Browns Prove Dumbness Not Relegated To Allen Park

Another Mistake By The Lake.

Until today, that was the less-than-flattering nickname given to the city of Cleveland, Ohio. Like many city monikers, it was neither accurate nor fair. Chicago isn't all that Windy, Philadelphia doesn't show much Brotherly Love, and Detroit is losing claim to being the Motor City.

But the new Mistake By The Lake is the Browns' decision to wrap DT Shaun Rogers in green thru the 2013 season, to the tune of $42 million. His current contract was set to expire in 2010; the Brownies added three years and about $20 million to the pot.

That sound you hear is hundreds of thousands of Lions fans clutching their bellies, laughing and pointing across Lake Erie.

"SUCKERS!"

Why the Browns decided to lock Rogers up so quickly, when there was hardly a sense of urgency to do so, is beyond me. They acquired him Friday from the Lions for a draft pick and CB Leigh Bodden.

The Browns, you'd think, would have liked to have seen Rogers squeeze himself into his football pants, at least, before hooking him up with so much dough.

But Rogers is their problem now, so I really shouldn't care. But it's nonetheless amusing to see another team spend its money so foolishly.

There is nothing -- zero, zip, nada -- that makes me think that Rogers will suddenly become a 16-game beast on the D-line, just because he's changed teams. The whole "change of scenery" thing is a nice thought, and I think it's cute that the Browns think that it applies here, but once a scalawag, always a scalawag. The change of scenery theory mostly applies to hard-working but frustrated players who either struggle to find playing time or are caught in a system that doesn't exploit their virtues. It's not designed to be a panacea for all -- especially overweight, out-of-shape, brooding dudes like Shaun Rogers.

Like I've written here, Rogers could have owned Detroit. He could have turned this town on like no other D-lineman since Al "Bubba" Baker -- a modern day Alex Karras, if he had only smiled or talked. After his monster performance against the Broncos in that 44-7 win, Rogers was silent. That was his chance to seize the moment. I would have taken outrageous. I would have taken a Roy Williams-like propensity to say goofy things. I would have taken some humility, some leadership. I would have taken the ability to play more than four plays in a row without needing an oxygen tank.

But none of those things was Shaun Rogers interested in doing, so now he's gone, someone else's concern. The change of scenery theory might apply for a series, a quarter, a game. Maybe even a stretch of several games. But it cannot, I maintain, apply for a 16-game NFL season, because Rogers hasn't shown, in seven years, the gumption to prove otherwise. He's poison, and it's time now to infect another's apple.

The Browns will regret today's decision as early as the midway point of next season. They may even regret it in the first week of training camp, when they look over and see Rogers doubled over, gasping for air.