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By Marla Ridenour
Beacon Journal sportswriter
Published on Sunday, Jul 27, 2008
BEREA: He's playing for his fourth team in four years.
He's the major addition to a Browns offense that ranked eighth in the NFL last season.
And the Browns might be without No. 3 receiver Joe Jurevicius, whose future appears to be jeopardized by a staph infection in his right knee.
But Donte' Stallworth insisted Saturday he doesn't feel pressure. If he did, he'd turn to the words of coach Bill Belichick from the New England Patriots' 16-0 regular season in 2007.
''I will always forever use what Belichick said last year, 'If you put a two-by-four on the ground and you walk across it, there's no pressure. But if you put it 300 feet in the air, you're going to be afraid. It just depends on what you think about it,' '' Stallworth said.
''I've never been one to worry about pressure. That word's not in my vocabulary.''
Signed to a seven-year, $35 million contract March 1 with $10 million guaranteed, Stallworth has yet to participate in team drills during training camp after suffering a hamstring injury working out at home.
But after spending the first three days on the sideline, he took part in individual drills Saturday and was a very visible spy, standing behind the huddle so he could hear the calls of Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn.
''We have the coaches calling out the plays, but they're not going to be in the games,'' Stallworth said. ''So I get into the huddle and try to listen to the quarterback's rhythm.''
He has no timetable for his full participation.
General Manager Phil Savage went after Stallworth when Jurevicius told the organization after the season that his body could no longer handle the wear and tear of being No. 2. Jurevicius, a 10-
year veteran, caught 50 passes for 614 yards and three touchdowns in '07 and finished third in the league with 29 receptions on third down.
In January, Jurevicius underwent routine knee surgery, but a resulting staph infection has needed three cleanouts. That clouded the picture in the receiving corps and made Stallworth more valuable.
Coach Romeo Crennel called Stallworth, a six-year veteran, ''an experienced guy who can run after the catch.'' According to Stats LLC, 328 of Stallworth's 697 receiving yards for the Patriots last season came after the catch, ranking him 14th in the AFC. The Browns' Kellen Winslow stood 10th on that list (363), with Braylon Edwards 20th (311).
''Donte' brings a level of experience and maturity that we need and every team can benefit from,'' quarterbacks coach Rip Scherer said in May. ''He's been around a very successful organization last year, been around a great quarterback.
''From a play-making ability, he's that speed guy who gives you run after catch, he makes plays on screens. He can take a short pass and make it a big play. You don't have to be yanking the ball up the field 25 or 30 yards to gain 25 or 30 yards. He's explosive, he's got experience and he has a level of maturity. He and Braylon and Kellen will really complement each other and they can learn from him because he's been in the league a while.''
Some might wonder how Stallworth will co-exist with Edwards, who set the Browns' franchise records for receiving yards (1,289) and touchdowns (16) while making his first Pro Bowl in '07. But it was Edwards who recruited Stallworth when they had lunch together about two weeks after the Super Bowl.
''I knew Braylon before he took one NFL snap,'' Stallworth said of the third overall pick in 2005. ''He's been a good friend of mine and he's been very helpful, along with everybody else. This is a really good organization. We're going to try to do some really good things this year for the fans and the whole Cleveland Browns family.''
Stallworth, 27, should be energized by the opportunity to play more. With the Patriots, he was No. 3 behind Randy Moss and Wes Welker. In '07, Stallworth caught 46 passes, three for touchdowns. That's way below his career highs, 70 receptions for 945 yards, with the New Orleans Saints in 2005. His personal best in touchdowns was eight with the Saints in 2002.
It might seem like a daunting task to learn four offenses in four years, but Stallworth seems unfazed. He is picking offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski's brain so much that Stallworth said ''he's probably tired of me talking.''
When he came out of Tennessee in 2002, Stallworth ran the 40-yard dash in the mid-4.2s at the Vols' pro day, according to the late Joel Buschbaum of Pro Football Weekly. But Stallworth played it cagey when asked if Chudzinski will use him more as a deep threat or a catch-and-run specialist.
''I'll let the Cowboys figure that one out,'' Stallworth said, referring to the Sept. 7 opener. ''I won't give any secrets away.''
Marla Ridenour can be reached at mridenour@thebeaconjournal.com. Read her Browns blog at http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/browns/.
BEREA: He's playing for his fourth team in four years.
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