Cleveland Browns (2007 & prior)

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

Browns offense to get no overhaul

Crennel may call play, overrule, but he sticks with Carthon, staff

By Patrick McManamon

Beacon Journal sportswriter

BEREA - Romeo Crennel might be a little more involved in the offensive play-calling, but he said there will be no major shuffling of the Browns' coaching staff.
That means Maurice Carthon will continue as offensive coordinator and will continue to call the plays.
``I have confidence in my guys,'' Crennel said. ``I have confidence in every one of them to get these things straightened out. I may be crazy, I may be stupid, I may be naive, but I think I got good coaches. And I think I got good kids on the team.''
Crennel actually seemed to be trying to sound more like the man in charge than at any time in his tenure with the Browns.
He said he had told his offensive staff to focus on what worked.
He said he would overrule play calls during games, if needed.
And he said he might call a play.
Crennel said he had done some of that this year, but ``maybe not to the degree that it might be going forward.''
At 1-4 and with the offense ranked 31st in the league, the Browns need something to happen. Crennel, though, said he will emphasize the mundane and not promote the exotic.
``I want us to be a consistent football team and (have an) offense that can operate in the division we have to play in,'' Crennel said.
``Then maybe add pizzazz to it. If I add pizzazz and that doesn't work, I'm going to have to go back and try to be consistent again.''
Crennel spent Sunday cleaning his basement but also spent a good part of the week prior studying what had worked offensively. He said he found good plays and put bad ones ``on the back burner.''
One area he wants to fix is the turnover ratio, which at minus-9 is tied for last in the league.
``There were some runs that we were able to identify that were somewhat productive,'' Crennel said. ``There were some pass plays which we had a high completion percentage on. We're going to focus on some of those things.''
Carthon has been the lightning rod for criticism of the offense. Crennel said he talked to players and coaches about the team before deciding a change was not necessary.
Players who appeared in the locker room backed Carthon.
``I think Maurice Carthon is a good coordinator,'' fullback Terrelle Smith said. ``I think sometimes things don't go our way, and I think it's because we're young.''
``Mo (Maurice Carthon) has been doing a good job,'' running back Reuben Droughns said.
``We support our coaches,'' quarterback Charlie Frye said. ``What is said about him outside the locker room, I don't even know what is said. I try not to listen to it. That is the guy who is in charge of the offense. You can't disrespect him. You have to go execute what he calls.''
Crennel said he might rotate Lennie Friedman into the game at guard or center -- though it appears more likely Friedman would play guard in relief of Joe Andruzzi or Cosey Coleman.
``Maybe those guys in front of (Friedman) might be able to play better if they had more rest,'' Crennel said.
In addition, Joe Jurevicius might move into the starting lineup at receiver if Dennis Northcutt's rib injury is not healed.
``That might be a pain management situation,'' Crennel said of Northcutt.
The Browns have to hope limited tinkering and paring back to essentials works because the schedule is not kind. The Denver Browns and the New York Jets come to Cleveland followed by trips to the San Diego Chargers and the Atlanta Falcons.
Home games against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cincinnati Bengals and Kansas City Chiefs follow.
Unless things change, the Browns almost certainly will be underdogs in every one of those games.
``I don't know that we are that far away, particularly when you look at the Baltimore game and the way we played against Baltimore,'' Crennel said. ``We need to generate that kind of effort, that kind of plan and that kind of momentum as we go forward.''
Brownies. . .
Cornerback Gary Baxter said he hopes to test his injured pectoral muscle in practice and play against the Broncos.... Crennel said he is hopeful Leigh Bodden will return from his sprained ankle.... That would put the Browns' top two corners on the field for the first time since the second game in Cincinnati.... The Broncos bring six former Browns to town, including three defensive line starters: Gerard Warren, Mike Myers and Ebenezer Ekuban. Defensive end Kenard Lang, kick returner Quincy Morgan and tight end Chad Mustard are the other three.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Canton

Warren returns to Cleveland with Denver
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
By STEVE DOERSCHUK

BEREA - Butch Davis was right about ?Big Money.?

Davis said Gerard Warren ? Davis? first draft pick with the Browns in 2001 ? would draw media crowds and wreak defensive line havoc for a winning team.
The media part came true in Cleveland. The rest is panning out in Denver.
Perceived as a huge waste of money for the Browns ? they were 25-39 with him before he was traded two seasons before serving out a $35 million contract ? Warren will be back in Cleveland Sunday as a Bronco.
The handful of Browns holdovers from Warren?s last season understand what the homecoming means.
?My opinion of ?Money? is gonna be totally different than everybody else?s,? said Browns linebacker Andra Davis, Warren?s teammate for five years (Florida, 2000-01 and Cleveland, 2002-04).
?To me,? Andra Davis said, ?he?s a great person, but to everybody else ... everybody else hates him.?
Hates him?
Warren was loud and opinionated. He sang at his locker, in the shower, while boogying out to practice. Using rap lyrics ? ?Kill the head, body?s dead? ? in reference to what the Browns would do to Ben Roethlisberger stirred things up before a Pittsburgh game.
Probably, Browns fans mostly hated the fact Warren came off as a good but not great player on teams that went 7-9, 9-7, 5-11 and 4-12, while LaDainian Tomlinson and Richard Seymour, passed over by Davis, did big things elsewhere.
?I mean, ?Money? did OK here,? Andra Davis said. ?Like you say, he went to Denver and got another big contract.?
In the offseason, the Broncos basically gave Warren a repeat of the rookie deal he signed with the Browns: Six years, $36 million.
He returns as the face of weirdness attached to a Denver-at-Cleveland game. He?s the front man among four ex-Browns defensive linemen who helped Denver improve to 4-1 by beating Oakland Sunday night. The others are Kenard Lang, Ebenezer Ekuban and Mike Myers; a fifth, Courtney Brown, is on injured reserve.
?I talk to all of those guys,? said Andra Davis, still on a Browns team that is 1-4. ?Our relationship goes far beyond football. I mean, ?Money? is my baby?s godfather, and Kenard is just like my brother.?
?DEADLY COMBINATION?
Browns defensive lineman Alvin McKinley, like Warren, came to Cleveland in 2001. By 2003, observers were wondering out loud if McKinley, a backup tackle, was playing as well as Warren.
Now Warren is a Denver tackle, and McKinley is in his second year as a starting Browns end in a 3-4 scheme.
?Gerard was just a different guy,? McKinley said Monday next to Warren?s old locker stall. ?A lot of guys criticized him when he said that stuff about Roethlisberger.
?I never had nothin? bad to say about Gerard. He?s a good player, a good guy. Any time you?ve got a smart player who is a good player, that?s a deadly combination.
?When he was on the field with me, he would always tell me stuff that was coming before it came.?
McKinley watched the Broncos with special interest Sunday night. They had long since knocked out the Raiders when Warren drew a personal-foul penalty for a sideswipe hit that reminded some of a 2001 belting of Mark Brunell ? he was fined $35,000.
?I thought Gerard had a helluva game,? McKinley said. ?He looks better doing what he?s doing out there as opposed to what he was doing here.?
ACT GOT OLD
Warren?s best Browns memory is helping the 2002 team reach the playoffs. His final days were the worst of times. He was on a defense that got humiliated in a 58-48 loss at Cincinnati, after which Davis resigned and was replaced by Terry Robiskie.
Near the end of Robiskie?s five-game run as interim head coach, he said, ?Gerard Warren is a good football player. He?s in there with that Michael Dean Perry guy we used to have here. Good football players are hard to find. I told Mr. (Randy) Lerner he?s a good football player. If he?s a bad person, I?m going to fix that. I?m going to get that done.?
During the 2005 scouting Combine, new Browns General Manager Phil Savage announced Warren was traded to Denver for a fourth-round pick. The pick in turn was sent to Seattle in exchange for Trent Dilfer.
The deal has boiled down to Warren for No. 3 quarterback Ken Dorsey since Dilfer was dealt to the 49ers for Dorsey on May 4.
But then, the Browns? braintrust judged Warren?s act had played it?s course. He was associated with expansion-era failure in relation to what it would cost to keep him.
Twenty-five days after the Warren trade, Ekuban and Myers were dealt to Denver for running back Reuben Droughns.
On Monday, Droughns talked about being a Broncos fullback in 2003, when a sinking Browns team put up a good fight at Denver before losing 23-20 in overtime.
?MONEY? TALKS
?You could see then that (Warren) is an exciting player,? Droughns said. ?He pretty much stopped the run that day.?
Did Warren live up to his reputation for on-field chatter?
?He passed along a few words,? Droughns said with a grin.
A big part of the Browns? sound track for four years, Warren?s voice has faded into the murky history of the expansion era. Seeing and hearing him Sunday will be strange.
? ?Money? loved it here in Cleveland,? Andra Davis said. ?He loved all the fans. The situation didn?t end the way he wanted it to end, but ... he always talks about missing Cleveland.
?I think he wanted to stay. He was hurt when he left.
?He?s not mad about the situation. I?m not mad. I love the guys we got now. I?m pretty sure he loves his situation up in Denver.?
Reach Repository sports writer Steve Doerschuk at (330) 580-8347 or e-mail [email protected]

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Canton

Crennel thinking about ways to keep line fresh
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
By STEVE DOERSCHUK

BEREA - There is no miracle cure for either LeCharles Bentley or the offensive line that ruptured when his patellar tendon did.

There is a chance Lennie Friedman will get a chance to help.
"We'll see where (Friedman) fits and if he can relieve some stress from some of the other guys," Head Coach Romeo Crennel said Monday.
Friedman is an eighth-year pro who arrived in an August trade with the Bears during the center position's flight through the Bermuda Triangle.
He has split 32 NFL starts between center and guard, falling short of expectations the Broncos had for him when they made him a Round 2 pick out of Duke in 1999. The Broncos, who play at Cleveland on Sunday, released him before the 2003 season, and he has since been with the Redskins, Bears and Browns.
Crennel indicated Friedman might see his first real-game action of the season at center or guard.
"I try to prepare every week the same way I've prepared from the minute I got in the league,'' Friedman said. "Watch film. Learn as much as I can. If called upon, do the best you can do.''
It's possible the 2007 Browns will have new starters at the three positions that have been manned through five games by right guard Cosey Coleman, center Hank Fraley and left guard Joe Andruzzi.
"Nobody can stand up here and say we're goin' to the Pro Bowl or nothin' like that, but ... I feel as though I've been solid," Coleman said.
NFL teams tend to use backup defensive linemen in games, but not reserve offensive linemen.
"It's rare ... I will say that," Coleman said. "But if he can help us and be productive, more power to him."
Crennel is willing to consider the unconventional to keep quarterback Charlie Frye from getting pounded beyond recognition.
"Maybe," Crennel said, "the guys in front of (Friedman) could play better if they had more rest."
Reach Repository sports writer Steve Doerschuk at (330) 580-8347 or e-mail:
[email protected]
BROWNS REPORT
Is Baxter coming back?
Cornerback Gary Baxter might play for the first time since Sept. 17, when he had a poor game while adjusting to a pectoral muscle injury.
"I feel complete,'' Baxter said Monday. "I feel like I don't have to alter my arm or have a strap holding me back. I can focus on football and not my health.
"Right now, things are looking positive for me to be out there on the field."
It also appears cornerback Leigh Bodden will return from the ankle injury that knocked him out of the Oct. 8 game at Carolina. Bodden said Monday that doctors cleared him to practice Wednesday.
The Browns haven't had the anticipated starting corners, Baxter and Bodden, together in good health yet this season.

Extra points
n Head Coach Romeo Crennel indicated he might become more involved in play calling, a role handled so far by Offensive Coordinator Mo Carthon. Running back Reuben Droughns' thoughts on the topic: "I'm not sure to what extent it's gonna happen. If he does, that'd be good, I guess, but I think Mo's been doing a pretty good job himself."
n Crennel on the problems of breaking in young Charlie Frye: "We like Charlie, but he is still a young player. He is still learning. We understand that, but we think he gives us a good chance to win."
n Crennel made no coaching changes in the offseason and stayed the course through the bye. "I told (staff members) I have confidence in every one of them," he said. "By working together, we can get this thing straightened out. I may be crazy, stupid or naive, but that's what I believe." STEVE DOERSCHUK

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

MorningJournal

Carthon's job is safe for now
JEFF SCHUDEL, Morning Journal Writer

10/17/2006

BEREA -- After a week to think it over and talking about the issue with players and assistant coaches, Romeo Crennel has decided Maurice Carthon should remain the Browns offensive coordinator.


Carthon will not have the autonomy he had in the first part of the season, however. The game plan will be the collaboration of the offensive staff (as it has been) plus Crennel. Crennel will be more involved in play-calling, but for the most part it will still be Carthon's show on game day.

''We've talked about emphasizing our strong points,'' said Crennel, a defensive coach his entire career. ''I'm going to see to it we get those things emphasized. Some of that is presence in the meetings. Some of that is over-riding plays if I need to over-ride them or maybe just calling a play if I think a play is a good play and I have a feel for it.

''I've done that this year -- maybe not to the degree that it might be going forward. I'm the head coach, so I have the responsibility. If I want it changed, it will change.''

Quarterback Charlie Frye isn't slamming Carthon, but he likes the idea of Crennel jumping into the offense more. Just how much play-calling or game planning Crennel does remains to be seen; Crennel said if he vetoes one of Carthon's calls and his own call backfires, he would take responsibility.

''Any time the head coach wants to get involved, I think it's a plus because he's the guy in charge,'' Frye said. ''The more he knows about the things going on on offense I think will make it better.

''I've always been brought up that you just do what you're coached to do. We support our coaches. (Carthon) is the guy in charge of the offense. You can't disrespect him. If the coach calls something, I'm going to go out and execute it.''

The Browns, 1-4, come off their bye with an offense ranked 31st in the NFL. Denver, the opponent Sunday in Cleveland Browns Stadium, has given up only one offensive touchdown in five games. The Broncos have allowed 37 points. Only the Bears (36) allowed fewer through five games. The Bears took a 5-0 record into Glendale, Ariz., last night.

It is not an ideal setting for Carthon to redeem himself, although the Ravens flew into Cleveland having not allowed a touchdown in the first two games. The Browns found the end zone twice.

''By working together, we can get this thing straightened out,'' Crennel said. ''I may be crazy, stupid or naive, but that's what I believe. I think I have good coaches. I have good kids on the team, I believe in them and I'm going to give them a chance to do their job.''

It was Crennel's strongest endorsement yet for the embattled Carthon.

The Browns played badly against the Saints and lost 19-14, but believed they could have pulled the game out if Braylon Edwards had held onto a pass in the final minutes.

They led Baltimore 14-3 heading into the fourth quarter and were clinging to a 14-12 lead when Frye threw an interception in the end zone. A touchdown would have sealed the game, but the Ravens turned the takeaway into the game-winning field goal.

A 20-12 loss to Carolina started with a pass that went through Dennis Northcutt's hands. It was intercepted and returned for a touchdown.

Players interviewed in the locker room yesterday said Crennel did not consult them, yet they say they have Carthon's back.

Frye said he meets with Crennel ''about once a week'' to talk about the team. The most recent meeting was not about Carthon specifically, Frye said.

''He was asking me what I thought we could do to get better,'' Frye said. ''Getting the ball out of my hands (quicker) is something we worked on all week. You could make a hundred excuses -- a (mental error) here or a missed block there. That's not the way to get it corrected. The way to get it corrected is to move forward and work on the things we worked on last week.''

Frye has thrown a league-high nine interceptions, and that's a huge part of the problem. Three of the passes deflected off receivers hands, but they are still interceptions. The Browns have also lost five fumbles. The have only five takeaways -- four interceptions and just one fumble recovery.

Their minus-9 turnover ratio is tied for last in the NFL with the 0-5 Oakland Raiders. Crennel wants the offensive players to be more careful and his defensive players to hold onto the ball when they get their hands on it.

''It impacts the whole team,'' Crennel said. ''I know if we can improve that number, it will probably win a couple games for us.

''We have talent on this team. We think our team has some ability to get things done. I don't know that we're that far away.''

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

CPD

Corner Baxter expected to return against Denver


Tuesday, October 17, 2006


Cornerback Gary Baxter, who's missed the past three games with a partially torn chest muscle, is expected to return Sunday against the Broncos.
"I've had a chance to rest it up and I've been rehabbing it pretty good," Baxter said. "Right now, things are looking positive for me to be on the field. Hopefully, I can have a great game and put all of this behind me and continue to try to knock out the rest of the 11 games."
Baxter said he feels much better than he did when he played against Cincinnati and struggled against Chris Henry, who had five catches for 113 yards.
"I feel complete," he said. "I don't have the [shoulder] strap holding me back. I can go out and focus on football and not on my health."
Baxter, who hurt the muscle in preseason, said he might have come back too soon. "But I can't worry about that," he said. "The great thing is, I'm coming back and very much looking forward to it."
Coach Romeo Crennel said cornerback Leigh Bodden, who missed the Panthers game with a sprained ankle, and safety Brian Russell, who left the Carolina game with a sprained ankle, also should play against the Broncos.
"I think it will help to get some of those guys back," Crennel said.
Northcutt iffy:
Crennel did not sound as optimistic about receiver Dennis Northcutt, who suffered a rib injury at Carolina.
If Northcutt sits, Joe Jurevicius will start at receiver and Joshua Cribbs will return punts. Crennel said Jurevicius didn't start against the Panthers in part because he still was recovering from a rib injury.
Friedman to rotate:
Crennel said guard/center Lennie Friedman will begin a four-man rotation with guards Joe Andruzzi and Cosey Coleman and center Hank Fraley.
Friedman will spell some or all of them at times during the game.
There might be a need to rest the guys for a series here or a series there," Crennel said.
He said the game will dictate how the rotation works, and he'll be sensitive to letting the starters get into the flow of the game.
News of the rotation came as a surprise to Coleman and Friedman.
"This is the first I've heard of it," he said. "I don't feel as though I need [a rest], but if it's for the betterment of the team, so be it."
He said offensive line rotations are rare, but he's all for it if the coaches think it's necessary. Friedman said he welcomes the chance to play and feels more comfortable right now at center than guard.
Frye's arm:
Quarterback Charlie Frye said his arm feels a lot better after resting during the bye week. He said he's taken a couple of hits on the arm and it had been sore.
"It's real noticeable," he said. "I got in a good lift [Monday] and I haven't really gotten in a good lift in since the first week of the season. I think my arm's going to be feeling a lot better. I feel like I did before the season."
Broncos coming:
Former Browns Gerard Warren, Ebenezer Ekuban, Mike Myers and Quincy Morgan are gearing up for a return to Cleveland. Warren, Ekuban and Myers are part of a unit that's given up the second-fewest points in the league after five games at 37. They've only allowed one touchdown.
"Those guys are going to pin their ears back and be a little more excited to play against us," said Browns running back Reuben Droughns, a former Bronco. "I'm very excited to play against my former team."
To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:
[email protected], 216-999-4670

 

[Buckin' A]

Jim Fassel was fired by Billick today. I would dance in the damned streets if Romeo got rid of Carthon and brought in Fassel.

 

[NFBuck]

Jim Fassel was fired by Billick today. I would dance in the damned streets if Romeo got rid of Carthon and brought in Fassel.

Couldn't hurt. I'm thinking any clown off the streets would pretty much be an upgrade. Provided he/she has actually watched a game of football of course.

 

[strohs]

Jim Fassel was fired by Billick today. I would dance in the damned streets if Romeo got rid of Carthon and brought in Fassel.

I would dance in the damned streets if Romeo got rid of Carthon and brought in a 4 year old girl

 

[exhawg]

I'll take Fassel or Jessica Alba.

 

[osugrad21]

I would dance in the damned streets if Romeo got rid of Carthon and brought in a 4 year old girl

You available?

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

Younger brother of Browns' Winslow dies

TOM WITHERS

Associated Press

CLEVELAND - Cleveland Browns tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. attended a funeral on Tuesday for his younger brother, Justin K.B. Winslow, who died suddenly last week in Kansas City, Mo. He was 23.
The son of Hall of Fame tight end Kellen Winslow Sr. was found unconscious on Oct. 12 by his mother, Dawnn Wimes O'Bannon. According to a statement released by the family, he was unresponsive with a weak pulse.
Justin Winslow was taken by ambulance to a hospital but couldn't be revived and died. A family spokeswoman said the cause of death would not be known until toxicology tests are completed.
"We are deeply saddened by the untimely and sudden death of our beloved son and brother, Justin K.B. Winslow," the family's statement said. "Justin will continue to inspire his family and friends that were touched by his life. His vivacious personality and magnetic spirit will be deeply missed."
Kellen Winslow Jr., who suffered serious injuries in a motorcycle accident last year, joined his family for his brother's funeral in Kansas City. Winslow was expected to rejoin the Browns on Wednesday as the team begins preparing for Sunday's home game against the Denver Broncos.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Canton

Browns fans need a reason to watch

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

By Steve Doerschuk REPOSITORY SPORTS WRITER

BRONCOS AT BROWNS

4:05 p.m. Sunday
Cleveland Browns Stadium
TV Channel 19


BEREA If autumn continues as it has gone for the Browns, rake leaves, clean gutters, wax that mower or ...
Be annoyed. Be very annoyed. Watch the game.
Obviously, Browns fans who have been ready for some football since 1996 would prefer to start seeing some.
Losing to Denver on Sunday would surprise no one.
But what if the Browns can change? Winning could wipe some grime from a window through which things look slightly interesting.
Here are ways 2006 could come out of its coma:
BEAT THE BRONCOS
Denver is 4-1, but the Broncos are vulnerable. How mighty can a team full of ex-Browns from Ebenezer Ekuban to Chad Mustard be?
Denver is just 1-1 on the road, having lost, 18-10, to the Rams.
Get some heat on quarterback Jake Plummer. He has fired three touchdowns and nine interceptions. His completion percentage is almost 10 points lower than Charlie Frye's.
The Broncos will be out of their comfort zone. They haven't played a road game since Sept. 24 - OK, so they beat the Patriots, 17-7, that day.
DREAM A LITTLE
Anything can happen.
As long as that doesn't include "anything but a Cleveland winning streak," the Browns can shed the feeling that the rest of the AFC North is Earth, and they are half past Uranus.
Recent weeks have knocked Baltimore, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh out of orbit. If things break Cleveland's way Sunday, the Browns and the Steelers - with a loss at Atlanta - would both have four losses.
The streaking Panthers can hand Cincinnati its third loss.
Baltimore has lost two straight.
If the Browns beat Denver on Sunday and win at home against the Jets a week later, they can be in the thick of the division race with more than half a season left.
Romeo Crennel says he is convinced the Browns can start winning games.
If, somehow, that's the next three, they would be 4-4.
The Steelers will be 4-4 or worse unless they win their next three against the Falcons, Raiders and Broncos.
The Ravens, on their bye week, will be 4-4 if they lose at New Orleans and then to the Bengals.
The Bengals will be 4-4 if they go 1-2 in a stretch against Carolina, Atlanta and Baltimore, teams a combined 11-6.
TAKE HEART IN OTHERS' TROUBLES
After going 7-2 in September, the rest of the AFC is 2-5 in October.
Baltimore's two-game losing streak easily could be a four-bagger, starting with a win at Cleveland that rode on a 52-yard field goal.
In a home loss to Carolina, already creaky Steve McNair left with a concussion and sprained neck.
It's always messy to fire a coordinator in midseason, as was done with Jim Fassel. And one fears replacement Kyle Boller more than Raven fans.
Cincinnati might not survive The LeCharles Effect, well known to Browns fans. Veteran center Rich Braham suffered a season-ending injury against the Browns, and now left tackle Levi Jones is out indefinitely with a knee injury. Carson Palmer had better adjust his knee brace.
Also, bad apples are making the Bengal defense queasy, with linebacker Odell Thurman suspended for 2006.
Before the Steelers drilled Kansas City, they lost three straight by a combined 60-33.
MAKE HAY AGAINST THE OFFENSIVELY CHALLENGED
Certainly, that's what the Browns are, having managed just 81 points.
But among teams that have already had their bye week, the Browns still face three of the four that have scored less than them.
Denver and Tampa Bay (Dec. 24) have scored 62 points. Houston (Dec. 31) has scored 72.
The Browns think their defense can be a strength as players return from injuries, rookie starters Kamerion Wimbley and D'Qwell Jackson grow up and veterans Willie McGinest and Ted Washington mesh in the system.
GET CHARLIE FRYE ROLLING
Beating the defensively strong Broncos probably rides on Cleveland's defense, which should have starting corners Gary Baxter and Leigh Bodden back.
The following Sunday, the Browns face a weak defense for the first time in the 30th-ranked Jets.
So far, Frye has faced the No. 14 Saints, the No. 24 Bengals, the No. 3 Ravens, the No. 8 Raiders and the No. 16 Panthers.
SHOCK THE FANS AWAKE
What's the difference if the Browns beat teams like the Jets, Chiefs, Bucs and Texans?
That hasn't been hard to do this year. For the Browns to get any sort of a buzz going, they must beat a couple contenders at home, a rare occurrence in the expansion era.
How rare? Here's a look at the home wins against teams that had substantial seasons:
1999, none; 2000, none. 2001, Baltimore, which was coming off a Super Bowl year; 2002, Atlanta in a season finale, after which both teams went to the playoffs; 2003, none; 2004, Baltimore, in the opener; the Ravens went 9-6 the rest of the way; 2005, Chicago. The Bears won 10 of their next 11.
That's it.
Home losses against teams that resemble the 2006 Broncos have been abundant. Beating Denver on Sunday is necessary.
"Sometimes," Crennel said, "players get to a point where they don't really believe. I don't know when that point comes."
Probably, it coincides with the point at which fans stop watching games and start waxing mowers. Reach Repository sports writer Steve Doerschuk at (330) 580-8347 or e-mail: [email protected]

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

DDN

Browns notes
Droughns has no regrets about not being a Bronco


By Sean McClelland
Staff Writer

Tuesday, October 17, 2006


BEREA ? The trade arose out of necessity. The Cleveland Browns were desperate for a running back, and the Denver Broncos were short of defensive linemen.
So Phil Savage, in one of his first major moves as Browns general manager, sent Mike Myers and Ebenezer Ekuban to Denver for Reuben Droughns on March 30, 2005.
Droughns flourished in his first season with the Browns, gaining 1,232 yards. He's been slowed by a shoulder injury, but the bye week helped, and he's looking forward to playing his former team Sunday at Cleveland Browns Stadium.
Through six weeks, the teams sit at opposite ends of the NFL spectrum, the Broncos thinking Super Bowl, the Browns wallowing.
Regrets? Not Droughns, who said of the Broncos, "They gave me an opportunity to make some money and make a name for myself somewhere else."
Cleveland West
The Cleveland flavor on the Denver roster is intense. Myers and Ekuban are key members of a stifling defense, as are tackle Gerard Warren, selected by the Browns with the No. 3 pick in the 2001 draft, and Kenard Lang, now a defensive end again after the Browns tried to make him a linebacker.
"They're a very exciting group," Droughns said. "They do a good job of plugging the holes so the linebackers can flow to the ball."
Defensive end Courtney Brown, No. 1 overall pick of the Browns in 2000, also found his way to Denver but is out for the season after knee surgery. Receiver Quincy Morgan, a 2001 second-round pick by the Browns, is returning kicks for the Broncos.
Including Brown, there are eight ex-Browns on the Denver roster. Others include defensive tackle Amon Gordon and tight end Chad Mustard.
Awaiting his turn
It did not take long for Sunday's questionable roughing-the-passer penalty on Bengals defensive end Justin Smith to get around the league.
Charlie Frye's eyes lit up when it was mentioned.
"I'm just waiting for my turn on one of those calls," the Browns' second-year quarterback said.
Out of sight
Receiver Braylon Edwards and tight end Kellen Winslow II, usually among the more talkative team members, avoided the locker room Monday during the period open to the media. Edwards appeared briefly at his locker, then ducked out.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

NFL vet tackles new foe

1960s Browns runner speaks out on men, his own breast cancer

By Marla Ridenour

Beacon Journal staff writer

For most of his life, Ernie Green seemed invincible.
A 14th-round draft choice, the Cleveland Browns halfback played alongside hall of famers Jim Brown and Leroy Kelly for seven seasons in the 1960s. He scored 35 career touchdowns and helped the Browns capture their last championship in 1964.
Even when a chronic knee injury forced his retirement, Green and a partner started a business in Dayton manufacturing automotive parts that has been successful for nearly 30 years. The Kettering resident rose in status in the community, being named to the board of directors of three corporations.
Then one night in July 2005, when Green was lying in bed, astronomical odds caught up to him. Suddenly he felt vulnerable.
He touched his right breast and found a mass.
It was hard and didn't move. He checked the left side and there was nothing similar there. So he shook his wife Della awake and told her to touch it.
``She said, `Whoa, that doesn't feel right,' '' Green said.
His doctors in Dayton and Cleveland figured it was nothing, but decided he should have it checked. His local physician didn't believe it was breast cancer, telling Green he had been practicing 47 years and had seen only two cases in men.
The American Cancer Society estimates 1,720 men in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year and 460 will die of it compared with 213,000 diagnoses in women and 40,970 fatalities.
But Green, 68, had ignored a major warning sign he might never have mentioned when giving his medical history: His sisters Evelyn and Rebecca had died of breast cancer, both after undergoing double mastectomies.
Rebecca, the younger sister, who lived in their native Georgia, survived five years before learning during a checkup it had spread to her liver. She died about 15 years ago. Evelyn died two years later in North Carolina of throat cancer, which might have metastasized from her breast.
His sisters weren't on his mind when Green's doctor put him under anesthesia for what both thought would be a routine biopsy. When Green woke up, the doctor stood above him.
``He said, `The good news is it's out,' '' Green said. `` `The bad news is it's malignant.' ''
The tumor was small, Green said. After he sought a second opinion in Cleveland, the treatment he chose included a modified mastectomy and eight sessions of chemotherapy, which ran from last October through March.
``The stats are like one in a million, then that one becomes you,'' Green said. ``That's a difficult realization, one that will rock your world. It's the loneliest feeling.
``What bothered me most was that I spent a lifetime being concerned about what I ate, exercising, going to the doctor on a regular basis. All of a sudden it smacks you in the face and you say, `Why me? What went wrong?' ''
Former Browns guard John Wooten used to ride to practice every day with Green and the two have been close since. Wooten was just as stunned with the diagnosis as Green.
``It's such an unbelievable thing when you start talking about a male,'' Wooten said. ``But I think all this has been a godsend for men everywhere. It can happen to the best, strongest, most physically fit, macho men. Here was a guy who played football, an excellent athlete who was always very meticulous with his diet and everything.
``I've been very impressed with how he's talked about it, trying to help somebody else.''
Part of Green's motivation is he thinks breast cancer statistics lie.
``I spent no time in medical school, but I'm a firm believer that there are more men affected by this disease and they don't know about it,'' Green said. ``They don't have masses or lumps. Because the lymph system plays such a role it could end up going someplace else.''
Green won't sugarcoat what he went through during chemotherapy. Wooten and his wife, Juanita, spent a week at the Greens' winter home in Florida trying to help during that time.
``It's not an easy trip,'' Green said. ``The worst part is waking up at 3 or 4 in the morning. It's quiet and your mind starts to wonder.''
The side effects of chemotherapy were serious. Green lost all his hair, which he said was the least of his worries. The vision in his right eye blurred. The second chemo drug caused nerve damage in his feet that will take at least eight months to heal. He cannot walk barefoot and must wear shoes with rubber soles. He sometimes required heavy medication to make the joint pain bearable.
``You try not to take it, but after a while you say, `I've got to do something. I can't lie here and suffer,' '' he said.
Green said he was fortunate that he had a network of friends, not all from football. He traded e-mails with a woman from Eaton Corp., where he sits on the board.
``She lost her hair, I lost mine,'' he said. ``The last time I saw her five weeks ago she'd completed her treatment and her hair is back. We had a great time reminiscing.''
Green said teammates from the '64 Browns like Wooten, defensive end/linebacker Jim Houston, defensive back Walter Beach and backup quarterback Jim Ninowski were also supportive.
``It's so easy to feel sorry for yourself,'' Green said. ``Your friends step up, even though sometimes you don't feel like talking to them. They'd say, `OK, let's bounce back. Why don't you go out for a walk, ride your bike or get a book?' ''
As Wooten said of the '64 team: ``The whole group responds to what's going on.''
Green's challenges might not be over. A month ago, his doctor discovered a nodule on his thyroid that soon will be biopsied.
``I guess it's pretty common in people my age,'' Green said. ``It just cropped up. When I had my physical this year, he checked my thyroid and it was normal.''
Despite the latest crisis, Green continues to work. His voice on the phone from his office sounded upbeat.
``We all recognize we're going to have to close our eyes and leave this world,'' he said. ``At the end of the day, we're all going to be dealt our hand to play. That's what life is all about.''

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

5 old pals back as foes

There's no shortage of pointed opinion about those `Browncos'

By Patrick McManamon

Beacon Journal staff writer

BEREA - The truest measure of the way the new Browns regime felt about Gerard Warren is what they took in return when they traded him.
The Browns traded Warren, the third overall choice in the 2001 draft, for a fourth-round draft pick.
That's close to a giveaway.
But the Denver Broncos are happy they were the recipients. Warren and three other former Browns start on the defensive line for the 4-1 team that will play the Browns on Sunday at Cleveland Browns Stadium.
Warren and Mike Myers start at defensive tackle, Ebenezer Ekuban and Kenard Lang at end -- and Lang starts only because Courtney Brown, another former Brown, is out for the year with a knee injury. That's five discarded Browns contributing to a winning team that last season went to the AFC Championship Game.
``When we were losing, people were saying they were sorry,'' Browns linebacker Andra Davis said of his former teammates. ``They're winning. I guess they're All-Pros now.''
Davis' point: Every one of the ``Browncos'' is playing the same way in Denver that they played in Cleveland.
Some of his teammates agreed.
``When you lose games, everything gets analyzed,'' said kicker Phil Dawson, one of the few Browns who go back to the days of ``Big Money,'' Warren's nickname.
``Everything gets broken down. Everyone has an opinion as to why. Does it really matter?'' Dawson asked. ``All that matters is you're losing.''
All the linemen left after the hiring of Phil Savage as general manager and Romeo Crennel as coach.
``You know what the word is? `Good riddance,' '' Ekuban told the Rocky Mountain News. ``I mean, Courtney Brown was a bust. Gerard Warren was a bust. Michael Myers can't play. He's just a backup guy. Ebenezer Ekuban, well, he had one good year, but he didn't help the team win.
``I think it was just `good riddance.' But we all had confidence in ourselves that we were better players than our team showed.''
Brown was the first overall pick in the 2000 draft, but never succeeded in Cleveland because of injury. The Browns tried to persuade him to stay as a linebacker, but he preferred a fresh start.
Lang stayed for Crennel's first year and gave his all in trying to move from end to linebacker. He moved back to end in Denver after the Browns released him.
Ekuban and Myers were traded for running back Reuben Droughns, a deal that has helped both teams. The Browns never felt those two defensive linemen fit in the 3-4 alignment.
Warren was the poster boy for the struggles of the Butch Davis era, and things probably were not going to work for him in Cleveland. He had too much baggage with some of his teammates, who did not appreciate his loud style or his missteps.
He moved to Denver, started and signed a new six-year, $36 million deal in March.
In Cleveland, Warren had a not-so-short list of ``transgressions.'' He was fined $30,000 for a blow to the head of quarterback Mark Brunell in Jacksonville, a hit that prompted a rules change to protect a quarterback idly watching an interception return.
He was arrested for carrying a concealed weapon in Pittsburgh after an off-day party -- with a man named Percy Blue rolling a joint in the back seat of his car. Butch Davis said Warren didn't know Blue, and then-team President Carmen Policy said Pittsburgh police told him Warren was the ``finest, nicest man they'd ever arrested.''
Warren was thrown out of a game in Seattle, confessed to drinking too much as a rookie and missed a practice after an off week when he missed his flight.
He also got a letter from the league office when he blared out ``kill the head and the body is dead'' before a game against Pittsburgh and related it to quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
Those were the events everyone saw. Teammates also grumbled privately that Warren was overpaid, overrated and coddled by Davis.
``He had his ups and downs,'' Roye said. ``But more than likely he was like everybody else. He was out there trying to help us win.''
``Something wasn't right or he'd still be here,'' tackle Ryan Tucker said. ``I don't know what it was. I know I liked Gerard. He never did anything bad to me.''
Crennel spent an hour talking to Warren after he was hired, but he and Savage decided it was best for Warren to move on.
``You guys probably know him better than I did because you got to see him play and practice every day,'' Crennel said to the Cleveland-area media. ``You had some knowledge with things that went on here in the past. ``Those are in the past and I'm leaving them in the past. There is nothing I can do about it and I can't change what happened.''
Warren's take, according to the Rocky Mountain News?
``Once the team went south after the playoffs (the loss in Pittsburgh), they had to find a finger to point, somebody to blame, and with me coming in and being a vocal individual and media-friendly, always talking, it made me a target when things started going wrong,'' he said.
Lang said the media blew things out of proportion.
``When you're a small market like that, you have to make big things out of nothing in Cleveland,'' he said.
Asked whether Warren got a bad rap in Cleveland, Andra Davis said: ``Depends on who you are. Most of the defensive guys, we understood him.''
Those who supported Warren were adamant about his talent. When Terry Robiskie was interim coach, he brought the media to a room to watch tape to show Warren could play.
Davis said Warren loved Cleveland and the fans.
``He knows he was the third overall pick,'' Davis said. ``He expected more out of himself statistics-wise. I know he told me he felt like he let the city down because everybody kept talking about LaDainian Tomlinson and everybody else.''
The Browns eventually used the pick they got for Warren to acquire quarterback Trent Dilfer, and he was traded in the offseason for backup Ken Dorsey and a pick that became backup center/guard Lennie Friedman.
The final picture: Lang and Brown left as free agents; Myers, Ekuban and Warren were traded for Droughns, Dorsey and Friedman.
Brownies. . .
The Browns may have both their starting corners for Sunday's game. Leigh Bodden and Gary Baxter spoke confidently of coming back from ankle and shoulder injuries.... WR Dennis Northcutt was listed as questionable with injured ribs.... Safety Brian Russell also was on the injury report with an ankle problem, but said he hopes to play as well.... Bodden, Northcutt and Russell missed the team portion of practice Wednesday.... Tight end Kellen Winslow was back at practice after attending the funeral of his brother Justin in Kansas City.