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Insiders give nod to Rogers

'Big Baby' may just need coach like Romeo Crennel

Published on Thursday, Mar 13, 2008


This past week was spent making some calls to see what NFL folks thought of Shaun Rogers.

The skinny on him coming out of Detroit was not positive.

So I called a few people who work in the league, guys who know their stuff, guys most anyone would respect. And the consensus about the Browns' new defensive lineman was summed up by this comment:

''He's going to help them,'' one insider said.

Really?

''A lot,'' he said.

Wow, I thought. Those are strong words about a guy people in Detroit couldn't wait to run out of town. A guy whose nickname is ''Big Baby.''

Rogers weighed 10 pounds and 1 ounce at birth, so perhaps the nickname is literal. Unfortunately, with the Detroit Lions it stood for something else — a guy who was described as not consistent, not a hard worker and not dependable.

But the consensus from the few folks in the league who spoke about Rogers — and asked that their names not be used — is that Rogers can be effective. Primarily because of that first word in that not-so-flattering nickname.

''We couldn't block him,'' one insider said.

''He gave us fits,'' another said.

''He's so big, you cannot move him,'' yet another said.

What in the world of Ted Washington is going on here? To hear this, you'd think the Browns just traded for Alan Page. Clearly they did not. Clearly, Rogers has some baggage.

''I'm not saying he's a model citizen,'' one of the insiders said.

The old ''fresh start'' theory applies here, as in the Browns believe things got stale for Rogers with the Lions and now he has a chance for a ''fresh start'' in Cleveland.

Too, there is a strong line of thinking in the league that if anyone can get through to Rogers, it would be Browns coach Romeo Crennel, a man greatly respected in the NFL.

Crennel is a former defensive line coach.

He's a . . . well . . . a big guy himself.

And for whatever reason, people respond to Crennel and play for him. In his opening news conference after he was hired, he talked of sitting in a press box and seeing an opposing running back break free. He muttered to himself ''go get him'' and one of his players ran after the back.

As the lineman got close, Crennel muttered ''dive,'' and the player dived and made the tackle.

Good story, but it won't make a 350-pound guy like Rogers run faster.

The Browns didn't acquire Rogers so he could chase backs, though. He and Corey Williams — ''We had trouble with him, too,'' one insider said — are there to plug gaps and hold down the line in the three-four defensive scheme. They join Robaire Smith and Shaun Smith for a defensive front that should be a clear upgrade over last season's.

If size matters, Rogers (listed at 340 pounds) and Williams (320 pounds) would be perfect fits with Smith, Shaun (325) and Smith, Robaire (320).

But as Washington showed last season, it takes more than size to succeed. Rogers intercepted a pass and returned it 66 yards for a touchdown. The Browns don't believe a non-athletic lineman could do something like that.

They also have heard the chatter about Rogers' weight, but maintain that an overweight, out-of-shape big guy could not run 60 yards. And if you YouTube the interception (there's a phrase you never expected to write 20 years ago), Rogers does look pretty nimble of foot as he runs down the field.

''Let's put it this way,'' one insider said. ''We were never real happy when we had to play him.''

On the plus side of Rogers' ledger are two Pro Bowl appearances and seven sacks last season from the defensive tackle position. On the negative side are the weighty issues of his weight.

League folks don't dismiss the weight issue, but they do maintain that a big guy occasionally can look like he's being lazy when he's just being big. Which means big guys don't always move fast or with great grace. Which means that what looks like taking a play off might not be that.

Or so they say.

The Browns know that Rogers has something to prove in Cleveland. But they believed in him enough to give him a new deal — and $20 million in guaranteed money.

It's hard to be absolutely convinced that Rogers will be an immediate, dominating force.

If he was that good, why was he traded?

But sometimes the pundits pan players who turn out well.

So it might be with Rogers, who has the chance to show that the people inside the league who praise him are more right than those outside the league who criticize him.

Patrick McManamon can be reached at pmcmanamon@thebeaconjournal.com.


Get the full article here.


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