Berea, Ohio – Reuben Droughns is planning to run into a few old friends this weekend. He’s not expecting any hugs or kisses during the reunion.
The Broncos are going to treat him much more rudely.
“It’s going to be fun,” Cleveland’s running back said of the upcoming matchup against his former team. “I’m sure they’re going to try to tee off on me, just like I’m going to try to tee off on them.”
Tee time for Droughns and the Browns (1-4) is today as they return from their bye week to take on the Broncos (4-1), who have won four straight games and are limiting opponents to an NFL-low 7.4 points per game.
It will be Droughns’ first game against the Broncos since they traded the 28-year-old to Cleveland on March 30, 2005, for defensive linemen Ebenezer Ekuban and Michael Myers.
Although Droughns was coming off a 1,240-yard season in 2004, he wasn’t guaranteed a starting job the next season as Broncos coach Mike Shanahan planned to give Tatum Bell a shot to be the club’s lead tailback in training camp.
That, coupled with Droughns wanting a raise from the Broncos and Shanahan needing to fill holes on his defensive line, prompted the trade, requested by Droughns and his agent, Drew Rosenhaus.
At the time, Droughns wasn’t so happy about the deal but insists he has no grudge against his former coach.
“There are no hard feelings,” Droughns said. “They gave me an opportunity to make some money. I’ve praised Mike for that. He gave me an opportunity to make a name for myself with someone else.”
And that’s exactly what Droughns did, carving his name into Cleveland’s record books last season. He rushed for 1,232 yards, becoming the first Browns back since 1985 to bust the 1,000-yard plateau. It was a personal breakout for the third-round draft pick from Oregon, but he doesn’t view it as validation of his ability or retribution against Shanahan or the Broncos for dealing him.
“The trade worked out the best for both of us,” he said. “They got what they wanted on the D-line and the Browns got what they wanted at running back and surpassed something they hadn’t had in 20 years. There’s no regret there. It was about that time.”
Droughns’ 2006 season has gotten off to a slow start. In his first two games, he picked up just 59 yards on 25 carries as the Browns were forced to play from behind and throw the ball.
In Week 2 at Cincinnati, Droughns injured his right shoulder in a collision with Bengals linebacker David Pollack, who broke his neck and was lost for the season.
Droughns was inactive for Cleveland’s next game against Baltimore, but returned the following week to run for 100 yards on 25 carries against Oakland. In the Browns’ final game before their bye, he picked up 65 yards against Carolina but seemed tentative while hitting holes.
Earlier last week, Droughns said the shoulder bothered him.
“I’ve been kind of cautious,” he confessed. “Hopefully now that it’s better I’ll be able to hit a little harder with it.”
Given their struggles on offense, the Browns need Droughns at full speed to have any chance at beating the Broncos, who have given up just one touchdown this season. Cleveland coach Romeo Crennel said he isn’t worried about his top back being too excited about showing his former team what he can do.
“I think that could be an issue sometimes, but I don’t think that will be the case with Reuben,” he said. “If anything, that might make him more fired up because that’s his old team and he wants to be more effective.”
