The Browns had a sweet season in 2007. Now general manager Phil Savage gets
his just desserts.
His reward came Friday in the form of a three-year contract extension that
will keep him with the club at least through 2012.
Savage has come full circle, having begun his NFL career as a Browns
assistant coach in the early 1990s. But his second stint with the organization
has proven far more noteworthy. Hired in 2005 to help turn around a team that
had managed just one winning season since returning to Cleveland in 1999, Savage
has done just that.
“People don’t realize what a reclamation project it was,” Savage told the
assembled media Friday. “And I think in some ways I may have underestimated what
state the Browns were really in. I feel we have certainly deconstructed the
house and now we’re reconstructing it and making it into the image we want it to
be.”
Savage can look in the mirror to find the man greatly responsible for that.
He has been extremely aggressive and rather daring in his drive to transform the
Browns into contenders.
Among his significant moves was drafting Braylon Edwards, who blossomed into
a Pro Bowl receiver in 2007. But the maneuvering that proved most beneficial
occurred last offseason, when he signed free agent guard Eric Steinbach
to a long-term contract and selected tackle Joe Thomas with the third pick in
the draft, thereby shoring up an offensive line that has struggled throughout
the decade.
Savage then pulled off the shocker of the day, trading for the rights to take
Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn. He wasn’t done tinkering at that position,
jettisoning embattled Charlie Frye to Seattle after the first game of the
season, which gave Derek Anderson an opportunity that he turned into 29
touchdown passes and a spot on the AFC Pro Bowl team.
That opening week loss to Pittsburgh appeared to be the start of just another
losing season for the Browns. Instead, it was the wakeup call. They won 10 of
their last 15 games and were 7-0 at home the rest of the way.
“I feel like we’ve been through an awful lot,” Savage said Friday. “We’ve
worked very hard to transform the Browns into winners on and off the field and I
think we’ve certainly made some strides in doing that. It’s great to be able to
continue putting the pieces together. We’re excited about 2008.
“I think that (2007) draft seemed to put the Browns on the map. We took
(Thomas) and he ends up going to the Pro Bowl. We drafted (Quinn) and had to do
it in a dramatic way to get him here to Cleveland and (cornerback) Eric Wright
in the second round. We moved up and took a chance on Eric and he responded with
13-14 starts. I think in totality that maybe last year’s draft seemed to
solidify that we might have some idea of what we’re doing.”
One reason for the continued enthusiasm is that Savage has put as much effort
into improving his defense in 2008 as he did beefing up the offensive line in
2007. The additions through the trading of draft picks of Corey Williams and
Shaun Rogers were intended to bolster a porous run defense and improve an
inconsistent pass rush. The signing of free agent Donte Stallworth adds depth at
wide receiver.
All of which puts a smile on the face of Browns coach Romeo Crennel, who
signed an extension of his own that will run through 2011. Another reason for
that smile is that he and Savage will now have a chance to take a good thing and
make it great or (dare we think it?) Super.
“First of all, I’m happy for Phil,” Crennel said. “His signing the extension
gives us the opportunity to keep the program headed in the right direction.
We’ll keep working, keep going forward and I think this is a crucial year for us
because the expectations are higher.”
With higher expectations comes the threat of a letdown. But based on the
results of Savage’s moves over the past three years, there is a legitimate
reason to be confident. They don’t hand out those contract extensions to just
anyone.