In the aftermath of Cleveland's 30-6 loss at Chicago on Sunday, Browns owner Randy Lerner indicated he wouldn't fire head coach Eric Mangini over the team's bye week, but he made it clear he wanted to add a football executive.

"The highest priority that I have is a strong, credible, serious leader within the building to guide decisions in a far more conspicuous, open transparent way," Lerner said, according to The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer. "I can maybe defend decisions by saying I've sought advice and I've brought people in, and we've gone to see people — and I think my highest priority is to have a stable figure that represents the voice that explains the decisions."

The Browns are 1-7 and mired in last place in the AFC North. They have scored just five offensive TDs in eight games, and Mangini has come under fire for his handling of the QB situation. Derek Anderson was finally pulled late in the Chicago loss after yet another disastrous performance, with Brady Quinn finishing out the game. Mangini wouldn't name a starter for the Week 10 game vs. Baltimore, but he vowed a wide-sweeping look at the team in all aspects during the bye week.

The frustration of Browns' fans is also starting to boil over, with two season-ticket holders urging fans to show their displeasure by leaving their seats for the start of the Baltimore game, which will be the club's lone appearance on "Monday Night Football" in 2009. Lerner is scheduled to meet with the two fans on Tuesday.

The PFW spin

Lerner's comments signal clear dissatifaction with Mangini, whose short tenure in Cleveland has been marked by a string of curious decisions. The head coach's continuing support of Anderson even as Anderson continued to play considerably worse than Quinn (who was benched after just 2½ games) has been difficult to defend. It's widely speculated that a contract stipulation triggering $10.9 million in salary escalators for Quinn if he plays 70 percent of the snaps in 2009 is playing a role in the Browns' decision, though Mangini has denied this.

But to hear it from Lerner, the decision on whom to play at quarterback isn't his.  

According to the Plain Dealer, Lerner admitted that the team's QB situation "doesn't look sensible." He also told the paper that he didn't know why Anderson continued to play instead of Quinn. "I haven't been told about anything," he said.

As passive as Lerner apparently has been about the Browns' quarterback play, he appears ready to be more aggressive about fixing the club's front-office structure. His remarks about needing a "strong, credible, serious leader" to "guide decisions in a far more conspicuous, open transparent way" can't be taken as anything but a rejection of the club's current operating mode. And again, it is far from an endorsement of Mangini, whose secrecy is notable even in an era where coaches are less and less forthcoming with the public.

The question is, when, and whom, will Lerner hire to presumably lead the club's front office? And will this football executive have the power to pick his own head coach and other front-office staff? If Lerner wants a strong voice leading the football operations, he'll have to pay big and to grant total power.

Lerner appears fed up with the direction of his organization. Let's see how he addresses the problem, which has been festering for years but has never been worse than it is today.