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Cleveland Browns (2007 & prior)

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CPD

3/14/04

ANALYSIS
Savage's spending spree enriches Browns


Tuesday, March 14, 2006

Tony Grossi
Plain Dealer Reporter

The Browns never had a weekend like it.

They shelled out potentially $100 million on five players in free agency. But this was less about spending Monopoly money and more about gaining credibility.

Phil Savage had to prove he was more than a college superscout and could step fully into the demanding role of general manager. He did.

Coach Romeo Crennel had to prove he could recruit top-flight players to play for him. He did.

Owner Randy Lerner had to prove to a long-suffering fan base that his team would be a player again at the forefront of NFL business. He did.

Stocked with about $25 million in salary-cap room - fourth-most in the NFL - Savage had the opportunity to make big strides in the game of catch-up the Browns have been playing since they returned to the field as an expansion team. He did.

The last time the Browns maximized an opportunity like this was when they raided the dying United States Football League in 1984 for Kevin Mack, Frank Minnifield, Mike Johnson, Gerald McNeil and Dan Fike. Those players helped form the nucleus of five consecutive playoff teams.

Cleveland-area natives LeCharles Bentley, Joe Jurevicius and Dave Zastudil idolized those teams as kids. Their desire to help rejuvenate the franchise steered them home. Each had multiple opportunities to play elsewhere.

"I think the acquisition of good players lets the fans know we're trying to get the team better," Crennel said Monday. "The fact that some of them are local and understand where the Cleveland Browns are coming from and know the fan base, I think the fans appreciate that. I think those things will go a long way for us.

"But we still have to win games on the field. On paper, it looks good, and it sends a message. But we have to show we're better on the field."

All the newcomers make the Browns a better team.

Bentley, 26, of inner-city Cleveland, is the first free agent to sign with the Browns directly off a Pro Bowl season. An all-star as both a guard and center, he will make a huge difference in the middle of the line, particularly twice a year against Pittsburgh nose tackle Casey Hampton, who routinely kills the Browns.

Jurevicius, 31, of Timberlake, is the selfless, sure-handed receiver the Browns have not had since they returned in 1999. Mistakenly typecast as a possession receiver, he was an integral playmaker on three Super Bowl teams.

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<SCRIPT LANGUAGE="JavaScript"><!--if (parseFloat(navigator.appVersion) == 0) {document.write('<IFRAME WIDTH=468 HEIGHT=60 MARGINWIDTH=0 MARGINHEIGHT=0 HSPACE=0 VSPACE=0 FRAMEBORDER=0 SCROLLING=no BORDERCOLOR="#000000" SRC="http://ads.cleveland.com/RealMedia/ads/adstream_sx.ads/www.cleveland.com/xml/story/{$category_letter}/{$category_whole}/@StoryAd"></IFRAME>');} --></SCRIPT><NOSCRIPT></NOSCRIPT>Zastudil, 27, of Bay Village, solidifies the punting position for the next five seasons, if not longer. He is a younger Chris Gardocki, with local roots.
Kevin Shaffer, 26, is a more agile left tackle than L.J. Shelton, nastier than his predecessor and four years younger.

And in 365-pound Ted Washington, the Browns can now plug in the pre-eminent nose tackle of his time. And that's a long time - 15 years and counting. Washington will be 38 years old next month. He may be on the field for only 50 percent of the plays, but he will mentor along his replacement. Always in demand, he longed to rejoin Crennel, who coached him at New England to his only Super Bowl championship.

Collectively, they make the Browns tougher and more consistent at their individual positions.

The only downside to the spending spree was the failure to attract a superstar pass rusher on defense. Early on, Savage questioned the signability of LaVar Arrington and John Abraham, so he shifted his priority to landing both Bentley and Shaffer to strengthen the offensive line.

The Browns are pursuing Kalimba Edwards, a situational rusher with Detroit, to play outside linebacker in Crennel's defense. They might have salary-cap room to squeeze in one additional player - but he wouldn't be a big-ticket item.

"What we really have to do is gauge what we can do in free agency versus the draft and even next year's free-agent class," Savage said. "We're not disappointed at all in what we've been able to do. We know we're not going to fill every need, but obviously pass rush is something extremely important to us. We're keeping our fingers crossed with Kalimba."

If you add the new contracts given to linebacker Andra Davis, cornerback Leigh Bodden and running back Reuben Droughns, Savage has spent over $150 million in future money to build the team in his second year. Not every player is going to see the total worth of those deals, of course.

The point is Savage and contract negotiator Trip MacCracken, who were harshly criticized internally by former President John Collins, have proven they can play this game with the big boys.

"You don't want to go buying something you're not sure of," Savage said. "I think this year, we felt pretty confident about the research we've done."

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:
[email protected], 216-999-4670
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ESPN.com

3/14/06

McGinest to visit Browns, old coach Crennel



In looking for a new home, Willie McGinest will start by meeting with an old friend.
The linebacker, released last week for salary cap reasons after 12 years with the New England Patriots, will visit on Tuesday with Cleveland Browns coaches and club officials. The Browns' second-year head coach is Romeo Crennel, who was a New England assistant for seven years of McGinest's long tenure with the Pats.


Several other teams have contacted agent Gary Uberstine to inquire about McGinest, but it is not known with how many more of them the veteran linebacker will meet. It is certainly no coincidence, though, that his initial trip is to Cleveland, a team that has been among the NFL's most aggressive in the opening days of the free agency period.

Beyond the presence of Crennel, who was a defensive line coach (1993-96) and coordinator (2001-2004) for the Patriots, the Browns play a 3-4 defense, an alignment in which McGinest has enjoyed great success.

McGinest told ESPN.com over the weekend that, while he is confident he could play in a 4-3 front, he is most comfortable as a 3-4 outside linebacker.

The Browns, who have added five veterans since Saturday, including nose tackle Ted Washington on the defensive side, still have sufficient salary cap room and financial wherewithal to craft a contract proposal that might interest McGinest, who was scheduled to make $7 million in 2006 between his base salary and a roster bonus. And the Browns, who have posted just one winning season since returning to the league in 1999, and who were 6-10 under Crennel in 2005, certainly present the kind of challenge that McGinest seems to be seeking at this late juncture of his career.

"That's part of what excites me, really, is the chance to maybe help a team and help other players achieve some of their goals," McGinest said Saturday. "You name it and I've pretty much been there and done that. At this point in my career, the individual [accomplishments] aren't as important, not any more. I'm developed. I'm primed. I'm a team guy who knows his role. If that role is with a new team, well, so be it."

McGinest, 34, has 78 career sacks and his six sacks in 2005 were one more than any Cleveland player managed in Crennel's first season.

As a team, the Browns registered just 23 sacks, the fewest in the NFL.

Crennel and general manager Phil Savage have publicly reiterated the need to improve the Cleveland pass rush.
In addition to the meeting with McGinest, the Browns have been negotiating with unrestricted free agent Kalimba Edwards, a defensive end with the Detroit Lions who would likely move to linebacker in a 3-4 scheme.
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ABJ

3/15/06

Browns report

McGinest's first stop is with Browns

Edwards opts to take Lions' five-year offer

By Patrick McManamon

Beacon Journal sportswriter

<!-- begin body-content -->The Browns spent a quiet day in free agency Tuesday.
One of their targets decided to return to his former team, and the Browns released Jason Fisk, a starter at nose tackle last season made expendable by the acquisition of Ted Washington earlier this week.
The visit of Willie McGinest gained importance in light of the decision of Kalimba Edwards to turn down the Browns and return to the Detroit Lions.
The Browns had targeted Edwards as a McGinest-type linebacker/defensive end in their 3-4 defensive system.
Edwards instead returned to Detroit for a five-year deal. Now the Browns turn to the real thing.
McGinest landed in Cleveland late in the afternoon and will spend most of today in Berea.
He chose the Browns as his first stop on the free-agent circuit because of his past association with coach Romeo Crennel. A report in the Boston Herald said McGinest also might visit the Dallas Cowboys, Miami Dolphins and the New York Jets.
Talk in Oakland had the Browns talking seriously with Raiders defensive back Renaldo Hill, who could play safety or corner.
Hill, 27, has five years experience out of Michigan State and is a solid tackler who can play safety or corner.
Though the Raiders might fear they would lose Hill to the Browns, the interest in Hill could not be confirmed. The Browns do not confirm free-agent visits or talks, and General Manager Phil Savage could not be reached for comment.
Former Browns tight end Aaron Shea visited the Pittsburgh Steelers but did not sign a contract.
Shea talked like he will not return to the Browns.
``I just think the situation with Kellen (Winslow) there, it would probably be best for me to move on,'' Shea told reporters in Pittsburgh. ``I'm looking forward to a new opportunity, to get out and see a little bit of the country.''
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Canton

3/15/06

Edwards out of Browns mix

Wednesday, March 15, 2006


<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>[FONT=Verdana, Times New Roman, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]By Steve Doerschuk Repository sports writer [/FONT]


<TABLE style="MARGIN: 10px -3px 15px 5px; POSITION: relative" width=300 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD>Related Stories
Sports spotlight: Browns finally find some help in own backyard

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BEREA - The Browns’ latest Plan A was to sign Detroit’s Kalimba Edwards and turn him into a Willie McGinest.
That fell through Tuesday when Edwards rejected Cleveland’s offer, deciding instead to re-sign with the Lions. Ironically, Plan B is to land McGinest.
The 6-foot-5, 270-pound McGinest would play outside linebacker and plug right into a primary pass-rushing role in Head Coach Romeo Crennel’s 3-4 scheme. McGinest has 78 career sacks.
McGinest, the No. 4 overall pick of the 1994 draft and a 12-year Patriot, flew into Cleveland at 6 p.m. Tuesday and huddled with Crennel.
A source close to McGinest said he and Crennel are “tight.” They won three Super Bowls together when Crennel was defensive coordinator in New England.
Crennel and General Manager Phil Savage like McGinest, but he may have only a year or two left in his 34-year-old body. That is why they were in hot pursuit of the 6-6, 265-pound Edwards, who is 26.
Steve Caric, a member of McGinest’s agent group, said the veteran has multiple suitors.
“Willie has played the best football of his career in recent years,” Caric said. “He’s coming off a strong year.”
He said McGinest was “excited” about a possible reunion with Crennel, but has no immediate deadline for finishing a deal.
The pursuit of an edge-rushing linebacker resembles the Browns’ recent nose tackle chase.
At the start of free agency Saturday, Savage and salary cap coordinator Trip MacCracken initiated contact talks with the agent for Ravens nose tackle Maake Kemoeatu.
According to Kemoeatu’s agent, Ken Vierra, the Browns made a sincere, reasoned run at Kemoeatu but weren’t willing to offer a monster contract to a player just now coming into his own. Vierra himself wasn’t sure at first if the Browns’ price would be in the ballpark.
“It turned out the market for Maake was pretty damn high,” Vierra said.
Undrafted in 2002, Kemoeatu got a Disney world deal worth $23 million from Carolina.
Kemoeatu may not be as good now as 37-year-old Ted Washington, but he fits into a long-term plan. With Kemoeatu out of the mix, Savage turned to Washington, who signed a two-year deal.
On Tuesday, the Browns also released last season’s starting nose tackle, Jason Fisk. Fisk, a 12-year pro, would have been entering his second year with the club. Washington and McGinest were Patriot teammates on Crennel’s unit in 2003. Crennel won Super Bowls with 30-something players, and prefers to have a few.
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CPD

3/15/06


<H1 class=red>City's teams in good hands

</H1>

Tuesday, March 14, 2006

Bill Livingston

Plain Dealer Columnist

For years, the real curse of Cleve land sports was bad owners, who tended to hire worse management.

I give you the Indians with a tin cup full of pencils; Art Modell skulking around to the banks to borrow money to sign Andre Rison; and Ted Stepien and his bobos being so inept the NBA took away unrestricted trading privileges and pointed objects.

Those days are no more. The three Cleveland teams have their best management teams ever.

While Indians General Manager Mark Shapiro has done a great job on a tight budget, any attempt to make budget-conscious Indians owner Larry Dolan a throwback to the Tribe's impoverished ownership of the past is ridiculous. Not when he is signing the team's identified "core" players to long-term contracts.

Cavaliers General Manager Danny Ferry had to get one of the three big free agents available (Ray Allen, Michael Redd, Larry Hughes).

If Hughes came with an accurate "fragile" tag, it still enhanced the credibility of the franchise with the fans and, most of all, with LeBron James. Ferry's most critical move for this season's success might have been getting Flip Murray from Seattle for Mike Wilks and beads and trinkets.

No general manager is right 100 percent of the time, but the Browns' Phil Savage seems to have come through every bit as ably as did Ferry in his team's critical off-season.

Just making the Browns part of a discussion of savvy management is a big improvement.

The Browns had more "cap" room than Barry Bonds' head requires. Savage used it to sign: a center, LeCharles Bentley, who can actually move the scrum on the goal line; a left tackle, Kevin Shaffer, who almost has to be an upgrade from L.J. Shelton's slow feet and constant illegal procedure penalties; a veteran receiver, Joe Jurevicius, to replace drop-prone Antonio Bryant; a run-stopper, Ted Washington, who is, literally, the biggest thing in Cleveland sports except for James' mural on the building near the Q; and a punter, Dave Zastudil, to handle the team's depressingly monotonous three-and-outs.

Savage provides a base of professionalism that has been missing in the front office since Ernie Accorsi fell out of favor in the 1980s. He did too good a job and got too many of the headlines that usually went to Art Modell.

If Joe Montana had really thrown that ball away as freely as hapless former GM Dwight Clark wasted draft picks in the early expansion years, no one would have heard of "The Catch" and Clark would have maybe been the night manager of a quickie mart. All in all, that might have been a good thing for Cleveland.

Butch Davis' toxic mix of favoritism and cluelessness as team generalissimo destroyed the credibility his team's 2002 playoff season created.

But while Shapiro works efficiently within Dolan's payroll and Ferry says Dan Gilbert spares no expense in developing a first-class organization, Savage narrowly survived an office coup at the turn of the year.

Three of the new Browns - Bentley, Jurevicius and Zastudil - are Cleveland area guys who are still in love with, well, money but also the team of their youth. The Browns haven't been a serious contender since the '80s, haven't been a championship team since the '60s. This looks like the best chance since the rebirth to bring back the thrilling days of yesteryear.

But only if owner Randy Lerner doesn't meddle.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:

[email protected], 216-999-4672
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