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Inside the War Room: How the Browns got Brady Quinn
By Jarrett Bell, USA TODAY
BEREA, Ohio — Shortly after 4 p.m. Saturday, in the middle of the War Room at the Cleveland Browns' headquarters, Phil Savage lowered his head and buried his face in his hands.
The Browns' general manager — with all eyes in the quiet conference room essentially fixed on him for nearly two hours as he methodically worked the telephone trying to make a trade in the first round that would land Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn— wore the look of a man under extreme pressure.
This respite to gather his thoughts was brief, maybe four seconds.
Savage prayed, wondering two things: Is this the right thing to do? Is it going to happen?
Then he perked up, shaking his shoulders, exuding confidence.
For several minutes, the room was frozen by anticipation. Savage had made yet another offer to get a second first-round pick.
A few hours earlier, the Browns passed on selecting Quinn with the third pick in the draft and selected the top-rated offensive line prospect, Wisconsin tackle Joe Thomas.
The phone rang.
It was Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. No one moved as Savage talked for a few seconds. While Quinn had been tumbling through the first round, Savage had been trying to strike a deal since the Buffalo Bills' slot with the 12th pick. He had checked with each team that had a pick until Dallas' slot at No. 22, and he also was talking to the Kansas City Chiefs, who had pick No. 23.
Although some teams told Savage they weren't interested in trading because they were in range to select the player they had targeted, seven teams at least weighed offers, including the St. Louis Rams, Carolina Panthers, Green Bay Packers, Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans.
Savage hung up from Jones with a blank expression and uttered three words: "We got him."
The room erupted in cheers and high-fives. Browns owner Randy Lerner, seated between Savage and coach Romeo Crennel, hugged Savage. Personnel director Bill Rees shook Savage's hand. With maybe 20 scouts, coaches, executives, staffers and guests in the room, it turned into an impromptu party.
"We could finally exhale," Crennel said a few minutes later. "Until it's done, you're holding your breath and hoping that no one jumps ahead of you. You never know what team is back there, wanting to move up. It's blind competition. Nobody is telling you whether they are negotiating with anybody or not. They're saying, 'I'll get back to you.' "
Some experts rated Quinn as this draft's top quarterback, and even more deemed him as the most NFL-ready signal-calling prospect after playing in college under Charlie Weis, Crennel's former coaching mate with the New England Patriots.
The Browns' need to solidify the position was reflected by an offense that last season ranked 31st in the league in yards and 30th in scoring. With Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson last season, (two of 10 quarterbacks to throw passes for the team since 2000) the Browns had an NFL-worst 25 interceptions.
During the euphoria of the trade, Savage turned to Lerner and unbuttoned the front of the collared plaid shirt he wore with a Browns blazer.
He revealed what was underneath: a Baltimore Ravens T-shirt.
This was striking on a number of levels. Not only are the Ravens an AFC North rival of Cleveland, they also are the franchise where Savage previously worked as GM Ozzie Newsome's college scouting director. When he talked with Jones, Savage's biggest fear was that the Ravens — with the 29th pick and the need for a young quarterback to develop behind Steve McNair— were on the prowl for Quinn.
He was right. Quinn, at NFL draft headquarters in New York, was on the phone with the Ravens the instant the Browns struck the deal with the Cowboys. The Ravens had been trying to move up to draft Quinn.
"Can you imagine the nightmare scenario if Brady Quinn slides all the way into the 20s, Baltimore jumps up and gets the guy, and he's beating us?" Savage said. "I'd get killed."
Bad drafts, bad luck
The Browns needed a draft-day smash. They have had just one winning season and one Pro Bowler since being reborn as an expansion team in 1999.
This was Savage's third draft, and in many ways he and Crennel are trying to dig out of the hole created by their predecessors. Of the 53 players chosen by the Browns from 1999 to 2004, five remain. Those drafts were mired in bad results and bad luck, beginning at the top. Quarterback Tim Couch, drafted No. 1 overall in 1999 over Donovan McNabb, is out of football. Defensive end Courtney Brown, No. 1 overall in 2000, is trying to salvage his career with the Denver Broncos. The next two first-rounders, defensive tackle Gerard Warren (No. 3 overall in 2001) and running back William Green, never panned out.
The top pick in 2004, tight end Kellen Winslow II, played just two games his first two years after suffering a broken leg as a rookie, then tearing knee ligaments in a motorcycle accident before his second season. The top pick from 2005, wide receiver Braylon Edwards (No. 3 overall), missed six games as a rookie with arm and knee injuries.
Since Savage and Crennel arrived, the draft picks have worked out better. Of the selections from the past two drafts, 16 are still with the club; 2006 first-round pick, linebacker Kamerion Wimbley, led AFC rookies with 11 sacks last season. However, the Browns still were 4-12 last season and are 10-22 under Savage and Crennel.
"Five years from now we'll be saying, 'That was the day the Browns turned around,' " Savage said on Saturday night. "Either that, or 'Boy, that was the day Savage screwed up the whole thing.' "
Targeting Thomas
The Browns' decision to select Thomas was settled before the draft started. Although Savage called the Oakland Raiders on Friday to see what it would take to trade for the No. 1 overall pick, which he would have used to take LSU quarterback JaMarcus Russell, that option was dead when the Raiders asked for Wimbley and a boatload of picks.
Just before the Browns' choice of Thomas was announced, Savage turned toward the half-dozen or so guests of Lerner who were in the room. He explained that Thomas, who won the Outland Trophy as college football's top interior lineman, was the best choice for the franchise for that pick, even though he realized that choosing Quinn would have been a sexier pick.
The Browns had not chosen a tackle in the first round since Bob McKay in 1970, and have not had an offensive lineman selected to the Pro Bowl since tackle Cody Riesen in 1987.
Jim Brown loved the pick. Brown and Paul Warfield, a senior adviser, were the former Browns legends in the room.
"It's conservative in a certain sense, but it's cool," Brown said. "It's football. Football is fundamental. If you're quarterback is back there with no time, you ruin people. If you can't gain one yard on third down …"
The Browns' war room was a testament to efficiency. The room was dominated by a huge draft board that contained magnetic name tags identifying each of the 130 prospects the team considered draftable. There was little debate in the room about the merits of individual prospects. That was done in the draft meetings held for the past month.
Besides, with 15 minutes between picks in Round 1, 10 minutes in Round 2 and five minutes after the start of Round 3, there is little time for argument.
Working the first round, though, Savage relied heavily on his staff. When wondering whether the Rams might be willing to trade the 13th pick overall, Savage put it out for the group's input.
"What about next year's No. 1, a three and a four, and we flip twos?" Savage asked, for the first time floating the idea of trading next year's No. 1, in addition to offering third- and fourth-round picks and an exchange of draft positions in the second round.
Tripp MacCracken, the salary cap assistant who was once a White House intern during the Clinton years, shoots back, "Next year's No. 1 would be a solid option" as the primary inducement to make a deal.
Savage gets off the phone with the Rams and feels good.
"I think 13's our spot," he says.
It wasn't. The Rams kept their pick and chose Nebraska defensive end Adam Carriker.
Working the phones
The roller coaster continued for hours.
Carolina, at No. 14, was doing a deal — but with the New York Jets. Jacksonville, at No. 17, was a maybe, until it traded with Denver and dropped to No. 21.
"You guys OK with Quinn at 16?" Savage said.
That was Green Bay's spot. The Packers told Savage they'd call back. They did. No deal. The Packers also kept their pick and chose Tennessee defensive tackle Justin Harrell.
The problem: Several teams didn't want to move out of the first round to 36th overall, the Browns' position in the second round. The Philadelphia Eagles (26th overall) and New England Patriots (24th and 28th) were willing, but by those slots Quinn might not be available.
Kansas City, at No. 23, seemed willing, with the Browns mulling whether to swap their second-, third- and fifth- round picks in this draft for the slot.
But under this scenario, while Cleveland would have kept its first-round pick in 2008, it wouldn't have had any more picks Saturday. Savage wasn't thrilled by that idea. The Browns have many needs, and Savage had several players in mind for the second and third rounds.
Besides, the Cowboys were set to pick one slot ahead of Kansas City, anyway.
Jones told Savage he would call back. Savage was nervous because he believed he overheard someone in the background advising Jones not to make the trade.
A few minutes later, Jones called back and the sides tentatively agreed: Dallas would get the Browns' second-round pick Saturday and their first-round choice next year.
However, there was still the matter of Jacksonville's new pick, the 21st overall. The Jaguars were on the clock.
Savage tells his crew, "He's ours, as long as Jacksonville doesn't take him or trade the pick."
Jacksonville didn't make a move and selected Florida safety Reggie Nelson.
The price had been steep, but Browns had their man.
Savage and Jones would do two more deals before the draft was done, including one that enabled the Browns to get back into Saturday's second round, as Savage wanted, and take Nevada-Las Vegas cornerback Eric Wright.
"I didn't even think (Jones) knew who I was," Savage said.
Savage introduced himself to Jones after the Cowboys owner spoke at a general managers' seminar during the NFL scouting combine last year. Savage told Jones that he loved his speech about chemistry between the owner and GM.
Little did he know that their chemistry would be an impetus to perhaps a watershed day in Browns history.
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/browns/2007-04-29-war-room-cover_N.htm
By Jarrett Bell, USA TODAY
BEREA, Ohio — Shortly after 4 p.m. Saturday, in the middle of the War Room at the Cleveland Browns' headquarters, Phil Savage lowered his head and buried his face in his hands.
The Browns' general manager — with all eyes in the quiet conference room essentially fixed on him for nearly two hours as he methodically worked the telephone trying to make a trade in the first round that would land Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn— wore the look of a man under extreme pressure.
This respite to gather his thoughts was brief, maybe four seconds.
Savage prayed, wondering two things: Is this the right thing to do? Is it going to happen?
Then he perked up, shaking his shoulders, exuding confidence.
For several minutes, the room was frozen by anticipation. Savage had made yet another offer to get a second first-round pick.
A few hours earlier, the Browns passed on selecting Quinn with the third pick in the draft and selected the top-rated offensive line prospect, Wisconsin tackle Joe Thomas.
The phone rang.
It was Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. No one moved as Savage talked for a few seconds. While Quinn had been tumbling through the first round, Savage had been trying to strike a deal since the Buffalo Bills' slot with the 12th pick. He had checked with each team that had a pick until Dallas' slot at No. 22, and he also was talking to the Kansas City Chiefs, who had pick No. 23.
Although some teams told Savage they weren't interested in trading because they were in range to select the player they had targeted, seven teams at least weighed offers, including the St. Louis Rams, Carolina Panthers, Green Bay Packers, Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans.
Savage hung up from Jones with a blank expression and uttered three words: "We got him."
The room erupted in cheers and high-fives. Browns owner Randy Lerner, seated between Savage and coach Romeo Crennel, hugged Savage. Personnel director Bill Rees shook Savage's hand. With maybe 20 scouts, coaches, executives, staffers and guests in the room, it turned into an impromptu party.
"We could finally exhale," Crennel said a few minutes later. "Until it's done, you're holding your breath and hoping that no one jumps ahead of you. You never know what team is back there, wanting to move up. It's blind competition. Nobody is telling you whether they are negotiating with anybody or not. They're saying, 'I'll get back to you.' "
Some experts rated Quinn as this draft's top quarterback, and even more deemed him as the most NFL-ready signal-calling prospect after playing in college under Charlie Weis, Crennel's former coaching mate with the New England Patriots.
The Browns' need to solidify the position was reflected by an offense that last season ranked 31st in the league in yards and 30th in scoring. With Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson last season, (two of 10 quarterbacks to throw passes for the team since 2000) the Browns had an NFL-worst 25 interceptions.
During the euphoria of the trade, Savage turned to Lerner and unbuttoned the front of the collared plaid shirt he wore with a Browns blazer.
He revealed what was underneath: a Baltimore Ravens T-shirt.
This was striking on a number of levels. Not only are the Ravens an AFC North rival of Cleveland, they also are the franchise where Savage previously worked as GM Ozzie Newsome's college scouting director. When he talked with Jones, Savage's biggest fear was that the Ravens — with the 29th pick and the need for a young quarterback to develop behind Steve McNair— were on the prowl for Quinn.
He was right. Quinn, at NFL draft headquarters in New York, was on the phone with the Ravens the instant the Browns struck the deal with the Cowboys. The Ravens had been trying to move up to draft Quinn.
"Can you imagine the nightmare scenario if Brady Quinn slides all the way into the 20s, Baltimore jumps up and gets the guy, and he's beating us?" Savage said. "I'd get killed."
Bad drafts, bad luck
The Browns needed a draft-day smash. They have had just one winning season and one Pro Bowler since being reborn as an expansion team in 1999.
This was Savage's third draft, and in many ways he and Crennel are trying to dig out of the hole created by their predecessors. Of the 53 players chosen by the Browns from 1999 to 2004, five remain. Those drafts were mired in bad results and bad luck, beginning at the top. Quarterback Tim Couch, drafted No. 1 overall in 1999 over Donovan McNabb, is out of football. Defensive end Courtney Brown, No. 1 overall in 2000, is trying to salvage his career with the Denver Broncos. The next two first-rounders, defensive tackle Gerard Warren (No. 3 overall in 2001) and running back William Green, never panned out.
The top pick in 2004, tight end Kellen Winslow II, played just two games his first two years after suffering a broken leg as a rookie, then tearing knee ligaments in a motorcycle accident before his second season. The top pick from 2005, wide receiver Braylon Edwards (No. 3 overall), missed six games as a rookie with arm and knee injuries.
Since Savage and Crennel arrived, the draft picks have worked out better. Of the selections from the past two drafts, 16 are still with the club; 2006 first-round pick, linebacker Kamerion Wimbley, led AFC rookies with 11 sacks last season. However, the Browns still were 4-12 last season and are 10-22 under Savage and Crennel.
"Five years from now we'll be saying, 'That was the day the Browns turned around,' " Savage said on Saturday night. "Either that, or 'Boy, that was the day Savage screwed up the whole thing.' "
Targeting Thomas
The Browns' decision to select Thomas was settled before the draft started. Although Savage called the Oakland Raiders on Friday to see what it would take to trade for the No. 1 overall pick, which he would have used to take LSU quarterback JaMarcus Russell, that option was dead when the Raiders asked for Wimbley and a boatload of picks.
Just before the Browns' choice of Thomas was announced, Savage turned toward the half-dozen or so guests of Lerner who were in the room. He explained that Thomas, who won the Outland Trophy as college football's top interior lineman, was the best choice for the franchise for that pick, even though he realized that choosing Quinn would have been a sexier pick.
The Browns had not chosen a tackle in the first round since Bob McKay in 1970, and have not had an offensive lineman selected to the Pro Bowl since tackle Cody Riesen in 1987.
Jim Brown loved the pick. Brown and Paul Warfield, a senior adviser, were the former Browns legends in the room.
"It's conservative in a certain sense, but it's cool," Brown said. "It's football. Football is fundamental. If you're quarterback is back there with no time, you ruin people. If you can't gain one yard on third down …"
The Browns' war room was a testament to efficiency. The room was dominated by a huge draft board that contained magnetic name tags identifying each of the 130 prospects the team considered draftable. There was little debate in the room about the merits of individual prospects. That was done in the draft meetings held for the past month.
Besides, with 15 minutes between picks in Round 1, 10 minutes in Round 2 and five minutes after the start of Round 3, there is little time for argument.
Working the first round, though, Savage relied heavily on his staff. When wondering whether the Rams might be willing to trade the 13th pick overall, Savage put it out for the group's input.
"What about next year's No. 1, a three and a four, and we flip twos?" Savage asked, for the first time floating the idea of trading next year's No. 1, in addition to offering third- and fourth-round picks and an exchange of draft positions in the second round.
Tripp MacCracken, the salary cap assistant who was once a White House intern during the Clinton years, shoots back, "Next year's No. 1 would be a solid option" as the primary inducement to make a deal.
Savage gets off the phone with the Rams and feels good.
"I think 13's our spot," he says.
It wasn't. The Rams kept their pick and chose Nebraska defensive end Adam Carriker.
Working the phones
The roller coaster continued for hours.
Carolina, at No. 14, was doing a deal — but with the New York Jets. Jacksonville, at No. 17, was a maybe, until it traded with Denver and dropped to No. 21.
"You guys OK with Quinn at 16?" Savage said.
That was Green Bay's spot. The Packers told Savage they'd call back. They did. No deal. The Packers also kept their pick and chose Tennessee defensive tackle Justin Harrell.
The problem: Several teams didn't want to move out of the first round to 36th overall, the Browns' position in the second round. The Philadelphia Eagles (26th overall) and New England Patriots (24th and 28th) were willing, but by those slots Quinn might not be available.
Kansas City, at No. 23, seemed willing, with the Browns mulling whether to swap their second-, third- and fifth- round picks in this draft for the slot.
But under this scenario, while Cleveland would have kept its first-round pick in 2008, it wouldn't have had any more picks Saturday. Savage wasn't thrilled by that idea. The Browns have many needs, and Savage had several players in mind for the second and third rounds.
Besides, the Cowboys were set to pick one slot ahead of Kansas City, anyway.
Jones told Savage he would call back. Savage was nervous because he believed he overheard someone in the background advising Jones not to make the trade.
A few minutes later, Jones called back and the sides tentatively agreed: Dallas would get the Browns' second-round pick Saturday and their first-round choice next year.
However, there was still the matter of Jacksonville's new pick, the 21st overall. The Jaguars were on the clock.
Savage tells his crew, "He's ours, as long as Jacksonville doesn't take him or trade the pick."
Jacksonville didn't make a move and selected Florida safety Reggie Nelson.
The price had been steep, but Browns had their man.
Savage and Jones would do two more deals before the draft was done, including one that enabled the Browns to get back into Saturday's second round, as Savage wanted, and take Nevada-Las Vegas cornerback Eric Wright.
"I didn't even think (Jones) knew who I was," Savage said.
Savage introduced himself to Jones after the Cowboys owner spoke at a general managers' seminar during the NFL scouting combine last year. Savage told Jones that he loved his speech about chemistry between the owner and GM.
Little did he know that their chemistry would be an impetus to perhaps a watershed day in Browns history.
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/browns/2007-04-29-war-room-cover_N.htm
