Cleveland Browns (2007 & prior)

OSUBasketballJunkie · Jul 29, 2006

Dispatch

7/29/06

PRO FOOTBALL BROWNS

Hallen takes over as center

Team takes business-as-usual approach to loss of Bentley

Saturday, July 29, 2006

James Walker
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

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BEREA, Ohio — New Browns first-team center Bob Hallen said the name was never mentioned in practice yesterday.
Starting guard Cosey Coleman said it’s time to "keep moving right along," and offensive coordinator Maurice Carthon deemed training camp "business as usual."
That pretty much summed up Day One of life without LeCharles Bentley.
The Browns returned to work ready, and perhaps eager, to move forward without their All-Pro center and key offseason acquisition. Bentley had surgery yesterday to repair a torn tendon in his left knee that will cost him the 2006 season.
Players cautiously awaited the bad news after Bentley was injured early Thursday. The team appeared livelier yesterday, as evidenced by the crisp, physical nature of practice.
"I think that’s the attitude you have to take because they have a job to do and we have a job to do," coach Romeo Crennel said. "The season is going to go on. They’re not going to cancel any games. We still have to line up against New Orleans (on Sept. 10).
"So if you dwell on the negative, you’ll never get past that, and you’ll go in the tank. And if you go in the tank, you’re not going to win any games."
Crennel said he believes winning will be the best salve for the offensive line, but Hallen needs to fill a huge void.
Most guards in the league can play both sides. The same goes for offensive tackles. But there are few guards and tackles with the ability to play center.
Although Hallen, a versatile interior lineman with nine years of experience, is not a true center, the team seems confident in his skills at the position.
"I think that Bob Hallen will do a good job," Carthon said. "He played well in San Diego when we looked at him and when he got here. … I am looking forward to seeing him."
There have been no bad snaps or glaring problems with the first-team offense in the first couple of practices. The Browns signed Hallen for a situation like this.
"The center is the anchor of the offensive line," Coleman said. "You’ve got to get the ball to the quarterback and that’s the most critical part of the game. If you can’t do that, then you can’t run any plays. But Bob is a veteran player. He has plenty of snaps in this league and he’s going to be ready to go."
Hallen was low-key about jumping into the spotlight, saying "We’re all trying to move on and come together as a unit."
[email protected]

Dispatch

7/29/06

BROWNS NOTEBOOK

Cribbs delivers surprise with hard hit on McGinest

Saturday, July 29, 2006

James Walker
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

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BEREA, Ohio — The Browns donned full pads for the first time in camp yesterday, raising the intensity level. At least three major collisions took place in team drills.
The most surprising hit came from receiver Joshua Cribbs, who threw a block on unsuspecting linebacker Willie McGinest and knocked him to the ground.
Rookie inside linebacker D’Qwell Jackson also blasted fullback Terrelle Smith on a short reception.
Not to be outdone, Smith came back on his next carry and knocked the helmet off linebacker Clifton Smith.
Tucker hurts knee

The Browns suffered another knee injury on the offensive line, but it’s not believed to be serious. Ryan Tucker walked off the practice field yesterday after tweaking his left knee.
"He just felt a little something and wanted to take a look at it," coach Romeo Crennel said. "So from a precautionary standpoint we’re going to make sure it’s nothing major."
Tucker didn’t return to practice. Reserve Kirk Chambers replaced him at right tackle.
Holdout update

Cleveland continues to negotiate with third-round pick Travis Wilson, who remains the team’s only holdout. The rookie receiver from Oklahoma missed the first three days of camp, but the Browns are optimistic they can reach an agreement soon.
"We talked to their people (Thursday) night and have gone back and forth a little bit," Crennel said. "There seems to be some thought that maybe because the agent also has some other number threes that are due in camp this weekend that something might happen as a result of those guys being required to report."
Onward , upward

Coordinator Maurice Carthon has no doubt his offense will be improved this season.
The team finished at the bottom of the league in scoring and struggled last season in the red zone.
"You want to win for a guy like Romeo," Carthon said. "It’s great to work for him, and I played under him as a player, so I just want the best for him. I feel like when you don’t win for a guy like him, I kind of let him down personally. … The only part that hurt was that I couldn’t personally deliver what he wants and what he needs to be successful."
Brownie points

Linebackers Matt Stewart and Chaun Thompson have been getting work with the first team. Rookies Jackson and Kamerion Wimbley are expected to challenge them. … Rookie cornerback DeMario Minter had knee surgery yesterday and will be placed on the physically unable to perform list. Minter could be healthy enough to return in October. … Receiver Dennis Northcutt had the best reception of the day, a 50-plus-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Charlie Frye over free-agent defensive backs Chris Thompson and Daven Holly. [email protected]

OSUBasketballJunkie · Jul 30, 2006

ABJ

7/30/06

Browns owner has optimistic outlook

Lerner not letting loss of Bentley get him down

By Patrick McManamon

Beacon Journal sportswriter

BEREA - Browns owner Randy Lerner described himself as ``cautiously optimistic'' about 2006 -- and added his feelings are not changed by the season-ending injury to center LeCharles Bentley.
``Unlike previous seasons, we have a wealth of players around here that hold our interest and are difference-makers... ,'' Lerner said Saturday in his annual early training camp assessment of the team. ``I think it mitigates the impact of losing LeCharles.
``It hurts. It's very frustrating, but I think there's been a lot of poise on the part of the GM, definitely on the part of the head coach. I think we're going to be OK.''
Lerner was upbeat and optimistic as he talked about his team and organization, but said he does not know if the Browns are ready to make ``quantum leaps.''
``I just know there are visible signs that the GM and the head coach are making progress, and those are the guys that are responsible for making us win,'' Lerner said.
Lerner's good feelings were strengthened soon after his interview, when receiver Braylon Edwards burst through the facility doors for his first practice since tearing a knee ligament in December.
``God forbid anything happens to our race and creed,'' Lerner said, ``(but) they should use his DNA to rebuild the population.''
Among the other issues Lerner addressed:
• The work of General Manager Phil Savage, who almost lost his job after the 2005 season. Instead, Savage stayed, and team president John Collins resigned.
``I think (Savage has) been amazing,'' Lerner said. ``I think he's held his head up. I think he's galvanized the organization. He helped us to come together under a mission statement. He's brought the club together on any number of levels.
``He's been clear-minded. He knows what he wants to get accomplished. He's had a vision of what it would be for him to be a GM for a long time, and he's executing on it.
``I think you gotta have a lot of regard for what he's accomplished.''
• The split between the team and Channel 19. The Browns informed WOIO, its television partner, that it wanted to end its relationship after the station's news show aired a 9-1-1 emergency telephone call of Lerner's sister describing the death of her 6-year-old daughter.
``The Channel 19 situation is something that can happen to any organization or any one of us,'' Lerner said. ``You get into a situation where you don't find yourself as compatible as you were and you try to professionally, productively unwind the situation.
``I think that's what's happening now. I think Channel 19 and our organization have started very productive conversations about how to make sense of this and have both parties come out feeling good about themselves.''
Lerner said he sees no problems finding a new broadcast outlet for the team's preseason games.
• Bentley's ability to return from the torn patellar tendon.
``I think they were very successful in repairing the tendon,'' Lerner said. ``That was the report I got, so he'll be back.
``But, it's a bad injury. So it'll be a tough road.''
• The team being jinxed by injuries.
``I think that any success story has adversity buried and baked into it that fortunately doesn't become the subject of the conversation if, in fact, you achieve what you want to achieve,'' he said.
• His comfort level with quarterback Charlie Frye.
``Listen, I think he's an inspired athlete,'' Lerner said. ``I think it would be amazing if it plays out well.
``He's a great person to be around. He's the total package. I hope he goes out and wins games and I hope it comes through for him.''
• His reported interest in buying Aston Villa, a soccer team in England's Premier League.
``There are opportunities, but they are nothing more than opportunities right now,'' he said. ``My concern is if I put myself in a position to try and speak clearly on it, I'm going to be misleading.''
Finally, Lerner said he continues to be educated as the team's owner.
``I probably finally am starting to feel that the organization makes sense as an organization,'' he said. ``But it will fundamentally and will always be a privilege.
``You know... it's the Browns.''

ABJ

7/30/06
McManamon on the Browns

Bentley's knee injury truly sickening

Loss of center for season causes far-reaching complications for Browns' lineup

By Patrick McManamon

BEREA - Phil Savage walked off the practice field Thursday morning and ran into his brother at the Browns' facility.
``I've got food poisoning,'' Joe Savage said. ``Been throwing up all morning.''
The response of the Browns' general manager: ``Well, I'll be throwing up all night. We just lost Bentley for the year.''
Try as they might -- and the Browns tried hard -- there is no happy face to put on the season-ending knee injury to center LeCharles Bentley.
This injury is as bad as bad can be.
For several reasons.
Consider the words of one league general manager, who explained that matchups are crucial in the NFL.
With Bentley, the matchup in the middle of the field, in front of an inexperienced quarterback, favored the Browns.
Bentley was brought in to handle nose tackles like the Pittsburgh Steelers' Casey Hampton, and as the Browns went down their checklist of positions, they felt pretty good that Bentley could do the job.
Now?
``It's hold their own, hope to break even,'' the GM said. ``They're not going to win that matchup a lot.''
Part of the reason the Browns even made the draft-day deal with the Baltimore Ravens that allowed the Ravens to select nose tackle Haloti Ngata was because they felt they had a guy who could block Ngata.
Now...
``It's fight to hang in there,'' the GM said.
This outlook might not give Bob Hallen the respect a nine-year veteran deserves, but there's a reason one guy starts and the other is a backup.
Bentley is one of the best at his position in the league.
Too, Bentley was going to be quarterback Charlie Frye's personal protector. The man who lined up in front of Frye would hold down the middle of the field.
In the spring, Frye's eyes lit up like Las Vegas every time Bentley's name was mentioned. With Bentley, the middle of the field was secure -- and that's a key, because pockets are collapsed from the middle of the field.
Frye can escape, but eventually defenses will adjust to his scrambling. Now, he probably won't be able to step up in the pocket as often.
Finally, the ripple effect from Bentley's injury becomes a huge problem.
The Browns have two guards who played with bad knees a year ago. If one of them went down with an injury, Hallen would be able to step in at either spot.
Now, Hallen must play center, which affects the depth. One more offensive line injury -- like the one that sidelined Ryan Tucker -- would be devastating.
A few years ago, Ty Detmer tore his Achilles tendon, which took away the Browns' security blanket at quarterback.
Later that same season, Tim Couch broke his thumb, and a season that had a tiny bit of promise disintegrated.
In 2003, the offensive line never recovered from the biceps tear that sidelined Ross Verba.
None of those players matched the ability and physical presence of Bentley.
And it's why this injury will be one that will affect the fortunes of the team through January.
Jinxed
It didn't take long after Bentley went down for Lee Suggs to look at Reuben Droughns and say: ``Another Cleveland Browns injury.''
And it happened just when many -- including me -- were starting to think positive thoughts about the 2006 team.
Fans immediately started talking about a jinx, and cornerback Gary Baxter understood.
``I do, to a certain extent, believe in jinxes or curses... I've never been hurt, and then all of a sudden I come here and get hurt,'' he said.
The injuries that have hit the Browns defy any kind of logic or reason. In the past 15 months, the team lost Bentley, Braylon Edwards, Kellen Winslow and Baxter. It understandably has fans shaking their heads, and Savage completely understanding their feelings.
Negative thinking is hard to avoid with Cleveland sports teams. ``The Drive,'' ``The Shot,'' ``The Helmet.''
The danger is when the negative thinking creeps into the team's mentality.
It's almost impossible to avoid, but if the Browns hope to do anything this season, they can't allow that to happen.
Finally
Early competition seems to give Sean Jones the edge at safety over Brodney Pool, and Leigh Bodden the edge at cornerback over Daylon McCutcheon.

OSUBasketballJunkie · Jul 30, 2006

Dispatch

7/30/06

Wimbley willing, able

Rookie gets a hand making switch from line to linebacker

Sunday, July 30, 2006

James Walker
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

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BEREA, Ohio — Browns firstround pick Kamerion Wimbley made a small mental mistake in yesterday morning’s practice. Playing outside linebacker, he read a pass play a second late, resulting in a short completion to tight end Darnell Dinkins.
Wimbley shot up the field and put a late hit on Dinkins, who threw the football at the rookie, but a skirmish was averted.
The play served as a brief lesson on the transition the rookie has to make from college defensive end to NFL outside linebacker.
"He drops good, but then once he gets to the area, he’s not astute enough right now to be able to read the quarterback," coach Romeo Crennel said. "There are some balls that he should start making plays on in the coverage respect, but he’s making progress, and I think that down the road you will like what you see."
The conversion Wimbley faces is difficult. Many players, including Kenard Lang last year with the Browns, have failed.
"Some of it has to do with athletic ability and talent and knee bend," Crennel said. "To be able to drop in coverage you have to have those kind of things. Willie McGinest showed that he can do it. Wimbley, he can do it. Kenard, he did, but not as well as those guys."
McGinest, who signed with the Browns as a free agent this year, played both defensive end and linebacker at Southern California and with the New England Patriots, who drafted him in 1994. He played linebacker his first two pro seasons, then became a Pro Bowl defensive end in 1996 when the Patriots switched from a 3-4 defense to a 4-3 under then-associate head coach Bill Belichick.
"It’s allowed me to be more aggressive," McGinest said at the time. "There’s less thinking."
Moving back to linebacker can be mentally taxing.
"Probably the hardest thing for a player like that who is going from down to up (is communication)," Belichick told the Providence (R.I.) Journal in 2004. "The formation adjustments, all the pass-coverage responsibilities, it is really significantly much more of an important part of the game than it is playing with hand on the ground."
Belichick has rarely drafted linebackers for his defensive system, instead taking the most athletic down linemen and converting them. Crennel, who worked with Belichick on the Patriots’ staff, maintains a similar philosophy.
Very few colleges play Crennel’s favored 3-4 defense, which makes every defensive pick a projection.
Browns general manager Phil Savage became enamored of the athleticism of Wimbley, who finished his career at defensive end for Florida State with 12 sacks and 23 1 /2 tackles for loss. Seeing Wimbley move during pre-draft workouts convinced him.
Wimbley is sure he can live up to the expectations.
"Definitely, I’m up to it," he said. "You have to be a top athlete and you have to pick things up fast and be able to read fast, and I know that it is a demanding position, but right now I feel like I’m making a lot of progress."
McGinest, 34, has made it a point to mentor Wimbley, 22. If the rookie develops and the aging veteran stays consistent, the pair could become an outside pass-rushing force the Browns desperately lacked last year.
"We almost have the same body type, but he weighs a little more than I do," said Wimbley, who is 6 feet 3 and 245 pounds, compared to McGinest at 6-5, 270. "But I haven’t accomplished what he’s done on the field, so I don’t think there is any comparison there. He’s been to Pro Bowls, he’s been to Super Bowls. I’m a pup in this thing. He’s had a big, successful career in the NFL, and that’s what I’d like to follow."
Although McGinest is at the tail end of his career, he’s not playing like it. He has 15 1 /2 sacks the past two seasons, and that doesn’t include the NFL-playoff record 4 1 /2 he registered against the Jacksonville Jaguars in a wild-card game in January.
He’ll spend a lot of time teaching Wimbley, but McGinest also believes he has enough left for the field.
"Of course, I’m not out here coaching," McGinest said, laughing. "I’ve still got my uniform on. If I just keep my level of play I’ve been at the last couple of years, I’ll be fine. At the same time, it’s all about helping everybody."
[email protected]

Dispatch

7/30/06

BROWNS NOTEBOOK
Edwards springs surprise in practice
Sunday, July 30, 2006
James Walker
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
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BEREA, Ohio — There was a reason Browns receiver Braylon Edwards was noticeably quiet during team workouts and training camp this summer. He was waiting to make the announcement that took place last night.
The second-year receiver pulled off the surprise of training camp when he returned to a limited practice for the first time since suffering a seasonending knee injury last year. After practice Edwards said he feels good, although he’s still cautious, about a possible Sept. 10 return in the season opener against the New Orleans Saints.
Edwards, who is unlikely to play in preseason games, suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in December, and for most of the summer the team had targeted Oct. 1 for his return.
"I’m still young, and I think being young helps a lot," Edwards said. "I still have young bones, young ligaments, and I heal a lot faster than somebody that was 33. I think my body is a little different. I think I have something a little extra."
Wilson signs

Third-round pick Travis Wilson signed a four-year deal, ending a three-day holdout.
The rookie receiver from Oklahoma received very little work in practice yesterday. He was expected to challenge for a starting job or the No. 3 spot, but the missed practices have moved him down the depth chart.
Tucker , Winslow rest

Starting right tackle Ryan Tucker sat out practice yesterday. Tucker had a magnetic resonance imaging test that revealed some wear and tear in the cartilage of his left knee.
Tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. dressed in pads but sat out team drills. The Browns want to rest Winslow periodically during camp as a precaution.
Brownie points

Cleveland waived rookie receiver Steve Sanders to make room for Wilson . … Receiver Dennis Northcutt caught a 50-yard touchdown pass from Charlie Frye in team drills for the second consecutive day, this time over defensive back Pete Hunter. [email protected]

OSUBasketballJunkie · Jul 30, 2006

Canton

7/30/06

Edwards works out; early return possible

Sunday, July 30, 2006

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BEREA - Braylon Edwards loves the stage. Who else coming off major knee surgery at age 23 would give Canton a shout?
“This made me want the playoffs, the Super Bowl, the Hall of Fame all the more,” Edwards said after putting in a surprise practice Saturday.
All of the other Browns either walked or jogged out of the team complex door to Saturday’s practice. Edwards, wearing a brace on the right leg that got scrambled Dec. 4, literally sprinted out of the gate.
The resulting ovation said the large crowd was more than glad to see him.
This will turn to glee if Edwards can play in the Sept. 10 season opener against the Saints, and make a splash with Kellen Winslow Jr.
“I think he and I are gonna make some magic this year and for years to come,” Edwards said. “He, Charlie (Frye) and I are the young guns, as we call ourselves.”
The loose perception has been that Edwards wouldn’t be back from his reconstructive ACL surgery soon enough to play in September.
“I wasn’t supposed to be where I am,” Edwards said after practice, “but I am. ... I do have a little something special.”
Edwards was cleared by doctors for Saturday’s practice, after he had basically missed the first three days of training camp.
Head Coach Romeo Crennel outlined the game plan for nursing Edwards back.
“He’s making good progress,” Crennel said. “The doctor likes what he sees.
“I don’t think we’ll let him practice all day. We’ll limit what he is able to do. Maybe we’ll let him go through the first part of practice, but when it comes to the contact stuff, we might pull him back.”
Edwards participated in individual drills but stood or kneeled in the background throughout 11-on-11s. He fidgeted, jogged in place, stretched both legs, and occasionally acknowledged the steady stream of shouts coming from fans.
He said he and doctors have agreed to a strategy for how soon to join contact drills, and whether to shoot for a stint in the Aug. 31 preseason finale against the Bears.
“We’re gonna listen to the knee,” he said.
Edwards said he’d rather play it safe for Games 1 and 2 if it means sitting out to be fully ready for Games 3 or 4. But he clearly has his eye on the opener against the Saints.
He finished his rookie year with 32 catches for 512 yards.
Free agency pick-up Joe Jurevicius has no illusions about who Edwards is supposed to be.
“When I signed,” said Jurevicius, “I knew Braylon Edwards is the Browns’ No. 1 receiver.”
But can Edwards look the part seven months after surgery? “We aren’t listening to you guys,” Edwards said. “We aren’t listening to the fans. We’re listening to the knee.” Reach Repository sports writer Steve Doerschuk at (330) 580-8347 or e-mail [email protected].

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Canton

7/30/06

Wilson downplays time he has missed

Sunday, July 30, 2006

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BEREA - Rookie Round 3 pick Travis Wilson practiced with the Browns on Saturday after putting himself in a potential pickle.
“It was just a couple of days that I missed,” Wilson said after signing a four-year contract and ending the Browns’ only holdout. “It’s something I can very easily make up.”
Head Coach Romeo Crennel laughs a little when rookies talk like that.
“Not exactly,” Crennel said.
Wilson actually missed three days and four practices of regular training camp, not counting sessions exclusive to rookies early in the week.
“He’s behind,” Crennel said. “We’ll work him in slowly.”
Wilson didn’t get a playbook until after he signed.
Last year, rookie Round 1 pick Braylon Edwards lost ground in Crennel’s mind while holding out. It wound up costing him playing time and reshaping a season that crashed with a knee injury Dec. 4 against the Jaguars.
“I have skill all-around,” said Wilson, a tall target well remembered for having called himself the best wideout in the 2006 draft. “I just feel I can bring something else ... make us more complete.”
For now, Wilson is behind Joe Jurvevicius, Dennis Northcutt, Frisman Jackson, Joshua Cribbs and perhaps Brandon Rideau in the pecking order of healthy Browns wideouts.
Rookie Steve Sanders, who scored 14 touchdowns for Bowling Green last year, was waived to make room for Wilson.
FRYE PATTERN
The Browns seem to view seventh-year Brown Northcutt as their main deep threat until Edwards puts knee surgery behind him.
The latest bomb to Northcutt was a thing of beauty. Late in Saturday’s first practice, Northcutt sprinted behind cornerback Pete Hunter, a fourth-year pro who joined the Browns last December.
Working on the south practice field, Charlie Frye watched his perfect spiral sail higher than a gray two-story house that hugs the team complex. It came down to Northcutt, who drew a huge cheer when he caught the ball in stride.
“That was all Dennis,” Frye said. “One on one, against the corner.”
Frye suggested Reuben Droughns’ runs will be the offense’s staple, but ...
“We aren’t going to be able to rely on Reuben the whole way. It’s a lot easier when you get big chunks. We spent a lot of offseason time on deep balls.”
One reason the Browns signed center LeCharles Bentley was to give Frye more time to throw deep.
“Now it’s about getting with Bob (Hallen), getting in the film room, getting on the same page,” Frye said of Bentley’s replacement. “ ... Bob and I are going to have to put in some extra work.”
Frye had been seriously jazzed about working with the Pro Bowler, Bentley.
“It hurts,” Frye said, “but you can’t sit around and mope. LeCharles told me, ‘Don’t feel bad for me. Go out and do your thing.’ “
TUCKER RETURNS
Right tackle Ryan Tucker was back at practice but did not participate in either of Saturday’s sessions.
Crennel indicated Tucker should return to the field soon. The 10th-year pro left Friday’s practice with a cartilage problem in his left knee. He wore a brace on the knee and seemed to be walking gingerly Saturday.
“It’s an old knee,” Crennel said. “We are going to let Ryan’s knee settle down and then we’ll put him back out there.”
The Browns seem likely to keep two offensive tackles other than Tucker. The top backup right tackle for now is 2004 Round 6 pick Kirk Chambers. Nat Dorsey, obtained in a 2005 trade that sent Melvin Fowler to the Vikings, is the No. 1 backup at left tackle, but he also is being prepped on the right side.
Tucker was in good spirits Saturday. He had no trouble staying on his feet and spent several minutes shuffling among autograph seekers after the morning practice.
Reach Repository sports writer Steve Doerschuk at (330) 580-8347 or e-mail: [email protected].

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OSUBasketballJunkie · Jul 30, 2006

DDN

7/30/06

At long last, 'fighter' Frye in a familiar place

By Sean McClelland
Staff Writer

BEREA — The plan for young Cleveland Browns quarterback Charlie Frye goes something like this:
"One of the major themes is to protect him physically, preserve him mentally and promote him organizationally," Browns General Manager Phil Savage said last week at the start of Frye's first training camp with a season in his hands.
It's conceivable the team's ability to protect Frye took a major hit last week with the loss of Pro Bowl center LeCharles Bentley to a season-ending torn patellar tendon in his left knee.
But life goes on, and Frye, a third-round draft pick in 2005 from the University of Akron, is being thrust into the starting role, ready or not, following the recent trade of veteran Trent Dilfer.
"Last year, everybody knew Trent was going to be the starter and I was still learning the system," said Frye, who grew up in Willard, about 60 miles southwest of Cleveland. "I came into camp No. 3 (on the depth chart). I had always been a starter and didn't know how to act.
"This year, I'm much further along, much more comfortable. I know the playbook and can answer questions that any of my teammates might have."
It takes a vivid imagination to see Frye leading the Browns to glory this season, but don't discount the five games he started at the end of 2005. The team went 2-3 in those contests and endured a classic beating, 41-0, by eventual Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh at home on Christmas Eve.
"But he showed some stuff," Browns head coach Romeo Crennel said. "I don't think he ever got rattled. I feel good about that."
Could it be that even that lopsided loss to the Browns' storied rival had its benefits?
"I got to see those guys live, not just on film or from the sidelines," Frye said. "Any time you can gain experience, it's always going to help you. Especially the division games."
Must he be super?
At Akron, Frye wore a Superman shirt under his uniform.
The Browns were hoping they had built up the team to the point where the quarterback would not need to be a superhero, but then came the injury to Bentley, the team's signature free agent, arguably its best player.
Now, instead of an All-Pro center, Frye will be accepting snaps from journeyman Bob Hallen, who was brought in as a reliever, not a starter.
But tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. is finally back on the field after a two-year absence, and the addition of receiver Joe Jurevicius, a big target, should help in the red zone, where the offense struggled last season. Running back Reuben Droughns (1,232 yards rushing) returns, court dates allowing.
"Charlie has done a tremendous job with this offense," offensive coordinator Maurice Carthon said. "He's a fighter, and that's what's going to help us win."
Frye's arm strength kept him from being drafted higher and will always be questioned, but his passes in camp have been accurate and crisp.
"The good part is that he's had a year in our system and seen what NFL defenses look like," Crennel said. "A lot will depend on the offensive line. If they can give him some time, that will take more pressure off him than anything."
There's a 'presence'
When quarterbacks are discussed, it's never long before "huddle presence" arises. Frye's is ideal, teammates say.
"I think he's a competitor," Jurevicius said. "He doesn't seem to be flustered. He makes his play and goes back to the huddle. He's a working man."
That quality should endear Frye to Cleveland fans, especially if he shows a knack for producing in the clutch. It's been a while (Bernie Kosar? Brian Sipe?) since the Browns put a quarterback on the field who quickened pulses and inspired faith.
Some remain skeptical, however. ESPN recently ranked the Browns' quarterbacks dead last in the league.
"I'm going to let my play speak on that," Frye said. "I'm not going to comment. We'll see where that ends up at the end of the season."

OSUBasketballJunkie · Jul 31, 2006

ABJ

7/31/06

Tucker might opt for surgery

Offensive lineman says knee injury not major

By Marla Ridenour

Beacon Journal sportswriter

BEREA - Ryan Tucker knows how it looked. When he left the practice field Friday, he was the second Browns offensive lineman sidelined in two days.
His injury came 24 hours after center LeCharles Bentley tore his left patellar tendon, requiring season-ending surgery.
Tucker insisted Sunday the cartilage problem in his left knee is nothing major, but the nine-year veteran does not want to play the whole season with it. So the Browns' starting right tackle is prepared to undergo arthroscopic surgery Tuesday.
``We're going to make a decision (Monday) whether we're going to `scope it or not,' '' Tucker said after sitting out for the second consecutive day. ``I'll be ready for the season regardless. The thing we have to do is some minor adjustments and some cleaning out. It's not changing the structure or doing any major cutting and pasting.
``You're just smoothing some edges, basically,'' Tucker said.
``If it feels better tomorrow we won't do it. We're just resting it right now.''
Tucker said the last time he had a similar procedure he missed about two weeks. His goal is to be healthy for the Sept. 10 season opener against the New Orleans Saints.
Asked if he was leaning towards having the arthroscopy, Tucker said, ``More than likely. It's still camp. I love being out here with these guys. I'm sorry I'm not out on the field with them. But I've got to take care of this so I can be there when it counts.
``You want to be healthy. You want to be able to play the games. There's nothing worse than trying to play with nagging injuries. We're all going to have them, some are worse than others. It makes it a lot easier when you have some nice knees to play on.''
Browns coach Romeo Crennel might be ready to go with what Tucker decides.
``Particularly with a veteran player like Ryan you have to take his opinion into consideration,'' Crennel said. ``He knows his body more than anyone else. He's looking at the big picture as this thing unfolds. If he doesn't think it's getting good enough to let him go, then I think he might want to get it taken care of before we get into playing the games.''
With Tucker out, Kirk Chambers, a two-year veteran, will take his spot.
``He's working at it,'' Crennel said of Chambers. ``He's not as good as Tucker, that's why he's not a starter. He's made improvement since I've been here, still there's a long way to go.''
Tucker, who has played in 112 career games with 84 starts, admitted he got a scare Friday.
``You're doing something that's not a lot of contact and something pops and you can't put weight on it,'' he said. ``It's like, `Am I getting too old?' I don't think so. I'm only 31. I feel really young. Like my quarterback tells me, I'm just a big ol' kid.''
Tucker said even without Bentley, this Browns line has a chance to be the best he's played on in five years. Free-agent left tackle Kevin Shaffer joins guards Joe Andruzzi and Cosey Coleman and center Bob Hallen, a Kent State product signed in March as a backup.
``Joe looks awesome, Cosey's looking really good, Shaffer's playing good, Bobby Hallen in the middle, this guy's not a spring chicken. He's played and been on successful teams,'' Tucker said. ``They're all real good players and all the backups are playing like starters now. It's fun to watch. I can't wait to be a part of it.''

OSUBasketballJunkie · Jul 31, 2006

ABJ

7/31/06

Browns notebook

Heat gets to irritable Browns

Players' tempers flare with 90-degree weather

By Marla Ridenour

Beacon Journal sportswriter

BEREA - With the heat soaring into the 90s and the humidity stifling, tempers flared Sunday at Browns training camp.
Inside linebacker Chaun Thompson and receiver Joe Jurevicius scuffled after a pass play that neither figured prominently in. Tight end Steve Heiden didn't appreciate a shot in the shoulder from free safety Brian Russell that forced Heiden to lose the ball and leave the field.
On an afternoon of dropped passes, at least the hard feelings livened up the day.
The Thompson-Jurevicius clash was the most heated of the camp's five days. As running back Lee Suggs caught a short swing pass from Charlie Frye, Thompson admitted he gave Jurevicius a ``cheap shot,'' which prompted Jurevicius to retaliate.
``We already talked. I told him I was sorry,'' Thompson said. ``A little fun like that, I could have broken a hand. If it were a game I could have gotten ejected. That was unprofessional on both sides, but we made up.''
Jurevicius declined to comment.
Browns coach Romeo Crennel had to ask around to find out what happened.
``I was trying to blow the whistle, then I see guys on the ground rolling around and other teammates running to 'em,'' Crennel said.
``The linebacker was breaking on the quick pass, the wide receiver was in the vicinity and there's some contact involved. When it's hot and humid you don't like the contact, particularly when the ball didn't come to you. You take a little offense to it. Then the other guy is hot and bothered and he takes offense to you taking offense. Then we've got two guys fencing.''
Russell's hit on Heiden came when Heiden was going across the middle.
``We're trying not to let guys catch the ball over the middle,'' Russell said. ``We definitely don't want to hurt our teammates, I just gave him enough to get the ball out.''
Crennel said Russell ``probably didn't do anything wrong,'' and suggested the hit was prompted by criticism he received Saturday.
``The day before he left the middle of field wide open and he was told about that,'' Crennel said. ``He was trying to let it be known he was where he was supposed to be.''
'Cutch sidelined
Cornerback Daylon McCutcheon, in a battle with Leigh Bodden that defensive coordinator Todd Grantham deemed ``neck and neck,'' watched from the sideline with a swollen knee.
``We're trying to treat the swelling with anti-inflammatories and a lot of ice,'' Crennel said. ``If we're not able to control it, then we'll do more extensive evaluation. There's not a stability issue.''
Brownies . . .
Todd Washington, an eight-year veteran, was signed and fellow offensive lineman Ben Brielmaier was released. With the Houston Texans for the past three seasons, Washington has played in 97 career games and started 17.... Offensive lineman Alonzo Ephraim was still wearing a hospital bracelet when he arrived in Cleveland Saturday morning. His fiance Kellie Amos was due to give birth to their first child Friday in Birmingham, Ala. and her doctor induced labor so Ephraim could be there for the birth. After 12 ½ hours of labor, Alonzo Ephraim II arrived.... Among those guilty of dropping passes were receiver Frisman Jackson and tight ends Kellen Winslow and Darnell Dinkins. The best defensive plays were from defensive end Orpheus Roye, who batted down a pass by quarterback Darrell Hackney, and Bodden, who broke up a ball to Jurevicius.

OSUBasketballJunkie · Jul 31, 2006

Canton

7/31/06

Grantham sees plenty of progress

Monday, July 31, 2006

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>[FONT=Verdana, Times New Roman, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]By STEVE DOERSCHUK[/FONT]
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BEREA - Ask around and there is a clear consensus on last year’s Browns coordinators.
Mo Carthon, who had some NFL experience as an offensive coordinator and knew Romeo Crennel well, disappointed.
Todd Grantham, a rookie NFL defensive coordinator who barely knew Crennel, overachieved.
In turn, fans are fired up about how far Grantham can take Crennel’s 3-4 scheme in his second year, with better players.
“We were pretty slow in our progress last year,” Grantham said, “because it was totally new to everybody.”
That includes Grantham. Overseeing a system installation was new to him. He had been a defensive line coach with the Colts and Texans from 1999-2004.
The unit had real problems, ranking last in the NFL in sacks and near the bottom in run defense. In yards allowed, though, Grantham’s unit tied NFC champion Seattle for 16th place. The Browns allowed 301 points, 49 less than AFC North champ Cincinnati.
That was before Grantham had Ted Washington at nose tackle, Willie McGinest in a leadership role, and Kamerion Wimbley as a prized rookie seen as ready to help right away.
Grantham spoke Sunday in a measured, carefully understated way, but it was easy to tell he is fired up about the 38-year-old, 360-pound Washington.
“You have some stoutness in there,” Grantham said. “It allows you to play more split safety coverage ... Cover 2. When you do that you’re less prone to give up big plays.”
Last year’s No. 1 nose man was smallish veteran Jason Fisk, who didn’t fit the scheme.
“Ted has size,” Grantham said. “He’s strong inside. He’s a good nose. The key is to keep him fresh. He’ll be a first- and second-down player.”
McGinest will turn 35 in December, but he had an NFL playoff record 4.5 sacks in a playoff win over Jacksonville just seven months ago, as a Patriot.
McGinest will man one of the starting outside linebacker spots. Either Wimbley or 2005 starter Matt Stewart will start on the other side. But Stewart, only 26 but a sixth-year pro, is flexible.
“I think we can use Willie quite a bit,” Grantham said. “That’s the advantage to having Matt (Stewart) playing both the right and left sides.”
Grantham said McGinest sets a perfect example for the team’s otherwise young linebacking corps.
“If they follow his approach,” Grantham said, “they’ll be OK.”
Gratham heartily endorsed the draft-day decision to spend the No. 12 overall pick on Wimbley rather than huge nose tackle Haloti Ngata. He said Wimbley has made good progress in converting from Florida State end to Browns outside linebacker.
“Nose is important,” Grantham said, “but outside linebackers are playmakers. To be very efficient and good in this defense, you’ve got to have playmakers.
“Outside backers are the guys who rush on third down. They’re also the guys on first and second down getting backs’ blocks and tight ends’ blocks. Those guys are very hard to find.
“I think you’ll be pleased with Kamerion.”
The difference between the look of last year’s defense and this year’s?
Grantham isn’t getting carried away this early. “I wouldn’t say it’s gigantic,” he said. We’re further ahead. We’re ahead of last year with what we’re putting in.” Reach Repository sports writer Steve Doerschuk at (330) 580-8347 or e-mail [email protected].

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OSUBasketballJunkie · Aug 1, 2006

ABJ

8/1/06

Winslow looks to live up to hype

Tight end admits knee was hurt worse than reported, is tired of talk

By Patrick McManamon

Beacon Journal sportswriter

BEREA - Tight end Kellen Winslow admitted Monday his right knee injury was much more serious than he -- and the Browns -- have previously admitted.
It was so serious, in fact, that Winslow doubts he'll ever get back to his old self.
``I had a lot of stuff going on in my knee,'' Winslow said Monday. ``It's going to be hard (to say), `Oh, I'm 100 percent now.'
``I don't think that's possible.''
But Winslow does not think that matters a great deal.
``I hate to be brash,'' Winslow said, ``but I think my 90 percent is better than every tight end out there.''
Winslow even taught the media a medical term in his first training camp news conference.
He said the torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee was not the worst result from his motorcycle crash in 2005.
He said he fractured his femur and tore both ``retinaculas'' in his right knee. Retinacula is a term not often brought up in sports, but those are ligaments that stabilize.
Winslow said he dislocated the kneecap in the accident, but it popped right back in. There was serious trauma involved.
``The impact I had with the ground when I fell just shattered my kneecap,'' Winslow said. ``Well, it didn't shatter my kneecap, but my knee was all banged up. My knee was the size of a basketball in the hospital.
``It was huge. I was crying, but there was never any doubt in my mind that I'd be back.''
The accident came after Winslow's rookie season was cut to two games by a broken bone just above his right ankle.
Winslow has been motivated to come back, but said two years of inactivity are a test.
``Some days I feel good, some days I don't feel so good,'' he said. ``Just the banging, the two years off, all the surgeries I had to go through.
``It takes its toll.''
Winslow said he hasn't lost a step, but he wonders if he has.
``Two practices ago, I had a long run,'' he said. ``I didn't get caught, and I thought I was going to get caught. That's how I kind of gauge myself that I haven't lost a step.''
Winslow can sound brash without meaning to. Several people close to him vow that the experiences of the past two years have humbled him, and he is acting accordingly.
``Kellen is a great guy and he gets along with everybody on the team,'' quarterback Charlie Frye said. ``Everybody respects him and they look at him as a leader.''
Winslow said nobody should put his career at risk the way he did, adding he'll never ride a motorcycle again while he's active.
When the subject of Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger not even missing a practice after a serious motorcycle crash came up, Winslow said it wasn't funny.
``I'm just glad he's all right,'' he added.
But his statements that 90 percent of him is better than all other tight ends -- Antonio Gates, Tony Gonzalez -- might not play well with the working folks.
Winslow also knows that talk doesn't matter anymore.
``It's all hype right now,'' he said. ``We have to get on the field and do what we do best. Right now it's just all hype. I'm sick of talking about what I'm going to do.
``It's time to just get on the field and do it.''

ABJ

8/1/06

Winslow has learned, is ready to move on

By Terry Pluto

BEREA - Two years later, Kellen Winslow wants to start over, and he's earning the chance to do just that.
Winslow made some young, dumb and dangerous decisions. You know the story, from his inflammatory, ego-driven comments at the University of Miami to his stormy holdout with the Browns to the motorcycle accident in the spring of 2005.
Part of the Winslow bravado is still there. He says his knee is ``90 percent'' back from multiple surgeries, but his 90 percent is still better than any other tight end.
``He told me that his hands are 99 percent,'' Browns quarterback Charlie Frye said.
Frye laughed and told Winslow that he wants to see it come game time. Prove it by catching everything thrown your way, seems to be Frye's challenge.
Understand that Frye and Winslow have bonded. They have spent hours in the weight room and have gone to events such as Cavaliers games.
It's a smart move for both of them.
Frye is a fierce worker, but says Winslow is even more determined: ``He does something every day. He had me in there on Saturday and Sunday, too.''
Winslow talked about how he had never heard of Frye.
``I'm from San Diego, went to Miami. He's from Akron. Like, who is this guy?''
Now, they are close. Real close. It's wonderful to see, the white quarterback from rural Willard, Ohio, and the black tight end from Southern California. Sports can fuel some of the most remarkable friendships.
``Charlie is awesome,'' Winslow said.
Winslow said he not only has given up motorcycles, but other off-the-field things that would put his career at risk. That has been Frye's approach for his entire life, because Frye always knew his edge was slight.
Frye knew Winslow needed a friend, especially after the motorcycle accident when the tight end ripped up his knee, bruised his liver and came very close to ending his career after a grand total of two pro games.
Fans were outraged; the team shocked and disappointed.
It seemed another indication that Winslow was arrogant and reckless, that he had little regard for the franchise that made him the No. 6 pick in the 2004 draft and one of the highest-paid players on the team.
Winslow remains a remarkable physical specimen, a 6-foot-4, 248-pound tight end quick enough to line up sometimes at wide receiver. He does have terrific hands, and the kind of speed that can take a 5-yard pass and turn it into a 20-yard gain.
``Kellen can be a wide receiver, he can be a tight end, he can be a defensive end,'' Frye said. ``He's that good of a player. He wants to show it more than ever, because everyone has doubted him. I think he'll have a breakout year.''
Frye and Winslow have moved into the same foxhole of dealing with doubters.
Frye is a 2005 third-round draft pick from the University of Akron with an arm questioned by some scouts. There are huge question marks about his ability to be a starting NFL quarterback.
``The thing about Charlie is nothing shakes him,'' said Winslow, and he considers that to be high praise.
As for Winslow, his injuries were serious. Only an athlete who is the son of a hall of fame tight end and who is physically blessed could come back from the knee and other problems.
The Browns have to be careful with Winslow, because the knee is still healing. Some days, it will be weaker than others.
He will need to be patient with himself, and Frye can help. Neither of these guys need to feel any more pressure. Both know they are in the center of the sometimes unforgiving spotlight of playing key positions for the Browns.
Both just want to get on with it.
As Winslow said, ``It's all hype right now... I'm sick of talking about what I'm going to do... (I'm) tired of hearing what potential I have.''
So are the fans. Now, it's time for everyone to actually see these guys play.

OSUBasketballJunkie · Aug 1, 2006

ABJ

8/1/06

Browns notebook

More injuries hit veterans

McCutcheon, Tucker sidelined but expected back for season opener

By Patrick McManamon

Beacon Journal sportswriter

BEREA - Leigh Bodden seems to have won himself the starting job at cornerback for the Browns.
But he won it partly through injury, as Daylon McCutcheon -- his competition -- will have arthroscopic surgery today and miss up to a month or more of training camp and preseason.
McCutcheon and Ryan Tucker both will be ``scoped'' to repair cartilage damage in their knees.
Coach Romeo Crennel said he expects both players to return for the regular season opener Sept. 10 against New Orleans.
McCutcheon entered camp as a co-starter with Bodden. Crennel said the surgery will give Bodden ``a leg up,'' but Bodden's play in camp has been impressive.
Tucker was a clear starter before he was injured, and should step back in when he's healthy. Kirk Chambers is expected to get the bulk of the work at right tackle with Tucker out.
Injury report
Training camp is still in its early days but all three of the Browns starting pass receivers rode bikes during the morning's practice.
Joe Jurevicius joined Kellen Winslow and Braylon Edwards on the sidelines.
Winslow and Edwards are coming back from knee surgeries, but Jurevicius showed up with back spasms.
``(The back muscles) didn't loosen up on him so we held him out of practice,'' coach Romeo Crennel said.
Crennel said Jurevicius' situation was not related to his tussle with linebacker Chaun Thompson during Sunday's practice.
Winslow returned for the afternoon -- a ``dog day afternoon'' kind of workout. Heat and constant work had the team less than sharp.
Crennel and General Manager Phil Savage huddled for a long time after the second practice.
Competing players
Crennel addressed competition at a couple positions -- and the backup quarterback spot seems pretty wide open.
Ken Dorsey has done little to win the job, which might give Derek Anderson a chance.
``I think the competition is pretty close -- like the cornerback spot or the linebacker spot,'' Crennel said. ``It's too early to say whether (Anderson) is No. 2 or No. 3. They are competing for the job.''
At inside linebacker, Chaun Thompson appears to be ahead of rookie D'Qwell Jackson.
``Chaun might have a slight advantage because he has been in the NFL for a year or two,'' Crennel said.
The difference between the two?
``D'Qwell's strongest suit are his instincts,'' Crennel said. ``You need those as a linebacker. Chaun's attribute is his speed.
``It's a good competition and it will go on.''

ABJ

8/1/06

Closeness of camp irreplaceable

By Tom Reed

BEREA - The goose egg on my forehead was swelling. I was dazed, confused, perhaps concussed.
My father, not a man of medicine, but a fan of the Browns, took one look at the throbbing lump and pronounced me physically fit to attend training camp at Hiram College.
It was 1973. I had fallen down a set of concrete steps. Against my mother's objections, Dad loaded me into our old Corvair -- the one with the gearshift mounted where the climate control panel was originally installed.
Unsafe at any speed? If only Ralph Nader could have seen us driving west on U.S. Route 422. Destination: Nirvana.
My father loved the Browns and he loved taking his only kid to Browns training camp. No vacation, no holiday, no intimate getaway pleased the old man more than the sight of those orange-and-brown clad players under the August sun.
Like Leonid Brezhnev watching the May Day parade of missiles through Red Square, my father stood proudly, assessing the new assemblage of talent that would certainly quell the upstart Pittsburgh Steelers.
He pointed to players as they ran past us.
There goes Jerry Sherk. Here comes Leroy Kelly. Out there is coach Nick Skorich.
There is nothing romantic about covering an NFL training camp. Days are long. Access is limited. The heat is stifling. Who could possibly enjoy this?
Then, I look beyond the ropes and remember the answer. They come almost every day by the hundreds to the Berea training facility. Fathers, sons, mothers, daughters. Renewing their vows to the Browns, one of only six franchises never to reach a Super Bowl.
I sometimes catch myself looking into the crowd for the man so loyal to a team that he drove to Erie, Pa., when Art Modell imposed the 90-mile TV blackouts of home games.
My dad was at Cleveland Stadium on Dec. 27, 1964, as the Browns drubbed the Baltimore Colts 27-0 to win their last NFL title. On jalapeno-hot training camp days, he tell me tales of Jim Brown, Paul Warfield and Jim Houston the way fathers now tell their kids about Bernie Kosar, Hanford Dixon and Webster Slaughter.
We went to camp at Hiram, Kent State and Lakeland Community College. The locations changed, the stories never did.
He spent summers watching homemade tapes of Browns playoff games long before ESPN Classic thought of the idea. The Drive. The Fumble. Red Right 88. He had the entire collection. If you could truly extract pleasure from pain, he found a way.
My dad never missed a televised game. When the score got tight, he retreated to the garage during TV timeouts and bounced a golf ball off the concrete to relieve stress.
That is the beauty of football training camp. There is no stress. There are no losses, the season-ending knee injury to LeCharles Bentley notwithstanding.
There is no admission. No fee to park. You don't have to journey to Florida or Arizona to watch the team train.
You see fans interacting with players, getting autographs, taking pictures, reaching out in ways not possible at games. You hear the spontaneous applause for a meaningless catch or hit. Browns scrimmaging Browns. The one sure victory before optimism is betrayed.
The unconditional devotion to a franchise that has done so little to earn it since its 1999 return is shocking.
But thinking back, it was always this way. During those dark seasons of the 1970s, my father never lost faith or his spot closest to the sidelines at training camp.
We made our last trip together in 1993. He was dying of cancer by the following autumn. He hung on long enough to see Bill Belichick return the Browns to the postseason. My dad died on Super Bowl Sunday in 1995. He died never knowing Modell would move the franchise to Baltimore a year later.
I think of my father often, mostly at this time of year. I see him in that black, beater Corvair driving toward Hiram.
He always looks so happy.

OSUBasketballJunkie · Aug 1, 2006

Canton

8/1/06

Q&A with Kellen Winslow Jr.

Tuesday, August 1, 2006

Question: Talk about your relationship with Charlie Frye.

Winslow: It’s awesome. He’s one of my best friends on the team. ... He’s just a great guy to be around, off the field also.

Q: Is there mystery as to whether your talent can play out the way you want after two years of inactivity?

W: No mystery in my mind. I know what I can do out there. I’ve watched film of myself. I haven’t fallen off any. I haven’t lost a step.

Q: Is this training camp, with the heat and some contact, the first time in two years you felt like you were back playing?

W: It does take some getting back used to. Just getting in shape, the humidity. I didn’t know it got like that in Cleveland. I just thought it was always cold.

Q: In minicamp, you said you were 90 percent. Are you 100 percent now?

W: With the significance of my injury, it’s gonna be hard to get back to a full 100 percent. Some days it differentiates ... 95, 90, 80.

Q: When you say it’s hard to get back to 100 percent, do you mean ever?

W: Yeah. I had a lot of stuff going on in my knee. It’s just gonna be hard to say, oh, I’m 100 percent now. I don’t think that’s possible.

Q: You said you haven’t lost a step, though.

A: I haven’t. About two practices ago, I had like a long run. I didn’t get caught. I thought I was gonna get caught. That’s kind of how I gauge myself. Some days I feel real good. Some days I don’t feel so good. Just the banging, the two years off, all the surgeries I’ve had to go through, takes its toll.

Q. When you say you have a lot of stuff going on in your knee, besides the ACL, was there more?

W: You guys have no idea. I won’t get into that really but, really, more than you guys know.

Q: Coming out of college, it was said you could be one of the greatest players ever. What can you achieve now?

W: My goals haven’t changed. ... It’s all hype now. I’m sick of talking about what I’m gonna do. It’s time to just get on the field and do it.

Q: Have you told yourself you have to be a more cerebral player to be effective?

A: I hate to be brash, but if I’m 90 percent, I think my 90 percent is still better than every tight end out there.

Q: What have you learned about yourself?

W: I know what I can’t do off the field, not just with the motorcycle but other things. I can’t put my career in jeopardy, and it goes for any athlete out there. Don’t put your career in jeopardy. Learn from other people’s mistakes.

Q: You can relate to LeCharles Bentley, given his recent injury. What went through your mind when it happened?

W: I keep hearing about this curse thing. I don’t believe in that type of stuff. It’s football. It happens.

Q: Do you think because of your accident, people have the wrong perception off what type person Kellen Winslow is?

A: I think so. After that incident in college, when I was 20, after the Tennessee game, people got the wrong perception of me. I’m a jerk. This and that. I’m just a competitive guy who wants to always win.

Q: Regarding you and Braylon Edwards, this wouldn’t be the first place two egos clashed and caused problems. How can you avoid that?

W: Charlie’s gonna spread that ball. He does a great job of that. This isn’t a McNabb/T.O. thing. We’re trying to do this together. I don’t have that big of an ego. ... We’re trying to get to the Super Bowl, win it together.

Q: Have you thought how strange the luck of the draw is, in that Ben Roethlisberger went flying just as hard and got off pretty easy?

W: (Laughs). It’s not funny. I’m just happy he’s OK.

Compiled by Steve Doerschuk
For the full transcript of this interview with the Browns tight end, visit: www.cantonrep.com

Dispatch

8/1/06

Winslow still exudes confidence

Browns’ brash tight end says he’s more mature after two injury-hindered seasons

Tuesday, August 01, 2006

James Walker
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

<TABLE class=phototableright align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD><TABLE align=center><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle>

</IMG> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=cutline width=200>Though leg injuries might have taken a step or two from Kellen Winslow Jr., his good hands remain a weapon in the passing game. </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

BEREA, Ohio — Kellen Winslow Jr. is not 100 percent and admits he may never be. But the Cleveland Browns tight end has not lost an ounce of confidence despite two years away from football.
"I hate to be brash," Winslow said yesterday, "but I think my 90 percent is better than every tight end out there."
Winslow is tired of hearing the words "hype" and "potential." He thinks he knows what he can accomplish, injuries and all, and wants to make his lofty projections a reality this season.
But there is more to the player than what’s on the surface.
Physically, Winslow’s right knee was more damaged than originally thought. In addition to the torn anterior cruciate ligament, he said he suffered a severely bruised kneecap and torn retinacula ligaments around the knee. Then add a broken femur, all of which occurred in the offseason motorcycle accident that kept him out the entire 2005 season.
He also is working to erase the perception of immaturity that began during his days at the University of Miami.
In 2003 against Tennessee, Winslow lashed out at officials in a profanity-laced tirade that ended with him referring to football as war and himself as a soldier. Last year, of course, was the motorcycle accident.
Winslow says he has matured. He married his longtime girlfriend June 15 and said he has learned from his mistakes and how to better channel his highly competitive nature.
"After my incident in college when I was 20 years old, after the Tennessee game, I think people have had the wrong perception of me," Winslow said. " ‘I’m a jerk. I’m this and that.’ I’m not that type of guy. I’m a competitive guy who always wants to win. I just think people got the wrong impression of me after that — plus the motorcycle accident."
Coach Romeo Crennel said, "I think he is probably misunderstood. Sometimes one statement that a guy makes gets pushed out of proportion. Then he gets tagged as being ‘that guy.’ Kellen is a competitive guy. He wants to win and he wants the team to do well. I think some of the things that happened in college stuck with him as he came to the NFL. He is not a negative guy."
Winslow expected to be among the best players in the league by now. But as his third pro season approaches, he remains an unknown commodity to everyone except himself.
So far he has looked solid in training camp. Winslow’s hands and upper body were never an issue, and the agility and cuts out of his routes are much improved from minicamp in June.
Winslow is further along in his rehabilitation than receiver Braylon Edwards, although both are being monitored closely. Edwards, the team’s top draft pick last year, has yet to participate in contact drills. Winslow, although full go, occasionally is given practices off to rest the knee.
They are two of the Browns’ most talented players and strongest personalities within the same offense. Both will be pivotal in the development of second-year quarterback Charlie Frye.
"Charlie is going to spread that ball. He does a great job of that," Winslow said. "With the egos clashing, this isn’t a (Donovan) McNabb-T.O. (Terrell Owens) thing. We’re trying to do this together. I don’t have that big of an ego. We are all in this together. We are trying to get to the Super Bowl and win this together."
[email protected]

OSUBasketballJunkie · Aug 2, 2006

ABJ

8/2/06

Browns, WOIO officially

BEREA - end broadcast contract
The Browns and WOIO (Channel 19) officially ended their partnership Tuesday.
The Browns are talking with Channels 3, 5 and 8 about broadcasting the four preseason games -- the first is Aug. 10 -- and hope to have an announcement this week.
The settlement with Channel 19 was announced after Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Timothy McMonagle turned down Channel 19's request for a temporary restraining order that would have kept the deal in place.
The Browns informed Channel 19 they wanted to end the deal after the station broadcast a tape of 911 call by team owner Randy Lerner's sister about her daughter's drowning.
ROTATING IN -- The Browns are taking longer looks at players in practices, so second-year linebacker David McMillan and rookie Leon Williams got time with the first team.
Williams moved alongside Andra Davis for a day before D'Qwell Jackson had a chance, but coach Romeo Crennel said that meant nothing.
``Sometimes we mix things up,'' Crennel said. ``To see how a guy works with other guys. Just to see how they take it and how they react. That helps us become more informed.''
Crennel said Williams, a fourth-round pick, has ``done pretty good.''
``He's a big guy who can run, and he's picked up on the system OK,'' Crennel said. ``I think it'll be interesting to see him in game situations.''
STRUGGLING? -- Crennel said backup quarterback Ken Dorsey is not struggling, but he had trouble in practice.
Dorsey was intercepted twice -- once when throwing with no pass rush -- and had another almost picked off. After one poor throw, he snapped off his chin strap.
``Maybe he could have made better decisions on some of those,'' Crennel said. ``It's not fair to say he's struggling without talking to him.''
BROWNIES -- Second-year cornerback Antonio Perkins has had two strong days in a row. His Tuesday included an interception of Dorsey.... Crennel said tackle Ryan Tucker and cornerback Daylon McCutcheon had successful arthroscopic knee surgeries. ``We anticipate those guys will be back for the start of the season,'' Crennel said. ``That's what we're shooting for.''... Crennel said it's not necessary for either to play in the preseason finale.... Receiver Joe Jurevicius missed his second day in a row with back spasms.

ABJ

8/2/06

Bodden's play recognized

Browns cornerback turning heads in camp, has already impressed outspoken Bengals wide receiver

By Patrick McManamon

Beacon Journal sportswriter

BEREA - Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chad Johnson was doing his thing on a national radio show a few weeks back.
``So,'' Johnson was asked, ``did anybody cover 85 in 2005?''
``One guy,'' Johnson said. ``You probably never heard of him: Lee-high Bow-den.''
The man he was referring to smiled: ``I'm going to tell him how to pronounce it this year.''
The person speaking was Browns cornerback Leigh Bodden, the only player on the list of cornerbacks Johnson keeps in his locker without a check mark.
The Bengals receiver would list the cornerback he would face the coming week and if he won the matchup, Johnson would check him off.
Bodden apparently didn't get the check mark, because in the offseason Johnson even went to Bodden privately and told Bodden he had done the best job against him of anyone.
``That's probably a big ego boost,'' Bodden said. ``But you have to stay humble.''
And Bodden stays humble because he remembers where he came from. He joined the NFL in 2003 when the Browns signed him as an undrafted free agent out of Duquesne University.
``I know that nothing's been given to me,'' Bodden said. ``I've been working my whole career.''
In 2004, he drew notice for his special teams play.
Last season, he stepped forward on defense, taking over when Gary Baxter was injured after five games. Bodden had an outstanding 11 games, with 59 tackles, three interceptions and 20 passes broken up.
``He did (surprise me),'' Baxter said. ``Actually, when I went down, I went to Leigh Bodden and told him these words exactly: `Now is your time to step up, be a starter and make a huge impact for your life, your career and this team.'
``He did that.''
Bodden could have become a restricted free agent after last season, but the Browns signed him to a four-year, $10 million contract extension in December.
He picked up in training camp right where he left off last season -- playing sound, smart and aggressive cornerback.
One play summed it up -- Dennis Northcutt, who has beaten many defensive backs this camp, was racing down the right sideline.
Bodden was a step behind, but was able to accelerate, catch up and break up the pass.
Coach Romeo Crennel is not one to overstate things, so when he said Bodden has done ``rather well'' this camp, he might as well have been saying Bodden has been spectacular.
Bodden probably has been the team's best corner in camp.
``That's what I came to do,'' Bodden said, ``pick up where I left off last year and get better each day.''
Bodden started camp in a competition with Daylon McCutcheon for the starting spot opposite Baxter. With McCutcheon sidelined a month following arthroscopic surgery on his knee, the position appears to be Bodden's.
``I guess so,'' Bodden said. ``Until they take me off the field, I think it's my job.''
In the next breath, though, Bodden said he's eager to see McCutcheon back.
When Johnson mispronounces his name or when other receivers don't know who he is, Bodden shrugs.
``I think that every week,'' he said. ``And it doesn't really matter to me because they're going to see who I am when I go out there and play.''

OSUBasketballJunkie · Aug 2, 2006

Canton

8/2/06

Cribbs no longer in NFL crib

Wednesday, August 2, 2006

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THE RETURN SPECIALIST Former Kent State quarterback Joshua Cribbs averaged 24.3 yards on 45 kickoff returns for the Browns in 2005.

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BEREA Joshua Cribbs was taking out his garbage in North Olmsted. The guy next door happened to be dragging his trash to the curb.
The neighbor said, “Hey, man, you’re looking more like a receiver all the time.”
The neighbor was Charlie Frye.
Frye and Cribbs have been close before, but not like this.
A second-year pro, Cribbs has a chance to become an important Browns wideout in addition to the role he filled so well as a rookie, returning kicks.
Frye is the Browns’ starting quarterback.
They started against each other four straight years as college quarterbacks at Akron and Kent State.
“We were friends in college,” Cribbs said, “but it was a different kind of friendship. We’d see each other at Chapel Hill Mall.
“He’d have his Akron linemen with him. I’d have my Kent State guys with me. We’d have little friendly conversations. It was all fun until we stepped on the field.”
Frye was deemed to have NFL passing skills. Cribbs wasn’t. The Akron QB was drafted in Round 3 by the Browns last year. Scouts told the Kent State QB he’d best think about a new position.
“I was so far behind last year,” Cribbs said. “I played receiver in the (predraft) Las Vegas Classic. I was just out there street-balling. No coaching, no nothing.”
He made the 2005 Browns as an undrafted project. His main job was kick returner, and he nearly lost it amid fumbling concerns. Head Coach Romeo Crennel stuck with him, and he became a league leader with a 24.3 average on 45 returns, including a 90-yard touchdown.
Another former Kent State guy who went to the NFL without receiving experience, Antonio Gates, became an instant classic as a Chargers tight end. Cribbs was no Gates. As a Browns rookie, he caught one pass. It was a 7-yarder on Dec. 18 at Oakland, from Frye.
Now projected star Braylon Edwards is recovering from knee surgery. Edwards’ status is uncertaain even though he has returned to practice.
“That opens the door for a lot of us,” Cribbs said. “Especially me.”
The Browns would have taken a long look at Cribbs regardless. They see big-play potential in a guy who, as a quarterback, ranks behind only two running backs in career rushing yards for Kent State — he amassed 3,670.
“I feel I can go in there and make something happen,” Cribbs said. “Last year, I had to find my self-esteem. Now, I have tons of information.
“I feel a lot more comfortable running routes, breaking the outs smoothly, coming back, things like that.”
Not that street ball counts for nothing. He’s a born improviser.
“That’s why I want the ball in my hands,” he said. “I feel I can help us win, put up points, change momentum.”
Receivers coach Terry Robiskie came out of last season congratulating Cribbs for his special teams play, then asked, “What can you do for us?”
Said Cribbs, “Our relationship has changed drastically.”
Cribbs endeared himself to Head Coach Romeo Crennel with a seek-and-destroy style of tackling. Cribbs ranked second only to Sean Jones with 19 punt- and kickoff-coverage team tackles.
Those dues paid, Cribbs is in line for an expanded role.
“I know they want me to be on the field,” Cribbs said. “The GM came down. Randy (Lerner) came down. They told me, ‘We want you on the field. Work on your skills.’ ”
He did. Now it’s time to play. He figures to see some action during Frye’s shift in the first half of the preseason opener at Philadelphia on Aug. 10.
He could become part of a MAC attack, with center Bob Hallen of Kent State snapping to the ex-Akron Zip, Frye, who can avoid needing former Ohio U. punter Dave Zastudil by completing some passes to Kent State’s Cribbs.
Hallen, who left Kent State before Cribbs got there, has replaced injured LeCharles Bentley.
“Obviously, Akron and Kent are rivals,” Cribbs said. “I told Charlie, ‘You know you’re taking snaps from a Golden Flash now?’ How ironic is that?”
Reach Repository sports writer Steve Doerschuk at (330) 580-8347 or e-mail: [email protected]
Playmakers
Why are the Browns intrigued about having former Kent State quarterback Josh Cribbs on the field at receiver? One clue is his college rushing yardage — second-highest on the roster.
Player, college Rushing yards
Chris Barclay, Wake Forest 4,032
Josh Cribbs, Kent State 3,670
William Green, Boston College 2,974
Jerrome Harrison, Washington St. 2,800
Jason Wright, Northwestern 2,625
Lee Suggs, Virginia Tech 2,767 Reuben Droughns, Oregon 2,058

Canton

8/2/06

BROWNS NOTEBOOK: Once an unknown, Bodden getting respect around NFL

Wednesday, August 2, 2006
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[FONT=Verdana, Times New Roman, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]BROWNS NOTEBOOK STEVE DOERSCHUK[/FONT]

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BEREA Leigh Bodden has taken the quantum leap from being a complete unknown to being famously misidentified.
In 2003, Bodden was an undrafted free agent out of Duquesne. Romeo Crennel vaguely recalls his nephew being familiar with Duquesne and saying there was a good cornerback there.
By 2005, though, Bodden broke through as a starter, replacing injured Gary Baxter. After the season, superstar receiver Chad Johnson told a national radio audience Bodden was the best corner he faced in 2005, except ...
Johnson butchered the name, pronouncing it “Lehigh Bowden.”
“I know,” Bodden said. “I heard that. I’m gonna tell him.”
Johnson actually paid Bodden the “best corner” compliment in person when they had a chance meeting in Miami, before the radio plug.
“That’s probably a big ego boost,” Bodden said. “But I have to stay humble, work hard and do what I did last year.”
Baxter is back from a pectoral tear and is the team’s No. 1 cornerback. Bodden had been dueling Daylon McCutcheon for the other starting corner job, but McCutcheon underwent arthroscopic knee surgery Tuesday and must fight just to be available for the season opener Sept. 10. Right tackle Ryan Tucker had similar surgery, and also is shooting for a return in time for the opener.
Bodden, who won’t turn 25 until Sept. 24, has good size and speed and has developed all-around coverage skills. He is a willing tackler.
“He’s shown the abilities he showed last year,” Crennel said after Tuesday’s practice. “He’s done really well.”
The former unknown is in good shape to have a 10-year NFL career.
“Sometimes, I do reflect and say, ‘Man, I came from really nothin’ to somewhere in this league,’ ” Bodden said.
Now, he is viewed as a good enough player to help the Browns’ defense get somewhere.
“I think we’re gonna take a tremendous jump,” he said.
HOT TIMES
With the sun beating down and humidity turning practice into duck soup, second-year defensive lineman Andrew Hoffman began slowing down.
Noticing Hoffman was pale, trainers escorted him from practice to ice tubs. He did not return. Tuesday was the five-year anniversary of the training camp death of Vikings offensive tackle Korey Stringer.
Charlie Frye got hot during red-zone drills. On three separate plays from around the 5-yard line, Frye floated a pass to a diving Kellen Winslow Jr. in the left corner of the end zone, scrambled to his right until Frisman Jackson came open for an easy touchdown flick, and sprinted deftly through a hole on a quarterback draw.
It wasn’t all good. During the same drill, Joshua Cribbs got jammed by cornerback Gary Baxter, ruining the timing of a throw to Cribbs. On another, Frye overthrew tight end Darnell Dinkins.

WIMBLEY PLANS It appears rookie Round 1 pick Kamerion Wimbley will open the season as a backup to Matt Stewart on running downs, but playing on almost all of the passing downs. “I look forward to getting a big-name QB on the ground,” Wimbley said. Veteran Willie McGinest, a fellow outside linebacker, has accelerated Wimbley’s development. “Willie is another coach,” Wimbley said.
HIGH ON HARRISON Crennel continues to be intrigued by the burst displayed by Rookie Round 5 pick Jerome Harrison, who is getting the ball a lot in practices. Harrison is trying to wrench the third-down back job away from Lee Suggs. Who is in the lead? “(Suggs) might have a toe up,” Crennel said.
WILLIAMS GETS A LOOK Rookie Round 4 pick Leon Williams spent some of Tuesday’s practice with the first-string defense, at inside linebacker. Williams didn’t read too much into it, which was wise, because Crennel has been asking coaches to spot various backups in with first units for spot looks. Williams is big and fast but played a little stiff for NFL scouts’ tastes. “He’s not the most flexible guy,” Crennel said, “but he can bend well enough.”

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

OSUBasketballJunkie · Aug 3, 2006

Dispatch

8/3/06

Browns use court win to change channels

Thursday, August 03, 2006

Thomas J . Sheeran
ASSOCIATED PRESS

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CLEVELAND — A quick court victory allowing the Cleveland Browns to kill the contract of a TV station that aired an emotion-choked 911 tape will be a warning to other television outlets that critical coverage of the team, the owner or his family might be unwelcome, a legal analyst predicted.
"The Cleveland Browns clearly are using their economic power to punish the press," said Stephen Gard, a Cleveland State University law professor.
WOIO, which had billed itself as the "home of the Browns" and prominently highlighted team coverage in its newscasts, lost the right to air the team’s exhibition games. The station won’t appeal the ruling.
Browns owner Randy Lerner, a billionaire and a media-shy attorney, was upset that the station had aired an emergency call placed by his sister July 9 after her 6-year-old daughter drowned on the family’s property.
Recordings of 911 calls are public records that are routinely made available to the media, and at least one other station aired portions of the call. The WOIO airing included the sobbing mother’s call as she learns from a searcher that her daughter had been found in the water.
Neither side cast the dispute as a constitutional free press issue. Jonathan Entin, a law professor at Case Western Reserve University, said the issue was whether "every gory detail" of a 911 call should be aired.
"The basic dispute is how much information do you need to tell that story," he said.
Lerner said he thought the Browns and WOIO should, in effect, get divorced because of incompatibility.
"You get into a situation where you don’t find yourself quite as compatible as you were, and you try to professionally and productively unwind a situation," he said before the court ruling.
The Browns said its four exhibition games beginning Aug. 10 would find another TV home. Fans can return to WOIO, which gets Browns games through its CBS network affiliation, for the regular season.
The station told visitors to its Web site that it hopes for a "cordial and a professional relationship in the future" with the Browns.
The station’s contract with the Browns required it to pay slightly more than $3.9 million for the rights to four exhibition games and other Browns programming.
Club attorney John Kluznik said yesterday that the termination of the contract included a payment, which he declined to disclose, by the Browns to the station. But the loss of the exhibition game broadcasts, which typically dominate their time slot, means the station cannot use the games to promote other programming or draw viewers to later shows.
Kluznik said there was a risk that broadcast partners of the team might adjust their coverage to accommodate the club. "Hopefully it won’t have a ripple effect," he said. Mike Keenan, chief financial officer for the Browns, could not be reached in an exchange of phone calls.

Dispatch

8/3/06

BROWNS NOTEBOOK

Fourth-round selection makes good impression

Thursday, August 03, 2006

James Walker
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

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BEREA, Ohio — Fourthround pick Leon Williams has been one of the fastest risers in training camp.
A rookie from the University of Miami who opened the summer on the third team, he has been getting occasional reps with the first team at inside linebacker the past two days.
Williams has shown the ability to pick up the 3-4 defense, and his size (6 feet 2, 238 pounds) and physical nature in practice has quickly put him in the mix, along with inside linebackers Chaun Thompson and rookie D’Qwell Jackson.
"It means a lot to me to be out there with the first team," Williams said. "Even if I am with the third- or fourth-team, I still play like I am a firstteamer. I am going out there and giving it 100-percent effort."
Playing mostly with the backups in training camp also has given Williams the opportunity to go against former Miami teammate Kellen Winslow Jr.
"Me and him go back from ‘The U’ (Miami)," Williams said. "We’re just battling, pushing off, holding, playing dirty, whatever it is to get the job done."
Sack party

Rookie Kamerion Wimbley knows he has a lot to learn before he becomes a complete linebacker, but one thing he is confident he can do right away at the next level is sack the quarterback.
The Browns drafted Wimbley 13 th overall because of his ability to rush the passer. They were last in the NFL in sacks last year and want to pair Wimbley with free agent Willie McGinest on the outside.
"I’d be surprised and a little bit disappointed in myself if I couldn’t help out in that area on certain situations," Wimbley said. "I know I’ll probably be out there to help the team in pass rush. I’m sure Willie McGinest is a guy that can get to the quarterback. Hopefully with the both of us, and some adjustments we made on defense, we will be able to get to the quarterback more."
Jurevicius returns

Receiver Joe Jurevicius returned to the field but continued to sit out of team drills because of back spasms. He suffered the injury Saturday, the day he got into a fight with Thompson.
"That’s the day it happened, but whether that was it, who knows?" Jurevicius said. "But it’s a done deal, and that’s what happens when you’re out here all day long and it’s hot."
[email protected]

Dispatch

8/3/06

BROWNS

Upbeat Bentley confident he’ll overcome injury

Thursday, August 03, 2006

James Walker
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

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BEREA, Ohio — Cleveland Browns center LeCharles Bentley said he walked past coach Romeo Crennel on crutches yesterday and asked for one more practice rep.
Both knew that was no longer a possibility. But it was a lighthearted way of coming to grips with the fact that Bentley’s season was finished before it ever started.
"Any athlete will tell you that they never want to admit that it’s over," Bentley said. "I still haven’t come to that realization yet."
Bentley is trying to remain upbeat just days after surgery to repair a torn patella tendon in his left knee. According to general manager Phil Savage, arguably no Browns free agent wanted to play more for his hometown team this year than Bentley.
He struggled to get to the podium yesterday, but once Bentley sat down he was insightful, honest and engaging. Bentley said there is no doubt he will make a full recovery. The Browns invested $36 million in the center to provide a longtime stalwart on the offensive line, but will have to wait until 2007.
"I am going to play next year. For anybody who has it in their mind that they doubt I’ll play, that’s unfortunate for you," Bentley said. "I’m OK, I’ll be OK and this will make me a better player, teammate, leader, citizen of the city, brother and father. I’ll be better in all aspects in my life having gone through this.
"Playing is the last thing that I’m worried about. I’m just trying to get through the process."
That process consists of anywhere between six to 12 months of rehabilitation.
"We will probably start working on his range of motion," Crennel said. "The doctors really don’t want him to do a whole lot because that injury takes a lot of time. They want him to stay off of the knee and not do too much no matter how good he feels. The doctors would rather that he be cautious with it and give it a chance to heal properly."
Bentley knew he was badly injured on a routine running play last week, although there wasn’t much pain involved. He suffered a torn anterior cruiciate ligament in the same knee three years ago and said it was a different feeling.
The center held out a little hope until doctors told him the grim news. From there, "Your mind starts going 1,000 mph," he said.
But Bentley understands the nature of football and that the season must go on. He plans to be on the sideline during home games and rehabilitating during the week, while helping his teammates as much as he can.
"I’ll be the best cheerleader in the league," Bentley said. "I’ll be the best cheerleader the team has because I know we don’t have any cheerleaders. I’m not saying I’ll wear a skirt, but I’ll be there for the guys. Hopefully, I’ll be able to see some of the things the offensive line might not see during the game. I’ll be another set of eyes."
[email protected]

OSUBasketballJunkie · Aug 3, 2006

Canton

8/3/06

Droughns expects all that and more

Thursday, August 3, 2006

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BEREA Reuben Droughns is miles away from career totals that would take him to Canton, but Canton has come to him, sort of.
Former McKinley High School star Mike Doss, Droughns said Wednesday, delivered the hardest hit he has ever taken during six NFL seasons.
“It was the game at Indy last year,” Droughns said. “I went like this, to cut, and he blindsided me.
“He didn’t say nothin’. He knew if he said somethin’, I was gonna go right back at him. I tried to get him later.”
The more Droughns talked, the more he revealed the mentality that makes him a coaching-staff favorite.
He fleshed out how long it takes to clear the cobwebs after a Doss-like slobberknocker.
“Give me one or two plays,” Droughns said. “I’m ready to get back in there and rock somebody. Somebody’s gonna have to pay for that hit I just took.”
The bounce is back in Droughns’ step in the wake of an offseason arrest on domestic violence charges.
The issue isn’t behind him. He faces an Aug. 21 court appearance in Colorado. But the head coach who warned him about how he represents the team also has sent a clear signal Droughns is his No. 1 back.
“For the most part,” Romeo Crennel said after Wednesday morning’s practice, “I think that he’s put (off-field issues) aside and is trying to concentrate on football.”
Quarterback Charlie Frye has never stopped thinking Droughns will reprise his 2005 workhorse role.
“Reuben is running the ball well,” the quarterback said between practices.
Droughns is uneasy about the arrest but says he and the alleged victim — his wife — have made up, and that she did not want to press charges.
“I’ve got the court date,” Droughns said. “Until then, I’ve just got to concentrate on what I can take care of.”
He has resumed the sunny tone that marked interviews from his first year as a Brown, when he followed up a 1,240-yard rushing year for Denver with a 1,232-yard season.
“He is a tough, physical and aggressive runner,” Crennel said. “If he can give me 1,000 yards again, I’ll take it.”
The Droughns questions get bounced around training camp. Is he just an adequate feature back? A good one? Any way he can jump to elite status?
One view is that he’s too slow, by NFL standards, to be elite. Crennel agreed there were times in 2005 when Droughns gained an advantage in breaking through the line but didn’t quite show the burst to escape, getting dragged down from behind.
This has led to the perception Droughns might be tougher than the other two veteran backs in camp — Lee Suggs and William Green — but would lose to both in a footrace.
Even Droughns concedes, “Obviously, the speed’s not there as much any more.”
Droughns, though, used to be a California high school track star.
“I was pretty fast back in my day,” he said. “Yes, I ran the 100 meters. My best time was 10.6.”
That would win most Ohio high school state meets. What happened to the jets?
“This right here,” he said, pointing toward his right shoe. “My ankle injury pretty much slowed me down.”
He suffered the injury while playing for Oregon in a game against UCLA that left him with 172 rushing yards but needing surgery. He fell to the third round of the 2000 draft, didn’t last with the Lions, spent two years with the Broncos before breaking through in 2004, then proved with the Browns that he’s no fluke.
“He’s not Marshall Faulk,” Crennel said, “We know that. His strength is straight ahead, no fair dodging.”
The 5-foot-11, 220-pound Droughns wore down late last year. The plan is for him to carry less, gain more and score more this year, staying fresh with expanded use of a third-down back in a more streamlined system. He rushed for only two TDs in 2005.
While he was the first Brown in 20 years to rush for at least 1,000 yards, Droughns’ 1,232 yards ranked a modest 11th in the NFL.
Only five backs rushed for more than 1,500 yards.
Asked if he has a 1,500-yard season in him, Droughns said, “I believe so.”
What about 1,600? Droughns laughed and said, “I won’t deny that, either.” Reach Repository sports writer Steve Doerschuk at (330) 580-8347 or e-mail: [email protected]

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Cleveland Browns (2007 & prior)

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