Injuries put damper on victory
By MIKE McLAIN Tribune ChronicleBEREA - The worst thing about a dramatic 29-27 victory over the Buffalo Bills for the Browns last Monday is that the reality of Tuesday morning arrived.
While fans still were celebrating Phil Dawson's 56-yard field goal late in the fourth quarter, coach Romeo Crennel had to deal with injuries to tight end Kellen Winslow, defensive lineman Shaun Smith, running back Jerome Harrison and strong safety Sean Jones.
Winslow injured his right shoulder and will have a MRI. Smith injured a calf muscle. Harrison strained a hamstring, and Jones injured an ankle.
Winslow was hurt after catching a 16-yard pass from quarterback Brady Quinn on the drive that led to Dawson's game-winning field goal. Winslow caught the ball near the Bills' sideline and took a hard hit.
"We'll check him out and see if he'll be able to do much this week," Crennel said.
The injury isn't to the same shoulder that bothered Winslow much of last season. He had a massaging device on the shoulder after the game Monday night.
The injury to Jones is another in what has been a difficult season for the fifth-year veteran. He injured a knee in the first preseason game. He played through pain before having arthroscopic surgery after the season opener. He sat out the next three games, but he had soreness in the knee in the four games leading up to the game against the Bills.
Harrison's injury comes at a time when he's developing into a bigger part of the game plan. He had three carries for 80 yards against the Bills, including a 72-yard touchdown run. Harrison also caught a 21-yard pass from Quinn to set up a 22-yard Dawson field goal in the fourth quarter to extend the Browns' lead to 26-20.
Harrison's play was a needed boost to a ground attack that lacks the ability to get outside when Jamal Lewis is on the field. Harrison cut inside after t aking a pitch from Quinn and used the effective blocks of receivers Braylon Edwards and Joshua Cribbs.
"Jerome gave us a spark," Crennel said.
Smith has been limited all season by injuries. He missed three games earlier with a hand injury.
Beyond the injuries, Crennel was pleased to escape Ralph Wilson Stadium with a win that improved the record to 4-6. Crennel had to be concerned about the Browns' ability to hold a 13-0 lead after having squandered leads of 14 points to Baltimore and 13 points to Denver in the previous two games.
"You feel good about the victory, but from a coaching standpoint you want to be perfect," Crennel said. "When you're up 13-0, you hope it stays that way or gets better and it doesn't come down to the end of the game."
Th e game marked the second NFL start for Quinn at quarterback. Although he completed just 14-of-36 passes for 185 yards, he avoided throwing an interception and completed two key passes on the winning drive.
"I thought Brady got tested a little more this week, but he was able to hang in there and manage it," Crennel said.
