Notes: Rogers continues to impress

07.30.2008

Wednesday morning was a time for the unusual at Browns training camp.

It rained during a practice for the first time.

Defensive lineman Shaun Rogers, the biggest player on the team in the neighborhood of 350 pounds, worked at catching balls off the jugs machine, as if he were a wide receiver.

And NFL officials made their annual stop at camp to work practices and advise players and coaches of rule changes.

Business as usual.

The Browns had six practices rained out in last year's camp, a club record, but had been blessed by Mother Nature so far in 2008. That changed when it came down -- relatively hard for a time -- for about 14 minutes an hour into the two-hour practice.

But the Browns ignored it and played on, and by the end of the practice, the sun had reappeared.

"It was good for us to get our feet and work with a wet ball," Browns head coach Romeo Crennel said.

The Browns were practicing on a field that had been re-done in the offseason. As such, they didn't want to tear it up, but that wasn't going to happen as long as the field didn't get saturated. Good drainage prevented that from happening and sending them to their indoor practice field.

Defensive lineman Shaun Smith and outside linebacker Antwan Peek were both held out of the morning practice because of knee soreness. Smith was back for the afternoon session; Peek was not.

QUITE A SHOW: For a few minutes after practice, Rogers acted as if he was Paul Warfield, even catching some passes off the jugs machine one-handed.

Rogers wants to make sure that he can continue to be able to hold onto the ball. In a practice last week, he tipped a pass, intercepted it and took off for the end zone, screaming all the while. No one was about to get into the big man's way -- not in a camp practice, at least.

Large and athletic, Rogers has been called -- in a good way -- "a beast" by some of his teammates.

"I'm not going to call him a beast because I'd like to keep coaching," he joked. "I'm going to tell him I like him."

The way he's performing in his first year with the Browns after arriving in a trade with the Detroit Lions -- he might be the most impressive player in camp thus far -- Rogers is easy to like.

Crennel thinks he can be a real force with the Browns.

"Shaun's not the sole focus of attention on this team," Crennel said "He's just another member of the team."

Maybe not just another member of the team completely, for he is, after all, just about exactly halfway between 300 and 400 pounds. That's a full 35 pounds heavier than offensive lineman Ryan Tucker, no small man himself. But we understand what the coach is saying.

GUYS IN STRIPES: As for the officials, it wasn't long before they heard it from the fans. It happened when quarterback Brady Quinn tried to hit tight bend Brad Cieslak as he ran up the middle of the field. Cieslak's legs got tangled up with those of safety Mike Adams and he tripped and fell down, causing the ball to sail over his head incomplete.

No flag was thrown. What some unhappyfans didn't realize is that the officials weren't supposed to throw any flags during the practice.

"The officials are just to talk to the guys and tell them if there would have been a penalty on the play," Crennel said.

LOCAL CONNECTIONS: One of the officials working practice was line judge Mark Steinkerchner. A resident of the Akron suburb of Bath Township who operates a rubber products factory in Wadsworth, he was, for years, the only NFL official from Northeast Ohio. He was joined last year by referee John Parry of the Akron suburb of Tallmadge.

Steinkerchner said he and his crew are slated to work the Browns' preseason finale against the Chicago Bears on Aug. 28 at Cleveland Browns Stadium. The crew's regular-season schedule won't be released until later in the preseason. Steinkerchner and his crew will meet with the media on Thursday to answer questions.