Not to worry

BEREA -- Not to worry was the theme Browns president Mike Holmgren relied on at his season-ending press conference Thursday.

He expressed confidence in coach Pat Shurmur, saying he hates the use of the term "hot seat" when describing a coach whose job is in jeopardy.

"I know this about the man that’s coaching this football team – he is good and he is smart, and he’ll do what he has to do in a very unselfish way to get the team going in the right direction,” Holmgren said. “That in itself is a healthy, good sign to me.”

Holmgren said there is a difference between the 4-12 Browns of this season and teams of previous years. It starts with the belief that a foundation has been built and progress -- though hard to see this season -- is being made.

"The difference is that we’re not going to say, ‘we’re 4-12 again. Let’s blow everything up and go sign somebody without a team around him that can support him.’ The difference is we’re going to stay the course. We’re going to do it a certain way.

“I have an owner (Randy Lerner) that supports us that way. He’s been a man of his word with me. The growing pains are difficult. We know what we have to fix, but we’re not going to blow it all up and start all over. That’s the difference.”

Holmgren did say he expects improvement next season, but he said that Shurmur shouldn't feel his job is in jeopardy.

"We understand what we’ve done and what we’re trying to do,” Holmgren said. “We have a good coach, and we have a good coaching staff. You don’t get to where you want to get to by blowing it up every two or three years.

“You work through the bumps together. You hang in there. You get smarter. You get better players. You learn more about one another. You have to trust the people that run it. Between Pat, Tom and me, we’re going to hang in there together and we’ll get this done.”

By MIKE McLAIN Tribune Chronicle BEREA – The challenge facing Browns president Mike Holmgren and general manager Tom Heckert at their season-ending press conference Thursday seemed almost impossible. How do you put a positive spin on a 4-12 season? Holmgren took the lead role and did his best to reassure long-suffering fans that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Along the way he defended his “it’s-not-business-as-usual” comment when he last met with the media. “The difference is that we’re not going to say, ‘we’re 4-12 again. Let’s blow everything up and go sign somebody without a team around him that can support him.’ The difference is we’re going to stay the course. We’re going to do it a certain way. “I have an owner (Randy Lerner) that supports us that way. He’s been a man of his word with me. The growing pains are difficult. We know what we have to fix, but we’re not going to blow it all up and start all over. That’s the difference.” Holmgren made it clear at a press conference in early December that Pat Shurmur would be back as coach in 2012. He reiterated his belief in Shurmur Thursday. Saying he has distaste for the term “hot seat” when referring to a coach in trouble, Holmgren expressed a plan to keep Shurmur in place for several years. “I know this about the man that’s coaching this football team – he is good and he is smart, and he’ll do what he has to do in a very unselfish way to get the team going in the right direction,” Holmgren said. “That in itself is a healthy, good sign to me.” Holmgren singled out the improved play of a young defense as a foundation to build upon. He admitted the offense has plenty of room to improve, and he noted that he saw strange things happen on special teams that he had never seen before. Despite watching many painful losses, Holmgren never strayed from his stay-the-course philosophy. “We understand what we’ve done and what we’re trying to do,” Holmgren said. “We have a good coach, and we have a good coaching staff. You don’t get to where you want to get to by blowing it up every two or three years. “You work through the bumps together. You hang in there. You get smarter. You get better players. You learn more about one another. You have to trust the people that run it. Between Pat, Tom and me, we’re going to hang in there together and we’ll get this done.” Holmgren was clear in saying that he expects improvement next season. Before anyone talks about competing for the Super Bowl, the first order of business is catching up with Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Cincinnati in the AFC North Division. “It’s one of those things like trying to find a ceiling on a player. How good can a player be,” Holmgren said. “Based on my experience, it took us five years in Green Bay, but we found a quarterback in the first year. In Seattle we were in the Super Bowl in seven years, and we didn’t find the quarterback until year three. “Every place is different. I expect to be a much-improved team next year, record-wise and everything. Three of the teams in our division are in the playoffs. We know it’s a tough division. When we get into the playoffs, then you can make a better judgment on maybe a timetable to get to the Super Bowl.” Holmgren expressed confidence in Heckert’s ability to make the right calls in free agency and the draft. Both believe that winning teams are developed through the draft, which is one reason the Browns resisted the temptation to spend freely in free agency last year. The plan could change this year. Having three of the first 37 picks in the draft places a premium on that part of the building process, but the free-agent market could be more inviting this year. “We think we have a pretty good defense that’s only going to get better with the young guys playing more,” Heckert said. “On offense we need to upgrade all over the place. We want guys that can score touchdowns. We have to protect better. We’re looking at all positions.” It will be a busy offseason. mmclain@tribtoday.com.