BEREA -- If only new Browns guard Artis Hicks could remember the offense he ran in Philadelphia from 2002 to '05 when he was there with current Browns coach Pat Shurmur and current Browns General Manager Tom Heckert, starting at left guard Sunday against the Bengals would be a no-brainer. 
Instead, the Browns will have to see how quickly the 10th-year pro can refresh his memory before they decide whether or not to start him in place of rookie Jason Pinkston.
"He's a very veteran guy that's played guard and tackle, so we're going to get him up to speed as quickly as possible," said Shurmur. "Right now, we've got Jason Pinkston in there, but we'll see. There's a little bit of work left to do, and we're really not saying right now who the starter's going to be."
Hicks, who signed his one-year deal and practiced with the team Monday, worked at both guard and tackle. He was needed some on the outside because starting right tackle Tony Pashos showed up at practice in a walking boot.
But Shurmur indicated Pashos, who missed 10 games with a right ankle injury that required surgery last year, will be fine for the opener.
"He's got a sore foot, and we're just letting it settle down, which is not uncommon," said Shurmur. "I wouldn't read into that yet. Those boots are magical sometimes."
Hicks, who's started 68 of his 109 career games with the Eagles, Vikings and Redskins, admitted that being thrown into the lineup Sunday would be a challenge.
"I've never been through that situation before," he said. "I know today was my first day of practice, and hearing some of the plays, right now it sounds like a foreign language to me. But give it a couple days, and it'll start to make a lot of sense. It's a work in progress."
Despite his four years in this system, he hasn't played in it since he was traded to the Vikings in 2006.
"It feels like it's been a millennium ago," he said. "But once you've been in a system and you've heard the terminology, it's just like having a toolbox. You put those things away in a toolbox, and later on you might have to go back and pull them out. Yeah, they're gonna be rusty, but you grind them a little bit, polish them up and you're ready to go again."
Hicks, who was released by the Redskins on Saturday after starting 10 games for them at right guard last season, has not been told he'll be the starter with the Browns.
"No, I have no expectations," he said. "I just came in knowing that I have a chance to contribute, and that's all you can ask for."
Pinkston, who's been gearing up for his NFL debut ever since Eric Steinbach was placed on injured reserve last week with a back injury, knows he might have to wait his turn.
"That's understandable," Pinkston said. "It's a business. They're going to put the more experienced guy in there if they need to. We're all here trying to win, we're one team. I'd be disappointed not playing, but I understand it for the team."
Left tackle Joe Thomas is confident Hicks can step right in if need be.
"It's different, but he's been in the league long enough that wherever they put him, he's going to pick it up fast," said Thomas. "He's played in Philly and Minnesota, so this West Coast stuff is not new to him. I think he'll probably know the offense better than us in a week or two."
But he's all for Pinkston starting if that's the way it goes.
"He's improving every day, and he's working hard at it," said Thomas. "We're going to have tremendous confidence in him if he's the guy."
Thomas acknowledged, though, that there's no time like the present to pick a guy and get him in there.
"I don't know how long it's going to be, but obviously as soon as we can get that done, the better," he said.
Shurmur said he'll base his decision on several criteria throughout the week.
"We put our best players out there at any position, if it's a first-year guy or a 12th-year guy," he said. "We factor in how they competed, what we think of them physically and how they work as a unit. There's a lot that goes into it."
Could Hicks be plugged in at right tackle if Pashos' sore foot lingers? Of his 68 starts, eight have come at left tackle, 27 at left guard, 30 at right guard and three at right tackle.
"Anything's possible," said Hicks. "I just got here. We'll just have to see and let it play out, and whatever happens will happen."
But in some ways, it already feels like home to Hicks, who grew up a Browns fan.
"I have family that's from this area here in Cleveland, a bunch of aunties, uncles and cousins," he said. "So I used to come up here in the summer sometime. I always used to hear about the Cleveland Browns, and it just kind of carried on as I grew older. I've watched them from afar and see what they're building here, and I'm happy to be a part of it."
Source:
http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2011/09/artis_hicks_could_start_at_lef.html
No comments:
Post a Comment