Braylon's elbow

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Eight weeks maybe?! Well at least they won on Sunday..
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BROWNS
Edwards still hospitalized with infection

Tuesday, October 11, 2005

Mary Kay Cabot
Plain Dealer Reporter

Browns receiver Braylon Edwards remains hospitalized after undergoing surgery Saturday to excise an infection in his right arm, and the Browns are awaiting test results to determine how long he'll be out.

ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported the Browns' top pick could be out eight weeks, but Edwards' dad, Stan, said Monday he doesn't know if that's true. Braylon Edwards is expected to miss Sunday's game in Baltimore and perhaps a few more weeks depending on the severity of the infection.

"We're waiting for results of the culture, hopefully by [today], and then we'll have a better idea what type of treatment he'll need, and how long he'll be out," Stan Edwards said. "But he was getting antsy [Monday], and he was up in his room, working on his footwork."

Coach Romeo Crennel said he had no idea how much time Edwards will miss.

"I imagine that might depend on what kind of infection it was," Crennel said. "If it's a major infection, he might be out longer. If it's a minor infection, he won't be out as long."

As of Monday, it still was not known if Edwards had a staph infection, the same thing that recently caused tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. to lose about 30 pounds. The receiver is being treated with antibiotics intravenously.

Crennel said he hoped team physician Dr. Anthony Miniaci would be able to give him "some kind of timetable [on Monday] as far as when Braylon may or may not be back. . . . We feel like he's going to be back and he'll be able to help us."

Crennel was not available after his meeting with the doctor.

Stan Edwards said he was with his son at the Clinic on Saturday and Braylon was getting down about the setback.

"I had a long talk with him about not wasting any emotion on something he can't control," Stan Edwards said.

Stan Edwards said the infectious disease specialist told him that the infection "was very serious, but that there's a 99.9 percent chance they got it all. He's very lucky."

He said the specialist told him that the surgeon would have a better idea how long the receiver will be out. Stan Edwards said he couldn't see the incision because Braylon Edwards had a bandage "going from the middle of his biceps down to his fingers."

Stan Edwards said he knows such an infection can take a toll on the body and that his son will lose some weight. Before the infection, the receiver already was concerned about keeping his weight up.

Browns linebacker Ben Taylor knows all about it. He suffered a staph infection late in the 2003 season and missed two games. He returned for the final four outings but never was the same, relegated mostly to special teams.

"I was in the hospital for six days, and I lost 10 pounds," Taylor said. "It was rough. I felt sick all over. I felt like I had the flu, and my joints hurt."

Taylor said he heard a report that Braylon Edwards' ordeal may have begun with an infected hair, "but believe me. It's a lot more serious than what they made it out to be."

Taylor said when his occurred, he woke up in the middle of the night and then made it through two hours of team meetings the next morning before "my body just kind of shut down. I had a 99 degree temperature when I was here, and by the time I got to the Clinic, it was 103. It can hit you that quick, and I know that's what happened [with Braylon]."

Taylor said his infection began in a little scratch, not even an inch long. It set him back for the rest of the season. The good news for Edwards is that his came at the beginning of the season.

"When you lose 10 pounds like that in the middle of the season, it's kind of hard to come back from," Taylor said. "After that, I didn't start any games. I played special teams, but I was kind of down from it. It strains you."

Quarterback Trent Dilfer visited Edwards at the Clinic on Sunday night and said he was in good spirits. As far as him possibly missing some games, Dilfer said, "It's disappointing, but I really don't know what's going on. This is a challenge for him. It will help grow him up a little bit. It will make things a little bit harder on me, but that's life."

Crennel said Edwards wasn't being treated for the sore before Saturday because he thought it was nothing. He was, however, wearing a protective sleeve to keep him from scratching it. The arm was swollen during Saturday's 11 a.m. walk-through, but shortly thereafter, it blew up to about the size of a baseball.

The Browns didn't report Edwards' injury to the NFL office because Crennel said he believed he only had to do so on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. The league office said the matter is under review.