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Cleveland Browns (2007 & prior)

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11/22/05


Rhythm? Dilfer’s timing was plain poor in outburst
Tuesday, November 22, 2005 <TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>[FONT=Verdana, Times New Roman, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]SPORTS SPOTLIGHT TODD PORTER[/FONT]
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Dilfer and Frye in Sunday's game.​

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Maybe, as Browns Head Coach Romeo Crennel believes, Trent Dilfer is just a tenacious competitor. Then again, maybe he’s not a very good teammate or cut out to be a starting NFL quarterback.
The veteran handed rookie Charlie Frye the game ball following Sunday’s 22-0 win over Miami. Then Dilfer poured cold water on the Browns most impressive win of the season.
Crennel played Frye for the first time this season, on the final series of the first half. Frye received more playing time in a meaningless series in the fourth quarter.
Dilfer was asked how he felt. Give the veteran, who came to the Browns with a reputation as a good person and teammate, credit for speaking his mind. Not often since the new Browns came back have players expressed their real feelings. He answered honestly.
His timing was poor, at best.
Dilfer said he didn’t like leaving the game. He wasn’t happy.
He talked about how media members have never been NFL quarterbacks so they wouldn’t know about rhythm. Near as we know, Dilfer never has been at a computer on deadline, writing a story. Therefore, he’ll have no problem taking criticism coming his way.
Dilfer’s comments weren’t the problem. It was his demeanor and body language. Both were out of character.
When a writer asked when he was informed Frye would come into the game, he shot back, “None of your business.”
BOTH QBS AWARE
Crennel revealed Monday that Dilfer and Frye were aware at practice last week the rookie might play. That knowledge disarms Dilfer’s “competitive disappointment.”
Perhaps that is why it was no one’s business Sunday.
How much could his rhythm have been thrown off? Frye played a series before halftime, and again in the fourth quarter when it was 22-0.
Dilfer’s response was, perhaps, selfish and ill-timed.
The Browns had an important win Sunday. Important because the players can feel good about themselves.
Guess what everyone is talking about now? How Dilfer feels about himself.
There is no doubt that Dilfer and Frye remain friendly as the veteran spoon-feeds Frye as much knowledge as he can.
That isn’t the problem.
The problem is a veteran quarterback not understanding that the backup in just about every NFL city is one of the fans’ most popular players. Of course, fans don’t see practice. Neither do the Cleveland media.
If Dilfer’s feelings are hurt when chants of “Charlie, Charlie, Charlie” come from the Dawg Pound, he may want to develop thicker skin.
Trent Dilfer is not Len Dawson. He’s having a pretty ho-hum season. His 78 passer rating ranks 21st in the NFL, in front of Baltimore’s Anthony Wright at 24. Dilfer’s rating is slightly better than Tim Couch’s career rating of 75.1.
Has Dilfer forgotten the Houston game? It was his underthrown ball to Antonio Bryant that might have lost that game.
It tough to point this out without ever having been an NFL quarterback, but Dilfer’s job is to keep the seat warm until someone else comes along. He ought to know. He was the Ravens’ QB when they won a Super Bowl. Baltimore let him go that offseason because, well, his job was to keep the seat warm until something better came along — even after a Super Bowl.
Dilfer was upset. He is a competitor. He’s also paid well to play a kid’s game, and if that means taking a rest so the Browns can find out if Frye is the something better, so be it. Of course, who are any of us to challenge Dilfer’s thinking? We’ve never been an NFL quarterback, which, apparently, ranks between a rocket scientist and brain surgeon on the degree of difficulty scale. Reach Repository sports writer Todd Porter at (330) 580-8340 or e-mail: [email protected]
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11/28/05


Problems abound for Browns QBs
Monday, November 28, 2005 <TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>[FONT=Verdana, Times New Roman, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]By Todd Porter REPOSITORY SPORTS WRITER[/FONT]


MINNEAPOLIS - It was not a good day to be a Cleveland Browns quarterback. Veteran Trent Dilfer limped his way around the field throughout the entire second half at the Metrodome. After the game, Dilfer gingerly walked away from a postgame meeting with reporters.
And rookie Charlie Frye? It’s hard to get beat up too much after just one play. Frye beat himself up mentally after he threw an interception on his only snap of a 24-12 loss to Minnesota.
“This one wasn’t very much fun,” said Dilfer, who was sacked a season-high five times. “It’s just very disappointing once again to not play as well as you think you’re going to as a team. Especially offensively, we had a good week at practice, and really made some strides. We were focused on keeping our momentum, and then come up here and turn the ball over like we did.
“It’s virtually impossible to win on the road when you turn the ball over that many times.”
Dilfer accounted for four of Cleveland’s five turnovers. He threw two interceptions and lost the ball on two of those sacks.
Frye wasn’t better. Head Coach Romeo Crennel said he put Frye in the game because of Dilfer’s injured right knee.
In the fourth quarter, down 17-6, Frye was picked off on his first play. It was the last time he saw the field.
“I’m just happy to get an opportunity,” said Frye, the University of Akron product who’s played the last two weeks. “It’s tough to go in for one play.”
Frye said his interception was the result of miscommunication between himself and rookie wide receiver Braylon Edwards. Frye was drilled as he threw the pass, and Vikings safety Darren Sharper was the closest player around and he picked off his second pass of the game.
“I thought he was doing one thing; Braylon saw something else,” Frye said.
Crennel said he put the blame for Dilfer’s lost fumbles on the quarterback. Both times he was hit from from his blind side and the ball came out.
“Any time the guy with the ball fumbles, it’s on him,” Crennel said. “It tough when some big guys hit you to be able to hang on to the ball, unless you’ve got two hands on it.”
In Dilfer’s defense, he was the victim of four dropped passes. Edwards dropped two. Antonio Bryant dropped a sure first-down pass and Reuben Droughns failed to come down with a pass.
“Any time you drop the ball, it always hurts,” Crennel said. “We have to concentrate more and do a better job.”
Dilfer did not complain about the dropped passes, nor did he about coming out of the game.
“It was one of those things where your head says play, and your body says no,” Dilfer said.
After Frye’s interception, the veteran went over and patted him on the head.
“I just told him, ‘Keep your head up man,’” Dilfer said. “It’s a tough deal. Both of us have to just keep fighting and the team is going to look to the quarterback position in a time like this. You have to man-up, so to speak, keep your head high and keep encouraging him.”
There wasn’t much to be encouraged by on Sunday.
Reach Repository sports writer Todd Porter at (330) 580-8340 or e-mail: [email protected]
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11/29/05


Droughns: ‘Wasted’ time
Tuesday, November 29, 2005 <TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>[FONT=Verdana, Times New Roman, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]BROWNS NOTEBOOK STEVE DOERSCHUK[/FONT]

BEREA - Reuben Droughns woke up Monday realizing a 24-12 loss at Minnesota wasn’t just a bad dream.
“We just took a huge step back,” the running back said. “I mean, we got pretty much demolished out there.”
Droughns had a decent day, with 119 yards from scrimmage, including 73 on 17 rushes.
He ranks 10th in the NFL with 941 rushing yards, 2 yards behind Clinton Portis and just 27 behind No. 6 Rudi Johnson of the Bengals.
Yet, Droughns shared in the guilt, dropping what looked like an easy completion from Trent Dilfer.
A week earlier, the Browns shut out the Dolphins, 22-0.
“It was kind of a complete opposite of the Miami game,” center Jeff Faine said Monday.
Head Coach Romeo Crennel lamented a collapse brought on by two lost fumbles, three interceptions, five sacks, assorted dropped passes and seven flags.
“We reverted back to jumping offsides, losing contain, getting penalties, fumbling, turnovers ... I thought we’d gotten past that,” Crennel said.
Offensive Coordinator Mo Carthon seemed to get in the bad act. The Browns had a chance to hit the halftime locker room trailing just 10-7, after reaching the 5 late in the first half.
They had settled into a huddle with about 35 seconds left and the clock running. It ran and ran and ran. Droughns remembers looking at the clock and saying, “Whoa.”
Wideout Antonio Bryant jumped early when the ball was finally snapped, stopping the clock at 0:12, and forcing the Browns to use a timeout to avoid an additional 10-second runoff because of a rule regarding false starts in the final two minutes.
Crennel said it was his decision not to do make what in retrospect seemed the right choice, calling a timeout before huddling.
Crennel, who gave a fuzzy account of the sequence on Sunday, suggested Monday that a timeout would have let the Vikings regroup.
“We should have had ’em kind of on the ropes,” he said. “We had a play we wanted to run. As a result of the penalty, they had a chance to look at the formation.”
The Browns wound up with a second false start, against Braylon Edwards, and settled for a 32-yard field goal.
“We wasted a lot of time there,” Droughns said.

OLD COLLEGE TRY Long snapper Ryan Pontbriand, who hasn’t missed a game since Butch Davis made him a Round 5 draft pick in 2003, has a back problem that will sideline him for the final five games. Tight end Steve Heiden is first in line take his place. “I’ll do whatever I have to do,” Heiden said. “My senior year in college, I played tight end and long snapped.”
ROOKIE WATCH Edwards had a rough road trip, aside from catching four passes for 42 yards. The No. 3 overall draft pick let a ball whistle through his fingers for an Antoine Winfield interception, and had a mix-up with the quarterback on Charlie Frye’s only play of the game, an interception. Edwards invented a word to describe the latter moment. “The whole play was doomed from the start.” he said. “We were all discombobbled.” Crennel said both Edwards and Frye shared blame for the play.

Reach Repository sports writer Steve Doerschuk at (330) 580-8347 or e-mail [email protected]
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11/30/05


Browns: Can kids help by Christmas?
[FONT=Verdana, Times New Roman, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Browns want their rookies to start contributing on field[/FONT]
Wednesday, November 30, 2005 <TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>[FONT=Verdana, Times New Roman, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]By Steve Doerschuk REPOSITORY SPORTS WRITER [/FONT]
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Repository Scott Heckel TIME FOR FRYE? Browns rookie quarterback Charlie Frye has seen limited action in two regular-season games, including just one play last Sunday against the Vikings. Head Coach Romeo Crennel says the emphasis is on winning, but hints it would help if the quarterback situation can be worked out also.
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BEREA - Here comes another cold December. Do the kids know how to start a fire?
Since the Browns came back in 1999, they have pushed away from Thanksgiving weekend with records of:
• 2-10 ... Spergon Wynn’s start was on the way.
• 3-10 ... Dennis Northcutt and Kevin Johnson would take turns at quarterback down the stretch in a season.
• 6-4 ... en route to a 1-5 collapse.
• 6-5 ... en route to that playoff day in the Pittsburgh snow.
• Over the last three years, 4-8, 3-8 and now 4-7.
Fans have reacted to another dreary fall with a mixture of anger and apathy.
President John Collins says the team is in no position to tell the customers how to feel.
“I guess we understand it,” Collins said on a WTAM-AM radio interview, “because we’re frustrated, too, and ... we’ll look to see some of the young guys the remainder of he season.”
Romeo Crennel will have been part of the Browns’ first game after Thanksgiving two years in a row.
Last year, it was as defensive coordinator of the Patriots, against a Browns team giving fourth-round pick Luke McCown his first NFL start, and with Terry Robiskie in his first game after replacing Head Coach Butch Davis.
The Patriots dogged the rookie with two interceptions, 36 yards in sack losses and the mental cruelty of intricate blitzes. New England led 42-7 before McCown steered a 93-yard drive in an empty Cleveland Browns Stadium.
Earlier, some Brown fans reacted sarcastically when Green Day’s “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” was played on the stadium sound system.
PATIENCE, CHARLIE, PATIENCE
Memory of McCown’s first start is one piece of evidence that keeps Crennel cautious regarding Charlie Frye, with a month of Sundays left.
“I have to use these last five games to try to win, first of all,” Crennel said in anticipating Sunday’s home game against Jacksonville. “... Then, within trying to win, if I can find out about the quarterback, that will be helpful.”
Trent Dilfer’s knees, especially the right one, might force Crennel’s hand. Robiskie was in a similar bind with McCown, in that Kelly Holcolmb had broken ribs and Jeff Garcia had a back problem.
Unlike Robiskie, Crennel knows he doesn’t have to win now to keep his job.
“There’s a different sense in the building and with the players,” Collins said. “I feel like Romeo really does have a plan. He knows how to get this done. He’s been around a winning team.
“It takes a little time to put the system in, to get the players who can play in the system.
“It doesn’t make anything less frustrating now, but I see progress.”
The Browns would have to win their last five to finish with the 9-7 record that sneaked them into the 2002 playoffs.
“In the NFL,” third-year center Jeff Faine said, “you never want to say you’re building for the future. But at this point, I think that’s what you’ve got to focus on.
“Build some consistency. Put together a couple of good games. Feel good about what you’ve got going into next season.”
Romeo’s young thinking
What about the role of developing first- and second-year guys who have yet to play much, so they can be better prepared to help win in 2006?
Crennel assumed this position: “We’re still evaluating the young players who have been playing and finding out exactly what we have.
“We’ve been trying to evaluate the young players who haven’t been playing. We’ve seen improvement in practice, but improvement in practice and game experience are two different things.
“Whether we can get those guys game experience, only time will tell.”
That raises what seems a fair question:
Given the 4-7 record and Crennel’s job security, what’s the harm if they play and fail?
Reach Repository sports writer Steve Doerschuk at (330) 580-8347 or e-mail: [email protected]


All the young dudes
How the Browns’ first-and second-year players have fared:

2005 DRAFT PICKS
WR Braylon Edwards, Round 1: Asked for more action and helped mess up three plays that became interceptions over the last two weeks ... has 12 catches for 196 yards over the last three games.
DB Brodney Pool, Round 2: Has 16 tackles and a sack over nine games as a situational sub, and eight tackles on special teams.
QB Charlie Frye, Round 3: Played one snap at Minnesota and threw an interception ... went 5-of-11 for 58 yards and an interception vs. Miami in his only other game.
DB Antonio Perkins, Round 4: Returned three kickoffs an average of 27.3 yards in place of injured Josh Cribbs at Green Bay ... otherwise has not been in a game.
LB David McMillan, Round 5: Hasn’t appeared in the last five games ... saw spot duty in four earlier games, making neither a defensive nor special-teams tackle.
LB Nick Speegle, Round 6: Lost time to an ankle injury, but has played in nine games on kick and punt teams, with six tackles.
DL Andrew Hoffman, Round 6: Released Sept. 6 and signed to the practice squad the next day.
OT Jonathan Dunn: Has spent 2005 on injured reserve.

OTHER FIRST-YEAR MEN
WR Josh Cribbs: Ex-Kent State quarterback ranks 10th in NFL in kickoff returns ... among team leaders with 10 special-teams tackles.
DL Simon Fraser: Ohio State product has appeared in all 11 games on special teams ... has played a few snaps at defensive end.
WR Brandon Rideau: Hasn’t appeared in a game after a seven-catch, 84-yard preseason.
QB Derek Anderson: Round 6 pick of Ravens this year after passing 11,249 yards for Oregon State ... hasn’t played since being claimed off waivers on Sept. 21.

2004 DRAFT PICKS
TE Kellen Winslow Jr., Round 1: Should change the look of the offense in 2006 if he comes back strong from motorcycle crash injuries.
DB Sean Jones, Round 2: Would have started in 2004 had he not blown out a knee ... now the fourth safety behind Brian Russell, Chris Crocker and Brodney Pool ... leads team in special-teams tackles with 12.
QB Luke McCown, Round 4: Traded to Tampa Bay on April 24 for a Round 6 pick.
DL Amon Gordon, Round 5: Placed on injured reserve Sept. 3.
OL Kirk Chambers, Round 6: Hasn’t played on the line because starting tackles Ryan Tucker and L.J. Shelton haven’t missed a snap. ... has played all 11 games on special teams.
Note: Special-teams player Mason Unck is the only second-year Brown who made the 2004 team as an undrafted rookie. — STEVE DOERSCHUK
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12/1/05


BROWNS NOTEBOOK: Browns looking for small victories
Thursday, December 1, 2005 <TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>[FONT=Verdana, Times New Roman, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]BROWNS NOTEBOOK STEVE DOERSCHUK[/FONT]

BEREA - In the beginning, Chris Palmer would call them “small victories.”
They were props to hang a Browns hat on until real wins came along.
Perhaps Romeo Crennel’s Browns have had a few small victories between the lines of their 4-7 season.
The play of Steve Heiden has been one.
Coming off a five-catch day at Minnesota, the 29-year-old tight end is having a career year in catches (35) and receiving yards (349).
He has a good chance to become the Browns’ first 500-yard tight end since Ozzie Newsome in 1985.
“I think I’m playing probably the best football I’ve played up to this point in my career,” Heiden said. “There are always things you can improve on, but as long as I stay healthy, I think I can continue to get better.”
Signed through 2007, Heiden can’t predict what his role might be next year if Kellen Winslow Jr. returns from crash injuries.
The early projection is that Winslow and Heiden frequently will be on the field together. When they lined up together in the 2004 preseason, attention diverted to Winslow seemed to help Heiden get open.
Another small victory, perhaps, has been the development of center Jeff Faine.
In fact, Faine looks like the best value pick among the expansion-era first-round draft choices.
Faine has been healthy and effective after finishing his first two years on injured reserve.
“I think I’ve grown tremendously,” the former Notre Dame snapper said. “I’m disappointed with our season as a team, of course. I’m pretty proud of the season I put forward.”
Faine honed his technique in the offseason under new line coaches who once played for Ohio State, Jeff Davidson and Jeff Uhlenhake.
“I’ve had some pretty good games,” Faine said. “I look forward to building upon it, really.
“The biggest improvement is my comfort level. That just lets me go out and fly around and play my game and play as aggressively as I want ... just go out there and have fun.”

ON LINE It will be interesting to see if the Browns give young Nat Dorsey any time at left tackle over the final five games. At this point, veteran L.J. Shelton hasn’t missed a snap through 11 games. Shelton, signed only through this season, offered a quick view of his year Wednesday: “Sometimes, I would like to have done better. It’s not a situation where there’s lack of effort or not giving it all I’ve got. You’re going to get beat sometimes. You’re going to mess up things sometimes. It’s how you come back from it.” Whether Dorsey plays in the final five games should provide a clue as to whether the Browns intend to bring back Shelton.
MEDICAL REPORT Left guard Joe Andruzzi remains questionable with a calf problem that caused him to miss the last two games. ... Right guard Cosey Coleman had swelling in a sprained knee and is listed as questionable, but Crennel said, “I think he’ll play.” ... Safety Brodney Pool has missed the last two games with a sprained ankle and was limited in Wednesday’s practice. ... Ethan Kelley, who has started the last two games at nose tackle, has a cartilage tear in a knee and did not practice Wednesday. ... Defensive ends Alvin McKinley and Orpheus Roye missed practice because of swelling in an ankle and a knee, respectively.
LOSE THE BLUE Having lost a bet with former Ohio State defensive lineman Simon Fraser, former Michigan receiver Braylon Edwards wore a Ted Ginn Jr. replica Ohio State jersey and a Buckeye cap around the Browns locker room Wednesday. “It’s the first time I’ve had anything of O-State on,” said Edwards, “but I’m a man of my word ... a Michigan man.”
Reach Repository sports writer Steve Doerschuk at (330) 580-8347 or e-mail
[email protected]


Romeo and the rookie
Head Coach Romeo Crennel spent most of his Wednesday media period talking about rookie Charlie Frye. Selected responses:
Question: Did Frye’s interception in his only play at Minnesota change your view of him?
Crennel: I have not lost any confidence in Charlie Frye. I think that Charlie is a good, young kid with ability. I think he will be able to help this team. By the end of the year, we’ll know what kind of quarterback we have in Charlie.
Q: Does Frye have the requisite tools?
Crennel: He’s a big, tall, strapping kid. It looks like he can handle himself physically.
Q: How vital is it to have a good read on whether Frye can be the QB of the future?
Crennel: If we leave this year without knowing what he can do, then that hurts us going into the draft and free agency. We don’t know if we need to use time or a pick on a quarterback.
Q: How would Trent Dilfer adjust to being Frye’s backup at some point?
Crennel: Trent would be a professional. He’s always been like that. I don’t think he would like it. He would accept that role.
Q: Why is experience such an advantage for a quarterback?
Crennel: Would you feel safer taking a drive with your wife at the wheel, if she had been driving for years, or with your daughter, who hasn’t driven before?
Q: What can Frye expect if he gets a long playing shift against Jacksonville?
Crennel: He’s a rookie who has never started in the NFL. They would blitz him left, blitz him right and blitz him up the middle. — STEVE DOERSCHUK
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