-
Follow us on Twitter @buckeyeplanet and @bp_recruiting, like us on Facebook! Enjoy a post or article, recommend it to others! BP is only as strong as its community, and we only promote by word of mouth, so share away!
- Thread starter OSUBasketballJunkie
- Start date
buckeye247
# 33
Where does that money go. It better go to charity considering sports figures already make millions and so do the franchises.
Upvote
0
OSUBasketballJunkie
Never Forget 31-0
Canton
6/13/06
6/13/06
Lerner confident Browns improved
Tuesday, June 13, 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></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Owner Randy Lerner helps Kellen Winslow Jr. with his new Browns jersey after being drafted April 24, 2004. “I think he’s gonna play good football,” Lerner recently told The Repository about the oft-injured Winslow.
BEREA - The balcony that used to hang over the Browns’ practice fields exuded a comic imperialism. One imagined the big boss reviewing his gladiators, poised Caeser-like to turn a thumb up or down.
That imagery is gone. The windows walling the south side of owner Randy Lerner’s office still afford a view of the fields, but the balcony has been sledgehammered into the dust of the Modell era.
In keeping with his style, Lerner enjoys both the view, and not being seen.
He speaks in understated, detailed tones of his view of a team trying to make the expansion-era doldrums disappear.
Coming off a 6-10 year, he is careful, in keeping with his style, not to get flashy with his projections.
Rep: In a speech in Canton before the draft, Romeo Crennel told a joke about how ties would be broken. He said, ‘I have a vote, Phil Savage has a vote, and Mr. Lerner ... has three votes.’
Lerner: (Laughing) Great line.
Rep: If there is some sort of a gridlock on the football side, how does it really work?
Lerner: We have very, very sophisticated model for resolving gridlock, which is, ‘You guys just gotta go back in the room and work it out.’
Rep: You would rather not break ties regarding the football side of the business?
Lerner: Oh, God, no. I’m not qualified to break a tie. I’m not even qualified to vote on a matter. That just flies in the face of all that we’re trying to do in terms of having the right people who are qualified and can handle the job.
Rep: At some point, the football lands in your lap, because you determine who the head coach is, who the general manager is.
Lerner: Oh, no doubt, and I don’t skirt that. You’re absolutely right. But in terms of resolving a matter like that, you need just to be around Phil and Romeo to know that they don’t operate in that way. It’s not their governing style. Those guys enjoy being collaborative.
Rep: Phil calls Romeo ‘the right coach at the right time.’
Lerner: I agree with that.
Rep: Given Romeo’s age (he turns 59 on June 18), how long do you think he might want to continue?
Lerner: I hope he’s here for a long time, and I hope he wins for us, and I hope we win a lot of championships with him.
Rep: He’s in the second year of a five-year contract?
Lerner: Yeah.
Rep: The Browns had a busy March in free agency. What was your role in relation to Phil coming to you to say what he needed?
Lerner: We all have a very kind of common understanding of how the math works, what our available funds are. A lot of planning goes into it, months and months if not years ahead of time, and as those variables shift, we pay very careful attention to what kind of moneys are freed up ... We were, like all teams, paying very careful attention to see if the CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement) would free up additional moneys, and it did. Our preparation and response were very organized.
Rep: Your thoughts on signing LeCharles Bentley?
Lerner: Thrilled.
Rep: Joe Jurevicius?
Lerner: Thrilled. Amazing person, amazing athlete, incredibly accomplished player.
Rep: Any hesitation about giving a linebacker Willie McGinest’s age pretty big bucks? New England raised that question. And you also signed Ted Washington, who is older than McGinest ...
Lerner: New England is at a stage in their near-term evolution. We’re at a different stage in our near-term evolution. That probably drove our way of valuing those players as opposed to their way of valuing players.
Rep: Your thoughts on Kellen Winslow Jr. returning from his ordeal?
Lerner: I think he’s gonna play good football. Like anything, you have to emotionally invest in your players, and so you do. Kellen has worked very, very hard. He knows what he wants to get done. He’s very, very bright, and he’s a fixture in this building.
Rep: Was he too arrogant when he came to town?
Lerner: I don’t think he was at all arrogant. ... He was a very ambitious, energetic young athlete, and ... some of the breaks didn’t go his way.
Rep: How much time do you spend in Berea?
Lerner: I’m usually here two days a week. It’s very driven by the time of year. During this time of year it’s mid-week. We’re in front of customers constantly. We have a lot of internal planning to do. That sponsorship window starts to shut down in the near term as those budgets get filled up.
I am very used to being here at a moment’s notice. It is the kind of business you can go periods of time when the office is not necessarily a very active place. Then it becomes very active.
Rep: When the Savage-John Collins situation was unfolding, a lot of people were pretty uptight. People wondered about job security, and where the organization was going. How did you address that?
Lerner: There were morale issues without a doubt in the early part of the year. You’ve got to try and tell the truth ... and make your point of view about how the organization’s gonna work very clear, and you’ve got to be consistent to the extent that you can.
That was why I took some time to look around and settle on an organizational structure that we would consistently support as our way of doing business, i.e., the more formal division between media and events and sales and finance. In terms of bringing people together within our organization, that takes time, and we focused on it over the last while.
We’ve actually started to have some fun here.
Rep: Savage says the window of opportunity is beginning to open. How far along is the organization in the process toward peaking?
Lerner: ... Instinctually, among other ways, you start to just have the sense that the organization is stronger. We have a team that makes sense, that’s together, has been coached properly. I guess that in combination starts to be that window.
If we manage ourselves carefully and the rookies we picked end up panning out, hopefully that window stays open a long time, and we’re competitive and able to make a run.
Reach Repository sports writer Steve Doerschuk at (330) 580-8347 or e-mail: [email protected]
Upvote
0
Canton Rep
6/14
[FONT=Verdana,Times New Roman,arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Savage: Winslow doing well[/FONT]
Wednesday, June 14, 2006 [FONT=Verdana,Times New Roman,arial,helvetica,sans-serif]By Steve Doerschuk repository sports writer [/FONT]
BEREA - While the Steelers stayed stunned Tuesday by their motorcycle ordeal involving a 2004 draft star, the Browns were down the road to recovery from theirs.
A day after Ben Roethlisberger got beat up in a crash and three days before a minicamp that culminates the Cleveland’s spring sessions, Browns General Manager Phil Savage gave tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. a thumbs-up.
“It’s encouraging to see him out there,” Savage said. “I mean, he’s a talent.”
Winslow has been racing through spring practices that lead to the three-day minicamp. It has been 13 1/2 months since he rode down to Canton to see stunt riders, then rode back to Cuyahoga County and crashed his Suzuki.
“Kellen’s doing all the individual drills, “ Savage said. “He’s doing all the group work, seven-on-sevens, some team work. There’s only been a few times when he’s been limited.”
Winslow, who will turn 23 on July 21, has lost all but two games to leg injuries over two seasons. The No. 6 pick in the ’04 draft must prove he can hold up to punishment one doesn’t take in spring drills.
“The contact part ... I’m a little hesitant to get into that,” Savage said. “He looks quick out of the break. He seems to be able to drop his waist, bend his knees, make his cuts.
“He looked quicker a month ago than I expected him to look. He’s doing well so far.”
The Browns know better than anyone what a stunner Roethlisberger’s wreck must be to the Steelers.
“Hopefully, our team is educated enough to realize they have an obligation to the rest of the guys, that we’re all depending on each other to win,” Savage said. “That’s probably the biggest disappointment for any team to go through in a situation like this.”
Savage indicated the Browns routinely put language in contracts that forbids dangerous activities outside football.
“I wish all our players liked board games,” he said. “But that’s part of what makes these guys professional athletes. They have a little bit of an edge.
“It’s part of their psyche. They’re risk-takers.”
Savage revealed the Browns “could have gone after” $10 million due Winslow in his pre-crash contract. The team and Winslow renegotiated a deal that essentially cost Winslow about $1 million. Recent changes in the Collective Bargaining Agreement would have changed the amount the Browns might have pursued.
“This year, the most we would be able to extract would have been about $1.95 million,” Savage said.
JONES MAKES MOVE
Late last season, safety Sean Jones turned heads when he said his talent is on the same level as Troy Polamalu’s and Ed Reed’s.
Those were big words from a 2004 Round 2 pick who lost a year to knee surgery, then played sparingly in 2005. Jones, though, has backed them up during spring drills, and is pushing 2005 Round 2 pick Brodney Pool for the starting strong safety job.
“Sean has kind of been the forgotten man,” Savage said. “He’s had an excellent offseason. He’s responded well to the challenge, trying to earn a spot as possibly a starter.”
Jones and Pool are more athletic than incumbent free safety Brian Russell, but Russell heads for the preseason with a grip on one of two starting jobs.
“Brian is kind of the quarterback of the back end,” Savage said, “ ... the orchestrater of the secondary. Sean and Brodney certainly have the talent to do it, but the most important thing is to work the combination so that we don’t have balls thrown over our heads.
“Sean and Brodney are good prospects. Once we go to multiple defensive backs, Pool could play down, and Sean could play back along with Brian.”
Jones’ 2004 injury was the same setback receiver Braylon Edwards faces, having blown out an ACL in December.
“Traditionally, you look at players like Anquan Boldin and Jamal Lewis, who did have better followup seasons than they did first seasons coming off the injuries,” Savage said. “Braylon’s young. He had been healthy.
“He may be able to make a better recovery than your norm
ABJ
6/14
Savage pleased by Frye's offseason
Quarterback growing into role of leader, has added strength since season's end. Pro accuracy is need
By Patrick McManamon
Beacon Journal sportswriter
<!-- begin body-content --> BEREA - Charlie Frye has taken on the Browns' quarterback job, and so far it seems to fit him like a pair of old jeans.
At least as well as an old pair of jeans can fit a quarterback who has been practicing against his own team without contact or pads.
Perhaps, then, Frye is still wearing overalls as he grows into the job.
``He's had a solid showing thus far,'' General Manager Phil Savage said Tuesday as he described the team's offseason practices.
These practices are held like a minicamp. Contact is not allowed, pads are not worn, and plays are contested but run without physical activity.
The practices give a new quarterback a chance to establish a rapport with his teammates and to establish himself as the team leader. Savage gives Frye better-than-passing marks thus far.
``I think the guys have responded'' to Frye as a leader, Savage said, ``and he seems to be fitting into that role well.''
Offseason practices have grown into a new regimen in the NFL. All teams have them, though all are limited by the collective bargaining agreement in how many they can have.
The practices -- or OTAs (Organized Team Activities) -- are closed to the public, which means Savage's evaluation is the only one thus far, but Savage has been forthright about players since he joined the Browns. And he knows that these practices matter.
``We're not playing flag football, but we judge it. That's for sure,'' Savage said.
Savage said Frye's arm strength has improved since the end of his rookie season -- though he's not John Elway by any means.
One of Frye's stated goals in the offseason was to get stronger, and he spent time in Phoenix to that end shortly after the season ended.
``Charlie appears that he has gotten a little bigger, a little stronger,'' Savage said, calling the arm strength a ``pleasant surprise.''
``But the mobility, the moxie, the toughness, those are his characteristics. And those have continued to shine through, both through last year and, of course, going forward now,'' Savage added.
Frye's arm strength has been a topic of much discussion, but Savage shrugged the entire concept off as overrated.
``If judging a quarterback was on who throws it the farthest, you'd have 300-pounders back there just launching it as far as they could,'' Savage said.
He said the average NFL quarterback, after dropping back, will throw the deep ball between 37 and 42 yards.
``That's a deep ball anywhere, in college, high school or pro, and Charlie can do that,'' Savage said. ``Now, is he going to go back like Randall Cunningham and throw it 60 yards? No, but that's so rare. You just don't see that happen in the NFL.''
Savage said he's more interested in Frye gaining needed pro accuracy, so that a throw goes to the outside shoulder when it's required rather than the inside. Savage wants Frye to read defenses and get rid of the ball quickly.
``There's a skill. There's a mastery of the position,'' Savage said. ``That's what makes the great quarterbacks the ones who can do a little of everything. Forty yards is deep enough in my book, and Charlie can do that.''
Brownies
• Frye and the rest of the team will conclude the offseason of work with a three-day mini-camp Friday through Sunday. That camp will include five practices, which are closed to the public.
• Tight end Kellen Winslow has taken part in offseason work ``as an active participant,'' Savage said. Winslow has done every individual drill asked of him as he continues to come back from reconstructive knee surgery, and only rarely has been held back. ``You get the sense that when the ball is going in his direction, the team generally is watching to see how he's doing,'' Savage said. ``Because I think the team is anxious to see what he's all about.''
• Backup quarterback Ken Dorsey will continue to be a focal point, but his progress since being acquired for Trent Dilfer has been ``fine,'' Savage said.
6/14
[FONT=Verdana,Times New Roman,arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Savage: Winslow doing well[/FONT]
Wednesday, June 14, 2006 [FONT=Verdana,Times New Roman,arial,helvetica,sans-serif]By Steve Doerschuk repository sports writer [/FONT]
BEREA - While the Steelers stayed stunned Tuesday by their motorcycle ordeal involving a 2004 draft star, the Browns were down the road to recovery from theirs.
A day after Ben Roethlisberger got beat up in a crash and three days before a minicamp that culminates the Cleveland’s spring sessions, Browns General Manager Phil Savage gave tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. a thumbs-up.
“It’s encouraging to see him out there,” Savage said. “I mean, he’s a talent.”
Winslow has been racing through spring practices that lead to the three-day minicamp. It has been 13 1/2 months since he rode down to Canton to see stunt riders, then rode back to Cuyahoga County and crashed his Suzuki.
“Kellen’s doing all the individual drills, “ Savage said. “He’s doing all the group work, seven-on-sevens, some team work. There’s only been a few times when he’s been limited.”
Winslow, who will turn 23 on July 21, has lost all but two games to leg injuries over two seasons. The No. 6 pick in the ’04 draft must prove he can hold up to punishment one doesn’t take in spring drills.
“The contact part ... I’m a little hesitant to get into that,” Savage said. “He looks quick out of the break. He seems to be able to drop his waist, bend his knees, make his cuts.
“He looked quicker a month ago than I expected him to look. He’s doing well so far.”
The Browns know better than anyone what a stunner Roethlisberger’s wreck must be to the Steelers.
“Hopefully, our team is educated enough to realize they have an obligation to the rest of the guys, that we’re all depending on each other to win,” Savage said. “That’s probably the biggest disappointment for any team to go through in a situation like this.”
Savage indicated the Browns routinely put language in contracts that forbids dangerous activities outside football.
“I wish all our players liked board games,” he said. “But that’s part of what makes these guys professional athletes. They have a little bit of an edge.
“It’s part of their psyche. They’re risk-takers.”
Savage revealed the Browns “could have gone after” $10 million due Winslow in his pre-crash contract. The team and Winslow renegotiated a deal that essentially cost Winslow about $1 million. Recent changes in the Collective Bargaining Agreement would have changed the amount the Browns might have pursued.
“This year, the most we would be able to extract would have been about $1.95 million,” Savage said.
JONES MAKES MOVE
Late last season, safety Sean Jones turned heads when he said his talent is on the same level as Troy Polamalu’s and Ed Reed’s.
Those were big words from a 2004 Round 2 pick who lost a year to knee surgery, then played sparingly in 2005. Jones, though, has backed them up during spring drills, and is pushing 2005 Round 2 pick Brodney Pool for the starting strong safety job.
“Sean has kind of been the forgotten man,” Savage said. “He’s had an excellent offseason. He’s responded well to the challenge, trying to earn a spot as possibly a starter.”
Jones and Pool are more athletic than incumbent free safety Brian Russell, but Russell heads for the preseason with a grip on one of two starting jobs.
“Brian is kind of the quarterback of the back end,” Savage said, “ ... the orchestrater of the secondary. Sean and Brodney certainly have the talent to do it, but the most important thing is to work the combination so that we don’t have balls thrown over our heads.
“Sean and Brodney are good prospects. Once we go to multiple defensive backs, Pool could play down, and Sean could play back along with Brian.”
Jones’ 2004 injury was the same setback receiver Braylon Edwards faces, having blown out an ACL in December.
“Traditionally, you look at players like Anquan Boldin and Jamal Lewis, who did have better followup seasons than they did first seasons coming off the injuries,” Savage said. “Braylon’s young. He had been healthy.
“He may be able to make a better recovery than your norm
ABJ
6/14
Savage pleased by Frye's offseason
Quarterback growing into role of leader, has added strength since season's end. Pro accuracy is need
By Patrick McManamon
Beacon Journal sportswriter
<!-- begin body-content --> BEREA - Charlie Frye has taken on the Browns' quarterback job, and so far it seems to fit him like a pair of old jeans.
At least as well as an old pair of jeans can fit a quarterback who has been practicing against his own team without contact or pads.
Perhaps, then, Frye is still wearing overalls as he grows into the job.
``He's had a solid showing thus far,'' General Manager Phil Savage said Tuesday as he described the team's offseason practices.
These practices are held like a minicamp. Contact is not allowed, pads are not worn, and plays are contested but run without physical activity.
The practices give a new quarterback a chance to establish a rapport with his teammates and to establish himself as the team leader. Savage gives Frye better-than-passing marks thus far.
``I think the guys have responded'' to Frye as a leader, Savage said, ``and he seems to be fitting into that role well.''
Offseason practices have grown into a new regimen in the NFL. All teams have them, though all are limited by the collective bargaining agreement in how many they can have.
The practices -- or OTAs (Organized Team Activities) -- are closed to the public, which means Savage's evaluation is the only one thus far, but Savage has been forthright about players since he joined the Browns. And he knows that these practices matter.
``We're not playing flag football, but we judge it. That's for sure,'' Savage said.
Savage said Frye's arm strength has improved since the end of his rookie season -- though he's not John Elway by any means.
One of Frye's stated goals in the offseason was to get stronger, and he spent time in Phoenix to that end shortly after the season ended.
``Charlie appears that he has gotten a little bigger, a little stronger,'' Savage said, calling the arm strength a ``pleasant surprise.''
``But the mobility, the moxie, the toughness, those are his characteristics. And those have continued to shine through, both through last year and, of course, going forward now,'' Savage added.
Frye's arm strength has been a topic of much discussion, but Savage shrugged the entire concept off as overrated.
``If judging a quarterback was on who throws it the farthest, you'd have 300-pounders back there just launching it as far as they could,'' Savage said.
He said the average NFL quarterback, after dropping back, will throw the deep ball between 37 and 42 yards.
``That's a deep ball anywhere, in college, high school or pro, and Charlie can do that,'' Savage said. ``Now, is he going to go back like Randall Cunningham and throw it 60 yards? No, but that's so rare. You just don't see that happen in the NFL.''
Savage said he's more interested in Frye gaining needed pro accuracy, so that a throw goes to the outside shoulder when it's required rather than the inside. Savage wants Frye to read defenses and get rid of the ball quickly.
``There's a skill. There's a mastery of the position,'' Savage said. ``That's what makes the great quarterbacks the ones who can do a little of everything. Forty yards is deep enough in my book, and Charlie can do that.''
Brownies
• Frye and the rest of the team will conclude the offseason of work with a three-day mini-camp Friday through Sunday. That camp will include five practices, which are closed to the public.
• Tight end Kellen Winslow has taken part in offseason work ``as an active participant,'' Savage said. Winslow has done every individual drill asked of him as he continues to come back from reconstructive knee surgery, and only rarely has been held back. ``You get the sense that when the ball is going in his direction, the team generally is watching to see how he's doing,'' Savage said. ``Because I think the team is anxious to see what he's all about.''
• Backup quarterback Ken Dorsey will continue to be a focal point, but his progress since being acquired for Trent Dilfer has been ``fine,'' Savage said.
Upvote
0
OSUBasketballJunkie
Never Forget 31-0
CPD
6/14/06
Dispatch
6/14/06
Link
6/14/06
6/14/06
Browns don't expect picks to sign until July
2 p.m.
The Browns have begun contract talks with the agents of each of its 10 draft picks, but they don’t expect any agreements to be completed until next month.
General Manager Phil Savage said he is not concerned at this point that top pick Kamerion Wimbley or any other draftee would miss time in training camp because of a contract dispute. Rookies are scheduled to report to camp on July 22. The first day of full team practice is July 26.
Savage said a new problem in signing rookies this year arose as a result of the extension of the league collective bargaining agreement. The CBA raised NFL minimum salaries by 19 percent over last season, but limited team rookie salary pools increased by only 4 1/2 percent. The rookie pool assigned each club is the maximum allowable to spend on draft picks and undrafted free agents.
“So something’s going to get squeezed,“ Savage said. “We’ll see how that develops over the next six weeks.“
Savage said he expected no absentees when the full roster of 90-plus reports to coach Romeo Crennel’s mandatory minicamp on Friday.
- Tony Grossi, [email protected]
Dispatch
6/14/06
Link
6/14/06
Last edited:
Upvote
0