Off their 10-6 season, it looks like the Browns are intending on locking up two of the major contributors to their success.  General Manager Phil Savage said yesterday that he wants to work out a contract extension for head coach Romeo Crennel, and that he believes that quarterback Derek Anderson deserves to get a long-term contract.
 
Great moves you say, right?  They went 10-6, these two are the building blocks for the future, right?  Ehhh, I’m not so sure there…
 
Take a closer look at the Browns’ season.  Count up the number of playoff teams that they knocked off this season (go ahead, I’ll wait).  Didn’t take you long, did it?  Yep, the Brownies had one win over a playoff team in 2007, which was an overtime victory over the Seahawks.  They dropped both games to the Steelers, and were dispatched handily by the Patriots.  The average win-loss record of the other nine teams they defeated?  5-11.  The only .500 team they knocked off was the Texans, who only won their eighth game because the Jaguars rested several key starters in that contest.
 
Cleveland won exactly one game by more than 10 points this season, a 27-13 victory over the Ravens.  You’d like to see a couple blowout wins in there somewhere, especially over the Dolphins, who they only beat by 10.  The defense gave up 30 or more points seven times and finished 30th in yards allowed, both of which led to a Pythagorean Wins total of 8.5 – a 1.5 difference between that and their actual win total indicates a significant amount of lucky bounces went in their favor.
 
Factor in the schedule for next year – instead of playing the Jets, Dolphins, Raiders, 49ers, Cardinals, and Rams, they’ll be getting the Broncos, Jaguars, Titans, Giants, Redskins, and Eagles – and you could see a significant drop-off for the Mistakers by the Lakers.
 
Crennel could end up being the next great coach, and Anderson might make the next eight Pro Bowls.  I’d just like to see another quality season from each to convince me they’re not the next Jim Haslett and Scott Mitchell, respectively.  There’s no reason they couldn’t tender Anderson, a restricted free agent, at the highest compensation level, and promise that they’ll work out a long-term deal if he has another great season.
 
Meanwhile, Brady Quinn…ummm…is going to get to eat a lot of Subway sandwiches and pose for these advertisements.