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Do IT this week: Layering
Some NFL watchers say Savage's actions make team a threat
Published on Thursday, Mar 06, 2008
Next time Phil Savage tells us he's going to take free agency slow, it might be wise to strap ourselves in like we're riding the Top Thrill Dragster.
Savage, the Browns' general manager, takes things slow and easy the way the space shuttle takes it slow when taking off.
In the first few days of free agency, Savage:
• Re-signed quarterback Derek Anderson, something that he had said was an offseason priority.
• Added a very good defensive tackle in Corey Williams via trade from the Green Bay Packers.
• Added a defensive tackle with much baggage in Shaun Rogers via trade from the Detroit Lions.
• Signed a fast wide receiver who now is with his fourth team in four years in Donte Stallworth, last of the New England Patriots.
Savage had hinted before free agency that things might not be as immediate as they had been in past free-agency periods. Something about concentrating on visits as opposed to immediate signings. His version of slower, though, clearly differs from the rest of the league's.
To paraphrase Seinfeld, there's absolutely nothing wrong with that either. Savage probably thought it would be slow, but he jumped at the opportunities presented.
In doing so, he has NFL watchers talking up the Browns as a legitimate Super Bowl
threat.
Time will tell if they are, but Savage's efforts clearly are to win this season, now, today. He mortgaged part of the future by giving up his first three draft picks (the first-rounder went for a backup quarterback in last year's draft) and cornerback Leigh Bodden. That price is not cheap.
But in the NFL, winning now is a priority.
Nobody knows from one year to the next whether the opportunity to be good will be there. When a team has an opportunity, it must seize it.
That's what Savage has tried to do.
In doing so, he ensured the Browns' quarterback position has two solid alternatives. He acquired a talented young tackle in Williams, a guy who should upgrade the defensive line right away.
He also acquired Stallworth, who is fast and has had good years — most notably with the New Orleans Saints in 2005, when he had 70 catches and 945 yards. He since has spent a year with the Philadelphia Eagles and the Patriots.
It's a bit worrying to think that the Patriots did not want Stallworth back, and that he wasn't starting the end of the season, and that Stallworth is with his fourth team in four years.
But Joe Jurevicius told the Browns that he could not take the pounding as the second receiver and asked to be moved to No. 3. Enter Stallworth, who should be helped by joining Braylon Edwards, Kellen Winslow and Jurevicius.
Troubled past
Then there's Rogers, who brings more baggage than a cruise ship. Put it this way: The Cincinnati Bengals, who have had their share of off-field problems the past few years, were the first team eager to pick up Rogers. The Denver Broncos, who welcomed a similar player in Gerard Warren, also pursued Rogers.
Lions coach Rod Marinelli, a guy who loves hard workers, couldn't wait to get rid of him.
Rogers was suspended for four games in 2006 for using a banned substance. He said it was to control his ever-burgeoning weight. He then had knee surgery while suspended and not with the team.
Then there was the June 2007 incident in which Rogers allegedly burst into the dressing room at a strip club and groped one of the female dancers with a gun in his waistband. (She said.) Criminal charges were not filed; a civil suit was.
Rogers has blocked eight field goals. He made the Pro Bowl in 2004 and '05, but he always has struggled with his weight. His reputation? Not sterling.
The Detroit Free Press called him an ''overfed malcontent,'' a guy who would have one dominant game, then mail in three or four.
The Detroit News? ''A prima donna who underperformed and didn't practice hard.''
No wonder Rogers went to the ''not talking about the past'' well at his news conference with the Browns on Tuesday.
Rogers arrived under contract through 2010, at annual salaries of $4.25 million, $5.25 million and $7 million. Reports Wednesday had the Browns redoing the deal, giving Rogers a six-year contract worth $42 million, with $20 million guaranteed.
If money is important, it might be time to join the Overfed Malcontents Club.
Free agency can be a dicey proposition. Guys usually are on the market for a reason. So, too, with trades. In Williams' case, the Packers were willing to let a good player go, because they have depth on the line. Rogers is a different story.
The Browns had a history with Warren of hoping that some magic elixir would change him. It never happened. So they hope with Rogers.
It can happen — see Randy Moss with the Patriots — but it's really not likely.
For $20 million in guaranteed money, the Browns' best hope with Rogers is that he's an upgrade at an area of need, and that upgrade leads to a playoff spot.
Patrick McManamon can be reached at pmcmanamon@thebeaconjournal.com.
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