BROWNS Team rallies around Davis

Tackle Ryan Tucker said the coach is 'not going anywhere.'
BEREA (AP) -- Those "Butch Must Go" chants are picking up in volume, frequency and harshness with each passing Sunday.
Stop anywhere along the shores of Lake Erie and you're bound to hear the screams. So far, though, they're being ignored in Cleveland's locker room -- and apparently in owner Randy Lerner's office, too.
The Browns say they believe in coach Butch Davis, whose job may be on the line over the next seven weeks.
"He's not going anywhere," said offensive tackle Ryan Tucker. "People can get as loud and crazy as they want, him and Randy have a good relationship. Randy's got a plan and it's not firing the head coach.
"You do that, you're starting all over again."
After being throttled by the rival Pittsburgh Steelers last week, some Cleveland fans think it's time they did.
For the record
The Browns (3-6), who play the New York Jets on Sunday, are in last place in the AFC North. They've lost four of five games and public pressure is mounting for Lerner to replace Davis, who is 24-33 in the regular season and 0-1 in Cleveland's only playoff game. Davis is under contract through 2007.
Lerner has not publicly commented on Davis' future. However, he has assured Tucker, one of the team's most respected veterans and leaders, that he has no plans to make a coaching change.
"I've talked to Randy and he [Davis] is not going anywhere," said Tucker, who last spoke to Lerner on Saturday at the team's hotel. "Everybody can relax about that deal."
Lerner doesn't like what's going on, either. But he's not about to lay all the blame for the team's woes on Davis. Lerner is far more troubled with the perception that the Browns have quit on Davis than anything.
"He doesn't like that stuff flying around," Tucker said. "Especially in this locker room. Nobody's talking about it here. It's more the outside people saying, 'Butch is on his last legs.' He's not."
Bothered by the outcry
The Browns seem united in their support of Davis, who addressed his shaky status after Sunday's loss for the first time. To a man, the players are bothered by the outcry to dismiss Davis, saying the onus is on them to play better. Unless they do, their employment could be short-lived as well.
"If we play soft, we're not going to be here and he's not going to be here," defensive end Kenard Lang said. "So we've got to play good. There's 31 other teams out there. You're just not playing for the Cleveland Browns. Everyone else in the league sees. If you do bad here, what makes you think you're going to find a job somewhere else?"
Browns quarterback Jeff Garcia has grumbled about the team's inadequacies most of the season. At various times, he has criticized the play calling, his offensive line, Davis labeling him "skittish" and the failure of Cleveland's coaching staff to design plays that best suit his strengths.
But despite his long list of complaints, Garcia said he is on good terms with Davis and is committed to leading for him.
"This team definitely believes in Coach Davis," said Garcia, who regrets some of his recent critiques. "Coach Davis can't be on the field when mistakes are taking place. That's up to the players to correct."