Cleveland Browns (2007 & prior)

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1/5/06

BROWNS: Savage saga stunned area Browns fans

Thursday, January 5, 2006

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



CANTON - The Canton Browns Backers were torn by their favorite team’s storm-tossed weekend.
When it appeared Phil Savage would be out as general manager, local attorney Larry Zink was so fired up that he called club president Chuck Schuster from Florida. Zink said he was finished as a season ticket holder if Savage left in a power squeeze.
Other local Backers said the same thing. Owner Randy Lerner got the message.
By the time the local Backers held their regular meeting Monday at the Winking Lizard, everyone had heard it was President John Collins, not Savage, who would go.
If the reaction at the meeting mirrored the response elsewhere, salvaging Savage saved a lot of season ticket cancellations.
Savage made a strong impression on the local Backers during a summer speech at the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
“He tells the truth,” Schuster said. “He is right to the point ... no smokescreens.”
Chapter member Bob Ferne thought Savage was “up front” during the Canton speech, in which he told the crowd to expect a choppy 2005.
On Sunday, while the Browns were facing the Ravens, it was still unclear whether Savage would leave.
It was a day of mixed emotions for the Canton Backers, who were summoned onto the field at Cleveland Browns Stadium. The local Backers were one of a few chapters picked to receive a grant from the charitable foundation run by the Randy Lerner family. The Canton group’s cause is the Children’s Network, which helps sexually and physically abused children in Stark County.
Savage’s summer speech likewise was a fundraiser for the Children’s Network.
“We were really honored to be recognized,” Schuster said.
Schuster said Savage has verbally committed to another fund-raiser speech for the Canton Browns Backers this summer. A date hasn’t been set. ROSTER MOVES. The Browns signed seven developmental players as reserve/future free agents on Wednesday. The players, all of whom finished the season on the practice squad, are running back Jason Wright, offensive linemen Atlas Herrion and Pete McMahon, linebackers Justin Kurpeikis and Clifton Smith, wideout Kendrick Mosley and cornerback James Thornton. Kurpeikis has played in 14 career games with New England and Pittsburgh. Wright was on the active roster briefly, scoring a touchdown in a win over the Titans. Reach Repository sports writer Steve Doerschuk at (330) 580-8347 or e-mail: steve.doerschuk@cantonrep.com
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CANTON - The Canton Browns Backers were torn by their favorite team’s storm-tossed weekend.
When it appeared Phil Savage would be out as general manager, local attorney Larry Zink was so fired up that he called club president Chuck Schuster from Florida. Zink said he was finished as a season ticket holder if Savage left in a power squeeze.
Other local Backers said the same thing. Owner Randy Lerner got the message.

I know when I heard that rumor I was ready to give up.

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1/8/07

BROWNS YEAR IN REVIEW

<H1 class=red>The record doesn't lie

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Sunday, January 08, 2006

Crennel knows his team has much room for improvement in 2006


Plain Dealer Reporter
Romeo Crennel is a no-frills coach and a simple man. His assessment of his first season as Browns coach cut to the chase.

“By winning six, we won more they won last year ... so that’s a slight improvement,” Crennel said. “Now the challenge is to continue to improve and do better this coming year.”

A 6-10 record exceeded national expectations for the talent-deprived Browns in 2005.

There were surprise wins (26-24 at Green Bay, 20-10 over No. 2 NFC playoff seed Chicago, 22-0 over 9-7 Miami) and disappointing losses (13- 10 at home to Detroit and 19-16 to 2-14 Houston).

There were close, impressive losses (13-6 at No. 1 AFC playoff seed Indianapolis and 20-14 to 12-4 Jacksonville) and embarrassing ones (41-0 at home to Pittsburgh and 16-3 at Baltimore).

“You are what you are,” Crennel said. “We’re good enough to win six, which is not very good.”

It marked the fifth time in seven seasons since they rejoined the NFL that the Browns lost 10 or more games.

But this season ended with the Browns feeling better about themselves, at least on the field. Crennel’s 3-4 defense overachieved, leaving the impression that the system will produce a stingier unit as returning players advance in their second year and newer ones with playmaking ability are added.

The offense underachieved, but the vision of Charlie Frye handing off to Reuben Droughns and throwing to a healthy Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow Jr. warranted optimism that touchdowns will be easier to come by in 2006.

And the fact that owner Randy Lerner refrained from pushing the panic button and blowing up the football operation spared fans another off-season of change.

Now it’s up to general manager Phil Savage to justify all that time away from the office and provide Crennel with more talent. It’s all the hope Browns fans have.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:

tgrossi@plaind.com, 216-999-4670.

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1/11/06

Savage gives picks a passing grade

Wednesday, January 11, 2006

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



BEREA - Phil Savage defends his first Cleveland draft crop as he digs in for the next one.
“I’m excited about seeing what we can do in free agency and the draft,” the Browns’ general manager said. “Our expectation for ’06 will be to add a real difference maker or two ... or three or four or five.”
Savage wants some immediate help from the draft, for which preparations are going full bore.
Aid arrived in erratic bursts during 2005. First-rounder Braylon Edwards totaled nine catches for 197 yards in wins over Green Bay and Miami but missed three other wins and had one catch for 2 yards in another.
Savage characterizes Edwards as a “legitimate No. 1 receiver,” but not until he proves he can come back from knee surgery.
“Two examples jump to my mind are Anquan Boldin and Jamal Lewis,” Savage said. “They had ACL injuries, came back and were able to play pretty well, but it wasn’t until the following season that they really hit their stride again.”
Coming off knee surgery in 2004, Boldin missed the first six games and wound up with 623 receiving yards. This year, he delivered 1,402 yards.
Lewis was coming off knee surgery in 2002, when he rushed for 1,327 yards. The next year, he led the league with 2,066 yards.
“Braylon is young, he’s healthy and he’s never really been hurt,” Savage said. “I think there’s a good prognosis, (but) we need to temper that.”
Second-round pick Brodney Pool didn’t get any starts at safety. As a situational player, he made 25 tackles, including five in the season-ending win over Baltimore. He had a sack in a win over the Bears and an interception in a win over the Titans.
Pool left Oklahoma early and won’t turn 22 until May 24. It will be a surprise if he doesn’t become a starter in 2006. Savage called him “potentially our best pure athlete on defense.”
Third-round pick Charlie Frye was 2-3 as the starting quarterback. The former Akron star passed for 1,002 yards but had trouble finding the end zone. His only touchdown drive during his final three starts covered 24 yards, following a long Josh Cribbs kick return.
“We saw some real positives,” Savage said. “I think Charlie’s going to get a strong look (as the starter for 2006).”
The rest of the ’05 draft picks were mostly invisible.
Fourth-rounder Antonio Perkins replaced an injured Cribbs as kick returner at Green Bay (three attempts, 27.3 average) and sat out the next 14 games.
“He needs to have a really strong offseason,” Savage said. “It’d be fantastic if he could become the fourth corner. We have some depth with Leigh Bodden, Gary Baxter coming back from injury and Daylon McCutcheon.”
Fifth-rounder David McMillan wore Courtney Brown’s old number, 92, and gave the 2005 Browns the same number of tackles as Brown, zero.
“He played defensive end at Kansas,” Savage said. “We’ve tried to make him a linebacker. He flashed some rush ability in practice. He could become a nickel rusher next year.”
Head Coach Romeo Crennel opted not to play McMillan after Game 5.
Sixth-round pick Nick Speegle appeared in 14 games, mostly on special teams. Coaches seemed to like him.
“We think he can at least be a backup (linebacker),” Savage said of the 6-foot-6, 250-pounder from New Mexico.
Sixth-round pick Andrew Hoffman spent the year as a practice squad defensive lineman. Seventh-round pick Jonathan Dunn, a 6-7, 330-pound offensive tackle, spent the year on injured reserve and will be seasoned in NFL Europe.
“The first three rounds are what you’ve got to hit on,” Savage said. “We expected a number of these second-day guys would be ‘red-shirted.’
“We felt like we had done enough in free agency that in day two, we could take the best available players who would have a chance to develop. “We’ll see how that plays out.” Reach Repository sports writer Steve Doerschuk at (330) 580-8347 or e-mail: steve.doerschuk@cantonrep.com
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1/12/06

Browns again looking for help

Thursday, January 12, 2006


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



BEREA - The Browns dived into the free- agency pool for offensive linemen last year.
Expect them to take another plunge.
Three starting blockers were signed in 2005, but left tackle L.J. Shelton’s contract is up, left guard Joe Andruzzi has injury issues, and right guard Cosey Coleman is signed only through 2006.
“I do think that we need to find a young lineman of some kind, a center, guard or tackle,” General Manager Phil Savage said. “Unfortunately, most of your best left tackles aren’t going to be available in free agency, and you usually only have one or two guys in the draft.
“So, we’re going to have to manufacture and get through that situation, but I think we can improve our offensive line.”
Offensive line isn’t the only area in which Savage will pursue help in a free- agent market that opens in March.
How healthy is the projected talent crop?
“I think it will be pretty good,” Savage said, “especially if some of these guys actually get to the market (rather than re-signing with their current clubs or getting hit with a franchise-player tag).
“It could be pretty solid, and it’d probably fit fairly well with what some of our needs might be.”
LeCharles Bentley, who starred at Cleveland St. Ignatius and Ohio State and has played well at guard and center for New Orleans, is eligible for unrestricted free agency. He would make good sense for the Browns, projecting as a starting guard who could move to center if Jeff Faine gets hurt. Faine has finished the last three years on injured reserve, making it through 13 games in 2005.
A free agent left tackle who bears watching is Jeff Backus, who has started all 80 games the Lions have played since they made him a No. 18 overall draft pick out of Michigan in 2001.
Guard Steve Hutchinson, Backus’ former Michigan teammate, can be an unrestricted free agent after Seattle’s playoff run ends. He is a Pro Bowl starter who will be very expensive, but might be perfect for jump starting Charlie Frye’s career.
READY TO SPEND
The Browns’ best 2005 blockers, Faine and right tackle Ryan Tucker, both are signed through 2009.
Savage must address uncertainty at left tackle and overall depth.
The top 2005 backup, Mike Pucillo, made injury-replacement starts at left guard, right guard and center, but he can be an unrestricted free agent.
The top developmental player is 22-year-old tackle Nat Dorsey, acquired from the Vikings in a Sept. 4 trade for Melvin Fowler. Dorsey made seven starts for Minnesota as a rookie Round 4 draft pick in 2004, but he played only a few downs for the 2005 Browns.
Shelton, who will turn 30 in March, might be brought back on a two- or three-year deal.
“For the most part, he played adequately,” Savage said. “I think there were certain games where he performed not up to standard, so people think he can’t play at all .... and that’s not true. He’s an NFL left tackle.
“There’s not a whole lot to choose from out there, especially when you start factoring in the salary and the money that it’s going to take to bring other people in here.
“I think L.J. would like to come back here, and we would not be opposed to that.”
The Browns have “significant” spending money, Savage said, although he declined to specify, other than to say it is less than the $30 million under the cap that has been reported.
“We should have a lot of flexibility to go out and pursue some guys,” he said. “We may not get many, but we’re going to try to get some guys who’ll help us win.”
Free agent Backus isn’t as strong a run blocker as Shelton, but is better in pass protection.
THE SHOPPING LIST
The Browns will have depth problems if they fail to re-sign defensive end Orpheus Roye and wide receiver Antonio Bryant before they get to free agency March 1.
“Orpheus is in our plans. We want him back,” Savage said. “I think he would like to be here. We’ve certainly burned no bridges with Orpheus and his people.”
Bryant had the second-most catches by a Browns receiver in the last 20 years (69), and the fourth-biggest receiving yardage season in franchise history (1,009).
Savage said he will pursue Bryant through agent Lamont Smith, who also represents Braylon Edwards.
“He did a lot of positive things, and he’s a player that we’re not opposed to bringing back,” Savage said. “I think he would actually like to come back if the price is right.”
Reach Repository sports writer Steve Doerschuk at (330) 580-8347 or e-mail steve.doerschuk@cantonrep.com







WISH LIST
Potential NFL free agents to watch for the Browns include:
Linebackers Julian Peterson (49ers), Akin Ayodele (Jaguars) and Will Witherspoon (Panthers).
Defensive ends Aaron Kampman (Packers), Kyle Vanden Bosch (Titans) and Anthony Weaver (Ravens).
Defensive tackles Larry Triplett (Colts), Chris Hovan (Bucs), Grady Jackson (Packers) and Damione Lewis (Rams).


SAVAGE’S BEST BUYS
Ranking Phil Savage’s first free agency class in terms of overall value, and updating contract status:
1, RG Cosey Coleman. Former Super Bowl starter worked well beside Jeff Faine and Ryan Tucker, and worked cheap. Signed through 2006.
2, LG Joe Andruzzi. Four-year, $9 million deal was reasonable for a guy with three Super Bowl rings and balky knees. Signed through 2008.
3, DB Brian Russell. Got modest $3 million package, helped team grasp new scheme in 16 starts at free safety. Signed through 2006.
4, LT L.J. Shelton. Brought professional approach, adequate play to a position Ross Verba had turned into a sideshow. Contract has expired.
5, CB Ray Mickens. For $750,000, the Browns rented a veteran nickel back who showed younger guys how to be a pro. Contract has expired.
6, LB Matt Stewart. Former Atlanta starter had a strong camp, sprained a knee, and was only adequate in 12 starts. Signed through 2007.
7, CB Gary Baxter. Since he played only four full games before tearing a chest muscle, who knows if he’s worth $30 million? Signed through 2010.
8, NT Jason Fisk. He’s tough and mature, but at 33, he’s too old and too small to guard the door in Romeo Crennel’s 3-4. Signed through 2007. 9, P Kyle Richardson. Keeping Derrick Frost, who is kicking fairly well for the Redskins, would have been wise, in retrospect. Contract has expired. STEVE DOERSHUCK
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