DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Tailgate Forum The Cleveland curse

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=Au...o&type=lgns





The Cleveland curse
By Jason Cole, Yahoo! Sports
August 8, 2007

Jason Cole
Yahoo! Sports

BEREA, Ohio – Inscribed along the inside of Kellen Winslow's lower left arm is what should be the motto of the Cleveland Browns:

"There is no success without struggle."

If years of struggling were the barometer of such things, Cleveland would be this season's Super Bowl favorite. But the Browns' current state pretty much dismisses that possibility.

The quarterback position is in flux as first-round pick Brady Quinn has finally ended his holdout. Pro Bowl center LeCharles Bentley is still recovering from a knee injury and infection that almost led to amputation. And the defensive line just lost its best player, Orpheus Roye, for most, if not all, of training camp. Factor that Cleveland is in the tough AFC North and has a 40-88 record since returning to the NFL in 1999 and you have all the reasons for pessimism.

ADVERTISEMENT
Caught in the middle of disappointment and misfortune have been Winslow and wide receiver Braylon Edwards, likely the saving graces if the Browns are to avoid another ugly campaign in '07.

"It took a couple of years for me to figure (out how to handle the hard times), between dealing with the injury and losing for the first time," said Edwards, who perennially challenged for the Big Ten title at Michigan. "You get frustrated when things like that happen."

At 6-foot-3, 212 pounds and blessed with stunning speed for his size, Edwards could be Cleveland's equivalent of Hall of Famer Michael Irvin … if he can focus, as coach Romeo Crennel has preached.

"He has a lot of things going on and off the field that he wants to do," said Crennel, going into his third year with the franchise. "He's such a talented guy that everybody is looking to get him on all these endorsement, in clothing lines, all this stuff. I told him, 'You have to take care of football first and then all that stuff will come.' Do it on the field."

Edwards, who missed six games as a rookie in 2005 with a staph infection and a torn right ACL, is getting the message.

"Romeo has said a lot of things since I got here that have slowly started to set in," Edwards said. "I notice myself thinking about a situation and remembering what Romeo said."

Aside from focus, Edwards needs patience. During a loss late last season, he blew up on starting quarterback Charlie Frye, an incident that gained national attention.

"Everybody gets frustrated," said Winslow. "It's just that a (Terrell Owens), a Chad Johnson, a Braylon Edwards or a guy like me, they have a big name and the camera is going to be on them at all times. You have cameras on them at all times, so you have to watch when you say stuff. That was just frustration coming out at the wrong time. You have to learn from it and move on."

Winslow has found success after his own bout with distractions and frustration. Winslow, the No. 6 overall pick in 2004, missed all but two games his first two seasons. He broke a leg in his rookie season and a severely injured a knee in a 2005 motorcycle accident.

Winslow came back to catch 89 passes last season and is flashing brilliance in training camp. Moreover, he has an appreciation for the game from his two years in purgatory.

"This is all I ever wanted to do through my life from as early as I can remember and nothing is going to stop me from achieving what I want to do and being one of the best ever," Winslow said. "The accidents aren't going to stop me."

Much of Winslow's motivation is trying to measure up to his Hall of Fame father Kellen, who is considered one of the greatest tight ends ever.

"I've always wanted to be like my father. The game itself, I love it, the competitiveness of the game" the younger Winslow said. "He wanted me to go play baseball or basketball, something other than football. But I just loved the game and I've always loved it. It brings out the best in me."

There's so much scar tissue in Winslow's knee that it takes him an hour to warm up before practice. This offseason, he also had to have microfracture surgery on the knee to relieve pain from lost cartilage.

"Sometimes I'm not sure how I'm going to be able to practice, but I find a way. I have to work my way around it. Sometimes when I cut, it's really painful. I have to do things differently," Winslow said. "I think a lot of people wouldn't be playing through what I've been through."

It has to be equally hard, given everything the Browns have been through during that same time.

Jason Cole is a national NFL writer for Yahoo! Sports. Send Jason a question or comment for potential use in a future column or webcast.

... How many times does it need to be said that he blew up on the offensive line and not Frye..............

Sigh...

In the words of Curt Schilling... 'there are no such thing as curses'

Agree,...curse is voodoo crap. Bad luck, or bad management, I can buy that. Like the Steelers from 30-70.

Have The Marines ever been cursed ??

There is no such thing as a a curse.

Im starting to think its an Ohio curse.

Mount Union is from Ohio and they win National Championship after National Championship.

But an Ohio team loses to them.

Otter did what?

LOL! not a damn thing! just like allways!

*yawn*

What do you know, another report bad-mouthing the Browns. I don't even pay attention to this stuff anymore.

If you think that ones bad, read this......

Derry: Where's the Silver Lining?

By Frank Derry

Posted Aug 8, 2007

The veteran columnist looks at the hits the team has been taking since camp opened, and finds his silver lining in a surprising place.


Just a couple of weeks ago, we talked about the optimism that exists at this time of year. Players are optimistic. Coaches are optimistic. The owner is optimistic. And, most of all, the fans are optimistic, convinced this will be the year their team makes a serious run at the Super Bowl.

Unfortunately for Browns fans, much of that optimism has quickly faded, the result of four setbacks that have taken place before the first preseason game is played.

Brady Quinn’s 10-day contract holdout, Ryan Tucker’s suspension for steroid use, Orpheus Roye’s knee surgery and LeCharles Bentley’s inability to pass the team physical have all contributed to tempering the enthusiasm that had been generated just prior to the start camp.

Thankfully, Quinn’s ridiculous holdout finally ended on Aug. 7. It probably cost him any chance of being the Browns’ No. 1 quarterback to start the year, but the reality is, he was a long-shot even if he had been on hand for every practice.

Quinn’s importance to this team is down the road. It’s probably best that he isn’t forced to operate behind the makeshift line that the Browns will have for at least the first four weeks of the regular season.

Tucker’s suspension is probably the biggest setback in that it will prevent the line from developing the all-important cohesion it has lacked ever since the team returned in 1999.

Tucker, who was expected to help anchor the line from his right tackle position, is coming off a season in which he missed considerable time due to mental problems. This latest setback may be a direct off-shoot of those problems.

Time will tell whether Tucker ever plays another game for the Browns, who say his situation will be reevaluated when his suspension ends in early October.

General manager Phil Savage and head coach Romeo Crennel have to be asking themselves a couple of very important questions:

Can the Browns afford to keep a player who has been as unreliable as Tucker has become?

Can the Browns afford to let go of a player with Tucker’s talent?

The answer might very well depend upon how well the offensive line plays in September.

If the Browns can somehow manage to go 2-2 over the first four weeks, and the offense shows some consistency, then Tucker’s days with the Browns might be numbered.

For now, Kevin Shaffer has shifted from left tackle and is filling in for Tucker while rookie Joe Thomas has pretty much been handed the starting job at left tackle. It’s a good thing the Browns didn’t bow to Shaffer’s request to be traded when the team drafted Thomas.

If the offense struggles and the starting quarterback, be it Charlie Frye, Derek Anderson or Quinn, finds himself running for his life, the Browns will no doubt welcome Tucker back with open arms although he’ll undoubtedly have to earn a starting job.

More than likely joining Tucker on the sideline in September will be Bentley, whose optimistic belief that he might make a miraculous return to begin the year was dealt a dose of reality when the Browns pushed off his team physical.

Bentley’s personal doctor had given him the green light to play, but the former Pro Bowl center now admits his surgically repaired knee is only about 70 percent at best. To think it can improve another 20 to 25 percent over the next four weeks is totally unrealistic.

Bentley hopes to play at 90-95 percent when he does return to active duty.

That means he’ll be starting the season on the physically unable to perform list, meaning he’ll be forced to sit for at least six weeks.

The loss of defensive end Roye, who had arthroscopic knee surgery at the beginning of camp and is expected to miss at least the entire preseason, is critical because the defensive line is very short on depth.

Shaun Smith, the restricted free agent signed by the Browns this past off-season as a backup nose tackle, will get first shot at filling Roye’s big shoes. Smith is certainly not the long-term answer.

Others who figure to benefit from Roye’s absence are J’Vonne Parker, Simon Fraser and Orien Harris.

If Roye comes back in time for the regular-season opener against Pittsburgh, his injury will not be of any real significance. A player with his experience doesn’t really need to play a whole lot of preseason games to be ready for the season.

But as Crennel admits, there is no guarantee he will be back for the lid-lifter and without Roye, Tucker and Bentley, the odds of the Browns being able to pull off an upset grow much longer. A 1-3 or 0-4 start is a possibility.

And who knows what is going to happen over the next four weeks. Very rarely does a team escape injury. A couple more setbacks could make for a very, very long season. And a much tighter noose around Crennel’s neck.

The good news through all of this?

Wide receiver Braylon Edwards, who was constantly creating headlines both on and off the field a year ago, has managed to keep his name out of the headlines.

Every cloud does indeed have a silver lining.




Everybody knew Bentley wouldn't play this year, but this arse acts as if it is killing the season. He acts as if Tucker is the only good lineman on the team. His quote about not having Tucker makes it almost impossible to go 2-2 in the first four games is just assinine. I guess he hasn't heard that Shaffer is actually doing pretty good at RT in camp. IMO Tucker is aging and his game is falling off some, not to mention he has become unreliable. The scope Roye is having is minor, and I think it will help him not hurt.Roye is a seasoned veteran that always gives his all. Veterans like him can miss part of camp and it don't set them back much.
I have noticed too many writers never mentiong any of the good things happening in Berea. Strong showings from rookies Wright and Thomas, Jamal Lewis looking very sharp, and even McKinney playing good after his injury.
I'm growing tired of the negative stories, which these reporters seem to love becoming the only stuff printed about this team. God I can't wait until winning is the norm around here.

a very gloomy article indeed, but mostly a negative spin on things we already know

Who TF is Frank Derry???

Don't worry about it, things will be decided on Sundays this year, like every other year. (I'm worried about our D-line though ).

Just clicking...

THe first thing about the Derry article that struck me was the doom and gloom about Bentley. THat's just stupid talk, because no one is or was counting on him ever making it back, really. Ergo, the signing of Fraley to a deal, locking down a quality center.

Point two, Tucker may be out for the games, but he still will practice with the team. He's a seasoned vet, and the right side has changed a lot less than the left. It's an unfortunate situation resulting from poor judgement on his part, but not a season killer.

Point three, injuries like Roye's happen all the time. He's no spring chicken, so that's why you try and build some depth. Everybody's going to be missing a good lineman or LB's for the opener. It happens.

This guy's not just spinning things as the glass half-empty, but as the glass is been drained and has a crack in it!

Just to retort...

Tucker can prctice with the team during the preseason...but will not be able to practice with the team during his suspension...


But aside from that you are right on...

You know some are saying we can't go 2-2 in our first 4 games because of these things. But if we don't go 2-2 it not because of that...its because we played a REALLY NASTY SCHEDULE....LOL

I am not going to get all worried because Roye will miss the preseason. I will not lose sleep because Shaun smith is at DE(he is also at DT...it was not nor is not a permanent switch while Roye is out). I yawn at the fact that Tucker is out 4 games and has the possibility of never coming back. I have not seen a single blow that we can't absorb this year(knock on wood) If we don't win 2 out of the first four....it is because we either played better teams or we played beneath our abilities.

It won't be because of Ryan Tuckeer....LMAO!!!!

Pathetic article by Derry. The doom & gloom doesn't fly any more. The fact that Chaun Thompson, Shaun Smith, Lennie Friedman and Kevin Shaffer are getting more playing time only helps the team. Shaffer will start at RT, Tucker will have to win it back or be content at depth, Chaun will be able to move inside or out, Lennie will have game experience with the ones and Shaun Smith will have game experience on the outside. Not bad problems to have, actually. The injuries, while inconvenient maybe, haven't affected any optimism that I've noticed. From what I can tell the team and the coaches are still pretty much focused on winning. I haven't heard anyone but these two knuckleheads mention curses or silver linings.

Cleveland is cursed by great fans willing to be vocal about bad ball, bad call, and just about any quarterback I have seen over 5 years. But they love da Browns most; have been snakebit though.
I feel it comin back more this year. Don't put a lot of stock in juju curse talk. Sorry
Meanwhile, go Browns! And may the Elf be with you!

I'm fairly convinced you could follow most any team in most any sport and see
a similar story line(s) as we see here. It's more magnified to us as I think we're more passionate as fans. Look how many sports articles over the years have mentioned the river fire and other situations brought on by politicians rather than players that have put the city in a bad light. It's just easy pickings and it spills over into our sports teams. Just an opinion.

Big old pile of horse pooppie

Call it what ya will....But call it over

Bobcats?

Comets?

Curse?

I thought I was in the Pure Football forum....

"How many times does it need to be said that he blew up on the offensive line and not Frye"

That would constitute the Bozo media getting the facts right...they rather go with the Made up stuff

if you want the wallpaper, click HERE