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EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey (Ticker) -- Coach Butch Davis recruited
Jeremy Shockey
to the University of Miami. Unfortunately, Davis will not get to play his Miami tight end Sunday when the
Cleveland Browns
visit the
New York Giants
in an interconference matchup.
Shockey made the Pro Bowl in each of his first two seasons with the Giants after starring for the Hurricanes under Davis and Larry Coker.
Shockey's successor at Miami was
Kellen Winslow
II, the son of the Hall of Fame tight end. Davis moved up in the first round of the 2004 draft to select Winslow sixth overall for the Browns.
Winslow figured to immediately become quarterback
Jeff Garcia
's prime target in the Browns offense. But that hope was dashed last week when Winslow broke his left right late in the fourth quarter of Cleveland's 19-12 loss in Dallas.
That was the first of three straight games against NFC East opponents for the Browns, who host Washington on October 3.
But the optimism of a season-opening 20-3 win over Baltimore has been wiped away by a rash of injuries. Winslow, who had four catches in the opener, is expected to miss most of his rookie year after undergoing surgery.
The defense suffered two major blows as well. Starting end
Courtney Brown
, the first overall pick in the 2000 draft, tore a foot ligament and will miss the remainder of the season. Defensive tackle
Gerard Warren
, the third overall pick in the 2001 draft, has a torn pectoral muscle and will be sidelined at least two weeks.
And if that's enough, Cleveland will also be without starting right tackle
Ryan Tucker
for at least two weeks with a strained right quadriceps. His replacement on Sunday will have to deal with Pro Bowl left end
Michael Strahan
, the NFL's active leader in sacks with 115.
The Giants forced seven turnovers and snapped a nine-game losing streak with a 20-14 win over NFC East rival Washington last week.
General manager Ernie Accorsi's free agent additions played a major role in the team's first win under new coach Tom Coughlin. Safety
Brent Alexander
had two interceptions, linebacker
Barrett Green
returned a fumble 16 yards for a touchdown and defensive tackle
Fred Robbins
had two sacks and an interception.
Quarterback
Kurt Warner
, another free agent addition after being waived by St. Louis, also snapped a personal nine-game losing streak, completing 22-of-33 passes for 232 yards and one touchdown.
Matchup to watch: Shockey is matched up against Browns strong safety
Robert Griffith
. Shockey hopes to flash his Pro Bowl form against his former coach Sunday after catching just seven passes for 75 yards in New York's first two games.
Series: Cleveland leads, 25-19-2, but the Giants won the only meeting since the Browns were reborn, 24-3 on November 5, 2000.
Next week: Cleveland hosts Washington, October 3 New York visits Green Bay, October 3
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