Thursday, November 30, 2006
Confidence In Crennel...For Now
By John Chandler
"It's a joke."
Phil Savage's words, not mine. But he's not referring to his 3-8 football team (though he wouldn't be far off). No, the Browns general manager is taking his best shot at the flying rumors of coach Romeo Crennel's impending firing.
Folks around town have turned on the lovable, huggable RAC. I wonder if Donato's will even let him order out again, given the current state of the team and all.
Hey, Browns football is serious business in Cleveland. And after that 30-0 spanking from Cincinnati on Sunday, fans are seriously ticked.
Owner Randy Lerner said he was "sickened" by that exhibition. Come to think of it, the Browns playing like it was the exhibition season.
So, on Thursday morning, there sat Savage before half a dozen cameras and two-and-a-half dozen reporters, straight-faced in his assessment that the structure of the Cleveland Browns organization is just fine.
Peachy-keen here in Berea, thanks for asking.
Never been better, folks.
Excaaactly. The Browns have never been better, save for one trip to the playoffs that Butch Davis's team tripped into in 2002. This franchise doesn't seem to be getting better, at least not anytime soon.
Oh, but there are signs, according to Savage, who promptly pointed to the progress of a pair of rookie linebackers. Don't get me wrong, D'Qwell Jackson's 16 tackles against Cincinnati were impressive. They just kept a 30-0 loss from getting out of hand.
Savage does have a point, though. It appears, with OLB Kamerion Wimbley (6 sacks) and Jackson, the Browns have a pair of winners. That's more than can be said for any draft from 1999 to 2003, where five players--none of whom was a first round pick--are all that's left to show. Somewhere, in all of those picks, the Browns could have built a foundation. Instead, Savage and Crennel are now 22 months into sifting through rubble.
Yes, after nearly two seasons there should be signs of improvement. With Wimbley and Jackson, Kellen Winslow and Joe Jurevicius, Braylon Edwards and a muzzle, there is talent.
Question is, can Romeo Crennel coach the talent?
The man knows football, that's for sure. In fact, he's probably forgotten more football than anyone in Berea. Veteran linebacker Willie McGinest (also Romeo's buddy from New England) went so far as to put him up there with Bill Parcells and Bill Belichick, whom Crennel coached under.
But his impressive resume already got Romeo this job. It's not much use when it comes to keeping the job.
To control his job security, Crennel must control his players (see: Braylon's Great Adventure); control his coaching staff (see: Maurice Carthon). But above all, his team must win.
"Romeo and I are in this together," said Savage. "When he has failure, I have failure. When he has success, I have success. You can't put some of the problems we've had this year at the feet of one person. It's a team and an organization."
With that, Savaged preached patience, for one more year. By now, Browns fans are used to that.
Browns Nation, do you think Romeo Crennel should keep his job next season? Send us your thoughts to 5sports@newsnet5.com and then watch for them in the Alltel SoundOff, on the Toyota Sports Sunday at 11:33 PM.
"It's a joke."
Phil Savage's words, not mine. But he's not referring to his 3-8 football team (though he wouldn't be far off). No, the Browns general manager is taking his best shot at the flying rumors of coach Romeo Crennel's impending firing.
Folks around town have turned on the lovable, huggable RAC. I wonder if Donato's will even let him order out again, given the current state of the team and all.
Hey, Browns football is serious business in Cleveland. And after that 30-0 spanking from Cincinnati on Sunday, fans are seriously ticked.
Owner Randy Lerner said he was "sickened" by that exhibition. Come to think of it, the Browns playing like it was the exhibition season.
So, on Thursday morning, there sat Savage before half a dozen cameras and two-and-a-half dozen reporters, straight-faced in his assessment that the structure of the Cleveland Browns organization is just fine.
Peachy-keen here in Berea, thanks for asking.
Never been better, folks.
Excaaactly. The Browns have never been better, save for one trip to the playoffs that Butch Davis's team tripped into in 2002. This franchise doesn't seem to be getting better, at least not anytime soon.
Oh, but there are signs, according to Savage, who promptly pointed to the progress of a pair of rookie linebackers. Don't get me wrong, D'Qwell Jackson's 16 tackles against Cincinnati were impressive. They just kept a 30-0 loss from getting out of hand.
Savage does have a point, though. It appears, with OLB Kamerion Wimbley (6 sacks) and Jackson, the Browns have a pair of winners. That's more than can be said for any draft from 1999 to 2003, where five players--none of whom was a first round pick--are all that's left to show. Somewhere, in all of those picks, the Browns could have built a foundation. Instead, Savage and Crennel are now 22 months into sifting through rubble.
Yes, after nearly two seasons there should be signs of improvement. With Wimbley and Jackson, Kellen Winslow and Joe Jurevicius, Braylon Edwards and a muzzle, there is talent.
Question is, can Romeo Crennel coach the talent?
The man knows football, that's for sure. In fact, he's probably forgotten more football than anyone in Berea. Veteran linebacker Willie McGinest (also Romeo's buddy from New England) went so far as to put him up there with Bill Parcells and Bill Belichick, whom Crennel coached under.
But his impressive resume already got Romeo this job. It's not much use when it comes to keeping the job.
To control his job security, Crennel must control his players (see: Braylon's Great Adventure); control his coaching staff (see: Maurice Carthon). But above all, his team must win.
"Romeo and I are in this together," said Savage. "When he has failure, I have failure. When he has success, I have success. You can't put some of the problems we've had this year at the feet of one person. It's a team and an organization."
With that, Savaged preached patience, for one more year. By now, Browns fans are used to that.
Browns Nation, do you think Romeo Crennel should keep his job next season? Send us your thoughts to 5sports@newsnet5.com and then watch for them in the Alltel SoundOff, on the Toyota Sports Sunday at 11:33 PM.
Posted at 6:30 PM
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