Former Browns president Mike Holmgren has finally addressed the elephant in the room when it comes to his short tenure as the president of the Browns. Holmgren has admitted that he should have just coached the team in his brief stay, but ownership was against it from the beginning.

The 65-year-old Holmgren has 17 years of coaching under his belt with both the Packers and Seahawks with three Super Bowl appearances to show for it. Holmgren sat down with the MMQB.com to discuss the state of the Browns while he was there.

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"I really just should have coached the team, but [Lerner] didn't want me to.”

When asked about his state of mind after he fired coach Pat Shurman after two seasons and a 9-23 record.

"At that particular time, I wasn't ready to do it again. I thought I'd be shortchanging the organization.”

He did say that no matter what he thought of the franchise’s direction he stayed loyal and true to the people in it for the sake of itself. Holmgren stressed that this is a very important part of the job that many people understand.

"Now -- and this is very, very important -- once he's with you, you never, ever let anyone believe he's not the right guy, not the quarterback of the future. In the building, obviously, that's a given. But in public, too -- every time you talk about him, he's your guy.”

Holmgren stepped down midway through the 2012 season when Jimmy Haslam took ownership of the team. The Browns are in the middle of their second overhaul in as many seasons since Holmgren departed.

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[Quotes via ESPN]

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