When Shaun Rogers wants to play, he’s a fine player. He’s versatile in that he can play in either the 4-3 or 3-4 and in the right situation, the 31-year-old would be a good fit as a stopgap for one or two years.

The problem with Rogers is that he’s lazy and someone will be willing to overpay for his services. So naturally Dan Snyder is interested.

Two days after the Browns released him, Rogers was already at Redskins Park meeting with team officials. It makes sense that Snyder and Co. would be intrigued by a player like Rogers, who has a questionable attitude and is unwilling to practice. As the Cleveland Plain Dealer notes, because of the Browns’ inability to get him on the practice field during the week (in addition to other injuries along the defensive line), coaches had to devise schemes that used as few lineman as possible because that’s how they practiced during the week.

Does this sound like a player that most teams would want to add? Again, if a team was able to sign him to a reasonable contract, then you could do worse than having Shaun Rogers in a defensive line rotation. A team like the Patriots could handle him because he’d shut up and play for the opportunity to win a ring (just like Corey Dillon did in ’04).

But when has Snyder ever signed a free agent to a reasonable contract? In case anyone needs a reminder, the Skins still employ Albert Haynesworth – the same Albert Haynesworth who stole $100 million and who has been a total malcontent since arriving in D.C. Why would Washington want to replace one headache with another?

Redskin fans will argue that Snyder doesn’t run the team anymore – Bruce Allen and Mike Shanahan do. But Snyder clearly still sets the tone. A mere hours before the Skins got the beating of a lifetime by the Eagles on national television, the front office signed Donovan McNabb to a five-year extension worth $70 million. Are we to believe that Shanahan was at the forefront of that deal? The same Shanahan who benched McNabb for Rex Grossman late in the year? No? It was GM Bruce Allen? So the GM signed a quarterback to a new deal even though his head coach was unsure whether or not he could run his offense? That…doesn’t…sound…

I know, I know – if they cut McNabb then they only owe him $3.75 million. The bottom line is that the timing of it all reeked of Snyder. There are many problems with the Redskins owner but the biggest issue holding the team back is his unwillingness to rebuild. He says he’s allowing the football minds in his front office to run the show and yet the team is still making questionable decisions. The Packers and Steelers reached the Super Bowl because they’re two teams that draft incredibly well. When was the last time the Redskins had a great draft? Try never under Snyder. His belief is that if you throw enough money at free agents, eventually you’ll buy a Super Bowl. The NFL is a copycat league but instead of trying to copy the success that the Packers, Steelers and Patriots have had, Snyder refuses to do things the right way.

What the Skins need to do is shed their overpriced, past-their-prime talent and rebuild through the draft for the next three years. But they won’t because Snyder has no concept of long-term plans. Maybe things will be different now that Shanahan is in charge and I’ll eat crow in a couple of years. But even having interest in a player like Rogers is like adding a new verse to a very old, familiar tune when it comes to this team.

Note to self: Never go to the airport with a defensive linemen from the Cleveland Browns, because chances are they’ll get caught with a loaded gun in their carry-on bag.

From the Cleveland Plain Dealer:

Browns defensive Robaire Smith, who was with fellow defensive lineman Shaun Rogers when he was arrested for having a loaded gun in his carry-on at the airport, is now facing charges for the same thing, the Flint Journal reported today.

But if you’re wondering why Smith didn’t learn from Rogers’ mistake, Smith’s incident happened first.

Smith, 32, was going through security at Bishop Airport in Flint, Mich. on Nov. 6 when a loaded gun was found in his carry-on. Rogers was arrested April 1st after a loaded gun was found in his bag at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. He pleaded not guilty and is awaiting a court date.

Like Rogers, Smith told airport security he forgot the gun was in his bag. The gun was confiscated and he was released pending further investigation. Leyton issued the charge on Thursday, misdemeanor possession of a firearm in a sterile area of a commercial airport. It carries a maximum sentence of one year in jail and a $1,000 fine.

This is outstanding. You wouldn’t even see this kind of story play out in a movie because people would think it’s too ridiculous and unrealistic. Yet this is all true! All of it!

I would have loved to have seen Smith’s face when Rogers was busted with his gun:

“Wait…you too?! Dude, the same thing happened to me like five months ago! Yeah, no, I’m totally serious – same exact thing.”

I’ll pose the same question here as I did when Rogers was arrested: How could anyone forget that they have a loaded freaking weapon on them in an airport? I freak out when I think my toothpaste tube is too big and I have to carry it on a plane, yet these guys completely forget that they’re packing heat. Un-real.

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]]> https://www.scoresreport.com/2010/04/06/what-was-shaun-rogers-doing-with-a-loaded-gun/ Tue, 06 Apr 2010 18:35:33 +0000 https://www.scoresreport.com/?p=37403

A police report says the gun that Browns’ defensive tackle Shaun Rogers was carrying in his bag through a Cleveland airport last week was cocked with one bullet in the chamber. Apparently, there were seven bullets total in the semiautomatic handgun, which was on safe mode at the time.

Here’s a question: What was Rogers doing walking through airport security with a loaded handgun? Hopefully he’s just a colossal moron and didn’t have intensions of shooting anyone, but you never know. Besides shooting someone or something, why would anyone (police officers not included, of course) carry a loaded weapon on them? For protection? Rogers is 6-4 and 350 pounds – who the hell would mess with him? I know he’s an athlete and other players (Dunta Robinson for example) have had issues with people attempting to rob them, but Rogers should have taken the proper measures to ensure that this wouldn’t have happened. And thank God airport security caught him seeing as how he was trying to get the gun through security and onto the plane.

Rogers doesn’t appear to be the sharpest tool in the shed, but this is dumb even for him. He’s already told the Browns and their fans that he didn’t mean to take the gun through the airport, but who forgets that they have a loaded weapon in their carry-on bag? If he’s that careless, then he shouldn’t have possession of a gun in the first place.

He has pleaded not guilty to a concealed weapons charge, but for the sake of our society, let’s hope that a judge doesn’t buy his, “Whoops, forget that was in there!” excuse.

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]]> https://www.scoresreport.com/2010/04/02/browns%e2%80%99-shaun-rogers-formally-charged/ Fri, 02 Apr 2010 22:30:17 +0000 https://www.scoresreport.com/?p=37247 The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that Browns defensive tackle Shaun Rogers has been formally charged with carrying a concealed weapon into Hopkins International Airport.

A Cleveland city prosecutor filed the fourth-degree felony charge alleging that Rogers carried a .45-caliber Kimber semiautomatic with eight rounds in his carry-on luggage at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. A police report said the gun’s hammer was cocked in “safe mode.”

Rogers, 31, told officers that he had forgotten the gun was in his bag and that he carried it for personal safety during travel. Police say Rogers has a license in Michigan to carry a concealed weapon.

Even if he is not convicted, Rogers could face suspension from the league for violating its strict personal-conduct policy for players. He was suspended for four games in 2006 while with Detroit for violating the substance-abuse policy.

As the article notes, this incident could put Rogers’ future with the Browns in jeopardy. This is the last thing that new team president Mike Holmgren wants to deal with while trying to put together his roster and seeing as how he has already traded Brady Quinn and Kamerion Wimbley, he probably wouldn’t hesitate to trade Rogers. (If any team wants him after this incident, that is.)

Chances are that Rogers will wind up wearing brown and orange again next season, but his long-term future in Cleveland is up in the air.

WOIO-TV in Cleveland is reporting that Browns’ defensive tackle Shaun Rogers was arrested on Thursday for gun possession at Hopkins airport in Cleveland. The Cleveland Plain Dealer confirms the report.

19 Action News has learn Cleveland Browns Defensive lineman Shaun Rogers has been arrested at Hopkins airport with a gun.

It happened as the NFL’er was about to board a flight around 12:30PM Thursday afternoon. The gun was discovered in a bag. Apparently, Rogers told officers he forgot the gun was in there.

No further details are available at this time.

Sometimes I forget that I have a liquid that’s too big when walking through security and authorities have to confiscate it. But I’m pretty sure that I would remember if I had a freaking weapon in my bag. I’m sure Rogers wasn’t going to use it on the plane, but if he’s careless enough to forget that he’s traveling with a gun, then he shouldn’t own one in the first place.

There was some speculation that the Browns might try to trade Rogers this offseason, but they recently admitted that they were inclined to keep the DT unless they were made an offer that they couldn’t refuse. Whether or not they wanted to trade him, they can’t now after this incident.

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]]> https://www.scoresreport.com/2009/11/18/browns-considering-signing-lebron-james/ Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:47:32 +0000 https://www.scoresreport.com/?p=29300

…okay, not really. But LeBron did say recently that he could succeed in NFL if he put in the time and Browns head coach Eric Mangini has a helmet waiting for him if he ever wants to give it a try.

From ESPN.com:

“If I put all my time and commitment into it, if I dedicated myself to the game of football, I could be really good,” he said Tuesday night, “no matter what team I was on.”

Mangini agreed, calling James “a freak athletically” and said the 6-foot-8, 260-pounder could be dangerous at tight end, wide receiver or even outside linebacker.

Quarterback Brady Quinn also heard about James’ football fetish. He would love to have a target to throw to like James in the red zone.
“That’d be great,” Quinn said. “Tell him to suit up and let us know, we’ll get him working. Obviously he’s an incredibly talented athlete. If he wants to try to play a little bit now, we’d be more than willing to pick him up.”

Browns nose tackle Shaun Rogers isn’t convinced James, as great as he is, could step into the NFL and be able to handle the pounding.
“I heard that comment,” Rogers said. “I have mixed emotions about that. A great athlete? Yes. A football player? No.”

Rogers then looked into TV cameras.

“Yeah LeBron, I said it,” he said. “It’s a punishing game. I just don’t think you can step off the basketball court after not going through this year in and year out and just play football. From that standpoint, I just don’t think it’s possible. You have to weather and condition your body to take this punishment.”

That’s all the Cavs and the city of Cleveland needs: For LeBron hurt playing for a 1-8 Browns team going nowhere fast.

Given how gifted an athlete James is, I could see him succeeding in the NFL if he put in the time. But I agree with Rogers in that he couldn’t just step onto the field this Sunday and have an impact. For starters, he’s never run a pro route and he’s never read a defense. If he was told to just run straight down the field and then look for the ball, I could see him making a play or two. But he’d be lost if he were to start a game without practicing and I could only imagine him getting laid out going across the middle.

The front office for the Cavs would rather die than see this come to fruition, but I would love to see LeBron play for just one game to see how he’d do – even if it were just for a couple of plays.

Of course, that would require Brady Quinn to throw a pass longer than three yards in bounds, which is something I seriously doubt he could handle.

Check out all of our 2009 NFL team previews.

Offseason Additions: Eric Barton (LB); Kenyon Coleman (DE); Abram Elam (S); Floyd Womack (OT); C.J. Mosley (DE); Robert Royal (TE); John St. Clair (OT); Mike Fuerry (WR); Corey Ivy (CB).

Offseason Losses: Kellen Winslow Jr. (TE); Sean Jones (S); Kevin Shaffer (OT); Andra Davis (LB); Willie McGinest (LB); Joe Jurevicius (WR); Travis Daniels (CB); Daven Holly (CB); Jason Wright (RB); Antwan Peek (LB).

Player to Watch: James Davis, RB.
People outside of Cleveland just said to themselves, “James who?” The rookie sixth round pick out of Clemson wasn’t supposed to challenge Jamal Lewis for the Browns’ starting running back job, but that’s exactly what he has done to this point. Cleveland’s coaching staff has reportedly been impressed by Davis’s speed, elusiveness and aggressive running style. But perhaps most importantly, the Browns are thrilled with the way he’s learned how to pick up the blitz, which is a craft most rookie running backs struggle with. To date, Davis has compiled a 7.8-yard per carry average in preseason, while Lewis has only mustered a paltry 2.6 YPC. If he doesn’t flat out take the starting job away from Lewis, Davis will certainly split carries this season and could emerge as the Browns’ every down back in the very near future.

Team Strength: Just as it was in 2007 when the Browns came up just shy of a playoff berth, the offensive line will be a strength for Cleveland this season. Even though some say that his play fell off last season compared to his dazzling rookie campaign, Joe Thomas anchors a unit that also features one of the league’s best guards in Eric Steinbach. The Browns also selected the top center prospect in this year’s draft in Alex Mack, who has already beaten out Hank Fraley to become a starter. Neither Floyd Womack nor John St. Clair is a superstar at their positions, but both have starting experience and are versatile.

Potential Weakness: The Browns are hoping that strength is in numbers, because they’re trying out four different players opposite Braylon Edwards for the No. 2 wideout position. Rookies Brian Robiskie and Mohamed Massaquoi, as well as veterans Mike Furrey and Joshua Cribbs are all getting a look at the No. 2 spot, although nobody has emerged from the pack yet. Chances are that the team will use a rotation at the position, which would be fine at the start of the season but eventually the Browns are going to need someone to step up. Speaking of Edwards, he’s in a contract year so maybe he’ll look more like the ’07 version and less like every other season he’s been in the league when he couldn’t catch a cold. If Robiskie, Massaquoi, Fuerry or Cribbs emerges as a playmaker and Edwards steps up his play, receiver won’t be a problem this season for the Browns. But as it stands now, it’s a question mark for this team.

Outlook: Eric Mangini worked wonders in his first year with the Jets, so maybe he’ll have the same magic this season in Cleveland. But first and foremost, he needs to make a decision at quarterback. It appears that Brady Quinn will be the starter this season, although Mangini has been reluctant to officially choose him over Derek Anderson. Whether it’s Quinn or Anderson, the QB should be well protected by a solid offensive line. If Davis can continue to flash the same potential in the regular season as he did in preseason, then the Browns should be fine at running back. If not, Mangini better hope that Lewis has one more productive season in his 30-year old legs. Defensively, the line added a quality piece in Kenyon Coleman, who led the Jets’ D-line in tackles last year and should be aided by defensive tackle Shaun Rogers, who had a fantastic ’08 season after coming over from Detroit. At linebacker, new addition Eric Barton should pair nicely with D’Qwell Jackson on the inside, although this team needs to generate more of a pass rush from its front seven and maybe Kameron Wimbley and Alex Hall will help. The coaching staff has high hopes for cornerbacks Eric Wright and Brandon McDonald, but both players need to shake off poor second half performances from a year ago. The Browns also made a highly underrated move on draft day when they acquired safety Abram Elam from the Jets.

There’s no doubt that this team has sleeper-potential, but a lot has to come together for the Browns to challenge for a playoff berth. Whether it comes from Quinn or Anderson, Cleveland must get better play from the quarterback position and they also need some of the young skill position players on offense to step up. Considering how tough their division is, the Browns are going to struggle to keep their head above water for a full 16-game season. But there’s no doubt that this team will be more competitive this year than they were in 2008.

2009 Prediction: 3rd, AFC North.