Cleveland Browns (2008 Season)

[osugrad21]

CPD

Ryder Cup golfer Ben Curtis visits with Cleveland Browns quarterback Derek Anderson

Wednesday, August 13, 2008 Mary Kay Cabot
Plain Dealer Reporter

Just 32 hours after finishing tied for second in the PGA championship and clinching a Ryder Cup spot, Kent State alum Ben Curtis attended Browns practice Tuesday morning and spent time afterward with his friend, quarterback Derek Anderson.
"We met a couple of years ago here at camp," said Curtis, a resident of Stow. "We started texting back and forth, and the next thing you know, we were playing golf."
During a recent round at Sand Ridge Golf Club in Munson Township, Anderson shot a 78 and Curtis a 67. But it wasn't Anderson's best day at the highly ranked course. He once played there with former Browns QB Trent Dilfer and shot a 73, one stroke behind Dilfer.

Cont...

 

[osugrad21]

CPD

Mike Adams battles Terry Cousin for Cleveland Browns' nickel cornerback spot

Wednesday, August 13, 2008 Tony Grossi
Plain Dealer Reporter

At this relatively serene Browns training camp, the closest thing to a high-profile position battle is being waged at the nickel cornerback spot.
Such is the merry state of the Browns that just about everything else is set, except for the last roster spots.
Terry Cousin was supposed to be the man to cover the slot receiver in three-receiver formations, but so far Mike Adams is holding him off.

Cont...

 

[osugrad21]

Canton

Versatility his saving grace
Longtime lineman Friedman 'wedge captain'
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
BY STEVE DOERSCHUK
[email protected]

BEREA As his hairline recedes slowly into the training camp sunset, can Lennie Friedman keep hanging on?

Few nonstarters last a decade in the NFL. They get too expensive. They're both rewarded and doomed by the Collective Bargaining Agreement, which demands higher minimum pay for seasoned veterans.

Yet Friedman has a good chance to stick a third season with the Browns. It would be his 10th in the NFL.

Browns Head Coach Romeo Crennel likes the 6-foot-3, 290-pound Friedman's versatility as an interior offensive lineman. Joshua Cribbs loves the guy as a kick-return blocker, calling him "wedge captain."

Until final cut day, though, Friedman can't be sure he'll wedge his way onto another 53-man roster.

"This business is 'what have you done for me lately?' " Friedman said matter of factly. "As Romeo says, the young guys have to prove they can do it, and the old guys have to prove they still have it."
Cont...

 

[osugrad21]

DDN

Browns rookie tight end to have surgery, out 4-6 weeks

Associated Press

Thursday, August 14, 2008
BEREA ? Cleveland Browns rookie tight end Martin Rucker will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his knee and miss four to six weeks.
Rucker twisted his knee during practice Monday, Aug. 11. He will have a piece of cartilage removed from the knee today, Browns head coach Romeo Crennel said Wednesday.
The Browns have struggled during training camp with injuries at tight end. But Kellen Winslow (hamstring) and Steve Heiden (knee) returned to team drills this week.
Cont...

 

[osugrad21]

DDN

Rough practice fires up Browns Winslow's intensity energizes teammates at Berea training camp
By Marla Ridenour
Beacon Journal sports writer

Published on Thursday, Aug 14, 2008

BEREA: Some might say it was a routine play, but there is no such thing in Kellen Winslow's world.
The Browns' Pro Bowl tight end was running toward the right sideline after pulling in a pass from quarterback Derek Anderson when rookie safety Travis Key converged, hoping to force a fumble. The sound of their unintentional collision was game-worthy, but Winslow hung onto the ball.
Winslow was dressed in full uniform, as usual, even though the rest of his teammates were wearing shorts and shoulder pads. Key, a ball hawk from Michigan State generously listed at 5-foot-10 and 185 pounds, didn't sign with the Browns until Saturday night and was participating in his sixth practice.
Let it be said that the play, and the one that followed, served as Key's lesson on the Hurricane way.
Cont...

 

[osugrad21]

CPD

Few bright spots left in Browns' draft class

Thursday, August 14, 2008 Tony Grossi
Plain Dealer Reporter

Expectations for the Browns' 2008 draft class were lowered when trades cost them their top three picks. Now their next-highest selections - linebacker Beau Bell and tight end Martin Rucker, both from the fourth round - have been lost for up to six weeks with knee surgeries.
Here's a look at what's left:
Nose tackle Ahtyba Rubin, sixth round.

Cont...

 

[osugrad21]

Canton

Not taking it easy
TE Winslow practices hard
Thursday, August 14, 2008
BY STEVE DOERSCHUK
[email protected]

BEREA As is his custom, Kellen Winslow Jr. let it all hang out Wednesday.

Late in one of the sleepiest practices in three weeks of training camp, quarterback Derek Anderson aimed a simple pass in the left flat to his Pro Bowl tight end.

Players were in shorts and the caution flag was out ? Read: Don't be stupid with contact ? but Travis Key's career as a Brown is just four days old, and his only shot is to make a quick impression.

So, Key broke hard toward Winslow and ran into Winslow as he caught the ball. The collision was a train wreck, with the 250-pound Winslow as the engine, the 185-pound Key as the caboose.

Winslow bellowed something that sounded like a cross between a "woo" and a "woah."

A day earlier in practice, Winslow looked like he was babying a sore hamstring ? an injury caused him to miss the Jets preseason game ? while running downfield.

After this practice?

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[osugrad21]

Canton

Browns Notebook: McKinney adds depth to line, if he's healthy
Thursday, August 14, 2008
BY STEVE DOERSCHUK
[email protected]

BEREA Seth McKinney is quiet and unassuming off the field, but it is a mistake to assume the Browns don't need him.

The 2007 team was hitting a groove with McKinney as the new right guard. But just as the Browns were in the process of winning their fourth game in five outings, McKinney's right shoulder went out in the third quarter against Seattle.

He missed the rest of the season, but is back with the team. He's a bit invisible because he missed two weeks with an ankle injury, but he is relieved to be back in 11-on-11 drills.

"I've still got that big air cast on," McKinney said, giving his right ankle a dirty look, "but it's getting there.

"I have no reason to think I won't be ready for the season."

A former Round 3 pick out of Texas A&M, McKinney became the Dolphins' starting center in 2004 and 2005 before losing the 2006 season to a neck injury. He made a strong comeback with the Browns in 2007 before getting hurt, at which point Ryan Tucker took over at right guard.
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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

CPD

Rush to greatness: Browns' Wimbley testing new moves in push for more sacks in '08

by Tony Grossi Thursday August 14, 2008, 6:24 PM



Chuck Crow/The Plain DealerIt's no secret the Browns are counting on a revamped defensive line that will help free linebacker Kamerion Wimbley (95) for more sacks like this one on Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger last season.

Cut to the chase. Eliminate the "what ifs." Don't worry about handicapping every game.
The Browns' 2008 season may well come down to this -- Kamerion Wimbley's ability to take Ben Roethlisberger to the ground.
The Browns aren't going anywhere without ending their losing streak to the Pittsburgh Steelers. For that to happen, they have to keep Roethlisberger from making plays with the game on the line.
Like in 2006, when Roethlisberger shook off Wimbley and shoveled the ball to Willie Parker for the winning points with 32 seconds left.
Like in 2007, when Roethlisberger had four excruciating keeper runs, including one of 30 yards for a touchdown for the go-ahead points and a back-breaker on third-and-9 on the winning drive.

Continued......

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

CPD

Browns Insider: Maturing receiver Wilson gives credit to veteran Jurevicius

by Mary Kay Cabot Thursday August 14, 2008, 10:06 PM

If third-year Browns receiver Travis Wilson makes the final roster, he'll have veteran receiver Joe Jurevicius to thank. "Since my first day as a rookie, Joe's been my biggest influence and motivator," said Wilson. "He's the guy that's been able to give me guidance and encouragement. With him being in the league so long [11 years] he's been a little bit of a father figure to me and it's really meant a lot."
Jurevicius, who's battling back from multiple knee surgeries that will probably cause him to miss at least the first six weeks of the season, is making his presence felt even though he can't practice.

 

[LitlBuck]

It seems from all the ink that he is getting Alex Hall is moving up the depth chart and David McMillan must be falling. Have not heard anything about him after the first preseason game. All the talk seems to be about Hall.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Link

Dinkins looks like MVP

August 15th, 2008 ? No Comments

By SCOTT PETRAK
Staff Writer
BEREA ? Tight end Darnell Dinkins is on the short list for MVP of training camp.
After making just three catches in two seasons with the Browns, he has more than 100 in three weeks of training camp. He said it?s been the most active camp he?s had since joining the Browns in 2006.
?I had to adjust to a new role ever since I?ve been here in Cleveland,? Dinkins said Thursday. ?The opportunity has presented itself and I?ve just been trying to walk through it as best I can.?
Dinkins (6-foot-4, 260 pounds) has been used primarily as a special teamer and situational blocker in Cleveland. But with Kellen Winslow Jr., (knee, hamstring) and Steve Heiden (back, knee) battling injuries throughout the offseason and training camp, Dinkins has worked extensively with the first team and gotten the heaviest load of work at the position.

Continued.....

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Link

Harrison bides his time

August 15th, 2008 ? No Comments

By SCOTT PETRAK
Staff Writer
BEREA ? Jerome Harrison is still waiting for his big break.
The running back has carried the ball just 43 times in two seasons and caught 11 passes. He?s been inactive 14 times and is looking for his first touchdown.
But he knows what will happen if he ever gets 20 rushes in a game.
?I?ll probably go over 100 (yards),? he said.
Harrison hasn?t lost his confidence since joining the Browns as a fifth-round pick out of Washington State. But some of the ego that predicted a rookie of the year award in his first days as a professional has dissipated.
?I don?t get my hopes up too high now, don?t expect nothing,? said Harrison, who averaged 6.2 yards on 23 carries last year. ?Every time I get an opportunity, I?m just going to continue to make the best of it.

Continued........

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

Browns receiver Sanders in position to be a giver
He delivers message, goods to high schoolers
By Marla Ridenour
Beacon Journal sports writer

Published on Friday, Aug 15, 2008

BEREA: Steve Sanders could have been catching balls after practice like he does every other day. After all, there's a chance he could start Monday night against the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants.
But on Thursday afternoon, football came second. His guys were waiting.
About 25 players from Sanders' alma mater, Cleveland East High School, sat in the bleachers beside the field. Flanked by fellow Browns receivers Joshua Cribbs, Syndric Steptoe, Travis Wilson and Paul Hubbard, Sanders addressed the group, trying to convince the young men they could escape the dangers of gangs and drugs
and make something of themselves.
''There's no such thing as circumstances,'' Sanders told them. ''You can have a better future, if you decide to up here,'' he said, pointing to his head. ''It can't be me telling you, you have to believe it yourself.''

Continued.......

 

[LitlBuck]

Tight end Darnell Dinkins is on the short list for MVP of training camp.

There was a little bit of chatter about Dinkins possibly being used in a trade for a veteran DB but with all the injuries to our TE's, especially with Rucker being out until after the bye week, this puts that chatter to rest.