It had to be a unique feeling Friday morning in Berea. The Cleveland Browns took to the practice field in front of their coaches, the fans, general manager Tom Heckert, team president Mike Holmgren, and some guy named Jimmy Haslam III, otherwise known as the team's new owner.
NOTE OF TODAY'S MEDIA W/ JIMMY HASLAM:
-1:00 PM: News conference, airing LIVE on SportsTimeOhio, ClevelandBrowns.com, WTAM 1100, WKNR 850.
-Immediately afterward, Will Burge reports that Haslam will have a 1-on-1 interview with WKNR 850.
-At some point, Haslam will appear on Bull & Fox on 92.3 The Fan, which is from 2:00 PM to 7:00 PM.
Use this as an open thread to discuss Haslam's comments today.
It wasn't just Haslam who was in attendence; his wife, Dee, and his father, Jimmy Haslam Jr, were there as well. There is definitely a sense of excitement in the air, largely due to the uncertainty of how the change in ownership will affect the team in the present and moving forward. There is also a sense of nervousness. Many have speculated that Holmgren and Heckert could be on the way out, including CBS Sports' Clark Judge. Last night, Judge tweeted that league sources said "they're going to blow the whole place up" and that Holmgren and Heckert were probably gone.
Not so fast. Sure, a blowup could be in the cards, but that is supposed to be reserved for a period when a team has shown they are flat out bad. At the very least, Heckert should receive the opportunity to show that the team he has helped put together over the past few years will pay dividends. Earlier in the day, Haslam spent most of practice with Holmgren and Heckert. He also reportedly had dinner with Holmgren Thursday night, where they undoubtedly discussed his future role with the team.
We could have the answers to a lot of our questions today, as Haslam is scheduled to have a news conference at 1:00 PM in Berea. The news conference will air LIVE on SportsTimeOhio, ClevelandBrowns.com, and WTAM 1100. Haslam is scheduled to have a 1-on-1 interview on WKNR 850 immediately after his news conference. We also know that Haslam will be interviewed by Adam the Bull and Dustin Fox on 92.3 The Fan, some time between 2:00 PM and 7:00 PM. Use this as an open thread to discuss any big news that Haslam reveals during his talks with the media.
UPDATE (12:15 PM): Daryl Ruiter of 92.3 The Fan comments on how packed the media room is in Berea, with almost an hour to go still, in anticipation of Haslam's debut news conference:
The media room here in Berea is abuzz - packed house of writers, photographers, cameramen and TV talent everywhere
— Daryl Ruiter (@RuiterWrongFAN) August 3, 2012#NotASeatToBeHad
UPDATE (12:18 PM): ESPN Cleveland reports that immediately following the news conference, Haslam will be on WKNR 850 for a 1-on-1 interview.