coach of the expansion era. Bring on Gruden, Cowher, or have the Walrus put the headphones on himself. My vote is Gruden, because I don't think Cowher will be in the running. -- Doug Shaffer, Orange, Calif.

Hey, Doug: If Holmgren were 100 percent committed to returning to the sideline, I would be fine with that. Coaching is what he does best, so why not tap that resource? Gruden would be a nice fallback. I've always considered Cowher the best candidate, but I realize that ship has sailed.

Hey, Tony: First, I thought Joe Haden had another excellent outing, this time against a legitimate No. 1 receiver in Anquan Boldin. (The contrast between his play against Boldin and Eric Wright's could not be more clear). What do you think of moving Sheldon Brown to safety (he supports the run well and would likely be an excellent pass coverage safety) and drafting another corner in the first round? We got Haden with the seventh pick, and likely will have another top-10 pick. Second, would you agree that a veteran (not over-the-hill) WR would be better than a rookie WR like A.J. Green, to help mentor our young WRs and help McCoy? -- Matt Alsip, Towson, Md.

Hey, Matt: I believe a cornerback high in the draft is needed, but I probably wouldn't use the No. 1 pick for the second year in a row. I think the defensive front is so lacking that an infusion is direly needed there. As for receiver, I favor a young veteran, too, but not for the purpose of mentoring the young ones. I think a rookie receiver, no matter how highly taken, is not going to have the impact of a veteran blue-chipper.

Hey, Tony: Looking forward to the next draft (pun unintentional), how many picks do the Browns have as of now? -- Mark Monroe, Martinez, Calif.

Hey, Mark: I believe they have Denver's sixth-rounder (Brady Quinn trade) in addition to all their own selections in the seven rounds.

Hey, Tony: In my opinion, the best part about Mike Holmgren coming to the Browns was that there was finally a respected NFL person making all the hires and fires -- most importantly with the head coach. If Holmgren decides to be head coach, wouldn't Randy Lerner have to take on that responsibility again? Don't you think it would be dysfunctional to the organization to have a president-coach? -- Hayden Schlossberg, Los Angeles, Calif.

Hey, Hayden: Not really. Holmgren already has reconstructed the organization. His "presidential" duties, whatever those are, could be shared by executive VP Brian Weidemeier.

Hey, Tony: I really believe we have a "holy trinity" in Holmgren, Heckert and Mangini and that they should stay together in any way possible. Can Holmgren be offensive coordinator or assistant HC, whatever the title? He's admittedly never been interested in defense anyway so he doesn't need to be head coach. Is there an option that would utilize Holmgren's offensive brilliance and at the same time keep Mangini as the head coach? -- Miroslav Stefanovic, Serbia

Hey, Miroslav: How about Holmgren as head coach, Mangini as defensive coordinator, Rob Ryan as linebackers coach?

-- Tony

When a season-ticket holder wrote to the Browns to complain about fans making paper airplanes out of game programs and sending them out onto the field, the team's general counsel fired back a testy reply.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Doesn't everyone have an inner wiseacre impulse he'd like to unleash after receiving a letter of complaint? James N. Bailey, former general counsel for the Cleveland Browns, knows about that desire all too well.

The snarky sports website Deadspin.com is calling a Bailey missive "The Greatest Letter Ever Printed on NFL Team Letterhead."

Deadspin.com is crediting Cleveland Scene for the letter sent to one of the newsweekly's former employees by a local attorney.

The year was 1974. Mike Phipps was the quarterback, and the Browns were having a lousy season. They would finish 4-10. (The more things change . . .)

Dale O. Cox, a season-ticket holder and attorney from Akron, was bothered by fans making paper airplanes out of game programs and sending them out onto the field and into other areas of the stands.

He expressed his displeasure in writing -- and threatened legal action if anyone in his party were injured by one of the airplanes.

The letter found its way to Bailey's desk. He responded with a two-sentence note: "Dear Mr. Cox, Attached is a letter we received on Nov. 19, 1974. I feel you should be aware that some a - - - - - - is signing your name to stupid letters."

He copied team owner Art Modell.

Bailey, 66, now lives in San Diego, where he is a senior consultant with Brailsford and Dunlavey, a sports-facility planning company. We asked him what it was like to be an Internet sensation.

"It's surprising," said Bailey, laughing. "I've gotten lots of calls from old friends who have seen the letter on the Internet. It's been about a call a day for 10 days now.

"I was all of 28 years old when I wrote that letter. I should have been more cautious. I'm just glad my mother's not around to see that letter."

And what was Modell's reaction?

"After I wrote it, I heard about it right away from Art. He said something like, 'What the hell are you doing?' He was not a guy lacking passion," Bailey said.

"That stadium was a big place to fill. And there were plenty of seats behind poles. But I have good memories about those times."

Cox, 72, who wrote the complaint, is now in private practice as a lawyer in Orofino, Idaho.

"I'm still a Browns season-ticket holder," he said. "I found out that Bailey and I both went to the University of Michigan Law School."

Was he angry at Bailey's response?

"No. I thought it was pretty cool," he said with a laugh. "I've used that letter a couple times myself since."

Modell, reached at home in Baltimore, doesn't remember either the letters or chewing Bailey out. But:

"If Bailey says it happened," Modell said, "then I'd believe him."

Plain Dealer's Cleveland Browns beat writers Tony Grossi and Mary Kay Cabot discuss who might replace Eric Mangini as the team's head coach. President Mike Holmgren made the decision to fire Mangini the day after the Browns finished the season with a 5-11 record for the second straight year. Watch video

The search is on for a replacement for fired coach Eric Mangini, but President Mike Holmgren won't be a candidate "for now." Watch video

BEREA, Ohio -- Mike Holmgren said he agonized over firing coach Eric Mangini – "a hard-working, bright, caring guy" -- and did not decide to do it until Monday morning.

But within two hours of relieving Mangini of his duties, the Browns president had formally launched the search for a coach who can "some day lead us to the championship."

Holmgren said the Browns requested permission to interview an undisclosed number of assistant coaches currently with other NFL teams. One has been identified as New York Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell. Another may be Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg.

Holmgren said the search will be "pretty wide" and would not be limited "in any way." He stressed that getting this decision right is "huge" because "I don't want to do this again."

Holmgren said the search would have no timetable and money would be no object. But in a mild surprise, Holmgren, 62, eliminated himself as a candidate "right now." He had hedged a little in a meeting with the players prior to addressing the media.

"I probably won't coach again," he said. "I really know what it takes to coach ... the time necessary, the emotion ... to do it correctly. Unless I was 100 percent sure I wanted to commit, I don't think you're being fair to anybody. The direction I want to go right now is to find someone to take this over and do a great job with it."

Expounding on that premise at different stages of his press conference, Holmgren outlined the general qualities he prefers -- but are not necessarily tied to: young, offensive-minded, and schooled in a system that can best develop quarterback Colt McCoy.

• On ruling himself out, Holmgren said, "I think I'm a pretty good coach, but there are a lot of good coaches, a lot of young coaches. I can get real excited about finding a young guy and having him take the ball and go with it."

• On considering McCoy's development in the search process, he said, "If Colt is the guy -- I see the potential there -- who the head coach is, who the offensive coordinator is, who the position coach is, they're important for any team. But if you have a young man you think will be the quarterback for the next 10 to 15 years, it becomes even more important. So absolutely that is going to be one of the considerations in the search."

View full sizeScott Shaw / The Plain Dealer"I probably won't coach again," Mike Holmgren said Monday. "I really know what it takes to coach ... the time necessary, the emotion ... to do it correctly. Unless I was 100 percent sure I wanted to commit, I don't think you're being fair to anybody. The direction I want to go right now is to find someone to take this over and do a great job with it."

• On whether he will demand the coach to run the West Coast-style offense, he said, "If I hire a coach, he's the coach and will run what he knows and is comfortable with. Will it be part of the process? Absolutely. But I am not going to interfere that way as the president. That's not fair. Is it a consideration in this process? I think it is. Maybe not the system, exactly, but something that allows our quarterback to be successful."

• On favoring an offensive-minded head coach over one with defensive expertise, Holmgren said, "I think there is an attractive part to both. We lost a lot of close games, a lot of low-scoring, close games. So I would like to put in a little more pizzazz, but that's not only on the coach. So I don't paint myself in a corner. But those questions will be asked in the interview, no question."

Mangini departs with a 10-22 record over two seasons and about $7.8 million left on his original four-year contract. Mangini's .312 win percentage (10-22) ranked 11th among the 12 full-time coaches in Browns history. Only Chris Palmer, the first coach of their expansion era, did worse (5-27, .156). Mangini's immediate predecessor, Romeo Crennel, had a .375 mark (24-40) in four seasons.

Mangini's separate 5-11 seasons came about in different ways. In his first year, the Browns were a franchise-worst 1-11 before winning their last four games. That winning streak earned Mangini a second season.

Amid higher expectations this year, the Browns lost their first three games. They were 1-5 when they pulled off successive monumental upset wins over defending champion New Orleans (30-17) and future No. 1 AFC seed New England (34-14). The season turned in a 26-20 overtime loss to the New York Jets. They went 2-6 after that, losing the last four games.

"Our season had tremendous highs and lows for me," Holmgren said. "As good as we finished last year, we finished as poor this year. What I tried to do is not base my decision on any one game, one play, any two games ... any stretch but the body of work.

"As I told the players ... I have high expectations and I'm not going to settle [for less]. I'm just not going to settle."

In a statement issued by the club, Mangini expressed gratitude for the opportunity given him by owner Randy Lerner and thanked his players.

"Our goal was to build a team for long-term success," Mangini said. "The core characteristics we were dedicated to, I believe, will help achieve that goal, and have provided a strong identity for this football team and have helped to create a positive foundation upon which the organization can continue to build."

Holmgren was non-committal about bringing back any of Mangini's assistant coaches, who all are under contract for another year. He said they were given the week off and will return for a meeting with Holmgren next Monday. It was implied they could pursue other opportunities. Defensive coordinator Rob Ryan will be interviewed for the Carolina head coaching job.

Holmgren said he understood the "here we go again" mentality of fans, but felt change was necessary and more important than continuity for the sake of continuity alone.

"I really think I have to get this one right for organizational continuity, for the ability to keep people in place for a long period of time to develop the organization," Holmgren said. "I think we did some things this year that we can build on."

Everything Holmgren said about Mangini's dismissal, the search for a new coach and the state of the Browns.

Browns president Mike Holmgren at Monday's press conference, when he confirmed that Eric Mangini was fired as the team's coach.

Cleveland Browns President Mike Holmgren made it official at a press conference today at the team's headquarters in Berea that he had fired coach Eric Mangini.

A transcript of the press conference (questions are paraphrased for purpose of brevity):

Mike Holmgren's opening statement:

"Good afternoon everybody. As you know, we are going to make a change with the head coach. I had a chance to meet with Eric (Mangini) this morning. We had a very good but tough conversation. It's difficult to say the least, but I want to thank him publicly. He and his family for everything they have done as far as the football organization is concerned and also the community. They are wonderful people and I wish them nothing but the best. Our conversation, I think we were very honest with one another. We have established a good relationship and that's what made it even more difficult. We will begin a search for a new coach immediately. We've started the ball rolling a little bit today already. I am not locking myself into any timetable for this. My goal is to find exactly the right person for the job of Head Coach of the Cleveland Browns and who can eventually someday lead us to the championship. That is my only goal."

Q: Is there any chance Holmgren will coach the team next year?

Holmgren: "I was hired to be the President of the Cleveland Browns and I think this year I have grown into the job. I think I learned a lot about a lot of things that I hadn't paid much attention to before. Having said that, I am also a coach, I'll always be a coach. Heck, the people in the building call me coach. To tell you right now that I would never coach again, whether it's here or any place, that probably wouldn't be honest. You know that, I know that. As of right now, I am the President of the Cleveland Browns and my job is to find the best coach available, the right coach available for this job. That's what I am trying to do and that does not include me right now. To say I'll never coach again, I probably won't coach again, but I don't want to lie to you ever. I've never done it and I'm not going to start now."

Q: Has he contacted potential coaching candidates?

Holmgren: "Probably around 11 o'clock we sent out request forms, based on league protocols, to a few fellows. We now are waiting on a few responses."

Q: With other openings in the league, is there a race to hire John Fox or Jon Gruden?

Holmgren: "Those two fellows I know very, very well and they are outstanding football coaches. It seems as though there are going to be a number of changes in the league so I would suspect that those two guys would be candidates on a lot of people's lists. As far as how we are handing this, we are not going to announce people before they come in here. After I have interviewed the possible candidate, at that point I will follow up with you and let you know who came in and those types of things. That's how we are going to handle it. I am not prepared today to give you a bunch of names or things like that but you won't be kept in the dark on this. It's just I think in fairness the people we are talking to and other candidates perhaps, I'd like to handle it that way."

Q: Why wouldn't you include yourself in the search if you are looking for the best man and right man for the job?

Holmgren: "That's very nice of you to say Tony (Grossi) (joking). It's just at this stage of my life that's not what my first priority is. It really isn't. I'm enjoying, I'm relishing the role that Randy Lerner had confidence to give me. I would like to continue getting better, continue to help guide the organization and get us to where we want to get from that position. I'm going to approach this a certain way. I think I'm a pretty good coach but there are a lot of good coaches, a lot of young coaches. I am actually anxious to talk to a few of them and just see how it goes, what the feel is like. I can get real excited about finding a young guy and having him take the ball and go with it."

Q: When would you coach again if not now?

Holmgren: "How old is Joe Paterno (joking)? That's a good point so I think you are answering your own question. I was in the bright light a long time and I enjoyed it tremendously but right now my direction is going in a different way."

Q: When did you make up your mind that Mangini would no longer be the coach?

Holmgren: "Probably this morning. I've said all along and I've tried to be true to what I've told you, and certainly what I've told Eric all along is that this season I would make any decision I had to make once the season was concluded. Let the dust settle, let me think about it. That's how I make decisions. That's how I made the decision to keep Eric. And then come to some sort of conclusion. I didn't sleep very well last night. I was up a fair amount of the night thinking about this, thinking what I might have to do and then finally trying to make the correct decision. Look, it's difficult. I've never had to do this before. I like the man a lot. He is a hard working, bright, caring guy. Unfortunately this business at times and even though it wasn't the only factor, I want to win here. We want to win here in Cleveland and we did not win enough games this year."

Q: Could you do the job of both president and head coach?

Holmgren: "I'd rather not dwell with a hypothetical right now. My focus is in another way. If I have to answer that question, I'll probably have to answer it way down the road but not right now."

Q: Are you limiting the search to coaches with NFL experience?

Holmgren: "No Tom (Withers), we've compiled lists, columns if you will, of coaches that fit into certain categories and college coaches are certainly one of the categories."

Q: Are you ruling yourself out of the search completely?

Holmgren: "At the present time, yes."

Q: How close is the team to winning?

Holmgren: "That's a tough one to answer I think. I thought the improvement we made this year, other than the game yesterday, we were competitive in every ball game. Every ball game was a dog fight and it was relatively close. I don't think you could have said that a year ago so you see certain areas of improvement. I think you've seen our young guys perform pretty well this year. Hopefully, they have bright, bright futures ahead of them. I am encouraged by that. To answer, I can't give you a timetable on it but that is my hope and my goal."

Q: Why wasn't Mangini the coach to take the team to the next level?

Holmgren: "I think my expectations for the team and for this season were higher. I've already told you what I think of the man. This is a great game and at times a tough business. That's what happened."

Q: Was your decision based on the direction the team was headed or more on the record?

Holmgren: "I don't know if you can separate the two.  I think if you look at our season it had tremendous highs and lows for me.  I think when we beat New England and New Orleans, I don't think anybody in this room could leave this room without a smile on their face.  It was really something, something very special.  Then as good as we finished last year, a year ago, we finished as poor this year. If you're talking about direction or how I felt the team was going, the finish wasn't a feel good finish.  What I tried to do is not base my decision on any one game, any one play, any two games, any stretch but the body of work.  As I told the players when I met with them today after Eric had talked to them I went in and talked to them briefly.  I have high expectations and I'm not going to settle, I'm just not going to settle."

Q: How much was the team's inability to win in the division a factor in your decision?

Holmgren: "That was one of the things I thought about because division games are very, very important, but we're in a very tough division. I think everyone knows that.  Cincinnati even had some really great wins at the end of the year.  They were kind of a unique team in some respects but they were capable and then Pittsburgh and Baltimore of course are in the playoffs and had outstanding records.  It's a tough division, knowing that, however, we competed.  I thought we competed very, very well except for the game yesterday."

Q: If none of the candidates really impress you, will you then consider coaching?

Holmgren: "That's really premature at this point.  Right now my whole focus is on putting a list of candidates, the right candidates together, interviewing them, hopefully you'll make a good decision based on those interviews."

Q: Were the inquiries sent to coaches today to coaches who are with other teams?

Holmgren: "Yes."

Q: During the bye week, it seemed like you were missing coaching and you were thinking about coming back. What has changed since then?

Holmgren: "I think at the midpoint of the season when I had that little conversation with everybody, I forget exactly what I said, but I think it kind of got blown out of proportion slightly."

Q: You said then that you would be back in a suit but you weren't sure which one.

Holmgren: "You have a very good memory, thank you (joking).  I have been thinking about it a lot.  During the whole course of the year because I didn't know what my reaction would be to sitting, watching the games as opposed to being on the sideline.  I think I've mentioned that to you a few times.  I really know what it takes to coach, the time necessary and the emotion to do it correctly.  Unless I was 100 percent sure I wanted to commit, I don't think you're being fair to anybody. As we've gone into the season and in wonderful conversations with my young bride, the direction I want to go right now is to find somebody to take this over and do a great job with it."

Q: Are you going to branch out from the Holmgren Tree and look at candidates that don't have the same philosophy?

Holmgren: "Yes, we're opening it up.  It's a pretty wide search in my opinion, we're not limiting ourselves in any way.  Tom Heckert and I will be the point people on the interviews but there's a group of us in the building that meet and talk about this and we will talk about this every day until it gets done.  That includes Bryan Wiedmeier, Gil Haskell, Matt Thomas, Tom Heckert and Mark Schiefelbein, guys that I know who know football, who know people.  Heckert and I will be the point people to travel to meet people and also the interview here."

Q: Is there a time-table and is it affected by the labor situation?

Holmgren: "The labor situation, no.  The time table what affects this process as you know are the playoffs.  The league has rules on who you can talk to, when you can talk to them things like that so that would be the only restriction.  I'd like to get it done sooner than later I think everyone would answer that question that way but at the same time I'm not going to rush the process if I haven't been able to talk to who I want to talk to."

Q: What about the rest of the coaching staff?

Holmgren: "I met with the assistant coaches today and I will meet with them next Monday again.  I told them to take the week off while I'm in the process of searching or trying to do the interviews for the head coach.  They're all under contract with the Browns for another year.  The assistant coaches worked so hard, that's a good group of guys.  That was a difficult meeting because they really work very, very hard at their jobs.  The way I left it with them is that they're under contract, however, I will meet with them again next Monday.  If something were to come up in the mean time they are to contact me otherwise we'll deal with that next Monday."

Q: Would you take a head coaching job with another NFL team?

Holmgren: "No, I'm not going to do that."

Q: Do you expect to interview Gruden and Fox?

Holmgren: "I'm not canceling anybody out. I have not talked to either John.  Again it would have been premature until today so now we're going to start the process.  I'm not going to give you any names but I will be talking to any number of people."

Q: When did you talk to owner Randy Lerner about your decision?

Holmgren: "Randy and I talk daily and we meet at the very least weekly and we talk about everything regarding this organization.  During the course of the season we've had any number of conversations about how the team was going, what I thought about how the coaches were doing.  That's just his normal conversation so he as the owner of the football team has been very involved certainty in knowing what my feelings were.  As we approached near the end of the season and it got where I thought maybe I would have to make some sort of decision, we continued to talk.  The beauty of our relationship in my opinion is he hired me to do a job and as the owner he has given me the chance to make decisions like this.  Does he know ahead of time?  Absolutely.  Do I talk to him about these things?  Absolutely, he is the owner of the football team.  Does he care?  He certainly cares.  He's been involved all the way along and then when I finally did make the decision then he was the first person I talked to and he went with me."

Q: How much does the emergence of Colt McCoy and his future play a role in the next coach?

Holmgren: "I think it's important.  I think if, there are some ifs here, if Colt is the guy and I've talked about him before and I think you see the potential there. I certainty do.  Who the head coach is, who the offensive coordinator is, who his position coach is they're important for any team, but if all of a sudden you have the quarterback you think can be the quarterback a young man who can be the quarterback for the next 10-15 years hopefully it becomes even more important.  Absolutely that is going to be one of the considerations in the search."

Q: Will the next coach run more of a West Coast style system?

Holmgren: "No, I don't think I can do that.  In what I tried to do with Eric (Mangini) this year and we talked about it this morning.  I said, 'I wish I could have helped you out more,' and we had one of those things where we were kind of talking to each other that way. If I hire a coach, I'm hiring a coach.  He's going to run what he runs, what he's comfortable with, what he knows.  Now will it be part of the consideration in the process?  Absolutely, but I am not going to interfere that way as a president.  I did not do it this year, I'm not going to do it next year and I'm not going to do it ever.  That's not fair.  Is it a consideration in this process?  I think it is though.  Maybe not the 'system' exactly but certainly something that I think allows the quarterback in this case in one of our quarterbacks to be successful."

Q: The next coach is going to be the Browns' fifth in 13 years. How vital is it for you to get it right?

Holmgren: "Huge.  I don't want to do this again.  I think historically if you look at teams that don't have to do this very much, they've been successful.  They've been successful it's just like which came first the chicken or the egg? Are they successful because they haven't done it?  You go through some bumps in the road if you think you have the right guy and the right system and all those things.  That's part of it. It's very, very important that we get this right."

Q: How positive are you that you will be able to get a coach you really believe in?

Holmgren: "That's a tough one because I think we can.  That's a tough one because it appears as though there will be a number of openings, there could be a fair amount of movement.  If you're talking about the same people then it becomes who gets them.  We're going to work very, very hard to get the right person you can believe that and I'm hopeful we can.  Am I positive?  I can't say that."

Q: How are you going to sell the candidates on the Browns?

Holmgren: "You guys have been here a long time, most of you and you've lived through the really tough things.  I think you have a tendency to view things just a little differently than perhaps I did when I came in or someone from outside coming in and looking at it.  This is one of the great jobs.  There are 32 jobs, this is one of the great jobs in the country.  You're a head coach in the National Football League, if you are a football coach that's what you want to be.  Another part of that is I would use the same technique that I used with Tom Heckert, Bryan Wiedmeier, Mark Schiefelbein, Jim Ross, Matt Thomas, all the guys now that are manning the offices upstairs that came from great football places but they came here to be with me to try and get something special done that hadn't been done.  There's a challenge there that I think appeals to men in this business.  That's what I'll be talking to the person about."

Q: How important is it for the candidate to have NFL head coaching experience?

Holmgren: "I'm trying not to limit myself and giving any special weight to anything over another.  I was a coordinator, had no experience when I was hired.  In history, if you go back, the coordinator position is a good place to start because you're dealing with a lot of the team most of the time and it's the next step, the logical step.  Yet, Andy Reid when he was with me, he was a position coach, and he went from position coach to a head coach so it's been done a lot of different ways.  I'm not going to limit myself as an example, I'm not going to put a lot of weight in former head coaches.  There are some great ones and absolutely they will be on our list but I'm going to try and keep it wide right now."

Q: What might an NFL head coach need today that you maybe didn't need 10-15 years ago while coaching in the NFL?

Holmgren: "I don't know.  I'm sure there is but you're probably asking the wrong guy. For this reason, when I was coaching in high school which I loved, I coached a certain way, I dealt with the kids a certain way.  However you want to label honesty, integrity, however you want to label that.  Coaching was important to me.  Then I get here and I'm a coach in the NFL, I didn't change one lick, I don't think I did.  They are big little kids.  You have who you are and that's how you do it.  Is the money greater? Yes.  I suppose there are some issues that complicate the players' lives a little more than 15 years ago. As far as the person who's coaching the football team's approach, I think the players still want certain things.  He wants you to look him in the eye and be honest, he wants you to shoot straight, you might not always like the answer but then don't ask the question, he doesn't want to be off balance, he wants you to believe you care about him and his family.  There are some general things that are important regardless of what area you in coaching I think.  It's a challenging business but I don't know if it's any greater now than it was 10 years ago or not.  I don't know.  Personally, I don't think it's a whole lot more challenging, it's just what it is."

Q: Any possibility you'd take a chance on an unknown coordinator, or a coach like you were when you became a head coach?

Holmgren: "I think if in our process we come to the conclusion that this particular person is the right person, the pedigree doesn't matter.  It won't matter.  Sometimes the path of least resistance is to hire someone that is a little more known quantity, I get that.  It's a little bit more comfortable, maybe a little more expedient and I know a lot more expensive.  But I can't look at it that way, I really have to kind of look at everything and then try and come to a decision of who would be the right fit for this team right now."

Q: Did your and Mangini's differences in philosophies hinder the progress this season?

Holmgren: "I would hope not.  Eric and I talked about that a little bit this morning and I think if you asked him, he would say no it didn't have anything to do with it.  I tried to be very, very careful and not overstep my bounds that way.  Would I talk to players?  Sure, I like talking to players.  Did I coach the players?  Not really, I never did that.  Would I talk to the quarterbacks whether it be Seneca (Wallace), who I coached, or Jake (Delhomme) or somebody about keeping their elbow out or whatever technique wise?  Yes, I might do that.  That was about the extent of my involvement.  What we had agreed to and what happened during the course of the year is Gil Haskell, who you know was my offensive coordinator for years, he and Brian (Daboll) would get together and talk and have these great football conversations just in an advisory-type of capacity, but no demands were placed on anybody.  I think in some respect, it helped in how we did in certain things, but that was all.  Brian asked to be able to use our experience on certain things, so I thought that relationship and those things worked very well.  That was my hope.  How it translated on the field, I don't really know the ins and outs of how they were doing that."

Q: Would it be easier if the next head coach runs a West Coast offense so you could give input and advice?

Holmgren: "Certainly it would be easier, yes.  It would be easier, but again, I'm going to be real careful about that.  I just don't think it's fair.  I would try and put myself in his shoes in having somebody pop into my office all the time saying do this, do that and do that.  I know how I would react and I don't think it's the right thing to do.  To answer, it would be easier, yes."

Q: Would your being held in high regard around the league maybe make potential coaching candidates wary?

Holmgren: "I hope not.  Coaches covet these jobs, we all know that.  I would hope that if I get a chance to talk to anybody, I could put any fears they might have aside.  That's not me, I'm here to kind of contribute and help.  I think I can make that point to anybody that comes in here."

Q: What was going through your mind seeing some of the offensive struggles this past season?

Holmgren: "If I was a writer, I probably would have wrote what you wrote (joking).  I think we felt the same way, shoot.  All of you have followed football a long, long time and you know.  Plus you're fans of the Cleveland Browns, so you're looking at the game or any game like that and I'm going to react like you reacted I'm sure.  The tough part about my job is on Monday I have to come in and get it going again and kind of calm down and stuff.  I get frustrated just like anybody would, like our assistant coaches did when they looked at the film on Monday.  Yes, I'd watch games like that and say, 'Shoot we missed an opportunity there.  Dog gone it.'  I was human.  Did it affect my relationships with any of those guys the following week?  No, I understand the business.  At that time on Sunday evening, you really didn't want to sit next to me on the plane coming home though (joking)."

Q: What was the downside of having kept Mangini this past season?

Holmgren: "You know what, I don't look at it that way.  I honestly don't.  I made a decision when I first got here and the year we spent together, this last year, I met a classy guy who is dedicated, smart and that was a good thing.  I don't look at it as a downside.  I've learned in a year a lot about this football team and a lot about my vision for it.  I didn't know that when I came in.  I didn't know the coaches very well, I didn't know the players at all.  After a year, you learn and you look at things differently, but I wouldn't have given up the last year.  I made the decision when I first got here, I think, for the correct reasons and hopefully I'm doing the same thing now."

Q: Are you more concerned with hiring the right person for the job rather than continuity in styles?

Holmgren: "Yes, I would say that's correct.  I'm not thinking much about continuity right now, that's not part of the equation.  I talked about that when I talked to the players today, that we are going to try and find the right person, we have to play better, we have to be more committed, we have to have a good offseason, which brings up a whole other can of worms.  No, continuity, I don't think about that."

Q: What about the notion from the fans that the team is starting all over, and do you feel that, too?

Holmgren: "I don't, but I understand the feeling.  The 'here we go again' feeling is real.  Have we taken some strides this year even though it was a tough year in some respects?  I think we have.  As I mentioned to you earlier, I don't want to do this again, so I have to get this one right.  I really think I have to get this one right for organizational continuity, for the ability to keep people in place for a long period of time to develop the organization.  While I understand how people would say that, I think we did do some things Tony (Grossi) this year that we can build on."

Q: Did you feel you owed Mangini a definite decision one way or another when you met this morning?

Holmgren: "I did.  I think in situations like this, in fairness to the coach, they don't want anything to drag out.  What's the point?  All it is is that their families suffer, he suffers and I suffer.  Once you make the decision, tell the person.  All along, I stated how I was going to do that.  Last week in fact, we talked and I said on Monday we will get together and have a meeting Monday morning.  He said, 'Great,' and that's what we did."

Q: Has Randy Lerner asked you if you want to coach?

Holmgren: "We talked about that.  I don't remember his exact words, but he asked me if I wanted to coach.  We had that discussion, yes."

Q: What did Randy Lerner imply that he wanted?

Holmgren: "As far as I could tell, he just wanted to open the discussion and get me thinking about it.  Actually he has been very generous to me, so he wanted to get me thinking about what was best for me and my family first of all, I think, then what would be best for the Cleveland Browns.  I think, and I could be wrong, but in that order.  He's been very good to me.  We did have those conversations, and at the very least, what it did was get me thinking about what I really wanted, how it could change my life and to get me thinking about doing the right thing.  I appreciate the fact that he did that."

Q: Did he want to know one way or the other if you would want to coach the team?

Holmgren: "No, I think it was just an open question.  He got me thinking, got us both talking about some things.  Actually, it was a pretty good strategy on his part I think.  Seriously, it was a very generous thing for him to do."

Q: Did the final game of the season have any effect on your final decision whether to keep Mangini?

Holmgren: "I said going into the year or at some point during the year and I said it earlier today that one game was not going to make my decision for me.  Was I disappointed yesterday?  Absolutely.  That's our number one rival and we got it handed to us pretty good.  I didn't like the feeling, there was nothing good about that game yesterday.  I also made a promise to Eric a long time ago that I wasn't going to determine his fate by one football game.  That doesn't make any sense to me at all.  While I was disappointed and kind of angry at the outcome, not at the people, I wasn't going to base my decision just on the one game."

Q: How did it feel to see so many Steelers fans at the home game yesterday?

Holmgren: "I've been through that before in the Super Bowl.  We played there and I'd swear it was a Pittsburgh home game.  The stadium was full of terrible Towels when we played in Detroit.  I don't like that.  When I first went to Seattle, when they were first constructing the new stadium that was on television last night, the team had been struggling and we had trouble selling tickets.  When we played certain teams like the Steelers, their fans travel well.  There was a section of our stadium there that was the other color and until we got to be competitive and good, they bought those seats.  I didn't like it at all, so then it's up to us to make the team such that those seats aren't available.  I didn't like it and that's one of the things that hopefully we can change."

Q: Would you like to be hands-on in developing McCoy if the new coach would allow you to do so?

Holmgren: "Okay now there are two questions there.  I would love to be hands on, but I'm not the coach.  I love the young man. I liked working with quarterbacks, that's what I did.  Once I hire the man to be the next head coach here and he hires his staff, those guys have the primary responsibility of developing our young quarterback."

Q: Would you help out if the new coaches ask you to?

Holmgren: "They'd have to pay me some of their salary to do that (joking).  Seriously, I don't see them doing that first of all.  I would always feel I have the freedom to talk to any player on this football team, I reserve that right.  We are going to hire coaches to do that and they are going to do a heck of a job with it."

Q: Would an offensive-minded coach be more desirable to you, and would a defensive-minded coach really have to impress you?

Holmgren: "I don't want to be painted into a corner on that, I really don't.  I think that there is an attractive part to both.  We lost a lot of close games, a lot of low scoring close games, so I would like to put a little bit more pizzazz, but that's not necessarily really the head coach.  That's the staff, that's the players we give him and all of those things.  I'm just not going to paint myself into a corner on who I want and who I look for on this list.  Those questions though will be asked as part of the interview, absolutely."

Q: Has Randy Lerner given you a budget of how much to spend on a head coach?

Holmgren: "No, there is no budget.  He said, 'We are to do what we feel we have to do."

Vote in the first You Pick the Game contest of the winter high school sports season to decide where we send one of our reporters on Friday or Saturday. Voting is open until noon Thursday. The winner is announced in Friday's Sports section.

Vote in the first You Pick the Game contest of the winter high school sports season to decide where we send one of our reporters on Friday or Saturday. Voting is open until noon Thursday. The winner is announced in Friday's Sports section.

Ohio State tries to uphold the Big Ten's honor Tuesday in the Sugar Bowl, despite the dishonorable prelude to it in the scandal that culminated in the suspension of five players for the first five games of next season.

View full sizePatrick Semansky / Associated PressAfter the New Year's Day wipeout for the Big Ten, Jim Tressel and Ohio State faces the added pressure of salvaging their conference's national reputation -- while trying to repair their own, writes Bill Livingston.

NEW ORLEANS -- Ironically, it is up to the Ohio State Buckeyes to salvage the Big Ten's honor -- much of which their five scandal-ridden players forfeited when they sold their conference championship rings and other mementos.

In the sale of items won in 2008 and 2009, they received money and discount tattoos, presumably really cool ones.

On the first day of 2011, however, the league of Legends and Leaders went 0-5 in bowls. Only Penn State, despite being coached by Amos Alonzo Stagg, and Northwestern, playing Texas Tech a close game in Dallas without all-conference quarterback Dan Persa, could hold their heads up.

Michigan State was light in the cred all along, with a scheduling dodge of OSU and an overtime trick-play victory over the welterweight Notre Dame program.

Wisconsin's Bret Bielema ran the spread and tried to pass for the game-tying two-point conversion against TCU in the Rose Bowl, after ramming it down the Horned Frogs' throats all the way down the field.

Michigan's inimitable Rich Rod, Rich Rodriguez, saw his offense exposed for the snake oil it is. The debacle left one wondering whether A-Rod, New York Yankee slugger Alex Rodriguez, would do a better job, if only because the boys could "bulk up" under him.

There is always the chance, however, that the low point is still to come.

Developments on the field of play, distressing as they have been in the Midwest, have been submerged by the yard sale of traditions at Ohio State. Michigan, Michigan State and Penn State all lost to Southeastern Conference schools -- Mississippi State, Alabama and Florida, respectively. Tuesday night, OSU goes against the SEC's Arkansas Razorbacks in the Sugar Bowl.

The selfish acts of the five Ohio State juniors, including All-Ballyhoo quarterback Terrelle Pryor, stained the program. They also drew five-game NCAA suspensions for each player for next season; tainted the last hurrah of their team's seniors; and lessened, in their sale of the gold pants trinkets that are emblematic of victory over Michigan, one of the biggest annual goals of their coach, Jim Tressel.

View full sizeTerry Gilliam / Associated PressGiven an extraordinary chance to immediately redeem themselves on the field before their 2011 punishment begins, will (from left) DeVier Posey, Mike Adams, Dan Herron and Terrelle Pryor deliver under the bright lights Tuesday at the Superdome?

More uproar followed with the stunning ruling by the NCAA that the players were still eligible for the Sugar Bowl. This came after intensive lobbying by OSU officials, Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany and Sugar Bowl suits. It also came after athletic director Gene Smith threw the compliance office to the wolves, saying OSU "didn't do a good-enough job" of explaining the blatantly obvious fact that selling such items is wrong, both legally (because of an NCAA rule against profiting from being an athlete) and morally (because such rings and trinkets are almost family heirlooms at Ohio State).

Eyes rolled around the nation when the players were declared eligible for Tuesday. A 3-to-1 majority of voters in an online Cleveland.com poll supported suspending the players for the game.

Tressel managed to have it both ways in the scandal, extracting a non-binding "pledge" from the suspended players to return for their senior seasons, thus ensuring, in exchange, that he would not have to bench them for a single play in the Sugar Bowl. It is a hard thing, balancing the idealism Tressel professes and the realities of big-time college football.

Asked Monday how confident he was that all five penitents would come back for next season, Tressel said, "Totally confident."

Let us see where they are projected to go in the NFL draft before considering every vow steadfast and true. Pryor has said some of the promises are shaky, although not, of course, that of his own exemplary self.

Before Tressel spoke to the media Monday, former Buckeyes lineman Jim Lachey, the analyst on Ohio State's football radio network, sat at a table, the overhead lights making the gems in his huge 1991 Super Bowl ring flare. A three-time All-NFL first teamer, Lachey won the ring as a left tackle on the Washington Redskins' famed "Hogs" offensive line.

Asked if he would ever sell it, Lachey laughed. "I don't need tattoos. I have scars," he said. Rolling up the left cuff of his pants, he displayed the angry purple outlines of a 180-stitch cleat wound he suffered years ago in a game against the Arizona Cardinals.

The Buckeye Five have their tattoos. They also have inflicted a different kind of scar on themselves and the program. They are playing Tuesday, and if their word means anything, next season, too, for far more than the Big Ten.

A speculative list of candidates for the Browns head coaching job.

View full sizeJeff Siner / Charlotte ObserverPrior to the 2010 season, former Carolina head coach John Fox carried a 76-60 record in the NFL and retains considerable respect in league circles.

BEREA, Ohio -- NFL sources insist Mike Holmgren will ultimately name a coach from the stable of clients represented by agent Bob LaMonte, a long-time friend who taught and coached with Holmgren at the same high school in San Jose, Calif., 30 years ago.

But Holmgren said his search to replace fired coach Eric Mangini will not be limited in any way.

Holmgren and General Manager Tom Heckert will spearhead the search, but other members of the front office will be involved, Holmgren said.

Natural candidates most likely fall into the following categories:

NFL retreads

• Jon Gruden, 47: Born in Sandusky, he worked under Holmgren in San Francisco and Green Bay before advancing to head coach with Oakland and Tampa Bay. His career record of 95-81 includes a Super Bowl victory with the Buccaneers.

• John Fox, 55: Despite a 2-14 season in his last year with Carolina, his record as Panthers coach was 78-74 and included a Super Bowl appearance.

• Brad Childress, 54: He learned the Holmgren offense under Andy Reid in Philadelphia, while Heckert served there as GM, before becoming head coach of the Vikings. He was fired this year with the team at 3-7, lowering his record to 40-37.

• Josh McDaniels, 34: The Barberton native and former Bill Belichick assistant was fired as Denver head coach after less than two tumultuous seasons and an 11-17 record.

• Jim Mora, 49: He was Steve Mariucci's defensive coordinator in San Francisco and spent two seasons on Holmgren's staff in Seattle before succeeding him. His record of 31-33 included three seasons as Atlanta Falcons coach and one playoff appearance.

• Bill Cowher, 53: The former Browns assistant coach and Pittsburgh Steelers head coach turned down owner Randy Lerner's overture two years ago. He's the only coach on the retread list not represented by LaMonte.

View full sizeAP photoPerry Fewell earned praise for his work with the New York Giants' defense this season.

NFL assistant coaches

• Perry Fewell, 48: The New York Giants defensive coordinator is also considered a candidate in Carolina. He's coached on five NFL teams and four collegiate programs, including Kent State.

• Marty Mornhinweg, 48: He coached receivers under Holmgren in Green Bay before having a disastrous stint as Detroit Lions head coach (5-27). He has revived his reputation working under Reid and refining the quarterback skills of Michael Vick.

• Karl Dorrell, 42: Bill Parcells liked him enough to name him Miami Dolphins receivers coach, where he also impressed current Browns executives Brian Wiedemeier and Matt Thomas. He was head coach at UCLA from 2003-07.

• Mike McCoy, 48: Knows the Holmgren offense and worked under Fox for seven of his 10 years with Carolina before joining McDaniels' staff in Denver the past two years.

• Pat Shurmur, 45: The nephew of the late Fritz Shurmur, a former defensive coordinator under Holmgren at Green Bay, he coached under Reid in Philadelphia for 10 years before joining the Rams in 2009.

College coaches

View full sizePaul Sakuma / Associated PressJim Harbaugh coached Stanford in Monday's Orange Bowl and has been linked to his alma mater, Michigan, as the Wolverines ponder a coaching change as well as the NFL vacancy in San Francisco.

• Jim Harbaugh, 47: The Holy Grail of the college ranks, he made Stanford a national championship contender in four years and played and coached in the NFL. Speculation he will be a strong candidate to return to his alma mater, Michigan, or to take over the 49ers.

• Urban Meyer, 46: Yet another native of Ohio, his offensive wizardry as coach of the Florida Gators drew the attention of everybody in the NFL, including Belichick, who borrowed concepts from him. But Meyer's recent health problems and desire to spend time with his family makes him a long shot to jump to the NFL.

• Chip Kelly, 47: For two years as offensive coordinator and then two more as head coach, he turned Oregon into a national championship contender. His spread offense averaged 49.3 points and 537.5 yards per game this season.

Ramon Sessions has been playing his best basketball of the season when the Cavaliers need him, with Mo Williams and Daniel Gibson hampered by injuries.

View full sizeRon Schwane / Associated PressRamon Sessions says his improved production on the court lately is a result of expanded playing time. "It's knowing you're going to be out there and be able to get into a rhythm," he said.

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio -- Maybe all Ramon Sessions needed was time. Time to get acclimated to everything in Cleveland, time to figure out his role. But most of all, time on the court.

Because in the past four games, when Sessions' playing time has increased as injuries have prevented starters Mo Williams and Daniel Gibson from playing effectively or at all, the back-up point guard Sessions' numbers have ballooned.

Sessions is averaging 16.5 points on 55.8 percent shooting in the last four Cavaliers losses, adding 6.3 assists and 5.3 rebounds per game.

In a 104-95 loss to Dallas on Sunday, Sessions became the first player to record at least 19 points, seven rebounds and 12 assists off the bench since Clyde Drexler had 23 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds against Philadelphia on Jan. 1, 1986.

It's a convoluted statistic, but it shows that Sessions has been productive when he's averaging 29 minutes per game in his last four outings.

"The minutes are probably it, just being out there for an extended period of time," Sessions admitted Monday. "But [also] knowing you're going to be out there and be able to get into a rhythm. That's all it is."

Finding his rhythm has included attacking the basket with power. Teammates have chided him all season about his inability to slam down dunks during games, so he's made a point to showcase his leaping abilities when he's had the opportunity.

That aggressiveness also happens to be what the coach was looking for, too.

"Sess is in a nice little groove right now," coach Byron Scott said. "He understands his role right now coming in the game. We talked about him coming in and being aggressive, trying to get to the basket, trying to get his teammates involved, really pushing the ball. He's doing that right now and he's in a real good groove."

More good grooves: Forward Antawn Jamison said he made a concerted effort to attack the basket more Sunday against Dallas, instead of relying on his outside jumper.

The result? A season-high 35 points on 14-for-22 shooting. He also made three of six 3-point attempts, one night after missing six of eight long-distance attempts.

"I'm just making a conscious effort to get as close to the basket as possible," Jamison said. "I can be effective that way as well, not just sitting on the perimeter and shooting baskets that way. I was frustrated with the way things went [against Chicago], and I know that when we go through our lulls, I need to either get to the free-throw line or, if I don't have anything, create shots for my teammates."

Bobblehead night: Fans who attend Wednesday's game against Toronto at The Q will receive a Jamison bobblehead.

They say their complaints about sexually suggestive text messages from Favre cost them their part-time jobs with the Jets when he played in New York.

Associated PressBrett Favre has again been accused of sending raunchy text messages.

New York, New York -- Two massage therapists sued Brett Favre on Monday, saying they lost their part-time jobs with the New York Jets after complaining about sexually suggestive text messages from the veteran quarterback.

Claiming they were subjected to sexual harassment and job discrimination, Christina Scavo and Shannon O'Toole are seeking unspecified damages from Favre, the Jets and a Jets massage coordinator.

The suit also includes a message Favre allegedly sent to a third, unidentified massage therapist. "Kinda lonely tonight," it says. "I guess I have bad intentions."

The team declined to comment. Favre's agent didn't immediately return a telephone message.

The lawsuit comes five days after the NFL fined Favre $50,000 for not being forthright in an investigation into allegations that he sent lewd text messages and photos to former Jets game hostess Jenn Sterger when they both worked for the team in 2008.

The league's investigation went on for months as the three-time MVP staggered through his 20th NFL season, fighting injuries as he led Minnesota in a disappointing season. Favre's consecutive starts streak was eventually snapped at 297 in December and he sat out the Vikings' final game, a loss to Detroit on Sunday. Afterward he said he's retiring - for good, this time.

The NFL also reviewed media reports that Favre pursued two massage therapists who worked at the Jets' facility in 2008, but the league said that claim could not be substantiated because people with "potentially relevant information" wouldn't cooperate with investigators. O'Toole's and Scavo's lawyer, David Jaroslawicz, said he told investigators about the information his clients had.

The two women worked for years at the Jets training camp and for various players individually, sometimes giving massages at players' homes, according to the lawsuit. O'Toole brought Scavo into the Jets fold, Jaroslawicz said.

After Scavo and an unidentified colleague gave massages at the training camp in 2008, Favre sent the colleague a text message saying, "Brett here you and crissy want to get together I'm all alone," the lawsuit said.

Jaroslawicz declined to identify the massage therapist who allegedly received the messages.

Scavo told her husband, Joseph, about the messages. He promptly told Favre to back off and apologize, according to the lawsuit.

The husband got a brush-off from Favre, and his wife and O'Toole got blackballed by the team, the lawsuit says.

The Jets stopped calling the women for work, initially offering such excuses as having moved the training camp, Jaroslawicz said.

After the allegations about Favre chasing Jets masseuses surfaced in media reports, the team's massage coordinator, Lisa Ripi, sent Scavo a series of e-mails calling Favre "a pervert" but ripping Scavo for not having keeping the matter quiet, the lawsuit says.

"There are ways to handle things in a professional manner and ways to be compensated not in public. ... All this nonsense is unnecessary," Ripi wrote, according to the lawsuit. "For sure feel horrible that u had to go thru that w a pervert. ... He was wrong on all counts...and we cldve helped u a lot more at that time."

Meanwhile, Ripi told O'Toole to "keep your mouth shut" and declared that neither O'Toole nor Scavo would ever work for the team again, the lawsuit says.

Jaroslawicz said his clients had held off on suing while awaiting the results of the NFL investigation, but they decided to go ahead after the probe ended in what they saw as a token fine.

Allegations about Favre's below-the-belt behavior initially surfaced on the website Deadspin, which posted a video Oct. 7 that included text messages and voicemails allegedly left by Favre for Sterger, including one in which he allegedly invites her to his hotel.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell determined that Facre was "not candid in several respects during the investigation" but "could not conclude" that Favre violated the league's personal conduct policy based on the evidence he had, the league said in a statement Wednesday announcing the fine. Forensic analysis failed to establish that Favre sent the objectionable photographs to Sterger, the league said.

"Clearly, (the massage therapists) were just as dissatisfied with the NFL's decision as we were. Or lack of a decision, for that matter," Sterger's lawyer, Joseph Conway, said Monday. He wouldn't say whether Sterger was also planning a lawsuit.

Favre has consistently refused to answer reporters' questions about the allegations.

While being buffeted by questions about his behavior, Favre also has been battered by injuries to his ankle, chin, ribs, back, head and throwing shoulder - the one that forced the famously hardy 41-year-old quarterback to miss a start, against the Giants on Dec. 13.

He sat out Minnesota's loss to the Lions on Sunday because of a concussion and said the game would be his last. Fans have heard that before, however - he also retired in 2008 with the Green Bay Packers and 2009 with the Jets, only to return both times.

The majority of Browns were sad to see Eric Mangini go, saying they felt they were on the verge of something special.

View full sizeScott Shaw / The Plain DealerAfter clearing out his locker at the Browns' Berea training facility, linebacker Matt Roth walks past the car of fired coach Eric Mangini Monday afternoon.

BEREA, Ohio -- Jake Delhomme summed up the feelings of most of the Browns players about Eric Mangini's firing when he said they contributed to his demise.

"As players, we didn't make enough plays to win," said Delhomme. "We didn't do enough to help Eric keep his job."

The overwhelming majority of players who spoke after their 20-minute farewell meeting with Mangini said they were sad and partly responsible. The Browns lost their final four games, including a 41-9 drubbing by Pittsburgh in the finale.

"He talked to us this morning and you feel his pain," said Delhomme. "I know I do and most of the players do."

The only player that didn't express dismay over Mangini's departure was quarterback Seneca Wallace, and that's mostly because Wallace didn't agree with Mangini's methods or offensive philosophy. He also felt he should've been given another chance when he came back from his high ankle sprain.

"It would've been very hard for me to come back [if he stayed]," said Wallace, who will be an unrestricted free agent. "[Now], I'd love to come back because I'd love to be part of the change in this organization."

He admitted that he held his tongue most of the season.

"I tried to," he said. "It was frustrating for me because I've been with a guy for so long, Mike in Seattle and knowing how to be a professional. Nothing against Mangini, but he takes a different approach in coaching. He's a defensive-minded coach. It was a little frustrating at times, but I just had to deal with it."

But Wallace, whose issues were more philosophical than personal, was alone in his opinion.

Receiver Josh Cribbs, who came out in strong support of Mangini after Sunday's game, wasn't available in the locker room, but tweeted: "I'm sad they let go of my coach, great man, great coach, just bad situation."

Linebacker Marcus Benard, signed by Mangini as an undrafted free agent and now the Browns' best pass-rusher, said Mangini supported him during a harrowing ordeal with his premature son.

"He was there for me with everything I've been through this season," said Benard. "He showed a human side of himself that not many guys get to see. He really surprised me. If not for coach Mangini giving me a chance, I wouldn't be here. He believed in me and made me the player I am today."

Fullback Lawrence Vickers, who finally came around to the Mangini Way at the end of last season, was sad to see him go.

"We're blessed to play in this league, but at the same time, you wish things would have worked out for Coach," said Vickers. "He taught me a lot and he made me a better person, not just a player, but a better man. He taught me how to handle myself in my household and in my spiritual life. He cares about us a lot and he'll be missed.

"I have nothing but respect for him and I'll miss him as a coach, but I'll miss him even more for being the type of man he is."

Quarterback Colt McCoy was appreciative to Mangini and his staff for the chance they gave him this season.

"For myself, I'm disappointed," said McCoy. "I love coach Mangini. I love the staff here. They've been great to me and I respect the heck out of Coach Mangini, I really do, and Coach (offensive coordinator Brian) Daboll. Those guys have been wonderful to me and I think they're great men.

"I wish nothing but the best for them and I just hope and pray now that our organization is making changes for the better. We're going to be winners and that's what we're hanging our hat on, that's why I come to work everyday because it's going to change."

Tight end Ben Watson, who finished with career-highs in receptions (68) and yards (763), expressed respect for Mangini and his staff.

"They came and got me in free agency," said Watson. "They wanted me. They gave me a chance to be playing football. There's definitely some mixed emotions. They allowed me to come here and make plays and have fun playing ball. I'm definitely thankful to them for that. Besides, coach Mangini and his staff, they really care about people, not just what you do on the field, but what we're doing in the community.

"I think Coach Mangini is a great football coach. We just didn't make enough plays to win the games."

Said cornerback Sheldon Brown: "The players supported him, played hard for him. We got out butts whipped [by Pittsburgh], bottom line. It's a hard day for everybody, but it had to happen. The only thing that matters is a W or L."

Delhomme said Mangini was his typical even-keel self during his farewell address.

"As a player you have to feel responsible also that you didn't get it done," he said. "Sure, we were close in a lot of games, but close doesn't get it in the NFL."

A key to the Browns future is finding the right coach to help develop quarterback Colt McCoy.

View full sizeJoshua Gunter / The Plain DealerThe importance of giving rookie QB Colt McCoy (with offensive coordinator Brian Daboll at halftime of Sunday's loss to Pittsburgh) every chance to develop as a productive NFL signalcaller is at the heart of Mike Holmgren's decision to revamp the Browns' coaching staff, writes Terry Pluto.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Some scribbles following another day of change at the Browns' headquarters.

1. So glad to hear that Browns president Mike Holmgren still has confidence in Colt McCoy. Yes, Holmgren did say there are "some ifs there" when it came to the rookie from Texas, but he added "I think you see the potential there. I certainly do." This is critical, because the Browns don't need to spend a high draft pick on a quarterback. Work with McCoy and Seneca Wallace. If they want to pick a quarterback lower in the draft -- as Holmgren has done in the past -- that's good. But this team has too many needs to use a high pick and a huge chunk of the salary cap on a quarterback (unless Andrew Luck dropped to them).

2. While some fans will talk about McCoy's struggles in the final two games -- losses to Baltimore and Pittsburgh -- let's be realistic. Those are two of the NFL's premier defenses. McCoy was 35-of-70 passing with six interceptions and only one touchdown. Heading into the final two games, he was completing 65 percent of his passes and had five touchdowns compared to three interceptions.

3. The main problem was the Browns lost their running game. Peyton Hillis finished with 1,177 rushing yards (4.4 average), but in losses to Cincinnati, Baltimore and Pittsburgh, Hillis had only 107 yards in 32 carries. He had 61 receptions, but only four in those final three games. He had a variety of injuries and paid the price for his bullish, punishing style. Without Hillis to worry about and some very mediocre receivers, it was easy for defenses to blitz McCoy.

4. The other factor was McCoy had very few snaps in training camp and early in the season because he was the No. 3 quarterback and not supposed to play this season. Injuries forced him into action, and given the primitive state of the offense and its thin talent, he naturally struggled once Hillis wore down. The right side of the line -- especially tackle John St. Clair -- had a miserable time holding off the rush.

5. Holmgren is correct to see success for McCoy in some version of the West Coast offense, which features a lot of short and medium passes. McCoy's strength is his accuracy, and his ability to throw those type of balls while on the run.

6. As for the receivers, let's hope Holmgren has revised his mid-season assessment that they "are better than OK." Chansi Stuckey led the receivers with 40 catches, followed by Mohamed Massaquoi (36) and Brian Robiskie (29). That trio combined for five touchdowns. When a Browns quarterback wanted to complete a pass, he threw it to tight end Ben Watson (68 catches) or Hillis. Most revealing is Watson led the team with 40 catches for first downs, followed by Hillis with 25.

7. Eric Mangini went out with class and grace. His final press conference was sincere and lacking bitterness -- and he had to know he would be fired the next day. His statement reflected the same virtues. When Holmgren called Mangini "a hard-working, bright, caring guy," he told the truth. He also was a man who brought badly needed discipline and order to the team.

8. Not sure if Mangini would have kept his job if he had beat Buffalo and Cincinnati to finish at 7-9, but losing those games and putting a 5-11 record next to his name for the second year in a row made it easy for Holmgren. That's especially true because Mangini had to show real improvement in the standings to make up for the different mindsets that the two men have.

In the year of the hendecagon, there are 11 sides to this story.

View full sizeJoshua Gunter / The Plain DealerJustin Fritts and the rest of the Mentor basketball team may lack in height, but not talent this season.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- In the year of the hendecagon, there are 11 sides to this story.

A hendecagon -- for the geometrically challenged among us -- is an 11-sided polygon. The Susan B. Anthony dollar has a hendecagon design, on the back of which is Apollo 11, from which the first man to walk on the moon was Neil Armstrong, who is from Wapakoneta, which Hathaway Brown beat for the first of its two straight girls basketball titles, which is one of my story lines to watch this year.

See? It's a small world, with 11 sides.

So for 2011, I offer 11 story lines I'm anticipating between now and next December's Brecksville Holiday wrestling tournament, which is my New Year's Eve.

1. Multiply or divide? That's the crux of a groundswell for doing something about private school success in the football playoffs. Catholic schools won five of the six division state titles in 2010. I'm not in favor of separate playoffs, and it will never happen in Ohio. The statewide support is not there. I prefer what probably is coming -- a multiplier where private and some non-boundaried public schools' enrollments are subjected to a multiplier, say 1.5, that could bump them up to higher divisions.

2. Mentor boys basketball. Can the guard-oriented Cardinals win the school's first basketball championship? Cole Krizancic, Justin Fritts and Collin Barth are as good as any trio in the state. Once again, the perpetually height-challenged Cardinals must shoot their way to Columbus. Why can't this town grow bigger basketball players?

3. Chagrin Falls football. Can the Tigers get to their third straight state final? Their return trip this past fall, a year after graduating 22 seniors, came as a surprise. Next year, experience and talent will be plentiful, and expectations will be high. Some of that will hinge on the upcoming biannual realignment of divisions, which two years ago shook up Divisions III and IV.

4. Whither Maple Heights and St. Edward? Both football state champs were senior-laden. They started nearly all seniors on defense and in the offensive backfield, but have some core linemen back. Both should reach the playoffs, but to anticipate more than that probably is premature.

5. Lake Ridge girls basketball. Will the OHSAA's investigation turn up recruiting violations? Eight players from now-defunct Regina landed at Lake Ridge, which is ranked fifth in The Plain Dealer Top 25. Hard to say what kind of evidence the OHSAA has, but red flags are flying in North Ridgeville.

6. St. Ignatius football. Was last fall's 4-6 record merely a blip on the radar screen, or has the pendulum swung west to St. Edward? It is folly to count out a Chuck Kyle-coached team, but clearly, this is an important year on West 30th Street.

7. Wadsworth-St. Edward wrestling. Wadsworth beat St. Edward in one of the most dramatic state tournaments last year. The Grizzlies are the only team with a shot of doing it again this season. We'll know more after this weekend's state dual meet tournament, but the Eagles are looking close to unbeatable.

8. Walsh Jesuit girls soccer. A young Warriors team won the school's fifth girls soccer title last year, a state record for boys and girls teams. There is every reason to anticipate a run for No. 6.

9. Girls track. I'm anticipating a fantastic season with numerous story lines. Who will replace retired Collinwood girls track coach Lou Slapnik, and can he or she keep the Railroaders on track after they won their ninth state title last season? Also, two Plain Dealer girls track Athletes of the Year return -- Gilmour senior sprinter Candace Longino-Thomas (2009) and Midpark senior hurdler/long jumper Kaila Barber (2010) -- are among seven returning state champs.

10. Hathaway Brown girls basketball. After beating Wapakoneta in the 2009 final, the Blazers knocked off Kettering Alter to win again last March. Despite losing three Division I college recruits off that team, they are a threat to return to Columbus for a fifth straight season.

11. Mike Bartley. The venerable Shaker Heights hockey coach is 10 victories shy of retired Sylvania Northview coach Jim Cooper's record for most career victories (585). The Red Raiders have 10 games remaining, plus the postseason, so Bartley has a shot at breaking the mark this year. Bartley held the record for a time in 2005 and 2006 until Cooper passed him.

Early discussion focuses on Mangini's dismissal and the possibility of team president Mike Holmgren naming himself the new coach.

Lynn Ischay, The Plain Dealer Eric Mangini and Mike Holmgren talking with the media at Browns headquarters in Berea on March 15.

Cleveland, Ohio -- There are just 32 head coaching jobs in the National Football League, and a hiring for, or firing from, one of those positions prompts reaction from around the American sports scene.

The Plain Dealer and cleveland.com features extensive Cleveland Browns coverage, including reports on Browns president Mike Holmgren's firing of coach Eric Mangini and the team's search for his replacement.

ESPN is becoming known for its penchant for arrogance. The network wasn't helped by its production of the "Decision," staged by LeBron James when he left the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Miami Heat.

Even some Browns' fans who wanted Mangini to be replaced have to be put off a little by some questionable reporting by ESPN of his firing, as shown on video.

Video: From youtube.com, ESPN's Hannah Storm and Adam Schefter high-five when talking about Eric Mangini being fired as the Browns coach.

Mangini had numerous supporters, and Holmgren complimented Mangini for his character and work ethic during the press conference. Jeff Schudel writes for the News-Herald and Lorain Morning Journal:

Players agree Mangini has left the Browns on the brink of being successful, but losing to Buffalo, Cincinnati, Baltimore and Pittsburgh to finish the season and going 1-5 in the AFC North doomed Mangini.

Players grew to like Mangini after a stormy 2009. Mangini relaxed. The offense never got untracked,.and that proved to be Mangini's undoing. He was loyal to all his assistants. Had he replaced Brian Daboll a year ago, he might still be head coach today.

Best available coach?

James Walker of ESPN.com thinks Holmgren doesn't have to look long or far in search of the best candidate to coach the Browns.

Walker writes (including commentary that many Browns fans might disagree with):

Browns players -- although unsure about Holmgren's thought process -- seemed excited about the possibility as they cleaned out their lockers for the final time this season.

"I'd be excited," Browns Pro Bowl left tackle Joe Thomas said. "He's a proven winner."

"Obviously, yeah, because I've been with him in Seattle," said Browns quarterback Seneca Wallace, who played four years under Holmgren. "I know how he coaches. I know what he looks for and I know what he wants. But at the end of the day, I know he's going to make the right decision for us."

Before anyone mentions other big-name coaches such as Jon Gruden or Bill Cowher, here's the harsh reality about the Browns: It's not a very attractive job for A-list head coaches. Cleveland changes regimes every two or three years. It's an unstable organization that lacks talent and has trouble competing with AFC North heavyweights Baltimore and Pittsburgh.

A-listers will pass on Cleveland for better opportunities. Therefore, the only big-name coach the Browns have a chance to land this year is Holmgren.

Elsewhere:

Browns players reaction to Eric Mangini's dismissal, by Fred Greetham for the Orange and Brown Report on Scout.com.

More commentary that Mike Holmgren might be the best candidate as the Browns next coach, by Clifton Brown on SportingNews.com.

The "2011 NFL coaching carousel," on FoxSports.com.

A Browns fan reacts to Mangini's firing, by Zac Wassink on Yahoo! Sports.

A Yahoo Sports! video report on the firing of Eric Mangini.

Mike Holmgren not including himself in the Browns coaching search, for now, by Gregg Rosenthal of ProFootballTalk.com.

Finding the right coach won't be an easy task for Mike Holmgren, writes Todd Porter of the Canton Repository.

Players' reaction to Mangini's firing and their thoughts on a new coach, by Steve Doerschuk of the Canton Repository.

What's happening in NFL coaching circles, by Sean Leahy for USAToday.com.

More on Holmgren's possibilities as the new Browns coach, by James Walker of ESPN.com.

A report on Mangini's firing, from CBSSports.com and the Associated Press.

Mike Holmgren should hire Mike Holmgren, by Marla Ridenour of the Akron Beacon Journal.

The Browns who are familiar with the West Coast system are excited about it coming here.

View full sizeScott Shaw / The Plain DealerBrowns defensive coordinator Rob Ryan walks past Eric Mangini's car while leaving the Browns' Berea complex on Monday. All of the Browns' coaches will meet with Mike Holmgren next week, but Ryan is reportedly a candidate for the vacant Carolina Panthers head coach position.

BEREA, Ohio -- Browns players such as Seneca Wallace and Sheldon Brown, who have gone to Super Bowls in the West Coast system, are excited about it most likely coming here.

With team president Mike Holmgren and General Manager Tom Heckert both from the West Coast school of offense, there's a good chance the new coach will be from their family tree.

"It would be great for this team," said Wallace, who played for Holmgren for six years in Seattle. "I think it would be good in this division. I know because I've been in the system, we went to the Super Bowl in that system and we have the talent to do that on offense."

Wallace said the West Coast would be good for all three quarterbacks, including Colt McCoy and Jake Delhomme. "Obviously I've got the upper hand cause I've been in it for a long time, but yeah," said Wallace. "Jake has some history in it too. It's a system that quarterbacks can really flourish in. Obviously you see some teams go the Super Bowl with it."

Although only one West Coast offense has won a Super Bowl in the last decade -- Jon Gruden's Bucs after the 2002 season -- teams with that system, such as Philadelphia, are perennial playoff contenders.

"It would be a great system for a lot of guys here," said Brown, who went to the Super Bowl with the Eagles after the 2004 season. "It's a lot of quick throws, and it's about execution. You don't have to have the best, you just have to execute."

McCoy said he "ran a lot that in college and I'm familiar with it." He said he's all for anything that will help the offense score and win games.

The Browns are rumored to interview some West Coast-style coaches such as Gruden and Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg.

It's a waiting game: The Browns have requested permission to interview several NFL coaches, including Giants defensive coordinstor Perry Fewell. But they can't interview Mornhinweg until after the wild-card game Sunday against Green Bay. Only playoff coaches with a bye this weekend can interview. If the Eagles win, the interview must take place before the divisional playoffs.

Brown, who spent years with Mornhinweg in Philadelphia, thinks he'd be a good head coach despite his 5-27 record in Detroit, which many attribute to lack of talent on the Lions' roster. Mornhinweg has strong ties to both Holmgren (he played quarterback for him in high school) and Heckert.

"Marty's a West Coast guy," said Brown. "Mike Holmgren would feel comfortable with him. He'd be able to converse with him without feeling like he's stepping on his toes. Mike is basically like a father to Marty."

They know each other well: Reluctant to talk about a replacement to Eric Mangini, Delhomme admitted former Panthers head coach John Fox, another probable Browns candidate, would be excellent. The two went to the Super Bowl together and remain close.

"John's outstanding," said Delhomme. "I think everybody knows how I feel about him. I think John can go anywhere and coach and win, that's just my opinion. Of course we had success together."

No contact yet: Holmgren declined to confirm reports that he'll interview Gruden and Fox.

"Those two fellows I know very, very well and they're outstanding football coaches," said Holmgren. "It seems as though there are going to be a number of changes in the league so I would suspect that those two guys would be candidates on a lot of people's lists."

Holmgren said he won't reveal the names of candidates until after they've been interviewed.

Experience required? Holmgren said he won't limit his search to coaches with previous head coaching experience at the NFL or college levels.

"I was a coordinator; had no experience when I was hired," he said. "In history, the coordinator position is a good place to start because you're dealing with a lot of the team most of the time and it's the next step, the logical step. Yet, Andy Reid -- when he was with me, he went from position coach to a head coach. So it's been done a lot of different ways."

He shared the fans' pain: Earlier this season, the Browns managed just three points after the defense earned five takeaways in Jacksonville, losing 24-20 to the Jaguars. Holmgren was asked what he thought afterward.

"If I was a writer, I probably would've written what you wrote," said Holmgren. "I think we felt the same way, shoot. ... At that time on Sunday evening, you really didn't want to sit next to me on the plane coming home though."

A worthwhile experience: Holmgren said he has no regrets about keeping Mangini after last season.

"I met a classy guy who is dedicated, smart and that was a good thing," he said. "I don't look at it as a downside. I've learned in a year a lot about this football team and a lot about my vision for it. ... I wouldn't have given up the last year. I made the decision when I first got here, I think, for the correct reasons and hopefully I'm doing the same thing now."

The door was opened by Lerner: Browns owner Randy Lerner asked Holmgren if he'd like to coach the team.

"As far as I could tell, he just wanted to open the discussion and get me thinking about it," Holmgren said Monday. "What it did was get me thinking about what I really wanted, how it could change my life and to get me thinking about doing the right thing. I appreciate the fact that he did that."

Extra points: Wallace said Holmgren's main message to the players was "we need to change the culture" to one of a winning attitude. ... Linebacker Scott Fujita said he doesn't need surgery on his left knee. He also said he plans to get McCoy with his friend Drew Brees in the off-season to work some together.

Ohio State's matchup against Arkansas serves as a referendum on Pryor the individual as much as on the Buckeyes as a team.

View full sizePatrick Semansky / Associated PressTerrelle Pryor won't be quarterbacking Ohio State for quite a while after Tuesday night's Sugar Bowl -- if ever. Which means his performance against Arkansas will linger with a fan base that is still split on its assessment of the talented junior QB.

NEW ORLEANS -- Rallying inside a convention center Monday afternoon, standing in the dark on a concrete floor, staring at Ohio State highlights on a video screen and clapping along with the band, these Buckeye fans represented their quarterback, wearing the No. 2.

Tuesday night in the Sugar Bowl, Terrelle Pryor will represent them, with Ohio State's matchup against Arkansas serving as a referendum on Pryor the individual as much as on the Buckeyes as a team, just the way it's been since he arrived in Columbus from western Pennsylvania in 2008.

Among the No. 2 jerseys scattered among the thousands of fans at a Sugar Bowl alumni party (maybe fewer than you'd think for a three-year starting quarterback), some were with him all the way, some were a little unsure. But all of them, like all Buckeye fans, were connected to one of the defining players of Jim Tressel's 10 seasons at Ohio State.

"To tell you the truth, I am who I am," Pryor said in New Orleans over the weekend, during an intriguing interview session that became the latest talking point in his career. "I'm always going to hold my own and do what I have to do to get the victory.

"I'm not going to say I'd rather be under the [radar] and not known, because that's basically saying I didn't have a very good few years and I didn't really do anything that well. I'd rather be exactly where I'm at. I wouldn't change where I am and who I am."

A year ago, Pryor offered solutions to a sometimes trying season with an MVP performance in a Rose Bowl win over Oregon. This time, Pryor's bowl game will be his goodbye, at least for a while.

Facing an NCAA suspension at the start of next season for selling memorabilia, Pryor has promised to return for his senior campaign. But if the five-game ban for Pryor and four other Buckeyes isn't reduced, he won't play another college game until Oct. 8, 277 days from now.

There's been a lot of talk about legacy around Pryor, starting with his midseason pledge to return as a senior -- "I'm a Buckeye until I break all the records. ... I want to leave a legacy here, maybe someday get my jersey hung up. That's one of my goals as well here."

View full sizeMarvin Fong / The Plain Dealer"I know this about him, and that's what I love about him, is that it really disappoints him when he doesn't do what he thinks he can do," head coach Jim Tressel says of Terrelle Pryor (left).

For a while at least, the Sugar Bowl will be his lasting impression. His greatest impact so far has been on the Buckeyes' record, which is 30-5 since he took over as the starter. (Typically, even that is a bone of contention. Ohio State officially considers him 30-4 at a starter because Todd Boeckman took the first snap of the 2009 Fiesta Bowl at quarterback, with Pryor at receiver. The school hangs that loss on Boeckman, though Pryor was the primary quarterback.)

Ohio State offensive coordinator Jim Bollman jabbed his thumb on the table while making that point in New Orleans.

"How many games have we won since he's been quarterback? A lot of games now, a lot of games, from the very beginning," Bollman said. "He's walking in the door, he's just learning how to put on an Ohio State uniform, and we won a lot of games. A lot of football games. A lot of football games. That's still the bottom line. Still the bottom line."

For a lot of No. 2s, that holds true.

"Winning is king at Ohio State. If you don't win, you're a bum," said Mike Black, a 37-year-old from Canton in a No. 2 jersey. "I think he's had a good career, I think he's good for Ohio State.

"The more hype you have about how good you are, the more critical people are of you, and that's life in general. But winning is what matters, and that's life, too."

"I think he's had a good career so far," said Brandon Moyer, 30, a Covington, Ohio, native in a No. 2. "I'm proud of what he's accomplished, especially against Michigan. I think the five-game suspension is a little excessive, and I'm really happy he's able to play in the Sugar Bowl. He's worked really hard to get to where's at right now. I think the least they can do is let him play in the game."

This season, Pryor built on that game, but maybe not as much as others expected. He threw for 2,551 yards, 25 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, and ran it 120 times for 639 yards and four scores. But he wasn't Auburn quarterback Cam Newton. He wasn't a Heisman Trophy finalist. He wasn't, obviously with the bar set very high, consistently dominant.

"With no Heisman and no national title, some people, myself included," Moyer said, "feel maybe just a little bit let down."

Then came the NCAA violations.

"I was honestly pretty disappointed in him," said OSU senior David Beckel, 21, another fan in a No. 2. Beckel said he made a sign supporting Pryor when he visited Ohio State for a basketball game during his recruitment.

"I loved the guy. I thought he was the best recruit we could ever get," Beckel said. "Even on the field, I'm disappointed, but especially with the off-field issues. I always tell people this is a Malcolm Jenkins jersey, not a Terrelle Pryor jersey."

Yet even Beckel finds it hard to envision the Buckeyes without this No. 2.

"Take Pryor out of this offense, and we wouldn't stand a chance," Beckel said.

The Buckeyes will be moving on without him, one way or another. Fans on both sides think minds may be made up about Pryor no matter what happens against Arkansas, that another MVP performance and bowl win won't hold the same sway it did a year ago.

Pryor, who has made as much news with what he has said as what he has done on the field as a Buckeye, may understand that.

"You really shouldn't worry about what other people say, but you got to take it into your mind because they're saying it for some reason," he said of the response to the NCAA sanctions. "That's the hardest thing, when people say some cruel things about you. But you just have to stay focused and you know what you did for a reason and you got to take your responsibility, but at the same time you still know people are talking bad about you."

Some are. Some aren't. But everyone, one way or another, is always talking about Terrelle Pryor. At least for one more night.

"I know this about him, and that's what I love about him, is that it really disappoints him when he doesn't do what he thinks he can do," coach Jim Tressel said Monday. "And I mean that universally."

Near the back of the convention center Monday stood Chuck Howard, a 58-year-old OSU fan and bowl game veteran from Miamisburg, Ohio, also in a No. 2.

"He came in really hyped up, and I think he's done all right," Howard said. "I think the expectations sometimes at Ohio State are unrealistic when you're talking about 18- or 19-year-old kids. But I've worn No. 2 for a lot of players. This is not a Terrelle Pryor jersey. This goes way back."

Howard ran through Cris Carter, Mike Doss and Malcolm Jenkins.

"There was a No. 2 before him," Howard said, "and there will be another No. 2 after him."

Breaking down the key matchups between the Buckeyes and Razorbacks.

View full sizeMarvin Fong / The Plain DealerOhio State linebacker Ross Homan is finally physically sound and eager to be tested by the pro-style offense of the Razorbacks.

NEW ORLEANS -- Breaking down the key matchups between the Buckeyes and Razorbacks.

1. The best game of the year from Ohio State linebacker Ross Homan: In their one loss this season, the OSU linebackers were overmatched, consistently blocked by Wisconsin offensive linemen who found them and blew them off the play. Homan got hurt that game, too, and his hopes of an All-American senior season were gone.

Now, the Buckeyes need him to play to that level in the Sugar Bowl, and the fifth-year senior is in a position to do it.

Homan missed two games after the Wisconsin game, but when he returned, he wasn't himself. After more than a month since his last game, he should be ready mentally and physically.

"He's the type of kid that frustration maybe set in when he came back and was still a little dinged up," linebackers coach Luke Fickell said. "Really in the past few weeks and the last two games of the year it was great to see him revive a little bit.

"Now he's finally got his mental edge back. Everybody is affected in different ways. Sometimes people are affected more mentally but he fought through that in the second half of the season and got a lot better."

Three years ago, Homan was on the sidelines in New Orleans as the Buckeyes lost the national title game to LSU, forced to redshirt that season with a toe injury. Tuesday, he and fellow linebackers Brian Rolle and Andrew Sweat will have to chase down Razorbacks' running back Knile Davis.

While Davis emerged in the second half of the season, the Arkansas linemen aren't as dominant as the Wisconsin linemen, and the OSU linebackers must be able to stay off blocks and find the ball. At his best, and at his healthiest, that's just what Homan does.

Homan had eight tackles against Michigan. If he's active and aggressive early, that's a great sign for the Buckeyes.

"It took a while but I think the Michigan game was the first game I really felt like 100 percent," Homan said. "I'm feeling great in practice and looking forward to the game."

2. Ohio State holding on to the ball: There's a sign that running backs coach Dick Tressel has in his meeting room, a sign that made offensive coordinator Jim Bollman chuckle.

"It's better to die a young boy than to fumble this football," is how fullback Zach Boren remembered it.

More than any season, the Buckeyes stuck to that this year. Ohio State leads the nation with just two fumbles lost, thanks in large part to No. 1 running back Dan Herron, who carried the ball 192 times this season and 434 times in his career without giving it up.

"I don't think Boom has ever fumbled in his career," Boren said. "He works at it hard and during practice we work on strip drills and he works hard at it and falls on his stomach, I guess, so the defense can't strip the ball."

In a tight game, turnovers can always make the difference, and there Ohio State has an edge. The Buckeyes lead the nation with two lost fumbles this season, and those two were by backups when games were out of reach -- tight end Ricky Crawford against Eastern Michigan and running back Carlos Hyde against Indiana. Never when it mattered did the Buckeyes lose a fumble, and that's why they rank fourth in the nation in turnover margin this season, at plus-14, losing the ball 15 times and taking it away 29 times.

Arkansas, in comparison, is plus-2, losing the ball 23 times (nine fumbles, 14 interceptions) and taking it away 25 times.

Bollman offered the reminder that every player on the roster earns a Buckeye leaf for their helmet when the Buckeyes win the turnover battle, the same reward they get for a nonconference win. They need to earn that leaf Tuesday.

View full sizePatrick Semansky / Associated PressJulian Horton and the Razorbacks' offense will offer another test of the vaunted SEC speed against the Ohio State defense.

3. Arkansas and the tight end: Razorbacks' tight end D.J. Williams has an amazing backstory, moving with his mother and sister to flee an abusive situation at home and landing in a Dallas homeless shelter before choosing to move to Arkansas.

"Everyone knows that he smiles and loves life," Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino said. "He's one of those young men that you're fortunate enough to be around that affects everybody around him in a positive way."

Williams especially affects Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallet, serving as his favorite target. A lasting memory of LSU's win over Ohio State in New Orleans three years ago was the Tigers' success with the tight end, and they didn't have Williams.

The Razorbacks' tight end won the Mackey Award as the best tight end in the country and leads Arkansas with 49 catches. He has 147 catches and 1,817 receiving yards in his career.

"They tend to create mismatches that sometimes they're too fast for the linebackers or too big for the safeties," OSU safety Jermale Hines said of 6-foot-2, 251-pound Williams, "so we need to do a good job of getting them different looks.

"With just a tight end, when he run blocks for a second you automatically get your eyes to the backfield. With tight ends like this, if he blocks you need to keep your eyes on him and slow your reads on him."

4. More than the speed: Ohio State mostly cops to the fact that Arkansas is the fastest team the Buckeyes have faced this season. Sideline to sideline, Ohio State said the Razorbacks defenders can run. But watch out for head to head.

It's the size and strength of the Buckeyes on the lines that concerns Arkansas.

"It's going to be the power," Arkansas defensive coordinator Willy Robinson said. "That's the difference in the conferences -- the strength of their offensive line against the strength of our defensive line."

Ohio State definitely needs a pass rush from its defensive lineman. But if the OSU offensive linemen are having their way and moving the Arkansas defense around, you'll really know the Buckeyes are in good shape.

What's going on at your high school? Go to cleveland.com/yourspace to send your pictures of varsity teams from your school. We'll publish the best picture each Tuesday in The Plain Dealer, and the entire photo gallery is featured on cleveland.com.

Bert Blyleven and Robbie Alomar, two former Indians, weren't on the same schedule as far as getting voted into the Hall of Fame. Despite that, they'll be inducted on July 24 in Cooperstown, N.Y.

View full sizeErik Kellar / Associated Press"It's been 14 years of praying and waiting," said Bert Blyleven, a 287-game winner in the big leagues before finally winning induction into baseball's Hall of Fame on Tuesday. "I thank the (baseball writers) for finally getting it right."

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Bert Blyleven, a kid dreaming big dreams in southern California, used to listen to Dodgers radio broadcaster Vin Scully describe the drop on Sandy Koufax's curveball. Then he'd go outside and throw a ball against a concrete wall to try and make it do the same thing.

In Salinas, Puerto Rico, Robbie Alomar learned how to play second base from his father. Sandy Alomar played the position for 15 seasons in the big leagues. He was a good teacher. Sometimes that wasn't enough. Robbie Alomar, when he should have been home studying, would hide in the back of his dad's car when he would drive to winter-league games on the island so he could learn more.

All that practice, and all those lessons, bore their final fruit Tuesday when Blyleven and Alomar were elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown by a vote of the Baseball Writers Association of America. Former general manager Pat Gillick, writer Bill Conlin and broadcaster Dave Van Horne will also be inducted on July 24.

Blyleven, known for his curve and durability that produced 287 victories over 22 seasons, was named on 79.7 percent of the record 581 ballots cast. Alomar, one of the best two-way second basemen in history, was named on 90 percent (523 of 581). It was the third-largest percentage in history.

It took Blyleven 14 years to make Cooperstown. A player can only stay on the writers' ballot for 15 years, providing he gets at least five percent of the annual vote. Alomar had a much shorter wait. He was elected in just his second year of eligibility.

"It's been 14 years of praying and waiting," said Blyleven, a popular announcer for the Twins. "I thank the BBWAA for finally getting it right."

While Blyleven and Alomar celebrated, Hall of Fame candidates linked to steroids received a loud message: Don't even think about it. Mark McGwire's percentage dropped from 23.7 in 2009 to 19.8. Rafael Palmeiro, one of only four players with 3,000 hits and 500 homers, and two-time MVP Juan Gonzalez received 11 percent and 5.2 percent of the vote, respectively. They were appearing on the ballot for the first time.

Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Sammy Sosa, eligible in 2013, had to take notice.

Blyleven and Alomar each spent parts of their careers with the Indians. Blyleven pitched in Cleveland from 1981 until he was traded to the Twins in August of 1985 for Jay Bell, Curt Wardle, Jim Weaver and Rich Yett.

In 1984, on a team that lost 87 games, Blyleven went 19-7 with a 2.84 ERA. He accounted for 25 percent of the Tribe's 75 victories, while throwing 245 innings with 170 strikeouts. He finished third in the AL Cy Young voting behind closers Willie Hernandez and Dan Quisenberry.

"I still think I should have won the Cy Young that year," said Blyleven.

Blyleven, 287-250 lifetime, called old Municipal Stadium a dungeon. "We had great guys on those teams, but we just weren't very competitive."

Besides his 287 victories, Blyleven completed 242 of his 685 starts (35 percent), threw 60 shutouts and 4,969 1/3 innings. He ranks fifth all-time with 3,701 strikeouts, ninth in shutouts, 26th in wins and 14th in innings pitched.

He said he had no idea why it took the writers so long to elect him. He did say the increased focus on statistics that try to find other ways to measure a pitcher's worth besides victories helped him gain votes over the last several years.

View full sizeChuck Crow / The Plain Dealer"I miss Cleveland," new Hall of Fame inductee Roberto Alomar said Tuesday. "They gave me the passion and love to play this game. Numbers wise, those were my best three years."

Alomar played 17 years. He was a 12-time All-Star and a 10-time AL Gold Glove winner at second base. His career fielding average was .984. He hit .300 (2,724-for-9,073) with 504 doubles, 80 triples, 210 homers and 1,134 RBI for his career. He stole 474 bases and had an OPS of .814.

In a 10-year period from 1992 through 2001, Alomar hit .300 or better nine times. After Gillick, then Toronto's general manager, acquired Joe Carter and Alomar from San Diego for Tony Fernandez and Fred McGriff in December of 1990, the Blue Jays won consecutive World Series in 1992 and 1993.

The Indians signed Alomar as a free agent after the 1998 season. Alomar hit .323 (564-for-1784), scored 352 runs and stole 106 bases in three years with the Indians. He was a legitimate MVP candidate all three years.

Defensively, Alomar and shortstop Omar Vizquel gave the Indians the most dynamic double-play combination in the big leagues.

"I miss Cleveland," said Alomar. "They gave me the passion and love to play this game. Numbers wise, those were my best three years. The best thing was getting to play with my brother Sandy [Alomar Jr.]."

The second best may have been playing the middle of the infield with Vizquel. The two men ignored each other off the field, but were a joy to watch on it.

"Playing with Omar was like playing with a ballerina," said Alomar. "He's the best shortstop I've ever played with. I hope some day he joins me in the Hall of Fame."

Alomar missed being a first-ballot Hall of Famer last year by eight votes. The backlash from his spitting incident with plate umpire John Hirschbeck in 1996 probably cost him votes. Alomar said he's long since settled his differences with Hirschbeck.

"I was a little disappointed last year, but I'm excited this year," said Alomar. "I never expected to get this many votes."

Here's a thumbnail sketch of the coaches the Browns might interview so far, and a few other prospects as well.

View full sizeJon Gruden

View full sizeJohn Fox

View full sizeBrad Childress

View full sizeJosh McDaniels

View full sizeJim Mora

View full sizeBill Cowher

View full sizePerry Fewell

View full sizeMarty Mornhinweg

View full sizeMike Mularkey

View full sizeKarl Dorrell

Mike McCoy

View full sizePat Shurmur

View full sizeJim Harbaugh

• Jim Harbaugh, 47: The Ohio native and one-time Baltimore Ravens quarterback declined to be interviewed for the Browns' job. He is close to becoming the next coach of the San Francisco 49ers. *

View full sizeUrban Meyer

View full sizeChip Kelly