03/01 Morning Minute: In Like A Lion
March 1, 2008Another Weapon In The Arsenal
March 1, 2008The Browns are confirming that Detroit DT Shaun Rogers is indeed coming to the Browns after a failed trade attempt was made with Cincinnati. Rogers was dealt from the Lions in exchange for CB Leigh Bodden and the Browns 3rd round draft pick.
Rogers (6-feet-4, 345 pounds), who will enter his eighth NFL season this fall, is a two-time Pro Bowl selection out of Texas. During 2007, he led the Lions with a career-high 7 sacks to go with 66 tackles. In his career, he has totaled 447 tackles and 29.5 sacks in 98 games (96 starts).
Before you jump up and down about a pro-bowl player coming to Cleveland, be aware that Rogers has not been without criticism. For example K.C. Joyner of ESPN.com rated Rogers one of the 8 most overrated players in the NFL-
He was named the NFC player of the week at one point during the 2007 season, but his 4.4 YPA allowed on point-of-attack runs was quite disappointing for a player who had been dominant in that area in the past. And that wasn’t all: 30 of the 97 POA runs directed at Rogers gained at least 5 yards, and 11 went for 10-plus yards.
Joyner certainly isn’t the only one however, and the primary concern with Rogers has been his weight. In fact Rogers was suspended in 2006 for four games for taking a banned substance to control his weight. He certainly bounced back last season-
He was at his best in November, when he lifted Detroit to a rout over Denver and a 6-2 record.
The 6-foot-4, 340-pound Rogers intercepted a pass and rumbled 66 yards for a score, broke up a pass, had four quarterback hits and 2½ sacks, one of which he followed with a somersault. He had plenty of chances to display his signature celebration, gesturing as if he was ripping off his shirt, a la Superman.
“It’s just his presence,” Detroit coach Rod Marinelli said last season. “I called him the server, because he keeps serving sacks for everybody because he’s so disruptive.”
But Rogers faded from the spotlight in the second half of the season and the Lions did, too, finishing with only one win in eight games.
He did, however, have a career highs in sacks (seven) and forced fumbles (four) after playing in all 16 games for the fourth time in his seven-year career. He also showed his knack for blocking kicks, making him one of the best in league history. Rogers has blocked 11 kicks, four more than any other player since 1991 — a decade before his debut.
Hashmark’s Mike Sando also wrote about Rogers today, and gave the figures for Rogers’ contract-
Rogers was due a $1 million roster bonus today. His contract, if left unchanged following the trade, calls for $1 million roster bonuses in 2009 and 2010. His base salaries are $4.25 million (2008), $5.25 million (2009) and $7 million (2010).
This move and the trade with Green Bay gives the Browns 4 defensive linemen they can count on- Rogers, Corey Williams, Shaun Smith and Robaire Smith. Hopefully the Browns are not finished signing front men just yet. The Browns will need more depth behind them, and they are quickly running out of draft picks. The Browns in fact currently have no picks until the fourth round of this year’s draft. Who might the Browns still be interested in? According to the PD, Tennessee DE did in fact visit yesterday and remains a possibility, as is Baltimore LB Nick Greisen. Interestingly enough, WR Donte Stallworth was in town yesterday, confirming what frequent visitor Jeremy C. reported.
To get Rogers the Browns had to give up CB Leigh Bodden. Bodden came to the Browns as an undrafted free agent in 2003, and has anchored the Browns secondary since ’04. With the emergence of Eric Wright and Brandon McDonald from last year’s draft, along with the additions of Daven Holly and Kenny Wright last year might have made Bodden expendable. Leigh was a leader on this defense, and will be missed in the locker room. The Browns are gambling that more pressure up front will lead to an easier time in the secondary.