ESPN.com reported that Savage, Baltimore's former personnel director who was hired last January to stabilize a fractured front office in Cleveland, was on the verge of being fired over "philosophical differences."
However, when asked to clarify the report, team spokesman Bill Bonsiewicz said Savage had not been fired nor had he resigned. "The Browns are not going to comment on the rumor," Bonsiewicz said.....
...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 joined the Browns on Jan. 6. His goal has been to upgrade Cleveland's talent, 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 selected quarterback Charlie Frye in the third.... The rest of Cleveland's first draft class under Savage has gotten little playing time for coach Romeo Crennel.
Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown, an executive adviser for the Browns, said owner Randy Lerner told him he wants to bring in someone with more experience dealing with complex contract negotiations to work with Savage.
Brown said it stems from how Savage handled the Edwards' negotiations that got ugly in the final days....
...Brown said he heard from Lerner and Collins that Savage didn't want to go along with the idea of hiring someone else. "All Phil has to do is really work with them," Brown said. "Phil has the power to be with the Browns for many years. It's in his hands."
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....
