After we all have had a tough beginning to the week here are a few notes from Berea as the Browns are trying to overcome the weather and injuries.

-Buster Skrine has been named the team’s 4th captain for this week’s game against Baltimore. Skrine went through a few ups and downs while Joe Haden was out but the last 2 weeks he has excelled as the teams 3rd corner.

But coach Shurmur thinks he can excel outside or inside, “I think he can play outside, but I think he does a pretty good job inside.

Ideally, you like to draft and bring guys to your team that are corners that can all play outside and then decide who plays inside. At this point that’s the roll that he’s playing and he just needs to keep battling and improving.”

-Some feel like the Browns will have a better chance to win with both Ray Lewis and Ladarius Webb out for the Ravens. Shurmur sees a team that’s still dangerous,

“We watched how they played in the last game. (Terrell) Suggs being back, I think he had an impact on the game already. I didn’t see much difference in last year’s version and this year’s version. Of course they had the injury to Ed Reed and Ladarius Webb and they’ve filled those positions. I think at this time of year everybody is a little bit nicked in certain spots and guys play through things.

You get to see role players and backup players in there maybe a little bit more than they normally would early in the year, but we’re not guessing. We’ve got a pretty good feel for who will be in there.”

-Phil Taylor is expected to play in his first game of the season and he let it be known that he doesn’t fear Ray Rice, as he told the media today “he’s a name, we have Trent Richardson, I don’t care.” Alrighty then.

Here is what Joe Haden had to say about the return of Taylor, “He’s a really good run stopper, obviously because he’s huge. Just being able to put pressure on the quarterback and the rotation of such good defensive linemen with him, (Ahtyba) Rubin, (John) Hughes and Billy Winn, all those dudes being healthy and being able to go full steam when they’re in there is just going to help out tremendously.”

-One guy who looks forward to facing teams in the AFC North is Josh Cribbs. The last time these two teams met Cribbs was knocked out early with a concussion. But despite that Cribbs feels like this game can help propel the young Browns, I do, its great football in the AFC North, especially during this time of year.

It’s always a battle, powerful games. This is what football is all about, playing football during this time of year when the weathers bad, the field is bad, it really shows what you’re made of. If you’re going to succumb to the elements of the weather, it really shows it. It showed it last week playing a team from California.

They’re not used to these elements and we were able to take advantage of it. Now we’re playing against a team who comes from the same elements, they know what it’s like to play in cold weather. It’s going to be a nitty-gritty football game.”