Browns sign free agent defensive tackle
06.07.06 (10:42 am) [edit]Free agent defensive tackle Ja'Waren Blair signed with the Cleveland Browns on Monday. The 6-foot-6, 288-pounder played this spring with the Rhein Fire in NFL Europe. He made 24 tackles and one sack. Blair, 26, played college ball for East Carolina and was signed by the Cinicinnati Bengals as a free agent in 2003 before being waived during training camp. In 2004, he recorded 26 tackles and two sacks for the Amsterdam Admirals. A two-year starter at East Carolina, Blair finished with 132 career tackles and 5 1/2 sacks.
Jury acquits Cleveland Browns running back in DUI case
06.07.06 (10:41 am) [edit]Cleveland Browns running back Reuben Droughns has been acquitted of drunken driving. The 10-person jury in Medina Municipal Court deliberated for 35 minutes Tuesday before deciding Droughns was not impaired when State Highway Patrol Trooper Sam Crist pulled him over Nov. 1. A breath test showed Droughns had an alcohol level of .08, the state's legal limit. Droughns, 27, was charged with failing the Breathalyzer test, driving under the influence and traveling 50 mph in a 35-mph zone. Prosecutor Matthew Lanier dropped the latter charges before the trial began. Crist testified that he spotted Droughns speeding and weaving in traffic while driving in suburban Cleveland. Droughns (pictured playing, above) and his wife, Kellie, disputed the trooper's testimony that Droughns was weaving, and Droughns said he was unfamiliar with the speed limit in the area. Droughns said he drank three cocktails at a Halloween party that night. Droughns, who signed a three-year contract extension with the Browns earlier this year, said after the verdict he was happy to get the charge behind him so he could concentrate on football. He rushed for 1,232 yards last season on 309 carries, scoring two touchdowns. Kellie Droughns said the acquittal was a relief. "It's been hard on us, hard on Reuben," she said. "We're taking a limo everywhere, even to the grocery store."
Heading in the Right Direction
06.07.06 (10:38 am) [edit]An offseason that began with the Cleveland Browns not even knowing who would be making decisions for them -- much less knowing what those decisions would be -- somehow will conclude with the franchise at last headed in the right direction, albeit with a long way still to go before reaching respectability. It appeared at the end of the 2005 season, in which rookie coach Romeo Crennel directed the Browns to a 6-10 record, that General Manager Phil Savage was on the verge of being fired. Savage, however, won his power struggle with club president John Collins and was retained to share decision-making responsibilities with Crennel and owner Randy Lerner, and Collins was ousted instead. Savage followed with the sort of offseason performance that should leave Lerner pleased that he decided to stick with his general manager. The Browns might not be a good team quite yet next season, particularly with a youngster -- second-year pro Charlie Frye -- poised to be their starting quarterback. But they'll be far closer to being a decent club than they were last season. The Browns struck early and often in free agency. They signed center LeCharles Bentley, one of the best players available on the entire unrestricted free agent market, to a six-year, $36 million contract that included $12.5 million in guaranteed money. They signed left tackle Kevin Shaffer to a six-year, $36.5 million deal that included $12 million in guaranteed money. They got veteran wide receiver Joe Jurevicius, punter Dave Zastudil and defensive tackle Ted Washington, who'd been released by the Oakland Raiders. When the New England Patriots cut one of their cornerstone players, linebacker Willie McGinest, he decided to reunite with Crennel, the Patriots' defensive coordinator for their three Super Bowl titles, in Cleveland. Those moves alone represent a major overhaul, and if tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. and wide receiver Braylon Edwards made successful comebacks from their knee injuries, suddenly this looks like a completely different team. The Browns had two of the first 34 picks in the NFL draft and got two linebackers who should be immediate contributors, first-rounder Kamerion Wimbley and second-rounder D'Qwell Jackson. That's a significant infusion of talent, young and old. But Crennel's short-term problem is that he'll be playing, essentially, a rookie quarterback. Frye was a rookie last season and played in seven games, making five starts, while sharing time with Trent Dilfer. Dilfer was unhappy about the prospect of losing the starting job to Frye next season, so the Browns traded him to the San Francisco 49ers for quarterback Ken Dorsey and a seventh-round draft choice next year. With the Browns' proposed draft-weekend trade with the Detroit Lions for quarterback Joey Harrington having failed, it appears that Frye will have a relatively firm grip on the starting job next season. That could keep the Browns' victory total from rising dramatically. Crennel will have to live with the ups and downs of a young quarterback, and taking his lumps next season to get experience for Frye will benefit him and the Browns in the long run. But that could keep the team from breaking .500. Otherwise, the club is greatly improved. Winslow and Edwards should make a difference in the passing game, and Jurevicius provides some veteran stability. Shaffer and Bentley are major upgrades on the offensive line. McGinest, Wimbley and Jackson should be playmakers on defense, and Washington gives the unit the sort of blocker-occupying tackle up front to allow the linebackers to do their thing. The Browns, behind Crennel and Savage, are on their way to being a good team. They probably won't get there next season, but at least now there's hope for an outfit that seemed so misguided under the direction of former coach Butch Davis.