Posted on 04/29/2007 6:37:22 PM PDT by BenLurkin
Several weeks ago, Browns general manager Phil Savage acknowledged the No. 3 overall pick would be one of five players. Nobody envisioned they'd end up with two of those players on their team.
To Savage it was ''a scenario quite frankly we could've only imagined in our sleep.'' But less than five hours into the 2007 NFL Draft, the team had selected both Wisconsin offensive tackle Joe Thomas and Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn -- two players who were largely considered among the top prospects in this year's draft.
The club selected Thomas third with their own pick, then traded their second-round pick (36th overall) and their first-round pick in 2008 for the Dallas Cowboys' 22nd overall pick.
Savage wouldn't say Saturday just where the team had Quinn rated overall on their draft board, but it's safe to say he was a lot higher than 22nd.
Addressing the media following the second first-round pick, Savage emphasized that if the Browns are truly going to turn everything around, April 28, 2007 will be a day that's forever highlighted in Browns history.
"This is a day that will go down as the day that the fortunes of the Browns turned," Savage said. "This is going to be one of those stepping-stone days.
"When you're able to add a left tackle, a potential quarterback who can play for a long time and then you combine that with what we've been able to do with the addition of Eric Steinbach and Jamal Lewis, and with (Kellen Winslow) and Braylon Edwards coming back, we're more legitimate than we've ever been."
Savage said the team knew for some time, depending on what happened with the first two picks, that Thomas was their man at the three slot.
While Savage acknowledged Thomas won't be seen as a classic "impact player" or a "sexy pick", he feels the trickle-down effect Thomas will have on the offensive line and, subsequently, the offense as a whole, will turn him into an impact player.
"One of our scouts said something in a meeting that resonated with me throughout this entire process," Savage said. "He said, 'Since 1999 this team has tried to serve apple pie for dinner. We need to do something in the interior line offense and defense before we try to worry about anything else.' When we got Joe I thought we can finally serve steak and potatoes for dinner."
On Savage's end, it was a game of numbers.
"The percentage chance of hitting a left tackle at that position was much higher than quarterback or running back and I don't think this organization is in position to put it all out on the table with a hit or miss prospect," he said. "You've got to play the percentages."
He repeated his analogy of consistently hitting singles and doubles rather than going for homeruns and running the risk of striking out.
Head Coach Romeo Crennel indicated Thomas will likely begin his time with the Browns competing for the team's starting left tackle spot.
Quinn, meanwhile, will get his fair shot at the team's starting quarterback job.
Savage said he doesn't think the Dublin, Ohio native slipped in the draft due to problems with his game, but simply that a lot of teams already have quarterbacks with which they're heavily invested.
"In the process, you start getting connected and married to players," he said. "It's just circumstance more than anything. I don't think it's because they don't like him as a player."
Crennel has been hearing nothing but great things about Quinn from Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis, who was the New England Patriots' offensive coordinator while Crennel held the defensive post during the early 2000s.
"Charlie (Weis) has always said he felt like (Quinn) was ready to come in and play and could carry a team on his shoulders and that he's a smart guy that works very hard," Crennel said. "He's into football and he's competitive. He said we should get him if we had the opportunity."
Savage said earlier in the day he considered moving up to the No. 1 overall slot presumably to select a different quarterback -- LSU's JaMarcus Russell -- but that Oakland was asking too much.
"I felt it was worth the phone call," he said. "I did talk to them yesterday but when they're asking for Kamerion Wimbley that pretty much ends the conversation."
Russell, like Savage, hails from Mobile, Ala. The two have known each other since Russell was 14.
In a brief impassioned aside during the press conference, Savage spoke in support of Russell. Savage used him as an example of players who are dissected and criticized by pundits who aren't sufficiently informed.
"For me to see (Russell) bashed like he was for the last two and half months -- it's terrible," Savage said. "He emerged from that because he's that talented. To see what he had to go through and not be able to say a word about it, I will come to his defense today and say I think he's going to be fantastic in this league. I don't think it's right the way this process is set up. He's truly a franchise quarterback and he's going to do great."
Savage echoed his sentiments in respect to Quinn, his new possible franchise quarterback, who will be on the field in mere days for the team's rookie minicamp, along with No. 3 overall pick Joe Thomas.
Savage said the reaction after scoring Quinn was one "we haven't had around here in a long time." It was the end of a highly eventful and what Savage and Crennel hope will be a monumental few hours in Browns history.
"We got two players who really wanted to be in Cleveland embracing the challenge of wanting to turn this team around,"Crennel said.
Wright has question marks with respect to his careers - If I recall correctly he was arrested with Date Rape Drugs etc.
If he didn’t have the “Character Red Flags”, the word is he would be an early first rounder. So in effect, Cleveland sold their picks and their soul in this year’s draft to grab 3 Top 15 picks.
Wright was never charged with anything. The extacy could have been someone elses.
The kid then spent two years in Las Vegas, and got in no trouble there.
Now with that said, if he does get busted for anything in the future then you will be proven right.
The price for the Quinn pick seems a lot, but getting two of the "top 5" is pretty incedible. Davis tried to do something when McAlister was dropping in '01 but couldn't pull it off.
As for Wright, he was arrested on "suspicion of rape" at USC, but the charges were dropped almost immediately. The X turned to be his roommates. However, the university's "internal investigation" was not dropped.
Let's keep in mind that many Student Affairs offices are dominated by uberfeminists who believe any male is presumed guilty until proven innocent. He couldn't be reinstated until he was cleared....by them. He probably ran out of patience and transferred.
He then spent 2 years playing in Vegas, and stayed out of trouble. Pacman Jones couldn't spend two days there and do likewise.
I don't think character is going to be an issue here.
-Eric
Let’s just hope Quinn is not the reincarnation of Tim Couch.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.