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May 2008
Paging Dr. Winslow …
Kellen Winslow missing voluntary workouts isn’t a big deal except that the Browns keep saying they don’t know why the tight end isn’t in Berea, as if they haven’t even been in touch with him.
Also, you would think Winslow, even though he’s still rehabbing from his latest knee surgery and unable to practice, would want to be with his teammates. You know, the whole espirit de corps thing, especially with such an important season ahead.
Then again, where would you want to spend time, San Diego or Cleveland?
Anyway, at least we got to see more of celebrity agent Drew Rosenhaus, who released another of his infamous YouTube videos this week rather than return phone calls from reporters wondering whether this is the prelude to a Winslow contract holdout.
Here’s the text of Rosenhaus’ statement:
“A lot of members of the Cleveland media have been calling me wanting to know why Kellen has not been in the OTAs, meaning organized team activities.
“I always say these are voluntary activities. They are not mandatory. And a player has the right to train on his own. Kellen is coming off offseason knee surgery and he’s doing his rehab and his training with a very fine trainer in his hometown of San Diego.
“He will be at the Browns’ mandatory minicamp (June 10-12) and he will be at the mandatory training camp. So, what’s the big to do?”
Well, if there’s any “to do” whatsoever, it concerns the fact that Winslow, when interviewed on satellite radio at the Pro Bowl, made it clear in no uncertain terms that he wants his contract redone even though it has three years remaining and the Browns have been generous to a fault with him.
Will Winslow and Rosenhaus seek to use all their leverage to get this done before the start of the season? The Browns allowed for the possibility of a holdout by drafting a tight end, Missouri’s Martin Rucker, in the fourth round last month.
Rosenhaus’ smarmy smile on that YouTube video can’t put anyone at ease, although he does not raise the contract issue.
“Guys have the opportunity to choose whether or not they want to go to these voluntary functions, and there shouldn’t be so much scrutiny on players who choose to work out on their own,” Rosenhaus said. “Kellen’s going to be ready to go and everything is going to be fine with him.”
We’ll see.
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Another OTA day, another injury
These Organized Team Activities (OTAs) are getting costly. No wonder Kellen Winslow wants no part of them. Maybe they should cease immediately.
The team lost another player, this time at its shakiest position, when cornerback Daven Holly suffered what is being called a “serious knee injury” during Tuesday’s practice.
He’s headed for the operating table, out for the season, leaving the Browns without their most experienced cornerback.
It’s a huge blow, make no mistake about it.
There have been five practices so far during these voluntary workouts, with two major injuries resulting. Right guard Ryan Tucker fractured a hip May 14 and had surgery. He’s expected to miss most, if not all, of training camp.
And now the wafer-thin cornerback position has taken a serious hit, perhaps making General Manager Phil Savage regret neglecting the position in the draft.
Holly apparently tore multiple ligaments and damaged cartilage when he jumped for a ball and landed awkwardly. There’s a media blackout during OTAs except for Wednesdays, so nobody but the team saw it.
On the same play, receiver Braylon Edwards suffered a deep hip bruise, according to ClevelandBrowns.com. Edwards missed practice Wednesday, but his injury is not considered serious.
Holly was slated to battle second-year man Brandon McDonald for the starting spot opposite Eric Wright, with the loser serving as nickel back. Looks like McDonald will be inheriting the job now, which is fine, but it leaves a huge hole where even a modicum of depth used to be.
So the Browns are once again in the market for a cornerback, if ever they actually weren’t. Jereme Perry, recently scooped up off the street, is now the team’s most veteran corner, believe it or not, having appeared in 12 games for the Browns as a rookie in 2006 and four for the Dolphins last season.
There’s A.J. Davis, who spent most of the ‘07 season on the Browns practice squad after being drafted in the fourth round by the Detroit Lions.
Savage will hunt around, but he said free agent Ty Law, who knows the system, would bust the budget. Same goes for the veteran Lito Sheppard, who wants out of Philadalphia.
The GM tried to find a bright side.
“To sustain an injury like this is not a good thing by any means but at the same time it does give us time to react,” Savage said. “If this happens in the middle of August you’re kind of hung up.”
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Ryan Tucker has hip surgery
Good thing the Browns signed guard Rex Hadnot in free agency and brought back Seth McKinney.
Those looked like smart moves at the time, but they are looking even better now that Ryan Tucker, who started half the 2007 season at right guard after McKinney hurt a shoulder, has undergone hip surgery.
The Browns announced Saturday that Tucker had the procedure “to repair a non-displaced fracture” suffered last Wednesday in practice somehow. They said he is expected to be ready for the start of the regular season, but that’s probably wishful thinking.
Tucker is expected to miss much of training camp, if not all of it. Then he’s going to hop right back into the action? Sounds like a long shot.
And since the operation took place at the Cleveland Clinic, get ready for the inevitable staph infection that figures to set in. What is it now, six Browns who have picked up staph as a parting gift after surgery at the Clinic?
Not to blame the Clinic because nobody knows for sure, but it’s getting to be a good chunk of the roster, including Braylon Edwards, LeCharles Bentley and, most recently, Joe Jurevicious.
Speaking of Bentley, maybe the Tucker surgery opens a spot for him after two years out of commission with knee and staph problems. Bentley probably won’t be usurping Hank Fraley at center, but maybe he can help on the right side of the line, which isn’t quite as solid as the left.
You can never have enough o-line depth, which is what led GM Phil Savage to sign Hadnot and bring McKinney back in the first place. The news of Tucker’s surgery further validates those decisions.
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Jereme Perry comes ‘home’
Dayton-based agent Ron Todd got a call Wednesday afternoon from Cleveland Browns executive Tripp McCracken, the guy who negotiates contracts and manages the salary cap.
“And while I’m on the phone with the Browns, the Kansas City Chiefs call!” Todd said.
Yes, a tug-of-war over free agent defensive back Jereme Perry, Todd’s client, was about to unfold.
But Todd said “yes” to the Browns before even dithering much with the Chiefs. Why? Because he knew Cleveland was where Perry — who spent the 2006 season with the Browns — wanted to be and felt he needed to be.
And that’s where he will be, at least for now, replacing cornerback Kenny Wright, the recently arrested nine-year veteran who was released on Wednesday.
In Perry, the Browns welcome back a player with top-end speed who they know can contribute on special teams and, given the state of their secondary, might even find himself with a greater role depending on how things shake out in training camp.
With Kenny Wright gone, Perry, believe it or not, becomes the second-most experienced cornerback on the roster behind Daven Holly, who, like Perry, wasn’t drafted.
Recently released by the Miami Dolphins, Perry had worked out for the Chiefs over the weekend.
“He wanted to be a Brown bad,” Todd said. “He’s happy to be there. He’s happy to be home.”
Perry’s two older brothers live in Columbus, including the Rev. James Perry, who played at Central State in the mid-1990s.
“It all worked out for the best,” Todd said. “Rev. Perry said it was destiny. Everything lined up.
“Jereme knows the whole defense, man. He’d be one of the corners who can start for them right away if they needed him to. How many guys on the street know the defense? He’s the only one.”
Perry, who can also play safety, was one of the Browns’ final cuts last summer.
“They kept his locker for eight weeks last year while he was still visiting teams,” Todd said. “Everybody thought he was coming back.”
Wednesday, he finally did.
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McGinest sees one last playoff run
You are forgiven if you’re not a Browns fan and you thought linebacker Willie McGinest already was retired.
After all, it’s not like he’s done much on the field the past couple of seasons. In fact, his most memorable moment last season came against Pittsburgh when he failed to tackle scrambling quarterback Ben Roethlisberger at a key point in what became yet another loss to the hated Steelers.
So, when McGinest, who once was an outstanding linebacker for the New England Patriots, a borderline Hall of Famer, told SI.com on Thursday that the 2008 season would be his last, the natural reaction was to shrug your shoulders. Big deal, right?
But McGinest’s reasoning for giving it one more year is what should warm the hearts of Browns fans. He said he wants to finish his career with one last playoff run, so he obviously thinks the Browns have that kind of season ahead of them. Otherwise, why not quit now? Surely he’s set for life financially, right?
McGinest is long past his prime, of course, but Browns head coach Romeo Crennel loves the guy because he’s a leader on the field and in the locker room. It’s good that he’s hanging around.
That said, it’s unclear how McGinest actually fits or whether he will maintain a starting spot in the base 3-4.
The Browns will have to be careful. Willie’s not a pass rusher anymore, and while he can still be effective against the run when the play is right at him, his days of pursuing ballcarriers and quarterbacks in space are pretty much done.
In 27 games for the Browns over two seasons, McGinest has seven sacks and 107 tackles. He’s been a shell of the player who racked up 78 sacks with New England and set the record for postseason sacks with 16.
If nothing else, McGinest will be able to tutor some of the younger linebackers. No doubt he’s helped Kamerion Wimbley the past two seasons. Seventh-round draft choice Alex Hall should be able to soak up some knowledge, as should fourth-rounder Beau Bell, although he plays inside.
“I have no regrets or no qualms about my career,” McGinest told the Web site. “I’ve done everything a football player can do and I’ve done it more than once. This will be it. I’ve worked hard; I think I’ve done everything I set out to accomplish.”
McGinest played 12 seasons and won three Super Bowls with the Patriots before signing a three-year, $12 million contract with the Browns in 2006, reuniting with Crennel, his former defensive coordinator.
Now he’ll try to go out in a blaze of glory.
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Can they be knots in the rope?
The Browns like their five draft choices. Of course, what else would they be saying at this stage?
Running around in shorts with about 70 other guys who mostly have the proverbial snowball’s chance in hell of making the roster, the Fab Five at least looked the part of football players during the weekend’s rookie minicamp.
No question, they will stand out in the hotel lobby. Now, whether they will become knots in the rope, who can say?
Ah, the rope. Knotted in several spots, it continues to hang in the vestibule of team headquarters, along with a sign posted by General Manager Phil Savage challenging everyone in the organization (presumably including secretaries and kitchen workers) to become a “knot in the rope” and give the Browns traction in their climb toward the Super Bowl.
OK, it’s beyond corny, but Savage just got a three-year contract extension and it looks like he knows what he’s doing, so if he wants to go around hanging ropes at the facility and also outside the locker room at Cleveland Browns Stadium (yeah, there’s one there, too), who’s to argue?
Will it help beat Pittsburgh? It just depends on how quickly these draftees turn themselves into knots.
Here are some of head coach Romeo Crennel’s initial impressions after watching them in person for the first time since the Combine:
Fourth-round linebacker Beau Bell: “He has some movement skills (let’s hope so, right?). You can see him move and be able to get to the ball some. But we’ll have to get the pads on because linebacker is one of those positions where they do have to hit some.”
Seventh-round linebacker Alex Hall: “He shows that he has athletic ability and talent. So far, I’m encouraged.”
Fourth-round tight end Martin Rucker: “Once we get to training camp and put the pads on, we’ll find out more about his blocking. So far, it looks like he can catch the ball, he’s got a big body, he moves well against the linebackers and that’s encouraging.”
Sixth-round nose tackle Ahtyba Rubin: “He looks like he has excellent strength. From what we’ve seen here so far, he looks strong, particularly if you look at his upper body. He’s like a little fireplug.”
Rucker and Bell are the best bets to become knots early. Rucker will get all the work he can handle at next month’s full-squad minicamp with tight ends Kellen Winslow Jr. (knee) and Steve Heiden (back) likely to be limited coming off surgery. Bell will be busting wedges on special teams until he learns the defense.
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Scouring the countryside for a cornerback
From the looks of the rookie minicamp roster, it’s not hard to tell which area is deemed most in need of improvement.
There are 20, that’s right 20, defensive backs here. Four have contracts as undrafted college free agents and 16 are bouncing around Berea on tryouts.
And it’s entirely possible the Browns still will walk away from this camp needing help in the secondary (although it looks like they won’t be losing veteran corner Daven Holly, a restricted free agent who says he’ll sign his one-year tender offer from the Browns soon).
“If somebody’s good enough, we hope to find (a cornerback),” head coach Romeo Crennel said. “But I don’t know if it’s going to come from this bunch or not.”
General Manager Phil Savage neglected defensive backs in the draft, not wanting to reach for need in the middle rounds at the expense of adding a player at a different position who may have had a higher grade.
The cornerback shortage stems mainly from the trade with Detroit in which Leigh Bodden was sacrificed in order to acquire defensive tackle Shaun Rogers. And it doesn’t help that veteran Kenny Wright’s status remains in limbo following his recent arrest in Texas on charges of drug possession and fleeing the police.
Wright is still technically on the roster, but he didn’t play much last season and the NFL will have the final say on his status if the Browns don’t cut him themselves out of sheer exasperation.
One starting cornerback job belongs to second-year pro Eric Wright. We know that. Brandon McDonald, another second-year pro, will complete on the other side, probably with Holly. But in this day and age, any team without four legitimate corners runs the risk of being passed silly.
So the search continues and may lead back to someone such as Jereme Perry, a former Browns player recently released by the Miami Dolphins. Perry, who made the Browns two summers ago as an undrafted frree agent, at least knows the defense and would have that going for him.
Among this year’s crop of undrafted college free agents, Darnell Terrell of Missouri was probably closest to being drafted, judging by what is being said about him.
Other undrafted CFAs are Justin Harrison (Illinois), Jerrid Gaines (Miami of Ohio) and Gerard Lawson (Oregon State).
DBs here on tryouts represent schools from all across the land, all levels of football and nearly the full spectrum of the alphabet, from Darrius Battles (Louisiana-Monroe) to Jonathan Zenon (LSU).
By casting such “a wide net,” as Savage put it, the Browns are simply trying to better the odds of finding that diamond in the rough all NFL teams seek.
They are not holding their collective breath, however.
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A contract worth celebrating
Credit owner Randy Lerner with another obvious but shrewd move in giving General Manager Phil Savage a three-year contract extension through 2012 on Friday.
“In Savage We Trust” has become the rallying cry of Browns fans, and with good reason.
On the first day of rookie minicamp, Savage thanked fans for their support. A classy gesture, but he probably does owe his job to them when you think about it.
If not for the fans’ forcing the issue on radio call-in shows and through e-mail, maybe Lerner would have caved to the whims of former team president John Collins, who sought to hamstring Savage after the rocky 2005 season, his first as GM.
Collins, genius that he was, suggested Savage stay in the office more rather than being on the road scouting players for the Browns.
Savage was on the verge of resigning back then when Lerner slapped himself in the forehead and realized that would have been a big mistake.
Lerner then took the corrective (and obvious) step of erasing Collins from the front-office picture, arguably his best move to date and certainly best in Browns history by anyone named Lerner.
At his contract-extension press conference, I asked Savage if he and Collins keep in touch. “We send each other postcards,” he cracked.
Where do the Browns and their laugh-a-minute GM go from here? Onward and upward, one would think. Their window is just now opening, it appears, but it wouldn’t be opened even a crack without Savage’s deft personnel moves, from making high draft picks count, to discovering middle-round gems, to adding useful non-drafted players such as Joshua Cribbs, who made the Pro Bowl on special teams.
Charles Ali, a fullback, was last year’s find. Due to a clerical error, many teams thought he was still a junior in college. Savage knew better, brought him in for a nominal price and watched him make the team.
Is there a player in this year’s group of undrafted college free agents who might find his way onto the roster? One to track is Darnell Terrell, a 6-1, 203-pound defensive back from Missouri who wasn’t drafted because teams didn’t know if he fit better at safety or corner.
The Browns need a cornerback, so that’s where they’re looking at him this weekend. Big, physical kid.
“Need to see him a little bit more,” head coach Romeo Crennel said. “I know he had a decent grade on him coming out, but we have to wait and see a little bit more.”
Lance Leggett, a 6-3, 189-pound receiver from Miami (Fla.), is another possibility, along with Gerard Lawson, a defensive back from Oregon State.
Among the 54 players in camp on tryouts, best bets at first glance look like Xavier Mitchell, a rush linebacker from Tennessee, and James Banks, a receiver from Carson-Newman. Savage made a point of mentioning both on Friday.
