BEREA — Long before people began jumping on the Browns’ bandwagon, Eric Steinbach was already aboard.
In fact, it could be said he was leading the parade and selling tickets for the ride.
“I wanted to be here and I was excited about helping this team improve,” the left guard recalled Monday. “The offensive line is the nucleus of a football team, and I knew if we could come together quickly, it would give us a great opportunity to help mold the team.
“There is always room for improvement, but I’m very happy with the way things have turned out so far.”
As well he should be. Steinbach became the first key free agent to sign with Cleveland following the 2006 season by inking a seven-year deal just hours after hitting the market.
Not only did he make a statement by leaving the Cincinnati Bengals in favor of the downtrodden Browns, the Iowa product sent a clear signal to the NFL that Cleveland was a team to watch.
Fellow veterans Jamal Lewis, Antwan Peek and Robaire Smith soon followed him to town, setting in motion a dramatic turnaround that saw the Browns go 10-6 and come within a hair of making the playoffs.
“I’m excited to build on whatever success we had last year,” Steinbach said. “But at the same time, this is a new season and we have to bust our butts all over again. Our goal as an offensive line is the same: to control the clock and the running game, and give ourselves a better chance of winning games.”
The 6-foot-6, 295-pounder certainly did his part last season, helping Cleveland’s offense turn into a juggernaut through his on- and off-field leadership.
Helped by the exceptional work done by the line, Derek Anderson, Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow Jr. blossomed into stars, while Lewis rushed for 1,304 yards — the majority of it behind Steinbach and left tackle Joe Thomas.
“Every year, all these rookies that are supposed to be star-studded don’t pan out, but midway through the year, Joe had already made it,” said Steinbach, a five-year veteran and two-time Pro Bowl alternate. “I didn’t have to do too much mentoring because he is such a rare talent. He’s already gone to the Pro Bowl and he can be as good as he wants to be. The sky’s the limit for him.”
At 28, the durable Steinbach figures to have many more seasons to play next to Thomas, along with center Hank Fraley, right tackle Kevin Shaffer and right guard Ryan Tucker on the best Browns’ line in at least two decades.
He credits position coach Steve Marshall for the group’s quick jelling, as well as the hours upon hours of film work each player has put in.
In March, the linemen began reviewing every play Cleveland ran last year, then devised different blocking schemes to make them even more effective.
“Offensive linemen are usually your most close-knit group on a team, but we get along especially well,” Steinbach said. “Steve also did a real good job getting us in right away to work on things together, just so we could get a head start on everything.
“Now that we’re a couple of weeks into camp, we can’t wait for the season to begin and see how much we’ve improved.”
Contact Brian Dulik at 329-7135 or sports@ohio.net.

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