It has been quite a start to the season for Braylon Edwards.

Let's count the ways:

• In Browns training camp, he was spiked by Donte' Stallworth on the back of his foot while running without shoes after practice. The cut was so bad, Edwards' Achilles tendon could be seen. Internal and external stitches meant he missed three preseason games.

• In late August — as first reported by WOIO (Channel 19) — Edwards was clocked driving 120 mph on Interstate 90 in Avon. After a passenger in the car threw up, Edwards was sent on his way without a ticket. A ticket then was delivered to him Friday in Berea.

• On the Monday before the opener, his first day back at practice since he cut his foot, Edwards declined to talk to the media — a few days after he had talked to Jim Rome and said, among other things, how much he hated Cleveland his rookie season. (Edwards did talk later in the week).

• In the opener, he dropped three passes, four by some counts, and he blamed one drop on the sun.

• Two days later, at an appearance to promote his sponsorship with Yahoo, Edwards said this of LeBron James: ''LeBron isn't a Cleveland guy. LeBron only plays for the Cavaliers, and who knows if he even likes the Cavaliers?''

Each of these incidents — with the exception of going 120 — can be shrugged off as youth being youth. Put them together and Edwards is starting to show some dangerous signs that he is acting more like the Edwards of two years ago than the Edwards of last season.

This is not the kind of behavior the Browns need. What they need is the Edwards who pledged $1 million to Cleveland school kids, the one who showed up and played on Sundays throughout the 2007 season.

He seems to have re-fallen in love with his celebrity.

That's not a good sign.

The Edwards of two years ago dropped passes, enjoyed the night life until the wee hours, was late for meetings and even fell asleep in the players' lounge and missed the start of one meeting.

Remember that Edwards?

That's the one who went against his coach's wishes and teammates' advice and took a helicopter to an Ohio State-Michigan game, then was late getting back.

But let's not go back anymore. Because the actions of the Edwards of the past few weeks have done enough to warrant attention. Edwards' attention needs to be on the field, where his immense talent makes him a weapon unlike many in the league.

He did it last year and he can do it again.

The Browns simply do not need this kind of behavior to continue.

•••••

It's hard to imagine James not being a tad irritated with Edwards' remarks.

First, all James has done is tell people that he loves playing in his hometown. Privately and publicly. He has been on the record stating that.

Yes, he roots for the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Yankees.

And that bothers some people. Deal with it.

At worst, it's a PR mistake, and this guy's rare talent makes a championship possible every year. Too, James does not do the silly things off the court that Edwards does off the field. He also doesn't care if people are angry that he likes the Cowboys and Yankees.

When James went on the field before the Browns' game last Sunday, he initially went to the Browns sideline. No Browns showed up, though, so James went over to meet some of the Cowboys, including Terrell Owens.

It's what superstars do.

T.O. attended a bunch of NBA Finals games the year that James took the Cavs to that point of the playoffs. The two met then.

Heck, James was present recently when Ralph Lauren hosted a fashion show for his charitable foundation. James and Ralph, chilling in a tree . . .

James loves his celebrity, but unlike another local standout, he knows how to handle it. For Edwards to call out James the way he did sounded pretty much like a guy who was jealous.

The odd thing about that is that Edwards would be more adored than anyone in this area if the Browns started winning consistently.

•••••

The speeding incident occurred early in the morning after the preseason finale against the Chicago Bears.

Edwards didn't play that night, but according to WOIO, he was pulled over after 2 a.m. He had a passenger next to him who threw up, prompting him to tell the officer he was taking care of someone who was ill, according to WOIO. Avon Police Chief Paul Romond declined to comment Friday, but his deputy, Barney Fife, apparently decided enough was enough and sent the ticket.

In Avon, the horse apparently never leaves the barn.

If Edwards wants to be like James, there are better ways to imitate him than to drive ridiculously fast and endanger people's lives.

James, you recall, was ticketed for going 101 mph in Medina County. Apparently, enforcement is stricter there than in Mayberry, Lorain County.

Edwards quipped that he thanked WOIO for the ticket, which is kind of emblematic of the attitude he has shown.

He cuts his foot, it was just horseplay that he would do again.

He drops a pass, it was the sun.

He doesn't address his health with the local media, it's none of their business whom he talks to.

Now he goes 120 in his Bentley and gets a ticket and it's the fault of the TV station that reported it. Never mind that he put himself, his passenger and anyone who was on the road that morning in danger with his recklessness.

•Here's a new proposal.

Edwards wants to be famous, wants to be King of Cleveland, like LeBron. Well let's give him his own set of rules, much like the ''Jordan Rules'' with a different bent.

We'll call them the ''Braylon Rules.''

They go as follows:

• Be on time.

• Drive the speed limit.

• Keep your shoes on.

• Catch the ball.

• Think before speaking.

• Watch Ohio State-Michigan on TV. Or get DVR and use it. (We have the technology.)

• Win games.

• Maintain the laudable level of community involvement.

That's all.

They really don't seem that onerous, do they? Random thoughts
The time could be here when the most exciting ticket in area sports is watching the nation's second-best team.

The University of Akron soccer team headed into the weekend ranked No. 2, and coach Caleb Porter has seen the excitement grow.

Nine hundred students showed for a recent game at Lee Jackson Field.

''That's as much as or more than they get at basketball games,'' Porter said. ''That certainly fuels us.''

Including the ''rowdies'' behind the goal ''doing what they do,'' Porter said. (What do ''rowdies'' do at soccer games exactly?)

It's what London-born Steve Zakuani, the team's standout, hoped would happen. Before the season, he said the one thing missing was a wild home crowd rooting for the Zips.

The next home game . . .

Porter's main concern: That his team learns to win an ''ugly game.''

''Talented players, sometimes they want to play the way they want to play,'' Porter said. ''Sometimes you can't. You have to find other ways to impact the game.

''It's not always going to be a pretty soccer game where you can keep the ball and do whatever you can do. Teams are going to try to make it frustrating for us. They're going to try to take us out of our comfort zone. We have to deal with that. I think we can.'' . . .

The Cavs are building quite a team for themselves. Now that they've signed Delonte West, they have three legitimate guards with different skills in Mo Williams, West and Daniel Gibson. . . .

Cavs coach Mike Brown likes taller guards for defense, but he will adjust and play two of these guys. If he does, look for him to pick up defensive pressure full court. . . .

If he wants to go back to a taller guard, he also has Wally ''Boy Did He Show Up In Game 7 in Boston'' Szczerbiak or Sasha Pavlovic. . . .

West's toughness and heart earned him LeBron's respect, which is pretty much all you need in my book. . . .

Cavs General Manager Danny Ferry has had a nice offseason. He re-signed West and Gibson. Added Williams. And if J.J. Hickson works out . . .

Vibe magazine interviewed Jay-Z and asked him about the song he wrote for LeBron during the playoffs, the one about DeShawn Stevenson and all that mess. Jay-Z said: ''I sent him the song to get him amped up. I do that. I hit him on the BlackBerry all the way through the playoffs. There's a big trail of e-mails that we have where I'm almost like a coach on the sidelines for him 'cause . . . that's my little brother! I'm giving him advice, even outside of, 'Take the ball to the elbow and shoot.' The psychology of what's going on: That's my role in his life.'' And now we can all rest a little easier. . . .

Tom Brady's injury means the New England Patriots win the AFC East with a 10-6 record, and it opens things up in the conference. . . .

What AFC team benefited most from the opening week of games?

The Pittsburgh Steelers.

Patriots lost Brady.

San Diego Chargers lost Shawne Merriman and a game.

Indianapolis Colts lost. Jacksonville Jaguars have no guards, and a loss.

The Steelers? They just keep on steeling on. . . .

Is there anyone out there who still thinks it's a bad idea for the Browns to model themselves after the Steelers? . . .

The Browns have themselves in a very difficult position. After one game.

Before the season, it generally was thought that the difficulty of the schedule meant 9-7 would win the AFC North. If the Browns lose tonight, they're 0-2 and would need to finish 9-5 to reach that mark.

It's conceivable the Steelers could win 10 if they win tonight to go to 2-0. That means the Browns would have to go 10-4 the rest of the way and win in Pittsburgh to win the AFC North. This math just does not add up for the Browns. . . . Who wins tonight?

Sorry, but until they beat them it's impossible to pick them.

Steelers 31, Browns 20.

Until next time, there you have it.