Martin Rucker News

East Surry quarterback Hunter Diamont, with ball, is led by blocker Adam Garrell, as North Surry's Nik Morgan reaches to make the tackle.

I hate to admit it, but Phil Savage does have a point. a oeWe left two quarterbacks behind that both seem ruined right now.a Although we cana t blame this abysmal season on the quarterback situation entirely, it is a huge culprit.

There might be a reason or two why last week's 27-6 loss to Denver didn't mark a new low for the New Browns, but even with a week to absorb the loss I couldn't think of any.

I spent a good chunk of Monday in Colorado before my flight home. Partly because Ia TMm a sportswriter and partly because I have no life, I listened to a variety of Denver sports talk radio.

NFL players have been warned the league's drug-testing program is still in effect despite Commissioner Roger Goodell's ruling to delay suspending several players who tested positive for a banned substance.

Ray Lewis and the Ravens' defense is tops in the NFL in stopping the run after two weeks, allowing just 41 yards per game.

Benton High School graduate Martin Rucker didna t need long to find a new job. The Philadelphia Eagles signed the free agent tight end Thursday morning, two days after the Cleveland Browns released him.

For the second straight week, Browns coach Eric Mangini has waived a high draft pick of Cleveland's previous regime.

Former Super Bowl hero Plaxico Burress apologized to his family and tearfully kissed his pregnant wife and young son goodbye Tuesday before he was led away to prison to begin serving a two-year sentence on a weapons charge.

Eric Mangini continues to play "out with the old, in with the new" with the Browns' roster.

The Browns cut tight end Martin Rucker Tuesday, then signed his replacement former Jacksonville tight end Greg Estandia.

Joshua Cribbs set a career high with five catches Sunday in a 27-6 loss to the Broncos, but it was one of the worst games of his five-year career.

DENVER: Eric Wright was carried 7 yards into the end zone by 30-year-old running back Correll Buckhalter.

Pre-game notes and observations ... * A story gaining traction nationally is that Eric Mangini fined a Browns player $1,701 for failing to pay a $3 incidental bill upon checking out of the team hotel during preseason.

No one in the Browns' locker room dared say that the lengthy quarterback competition proved detrimental to the offense in a 34-20 loss to the Minnesota Vikings Sunday.

Browns special teams ace Joshua Cribbs might be the most versatile player in the NFL, which the Minnesota Vikings can now attest to.

Brady Quinn will be the Browns' starting quarterback. The official announcement came Sunday morning as the Browns and Vikings submitted their gameday inactives and lineup changes 90 minutes before kickoff.

Candidates in local Statehouse races are beginning to emerge, but Republicans have yet to come to the table with their full lineup.

After a grueling, fourth-month process, Roger Allen can finally breath a deep sigh of relief.

Posted by ESPN.com's James Walker Let's dig into the weekend mailbag. Kellen Ivory from Los Angeles, Calif., is wondering if the Cleveland Browns did enough this offseason to stop the run.