Browns Banter: The Romeo Crennel Clock is Ticking as Bill Cowher Rumors Fly

Will Romeo Crennel and Phil Savage be gone in 2009?

Rumors within the NFL and sports talk stations and blogs are that Cleveland Browns Head Coach Romeo Crennel will get the axe unless the Browns somehow salvage their 2008 season.

And what is more, Romeo Crennel probably knows it.

The whole Bill-Cowher-for-Browns-Coach buzz has been gaining momentum with each Cleveland loss, botched clock, player discipline problems, (i.e. Kellen Winslow outing Phil Savage in Staphgate, Braylon Edwards’ refusal to speak to the media about uncomfortable, uncool things like dropping the football) — and the latest split in team unity voiced by running back Jamal Lewis after the Browns lost 14-point and 13-point leads against Baltimore and Denver.

“This is a man’s game,” Lewis told reporters following the Denver debacle at Cleveland Browns Stadium. “Some people have to check their egos at the door.”

The insinuation by Jamal Lewis that his teammates were quitting on him — and Romeo Crennel — could have been blamed on Jamal’s frustration and embarrasment after the Thursday night Browns-Bronocs game.

But when Joshua Cribbs chimed in with the same allegations of team members packing it in early, and deep, deep sources close to the locker room report that some of the players openly talk back to Crennel, the story of a divisive locker room and that appearance that Crennel could have lost control of his players could mean that the jobs of the entire Browns coaching staff may be in jeopardy next year.

Enter the movement to bring in Bill Cowher, former coach of the Superbow Pittsburgh Steelers — Cleveland’s longtime rival. Cowher’s mug is smiling now, behind a desk at CBS, making a go at being a broadcaster and commentator, but lacking the presence of pacing the sidelines.

Questions as to why Cowher would want to return to 100-hour work weeks to field a new team — and if so, why the Cleveland Browns — will be addressed in my column later this week.

By the way, rumors really began flying about Cowher coming to Cleveland after anonymous sources began phoning radio talk show hosts claiming Cowher bought a house in Strongsville, an upper middle class suburb southwest of Downtown Cleveland.

But Kenny Roda, sports talk jock for ESPN 850AM, WKNR, tried to shed light on the subject a couple of weeks ago when he claimed Cowher was simly investing in Greater Cleveland property to build a llama or alpaca farm. (Can you picture “the Face” in blue jean overalls chasing down a stubborn llama?)

We shall see.

Regardless, General Manager Phil Savage may have sealed his fate with more than just his poor performance in handling the Kellen Winslow and staph infection fiasco; that would just be the straw that broke the camel’s back.

While Phil Savage earned his salary and more in drafting Joe Thomas and finagling for Brady Quinn, first round draft pick Braylon Edwards’ inconsistent play, giant ego and 12 dropped passes in the past nine games has reduced this player’s value.

Another first reound draft pick, Kamerion Wimbley is not getting to quarterbacks, making him a bust.

But perhaps it was the handling of the quarterbacks in 2007 that may have cost the Browns a playoff berth last year and a winning season this year.

Because Brady Quinn held out for more money (his agent is Tom Condon), he arrived late at the 2007 pre-season training camp and was not allowed to compete for the quarterback job that Charlie Frye ultimately won.

We all know how that turned out. And when Derek Anderson began losing his touch when the games began to count, Brady Quinn still stood on the sidelines with his clipboard, getting only eight snaps in one game the entire season.

It became evident from the first snap against Dallas in the home opener that Anderson did not perform well under pressure. Yet, Quinn was stuck with that stupid clipboard to hold until Anderson fell to his knees, then his ass, in disgust after being intercepted multiple times on the road against the Ravens in a game that now looks like a microcosm of the 2008 Browns season.

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[tags]cleveland browns, bill cowher, brady quinn, phil savage, nfl[/tags]

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