Browns Extend MVP…

The Cleveland Browns inked a contract extension with perhaps the man most valuable to the team’s turnaround. General Manager Phil Savage.

The extension will keep Savage in Cleveland until 2012. This extension has been talked about since Romeo Crennel signed his deal shortly after the Super Bowl. Cleveland Browns.com’s Zac Jackson has the details.

Savage began his NFL career with the Browns in 1991 and worked nine years for the Baltimore Ravens before returning to Cleveland as the general manager in January 2005. His transformation of the roster resulted in the Browns winning 10 games last fall and placing six players in the Pro Bowl; four of those six have been acquired under Savage’s watch.

Savage seen a little bit of everything in 40 months on the job. He even admitted Friday that he thought he may have seen it all tumbling down during the 2007 season-opening loss to the Steelers before the Browns surprised just about everyone, coming together under a new quarterback in Derek Anderson and coming a tiebreaker short of making the playoffs.

“I feel like we’ve been through an awful lot,” Savage said. “We’ve worked very hard to transform the Browns into winners on and off the field and I think we’ve certainly made some strides in doing that. It’s great to be able to continue putting the pieces together. We’re excited about 2008.”

Savage took a sinking ship and made it voyage worthy again. You don’t have to be a die hard fan to appreciate what Phil has done in Cleveland. You can find praise for Savage on our site here, here, and here. Congratulations Phil, you have earned it.