Jimmy Haslam feels the Browns are improved, but won't discuss the future of his coach or quarterback.

(Photo by Joshua Gunter / The Plain Dealer)

BEREA, Ohio — Browns owner Jimmy Haslam, in an interview with The Plain Dealer on Thursday, said he's encouraged by the progress of his new team and feels it easily could be 6-5 right now and in the playoff chase.

He also plans to stick with his vow not to make major staff decisions until after the season, and he's more certain than ever that he hired the right man to run the team in CEO Joe Banner, now that they've worked together for a while.

Haslam is also excited about the debut of the series "NFL Road Tested: The Cleveland Browns," which premieres Tuesday at 10 p.m. on the Travel Channel, in partnership with Dee Haslam's RIVR Media and NFL Films.

Here are some excerpts from a phone interview with Haslam from Washington, D.C.:

Q: What are your first impressions of your new team since you took over in mid-October?

A: I think we have better players and we're better coached (than last year). We're 3-8, but if you went back through the season, I could make a case where we could easily be 6-5. Dallas, Philly, Indy are all games I think we should've won. If we win those three games, we're 6-5 and in the hunt for the playoffs, right? We're very close. We weren't competitive against the Giants after jumping off to an early lead, but every other game we've been in in the fourth quarter. As you know, some of them have gone down to the last minute or two.

Q: So you're inheriting a pretty good on-field product.

A: I think we're directionally correct.

Q: Will you stick by your plan not to make any major staff decisions until after the year?

A: Absolutely. I think we've said that after every year, not just the first year, we'll sit down and evaluate everybody in the organization.

Q: Has coach Pat Shurmur strengthened his case with all of those close games and Sunday's 20-14 victory over Pittsburgh?

A: I don't think it's fair to comment one way or the other. I think Pat's working hard and the guys are playing hard. We've been in every game, we're playing hard, I think we're playing better, so I think we're making progress.

Q: How important is your evaluation of quarterback Brandon Weeden over the final five games?

A: Exceptionally important. All 53 players will be evaluated. But we all know quarterback is the most important position, so it draws more scrutiny. Brandon knows and understands that. He's got five games to go in this season and hopefully he'll continue to make progress and then we'll sit down and assess where we are at the end of the year.

Q: How's he looked to you so far?

A: I think Brandon's been up and down like most rookie quarterbacks. He's played some really good games and he's had some games that I'm sure he'd like to play over. We're catching the ball better than we were earlier in the year. I don't think earlier in the year we helped him a lot. But he's making progress.

Q: How much will his age (29) factor into the decision?

A: I don't think that factors in. We've got to determine, "Can Brandon play or not?" We wish he was 23 or 24, but we all know how old Brandon is. But he's still a rookie quarterback, it's still his first year in the league. The fact that he's going to be 30 next October will not factor into our decision. We'll look and see, "Can he take us to a championship level in the next three or four years?"

Q: Will you solicit opinions outside the organization on Weeden?

A: I think our organization is already asking opinions on a lot of our players and will continue to do so. A lot of the people here have had relationships for a considerable amount of time and I think we'll continue to play on those relationships as best we can.

Q: Would you like to see Colt McCoy play so you can make a decision on him too?

A: I think that's a call that Pat and Brad (Childress) will make, but there's not a finer person in the building that I've ever met than Colt McCoy. He's just a great young man and I think they'll make that determination here over the next four or five games. I met his dad (Brad McCoy) down in Dallas and I said, "Listen, you've raised one of the best young men I've ever met." I think anybody inside or outside the organization who knows Colt would say the same thing. He's a quality individual.

Q: Wouldn't it be tough to shake up the personnel staff with free agency and the draft coming in March and April?

A: We all understand how the NFL works in terms of the timing of everything and we'll make the decisions appropriately around those timetables.

Q: If you decide to hire new coach, would you help find candidate or would Banner drive that bus?

A: It would be presumptuous to even go down that road in terms of coaches.

Q: How do you feel about your in-game reactions being captured by the TV cameras, particularly at the end of the loss in Indy?

A: Listen, there was one great misunderstanding in the Indianapolis game. My disappointment was not at the fourth-down call, and I spoke to Pat immediately. My disappointment was that we didn't catch the pass that would've won the game. I was disappointed in that and told Pat that was terribly misunderstood. I'm a big fan like most people are in Cleveland and I want to see us win. When we don't win, and we make crucial mistakes that cost us the game, it's disappointing. I'm going to be disappointed and I'm probably going to show that emotion because we very much want to win. I think that's what the people of Cleveland want and expect, candidly. The only thing I felt bad about was that people interpreted it as though I was disappointed in Pat's call. You'll never see me second-guess one of Pat's calls.

Q: What about the TV report out of Memphis, Tenn., that you're trying to hire Jon Gruden to coach Tennessee and have offered him a piece of the Browns?

A: That was completely erroneous. I'm not involved with the University of Tennessee coaching search and our family is very happy with the ownership structure of the Browns.

Q: Are you more sure than ever that Banner is your man?

A: We are. Joe is smart. He's seasoned. He's extremely competitive. He's got great experience and I think he and I will work extremely well together and I'm very excited about the opportunity to bring a championship team to Cleveland.

Q: Have you initiated re-negotiation talks with iron-legged kicker Phil Dawson?

A: Those will all be discussed at the end of the year with the appropriate people at the appropriate stages of their contracts.

Q: Have you offered formal roles to Bernie Kosar or Jim Brown?

A: No, Bernie's a great Browns legend and icon in our area and he and I talk frequently. There's been no conversations about any formal role. I haven't talked to Jim in two or three weeks. He did call and congratulate us after the big Steeler win and I'm sure we'll be talking some in the future.

Q: Any progress on Stadium improvements?

A: We haven't had those meetings yet. We've been so busy with everything going on. We probably won't do that until the first of the year.

Q: What can fans expect from the Browns new travel series debuting on the Travel Channel Tuesday at 10 p.m.

A: I think particularly for Browns fans, which is generally one of the main reasons we agreed to do this, they'll find it very interesting, because it really is a behind-the-scenes look at an NFL team, everything from practice to meetings to conversations with coaches to time spent casually outside the building with players to travel. I haven't seen the final cut, but I think all football fans, particularly Browns fans, should find it very interesting.

Q: Is it at all like HBO's Hard Knocks?

A: I've described it as a softer version of Hard Knocks.

With that, Haslam boarded a plane and was off.