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OSUBasketballJunkie
Never Forget 31-0
espn.com
Derek Anderson: From humble beginnings to budding star
By Greg Garber
ESPN.com
(Archive)
Updated: December 27, 2007
Kevin Terrell/Getty Images
Derek Anderson has emerged as one of the NFL's most productive QBs. Who saw that coming?
BEREA, Ohio -- Derek Anderson, all 6-foot-6 of him, walked into the Cleveland Browns' television studio a few weeks ago wearing one of those "Fargo"-esque, fur-lined aviator hats, the kind with the big ear flaps. Browns communication manager Amy Palcic -- just this side of mortified -- groaned.
Anderson, who also had a bit of a beard going, bears a striking resemblance to -- and there is no way around this -- the cartoon character Goofy. This is the single word that comes up most often when folks discuss the Browns' transcendent quarterback.
"If you're going to name a Disney character after him," said wide receiver Joe Jurevicius, "it's definitely Goofy."
And Anderson not only looks the part, it's his world view.
"I just try to keep it loose," Anderson said. "If you get tight then you start second-guessing things. I've realized that I play better when I play loose."
Said Browns general manager Phil Savage: "The tighter the game gets, the looser he is. That's a great quality to have."
Before the 2007 season there wasn't much empirical evidence that Anderson was such a cool customer. He had played in only five games in three NFL seasons and seemed destined to sit behind Charlie Frye and first-round draft choice Brady Quinn.
Continued.....
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Canton
Here?s a draft that paid off
[FONT=Verdana,Times New Roman,arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Edwards looking like a good choice[/FONT]
Saturday, December 29, 2007
BY Steve Doerschuk
REPOSITORY SPORTS WRITER
BEREA The Browns used to be famous for letting the big fish slip away.
Their 2007 reversal of fortune happened in part because a big one slid to them.
The 2005 draft comes into focus this week with the Browns hosting the 49ers on Sunday.
San Francisco had the No. 1 overall pick, gambling on a quarterback, Alex Smith, who might have been the product of Utah opponents having no answer for Urban Meyer?s system.
Braylon Edwards, who went to Cleveland after Miami drafted running back Ronnie Brown at No. 2, was pure talent everyone could see.
Edwards took it as a snub. After Cleveland picked him, he found a future NFL schedule so he could find out when the Browns would face San Francisco.
That game is here.
Cont...
Here?s a draft that paid off
[FONT=Verdana,Times New Roman,arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Edwards looking like a good choice[/FONT]
Saturday, December 29, 2007
BY Steve Doerschuk
REPOSITORY SPORTS WRITER
BEREA The Browns used to be famous for letting the big fish slip away.
Their 2007 reversal of fortune happened in part because a big one slid to them.
The 2005 draft comes into focus this week with the Browns hosting the 49ers on Sunday.
San Francisco had the No. 1 overall pick, gambling on a quarterback, Alex Smith, who might have been the product of Utah opponents having no answer for Urban Meyer?s system.
Braylon Edwards, who went to Cleveland after Miami drafted running back Ronnie Brown at No. 2, was pure talent everyone could see.
Edwards took it as a snub. After Cleveland picked him, he found a future NFL schedule so he could find out when the Browns would face San Francisco.
That game is here.
Cont...
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Canton
Browns report Dec. 29
Saturday, December 29, 2007
BY Steve Doerschuk
REPOSITORY SPORTS WRITER
Back to build on?
Jamal Lewis, who won a Super Bowl as a Ravens rookie in 2000, is a main reason the Browns went from 4-12 without him to the cusp of the playoffs.
?This year is definitely a stepping stone for this organization,? he said. ?I think there will be a lot of good years to come.?
But will he have even one more year as a Brown? He is in limbo on a one-year contract, uncertain whether Sunday will mark his last game as a Brown.
?Wait one more game, then let everything stack up,? he said.
Cont...
Browns report Dec. 29
Saturday, December 29, 2007
BY Steve Doerschuk
REPOSITORY SPORTS WRITER
Back to build on?
Jamal Lewis, who won a Super Bowl as a Ravens rookie in 2000, is a main reason the Browns went from 4-12 without him to the cusp of the playoffs.
?This year is definitely a stepping stone for this organization,? he said. ?I think there will be a lot of good years to come.?
But will he have even one more year as a Brown? He is in limbo on a one-year contract, uncertain whether Sunday will mark his last game as a Brown.
?Wait one more game, then let everything stack up,? he said.
Cont...
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Canton
Unbeaten Browns
[FONT=Verdana,Times New Roman,arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Cleveland went 14-0 in former AAFC[/FONT]
Saturday, December 29, 2007
BY Steve Doerschuk
REPOSITORY SPORTS WRITER
BEREA Nobody talks about Cleveland?s unbeaten team, but there was one, and it rocked the foundation of the early NFL.
The 1948 Browns went 14-0 in the regular season and won their league title game, 49-7.
The achievement is dismissed because it happened in the All-America Football Conference. It was a big-city autumn league sniffed at by the one whose initials were NFL.
The 49ers were loaded with talent and became the Browns? biggest AAFC rival. Cleveland?s closest calls in 1948 came in two games against the Niners. It?s hard to say the game meant nothing, in that 82,769 saw the Browns beat San Francisco at Cleveland.
Cont...
Unbeaten Browns
[FONT=Verdana,Times New Roman,arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Cleveland went 14-0 in former AAFC[/FONT]
Saturday, December 29, 2007
BY Steve Doerschuk
REPOSITORY SPORTS WRITER
BEREA Nobody talks about Cleveland?s unbeaten team, but there was one, and it rocked the foundation of the early NFL.
The 1948 Browns went 14-0 in the regular season and won their league title game, 49-7.
The achievement is dismissed because it happened in the All-America Football Conference. It was a big-city autumn league sniffed at by the one whose initials were NFL.
The 49ers were loaded with talent and became the Browns? biggest AAFC rival. Cleveland?s closest calls in 1948 came in two games against the Niners. It?s hard to say the game meant nothing, in that 82,769 saw the Browns beat San Francisco at Cleveland.
Cont...
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Canton
Chris Weinke to start for 49ers vs. Browns
Friday, December 28, 2007
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) ? Chris Weinke will be the 49ers? fourth starting quarterback this season when he replaces the injured Shaun Hill at Cleveland on Sunday.
Weinke, the former Heisman Trophy winner and Carolina quarterback, signed with the 49ers (5-10) just two weeks ago. He will follow Alex Smith, Trent Dilfer and Hill, who won his first two NFL starts in the last two weeks, as the starting quarterback for San Francisco this season.
Hill, the sixth-year pro who hadn?t thrown an NFL pass until this month, will miss San Francisco?s season finale with back spasms caused by three small fractures incurred from a hard hit in last week?s victory over Tampa Bay. Dilfer is out for the season with a concussion, and Smith is on injured reserve with a separated shoulder.
Cont...
Chris Weinke to start for 49ers vs. Browns
Friday, December 28, 2007
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) ? Chris Weinke will be the 49ers? fourth starting quarterback this season when he replaces the injured Shaun Hill at Cleveland on Sunday.
Weinke, the former Heisman Trophy winner and Carolina quarterback, signed with the 49ers (5-10) just two weeks ago. He will follow Alex Smith, Trent Dilfer and Hill, who won his first two NFL starts in the last two weeks, as the starting quarterback for San Francisco this season.
Hill, the sixth-year pro who hadn?t thrown an NFL pass until this month, will miss San Francisco?s season finale with back spasms caused by three small fractures incurred from a hard hit in last week?s victory over Tampa Bay. Dilfer is out for the season with a concussion, and Smith is on injured reserve with a separated shoulder.
Cont...
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DDN
Browns' defense shows improvement
By Sean McClelland
Staff Writer
Saturday, December 29, 2007
BEREA ? Glancing at the NFL's overall defensive statistics, your eyes travel all the way down the list of 32 teams before getting to the Browns.
Yes, it's accurate to say they have given up more yards than any team this season. But it's also misleading, because it ignores the reality of how the defense is playing now.
Granted, they haven't faced many offensive juggernauts and a blizzard came in handy, but only once in the past five games have the Browns given up more than 20 points ? a triumph considering they were torched for nearly 30 points, on average, through the first 10.
"The guys have really worked hard to improve all year, and I think now is the time that it's kind of showing up a little bit," defensive coordinator Todd Grantham said.
Over the past five games, opponents are averaging 16.2 points.
In Sunday's devastating 19-14 loss to Cincinnati, the defense gave up two touchdowns but only after interceptions thrown by Derek Anderson positioned the Bengals deep in Browns territory, once at the five-yard line.
Cont...
Browns' defense shows improvement
By Sean McClelland
Staff Writer
Saturday, December 29, 2007
BEREA ? Glancing at the NFL's overall defensive statistics, your eyes travel all the way down the list of 32 teams before getting to the Browns.
Yes, it's accurate to say they have given up more yards than any team this season. But it's also misleading, because it ignores the reality of how the defense is playing now.
Granted, they haven't faced many offensive juggernauts and a blizzard came in handy, but only once in the past five games have the Browns given up more than 20 points ? a triumph considering they were torched for nearly 30 points, on average, through the first 10.
"The guys have really worked hard to improve all year, and I think now is the time that it's kind of showing up a little bit," defensive coordinator Todd Grantham said.
Over the past five games, opponents are averaging 16.2 points.
In Sunday's devastating 19-14 loss to Cincinnati, the defense gave up two touchdowns but only after interceptions thrown by Derek Anderson positioned the Bengals deep in Browns territory, once at the five-yard line.
Cont...
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