Cleveland Browns (2008 Season)

[OH10]

Browns fans cheer injury to quarterback? Somebody stop me if you've heard this before.

I'd like to be the tough guy and say I would have laid out any douchebag cheering an injury to one of our players, but I probably just would have told them to sit down and shut up.

There's needs to be a new slogan. Browns fans: Bitching and complaining a$$holes since 1964.

 

[Smooth Olaf]

If they would have tendered him last Spring, everyone who thought that Anderson was the greatest QB in Cleveland since Brian Sipe would have gone crazy. They will get more than a fourth or fifth rounder depending upon the severity of his knee.

Who not named Trent Dilfer thought that? This front office had ample opportunities to get good picks for him, but now that ship has sailed.

 

[DGADBTWSOM]

Cleveland Browns | Gradkowski signed; Anderson to IR

Gradkowski signed; Anderson to IR

Zac Jackson, Staff Writer 12.02.2008
The Browns needed just one day to find a veteran quarterback and add him to the roster.
The team signed Bruce Gradkowski Tuesday. A record-smashing quarterback at the University of Toledo, Gradkowski played his first two NFL seasons with Tampa Bay and went to training camp this year with St. Louis.
He started 11 games for the Bucs in his rookie season in 2006, throwing for 1,661 yards and 9 touchdowns. He made four appearances last season before being waived this June.
A native of Pittsburgh, Gradkowski threw for over 9,000 yards at Toledo and left as the NCAA's all-time leader in career completion percentage (68.2). He was a sixth-round pick of Tampa Bay in 2006.
The Browns placed Derek Anderson on injured-reserve Tuesday and also made a practice squad move, re-signing Steve Sanders and releasing offensive lineman Travis Leffew.
Sanders began the year on the active roster and played in five games with one reception for 18 yards.Leffew spent the last ten weeks on the Browns practice squad.

 

[osugrad21]

DDN

Browns quarterback Quinn to have surgery


By Tom Withers
Associated Press

Tuesday, December 02, 2008

CLEVELAND ? Brady Quinn has decided to get his fractured finger fixed.
After weighing his options over the past week, Cleveland's quarterback has elected to have surgery on his right index finger, which he initially broke on Nov. 17 at Buffalo and then made worse by playing in the Browns' game a week later against Houston.
The team said that Quinn's operation will be performed on Wednesday in Birmingham, Ala., by hand specialist Dr. Thomas Hunt. The procedure, which will likely involve a pin being inserted in Quinn's finger to stabilize the bone and damaged tendon, will require up to 10 weeks of recovery time.
In his second career start, Quinn broke the tip of his finger when he banged it against a Bills defender in the first half of Cleveland's 29-27 win. Although he was given the option of having the operation or rest, Quinn played in a Nov. 23 game against the Texans and sustained further damage to the finger on his throwing hand. He was benched in the third quarter by coach Romeo Crennel after throwing two interceptions.
Cont...

 

[osugrad21]

DDN

Browns' Dorsey can't do much worse

By the Dayton Daily News

Wednesday, December 03, 2008
Third-stringer Ken Dorsey is poised to become the 12th quarterback to start for the Cleveland Browns since their return to the NFL in 1999. If the Browns upset the Tennessee Titans on the road Sunday, Dec. 7, Dorsey will be the only one with a winning record:
Cont...

 

[osugrad21]

ABJ

Browns sign backup quarterback Free-agent Bruce Gradkowski to replace injured Anderson. Quinn to have surgery
By Marla Ridenour
Beacon Journal sports writer

Published on Wednesday, Dec 03, 2008

A battered quarterback corps starting its third man in three weeks was shored up Tuesday when the Browns signed free-agent Bruce Gradkowski.
The University of Toledo product and Pittsburgh native spent two seasons in Tampa Bay and started 11 games as a rookie in 2006. He went to training camp this year with the St. Louis Rams before being waived on Aug. 31.
Gradkowski took the roster spot of Derek Anderson, who was placed on injured reserve after tearing the medial collateral ligament in his left knee in Sunday's loss to Indianapolis. Anderson, 13-14 as a starter over three seasons for the Browns and 3-6 this year, will not need surgery.
Also on injured reserve, quarterback Brady Quinn elected to have surgery on his fractured right index finger today in
Alabama. Hand specialist Thomas Hunt will perform the operation, and Quinn is expected to need six to 10 weeks to recuperate.
Ken Dorsey will start Sunday as the Browns (4-8) visit the Tennessee Titans (11-1), and receiver/returner Joshua Cribbs, the former Kent State quarterback, will likely serve as his backup. Gradkowski, probably No. 3 this week, should be ready for the Browns' third Monday Night Football appearance of the season Dec. 15 at Philadelphia.
In 17 career games over two years in Tampa Bay, Gradkowski completed 190-of-352 passes for 1,791 yards and nine touchdowns with 10 interceptions.
Cont...

 

[osugrad21]

CPD

Quinn prepares for Wednesday finger surgery; Browns add ex-Buc QB Gradkowski

by Tony Grossi/Plain Dealer Reporter Tuesday December 02, 2008, 6:50 PM

Joshua Gunter/The Plain DealerBrady Quinn has chosen surgery on Wednesday in hopes of avoiding possible long-term problems with arthritis in his injured right index finger.

Grossi's Scouting Report

Browns quarterback Brady Quinn has chosen to have his right index finger repaired in Birmingham, Ala., by hand surgeon Dr. Thomas Hunt. Quinn's surgery is scheduled for Wednesday morning and he will probably stay through Thursday for a follow-up exam.
The surgery, said a source, would repair a bone chip that detached from the tip of Quinn's right index finger and also implant a tiny pin to the extensor tendon on the finger.
Some doctors said Quinn could have just immobilized the finger in a splint for at least six weeks, but he chose surgery to assure the injury heals correctly. Without surgery, there was a chance the fingertip could heal crookedly and Quinn could be beset by arthritis in the last finger joint.
In a statement, the Browns said Quinn should make a full recovery in six to 10 weeks. He will wear a splint and undergo some physical therapy after the tendon heals.

Quinn originally broke the fingertip by hitting it on the helmets of Bills players two times in the first half of the Browns' 29-27 victory at Buffalo, N.Y., on Nov. 17. The injury worsened by playing in a 16-6 loss to Houston six days later, during which Quinn was pulled from the game after his second interception in the third quarter.

Cont...

 

[osugrad21]

CPD

Manning the microphone at Browns Stadium a big voice, small profile post

by Bill Lubinger/Plain Dealer Reporter Wednesday December 03, 2008, 4:30 AM

Lynn Ischay/The Plain DealerJeff Shreve calls the Browns-Colts game at Cleveland Browns Stadium on Sunday, as he has done --- with little public notice --- since 2000.
Tom Glasenapp, the Browns' public address announcer from the Kardiac Kids through the Kosar era, couldn't help himself. Rookie linebacker Tom Cousineau was a former student in Glasenapp's English class at St. Edward High School. The announcer's favoritism washed over old Municipal Stadium a bit too loud and clear with each "tackle by Cooos-i-noooo!" when the hotline rang.
It was loge 8, the owner's box, and former Browns public relations director Nate Wallack said, "You're not his personal cheerleader. Calm it down."
"Maybe I was going a little nuts," chuckled Glasenapp, who worked as the stadium announcer from 1979 until he read that sad farewell message at the final home game before the team moved in 1995. "So I calmed it down."
To 73,000 fans inside Browns Stadium, that faceless voice booming from the P.A. booth is football's mystery man behind the curtain -- calling out the action, reading promotions and otherwise informing the home crowd.

The assignment demands a straight, methodic delivery, although a touch of emotion can't help but sneak in.
"I guess I like to think that I'm the leader of the fans," said Jeff Shreve, the Browns' announcer since 2000. "I'm a fan myself, so it's not hard."
When situations warrant, Shreve, a 43-year-old computer software consultant from North Canton, likes to pepper his game chatter with a little drama. But P.A. announcers can only excite to a point.
"Controlled homerism," is how Glasenapp, who missed just two games in 17 years, likes to describe it.

Cont..

 

[osugrad21]

CPD

Grossi's Scouting Report: Tennessee Titans

by Tony Grossi/Plain Dealer Reporter Tuesday December 02, 2008, 7:12 PM


Browns vs. Tennessee Titans
Sunday 1 p.m. in LP Field, Nashville, Tenn.
Record: 11-1.
Last game: Beat Detroit, 47-10, Nov. 27, in Detroit.
Coach: Jeff Fisher, 131-105, 14th year.
Series record: Browns lead, 33-28 (counting postseason).
Last meeting: Browns won, 20-14, Nov. 6, 2005, in Cleveland.

Cont...

 

[osugrad21]

DDN

GM hoping to finish the job of turning around Browns

Savage has come under fire in a disappointing follow-up to 10-win season, especially for some off-field issues.


By Tom Withers
Associated Press

Thursday, December 04, 2008

BEREA ? His future in doubt, Cleveland Browns General Manager Phil Savage is moving ahead with plans for 2009 without knowing if he'll be around to see them through.
Savage, who has come under added scrutiny since sending a profane e-mail to a fan a few weeks ago, said Wednesday, Dec. 3, he hopes to return next season. Last week, Browns owner Randy Lerner said he will wait until January before deciding the future of Savage and head coach Romeo Crennel.
"I've got four years left on a contract," said Savage, who joined the Browns in 2005 and is signed through 2012. "I'd love to be able to finish that out. He (Lerner) said everything is under review. I'm an open book. I can walk with my head held high. I think we have done a lot of positive things here. Is the job finished? No.
"I would be disappointed if I was not able to finish it out. I'd like to do that. Only time will tell."
Cont...

 

[osugrad21]

CPD

Cleveland Browns GM feels the heat

by Tony Grossi Wednesday December 03, 2008, 12:37 PM


BEREA -- Acknowledging he's under fire, Browns General Manager Phil Savage said Wednesday he's operating "business as usual" until he and the coaching staff come under review after the season.
"I feel like, hey, I've got four years left on a contract. I'd love to be able to finish that out," Savage said. "(Owner Randy Lerner) said last week everything's under review. I'm an open book. I can walk with my head held high.
"I think we've done a lot of positive things here. The football operations part stronger as its ever been. Training room, video, equipment, scouting staff, we've got a system in place. There's a lot of things in place now that weren't when I got here.

"Is the job finished? No. I would be disappointed if I were not able to finish it out. So I'd like to do that. Only time will tell."
There is increasing speculation that in order to return, Savage may have to give up some authority. He is one of about 22 NFL general managers with contractual control over the selection of the 53-player roster.
"That was the key distinction for me to come to Cleveland to begin with," Savage said.
Would he agree to return with reduced authority?
"I can't comment on that one way or another," Savage replied. "It's in my contract that I pick the 53. Then obviously something would have to change."
Savage would not comment on the future of coach Romeo Crennel or those of quarterbacks Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson, both of whom are out for the year with injuries.
Cont...

 

[osugrad21]

CPD

Bud Shaw's Sports Spin: Savage playing defense (like the Browns, he's not that good at it)

by Bud Shaw/Plain Dealer Columnist Wednesday December 03, 2008, 10:50 PM


Meet The Press, with Phil Savage and Romeo Crennel
It was clear listening to Savage Wednesday that he feels put upon and unappreciated.
In that sense, he feels just like all those woe-is-me Cleveland fans he once set straight.
Why else in admitting he was wrong to send a profane email to a fan -- a topic he brought up -- did he attach a comma instead of a period to his regret?
There he was, directing critics to a Web site (winnersinfluence.com) to "see what goes on off the field with me personally" and to point out "some other things ... more positive in nature."
Why else did he feel the need to outline the clear improvements under his watch -- talent, equipment, scouting and, hey, even the video department -- and declare that this team is good enough to be 7-5 or even 8-4 if not for a play here or there.
Savage will let you know when he thinks he's made any major mistakes. You have his word.
So until then assume he hasn't.
Cont...

 

[osugrad21]

CPD

Browns Insider: Quinn hopes to start rehab in six weeks after Wednesday surgery

by Mary Kay Cabot/Plain Dealer Reporter Wednesday December 03, 2008, 7:23 PM

Chuck Crow/The Plain DealerWith his right hand in a large cast for the next week, Brady Quinn hopes to start physical therapy on his repaired index finger early in the new year.
Quarterback Brady Quinn underwent successful surgery on his right index finger on Wednesday morning and hopes to begin throwing sometime after the pins are removed in mid-January. "In six weeks, once the pins are out, then we'll start to do a minor rehab program," he said on a conference call from Alabama. "I should be able to throw sometime soon after that. That's the timeframe we're looking at right now."
Quinn said he was knocked out during the procedure, performed by hand specialist Dr. Thomas Hunt, and doesn't know exactly what it entailed. But it's his understanding that they inserted two pins into the finger to repair the damaged extensor tendon and moved the bone chip back into place.
"Obviously they expect a full recovery," he said.
He said he's got a big cast on the hand, which he should have removed in a week. He said he'll return to Cleveland Thursday in hopes of traveling with the team to Tennessee on Saturday.

He said the deciding factor on the surgery was the several opinions he sought.
"It was something I felt pretty strongly about," he said. "I talked it over with my family and we felt the most comfortable situation was getting it done right, making sure it was set correctly and could heal correctly, and not really leave any degree of doubt."

Cont...

 

[osugrad21]

Canton

What?s next for Browns' Crennel, Savage
By Steve Doerschuk
CantonRep.com staff writer
Posted Dec 04, 2008 @ 01:05 AM
CLEVELAND ?
It?s hardly fair to say Phil Savage sat before the media Wednesday with an air of whistling through the graveyard. When it was Romeo Crennel?s turn to address the same group ? after Savage left ? there was a sharp contrast in the demeanor, though.

Savage was all business, conveying something between a grim resignation or patient, serious determination, depending on the interpreter.

Crennel, on the other hand, was full of pep, aggressively cheerful, showing no signs of being worn down by a year gone wrong. He came off as a man who began the morning by singing in the shower.

Maybe this goes to the seasons of their lives.

Savage was just 39 when Randy Lerner gave him the Browns general manager job. Savage is an intense, proud man who despises the thought of his career breakthrough coinciding with a career crash at age 43.

Crennel, 61, seems more at peace with the concept he has done all that he can. If that?s not good enough for somebody else, that?s somebody else.

Both men seem convinced enough that they know what they are doing.

Each seems hopeful that there can be another season in Cleveland, though Crennel has been widely written off while Savage himself adds to the doubt cast on his own Browns future.

Here are some of what each man said that perhaps revealed the current state of their minds:

Cont...

 

[osugrad21]

DDN

Dawson one constant in Browns' lousy season


By Tom Withers
Associated Press

Friday, December 05, 2008

BEREA ? Phil Dawson hasn't been to Hawaii since his honeymoon. He'd like to take his wife back in February to celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary.
And maybe play in his first Pro Bowl.
"It could be two trips in one," Dawson said with a smile Thursday, Dec. 4, before practice. "I could even play it off as, 'Honey, I'm taking you back to where it all started, and if you don't mind, I'm going to kick a few balls while we're here.' "
Overlooked for years, Dawson may deserve a Pro Bowl spot this season.
Cleveland's rock-steady kicker has been one of the few bright spots in a dismal 4-8 season that has failed to meet high expectations. But while teammates commit penalties, drop passes and miss tackles, Dawson has been dependable, exact and consistent.
Just like his kicks.
Cont...