Category: Cleveland Browns (Page 67 of 114)

And I’m not sure he’s all that far off the mark. Bottom line, I think there is more work to be done in Berea to resolve this situation. If no one understood what the position of Browns president meant before Collins left, they’re going to be paying a lot of attention to it if Lerner re-hires the position, as he seems intent on doing.

Not at all.

Statement from Browns Owner Randy Lerner:

“John Collins has resigned his position as President and CEO of the Cleveland Browns. Phil Savage and Romeo Crennel will remain in their current roles and I will assume the responsibilities left open by John’s departure. It is my expectation that the role of President will be filled although there are no current candidates or time frame set to do so. My priority is to give the General Manager and Head Coach all the resources necessary to make the Browns successful.”

So I guess no one is going to ask why the entire sports media thought Phil Savage was going on Friday, but John Collins goes on Tuesday. Move along. UPDATE: After the Lerner statment, the Savage statement.

Statement from Browns Senior Vice President & General Manager Phil Savage:

“I came to Cleveland because of my belief in Randy Lerner, his integrity and his commitment to making the Cleveland Browns a championship team. I am excited about continuing as GM and am more committed than ever to this franchise and to helping the organization bring the Browns fans a winner.”

Translated – Lerner hired me, not Collins.

Sitting here waiting for Randy Lerner to potentially call Trivisonno on WTAM is, quite simply, torture. Gotta give ’em credit. They are on the Browns payroll, they know it, they know everyone else knows it, so the on-air product which they deliver is pretty much as expected.

But my god. I never heard of Lew Merletti until this weekend, and they just spent 10 minutes on the phone listening to Doug Dieken practically saint the guy…for what? How many wins has Lew Merletti contributed to? Seriously, never heard of ‘im.

Then, these guys have all this airtime to fill, Trivisonno, Mike Snyder, Bill Wills, Doug Deiken, plus the guy on the phone in Berea (Andre I think), and not one of them asks why the story developed the way it did. They’re all just sorta, “geez, we were all kinda wondering what the heck, aw shucks.” It would seem to me that a story which ESPN reported and stood by all weekend, that Phil Savage would get fired, and then it isn’t Savage but Collins getting fired, would AT LEAST generate one question about how the story came out so wrong, through so many media, so definitively.

WKYC & WTAM are reporting that John Collins has resigned as president of the Browns. Stay tuned. UPDATE – Just saw it reported on WJW Fox8. Trivissonno saying he heard this last night, and confirmed it this morning. Tony Rizzo reporting that Lew Merletti will have a bigger role, Savage will remain GM, Collins may be heading to another role in the Lerner family business.

EARLY TAKE? SLAM! Collins gets smoked. Four days ago the guy is on WTAM speaking for the team, “renewing vows”, today he’s gone. Don’t let the door hit you in the ass. It’ll be interesting to see if they fill the vacancy, and with whom. Also, looks like Crennel helped Savage out big time.

Trivisonno is on WTAM at 9 am…applauding the move. I’m not sure there’s a lot to applaud here. Trivisonno confirms that Lew Merletti will move up in the organization, says Randy might take the title of president of the Cleveland Browns….then says Randy doesn’t want to be the front man.

Rough weekend, eh Phil?

Savage, whose rumored firing set off a firestorm of outrage through the weekend, looked ashen and shaken before and after the game. He offered no clue about his future. Further clear-the-air sessions with his nemesis, team President John Collins, will shape the direction of the franchise.

I wonder how long this will take to shake out.