Browns fire coach Crennel, GM Savage

Dec 29, 2008 - 7:01 PM BEREA, Ohio (Ticker) -- The Cleveland Browns fired head coach Romeo Crennel and general manager Phil Savage on Monday.

The firings occurred one day after the Browns completed a disappointing 4-12 season.

Coming off a 10-win 2007 campaign, Cleveland was a trendy preseason pick to contend for an AFC North Division title and possibly reach the Super Bowl this year.

A sign of the lofty expectations came at the end of last season, when the Browns rewarded Crennel with a two-year contract extension that ran through 2011.

But the Browns fell well short of those aspirations under Crennel, who posted a 24-40 record in his four seasons with Cleveland.

"I would like to thank Randy Lerner for giving me the opportunity to coach the Cleveland Browns," Crennel said in a statement. "Some progress was made in my four years here, but not enough to go forward in this position."

Indeed, it was a spectacular flameout for the Browns, who closed the season with a record-setting display of offensive futility. In losing their final six games, the Browns failed to score an offensive touchdown, a mind-boggling span of 24 quarters without getting in the end zone.

That scoring drought eclipsed the previous NFL record held by the Chicago Bears, who failed to score a touchdown in 22 quarters in 1974.

While injuries played a role in the offensive ineptness, forcing the Browns to start four different quarterbacks this season, Cleveland struggled out of the gate, failing to surpass 11 points in four of the first six games while stumbling to a 2-4 start.

Derek Anderson, who opened the season as a starter, and backup Brady Quinn were both sidelined with season-ending injuries, and an already feeble attack careened to a screeching halt under Ken Dorsey and Bruce Gradkowski, who was signed off the street and played like it.

In Sunday's loss to a Steelers team that had nothing to play for, Gradkowski finished 5-of-16 for 18 yards and two interceptions.

Crennel had made his mark in the league as a defensive coordinator under Bill Belichick, helping the New England Patriots win three Super Bowls in a four-year span from 2001-2004.

The initial Super Bowl victory was widely regarded as one of the best jobs of defensive coaching in NFL history, as the Patriots bottled up the high-powered St. Louis Rams - known as the "Greatest Show on Turf" - in a 20-17 victory.

But Crennel could not transfer that success to the Browns, who allowed at least 27 points in five of the final eight games this season.

"Though this past year has been tough, my experience in Cleveland has been a good one," Crennel said. "I did not win enough games so I must move on."

Ironically, Crennel got fired on the same day as his successor in New England, Eric Mangini, was fired as head coach of the New York Jets.

Savage's dismissal, while announced Monday, was confirmed by the team Sunday. The Plain Dealer reported the team owner Randy Lerner had made the decision prior to the Steelers game, citing problems with Savage's communication and leadership skills.

The deposed GM also had benefited from last season's 10-6 mark, signing a three-year extension in May.

"Things did not go as well as we had expected, particularly in 2008," Savage said. "However, I do anticipate this team bouncing back and having success in the future."

Savage also became a bit of a public-relations nightmare for Cleveland. He got into a messy argument with star tight end Kellen Winslow, who was angered by the team's apparent staph infection problems.

Winslow was hospitalized earlier this season with what the team called, "an undisclosed illness." Winslow said he was told to by management to keep his infection to himself.

The Browns denied that accusation and suspended Winslow after he spoke out, only to rescind the suspension upon appeal.

In addition, Savage responded to a disgruntled fan in an e-mail that contained an expletive following a win over Buffalo on November 17.

With both Crennel and Savage shoved to the curb, the Plain Dealer reported that Lerner is hoping to recruit former Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cowher or New England vice president Scott Pioli to help revamp the Browns.