Browns GM Phil Savage met the media on Wednesday, and though he said he'd love to finish the remaining four years of his contract he did not take questions about the future while acknowledging that owner Randy Lerner stated everything will be under review following the season.
"I've got four years left on a contract," he said. "I'd love to be able to finish that out. (Lerner) said last week everything is under review. I said on the radio last week that I'm an open book. I can walk with my head held high. We've done a lot of positive things here."
This news conference just ended; here are some highlights:
–Savage said he met with the media to maintain the normal routine. He usually visits once ever four-to-six weeks and wanted to maintain that. He also said he's been available to the media via e-mail or phone call, and he tries to respond. "To be cast in a light that I'm off running around and away from the media, I don't think it's fair."
–Regarding his much-publicized e-mail: "It was very much out of the ordinary. I've responded to a handful of e-mails, mostly to positive ones. This one occurred after the Buffalo game when I was sitting on the bus by myself at 12:30 at night. I shouldn't have done it. I don't have any excuses for it." He added: "I'm disappointed in myself for doing it. It happened. I'm sorry."
–Is the coaching staff and the front office on the same page? "I would say we're definitely on the same page. We work well together. Romeo and I have a good relationship. Are there disagreements at times? Absolutely. That's the nature of the (job)."
–His comments on the radio last week that he's responsible for the 53-man roster were the same he's made in the past, and he said they did not cause a problem between him and Crennel. "I've said that since I got here. I've told the players that. My responsibility is to pick the 53-man roster, then it's the coach's job to determine who's inactive, who starts, who plays. Management does not dictate who plays when and where. I've said that a number of times over the years. That was not the first time I ever said that."
–On the future of Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson with the Browns: "I'm not going to talk about things beyond the next four weeks because everything is under review. All I can say is both are under contract."
–How has he handled the criticism? "This year has been a difficult season, no doubt about it. Romeo said today he's been in it 30 years and this has been one of the toughest for him. I've been in it almost 20 and it's been a hard season."
–Would he stay with the Browns in a reduced role, i.e. if a coach was hired who had final say over the roster? "I can't comment on that one way or another. It's in my contract that I pick the 53. Then obviously something would have to change."
–Is this year an aberration? "I think this year will be more the exception than the rule. I think we have a lot of good players on the team. … We have more than enough ability to compete in this league and play good football. And we've shown that."
–On Kamerion Wimbley: "He's taken a lot of criticism because his sack numbers are not high, but I would say he's played solid football this year. … I'm not disappointed in Kamerion Wimbley. I wish we had 53 Kamerion Wimbleys."
–On Braylon Edwards: "I don't know if there's a one-sentence answer to that question. He had 16 touchdowns last year. I think he had 16 drops. When you catch touchdown passes, the drops become overshadowed. When you don't catch touchdowns the drops become more magnified."
–Savage said he interviewed five times for jobs before joining the Browns, and he always asked for control of the 53-man roster. Cleveland was the only team to give him that responsibility. "That was the key distinction for me to ever come to Cleveland to begin with."
–Will Randy Lerner rely on him (Savage) to determine Romeo Crennel's future? "I don't know the answer to that."
Savage ended with a quote he read from Franklin Delano Roosevelt: "The only limit to our realization of tomorrow would be our doubts of today. Let us move forward with a strong and active faith."
"That's what I'm doing," Savage said.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Browns fans need to understand that you are not going to be right on every player chosen as far as performance issues go. You hope that you are right more times than wrong. The Browns have very good players, athletically, they are just immature and need discipline in the things they do on the field. They need to be held accountable. The only way us Browns fans will be happy is if we go undefeated and win a Superbowl. That is just the way it is. We have been competitive all year and just missed a lot of opportunities to win. Truly, for me, I place the blame on the offensive game plans. It changes from week to week and I believe the most important thing offensivley is to continually do what you do best, use your playmakers a lot and force other defenses to stop you. The play calling has been atrocious and it is not rocket science.
"I'm not disappointed in Kamerion Wimbley. I wish we had 53 Kamerion Wimbleys." – - Has Savage looked at the current NFL standings? The man may be a dreamer, but some wishes do come true. The Browns have 53 Kamerion Wimbleys.
By the way, the next time Savage decides to mimic a famous quote, he'd better know the context in which it originally appeared, because I don't think he knows how ironic he was. Why? Because Roosevelt never got to actually say it. It was part of a draft for a speech he never gave in reference to a post-WW2 world. Why didn't Roosevelt give the speech? Because it never made it out of draft form. The guy keeled over and died the following day. So perhaps Savage wasn't being ironic, he was merely being clairvoyant.
alan t. with two home runs out of the park. ladies and gentlemen, the game is over before it even began.
Pat, no comment on some of these ridiculous statements from Phil? The guy was flat out lying when he said he's been available to the media all along. He completely disappeared after both the Winslow sanfu and the Email debacle, only commenting on his own radio show days after the fact.
Wimbley's been playing good football? He's said many times that he's not responsible for coaching these great players he gave Romeo? That's all crap. Be nice if you called him on it.
Romeo may be a crappy coach who should have been fired after Year Two, but Phil is a weasel whose performance hasn't been anywhere near good enough to justify being a weasel. You can pull that crap when you are Bill Polian (not that Polian ever would), but not when you are just looking good in comparison to Garcia and Clark.
What a tool this guy is.
Only problem with getting rid of Savage is Learner has NO finger tips for the business his dad left him…(He knows this – and I admire him for realizing his limitations). So whats a remote owner to do???
Somewhere in the football universe – there is the knowledge/wisdom he needs…Boy kings have Regents – Randy needs one or two…GO BUY THEM.
Savage needs to go because his crystal ball is fuzzy!!! Really! G.M.s get paid to KNOW talent when they see it; and that is about MORE than athleticism. I.E. Winslow, Edwards and others (I honestly quit paying attention so I can't call all the names of his duds).
It's not fair that somebody OTHER than the players be held accountable for their own stupidity and/or underperformance…But then – YES IT IS! That's business. Football is business; the managers must go AND the duds they picked should go too.
I'm an old jock (I understand locker-rooms/teams) – I wrote on one of these things a few years ago that Winslow was poison and that his undeniable talent WAS NOT large enough to compensate for it…Many other readers disagreed then. In athletic environments, when a guy of his talent is NOT a leader of men – it is problematic. When he is a mal-content AND his Hall of Fame Father is willing to threaten local scribes for being too pesky; it's a DEAL BREAKER. I don't know K2, but I've been near him in public and I can tell you – he has a troubled soul.
When a G.M. doesn't "get" this – it is his own bacon he's cooking! EVENTUALLY…Learner will with help, understand this.