Cleveland Browns (2007 & prior)

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

Browns notebook

Droughns, Roye on mend for Sunday

Both players hope they will be ready for Raiders after missing Ravens game with shoulder injuries

By Patrick McManamon

Beacon Journal sportswriter

BEREA - Running back Reuben Droughns and defensive end Orpheus Roye sound optimistic about returning from injuries for the Browns to face the Raiders on Sunday in Oakland.
Both missed the Baltimore Ravens game with shoulder injuries.
Roye said there's a good chance he will play. Droughns was more definitive.
``Count me in,'' Droughns said.
Droughns said he hurt his collarbone, shoulder and chest when he was hit by Cincinnati linebacker David Pollack early in the loss to the Bengals.
``That (hit) shocked my whole body,'' Droughns said.
He said he did not play against the Ravens because he did not have adequate strength in his shoulder.
Droughns seems eager to face the Raiders, the team that stopped him from scoring four times inside the 4-yard line last season.
Stepping in
Linebacker Willie McGinest had a strong game after missing practice all week with a calf injury.
McGinest seemed to spark the team with consecutive first-quarter pass rushes, and finished with a sack, three tackles and another hit on Ravens quarterback Steve McNair.
``That's why he's here,'' coach Romeo Crennel said. ``He's here to bring a lot to the table. He's an experienced guy. He knows how to win. He wants to play; he wants to win.''
McGinest played on the right side because the Browns had practiced with rookie Kamerion Wimbley on the left side during the week.
Crennel said the coaches did not want to ask Wimbley to switch after concentrating all week on playing McGinest's normal position.
Still ticking
Quarterback Charlie Frye took several violent hits, but never left the game.
Crennel knows Frye can't survive taking the kind of beating he took from the Ravens.
``If you keep getting hit, eventually you're going to break down,'' Crennel said.
Can the Browns fix it?
``I would like to think that we can fix it because if we can't fix it, then we're going to be talking about another quarterback,'' he said.
Last drive
The difference between stopping the Ravens on their last drive and not stopping them was McNair, Crennel said.
``McNair made the plays, basically,'' he said. ``There were several times in that drive we were pressuring him and got hits on him and he was able to get the ball off and they were able to make the catches and move the chains.
``Maybe a different quarterback might not have been able to get the ball off with as much accuracy. Maybe another quarterback might not have gotten up from the hits he was taking.''
McNair took a direct shot from safety Sean Jones, and took a while to get up. But he did -- which is his trademark.
McNair has long been known as one of the league's toughest players.
Injury report
Cornerback Leigh Bodden appeared to hurt his shoulder just before the two-minute warning, but Crennel said he had no indication Bodden was seriously hurt.
He detailed no other injuries.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Canton

Browns: Jim Brown sees something there
Wednesday, September 27, 2006 [FONT=Verdana, Times New Roman, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]By Steve Doerschuk repository sports writer[/FONT]


CLEVELAND When Jim Brown made his fabled run through the NFL, the Browns were different birds.
He was the leading rusher on Cleveland teams that went 79-34-5 in nine seasons, never finishing below .500. He played in his era?s version of three Super Bowls.
Now, the Hall of Famer works behind the scenes for a Browns team that has replaced the one that became the Ravens. The reincarnation is 36-76 coming off a 15-14 loss to the Ravens.
No global warming here. This is a Lake Erie ice age.
It seems clear enough that Browns owner Randy Lerner has Brown on the payroll to help bring back that winning feeling. It was evident Brown was feeling it after Sunday?s Ravens game, even though it was a loss.
?I saw a football team,? Brown said. ?I saw talent, and I saw people play hard.?
Hoping to take a step up from 6-10 in Romeo Crennel?s second year as head coach, the Browns played terrible games against the Saints and Bengals.
Against Baltimore, the No. 1 team in some NFL power rankings, the Browns led, 14-3, at halftime and were poised for a knockout punch with first-and-goal on the 4 before letting the Ravens breathe with an interception.
Those who know Brown say no one was more repulsed by losing.
Yet he came away from Sunday?s defeat saying, ?The outcome is almost irrelevant to me, because what I saw out there was a lot of future.
?I saw some playmaking. I saw some kids come through that should come through, and that?s very encouraging.?
Charlie Frye, a Jim Brown favorite, played with grit and effectiveness, nearly hanging three touchdowns on a defense that had given up none coming in.
Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow Jr. played up to their draft status.
In fact, through three games, Edwards and Winslow are the fourth-most prolific receiving duo in the league with 446 yards ? trailing Marvin Harrison-Reggie Wayne, Anquan Boldin-Larry Fitzgerald and Laveranues Coles-Jerricho Cotchery.
For much of Sunday, the stadium was rich with a noise that generated an nostalgic feel.
The crowded ramps were quiet as people filed out after a last-second field goal. Yet, Brown said, ?I think people enjoyed that game.?
Certainly not as much as they would have enjoyed a win. That would have sent the Browns against a weak Oakland team with a chance to be 2-2.
?I think you see there?s a certain maturity that?s needed,? Brown said. ?But you?re not mature until you?re mature.
?But when you play like that against that kind of defense ... that defense isn?t crap, you know.?
The Browns? defense put steady heat on Steve McNair, with rookie Round 1 pick Kamerion Wimbley looking like a potential monster.
There were warts enough to allow a loss, but Brown said, ?That?s the path you want to follow. Now, the key is to come out in the next game and kick (butt).?
The Browns are preparing for an Oakland team coming off a bye week, having lost two games by a combined 55-6. For what it?s worth, all three teams that have defeated the Browns are 3-0.
?We?ve gotta go back to work. No doubt about it,? Brown said. ?But I like what I saw against Baltimore. The other two weeks, I didn?t see anything that I could identify with.?
Lerner identifies with Brown?s point of view. It is fair to say the owner?s conclusions are shaped by the legendary player?s input.
Does Brown believe Lerner was encouraged by the Baltimore game? ?I don?t want to speak for him,? Brown said. ?It did something good for me.? Reach Repository sports writer Steve Doerschuk at (330) 580-8347 or e-mail: [email protected]

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Canton

Browns: Without Baxter, Holly asked to play big role
Wednesday, September 27, 2006

[FONT=Verdana, Times New Roman, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]By Steve Doerschuk repository sports writer [/FONT]


BEREA All last week, the Browns left the impression Gary Baxter might be able to play cornerback against Baltimore.
That Baxter wound up sitting out with a pectoral injury did not surprise his replacement, Daven Holly.
?I knew the whole week I was starting,? Holly said. ?It wasn?t a last-minute thing.?
Holly is a second-year pro out of Cincinnati who was making his first NFL start.
?I was never nervous,? he said. ?If you play this game nervous, you can?t produce. I?ve been playing football since I was a little kid. Nerves was never an issue.?
Baxter?s injury status won?t be updated until today. Baxter said after Sunday?s game he doesn?t know if he will play against Oakland.
If not, Holly likely will get another start opposite Leigh Bodden.
Head Coach Romeo Crennel?s view of Holly?s Sunday performance: ?Daven has some ability, and he competed out there pretty well. I think he will tell you that he gave up some production, but with some coaching, he should improve.?
Baxter?s injury and the loss of Daylon McCutcheon have created a big problem in the secondary.
On the flip side, strong safety Sean Jones seems on the verge of a breakthrough season.
Jones was all over the field Sunday and ranks second on the team in tackles (25) through three games.
?Sean is a physical safety,? Crennel said. ?We wanted to use his abilities, and we did that by putting him in a position to make some plays. He was able to get into the backfield, and he was able to defend a couple of passes.?
At linebacker, D?Qwell Jackson has settled inside ahead of Chaun Thompson.
Jackson was in on eight tackles, broke up a 2-point conversion pass and forced an incompletion while blitzing Steve McNair.
?D?Qwell had a nice game,? Crennel said. ?He was productive, and he was where he was supposed to be. He?s continuing to improve as well.?
Thompson is being used on passing downs.
Reach Repository sports writer Steve Doerschuk at (330) 580-8347 or e-mail: [email protected]

BROWNS REPORT
POCKET PROTECTOR In terms of protecting Charlie Frye better than they have, Head Coach Romeo Crennel said failure is not an option: ?I would like to think that we can fix it. If we can?t, we will be talking about another quarterback.? ... Sunday?s quarterback duel will pit Frye, the No. 67 overall pick of last year?s draft, against Andrew Walter, the No. 69 pick. Walter is scheduled to start in place of injured Aaron Brooks.
SAFE MOVE The Browns like playing cover two, with both safeties back to minimize big plays, but they also disliked the idea of getting run over by the Ravens? Jamal Lewis. ?A few times, we had the safety closer to the line of scrimmage,? Crennel said. ?He was able to help if the ball was breaking out.?
SHOCK VALUE ESPN analyst Joe Theismann sounded off after Kellen Winslow Jr.?s former Miami (Fla.) teammate Jeremy Shockey criticized his team?s play-calling. ?It?s time the talented pros start acting like pros instead of selfish little babies,? Theismann said. FLAG DAY Crennel thought throwing the red replay flag twice had some value even though he lost both challenges against borderline completions. ?I wanted the guys to know that I was supporting them and giving them every chance,? Crennel said. ?The players on the field knew I was fighting for them.? EXTRA POINTS A Bay-area headline: ?Cleveland looms as ideal Raider foe.? ... Giddy Saints fans stole the Bengals? ?Who Dey?? chant after improving to 3-0 Monday night.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

DDN

Protecting Frye is chief concern for Browns


By Sean McClelland
Staff Writer

Tuesday, September 26, 2006


BEREA ? Cleveland Browns quarterback Charlie Frye has been sacked a dozen times in three games. On a few occasions in Sunday's 15-14 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, it appeared he had trouble picking himself off the ground.
And, of course, linebacker Bart Scott's hit on Frye caused the game-turning interception in the waning moments.
The Browns want Frye to operate from the pocket when possible, but it's hardly been a comfort zone for him. Coach Romeo Crennel acknowledged the protection problem this way during his Monday news conference: "I would like to think we can fix it, because if we can't fix it, we're going to be talking about another quarterback."
Frye, in spite of it all, ended up throwing for 298 yards and posting a passer rating of 90.2.
"Charlie sucked it up," Crennel said. "We're going to rest him, massage him and put him back out there."
Droughns confident
Running back Reuben Droughns, who sat out Sunday with a shoulder injury suffered against the Bengals, expects to play this week at Oakland.
"Count me in," he said Monday.
Droughns said the decision not to suit up against the Ravens was his call.
"I didn't want to take the risk," he said. "The strength just wasn't in my arm."
Droughns described his injury as "a bruising of the clavicle and the AC joint and the chest muscle."
Up for grabs
On second-and-10 from midfield late in the second quarter, Frye rolled to his right and lofted a pass that seemed to hang in the air for minutes. Browns receiver Braylon Edwards and tight end Kellen Winslow II both were in the area, and Winslow leaped to grab it for a 24-yard gain leading to Cleveland's second touchdown.
"That's just Charlie trusting his teammates," Winslow said. "I don't know if that was to me or Braylon. I thought Braylon was going to jump over me and get it. That's just him knowing we're going to make the play no matter what."

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2408 or [email protected]

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

CPD

Browns find QB, can't hide him


Tuesday, September 26, 2006 Bud Shaw
Plain Dealer Columnist

The Browns' 0-3 start is a splenectomy. Without an esthesia.
As long as that remains a figure of speech and not something on the chart at the foot of Charlie Frye's hospital bed, though, the Browns can live with losses such as Sunday's.
Frye didn't win, but he used every playground (and survival) instinct in his body to try to make it happen. Better, he didn't follow in the gurney wheels of Tampa Bay's Chris Simms, who needed his spleen removed after a punishing loss to Carolina.
Yes, sorry to say, we are there again. Familiar ground. We are at the place in the laborious process of building a team where the excruciating loss to a despised division rival is actually an upgrade over what went before.
The Browns were listless against New Orleans, clueless against Cincinnati. So long as the quarterback can remember his name without a cut man administering smelling salts, the competitive gut-wrencher must qualify as improvement.
Long-range success for the Browns is still a crapshoot. But it isn't a matter of finding a quarterback. They have found one.
These brutal Sundays will end when they figure out how to extend the career of their quarterback beyond the life expectancy of a midge.
"Charlie showed some toughness in executing the game plan and taking some of the pressure applied to him," coach Romeo Crennel said Monday.
Frye led his team in guts and bruises.
The play call at the end asking him to throw anything except a fade near the goal line did him no favors. The Browns had trouble in full protection schemes. This was a spread formation.
If Charlie doesn't get hit, that's a touchdown," receiver Braylon Edwards said Sunday.
But when didn't Frye get hit?
Memories of Turkey Jones accompanied one hit. The Ravens' Bart Scott almost took a handoff from Frye. He completed a jump-ball pass to Kellen Winslow Jr. while getting chased and thumped.
A few times he held the ball too long. He's learning. His only connection to the glory years of quarterbacking in Cleveland is the string of three consecutive games with a running touchdown. Otto Graham did it most recently.
Frye is the Browns' connection to winning football, if they ever figure out how to protect him.
The Browns should be even more certain about him now. He's not only a quarterback to feel good about building around. He's their quarterback for as long as he can survive the dangers of looking downfield while standing behind unguarded turnstiles.
"It takes a man to play quarterback in the NFL," Edwards said after watching Baltimore pound Frye as if he were a heavy bag.
Here, playing quarterback takes the nerve of a high-rise window washer in a tornado. That hasn't always been enough. Tim Couch had nerve in reserve. He wasn't the quickest read. He held the ball too long. Frye prepares himself better.
However, no matter how young and sturdy Couch was - or Frye is - these beatings for a quarterback are cumulative.
Kept alive and upright, Frye will win.
General Manager Phil Savage made a mistake when he suggested the season is about the development of his second-year quarterback. More rousing battle cries have been sounded around locker rooms on the eve of a season opener.
Frye did show big-time promise Sunday. The catch is that another "d" word keeps coming to mind in relation to him.
Duck.
To reach Bud Shaw:
[email protected], 216-999-5639
Previous columns online:
cleveland.com/columns

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

Sacks of Frye worry Crennel

Coach fears injury; QB says he'll survive

By Patrick McManamon

Beacon Journal sportswriter

BEREA - Browns quarterback Charlie Frye has started eight games in his short NFL career, which equates to half a season.
He has had close wins, close losses and bad losses.
He has two wins, six touchdowns and eight interceptions in those starts.
He has not thrown for 300 yards, nor has he had more than two touchdown passes in a game.
And he's gotten hit.
A lot.
Sunday's beating by the Baltimore Ravens in the Browns' 15-14 loss was vicious and nasty, but it wasn't atypical.
In his eight starts, Frye has been sacked 34 times. That averages out to 4.25 sacks per game, or 68 for a full season.
In 1999, Tim Couch was sacked 56 times.
The Browns set a record that year as their quarterbacks were sacked 60 times.
This is not the pace Frye and the team want to maintain.
``I can survive,'' Frye said Wednesday, laughing.
Coach Romeo Crennel said Monday that if Frye keeps getting hit as he has been, the coach will be talking about a new quarterback.
``No,'' Frye said as the Browns started to get ready for Sunday's game in Oakland, Calif. ``That's not right.''
Then he continued.
``I just enjoy playing the game,'' he said. ``Playing offense, playing quarterback in this league, you're going to take some hits. But get back up, keep fighting. That's my mentality.''
The Browns have started 0-3, but they are encouraged by the play of their quarterback, who has shown toughness, heart and ability.
With no real running game to speak of, Frye has made plays on the run and in the pocket. There's little question that Frye has been a bright spot in the team's offense.
``The guy has been in some tough situations,'' Crennel said. ``He's weathered the storm, and he's been able to get off the ground and make some tough plays. He's a bright sign.''
Frye took a big step in gaining more respect from his teammates against Baltimore. The Ravens made no secret that they tried to intimidate Frye to get him out of his game. It never happened.
``He showed a lot of heart,'' center Hank Fraley said.
To Frye, it was just football.
``I wasn't trying to prove anything,'' he said. ``That's just the way I play. I leave it out there every week. I know I'm going to be sore the next couple days, but that's just the way I play.
``That's the way I played at Akron. That's how much I care about it. I care about this team, I care about Cleveland. I'm going to leave it all out there.''
To Frye, it's a matter of getting up, of not letting the other team know he's feeling it.
But this level is different from the Mid-American Conference. The players doing the hitting are bigger and faster, and the hits are more violent.
``We have to keep him clean,'' Fraley said.
``If you keep getting hit,'' Crennel said, ``eventually you are going to break down. I don't care who you are. If they hit me enough, I'm going to break down.''
Frye has come full circle in a way. His first win last season was in Oakland, and it was there, he said, that he learned he had to get bigger after taking some shots from the Raiders' defense. He worked in the offseason to bulk up, and added 10 to 12 pounds. He said that has helped him recover.
It would help Frye more if the Browns could get their running game going. Through three games, Frye is the team's leading rusher with 60 yards.
That can't work because teams will be able to tee off on Frye as the Ravens did.
``Any time you have a running game, it's going to make the quarterback's job a lot easier,'' Frye said. ``Because they have to respect both (the run and the pass). When defensive linemen know it's a passing down, they really get upfield fast.
``If they're going to do that, that's going to create some running lanes.''
That makes Reuben Droughns' return from a shoulder injury Sunday that much more important.
Droughns has not gotten untracked this season, and he needs to. Adding Droughns' rushing to the passing game would balance the offense. And it would help Frye survive.
``He's a guy who we need to survive,'' Crennel said.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

Browns notebook

Injured players go to practice

Droughns, Roye, Baxter and Jurevicius all in pads

By Patrick McManamon

Beacon Journal sportswriter

BEREA - Several injured Browns returned to the practice field Wednesday for at least part of the team's preparations for Sunday's game in Oakland.
Only linebacker Willie McGinest and defensive lineman Nick Eason were not in pads.
Running back Reuben Droughns, defensive lineman Orpheus Roye, cornerback Gary Baxter and receiver Joe Jurevicius were in pads for the portion of practice open to the media.
Droughns said he would play Sunday; Roye sounded confident.
Baxter and Jurevicius did not address their injuries.
Guard Cosey Coleman also was listed on the injury report with a broken finger, but he lined up with the first unit in all drills open to the media.
McGinest played well Sunday against Baltimore after missing practice all last week.
All are listed on the injury report as questionable, along with tight end Kellen Winslow, whose surgically repaired knee remains sore.
Baxter, Droughns, Eason, defensive end Simon Fraser (shoulder), Jurevicius, McGinest, Roye and Winslow missed part of the team portion of practice.
Leigh Bodden was not on the injury report.
Just win, baby
Raiders quarterback Andrew Walter was drafted the same round and year as Charlie Frye, two picks after the Browns took the former University of Akron quarterback.
Frye said he thought he might have wound up in Oakland had the Browns not drafted him.
``Their coaches coached me in the Senior Bowl,'' Frye said. ``So they expressed a lot of interest.''
Walter, 6-foot-6 and 230 pounds, broke John Elway's record for PAC-10 touchdown passes. He threw 85 at Arizona State.
Walter will start because Aaron Brooks was hurt in a Week 2 loss to Baltimore.
Brownies. . .
The Raiders have given up 15 sacks in two games.... That, in part, explains why Randy Moss has only six catches in two games. ``If the quarterback is under duress, there is no way you can throw the ball,'' coach Art Shell said.... Oakland's offensive line, which includes former can't-miss prospect Robert Gallery at tackle, isn't opening holes for the run, either. Lamont Jordan has gained 55 yards on 29 carries, 1.9 yards per attempt.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

Frye's the guy for winless Browns

JOE MILICIA

Associated Press

BEREA, Ohio - The Cleveland Browns seem to have found a starting quarterback after years of controversy and shuffling at the position. Now, they just have to make sure he stays healthy enough to play.
Charlie Frye's gutty play through three games has provided a glimmer of hope for the winless Browns, who had searched in vain for a consistent starting quarterback since their return to the league in 1999.
Trent Dilfer, Luke McCown, Jeff Garcia, Kelly Holcomb and Tim Couch all took snaps over that span and were always the first to be blamed for the Browns' chronic losing.
At 0-3, Cleveland is off to its worst start since 1999, but Frye has earned the respect of his teammates, coaches and Browns fans.
"He's been able to get off the ground and make plays for us, so he's a bright sign," Browns coach Romeo Crennel said. "Hopefully, we can protect him better so he can stay on his feet and continue to make plays."
Frye has been sacked 12 times over the last three weeks, including seven Sunday by the Baltimore Ravens, who left Frye battered and bruised.
"I thought he showed a lot of heart," center Hank Fraley said. "We've got to keep him clean as an offensive line. He kept getting up. He took some good hits. It just shows how much he wants to win here."
Frye shrugged off questions about the effects of his beating.
"I leave it out there every week. I know I'm going to be sore the next couple days, but that's just the way I play," Frye said. "I played that way at Akron. That's how much I care about it. I care about this team. I care about Cleveland a lot."
The northern Ohio native, who dreamed of playing for the Browns as a youth, threw for a career-high 298 yards against Baltimore and connected with Braylon Edwards for a 58-yard touchdown, the longest of his career.
The touchdown and a 74-yard connection with Edwards the week before have quieted critics who questioned Frye's arm strength and could help open things up on offense.
"That forces the defense to honor your ability to go deep," Crennel said. "They can't sit on your short and intermediate routes all the time."
Frye has thrown for 674 yards and two touchdowns and run for three scores this season while receiving little protection, eluding tacklers and scrambling to make plays.
"He's a guy that's going to make something happen," Raiders coach Art Shell said. "He reminds me a little of Fran Tarkenton if you go back to the old days. He's going to run around until he finds somebody open."
Frye also has thrown five interceptions, including a costly one that allowed the Ravens to mount one last drive and kick a game-winning field goal in a 15-14 victory. He was hit as he threw, something his line wants to avoid this week against Oakland.
"We want our guy to be clean as a whistle," Fraley said. "Unless he wants to take off running for a touchdown, he's on his own. We want him to be able to stand back there."
Frye's return to Oakland on Sunday takes him to the place where he got his first win as a starter last season. He's now 2-6 as a starter, including 1-4 against the AFC North.
No one's blaming him though.
"With this type of division, you're going to get hit. You're going to have to have a tough quarterback," tight end Kellen Winslow said. "He's the quarterback of the future."

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Canton

Crennel: Browns becoming team
Thursday, September 28, 2006

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


BEREA - The Browns were flunking chemistry class.
Finally, they seemed to grasp a formula Sunday in cracking the Baltimore Ravens? beaker.
?I thought the team came together,? Head Coach Romeo Crennel said. ?Guys were pulling for each other.?
With an 0-3 record, the Browns still need more players to form bonds like the one growing between second-year pro Simon Fraser and seventh-year Brown Orpheus Roye.
The two defensive ends have a good time hassling each other about which region churns out better football players, the Midwest (Fraser is from Ohio State) or the South (Roye hails from Florida State).
For example, Roye was asked Wednesday if he?ll be back from his shoulder injury in time to play Sunday at Oakland.
He puffed his chest, threw a snarling smile at Fraser, and said, ?You can?t keep a Seminole down too long.?
Roye rolls his eyes when Fraser tells Buckeye tales, such as one based on his first NFL sack, Sunday against Baltimore. Fraser turned to the crowd and used his arms to make the ?O-H? signs seen along the Olentangy River.
?I heard a couple of ?I-Os? coming back at me,?? Fraser said.
Given the expansion era?s numerous draft and busts, the Browns need a few finds, and Fraser is beginning to look like one.
Roye, 33, has taken Fraser, 23, under his wing.
?I give him little technique suggestions, help him with certain reads,? Roye said. ?He adapts. He listens to the veteran guys to get better.?
The conversation turned to Terrell Owens, based on Wednesday reports that the Dallas wide receiver might have attempted suicide. That turned into a general discussion of the pressure any NFL player faces from being in the public eye.
?A lot of people handle it just by sticking together as a team. I can go to Orpheus. We lean on each other to get out of tough situations.?
Locker rooms are so full of different personalities that managing them almost boils down to simply hoping the guys get along.
Personalities of this year?s key newcomers are all over the map.
Left tackle Kevin Shaffer seems buoyant and outgoing.
Nose tackle Ted Washington walks around as if he?s ready to rip lockers off their hinges.
Linebacker Willie McGinest seems tough, serious and not given to kidding around.
That?s what the media sees over the course of weeks of open locker-room periods. It?s tip-of-the-iceburg stuff, leading to questions about how these guys get along after the writers are kicked out.
Through two weeks, amid ugly losses to the Saints and Bengals, there certainly was not much cohesion on the field.
The Baltimore game looked different. For a moment, at least, the Browns looked like a team.
One important element seems to be emerging. The quarterback impresses almost everyone as an ideal team guy. If Charlie Frye becomes a consistently good player and doesn?t wind up in a full body cast, that combination will count for something.
Frye was talking Wednesday about getting sacked seven times and hit plenty of others by purple shirts. Did proteection break down? Did he hold the ball too long?
?I?d say it was a mix of both,? he said. ?You wouldn?t want to put it on the offensive line or put it on me. ?It?s a team game.? Reach Repository sports writer Steve Doerschuk at (330) 580-8347 or e-mail: [email protected]

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Canton

BROWNS REPORT
Thursday, September 28, 2006


Smell the roses
Gary Baxter is very superstitious.
He wonders if he missed Sunday?s game against his old team, the Ravens, because he forgot to smell the roses.
The sixth-year pro from Tyler, Texas, has long made a habit of keeping fresh roses in his locker stall.
It?s a Tyler thing ? the area produces about one-fifth of the nation?s commercial rose bushes ? and a mom thing.
?My mom always used to tell me, ?No matter how bad or good your day is going, wake up and smell the roses,? ? Baxter said. ?So that?s what I do.?
Baxter began keeping roses in his locker when he played at Baylor. He has continued the practice in his four years in the NFL.
Coming off an injury-ravaged 2005, he had big plans for this year, but he sat out the Baltimore game after aggravating a pectoral strain.
?All training camp, I kept roses in my locker,? Baxter said. ?When I kinda got re-injured, I didn?t have the roses in my locker. That should tell you.?
Baxter had half a dozen roses in his locker stall Wednesday.
?Yeah,? he said, with a smile, ?I got my roses back.?
Baxter?s playing status for the Oakland game?
?It?s 50-50,? Baxter said. ?I?m rehabbing, trying to get better. I?ll go out today and see what I can get.?

Frye practices
Browns Head Coach Romeo Crennel said Charlie Frye got a massage Tuesday in the wake of getting belted around by Baltimore on Sunday. Frye practiced Wednesday and is not on the injury report.
Improving protection for Frye is a priority.
?He?s made good progress, and sometimes it?s hard to evaluate with the pressure he has been under,? Crennel said.
Wideout Joe Jurevicius, who has missed two games with a rib injury, is ?closer to playing,? Crennel said. Jurevicius was listed as doubtful all last week. On the first injury report posted this week, Jurevicius was upgraded to questionable.
Defensive end Simon Fraser has been added to the list, with questionable status. He said, ?I?ve got a little shoulder pain. It?s nothing major.?
Jurevicius and Fraser are listed as questionable, as are linebacker Willie McGinest (calf), tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. (knee), running back Reuben Droughns (shoulder) and safety Brian Russell (elbow).

Extra points
n Randy Moss has six catches for 79 yards in the Raiders? two games, but the Browns worry about what he might do against their injury-nagged cornerback group. ?He can run by a lot of people,? Crennel said. ?There?s timed speed and game speed. I know Randy Moss has game speed.?
n Raiders Head Coach Art Shell threw a compliment to his Cleveland counterpart Wednesday: ?It may not look like it, but Romeo is doing a very good job with that team. He is changing the face of that organization and how they?ve been doing things. He?s trying to get them on the right track, and I think that will come.?
n The Raiders have been hammered by the Chargers (27-0) and the Ravens (28-6), but don?t blame the defense. ?Our defense is playing outstanding football,? Shell said. ?We need to get better offensively.?
n Shell, who has been around the NFL since breaking in as a Raiders player in 1968, said this of Frye: ?He reminds me a little bit of Fran Tarkenton, if you go back to the old days. The guy is always escaping and running around until he finds somebody open.? STEVE DOERSCHUK

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

Frye continues to have trouble staying upright
Browns are tied for third in NFL in sacks allowed category

Thursday, September 28, 2006

James Walker
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

AMY SANCETTA ASSOCIATED PRESS Browns quarterback Charlie Frye is tackled for a 10-yard loss by Trevor Pryce of the Ravens, one of seven sacks he suffered Sunday.

BEREA, Ohio ? Baltimore Ravens linebacker Adalius Thomas streaked through the middle of the Cleveland offensive line last week and drove the head and shoulders of Charlie Frye into the ground.
Ray Lewis also took his best shot, and with one powerful thud knocked Frye on his back. Then, toward the end of the Ravens? 15-14 victory, Bart Scott blindsided Frye and caused an interception that led to Baltimore?s final drive.
Those were just three of the many shots Frye took Sunday. The Browns are having major protection problems; Frye has been sacked 12 times, tied for third in the NFL.
The Ravens had 19 quarterback pressures to go with their seven sacks. Frye threw 33 times and was under duress during more than half of his attempts.
It?s a problem the Browns are trying to fix immediately.
"If we can?t," Browns coach Romeo Crennel said, "?we will be talking about another quarterback."
Frye believes he can last 16 games, but that could be a result of youthful exuberance. Frye has proved his toughness by continuing to get up and make plays, but history is not on his side.
The Browns have had just one starting quarterback (Tim Couch in 2001) play all 16 games in the past seven years, and poor protection from the offensive line is the common link.
Frye is on pace to be sacked 64 times, which would be a team record. Cleveland allowed 60 sacks during its expansion year in 1999.
"I can survive," Frye said. "I just enjoy playing the game. Playing quarterback in this league, you are going to take some hits. Just get back up and keep fighting, that?s my mentality."
The Browns need to look no further than their opponent this week, the Oakland Raiders, when it comes to losing their starting quarterback. In just two games, the Raiders are tied for the bottom spot in the NFL in sacks allowed with 15.
Starter Aaron Brooks was sacked seven times, had only 14 passing attempts, and he is out this week with a shoulder injury. Second-year quarterback Andrew Walter has filled in and was sacked eight times in 32 attempts.
"One of the things you have to be able to do in this league is pass protect," Raiders coach Art Shell said. "I?ll be honest, everybody watches tape and games, and we haven?t been doing a good job of protecting the quarterback. We?ve been trying to do some things to alleviate those problems. Hopefully, we?ll be able to get that done this week."
Winslow questionable

The Browns have several key starters listed as questionable on their injury report. The most notable is tight end Kellen Winslow Jr., who is nursing a sore right knee. Starting running back Reuben Droughns (shoulder), linebacker Willie McGinest (calf) and guard Cosey Coleman (hand) also are questionable.
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ABJ

Passing success a ticket to run

Droughns hopes aerial advances will turn into ground gains for Browns

By Marla Ridenour

Beacon Journal sportswriter

BEREA - Football teams commonly use the running game to open up the pass.
Reuben Droughns hopes the tables are turned in the Browns' case.
The running back might return to action Sunday against the Oakland Raiders after sitting out last weekend with a shoulder injury. He figures the big plays that quarterback Charlie Frye has made with tight end Kellen Winslow and wide receiver Braylon Edwards, who have caught 30 passes between them, will force opponents to take a safety out of the box and open a few running lanes.
``Charlie and Braylon and Kellen are doing a good job making people respect them in the passing game,'' Droughns said Thursday. ``They're stepping up to the plate. Teams are going to have to back off eventually.''
That would be a welcome relief for Droughns, who rushed for 1,232 yards in 2005, his first year with the Browns. This season, Droughns has picked up 59 yards on 25 carries (2.4 average) and ranks second on the team in rushing behind Frye, who has 60 yards.
The Browns' average of 60 yards per game on the ground stands next to last in the league, with only the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (43.3) trailing.
With the emergence of the Browns' young playmakers, the running game seems to be the offense's missing link.
``Last year, we didn't get it going until late, too,'' Droughns said. ``Hopefully we can get it going a little earlier.''
In 2005, the Browns didn't rush for 100 yards as a team until the sixth game, against the Detroit Lions, when Droughns reached the century mark for the first time (100 yards, 19 carries).
Whether he'll get the chance to lead the ground attack this week remains to be seen. He was injured in a Sept. 17 collision with Cincinnati Bengals linebacker David Pollack, who suffered a broken neck on the play and is out for the season.
(Droughns said he tried to contact Pollack and left his number but has yet to hear from him).
``I felt good today,'' said Droughns, who practiced Wednesday and Thursday but remains questionable. ``They're still going to have to make some decisions. It's a long season, they don't want to risk everything.''
When it was suggested that if he plays he might have trouble in pass protection, Droughns said, ``Are you serious? I'm not going to let anybody run me over. I'll definitely be able to protect.''
As bad as the running game has been, Browns coach Romeo Crennel seems to have backed off in his criticism of Droughns.
After Droughns averaged just 2.5 yards on 11 attempts in the opener against the the New Orleans Saints, Crennel said the following Monday: ``I'm not sure how many carries he had in the first half, but I don't think he set the world on fire with those carries.''
Crennel took a different tone Thursday. When asked how a healthy Droughns he has seen in practice compares to the one he has seen in games this year, Crennel said, ``I've found this about running backs: When there is no hole, they all kind of look the same. Maybe that's why he doesn't look like he did last year.''
That remark took Droughns by surprise.
``Oh, wow. I'm not going to say that, I'm going to let Coach say that,'' Droughns said. ``The (offensive) line, we're still jelling. We did mix a couple new players in there.''
The beard Droughns has grown recently shows how eager he is to return to his old form.
``This is staying all season,'' he said of the facial hair. ``I'm just trying to do something different, trying to shake it up a little bit. I might even paint it a little orange or something.''

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

Notebook

Teammates, friendly rivals

Cribbs, Frye making little wager on outcome of Zips-Flashes game

By Marla Ridenour

Beacon Journal sportswriter

BEREA - If Kent State loses to the University of Akron on Saturday, Joshua Cribbs knows he won't be able to renege on his bet with Charlie Frye again.
Former Zips quarterback Frye, now the Browns' starter, and former Golden Flashes quarterback Cribbs, now a Cleveland receiver, have no money riding on Saturday afternoon's clash of Mid-American Conference rivals. The loser, however, must wear the winner's old jersey in team meetings all next week.
Cribbs confessed Thursday that he didn't pay up after Akron's 35-3 victory last year when they were Browns rookies. He said he and Frye were watching the game on two different televisions, and the feed Frye was getting at the Browns' headquarters was delayed.
``(Mine) was like two quarters faster,'' Cribbs said. ``I saw they were losing so I was like, `No bet.' He had just started watching it in here. I kind of caught him on that, but don't tell him that.''
The Browns will be flying to Oakland during the game, but Cribbs said he should have updates on his cell phone when they arrive.
``I know the director of football operations; he'll keep me posted on everything, send me text messages,'' Cribbs said. ``They had that overtime loss to Army. They were a lot better than that team and they showed it; they just didn't put a win away. Hopefully they'll do it so I'll have some bragging rights over Charlie.''
In the groove now?
Nose tackle Ted Washington has not been the run-stopper the Browns expected when they signed the 16-year veteran to a two-year, free-agent contract in March. He has made 12 tackles in three games, but seven came Sunday against the Ravens.
``It takes a few games to get the rust out and adjust and watch what you do on film and try to correct your mistakes,'' Washington said. ``Hopefully starting this week I'll be a better player.''
Some would think that a 38-year-old wouldn't need to adjust.
``You can be in the best shape during the offseason, as soon as you get to training camp you're still going to get winded,'' said Washington, who is 6-foot-5 and 365 pounds. ``When the season starts, the tempo goes up a little bit, you've still got to get the rust out.''
Proud papa
Browns receivers coach Terry Robiskie couldn't stop talking about the 37-yard touchdown catch by his son, Brian, Saturday against Penn State. It was the first collegiate score for Brian, Ohio State's sophomore split end from Chagrin Falls.
``I don't think the ball had landed in his arms yet and my cell phone rang 22 times,'' Terry Robiskie said on a conference call. ``I had friends calling me from Louisiana and California and Hawaii.''
Robiskie played in the NFL for five years and has been an assistant for 25. He and his wife, Cynthia, have three sons.
``I was fortunate enough to win a Super Bowl with the Raiders,'' Robiskie said. ``I was in the backfield for the San Diego-Oakland `Holy Roller' game. I've coached in Super Bowls and Pro Bowls. I told my wife to watch my son make those catches against Texas on a third-down play that kept the drive going and against Penn State, nothing in the world matches. I've never had that emotion since the day he was born.''
Injury update
There were no changes in the status of 11 Browns who are questionable on this week's injury report. Only guard Cosey Coleman (finger), tight end Darnell Dinkins (hamstring) and free safety Brian Russell (elbow) practiced without restriction. Linebacker Willie McGinest (calf) started the session on a bike.

 

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Dispatch

Droughns takes bad start in stride

Friday, September 29, 2006

James Walker
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

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BEREA, Ohio ? Cleveland Browns running back Reuben Droughns knew the questions were coming. So he had a few lighthearted comebacks ready yesterday in reference to the team?s inability to run the football this season.
"We can pass, though! " Droughns said quickly and excitedly. "We looked good passing the ball last week."
Droughns was sorely missed in a 15-14 loss Sunday to the Baltimore Ravens. He sat out because of a shoulder injury, and backups Jason Wright and Jerome Harrison combined for only 32 yards on 17 carries.
Not only does Droughns hope to return Sunday against the Oakland Raiders, but he wants to end the speculation that he?s no longer the same player who rushed for consecutive 1,200-yard seasons in 2004 and 2005.
Fighting through injuries and a struggling offensive line, Droughns has not looked good this year. In two starts, he has rushed for 59 yards on 25 carries (2.4-yard average) and a touchdown.
Droughns? 27- and 32-yard efforts this season are worse than any game last season. The Browns rank 31 st in the league ? next to last ? in rushing offense.
"I?ve found this about running backs: When there is no hole, they all kind of look the same," coach Romeo Crennel said. "Maybe that?s why (Droughns) doesn?t look like he did last year."
If there was a silver lining in the Baltimore game, it?s that the Browns showed a willingness to rely on quarterback Charlie Frye. With Droughns out, Frye had one of the best games of his young career, throwing for 298 yards, with one touchdown and one interception, against the toprated defense in the league.
Frye continues to display an ability to throw the deep ball. He has five completions this season of 24 yards or more, including two to Braylon Edwards of 75 and 58 yards in back-to-back games.
Last year, it was Droughns? job to take pressure off the quarterbacks. If quality production continues from Frye, who is completing 61.3 percent of his passes, it could open up some much-needed running lanes for Droughns.
"It could work that way," Droughns said. "Charlie, Braylon and Kellen (Winslow Jr.) are doing a good job making people respect them out there in the passing game. It may go the other way around."
Droughns is sporting a new look this season. He has a grizzled beard that stretches from ear to ear. He says it has nothing to do with any superstitions, he just wants to try something different and "shake things up a bit."
"I might even paint it orange or something," Droughns said, laughing.
Anything to snap out of his current funk.
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Dispatch

BROWNS NOTEBOOK
Russell says Moss as good as he was with the Vikings

Friday, September 29, 2006

James Walker
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH




BEREA, Ohio ? Cleveland Browns safety Brian Russell says don?t be fooled. He believes that Randy Moss, his former teammate, is the same receiver he was a couple years ago when he tore up the NFL with the Minnesota Vikings.
Russell played for the Vikings when Moss was one of the league?s most dominant receivers. Moss put together back-toback 100-catch seasons in 2002 and 2003 and twice scored 17 touchdowns.
But Moss hasn?t looked the same with the Oakland Raiders. He caught 60 passes for 1,005 yards last season in what was considered a down year, and so far this year he only has six catches for 79 yards and no touchdowns.
"Randy hasn?t lost a step," Russell said. "Randy can still run with anybody, if not run by anybody. He makes great catches when he gets the chance. I?m sure they?re working on being more efficient and getting the ball more to Randy ?so we have to be ready for his best game."
A beginning and end

There is a reason the Browns are 0-3. The team has started and finished games slow all three weeks.
Statistics show that the Browns are being dominated in the first and fourth quarters by a combined score of 52-24. It?s a problem coach Romeo Crennel said needs to be addressed.
Last week, the Browns took a 14-3 lead in the first half over the Baltimore Ravens before blowing it in the fourth quarter. The first two games, the Browns had to play catch-up after allowing early touchdown drives in the first quarter.
"You have to get off to a better start and make more plays early, (and) you can?t run out of gas at the end," Crennel said.
Crennel dismissed the possibility that his team was not well-conditioned against Baltimore.
"I thought the guys played hard all game," he said. "I didn?t see anyone come out of the game. They were all competing and they were all playing."
Brownie points

Defensive end Simon Fraser, who started for the first time against Baltimore, is questionable for Sunday because of a shoulder injury. But he thinks he?ll be ready to play. ? The Browns and Raiders are near the bottom of the league in total offense. Cleveland ranks 30 th and Oakland 32 nd.
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