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Wimbley lives up to hype
Player of the Year sets example for other first-round draft picks
By Patrick McManamon

BEREA - Kamerion Wimbley remembers being nervous a year ago as the draft approached.

He then learned quickly what goes with being a first-round draft choice.

``You have the expectations of a city and a ballclub,'' Wimbley said, reflecting on his experience as the Browns' rookies took part in their first minicamp. ``You have to go in and try to perform while living up to the hype of being a first-round pick.

``You get that stress, but it's not a bad stress.''

And Wimbley handled it with aplomb. When the season ended, the local Pro Football Writers voted him the team's Player of the Year.

``(That's) really something I'll never be able to forget,'' he said.

Wimbley will be honored May 21 at the annual Browns Backers Banquet at Tangier restaurant. Also honored will be the team's new Legends Class (Walt Michaels, Jim Houston, Earnest Byner and Doug Dieken).

The night will be special to Wimbley, who approaches his job in a low-key, professional manner. Unlike some first-round picks, Wimbley did little to draw attention to himself and was never disruptive to the team.

He moved from defensive end to linebacker -- a position he'd never played -- and finished the year with 11 sacks. Ask him how he was able to do that, and he credits his coaches and his teammates, especially Willie McGinest and Andra Davis.

``I just love the game of football,'' he said. ``I have a passion for it, and I'm always striving to do my best for my teammates and the organization.''

He noticed the expectations when he moved to Cleveland and fans started to talk to him about their hopes for him and the team.

``They're proud to have you there,'' he said. ``They say such positive things, and when you come in, you don't want to let those people down. You're doing it for the fans as well.''

Wimbley almost refused to talk about himself in the interview. He said his offseason has consisted of working out and trying to refine his linebacker skills so he can improve.

``There is no offseason in the NFL,'' he said.

Ability mattered, certainly, but Wimbley's attitude seemed to have as much to do with his success as anything.

Tickets available

Tickets are available for the Browns Backers Banquet, which annually is the largest Browns event of the offseason.

Coach Romeo Crennel will attend, as will several former Browns players, including Bob Gain, Dick Ambrose and Hall of Famer Dante Lavelli.

For tickets or information, call Ron Tedeschi at 330-322-6662. Proceeds benefit the Interval Brotherhood Home.

Update

Crennel gave updates on the status of three players for the 2007 season:

• The coach remains positive that Kellen Winslow is on target to return from microfracture surgery.

Winslow has been in the team's facility constantly in the offseason, and his rehab is on schedule.

The Browns do not expect Winslow to do much in the June minicamp, though.

• Center LeCharles Bentley remains in Arizona working on his injured knee and trying to decide if he should have another operation on it.

Bentley tore his patellar tendon in last year's training camp and had a major setback when he incurred a staph infection.

He will not be in Cleveland for any of the team's offseason practices or the minicamp, Crennel said.

• Tackle Ryan Tucker has been around the team and is doing well, Crennel said. ``His attitude is good, and he's excited about the coming year,'' Crennel said.

Tucker was sidelined late last season with mental health issues, but Crennel said he's optimistic Tucker will return. He won't know for sure, though, until the games start.

``We have to see how that's handled,'' Crennel said. ``If he handles that, then I think that he'll be OK.''

Brownies

• Don't discount Charlie Frye's determination to keep his job. It might be a long shot, but Frye talked after the season finale of the Browns being his team. It's the reason he played with a very painful right wrist injury. That decision won him the respect of many, including his coach, and Frye has been very active this offseason working to improve and get stronger.

• It's hard to tell a lot from a minicamp, but cornerback Eric Wright appears to have the potential to win the cornerback job opposite Leigh Bodden. ``He looks very athletic,'' Crennel said. ``Nice, smooth feet. Does a good job jamming receivers, and he does have the confidence in his ability, in what he can do. He looked pretty decent.'' In Crennel's verbiage, ``pretty good'' translates to dadgum impressive.

• Interesting to hear Crennel say that Joe Andruzzi's knees are fine and that they had nothing to do with his release. Andruzzi was always Crennel's favorite battle-ax, and it's hard to think the coach was eager to see him go.

• Crennel said that when he talked to Kevin Shaffer, Shaffer did not ask for a trade. Shaffer's agent has told the team his client would like to move on, but the Browns do not seem inclined to trade him.

• Crennel confirmed that free-agent signee Seth McKinney is (for now) the starting right guard.

• Quinn arrived at minicamp with a haircut, and admitted it was a reaction to criticism from Joe Theismann that he did not look ``businesslike'' after the Browns drafted him. Quinn actually apologized to Notre Dame alums or fans who were offended, though he had no reason to. He said he was so excited to be taken by the Browns that the last thing he was thinking of was gum or his hair. ``I was just trying to get on the stage as fast as possible,'' he said, ``get that Browns jersey in my hand, get that hat on my head.''

• That being said, Quinn took what Theismann had to say to heart. Quinn said he's a big fan of Theismann, that Theismann (and Joe Montana) had returned often to Notre Dame to talk to the team. ``He's been one of those big influences,'' Quinn said. ``So I have a lot of respect for him. It makes you look in the mirror and say, `Maybe you need to think about those sorts of things,' '' he said. Thus he got a haircut.

• The best thing about minicamp? To first-round pick Joe Thomas, it's this: ``Going back to being a lineman and getting out of the spotlight.''





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Really nice article... and I think with Thomas and Quinn you have two guys who obviously have a ton of class... I don't know enough about Wright to say either way... but I hope all of our rookies look at how Wimbley handled himself last year.

Wimbley = Class Act

Nice feel-good article. Notice how many more of these we seem to be getting lately?

Kam's been a fresh breath for me. I was getting really jaded watching our 1st rounders treat us all to holdouts, immature stunts, drug beefs, etc. This young man has come in and produced in a highly disciplined, professional manner. 1st-rounder, on his way to becoming a star in the NFL, under the age of 25... and all he wants to do is come to work and do well. To be honest, he sounds more put-together than most 40-50-somethings I know.

Love the credit he gives to the others for his development. You know- it ocurrs to me that what this kid says in front of microphones doesn't sound all that different than 90% of the sound bites players give us all the time. Yet, somehow they seem to actually ring truer when they come from Kam. He's living it as he talks it, so it 'sounds right' to our ears.

I've been a fan of this team for decades- long enough to know the type of people who are Browns fans. Most are hard-working salt-of-the-earth folks who value the ideals of sportsmanship, excellence through hard work, and responsibility. Most are Midwesterners by family origins, and have those Midwest values ingrained in their natures. They aren't charmed or amused by spoiled behavior from twenty-year-old millionaires. And they damsho don't want to hear about their players getting in scrapes with the Law.

Kam's the kind of player that a kid's Dad can actually point to and say, "That's the kind of player you want to be."

I like having a team made up of people like that. On Sundays, I wanna forget that I'm a balding, middle-aged husband, and just be a kid again... rooting for "the good guys."

Well, call me old-fashioned, but it helps if they actually are good guys.

.02,
Clemdawg

If the Browns make a run for the playoffs this year, then look for Wimbley to be a Pro-Bowler. I'm expecting him to up his sack total to around 16 this year.

wimbley is everything thats right with the nfl and pro sports

i also think we lucked out with wimbley playing DE in college instead of linebacker...

with him, you can just see that he's going to be very very good... he still has a ways to go, to become a complete linebacker, but sitting with willie mcginest in the film room everyday will do wonders, if there is one linebacker in the league that you want to learn the game from, at that position, you take the guy with 3 rings... and also the guy that has sacked more quarterbacks in the post-season than anyone in the history of the game... that's why i have no beef with mcginest being here... not much production on the field, but with these 3 young linebackers we drafted last year, he's earning every cent of his salary... i really hope they can gel into the group that willie played for in new england, with bruschi, and vrabel, those guys knew how play at a world class level, that 21-3 game in the playoffs a few years ago, when they shut down manning was downright amazing...

but we lucked out because of wimbley not being as flashy as a DE than he clearly is as a linebacker... if wimbley played linebacker in college, you're looking at a top 5 pick, without question...

a lot of people were sold on phil savage for what he did this year, but he won me over with that pick last year, and getting a pick out of it from balitmore too...

nrty
Theisman was being his usual "arrogant assed" self.

He won the "Just shut-up award on Mike & Mike" with 63% of the vote for those comments. And deserved every last vote!

This was the biggest day in this kids life and it was going horribly wrong.But the "nitpicking ninny" Theisman,in his "holier than thou mode" made a big deal out of NOTHING! And if weren't for Theisman's "make-up people" can you imagine what THAT jerk would look like?


If it weren't for Theisman,this kind of drivel would have never been uttered,and shouldn't have been.

i never understood his comments...

i mean, these are football players, not stock brokers...

these are the same guys who try and hurt people on the other side of the ball

besides, tom brady sported the shaggy look a few years ago, no questions were asked about his appearance...

effort (scouting) improves your luck.

While people may want to bash Savage, it appears as though he pulled a legitimate talent out of the draft.

First round draft choices are not supposed be failures. Cleveland has missed on the first 5. Let's see that trend end.

Yea Brady, get a haircut....

He's always had a big mouth:



And bad haircuts.

Is that a real cover, or photoshop?

Don't know if anyone else saw this or not, but Mr. Joe Theismann was awarded this weeks "Just Shut Up" award on ESPN's Mike & Mike in the morning for his STOOOPID comments about Brady Quinn.

Edit: whoops, didn't see PitDawg already posted this. Sorry. Carry on.

next season:

Braylon Edwards finally lives up to 1st round hype with record breaking season

good article though...

and Quinn shouldn't have apologized... if thats how you want to look... go ahead... Theisman just needs to SHUT UP!!! he did win the just shut up award by the way on Mike and Mike.. lol..

Quote:

---

I've been a fan of this team for decades- long enough to know the type of people who are Browns fans. Most are hard-working salt-of-the-earth folks who value the ideals of sportsmanship, excellence through hard work, and responsibility. Most are Midwesterners by family origins, and have those Midwest values ingrained in their natures. They aren't charmed or amused by spoiled behavior from twenty-year-old millionaires. And they damsho don't want to hear about their players getting in scrapes with the Law.

Kam's the kind of player that a kid's Dad can actually point to and say, "That's the kind of player you want to be."

I like having a team made up of people like that. On Sundays, I wanna forget that I'm a balding, middle-aged husband, and just be a kid again... rooting for "the good guys."

Well, call me old-fashioned, but it helps if they actually are good guys.

---

Except for the Balding part I couldn't have said it better,,,, well put Clem

He moved from defensive end to linebacker -- a position he'd never played -- and finished the year with 11 sacks. Ask him how he was able to do that, and he credits his coaches and his teammates, especially Willie McGinest and Andra Davis.


To be more effective KW will need to develop more rush moves as teams will now be looking to DT him or chip him with a TE..
He also needs to learn to play the run better as he got pinned inside a lot allowing plays to go wide...

Don't discount Charlie Frye's determination to keep his job. It might be a long shot, but Frye talked after the season finale of the Browns being his team.

Enjoy the short job..do what U can ..U might still make a good backup..

Tackle Ryan Tucker has been around the team and is doing well, Crennel said. ``His attitude is good, and he's excited about the coming year,'' Crennel said.

Tucker was sidelined late last season with mental health issues, but Crennel said he's optimistic Tucker will return. He won't know for sure, though, until the games start.

``We have to see how that's handled,'' Crennel said. ``If he handles that, then I think that he'll be OK.''

I'm sorry I'm not optimistic..I have never thought Tucker was all that like a lot of people..he was the best linemen SIMPLY because we never had a better one..
Now with this newer problem plus the fact he's wearing down he can't be counted on for 16 games..the RT spot is going to be a issue..
If I were Rac I know one thing..I'd be giving Shaffer reps at RT/RG\ and Tucker reps at RG..


Interesting to hear Crennel say that Joe Andruzzi's knees are fine and that they had nothing to do with his release. Andruzzi was always Crennel's favorite battle-ax, and it's hard to think the coach was eager to see him go.

Of course he's going to back Druzzi..but Phil knows Drussi's play was putrid at best..he doesn't have the power or athleticism to play OG anymore..

Crennel said that when he talked to Kevin Shaffer, Shaffer did not ask for a trade. Shaffer's agent has told the team his client would like to move on, but the Browns do not seem inclined to trade him.
Crennel confirmed that free-agent signee Seth McKinney is (for now) the starting right guard.

Phil wants depth and this gives the Browns a lot of options..especially at RT/RG...

It's hard to tell a lot from a minicamp, but cornerback Eric Wright appears to have the potential to win the cornerback job opposite Leigh Bodden
I have no doubt he'll be starting there sometime soon..he was drafted to be a backup..

Last I knew, the NFL did not have an appearance policy in their regulations. So Ol' Joe should shut his pie hole.

Yeah, Brady definitely didn't need to apologize but he did anyway beause he respects his elders, the veterans of the NFL, and his fellow ND alums. Another very classy thing from another very classy member of this organization. I have to admit, I used to think Brady Quinn was just another spoiled brat QB who grew up with a silver spoon in his mouth. But since he's joined the Browns and I've been able to learn more about him, he really seems like a smart, classy kid with nothing but a burning desire to do everything he can for this team and its fans. Some may say that Charlie has more heart, but I really don't think Brady is lacking in that department either.

Good to see a great athlete and NFL player who doesn't let success or money go to their head.

Joe Thomas seems like the same.

Very positive.

I'll say this much.

I got Wimbley's autograph at the Draft Day Party (I told him I want him to hit Roethlisberger so hard it makes that motorcycle accident seem like a tricycle wreck). I shook his hand, and I think I saw 42 muscles sticking out of the guy's forearm. He is chiseled, you can tell by being that close to him. What a beast, and he seemed like a pretty nice guy, too.

so sorry u had to experience that

can't say enough about the way a few of our players, specifically the younger stars - uh, not Winslow and Edwards - have handled themselves off the field and in the spotlight. it's nice to have players that may be deserving of being held as a role model. if i have kids out there somewhere, i hope they look up to guys like Wimbley.

How can anyone not like Wimbley?!

This kid gives his all on the field and on top of that he's a model citizen. Savage knew what he wanted in last year's draft too.

From the get-go, Wimbley's been a standup, impressive guy/teammate. Last year, wasn't he the very first 1st rounder to get signed? Show'd he's more about the team and learning the nfl asap than getting that $$$. His priorities are right on. He leads by example. Can't wait to see what he can do with a year under his belt! I love this guy!!!!

I hope this kid:
1.)Retires as a brown
2.)Goes to the hall of fame
3.)Opens up a can of WHOOP ASS on division rivals

Quote:

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Kam's been a fresh breath for me. I was getting really jaded watching our 1st rounders treat us all to holdouts, immature stunts, drug beefs, etc. This young man has come in and produced in a highly disciplined, professional manner. 1st-rounder, on his way to becoming a star in the NFL, under the age of 25... and all he wants to do is come to work and do well. To be honest, he sounds more put-together than most 40-50-somethings I know.

---

Yep, I agree with that whole thing, clem. Good post. I think very highly of Wimbley as well and I hope he rubs off on some of our players who aren't so mature. He was a very pleasant surprise last season.

Easily my favorite player on the browns and easily our best draft pick since our return. That about sums up my thoughts on that.

Short and to the point. Sometimes you don't need to say much and still mean a whole lot.

Quote:

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The night will be special to Wimbley, who approaches his job in a low-key,
professional manner. Unlike some first-round picks, Wimbley did little to draw
attention to himself and was never disruptive to the team.

---

Man is that an understatement. He did plenty to be noticed. I hope he can double his
sacks this year..