Is Kyle Shanahan Feuding With Browns Management Over Johnny Manziel?

Kyle Shanahan is willing to consider leaving Cleveland for another offensive coordinator job, sources told Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot (given the tone and tenor of her story, it’s fair to wonder whether those “sources” are Shanahan and/or his agent). Various gripes include receiving a text from a “high-ranking personnel member” about play-calling during a game, and feeling real-but-unspoken pressure to bench Brian Hoyer for Johnny Manziel (and keep Manziel around for next season).

The report contains this passage:

"Shanahan is receiving head coaching interest this year because of the job he did with an offense that had major issues. He lost all three of his Pro Bowlers for much of the season in center Alex Mack, receiver Josh Gordon and tight end Jordan Cameron. Still, Shanahan helped the Browns climb to the top of the AFC North after their 24-3 rout of the Bengals. At one point, he had quarterback Brian Hoyer in the top 10, and the offense was ranked No. 14 overall as late as week 11."

In Weeks 12-14, Hoyer threw 0 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. Though Manziel floundered (and that’s putting it nicely) in his first start, there was no universe in which Hoyer deserved to remain an NFL starter after that stretch. Cabot’s story omits that. It also includes this sentence: “What’s more, he’s excited about the idea of trying to win a Super Bowl with his father and finishing the job they started in Washington.”

What exactly did they “start” in Washington? RG3 enjoyed his “finest season” with the father-son duo — his rookie year, during which they ran him into the ground, and he’s never been the same since. Both coaches left the organization acrimoniously, and there were allegations that Kyle was an insecure, entitled nepotism hire:

"“Kyle knows ball, but he is just so petty and he picks fights and holds grudges over small stuff,” the source said. “He’s a mountain out of a molehill guy, and he’s got entitlement syndrome. That’s why we ended up hiring all of his close friends and buddies, so no one can challenge him. But it makes you worse in the long run, because there is no accountability. Ultimately, it’s his father’s fault for pacifying his son.”"

Maybe Kyle Shanahan will one day be a successful NFL coach, but his body of work does not suggest he should be coveted. For him to become the offensive coordinator of another team, the Browns would have to sign off on the move, and it’s hard to believe they would want to keep him around if he’s not on the same page as the front office.