OSUBasketballJunkie
Never Forget 31-0
LINK
It would be unfortunate that we could lose this talented player because of Butch Davis and his bad decisions.<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=yspsctnhdln>Davis' low offer to Henry could cost Browns</TD></TR><TR><TD height=7><SPACER type="block" width="1" height="1"></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>By Marla Ridenour, Beacon Journal staff writer
Butch Davis is no longer the Browns coach, but his weakness handling personnel matters could cost the team a valuable player.
The lowball offer Davis made to starting cornerback Anthony Henry last season created a huge gap between the two sides. And Davis' lack of urgency to lock up Henry leaves new general manager Phil Savage little time to get a deal done before Henry becomes an unrestricted free agent March 2.
<TABLE cellPadding=1 align=right border=0 hspace="10" vspace="5"><TBODY><TR><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle><SCRIPT language=JavaScript>var lrec_target="_top";var lrec_URL=new Array();lrec_URL[1]="http://us.ard.yahoo.com/SIG=129diffag/M=321780.5575700.7022088.1806201/D=sports/S=95860911:LREC/EXP=1109342715/A=2570156/R=0/SIG=10t5pamst/*http://www.itunes.com/pepsi";var lrec_flashfile="http://us.a1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/a/pe/pepsi/itunes_300x250_10_020405.swf?clickTAG=javascript:LRECopenWindow(1)";var lrec_altURL="http://us.ard.yahoo.com/SIG=129diffag/M=321780.5575700.7022088.1806201/D=sports/S=95860911:LREC/EXP=1109342715/A=2570156/R=1/SIG=10t5pamst/*http://www.itunes.com/pepsi";var lrec_altimg="http://us.a1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/a/pe/pepsi/itunes_300x250_020405.gif";var lrec_width=300;var lrec_height=250;</SCRIPT><SCRIPT language=JavaScript src="http://us.a1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/a/1-/jscodes/031016/ct_lrec_031016.js"></SCRIPT><SCRIPT language=VBScript> on error resume next plugin = ( IsObject(CreateObject("ShockwaveFlash.ShockwaveFlash.6")))</SCRIPT><NOSCRIPT></NOSCRIPT><SCRIPT language=JavaScript src="http://amch.questionmarket.com/adsc/d192499/5/194438/randm.js"></SCRIPT></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
"Anthony enjoyed his time in Cleveland, enjoyed the fans and the city," Henry's agent, Jerrold Colton, said Tuesday. "Unfortunately, the previous regime handled things in a fashion that did cause some disappointment. We were unable to even come close with the people previously calling the shots.
"The new regime is handling things appropriately. It's unfortunate they have to pay for past mistakes."
Savage notified the agents for Henry, defensive back Lewis Sanders and reportedly quarterback Kelly Holcomb this week that he and Browns coach Romeo Crennel would like to have their clients back. Sanders' agent, Kevin Pompey, said Sanders is excited to have a chance to play again for Crennel, his defensive coordinator in 2000.
"Crennel and Lewis have spoken, and he expects to be a Cleveland Brown, we hope," Pompey said. "We're talking about a midlevel guy. We have a lot of proving to do, and Lewis understands that. He needs to be more consistent, and he needs to stay healthy. Hopefully last year was a step in that direction.
"We have an idea of what we think our value is, and it's very affordable for the Browns. We're not talking Anthony Henry money here."
Anthony Henry money would be in the millions. The fourth-round pick of the Browns in 2001 started for three seasons and played for salaries of $209,000, $300,000, $389,000 and $455,000, according to NFL Players' Association figures.
"Anthony was paid what we believe was significantly under his market value," Colton said. "He's looking for as much security as possible. What that means could play out in different ways. We expect he'll get it in Cleveland or elsewhere."
Colton expects more conversations with Browns salary-cap coordinator Trip MacCracken in the next few days.
"Even when we reached an impasse, I have high regard for Trip MacCracken," Colton said. "If we don't get it done, it won't be for a lack of trying on their part. "I don't fault Savage at all. He had to wait for a coach. They had to go through player evaluations. I completely understand their time frame. But the attractiveness of the open market is only days away."
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
