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(On the change of offense from first half) – “It’s hard to pinpoint right now. I think that change was an accurate assessment of what happened. We didn’t do the things we needed to and, personally, I didn’t take care of the ball like I needed to. It’s going to hurt you in the end.”

(On the interception) – “It was just miscommunication. Again, I always try to make those guys right, so I need to take fault for those sorts of decisions.”

(On communication with Braylon Edwards) – “The first play I got hit, so on my way down, I pulled the throw off. For the rest of them, I don’t think miscommunication was necessarily the case.”

(On the game) – “Again, I just need to take care of the football. Looking back on it, the one ball that slipped out, I was trying to make a play. That sort of thing can really help you and maybe get you back in the game, but a lot of the time they end up hurting you if that ends up being the result.”

(On not stretching the defense) – “I wouldn’t say that was the case, again. We had a touchdown called back and tried to stretch the field there. There was another deep one to Braylon later on and a couple other times, including the interception, trying to stretch the field again. It changes as the game changes. Obviously, the defense is going to change and they are not going to allow you to push the ball down the field if they have the lead or are up a couple scores. So, again, that is going to change what is open, what is there, and what is not.”

(On Minnesota’s defense) – “They are a good defense. Their front is very solid and they brought a lot of pressure. It got to us at times, but those are all things that we can be accountable for and fix.”

(On staying positive for the season) – “Well, again you take away the positives from each game whether it is a win or a loss. Tonight and tomorrow we will be critical of ourselves watching film and prepare for Denver next week. That’s all you can really do at this point. It’s the first game of the season, but there are fifteen more.”

(On what went well today) –“Obviously, the offensive drive at the end. We battled up and down, but were able to come up with a score. That is always good, even though it ended up not really mattering a whole lot. I think the first half, the way we were able to execute checks, and things of that nature. We were up at halftime and we felt pretty good at where we were at, but that wasn’t the case in the second half.”

(On Kevin Williams’ defensive play) – “He’s a great player. He was a Pro Bowler last year and I wouldn’t be surprised if he were again this year.”

(On the offense finally scoring a touchdown) – “That’s something you write about, not something you think about. It’s a new season, a new team, and a new set of scenarios. We are just trying to build on that right now. That’s something you can go back and look at and create all the fun, little cool facts and everything. We don’t pay attention to them.”

(On looking ahead to this season) – “At any point in time, you can look back into the past and say I wish I would have done that, but it doesn’t matter. You do what you can and move forward.”

(On keeping the starting quarterback position a secret) – “It can be a tough deal at times, but I think our team did a great job of handling it. We came into this week, and all throughout camp, with the competition at the quarterback and really all across the board.”

(On feeling pressure of the starting position) – “That’s not really something you think about out on the field. No, I don’t [feel pressure] and I didn’t.”

DL Shaun Rogers

(On Adrian Peterson) – “We just need to make adjustments and get the job done. To be honest, he is a great back and we knew that coming in here. We just have to play him for all four quarters.

(On stopping Peterson in the first half) – “We have to understand that we can get the job done. We have to clean up the mistakes in the second half, whether it is mental or physical, and take a look at it tomorrow and assess it and clean it up.”

(On how the Vikings tested them for the season) – “We said that coming in that they were going to be a good test. There are some positives and there are some negatives. At the end of the day, we lost the game, so that is a negative. It is game one and you don’t want to lose, but we have fifteen more, God willing.”

(On the believing the Peterson hype) – “You saw it. I’ll give the man credit. He took some tough licks throughout the whole game and kept with it until he broke some. That’s a mark of a great back. You can’t take anything from him because he showed what he is capable of and they won the game.”

(On the quarterback pressure) – “I think we got about four sacks today and that is always a plus when you can rush the quarterback, but you can’t be the one to miss on defense. You have to be able to pressure the pass and stop the run on defense, which are the marks of a good defense. I thought we were well on our way in the first half, but we didn’t finish the game. That’s what happens when you don’t finish the game, you lose.”

(On his play) – “You’re never satisfied when you lose. Personal victory, yes, but at the end of the day, I’m worried about wins. I could have no sacks, no holding calls or anything and be happy if we win the game.”

LB D’Qwell Jackson

(On Adrian Peterson’s touchdown run) – “That’s the first play I am looking for. It’s not the good plays, but the bad plays. We showed that we can be a dominant defense. I hate to talk about last year, but we showed glimpses on how well we can be. We are going to be who we are. We are going to stay committed to it.”

WR Joshua Cribbs

(On the punt return touchdown) – “It was a nice kick, he had good hang time and we practiced up on him. There was a lot of good blocking out there. I just followed my blocking into the end zone.”

(On the play of the offense) – “I felt like our better half was the first half. We had key points coming in and we got away from those throughout the second half. I feel like we were hitting our key points in all phases in the first half and then we lost sight of that when we came out in the second half.”

(On being more than a returner) – “Being in the open field as a receiver has lightened the load a little bit and I feel like I can last a little bit longer.”

(On the play of Brady Quinn) – “I work with both quarterbacks and I feel like Brady played well. We came out all fired up and hitting on all cylinders in the first half and then it faded in the second half.”

TE Robert Royal

(On losing despite scoring a touchdown) – “It is frustrating because I had a couple of drops, which is something that you never want to have. We were a much different team in the second half than in the first. I think we’ll come back, look at the tapes and try to correct things.”

(On the difference between the first & second halves) – “When we take a look at the tape, everybody has to look back at themselves as an individual. For myself, I wasn’t as focused in the second half as I was in the first. But I have to give hats off to Minnesota because they did a great job today.”

(On team identity) – “We know who we are trying to be. We did a lot of things that hurt ourselves. We had penalties and dropped balls and we turned the ball over. Once we eliminate those things, the offense will look a lot better.”

RB Jamal Lewis

(On the team’s play in the first half) - “We came out in the first half, ready to go and the tempo was good. Once the turnover happened, we kind of let it get away from us. We can’t do that.”

(On the Minnesota defense in the second half) – “Their defense wasn’t doing anything different (in the second half). We just have to keep going out there and doing what we do and execute. We have to go out there with the same tempo that we had in the first half.”

(On the goal line play) – I was in there to disguise and Josh (Cribbs) is a good runner. We probably thought that we could get them on that and they would go with me. I think it was a good play call. It just wasn’t the right time.”

(On the Browns’ offensive identity) – “The things we did out there are the same things we do in practice. These are things that we worked on all summer and they are nothing new. I think those packages are put in for certain teams that we play. We just have to execute.”

(On Brady Quinn) – “Brady did a good job. He was poised in the pocket and in the huddle. He controlled everything in the huddle and did what he is supposed to do.”

Browns name six team captains

Marla Ridenour — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 17:24:47 +0000

Joe Thomas, one of six Browns captains.

Browns coach Eric Mangini announced the result of the team vote for captains Thursday.

Pro Bowl left tackle Joe Thomas and running back Jamal Lewis were selected on offense, linebackers Eric Barton and D'Qwell Jackson on defense and Pro Bowl return specialist Josh Cribbs and kicker Phil Dawson on special teams.

Dawson was selected for the third consecutive year. The only other player remaining on the team who served last year was center Hank Fraley.

Mangini said the captains will serve as liasons between he and the players and will meet weekly.

"It's good to know my teammates respect me that much," Jackson said. "I take pride in what I do, have fun with it. It's a great honor and I have to live up to that responsibility.

"There's a sense of pride in yourself and a sense of pride to get guys doing what they may not want to do. I've been here through the ups and downs. It's up to me to carry the torch this year."

Thomas, a two-time Pro Bowler starting his third season in the league, said it was ''something I've been working towards, leading by example and with a voice in the locker room."

Thomas believes the captains will be very influential with Mangini.

"Coach Mangini is definitely open to criticism and praise and input from the captains and players," Thomas said. "I think it's going to be an important job for the captains to give him that input, both good and bad."

Lewis also seemed honored by his selection.

"Over the years I've been on teams with a lot of great captains, people who I sat in the room with and actually put their name down because I felt like, 'This is the guy who should actually be out front. Somebody I could talk to if I needed to talk to them, a leader in all aspects,"' Lewis said. "I look at it in the same way. The majority of the guys had that kind of confidence in me. The guys I chose, those are the guys I felt I could depend on."

Lewis, who won the Super Bowl in 2000 with the Baltimore Ravens, said leadership is an important ingredient for a championship team.

"You need leadership upstairs, the coaches and all that," Lewis said. "But at the same time, you have to have leadership in the work force. It plays a major role."

A few observations from Saturday's game

Dan — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 20:00:37 +0000

- Rookie linebacker Kaluka Maiava can really hit. He was in the middle of several special teams plays. That will be his main role on the team this season.

- Rookie running back James Davis made his case to be the second-string running back. Current backup Jerome Harrison is injured, which allowed Davis to get 12 carries. He had only two against Green Bay.

- Interesting note on the quarterbacks from Pat Kirwan of NFL.com:

What is alarming is that in a combined 48 pass attempts by Anderson, Quinn and Brett Ratliff, they have yet to throw a touchdown pass. However, they have managed to throw four picks and get sacked once every 12 pass attempts.

- Catching five passes so far this preseason, Mike Furrey looks like he might become the third-down target the Browns haven't had since Joe Jurevicius in 2007.

- Steve Heiden got into the game and had a 20-yard reception. Heiden tore his anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in his right knee on Dec. 15 against Philadelphia.

Team signs linebacker McCune, guard Murray

Dan — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 18:01:51 +0000

The Browns made two roster moves today signing linebacker Robert McCune and guard Patrick Murray. To make room on the roster, offensive lineman Brandon Braxton and receiver Edward Williams were waived.

Murray played in one game last season for the Denver Broncos. McCune is on his fourth team since being taken by the Washington Redskins in the fifth round of the 2005 draft. He spent parts of last season on the Baltimore Ravens' roster.

McCune had a unique journey to the NFL. After the jump, you'll find his story, written by Browns beat writer Marla Ridenour April 23, 2005.

UNIQUE PATH TAKES MCCUNE TO NFL
LOUISVILLE LINEBACKER LIFTED ROCKS IN DESERT IN MILITARY SERVICE TO READY HIMSELF

The linebacker out of Louisville might be one the most intriguing choices in this weekend's NFL Draft. Robert McCune served three years of active duty in the Army before he walked on with the Cardinals, so he will be a 26-year-old NFL rookie.

It's hard to tell whether the Browns will be interested in a 6-foot, 245-pounder for an inside spot in their 3-4 scheme even if he is "built like a rock," in the words of general manager Phil Savage.

But teams that value maturity and character will consider a man who lifted a boulder in the desert of Kuwait just to stay in shape.

Overlooked Robert McCune hoped to go to Auburn or Alabama when he left LeFlore High School in Mobile, Ala. in 1997. But his dream colleges weren't calling. He earned four prep letters in track and field, only two in football. He was nicknamed "Hammer" as a child for his tackling ability, but was just discovering the value of weight training. Alabama A&M, Alabama State, Southern and Grambling wanted him, but McCune really didn't want them.

So he listened to his older sister Georgia Boyd, who convinced him to enlist in the Army. Boyd had spent eight years as a missile technician and never was sent overseas. With Boyd's help, McCune crafted his plan. The military would give him an opportunity to travel, time to grow up and money for college. When he returned, he would take advantage of the G.I. bill and walk-on at a big-time school.

It sounded simple enough.

Pvt. Robert McCune was deployed to Korea, where he spent a year. An 18-year-old petroleum specialist, he drove a truck that supplied fuel for the Second Infantry Division. For the first two months he was homesick.

The squalor the Korean people endured was appalling. They lived in shacks. The water was filthy, the air smelled like sewage.

During monsoon season it rained for a week. The water in his barracks rose and McCune's unit climbed out the window to safety. They spent the night on the roof, lightning crackling above, as everything they owned was swept away.

Koreans below were caught in the flood. Many of them died.

His next destination was Kuwait, where McCune was part of a peace-keeping mission for six months. He carried a rifle every day but didn't fire a shot.

Through it all, McCune never lost sight of his plan to go to college. He joined the Army powerlifting team and won several first- and second-place trophies. Being stuck in the desert of Kuwait made lifting more difficult, but McCune improvised. He found a building with a hanging roof that he used for pull-ups. He discovered a 50-pound rock and kept it in his truck so he could lift it whenever he had a spare moment. He kept the same one for two or three months before he found a longer one more suited for biceps curls.

His buddies laughed. He told them when his tour was up he was going to play football.

Yeah, right, they said.

Linebacker Robert McCune came home and Auburn and Alabama still didn't want him. His cousin Tiger Jones had received a scholarship to Louisville and the receiver was on his way to the Bluegrass State.

Jones arranged for McCune to meet the coach first thing in the morning. When coach John L. Smith arrived at 6:30, McCune was sitting outside the locked door. Smith figured the kid might have something.

Later that afternoon, Smith saw that for sure when he worked out McCune. The guy had a body like a Greek god and was amazingly fast. Smith told him he'd see him on the field tomorrow.

McCune was no overnight sensation. He redshirted as a freshman in 2000, but earned a scholarship after one semester. The next season he became Louisville's special teams player of the year. He was a key reserve as a sophomore and started late in the season.

Smith was patient. He knew it would take McCune a while to catch up to the speed of the game after the long layoff. But Smith figured it was just a matter of time before the player who could run sideline to sideline had a breakout year.

That happened in 2003 after Smith left for Michigan State. McCune started all 13 games at middle linebacker as a junior and led the team in tackles with 143. As a senior he started slowly after arthroscopic knee surgery, but made 115 tackles and was named first-team All-Conference USA.

Meanwhile, McCune rose to corporal in the Kentucky National Guard. Twice his unit was put on alert, but McCune was never recalled. He completed his service in December, the same month he received his degree in physical education.

From then on, it's been all football.

Draft prospect Robert McCune wanted to make the most of his shot at the pros so he and his cousin went to Duluth, Ga., to train with Chip Smith of Competitive Edge Sports. Smith has put more than 600 players in the NFL, but never one with the physical presence of McCune. During his seven weeks, young players were drawn to McCune because of his physique and charisma.

McCune has muscle on top of muscle, yet his 40 time of 4.31 seconds was the second best of the nearly 40 players. Everyone was blown away by the fact that a 245-pound man could move that fast.

Smith e-mailed Under Armor, one of his sponsors that makes tight-fitting athletic clothing, and told them he had found their model. An endorsement contract is being discussed.

Today Cpl. McCune, make that linebacker McCune, will sit in the same town where a hotshot eight years ago thought he was good enough for Auburn or Alabama.

And he will wait.

Browns release linebacker Ruud

Dan — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 18:58:41 +0000

From AP:

BEREA: The Cleveland Browns have released linebacker Bo Ruud.

Ruud, released Monday, was claimed off waivers from the New England Patriots in April. He was a sixth-round pick by New England out of Nebraska in 2008, but missed all of last season recovering from a knee injury.

Ruud started 46 games in college for the Cornhuskers, earning first-team All-Big 12 honors as a junior in 2006.

Inside the box score

Dan — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 16:06:52 +0000

Reading over the box score from the Browns' 17-0 loss to the Packers Saturday, here are some that stuck out:

• Time of possession: Packers (39:56), Browns (20:04)
• Rushing yards: Packers (230), Browns (59)
• First downs: Packers (25), Browns (11)
• Third down conversions: Packers (7-14), Browns (3-11)
• Passes intercepted: Packers (2), Browns (4)
• Punts: Packers (1), Cleveland (4)
• Tackles made: Packers (32), Browns (56)

Mangini dismisses QB sabotage talk

Dan — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 20:12:11 +0000

This is from the Associated Press:

BEREA: Eric Mangini says his Cleveland Browns quarterbacks are competing, not cheating.

The radio transmitter inside Anderson's helmet wasn't working in a Sunday scrimmage, so he used hand signals to relay plays. Anderson joked after the scrimmage that Quinn told the defense what all the signals meant.

Reporters at the scrimmage saw the two players laughing about it.

But that didn't head off several online reports suggesting Quinn was using underhanded tactics to win the starting job.

Mangini could only shake his head.

"Those guys are competitive and they're friends," Mangini said Wednesday. "The group is friendly and the game was competitive by nature. … All I see them doing is supporting each other."

Anderson's team won, 17-14.