Mike Holmgren is on his way out, but what about the two men he hired to run the Browns football operations -- Tom Heckert and Pat Shurmur. That seems to be the biggest question as Jimmy Haslam and Joe Banner take control of the franchise on Thursday. Holmgren addressed the issue at his Tuesday afternoon press conference, likely his last as a member of the Browns.
Holmgren was asked about how often Heckert and Shurmur have been discussed with the new regime. "I haven't talked to Joe about it. I have talked to Jimmy about it a fair amount, not so much about keeping them, but just answering questions. Jimmy knows how I feel about them. I don't think you can get a better general manager than Tom Heckert. He's very, very good."
Holmgren said that Shurmur is one of the bright new coaches in the game, who's had to deal with a lot of bumps at the start that not many coaches have to face. While he admitted Shurmur can have a bit of an "Irish temper" with the press, he thinks the coach has done a good job with Browns. As the Browns President acknowledged, both guys have experience working with the new CEO, stating, "The value we have now, is that Joe knows those guys and they have worked together. But they'll be judged. The judgment comes after the season is over." At 1-6 with the new regime taking over, that judgment will certainly be coming.