BEREA - The Browns have a 1-10 record and are facing consecutive home games against the San Diego Chargers and Pittsburgh Steelers.

If that scenario isn't bad enough, the Browns will be without the services of nose tackle Shaun Rogers, who suffered a season-ending injury to his lower leg in the 16-7 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals last Sunday. Coach Eric Mangini said surgery will be required, but he didn't get into details concerning the injury.

Others injured against the Bengals were safety Brodney Pool, defensive end Kenyon Coleman and linebacker Kamerion Wimbley. Pool suffered another in a series of concussions. Coleman and Wimbley have lower-leg injuries.

It's not a stretch to say that the loss of Rogers is a bigger blow than if any other player had suffered a season-ending injury. Joshua Cribbs might be more valuable, but he doesn't contribute enough as a receiver, and punters and kickers are doing an effective job of taking him out of the return games with directional kicking.

It's sad that Rogers is so valuable. Losing a quarterback or a running back for a lengthy period of time should hurt the cause more, but there are no playmakers on the offensive side that parallel Rogers in importance.

Mangini now has to find a way to re-tool the defense without its best player in Rogers and perhaps without Pool.

"It's tough," Mangini said of losing Rogers. "He's big and he's destructive. The opponent has to deal with him. Our whole interior has changed. We lost Eric (Barton) and D'Qwell (Jackson) and now Shaun."

Mangini expected a lot of the interior triangle of Rogers on the nose and Barton and Jackson at the inside spots among the linebackers. Barton is out for the rest of the season with a neck injury, and Jackson's season ended with a knee injury.

The triangle now might include Ahtyba Rubin at nose tackle, along with David Bowens and rookie Kaluka Maiava as the inside linebackers. Rubin has made strides since being selected in the sixth round of the 2008 draft, but he's not on Rogers' level.

When at his best and healthy, Rogers can't be blocked effectively on a consistent basis. The Browns are currently 29th in the NFL in rushing yards allowed at 159.9 yards a game, and it probably won't improve with Rogers out of the picture.

"Rubin has done a good job and this gives him a really good opportunity to play," Mangini said with fingers squarely crossed. "He's very good with his hands and his hand placement. He's become better at shedding the blocker and being patient with the offensive player he's up against."

Those comments are code for it could get worse.

The same can be said for Pool, who's had multiple concussions dating back to his rookie season of 2005. This might be a defining moment for him in his determination to continue playing despite the risk of further head trauma.

"I don't know all of the things that are being discussed, but we want to put the players in the best situations for them," Mangini said. "We've tried to be very aggressive with concussions. We don't want to put the player at any risk. It's something we take very seriously. Medically, I don't get involved in the specific parts, but I take the lead from the medical staff."

HELLO, CHARLIE: Now that Notre Dame has fired coach Charlie Weis, speculation has begun concerning the possibility of Weis returning to the NFL as an assistant. Quarterback Brady Quinn played for Weis, which makes Cleveland a possible landing point for Weis.

"I really like Charlie," Mangini said. "I haven't heard any news on him. I haven't thought about that and really don't know what his situation is."

mmclain@tribtoday.com