Home > Blogs > Dawging the Browns > Archives > 2008 > September > 16 > Entry
Nothing hurts more than injuries
It would be wrong to blame the Browns’ 0-2 start entirely on injuries. They affect every team.
But to list them as the primary culprit might not be such a stretch.
If you were going to rank them from most to least critical, here’s how it might look, from 1-15:
1. QB Derek Anderson’s concussion. It cost him valuable preseason time, about three weeks of games and practices. Timing with receivers has suffered and he’s looked like a backup as a result (still assuming, of course, that last season wasn’t a fluke and he’s not really a backup to begin with).
2. Donte Stallworth’s strained quad. The Browns were excited about this offseason free-agent signing and looked forward to having the wide receiver as another down-the-field threat. Instead of having Stallworth the first two games, inexperienced Syndric Steptoe and Steve Sanders had to play.
3. Braylon Edwards’ heel gash. A stupid injury suffered while horsing around with Stallworth after practice, it robbed Edwards of three valuable weeks of work with Anderson and did his conditioning no favors.
4. Joshua Cribbs’ high ankle sprain. He returned against Pittsburgh, but with nothing near the kind of burst or explosiveness as last season, when he made the Pro Bowl as a returner. High ankle sprains take forever to heal, we’re told.
5. Sean Jones’ knee surgery. The safety is supposed to be the Browns’ version of Troy Polamalu, Ed Reed, etc. He played in the opener and wasn’t himself. Didn’t play in the Pittsburgh game and won’t play for several weeks. Backup Mike Adams is a nice fill-in, but Jones was just starting to be recognized as one of the league’s elite.
6. Antwan Peek’s torn patella tendon. This type of injury effectively ended LeCharles Bentley’s career, and it’s one the Browns just could not afford, given their abject lack of a pass rush and how it meant more time on the field for Willie McGinest, whose better days are long past.
7. Joe Jurevicius’ multiple knee surgeries. With Stallworth, the Browns figured not to miss Jurevicius as much, but his reliable third-down hands became something of a security blanket for Anderson last season and now they are lost for at least the first six weeks. And Stallworth’s out, too.
8. Jamal Lewis’ hamstring. He hurt it during preseason but can’t be 100 percent yet. And is he really a breakaway threat against a good defense anyway?
9. Ryan Tucker’s broken hip. Tucker had been the starter at right guard and likely would have remained so. Losing him didn’t help the running game any.
10. Daven Holly’s knee surgery. The cornerback is out for the year after tearing up the knee in one of those non-training camp workouts. The Browns did not, nor do they now, have defensive backs to spare. It left them scrambling to pick up other teams’ discards.
11. Robaire Smith’s Achilles’ tendon. He blew it out against Pittsburgh and is out for the season. This could wind up being the most costly injury of all because he was a beast at right defensive end. Shaun Smith will step in, but depth suffers.
12. Brodney Pool’s concussion. Forced the safety to miss the Dallas game. You know, the one where Tony Romo riddled the Browns through the air.
13. Rex Hadnot’s knee. The right guard, signed in free agency and ostensibly keeping the job warm for Tucker, missed the opener.
14. Beau Bell’s knee surgery. The fourth-round draft pick, a linebacker from UNLV, was being counted upon as a factor on special teams.
15. Martin Rucker’s knee surgery. The fourth-round draft pick, a tight end from Missouri, might have been contributing by now if not hurt.
There you have it. Did I leave anyone out? And these are just the ones that have forced guys to miss time.
Don’t blame the record on injuries, but do take them into into account as you call for Romeo Crennel’s head and wonder why the Browns don’t appear destined for anything greater than a .500 season. It’s only fair.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment |
Comments
By quantoid
September 16, 2008 5:57 PM | Link to this
OK you convinced me. The injuries are numerous and it is not an excuse for the 0-2 record where field goals are the main means of scoring.