Browns lose Rogers for the season

BEREA (AP) — The generous gap in Cleveland’s defense has grown to canyon-like proportions.

Already missing their two starting inside linebackers, the bad-as-they’ve-ever-been Browns lost Pro Bowl nose tackle Shaun Rogers to a season-ending lower leg injury, another blow to a struggling unit that gave up 210 rushing yards on Sunday in Cincinnati.

Rogers was injured in the final minutes of the 16-7 loss to the Bengals. He was accidentally struck on the side of the leg by teammate C.J. Mosley, bending the 6-foot-4, 350-plus-pound Rogers awkwardly over a pile of players. He had to be carted off the field.

Browns coach Eric Mangini, who rarely addresses injuries, opened his Monday news conference with an update that Rogers’ season was over.

“In terms of Big Baby, he’s going to be going on IR [injured reserve],” Mangini said, using Rogers’ nickname. “So, not very good news there.”

Mangini said Rogers will need surgery. The Browns previously lost linebackers D’Qwell Jackson and Eric Barton, who also sustained season-ending injuries and were placed on IR.

Cleveland’s injury woes don’t end there.

Browns starting safety Brodney Pool sustained a concussion — at least the fourth of his career — while defensive end Kenyon Coleman and linebacker Kamerion Wimbley suffered knee injuries.

“It’s tough, but the game still has to be played,” said linebacker David Bowens, who has had to shift from outside to inside linebacker in Cleveland’s 3-4 system. “What guys need to understand is what we’re doing schematically on defense and how they fit in and our goal each week. When we have injuries, guys need to understand that you can’t really get down on it. You have to move forward.

“Sad as it is to lose those guys, the game has to be played on Sunday.”

Rogers, who made the Pro Bowl last year in his first season with Cleveland, has been one of the club’s few dependable defensive players. Mainly responsible for clogging the middle and forcing teams to run outside, Rogers has performed admirably for the Browns, who are 1-10 for the first time in team history.

Rogers may be the only irreplaceable player on Cleveland’s roster. He’s definitely one of the few that opponents had to account for on every snap.

“He’s big. He’s disruptive,” Mangini said. “They have to deal with him from a game-plan perspective. It’s difficult from that perspective.”

Defensive tackle Corey Williams said the Browns will be incomplete without Rogers — for a lot of reasons.

“You miss a dominant player,” Williams said. “He’s a guy that’s going to take a double-team just about every play. He’s a hard-playing guy, a fun guy, a funny guy. Just all of the above, it’s him.”

Ahtyba Rubin will likely move into Rogers’ spot in the starting lineup. A sixth-round pick in 2008, Rubin has shown flashes of being a solid interior run stopper.

“It’s a great opportunity,” Rubin said. “It’s unfortunate it happened to a great person like Big Baby and I just look forward to getting out there on Sundays and proving myself. It’s big shoes to fill.”

Pool’s injury may have broader implications.

Because the 25-year-old has sustained previous concussions, there’s a possibility he may have to consider retirement. That could depend on the severity of his most recent head injury. But given the NFL’s heightened sensitivity and awareness on concussions, Pool’s career could be at a crossroad.