Browns tight end Kellen Winslow (undisclosed illness), right tackle Kevin Shaffer (concussion) and defensive end Shaun Smith (hand surgery) were among the inactives for Monday night's game against the Giants.

They will be replaced in the lineup by Steve Heiden, Ryan Tucker and Louis Leonard, respectively.

Also active for the first time this season is No. 2 receiver Donte' Stallworth, who strained his quad before the season opener against Dallas.

Other Browns inactives are strong safety Sean Jones, defensive back Hamza Abdullah, offensive lineman Scott Young, tight end Martin Rucker and third quarterback Ken Dorsey.

Among the Giants inactives are kicker Lawrence Tynes, safety Sammy Knight, cornerback Sam Madison and receiver Sinorice Moss.

Browns tight end Kellen Winslow was released from the Cleveland Clinic Sunday after being hospitalized for three days with an undisclosed illness. But he was downgraded to doubtful for Monday night's game against the New York Giants.

Winslow was admitted to the clinic Thursday, but coach Romeo Crennel refused to give details on the four-year veteran's condition. Winslow leads the team in receiving with 19 catches for 170 yards and a TD. He will likely be replaced by 10-year veteran Steve Heiden, who has just one catch for 9 yards in 2008.

Downgraded Saturday were right tackle Kevin Shaffer (concussion) and defensive end Shaun Smith (hand surgery). Shaffer may be replaced by Ryan Tucker, who would be seeing his first action of the season after undergoing surgery in May for a hip fracture. Smith may be replaced by Louis Leonard. His absence will place a bigger burden on nose tackle Shaun Rogers and defensive end Corey Williams since another starting end, Robaire Smith, was lost for the season with a ruptured Achilles in game two.

Coach Romeo Crennel had little problem calling what wide receiver Braylon Edwards is enduring currently a slump.  He's more concerned, however, with getting Edwards' problems corrected. Right now the wideout has five receptions for 46 yards.  Gee, think those fantasy football wonks who have him on their rosters are a bit miffed?  You betcha.

It’s always troubling when a player goes through times like he is going through, when he is dropping balls that we need him to catch. We are trying to do everything we can to help get him out of his slump. A lot of times as a receiver, focus on the ball is one of the things. We have got numbers on the ball and we’ve got colors on the ball to try to improve his focus so he can relax and make some of those plays that we saw him make last year.

Crennel also recognizes that in order for the Browns to succeed offensively, the team has to be able to run and throw the ball.  They've not looked particularly good doing either as their massive 8 points per game average shows, thus far.  You could argue that it all begins with the running game, but more often than not, this team passed the ball to set up the run last year.  No consistency in the passing game equals no consistency in the run game.

I think that this team is a better offensive team when we can have balance, when we can run the ball and throw play-action passes and drop back and throw the ball. Once a team becomes one-dimensional, then the defense can load up on it. Our ability to be balanced helps the offense. As the game progresses and things happen, you adjust and adapt to what you feel at that time and you go with it, Crennel said.

Ummm…sure the Northeast Ohio Browns media were in the locker room this afternoon, but it resembled something out of an episode of The X-Files.  Many players were mysteriously missing.  Yes, we know that the problem lies in the fact that they lost this past Sunday, but as one person in the room observed:  "You're here when you win and you want the love; where are you when you lose and it's not going to be as easy?"

Indeed.  But props to those who came around to talk.

Among the missing, however was wide receiver Braylon Edwards who looks to have gone on a media boycott since last week when a news report on WOIO (Channel 19) revealed that Edwards received a verbal warning after being stopped for doing 120-miles-per-hour in a 65-miles-per-hour zone a few weeks back in Avon Lake.  The report caused the Avon P.D. to issue a citation weeks after the fact. 

That doesn't explain Edwards' woeful start to the begining of the season that he needs to place in context for Cleveland Browns fans.  The guy has five receptions for 46 yards in two games.  That's borderline pathetic.  His teammates, especially quarterback Derek Anderson hasn't lost faith in him, however.

(I'm going to) keep plugging along, keep throwing him the ball. I've got confidence in him he's going to catch it. Just keep working. He's going to be fine. As much as (everyone) keeps drilling him about it, he's going to be all right.

He's working. We had a good work week last week. Every day after practice we were getting balls and catching it and feeling really good about it. We're going to continue to do that and he's going to be all right.

Of course, it would help if the Browns had a dependable receiver to work in with Edwards and tight end Kellen Winslow.  Donte Stallworth was supposed to be that guy.  If you spent any amount of time in training camp you could see that offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski had a nice package that included short passes in space to give Stallworth room to work in place.  The wide receiver said he would like to return for Sunday's contest against the Baltimore Ravens.

I’m hoping that I can get out there. I don’t want to be out there and let my pride get in the way of me thinking I can go out there and can’t and in reality hurt the team more than I would like to. It’s a matter of me being able to contribute as opposed to being out there and injurying myself again or hurting the team at all.

Browns defensive end Robaire Smith suffered a potentially season-ending Achilles tendon injury in Sunday night's 10-6 loss to Pittsburgh.

At his Monday press conference, coach Romeo Crennel said what was thought to be an ankle injury for Smith turned out to be an Achilles. But Crennel did not give an estimate of how long Smith would be out or whether he would need surgery.

Smith, a nine-year veteran, was part of a four-man rotation for three spots on the defensive line, along with Shaun Smith, Shaun Rogers and Corey Williams. Shaun Smith said he will have to play more outside without Robaire Smith. Also likely to be called on are Louis Leonard, a second-year player signed as a free agent on Oct. 8, 2007 and Ahtyba Rubin, a sixth-round draft choice from Iowa State.

After dropping a 10-6 loss to Pittsburgh Sunday night, Cleveland will try to become one of 19 teams since 1990 to rebound from an 0-2 start to make the playoffs. After facing two of the top teams in the league in Dallas and Pittsburgh, the Browns hit the road against AFC North foes Baltimore (1-0) and Cincinnati (0-2).

"It's not really no hole," defensive lineman Shaun Smith said. "The Giants started out 0-2 last year and won the Super Bowl. We're that caliber-type of team. I feel like we're a good team and we're just trying to get over the hump."

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Making the Browns' last series before halftime even more disorganized was an illegal shift penalty called on the Browns three plays before the interception. On second and 5 from the Pittsburgh 16 with 55 seconds left, Anderson fumbled and center Hank Fraley recovered. On the 5-yard penalty, the referee gave Cleveland the option of using its final timeout or taking a 10-second runoff on the clock and it chose the latter. But the clock started quickly after the runoff and Anderson didn't get the next play started until 33 seconds remained.

"I don't think it caught him off guard," Browns coach Romeo Crennel said of the clock's fast restart.

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With the wind gusting to 60 mph, Cleveland's Dave Zastudil punted five times for 265 yards for a single-game career-best 53.0 average and a single-game career-best 52.8 net average. The Elias Sports Bureau said his net is a single-game team record dating back to 1970, when the league began recording opposing return yards.

The seven-year veteran from Bay Village said the conditions ranked his top three worst all time, including two last year, in a blizzard against Buffalo and in windy Cincinnati.

"Best game I've ever had," Zastudil said. "You can't try to overkick it. Just make sure you drop the ball a little lower, hold onto it a little longer because you know the ball's going to move. I just tried to do that and stay short on my steps and drive the ball. If you hit a solid ball, it will cut through that wind."

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The Browns were flagged 10 times for 65 yards and perhaps the biggest was a 15-yard face mask penalty on Shaun Smith during the Steelers' lone touchdown drive. It happened as Smith sacked Ben Roethlisberger for a 7-yard loss on first down from the Pittsburgh 43.

"I didn't intentionally try to do it so if I get a fine, I hope you help me pay it," Smith said. "Robaire (Smith) caused a stunt out to me, he hit the inside and I wrapped around. As I work on a drill every day, reach and put your hand out there and the quarterback stepped up and I put my hand out there. I grabbed his face mask as I was trying to wrap him up. He's a big guy to take down."

'Just Another Game'

Is this what free agency have wrought?  A couple of media members did a double take in the Browns locker room when Shaun Smith downplayed the importance of this Sunday night's Browns-Steelers game that's being televised nationally on NBC (WKYC Channel 3)

"It's just another game.  We're trying to get better and trying to get a 'W'," Smith said. "I know it's a big rivalry as you guys (the media) make it, but to us it's just another game on the schedule that we have to go out and play and try to make something happen."

I'm willing to give Smith the benefit of the doubt on this one for not wanting to give the Steelers any bulletin board material.  But in this part of the NFL universe, he could have at least acknowledge the importance of the game on some level.

Sean Jones out

As reported in Marla Ridenour's blog post earlier, Sean Jones is out because of knee problems and will have arthroscopic surgery on it in the hopes of remedying the problem.   It will fall to backup Mike Adams to help fill the void in the defensive backfield. He said he's up to the responsibility.

"I'm ready for the challenge.  I'm out there getting everything right. I'm looking at film for anything and everything, so I'll definitely be ready." 

He'll have his word cut out for him with having to deal with Hines Ward and Heath Miller.

Just a Little Recognition

Browns center Hank Fraley recognizes that this game goes beyond being "just another game" in that he believes that it's still a rivalry.  More importantly, however, he understands the predicament the Browns could find themselves.

"It's been a long time for us to be at the top and here's a chance to be there.  We go 1-1 for the season and 1-0 in our division. It's a big game for us.  They're going to be up for it; we're going to be up for it.  It's going to be exciting Sunday Night Football."

From the Other Side

Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger left his team's opener with an injured shoulder this past Sunday and didn't practice today. 

"Today has been a good mental day for me watching and learning about the blitzes and the new plays we put in, so that will be a very above-the-shoulders productive day today, so we'll take it one day at a time," he said in a conference call with reporters.

Browns fans shouldn't count on Roethlisberger not playing.  His coach, Mike Tomlin, said there's little dobut he will.

- Browns Coach Romeo Crennel has always struck me like a bear in appearance and demeanor.   With respect to the latter, he only growls when necessary and in private.  But that hibernation-like demeanor kind of leaves me wondering whether he can ultimately hang on to the confidence of his players.

Take today's press conference for instance:

"We are trying to get ready to play the game we have on Sunday night. It’s a big game for us because we lost the last one and we need a win and it’s the Pittsburgh Steelers who are right down the road. We haven’t done very well against those guys since we have been here so I think that adds more importance to it. It’s going to be critical that we play good. We have to play good to have a chance because they are a pretty good team as you saw last week and what they were able to get done. Our guys will accept the challenge and step up. We are going to work and we are going to fight and we will see what happens. "

The words don't exactly inspire.  Then again, it's the media so he doesn't have to inspire us.

But even the casual observer of the Browns-Steelers rivalry have to raise an eyebrow when it comes to this statement Crennel made about the longstanding feud:

“I can’t speak for before I was here, but since I have been here they have been able to beat us and basically play better. Even when it looked like we had a chance we haven’t been able to finish. We are going to have to see if we can get off to a good start and then see if we can finish a game."

Again, not inspiring.  However, I will give Crennel credit for cutting to the chase on one issue: team defense.  Maybe the so-so way in which he delivers his message is coming from a coach who knows that didn't get everything worked out in the pre-season.  While the offense can claim some legitimate near misses on several plays. The defense was never close with the Dallas Cowboys being able to run and pass at will.  Realistically, the Cowboys should have scored more than 40 points and Crennel knows it.

“I don’t think you can say anybody played well. Shaun (Rogers) was able to get some push in the pocket in the second half a little bit, but when you give up almost 500 yards of offense there’s not much that can look good.”

Browns coach Romeo Crennel announced Wednesday that strong safety Sean Jones will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right knee Thursday.

Crennel said Jones' knee, which experienced swelling in training camp that kept him out of two preseason games, flared up again after Sunday's season-opening loss to Dallas.

Cleveland's second-round pick in the 2004 draft could miss about a month, which is usual after arthroscopy. Considered a Pro Bowl-caliber player, he is in the final year of his contract.

Let's see how the Browns deal with this one.  Donte Stallworth, wide receiver, is questionable for the game with a groin injury.

The injury occurred during pre-game warmups.  Syndric Steptoe started in his place.