WOULDN'T MIND SEEING A.I. RETIRE A 76ER
Mike Randall and Tony Schafer, who have been urging other Cleveland fans to stay away from their seats for the opening kickoff of the Browns' nationally televised game against Baltimore on Nov. 16, have a meeting scheduled with Lerner this morning at the team's headquarters.
Randall, who also is known as "Dawg Pound Mike," plans to present Lerner with more than 2,000 e-mails he has received from fans since announcing the "walk-in" protest. Randall said he hopes to persuade the ultraprivate Lerner to speak directly to Cleveland's disappointed fan base.
The Browns dropped to 1-7 with a 30-6 loss in Chicago.
The Kokinis firing was confirmed by a league source to ESPN. Television station WKYC and the Cleveland Plain Dealer first reported last night that Kokinis was ushered out of the Berea, Ohio, facility by security around lunchtime yesterday. Kokinis was brought in to helm the team after the Browns had hired Eric Mangini, who coached last year with the New York Jets. A team spokesman would not confirm the reports.
The ESPN source said Lerner is asking former Colts, Browns and Giants GM Ernie Accorsi to join the team as a consultant.
Days earlier, the Browns had dismissed Erin O'Brien, the team's director of team operations. O'Brien was an assistant to Mangini with the Jets.
Randall said he and Schafer spoke briefly with Lerner before Sunday's game. In planning their demonstration for before the Monday night game against the Ravens, the fans had hoped to force Lerner and Cleveland's front office to address growing concerns about the club's direction as well as a lack of connection to the Browns' storied past.
"They are listening," Randall said. "We know that Randy cares and we don't want him to sell the team. Our goal is to get him to talk to the fans so we know what's going on. We're going to talk to him about a lot of things from stadium operations to the atmosphere on game days to our frustration that the fans are not being heard."
* The Oakland Raiders said they will undertake a "serious evaluation" of domestic violence allegations against coach Tom Cable. In a statement, the team said it does not condone the alleged attacks by Cable against his first wife and former girlfriend. The team also noted it has fired employees for misconduct in the past.
Cable declined to respond to any specific questions yesterday about whether he has an anger management issue following the allegations from his first wife and former girlfriend on ESPN that he physically abused them at various times during their relationships.
* St. Louis kick returner Danny Amendola suffered a concussion in Sunday's victory over Detroit. Coach Steve Spagnuolo said doctors would give Amendola an extra day before administering tests tomorrow.
* San Francisco left tackle Joe Staley (sprained right knee) is expected to be out 6 weeks and cornerback Nate Clements (broken right shoulder blade) 6 to 8 weeks.
* Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers could miss some practice time this week with a sprained toe on one foot and a nagging sprain on the other, but he is expected to play Sunday at Tampa Bay, coach Mike McCarthy said. Linebacker Brandon Chillar will miss at least 2 weeks with a broken hand.
* Arizona receiver Anquan Boldin hopes to play at Chicago despite aggravating an ankle sprain in Sunday's loss to Carolina.
* Houston tight end Owen Daniels has a torn ACL and will have season-ending knee surgery. Daniels had 40 receptions for 519 yards and a team-leading five touchdowns. *
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