The convoluted ouster of George Kokinis as Cleveland’s general manager barely made a ripple in the Browns’ locker room.
These guys are accustomed to losses.
Pro Bowl tackle Joe Thomas hardly knew Kokinis, who was hired in January and left the club under unexplained circumstances on Monday.
“He wasn’t around too much, and when he was, he was pretty quiet,” Thomas said.
Everyone inside team headquarters at 76 Lou Groza Blvd. was pretty quiet on Tuesday. The Browns, who have a bye this week, went about their business as rumors swirled about Kokinis, the events that led up to his departure and who — or if — anyone will replace him.
Browns coach Eric Mangini offered no details about the team’s decision to move on without his longtime friend and hand-picked GM.
“Anytime a decision like this is made it is difficult personally and professionally,” Mangini said. “George is a friend of mine and I respect him and I wish his family well. I can tell you that for a variety of reasons things didn’t work out. You never go into a situation like this with the intention of it not working out.
“We felt that, organizationally, this was the best decision in order to move forward.”
n No longer needed, kicker Billy Cundiff has been waived by the Browns.
BUCCANEERS — Tampa Bay signed kicker Connor Barth and released kicker Shane Andrus.
Barth was cut by the Miami Dolphins in August after kicking in 10 games for Kansas City last season. He made 10 of 12 field goals and converted all 24 of his extra-point attempts with the Chiefs.
The Bucs also announced they signed cornerback Mike Mickens from the Dallas Cowboys practice squad. To make room on the roster, cornerback Marcus McCauley was released.
SEAHAWKS — The Edgerrin James experiment in Seattle is over.
The struggling Seahawks cut ties with James, releasing the backup running back who never provided the pop Seattle hoped to get when it signed the 31-year-old in late August.BILLS — Starting cornerback Terrence McGee had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee to repair minor damage and expects to be out for about two weeks.
CHARGERS — San Diego signed rookie linebacker James Holt from the practice squad to fill the roster spot created when wide receiver Chris Chambers was released.
BENGALS — Cincinnati released offensive guard Scott Kooistra, ending his seven-year career with the Bengals.
49ERS — San Francisco signed cornerback Keith Smith to a one-year contract, boosting its secondary a day after learning Nate Clements would be sidelined up to eight weeks with a broken shoulder blade.
RAMS — St. Louis signed cornerback Danny Gorrer and waived wide receiver Tim Carter.
CARDINALS — Arizona placed defensive tackle Keilen Dykes on the practice squad injured reserve list with a biceps injury.
LABOR NEGOTIATIONS — NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith both are slated to participate in the league’s latest round of labor negotiations.
Speaking after testifying before a House subcommittee about a legal case involving two Minnesota Vikings players, Goodell told The Associated Press he would be present for today’s talks in New York about a new collective bargaining agreement.
TV RATINGS — Brett Favre’s return to Green Bay was must-see viewing for NFL fans.
FOX’s national game Sunday, which was mainly the Vikings’ 38-26 win over the Packers, was the network’s second most-watched Sunday telecast since it started airing the NFL in 1994, with 29.8 million viewers. The record was 32.1 million for 49ers-Cowboys in 1995.
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