24champ
10-19-2006, 07:11 PM
SPORTS: Droughns looks forward to facing Broncos
By Tony Grossi
Plain Dealer Reporter
It’s time, Reuben Droughns said.
“I’m healthier now and really excited about this game. We hope to get something going now,’’ said the Browns running back.
This weekend might see the right confluence of events for Droughns to get his wheels rolling.
The Browns’ bye week allowed Droughns to rest his ailing shoulder, which was hurt a month ago on the collision in the Cincinnati game that knocked out Bengals linebacker David Pollack for the season.
The bye week also allowed the Browns to rediscover what they need to keep in their playbook (Droughns running the ball) and what they don’t need (Lawrence Vickers throwing the ball).
This is also the point last season when Droughns started to emerge as the focal point of the offense.
His first 100-yard game came in Game 6 and began a streak of five games in which Droughns rushed for 537 yards — 43 percent of his season total of 1,232.
Everybody knows, including coach Romeo Crennel, that if the Browns are going to do anything on offense, it will be Droughns who does the jump-starting.
“I think it’ll be pretty important because it’ll help the whole team, take a lot of pressure off Charlie [Frye] and if defenses have to honor the run it opens up some other things,’’ Crennel said.
“I’m not saying necessarily I’m going to be the guy,’’ Droughns said. “It’s going to take all of us to get something going. But if it has to start with me, then it starts with me.’’
And what better team for Droughns to face coming out of the bye than his former one, the Denver Broncos?
“For me, it’s going to be fun,’’ Droughns said. “It’s like when you’re in high school and you go to college and play against some of your old ’mates. I still know a lot of guys over there. You get to show what you’ve got to them.’’
There is no bad blood between Droughns and the Broncos. Unlike the ex-Browns in Denver, who have blasted Cleveland all week and proclaimed “good riddance’’ to that portion of their careers, Droughns has nothing bad to say about his former team and former coach Mike Shanahan.
Droughns was playing fullback and breaking up the kickoff wedge on special teams in Denver when opportunity knocked in the 2004 season. Shanahan turned to Droughns when injuries hit two tailbacks. Droughns responded with a 1,240-yard season.
After that season, Droughns made some noise about wanting a raise. Shanahan had Tatum Bell and Mike Anderson returning from injuries and had a severe need for defensive linemen.
The Browns initially tried to steal restricted free agent Chester Taylor from Baltimore. After the Ravens matched the offer, the Browns aimed for Droughns. They offered Ebenezer Ekuban even up, and then threw in Michael Myers to get the trade done.
“It wasn’t my intent to put him at fullback,’’ Shanahan said of Droughns on a conference call, “because he had already proven that he could be an excellent tailback. But with the tailbacks we had, I just didn’t know who would be the guy. And we needed defensive linemen at that time.
“And Reuben was wanting a raise, which I thought he rightfully deserved for the year that he had. I thought it would work out best to give him the opportunity to be ‘the guy’ and also get a raise. And in return, we could beef up our defensive line. I hated to lose Reuben because he’s such a quality guy besides being an excellent football player.’’
Droughns affirmed that he sought a raise.
“Definitely. Any time you come off the season I had and you can go from fullback money to tailback money, definitely,’’ he said.
The raise didn’t come for another year. After Droughns rushed for 1,232 yards in Cleveland, the Browns gave him a three-year deal for $12 million. In becoming the franchise’s first 1,000-yard rusher in 20 years, Droughns was able to run out of the shadow of Denver’s famed offensive system.
But there’s one problem. Droughns’ new team has won just seven of 21 games while his old one has won 17 of 21, not counting a stroll to the AFC Championship Game last season.
“I miss winning a lot,’’ Droughns said.
So do Browns fans, he asserts.
“Right now, we’ve got to get a win. Our fans, they do so much for us, we’ve got to start giving something back to them,’’ Droughns said.
http://www.cleveland.com/plaindealer/weblog/index.ssf?/mtlogs/cleve_eedition/archives/2006_10.html#196508
By Tony Grossi
Plain Dealer Reporter
It’s time, Reuben Droughns said.
“I’m healthier now and really excited about this game. We hope to get something going now,’’ said the Browns running back.
This weekend might see the right confluence of events for Droughns to get his wheels rolling.
The Browns’ bye week allowed Droughns to rest his ailing shoulder, which was hurt a month ago on the collision in the Cincinnati game that knocked out Bengals linebacker David Pollack for the season.
The bye week also allowed the Browns to rediscover what they need to keep in their playbook (Droughns running the ball) and what they don’t need (Lawrence Vickers throwing the ball).
This is also the point last season when Droughns started to emerge as the focal point of the offense.
His first 100-yard game came in Game 6 and began a streak of five games in which Droughns rushed for 537 yards — 43 percent of his season total of 1,232.
Everybody knows, including coach Romeo Crennel, that if the Browns are going to do anything on offense, it will be Droughns who does the jump-starting.
“I think it’ll be pretty important because it’ll help the whole team, take a lot of pressure off Charlie [Frye] and if defenses have to honor the run it opens up some other things,’’ Crennel said.
“I’m not saying necessarily I’m going to be the guy,’’ Droughns said. “It’s going to take all of us to get something going. But if it has to start with me, then it starts with me.’’
And what better team for Droughns to face coming out of the bye than his former one, the Denver Broncos?
“For me, it’s going to be fun,’’ Droughns said. “It’s like when you’re in high school and you go to college and play against some of your old ’mates. I still know a lot of guys over there. You get to show what you’ve got to them.’’
There is no bad blood between Droughns and the Broncos. Unlike the ex-Browns in Denver, who have blasted Cleveland all week and proclaimed “good riddance’’ to that portion of their careers, Droughns has nothing bad to say about his former team and former coach Mike Shanahan.
Droughns was playing fullback and breaking up the kickoff wedge on special teams in Denver when opportunity knocked in the 2004 season. Shanahan turned to Droughns when injuries hit two tailbacks. Droughns responded with a 1,240-yard season.
After that season, Droughns made some noise about wanting a raise. Shanahan had Tatum Bell and Mike Anderson returning from injuries and had a severe need for defensive linemen.
The Browns initially tried to steal restricted free agent Chester Taylor from Baltimore. After the Ravens matched the offer, the Browns aimed for Droughns. They offered Ebenezer Ekuban even up, and then threw in Michael Myers to get the trade done.
“It wasn’t my intent to put him at fullback,’’ Shanahan said of Droughns on a conference call, “because he had already proven that he could be an excellent tailback. But with the tailbacks we had, I just didn’t know who would be the guy. And we needed defensive linemen at that time.
“And Reuben was wanting a raise, which I thought he rightfully deserved for the year that he had. I thought it would work out best to give him the opportunity to be ‘the guy’ and also get a raise. And in return, we could beef up our defensive line. I hated to lose Reuben because he’s such a quality guy besides being an excellent football player.’’
Droughns affirmed that he sought a raise.
“Definitely. Any time you come off the season I had and you can go from fullback money to tailback money, definitely,’’ he said.
The raise didn’t come for another year. After Droughns rushed for 1,232 yards in Cleveland, the Browns gave him a three-year deal for $12 million. In becoming the franchise’s first 1,000-yard rusher in 20 years, Droughns was able to run out of the shadow of Denver’s famed offensive system.
But there’s one problem. Droughns’ new team has won just seven of 21 games while his old one has won 17 of 21, not counting a stroll to the AFC Championship Game last season.
“I miss winning a lot,’’ Droughns said.
So do Browns fans, he asserts.
“Right now, we’ve got to get a win. Our fans, they do so much for us, we’ve got to start giving something back to them,’’ Droughns said.
http://www.cleveland.com/plaindealer/weblog/index.ssf?/mtlogs/cleve_eedition/archives/2006_10.html#196508