New Browns president Holmgren presides over a franchise trying to revive a city's optimism for its teams. Plus, Joe Haden, Peyton Hillis, Phil Dawson, etc.
Browns president Mike Holmgren (left) with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell during a Browns practice on Aug. 5.Cleveland, Ohio -- It's no stretch to say that Mike Holmgren is one of America's most accomplished football coaches.
His most noteworthy achivements begin with his role as the quarterbacks coach for Brigham Young University's 1984 national championship team. He was the San Francisco 49ers' QB mentor for one Super Bowl winner, and their offensive coordinator for another.
As head coach, he led the Green Bay Packers to two Super Bowls, including one championship. He coached the Seattle Seahawks to their lone Super Bowl berth.
Holmgren tutored some of the modern era's elite quarterbacks, including Hall of Famers Joe Montana and Steve Young, and future inductee Brett Favre.
Now, as the Cleveland Browns' new team president, Holmgren faces a most urgent challenge, according to the title of a FoxSports.com feature: "Holmgren's challenge: Save the Browns." Alex Marvez writes that Holmgren admits to being a bit on edge, and: That means he can relate to the Cleveland sports fan. Holmgren’s irritability stems from the painful aftereffects of foot surgery. Clevelanders are enraged LeBron James snubbed his hometown Cavaliers for the Miami Heat. The Indians dwelling among baseball’s worst teams doesn't help either. Nothing will alleviate Holmgren’s discomfort until his leg heals and he can shed the cumbersome walking boot that has relegated the new Cleveland Browns president to watching practices from a golf cart. But there is something Holmgren can do to ease this city’s suffering: Transform this lowly franchise into a winner once again. Got it covered Plain Dealer Browns coverage includes Browns beat writer Tony Grossi's report on cornerback Brandon McDonald's apology for a controversial "tweet;" Browns beat writer Mary Kay Cabot's account of cornerback Gerard Lawson's return to practice after being arrested for alleged traffic violations; Cabot's Browns Insider; videos by David I. Andersen of Grossi and Cabot discussing the Browns, and of the offensive line practicing; and a Starting Blocks poll on Brandon McDonald and his "tweet." Joe Haden's test The Browns open preseason play on Saturday night at Green Bay against the Packers. Matt Bowen of nationalfootballpost.com lists cornerback Joe Haden, the Browns first draft pick, among his several rookies in the preseason spotlight, and writes: When watching rookie CBs, look at their feet. Can he play off-man, turn his hips, plant and drive on the throw? False steps in this league get you beat. When Haden is aligned in a press-man look, does he use his hands at the point of attack, turn and run with the receiver without losing leverage? Simple techniques for the position, but this isn’t college football anymore. Athletic skills aren’t enough to win one-on-one matchups. And, let’s not forget his ability to tackle. It is a skill we often overlook at the CB position. Peyton Hillis's multi-skills The Browns acquired versatile running back Peyton Hillis from the Denver Broncos in the Brady Quinn trade. Matt Florjancic writes about Hillis for clevelandbrowns.com: At 6-foot-1, 240 pounds, Hillis looks like a fullback but has seen work as a running back throughout his career. While he is a threat to make things happen by carrying the ball out of the backfield, Hillis has also proven to be a legitimate pass-catcher downfield. As Hillis said, he is willing to do “Whatever gets me on the field.” “I love this game and I love being out there, no matter what position it is,” he said. “Hopefully, no matter where I play, I can help this team win. “In college, I ran a lot of slot and tight end sets,” continued Hillis. “I’d run the routes downfield and (former Broncos) Coach (Mike) Shanahan, my rookie year, he put me out there to run some flag and post routes, so I’ve been kind of used to it." Phil Dawson looks to improve Phil Dawson has been a model of excellence, let alone consistency, as the Browns' place-kicker since the team returned to the NFL as a franchise in 1998. Fred Greetham writes about Dawson for the Orange and Brown Report on Scout.com: Dawson has a career accuracy of more than 83 percent, but he thinks he can do better. “My goals are high,” he said. “They are every year. I still have a goal of going the whole season without missing a kick. That might not be realistic. Certainly, when I have time to sit down and evaluate things 83 (percent) looks pretty good, but there’s still room to move it up. “Why settle for anything less? I want to improve kickoff wise with some of the guys that we have covering and I expect us to be a pretty good kicking coverage team." Sideline to sideline Browns notes by Jeff Schudel for the News-Herald and Lorain Morning Journal. Joe Posnanski of Sports Illustrated's SI.com lists three former Browns among his top 32 running backs in NFL history. Why 32? The Browns don't look too good to USAToday.com in its preseason power rankings. Nate Ulrich writes about Peyton Hillis for the Akron Beacon Journal. A Q+A with Browns rookie safety T.J. Ward, by the canton Repository's Steve Doerschuk.