Happy to B. back: Edwards ready for Sunday’s opener, but says game won’t be a personal battle with Cowboys’ Owens
Scott Petrak | The Chronicle-Telegram
BEREA — Defensive lineman Shaun Smith was rumbling past the horde of cameras and microphones when he overheard a question about Cowboys receiver Terrell Owens.
“Bump that. Tell them you make plays, too, B.,” Smith shouted.
B. is receiver Braylon Edwards. And, yes, he does make plays, too.
In fact, Edwards’ franchise-record 16 touchdown catches last season were one more than Owens had in setting a Dallas franchise record.
But Edwards will play second fiddle to Owens on Sunday when Dallas visits for the opener. That’s just the way it is when one of the NFL’s best receivers and biggest personalities comes to town and is followed by Fox’s cameras.
“I won’t be competing in the game with T.O,” Edwards said Wednesday. “I’ll be competing in the game with my team, trying to beat the Dallas Cowboys.”
That, in itself, is welcome news for the Browns.
Edwards was stepped on by fellow receiver Donte Stallworth as they joked around Aug. 9 after practice. Edwards bled from the heel, needed several stitches, spent a night in the hospital and didn’t return to practice until Monday.
He was at full strength Wednesday and snapped, “Next question,” when asked if he’s limited at all.
“I knew it would take a little time for it to heal up,” Edwards said. “It was a laceration. Once it got sutured up, I knew it’d be all right.”
But there were some anxious moments on the way to the hospital, and Edwards knows he was fortunate.
“Not even a question,” he said. “It was so close to my Achilles’ (tendon).”
Edwards was eager to move on and talk about the Cowboys.
“It will be a good test for us,” he said. “Thirteen Pro Bowlers, yada, yada, yada. The list goes on. We’ll see what we can do about them.”
Edwards never lacks for confidence and said he’ll quickly be able to fall back into a rhythm with quarterback Derek Anderson. They hadn’t practiced together for three weeks, and Anderson missed the last two following a concussion.
“Coming back out there we felt good when we did routes,” Edwards said. “There’s no concern. We’ve been doing it at a high level since March.”
Cowboys coach Wade Phillips is a believer. He called Edwards one of the top five receivers in the league, along with Owens, and said the Cowboys will double-team him as often as possible.
“Braylon is certainly a big-play guy, an outstanding receiver and we’ll have our hands full against him,” he said.
Owens is 6-foot-3, 218 pounds; Edwards 6-3, 215. Owens had 81 catches for 1,355 yards last year; Edwards 80 for 1,289.
“He’s a big receiver and I’m a big receiver,” Edwards said. “Other than that, we’re two different receivers.”
Owens’ loud mouth rubs many the wrong way — Donovan McNabb and Jeff Garcia are at the top of the list — but not Edwards. He admired Owens when he entered the league and they hang out in the offseason.
“He’s a good guy,” Edwards said. “T.O. is a tremendous wide receiver. He’s been doing it at a high level for a long time now.
“It’s gonna be fun to be on the same field with him. I’ll be watching him to see what he does.”
Owens returned the compliment.
“He’s a talent that has really shown he can play in this league,” Owens said on a conference call with Cleveland reporters. “He’s explosive and makes plays. He’s the go-to guy for their team. The sky’s the limit for Braylon.”
The foot injury wasn’t a complete loss. Edwards used the time on his couch to catch up with swimmer Michael Phelps’ chase for history at the Olympics.
Edwards and Phelps have University of Michigan ties and struck up a friendship. Edwards bragged before Beijing that he would more than double Phelps’ gold-medal total with touchdown catches. After Phelps’ record eight golds, Edwards needs to set another franchise record.
Edwards joined Phelps for a workout during the offseason.
“Once. It wasn’t fun,” Edwards said. “First of all, you have to be in the pool by 6 a.m. And it’s too much swimming.
“I stopped working out after about 30 minutes and just started playing on the diving board.”
Contact Scott Petrak at 329-7253 or spetrak@chroniclet.com.
NEXT UP
WHO: Cleveland vs. Dallas
WHAT: Season opener
WHEN: Sunday, 4:15 p.m.
WHERE: Cleveland Browns Stadium
TV/RADIO: Channel 8; WMMS 100.7-FM
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Filed by Scott Petrak | The Chronicle-Telegram September 4th, 2008 in Sports. Popularity: 58% |
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