One team's HC search is going so sideways it made Joe Schoen look like a genius

If you thought New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen was unfit for the job, wait until you hear what NFL insider Tom Pelissero told Rich Eisen on Friday about the Cleveland Browns’ head coaching search.

Before diving into the dumpster fire that is the Browns organization, let’s revisit a few of Schoen’s finest moments -- you know, just to set the stage.

There was letting Saquon Barkley walk for nothing -- a disaster that blew up in his face instantly. Throw in Xavier McKinney’s departure while you’re at it. Then there’s the $160 million Daniel Jones nightmare, missing on the entire 2023 Draft, and, to top it all off, going 7-27 over the past two seasons as the team’s decision-maker. That’s a lot of mistakes over four years and a pretty low bar to clear. Yet somehow, Cleveland still takes the cake.

Related: Joe Schoen’s tone-deaf comments should have Giants fans deeply uneasy

Appearing on The Rich Eisen Show on Friday, Pelissero peeled back the curtain on the Browns’ coaching search and how they’re unintentionally, intentionally making life harder on themselves in the most hilarious way for absolutely no reason:

"They are a data-driven operation in Cleveland. So they spend an extraordinary amount of time gathering data on their coaching candidates. You’re talking about taking a personality test. You’re talking about writing an essay. You’re talking about completing homework assignments, going into both the first and second rounds of interviews. It plays toward the types of candidates that they have in the mix, which is very, very smart people, in a lot of cases, that just often happen to be tall, thin guys who came from Ivy League schools."

Cleveland Browns coaching search turns into Ivy League science fair

If only the Browns used that "data-driven operation" to improve their performance on the field, then they might not have to assign homework to potential head coaching candidates.

That's crazy. That's actually bonkers.

Imagine being handed homework and an essay to complete for a franchise that's been to the playoffs four times in the past 30 seasons. What an epic slap in the face. Like, you thought the Giants had it rough. Cleveland is where dreams go to die. But, hey, as long as they let data take the wheel, I'm sure it'll work out for them. History is totally on their side...

And it might seem rich coming from a Giants fan poking fun at another downtrodden franchise, but here we are.

Unfortunately for Big Blue Nation, we're semi-waiting on this "data-driven decision." Offensive coordinator-hopeful, Todd Monken, is in the middle of interviewing with the Dawg Pound, with reports stating he's already interviewed twice. So, his personal essay must have slapped.

Overcomplicating straightforward processes for no reason is a recipe for disaster. That's not to insinuate picking the right coach is easy, just ask the G-Men, but there’s a difference between doing your due diligence and turning a decision into a self-inflicted joke.

What top-tier candidate is going to want to go through some college application process for the honor of potentially getting an interview with such an esteemed franchise as the Cleveland Browns? It's no wonder that Jesse Minter and Mike McDaniel withdrew their names from consideration.

For what it's worth, Schoen was able to bring in the best head coach of the cycle in John Harbaugh. So maybe it's Cleveland's time to carry the mantle.