CONSENSUS BUILDS THAT FLOYD SHOULD SHUT UP

When former Titans G.M. Floyd Reese used his visibility as an employee of ESPN to openly politick for the vacancy at the top of the Lions organization, more than a few league insiders believed it was bad form. The fact that former CEO Matt Millen already was gone made some overlook Floyd’s football faux pas. A far different reaction has occurred in the wake of Reese’s decision to lobby publicly for the top job in Cleveland. After all, G.M. Phil Savage is still employed. “In Detroit, Millen was already dead,” one league insider told us. “In Cleveland, we don’t even know yet whether Savage has a terminal illness.” We believe (as do others) that it’s horribly bad form for Floyd to be openly seeking the job in Cleveland. In our view, any prospective employers should be taking close notes regarding Reese’s behavior, because the judgment and tact he’s exercising while seeking a job might have some relevance to the judgment and tact he’d exercise once he has another job in the NFL. If, that is, he ever has another job in the NFL. We also think that ESPN should be taking a closer look at its policies and procedures regarding former NFL figures who are on temporary scholarship at Bristol University. We can’t recall guys like Vinny Cerrato, Tom Donahoe, or Marty Schottenheimer using their on-air work as a way to openly apply for other jobs, either via statements made on ESPN platforms or in interviews with other media outlets. Reese’s routine, and the appearance that ESPN implicitly is approving it, makes the network look like an enabler at best and an accessory at worst in Floyd’s effort to get himself re-employed -- possibly at the expense of guys who currently have jobs. Of course, maybe ESPN can hire Savage to take Reese’s place. And then Savage can parlay that position next year into consideration for NFL jobs that aren’t yet vacant. Regardless of whether Reese should or shouldn’t be chasing jobs in the press and whether ESPN should or shouldn’t be troubled by it, the Browns have a real decision to make after the season ends. Do they keep Savage, or do they let him go? Well, the guy who wants to replace Savage if the decision is made to release him already has put forth earlier this year a cogent, well-reasoned position on the matter. That’s right, Floyd Reese praised the work of Savage in March 2008. So if the Browns think Reese is the right man to run the show, then maybe they should accept the free advice that Reese already has provided -- and retain Savage.