Paul DePodesta is trading his hats for helmets, leaving the New York Mets to join the Cleveland Browns. (Getty)
The Cleveland Browns are going Moneyball.
The Browns have hired Paul DePodesta as their new Executive Vice President. DePodesta has been one of the most trusted voices to Mets GM Sandy Alderson, but will now switch sports in a surprise move. He will be essentially running the Browns, answerable only to the team owner.
DePodesta is changing games, but he knows how to build a roster. He was played by Jonah Hill in the film Moneyball, the story of the Oakland Athletics re-tooling how they scout players. However, in the movie Hill is named Peter Brand, after DePodesta decided he didn’t want his real name to be used.
Although coming from a different world, DePodesta is a huge signing for the Browns. He is a fresh face and a smart mind, two things the Browns organization really needs.
Here’s what you need to know about DePodesta:
1. He Played Wide Receiver at Harvard
Of course he has football experience. DePodesta was portrayed as short and chubby in Moneyball, but he was actually played Ivy League football while attending Harvard. That’s apparently good enough to give him the keys to the organization.
But it’s not like DePodesta is going to be on the sidelines. He deals with numbers, and football and baseball both offer a wealth of statistical data to analyze. Hopefully he can surround himself with sound football minds, and turn around a franchise that hasn’t won a playoff game in over 20 years.
2. DePodesta Was the ‘Logical Successor’ to Succeed Sandy Alderson as Mets GM
Sandy Alderson is 68 years old, and it’s believed the next Mets GM would have been PoDesta. (Getty)
According to MLB Insider Joel Sherman, DePodesta and J.P. Ricciardi have been Alderson’s most trusted aides. The Mets run to the World Series was boosted by several key transactions over the season, namely the acquisition of slugger Yoenis Cespedes. Sherman went on to say that when Sandy Alderson was down as Mets GM, then DePodesta would be the logical answer to replace him.
In the Browns organization, DePodesta will be aove new EVP of Football Operations Sashi Brown in the pecking order. That’s two non-football minds being brought into the Browns in the past week. DePodesta will only report to owner Jimmy Haslem and team president Alec Scheiner.
3. The Browns Have Been Pursuing Him Since After the World Series
Sherman also stated that this courtship has been an ongoing one. Apparently the Browns have been after him since after the Mets loss to the Royals in the World Series. That was in early November, making this a process over two months in the making. The Mets have not made any major transactions, and the Browns have gone 1-7 over that time frame.
After the signing, Haslam had high praise for his new executive. “We are fortunate to bring in Paul, an extremely talented, highly respected sports executive who will add a critical dimension to our front office,” he said. “His approach and ambition to find the best pathways for organizational success transcend one specific sport and his experience as a high level sports executive make him a terrific addition to the Cleveland Browns.
4. Bill Plaschke said Jonah Hill ‘Nailed’ DePodesta’s Portrayal in Moneyball
Jonah Hill attended the Moneyball premiere in 2011, but DePodesta did not. (Getty)
Arguably Jonah Hill’s best acting performance to date, Peter Brand is portrayed as a shy nerd trying to crack the jock world of sports. According to Bill Plaschke of the LA Times, Hill got DePodesta completely right.
“Hill nails DePodesta. Hill nails his shy mannerisms, his uncomfortable silences, his awkwardness in sharing his newfangled theories with old men spitting tobacco into cups, his fear in dealing with players.”
Sherman also added his opinions on DePodesta’s demeanor:
Caricature grew of DePodesta from Moneyball/#Dodgers GM stint as non-communicative nerd. I have no idea if can succeed in NFL, but (cont)
I have found DePodesta incredibly bright, but not condescending and in 1-on-1 settings very personable. #Mets
5. The Browns Have Been Bad For a Long Time
The Browns are going to pick in the top 10 of the NFL Draft for the fifth time since 2010. (Getty)
When DePodesta makes his foray into the NFL, he does so in one of the worst franchises in all of sports. They haven’t had a winning season since 2007, and have had five head coaches over that span. They recently fired head coach Mike Pettine after a 3-13 season, and currently hold the second overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.
Whoever is running the Browns these days needs to decide what to do about Johnny Manziel. The maligned Browns QB offered nothing but more controversy in his sophomore season, and was replaced by Austin Davis in the finale after suffering a concussion. In his most recent incident, Manziel allegedly went to Vegas in disguise wearing a blonde wing and fake mustache.
