Romeo Crennel came back to Cleveland today, this time for five years, 11 million dollars, and the chance he's waited for his whole career. While he says he "wouldn't mind being considered a genius" when asked about being compared to Belichick, it's apparent that he's intent on carving out his own legend and bringing a different style to the job.
The first exposure to Crennel reveals a warmth and a kind of calm that we never saw in Belichick. I guess that could reflect the 20 year difference in the ages of the two men when they took over the reins of the Cleveland Browns, but I suspect it's more than that. One hopes Crennel learned some of Belichick's lessons about fan and media relations right along with Bill, but it also seems Crennel comes with much less of a personality deficit than Belichick had back then.
Predictably, the "black coach" questions were tossed out by the reporters at the press conference today, and Crennel handled them as deftly and graciously as one can. I wondered if he has any idea how little Cleveland cares what color he is. This is old hat for us. Talk about "been there, done that". (See "first black mayor" and "first black manager") Let's get on with it.
Browns fortunes have nowhere to go but up. Fans are understandably jaded. We've been done in by carpetbagging New York ad men, fast-talking lawyers and good ol' Southern boys for 40 years. It's exciting to have two "stand up" guys at the helm in Phil Savage and Romeo Crennel, that also have NFL track records and an appreciation for the hunger of Cleveland fans. No less important is an owner who's a legitimate billionaire and who grew up a Browns fan. But I hope they'll understand if we adopt a "show me" attitude this time around.
Savage suggested in an interview today that he thinks the Browns are two drafts (and free agency periods) away from having the team retooled. For my part, I'll settle for 7 or 8 wins next year, and a split with the Steelers. That seems fair. Then on to the playoffs in '06.
Or else what?
Sternly worded posts to an obscure blog will be forthcoming, that's what. That ought to do it.
Posted by dan at February 8, 2005 11:39 PM