Phil Savage fired
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@hiwaygal said:
IMO that hurt him more than anything else.Yeah, I don't think Lerner made this move because he agreed with Flugel & co about Savage's inability to find another 3-4 ILB.
From all accounts, Lerner is a decent man. This year, his
footballsoccer players are wearing jerseys that feature advertisements for a non-profit that provides care for terminally-ill children. Instead of raking in tons of cash by selling that ad space, he's using it to raise money for a worthy cause - an extremely classy move.So I'm sure Savage's bizarre, inappropriate moves put him in Lerner's dog house. Throwing RAC under the bus was an extremely selfish move, and sending that nasty e-mail probably was something that Lerner, an wannabe English aristocrat, saw as a vile breach of custom.
And as a decent man, Lerner probably saw little sense in firing RAC, a guy who doesn't seem to have a mean bone in his body, while retaining a guy whose actions have oscillated between rude and nasty.
That probably had a lot more to do with Savage's firing than any roster move he's ever made.
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Congrats to the Brownies for getting rid of the best GM you guys have had since the move.
Maybe you'll find another Butch Davis to run the team into the ground.
Keep wiping the slate clean, and you wonder why you guys have had zero success since coming back.
I remember reading all these articles last year about how important it was to have continuity in the organization.
Whoops.
Congrats to the Brownies for getting rid of the best GM you guys have had since the move.
Maybe you'll find another Butch Davis to run the team into the ground.
Keep wiping the slate clean, and you wonder why you guys have had zero success since coming back.
I remember reading all these articles last year about how important it was to have continuity in the organization.
Whoops.
Savage was probably asked to take a demotion, and refused.
As a Steeler fan, you'd probably have loved us to keep Crennell around forever- sort of like us Buckeye fans never wanted to see Lloyd Carr get the boot at at Michigan.
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I agree with what you said Larry...............and in essence it was you agreed with me.............I still firmly believe Sewage fed Crennel garbage........until it overwhelmed him and yes indeed he gave up end of this year..........
NO excuses for Crennel......he never should have been hired
But if Bill Polian was GM even Crennel would have been winning at year end
Are you ignoring Stan? Come on, Oh Great Prognosticator. In your most excellent wisdom, who can we hire that will turn it around?
I want to make sure we have this in writing, so when you start spouting shit about how you knew so-and-so sucked, we can pull the post and own you, just like every other 'prediction' you and Ghoolie make.
My guess, you won't name anybody or someone unobtainable. You never really commit to anything, just 'generics' - like Miss Cleo. Maybe that's what I'll start calling you. And Ghoolie can be Sylvia Brown.
Are you ignoring Stan? Come on, Oh Great Prognosticator. In your most excellent wisdom, who can we hire that will turn it around?
I want to make sure we have this in writing, so when you start spouting shit about how you knew so-and-so sucked, we can pull the post and own you, just like every other 'prediction' you and Ghoolie make.
My guess, you won't name anybody or someone unobtainable. You never really commit to anything, just 'generics' - like Miss Cleo. Maybe that's what I'll start calling you. And Ghoolie can be Sylvia Brown.
We need to merge these threads. I see rich named Cowher #1 (and whoever Cowher wants as GM) and Marty. Surprise, he got specific; another surprise, he also chose 'unobtanium.'
I don't think we'll get either one of these two. Cowher we'll try to get and fail (because he doesn't want to coach yet); Marty supposedly isn't on the radar and doesn't want to coach anymore.
Guess we'll have to wait and see what Sylvia and Miss Cleo's thoughts are on whomever gets hired.
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Aloysius said:
...I don't expect our drafts to get much better now that we've switched GM's. The people who've been complaining about Savage drafting Wimbley, D'Qwell, and Travis Wilson in 2006 should realize (as Tupa once pointed out) that Pioli drafted Laurence Maroney, Chad Jackson, and David Thomas that same year. Chad Jackson's been cut, Maroney's rumored to be on the chopping block, and Thomas has 21 career catches. Is that a better draft than Savage's?...Agree. That classs still has the potential to rival the best draft class in the history of the Browns. Terry Pluto has said the Browns were just paying their dues with Wrist and McDonald this year and expects them to further blossom next year. Thomas is a worker and will be OK. If Quinn pans out, than amazing is right.
I've read D-lineman transition slowly from college. Warren Sapp's first couple of years were average. Give Wimbley a chance. And of course give D'Quell another year.
So, its still possible Phil's drafts come out even further above average in the end.
It was the leadership and PR stuff that did him in. You're right.
Agree. That classs still has the potential to rival the best draft class in the history of the Browns. Terry Pluto has said the Browns were just paying their dues with Wrist and McDonald this year and expects them to further blossom next year. Thomas is a worker and will be OK. If Quinn pans out, than amazing is right.
I've read D-lineman transition slowly from college. Warren Sapp's first couple of years were average. Give Wimbley a chance. And of course give D'Quell another year.
So, its still possible Phil's drafts come out even further above average in the end.
Very true.
If we turn around things next year, I hope Savage's good drafts don't get completely forgotten (and the new FO's mistakes completely swept under the rug). It'd be like giving Gruden all the credit for winning a Super Bowl with what was basically Tony Dungy's team.
And if we end up with an even more chaotic front office-coach relationship, I'll be royally pissed.
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Congrats to the Brownies for getting rid of the best GM you guys have had since the move.
Maybe you'll find another Butch Davis to run the team into the ground.
Keep wiping the slate clean, and you wonder why you guys have had zero success since coming back.
I remember reading all these articles last year about how important it was to have continuity in the organization.
Whoops.
Savage was probably asked to take a demotion, and refused.
As a Steeler fan, you'd probably have loved us to keep Crennell around forever- sort of like us Buckeye fans never wanted to see Lloyd Carr get the boot at at Michigan.
Savage was probably asked to take a demotion, and refused.
As a Steeler fan, you'd probably have loved us to keep Crennell around forever- sort of like us Buckeye fans never wanted to see Lloyd Carr get the boot at at Michigan.
Obviously, I'd love to see you keep a loser like Crennel as head coach around forever. ( 0-8 vs. the Steelers in his short tenure as Browns HC)

But I'm not disputing firing him.
I think it was a stupid move to fire the one guy that showed you any positive change - Phil Savage.
All that talk from Randy Lerner last year about one of the Browns biggest weaknesses being lack of continuity from one regime to the next.
End of 2008, and Savage is out the door. And you've got to start totally fresh again. Just like 1999. Just like 2001. Just like 2005.
Don't you guys ever get sick of that?
I'm guessing its because you're going to make a move for Cowher. Talk here in Pittsburgh is that it might start as soon as tomorrow. But I doubt he ends up coaching next year, and I doubt even more he goes to Cleveland.
Then what?
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This is a good day Larry.......Sewage proved he stank right from the beginning and methinks Romeo just gave up
We are one good management team from perennial success be happy
Rich, Crennell should have been fired weeks ago for letting the team quit. And I'll lay that on Phil for not pulling the trigger. I don't share your total disdain for Savage. At least Savage didn't totally screw up his high picks, but he got about nada out of his low ones.
Phil will probably wind up back in Baltimore and Krispy Kreme will go back to fetching doughnuts for Bill B.
Rich, Crennell should have been fired weeks ago for letting the team quit. And I'll lay that on Phil for not pulling the trigger. I don't share your total disdain for Savage. At least Savage didn't totally screw up his high picks, but he got about nada out of his low ones.
Phil will probably wind up back in Baltimore and Krispy Kreme will go back to fetching doughnuts for Bill B.
Savage should have fired crennel at the bye week but instead phil defended him and struck out at us as unknowlegable fans who were dead wrong about rac when sewage gave that ignorant arrogant press release i flipped the switch on him right then realizing he was in a total make belief fantasy world..i like savage as a scout but thats where it ends..
As for krispy kreme in the end i think he is a victim of savages lousy system his fan unfriendly silence and his "keep it in the family" crap cost him his job i have to wonder if romeo was ever really in command of the team or just a sewage lackey..
And if he was truly in charge he should have been fired much much earlier because he really does suck at every aspect of being a coach he failed to move his horrible assistants or the players he wasnt a leader..i think lerners decision is justified ten times over for firing them both but i hope it doesnt stop there, because that house is littered with trash that needs to be sweeped up...
I hate seeing people lose their jobs but i love the browns and i have no loyalty to or for lazy ,sorry or inexperienced people at any level of the club who are not doing their jobs or whom are not the best possible people for the job because it causes disfunction and is detrimental to the club...
I really hope randy does this whole off season right we are patient and can wait for the browns to emerge as winners as long as there is a structure developed and a successful system installed,developed and the coordinators mentored so it can be passed down to the younger fiery coaches of the future its all part of having a successful system and the browns have lacked a solid management structure from the very top and have lacked a successful football program/system from mid level down for way to long..
It all starts by getting the right people to rebuild the organizations structure soo...
Randy needs to open his wallet wide and say ahhhhh...
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Savage was probably asked to take a demotion, and refused.
As a Steeler fan, you'd probably have loved us to keep Crennell around forever- sort of like us Buckeye fans never wanted to see Lloyd Carr get the boot at at Michigan.
Obviously, I'd love to see you keep a loser like Crennel as head coach around forever. ( 0-8 vs. the Steelers in his short tenure as Browns HC)

But I'm not disputing firing him.
I think it was a stupid move to fire the one guy that showed you any positive change - Phil Savage.
All that talk from Randy Lerner last year about one of the Browns biggest weaknesses being lack of continuity from one regime to the next.
End of 2008, and Savage is out the door. And you've got to start totally fresh again. Just like 1999. Just like 2001. Just like 2005.
Don't you guys ever get sick of that?
I'm guessing its because you're going to make a move for Cowher. Talk here in Pittsburgh is that it might start as soon as tomorrow. But I doubt he ends up coaching next year, and I doubt even more he goes to Cleveland.
Then what?
Obviously, I'd love to see you keep a loser like Crennel as head coach around forever. ( 0-8 vs. the Steelers in his short tenure as Browns HC)
But I'm not disputing firing him.
I think it was a stupid move to fire the one guy that showed you any positive change - Phil Savage.
All that talk from Randy Lerner last year about one of the Browns biggest weaknesses being lack of continuity from one regime to the next.
End of 2008, and Savage is out the door. And you've got to start totally fresh again. Just like 1999. Just like 2001. Just like 2005.
Don't you guys ever get sick of that?
I'm guessing its because you're going to make a move for Cowher. Talk here in Pittsburgh is that it might start as soon as tomorrow. But I doubt he ends up coaching next year, and I doubt even more he goes to Cleveland.
Then what?
Unlike some of my brethren, I have mixed emotions about firing Savage. And like I said before, he might have been asked to step down as GM to be director of Player Personnel, and refused. We don't know everything that went on behind closed doors. I'm getting the feeling him and Lerner weren't on the same page.
Even then as a talent evaluator, how many of the Browns could start for the Steelers? 3? 4? 6-7 tops. Phil's had 4 years.
Yeah-we're really sick of losing. Totally fed up. Even us lifelong hardcores are about ready to throw in the towel if this doesn't start changing, and soon. We've tried the hot college coach, and the hot defensive coordinator- got any other ideas? Proven winner in Cowher? I agree- a longshot at best. Marty's a more likely suspect, but he has no front office experience.
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Are you ignoring Stan? Come on, Oh Great Prognosticator. In your most excellent wisdom, who can we hire that will turn it around?
I want to make sure we have this in writing, so when you start spouting shit about how you knew so-and-so sucked, we can pull the post and own you, just like every other 'prediction' you and Ghoolie make.
My guess, you won't name anybody or someone unobtainable. You never really commit to anything, just 'generics' - like Miss Cleo. Maybe that's what I'll start calling you. And Ghoolie can be Sylvia Brown.
We need to merge these threads. I see rich named Cowher #1 (and whoever Cowher wants as GM) and Marty. Surprise, he got specific; another surprise, he also chose 'unobtanium.'
I don't think we'll get either one of these two. Cowher we'll try to get and fail (because he doesn't want to coach yet); Marty supposedly isn't on the radar and doesn't want to coach anymore.
Guess we'll have to wait and see what Sylvia and Miss Cleo's thoughts are on whomever gets hired.
We need to merge these threads. I see rich named Cowher #1 (and whoever Cowher wants as GM) and Marty. Surprise, he got specific; another surprise, he also chose 'unobtanium.'
I don't think we'll get either one of these two. Cowher we'll try to get and fail (because he doesn't want to coach yet); Marty supposedly isn't on the radar and doesn't want to coach anymore.
Guess we'll have to wait and see what Sylvia and Miss Cleo's thoughts are on whomever gets hired.
Rich won't give you a name because he wouldn't be able to come back and say the pick sucked. He said Cowher because Cowher signed a new contract with CBS last week and isn't interested in coaching this year and Marty wants to go to the FO, he doesn't want to coach.
It's easy being a Monday morning QB.
Pioli isn't the scout or personnel type of guy. Belechick made all the draft moves in NE. If we pick Pioli I hope they get a strong player personnel guy to go with him. One thing Savage did do is put a good network of scouts together. I surely would take Mangini as HC to go along with Pioli if the Jets let him go. Spagnola and McDaniel should be interviewed this week also.
Jerry Angelo from the Bears is not untouchable but he would also have to be named VP. He is underpaid and Chicago won't give him long term security. He was schooled by McKay at Tampa Bay and was a player Personnel Director before he became a GM.
Tom Hackett would also be a very good FO guy. Lots of experience and has a strong personnel and scouting background. Both Angelo and Hackett are very personable guys and get along well with the media. The only thing I don't like about Pioli is that he is media shy just like Lerner and Savage. Someone besides the coach has to a face for this organization.
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Rich, Crennell should have been fired weeks ago for letting the team quit. And I'll lay that on Phil for not pulling the trigger. I don't share your total disdain for Savage. At least Savage didn't totally screw up his high picks, but he got about nada out of his low ones.
Phil will probably wind up back in Baltimore and Krispy Kreme will go back to fetching doughnuts for Bill B.
Savage should have fired crennel at the bye week but instead phil defended him and struck out at us as unknowlegable fans who were dead wrong about rac when sewage gave that ignorant arrogant press release i flipped the switch on him right then realizing he was in a total make belief fantasy world..i like savage as a scout but thats where it ends..
As for krispy kreme in the end i think he is a victim of savages lousy system his fan unfriendly silence and his "keep it in the family" crap cost him his job i have to wonder if romeo was ever really in command of the team or just a sewage lackey..
And if he was truly in charge he should have been fired much much earlier because he really does suck at every aspect of being a coach he failed to move his horrible assistants or the players he wasnt a leader..i think lerners decision is justified ten times over for firing them both but i hope it doesnt stop there, because that house is littered with trash that needs to be sweeped up...
I hate seeing people lose their jobs but i love the browns and i have no loyalty to or for lazy ,sorry or inexperienced people at any level of the club who are not doing their jobs or whom are not the best possible people for the job because it causes disfunction and is detrimental to the club...
I really hope randy does this whole off season right we are patient and can wait for the browns to emerge as winners as long as there is a structure developed and a successful system installed,developed and the coordinators mentored so it can be passed down to the younger fiery coaches of the future its all part of having a successful system and the browns have lacked a solid management structure from the very top and have lacked a successful football program/system from mid level down for way to long..
It all starts by getting the right people to rebuild the organizations structure soo...
Randy needs to open his wallet wide and say ahhhhh...
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I really hope randy does this whole off season right we are patient and can wait for the browns to emerge as winners as long as there is a structure developed and a successful system installed,developed and the coordinators mentored so it can be passed down to the younger fiery coaches of the future its all part of having a successful system and the browns have lacked a solid management structure from the very top and have lacked a successful football program/system from mid level down for way to long..
It all starts by getting the right people to rebuild the organizations structure soo...
Randy needs to open his wallet wide and say ahhhhh...
Like the one Buzzard said to the other Buzzard- "patience my ass, I'm gonna kill something." I've been patient since 1964- enough is enough. I've seen incompetent franchises (Bengals) make it to the Super Bowl, and expansion franchises (Buccaneers) win one.
FWIW, Randy already opened his wallet big time- he just ate about $20 million of contracts to clean house.
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@ pl4tinum: good point about savage being able to fire crennel whenever he wanted. but, before this season, how do you fire a guy who just went 10-6 and was the surprise of the league?
@ pl4tinum: good point about savage being able to fire crennel whenever he wanted. but, before this season, how do you fire a guy who just went 10-6 and was the surprise of the league?
Simple fact is that he should never have been hired, or at least fired after his second season where we regressed.
The guy is worthless and Savage should have seen it. The fact that he didn't until the very end shows me that he is not a good evaluator of any type of talent let alone coaching talent.
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I really hope randy does this whole off season right we are patient and can wait for the browns to emerge as winners as long as there is a structure developed and a successful system installed,developed and the coordinators mentored so it can be passed down to the younger fiery coaches of the future its all part of having a successful system and the browns have lacked a solid management structure from the very top and have lacked a successful football program/system from mid level down for way to long..
It all starts by getting the right people to rebuild the organizations structure soo...
Randy needs to open his wallet wide and say ahhhhh...
Like the one Buzzard said to the other Buzzard- "patience my ass, I'm gonna kill something." I've been patient since 1964- enough is enough. I've seen incompetent franchises (Bengals) make it to the Super Bowl, and expansion franchises (Buccaneers) win one.
FWIW, Randy already opened his wallet big time- he just ate about $20 million of contracts to clean house.
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Offseason.... the most exciting event in a browns fans season. yeeesh.
I don't have enough time to watch a ton of games so I'll be the first to say I have no clue who we should hire for either position but I'm not sold on Cowher or Marty.
I liked Marty when he was here, for the most part. Looking at his track record he has always found a way to put a competitive team on the field. However, he hasn't reached the promised land. And while we'll settle for anything better than 4-12 right now, it won't be long before we're griping about Mary's prevent d or something else if the best we do in 4 years is 10-6 and a first round loss.
Bill..... the man won a ring and said, "Look, I'm content with that. Let me watch my kids grow up." I say let him. I don't want a guy we "talk in to" coaching with a fat salary.
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Obviously, I'd love to see you keep a loser like Crennel as head coach around forever. ( 0-8 vs. the Steelers in his short tenure as Browns HC)
But I'm not disputing firing him.
I think it was a stupid move to fire the one guy that showed you any positive change - Phil Savage.
All that talk from Randy Lerner last year about one of the Browns biggest weaknesses being lack of continuity from one regime to the next.
End of 2008, and Savage is out the door. And you've got to start totally fresh again. Just like 1999. Just like 2001. Just like 2005.
Don't you guys ever get sick of that?
I'm guessing its because you're going to make a move for Cowher. Talk here in Pittsburgh is that it might start as soon as tomorrow. But I doubt he ends up coaching next year, and I doubt even more he goes to Cleveland.
Then what?
Unlike some of my brethren, I have mixed emotions about firing Savage. And like I said before, he might have been asked to step down as GM to be director of Player Personnel, and refused. We don't know everything that went on behind closed doors. I'm getting the feeling him and Lerner weren't on the same page.
Even then as a talent evaluator, how many of the Browns could start for the Steelers? 3? 4? 6-7 tops. Phil's had 4 years.
Yeah-we're really sick of losing. Totally fed up. Even us lifelong hardcores are about ready to throw in the towel if this doesn't start changing, and soon. We've tried the hot college coach, and the hot defensive coordinator- got any other ideas? Proven winner in Cowher? I agree- a longshot at best. Marty's a more likely suspect, but he has no front office experience.
Even then as a talent evaluator, how many of the Browns could start for the Steelers? 3? 4? 6-7 tops. Phil's had 4 years.
Has anyone thought about this from the other side: how many of the guys the Steelers have drafted in the past few years could start for the Browns?
I looked at their '05-'07 drafts, and I came up with 3 definite starters: LaMarr Woodley, Santonio Holmes, and Lawrence Timmons (at ROLB). A case could be made that an additional 3 guys would start: Heath Miller, Willie Colon, and Bryant McFadden.
So somewhere between 3-6 young Steelers could start for the Browns: 1-2 starters per draft class.
Not exactly sure what that means...but it doesn't make me think that Savage's scouting skills were terrible.
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I'll go on record saying I'm disappointed. I feel that Savage did a great job bringing in players and managing the cap. I really like the guy. I admit he had a few slip-ups, but I didn't want to see him gone. I could see a reduced roll, but not completely gone. Partially because with both he and Crennel going, it's now a complete re-build. I felt Savage needed a chance to prove his talent evaluation under a new coaching regime. We'll see Savage get a new job somewhere else, and we'll see him bring talent into that organization as well. I truly believe that.
Great post. I share a lot of your feelings about this.
People should realize that this move wasn't about Savage's ability to scout & bring in talent. As Tony Grossi reported, it was more about Savage's communication skills and leadership abilities (or lack thereof).
I don't expect our drafts to get much better now that we've switched GM's. The people who've been complaining about Savage drafting Wimbley, D'Qwell, and Travis Wilson in 2006 should realize (as Tupa once pointed out) that Pioli drafted Laurence Maroney, Chad Jackson, and David Thomas that same year. Chad Jackson's been cut, Maroney's rumored to be on the chopping block, and Thomas has 21 career catches. Is that a better draft than Savage's?
A major reason for the Pats' recent success has been a series of brilliant trades. They got Wes Welker for a 2nd and 7th, and traded a late Round 1 pick in '07 for what turned out to be Randy Moss & Jerod Mayo. Though I didn't like the Corey Williams trade, the Shaun Rogers deal definitely qualifies for the same level of brilliance as Pioli's moves (at least the Welker deal).
The one way in which our drafts may end up being better is that we'll have closer coordination between the coach & GM on what kinds of players to bring in. Reports surfaced recently that Crennel didn't want Beau Bell; we had reports in camp that the coaching staff thought Corey Williams was a bust in their system; we drafted two late-round DE's in '07 that weren't at all fits for Romeo's fat guy 3-4 scheme.
If Lerner thought any deeper than "Savage is a jerk and doesn't manage well; I have to fire him," I suspect he came to the conclusion that demoting him would only perpetuate this disconnect between the players we draft & the scheme the new GM & coach plan to employ.
That may be why he's looking for a more integrated approach this time around: either Cowher in control of everything or Pioli running the show.
Ultimately, I think that's the smart thing to do, but I am a little disappointed that Savage didn't end up a success here. His '07 draft class converged on excellence - getting a franchise LT, QB, and two starting corners in the same draft is amazing. And had he gotten Desmond Bishop in Round 6, I suspect we wouldn't be talking about drafting Aaron Curry right now.
He displayed some serious PR & maturity issues, but I wouldn't be surprised to see him re-emerge a la Belichick as a great GM some day. He's only 43 years old, so he can bide his time as a scouting director for a couple years & end up landing a good job elsewhere.
I sincerely hope that happens...as long as he does it outside our division.
Aloysius said:
Great post. I share a lot of your feelings about this.People should realize that this move wasn't about Savage's ability to scout & bring in talent. As Tony Grossi reported, it was more about Savage's communication skills and leadership abilities (or lack thereof).
I don't expect our drafts to get much better now that we've switched GM's. The people who've been complaining about Savage drafting Wimbley, D'Qwell, and Travis Wilson in 2006 should realize (as Tupa once pointed out) that Pioli drafted Laurence Maroney, Chad Jackson, and David Thomas that same year. Chad Jackson's been cut, Maroney's rumored to be on the chopping block, and Thomas has 21 career catches. Is that a better draft than Savage's?
A major reason for the Pats' recent success has been a series of brilliant trades. They got Wes Welker for a 2nd and 7th, and traded a late Round 1 pick in '07 for what turned out to be Randy Moss & Jerod Mayo. Though I didn't like the Corey Williams trade, the Shaun Rogers deal definitely qualifies for the same level of brilliance as Pioli's moves (at least the Welker deal).
The one way in which our drafts may end up being better is that we'll have closer coordination between the coach & GM on what kinds of players to bring in. Reports surfaced recently that Crennel didn't want Beau Bell; we had reports in camp that the coaching staff thought Corey Williams was a bust in their system; we drafted two late-round DE's in '07 that weren't at all fits for Romeo's fat guy 3-4 scheme.
If Lerner thought any deeper than "Savage is a jerk and doesn't manage well; I have to fire him," I suspect he came to the conclusion that demoting him would only perpetuate this disconnect between the players we draft & the scheme the new GM & coach plan to employ.
That may be why he's looking for a more integrated approach this time around: either Cowher in control of everything or Pioli running the show.
Ultimately, I think that's the smart thing to do, but I am a little disappointed that Savage didn't end up a success here. His '07 draft class converged on excellence - getting a franchise LT, QB, and two starting corners in the same draft is amazing. And had he gotten Desmond Bishop in Round 6, I suspect we wouldn't be talking about drafting Aaron Curry right now.
He displayed some serious PR & maturity issues, but I wouldn't be surprised to see him re-emerge a la Belichick as a great GM some day. He's only 43 years old, so he can bide his time as a scouting director for a couple years & end up landing a good job elsewhere.
I sincerely hope that happens...as long as he does it outside our division.
Agreed. Yes, Savage made mistakes, most glaring of which was resigning DA when we were postured to obtain significant talent for a vastly over-rated QB.
Now we need to hire a competent GM, let him hire his coaching choice, & trust that coach to put together a solid staff. I also agree with many that with proper coaching & leadership, we have a talent base that could quickly develop into a consistent winner.
Mike
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Terrible move. There is boatloads of talent on this roster and it's all because of Phil Savage. Romeo xxxxed Phil's career.
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Rich, As the most out-spoken on the subject to fire these two, who do you want us to replace Crennel & Savage with?
I'll chime in- Pioli. Does Marty know how to scout? I haven't forgotten Mike Junkin.
If Cowher won't take the job (I predict he won't) Kirk Ferentz or Urban Meyer, or how about Bob Stoops (he's a Buckeye) out of the college ranks? I've seen enough of Tressell that I doubt he'd be successful as a pro coach, and he'd never leave OSU anyway- he's got tenure there for life.
I flat out humbly profess my ignorance to not even dare suggest how any assistant NFL coaches might turn out, and other than Marty or Cowher, no HC retreads please- they rarely work- Coughlin being the glaring exception to the rule.
I'll chime in- Pioli. Does Marty know how to scout? I haven't forgotten Mike Junkin.
If Cowher won't take the job (I predict he won't) Kirk Ferentz or Urban Meyer, or how about Bob Stoops (he's a Buckeye) out of the college ranks? I've seen enough of Tressell that I doubt he'd be successful as a pro coach, and he'd never leave OSU anyway- he's got tenure there for life.
I flat out humbly profess my ignorance to not even dare suggest how any assistant NFL coaches might turn out, and other than Marty or Cowher, no HC retreads please- they rarely work- Coughlin being the glaring exception to the rule.
Ummm.. the majority of SB winning coaches in recent NFL history have been retreads.
Belichick.
Dungy
Gruden
Shula
Shanahan
Vermeil
Coughlin
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Savage was probably asked to take a demotion, and refused.
As a Steeler fan, you'd probably have loved us to keep Crennell around forever- sort of like us Buckeye fans never wanted to see Lloyd Carr get the boot at at Michigan.
Obviously, I'd love to see you keep a loser like Crennel as head coach around forever. ( 0-8 vs. the Steelers in his short tenure as Browns HC)

But I'm not disputing firing him.
I think it was a stupid move to fire the one guy that showed you any positive change - Phil Savage.
All that talk from Randy Lerner last year about one of the Browns biggest weaknesses being lack of continuity from one regime to the next.
End of 2008, and Savage is out the door. And you've got to start totally fresh again. Just like 1999. Just like 2001. Just like 2005.
Don't you guys ever get sick of that?
I'm guessing its because you're going to make a move for Cowher. Talk here in Pittsburgh is that it might start as soon as tomorrow. But I doubt he ends up coaching next year, and I doubt even more he goes to Cleveland.
Then what?
Obviously, I'd love to see you keep a loser like Crennel as head coach around forever. ( 0-8 vs. the Steelers in his short tenure as Browns HC)
But I'm not disputing firing him.
I think it was a stupid move to fire the one guy that showed you any positive change - Phil Savage.
All that talk from Randy Lerner last year about one of the Browns biggest weaknesses being lack of continuity from one regime to the next.
End of 2008, and Savage is out the door. And you've got to start totally fresh again. Just like 1999. Just like 2001. Just like 2005.
Don't you guys ever get sick of that?
Is it bad when I agree the most with a Steelers fan on here? I'm unhappy about rebuilding again. But here we are. I'm just hoping whoever comes in doesn't clean house. I like a lot of the players that Savage brought in, and I think the right coach can make some great improvements to this team with some tough-love, discipline, and fundamentals.
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