Talks begin with Anderson, Lewis
By Marla RidenourBrowns general manager Phil Savage said Thursday on his weekly radio segment on WTAM-AM that contract negotiations have begun with the agents for quarterback Derek Anderson and running back Jamal Lewis.
"We've had some things going on underground for the last week or so," Savage told the Browns' flagship station. "It's really just in the beginning stages. Those are the top two priorities, so we're off the first tee."
Things have been so underground that representatives at Athletes First in Newport Beach, Calif. have not returned calls on who is representing Anderson. His agent, David Dunn, is under suspension. Lewis' agent Mitch Frankel has not responded to emails.
Considering the impact Anderson and Lewis had on Cleveland's offensive resurgence during a 10-6 season, it would seem more significant if Savage had not begun talks with the Anderson and Lewis camps.
Anderson, a three-year veteran who went 10-5 in his first year as the Browns starter, will be a restricted free agent. His 29 touchdown passes this season just missed Brian Sipe's single-season record of 30 and Anderson's 3,787 passing yards was the team's fifth-highest total.
Playing on a one-year contract, ex-Raven Lewis rushed for 1,304 yards and became only the second Browns back to go over 1,300, joining Jim Brown.
Savage is likely proposing a long-term deal for Anderson, but not at break-the-bank money since Brady Quinn is waiting in the wings. If the two sides can't agree, Savage has another option. Cleveland could offer Anderson the highest tender of $2.562 million in 2008, which would bring the Browns first- and third-round draft picks in compensation if Anderson received an offer they elected not to match.
Lewis will want a multi-year deal for more than the $5 million (with incentives) he earned in 2007.
January 18th, 2008 at 2:49 pm
DA is not the long term answer. He got progressively worse over the last 5 games and when there's even the slightest hint of pressure, ie both the 2nd games with Pittsburgh & Cincy, he folds. Offer him the highest tender. Trust me, no GM in his right mind is gonna give up a 1st & 3rd for this turkey. Go into camp in an open competition and I gaurantee Brady Quinn beats him out. As for Jamal, 3 yrs @ $6 mil with a $3 mil signing bonus. Then you pick up a young buck in either the draft or free agency. I say this because I haven't seen enough of our back ups to determine if they've got it.
And no matter what, DO NOT sign Romeo to an extention. 10-6 against what turned out to be one of, if not thee, easiest schedules of the 2007 season after 2 lousy years does not warrant any type of reward. 10-6 or better next season and then you lock Prof. Klump up. But not before.
January 18th, 2008 at 3:51 pm
The Browns should be cautious in offering a long term deal to Lewis- the wheels could come off at anytime at this point in his career. He earned the right to a nice short term deal. With Anderson, they just have to make sure they get him for atleast next year to see if he improves upon this seasons numbers. Lose him, and you may have thrown the baby out with the bath water.
January 18th, 2008 at 5:08 pm
[…] all the D.A. enthusiasts - contract negotiations have begun. Negotiations on a new contract for running back Jamal Lewis have begun as […]
January 19th, 2008 at 10:27 am
I think DA definatly needs to go. Brady Quinn aswell as any talented QB can succeed in a offence with this many weapons. Jamal must stay. Did ya read the part about where he was the Browns' first 1300 yrad rusher since JIM BROWN!?!?!? And he's only 29, and dont try to say thats old, he been in the league so long because he left for the draft when he 20. Some great running backs keep running intomthe mid thirtys. So i think he definatly deserves a long term deal of about 4-5 years and $8-12 million with a $4 million signing bonus.
January 19th, 2008 at 3:33 pm
There are a lot of Great QBs that struggled in their first and/or second years. Manning, Farve, Gannon, and the list goes on. Give DA a chance to learn from his mistakes and give him another year. If he throws 30 TDs next year, then we'll have a decision to make. Not now, we got insurance.
January 19th, 2008 at 5:40 pm
The last sure fire high pick QB the Browns had was not Tim Couch, about whom there were many questions. It was Mike Phipps for whom we traded Hall of Famer Paul Warfield, and he was a bust. Anderson is the best we've had for a very long time. If Quinn is better let him prove it on the field rather than in the mind of the fickle fans who begged to get rid of Byner after the fumble, then pined for him as he gained yards for the Redskins. Learn your history Browns fans. Sign DA and let him play!
January 19th, 2008 at 9:27 pm
those who doubt D.A., i just gotta ask what more do you want. i am not saying Brady won't be a star, but a proven commodity over a possible one is always better. and, if you think its just the players around him, ash charlie frye how that worked out for him. i will be happy with quinn, but D.A. has a full year in this offense, is taller which gives him better vision, has possibly the strongest arm in the league,makes quick reads and gets rid of the ball (which is just as much the reason for fewer sacks as the offensive line), is not afraid to take a chance, and did win some big games under pressure…(did you see that throw in Baltimore with the defender pulling him back by his shoulder that put us into tieing field goal range…?) yes, he makes some stupid mistakes, and i don't like how he seems to follow up one mistake with another, but it kind of reminds me of another gun slinger by the name of brett favre. hey, if the browns go with brady quinn, i will be happy because he is a smart QB with all the tools and will lead the browns to success most likely, but aren't you curious to see what D.A. can do in his second full season? ask the players around him who they want….they treated Quinn on the sidelines this year like he was the freakin' waterboy….("slap hands…slap hands…") Anderson is dangerous which makes him exciting, and i must say i think he is capable of doing certain things that Brady just isn't…..but, whatever…it should be interesting to see what happens….
January 19th, 2008 at 9:43 pm
Sign Romeo to an extension??? you must be joking. 10-6 eh? well, with a coach worth anything, the browns would have gone 12-4. I blame Romeo for the loss again the Cardinals, where he burned two time outs in a row, which we could have used to win the game in the end…oh, and while all of you blame Derek Anderson for the loss in Cinncinnati, i blame Romeo. when D.A. threw that first pick, why on earth would you allow him to throw the second one? that is poor coaching. you as the coach don't allow that to happen. you go into halftime down one less touchdown, which, would have resulted in a victory and a playoff birth for a team which was twice as good as the Titans (as they showed in the first round). Romeo is lost on the sidelines and i almost hate to see this team win because it means he will get the credit and ultimately go nowhere, which is where the browns will go with him at the helm…..this team is not disciplined because they have no respect for him….kicking the ball after making a third down stop…..throwing the ball at the defender after scoring a touchdown….ripping your helmet off after a first down? yeah, we have plenty of talent….perhaps we will win inspite of Romeo, but i'd feel better with someone else on the sidelines…
January 19th, 2008 at 11:55 pm
I don't get it … who gives a crap if they sign Lewis to a long-term contract? Who gives a crap if they sign Anderson to a long-term contract? Who gives a crap if they sign Crennel to a contract extension? Pro football salaries aren't guaranteed, and Crennel's years don't count against a salary cap.
I don't get the objections. This isn't Ferry's grossly overpaid championship-killing, four and five-year anvils and cement blocks, the fabulous guaranteed salary barbershop quartet of Hughes, Ilgauskas, Marshall and Jones. So what's the problem?
January 21st, 2008 at 11:46 am
I think you have to fix the problems on defense. DA did well but based on the hype and very limited playing time Quinn had, can Quinn really be that much of a step down? I know he's not proven but the coaching staff should know what they have in him. You trade DA or let someone pick him up and take compensation while he's hot. Use the picks to shore up defense and let Brady play and get the experience. They need to put there guy in now and keep leave him there whoever it is. Holding onto DA for one more season then losing him and getting nothing is in my opinion the worst thing that can happen. They need to take advantage of his strong season to better the entire team.
January 21st, 2008 at 6:33 pm
I think Phil Savage will have a lot more to say about who stays and who goes than we will, but that doesn't bother me. So far his judgement has proven pretty sound. So, if he says keep Anderson, Lewis and Crennel, I'm going to trust his judgement.
Just watching Lewis it's easy to believe that he still has at least a couple of good years left in him. Regarding DA, I wish he would improve his touch passes and stop trying to force the ball where it won't fit, but the numbers he put up despite those problems are hard to argue with. As for Crennel, yes the timeout/challenge bit was a fiasco, but I think that even he is getting better at his job, and I flat out disagree with anyone who says that the Browns played well despite him.
A lot of folks have said that the Browns' 10-6 record wasn't that impressive because they played weak teams. Well, if you're looking for a reason why they didn't do better, perhaps you can catch Grantham before he gets the moving van loaded.
I won't deny that I have my own list of 'I wish they would' items, but I think we should give Savage the benefit of the doubt. I'm looking forward to some good free agency and draft pick-ups.
January 22nd, 2008 at 10:23 am
Unless someone knocks Phil's socks off with an offer (say, a top 5 pick and a high 3rd rounder), the Browns will have 2 very good QB's on the roster next year, which is two more than most teams have. Use FA and the draft to bolster the defense and we're talking division championship next year.
Also, does anyone else think we're a little shallow at WR? If Braylon or Joe J would go down (god forbid), who steps in. If New England and Indy have shown us anything, it's that you cant possibly have too many talented WR's for your QB to utilize. Especially with all the 3 and 4 wide sets teams are running nowadays.
Like many others, I'm excited to watch Phil Savage work his magic this offseason.
January 23rd, 2008 at 12:25 pm
I think that the Browns should extend Romeo contract and just forget about DA and bring in Brady Quinn.
January 27th, 2008 at 2:37 pm
All of these experts just make me laugh. Phil Savage is going to do what is best for the Browns. I don't think he's going to take any of these comments into consideration. Some of these guys are a joke. Go Browns! They had a great season and will build on that.
January 28th, 2008 at 9:41 pm
We should just cut everybody except Quinn. He doesn't need a line or anything. He can just float to the endzone! I hope he is the real deal but there is no way to guarantee anything. Remember the next Joe Montana? Rick Mirer?
January 30th, 2008 at 10:00 pm
Do any of you remember the 2004 Insight Bowl? It was between
Oregon State and Notre Dame. Guess who the quarterbacks were? Check out the statistics, especially the passing statistics.
Let me know what you think.
February 7th, 2008 at 1:32 pm
HINDSIGHT IS 20/20! i don't know of anyone in the pre-season that picked the Browns to finish near the top of their division, to compile 10 wins, or even fathom that we'd have 2 thousand-yard receivers AND a thousand-yard RB. from what i recall, we'd be lucky to get to 4 wins, no more than 6. it is this 'easy schedule' that the browns WERE NOT GOING TO GET MORE THAN 6 WINS AGAINST!! from that, i would say that romeo has done a fabulous job putting these guys in position to win as many as they did. for the most part, we were competitive in our losses (key phrase: for the most part).
DA is definitely not the long-term answer, and it showed down the stretch that teams were game-planning for him, causing him to make as many mistakes as he did. we have a prime rookie waiting in the wings that'll be ready when it's his time. how long did carson palmer sit before he actually became a regular starter?
locking up a young-buck RB in the draft means doing some scrounging and hoping for the best. The d-line is in need of a serious fix and that's what the draft should focus on.
i would like to see the browns re-up j-lew. he's a hard-nosed runner that's a perfect fit for our lakefront winters. who wants a scat-back (metcalf) or a 'young buck' that had the hopes of the city riding on him, but he was always hurt or in trouble (green). sign DA and get some draft picks in return.
February 15th, 2008 at 7:56 pm
Ebay Business - Longer Bidding Time The Bigger The Bank Balance…
Is this your first business venture - if so you must be excited just at the fact of being your own boss with no 9 to 5 job - that is if your Ebay business is going to demand your full time attention to keep the pennies coming in? No doubt you will have…