Stallworth feels pain of Edwards' injury
8/13/2008BEREA, Ohio - Cleveland Browns Pro Bowl wide receiver Braylon Edwards was home yesterday resting his stitched-up right foot, and the guy who put him there said he's in good spirits.
"He was cheering me up more than I was able to cheer him up," said wide receiver Donte Stallworth, who inadvertently stepped on Edwards' heel Saturday night at the end of practice. "I was probably more hurt [emotionally] than he was."
Stallworth talked to the media yesterday for the first time since the accident that could sideline Edwards for two preseason games.
Stallworth's cleat cut Edwards' heel - he was wearing socks but no shoes - as they did some light running. Edwards spent a night in the Cleveland Clinic for precautionary reasons after receiving an unspecified number of stitches.
"It wasn't too pretty a moment," Stallworth said. "He's a tough dude, because I would've passed out, woke up and passed out again probably a couple more times."
Coach Romeo Crennel, who is confident Edwards will return in time for the regular season, said the team will try to educate players about wearing shoes.
"Kids are kids and you look at kids and they take their shoes off and run around all the time," Crennel said. "When your feet hurt, you want to take your shoes off. Maybe his feet were hurting that day."
Crennel has scaled back the team's workload as training camp approached its third week. The Browns haven't practiced in full pads since the 24-20 loss to the New York Jets on Thursday, and Crennel switched the final two two-a-days of camp into single practices.
Rookie tight end Martin Rucker was scheduled for an MRI exam after he twisted his knee Monday. Linebackers Antwan Peek and Beau Bell have undergone arthroscopic knee surgery to remove loose cartilage, offensive lineman Ryan Tucker continues to rehab from offseason hip surgery and defensive lineman Shaun Rogers has a sore knee. Safety Gary Baxter had knee surgery and was released.
Peek and Tucker are expected back for the opener versus Dallas on Sept. 7, while Bell may need an extra week or two.
The majority of camp injuries have been of the nagging variety, with a handful of players missing practice each day.
Pro Bowl tight end Kellen Winslow, fullback Lawrence Vickers and backup receiver Kevin Kasper have been slowed by hamstring injuries, while tight end Steve Heiden (knee) and guard Seth McKinney (ankle) returned to team drills Monday.
"In this league, guys are up and down every week," quarterback Derek Anderson said. "You just hope they're healthy when the time comes."
With Edwards out indefinitely and Joe Jurevicius absent because of recent knee surgery, a crop of young wide receivers are getting increased opportunities. Steve Sanders, Syndric Steptoe and Travis Wilson have all played with the starting offense.