BEREA —   After almost a year off, Tony Pashos (ankle) will start at right tackle Sunday vs. the Titans, coach Pat Shurmur said today.

 ”Unless something sets him back here in the next day or two, he’ll probably play and start,” said Shurmur. “He’s an old pro, and I think he gives us some size and actually does a nice job in pass protection as well.

“We’ll see. I’m not used to seeing him in there playing much other than the preseason snaps. So I’m looking forward to seeing him work.”

Pashos couldn’t predict how much he’ll help the slow-starting offense.

“I don’t know,” he said. “It’s a team sport. Every guy matters, yeah, but ultimately, I’ve been saying it all year, the guys who have gone in there have done a great job. They’ve been battling and we’re 2-1 and I’d like to get in there and get some of that too.”

Pashos will make his comeback against the NFL’s top-ranked defense.

“They’re the No. 1 defense in the league for a reason,” Pashos said. “If you watch film, everyone of those guys across the board, the front four, the linebackers, everybody, they’re going to the ball, they’re hustling. They’re a hard-working front and they’re a hungry front. their coach definitely has them playing hard and we have to rise to that challenge. It’s a good defense coming in here.”

As for it being frustrating not to play, Pashos said, ”I’m trying to put that in the rearview mirror right now. You don’t enter in this business to watch it. Being forced to watch, it’s tough to do. But it’s a violent game. It’s not for everybody, and a lot of injuries happen along the way. You’ve gotta be able to surround yourself with the best people, the best staff and rise above that.”

Pashos hasn’t played since Oct. 17 of last season when he suffered a season-ending ankle injury vs. the Steelers.   

Every Friday leading into a Sunday contest for the Cleveland Football Browns, WFNY provides a roundtable-like discussion featuring each writer and his feelings on what the Dawgs need to do in order to leave the contest victorious.  On the flip side of the coin, we aim to feature at least one voice from the opposing team who aims to provide a bit of a contrast; a devil’s advocate if you will.

This season, we will share some of our thoughts with the loyal readers of cleveland.com while inviting you all to continue the conversation with your fellow fans. 

Without further ado, this season’s Week 4 edition of The Browns Will Win If…

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Andrew: …They don’t let Chris Johnson finally start earning his new paycheck. I don’t like to read too much into stats after 3 games, especially this year when the Browns have faced Andy Dalton/Bruce Gradkowski, Kerry Collins, and Chad Henne, but the Browns have been pretty good against the pass. They’ve been disruptive with their pass rush and Joe Haden has played like an absolute superstar this year. But the Browns have not looked good against the run at all. Without Kenny Britt, logic dictates that the Titans will try to lean on Chris Johnson and try to get him going against a susceptible rush defense.

The Browns simply cannot let that happen. If the Titans can control the game on the ground, the Browns are in for a rough afternoon because the Titans defense has looked nothing short of great this year. On offense, I just want to see the Browns begin to figure out how to start getting positive yards on 1st down. Whether it’s playcalling or execution, the Browns have been unable to help themselves in later downs by netting positive yardage plays on 1st down. The Browns aren’t going to turn around their offensive woes in one week, but a good start would be better playcalling and execution on 1st down plays.

Kirk: …the offensive line has a statement game. With Peyton Hillis expected back and Montario Hardesty fresh off a solid performance last week, it’s time to get the run game jump-started. Right tackle has been a disappointment between Artis Hicks and Oniel Cousins; let’s hope Tony Pashos makes it to Sunday and is an upgrade there. I think we’ll continue to see a learning curve with Pinkston and Lauvao. The offensive line will need to be up for the challenge with a Titans’ D that ranks best in the NFL right now.

Defensively, it needs to be more of the same. I was downright stunned at the effectiveness of the Browns’ defense on that final drive after being on the field for a good portion of the game. With Kenny Britt out, Joe Haden can cover Nate Washington, and the safeties can concentrate more on making sure Chris Johnson doesn’t make Week 4 the one where he gets back on track. I expect the defensive line to continue to build momentum from their strong start, but they need to avoid costly penalties.

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Click Here to Continue Reading “The Browns Will Win If…”

BEREA, Ohio — Browns right tackle Tony Pashos appears fully healed from his injured left ankle and is expected to make his season debut on Sunday against Tennessee (2-1).

Pashos missed Cleveland’s first three games, forcing the Browns (2-1) to use both Artis Hicks and Oneil Cousins in a rotation on the right side. The 6-foot-6, 330-pound Pashos played in just six games last season with an injured right ankle. He worked with Cleveland’s starting offense during the portion of practice open to the media on Friday.

His return should help the Browns’ running game, which should be improved with Peyton Hillis back in the lineup this week. Hillis missed last week’s game against Miami with strep throat but has recovered and practiced all week.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Welcome to today’s edition of Starting Blocks TV, hosted by Bill Lubinger.

The Browns are 2-1 heading into Sunday’s 1 p.m. home game against the Tennessee Titans. Which team will win, and by how much? That’s the question in today’s Starting Blocks poll.

Today’s guest on SBTV is Plain Dealer Browns reporter Tony Grossi, who says he expects the Browns to win in a close game.

Tony also answers fan questions from his weekly Hey, Tony! feature. Today, he answers questions about how good the current Browns defensive line can be; whether linebacker Chris Gocong is worth the new contract he received this week; and what kind of job he thinks Browns general manager Tom Heckert has done so far.

SBTV will return Monday with Plain Dealer Browns reporter Mary Kay Cabot breaking down Sunday’s Browns-Titans game.

And don’t miss this week’s edition of the Browns Insider webcast, which streamed at 10 a.m. Thursday and is available in archived version now.

  Tennessean reporter Jim Wyatt writes how former Cleveland Browns coach Chris Palmer is the offensive coordinator for the Titans.

Palmer was the Browns’ head coach from 1999-2000 and that time as the team’s coach taught Palmer a few lessons.

“If I ever take an expansion job again,” he said, “shoot me.”

 Palmer was fired after going 5-27. In 2002 under Butch Davis, the Browns made the playoffs.

“It is really overrated starting a franchise up,” Palmer said.

“But people forget Cleveland was in the playoffs in its fourth year, so I think that was a tribute the players and the people that started the organization. Cleveland is a good football town.”

In the article, Palmer says he regrets he didn’t get more time as head coach, but he said he has no hard feelings.

“You always wish you had more time,” said Palmer, who is in his first year with the Titans. “I would like to live longer than I am going to, but that’s not going to happen.”

More Cleveland Browns

Running backs coach defends Peyton Hillis . . . Bob Finnan of The News-Herald writes about Hillis and his supporters.

The Browns wonder if they can keep Hillis and D’Qwell Jackson, writes CantonRep.com reporter Steve Doerschuk.

Previewing the Titans on Cleveland.com.