Browns owner Randy Lerner met Wednesday with the man he hopes can turn his franchise from dysfunctional to exemplary.
Lerner was scheduled to interview Patriots vice president of player personnel Scott Pioli, but details of the discussion weren’t immediately available.
Pioli is believed to be at the top of Lerner’s list to head the football operations, and the Boston Herald reported Lerner was prepared to make a “huge” financial commitment to Pioli and give him full control.
Pioli, 43, is reported to be very interested in returning to Cleveland, where he started his career as a low-level pro personnel assistant. So a deal could be reached quickly.
Lerner was scheduled to interview Falcons president Rich McKay today, and it wasn’t known if he would hold off on finalizing a deal with Pioli in order to meet McKay.
If Pioli gets the job, the Boston Herald reported Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz would be his No. 1 choice as coach. This might be tough for Lerner to accept. He said Monday in a news conference he would be apprehensive about hiring a college coach.
However, Lerner also said he would be OK with a rookie head coach, and he’s always said his philosophy is to hire the right people, then get out of their way. So he could leave the decision up to Pioli.
“I’m looking for a head coach who is very, very organized, has a very clear system and has a very strong and very understandable approach to discipline and organizational structure,” he said.
Pioli and Ferentz go back to their days as peons under Bill Belichick in Cleveland in the early 1990s, as do many of the names being mentioned for the coaching opening. Titans defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz and just-fired Jets coach Eric Mangini were also part of those staffs.
Ferentz, 53, moved with Art Modell to Baltimore and was the Ravens assistant head coach/offensive line coach before leaving for Iowa in 1998.
Ferentz is coaching Iowa in the Outback this morning at 11 against South Carolina. The Hawkeyes went 8-4 this year and Ferentz is 69-53 in his 10 years. He posted three straight seasons with at least 10 wins, before going 19-18 from 2005-07.
Ferentz said Tuesday he hadn’t been contacted by the Browns.
“I’ve gotten into the habit of not commenting on that,” he told the Associated Press in Tampa, Fla. “I’ve got a great job. I’m happy here. I’ve been at Iowa 10 years, so not much else to say on that topic.”
But the Browns job is the one that could attract Ferentz to leave Iowa City. According to the Boston Herald, Ferentz was twice in Foxboro, Mass, this year, including a one-on-one meeting with Pioli.
Ironically, Ferentz might’ve been Phil Savage’s first choice. Savage was fired Saturday after four seasons as Browns general manager.
Lerner would seem more inclined to hire Mangini and had an interview scheduled for Wednesday. Mangini was fired Monday by the Jets after three seasons, a 23-26 record and a playoff appearance.
Pioli and Mangini worked together starting in 1994 and reunited with the Jets and Patriots before Mangini left to become a head coach. Mangini turned in the Patriots during Spygate for videotaping defensive signals, and it’s unsure whether Pioli carries a grudge.
Mangini has NFL experience, is only 37 years old and there’s a belief he could have more success in his second stop, much like his former mentor. Belichick flamed out in Cleveland, only to win three Super Bowls in four seasons with the Patriots.
Mangini’s background is on defense, spending time as secondary coach and coordinator. Fired coach Romeo Crennel could return as defensive coordinator if Mangini got the job.
Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, a Canton native and John Carroll graduate, is also on the radar and has a history with Pioli.
The Plain Dealer reported Wednesday that the Browns are interested in talking to Mike Shanahan, who won two Super Bowls with the Broncos and was surprisingly fired Tuesday.
Contact Scott Petrak at 329-7253 or spetrak@chroniclet.com.

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