Mike Holmgren starts to move on

THE COACHING itch never completely left Mike Holmgren, who will walk away from the Cleveland Browns feeling mostly dissatisfied and unfulfilled.

His 3 years as an NFL executive didn't go as hoped. And for perhaps the first time in his football life, Holmgren came up short as a leader.

"We did not win enough games," Holmgren said Tuesday at his farewell news conference. "I'm hoping the table is set for the future."

Holmgren won't be part of it.

After being hired by Randy Lerner in December 2009 to fix a dysfunctional franchise, Holmgren won't complete his 5-year contract as team president of the Browns, who now belong to new owner Jimmy Haslam. Holmgren would not commit to staying for the remainder of this season in Cleveland.

Since Holmgren arrived, the Browns are only 10-29, a record that pains the 64-year-old former coach who twice went to the Super Bowl with Green Bay and once with Seattle. He came to Cleveland with the best intentions, and while he succeeded in rebuilding the front office, repairing broken business relationships and helping add roster talent, Holmgren failed to deliver a winner.

"The record speaks for itself and ultimately people are judged on how many games you win," he said. "But there's a lot more that goes into an organization than that. Although that's the thing people look at, there's some things I feel very, very good about what we did here. We didn't win enough games, though."

Holmgren said he did not discuss a new "credible" position with Haslam, whose $1.05 billion purchase of the Browns was approved by the league's owners last week. Holmgren would like to stay on and assist Haslam, as well as incoming CEO Joe Banner, the former Eagles president who will take over on Thursday, in the transition.

Holmgren isn't sure that will be possible.

"I've talked to Jimmy a lot about this," he said. "He has my assurance. I'm not gonna rock the boat. I'm not gonna get in anybody's way that way."

Last week in Chicago, Haslam announced Holmgren would retire after the season. However, Holmgren wanted to make it clear that he's not ready to stop working. He's just not sure in what capacity.

"I want to take one step at a time here, one day at a time," he said. "My first goal is, if I can, help this team and these coaches this season. Then I'm going to sit back and catch my breath and look around a little bit and see what happens."

The Buffalo Bills and the Greater Buffalo Sports and Entertainment Complex unveiled a proposal to build a $1.4 billion waterfront sports and entertainment facility that would include a 70,000-plus-seat, retractable-roofed stadium to serve as the Bills' new home someday.

In making a presentation to a city council committee, Nicholas Stracick, president and CEO of the organization, said his plan has the potential to change the Buffalo's rust-belt image and preserve the Bills' long-term future in western New York.

Stracick's company has already spent about $1 million in hiring a leading sports facility architectural firm, Dallas-based HKS Design, to design a site plan. HKS has designed numerous stadiums, including the Dallas Cowboys' new facility, and the new Yankee Stadium in New York.

The next step is having the city acquire a 400-acre plot of land lining the outer harbor. The land is controlled by the region's transportation authority.

* Gorilla Gold, a company that makes hand towels specifically designed for athletes, says that the San Diego Chargers were using its product - not Stickum or any other prohibited adhesive - during the Monday night incident in which officials suspected Chargers players were violating league rules.

The NFL is investigating whether the Chargers were using an adhesive substance such as the banned product Stickum during their Oct. 15 loss to the Broncos. Chargers coach Norv Turner said his players were just using a type of towel that the Chargers have used for years. Turner did not specify what kind of towel it was.

Gorilla Gold said the players were using its Gorilla Gold Grip Enhancer towels, which use "all-natural resins" to improve the grips of athletes in many sports. Gorilla Gold says its products leave no residue on the football and are not against the rules.

Gorilla Gold did not name any other NFL teams or any NFL players who use its towels, and the NFL has not said publicly whether Gorilla Gold towels are permitted under league rules.