Pre-draft pressers a waste of time

No equalityINDIANAPOLIS, IN - FEBRUARY 25: General manager and executive vice president of football operations Andrew Berry of the Cleveland Browns speaks to the media at the Indiana Convention Center on February 25, 2020 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) *** Local Capture *** Andrew Berry

Posted By: County Sports Network April 20, 2020

Pre-draft pressers a waste of time

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By STEVE KING

In the 1981 (gee, was it really that long ago?) movie, “Stripes,” there’s the great scene in which Bill Murray and the late, great Harold Ramis go to a local recruitment office to sign up for the Army.

The recruitment officer filling out the registration form asks them several questions, the first of which was, “Have you ever been convicted of a felony or a misdemeanor?”

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“Convicted?” Murray asked as he glanced first at the officer and then at Ramis.

“No … never convicted,” Ramis said.

I think of that scene every time the Browns hold a pre-NFL Draft press conference/media availability, such as they did on Monday in a virtual sense with Vice President of Football Operations and General Manager (whew, that’s a long title) Andrew Berry.

Berry said absolutely nothing of substance – nothing! That’s hardly surprising. Just as Murray and Ramis were never going to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth to an Army officer, lest he call the police and get them arrested, Berry was never going to say anything truthful, or usable, to media members, lest they use it and their reporting tips off teams of the Browns’ intentions, thus ruining their draft plans.

Give Berry credit. He was smooth as silk. Smart guy.

But he was not mean and confrontational. There’s no room for that, and he knows it. Just answer the questions with good-sounding babble and be done with it, which is exactly what he did.

It was a win-win in that media members get something with which to fill their stories, and Berry comes off sounding like an educated guy, which he is.

Bill Belichick never said anything in the pre-draft pressers during his time as head coach of the Browns from 1991-95. Boy, there’s a shock, huh? But he was also not disrespectful and visceral.

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Mike Lombardi, who worked for Belichick in Cleveland, was indeed mean, confrontational, disrespectful and visceral in 2013 in the only pre-draft presser he did when he returned to the Browns for one year to serve as GM.

Lombardi said nothing of substance, but he did so in a historically disgusting way, numerous times providing two- and three-word answers to longform questions. Why? Because that’s just who he is.

Immediately after the presser, Mike McLain, the former longtime Browns beat reporter of the Warren Tribune-Chronicle, angrily picked up his stuff, said, “That was a complete waste of my time!,” and stormed out of the Dino Lucarelli Media Room at Browns Headquarters in Berea.

McLain was right. But you can say that every year about pre-draft pressers.

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