New number, new attitude for DT Warren

BEREA (AP) -- Browns defensive tackle Gerard Warren hopes that his old number will make him a new player.
The fourth-year pro has exchanged his No. 94 jersey for No. 61, the number he wore as a star in college at Florida, hoping to reverse his disappointing play in Cleveland.
"It's a different attitude and approach to the game," Warren said. "It's what got me here. What I was before I got here is what I want to be when I leave here, if not better than what I was.
"I woke up one day and decided I was going to go get 61 and play the way I used to play."
Lost zip
Warren hasn't been the dominating force the Browns expected when the team made him the third overall selection of the 2001 NFL draft.
In hopes of recapturing his old form, in which he was too strong for one blocker to handle, Warren spent much of the offseason in Cleveland and lost 27 pounds.
The 6-foot-4 Warren reported to training camp at 320 pounds and is now looking more like the energetic player the Browns thought they were getting.
"He does have the potential to be an awesome player," head coach Butch Davis said. "He's got attitude, speed and explosiveness."
The Browns' poor run defense would improve greatly if Warren could spend more time in the opponent's backfield, tripping up running backs before they can find a hole.
He showed some of that ability on Saturday in a 17-10 preseason win over Detroit. Warren had two tackles (one for a loss), chased quarterback Joey Harrington out of the pocket and blocked a field-goal attempt.
Davis commended him for being actively involved in five of the 20 plays in which he participated.
"That was just a glimpse," Warren said. "I just have to bring that for 45, 50, 60 snaps and cause havoc on the field."
Nickname change
In addition to his jersey number, Warren also is changing his nickname.
Referred to as "Big Money" since high school, Warren now wants to be called "Penny," a nickname given to him by a Florida assistant coach as a motivational tool.
"Big Money was Big Money at 14 years of age," he said. "The name was a myth. Then I was Penny when I got to college because my coach wanted me to not believe all the way into the myth, and use it as a goal to reach the things I wanted."
He believes he's on that path again.
"Sixty-one's back," Warren said. "That's all I have to say."