Savage Fired: Browns Fans Rejoice

Adios Phil,

The horrible reign of Phil Savage has finally come to an end according to the Plain Dealer and profootballtalk.com. For the Browns, it's the first positive step the organization has taken in over a year. Tomorrow, we can expect the second domino to fall when Romeo gets his walking papers.

Credit Randy Lerner for putting friendship and money aside and doing what had to be done. You can't instill leadership or accountability in an organization when the man at the top of it displays neither.

The final grades on Savage are:

Draft: C-

Free Agency: C+

Coaching Hires: F

Media Relations: F

Player Management: F

He leaves quite the legacy.

I'm currently taking bets on whether or not the Browns will botch the Rooney Rules during the new coaching search process.

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Heads Will Roll ... But How Far?

As the Browns close out yet another sickening display of offensive ineptitude in a game which I'm admittedly only half watching because a) I value my time and b) I value my happiness, everyone knows that changes are coming - both at the head coaching position and possibly at GM. However, before Browns fans can sit back and delude themselves with the familiar comfort of "hope", this report has surfaced from ESPN and the Plain Dealer, indicating that both Crennel and Savage might return to the Browns next season in differing capacities.

According to varying reports, it's possible that Crennel may return next season as the defensive coordinator, whereas Savage might return in a scouting capacity. The fact that either could possibly return in any capacity evidences the problem with current Brown leadership. Cleaning house requires removing the "dirt." Hiding our dust under the rug doesn't solve anything - the problems caused by their lack of capabilities remain.

I know Crennel was supposedly a defensive mastermind while with the Patriots. But look at the Browns defense under his leadership:

• In 2005, the Browns were 16th in yds allowed per game and 11th in pts allowed.

• In 2006, the Browns were 27th in yds allowed per game and 22nd in pts allowed.
  

• In 2007, the Browns were 30th in yds allowed per game and 21st in pts allowed.
  

• This season, before the Steelers game, the Browns were 26th in yds allowed per game and 14t in pts allowed.
  

So Crennel, our defensive genius of a head football coach, has actually made our defense progressively worse, while being given better talent in his time here. And this is the individual we want to put in charge as defensive coordinator? Look, by all accounts Crennel is a nice guy, but he has obviously failed as a head coach and I don't want him around this Browns team in any capacity next season. I severely question his decision-making (running a 3-4 defense when we clearly lack the linebackers to do so), his clock management, and his ability to control the large personalities on this team.

Now, moving Savage into a scouting position would make some sense if I thought for a moment that he would accept such a reduced role. Let's face it, GMs all have egos - large ones. They control a team's destiny, and in the end, believe that they know what's the best course for success. As stated in the ESPN article, "Savage has said that power is the reason he came to Cleveland three years ago from Baltimore, where he was the Ravens' director of player personnel." I don't think Savage would be able or willing to swallow his pride, sit back, and allow someone else to take this team where he couldn't get it.

That, coupled with some questionable decisions made by Savage himself this season (the Winslow debacle, the e-mail debacle, and the failure to address a 3rd WR) would lead me to believe that Savage will be shown the door as well in the coming weeks. While Savage has made some shrewd moves in bringing in Shaun Rogers and improving the offensive line, he has also mortgaged some of our future draft picks to acquire the likes of Beau Bell and Martin Rucker, neither of who even saw meaningful playing time this season (though I hold out hope for both them). Savage appears on the cusp of being a capable GM, but I'm tired of suffering through the learning pains with him.

While I don't fault Randy Lerner for considering all his options, the writing has been on the wall for awhile here. Both Crennel and Savage failed in their jobs to bring a winner to Cleveland. Last January, Lerner gave Crennel an extension through the 2011 season, worth nearly $12 million, to reward him for the team's surprise performance of last season. Crennel promptly showed us that the turn around happened in spite of him, not because him. It's time for the Browns to cut their losses, admit their mistake and move on in a new direction. Browns fans, say it in unison with me now, "There's always next year." Read the rest of this article

I Don't Mean to Alarm You But . . .

Well it appears that Berea has taken one more giant step toward becoming the Chernobyl of the NFL today and it has nothing to do with the team's inspired effort on the field.

Per profootballtalk.com:

We got a tip this morning from a reader about a possible altercation in Cleveland. And so we started contacting some of our sources, and the current indication is that something indeed happened.

One source said that the rumor in the locker room is that one player hit another player with a weight, and that the player who was on the receiving end of said weight might have been quarterback Brady Quinn.

So let me get this straight. In the last few weeks, our General Manager has told a fan to fuck off, our star receiver has told the entire city that they think they're entitled to too much, and now, apparently, our potential franchise quarterback (and one of the few guys not yet covered with the heinous stench of this organization) has been hit in the face by another player with a weight. Soak that all in for a moment. That's some operation they're running over there isn't it? I can't wait to see what they have in store for us next. Maybe Joe Thomas can burn down the Cleveland Clinic while Josh Cribbs is inside getting treatment for a staph infection. At this point, if that happened, I would be mildly surprised. I might react by saying something like "Wow, I didn't see that one coming but I guess anything is possible with this group."

Obviously, this story has not been verified (I'm talking about the locker room skirmish, not my imaginary arson/homicide), but, if there is any remote amount of truth to it, even if the player on the business end of the blunt object was someone other than Quinn, it raises serious questions about every single member of the organization.

I knew when the Browns decided that it was a good idea to play out the season with a 61 year old lame duck head coach, they might have some player discipline problems but this is just downright impressive. It's almost as if the Browns aren't even attempting to keep things respectable. Is anyone guarding the henhouse right now? Obviously Romeo isn't but what about Savage? I was under the impression that he still thinks he's entitled to continue running the organization. Quite a case he's making for himself right now.

A month and a half ago, the Browns were a nice little fixer-upper. They obviously had some problems but there was still some talent in place for someone to come in and turn things around. Now?... I would characterize them as more of a radioactive wasteland. Before laying the first brick in the rebuilding process, the new regime is now going to have to come in with hazmat suits and clean this disaster up.

Happy Holidays Browns fans...if there are any of you left out there.

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Rock Bottom

For my first post on the new blog, I wanted to write something memorable. With that in mind, my logical first instinct was to opine on the Cavaliers' record setting start. But, after thinking about it, I realized two things: 1) Its the NBA in December...calm down there cowboy; and 2) the Cavs are a really good team that is in prime position to challenge for a title this year. Truthfully, there isn't that much more to be said about them right now. There will be plenty of time to talk about the Cavs when they hit a rough stretch or prepare to make a move at the deadline.

The Indians? Sure, there's plenty to talk about after some very good moves at the winter meetings; however, keeping in mind that my goal is to make my first post memorable, waxing poetic about minor league second basemen and 30 something closers doesn't seem like the right thing to do.

So, that leaves me with the Browns. Wait a minute, that can't be right. How can I write a memorable post about the most loathsome, disgusting, vomit-inducing team to hit Cleveland in the last decade? Well, after some thought, I have realized that now is the perfect time to write about the Browns. I think of this post as a time capsule. If I really explore my feelings about the Browns now, one day, long into the future when the Browns are a respectable organization, I will be able to go back to this post and remember just how bad things were and how much the good times shouldn't be taken for granted. So, here goes . . .

The Cleveland Browns are an embarrassing organization. And I'm not even just talking about the players. I'm talking about the entire organization, top to bottom. I'm talking about the entity.

When most people talk about the Browns, the begin by talking about the players or the coaching staff. To me, that's missing the point. When a business is failing, you don't look first to the employees or middle management. You go right to the top. The same rule should apply to the Browns. So, with that in mind, lets look from the top down.

The man at the very top is Randy Lerner. The cliche' thing to do when discussing Lerner would be to prattle on about English Football and spout off a bunch of platitudes about commitment and dedication. Truthfully, however, I'm not sure at this point that there is really that much blame that can be placed at Lerner's feet. He spends tons of money and he lets his football people run the organization. At most, he is guilty of being naive and putting his faith in the wrong people, or perhaps more specifically, the wrong person.

That's a nice transition into a discussion of the man that I view to be the main culprit in the continued atrociousness of the Browns: Mr. Phil Savage. I despise Savage. I think he's a smug little weasel. I think he rode into town on Ozzie Newsome's record and has done nothing but destroy the Browns ever since. But, when I say he's destroyed the Browns, I'm not even really talking about his crappy draft record or mostly disappointing free agent signings. I'm talking about his mismanagement of the people below him and the toxic culture he has fostered within the organization. Honestly, I have too many grievances with Savage to write in detail about all of them so I will just list a few of my favorites:

1. Allowing Romeo to retain Carthon 7 games into the 06 season;

2. Being a condescending little penis to the local media while pretending to be Jesus in front of national writers like Peter King;

3. Purposely antagonizing his tight end in the media because he was too childish to be the bigger man;

4. Mediocre overall drafts;

5. Mediocre overall free agent signings;

6. Extending an overmatched coach after one decent season against a bad schedule;

7. And last but not least, telling a Browns fan to fuck off and then letting his head coach handle the press conference discussing it.

Savage is a cancer. You can't build a great organization when the man running it is a self-aggrandizing unaccountable childish asshole. It just won't work, and that is why even though I don't directly fault Randy Lerner for this shitstorm, he takes some of the blame for Savage. He should've never extended Savage after last season. There is no rule written anywhere that says that coaches and GMs are not allowed to come close to the end of their contracts, especially when their performance has been a mixed bag at best. Then, even after extending Savage, Lerner should have fired him "for cause" the day he sent the now famous fan e-mail. If Lerner retains Savage after this season, my opinion of him will tank. It has been well documented that Lerner is fond of Savage, but if he lets that friendship prevent him from making a change that is absolutely necessary to improve the organization, he will essentially be telling the Cleveland fans to fuck off in his own subtle little way. Ok, enough on those two.

Romeo. Does anything even need to be said? In a way, it's funny that he's managed to coach this team for this long but in truth, it's just an embarrassment. The fans and the rest of the world have known he's a joke for several years. How the Browns have not yet figured this out is just beyond me. Either they're blind or they just don't care. Whatever the reason, it's not worth talking about anymore because he's out.

So, those are the figureheads of the Browns as an organization. It's pathetic. In the NFL, more than any other professional sport, it's the quality of the organization that really determines the number of wins and losses year in and year out. That's why teams like Indy, Pittsburgh, and New England are usually winners while bad organizations like Cleveland, Cincinnati, Arizona, and Oakland are usually terrible despite the fact that the draft should make things cyclical. A quality organization manages to field a quality team. If you have a bunch of hacks on the sidelines and in the front office, the product on the field will almost always bear a striking resemblance.

Last but not least, the players...and oh what a special day it is to talk about the players in light of Braylon's little rant today. Now listen, I'm not stupid enough to believe that you can't win titles with thugs and primadonnas on your team. Teams do it all the time. But, what I do believe is that you can't have these guys in key positions leading your team, and you have to have enough high character guys and a strong enough head coach to negate their impact (See Giants, New York). The Browns have amassed a nice little collection of turds, shitheads, and worst of all, mental midgets on this roster. Yet, that fact alone shouldn't be enough to make this team this bad. The problem is that not only are these people on the team, they actually "leading" it. That is a perfect recipe for the type of disaster that has taken place this year.

A few noteworthy individuals:

Braylon Edwards: The sad thing about Braylon is that he's going to have at least a few more great seasons before it's all said and done. The guy has too much talent to be bad forever. He's got the football version of the shanks right now but it won't always be that way. He's going to have more pro-bowl seasons, but unfortunately, my guess is they will be in another city. It's a shame that Braylon had to put the finishing touches on his master plan to get out of town after a season in which he had Browns fans pining for the sure hands of Dennis Northcutt. His has lost a significant amount of value. With his talent, he's probably still worth a late first rounder (Roy Williams anyone?) but this is just a huge blow to the future of the team. He's a cancer and they have to get rid of him but man, with the right head on his shoulders, he could've been a great piece for the new regime to build around.

Derek Anderson: Savage botched this one. He was scared that if he traded the Browns first "Pro Bowl" quarterback in forever and Quinn flopped, he'd be massacred. The truth is that the handwriting was on the wall last year when Anderson was terrible in the second half of the season. Instead of working out a trade with one of the numerous quarterback desperate teams this summer and giving the team to Quinn, Savage probably just took a first round pick and turned it into a 4th rounder and a nice little accellerated cap charge. Well done sir. As for Anderson himself, the guy can seriously blow me. Anyone who tells Peter King that the team "got its swagger back" after beating the Bengals is obviously a jackass. Worse, in spite of his laser arm, the fact that he's such a mental midget will prevent him from ever being an upper echelon starter. Anderson's favorite pastimes include disappearing from games in which he starts poorly and loses his confidence and crying to the media about being unloved. Ah, just what I'm looking for in my starting quarterback. Get him out of my life.

K2: I'm sorry....I know he plays hard but I want him out of my life too. He was 100% right in his war with Savage this season but I still want him gone. He can't keep his mouth shut, he doesn't block anyone, and he's got the body of a 50 year old. The Browns should move him while he still has value.

Overall, the Browns are just a sad sad organization in a city in which the fans live and die with their football team. The wounds these guys have inflicted on the fanbase this year will take a long time to heal. Its hard to believe that less than 4 months ago, I was thinking about playoff games after watching the team march down the field and score in their first preseason game. What a sad disgusting season. What a sad disgusting team. God, I want them all to disappear.

This completes my Browns time capsule post. I vow not to speak of them again until the draft.

Now, about those Cavs...

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Quinn's In

At first I was angered that the Browns throw Quinn into the fire on a short week, with the Broncos game on Thursday night. It's like Romeo is trying to make Quinn fail by giving him such little preparation time.

Then I began to see another side of the picture. The Broncos are a bad defensive team. If DA played Thursday and succeeded against this bad defense then we couldn't get Quinn in the next game. Also, the short week provides a built in excuse if Quinn does perform poorly this week. It is a way to protect both Quinn, and the decision of the franchise in making the switch, in case it doesn't work out right away.

After this early game Thursday, Quinn will have 10 days to prepare for his second game.

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That was exciting

I started this game rooting for the Giants. I did that because I am a Browns fan. The best thing that can happen to the Browns is for Romeo to get fired. And even in a blowout over the undefeated Giants, Romeo continued to show why he is not head coach material. 10 dumb mostly presnap penalties is inexcusable. It shows the team was not prepared and that is the head coaches responsibility.

On the other hand, 35-14. Football is a quarterback's game, and no game reflects that more than tonight's. Get ready for a week of talk of the "Eli of old." Pre-winning-streak Eli Manning showed up tonight and tossed 3 interceptions, including one Eric Wright returned 94 yards for a touchdown.

More importantly, I just heard an espn commentator describe Derek Anderson as an incredibly accurate passer. I suppose that is true if you watched only this game, and ignore the spurts of grass passes early. That being said, Anderson had a fantastic game. 18-29, 310 yards, 2 tds, 0 ints. Those numbers were no fluke. He played like a pro bowler. He had time to throw, and he even had some good short throws. I was also impressed by a couple of smart intentionally under-thrown balls. All this was without our best receiver, Kellen Winslow, who remained home, nursing his testicles back to health.

Derek Anderson had the best game of his career tonight. And it comes on the heels of the NFL trading deadline on Tuesday. Now is the time Mr. Savage. Take whatever is offered, before it is too late to get anything.

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Black 42, Red Right, Razor Blades, Hike

Fellow Cleveland sports website swerbsblurbs.com came out with a story today regarding how dirty the Browns team has been the last couple of seasons. The range of accusations and the range of players against whom they are levied is mind-boggling. Many of the accusations are so outrageous they are laughable...except that they might be true. Spitting tabasco sauce in the receivers' eyes at the snap? Shouting Lost spoilers to distract the opponent? Pasting razor blades and glass onto your gloves? These are all so ridiculous, and incredibly disturbing if true.

The accusation that I question most is Kam Wimbley, in full pads, getting into the Steelers locker room after the game and leveling the naked, showering Ben Roethlisburger. Was there no one else in the Steelers locker room? Was it two hour after the game after everyone left that Ben decided to shower? Did Kam wait patiently in his uniform in the Browns locker room watching an advanced copy of Lost until he knew Ben would be alone? It has been alleged that the swerbs article is merely a spoof. Perhaps it is. But I am no longer shocked by anything that happens from Berea. That is the sad, sad state of the Browns.

If any of this is true, I, of course, blame Bill Bellichik. Romeo Crennel isn't smart enough to teach his players to be scum on the field without getting caught, fined, and suspended by the league. Only Romeo's mentor, the diabolical Cleveland-hated Bill Bellichik could have crafted such a scheme. I suggest a complete league review into the Patriots for accusations of privates grabbing and 24 spoilers.

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Unfortunately ....

w/ thanks to Dan V. Read the rest of this article

Cripple Fight

A win is a win and the Browns needed this one badly. In what amounted to a slapfest between two 0-3 teams, the Browns swung it's crutches right into the jaw of the Bungles. And it wasn't pretty.

For about 3/4's of the game it looked as if DA "Jack McCoy" needed to be put out to pasture. Perhaps the low point of his afternoon came at the beginning of the 3rd quarter with the Browns driving down the field. Missing a wide open K2, DA giftwrapped another interception in enemy territory, forcing the ball towards the well covered Josh Cribbs, right into the arms of Chinedum Ndukwe.

But, against all logic, Battletoad Crennel left DA in, rode the legs of Jamal Lewis, finally got K2 involved in the passing game and good prevailed. Braylon also finally hit pay dirt, breaking out perhaps one of the best touchdown celebrations performed by a Browns player in history.

There are several positives to take away from this game. DA appears to have gained back some of the confidence of last season, allowing for something to build upon over the bye week. I still believe DA has a chance to turn this season around once the offensive line has fully healed and Donte Stallworth takes off his skirt and decides to justify his 35 million dollar contact. Alex Hall had a nice sack, forced fumble and appears capable of making a necessary big play. The Ghost, Jerome Harrison, finally got several touches on offense. Mike Adams and Eric Wright actually came away with interceptions, though Eric Wright, the Human 5-yard cushion, promptly gave the ball right back on a fumble.

The Browns are still making far too many stupid penalties. Four offsides calls in one game is inexcusable. Louis Leonard managed to lineup in the neutral zone twice and yet failed to make one tackle. Maybe against the Giants, King Louis needs to lineup on the bench. Additionally, allowing speedster, Ryan Fitzpatrick, he of the career 58.2 QB Rating, which by the way tops DA's rating of 43.5 on the season (coming into the game) two third down scrambles (one a 3rd and 6; one a 3rd and 7) of 11 and 13 yards is disgraceful.

This bye week calls for some serious self-reflection for the Browns and Romeo Crennel. Beating the Giants on Monday Night Football at home would go a long way to ease the pain of these early season losses. Romeo needs to show that he can make adjustments necessary to install confidence in him as a head coach. DA needs to gain back this team. Now is the time to figure out who we are. The Giants lost their first two games last year and won the Superbowl. Who says this team can't turn it around and do the same. Read the rest of this article

Worst Win Ever

I have never been more disappointed by a win in my life. This win sets the organization back a ton. Romeo stays. DA stays. Terrible team stays.

What is worse is that Romeo all but guaranteed that DA would be pulled at half time if he stunk. Romeo is a big FAT liar. If that performance in the first half didn't get DA pulled, nothing will. DA was good in the 4th, but he never should have been in there in the first place.

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Romeo Must Die, Savage too

This topic has been beaten to death in other blogs and forums, but I have to put in my two cents. Romeo Crennel is the worst coach in the league. He has to be. We all know why so I don't need to repeat it here to inform you of the reasons. Instead, I will repeat here the ones that come to mind because I am so angry about them. In no particular order:

1) Can't coach-a very important aspect of coaching

2) Can't manage the clock

3) Too loyal to incompetents around him to get rid of them while there is still time-See Carthon and Anderson

4) Can't make a good decision on anything. I liked it better when he was flipping coins. At least then he had a 50-50 chance of getting it right. I've never seen someone mess up so many challenge calls and starting lineups and play schemes, yada yada.

5) Can't evaluate talent.

Romeo must die (get fired). He wasn't any good last year during Cleveland's 10 win season. Don't let the record fool you. He exhibited every one of these problems all last season. We won in spite of him (and Derek Anderson for that matter, but I digress).

Why isn't he fired? Because Phil Savage has no sack. It's hard to believe it, but the Browns actually have someone in the organization with less testicular fortitude than Romeo. Savage repeatedly sits by while Romeo takes the ship to the bottom of the river. Romeo is stubborn. We know that. As the guy actually responsible for the personnel decisions, it is Phil's job to know when to make the changes and when to re-sign the players.

Carthon stunk. It took waaaaaay too long to get rid of him over Romeo's objection. Shaun Rogers had 3 years left on his contract when he came here and we gave him a brand new deal without playing a down.

Derek Anderson had about 5 decent games last year, against turrible (as spoken by Sir Charles Barkley) teams. Watch the games, it's true. The man got a new contract. Romeo had no good games, and he got an extension. I don't understand this philosophy that if we win games, we must be doing well. That is bull shit. Yes, winning games is what matters. But that doesn't mean we must reward people who happen to be on the team in key positions of coach and qb when they didn't play like 10 win guys. Yes the coach and the qb always get more share of the credit when the team wins and more share of the blame when the team loses. But isn't it the job of the team general manager to look past that and evaluate based on talent and performance, and not the record? Trent Dilfer won a super bowl. He must be very talented, right? Terry Bradshaw is probably one of the most overrated qb in history thanks to his 4 super bowls that the Steelers defense got him.

Yes, Romeo is god awful. Everyone knows it. But that's not his fault. It's just who he is. The problem is why is he here being god awful for Cleveland? Phil Savage, the man who gave Romeo an extension. This isn't to say that Savage hasn't done anything right. Unlike Romeo, Phil has some hits to go along with his misses. The Frye trade, the Joe Thomas pick (a very ballsy and great pick). However, the problem with the team right now is Romeo Crennel, and he is Phil Savage's responsibility.

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