Holmgren knows LeBron James' defection turns the heat up on the Browns to fill the void of hope for Cleveland sports fans.
"If, in fact, all eyes are turned toward us now, that's a good thing," says Browns President Mike Holmgren. "That's a pressure that helps you work harder, helps motivate coaches, players, management."CLEVELAND, Ohio -- LeBron James is gone and the Indians are buried in last place. So, are you ready for some football?
Mike Holmgren is.
The Browns' president -- who took two NFL teams to the Super Bowl, a place the Browns have never been -- watched in amazement last week as the area-grown James renounced his allegiance to Cleveland and the Cavaliers.
With the Indians in the throes of another long season, Holmgren knows James' defection turns the heat up on the Browns to fill the void of hope for Cleveland sports fans.
"It kind of juices you up a little bit," said Holmgren, who is recuperating from recent foot surgery. "If, in fact, all eyes are turned toward us now, that's a good thing. That's a pressure that helps you work harder, helps motivate coaches, players, management. I believe our team is better than last year, already. Now we have to prove it on the field. Shoot, that's why we all came here to try to get it done."
Holmgren has experienced a region that relies solely on its football to provide a rooting interest. He coached the fabled Packers in Green Bay, Wis., the smallest market in professional sports, from 1992-98. They appeared in two Super Bowls, winning one, before Holmgren moved on to Seattle for a 10-year run.
In Seattle, football wasn't nearly as big, until Holmgren coached the Seahawks to their only Super Bowl appearance following the 2005 season.
"I think the passion -- what the Browns mean to people, a larger number of people, an older group of people for a longer period of time -- is much more like Green Bay," he said. "The city, with its major-league teams, reminds me more of Seattle. There's other entertainment that people can grab hold of. But Seattle's newer. Cleveland and Green Bay have more of a history."
"I think the Indians, the Browns and the Cavaliers are partners in this city and I think it's important for the area that we all work very hard to be good and give the fans what they want," said Holmgren. "Regardless of what happened with LeBron, we have a plan and are sticking to it and I'm optimistic."Holmgren said he was disappointed in and surprised by James' decision to leave the Cavaliers for the Miami Heat, but he was not surprised by the passionate reaction of Cleveland fans.
"What he had done prior to leaving was so spectacular and they came so close and the expectations were so high for a championship, the reaction didn't surprise me," Holmgren said. "Hey, I don't need a lot of extra stuff to talk about the [passion of the] fan base. As far as our fans, they've been long-suffering, but they're hanging in pretty good with us."
Holmgren has added layers of sales and marketing personnel to the organization to pump up a season-ticket base that sagged from habitual losing since the Browns returned as an expansion franchise in 1999. He said he is encouraged that sales are up from a year ago, when the Browns staggered through an historic 1-11 start before finishing with four wins in a row.
"I think the Indians, the Browns and the Cavaliers are partners in this city and I think it's important for the area that we all work very hard to be good and give the fans what they want," he said. "I really believe, given the passion of [Cavaliers owner] Dan Gilbert, the Cavaliers will be back -- just a cast of different characters.
"Our plan is our plan. Yeah, I'm putting a lot of pressure on the guys at work to get this thing right. But it's good. It's football. Regardless of what happened with LeBron, we have a plan and are sticking to it and I'm optimistic."
So why should the fans share his optimism? He broke it down this way: New quarterbacks Jake Delhomme and Seneca Wallace, a draft that he expects to bear fruit immediately, and a better player relationship with Eric Mangini in the coach's second season.
"First, I think the quarterback situation is much more solid and that improves a team immediately," Holmgren said. "By how much? We don't know. But it's solid. I know -- I know -- we're in a better spot at that position than last year.
"The second thing, there are two or three of our rookies [who] are going to make a great contribution right away. They're on the ground floor of a rebuilding program and they're going to have the opportunity. The [defensive] secondary, which is a really important spot, we're better there.
"Lastly, I think with the players having been through a year with Eric ... you know, he's a tough coach, but he's smart and he knows what he wants. And it's been my observation that they kind of understand him now. The fact they finished and won their four last games after that horrendous start, that told me they didn't quit. The relationship, the chemistry, in my observation, is a lot better. And I talked to a lot of [players]."
The Browns open training camp at their team headquarters in Berea on July 31.
Asante signing announced: As reported earlier this week, the Browns formally announced the signing of fifth-round pick Larry Asante on Friday. The team didn't reveal terms, but previous reports had the Nebraska safety agreeing to a four-year deal worth just under $2 million.