Browns May Be Missing 660 Pounds if Beef From Their Defensive Line

The Browns have a 660 lb, two-headed monster sitting in the middle of their practice field and no one seems to be looking at it.  I'm talking about Shaun Rogers and Robaire Smith, 2/3 of the Browns' starting defensive line both facing possible suspensions from NFL commissioner Roger Goodell for carrying weapons into airports. Smith was charged July  in Flint for an incident last year after Rogers had been arrested in April at Cleveland Hopkins Airport.  Is this some kind of fraternal lodge initiation?  Or perhaps Rogers was taking the heat for Smith, who was also at the Hopkins in April, keeping Smith from getting a second strike?

In any case, no one is talking about how devastating it will be to the Browns already precarious season if both these players get suspended, even for one or two games, at the beginning of this season.  The Browns are starting out with two very winnable games at Tampa Bay and home vs. Kansas City.  If they can continue the momentum from their four game winning streak at the end of the 09 season, who knows what the confidence they would gain could propel them to do this season.  However, starting out 0-2 would undo any credibility head coach Eric Mangini gained from the streak and send this team into a tailspin, again.

Other than Smith and Rogers, the Browns defensive line is manned by one promising 3rd year nose tackle in Ahtyba Rubin and a bunch of no name, unproven players.  Kenyon Coleman and C.J. Mosley are suitable depth players but after them, the Browns start to trot out the likes of:

• Brian Schaefering, undrafted, 1-year player out of mighty Lindenwood College.
• Kwaku Danso, an undrafted free agent rookie starting his fourth year of football, EVER.
• Clifton Geathers, a sixth-round rookie out of South Carolina who came out after 3 years.
• and a couple of guys who were supposed to just be taking reps in training camp to let the vets cool their heals in the shade.

Why isn't anyone, either in the Browns organization, the Cleveland media or the commissioner's office looking to get the situation with Smith and Rogers either resolved or at least clarified.  As of August 5, Goodell's last statement was, ""Both cases are still under review by our staff, I don't have any plans to specifically sit down with either one of them."  He said this as he visited the Browns training camp, a prime opportunity to talk with the two Browns defensive linemen and get things settled.

New Browns GM Tom Heckert apparently made no effort to bring in experienced veterans to shore up the position and no one has held the feet of President Mike Holmgren to the fire to get an answer as to what is going on or what the Browns' contingency plan is.


When the 660 lbs of defensive line muscle is missing from the Browns lineup for the first couple of games, maybe then someone will sit up and take notice.  Just a little too late to do anything about it.