For the past 5 years the fans of the Cleveland Browns looked forward to free agency and the NFL Draft, perhaps more than the season itself. Let's face it, the actual football season's from 2003-2006 were anything but pleasant and 2007 was an utter shock to most. With the lack of success in the regular season fans began to look for their victories elsewhere and free agency and the draft provided that platform. With the teams success in 2007 do those things mean as much to Browns fans?

The Browns began making a splash in free agency in 2005, G.M. Phil Savage's 1st year with the club. It was apparent that then incumbent starting CB Anthony Henry had become disenchanted with the club. Much of that was due to former head coach Butch Davis. Davis was famous for promising the moon and stars to his players, but not following through. Every Browns fan remembers LT Ross Verba. According to Verba he re-worked his contract and took less money because the club, Davis in particular, said he would take care of him if he did. Well Davis quit and Verba's deal was not done and soon after Verba bought out the remainder of his contract and left the Browns. We tell you this because it's important to document just how bad things had become in Cleveland and with the Browns organization. With Henry signing a deal in free agency that year with the Dallas Cowboys the Browns were left without a starting CB. In the 11th hour Savage signed veteran CB Gary Baxter away from his former team the Baltimore Ravens and the fate and fortune of the Cleveland Browns, at least to the fans, seemed to be turning. It was a win for the good guys and those had been few and far between. No one could have foreseen that Baxter would spend the majority of the next 3 years injured, playing in only 16 regular season games out of a possible 48. At the time it was a win.

In the draft that year the Browns held the 3rd overall pick and rumors were all over the place as to who they would take. The consensus was that Michigan WR Braylon Edwards could be the best of the bunch at the top of the draft. Browns fans did not know what to expect though, clearly in the past the best player was not picked. In 2003 Butch Davis took C Jeff Faine before the likes of G Eric Steinbach, RB Larry Johnson and LB Nick Barnett. In 2002 he drafted RB William Green before Clinton Portis. In 2001, perhaps the biggest miss of all, Davis took DT Gerard Warren ahead of RB LaDanian Tomlinson, DT Richard Seymour, DT Marcus Stroud, DT Casey Hampton and CB Nate Clements to name a few. Clearly the biggest whiff of Davis' career with the Browns. Savage may not have known then, but by picking Edwards he may have exorcised the demons Davis had left. Edwards became a Pro Bowl WR in 2007, the only player in the top 10 of the 2005 draft to reach that plateau to date. In 2005 the Browns not only made an impact in free agency and the NFL Draft, they also set a precedent for things to come.

When 2006 rolled around, and the Browns coming off a dismal 6-10 2005 campaign, it was clear that the biggest area of need the team had was on the offensive line. In almost a repeat of 2005 the Browns signed a veteran, marquee player when it all, but looked like he would sign elsewhere. This time it was OSU alumni and current Pro Bowl C LeCharles Bentley. It appeared that Bentley was going to sign with the Philadelphia Eagles, but at the last minute changed his mind and signed with his hometown team in the Browns. Like Baxter, Bentley has been bitten by the injury bug since joining the Browns and has yet to play 1 down with them. That is not the point though, the signing brought hope and excitement to the city and fans of Cleveland. It showed that the team was not afraid to spend money and would do so to get better. The team also signed veteran LB Willie McGinest, who had just come off of winning 3 Super Bowls with the New England Patriots, LT Kevin Shaffer from the Atlanta Falcons and hometown boy WR Joe Jurevicius from the Seattle Seahawks. The buzz amongst Browns fans was building.

The excitement carried over to the 2006 NFL Draft. This draft was a bit different for the Browns, they had 10 picks. It was unclear who they would take with the #12 overall selection in round 1. Savage knew who he wanted so he moved down one spot to #13, gathered another pick in the 6th round and took OLB Kamerion Wimbley. Wimbley gave the team a double digit sack man for the 1st time since 2001 and an outside pass rush threat for years to come. To his credit, Savage picked 10 players in the 2006 Draft and 7 are still on the team. In fact 6th round pick FB Lawrence Vickers even received Pro Bowl consideration in 2007 and LB D'Qwell Jackson is a mainstay at ILB and led the team in tackles in 2007 with 101.

Even with all the draft success the team had in 2006 they were only able to muster a 4-12 record and found themselves again picking high in the NFL Draft and also very active in free agency. The 2007 free agent signing period would be no different then the 2 that proceeded it. The Browns would identify their needs and then spend the money to address them. With Bentley being injured and missing 2006 the team traded for veteran C Hank Fraley, but still were far from done addressing the offensive line. This time they would not miss out on G Eric Steinbach, like they had in 2003, they would make him the highest paid guard in football, for a short while, Dallas later signed Leonard Davis to a contract that would pay him slightly more. The team also addressed it's huge need at running back by signing veteran workhorse Jamal Lewis. The team also re-signed Fraley to a new deal that would keep him in Cleveland for 4 more years. The team also snagged OLB Antwan Peek from the Houston Texans, G Seth McKinney from the Miami Dolphins and signed DT Shaun Smith from the Cincinnati Bengals.

The biggest splash however was made in the 2007 NFL Draft. After getting 4/5th's of their offensive line in place the Browns opted to select LT Joe Thomas from Wisconsin with the 3rd overall pick. Browns fans over the years have come to learn a very painful lesson, without a good offensive line you are not going to win in the NFL. Thomas was the perfect pick and his stellar play as a rookie earned him a birth to his first of many Pro Bowl's. The Browns were not done with Thomas though. When Notre Dame QB Brady Quinn began to slide in the draft Phil Savage went into action. The Dallas Cowboys traded their 22nd pick for the Browns 1st round pick in 2008 and their 2nd round pick in 2007, the Browns then drafted Quinn. The selection of Thomas and Quinn had many believing that the Browns had taken the best LT and QB in the 2007 NFL Draft and fans were euphoric. Savage swung one more draft deal and got back into the 2nd round where he selected what many feel was the best CB in the draft as well in Eric Wright from UNLV. In one day the Browns had gotten potentially their LT, QB and CB for the next 10 years and Browns fans everywhere felt as if they won something and they had.

The fans of the Cleveland Browns could never have imagined that in 2007 the Browns would go 10-6, 7-1 at home and send 6 players to the Pro Bowl, but they did. The winning feeling that Browns fans had associated to free agency and the NFL draft over the past few years had matriculated onto the football field. Browns fans has a reason to believe again, a reason to cheer on Sunday and a reason to be proud for who they cheered for on Sunday the 6 other days of the week.

This off-season Savage has continued his dealing. Many fans thought the Browns would be quieter during the free agency period and they were in terms of signing new players. In fact the team only signed one potential starter in WR Donte' Stallworth from the New England Patriots, but did re-sign both QB Derek Anderson and RB Jamal Lewis, both were huge in the team going 10-6 in 2007. More emphasis was put on keeping the players they had in free agency then signing new ones, but the team was far from done. Savage opted to spend both his 2nd round and 3rd round picks in the 2008 NFL Draft in order to improve the teams weakest link, the defensive line. He sent the teams 2nd pick to Green Bay in exchange for DE Corey Williams and the teams 3rd round pick and CB Leigh Bodden to Detroit for DT Shaun Rogers. Both moves once again lit a fire of excitement under the Browns fan base. They were moves to make the team better yes, but they were also moves to help take the team to the next level. To take the team to a place it has never been and that is the Super Bowl. The Browns will be a team to contend with and have a core group of young talented football players to compliment proven veterans.

So though there will be little for Browns fans to get excited about this year during the 2008 NFL Draft many will gladly trade that excitement for what they will hopefully experience this fall when the Browns take to the field. Perhaps Phil Savage can pull a diamond out of the rough like he did in round 5 last year with CB Brandon McDonald as well. You never know.

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