I sat in on Phil Savage's pre-draft meet-and-greet with local media types today and something became apparent to many of us as Savage sat at an elevated dais and analyzed every position on a football team (except kicker and punter) in some semblance of detail and several things revealed themselves:

1) The Browns would have little problem with moving up in the draft  to get the player they want if the deal is right, Savage said.

2)  Savage has apparently known LSU's JaMarcus Russell since the kid was 14 or 15.

3)  During the course of the press conference, Savage rattled off the comparative strengths and weaknesses of approximatley 15-20 quarterbacks.

4) After ending with his breakdown of all of the positions about 45 minutes later, I suddenly needed to reach for the Tums.

Why?  Because it became painfully aware that after edumacating the press that Savage and the Browns have researched quarterbacks more than any other position.   The Browns will be taking a quarterback in the upcoming draft.  Will they move up to get Russell?  Or will it be Brady Quinn?

It's no secret that Randy Lerner traveled to see Russell work out.  It's also no secret that Quinn wants to play for the Browns.  So why do I want neither?  Let's think waaaaaayyy back to … 1999…when the team drafted Tim Couch out of Kentucky with the No. 1 overall pick.  Yup, he was going to lead us to the Promised Land.  He got sacked. We booed.  He cried.  He was doomed.

Fast forward to 2007 and yes, we once again need a quarterback.  Sorry Charlie, Frye ain't the answer.   Yet it looks as if we're about to make the same mistake.  What good is a quarterback when you can't protect him?  Right now, the Browns pass protection is inconsistent at best, horrible at worst.  And make no mistake about it, if they draft Russell or Quinn, they will play this year.  The Frye Experiment is done.

Here's hoping that Savage and Head Coach Romeo Crennel possible gamble pays off.  If it doesn't, they'll likely pay with their jobs.  And Browns fans?  How does another five years in football hell sound?  Yeah, I thought so.

It's said that coveting is a bad thing.  Apparently Cleveland Browns owner Randy Lerner covets JaMarcus Russell, that's the word that came from the lips of WKYC (Channel 3) news anchor Romona Robinson Monday night.

In a phone conversation, Lerner said that he would love to see Louisiana State University quarterback who lit up Notre Dame in this year's Sugar Bowl in a Cleveland Browns uniform.  The thought of it made me wretch.  Made me cry.  Made me want to root for the Stillers.  OK, so it's not quite that bad.  And it's not because Russell wouldn't look great in a Browns jersey.  It's because it would seem that the Browns haven't learned anything.

Remember 1999 when they wasted the opportunity to trade down, gather more picks and build the team the way it should have been?  Football games are won at the line of scrimmage with big men groveling like beasts of burden to gain or protect precious yardage.  The Browns could have easily traded down and built the future the way it should have been - on the offensive and defensive lines. Instead they took Tim Couch and - by the way - they didn't bother to build a line that could protect him.

With this current O-line do we dare believe it would be any different with Russell?  The Browns will choose third or fourth in the upcoming draft.  The best thing about that is the teams ahead of them - Oakland and Detroit - both need quarterbacks.  Russell will likely be taken by one of them.  What's scarier is the prospect of the team wasti…errrr…trading selections to move up to get him.

Lerner has been knocked for his laissez-faire attitude when it comes to the Browns.  Personally, I wish he'd not said anything about who he liked in the upcoming draft.  He said that he has a qualified team in place to make draft decisions for him.  Let's just hope they are independent enough to not let that statement influence their thinking.  If they are not it appears that coveting, in this case, is definitely a bad thing.