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Long-time NFL columnist Gil Brandt was interviewed by The Hooligans on ESPN 850. Over at ESPN Cleveland, they have several quotes from Brandt about him being down on quarterback Brandon Weeden, but more than pleased with the hires of Browns CEO Joe Banner and Director of Player Personnel Michael Lombardi.
Are the Browns in good hands with Joe Banner as Chief Executive Officer?
"I think Joe Banner is really, really good," Brandt said. "He’s very smart. He knows where he’s going. He’s not bashful about asking people questions about how to get there. So far, they’ve done the right thing.
"...Joe did a great job (in Philadelphia). Joe’s history in the NFL (is that) he was a fantasy football player when he first came into the league. Don’t let that surprise or fool you, because he is very, very knowledgeable in what he’s doing right now."
What do you mean; Banner was a, "fantasy football player?"
"That was his history," Brandt said. "When he came to work for the Philadelphia Eagles, he had never been associated with pro football. The closest thing to pro football was, Joe was a fantasy football player, like 80 million of us are now. That’s what I meant by that. I’m not downgrading Joe or anything. Joe is, in my estimation, as good as they come. They are very, very fortunate in Cleveland to have him.
"I’ll tell you one thing, not a lot of things slip by Joe. He knows what he’s doing. He knows how to get there, and he was pretty successful in all the things he did in Philadelphia."
Brandt's comparison of Banner to a fantasy football player was...interesting. Check out the rest of the article to see what he said about Lombardi.
In another article published by Brandt a few days ago, Brandon Weeden did not make the cut of the top 14 quarterbacks in the NFL under the age of 30, citing that "his status is in flux with yet another new regime taking over." Ryan Tannehill made the list at No. 12, and all of the other rookie quarterbacks who made significant starts this year also cracked the list.