Phil Savage Seems Eager to Throw Romeo Crennel Under the Metaphorical Bus

This is from a few days ago, but it still merits a mention because it's about the Browns' tenuous front-office situation. In recent weeks, both general manager Phil Savage and head coach Romeo Crennel have come under fire for varying displays of incompetence.

On Wednesday, Savage, making his weekly radio appearance, proceeded to make the case that ... well, I'm not quite sure where he was going. He came off sounding like someone trying to save his job at the expense of Crennel's. It's not as scandalous as it sounds -- they both deserve to get canned -- but it's odd, nonetheless.

''I've said it on this program a number of times,'' Savage said. ''Hey, my responsibility is the 53-man roster, and then it's Romeo and the rest of the coaching staff's decision how to utilize the 45 players that are dressed on Sunday. Who starts. Who plays. When they're gonna play. How they're gonna be utilized.

''If I'm going to get involved in those decisions, then I may as well put a headset on and double my salary.''

Translation: I've done a swell job putting this roster together and it's not my fault if Crennel can't win with Pro Bowl-caliber talent.

No mention if Crennel's boobery (figurative not literal) also forced Savage into sending angry e-mails to even angrier fans, but, hell, might as well blame the big guy for that, too.

Savage also admitted that last week's loss to the Texans was ''really by far the worst game we've had since I've been here.'' That's a pretty bold statement for someone who has been a part of some pretty awful football over nearly four seasons.

The Akron Beacon Journal's Patrick McManamon writes that "These statements sounded to me like a GM taking out the coach at the knees, of the complete abandonment of the ''all for one and one for all' philosophy." Which prompted one former player to quip: 'Tell RAC to get a paddle, 'cuz Phil just sold him down the river.''

As is usually the case, Savage wasn't making noise last season, when the Browns were on their way to winning 10 games with the same cast of characters. But 12 months and four wins later, jobs are on the line, and some folks handle it differently than others.

Luckily, Brady Quinn will be at the controls in 2009 and everything will be fine. Or so goes the Browns' fan prayer, anyway.