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Steinbach eyes better run game
Jeff Walcoff, Staff Writer
07.31.2007
Eric Steinbach is on a mission to show the AFC North and the NFL that the Browns are no longer going to be a team that isn't respected for its ability to run the football.

And he knows that starts with himself and the guys next to him on the offensive line.

Steinbach, who joined the club in March as the team's marquee free agent signing of the '07 offseason, said he and his linemates are learning to play together and preparing to give the team something it hasn't had since it returned to the NFL in 1999: a reliable and efficient line.

The line will have significant help in improving the running game, which ranked 31st in the NFL last year, thanks to veteran running back Jamal Lewis. Lewis joined the Browns on March 7 -- five days after Steinbach.

Like the Browns, Steinbach has seen plenty of Lewis over the years -- seven times in four years, in fact. His Bengals played Lewis' Ravens twice a year as AFC North rivals.

He knows Lewis' ability and, for Steinbach, it's nothing new to block for a Pro Bowl running back.

"(Bengals running back) Rudi Johnson was a tough running back himself, but Jamal is bigger and even more powerful," Steinbach said. "I've watched him run the ball last few years against (Baltimore) and even in the spring he looks 100 percent.

"He's got a full tank of gas on him and I'm excited to block for him, as are all of us are as an offensive line."

The Browns averaged 83.4 rushing yards per game a year ago. With Steinbach blocking in front of him, Johnson averaged nearly that all by himself in '06.

"It has to be the number one thing we're going to establish here as an offense," he said. "If you can successfully run the football it does great things for the team. It eats up the clock. It keeps your defense off the field. And then it puts the defense on their heels. If we can establish the running game, that's going to help us immensely."

The new line is headlined by a left side that includes Steinbach, slated to start at left guard, and No. 3 overall pick Joe Thomas, who in all likelihood will eventually play to the left of Steinbach at tackle.

Steinbach said he has noticed what Thomas might soon be able to do as a starter at the position.

"There are few guys at this position that can come in right away and make an impact," Steinbach said. "And I think Joe has definitely got what it takes to come in right away and play well."

To Steinbach's right at center will likely be Hank Fraley, who the Browns re-signed during the offseason, or even Pro Bowl lineman LeCharles Bentley (knee), who will be reevaluated in the coming weeks.

Next to the center, for now, is veteran Seth McKinney -- another offseason acquisition - at right guard, who will serve next to veteran right tackle Ryan Tucker. The Browns played without Tucker, one of the club's leaders on offense, for the final five games of the '06 season.

While the optimism of a far more talented line than the club brought to the field in '06 prevails, molding a line with little experience playing together isn't an easy task. It takes practice, especially in terms of communication.

More than almost anything else, that's what training camp is for. It's a work in progress, but Steinbach said it's well underway.

"We had a great start back in May with the OTAs and the minicamp we had," he said. "We had a lot of progression then and we hit the ground running (to start camp). We're still learning how to play together but that's standard. By the end of camp we should be ready to roll."

With the season opener against the Steelers on Sept. 9 and his former team visiting the following week, Steinbach is sensing the urgency. He knows training camp is crucial in terms of solidifying an integral part of the team of which he's a member.

But he's not worried. He sees the club's challenging start to the season as an opportunity to show the division and the NFL just what the Browns' new rushing offense is capable of accomplishing.

"We start the regular season with two (division) games," he said. "So if we get some good work done here in training camp there's not a better way to go out and show everyone we can be a dominant running team."

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exactly!

GO TEAM!!!!!

BADASS!!

I hope to God this line stays healthy through TC and the preaseason.

Jamal is going to have a great year running behind this line. I look for 1300 yards and 15 TD's minimum. I'm going to gobble him up in my fantasy draft. He's going to be a BIG part of our offense. Hopefully we can stay healthy and make a run at the playoffs this year. Why not?

Go Browns!

Good read..really excited for this season. Go Browns!

Quote:

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as are all of us are as an offensive line

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That line hurt my brain

Good Read......

nordawg

dang.. they didnt even mention Shaffer's name in this whole thing... thats a diss in my head.. lol.. especially coming from the home page..