FanHouse PhilSavage

Who moved to the head of the NFL class during the draft? Find out with FanHouse's team-by-team 2009 Draft Grades.

One year removed from a 10-win season, and on the heels of a four-win effort, owner Randy Lerner decided change was in order. He fired head coach Romeo Crennel and general manager Phil Savage and brought in Eric Mangini and George Kokonis.

If the first draft under the new leadership is any indication, the Browns will use the last weekend in April to restock the roster, and eschew high-priced, quick-fix free agents. The previous regime had a healthy mix of the two: Gary Baxter, Eric Steinbach, LeCharles Bentley and Donte' Stallworth were signed as free agents; Kamerion Wimbley, Joe Thomas and Brady Quinn were all high-round draft picks.

The Browns won four games last season. It cost Phil Savage and Romeo Crennel their jobs, and has led to an offseason full of speculation about whom the team will draft with the fifth-overall pick next Saturday.

Cleveland's collapse was mildly surprising; it won 10 games in 2007 and just missed the playoffs. With the quarterback position seemingly decided -- Derek Anderson went to the Pro Bowl in '07 -- only the defense needed fixing. Trading for Shaun Rogers and Corey Williams accomplished that (in theory, anyway) and all that remained was winning the Super Bowl.

While we were all busy taking gratuitous perfectly deserving shots at Matt Millen and his eight-year reign of terror in Detroit as he pursues other professional endeavors, the Free Press' Drew Sharp would like to make a point about everyone's preoccupation with the former Lions president:

A year ago, the Browns, having just missed the playoffs with a 10-win season, headed into the new year with high hopes for the future. They had young, emerging stars at quarterback, wide receiver and tight end, and head coach Romeo Crennel was about to sign a contract extension for his role in the organization's turnaround.

Apparently, six months of unwatchable football is all it took to undo all that. Last Sunday, general manager Phil Savage had to turn in his Blackberry, and a day later, Crennel was kindly asked to do the same.

Now, the team has two front-office vacancies, and owner Randy Lerner wasted very little time interviewing Patriots vice president Scott Pioli to replace Savage. The two met yesterday and according to the Boston Herald, Pioli must decide today if he's going to take the job. The issue: Pioli's demands are so ridiculously high that the Browns aren't sure he's serious about leaving the Patriots.

The holiday season doesn't bring good tidings for everybody. Just ask those head coaches who are spending the New Year cleaning out their offices.

With Romeo Crennel out of the picture in Cleveland, seemingly all eyes turned to former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Bill Cowher. He's been the talk of Cleveland since the Browns all but eliminated themselves from postseason contention, and the rumor that he may have purchased a house in Strongsville, Ohio only dumped gasoline on the inferno. Because, after all, it's just a short drive to not only downtown Cleveland -- roughly 20 minutes -- but also the Browns' practice facility in Berea, Ohio.

Well, sorry, Browns fans, but once again your dreams have been smashed, as Cowher informed Browns owner Randy Lerner that he has zero interest in coaching anywhere in 2009, and unfortunately for them, anywhere includes the city of Cleveland. From Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer:

"I got word that he was available for an informal conversation because he was very aware I had him at the top of the list, getting involved with the Browns," Lerner said. "He wanted to tell me personally that he did not anticipate coaching in 2009. I wouldn't say Bill Cowher was the first choice, but I would say Cowher was the clear, no-questions-asked, guy you wanted to ask where he stood."

The holiday season doesn't bring good tidings for everybody. Just ask those head coaches who are spending the New Year cleaning out their offices.

The Cleveland Browns have officially fired general manager Phil Savage. Owner Randy Lerner made the decision before the Browns' game with the Steelers but waited until after the game to make it official. Lerner called Savage after Cleveland's 31-0 loss to tell him that he will not be retained.

Lerner didn't attend the game in Pittsburgh because he reportedly was busy setting up interviews for the week. Tops on the list is former Steelers head coach Bill Cowher and current Patriots vice president Scott Pioli. Because the Patriots were eliminated from playoff contention today, he will be available for interviews immediately.

There are conflicting reports about whether or not Romeo Crennel has been fired already. Some reports say that it has already happened, others say it will happen as soon as tonight. The Browns are expected to interview Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo this week. With the Giants' first round bye, there is a one-week window, in which their assistants can be interviewed for other jobs.

Yesterday I mentioned that Romeo Crennel had finagled an end-of-year meeting with Browns owner Randy Lerner, which guaranteed (in theory, anyway) that he wouldn't be fired immediately following today's Steelers game. It sounded like Crennel would use the opportunity to plead his case for keeping his job.

At 4-11, that's gotta be a tough sell. And while the win over the Giants was nice, it's not enough to overlook the rest of the debaclement that was the '08 season.

But, hey, I give the big guy credit for trying. One problem, though: the Cleveland Plain Dealer's Mary Kay Cabot reports that Crennel and general managerPhil Savage could be fired as soon as tomorrow.

Romeo Crennel continues his march to unemployment, in all likelihood, three days from now. But in the meantime, he's going through the motions, preparing the Browns for their final game of 2008.

Unfortunately (historically, anyway) Cleveland faces Pittsburgh, a team Crennel has yet to beat in seven previous tries. Given that the wheels have fallen off the Browns season and the Steelers are gearing up for a playoff run, there's not much reason to think Cleveland has a chance Sunday. And this worries Crennel. Well, as much as a meaningless game that precedes the inevitable firing can worry somebody.

"I haven't been able to beat Pittsburgh and that's discouraging to everybody, myself included," Crennel said this week. "It seems like we play them close one game and get killed the next game. That's one of my fears going down this time, [that] we played them a close game this year."

So Crennel is predicting a beatdown, basically. For what it's worth, Vegas opened with Cleveland getting 10 points, but that was before Bruce Gradkowski was announced as the starting quarterback. He'll be the fourth Browns QB to start a game this year, which on most other teams, works out to approximately an 11th- or 12th-teamer. Adjust your lines accordingly.

During the Browns' 30-10 loss in Philadelphia on Monday night, wide receiver Braylon Edwards hauled in five passes for 102 yards, in what was probably his second best game of the season. A season that has to be considered a disappointment, to say the least, for Edwards and his teammates. He's not going to come close to the numbers he put up a season ago, and the Browns will probably be happy if they can finish this season with five wins.

Naturally, the loyal fans of Cleveland are a little testy when it comes to their football team these days, and Edwards, along with Romeo Crennel and general manager Phil Savage, are feeling the type anger that can only come from a grown man dressed like an English bulldog.

But, if you ask Edwards why he's facing a large dose of criticism, it's because he attended the University of Michigan, arch-rival of the Ohio State. Yeah. That's it, Braylon. I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact you've caught only 38 percent of the passes thrown your direction this season. Bud Shaw of the Cleveland Plain Dealer has the story.

I wouldn't blame Romeo Crennel if he just went through the motions for the next month; after a promising 10-win campaign a year ago, and all the preseason hype this summer, the Browns are 4-8 and one of the most disappointing teams of 2008.

According to ESPN's Chris Mortensen, it'll take an act of God to keep Crennel in Cleveland after Dec. 28, the Browns' final regular season game. Specifically, Mort gazes into the ol' eight ball and surmises that, according to sources, "Crennel will need a miracle finish to save his own job." You don't say.

The big guy has the support of his players, but the same can't be said for general manager Phil Savage, who sorta sold Crennel down the river earlier this week.

As to Crennel's possible replacements, ESPN.com cites Bill Cowher, Marty Schottenheimer, and coordinators like the Jets' Brian Schottenheimer, the Giants' Steve Spagnuolo, the Titans' Jim Schwartz, the Falcons' Mike Mularkey and the Ravens' Rex Ryan.

I think it might've been easier to just tick off the guys the Browns aren't considering.