Cleveland Browns (2008 Season)

[IronBuckI]

If overconfidence is an issue, then maybe someone should show them the tape of the last year's losses to Oakland, Arizona, and Cincinnati.

[LitlBuck]

Cleveland.com

Winslow remains questionable for Browns game vs. Redskins
by Mary Kay Cabot/Plain Dealer Reporter
Wednesday October 15, 2008, 11:27 AM

BEREA -- Browns tight end Kellen Winslow is still at home being treated for an undisclosed illness and may not play in Sunday's game in Washington.

Coach Romeo Crennel said today that he's hoping to have Winslow available for the game and that he will, "if things keep progressing.''
Winslow sat out the Browns' 35-14 victory over the Giants Monday night after spending three nights at the Cleveland Clinic. He was released from the Clinic on Sunday, but could not play on game day. He was replaced by Steve Heiden, who caught five passes for 59 yards.

Crennel also ruled Shaun Smith out for the second straight week. Smith underwent surgery to repair a broken bone in his left hand during the bye week.

In other Browns news, cornerback Eric Wright was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week for sealing the Browns victory with a 94-yard interception return for a touchdown. Right guard Kevin Shaffer (concussion) returned to practice on a limited basis Wednesday.

If Heiden plays like he did against the Giants, I'm not really sure that we need Winslow because Heiden and Denkins are much better blockers and Heiden can catch the intermediate ball fairly well.

[ScriptOhio]

Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Barring any setbacks, Kellen Winslow Jr. should be back on the practice field today when the Browns begin their preparation for the game against the Redskins on Sunday.
Players were off Tuesday. Crennel said Winslow spent the day resting at home after missing the game Monday with an illness that kept him hospitalized three nights last week.
Crennel said he expects Winslow to play against the Redskins, although Winslow might be limited in practice today and Thursday.

Entire article: The News-Herald: Breaking news coverage for Northern Ohio

[LitlBuck]

From article linked above, Wimbley had zero tackles against the Giants. Sean Jones might be able to play against the Redskins. I thought that Mike Adams was doing a pretty decent job and Jones is a free-agent after this season.

[Buckrock]

Originally Posted by LitlBuck

Cleveland.com



If Heiden plays like he did against the Giants, I'm not really sure that we need Winslow because Heiden and Denkins are much better blockers and Heiden can catch the intermediate ball fairly well.

I'd still like to see K2 on the field. To quote JT "He's special". Go Browns.

[LitlBuck]

Originally Posted by Buckrock

I'd still like to see K2 on the field. To quote JT "He's special". Go Browns.

I would like to see him on the field as a WR or a slot receiver. He is not a very good run blocker at all especially when you compare him Heiden who goes about 260-270 lbs. and, as I mentioned, has fairly decent speed to run intermediate routes plus he has very good hands. Winslow's accident has taken a lot out of him and I don't know about this "sickness".

[billmac91]

Originally Posted by LitlBuck

I would like to see him on the field as a WR or a slot receiver. He is not a very good run blocker at all especially when you compare him Heiden who goes about 260-270 lbs. and, as I mentioned, has fairly decent speed to run intermediate routes plus he has very good hands. Winslow's accident has taken a lot out of him and I don't know about this "sickness".

What do you know about regarding the sickness? He finally practiced today, and he'll likely be ready to go against Washington. They were likely just waiting for the swelling to go down before releasing him.

[osugrad21]

ABJ

Browns need a grip on reality. It's just one win One victory required to reach mediocrity
By Patrick McManamon
Beacon Journal sports columnist

Published on Thursday, Oct 16, 2008
The Tennessee Titans are the NFL's only unbeaten team.
Enough said about the way this NFL season has started.
If the Titans are still standing come Super Bowl Sunday, then it's time to really cash in the 401(k), because the world is just wackier than we all thought.
But what the Titans do is give the Browns hope. The Titans have a nice team, but if they're the best the NFL has to offer, then a 2-3 record isn't all that ugly and anyone this side of Oakland, Cincinnati, St. Louis and Kansas City can harbor playoff hopes.
This is the NFL's dream of dreams, mind you.
Twenty-eight teams all with the same talent level fighting it out for a playoff spot come Week 15.
It might make for a mediocre brand of football, with . . . oh . . . a game that features nine 5-yard penalties called on one team. But, oh well, it also means that anyone is in the playoff hunt.
Don Henley would call it the Tennessee Waltz.
Cont...

[osugrad21]

ABJ

Defensive end needs time to heal Shaun Smith's hand is not completely ready. Winslow now at home
By Marla Ridenour
Beacon Journal sports writer

Published on Thursday, Oct 16, 2008
BEREA: Browns defensive end Shaun Smith was ruled out of Sunday's game at Washington because his broken left hand, which required surgery Oct. 1, has not sufficiently healed.
Coach Romeo Crennel said Smith will be evaluated again next week.
Smith went to his doctor, Charlie Malone, in New York last week and did not receive clearance to return to the field. He did not practice Wednesday.
''I thought he was going to clear me, but it's at the point where if I did play, there is a 50-50 chance I could break it again, since it's only 10-12 days out from surgery,'' Smith said. ''Do I take the chance of playing and breaking it and being done for the year, or do I give it some time, rest, and let it heal a little bit more? I know I'm still going to have to play with something to protect it.''
Smith said Malone did not tell him how long he would remain sidelined.
''Not really. It's a process,'' Smith said. ''The good news was everything is healing right.''
Louis Leonard started in place of Smith in Monday night's victory over the New York Giants, but Santonio Thomas is listed as Smith's backup on this week's depth chart. Waived by New England on Aug. 30, Thomas was signed as a free agent on Sept. 16.
Cont...

[osugrad21]

CPD

In prime-time triumph, Browns secondary becomes a primary strength

by Tony Grossi Wednesday October 15, 2008, 7:32 PM


John Kuntz/The Plain DealerBrowns defensive backs Eric Wright (front) and Brodney Pool (left) wave off an Eli Manning pass intended for the Giants' Steve Smith during Monday's game. The strong performance by the secondary helped to ease concerns about the unit which have lingered since training camp.
Going into the season, questions about the Browns' defense focused mostly on the secondary in general and the youth and inexperience at cornerback in particular. Yet through six games, the Browns rank third in the league with nine interceptions and eight have been by cornerbacks or safeties. That's a pace for 24. The most they've had in three previous seasons under coach Romeo Crennel was 18 in 2006.
Eric Wright, who leads the Browns with three, earned AFC defensive player of the week honors after returning an Eli Manning interception 94 yards for a touchdown in the Browns' 35-14 romp over the defending champion New York Giants on Monday night.
Cornerback Brandon McDonald and safety Brodney Pool also picked off Manning, who had thrown only one interception in his four previous games.
"I was just thinking ... how excellent those DBs were, especially how patient those safeties were," Washington coach Jim Zorn said on a conference call Wednesday. "I just think that if a ball is in the air, they have the attitude of getting it."

Zorn, a former NFL quarterback and quarterbacks coach, added, "I'm partial to quarterbacks, but you have to be accurate in this league."

Cont...

[osugrad21]

CPD

Browns Insider: Winslow kept at home, but Crennel says tight end still possible for Redskins

by Mary Kay Cabot Wednesday October 15, 2008, 7:30 PM


Cleveland Browns vs. Washington Redskins previewKellen Winslow is being treated at home for his undisclosed illness and is questionable for the Redskins game, Romeo Crennel said Wednesday. "I spoke with him and he's doing well," said Crennel. "I'm hopeful he'll play, but there's no guarantee. If things keep progressing, he'll be there to help us try to win the game."
Crennel said the doctors are keeping Winslow at home, meaning he's also missing team and position meetings. The Browns are not providing details about Winslow's condition at his request.
"He's checking in at the Clinic," said Crennel. "When they tell him to come, he'll come. If he's not here, I'm going to try to get those tight ends to do what they did on Monday night and see if we can try to win a game."

In Winslow's absence, Steve Heiden caught five passes for 59 yards and Darnell Dinkins caught a 22-yard TD pass during the 35-14 victory over the Giants.
"They did a great job," said Derek Anderson. "Steve is a better receiver than most people give him credit for, and the way Darnell stepped in without having many mistakes and playing the way he did was awesome."
Rogers' hit reviewed: The Giants have made the NFL aware of a hit by Shaun Rogers on Eli Manning that resulted in Manning's bruised chest, a source said Wednesday.



Cont...

[osugrad21]

Canton

Which D.A. will show this week for Browns?
Anderson looking for an encore
Thursday, October 16, 2008
By STEVE DOERSCHUK
STEVE.DOERSCHUK@CANTONREP.COM

BEREA Romeo Crennel used to talk about "Good D.A." (the Derek Anderson who won 10 games as a 2007 starter) and "Bad D.A." (the one who couldn't beat out Charlie Frye).

"Bad D.A." rained all over the Browns' sadsack September. But suddenly, in a stunning 35-14 win Monday over the Giants, confidence caught up and "Good D.A." was back.

Guess which D.A. has more ? and is more ? fun?

On Wednesday, as the Browns kicked off preparation for what they hope is an encore at Washington, Anderson was upbeat in the locker room.

Through four games, Anderson's QB rating of 49.9 topped only Tyler Thigpen of the Kansas City Chiefs among regular 2008 starters.

He shouldered a quarterback's share of the blame for the team's 1-3 start. Then he hung a 121.3 on the Giants.

Did he take great pride in the rating? "No," he said, sprouting an incredulous grin.

Passer rating factors in four basic elements: completion percentage, yards per passing attempt, percentage of touchdowns per pass and percentage of interceptions per pass.

"It doesn't really make sense to me," Anderson said. "The rating doesn't matter. You can win when you have a 27 or 30 rating. It works the other way. You can lose when you have a real high rating.

"I think Brett Favre has something like a 74 career rating."

Actually, Favre's career rating is 86.0, though he has had five seasons in the 70s. Anderson's rating for 2007 was 82.5. His 2008 rating is 64.1 after the big Monday night game.

Cont...

[osugrad21]

CPD

Browns notebook: Taylor can dance, but can he still play?
Thursday, October 16, 2008
BY STEVE DOERSCHUK
STEVE.DOERSCHUK@CANTONREP.COM

BEREA Sure, Jason Taylor can dance, but can he play football?

The Redskins haven't gotten much out of the 34-year-old sack master, who got voted off the island by new Dolphins czar Bill Parcells in the wake of his "Dancing With the Stars" offseason romp.

Taylor is recovering from a calf injury that cost him two games. He played Sunday in a loss to St. Louis. His only 2008 sack was in Game 2 against the Saints.

Taylor began the summer in Dolphins training camp, but Parcells was no fan of one of his players losing time to the two-step.

"Some people have different agendas, and people want to question things, and that's fine," Taylor said. "You can't please everybody."

Taylor, who seems likely to please enough Pro Football Hall of Fame voters to win a bronze bust before the next decade is out, said he visited the Hall once a year during the 1990s with his college team, the Akron Zips.

"It's a dream, sure. ... Getting in would be very humbling," Taylor said. "If I could get one vote I would probably be happy, but we'll see what happens."

Taylor was an Akron junior in 1995, the Browns' last season before they moved to Baltimore.

The Ravens could have gotten him cheaply in the 1997 draft. He wound up being picked by Miami in the third round at No. 73 overall.
Cont...

[osugrad21]

Blade

Article published Thursday, October 16, 2008
Browns' Wright gets Prime advice


On Monday night, Eric Wright's 94-yard interception return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter sealed Cleveland's 35-14 upset over the previously unbeaten New York Giants.
( ASSOCIATED PRESS )
Zoom | Photo Reprints
ASSOCIATED PRESS
BEREA, Ohio - When Browns cornerback Eric Wright woke up Tuesday morning and turned on his phone, he had several congratulatory text messages waiting. One meant more than the others. The one from Deion Sanders. On Monday night, Wright's 94-yard interception return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter sealed Cleveland's 35-14 upset over the previously unbeaten New York Giants. Wright cut in front of wide receiver Amani Toomer, picked off Eli Manning's pass, eluded the QB by tiptoeing down the sideline and strutted into the end zone mimicking Sanders' high-kicking strut and then his signature TD jig. "It's something I've dreamed of doing since I was 8 years old," Wright said. As a kid growing up in San Francisco, Wright idolized Sanders, who brought his flashy game to the Bay Area for one year and won a Super Bowl title with the 49ers. Wright admired everything about Sanders: his flashy style, his work ethic, his game-changing knack. So, as he approached the end zone on Monday, Wright paid tribute to the man dubbed "Prime Time" in prime time. And what did Sanders think? "He told me I set a new standard for myself and that he expects me to play that way every game," Wright said. The Browns would settle for half of what Wright accomplished against the Giants, a performance that earned him AFC defensive player of the week honors. Wright was credited with three solo tackles, two passes defended and the interception, his third this season for the Browns, who have recorded eight interceptions in the last three games and gave Manning his first three of 2008.
Cont...

[LitlBuck]

Originally Posted by billmac91

What do you know about regarding the sickness? He finally practiced today, and he'll likely be ready to go against Washington. They were likely just waiting for the swelling to go down before releasing him.

I did not say that I knew anything about the sickness but when you are kept in the Cleveland Clinic for three nights that is not a good sign plus all of the knee operations that he has gone through has had to take something out of him. I just say he would be better utilized as a WR or slot receiver. He is not that good of a blocker and he did not practice yesterday because he was at home. They do not know if he is going to play against Washington or not.

Browns Insider: Winslow kept at home, but Crennel says tight end still possible for Redskins