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Owner opens up about Browns, plans to reward GM with extension
Associated Press

BEREA, Ohio -- Randy Lerner wolfed down the last bites of lunch in the Browns' cafeteria, where the owner shared a table with former quarterback Bernie Kosar, before heading up to his office overlooking practice fields now buried in snow.

It's a relatively quiet time in the NFL, those weeks between the frenetic first days of free agency and April's college draft.

In an interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday, the ever-energized Lerner spent nearly an hour candidly discussing the Browns' dramatic 2007 turnaround, an impending contract extension for general manager Phil Savage, coach Romeo Crennel's calming influence and the resurgence of Aston Villa, the English soccer team he bought in 2006.

Only once did Lerner duck a question. Asked to handicap the Derek Anderson vs. Brady Quinn quarterback derby, a daily topic of conversation among Cleveland fans, Lerner was noncommittal.

"I'm not a coach and I don't have any of the required skills to give an informed opinion," he said with a laugh. "Like any fan, I've got a lot to say, but I wouldn't stick my two cents into that one -- for any price."

Lerner's tastefully decorated office is filled with personal and professional effects. Photographs of his children and late father, Al, are sprinkled among acquired art work reflecting one of his most passionate hobbies. A coffee table filled with orange Browns helmets dating to Cleveland's football infancy provide the visitor with a hard plastic trip down memory lane.

After sitting down, Lerner perched his feet on the table's edge, inches away from an updated white model similar to the one the Browns wore in 1948, and could break out for a future special occasion.

Seconds later, Lerner excitedly talked about the 2008 Browns, who are coming off a 10-win season and struck quickly in free agency by re-signing Anderson and running back Jamal Lewis, adding defensive lineman Shaun Rogers and Corey Williams as well as wide receiver Donte Stallworth.

They were brought to Cleveland by Savage, who in just three years has completely rebuilt the Browns from laughingstock to legitimate playoff contender.

Lerner will reward Savage with a long-term contract extension, which has been in the works for several weeks. Talks have gone so well that Lerner and Savage decided to put negotiations on hold to concentrate on free agency, college-player workouts and the draft.

Lerner said nothing is imminent but the deal will be finalized "soon" with Savage.

"There are two characteristics that keep showing up with Phil," Lerner said. "One, is his patience to let circumstances play out in order that he have as much information to make a decision as possible. The other is that he has enormous reach within the NFL and college ranks to get second opinions about his assumptions and suspicions about either a player or an approach to a situation.

"People take his call, people like to talk to him and people do like him in general throughout the NFL. He has brought those relationships and that book of business and made it a valuable resource to the Browns."

Savage is currently signed through the 2009 season. In January, the Browns gave Crennel a two-year extension through 2011, reward for his role in Cleveland's resurgence.

A year ago, Crennel's future with the Browns was uncertain at best. There was speculation he wouldn't last through 2007, and yet Crennel not only survived the pressure cooker but flourished in it.

"It's a very difficult job," Lerner said. "It's a guy who does well in a confusing, chaotic kind of environment and can create calm and continue to inspire players and continue to show up with a plan and a safe pair of hands to execute the plan. A coach with good coordinators and a guy the players speak well of.

"I think you can say that about Romeo, there's no question about that. ... It's about chemistry with players, chemistry with the GM, with the organization and the city and I think you are starting to see that with Romeo."

Only a late-season loss at Cincinnati prevented the Browns from making the AFC playoffs. Looking back at '07, Lerner didn't dwell on disappointment but on several fourth-quarter comebacks he hopes will spawn similar future success.

"The Rams at the Rams, the Jets at the Jets, the Ravens at the Ravens. The Bills at Cleveland," Lerner said rattling off Cleveland's close calls. "Those were not easy. We did a lot of fighting to get those, and a lot of perseverance and a lot of commitment went into those wins.

"I kind of feel like we are building on the kind of character that was demonstrated in pulling some of those out. They weren't just wins for this organization, they were part of a building process. Those 10 wins were really important because they were lessons and they were memories. I don't want to be overdramatic. But there was a depth to them."

Next season, for the first time since Lerner took ownership, the Browns, tougher schedule or not, will be expected to win. Period.

But as they learned last season, a 10-6 record might not be enough to guarantee any games in January. But Lerner has learned to savor the good times.

"I'm probably more concerned with what might not work out, but I also realize that you're probably not doing it right in this business if you're not enjoying it when you do get it right a little bit," he said. "I am feeling pretty good about winning 10 games, and I am feeling pretty good about knowing that we've earned the right to have some higher expectations."

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After sitting down, Lerner perched his feet on the table's edge, inches away from an updated white model similar to the one the Browns wore in 1948, and could break out for a future special occasion.

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I always wondered if they'd break out the white helmets

Yeah, that struck me too... hoping we'll see them this year.

That'd be sweet, most people don't even know we started off with white helmets...that's what makes me laugh when people get all goofy about changing our orange helmets...it's not the only helmet we've had.

I really enjoyed seeing them play with the numbers on the helmets last season.

Yeah Kard, it'd be cool to sit down and have a beer with the guy and shoot the breeze... so far he hasn't returned my call though.

He was on the other line with me

One of things I respect about him is that he realizes he doesn't have the "football" knowledge, so he stays out of it.

I'm a software architect, and technology has passed a lot of our managers by. They have been managing for several years and a lot of things have changed in the field since they last had to get their hands dirty. Some of the managers realize this and stay out of debates and decisions they are not knowledgable enough to positively contribute to. Some do not realize this.

Guess which ones are respected here, and which ones are dreaded?

Thought this belonged here:

web page

Savvy Savage has Browns ready to challenge Steelers, AFC
March 11, 2008
By Pete Prisco
CBSSports.com Senior Writer
Tell Pete your opinion!







They swarmed the kid working out, the NFL scouts hounding his every move. They expected a lot, his reputation was big after all, but most didn't seem to get what they wanted from the workout, leaving disappointed.


Savage and Crennel have done the big job of turning around the Browns. (Getty Images)
But one scout didn't let that workout change his assessment. He knew the kid could play, and that's what mattered. It was all on the tape. So as the scout left that workout five years ago, he did so with a sly smile on his face, hoping like heck the poor showing would help drop the player down to his team.

"Bad workout?" the scout said that day. "Let them all think that."

The player did drop. The scout's team did pick him. That player was Baltimore Ravens defensive end Terrell Suggs.

That scout was Phil Savage, now the general manager of the Cleveland Browns.

That's one of my favorite Savage stories. We both still joke about it. I knew he was playing coy back then since I knew he wasn't one of those scouts who let Suggs' so-so workout at the Arizona State campus change his conviction.

That's when I knew for sure Savage would someday make a good general manager, not for the ability to push papers or deal with travel arrangements, but for his football savvy.

Now we're seeing that in action. Savvy Savage has the Browns on the move.

Savage has had as active an offseason as any general manager in the league, trying to push his team to the top of the AFC North -- and beyond. He has spent the past couple of weeks making trades to shore up his defensive line and signing his leading rusher and one of his quarterbacks to a contract extension, basically taking a team that made strides last season and making it even better.

Is it too much to say the Browns are ready to take over in the AFC North?

"We still have to beat the Steelers first," Savage said.

The Steelers won the division last year, but the Browns surprised many when they finished 10-6 and tied the Steelers for the division lead. But they lost both games to the Steelers and missed out on a wild-card spot. That taste of playoff possibility led to a contract extension for coach Romeo Crennel and earned Savage respect around the league, and his offseason work continues that trend.

In the past month, he's given starting quarterback Derek Anderson, a surprise find last season, a three-year contract extension even though he traded this year's first-round pick last April to take Brady Quinn. Anderson's deal, which includes a $5 million bonus payment due next spring, allows the Browns to get more time evaluating Anderson. If he plays well, they have a decision next spring with relation to Quinn. If he does not, Quinn is the guy and Anderson will likely be out.



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The Browns initially tendered Anderson as a restricted free agent, which would have meant a team could have signed him and if the Browns didn't match the offer, Cleveland would have received a first- and third-round pick as compensation.

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But shortly before the free-agency period opened, the Browns got rumblings that a team with a late first-round pick was considering signing Anderson, giving up that late first-round and late third-round pick and then trading Anderson to a team higher up in the first round, helping circumvent that team from giving the Browns their high first-round pick.

So the Browns signed Anderson the morning of the first day of free agency, meaning it would be Anderson and Quinn again. There will be no trade of Anderson this year, Savage said.

"Derek is the starter," Savage said. "He has the championship belt. It's not going to be taken from him. It has to be a 15-round fight that he loses for him to give it up."

In other words, Quinn is going to have to totally outperform Anderson, who won't lose the title easily.

After settling the quarterback position, Savage knew the Browns defensive line needed help. But he didn't like the draft options, especially without a first-round pick. So he and his staff went to work on trying to make trades for some power players on defense. The Browns have to improve on their 27th-rated rushing defense, especially in a division with the Steelers.

They targeted Green Bay defensive tackle Corey Williams, who was designated as a franchise player by the Packers. They traded a second-round pick for Williams and promptly gave him a six-year deal for $36 million. They followed that up by trading corner Leigh Bodden and a third-round pick to the Lions for Shaun Rogers. In the Browns' 3-4 scheme, Rogers will be a nose tackle while Williams, a guy I really like, will be a 3-4 end.

"We just felt that there weren't guys available in the draft in the second and third round who were worth the picks we had," Savage said. "That's why we made the deal. It was easy really."

So easy in fact that Savage said when the deals were proposed in the team's strategy meetings, there was a strong consensus.

"Everybody wanted to make the moves," Savage said. "It was something we all wanted."

After adding Rogers, the Browns signed receiver Donte' Stallworth to complement Braylon Edwards and then added guard Rex Hadnot on Monday night.

For a guy who was nurtured by making the college draft his priority, it has to be tough knowing the Browns won't pick until the fourth round. They'll watch the first three rounds. That's what I thought, especially since I'm a big proponent in keeping draft picks, which I imagined Savage was too. But he said it's fine the way it is.

"It's not really bothering me," Savage said. "Look what we got. We got Brady and the two defensive linemen. That's a good draft. Plus, now we can focus on the guys in the later rounds. We don't have to worry about the top guys as much, so now maybe we can get one or two more players in the later rounds and really have a big offseason."

Savage, who was the director of college scouting for the Baltimore Ravens before taking over in Cleveland, has always been a scout with a sharp eye for talent. But when he took over in Cleveland, some league personnel wondered if he could handle the responsibilities of being in the office, making all the decisions.

This was a man who lived in Mobile, Ala., his hometown, and spent weeks and weeks on the road scouting college players, not dealing with minutia. But in his four years on the job in Cleveland, Savage has proven to be a shrewd general manager. It's hard to believe that a few years ago in 2005, one year into his tenure, he almost walked away. Locked in a power struggle with former Browns president John Collins, Savage was willing to leave, but owner Randy Lerner sided with Savage and Collins resigned.

That was certainly the right move. Collins may have been the slick executive, but when it came to football Savage was the right guy.

That day five years ago in the Arizona sun confirmed what I already knew. Savage is a good talent evaluator, which is why the Browns are clearly now a threat in the AFC. Give me football men like Savage in general manager positions over pencil pushers every time.


Get it done Lerner! Sign him to a long term deal!!

But isn't it nice to have the insurance of having Quinn on the pine?! Not a bad issue to have.

That's something this team has not had since it's rebirth. We've had QB controversies but it was never a depth issue until now.

Ahh yes, "it's a nice problem to have". I get that whole bit. But at some point, the decision has to be made and I'm just glad I'm not the one who has to make it.

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There are two characteristics that keep showing up with Phil," Lerner said. "One, is his patience to let circumstances play out in order that he have as much information to make a decision as possible.

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As fans we don't have to demonstrate that trait.. Not out jobs I guess. But I'm convinced if we did, it would put an end to knee jerk reactions....

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The other is that he has enormous reach within the NFL and college ranks to get second opinions about his assumptions and suspicions about either a player or an approach to a situation.

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This might end up being the biggest thing with Savage.. He's respected and it shows when you hear anyone in the Media or the NFL circles speak of him. It's always positive. Rare is the negative word....

I think will find out after this upcoming season which one will be our QB. I think the reason Phil gave DA the 3year contract was because he sees enough in him to believe that he COULD be the QB that leads us to the Superbowl. I would imagine that if DA shows improvements in the areas he's deficient (I.E. accuracy and forcing the ball) that he will stay the starter, but if he regresses our does not improve then Quinn will be given the chance to be the GUY .

U guys are looking at it the wrong way ... well your only looking at it one way ... this is not all about what DA does solely ... theres another horse in this race that is no SLOUCH ....

for BQ to start Day 1 he will have to play SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER than DA .. thats what it will take ... correct???

DA's level of play will only be the POINT WHERE THE BAR IS SET TO begin to determine how well BQ has to play to beat him out .. so if DA looks like crap BQ may only have to play pretty good to start ... if DA looks real good then BQ would have to play better than any QB in the history of the game to start .. but fella's ... your looking at it the wrong way ... its just not about how DA plays ..

U guys keep forgetting we do have a LEGITE 2ND HORSE in this race ..
.. this is a much different BQ than came to camp last year ... and I'm going to tell u right now ... he has the heart of a champion .. U SHALL SEE ...

and kardiac .. I am paying attention ... and there backing both fighters .. if U were paying attention U would have seen the quotes by both RAC and Opie that say that BQ will be a fine QB for the Browns for a very long time to come .. have u not seen those quotes??

Opie made a GREAT MOVE by Re-Signing DA .. NO DOUBT about it .. he sure hood winked me on that one .. I have said since day 1 that DA would be here but on the tender .. never did i think it would be on a 3 year deal .. but that GIVES US CONTROL of the entire situation ... it was BRILLIANT .. expensive for randy but SMART FOR THE BROWNS ...

BQ will KICK HIS ASS and make it a NO BRAINER ... thats my opinion anyhow .. just wanted to make sure I was clear on that .. *LOL* ..

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. this is a much different BQ than came to camp last year

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Because he's actually gonna make it to camp this year

You can run a image search and find lots of picks with us wearing white helmets.

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To say that DA will not have his job taken from him and that it will take '15 rounds' for Quinn to even get a shot tells me that they're not backing BOTH fighters. It's a pretty bold statement for Phil to be making at this point, if you ask me. They're giving the reigns to DA and letting him run with it.

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It really doesn't matter what Phil says. In the end, it's up to RAC!

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You can run a image search and find lots of picks with us wearing white helmets.

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one of the most famous is a clip of Marion Motley running over about 20 defenders on his way to a Touchdown.

Didnt we start as a team in 46???

I was too lazy to do an image search. It was one of those conversations that you just file away.

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I keep wondering what the Hell Kosar is doing in the middle of all of this........

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He shows up for the free lunchs

I recall seeing/reading a while back where Bernie is a regular in the Berea complex these days, even moreso now that he is in town much more frequently with his new team.

http://www.clevelandleader.com/node/4212
The gifted, if somewhat mentally imbalanced, tight end told the mens magazine Penthouse:

Penthouse: The Browns have never significantly changed their uniforms design. But when your name is the Browns, what can you really do with that?

The Soldier's Answer : You know what? We're in the process of changing all that. Next year, you're gonna see some new uniforms for the Cleveland Browns. This is really a big part of what Braylon Edwards and I have been talking about for a long time. It may be something similar to what the Broncos have. It's time for a change. Sometimes people live in the past in Cleveland. That's fine, but this team is trying to build an identity and start up something new.

How bout the rest of it???...

Kellen, did that motorcycle accident do something other than damage your knees? The Cleveland Browns will change their uniforms the same day that the New York Yankees change their traditional jerseys. It will not happen no matter how much Braylon Edwards wants that. Although the Browns should lose that silly Al Lerner emblem on their sleeves, which only reminds true Browns fans that it was on his plane that the agreement to move the team was signed on.

I'd welcome it...there's nothing wrong with updating those uniforms. We don't have to change the helmet, but we can add some pizazz. I'm all for tradition, but I'm also for looking forward and not always looking backwards.

We've been living off of past successes for far too long...time to try something new. Not that uniforms will make us successful, but there's nothing wrong with change

No offense, but this article is from the middle of December and has been beat to death,, hows it fit in to this thread.. what am I missing here.

No offense taken Daman.

Hence the reason I didn't start a thread on it. There is talk about wearing throwback uni's again. I thought I'd post this link to add to the conversation.

Ahhh, Ok, Got it.. Thanks for squareing me away on that...

I'd rather see pizzazz from the players wearing the uniforms.

One of the coolest things about the Browns unis is that no other team looks like them at all. I think it'd be a shame to start "updating" the look now.

If it's going to happen whether I like it or not, I'd rather it be AFTER we win the SB... it would be primo to see that olde school look on some player while he's hoisting the Lombardi Trophy over his head...


just another .02

Once you "update", then you must continue to periodically update just to keep up with what is acceptable as people's tastes change over the years.

As it is, the Browns are unique without trying hard to be.



I think Lerner has taken his lumps that he earned from his first few years. He trusted the wrong people and the organization paid the price for it.

This time around he's trusting the right people and the organization is reaping the rewards for it.

It's likely that he learned something from his mistakes.

He almost fell into the same trap with Collins as he did with some others earlier in his ownership. But he didn't fall for it, regardless of what the convincing reason was, and we are now poised to have the opportunity to succeed.