Although the sale of the Cleveland Browns to Steelers minority owner Jim Haslam may be great for the future of the franchise, it couldn't come at a worse time.

Team president Mike Holmgren finally put his handprint on fixing the Browns this offseason by drafting Trent Richardson, Brandon Weeden, Mitchell Schwartz and Travis Benjamin. But if the ownership change is approved quickly, Holmgren might not be around by the start of the regular season to watch it.

The timing is horrible. The Browns needed bold moves to fix the franchise, and Holmgren appeared to be the right man. Given the team presidency by owner Randy Lerner, Holmgren reshaped the front office and made the Browns a solid organization with a front-office team that could work together.

He brought in Tom Heckert to be the general manager and Pat Shurmur to be his bright, young coach. The problem was the lack of talent, a problem that was going to take years to fix. Last year's draft-day trade of the sixth overall pick to the Falcons gave the Browns four additional draft choices to make things right, but it was going to take two years to get those players on the roster.

With his background as a West Coast offense coach, Holmgren felt he got the right quarterback in Weeden. In two years, he has added Benjamin, Greg Little and Josh Gordon at receiver. Richardson should be an instant star at running back.

But going this young this year may not improve the winning ledger soon enough. In most ownership changes, the new owner likes to bring in his own leader and there is a good chance Haslam will bring in Joe Banner from Philadelphia to run the franchise if the NFL approves the sale. A bad record could put Shurmur up for review at the end of the season.

Not known is where Heckert fits in the sale.

The Browns needed stability. While Haslam eventually may bring that stability, the change could result in collateral damage at a time when the Browns appear to be going in the right direction as a franchise.

From the inbox

Q: I was wondering if I could get your thoughts on what's turning into the golden age of quarterbacks in relation to the passing records yet unbroken by current starters. Drew Brees and Tom Brady broke Dan Marino's long-standing record for most passing yards in a single season, and Brees is also on pace to break Johnny Unitas' record streak of 47 straight games with a touchdown pass. Many other young quarterbacks at the moment are fully capable of approaching and breaking such legendary records as well. In your mind, which other passing records do you believe are in danger of being surpassed?

Arnett in Auckland

A: I can see the completion percentage record for a season, set by Brees in 2011 (70.6), being broken soon. There probably will be a hot quarterback who will top Brady's record of touchdown passes in a season (50) in the near future. All passing records are subject to being broken in this passing age. Teams are throwing more and they are throwing better. You are right. It is the golden age of quarterbacks.