Get used to that expression Browns fans.

The Cleveland Browns will hold a press conference Thursday morning to announce that Eric Mangini is the new head coach of the Cleveland Browns. Besides having the title of "head coach", it is expected that Mangini will have more control of the talent on the 53-man roster than Romeo Crennel ever had.

Mangini's staff is already in the process of being assembled.

Offensive Coordinator: Things aren't looking good for Rob Chudzinski. Originally, reports came in that Jets OL coach Bill Callahan would be offered the Browns' offensive coordinator job. However, the Jets are able to block that from happening. NFL.com's Adam Schefter reports that Jets QBs coach Brian Daboll has emerged as the favorite to be Cleveland's next offensive coordinator.

Defensive Coordinator: The Browns hired former Raiders defensive coordinator Rob Ryan to fill the same position in Cleveland, according to NFL.com's Adam Schefter. Ryan ran a 4-3 defense in Oakland, but he has experience controlling a 3-4 defense. Personally, I want to see the 4-3 scheme in Cleveland again. Ryan, a former head coaching candidate with other teams, certainly provides more experience than Todd Grantham and Mel Tucker had.

I wonder if Ted Dashier's control of special teams will remain in tact. The Browns have had success with Phil Dawson, Joshua Cribbs, and several other special teamers the past two years.

UPDATE (12:11 AM Thursday): From the Plain Dealer, regarding former head coach Romeo Crennel:

New Browns head coach Eric Mangini and fired coach Romeo Crennel reportedly agreed Wednesday that there was not a place for Crennel on Mangini's staff, such as defensive coordinator, sources close to the situation told The Plain Dealer.

Crennel could be willing to stay around in an advisory role, the source said. But ESPN's Michael Smith reported Wednesday night that Crennel and Mangini would part ways.

I didn't expect him to stay, and this seems to all but confirm that.

So, let me get this straight...

Eric Mangini's interview with team owner Randy Lerner went over so well last week that the following has seemed to occur:

1. Scott Pioli, who seemed like a definite hire after the firing of Phil Savage, isn't even on the Browns' radar anymore, and is close to accepting an offer from the Kansas City Chiefs.
2. No other head coaches are being scheduled for interviews, and it doesn't sound as if serious inquiries have been made to Mike Shanahan or Marty Schottenheimer (two veteran coaches).
3. Despite only having three years of experience with the New York Jets as a head coach, Mangini will get the say on who our next general manager is -- Baltimore Ravens director of pro personnel George Kokinis.
4. Mangini would receive similar authority and/or respect that Bill Belichick has with the Patriots.

I'd love to hear just what in the world Mangini's sales pitch to Lerner was, especially since there were rumors after he was fired that many executives in the league considered him a "rat" due to Spy Gate.

Any way you look at it, the pairing of Mangini/Kokinis seems inevitable. An interview with Kokinis was granted by the Ravens, but not until this Sunday. Considering that Kokinis' name hasn't come up strong with other teams in the league and with Pioli about to go off of the market, I don't think we'll have trouble getting him.

Mangini, on the other hand, may sign some time prior to Sunday. The competitive roster in Cleveland has to remind him of what he had with the New York Jets, with a bonus added on -- a young franchise quarterback (and even Derek Anderson still has some value, whether it be as trade or competition).

Hoping that Mangini/Kokinis turns into Belichick/Pioli is wishful thinking, but it's also a step in the right direction considering the type of relationship that developed between Savage and Crennel.

Cowher
Parcells

You can cross another name off the Cleveland Browns' list of potential general managers, as the Miami Dolphins' Bill Parcells told team owner Wayne Huizenga that he will return for the 2009-2010 campaign, according to ESPN.

As far as coaching rumors, the latest still seems to be that Randy Lerner is in love with former New York Jets head coach Eric Mangini (reported by FOX Sports' Jay Glazer). It's taken longer than many of us expected to fill the general manager role, and that has to make you wonder if we'll ultimately have to "settle" for somebody less.

That's right -- according to the Plain Dealer, Randy Lerner will interview current defensive coordinator Mel Tucker for our head coaching position. Tucker was promoted from our defensive backs coach to our defensive coordinator after Todd Grantham was let go last season. With the Browns finishing 26th in the league defensively, surely Tucker has as good of a chance as anyone to become our next head coach, right?

Hardly.

Without the intention of coming off as disrespectful, Tucker is likely filling Lerner's requirement of having to interview at least one minority candidate, per league rules. Sorry Tucker -- odds are that's the only reason you're receiving an interview.

In other head coaching rumors today, the OBR reported earlier today that the Browns asked for and received permission to interview New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, as expected. The Plain Dealer reported that Tennessee Titans defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz will be brought in for an interview as well. Last, but not least, the Plain Dealer also speculated via sources that Mike Shanahan will most certainly be given consideration for the head coaching role. However, bringing in Shanahan -- a guy who would probably want control over his roster -- would conflict with Scott Pioli, if we do indeed hire him as our general manager.

Pioli? McKay? Mangini? Ferentz? Shanahan? McDaniels? Schottenheimer? Hell, you could even throw Crennel's name into the mix -- the rumors have been circulating the world of mass media all day today in terms of who Randy Lerner will hire or "sway at the mercy of the dollar" to join the Cleveland Browns.

First off, let's start with the general manager position:

GENERAL MANAGER:

According to the Plain Dealer, Lerner has meetings scheduled with Scott Pioli of the New England Patriots and Rich McKay of the Atlanta Falcons over the next two days. Both men would be considered a fairly "big hire".

If you ask Don Banks of Sports Illustrated, Lerner is going to push really hard for Pioli. Right now, Pioli may also interview with the Kansas City Chiefs. Pioli has an extra incentive in coming to Cleveland, for the same reasons we've been able to lure a few free agent players the past several years: local ties.

He [Pioli] likes Cleveland, has a close friendship with Indians general manager Mark Shapiro and has long considered restoring the Browns to prominence.
-Don Banks, SI.com

Then, the Boston Herald made things more interesting with the following statement today:

According to the source, Lerner was not pleased when former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Bill Cowher spurned his advances and so he is prepared to make what was described as a “huge” financial offer to Pioli that would include not only millions, but more importantly full control of the organization and the funds necessary to bring in Pioli’s first choice as head coach.

Some fans have indicated that they would like to see the Browns bring in McKay to the organization along with Pioli. McKay would not be brought in as team president, as we already have one in Mike Keenan. However, the role of Vice President of Football Operations might be intriguing. McKay's duties shifted from football to business after the Michael Vick fiasco in 2007, and he'd like to return to the football side of things.

HEAD COACH:

Above, the Boston Herald snippet mentioned that Pioli would be given the funds to bring in his choice of a head coach. That coach, according to the source, would potentially be Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz. I don't follow the college football scene closely enough to give my thoughts on him, but I'm a little turned off to getting someone straight from the college football route (way back when, Ferentz was the Browns' offensive line coach).

Hold on just a second though: the after having two winning seasons in the past three years with the New York Jets, the Browns have reportedly scheduled an interview with Eric Mangini. Is it plausible to interview for head coaches before bringing in a general manager? Or, is Lerner going to see where Mangini stands if Pioli is brought on board, including the possibility of Mangini becoming our defensive coordinator.

Right now, I'd still have to believe that Josh McDaniels, the Patriots' current offensive coordinator, has the best chance at becoming our next head coach (something that John Clayton of ESPN.com believes will happen).

Add another possible name to the list though: former Denver Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan. The team fired him after 14 seasons, and I doubt that he'd be looking to take a year off or accept  mere coordinator position somewhere. I'd have immediate faith in Shanahan's ability to utilize the talent on our roster to the best of his abilities. Denver has been without a solid running back since Clinton Portis left the team, yet he has incorporated fourth-string players into the gameplan if he needed to.

You do have to wonder how there are so many "inside sources" from places like SI, ESPN, and Yahoo each reporting slightly different "scoops". We'll have to be patient, but not too patient -- since the Patriots were eliminated from the playoffs, can be made tomorrow if necessary.

On the other hand, a guy like Steve Spagnuolo of the New York Giants would have to be hired after the team gets eliminated from the playoffs. If Lerner wants to act quickly while not risking the other candidates on the market "getting away", Spagnuolo's chances may lessen.

UPDATE 7:45 PM: With that said, the Plain Dealer is reporting that the Browns requested permission from the Giants to interview Spagnuolo on Thursday or Saturday. Spagnuolo will also be interviewing for the Jets' and Lions' vacancies, so he'll be a busy man.

Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel has been relieved of his duties, according to team spokesman Bill Bonsiewsicz. According to Adam Caplan of Scout.com, the organization still owes Crennel about $9.8 million. What does the future hold for Crennel? Some Denver Broncos fans might be interested in him becoming their new defensive coordinator.

BREAKING 10:40 AM: According to Tony Rizzo of WKNR, Bill Cowher turned down Randy Lerner's offer on Saturday. Rizzo also reported that Phil Savage was fired on Saturday, prior to the final game against the Steelers.

UPDATE 11:00 AM: As for Randy Lerner's press conference, here is a brief recap, thanks to the Plain Dealer's reporting:

• One of the primary purposes of the press conference was to announce that Crennel had indeed been fired.
• He confirmed Rizzo's report that Cowher turned down his offer. Cowher, as he has said all season, told Lerner that he is not interested in coaching in 2009.
• Lerner has already asked for permission to speak with the Patriots' Scott Pioli. Filling the GM role is Lerner's primary objective, obviously.
• Lerned also stated that he requrested permission to speak with another NFL executive. However, that person was unnamed.

I know fans were very disappointed with how things went down this season. I think that by Lerner acting so quickly, he is again trying to "save" the organization. After all -- that stadium needs to be filled for eight games next season, right?

Just a reminder to everybody: Browns owner Randy Lerner will hold a 10 PM press conference for the media. However, following the trend of him not having a "public" face with the organization, no recording devices will be allowed in the room. The reporters better have their pens and papers ready.

Following the conference, the media will report what was said. If you have a radio nearby and are in the Cleveland area, WTAM-1100 is reportedly standing by to cover all news related to the Browns today. I'm not sure if their online feed works properly, but you can test it out and see.

Don't get me wrong -- 24 quarters without an offensive touchdown is pitiful, whether you have a fourth-string quarterback or a street-clothes tryout starting for your team. However, the Cleveland Browns did not break the NFL record in terms of an offensive  touchdown scoring drought:

The Browns' 31-0 loss to the Steelers was the sixth consecutive game in which Cleveland failed to score an offensive touchdown-that is, a TD by rushing or passing. That's the longest such streak at any point in any season since the Eagles posted a six-game streak 72 years ago.

To clear up some misinformation on the Browns-Steelers telecast, Cleveland's streak of 24 consecutive quarters without an offensive touchdown was not an NFL record-not even close, in fact. The single-season record is 32 consecutive quarters without an offensive TD.

Link

Even if the Browns go without an offensive touchdown for 2+ games next season, we won't break the record because the record is labeled for a single season. I'm not sure if a longer record exists over multiple seasons.

By virtue of the Cleveland Browns losing their final six games, the fact that the Cincinnati Bengals suddenly won their final three games after starting 1-11-1, and the fact that the Oakland Raiders defeated the playoff bound Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 17, we will benefit come April.

Cleveland, intitially slated to have the No. 7 overall pick in April heading into the Week, will now draft fifth overall barring a trade. Having a first-round draft pick will make the draft a lot more exciting than this year's draft, when we didn't have a pick until the fourth round.

Here are the top five teams that will draft...

1. Detroit Lions
2. St. Louis Rams
3. Kansas City Chiefs
4. Seattle Seahawks
5. Cleveland Browns

We do not have a third-round pick or a fifth-round pick in 2009.

Romeo Crennel couldn't beat the Pittsburgh Steelers once in eight attempts. He had losing seasons in three of four years. More than that though, Crennel never showed qualities desirable in a head coach.

Phil Savage had a different story. Heading into the season, I didn't think there was any chance his head would be called for at the end of the season. Then, things went terribly wrong -- including the email situation following the Bills game, the confrontation with Kellen Winslow, and the blatant "jabs" taken at his head coach during the regular season.

There's one thing to say to these two men...

The candidates to replace both men will be speculated over the next several weeks.

Pro Football Talk, Mike Trivisonno, and Tony Rizzo have reported that Savage is gone -- something that may have happened around 5:00 PM Sunday, just following our pleasant 31-0 season finale loss to the backups of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Rumors have been swirling that New England Patriots Executive Vice President Scott Pioli will be offered the GM job.

Savage won't be remembered for everything being "bad". He may not have been the "great" talent evaluator we had hoped for, but it was under his watch that we were able to acquire the likes of Joe Thomas, Brady Quinn, Eric Wright, and Shaun Rogers. All four of those men have the potential to be the heart of our team in an All-Pro manner.

UPDATE: 6:42 PM - ESPN is reporting that the Browns, Jets, Raiders, and Lions have shown an interest in Bill Parcells being their general manager. Other rumors are indicating that Crennel will step down or be let go some time Monday.