It’s widely believed that Browns coach Romeo Crennel is in serious danger of being fired after the season, and that G.M. Phil Savage will survive.
But local reaction to Savage’s not-so-nice e-mail to a reader could potentially bring him down.
Per Daulerio of Deadspin, Savage got a nasty message from a Browns fan understandably distressed by the team’s performance this season.
Savage’s response? “Go root for Buffalo-f#@* you-.”
First of all, it ain’t real bright to make the e-mail address of an NFL General Manager available publicly. Second, it’s downright Donovan-style stoopid for said G.M. to take the bait when flamed by a fan.
The real question is whether this thing grows legs, and whether any folks in the organization who don’t like Savage try to seize upon the incident in support of an argument to cut him loose.
In the end, the worst decision of the Savage era might have nothing to do with draft picks or free agents.
SAVAGE GETS TESTY
Posted by Mike Florio on November 19, 2008, 9:55 PM EST
34 Responses to “SAVAGE GETS TESTY”
Channel Finder
I gotta call BS on this one. Emails are so easily faked…there’s no way a GM replys to a fan with a straight up Eff You. At least if he wants to keep his job.
The email was probably from Romeo.
Deadspin Florio? You might as well go to a high school newspaper and find more reliable sources. Obviously this is a ploy by a Browns fan to try to get Savage fired. ANYONE can change whats written in an email.
Why do you keep shoving this Donovan story down our throats?
When I saw the headline I had planned to leave a snarky remark about how this article isnt about Mcnabb. Then I read it. Get a life Florio. And Donovon called…..he wants his balls back. Said something about you being all over them.
My favorite part of this story was the use of McNabb as a baseline for stupidity.
Is this actual news, or a joke?
No, the worst decision of the Savage era DEFINITELY is the drafting and coddling of The Soldier, Kellen Winslow the Lesser.
I bet a “someone else sent that email, not me” explanation makes it out in the next day or so. Someone, likely an assistant, will be made a scapegoat and everyone will be expected to move on (or move out).
Hmmm, maybe Winslow was being treated like a piece of meat after all (double entandre intended).
are you sure that wasn’t Jon Gruden’s email instead?
“No, the worst decision of the Savage era DEFINITELY is the drafting and coddling of The Soldier, Kellen Winslow the Lesser.”
Butch Davis drafting Winslow –> You = MORAN
I love this guy, lol.
Florio I’m pretty sure we’ve sent each other emails like that.
Have you been drinking tonight, Florio? There is no way Savage would send an email like that. A guy like that knows how to cover his ass!
You better go stick to swinging at the McNabb off-speed stuff, because you missed badly on the heater.
It’s not spelled m-o-r-a-n, moron!
Browns fans should look at their drafts from their re-entry until 2004 and then their drafts from 2005 until 2008.
Tim Couch, Courtney Brown, Gerard Warren, William Green, Andre Davis, Kevin Johnson, Rahim Abdullah, Dennis Northcutt, Travis Prentice, Quincy Morgan and James Jackson were all players taken in the top 65 picks and included a quartet of first round busts and a bunch of second round and early third round abominations.
Savage has brought in the QB of the future, one of the best LTs in football, a great WR (it’s just a mess of a year, don’t forget 2007 so fast, he’ll work on the drops), a playmaking safety in Pool, good young CB in Wright, a guy who could be the RB when Lewis leaves in Harrison, along w/other good and useful draft picks like D’Qwell Jackson, Kamerion Wimbley, and an undrafted rookie FA like Cribbs.
Not to mention that he hasn’t exactly done badly in the trade/FA front. He’s used the FA market to build a pretty good o-line. Stallworth was admittedly a miscalculation, but Rogers has played well. The Corey Williams thing hasn’t worked out but people were loving the move when he did it.
I hope the Browns fire Savage and the fans get the garbage they got from Policy and D. Clark from another know-nothing front office.
“Testy” …..Email Must have been from Winslow
This has to be the least credible item Florio has posted since yesterday.
Moron is spelled M-O-R-O-N. You Moron;-)
Phil – please report to personnel to pick up your final check and your PINK SLIP!
I generally really enjoy PFT. But I cannot believe you are pushing this one, Florio. What is the name of the email recipient, Joe Plumber? Does he live next to Bill Cowher’s new place in Strongsville, Ohio? Are his balls dragging on the ground? This is an example of why journalists have a hard-on for bloggers. Did Savage dis you somewhere along the line?
And Ze, it’s spelled moron! See Websters:
mo⋅ron
Pronunciation [mawr-on, mohr-]–noun
1. a person who is notably stupid or lacking in good judgment.
2. Psychology. a person of borderline intelligence in a former classification of mental retardation, having an intelligence quotient of 50 to 69.
This “story” is moronic.
Erin Moran?
Phil Savage did not write that. Phil Savage does NOT check that email address. They have an intern to do that. Mevins told me so I know it’s true.
the gm and the coach who clearly saw anderson choke last year vs. cinci and had the chance to trade him for real value, but in their minds anderson was better than quinn – there is no doubt neither of the crennel and savage have a clue – both should be fired the day after the browns season ends.
“I gotta call BS on this one. Emails are so easily faked…there’s no way a GM replys to a fan with a straight up Eff You. At least if he wants to keep his job. ”
Spoken like somebody who doesn’t live in the area nor follow this team. Based on what Savage has displayed in the area of public relations, those of us who hear his weekly radio appearances, read his comments in the paper, and hear/see what passes for a press conference every few months shouldn’t be the least bit surprised. Savage would make a great VP of personnel or head of a scouting dept, but he lacks the leadership qualities, business sense, and PR skills to be a GM. He hasn’t developed the skills necessary to be successful in his time here and is still clearly in over his head. Just look at how he handled the K2 situation just a couple weeks ago for a prime example of how he “manages” problems… I don’t know that this email deal is true, but I’m certainly not surprised if it is, it’s pretty much in character for him…
Moran?
Im surprised Savage didnt wish a staph infection on the guy….
Ummmm idiots, it’s called a RUMOR MILL for a reason. Now please go sterilize yourselves; you’re diluting the gene pool.
/actually like Jello & nekkid wimmins in my gene pool
To all you folks pointing out the misspelling of ‘moron’, please do a google search for ‘moran’ and enjoy the first picture…and the second picture, while unrelated, is pretty nice too.
I don’t care what anyone says…the Browns are much better now after Phil arrived. He’s helped build the roster and we now have depth for the first time. We just need a coach that can teach and motivate.
I don’t know about the email…it’s probably fake. That said, Savage is a tool and needs to be fired. In the NFL, when you suck at your job, you deserve firing. If you suck at your job and don’t get fired, then your team owner sucks, too.
http://z.about.com/d/politicalhumor/1/0/n/U/moran.jpg
tis a joke my darlings
This is complete bullshit. I am surprised florio even ran with it.
Mike, as an ardent supporter, i am disappionted.
Hey Florio,
Seeing how you publish a link that shows Phil Savage’s email address, why not provide the email address of “Brett”? I know a few people who would like that info.