http://www.profootballtalk.com/2009/...m-pioli-today/
BROWNS WANT ANSWER FROM PIOLI TODAY
Posted by Mike Florio on January 1, 2009, 10:34 a.m. EST
Browns owner Randy Lerner wants Patriots V.P. of player personnel Scott Pioli to take over Cleveland’s football operations.
And, according to the Boston Herald, Lerner wants an answer right now.
Well, not right now. But today.
Per the Herald, Lerner and Pioli met Wednesday in New York. Citing unnamed sources with the Browns organizations, the Herald reports that there’s a feeling that Pioli made “demands so high that perhaps he really doesn’t want to leave” New England.
The Browns reportedly made a “huge” financial offer. Again, however, “unnamed sources” say that “some of his demands were impossible for any team to meet.”
Though we routinely dabble in unnamed sources, we’re also sensitive to their potential agendas. In this case, if the unnamed sources are currently employed in any type of a football capacity by the Browns, the unnamed sources have a very keen interest in doing anything they can to avoid the arrival of a guy who’d come in and fire whoever needs to be fired.
And as to the notion of the Browns wanting to force the issue, one of our readers pointed out Wednesday that the Browns went down this same path ten years ago, when they wanted a quick answer from Brian Billick — and got Chris Palmer instead.
So just as Billick landed in Baltimore, the Browns could be pushing Pioli into the arms of the Chiefs.