Herald Off Base on Pioli Talks

The Boston Herald continues to struggle in its coverage of the New England Patriots.

The Herald reported that the Browns had given Scott Pioli a January 1st deadline. That story is already in the archives, but this Point After blog entry confirms that the Herald had reported about the deadline:

The Herald had reported in its sports pages Pioli had to provide an answer today. It could be the two sides are still working toward a deal, and needed more time to hammer out something workable for both parties.

The Herald reported on negotiations between Pioli and the Browns, which apparently never took place. In today’s Cleveland Plain Dealer, Mary Kay Cabot further debunks many of the reports we’ve been reading in the Herald, saying that the talks between the Browns and Pioli were only ever “exploratory.”

In today’s paper, the Herald reported:

As the Herald reported last week, Pioli’s demands during his sit-down with Lerner may have been considered outlandish. According to a source, Pioli asked for a salary of roughly $5 million per season, along with complete autonomy.

Adam Schefter denies that Pioli made any demands on the Browns. No $5 million per season, no demands at all…because they never even got past the “exploratory” nature of talking. No figures were exchanged, no demands made.

In general, this whole Browns thing is just weird. They fire Romeo Crennel, and then replace him with the guy who replaced him as defensive coordinator in New England, someone who has less experience, and then talk about bringing Crennel back to run the defense? They hire Mangini, who had his team fold down the stretch and finish out of the playoffs after starting 8-3 and being touted as the top team in the AFC  – does this make sense? It doesn’t to me.

Meanwhile, now the Kansas City rumor mill is starting up.

Be sure to check back later for Bob Ekstrom’s Blog review…