CLEVELAND -- Romeo Crennel will meet with owner Randy Lerner on Monday, heightening the likelihood the Browns' embattled coach will be fired one day after Cleveland concludes its dismal season.
Lerner wanted to wait until after the season out of respect for Crennel, who carried a 24-39 record in four seasons into Sunday's finale against Pittsburgh. Crennel was also 0-7 against the archrival Steelers and just 5-18 inside the AFC North.
The Browns have already fired general manager Phil Savage, a team official confirmed Sunday to NFL Network's Adam Schefter.
The Browns entered the season with playoff expectations following a 10-6 record in 2007, but a slew of injuries, including season-ending ones to quarterbacks Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson, contributed to Cleveland's alarming slide. The Browns went into Sunday's matchup without an offensive touchdown in five games and were forced to start Bruce Gradkowsi -- their fourth starting QB of 2008 -- against the NFL's top-rated defense.
In January, Lerner gave Crennel an extension through the 2011 season, a deal worth nearly $12 million.
Lerner would prefer his next hire to be an experienced coach. He will make a strong run at former Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cowher, who resigned after the 2006 season and is working as a studio analyst for CBS. Cowher played linebacker for the Browns in the early 1980s and served as an assistant coach with Cleveland from 1985-88.
If Cowher doesn't come to Cleveland -- and there's no current indications he's ready to get back into coaching -- the Browns may interview some of the league's top coordinators, including Steve Spagnuolo of the New York Giants, Tennessee's Jim Schwartz, Baltimore's Rex Ryan and New England's Josh McDaniels.
Cowher would likely want to have complete control over the 53-man roster and Savage has said that power is the reason he came to Cleveland three years ago from Baltimore, where he was the Ravens' director of player personnel.
Savage has significantly upgraded Cleveland's talent during his tenure, which began one month before Crennel was hired in 2005. The Browns had six Pro Bowlers last season, their first selections since 2002, and one of the NFL's most explosive offenses.
But Savage did not manage the team to Lerner's satisfaction. He mishandled tight end Kellen Winslow's hospitalization for a staph infection and embarrassed the Browns by sending a profane e-mail to a fan following a win over Buffalo.
Savage also received a contract extension through 2012 in May.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
