Cleveland Browns (2007 & prior)

[osugrad21]

Canton

Browns looking for a payback
Wednesday, December 6, 2006
By Steve Doerschuk REPOSITORY SPORTS WRITER

BEREA The Browns practiced indoors Tuesday, with roasting chestnuts nowhere in sight. The heat was off. A big garage door was wide open to let in a 25-degree chill.
?Gonna be cold in Pittsburgh,? center Lennie Friedman said.
Randy Lerner came out in an overcoat. The owner gave a big hug to Romeo Crennel while players stretched. As the coach spoke to the boss, their breath came out in white puffs.
Crennel has been a different man the last several days ? not radically different, because he is nothing if not unflappable.
Crennel?s mood brightened last week on the day General Manager Phil Savage went public with a vote of confidence. Privately, Lerner is emphatic in his support of Crennel.
Obviously, Crennel took satisfaction in Sunday?s game against Kansas City. His players looked like dogs in a 30-0 loss to Cincinnati, but didn?t lay down like dogs.
At least, that seemed a viable theory, given a 31-28 overtime win against the Chiefs. The mood could foul quickly if the Browns bomb at Pittsburgh.
For now, the team can draw some self-respect from being 4-8 with four games left in a 10-game season. The team is 3-3 since Jeff Davidson replaced Maurice Carthon as offensive coordinator. Wins have been over the Jets, Falcons and Chiefs, playoff contenders with a combined 20-13 record against teams other than Cleveland.
Oddly, this year?s games against Pittsburgh will have been sandwiched by a pitiful loss (Bengals) and one of the expansion era?s better wins (Chiefs).
?It?s hard to get up every week,? Crennel said. ?In our situation, we put a lot into that first Pittsburgh game.
?To end up losing that game took something out of us. You play a (Bengals) team that matches up better against you and they start rolling and you can?t stop them.
?That is a demoralizing loss. But the guys on this team are hard workers. They have pride. I didn?t think they were going to ... lay another egg.?
As Crennel?s team practiced Tuesday, a few media types began speculating on what Thursday?s game at Pittsburgh might look like. The consensus, such as it was: They?re up; they?re down; who knows?
Reach Repository sports writer Steve Doerschuk

[osugrad21]

Morning Journal

Winslow, Porter excited to renew rivalry
JEFF SCHUDEL, Morning Journal Writer
12/06/2006

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BEREA -- Camera men should focus on Kellen Winslow Jr. and Joey Porter during pregame warm-ups tomorrow night, because chances are they'll meet again at the 50-yard-line like two gunfighters meeting at high noon.


Winslow and Porter got into a jawing match in the Browns-Steelers game last month in Cleveland Browns Stadium. Unlike a few years ago, when Porter and William Green went head to head, no punches were thrown. A lot of words were thrown around, though. Both players said the confrontation jacked them up for the game that followed.

''He was saying how he was going to be the difference-maker, how he had never played us and it wasn't going to be the same as when we played them before,'' Porter said in a conference call yesterday. ''He was just talking and stuff. I like that before the game. I have no problem with it. It gets me fired up. I'm looking forward to it Thursday.''

Winslow was a rookie in 2004. He missed both games against the Steelers recovering from torn ankle ligaments when he was injured in the second game. He missed both games last year recovering from his motorcycle accident.

Winslow caught four passes for 36 yards against the Steelers last month. Porter, the right outside linebacker, had eight tackles, shared a sack and hit Charlie Frye twice after Frye threw the ball. All in all, it was a ho-hum game for both stars.

''I'm going to be ready anyway, but any extra from him will have me fired up,'' Porter said. ''I know he's feeling pretty good about himself. He caught a stiff-arm on me that he was feeling pretty good about, but we won the game.''

The Steelers won 24-20 when they rallied with three touchdowns in the fourth quarter.

''I love Porter,'' Winslow said. ''He's a great player. That makes the game fun. I'm looking forward to Thursday night. I was just letting him know (before the first game) we're not scared of him and we're not scared of the Steelers.

''That talk gets me going. I love playing versus guys like that. That's how the game should be.''

Winslow caught only one pass against the Chiefs last week. He caught six against Cincinnati Nov. 26.

Doghouse to penthouse

A week ago, some in the media were calling for Romeo Crennel's head. The Browns beat the Chiefs, 31-28 in overtime, and now Crennel has been nominated for the Motorola Coach of the Week Award.

Jeff Fisher of the Titans and Bill Parcells of the Cowboys are also up for the award.

The Titans have won three straight. They beat the Colts Sunday, 20-17, on a last-second 60-yard field goal by Rob Bironas. The Cowboys beat the Giants 23-20 on a last-second 46-yard field goal by Martin Gramatica.

Fans can cast their vote for their Coach of the Week choice at NFL.com. Voting ends at noon tomorrow.

Roye limping

Defensive end Orpheus Roye is listed as doubtful and will in all likelihood miss his second straight game with a knee injury. It has been a difficult season for Roye, who last year was able to play week after week with a knee injury. This season he missed the game against Baltimore with a shoulder injury and missed the game in San Diego with a hamstring injury.

Three players are listed as questionable for the Steelers -- quarterback Charlie Frye (wrist), Winslow (knee) and linebacker Mason Unck (hamstring). All four players missed practice yesterday.

The Steelers will be without four key players. Strong safety Troy Polamalu (knee), free safety Ryan Clark (groin), wide receiver Hines Ward (knee) and wide receiver Cedric Wilson (ankle) will not play.

Steelers close in

The Browns have to beat the Steelers to maintain an edge in the all-time series. The Browns lead the regular season series 55-52. They have played twice in the playoffs and the Steelers won both times.

There was a time when the Browns dominated the series, but those days are long gone. The Steelers have won 19 of the last 22 and 12 of the last 13 games between the turnpike neighbors.

Thursdays no fun

Steelers coach Bill Cowher does not like the idea of getting his team ready to play a game four days after having played one. Crennel isn't crazy about it either.

''I've never been a big proponent of it,'' Cowher said in a conference call. ''I understand a lot of this is driven by the entertainment business that we're in and it seems the decisions are made on that, first and foremost. As players and coaches, it's very demanding and tough to put out a good product in a short amount of time and to get your players to play at a high level.''

The game will be televised on the NFL Network nationally and on FOX locally.

[osugrad21]

Morning Journal
Anderson likely to get start
JEFF SCHUDEL, Morning Journal Writer
12/06/2006

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CLEVELAND -- Charlie Frye's wrist is not broken and neither are his spirits, but unless he heals quicker than expected, he will be on the sideline tomorrow night in Pittsburgh, watching Derek Anderson try to do what Frye was unable to do in two tries against the Steelers.


Frye was in sweats yesterday and unable to practice. He is wearing a soft brace stiffened by a metal splint for the purpose of immobilizing his right wrist. Coach Romeo Crennel said an MRI done Monday shows Frye's wrist bone is bruised, but not broken, as Kellen Winslow Jr. and other teammates said it was.

''It's sore,'' Frye said in the locker room before practice. ''I'm trying to do everything I can to get ready to play. This is definitely a game I had circled after what happened a couple weeks ago. They came here and basically stole a victory from us. As much as I want to play, it's up to Doc.''

Frye has faced the Steelers twice and lost both times. The Steelers shut the Browns out, 41-0 on Christmas Eve last year and beat them 24-20 Nov. 19. The offense did not score in either game.

The challenge facing Anderson is huge. The second-year quarterback from Oregon State would be making his first NFL start in Heinz Field on national television (NFL Network) against a team that has beaten the Browns 12 times in the last 13 games.

On top of those normal obstacles is the challenge of getting ready to play a divisional game with only one day of practice. Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger also had only yesterday for a full practice, but he isn't making his first start, he does not have to travel and he will be playing at home.

''It's a little bit different,'' Anderson said. ''You always want as much time as you can get. We'll have to spend some extra time here after practice and we did that.''

Anderson might be a little naive after the success he had last week. He threw two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter and broke out on a 33-yard run to set up the game-winning field goal in overtime for a 31-28 shocker over the Chiefs.

Asked whether he will include in his film study the 41-0 Christmas Eve massacre, in which Frye was sacked eight times, he shrugged.

''They're doing different things than they did last year,'' he said. ''But I don't know, I'll probably take a look at it.''

The Steelers sacked Frye five times in the game last month. They jumped on Tampa Bay rookie quarterback Bruce Gradkowski five times last week while winning 20-3. Anderson did not throw his first pass until he played against the Chiefs.

Gradkowski, playing in place of injured Chris Simms, started eight games before being mauled in Pittsburgh.

''You have to know they're going to bring pressure,'' Anderson said. ''We're going to deal with it. I have to get the ball out of my hands quickly. They're going to hit me. That's part of the game. You have to step into your throws and put them on point.''

Crennel has not ruled out starting Frye. He said he will wait to see if Frye can take a snap and throw the ball today. Crennel will meet with team doctors and might wait until game time to make a decision.

''I don't think Pittsburgh cares (who starts), to tell you the truth,'' Crennel said. ''I think they have confidence in what they're doing. They've done it and they have a history of doing it.''

Steelers linebacker Joey Porter said virtually the same thing in a conference call at about the time Crennel was spelling out the quarterback situation. Porter said in so many words Anderson will not do to the Steelers what he did to the Chiefs.

''We look forward to playing any rookie,'' Porter said. ''We don't care if he likes to run or not. We know that if we're playing a rookie, with our defensive schemes and how we come after quarterbacks, we can frustrate him. We want to stop the run and put all this pressure on the young guy. If the young guy beats us, then it was supposed to happen.''

Anderson could catch a break. Strong safety Troy Polamalu, a nemesis of the Browns over the years, is out with a knee injury. Free safety Ryan Clark is out with a groin injury. Clark is tied for second among the Steelers with 69 tackles. Polamalu is tied for fourth with 66 tackles.

Polamalu missed the Tampa Bay game and the Steelers still manhandled the Buccaneers.

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

Steelers relish QB change

By Patrick McManamon

Beacon Journal sportswriter

BEREA - Joey Porter never has been one to run from reality.
So the Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker didn't run from the reality that backup Derek Anderson probably will make his first start at quarterback for the Browns on Thursday night at Heinz Field.
``I don't think three days is enough for him to get ready to play our defense,'' Porter said Wednesday.
So be it.
With Charlie Frye not practicing because of a bone bruise in his right wrist, Anderson has one day of practice to get ready for the Steelers' array of blitzes and pressure.
It's a scheme that confuses veterans, let alone second-year players such as Anderson, whose experience consists of one good half of playing time.
Anderson actually called this ``another week of preparation,'' and he might be trying to convince himself of that.
Clearly, it's not.
Even the Steelers understand that -- though Porter was a bit confused about Anderson's experience level.
``We look forward to playing any rookie,'' Porter said. ``It doesn't matter if he likes to run or what. We just know that if we play a rookie with our defensive schemes and how we come after quarterbacks... it's frustrating. We want to stop the run and put all the pressure on the young guy.''
To see how it worked, look back to the Christmas Eve rout last season, when Frye said he was unprepared for what the Steelers did. He looked that way, too.
``That's just our game plan,'' Porter said. ``Take away the run and it's tough for any quarterback to go out and beat us single-handedly, let alone when it's a rookie and he hasn't seen our defense before.''
Frye played a little better in the game earlier this season against the Steelers, but the offense still scored no touchdowns.
On Tuesday, Frye had a splint on his sore wrist. He will not try to take a snap until today, and coach Romeo Crennel said he would decide whether Frye would play once he sees him take a snap and throw.
``If he cannot play, Derek Anderson will start,'' Crennel said. ``But until I can see what he can do, I don't know.''
That seems to point to Anderson as the starter -- though Frye will not abandon hopes of playing until Thursday night.
``There's always going to be a shot in my mind,'' he said. ``Maybe not in the doctors' minds or trainers' minds, but in my mind there's always a shot. If there's a shot, then I've still got hope.''
Anderson played well in the second half and overtime in the victory over the Kansas City Chiefs, but they did not play an aggressive defense.
``Kansas City played not to give up the big play, and they pressured occasionally,'' Crennel said. ``Pittsburgh pressures more often and they mix it up.''
The Steelers like to make a quarterback guess where the rush is coming from. They might blitz a linebacker and drop a lineman in coverage, or they might bring linebackers and safeties or corners along with the defensive front.
A quarterback has to recognize where the blitz is coming from, then throw to the area the blitzer vacated.
It's far from easy, and Crennel is as candid as Porter in admitting that he doesn't know how Anderson will handle things.
``That's one of the things that we're going to have to find out,'' Crennel said. ``He hasn't been playing and he hasn't been pressured much in the preseason.''
Crennel said he sees no advantage to keeping the identity of the quarterback under wraps.
``I don't think Pittsburgh cares,'' he said. ``I think they have confidence in what they're doing, and they're going to do what they do.''
So what's the key for Anderson?
``I've got to get the ball out of my hands,'' he said.
He meant get rid of it quickly. One could envision the Browns running a lot of three-step drops, with Anderson unloading the ball in a hurry.
Tight end Kellen Winslow, who could catch 10 passes if the Browns go to a quick passing game, said the key will be to run the ball.
``We ran the football good early on them (in the first game),'' he said.
Fullback Terrelle Smith said Anderson would be fine, in part because the Steelers aren't blitzing as much and because All-Pro safety Troy Polamalu will not play.
``You can't do what he does,'' Smith said. ``The other guy back there, he can't duplicate what (Polamalu) does. That's something that's particular to him. And that's where they bring a lot of pressure from because he can line up at any position and he can do whatever it takes to disrupt the offense.
``If he's not playing, that's a real plus for us.''
It would be naive to think the Steelers will not try to confuse Anderson. They are eighth in the league in rushing defense, so if they can limit Reuben Droughns and Jason Wright, it would be natural for them to tee off on Anderson.
Said Porter: ``It's a big game, a game we have to have, so we're going to find out if he's ready or not when we play on Thursday.''

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

Browns notebook

Winslow, Steelers' Porter have words

You get pregame jawing, post-game respect and in-between admiration

By Patrick McManamon

Beacon Journal sportswriter

BEREA - The first time the Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers played this season, Joey Porter and Kellen Winslow spent part of pregame yapping at each other.
Wednesday, they were members of the Mutual Admiration Society.
``You recognize a ballplayer when you see a ballplayer,''