Cleveland Browns (2008 Season)

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

CPD

Steptoe, Leonard, Lawson earn roster spots as Browns drop Wilson, Orr, Friedman, McMillian

by Tony Grossi Saturday August 30, 2008, 2:49 PM


Scott Shaw/The Plain DealerSyndric Steptoe pushed aside draft picks to claim the No. 3 wide receiver position on the Browns, at least until the return of Joe Jurevicius.


The winners in the Browns' 53-player roster cutdown on Saturday were receiver Syndric Steptoe, defensive lineman Louis Leonard and cornerback Gerard Lawson.
The losers were receiver Travis Wilson, linebacker David McMillan, guard Lennie Friedman and linebacker Shantee Orr.
In between, there weren't a lot of surprises in the final roster the team chose to take into its season of great expectations. It starts for real on Sept. 7 against the Dallas Cowboys.
"I think that we will win," said Phil Savage, assessing his fourth team as general manager. "We're going to be very competitive. The expectation is we're going to be in every game and we'll see what happens."

Continued........

 

[NFBuck]

Glad to see Wilson go. He was dead weight.

 

[NJ-Buckeye]

4 TEs .. and current list of CBs ...

I suspect this will not be the exact same roster come game day with Dallas...
and suspect more changes shortly thereafter...

 

[LitlBuck]

The only reason they kept 4 TEs it is because they kept Rucker on the roster instead of putting him on the PUP list. With Winslow's knees and Heidman's back, and they are very concerned if they will be able to make it through the season without having to sit for a while.

I am with you that I hope that they pick up some DBs this week to get some "quality" depth. Pool with 3 concussions in 4 seasons is not a good sign and Mike Adams is not the best safety in the world. When the preseason first began, I thought they might be okay at safety with Jones and Pool but that is no longer the case. They also need to find some CBs desperately.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

Injuries play big part in final cuts for Browns
By Marla Ridenour
Beacon Journal sports writer
POSTED: 06:21 p.m. EDT, Aug 30, 2008

BEREA:Browns General Manager Phil Savage said ''probably around 50'' who survived the final cut today to 53 would be available to play if needed in the season opener next Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys.
That includes starting quarterback Derek Anderson, who has not practiced since suffering a concussion Aug. 18 against the New York Giants; running back Jamal Lewis, out for the final two preseason games with a hamstring injury; and strong safety Sean Jones, sidelined with a swollen knee.
''The expectation is D.A. will be back out there and ready to go. I feel like he'll be ready to play this week,'' Savage said. ''Jamal is fine and will be good to go in the next day or so. Sean should be up and going.''

Continued.........

 

[LitlBuck]

PD

Anderson likely to to start opener for Browns
9/1/2008, 1:01 p.m. EDT
The Associated Press

BEREA, Ohio (AP) ? Cleveland Browns quarterback Derek Anderson, sidelined since Aug. 18 with a concussion, returned to practice and is expected to start Sunday's season opener against the Dallas Cowboys.

Browns coach Romeo Crennel indicated that his Pro Bowl quarterback would play against the Cowboys as long as he didn't have any setbacks during Cleveland's workout. Anderson got hurt when he was sacked by New York Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora in an exhibition game.

Wide receiver Braylon Edwards was also back after missing more than three weeks with a severely cut foot.

Well at least we are finally getting some good news.

 

[osugrad21]

DDN

Anderson, Edwards back for banged-up Browns

Jamal Lewis, Brodney Pool and Josh Cribbs remain question marks for Sunday's opener against Dallas.


By Tom Withers
Associated Press

Tuesday, September 02, 2008

BEREA ? After huddling around head coach Romeo Crennel and kneeling in prayer, the Cleveland Browns lined up for stretching drills as they began practicing for the Dallas Cowboys.
Wide receiver Braylon Edwards went to his usual spot, looked up and greeted his teammates.
"I missed y'all, man," he said.
Likewise.
Edwards, sidelined since Aug. 9 with a severely cut right foot, and Pro Bowl quarterback Derek Anderson, out for two weeks with a concussion, were both back at practice Monday, Sept. 1, for the banged-up Browns, who only have a few days left to get as healthy as possible for their high-profile opener and a season of great expectations.
Cont...

 

[osugrad21]

DDN

No cause for alarm for Browns secondary


By Carlos "Big C" Holmes
Staff Writer

Tuesday, September 02, 2008

The Cleveland Browns secondary has come under scrutiny due to their performance this preseason. In Weeks 1 and 2 of the preseason, the much-maligned secondary made two no-name receivers, David Clowney (Jets) and Domenik Hixon (Giants), look like a couple of All-Pros. Yet the two receivers combined for 226 yards receiving and four touchdowns against the Brows defense. That was then.
By weeks three and four, the Browns' secondary showed signs of improvement, but some of the team's critics are still skeptical of the unit's ability to get the job done for an entire season.
Young players
During a phone interview with Browns starting cornerback Brandon McDonald last Wednesday, a day before the team's final preseason game against the Chicago Bears, the player shed some light on the problems that surrounds the team's secondary.
Cont...

 

[osugrad21]

CPD

Cribbs won't play until he feels he's 100 percent

by Mary Kay Cabot Monday September 01, 2008, 10:10 PM


Roadell Hickman, Plain Dealer File PhotographBrowns receiver Josh Cribbs says he doesn't want to play on Sunday unless he is 100 percent healthy, saying he believes he would hurt the team if he tries to play on a bad ankle.
Pro Bowl Returner Josh Cribbs sounded resigned Monday to sitting out the opener against Dallas with his high left-ankle sprain.
"My competitive side, I want to be out there with my team," said Cribbs, who suffered the sprain in an exhibition game against the New York Giants on Aug. 18. "It was so hard in preseason watching my team play. But where they're coming from is we've got 15 games after this. It doesn't matter what I think at this point. It's not up to me. They're going to make an assessment as the week progresses and do what's best for me and the program."
Cribbs participated in a special-teams walk-through at the start of practice Monday, but went inside for the rest of practice.
"I'm no good to the team running one play," he said. "If I can't give 100 percent, I don't want to hurt my team. [Syndric] Steptoe has been doing a very good job returning and they've been blocking for him up front. I'd rather turn the duties to him than hurt the team."
Cribbs said he got out of the walking boot a couple of days ago and did some light running and cutting. "They want me to take hits on it and make cuts before I get back out there," he said. "It's day to day. It's going to be probably be a game-time decision."
Cribbs suffered the sprain on a first-quarter kickoff return against the Giants when a player held his ankle and fell on it before others piled on. "I sprained it real bad," he said.

Cont...

 

[osugrad21]

Canton

Browns have a chance to 'wow' 'em
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
By STEVE DOERSCHUK
[email protected]

BEREA Great expectations and $1.19 will get you a large gas-station coffee that might spill.

Just ask the rest of the AFC North, home to two of the six teams that have won a Super Bowl this decade.

? Ravens. Phil Savage rode with the 2000 team all the way to a Super Bowl. In the seven seasons since then, the ex-Browns are 1-3 in the postseason.

? Steelers. The 2005 edition gained steam in November and went 4-0 in the postseason. Pittsburgh is 18-15 since then, 0-1 in the postseason.

? Browns. The 2002 team should have won a playoff shootout at Pittsburgh and would have if Dennis Northcutt had hung on to a late routine catch. Cleveland went 19-45 during the next four seasons.

? Bengals. When they opened at home against the Browns in 2006, tailgating fans assumed a Super Bowl was the logical next step after an 11-5 year. The actual next steps were 8-8 and 7-9.

Being a student of history, Browns Head Coach Romeo Crennel, defensive coordinator on all of the Patriots' Super Bowl winners, is predicting neither a win Sunday over Dallas nor a Vince Lombardi Trophy, just because his team jumped from 4-12 in 2006 to 10-6.

Still, he's OK with great expectations.

"I tell our players to embrace the expectations," Crennel said Monday. "Having expectations beats the alternative."
Cont...

 

[osugrad21]

Canton

Pro Bowlers get back to the practice field
Browns notebook
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
By STEVE DOERSCHUK
[email protected]

BEREA The Pro Bowlers are rolling back in, but whether they can strike against the Cowboys on Sunday remains to be seen.

Browns quarterback Derek Anderson practiced for the first time since an Aug. 18 sack left him with a concussion.

During the portion of practice open to the media, he seemed to have decent zip on his passes, including the sideline variety that require extra mustard.

He was among the first players to finish the full-squad line sprint, which became his training camp custom as he attempted to grow as a leader. As always, he joked around when there was nothing serious going on.

"The doctors need to see that he can handle the sunlight, which is pretty bright today, that he can handle the verbiage of the offense, handle the checks and do the things a quarterback has to do," Head Coach Romeo Crennel said. "If he can do those things and doesn't have any headaches afterwards, then chances are they will let him go."

That is, medical people would clear him to practice Wednesday.

Wideout Braylon Edwards practiced for the first time since getting spiked on the right foot by Dont? Stallworth on Aug. 9.

"I missed y'all, man," he said to his teammates after taking the field, after softly rubbing the injured heal area in the locker room.

Edwards seemed tentative as he worked his way back into drills. At one point, he tripped and fell after positioning his feet to stay inbounds on a sideline pass.

Cont...

 

[LitlBuck]

The two starting safeties both did not practice yesterday. Hopefully, they will be able to go come Sunday. I highly doubt if Cribbs plays on Sunday while still being bothered with the high ankle sprain. Steptoe is a good replacement but does not have the same strength to break tackles like Cribbs.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Link

Browns Claim OL Young Off Waivers


POSTED: 12:09 pm EDT September 1, 2008

Berea, OH -- (Sports Network) - The Cleveland Browns were awarded offensive lineman Scott Young off waivers from the Philadelphia Eagles Monday.

Young spent the past three seasons with the Eagles as a backup guard and appeared in 13 career games. He was originally a fifth round draft choice of the Eagles in 2005 out of Brigham Young. Young played in a career-high 12 games and two postseason contests with the Eagles in 2006.

To make room for Young on the roster, the Browns waived offensive lineman Nathan Bennett.

Cleveland also signed linebacker Titus Brown, running back Omar Cuff, offensive lineman Christian Gaddis, safety Travis Key, wide receiver Lance Leggett, defensive lineman Melila Purcell and wide receiver Steve Sanders to the practice squad.

 

[LitlBuck]

• Young played with Fraley when they were both still with the Eagles. Might help strengthen our OL on a temporary basis with the injuries at guard.

 

[NJ-Buckeye]

How is a team "awarded" a player?