They were patient and took their time, but the Browns have finally found the man to run their offense. Brad Childress will be the new Cleveland offensive coordinator, according to the NFL Network's Jason LaCanfora.
The Browns were down to Mike Sherman and Brad Childress earlier this week, but Childress emerged as the front-runner, especially after the Tampa Bay Bucs hired former Rutgers Coach Greg Schiano.
Childress, for better or worse, fits the Holmgren Tree: he worked for the Eagles under Andy Reid from 1999-2005, first as quarterbacks coach and then as offensive coordinator. He helped develop Donovan McNabb, a mobile quarterback with a big arm.
The Minnesota Vikings hired Childress in 2006, and he spent five years as head coach, compiling a 39-35 record, before being fired after the 2010 season.
This will give the Browns some much-needed stability with their signal-calling. Pat Shurmur struggled to manage offensive and head coaching duties, and it was clear before the season even started that Cleveland was making a mistake going into the year without an offensive coordinator.
Although it is a bit frustrating to see Cleveland unwilling to step outside the Holmgren (and, largely, Eagles) box, hopefully this homogeneity will bring about some consistency and success in year two of the Shurmur era. Lord knows the Browns need it.
With questions at quarterback and the rest of the offense still lingering, it is good that the Browns will be able to put their coordinator questions behind them and start to turn their focus to personnel and improving the team through the draft.