Chip Kelly is close to a deal to become the Browns coach

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Browns claim they walked away from Chip Kelly
Posted by Mike Florio on January 6, 2013, 8:26 PM EST


As the Browns try to “reboot” their coaching search without Chip Kelly in the mix, the spin from Cleveland is, essentially, “It’s not me, it’s you.”

According to Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the Browns decided to walk away from Kelly after sensing that he was “waffling” on whether to leave college football.

Sorry, but we’re not buying that one. The Browns ultimately need to be able to say that they got the right man for the job. That includes being able to say that Kelly, who appeared as of Friday to be the right man for the job, was the wrong man for the job.

And while we’ve had a little too much fun chiding the reports that a deal between the Browns and Kelly was close, the Browns had every reason to dispute those reports, if they weren’t true. Instead, the Browns remained silent until after Kelly spent more time than expected meeting with the Eagles on Saturday– and possibly trying to get Philly to match or to beat whatever the Browns had offered him.

So while it’s clear that something happened that soured the Browns on Kelly, it likely has more to do with how he handled the negotiations to make the move to the NFL than whether he’s ready to make the move at all.

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