--Wide receiver Joe Jurevicius is expected to miss at least the first six week of the season, as GM Phil Savage told a Cleveland WTAM-AM that the receiver is likely to begin the season on the Physically Unable to Perform list. Jurevicius has had four procedures on his knee this offseason, the latest coming in early July when he experienced some swelling.
--Kicker Phil Dawson, the last of the original Browns, is about to begin his 10th training camp in Cleveland. Next in line for longevity is tight end Steve Heiden, now in his eighth season with the Browns. Butch Davis acquired Heiden from San Diego for a seventh-round draft choice in 2001.
--Seven players from the Butch Davis era remain on the roster, including Dawson, who was signed in the Dwight Clark-Chris Palmer era. The others are Heiden plus linebacker Andra Davis (2002), tackle Ryan Tucker (2002), long snapper Ryan Pontbriand (2003), tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. (2004) and safety Sean Jones (2004). Excluding specialists Dawson and Pontbriand, the rest are starters.
--RB Jamal Lewis is looking for his third straight season of 1,000 rushing yards or more. Lewis missed all of 2001 with a knee injury. Discounting that season, the only time in his eight-year career he failed to reach 1,000 yards was 2005 in Baltimore when he rushed for 906 yards.
--Normally when a team wins 10 games it controls the clock well because it is grinding out time on the ground in the fourth quarter. But the Browns were the exception last season, and they would like to change that. They finished 10-6, outscored their opponents -- albeit by a slim margin, 402-382 -- but lost the possession battle, 30:50 to 29:10 a game. The Browns figure if they can win the battle, say 32 minutes to 28 minutes a game, the defense will be fresher in the fourth quarter.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "A guy like him brings a lot to the table. Get the ball in his hands, let him run with it, and make plays. We're going to try to mix him in when we can. He has been progressing as a wide receiver." -- Quarterback Derek Anderson on Joshua Cribbs.
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