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Posted on Sun, Jan. 28, 2007
McManamon on the Browns
Skilled coaches lost in staffing shakeups
Rosburg, Davidson walk; Atkins, Scherer take on new roles; GM Savage denies orchestrating changes
By Patrick McManamon
The Browns' offseason of change continues with four coaches not retained, two more departed, two retained in different spots and three hired.
Eventually the numbers will even out, but the people who left Cleveland voluntarily -- Jerry Rosburg and Jeff Davidson -- would not seem to be the guys Romeo Crennel wanted to lose.
In addition, two of the coaches who were let go quickly found jobs. Terry Robiskie was named receivers coach with the Miami Dolphins, and John Lott strength coach with the Arizona Cardinals.
The situation with Rosburg and Davidson is interesting.
Both are highly regarded in the league, and both did well in Cleveland.
Rosburg, especially, is given high marks for the way he handles special teams. In his tenure, the Browns' special teams were a bright spot.
But his contract expired after last season, and the Atlanta Falcons lured him south with a three-year deal.
Davidson was promoted to assistant head coach in the offseason, then named offensive coordinator in October when Maurice Carthon ``resigned.''
In a rare interview in November -- assistant coaches must be given permission to speak to the media -- Davidson spoke with jubilation at coaching with the Browns.
``I grew up in a small town near Akron called Doylestown,'' he said. ``I grew up listening to the radio at my house or watching the Browns on TV at a friend's house. I was a Browns fan growing up. This is a dream come true to be here as a coach, regardless of what my realm is as a coach.''
The dream ended in a hurry.
And it ended with Davidson being given 10 games to call plays using someone else's offense. To expect Davidson to change the system in those 10 games was just not realistic.
That being said, Davidson certainly seems to have been judged on those 10 games.
His interview seemed perfunctory, and sources said he almost knew he had no chance to keep the job.
Apparently, Davidson did not hold back on his evaluations of players in his interview, either.
He told General Manager Phil Savage -- who led the search and hiring -- that there were large needs on offense, and some of his criticisms went right to players signed the past two years.
The Browns would have liked him to stay as line coach, but apparently Davidson felt staying was not a viable option. Nor did he really believe he was wanted.
Davidson and Rosburg could not be reached for comment, and Savage said through the team's media relations department that he did not want to comment on departing coaches.
It's not known whether Davidson's blunt personnel assessments hurt his chances, but Davidson was respected by many players -- Trent Dilfer always spoke highly of him -- and the Carolina Panthers thought enough of him to make him their offensive coordinator.
Few in the league quibble with the fact that new offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski is a bright young coach. They wonder about his experience, but agree he's knowledgeable.
Coaching staffs change; it's a fact of life in the NFL. And the Browns' staff is changing.
That being said, the staff would look a lot stronger with Davidson and Rosburg on it than it does without them.
More change
The team announced Saturday that Dave Atkins had been moved from running backs coach to special offensive assistant, Rip Scherer had been promoted to assistant head coach/quarterback coach and Anthony Lynn had been hired from the Dallas Cowboys to coach running backs.
Soon the team will announce that former Houston Texans assistant Steve Marshall will be the line coach. Marshall was not in coaching last year after being fired by Houston in 2005, a year when the Texans gave up 68 sacks.
He was recently hired to work at Alabama, but prefers the NFL.
Atkins' shift hardly seems like a promotion, and according to one league source, it came after some back-and-forth with Crennel and Savage.
Crennel wanted Atkins to stay, and Savage wanted a change, a league source close to some of the Browns' coaches said. The move seems like a compromise.
Savage, who has taken a much more active role in the coaching staff's makeup, made a veiled reference to Atkins in his postseason news conference, when he said that Reuben Droughns' disappointing season was partly affected by training camp, when he didn't get enough ``at-bats.''
Savage seemed to understand the reasons, but still said it might have affected Droughns. How serious was the discussion about Atkins?
Serious enough that some coaches on the staff wondered if it would cost Crennel his job, according to the source.
Meanwhile, Alfredo Roberts takes the job of bringing along Kellen Winslow.
Winslow is a talented and dedicated player, but his energies sometimes need to be channeled. Roberts played tight end at the University of Miami and was a teammate of Chudzinski's.
On the changes
Savage said that talk he is calling the shots on coaching changes is ``almost comical in a way.''
``I've never had a coach come to me and say `This is what we are going to do' or `This is the play we are going to run.' The coaches don't report to Phil Savage, I promise you that,'' he said. ``Romeo is responsible for the coaching staff. Do I have some input or suggestions? Absolutely. Does he have input or suggestions to make when it comes to personnel, free agents or the draft? Absolutely.
``It's his coaching staff just like it's my scouting staff.
``The other factor to weigh in on all of this is, as GM, I can stand back a little bit from being in the eye of the storm. Sometimes the coaches are so involved in what they are doing on a day-to-day basis, a general manager can bring a little more of a perspective to it than someone who is involved in the fight on a day-to-day basis.
``Romeo is in charge of his coaching staff.''
As for changes that have been made, specifically the four coaches not retained, Savage said: ``I would say that when we talked about things and issues that we felt we were having, in the end, the best thing to do was make the moves we made.''
Brownies . . .
• One of the decisions Savage must make in the offseason is whether to bring in a veteran quarterback. He did not sound committed to the idea, saying, ``When you look at what quarterbacks are available on the surface right now via free agency, you probably wouldn't be overly impressed with that list.'' The best option might be to wait to see if Jake Plummer is released by Denver.
• His thoughts on the position? ``I think Derek (Anderson) certainly played himself into discussion with what he's shown over the last three or four weeks of the season. Charlie has played more, and Derek will have to beat him out. Is it a competition? Sure it is.''
• Savage said that half the interior offensive-line starters were taken on Day 2 of the draft or via free agency. ``History shows that you can find the center and guard spots on Day 2 of the draft,'' he said.
• An exception: Pittsburgh. Jeff Hartings, Alan Faneca and Kendall Simmons all were first-round picks. And the Steelers always run the ball well.
• New Steelers coach Mike Tomlin was an intern under Chris Palmer in Cleveland in 1999. Tomlin, a ``cover-two'' disciple, quickly put to rest thoughts that he would change the Steelers' defensive system by retaining defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau.
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Patrick McManamon can be reached at pmcmanamon@thebeaconjournal.com
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Last edited by mac; 01/28/07 08:12 AM.
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Quote:
On the changes
Savage said that talk he is calling the shots on coaching changes is ``almost comical in a way.''
``I've never had a coach come to me and say `This is what we are going to do' or `This is the play we are going to run.' The coaches don't report to Phil Savage, I promise you that,'' he said. ``Romeo is responsible for the coaching staff. Do I have some input or suggestions? Absolutely. Does he have input or suggestions to make when it comes to personnel, free agents or the draft? Absolutely.
``It's his coaching staff just like it's my scouting staff.
``The other factor to weigh in on all of this is, as GM, I can stand back a little bit from being in the eye of the storm. Sometimes the coaches are so involved in what they are doing on a day-to-day basis, a general manager can bring a little more of a perspective to it than someone who is involved in the fight on a day-to-day basis.
``Romeo is in charge of his coaching staff.''
As for changes that have been made, specifically the four coaches not retained, Savage said: ``I would say that when we talked about things and issues that we felt we were having, in the end, the best thing to do was make the moves we made.''
I'm not sure what to make of the above comments.
Savage is saying that Crennel is calling the shots about who is being hired. It will be interesting to hear what Crennel says about the same question, "who" is making the decisions on the coaching staff?
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Quote:
Apparently, Davidson did not hold back on his evaluations of players in his interview, either.
He told General Manager Phil Savage -- who led the search and hiring -- that there were large needs on offense, and some of his criticisms went right to players signed the past two years.
Something tells me this inside tid-bit is true....I also think Phil doesn't like it when people tell him the players he selected aren't living up to expectation.
Quote:
Atkins' shift hardly seems like a promotion, and according to one league source, it came after some back-and-forth with Crennel and Savage.
Crennel wanted Atkins to stay, and Savage wanted a change, a league source close to some of the Browns' coaches said. The move seems like a compromise.
This right there tells me Savage is calling the staff shots unlike what he claims later.
Quote:
• Savage said that half the interior offensive-line starters were taken on Day 2 of the draft or via free agency. ``History shows that you can find the center and guard spots on Day 2 of the draft,'' he said.
I don't doubt that. I just wonder if it is the good half or the bad half??
If everybody had like minds, we would never learn. GM Strong ![[Linked Image]](http://www.dawgtalkers.net/uploads/small-gator-chomp.gif)
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So who is the wide receiver coach?? Still to be hired?? OR does Atkins take over those responsibilities?
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'Wow, I had to stop reading when I realized that Pat is taking a lot of liberties when flipping between fact and opinion.. He's really trying to take his opinion and make it fact,..,, Examples: Quote:
Apparently, Davidson did not hold back on his evaluations of players in his interview, either.
He told General Manager Phil Savage -- who led the search and hiring -- that there were large needs on offense, and some of his criticisms went right to players signed the past two years.
How does he know this exchange took place in this exact fashion,,,,
Quote:
It's not known whether Davidson's blunt personnel assessments hurt his chances, but Davidson was respected by many players
First off, you have to believe the first statement (unproven) to accept the premise that "blunt personnel assessments" even took place let alone hurt his chances.. As for him being respected by many players,,, good for him,, I have no problem with that.
Quote:
Atkins' shift hardly seems like a promotion, and according to one league source, it came after some back-and-forth with Crennel and Savage.
Crennel wanted Atkins to stay, and Savage wanted a change, a league source close to some of the Browns' coaches said. The move seems like a compromise.
Well, what can I say, if this is true and again, it's not proven in anyway that it is, then RAC hasn't lost all the clout that some on here think he has  But again, unproven... just an opinion and an unnamed league source 
On other topics:
Quote:
Savage said that talk he is calling the shots on coaching changes is ``almost comical in a way.''
``I've never had a coach come to me and say `This is what we are going to do' or `This is the play we are going to run.' The coaches don't report to Phil Savage, I promise you that,'' he said. ``Romeo is responsible for the coaching staff. Do I have some input or suggestions? Absolutely. Does he have input or suggestions to make when it comes to personnel, free agents or the draft? Absolutely.
``It's his coaching staff just like it's my scouting staff.
There's plenty of you guys out there that don't believe any of this, but I do, I've been saying I thought this is kinda the way it is for a while now.. at least since the end of the season anyway.
I chose to believe this, but in all honesty, I don't have any inside info that says I'm correct,,., It just feels right to me.. I think Phil is calling it the way it is.
All in all, how you view this article depends on whether or not you feel as if there is a conspiracy to cover things up or not..
I think/believe there is some spinning going on to be sure, but out right lying,, No, I don't think so..
#GMSTRONG
“Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.”
Daniel Patrick Moynahan
"Alternative facts hurt us all. Think before you blindly believe."
Damanshot
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Savage distanced himself from all the coaching hires AND the playcalling. The old "stop,drop & roll". It seems he has no intention for taking any responsibility for the mess being created. But that's how it works I guess. When things go bad,cover your ass! If this wasn't so sad that he's deserting RAC and placing all the blame on him,it would be funny. But instead,that's another bit of respect I "had" for Savage that just got thrown out the window! BTW- The article was pretty much on the money! Even though people will be slaughtering the messenger for telling the truth. 
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
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Just a little note Mac & Peen. Everyone of those Quotes from Savage was not in response to the recent happenings.
All of them were taken from his Presser about a month ago...well seemed like a month...maybe a couple of weeks right after we fired 4 coaches...or didn't sign them not sure if all had contracts. Robo, Coates, Lott n Crennell III.
As for Pats...unamed sources - wonder who was listening through the keyhole?
Well I was always taught...Believe nothing you hear and only half of what you see.
JMHO
Defense wins championships. Watson play your butt off!
Go Browns!
CHRIST HAS RISEN!
GM Strong! & Stay safe everyone!
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Quote:
Well I was always taught...Believe nothing you hear and only half of what you see.
If that is the case, why such a big booster of what comes out of Berea??
If everybody had like minds, we would never learn. GM Strong
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Just clicking,, Like I said, how people view this article depends entirely on whether the person is predisposed to believe what comes out of berea or not.. If that person thinks that RAC is not incharge of hiring his coaching staff,,,, Savage can deny it till the cows come home and it won't make a lick of difference.. The reverse is just as true. Here's the really funny part,,, what any of us on these boards think doesn't really mean a thing
#GMSTRONG
“Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.”
Daniel Patrick Moynahan
"Alternative facts hurt us all. Think before you blindly believe."
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Quote:
'Wow, I had to stop reading when I realized that Pat is taking a lot of liberties when flipping between fact and opinion..
LOL...that was one long post from someone who "had to stop reading." 
On the article: I know the usual suspects will be trying to discredit the messenger in an attempt to shield Savage, but is anyone else wondering about Savage....the person?
I have questioned his personnel moves, but I haven't really questioned his character too much. I am getting the image of Savage being a snake. He's setting Romeo up for the big fall.
Davidson's supposed views on some of Opie's picks is very interesting. Anyone wanna talk about that?
Or....does anyone wanna compare the coaches? Hell, it seems like the guys we are getting rid of our more qualified than the ones we are bringing in. Is this progress?
"What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us."
--Ralph Waldo Emerson
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Quote:
Davidson's supposed views on some of Opie's picks is very interesting. Anyone wanna talk about that?
i gotta run soon, but imo i'm guessing that davison might want his oline picks higher, and phil thinks he can get them on the 2nd day....i'm talking guards and centers....
NE took mankins as the first guard off the board when they had a hole.....that might be his philsophy...
Attitude is everything....FEAR THE ELF!!!
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He told General Manager Phil Savage -- who led the search and hiring -- that there were large needs on offense, and some of his criticisms went right to players signed the past two years.
The "Who led the search and hiring" confuses me. Is he talking about the Free agent search and singings, or the coaching ??
Is he critisizing the draft pick or free agent picks?
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j/c
The remark about 1/2 the starting interior o-linemen drafted on the second day kills me.Well,yes that's probably true,but in the end you get what pay for.
What about WR's? How many starting wr's have come from the 2nd day?
What about 3-4 olb's?I'd be willing to wager that over half of them came from 2nd day picks.
Although his value system is different than mine,that doesn't make it wrong.But Iwill say prove it,get some draft picks in here.I doubt that half the starters in the league are UDFA's.
Indecision may,or maynot,be my problem
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I have questioned his personnel moves, but I haven't really questioned his character too much. I am getting the image of Savage being a snake. He's setting Romeo up for the big fall.
Very well put Vers.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
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Quote:
Quote:
I have questioned his personnel moves, but I haven't really questioned his character too much. I am getting the image of Savage being a snake. He's setting Romeo up for the big fall.
Very well put Vers.
If Savage wanted Romeo gone, he would have fired him and been done with it.
Seriously.......setting him up for the fall...........RAC has allready set HIMSELF up for it. All Savage had to do was pull the trigger........but he didn't.
That's the reality of the situation.
So is Opie lying when he says he's not picking out the coaches? Sure. Did he have any other choice? Not in the slightest. He has to protect RAC's credibility by making sure people still think he's calling shots.
We're back to business management 101 here.
So Vers, yeah, let's talk about these coaches a little bit. I'm your Huckleberry 
Lott reportedly yelled at opposing teams players on the field. That's hardly the picture of class, and Savage wanted none of it. So he's gone. I've no problem with it.
Davidson wasn't going to get the OC job here, but he was offered the job in Carolina. I'd have jumped ship as well. What would you have done, stayed to coach the O-line? *L*
How about Mo? He's reportedly about to be hired as RB's coach for the Cardinals. Mo or Chud.........Mo or Chud........... IS there a choice there? The Chargers wanted to keep Chud in that capacity while Mo can't do anything but land a job on a franchise that's one of the running jokes of the league as a RB's coach.
Rosburg's contract was up and he got a great deal. I would have liked to have kept him, but how can you judge someone else as not being up to his standards until the new guy actually coaches a game?
A guy can be a great coach but if his personality doesn't fit with what the organization is doing, he suddenly becomes a bad fit. We had a great Controller in our hotel but when the new GM came on board, they clashed considerably. Within a month, the old controller was out because he didn't fit what we were doing. He had to go.
It's premature to judge any of these coaches until they get to work. Bozo's time was up here, regardless of how much experience he has. His time was up with the 'Skins before he went to the Raiders, and it was up before he came here.
Blah, this is all a prejudgement without an honest shred of truth to base anything on. About the only thing I can say for certain is that Savage gave Crennel an extra year when he could have EASILY and JUSTIFIABLY fired his ass. Setting him up for the fall? I know that's what many wish to see..............
***Gordon, I really didn't think you could be this stOOpid, but you exceeded my expectations. Wussy.
Manziel, see Josh Gordon. Dumbass.***
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I don't doubt that Davidson told Savage that there were problems with the offensive starters that Savage signed... Every starter we have was brought in by Savage, with the exception of Northcutt and Winslow, so almost any criticism would have to be directed at a "Savage guy." Is Savage so dense, as to not realize that his players had something to do with our offensive problems.... Wait a minute...the messenger (Davidson) is gone, isn't he...
The Cleveland Browns - WE KNOW QUARTERBACKS ( Look at how many we've had ... )
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Just clicking,,
as I said, people will believe what they want to believe... doesn't matter what is said or done, or for that matter what makes common sense and what doesn't..
Believe what you want,,,
#GMSTRONG
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Daniel Patrick Moynahan
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Quote:
Lott reportedly yelled at opposing teams players on the field. That's hardly the picture of class, and Savage wanted none of it. So he's gone. I've no problem with it.
1st I heard of this. IF true I agree classless. After the 1st time this happened he should have had his behavior pointed out to him and if it continued despite being told to stop then certainly that is grounds for dismissal. Do we have a source?
Procrastination is caused by the fear of success
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I read it too....it was in some article a while back.
If everybody had like minds, we would never learn. GM Strong
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I don't remember it at all,, not to say it didn't happen or wasn't reported, I just don't remember it at all.
#GMSTRONG
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Daniel Patrick Moynahan
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Trust me.....I remember much.
If everybody had like minds, we would never learn. GM Strong
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I think that stuff about Lott was posted by AttackDawg from a WTAM radio interview with one of it's reporters, (Andre Knott?), who gave some inside information after Lott and the other coaches were let go. It sounded accurate enough. No reason for that reporter, from the "flagship" station to make that kind of stuff up.
He'd also said something about Robo being on his own agenda instead of trying to be on the same page as the other offensive coaches, Ben Coates being a "Mo guy" and disgruntled over his "resignation", Lott being crude on the sidelines by cussing and shouting out to the other team and I don't remember what Crennell III's problem was.
I hope I capsuled that correctly as I'm only going from memory.
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#GMSTRONG
“Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.”
Daniel Patrick Moynahan
"Alternative facts hurt us all. Think before you blindly believe."
Damanshot
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So a guy who got LET GO by the Texans after the 05 season isn't an "indication" of anything? Good to know............. 
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
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.Thanks ddubia that's good info. All pretty new to to me. As far as Crennell II's problem - best I can figure is that no one could figure out what he was doing or what he was even suppose to be doing 
Procrastination is caused by the fear of success
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well, i agree and disagree with TOAD here...
Savage setting up RAC?...why?...as TOAD says, if he wanted RAC axed, he could've easily done so with the wave of media and reactionary fan outcry...he didn't...
the only reason Savage might retain RAC for shady purposes, IMO, would be to keep himself off the hotseat for next season...i.e. by delaying a HC change, he would get a 2nd hiring before being under the gun himself...but what would that save him?...1 year?...it's not like he'd be homeless and jobless if he were forced out of Cleveland...may or may not get another GM role right away, but certainly an asst. GM or director of college scouting, at the least...
or perhaps he understands the reality of the situation...that given the state of the Browns when he came in, it was going to take a long-term infusion of talent to bring back competitiveness, while at the same time knowing that the local media and fans would never stand for such a patient approach...therefore, if he can buy himself enough time (saving his own hide, as VERS and PIT would see it) by manipulation of the coaching staff, he'll get enough talent to field a playoff-calibre before he's fired...in such a 'snake-like' scenario, the end result is the our team would be where we all want it to be...
so is Savage trying to save his job?...of course...but the only way to SAVE it is to win...postponing a HC firing for selfish reasons does nothing to help his career...and if that is what he cares about(as opposed to truly wanting to turn the Browns around), he actually may be better off getting fired sooner rather than later...i.e. if he's forced out sooner, during any future interviews he can use the argument that he wasn't given a fair chance to succeed...if he manipulates himself into keeping his job longer, that argument goes out the window, not to mention brings character questions to his resume...
as for my disagreement with TOAD, it is with the firing of all those coaches...you can explain away each of those individually if you want, but when you look at them as a group, the situation is suspicious...i can make an excuse at work for not getting task A done for this reason, task B for that reason, task C b/c of a misunderstanding, task D b/c of a miscommunication...but if i'm claiming all those 'reasons' at once, they look a alot more like excuses...
IMO, where Savage disappointed me a bit was bowing to the pressure to let anyone go post-season (we'll set the Mo thing aside, given all indications of playcalling chaos and player mutiny)...if RAC wanted changes, fine, but it's pretty clear that those walking papers were not coming out of RAC's office...Savage should've stood beside RAC...even if Lerner was the one pushing the issue, Savage should've held him back...as i see it, it is part of a GM's job to 'handle' the owner, if need be...
Browns fans are born with it...
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It never ceases to AMAZE me how the minds of some work when probing into something NONE OF US HAVE A CLUE ABOUT...
The Front Office goings on...
Savage Setting Crennel up for failure is nothing more than Setting himself up for a FIRING...
That's just a plain flat out ASSENINE comment from whoever said it...Vers? Unreal...
U guys need to stick to FOOTBALL...At least u know what you're talkin' about...
Go Browns!!!
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It's in order to buy himself immunity among the fan base in the event these new coaches flop. For God's sake,it's in print for everyone to see. I think he has little to no confidence in this "coach rebuilding" that's going on.
Therefore,he's already making built in excuses for its failure. Purely posturing for anyone willing to objectively look at it. He just wants to insure that when and IF RAC gets the boot,he doesn't get tossed out with him. Very obvious what he's doing here.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
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I think that stuff about Lott was posted by AttackDawg from a WTAM radio interview with one of it's reporters, (Andre Knott?), who gave some inside information after Lott and the other coaches were let go. It sounded accurate enough. No reason for that reporter, from the "flagship" station to make that kind of stuff up.
O.k ..DDubia..u MADE ME DO it..I had to serach for this stuff..it was posted on Jan 8th...from WTAM...
In between 120 minutes or so of inane ramblings by Kevin Keane, Andre Knott came on to give his report. He answered the exact same question I had about why Coates was let go when the TE's had a great year. Here is a recap of Knott's take on the coaches & the situation....
* RAC's offensive assts were not cohesive. Ben Coates was Mo Carthon's boy and had his back even after the move. Coates mimicked Moe's surliness and bad assed demeanor and didn't exactly try to help Jeff Davidson , to say the least.
* Said "Terry Robiske was on the Terry Robiske plan". Tells you all you need to know. Biske was like Peter & Dennis in Easy Rider, doing his own thing in his own time.Easy to get why Q played Quincy Morgan Football..lol..
* Lott got in a personality clash with RAC despite the fact that he is very, very close to RAC. Said this one really had to hurt RAC. Said the reason was Phil didn't like his style, that Lott was too confrontational with players and taunted and swore at opposing players on the sidelines during games. Said Phil is having no tolerance of this stuff.
* Said that they really have a very serious interest in the Garrett brothers - both of them, with Jason being a very serious candidate for OC . Said Phil really likes them
Keep Grossi's point in mind in his column today that says the NFL take is that RAC isn't in a good position long term and that it will be very hard to land established & experienced offensive coaches.
* Confrims Rip Shearer is safe, probably Atkins at RB coach as well.
* Lastly, he says that this coaching purge & search process is described as a "power play" -, between Phil & RAC.
Says Phil is running the search and using this to put his imprint on the coaching staff to do things his way. Really made a point of this when talking about Lott's firing which was purely Phil and a huge blow to RAC. This really sound similar to the takes by PFBT that is a site which is often treated w/ derision.
So there it is again..going back to the article which is the second time I've seen this..
Apparently, Davidson did not hold back on his evaluations of players in his interview, either.
He told General Manager Phil Savage -- who led the search and hiring -- that there were large needs on offense, and some of his criticisms went right to players signed the past two years.
I want to KNOW who are the players that JD was criticizing..or is Pat merely repeating what Grossi printed?
Last edited by Attack Dawg; 01/29/07 09:50 AM.
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Conspiracy theories aren't exclusive to government with you, are they Peen? So many on this board, and other places, have been slamming Savage because he is "calling the shots" and RAC has no say whatsoever in who is being hired for the coaching staff. Savage addresses that and now the criticism is going to shift to he is protecting himself. LOL, this is truly sad by so many on here. If Savage wanted RAC gone, as someone said, this would have been the perfect time to do it with the public (and ignorant) outcry of so many. Yet, RAC is still here. So, what is left to speculate and form some sort of evil conspiracy? Oh, let's change it to Savage is now setting RAC up to be fired. Unbelievable. It's right there in print for everyone to see. Unfortunately, too many have some weird agenda they are looking for and can't see what is there. Phil is defending RAC's credibility and his security. It truly amazes me how this can be twisted into such far reaching and totally illogical "opinions".
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Quote:
Savage, who has taken a much more active role in the coaching staff's makeup,
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Quote:
Savage said that talk he is calling the shots on coaching changes is ``almost comical in a way.''
``I've never had a coach come to me and say `This is what we are going to do' or `This is the play we are going to run.' The coaches don't report to Phil Savage, I promise you that,'' he said. ``Romeo is responsible for the coaching staff. Do I have some input or suggestions? Absolutely. Does he have input or suggestions to make when it comes to personnel, free agents or the draft? Absolutely.
``It's his coaching staff just like it's my scouting staff.
``The other factor to weigh in on all of this is, as GM, I can stand back a little bit from being in the eye of the storm. Sometimes the coaches are so involved in what they are doing on a day-to-day basis, a general manager can bring a little more of a perspective to it than someone who is involved in the fight on a day-to-day basis.
``Romeo is in charge of his coaching staff.''
As for changes that have been made, specifically the four coaches not retained, Savage said: ``I would say that when we talked about things and issues that we felt we were having, in the end, the best thing to do was make the moves we made.''
Nah Coach. As the "head hauncho" he is taking full responsibility. That's like saying the general is refusing to take responsibility for his own battle plan. Or maybe more like saying "I let my colonel make the battle plan! He did it! He did it! Not MY fault!"
That crap don't flush.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
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OMG CoachB.... This may be a first... WE AGREE!  I'm really not sure if I can take it I, like you, am convinced that if Savage wanted RAC gone, he'd be gone.. The very fact that he isn't gone, means that he received a vote of confidence.. If they couldn't be confident in him, it would have been stupid to keep him another year,, Really dumb if you ask me.. Savage has denied that he is pulling all the coaching strings,, he's said he's had input, but the decisions have been RACs... But that's not good enough for some people.. So in the end, it doesn't matter,,, everyone will believe what they want to believe regardless of any and all comments to the contrary! Oh, and whats worse is when some on here read an article and assume that it's fact when in fact, it's a writers opinion,,,, that just cracks me up... And whats worse than that is that I've even caught myself doing it,,,,, Sometimes I really hate me
#GMSTRONG
“Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.”
Daniel Patrick Moynahan
"Alternative facts hurt us all. Think before you blindly believe."
Damanshot
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Quote:
It never ceases to AMAZE me how the minds of some work when probing into something NONE OF US HAVE A CLUE ABOUT...
I agree, but it's the same as guys having some beers and talking football.... and speculating out of their hats ...
But LOL, we do have a lot of armchair psychologists on here...
![[Linked Image from i28.photobucket.com]](http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c201/shadedog/mcenroe2.jpg) gmstrong -----------------
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Well, Pit, explain why this evil genius that is plotting RAC's dismissal didn't do so now when so many fans and media are all over RAC and wanting him gone? If he is such an evil genius, how could he be so stupid as to not get rid of RAC now? Please, Pit, use common sense.
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If you can't "read what he said" I can't help you. If Savage were to get fired,who would make that decision? Jr. Okay,if hiring RAC and his staff was Phil's decision,or if he promoted the idea and the former "coaching staff" failed miserably,wouldn't Savage be as much to blame as anyone for that failure? Therefore,it would only make "common sense" that they BOTH get fired,would it not? But this way,the burden has been laid strictly on RAC's shoulders by Phil. Which may make it seem to Jr. that "if this attempt fails" Savage had nothing to do with these decisions. Savage needs this change and a chance to shift the blame to RAC before he gets kicked to the curb WITH RAC! So this was a way to put distance between them. This way,after this season,RAC could go,while his boss saves his own ass from the same fate. In order to use common sense,it helps to know a little bit about human nature.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
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It also helps to not have to resort to wild conspiracty theories at every turn, but you refuse to do that. You are trying to read way too much into things to come up with your scenario. We get it, you dislike Savage as much as you do Bush. OK, thanks for sharing. Now, here in reality, we can read Savage's comments and take them for what they are. Your assertions make no sense. Again, if Savage wanted RAC gone, he could have had the PERFECT opportunity now. It doesn't save his job by waiting until next year, because he would have the built in excuse that they needed more time because they went a different direction. Your outlandish conspiracies hold no water whatsoever.
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Collins/Lerner hired Rac not Phil.
There they are not TIED together..but Phil has a at bat for Rac and he's used it..
If you READ the info I posted the assistants were not a cohesive unit..they were a MESS..they had power struggles amongest themselves and it filtered over into the players..
As a GM something had to be done..if Phil really felt Rac was the problem he'd be gone..and FYI NEITHER coach nor the GM will agree on everything..so we shouldn't be shocked when we see a report of one person wanting to do one thing and the other wants to go in a different direction.
Last edited by Attack Dawg; 01/29/07 01:32 PM.
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Stop using facts to get in the way of Pit's conspiracies....he has no room for them.
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This is a area I don't even need to debate on..Phil is helping  Rac assemble a new staff , one that isn't going to be disfunctual..but act like a unit.. Now if you want to look at something..I look at Davidson criticizing certain offensive players that were just brought in..I still want to know who... Other than that bring on FA....
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I agree with you. It's obvious to anyone that looks at the situation OBJECTIVELY. Sure, Savage is helping, but why wouldn't he? It's part of his job regardless of what others are saying.
As for Davidson, I wasn't really all that impressed with any of his coaching, let alone talent evaluation. The OL was terrible, the play calling as OC was terrible. For those that will undoubtedly defend him with the "the talent sucked" posts...that's right, but it isn't stopping people from criticizing the new OL coach.
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