Cleveland Browns (2008 Season)

[billmac91]

Browns linebacker Antwan Peek has minor knee surgery, likely out until season opener
Posted by Mary Kay Cabot July 31, 2008 17:52PM
Categories: Browns

Browns linebacker Antwan Peek underwent an arthroscopic procedure on his right knee Thursday morning and will be out at least until the opener Sept. 7 against Dallas.

Peek, who sat out Wednesday's practices, suffered some swelling and soreness in the knee over the past few days. He underwent an MRI, which showed he some loose cartilage. Peek said Wednesday that he also underwent a scope in the off-season.

The surgery is a minor blow to the Browns, who were counting on a healthy Peek this season to take some pressure off fellow outside linebacker Kamerion Wimbley, whose sacks went down from 11 in 2006 to 5 last season because of constant double-teaming.

Willie McGinest will start opposite Wimbley and rookie Alex Hall will get added reps in Peek's absence.

Continued

If Willie McGinest has to play more than 30% of the defensive snaps this year, that is a very bad thing......

Heres to hoping Antwaan is ready to go early in the season.

 

[NFBuck]

If Willie McGinest has to play more than 30% of the defensive snaps this year, that is a very bad thing......

Heres to hoping Antwaan is ready to go early in the season.

No kidding. He should be used for occasonal run-support and basically be a coach in shoulder pads. He's so painfully slow at this point, it was tough to watch last season.

 

[osugrad21]

ABJ

Browns' Andra Davis sees great mix of talent By George M. Thomas
Beacon Journal sportswriter
POSTED: 12:32 a.m. EDT, Aug 01, 2008

BEREA: Browns linebacker Andra Davis looks around the team's practice facility
and he likes who he sees in those brown jerseys.
He should.
The addition of defensive linemen Corey Williams and Shaun Rogers could help him revitalize a career that had been cruising along until last year, his sixth in the NFL and arguably his least productive.
''One great thing about the additions we have: It's a great mixture of youth, experience, veteran leadership,'' he said. ''Even young guys [are] taking on more of a leadership role. Not one person's defense, it's team defense . . . no one guy's bigger than the group. We're all part of a team.''
What Davis faces is a lot of competition ? even at the linebacker position, where the Browns drafted Beau Bell this past spring, a fact Davis likes and a challenge that he welcomes as he heads into the last year of his contract with the Browns.
Cont...

 

[osugrad21]

ABJ

A leaner Jamal Lewis shapes up for big season Running back known for offseason regimen
By Patrick McManamon
Beacon Journal sports columnist

Published on Tuesday, Jul 29, 2008

BEREA: Jamal Lewis ran 1,304 yards last season when his playing weight was listed at 245 pounds.
So what did he do in the offseason?
He dieted and lost weight so he could report to the Browns training camp at the lightest he has been since he was a junior at the University of Tennessee.
Want to question that decision?
You're allowed; it is America, after all. But nobody on the Browns seems to know himself better than Lewis, and nobody takes as professional an approach to preparation and readiness for the season.
Consider Lewis' thinking for coming to camp at 237 pounds ? a loss that is noticeable.
''Knowing the scheme that we're going to run here and the runs that we run . . . there are a lot of outside runs,'' he said after the morning workout Monday. ''There's not a lot of old-school, downhill, pounding plays. Being able to utilize the offensive line that we have, with their skill and their speed, as agile as they are, as athletic as they are, I just felt like I needed to get down so I could hit the corner and get back to doing what I used to do.''
Cont...

 

[osugrad21]

ABJ

Browns notebook - Quinn shows improvement Crennel commends quarterback for moving forward, working hard
By George M. Thomas
Beacon Journal sportswriter

Published on Thursday, Jul 31, 2008

BEREA: As should be expected given the Cleveland Browns opened training camp just a week ago, not everything is running smoothly.
Quarterback Brady Quinn started to pick things up Tuesday with a strike to Josh Cribbs that turned into an impressive score during the two-minute drill, and with a couple of nice out patterns thrown Wednesday.
Coach Romeo Crennel said he knows that Quinn is aware of it, but commended the second-year signal caller for moving forward.
''I think he's having fun. Sometimes he tries to make plays down the field, when in a different situation he might make a different choice,'' Crennel said. ''I know that he works hard. Things are going to smooth out for him and things will be less erratic for him, so to speak. Last year, he would just take what the defense gave him. I think he has better command of the offense, and he's trying to anticipate when he can make a play down the field.''
Cont...

 

[osugrad21]

ABJ

Rookie rusher applies advice Travis Thomas finds help is all around as he adjusts to competition
By George M. Thomas
Beacon Journal sportswriter

Published on Thursday, Jul 31, 2008

BEREA: First impressions are everything, and there's little doubt that rookie running back Travis Thomas made a favorable one on Browns coach Romeo Crennel.
Crennel recently singled out Thomas for praise, an enviable position just a week into training camp.
If he knows of Crennel's praise, Thomas is not letting on, instead choosing to maintain his focus.
''I'm just trying to take things one day at a time, learning the offense day by day with the mentality just to improve and get better,'' he said. ''I'm learning from the guys around me like Jamal (Lewis) and (Jason) Wright. I'm just trying to take little bits of them and apply it to my game.''
Cont...

 

[osugrad21]

CPD

Defensive back Terry Cousin buzzin' over Cleveland Browns defense

Friday, August 01, 2008 Tony Grossi
Plain Dealer Reporter

Of the eight cornerbacks in Browns training camp, four have never appeared in an NFL game and three others have a total of 46 games of experience.
Then there's Terry Cousin.
Entering his 12th season, Cousin has logged 156 NFL games plus eight in the postseason. He knows what you're thinking.

Cont...

 

[osugrad21]

CPD

Cleveland Browns linebacker Antwan Peek has knee surgery, will miss preseason

Friday, August 01, 2008
Just about halfway through their tranquil and carefree training camp, the Browns received some bad news Thursday.
Linebacker Antwan Peek had arthroscopic surgery to remove cartilage damage in his right knee and will be lost for the entire preseason, coach Romeo Crennel said.
Peek, who also had a procedure on a knee after the 2007 season, complained of irritation Wednesday, which led to an MRI test and the decision to have some cartilage removed.

Cont..

 

[osugrad21]

Canton

Believe it Browns fans ? Thomas is the real thing
Thursday, July 31, 2008
BY Steve Doerschuk
REPOSITORY SPORTS WRITER

ON THE WEB Read more about the Browns at Steve Doerschuk's blog

BEREA Attention, Frank Caliendo wannabes.

Try this impersonation in your best thoroughly stunned Marv Albert:

"Derek Anderson is sacked! Aaron Schobel beats Joe Thomas! AND IT COUNTS!"

Talk about rare footage from the 2007 Cleveland Browns season ... Joe Thomas impersonating a mortal left tackle.

No official stats are kept for such things, but Anderson, by way of praising Thomas, says the 2007 rookie allowed one sack in a Pro Bowl season.

Thomas fesses up.

"We had a 'twist' game against Buffalo in the snow when I gave up a sack," he said.
Cont...

 

[osugrad21]

Canton

Browns' Peek hits a new low
Injury sidelines linebacker until regular season
Friday, August 1, 2008
BY Steve Doerschuk
REPOSITORY SPORTS WRITER

BEREA Antwan Peek can't catch a break. After playing hurt in 2007, he has been knocked out of Cleveland Browns training camp.

Peek underwent arthroscopic knee surgery Thursday after pulling up with a limp earlier this week. Head Coach Romeo Crennel said the team hopes to get Peek back for the Sept. 7 opener against Dallas.

Poor Peek ...

It looked like a slam dunk as the summer of 2007 melted into August. The former Cincinnati Bearcats star looked like a good bet to take his new football team higher.

The special athleticism was always there. It drove Bob Huggins to put Peek on his Cincinnati basketball team, even though the football coaches weren't thrilled about sharing.

Cont...

 

[osugrad21]

Canton

Browns cornerbacks making strides
Friday, August 1, 2008
BY Steve Doerschuk
REPOSITORY SPORTS WRITER

BEREA Maybe the kids will be all right. Certainly, they're not acting their age.

Starting cornerbacks Eric Wright and Brandon McDonald, still fairly fresh off the Browns' draft Class of 2007, looked relaxed, fast and poised Thursday as a sun-baked seven-on-seven drill unfolded.

Derek Anderson was practicing shots into the end zone from the 10-yard line.

On one, Braylon Edwards took advantage of man coverage against safety Sean Jones, getting wide open and scoring easily. Unnoticed was a savvy move by Wright, who played inside coverage on Dont? Stallworth. Wright grabbed Stallworth's jersey almost imperceptibly, stalling the veteran wideout.

On another, Anderson fired into traffic. McDonald came out of the pack with an interception.
Cont...

 

[osugrad21]

Blade

McGinest wants another Super year with Browns
ASSOCIATED PRESS
BEREA, Ohio - Another brutal training camp practice behind him, Willie McGinest yanked off his helmet, shed his sweat-soaked jersey and shoulder pads and began walking slowly to the Browns' locker room in the sweltering heat. Before leaving the field, he slid into the driver's seat of a golf cart. He wrapped his giant hands around the steering wheel, and although McGinest wasn't going anywhere, the linebacker looked as if he was about to take a ride. He's about to - off into the sunset. McGinest, who won three Super Bowl rings in 12 seasons with New England and holds the NFL record for postseason sacks, is preparing for his 15th and final season, one the 36-year-old believes can be special in Cleveland. "This is a very talented team," McGinest said of the Browns, who went 10-6 but just missed making the AFC playoffs last season. "I try not to compare teams, but this team has a lot of talent and a lot of potential."
Cont...

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Canton

Fans show high expectations at Browns' stadium practice
Saturday, August 2, 2008
BY Steve Doerschuk
REPOSITORY SPORTS WRITER

CLEVELAND Once, it was unimaginable, but on this night, the huge crowd was not a surprise.

The 10-6 season was the surprise. The 26,108 who stuffed the lower bowl of Cleveland Browns Stadium for Friday night's glorified practice was the first fat, tangible sign of great expectations.

Kellen Winslow suited up but didn't even go in 11-on-11s. Yet, he knew what this was.

"This is really exciting," Winslow said, a little-boy grin overtaking his face as he scanned all the people and soaked in the noise.

"I can't even imagine what the Cowboys game is going to be like."

The Jets will be in for a warmup game Thursday. Dallas is on the way Sept. 7, the first real game.

"I can't wait," Winslow said with relish.

Hitting was limited in the best of what the Browns threw out there for the big crowd.

Continued.......

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Canton

Wimbley works with coaches to raise sack totals
Saturday, August 2, 2008
By Steve Doerschuk
REPOSITORY SPORTS WRITER

CLEVELAND The stadium crowd squeezes into the lower bowl on a hot Friday night.

You watch Kamerion Wimbley tee off against James Lee. Wow.

Wimbley smokes the undrafted rookie left tackle with a dip move they never told him about at South Carolina State.

You watch Wimbley tee off against Joe Thomas. In golf terms, he swings, and the ball stays on the tee against the Pro Bowl left tackle.

You watch and wonder. It's practice. Does either scene mean anything at all?

This question is easier to answer: What must Wimbley mean to the Cleveland Browns in 2008? The answer is just as simple: Way more than two sacks at Oakland, and one sack in games against the Dolphins, Ravens and Jets.

Continued......

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

Browns
Dawson's growth parallels team's
Kicker has been constant since team returned to NFL
Saturday, August 2, 2008 3:05 AM
By Bill Rabinowitz


THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Phil Dawson


BEREA, Ohio -- Phil Dawson is the longest-tenured Cleveland Brown. At times, he wasn't sure whether that was a blessing or a curse.
The Browns place-kicker has experienced all the many lows and the few highs during the team's painful path from rebirth in 1999.
Except for one blip of a playoff season in 2002, Dawson's excellent career had mostly gone under the national radar. Dawson's status as the Browns' career leader in field-goal percentage (82.7 percent, fourth in NFL history) qualified more as a trivia answer than as anything of great importance. Such is life with a bad team.
But last year the Browns went 10-6 and Dawson was a big part of the surprising season.
"It was fun for me personally to have a chance to make field goals in big games," Dawson said. "I've made a lot of field goals around here, but they haven't necessarily been in big games. To be able to experience that was very gratifying.

Continued......