NOTEBOOK Cleveland vs. Denver

Back in town: Sunday's game marked the return of several former Browns players, including all four of Denver's starting defensive line: Kenard Lang, Michael Myers, Gerard Warren and Ebenezer Ekuban. Former Cleveland DE Courtney Brown has also started for the Broncos this season, but will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury. Together, the "Browncos" helped hold Cleveland to 34 yards rushing. Myers and Lang also had sacks. "It's always nice to come back and win," said Broncos coach Mike Shanahan. "If you are familiar with an organization, you always want to come back and show them that they might have missed something. I think that stands for coaches as well as players. It is the nature of the game." Denver has one other former Browns player, WR Quincy Morgan, who was traded to Dallas two years ago and played last season in Pittsburgh. Cleveland, meanwhile, picked up former Broncos running back Reuben Droughns in a trade before the 2005 season. Droughns has been a solid player, becoming the first Browns RB to rush for more than 1,000 yards since 1985 when he ran for 1,232 yards last season. Alas, he didn't fare well against his former team on Sunday, rushing for just 33 yards on 12 carries. "I'm very disappointed due to the fact that I did play for that team and I wanted to see us get that win," said Droughns.Stunning start: After a multi-million dollar spending spree in the off-season, many felt the Browns could take a step toward respectability. Instead, Cleveland is 1-5 and its only victory came against the lowly Raiders. The Browns started last season 2-4 and finished 6-10. "I was one of the guys who said we could make a run for the playoffs," said linebacker Andra Davis. "But you never know in this crazy league. You've always got to stay positive and always optimistic. You never know."Up next: The Browns will play host to the New York Jets at 4:15 p.m. next Sunday. "We need to find a way to win," Davis said. "We need to work as a team and get ready to play the Jets. The Jets don't care what we did today. We can't dwell on this." The game will have a local connection: former Chaney High and Missouri standout Brad Smith is a rookie wide receiver for New York.
Back in town: Sunday's game marked the return of several former Browns players, including all four of Denver's starting defensive line: Kenard Lang, Michael Myers, Gerard Warren and Ebenezer Ekuban. Former Cleveland DE Courtney Brown has also started for the Broncos this season, but will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury. Together, the "Browncos" helped hold Cleveland to 34 yards rushing. Myers and Lang also had sacks. "It's always nice to come back and win," said Broncos coach Mike Shanahan. "If you are familiar with an organization, you always want to come back and show them that they might have missed something. I think that stands for coaches as well as players. It is the nature of the game." Denver has one other former Browns player, WR Quincy Morgan, who was traded to Dallas two years ago and played last season in Pittsburgh. Cleveland, meanwhile, picked up former Broncos running back Reuben Droughns in a trade before the 2005 season. Droughns has been a solid player, becoming the first Browns RB to rush for more than 1,000 yards since 1985 when he ran for 1,232 yards last season. Alas, he didn't fare well against his former team on Sunday, rushing for just 33 yards on 12 carries. "I'm very disappointed due to the fact that I did play for that team and I wanted to see us get that win," said Droughns.Stunning start: After a multi-million dollar spending spree in the off-season, many felt the Browns could take a step toward respectability. Instead, Cleveland is 1-5 and its only victory came against the lowly Raiders. The Browns started last season 2-4 and finished 6-10. "I was one of the guys who said we could make a run for the playoffs," said linebacker Andra Davis. "But you never know in this crazy league. You've always got to stay positive and always optimistic. You never know."Up next: The Browns will play host to the New York Jets at 4:15 p.m. next Sunday. "We need to find a way to win," Davis said. "We need to work as a team and get ready to play the Jets. The Jets don't care what we did today. We can't dwell on this." The game will have a local connection: former Chaney High and Missouri standout Brad Smith is a rookie wide receiver for New York.