BEREA — Despite the wailing of fans, the season isn’t over for the Browns after two games.
But it could be for Robaire Smith.
The veteran defensive end suffered an Achilles’ tendon injury Sunday in the 10-6 loss to the Steelers. Coach Romeo Crennel said he didn’t know the severity of the injury, which was reported as an ankle during the game, but it didn’t sound good.
“He’s not in the best of shape,” Crennel said Monday. “For a big man, an Achilles’ is a tough thing to deal with.”
Smith, 30, was the most reliable player on a defensive line boosted by offseason trades for Shaun Rogers and Corey Williams. Smith, in his second year with the Browns after signing a four-year contract, started all 18 games in Cleveland and had three tackles Sunday before getting hurt in the third quarter.
Without Robaire Smith, Shaun Smith moves into the starting lineup, and Louis Leonard and rookie sixth-round draft pick Ahtyba Rubin will see more action off the bench.
“You can’t replace Robaire Smith,” linebacker D’Qwell Jackson said. “He’s an animal inside. He doesn’t take a lot of crap from anybody on that field, whether it’s practice or in the game.”
Robaire Smith joins linebacker Antwan Peek, cornerback Daven Holly and safety Sean Jones (knees) in the trainer’s room. Peek and Holly are out for the year, while Jones will miss another 2-4 weeks following surgery.
The Browns don’t have time to wallow in self-pity. They’re 0-2 — both losses came at home — and can’t afford to sink much deeper.
“It’s not really no hole,” Shaun Smith said. “The Giants started out 0-2 last year and won the Super Bowl. We’re that caliber-type of team. I feel like we’re a good team and we’re just trying to get over the hump.”
“Yeah, it’s disappointing we’re 0-2, but we’ve got 14 to go,” Jackson said.
An 0-2 start isn’t a death sentence, but it makes for an uphill climb. Since 1990, 19 teams have made the playoffs after an 0-2 start, including three who won the Super Bowl.
Crennel didn’t want to look long term.
“We are not the Giants, we are the Cleveland Browns,” Crennel said. “What we need to do is win a game.”
The next chance is Sunday at Baltimore. Eliminating, or at least limiting, the mistakes of the first two weeks would be a good first step.
The Browns have been penalized 19 times for 120 yards. Shaun Smith’s face mask and Rogers’ offsides facilitated the Steelers’ lone touchdown drive.
Then there’s the offense.
Braylon Edwards has five catches and at least five drops, including two inside the 10-yard line. Derek Anderson has completed 51.8 percent of his passes for 280 yards, two interceptions and a 57.1 rating. And Jamal Lewis has 100 yards on 32 carries for a 3.1 average.
Has the opposition figured out how to stop the Browns offense?
“If you look at the results, you could say that they have,” Crennel said. “But I think if all the weapons were healthy and were out there that we would pose some problems to opposing defenses.”
The Browns are missing No. 2 wideout Donte Stallworth (quadriceps), and third receiver Joshua Cribbs (ankle) wasn’t at 100 percent in his return Sunday night. Crennel also blamed the preseason injuries to Edwards (foot), Lewis (hamstring) and Anderson (concussion) for the start that’s featured 16 points in two games for an offense that averaged 25 last season.
“The time missed hurt him,” Crennel said of Anderson. “The more time they get together and he has in the offense, the better he should be.”
The offense would also benefit from better organization. In the opener they were bothered by malfunctioning headsets and improper alignments. Against the Steelers, they ruined a good end-of-half drive with clock mismanagement.
After a leaping catch by Kellen Winslow with about 1:50 left, coordinator Rob Chudzinski was late getting the play call in, so they wasted a timeout with 1:23 remaining. Crennel then elected to save his final timeout with 54 seconds left and accept a 10-second runoff after an illegal shift. But after the runoff, it took another 10 seconds for Anderson to get the ball snapped.
They still managed to have a first down at the 11-yard line with eight seconds left. But on the fifth play after Winslow’s catch, Steelers safety Troy Polamalu intercepted Anderson on the last play of the half.
“We had a first down with eight seconds so that’s time enough to throw the ball in the end zone, get a touchdown or if it’s incomplete, put your field-goal team out there and kick a field goal,” Crennel said. “I wouldn’t change that sequence.”
Contact Scott Petrak at 329-7253 or spetrak@chroniclet.com.

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