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By Marla Ridenour
Beacon Journal sportswriter
Published on Friday, Nov 30, 2007
BEREA: Earlier this week, ESPN sent a crew to quarterback Derek Anderson's hometown of Scappoose, Ore.
In the past five days, writers from national newspapers, magazines and Web sites have made rare visits to Cleveland. Jamal Lewis, Willie McGinest and Joe Thomas have filmed television segments. Browns coach Romeo Crennel was interviewed on ESPN's Mike & Mike in the Morning show Thursday.
Things are going so well for the 7-4 Browns that native son Joe Jurevicius can go to the grocery store without incident.
''Instead of people telling me the milk is over there when it's not really over there because they're (angry) at us, it's kind of nice to get the right directions and have people smiling,'' Jurevicius said.
Sunday on the NFL Network, former San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions coach Steve Mariucci called the Browns ''the surprise team of the league.'' After going 4-12 in 2006, they're at least mentioned in the same breath with the Green Bay Packers.
Crennel probably will receive votes for coach of the year. Kickoff returner Joshua Cribbs should break the team's five-year
Pro Bowl drought, and he might not go to Honolulu alone.
Crennel is not crazy about the national exposure, but he knows it's part of the business.
''I try to keep them grounded, not let them get too big of a head,'' he said. ''I have to remind them that last year nobody wanted to talk to you. This year, you've become popular all of a sudden. You just didn't become better looking overnight.''
Kicker Phil Dawson, who signed with the Browns in March 1999, had suffered through 88 losses going into this season. He got his chance in the spotlight after an overtime victory against the Baltimore Ravens on Nov. 18.
''It's kind of surreal,'' Dawson said. ''For so many years, we weren't even in the conversation in the NFL world and now all of a sudden we are. It's fun, it's neat to be a part of, but it really doesn't change anything. It all came on so quick; it can leave just as quick.
''We've got a good group of guys in this locker room who grasp that. We've got a head coach who makes sure we don't get ahead of ourselves. We can enjoy the attention, but I don't see us letting it get out of control.''
Lewis has been through this before when the Ravens won the Super Bowl after the 2000 season. He said he warned his younger teammates about media attention the Browns would receive when they started winning.
''You can't buy into it,'' Lewis said. ''You have to keep doing what you're doing and try to win football games.''
Left guard Eric Steinbach played for the Cincinnati Bengals when they turned their fortunes around and became media darlings. He said ''it's up to the head coach to keep the team in check'' and thinks Crennel is perfect for that.
''It's a friendly weekly reminder (from Crennel) to keep guys humbled,'' Steinbach said. ''This is new to some players who could get caught up in it. But so far around here everyone has done a good job.''
Lewis said Crennel puts the message out and veterans and players who have been through the down times in Cleveland help reinforce it.
''These guys know where they were last year. They know how far this team has come,'' Lewis said. ''They don't want to creep back into that.''
Crennel said he worries about the Browns getting full of themselves with all the national publicity. Because of that, he's using his captains to be the team's spokesmen as much as possible.
Some players ''start believing what everybody tells them and then that takes your focus off the job you have to do,'' Crennel said. ''If they're not mature enough, they might not work as hard. Then you end up losing a game that you should have won or could have won.''
Crennel's constant reminders don't squeeze all the fun out of the Browns' resurgence.
''To me, it means the world,'' said Jurevicius, who attended Lake Catholic High School in Mentor. ''It makes my decision to come back home that much sweeter. To see the fans cheering, to see people with smiles on their faces . . . ''
As much as he'd rather be doing something else than an interview with Mike Golic, Crennel said he feels good for the players and the city.
''When they talk about the Cleveland Browns now, they're talking in a positive light rather than the negative light they've been speaking in for the last several years,'' he said. ''It makes it a more enjoyable day when you wake up and they're saying good things about you.''
Dawson also likes following in the footsteps of the Indians, who reached the American League Championship Series, and the Cavaliers, who advanced to the NBA Finals.
''Cleveland's on a pretty good roll right now,'' Dawson said. ''Now it's our turn.''
Marla Ridenour can be reached at mridenour@thebeaconjournal.com. Read her Browns blog at http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/browns/.
BEREA: Earlier this week, ESPN sent a crew to quarterback Derek Anderson's hometown of Scappoose, Ore.
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