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Cleveland Browns (2007 & prior)

ABJ

Browns looking for right horse to ride

It takes more than just attitude to win in NFL

By Patrick McManamon


BEREA - There are three double-digit underdogs in the NFL this weekend.
One of them plays in Cleveland.
It's come to this for the Browns, the team that suddenly can't get things right.
Ten-point underdogs to the Bengals for Cincinnati's home opener in Paul Brown Stadium.
Inept 19-14 losers in the season opener to the New Orleans Saints, a 3-13 team a year ago.
A combined regular-season record of 36-77 since the team returned in 1999. Since 2003, a record of 15-34.
Kellen Winslow pointed out this week that the Bengals used to be ``a joke.'' Who's the joke on now?
The last time the Browns won two games in a row was October of 2003, nearly three years ago.
Already, teams are writing the Browns off -- predicting a lost season.
``They will,'' Winslow said. ``They always will. Everybody will -- until we start winning around here.''
What is different in Cincinnati that needs to change in Cleveland? To Winslow, it's attitude.
``They just decided they want to win,'' Winslow said. ``That's how we need to be. They just decided as a team they were going to be better.''
This statement is, of course, a gross oversimplification. If being good just meant making a decision, every team in the league would decide to be good. Talented players such as Rudi Johnson, Chad Johnson, Carson Palmer and solid coaching have helped the Bengals' attitude change.
Winslow said the Browns' attitude as a team needs to change as well.
``That's how you got to start coming in for (offseason work),'' he said, ``with the attitude that you're going to win. When I was at Miami, we never thought we were going to lose.
``We went into every game thinking we were going to win, no matter what.''
The attitude showed in Winslow's play against the Saints.
He clearly was the most revved-up player on the team, and he was one of few who produced consistently all day. He said he needs to play a high-intensity game.
``It's a manly game,'' he said. ``So let's go.''
There was a decided edge to coach Romeo Crennel all week. Crennel was typically patient and gracious, but he was clearly seething at the way his team played.
Asked a question about veteran nose tackle Ted Washington, Crennel said: ``He needs a lot of coaching.''
He continued.
``Everyone who plays needs coaching,'' he said. ``That's why I have a job, for a short while anyway.''
Crennel's anger seems to come not from the fact that the Browns lost but the way they played.
The coach and the front office both seem weary of penalties, silly mistakes and poor plays.
General Manager Phil Savage told a lunch crowd at Massillon on Tuesday there was no excuse for what happened, that it's time for the Browns to win, according to the Canton Repository.
Winslow said the Browns will win -- and win this year.
``I guarantee that,'' he said.
Because?
``We put in too much hard work not to win,'' he said.
Which, again, also oversimplifies things.
Every team puts in hard work, so it takes more than hard work. Crennel knows that. He doesn't care how he gets it, he just wants a win.
``If that means throwing the ball to Kellen (Winslow) 88 times in the game, that's what it will be,'' he said. ``If it's throwing the ball to (Braylon) Edwards or giving the ball to Reuben (Droughns), that's what it will be.
``We have to figure out exactly what it is. That changes from week to week because game plans change. Sometimes you have to go with the horse that brought you.
``If that horse isn't getting things done, you try another horse.''
Lately for the Browns, finding that horse and that formula has been like grabbing smoke.
Which leaves the team talking about the simplest of things as it tries to erase the negatives of that terrible opening weekend.
``We are going to work on the things that we feel we need to work on to improve the team,'' Crennel said. ``Some of that is straight blocking, running and better tackling.''
Or, as he said, take the things the team does well and try to get those things right.
Which really isn't a lot to ask.
Today's game
There was some consternation in Berea that Daylon McCutcheon will not play today.
That's because it's evident there is a difference between McCutcheon as the nickel back and Ralph Brown.
Brown gives his best, but he isn't McCutcheon.
The concern?
The Bengals' trio of receivers -- Chad Johnson, T.J. Houshmandzadeh (questionable with a heel injury) and Chris Perry. All are playmakers, and the sight of Browns corners giving Reggie Bush a 12-yard cushion last Sunday isn't a comforting one for this week.
Worth watching
The Bengals' Johnson promises he will not be deterred by the league's new rules on celebrations.
``Any rule that is made, there's a way around it,'' Johnson said.
He said the ban on props -- a la his using the pylon to ``putt'' the football -- will not deter him.
``I'm going to be using the fans as props,'' he said. ``So I'm not going to get in trouble anyway. It's going to be a very exciting year.
``You'll love it. Trust me.''
Not safe
Charlie Frye saw what happened to Trent Green last week when he slid, and so did the league.
Green was knocked out when he was hit by the Bengals' Robert Geathers, but the league correctly ruled that Geathers had already left his feet -- in part because he'd been blocked -- before Green started his slide.
No cheap shot, no fine.
``Sometimes things like that happen in the game and they are close,'' Crennel said. ``It's good that the league recognized that it was not intentional.... It's good that they recognized the facts.''
Frye noticed what happened to Green.
``That's why I don't slide,'' he said.
To Frye, sliding means giving up ``half (his) body,'' which increases the odds of injury. He's not going to be an idiot, though.
``Unless I know a linebacker is coming full speed, I'm not going to hit the deck,'' he said. The Browns want Frye to slide, though.
``I think he's smart enough to know to protect himself when he can and he'll slide when he has to,'' Crennel said. ``He's smart enough.''
Brownies . . .
? Crennel on whether Winslow is a team leader: ``I think that somewhere down the road he can be a leader. He has only played a couple of games. I think he wants to be a leader, so if he continues to grow and develop it's not out of the realm of possibility.''
? The Browns want center LeCharles Bentley to stay off his injured knee. He's using crutches, but Savage said in Massillon that a guy as big as Bentley could have trouble with crutches. ``It's one of those things where we want him to stay off of it and give it a chance to heal,'' Crennel said.
``LeCharles is an aggressive kind of guy. If he thinks he can walk, then he thinks he can run. We want him to be slower with (the injury) than he wants to be.''
Patrick McManamon can be reached at [email protected]
 
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Canton

Browns head to Cincinnati for Battle of Ohio
Sunday, September 17, 2006


[FONT=Verdana, Times New Roman, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]By STEVE DOERSCHUK[/FONT]


CINCINNATI - Spare Ryan Tucker the melodrama.
Will the Browns ever recover from the sting of last Sunday?s stinker against the Saints?
?If anybody?s had practice coming off (crappy) games,? Tucker said, ?it?s been this one.?
Tucker played for two Super Bowl teams in St. Louis before becoming the Browns? right tackle in 2002. In that year?s regular-season finale, he helped spring William Green for the 64-yard sweep that beat Atlanta and clinched a playoff berth.
Since then, the Browns are 15-36, starting with a playoff loss to Pittsburgh. It?s the sort of stretch that once was a way of life for today?s opponent, Cincinnati.
?We?re not somebody who won 21 straight, then all of a sudden you lose one,? Tucker said. ?You put it behind you and go on.?
Some of the Browns? brightest moments of the last three bleak seasons have come against Cincinnati.
They finished the 2003 season with a 22-14 win at Paul Brown Stadium.
They got to 3-3 in 2004 by blasting the Bengals, 34-17.
When the teams met in Cincinnati on Dec. 11, the Bengals were 9-3, the Browns 4-8. A couple of controversial calls helped Cincinnati break a 20-20 tie with a last-snap field goal.
?We have nowhere to go but up,? Tucker said. ?Nobody expects us to win this game except the people in our locker room.?
Cincinnati launched defense off its AFC North title by clobbering Kansas City last Sunday. Questions remain, however, about Carson Palmer, who is coming off major knee surgery.
In the Dec. 11 game, during a period Palmer was being hailed as one of the best quarterbacks this side of Peyton Manning, the Browns held him to a 13-of-27, 93-yard passing day. Palmer had his way with the Browns in an earlier game.
Former Kent State quarterback Joshua Cribbs, who could be a key receiver for the Browns today, watches Palmer with interest.
?Sometimes, you can?t really tell what makes one quarterback better than another,? Cribbs said. ?It?s the whole makeup of the team. Bad linemen can make a good quarterback look bad. He has good linemen, so ...?
Bookend tackles Willie Anderson and Levi Jones both are former first-round picks. Guard Eric Steinbach is another standout blocker in front of Palmer.
At one point last year, everything clicked for Palmer. In the three weeks leading up to the Dec. 11 Cleveland game, the Bengals lost to Manning?s Colts, 45-37, beat the Ravens. 42-29, and won at Pittsburgh, 38-31.
After Palmer blew out a knee in a playoff loss to the Steelers, the focus turned to two key offseason points: Getting Palmer healthy and beefing up the defense.
Palmer wasn?t the difference against the Chiefs. A seven-sack performance by the defense was. Former No. 4 overall pick Justin Smith had three of the sacks.
Smith figures to play left end on most passing downs, meaning he will line up against Tucker, who allowed one quarterback pressure and no sacks against the Saints.
?Smith has taken it up a notch,? Tucker said. ?His motor is incredible.?
Smith, Geathers and Adams will challenge a Browns offensive line that had a poor first game.
?The guys get a chance to work another week together,? quarterback Charlie Frye said. ?(Center) Hank Fraley gets another week in the system.
I think we?ll be hittin? on all cylinders up front this week.?
The Browns? offensive model was supposed to establishing the run to set up play-action passes. Instead, Reuben Droughns carried just 11 times against New Orleans, and Frye ran for his life.
?We have to avoid getting behind and getting in a situation where we have to throw the freaking ball every down,? Tucker said. ?We had a real physical week of practice. Hopefully, we just carry that in the game and have some success running the ball, so we can stay with it.?
No melodrama? Just smashmouth?
Any game involving Bengals wideout Chad Johnson can turn theatrical.
During the week, Browns tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. predicted Johnson will be shut down by cornerback Leigh Bodden.
Johnson responded by saying, ?It?s humanly impossible to stop (No.) 85.?
Never mind that he caught two passes for 22 yards when the teams last met.
Reach Repository sports writer Steve Doerschuk at (330) 580-8347 or e-mail: [email protected]

BROWNS
AT BENGALS
1 p.m. today Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati TV WOIO, Channel 19
 
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Dispatch

Winslow upset he?s not getting the ball
Tight end says Browns coaches are too conservative

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Tom Withers
ASSOCIATED PRESS

20060919-Pc-C3-0700.jpg
</IMG> DAVID KOHL ASSOCIATED PRESS With the team 0-2, Browns tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. says coaches need to get the ball to him and other playmakers.


BEREA, Ohio ? Kellen Winslow Jr. didn?t let any passes slip through his hands Sunday in Cincinnati. Yesterday, however, he dropped a bomb.
Frustrated at not being on the field during some key third downs in the 34-17 loss to the Bengals, Winslow said he should have been a bigger part of Cleveland?s game plan and blamed Browns coaches for a lack of imagination on offense.
"Some of the coaches might be holding us back a little bit," Winslow said. "We have nothing to lose. I don?t mean to try and go behind their backs or whatever, but we?re 0-2, we have nothing to lose, let?s go. Let?s air it out. Let?s run the ball. Let?s make plays. Let?s be exciting."
Winslow, who finished with four catches for 42 yards, didn?t identify any coaches, but the tight end?s pointed comments appear to be directed at second-year offensive coordinator Maurice Carthon, whose play calling has been criticized.
Winslow said he has spoken to Carthon about not being included in certain passing packages.
"The Giants run the same system as we do," Winslow said. "The Cowboys run the same system as we do, (Jason) Witten and (Jeremy) Shockey are on the field on third down, and I just don?t understand why I?m not on the field sometimes. ... It?s very frustrating. We?re losing and I?m not on the field. I just don?t get it."
Before Winslow gave his opinion on what?s ailing the Browns, coach Romeo Crennel said the team would "cut back" on assignments for certain players this week in hopes of improving their consistency.
"Part of my job is to try to figure out what we can do to be successful," Crennel said. "I feel like if I cut back and limit some of the stuff that we are trying to get done, that might help us. It might not be the total answer, but it might help us be a little more consistent and figure out the problems on game day."
Cutting back is not something Winslow wants any part of.
"We have to do a better job of getting the ball in our playmakers? hands," he said. "We?ve got to execute, and when the ball comes, we?ve got to make a play. I think we?re being a little too conservative right now and we just need to unleash it."
He said he spoke to Crennel about not being used more. "He said he?ll take care of it," Winslow said, "so I?m pretty sure it?s going to be taken care of."
Injury news
Cornerback Gary Baxter has played the first two games this season with a slightly torn pectoral muscle. He underwent a magnetic resonance imaging yesterday and is hoping the results won?t keep him out of this week?s game against the Baltimore Ravens, his former team. ? The Browns also were awaiting MRI results on running back Reuben Droughns? shoulder. Droughns was hurt in the first half against the Bengals.
 
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Another year and still the SOS!

30 years of watching true and utter ineptitude makes one become oh so jaded.

Can't coach, can't develop talent and can't evaluate talent.

Even that shithead brother of Irsay has won in Baltimore.
 
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ABJ

Browns notebook

Injury concerns pile up for already ailing team

Baxter and Droughns undergo MRI exams after Sunday's game

By Patrick McManamon

Beacon Journal sportswriter

BEREA - MRI was the theme of the day for the Browns on Monday -- before Kellen Winslow's mini-news conference.
Two key players had MRI exams, raising more injury concerns.
Cornerback Gary Baxter had an MRI on his injured pectoral muscle, and running back Reuben Droughns had an MRI on his shoulder.
Droughns apparently injured his shoulder on the play when Cincinnati Bengals linebacker David Pollack was injured. Droughns never left the game but did miss the first series of the second half to be examined.
He played the rest of the second half.
``Reuben's a tough guy,'' fullback Terrelle Smith said of Droughns staying in the game.
Baxter said after the game that his muscle problem flared up, and coach Romeo Crennel admitted that it affected Baxter's play. Baxter twice missed tackles on third-down passes.
``I think it limits what he can do,'' Crennel said. ``He's not really playing with both arms.''
Pollack is out of the season with a broken neck. The Bengals said they expect him to make a full recovery and play next season.
McGinest update
Linebacker Willie McGinest did not have an MRI on his injured calf, but Crennel said McGinest aggravated a calf injury in pregame warm-ups. First reports of McGinest's calf injury came Friday, when he was listed as probable.
Crennel said McGinest told him that he would not be 100 percent, so he didn't play him.
But he still was one of the 45 players on the active roster.
``The guy wants to play the game,'' Crennel said. ``If he could have played the game, he would have played the game.''
McGinest's absence meant the Browns were without him, Daylon McCutcheon, Joe Jurevicius and LeCharles Bentley -- and were going with Baxter at less than 100 percent.
Run over
The Browns have given up 150 yards rushing in each of the first two games, and Crennel knows that won't work.
``You can't beat anybody giving up 150 yards per game,'' he said. ``That's something that we have to fix.''
Cutting back
Crennel said he will cut back on some of the offensive and defensive packages to help players concentrate on their roles.
``I feel like if I cut back and limit some of the stuff that we are trying to get done, that might help us,'' he said. ``It might not be the total answer, but it might help us be a little more consistent and figure out the problems on game day.
``That's my assessment right now.''
Crennel said the Browns have enough talent to win.
``In this game, everybody is accountable,'' he said. ``Coaches are accountable, players are accountable. We're in the boat together.
``If the boat goes down, everybody goes down together. If the boat sails smoothly, everybody sails smoothly.''
 
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Canton

BROWNS BEAT: Should Savage have seen all this coming?

Wednesday, September 20, 2006


[FONT=Verdana, Times New Roman, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]BROWNS BEAT STEVE DOERSCHUK[/FONT]


No one will accuse the Browns of exceeding expectations after Sunday?s bungle in The Jungle. After an 0-2 start, though, are they far from where architect Phil Savage thought they would be?
On the eve of the opener against the Saints, Savage covered the state of the union.
With two Sundays of evidence in the bank, here is a look at what the general manager said in relation to how things have developed:
Savage ?We feel better about the center position at this point than we had during the preseason.?
Update The Browns have rushed for 142 yards in two games. Opponents have 316. The gap would have been narrower with LeCharles Bentley. Hank Fraley should be OK by midseason, but Charlie Frye?s offense isn?t advanced enough to do with an emergency center what Carson Palmer did Sunday.

Savage ?We only have 15 players remaining from the 2004 season. We have the same jerseys and same helmets, but in a lot of ways, it?s a different team since Romeo (Crennel) and I got here.
Update So far in 2006, ?different? looks no better than anything Butch Davis was sending out shortly before he left. The trick will be to get fans on board while improvement kicks in and continuity is established. Fans tolerate the rationale behind building to a point. They can?t stand the way the team looked against the Saints and Bengals.
n
Savage ?Joe (Jurevicius) has brought a lot of value already in terms of the presence in the meeting room and on the field. He?s done all of those things, and we expect him to be a force, particularly down in the red zone.?
Update After Jurevicius basically replaced Antonio Bryant, the consensus was that chemistry would be better, and Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow Jr. would make up for any lost juice. Jurevicius? professionalism was supposed to rub off on K2 and B-17. Now? Jurevicius has a broken rib, and Winslow is saying things that in some minds fracture chemistry. Bryant told linemen in the San Francisco huddle, ?Meet me in the end zone,? then scored a 72-yard TD that helped produce a win. The jury is out on Jurevicius, who lost 17 games to injuries during the 2003 and 2004 seasons. Bryant alone leads the Winslow-Edwards-Jurevicius trio 245 yards to 238 through two games.
Savage ?Ted Washington is a huge presence on the middle of our defense. He?s allowed our linebackers to make more plays (in preseason games). There has been no indication of him slowing down.?
Update Washington did not have the desired effect on the Saints, who rushed for 150 yards. He didn?t play a substantial part of the game at Cincinnati, because the Bengals were in the no-huddle. The Bengals rushed for 160 yards, which was never supposed to happen on Big Ted?s watch.
Savage ?We feel good about Charlie Frye. His arm strength, accuracy, mobility, toughness, mental ability, work ethic, relationship with teammates and support from the organization are all enough. When you factor all of those things in, there isn?t really a reason to think that he won?t be successful. That?s what we are banking on.?
Update Fans are divided as to that bank statement. Some aren?t convinced Frye has the touch and accuracy to break through. The view here Of the team?s assorted problems in two bad games, he hasn?t been one of them. The experiment is worth continuing.
Savage (On his views of Maurice Carthon in light of the offensive coordinator?s unpopularity) ?We?ve added a number of players to our offense. We have another year under our belts. ... Through the years, who has been a popular offensive coordinator in Cleveland, other than maybe Lindy Infante? It?s a tough job. That is one thing you find in coaching is that everyone is going to second-guess your calls. In scouting, everyone is going to second-guess your draft picks. It comes with the territory.?
Update There is an explosion of second-guessers.
Savage (On keeping Jason Wright rather than Lee Suggs or William Green) He can run inside, outside, catch, cover kicks and return kickoffs. Is he great at any of them? No. But he can do all of them. He is a guy who is going to be here every single day and show up for work. Basically, our decision was dependability over pure ability.? Update The fact Reuben Droughns is nursing a sore shoulder underscores why it is important Savage was right with this. On Wright?s only carry in 2006, he lost a yard. His NFL totals are 15 carries for 36 yards. Reach Repository sports writer Steve Doerschuk at (330) 580-8347 or e-mail [email protected]
 
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Canton

Brown's notebook: Jurevicius breaks rib
Wednesday, September 20, 2006


One week ago, Browns Head Coach Romeo Crennel said Joe Jurevicius suffered ?rib-area damage? but added, ?There are no broken ribs.?
During a Tuesday appearance on Greg Brinda?s WKNR-AM 850 talk show, Jurevicius said, ?I broke a rib.?
Jurevicius suffered the injury early in the opener against New Orleans. He did not play Sunday at Cincinnati. A broken rib?
?I broke one,? Jurevicius said. ?I took a hit, and it was kind of in a vulnerable area, but I am getting better.
?I?ll be out there very soon. I?ve always been able to play with pain.?
Crennel and the league?s other head coaches don?t have to post the week?s first injury report until today. The guess is Jurevicius will be listed as doubtful for Sunday?s game against Baltimore.
How soon does Jurevicius think he will be back?
?I don?t want to spill the beans,? he said, ?but I?ll say very soon.?
Jurevicius also reacted to 23-year-old tight end Kellen Winslow?s Monday critique of the way he was used in Sunday?s 34-17 loss to the Bengals.
Winslow said he talked to tight ends coach Ben Coates about why he wasn?t on the field in certain situations ?but nothing has changed ... I don?t understand it.?
Jurevicius said such talk is a reflection of a young team. In fact, he was hired in part to raise the team?s maturity level.
The locker room was mostly empty Monday during the media period, when Winslow came in with a few minutes left and began sharing strong opinions. The first open-to-the-media session since then will be today.
It?s a sure bet players will have talked about Winslow?s comments and will be asked to respond. Jurevicius indicated that is one of the internal problems with the interview.
?We?re answering questions we probably shouldn?t even have to answer,? he said.
McCUTCHEON OUT
Browns cornerback Daylon McCutcheon will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury.
The 33-year-old McCutcheon returned to practice last week for the first time since undergoing surgery on his right knee. However, he hasn?t shown enough progress and the Browns had little choice but to place him on injured reserve Tuesday.
The club also signed rookie nose tackle Babatunde Oshinowo from the practice squad to the active roster, and signed wide receiver Kendrick Mosley to the practice squad.
McCutcheon had arthroscopic surgery Aug. 2.
?Although Daylon has been progressing in his rehab, his knee was not responding sufficiently so as to allow him to play in the foreseeable future,? General Manager Phil Savage said
ANOTHER VIEW
Lost amid reporting of Winslow?s comments Monday was an interesting perspective of the offense from veteran fullback Terrelle Smith.
He gave optimists among Browns fans a little hope.
?Everyone had high hopes for us, but we?re a newly put-together team,? he said. ?We have to work on getting better. It?s gonna happen soon.
?We have tremendous talent. It?s just a matter of putting together a good game. When it?s bad, we have to learn to adjust and to keep our identity.
?We basically have to go out each week to get our identity, because right now we don?t have one.?
RAVEN WATCH
The Ravens come to town with a 2-0 record but an offense that isn?t much more popular with their fans than the Browns? is with theirs.
Wideout Derrick Mason told writers the Ravens deserved an ?F? on offense despite beating Oakland, 28-6.
?We played real bad,? Mason said.
Veteran Steve McNair went 16 of 33 for 143 yards, at one point throwing seven straight incompletions.
?The timing wasn?t there,? McNair said.
Coach Brian Billick spared any players the need to question play-calling.
?We never really got our rhythm,? Billick said, ?whether it was what we were running or how we were running it, the calls, his comfort zone with what he was seeing in front of him, protection, the routes, the whole nine yards.?
Workhorse running back Jamal Lewis, three seasons removed from blistering the Browns for 500 yards in two games, rushed 19 times for 70 yards against the Raiders.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Reach Repository sports writer Steve Doerschuk at (330) 580-8347 or e-mail: [email protected]
[FONT=Verdana, Times New Roman, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]By Steve Doerschuk REPOSITORY SPORTS WRITER [/FONT]
 
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Dispatch

Crennel turns attention to team-wide failures

Thursday, September 21, 2006

James Walker
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

20060921-Pc-E9-0800.jpg
</IMG>


BEREA, Ohio ? Coach Romeo Crennel tried to quiet discord about the Cleveland offense yesterday while preparing the Browns to face the Baltimore Ravens.
Offensive coordinator Maurice Carthon has been under fire since tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. lashed out to reporters that the coaching staff was holding back players and that it was time to open up the offense. Crennel refused to directly address concerns about Carthon and often pointed to a team-wide lack of execution.
"I don?t think you can say it?s one guy?s fault," Crennel said. "If you have to say it?s one guy?s fault, the buck always stops at the head coach?s desk. If you have to say it?s someone?s fault, then say it?s my fault."
Asked whether he was still behind Carthon 100 percent, Crennel said, "I?m still behind this team 100 percent."
Asked whether he has lost confidence in his offensive coordinator, Crennel said, "When you lose, it?s hard to have the confidence that you want to have in the team, period."
Crennel sat down with Winslow, who was upset after a 34-17 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals but didn?t vent all of his frustration until the following day.
"I was disappointed because he didn?t come to talk to me about it before he aired his views to the press," Crennel said. "I?m the head coach and I?m the guy who calls the shots, and if he has displeasure with the shots being called he should come and address them to me first."
The Ravens, led by linebacker Ray Lewis, are not the type of defense that the Browns (0-2) want to face during the turmoil.
The numbers in the Ravens? first two games are staggering. They allowed just six points and have caused nine turnovers. They?re limiting opponents to 1.7 yards per rush and have nine sacks.
There has been some resemblance to their Super Bowl defense of 2000.
"We?ll let others make that comparison," Ravens coach Brian Billick said. "Obviously, we have some guys on this team that were a part of that group and that heritage is very real to us. But by the same token, this is a new group."
Cleveland?s offense, through all of its struggles, will play a key role. If it can score early, it will put pressure on Baltimore?s offense. If the Browns offense struggles, it falls right into the Ravens? style of play.
Both teams appear to be heading in opposite directions after two weeks of the season. But a victory at home could provide much-needed confidence for the Browns.
"Some people want to say that the season is over," Crennel said. "But I say that we are going to play the next game and try to play better. We will see where that leads."
[email protected]
 
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Dispatch

BROWNS NOTEBOOK
Injuries put Brown in mix
Unheralded player likely will start at cornerback against Ravens

Thursday, September 21, 2006

James Walker
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH




BEREA, Ohio ? Cleveland Browns cornerback Ralph Brown hasn?t had a consistent season playing in the nickel defense, but this week he?ll likely get his first start because of injury.
Brown will replace Gary Baxter, who is doubtful this week because of a strained pectoral muscle, when the Browns play host to the Baltimore Ravens. Brown wasn?t on the team at the beginning of training camp, but the Browns have relied on him to play a key role.
"I don?t mind it. That?s what I?m here for, for them to use me however they need to," Brown said. "If they need me to start, that?s what I?ll do. If they need me to play nickel, I?ll do that. Wherever they position me on the team, that?s where I?m going to do my job."
Ngata factor

Ravens rookie defensive tackle Haloti Ngata has shown promise in his first two games. Cleveland had Ngata high on its draft board in April but made a trade with Baltimore to gain an extra draft pick in addition to selecting linebacker Kamerion Wimbley.
Ngata so far has been stout in the middle. Opponents have averaged 1.7 yards per rush and gained just 65 rushing yards in two games.
"He?s a huge physical presence inside, a tremendous athlete that is still learning the game, obviously, as any rookie would," Ravens coach Brian Billick said of Ngata. "We saw a tremendous improvement in that aspect from the first game to the second game. He?s hopefully what we?ve been looking for in terms of a big, physical run-stopper on the inside."
Walking wounded

The Bengals weren?t the only team beat up last weeks in the game with the Browns.
In addition to Baxter, defensive end Nick Eason (ankle) will not play against the Ravens and receiver Joe Jurevicius (ribs) and defensive end Orpheus Roye (shoulder) are doubtful.
Running back Reuben Droughns (shoulder) and linebacker Willie McGinest (calf) are questionable. Safety Brian Russell (elbow) also is questionable but said he?ll likely be ready to play.
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