The Next Step Is The Hardest

THREE NEW additions impressed the Browns in spring workouts, which culminated in a full-squad minicamp.

Rogers looked good. The coaches, in fact, left for summer break somewhat giddy over him. He was willing to move from the knifing, pass-rushing tackle in the Lions' 4--3 to the noseman in Crennel's 3--4, occupying two blockers to free teammates to make plays. Still an enormous man with one of the biggest heads in NFL history (topped by a Mohawk), he was a good 30 pounds lighter than the player Crennel saw on 2007 video of the Lions. "I'm not going to lie," Rogers said. "I was too heavy last year. The first nine games, I was the Man. After that I got too heavy. I'm going back to being a force this year."

Wide receiver Donte' Stallworth, dreadlocks flowing from under his helmet, pleased the staff by returning from a family funeral on a red-eye at 6:30 this morning, just so he could have one day of practice with the first team. "I love the guy," Edwards said of the free-agent pickup. "Derek cannot overthrow him."

Hall, the seventh-rounder, ran around like a colt, often not knowing what to do but doing it frenetically. Once, Hall, wearing number 96, and third-year rush specialist Kamerion Wimbley, number 95, were attacking the passer at the same time. When scouts watched tape of the play later, one of them said, "If you didn't know Wimbley was 95 and Alex 96, it'd be hard to tell which was which."

JUNE 26
ANN ARBOR, MICH.

THANK YOU, Michael Phelps. In the second week of his pool workouts at Michigan, Edwards alternated track drills in the water—high-knee, hurdler motion mostly—with swimming laps. One day track, the next day freestyle; one day track, the next day breaststroke; one day track, the next day butterfly.

Edwards was sure this was taking his fitness to another level. So he and Phelps made a friendly wager. "For every gold you win in Beijing," Edwards told the Olympian, "I've got to score two touchdowns this year."

JULY 10
SCAPPOOSE, ORE.

IF ONLY IT were this easy in the NFL. Derek Anderson, in his postcard setting of a hometown, with Mount Hood looming to the east, is playing a game of team keep-away at the Derek Anderson Football Camp at Scappoose High. Kids running and jumping and cavorting; the NFL quarterback motioning and yelling, "Go deep!" to eight-year-olds, then airing it out and afterward signing autographs for every parent and child and hanger-on for an hour. "Derek's made for this," said his dad, Glenn, watching from the sideline.

But is he made for leading a team to the NFL playoffs? Drafted by the Ravens in the sixth round in 2005, the former Oregon State star has gone from being a Baltimore practice-squadder to going on waivers to fighting for a spot on the Browns roster to being Cleveland's surprise starter. In '07 only four quarterbacks threw more touchdown passes than his 29; only eight had more passing yards than his 3,787. In the off-season Scherer, the assistant head coach, worked hard on getting Anderson to look to his left rather than immediately locking onto the receivers on his right. Watching 2007 game tape, Scherer grilled Anderson whenever the passer made a mistake.