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John Dorsey: Cleveland Browns 'don't need' search firm, want 'man of character with football acumen'

General manager John Dorsey is confident the Cleveland Browns "don't need" to hire a search firm to find their next head coach, and want "a man of character with football acumen."

CLEVELAND -- The Cleveland Browns have six games remaining in the 2018 regular season, and while general manager John Dorsey wants the team to focus on winning under interim coach Gregg Williams, that has not stopped the veteran front-office executive from looking forward to the impending coaching search.

Dorsey has outlined several characteristics for his ideal candidate to become the Browns’ new head coach ahead of the 2019 season and spoke about them during a mid-season press conference at team headquarters in Berea Wednesday.

“I think it’s football philosophy, and I think it’s what are the characteristics of that man,” Dorsey said.

“For me personally, I would like to see a man of character. I would like see a man who can lead young men. I would like a man who has high football acumen. Those are the three basic things there I’m looking for.

“In the interview process, you’ll see guys who can lead men, guys who have character, guys that have high football acumen. You’ll feel this guy. It’s like anything what you do in terms of interviewing people. You’ll get a feel for that person, but you’ll ask certain questions and you begin to gather the information that you want, but at the end of the day, I think it’ll be, I know it’ll be the best for this organization moving forward.”

Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

In previous years, the Browns have hired search firms to line up candidates for interviews for head-coaching vacancies, but that will not be the case this time around.

“We don’t need that,” Dorsey said.

According to Dorsey, the Browns’ senior management team “have kind of gotten together the last 10 days and we’ve kind of begun to walk through the process” of replacing Coach Hue Jackson after his mid-season dismissal.

“What I want to do is make sure that we, as a group, whenever you make a tough decision like this one, an over-arching organizational decision, you want to get as much information as you possibly can,” Dorsey said.

“You want to do it in a collaborative manner and make sure you are very prudent as you go through your process. But rest assured, at the end of the day, this guy will be the best candidate for the Cleveland Browns moving forward.”

Credit: Jason Miller/Getty Images
CLEVELAND, OH - DECEMBER 10: New General Manager John Dorsey of the Cleveland Browns is seen with owner Jimmy Haslam before the game against the Green Bay Packers at FirstEnergy Stadium on December 10, 2017 in Cleveland, Ohio.

And the overarching things in Dorsey’s mind about the coaching search is making the right decision for the future of the Browns, who enter the bye week with a 3-6-1 record and in fourth place in the AFC North Division.

“I think about, driving home all the time, is the hiring of the right head coach for this organization moving forward,” Dorsey said. “I think that is tantamount and I think about that every day driving home and just make sure you don’t mess it up. That’s what I keep telling myself: ‘Just don’t mess this thing up.’”

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