4:30 UPDATE: According to Mary Kay Cabot of the Plain Dealer, Rogers' agent has met with the Browns. He wouldn't reveal much, but said "there are no financial or contract concerns on our behalf."

Following a Pro Bowl 2008 season, defensive tackle Shaun Rogers reportedly wants out.

That is according to a Tuesday night report from Adam Schefter of the NFL Network. Schefter reports that Rogers despises new head coach Eric Mangini so much that he told the organization not to pay him a $6 million roster bonus due next month and to release him.

Should the Browns release Rogers, it would cause a $9.7 million hit against the team's salary cap. But according to Schefter's source, the Browns have no intention of releasing Rogers.

Rogers is reportedly upset after Mangini failed to acknowledge him during two offseason functions.

The source told Schefter that Mangini remains optimistic that he can change Rogers' mind. Mangini had to deal with a similar situation when he was coach of the New York Jets. Wide receiver Laveranues Coles was a initially skeptical of Mangini, but the two eventually bonded.

The Browns traded a third-round pick and cornerback Leigh Bodden to the Detroit Lions to acquire Rogers prior to the 2008 season. Rogers finished the year with 76 tackles and 4.5 sacks, which secured him his third Pro Bowl invitation.

In 2006, Rogers was suspended four games by the NFL for violating the league's substance abuse policy.

 Loading ...

(photo by Phil Masturzo / Akron Beacon Journal)

After a perfect season, of sorts, in 2008, the Lions have decided not to bring back cornerback Leigh Bodden.  Bodden was a key piece to the Shaun Rogers trade.

Commentary:  Bodden's star has fallen pretty far from the 2005 season.  He was thought of as a rising star as cover-man, but now he's being released by the worst team in NFL history.  He forced a trade out of Cleveland because of a financial dispute with former general manager Phil Savage, and was not a happy camper in Detroit.  I would highly doubt that Bodden would return to Cleveland, also.

Martin Rucker's cousin, defensive back Ghaali Muhammad is a member of the University of Wisconsin's 2009 class.

Quoting a piece from my previous post, head coach Eric Mangini has identified the following players as guys he likes:

RB Jamal Lewis
OT Joe Thomas
ILB D'Qwell Jackson
NT Shaun Rogers

Commentary: Not much to be explained here, but with Jamal Lewis facing a huge cap number in 2009, it could be telling to his status with the team.

Could the Browns find a trade partner for Braylon Edwards?  David Geller thinks it could be the New York Giants.

Commentary: This is a pure speculation piece, but it's at least intriguing.  I don't feel like trading Edwards is a smart move unless it's a blockbuster set of picks.

Yesterday the Pro Bowl rosters were announced, and two Browns made the roster.  Offensive tackle Joe Thomas and nose tackle Shaun Rogers are heading to Hawaii.

Rogers is not a surprise given his amazing play this year, but also the amount of talent at defensive tackle in the AFC.  The two starting tackles in front of, Albert Haynesworth and Kris Jenkins have both received press as possible Defensive Player of the Year honorees.  Haloti Ngata got the snub in Baltimore, along with Patriot Vince Wilfork.

To see Thomas make the roster as a starter is encouraging, but he's been less than stellar this season.  It's hard to match a season like Thomas had in 2007.  The Pro Bowl can be a glorified popularity contest though.  With Thomas getting the nod, it's a testament to the Browns overall national exposure, given their five nationally televised contests this year.

Four Browns made the Pro Bowl as alternates also:

Joshua Cribbs, KR/ST (First alternate) – His overall special teams play this year has been great.  Beating out a special teams ace like Brendon Ayanbadejo is tough though.  Ayanbadejo has a huge reputation for his special teams play.

Phil Dawson, K, (Second Alternate) – One of the Browns who's felt the harsh snub of the Pro Bowl during the team's horrendous years is Dawson.  In 2005 he was one of the best kickers in the NFL, but the team was so bad that he hardly was recognized.

D'Qwell Jackson, ILB, (Third Alternate) – Leading the NFL in tackles has boosted Jackson's name.  He is the Browns best defensive player outside of Rogers in the front seven.

Eric Steinbach, OG, (Third Alternate) – Being named a third alternate hardly guarantees a trip to Hawaii, and Steinbach likely made the list based on name recognition.  He's a high profile guard who's played decent football this season, when healthy.

Roster News

Tight end Steve Heiden and inside linebacker Beau Bell were placed on IR today.  Heiden tore his ACL in the loss on Monday, and Bell will have his problematic knee scoped.  To replace them, the Browns signed former Raiders tight end John Madsen, and then elevated rookie sixth round wide receiver Paul Hubbarb to the active roster.

Madsen has a nice pedigree as a receiving tight end, which makes me wonder if this is another way of keeping rookie Martin Rucker off the field?  Given how things have gone this year, I wouldn't be surprised to Madsen not only on the active roster this week, but also getting extensive playing time.

While Hubbard was the talk of camp, don't expect much production.  He will likely be inactive for the last two games, despite the team's lack of depth at receiver.

Michigan Man

This quote from Braylon Edwards speaks for itself.

"It is what it is … I've learned since being here that I'm very unappreciated. Not by the organization, just in the eyes of the fans and the city. Since Day One, I've been a marked man coming from Michigan. It's just gone that way."

Bud Shaw handles this subject appropriately.  Even the most rabid of Browns/Buckeyes fans don't seem to care about where Edwards comes from.  Most fans DO care about the fact that Edwards continues to drop passes, play unenthusiastic football, and be upset when the team is losing.

No word on if Shantee Orr feels the same way as Edwards.

The Browns played with heart and toughness on Sunday in Jacksonville, gutting out a difficult win against the Jaguars.  The game was physical and hard-fought, with a heart-stopping last second pass by Jaguars quarterback David Garrard broken up by Nick Sorensen for the win.  In a difficult season for the Browns, this was the toughest win they have come by.

The leader of the victory was nose tackle Shaun Rogers, who dominated from curtain to curtain.  Rogers finished with nine solo tackles, a sack, a blocked punt, and was applying consistent pressure all game long.  Rogers was thought to be lazy in Detroit, but he has played his heart out in Cleveland so far.  He was visibly tired near the end of the third quarter, but he hardly rested throughout the game. 

Where the passing game struggled, Jamal Lewis did a solid job on the ground against a physical Jaguars run defense.  Lewis ran for 81 yards on 20 carries, including a touchdown.  This brings the Browns total record to 11-1 when Lewis carries the ball for over twenty times in a game. 

Quarterback Derek Anderson finished the game with 95.6 QB Rating, but the Browns again struggled to score touchdowns.  The Browns were without Kellen Winslow, but again enjoyed another productive day with Steve Heiden starting at tight end.  The offense settled for three Phil Dawson field goals, including the in the fourth quarter where they had a first and goal from the one yard line. 

Finally, the special teams did a good job of containing Jacksonville's ace return specialist, Brian Witherspoon.  The undrafted free agent rookie had been an exciting part of a difficult season for the Jaguars.  He fumbled on a fourth quarter kick return, forced by Browns rookie Beau Bell in his debut, that set up a Phil Dawson field goal.  Cleveland's coverage units were able to hold the speedster in check. 

Game Balls

Offense- TE Steve Heiden  (3 rec, 73 yards): The Browns passing game has hardly faltered in the two games without Kellen Winslow due to Heiden's superb play.  Producing a key 51-yard reception, Heiden's impact in the passing game cannot be overlooked.  His overall impact as a blocker was felt as the Browns ran to his side of the formation effectively.  The Browns typically run to the left when Winslow is in-line as a tight end, a sign that Winslow cannot hold up as a strong-side blocker.  With Heiden in, the Browns showed not only a willingness, but a confidence in running behind Heiden.

Defense – NT Shaun Rogers (9 tackles, 1 sack, 1 blocked FG) &  ILB D'Qwell Jackson (8 tackles, 1 sack):  It would be hard to leave off either player, who both produced their best games all season.  Rogers domination of the Jaguars interior offensive line showed in the one on one matchups the rest of the front seven saw.  Rogers was in on several quarterback pressures, and produced several key stops like the stuff of fullback Greg Jones on a fourth and one rushing attempt. 

Jackson, a player who's been criticized in this space for his lack of production, played a good game against the run.  The Jaguars running backs were held to a total of 53 yards rushing, and Jackson was crucial in that.  Jackson is a player who needs a free path to the ball and reaped the benefits of Rogers occupying the Jaguars line.

Special Teams – ILB Beau Bell (1 tackle, 1 FF):  Making his debut for the Browns, Bell's forced fumble on Witherspoon helped shift the tide again in the Browns favor.  Bell made a nice cut on the ball, and stopped him with a strong hit.  Bell may only play special teams this year due to the time he missed, but his big play ability could be key down the stretch.

Turning Point

Jamal Lewis' second quarter touchdown from two yards out set the tone for a physical day.  The Browns struggles in the end zone this season are well documented, but when coordinator Rob Chudzinski puts the ball in Lewis' hands, it helps make the play action pass a more legit threat.  When the Browns weren't handing the ball off to Lewis and the Browns were using the play action with an Anderson bootleg, teams were able to key on the passing play.  They weren't biting for the fake, but will have to start respecting it with Lewis getting those touches.

Last Straw

Kellen Winslow is talented, but with the ugliness of the past week, the possibility of life after Winslow has become a reality, like it or not.  Steve Heiden is not the vertical threat that Winslow is, but he is a capable receiver and a strong blocker.  The Browns offense has looked smooth without Winslow, but is the team ready to part ways with the star tight end?  The teams also didn't give up a 2009 third round pick to select Martin Rucker without good reason.  Savage's handling of the Winlow situation right now is messy, but he's successfully set up the Browns to live a life after Winslow.  The team is clearly not interested in re-negotiating his contract, and seems confident in the remaining tight ends on the roster.  The last half of the season may well be Winslow's audition for a new team.

The state of pro football in the state of Ohio is a mess.  If you're a Browns fan you can complain non-stop about the offense, Romeo Crennel, and Phil Savage's alleged black-hearted nature towards Kellen Winslow's staph infection.  If you're a Bengals fan and it's Week 7, you're used to the season being long over.  For Browns fans, there has been glimmers of hope.

So where do you turn for inspiration?  The safest and most likely bet is Brady Quinn, who very well may be the next Aaron Rodgers.  After Anderson did his best to lose his job against the Redskins, Quinn is going to be on high alert for this week's game with the Jaguars. 

Another source of excitement is the Browns defense, which has been improving this season after the blowout loss in Week 1 to Dallas.  Redskins head coach Jim Zorn said that the Browns were "…so good on defense."  That's high praise for a unit that was thought to be the biggest weakness of the team heading into the season.

The Browns young corners have been beating expectations also.  Second year veteran Brandon McDonald made some good plays in coverage on Sunday.  Eric Wright also has started to play more consistent football. 

Defensive, and possibly team MVP, Shaun Rogers continues to dominate. 

So what has excited you about the Browns so far in 2008?