Romeo Crennel Has Certainly Saved His Job

When the Cleveland Browns went into the 2007 NFL off-season, it seemed as if the writing was already on the wall for Coach Romeo Crennel. He probably had one more season in Cleveland to do the job he was hired to do 3 seasons ago.

The Cleveland Browns were coming off yet another horrible season that had rendered them the 3^rd pick of the 2007 NFL Draft. Going into the draft, many teams thought that with that pick the Cleveland Browns would draft quarterback Brady Quinn, so that he could take over as the team’s QB of the future. However, Crennel’s job security was not such that he had the time to watch Quinn develop for 2 or 3 seasons.

So with that 3^rd pick, the Browns drafted Joe Thomas, an offensive tackle. Yet circumstance would have it that Brady Quinn would drop drastically in the draft, and Cleveland was able to get him late in the 1^st round at non-committal salary.

Because there was not financial pressure from the front office, Crennel was able to start his two more experienced quarterbacks. This was especially good for his defense, which had several defenses that would prefer a non-rookie quarterback being in charge of managing the clock. This was a very good move for his offense, which could be expected to do more things with quarterbacks who had been in the system for more than a couple of months.

And as luck would have it, in Week 2 of the NFL season, Crennel’s #2 quarterback going into the season, Derek Anderson, had emerged as the starter and went off for 4 touchdowns and over 400 yards passing against the Cincinnati Bengals. Receiver Braylon Edwards and Tight End Kellen Winslow had 100-yard receiving days and combined for 4 touchdowns. The aerial attack, which can be partially attributed to rookie Brady Quinn not being the quarterback, had sparked a dormant team into a passing juggernaut. Over the next 6 games, the team would go 4-2, to finish Week 9 with a 5-3 record.

With the passing game being amongst the top 6 in the NFL, the Browns are actually a legitimate playoff contender. In fact, going into Week 10, they were a playoff team if the season were to end right there.

With the Browns actually serving as legitimate team in the NFL’s tougher conference, the AFC, Romeo Crennel can breathe a sigh of relief. He’s not going anywhere, not after this season anyway. With a pair of stud, young, pass-catching receivers in Winslow and Edwards, and with quarterback Derek Anderson to go along with them, the passing game is set up to be successful for a number of years. Then of course, there is Brady Quinn, who will have to either get on the field or be traded before the Browns can fire Crennel, because it would be unfair to fire him if he never got to use one of his first round picks.

So call it luck if you want, but Crennel and Browns organizational decision to go with Joe Thomas at the 3^rd pick may single-handedly be the reason that Romeo Crennel will be in Cleveland for another. I could point out coaching, but the defense is horrible and that’s Crennel’s side of the ball. Or I could point out motivation, but outside of Anderson, Edwards, and Winslow, no one is playing inspired football for the Browns.

No, instead I put it all on meticulous art that is the draft. Although, one could say that Crennel’s decision not to draft Quinn was a scientifically planned calculation.

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