Phil Savage

Phillip "Phil" Savage, Jr. (born April 7, 1965) is a former general manager for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League. He was the senior vice president and general manager of the Browns from 2005 to 2008. He served as Director of Player Personnel for the Baltimore Ravens under General Manager Ozzie Newsome, a former Browns' player and member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, from 2003 to 2004. He was a scout for the Browns from 1993 to 1995. He is currently the executive director for the Senior Bowl.

Early years

Savage attended high school at Murphy High School in Mobile, Alabama and played football and baseball at the University of the South (Sewanee, Tennessee). He earned a bachelor's of arts in English and was a three-time all-conference shortstop in baseball. He received a master's degree in physical education from the University of Alabama in 1989.

College coaching career

Savage spent the first seven years of his career in the coaching ranks at Alabama, UCLA, and with the San Antonio Riders of the World League.

Executive career

First stint with Browns

Savage began his career in the National Football League (NFL) as an intern with the original Cleveland Browns in 1991. Savage was hired by the new Browns head coach Bill Belichick as a coach and made the transition to scouting and personnel in 1994. During his first stint in Cleveland, he worked with several talented young scouts and assistant coaches that Belichick had assembled, including Nick Saban, Kirk Ferentz, Pat Hill, and Jim Bates.

Baltimore Ravens

Savage worked his way up the ladder in the front office as a scout and personnel evaluator with the Browns, eventually following Cleveland's former owner Art Modell and the rest of the front office to Baltimore in 1995.

Savage then played an important role in the drafting of 10 Pro Bowl players: tackle Jonathan Ogden, linebacker Ray Lewis, receiver Jermaine Lewis, linebacker Peter Boulware, defensive back Chris McAlister, running back Jamal Lewis, linebacker Adalius Thomas, tight end Todd Heap, safety Ed Reed and linebacker Terrell Suggs.

Second stint with Browns

Savage was named Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Cleveland Browns on January 6, 2005. On December 30, 2005, reports surfaced that Savage was on the verge of being fired after less than one year on the job, an item that was quickly denied by Browns management. The speculation was based on a reported personality conflict between Savage and Browns team president John Collins. Four days after the organizational rift became public, it was Collins who resigned his post after losing the power struggle with Savage.

Savage stole the headlines in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft as the Browns drafted Wisconsin offensive tackle Joe Thomas with the third pick overall, and then acquired Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn with the 22nd pick, acquired through a trade with the Dallas Cowboys. The Browns gave up their 2007 second-round pick and 2008 first-round draft selection to Dallas for the chance to pick Quinn.

The Browns signed Savage to a three-year extension through 2012 on May 2, 2008. However, after a poor 2008 season and an email controversy involving a fan,^[1] Savage was fired on December 28, 2008.^[2]

Philadelphia Eagles

On February 4, 2010, Savage was hired by the Philadelphia Eagles as a player personnel consultant. In his role, Savage worked with general manager Howie Roseman and director of player personnel Ryan Grigson in preparation for the 2010 NFL Draft, specifically in the evaluation of draft prospects in the southeast part of the country.^[3] He was re-hired during training camp.^[4] He is currently listed as Player Personnel Executive with the team.^[5]

Senior Bowl

Savage was named the executive director for the Senior Bowl in May 2012.

Analyst career

In April 2009, with Savage no longer in the NFL, he was asked to provide color commentary for the University of Alabama A-Day game along with Eli Gold. Savage voiced an interest in the open position left vacant by Ken Stabler. In June 2009, Savage was officially named part of the Crimson Tide Sports Network (CTSN).

References