Cleveland Browns (2007 & prior)

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Canton

6/1/06

Savage is optimistic

Thursday, June 1, 2006

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>By Steve Doerschuk Repository sports writer


CANTON - Phil Savage seems a little angry with Reuben Droughns, and a lot optimistic about his team.
During a fundraising speech for the Children’s Network of Stark County on Wednesday, the Browns’ general manager punctuated an it’s-time-to-win rant with a one-liner that drew quick applause:
“Let’s go do some damage to Pittsburgh for a change.”
Before his talk for the Canton Browns Backers function at the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Savage fleshed out his stance on Droughns. The running back was arrested in Colorado last week on domestic violence charges.
“Anytime a player has an issue off the field, you’re concerned about it,” Savage said. “We extended Reuben this spring, and with that comes more responsibility.”
Savage was talking about a new contract that runs through 2009, coming off Droughns’ 1,232-yard rushing year.
“I think he’s expressed sorrow to us about it,” Savage said. “It’s something that we’ll monitor over the next few months. We certainly don’t want it to happen again.”
The Browns will begin voluntary spring practice today, leading up to a mandatory minicamp June 16 through 18.
“(Droughns) is back here in Cleveland,” Savage said. “He’ll start our (practice) tomorrow. I’ve spoken to him. Romeo (Crennel) has spoken to him. I’ve spoken to his representative.”
Savage seemed optimistic Droughns’ legal proceedings can be resolved by early July.
“Hopefully, all of this will be rectified before we ever even get under way with training camp,” Savage said.
Droughns might have re-opened the door for forgotten man William Green, a first-round draft pick in 2002 whose Cleveland contract expires after this season. Savage volunteered Green’s name a couple of times Wednesday in a general discussion of the team’s running prospects.
Plan A remains getting Droughns back on the field as the feature back, but Lee Suggs — signed through 2007 — also might have additional opportunities.
Savage suggested Suggs can play a key role if he proves he can stay healthy.
“Lee is a talent. We don’t want to short-change talent,” Savage said. “Sometimes durability and dependability override pure ability.”
Savage didn’t mention Droughns during his speech. He did touch on a January front-office blow-up that left him standing and President John Collins out.
Savage and owner Randy Lerner both say they worked through the ordeal and have a good relationship.
“I met with Randy today,” Savage told a capacity crowd. “This is the job I thought I was getting when I walked in the door. It took a little time to get there ...
“I’m convinced the Browns can win. I’m convinced the Browns will win. And that’s exciting news for a fan base that’s been starved for a consistent winner.”
This was Savage’s second appearance at a Browns backers fundraiser for the Children’s Network. A lot has happened since the previous one last spring.
“I think now we can stand up and start talking about winning,” Savage said. “It’s not just about being representative and ‘hold the thing together and let’s see what we have.’ That was last year.
“This year is gonna be more about trying to win, and ... get out there and compete ... win our division, win our division games. You know ...”
After a short pause, he delivered the line that brought the applause: “Let’s go do some damage to Pittsburgh for a change.”
When the Browns face Pittsburgh on Nov. 19, it will have been more than three years since they last beat the Steelers. Pittsburgh won the last meeting 41-0 on Christmas Eve.
Since then, Savage has added several key agents, including Pro Bowl center LeCharles Bentley, who attended Wednesday’s dinner. He drafted pass rusher Kamerion Wimbley, whom he said is “an A-plus person and we think he’s gonna be an A-plus on the field in due time.”
The key man is second-year pro Charlie Frye, the starting quarterback.
“I think Charlie can do it,” Savage said. “He better be able to do it, or you’ll have a different speaker.”
The Droughns issue notwithstanding, Savage said, “We’ve had various issues with this team since last January. We’ve done a good job of cleaning the locker room up. I think we’ve got a good group of guys, a really good group of players. “I feel 1,000 percent better than I did a year ago.” Reach Repository sports writer Steve Doerschuk at (330) 580-8347 or e-mail: steve.doerschuk@cantonrep.com


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CPD

6/1/06

<H1 class=red>Droughns' troubles concern Browns GM

</H1>

Thursday, June 01, 2006

Mary Kay Cabot

Plain Dealer Reporter

Brown General Manager Phil Savage admitted Wednesday night the Browns are concerned about running back Reuben Droughns' charges of domestic violence.

"Anytime a player has an issue off the field, you're concerned about it," Savage said before a speaking engagement at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton. "We extended [the contract of] Reuben this spring, and with that comes more responsibility."

Savage was referring to the three-year, $12 million contract extension Droughns signed this off-season after rushing for 1,232 yards in 2005.

"He's expressed sorrow to us about [the incident]," Savage said. "It's something we'll monitor over the next few months. We certainly don't want it to happen again."

Droughns was charged with one misdemeanor count of assault and two misdemeanor counts of harassment last week following a domestic incident that occurred with his wife, Kellie, in their suburban Denver home on May 12.

Savage said Droughns will participate in the Browns' organized team activities - known as OTA's - which begin today and run through minicamp June 16-18. He said Droughns will participate in minicamp and "hopefully this will all be rectified before we get under way in training camp [July 29]."

"It's something we have to be aware of," Savage said. "We have a number of backs. I don't think it's going to be a problem."

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:

mcabot@plaind.com, 216-999-4670

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Canton

6/2/06

Frye starts job as No. 1

Friday, June 2, 2006

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>By Steve Doerschuk REPOSITORY SPORTS WRITER


It seemed official Thursday. Young Charlie Frye was on the edge of the hot seat.
The Browns ran through their first voluntary spring practice, launching Frye’s run as the team’s undisputed starting quarterback.
For the first time in public, during a talk at a Canton Browns Backers dinner, General Manager Phil Savage revealed the background of how Frye came so far, so fast.
The 2005 draft had steamed through two rounds. Savage had picked wideout Braylon Edwards at No. 3 overall and safety Brodney Pool at No. 34.
“We ranked 150 players on our board,” Savage said. “Charlie was our 45th-ranked player. People say, ‘Is that a second-round grade?’ We just let players fall off the board and said, ‘If he’s still there when the players ahead of him are gone, we’ll take him.’
“There was one name ahead of Charlie Frye when it was our turn in the third round.‘’
The name was Ellis Hobbs. He had played for a nondescript Iowa State team, but he did turn out to be something of a find for the Patriots.
New England grabbed him late in the third round, at No. 84. Hobbs started the Patriots’ last 10 games at left cornerback, and they went 7-3.
The Browns had been on the clock in the third round with the 67th pick.
“We’re sitting there talking about it,” Savage aid, “and I’m like ... ‘OK, Ellis Hobbs is ... probably gonna be a nickel corner. He might be a starting corner at some point, but ... he’s 5-foot-9, 180-some pounds, and he’s he only guy standing between Charlie Frye and the Cleveland Browns.
“ ‘Guys, there’s no way we pass up Charlie Frye, who potentially might be our quarterback in a year or two, because this kid ... has got grit, moxie, mobility. He’s got just enough arm. Let’s do it.’ ”
Savage’s first hard look at Frye came in 2004 while in Baltimore.
“One of the Ravens’ scouts wanted to go to Penn State, which was playing ... Akron,” Savage said. “I told him I’d ride up there with him ... Akron had this quarterback, Charlie Frye.”
Savage talked with former Browns linebacker Frank Stams, who was doing radio work for Akron. Stams raved about Frye’s toughness and mobility. Akron wound up getting waxed, 48-10, but Savage liked the way Frye hung in.
Months passed before Savage saw Frye again, this time as the Browns’ new GM, at the Senior Bowl that set the stage for the 2005 draft. Senior Bowl practices draw hundreds of NFL scouts to Mobile, Ala.
“Charlie is not gonna wow you with physical gifts or throwing a pretty ball,” Savage said, “so we sat in the bleachers ... (and) watched Charlie throw left to right, right to left, down low, up high, and we were like ... ‘I don’t know about this guy. He just throws kind of average.’ ‘’
Most scouts make Senior Bowl judgments via practices and leave before the game.
“A handful of us stayed for the game,” Savage said. “Who emerged as the MVP but Charlie Frye?”
Two months later, Frye threw for scouts at Akron’s Pro Day.
“I didn’t really want to go,” Savage said. “In that environment, he’s just going to be throwing ‘on air.’
“I acted like I was watching him, but I really wasn’t. I didn’t want to skew our vision of him.’ ”
Savage drove from there to a speaking engagement near Uniontown, then drove to a private meeting with Frye.
“For two hours,” Savage said, “we watched film and talked about the Browns and his career at Akron.
“I’m sitting there listening to this guy thinking, ‘This is not a silver-platter quarterback.’ This is a guy who has earned his way, coming from the small town of Willard, Ohio, probably overlooked to a degree.
“He’s led a less-than-stellar college team into Iowa, Virginia Tech, Wisconsin and Penn State. There’s something a little unique about this guy.”
Savage consulted with coaches and scouts. Films were studied. A consensus was formed. It wasn’t as glowing as reports that projected Frye as a Brett Favre-style improviser — Frye doesn’t have Favre’s arm. But it placed a certain premium on his “intangibles.”
The Browns picked Frye in Round 3 and wound up installing him as the starter after going with Trent Dilfer for 11 games. Dilfer is gone. Frye was the hot-button name at Thursday’s start of spring practice.
“I feel like with LeCharles Bentley and some of the offensive linemen we have, a healthy K2 (Kellen Winslow Jr.) back ...,” Savage said. “The team built around Charlie will be able to hold him up when he does have to struggle at times.
“Yet, he has that little bit of a dimension that when the other guys are flat, he might be able to lift them up. I think he can do that late in games.
“He did that against the Ravens when we were down 16-6 and came back to win. That’s kind of been his M.O..”
By now, Frye seems a natural for the job. How different the Browns’ spring would seem if the pick had been Hobbs.
BACKERS’ BIG NIGHT
Savage’s appearance helped raise $35,000 for the Children’s Network of Stark County, according to Canton Browns Backers President Chuck Schuster.
Schuster and a network of volunteers put together the program, which featured donated auction items.
“We nearly doubled what we raised in 2005,” Schuster said. “It was a night to remember, and it’s going to be tough to beat next year.” Browns players LeCharles Bentley and Josh Cribbs attended Wednesday’s dinner and told Schuster they want to attend the Network’s Children’s Christmas Party this year. Reach Repository sports writer Steve Doerschuk at (330) 580-8347 or e-mail: steve.doerschuk@cantonrep.com


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scout.com (free)

6/2/06

Free Agents: Setting the Tone for Success........

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CPD

6/4/06

BROWNS INSIDER
Dorsey's backup chances up in the air


Sunday, June 04, 2006

Mary Kay Cabot
Plain Dealer Reporter

After the first two full-squad sessions of organized team activities - known as OTAs - Browns General Manager Phil Savage said it's still too early to tell whether Ken Dorsey has what it takes to be Charlie Frye's backup at quarterback.

"He's excellent in the classroom, he's a quick learner, he's a team player, and the coaches like him," Savage said. "I think it's just a matter of physical ability, but [Browns quarterbacks coach] Rip Scherer thinks he can make some mechanical adjustments that will help Ken."

Savage said the decision on whether or not to find another experienced backup "will become a lot clearer in about three weeks," after the mandatory minicamp June 16-18. He said he'd "like to be more convinced than we are right now" that they have what they need.

Savage said the chemistry between Frye and Dorsey has been good, but Dorsey isn't content to sit back and accept the backup role.

"He seems determined to make Charlie work hard to keep his job," Savage said. "He's very competitive, so it will be good for both of them."

Savage said third-teamer Derek Anderson is also a player to watch and that in time, he'll challenge for the backup role.

"He might be the best pure passer we have," Savage said. "He's a good prospect."

Savage said the Browns have not considered bringing in Tim Couch to see if his surgically repaired arm is healthy.

"This organization has crossed that bridge," Savage said.

Winslow impressive:

Tight end Kellen Winslow Jr., coming off surgery to repair a torn ACL, hasn't missed a rep in OTAs, Savage said.

"You'd never know he was coming off an injury," Savage said. "Every day, he makes a couple of catches where you just shake your head and say, 'This is how we remember him at Miami.' "

He said receiver Braylon Edwards, also coming off a torn ACL, is not participating in drills, "but he's been doing some running and he's been pretty impressive."

McCutcheon scope:

Cornerback Daylon McCutcheon is idle during these sessions - which are closed to the media - because he's coming off arthroscopic surgery on his ankle April 28. Savage said he expects McCutcheon to be ready for minicamp.

"It's not something anyone's concerned about," he said.

Thompson inside:

Chaun Thompson, the Browns' second-round pick in 2003, is working almost exclusively at inside linebacker, Savage said.

"One of the keys for our linebackers this year is versatility," Savage said. "With Chaun working inside, it increases his value to us."

He said Thompson has had a good attitude about the move, where he'll compete with rookie D'Qwell Jackson and others. Savage said the right inside linebacker job is open for the taking, and Thompson will get a good fight from Jackson.

"Chaun has made it clear that he doesn't want to be the forgotten man and that he'll do whatever it takes to get on the field," Savage said. "Last season, he was one of the few defensive players who could close with acceleration and burst, and he still has that ability."

He said Thompson is expected to play without the cast on his surgically repaired right wrist. Savage said Matt Stewart is working both inside and outside.

Bentley's goose egg:

Center LeCharles Bentley struck out in his bid to wear 00 next season in honor of Hall of Fame center Jim Otto of the Raiders, but he might wear it in preseason.

The NFL's Competition Committee recommended against number changes for 2006 but will look into it for 2007.

"It's a shame," said Neil Schwartz, Bentley's agent. "LeCharles is very disappointed."

Jonathan Feinsod, Bentley's other rep, said Bentley seemed open to the idea of wearing it in preseason this year "and hopefully he can wear it next year."

He also said Bentley will shoot a McDonald's commercial in July.

Wimbley impressions:

Top pick Kamerion Wimbley has been impressive in practice.

"He looks more and more like an outside linebacker every time we see him on the field," Savage said. "We think he's going to be an A-plus player."

Running back battle:

Savage said the competition at backup running back behind Reuben Droughns is one of the most intriguing. It features Lee Suggs, William Green, Jason Wright and rookie Jerome Harrison. The Browns are proceeding as though Droughns will not miss any time because of his domestic violence charges.

"Lee and William both look good and have worked extremely hard in the off-season," Savage said. "William is really well-liked and well-respected here because of how he's conducted himself for the past 1½ years."

He said Suggs must prove he can stay healthy.

"We want him as part of our team, but he's going to have to prove that he can do it for more than one game," Savage said. "I've gotten e-mails from people saying, 'Don't give up on Lee Suggs.' We haven't, but we've got to have some durability."

Savage also said undrafted rookie running back Chris Barclay of Wake Forest is intriguing.

"He's shown some quickness and ability out in [open] space," Savage said.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:

mcabot@plaind.com, 216-999-4670