Cleveland Browns Begin Housecleaning, Romeo Crennel and Phil Savage Fired
December 29, 2008 by David Kindervater
Filed under Cleveland Browns
National Football League Blogcast, NFL Blogcast
Moments after completing a disastrous 4-12 season, Cleveland Browns owner Randy Lerner announced the firing of general manager Phil Savage. This morning, the Browns continued their housecleaning by firing head coach Romeo Crennel. Both Mr. Savage and coach Crennel released statements today:
ROMEO CRENNEL
“I would like to thank Randy Lerner for giving me the opportunity to coach the Cleveland Browns. Some progress was made in my four years here, but not enough to go forward in this position. The support from the community and the fans has been greatly appreciated. Though this past year has been tough, my experience in Cleveland has been a good one. I did not win enough games so I must move on. Thank you for the opportunity.”
PHIL SAVAGE
“I would like to thank Randy Lerner for giving me the opportunity to work for the Cleveland Browns over these past four seasons. Things did not go as well as we had expected, particularly in 2008, however, I do anticipate this team bouncing back and having success in the future.”
Neither of these dismissals surprised me in the least. After flirting with the playoffs last season, the Browns were a monumental disappointment this season. Obviously, you have to sympathize with the team for losing their top two quarterbacks as a huge factor in not scoring an offensive touchdown in their final six games, but the carnage really started long before that. The Browns began the season with high expectations and an 0-3 record. Not entirely unlike Dallas, the Browns have a lot of talented players on their current roster but lack the team chemistry to get beyond the regular season. In Cleveland’s case, they weren’t even close.
Media rumors have been swirling for some time that former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Bill Cowher was in-line to be coach Crennel’s replacement. But coach Cowher confirmed his disinterest after a meeting with Mr. Lerner.
Source: ClevelandBrowns.com, NFL.com
