When NFL teams hire new people into leadership positions, it's usually not good for those who are already in place. New head coaches clean house on the coaching staff and new GMs bring in their own scouting department.
The same is true at the top of the organization, as Mike Holmgren is learning this week. ESPN and others report that Holmgren, the team president, will retire and new Browns owner Jimmy Haslam -- NFL owners officially approved his purchase on Tuesday -- will bring in former Eagles executive Joe Banner to replace him.
There are conflicting reports on when the move will actually happen -- now or at the end of the season -- but the end result is the same: Holmgren is out in Cleveland.
While this certainly seems like a surprise, it shouldn't be in the big picture. It's not a coincidence that this happened on the same day NFL owners officially approved the sale of the Browns. New owners almost always mean change to the organization and, under Holmgren, the Browns haven't shown they're on the right path, winning only four and five games in the past two seasons. The Browns are currently 1-5.
Like a lot of NFL coaches, Holmgren wasn't very good with GM duties. He was originally the Seahawks head coach and GM but dropped the GM role three years before their Super Bowl run in 2005. The same carried over in Cleveland where he hasn't demonstrated an ability to consistently put together winning teams. You can laud Holmgren for what he did as a coach but, in the front office, he left a lot to be desired.