Browns lose DE Smith for season

By Neal Coolong  |   Wednesday, September 17, 2008  |  Comments( 4 )

Cleveland Browns
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Cleveland's main concern on defense before last weekend was the shrinking depth of its secondary.

Now, though, the Browns have to worry about their defensive line.

Tuesday, they placed Robaire Smith on injured reserve, ending his season; the move came on the heels of Smith rupturing his Achilles tendon a 10-6 loss to Pittsburgh on Sunday night. To replace Smith's roster spot, the Browns signed free agent Santonio Thomas, previously of New England.

Commentary: The Browns spent $100 million in the offseason to shore up their defensive line, but it hasn't paid dividends so far. The Steelers have gashed the Browns on the ground during their 10-game winning streak, and Cleveland gave up another 100-yard game to running back Willie Parker on Sunday. The loss knocked the Browns to 0-2, two games behind AFC North leader Pittsburgh.

The Browns are in a must-win situation in Week 3 after failing to get a victory at home in their first two games. They'll travel to Baltimore, which is 1-0 and just had a bye week because of the damage Hurricane Gustav caused in Houston (where the Ravens were supposed to play). Another loss would drop the Browns to 0-3 and 0-2 in their division.

Fan Pulse: Posters on The Browns Board are encouraged by the signing of Thomas, who has experience in the 3-4.

Fantasy Football Impact: Losing starters on your defense usually isn't a good thing, and it may be a good week for Ravens coach John Harbaugh to hand the ball off 35 times.

Injury Watch: Ravens RB Willis McGahee had an extra week to rest his injured knee, and looks to see the field Sunday against the Browns.
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About Neal Coolong

Neal Coolong is a freelance sports writer with contributions to Scout.com, AOL and Steelers Live. He lives with his fiance in St. Paul, Minn., and saves every dime (that she knows about) for their wedding next June. He's already made the prediction that the Steelers 2007 draft class will be one...
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