Browns: Anderson done, Winslow out for at least a week
Scott Petrak | The Chronicle-Telegram
BEREA — The fans who cheered Sunday while quarterback Derek Anderson lay on the Cleveland Browns Stadium turf should be thrilled.
Anderson will miss the rest of the season after an MRI on Monday revealed a tear in the medial collateral ligament of his left knee. He won’t require surgery, will wear a brace and the recovery is expected to take four-to-six weeks.
Anderson started the first eight games before being replaced by Brady Quinn. He returned to the lineup Sunday after Quinn went on injured reserve with a broken finger.
“Once Derek came back in we were all confident because we know Derek can play and it’s frustrating now that we have to change again,” guard Eric Steinbach said. “Derek is a tough guy and he would battle if he could, so it’s disappointing that the knee won’t allow him to.”
Tight end Kellen Winslow also had an MRI that showed a high sprain of his left ankle. He will be in a walking boot for up to a week and is out for the game Sunday in Tennessee. High ankle sprains are tricky, so he could miss the rest of the year.
Anderson is expected to be placed on injured reserve today or Wednesday. Ken Dorsey will start against the Titans, who are 11-1 and have the second-ranked scoring defense.
Dorsey’s last start came with San Francisco on Nov. 27, 2005, at Tennessee, and he had thrown one pass in two-plus years with the Browns before replacing Anderson for the final three plays Sunday in a 10-6 loss to the Colts. He threw two incompletions and a desperation interception. He hasn’t completed a pass in three years.
“I’m going to go out there and I’m going to work hard,” he said Monday. “I’m going to work hard for the guys in this locker room, I’m going to work hard for the city of Cleveland. There’s no doubt that every time I step on the field I’m going to give everything I’ve got.”
Anderson’s last memory of his 2008 season — and possibly his Browns career — is lying on the ground with his knee on fire with pain and hearing a sizable segment of the home crowd cheer.
“It made me upset as a player,” defensive end Shaun Smith said. “For you to cheer for him to get hurt, that’s not good. That’s like me being at your family member’s funeral and being happy they died.
“That’s no class at all.”
Anderson was hurt with 1:07 remaining when Colts end Robert Mathis drove right tackle Kevin Shaffer into him. Shaffer’s helmet hit Anderson’s knee, Anderson buckled and Mathis tackled him around the leg.
Anderson tried to get up, but the leg couldn’t handle the weight. And the crowd cheered.
“You couldn’t help but to hear it,” linebacker Andra Davis said. “That’s the second time. I was here when they did (Tim) Couch like that and that’s unfair.”
The crowd cheered as Couch lay on the ground with a concussion on Oct. 6, 2002. After that Sunday night loss to the Ravens, Couch choked up as he talked to reporters about the fans.
Anderson was stoic Sunday afternoon as he stood on a gimpy knee wearing an Indians hat. But the cheers hurt, especially following the quick boos he heard the past two years.
“They were cheering the fact that I was hurt,” he said. “They don’t like me. That’s well-known.”
Anderson won 10 games last year and went to the Pro Bowl, but never earned a place in the hearts of the Dawg Pound. He’s due a $5 million bonus in the offseason and could be traded to clear the way for Quinn.
Anderson, 25, threw 29 touchdowns last year and was rewarded with a three-year, $24 million contract to keep him off the free-agent market. But he struggled this year after suffering a concussion in the preseason. He completed 50.2 percent of his passes with nine touchdowns, eight interceptions and a 66.5 rating. He went 3-6 as the starter.
“You got a guy who is out there playing his hardest for this city and for people to cheer for anybody to get hurt, that’s ridiculous,” Davis said. “That’s not human.”
The defensive players standing on the sideline heard the cheers and comments coming from the crowd and got upset. Some yelled back.
If the players were defending Anderson, would coach Romeo Crennel understand?
“No, our job is to play the game,” Crennel said. “We shouldn’t even be bothered with the fans in the stands.”
The Browns signed quarterback Richard Bartel (6-foot-3, 233 pounds) to the practice squad last week. He was on the Cowboys practice squad for all of 2007 and one week this year. He finished his college career at Tarleton State.
General manager Phil Savage said the Browns will work out three or four more free-agent quarterbacks today, then make a decision if Bartel or one of the tryouts will back up Dorsey in Tennessee.
Joshua Cribbs is also available in an emergency. The special teamer/receiver played quarterback at Kent State, and the Browns have a package of plays where he lines up at quarterback, usually to run.
“He’s one of the options that we have and we’ll have to look at the options and determine what’s best,” Crennel said. “We might have to expand his package.”
Owner Randy Lerner said last week he would use the rest of the season to evaluate Crennel’s job performance. Crennel was asked if it’s unfair to judge him by the record when he is down to his third quarterback and his team’s faced a series of injuries since the preseason.
“People don’t care about whether it’s fair or not, they care about whether you win or lose,” Crennel said. “That’s the nature of this business and I’ve said that all along.
“I didn’t have any rose-colored glasses on when I took the job.”
Contact Scott Petrak at 329-7253 or spetrak@chroniclet.com.
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Filed by Scott Petrak | The Chronicle-Telegram December 2nd, 2008 in Sports. Popularity: 4% |
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