December 1, 2006 8:44 PM ET
Browns: Crennel staying put
The News
Browns general manager Phil Savage strongly backed head coach Romeo Crennel on Thursday, saying it was unfair to blame the coach for all of Cleveland's problems. Rumors have begun to swirl, and some whispers are circulating that the team was on the verge of a coaching change. "Romeo has the total support of [owner] Randy Lerner and myself," Savage told the Associated Press. "(Crennel) has the respect of the team. They believe in him. Randy and I are 100 percent behind him. We're going to do everything in our power to help him (for) the next five games, the upcoming offseason and next year."
Our View
Crennel is just 9-18 in two seasons with Cleveland, but we see no reason why the club would want to move in a new direction. Undoubtedly some of these rumors are stemming from a perceived lack of player discipline, due primarily to the recent tantrums thrown by wideout Braylon Edwards. It's going to take time to turn a losing tradition around, and it's refreshing to hear Savage say that he's backing Crennel.
