Published August 14, 2008 02:06 am - BEREA — Seth McKinney is quiet and unassuming off the field, but it is a mistake to assume the Browns don’t need him.
Browns Notebook: McKinney on the mend
STEVE DOERSCHUK Canton Repository
BEREA — Seth McKinney is quiet and unassuming off the field, but it is a mistake to assume the Browns don’t need him.
The 2007 team was hitting a groove with McKinney as the new right guard. But just as the Browns were in the process of winning their fourth game in five outings, McKinney’s right shoulder went out in the third quarter against Seattle.
He missed the rest of the season but is back with the team. He’s a bit invisible because he missed two weeks with an ankle injury, but he is relieved to be back in 11-on-11 drills.
“I’ve still got that big air cast on,” McKinney said, giving his right ankle a dirty look, “but it’s getting there.”
“I have no reason to think I won’t be ready for the season.”
A former Round 3 pick out of Texas A&M, McKinney became the Dolphins’ starting center in 2004 and 2005 before losing the 2006 season to a neck injury. He made a strong comeback with the Browns in 2007 before getting hurt, at which point Ryan Tucker took over at right guard.
Oddly, with Tucker recovering from a broken hip, the current No. 1 right guard is Rex Hadnot.
McKinney and Hadnot were Dolphins teammates for three years. They lined up together in 2006, McKinney as the starting center, Hadnot as the No. 1 right guard. When McKinney missed the last three games with a leg injury, Hadnot slid over to center.
At 29, McKinney is still interested in supporting his wife and three daughters with an NFL paycheck.
“I got hurt in the fourth practice, then I was out for two weeks in a crucial camp,” McKinney said. “I’ve got to get with things. But it’ll be there.”
McKinney is one of the reasons the Browns think they have great line depth. He provides solid insurance at center and guard.
Not that he’s selling insurance.
“Everyone’s goal is to start,” he said. “That was my goal at the beginning of camp. That’s my goal always.
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