CLEVELAND Browns deny rumor on Savage

ESPN.com reported that the team was on the verge of firing their GM.
CLEVELAND (AP) -- Browns president John Collins denied Friday that the club was planning to fire general manager Phil Savage, who was hired less than a year ago to help fix Cleveland's floundering franchise.
"Phil's not going anywhere," Collins said. "He hasn't been fired, and he's not going to be fired. There is no reduction of responsibility. There is no rift."
ESPN.com reported Friday that Savage, Baltimore's former personnel director who was hired on Jan. 6 to stabilize a fractured front office in Cleveland, was on the verge of being fired over "philosophical differences."
However, Collins said he and owner Randy Lerner are pleased with Savage's performance in his first season and have no intention of letting him go.
Shakeup rumors
With rumors running rampant about a shakeup two days before Cleveland's season finale against Baltimore, Collins met with Savage, Lerner and coach Romeo Crennel.
"We sat down and we basically renewed our vows," Collins said. "I'm not really sure where this got started."
Asked if Savage is going to resign, Collins said, "I don't think so. Phil is raw about what happened, and understandably so."
Savage, who had been planning to scout bowl games this weekend, could not be reached in his office or at his suburban home.
Collins, who joined the Browns in 2004, said the Browns' front office is about to undergo some changes, with financial vice president Doug Jacobs and chief operating officer Lew Merletti taking on new roles.
Collins said Mike Keenan, the NFL management council's finance director, will join the Browns to replace Jacobs and there have been ongoing discussions about bringing in others to upgrade Cleveland's management team.
Savage and Crennel are the most recent additions to a front office that hasn't worked together for a year. Collins said the group is still finding its way together, and that there are bound to be problems.
"We've felt our way through this season," Collins said. "Has there been moments when we could have made better decisions? Have there been times when the communication could have been better? Yeah. But we're getting better."
Mutual respect
Collins said he and Savage "have a mutual respect and hopefully we can have some fun together."
Considered one of the NFL's top talent evaluators for his success in nine years drafting players for the Ravens, the 40-year-old Savage was brought to Cleveland to rebuild the Browns' roster, and he has spent most of this season on the road scouting college players.
Savage's strength is his ability to find quality players, and in his first draft with the Browns, he selected wide receiver Braylon Edwards (No. 3 overall) in the first round and quarterback Charlie Frye in the third.
Edwards, who sat out part of training camp in a contract holdout, tore a knee ligament in a Dec. 4 game against Jacksonville, ending his rookie season. Frye will make his fifth start on Sunday when the Browns (5-10) host the Ravens.
The rest of Cleveland's first draft class under Savage has gotten little playing time for Crennel.
Savage's arrival was heralded as a positive step for the Browns, who are just 35-77 since they returned to the NFL in 1999 as an expansion team. The club's progress has been undermined by poor draft picks, injuries and instability.