Submitted by admin on Thu, 2005-10-06 21:00. ::
It was a different role for the sixth-year fullback who reported to camp with a different body. Coach Romeo Crennel told him to lose 20 pounds, which Smith did, to be effective in his new assignments.
So far, the carries have not been there in the regular season and neither have the catches. That could change Sunday when the Browns host the Bears, but there is no evidence it will. Smith touched the ball only one time during the first three games, and ''touch'' is the operative word because a pass slightly behind him in the game against the Bengals glanced off his hands and was intercepted.
''The fullback is the lead blocker when we're in the two-back set,'' Crennel said firmly yesterday. ''Terrelle is a physical guy, he's conscientious, he's tough and he's pretty decent at it.
Smith is not the type to complain, and he isn't moaning now. In fact, he is looking at his role on the bright side. He averaged 15 plays a game in 2004, his first season with the Browns. He had four carries and seven catches all season. He is averaging between 25 and 30 snaps a game this year.
Only three players have carried the ball -- Reuben Droughns with 54 attempts plus William Green and Dilfer with five each. Now with Lee Suggs coming around from a sprained ankle and tight end Aaron Shea mended from a pectoral sprain, there are even more players who deserve a piece of the ball.
The odd part of the story for Smith was the demand for the weight loss. Now he doesn't have the same 260 pounds to knock linebackers off their feet. Plus, the Browns kept fullback Corey McIntyre. Most teams don't have one true fullback. The Browns have two.
''That's the way it is in 90 percent of all sports,'' Smith said. ''If you're a boxer, you spend your time working on your left hook then you get into the ring and end up throwing jabs all the time.
Cribbs returned the first kick of the season and covered the first punt before limping off the field against the Bengals. He would not have been able to play last week, but the Browns had their bye to give Cribbs and the other injured players another week to recover.
Cribbs has been moved on kick coverage from a spot near the middle of the field to one of outside contain. The theory is he won't be as involved in a scrum from that position, but he thinks his instincts will take over and he'll run full tilt into the fray.
The coaches and trainers want Cribbs to wear a brace, but he said he'll try to talk them into a heavy tape job instead. He said the brace will restrict him when he tries to cut.
Crennel said he is uncertain who will return kicks against the Bears Sunday if Cribbs does not. Green, Antonio Perkins and Droughns have returned kicks in his absence.
All players on the 53-man roster practiced in full pads yesterday. Linebacker Matt Stewart (knee) and Shea (pectoral strain) both expect to play against the Bears. Crennel said the difficult decision will be deciding which players to make inactive.
Chicago quarterback Kyle Orton was caught on camera last weekend during the Bears' bye with a bottle of Jack Daniels whiskey in one hand and a plastic cup in the other. The picture hit the Internet in an embarrassment to Orton and the Bears organization.
''First of all, it was an open week and he's straight out of college,'' Smith said. ''He didn't get picked up for DWI. He didn't break any laws. A lot of guys go out and drink. I don't think any damage was done.
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