Vitamin Z

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

My prediction:
I don't want Romeo Crennel fired. But if he is, here's my thought:
The Browns will never win as long as Randy Lerner owns them.

At 6:17 AM , Anonymous said...: I'd buy that argument if Lerner was clinging to a reputed NFL "genius" like Carmen Policy or John Collins as his eyes and ears within the organization, if he were treating whatever that person said as gospel.

But Lerner has done the best he can to get the infighting and power-tripping egos out of the organization. He could have let Collins win last winter's power struggle and get rid of Savage, which could have set this team back years. Instead, he kept the team architect and let the mouthpiece leave.

I really don't see what Lerner is doing wrong. Not being attentive enough? Maybe. But he hired good football people to run the show and is staying out of the way. That's all you can really ask for in an owner in any sport. Just pay the bills, and don't be a detriment.

It just so happens that, like Lerner, Savage and Crennel are also learning on the job. I think Savage's two drafts have been solid, as was his 2006 free agent class. Savage will cement himself as one of the better GMs in the league sooner or later. I just hope it's in Cleveland.

My only beef with Crennel is his combination of age and inexperience. I don't think Lerner and Co. whiffed on the hire, but I think Crennel is too old and hard-bitten to turn the Browns around. But I think we all knew Crennel's job was just to lay the groundwork for a future coach.

If Ted Stepien is the gold standard for awful sports owners in Cleveland, Lerner is far from that.

Wednesday, November 29, 2006