Although there were some anxious moments while he lie unconscious on the floor of Ford Field two weeks ago, those who know Nick Sorensen best didn't doubt he would return from one of the most violent collisions seen in a recent Browns game.

Sorensen, you see, is one of the great survivors in the brutal world of the NFL.

View full sizeTracy Boulian / The Plain DealerThe Browns' Nick Sorensen has made it through nine NFL seasons in part because of his outstanding play on special teams.

Surviving a double head-on collision with two Detroit Lions running full speed on a kickoff in a preseason game seemed the perfect metaphor for Sorensen's career. He's in his 10th NFL season of doing that kind of work, a core player on the club's top-ranked special teams.

And sometimes you only notice a player like him when something bad happens, like in Detroit on Aug. 28. Which is a shame.

"I blend in, which is cool. I like that. I'm a skinny white guy walking around," Sorensen said this week, smiling again after being cleared to rejoin his teammates this week.

Sorensen sometimes finds himself joining anonymous conversations about the team in coffee shops or restaurants. Even after three years on the Browns, he is never recognized out of uniform.

"I can hear what people really think and I can be like an instigator and see how they feel about things," he said. "I've done that many times, my entire career. I don't pretend I'm a fan. I just listen and talk."

He never hears anyone talking about No. 27, Sorensen.

"If anyone mentions my name, I know they must be a true fanatic. They must know everyone on the team if they mention me," he said with a laugh.

But that anonymity does not exist in the Browns' locker room. He is a hero to some teammates.

"He's the inspiration to all of us out there. He's our leader. I know a lot of guys look up to him," linebacker Blake Costanzo said.

"He really has taught me how to be an NFL player, just since the time I got here last year. How he's made it, how he presents himself, how he plays the game. There's no other guy on this team I look up to more than Nick."

Added defensive back Ray Ventrone: "He's a great, great player. Tough kid. Smart player. Obviously, he's a great special teams player."

Sorensen was his high school's best athlete in Vienna, Va. He played quarterback, defensive back, and punted and place-kicked. But in the NFL he is scraggly, 6-3 and 210 pounds. When he collided with onrushing Landon Cohen, who is 6-3 and 300, and Caleb Campbell, 6-2 and 237, his head snapped backward and bounced off the turf.

"He was out, man," Costanzo said. "I've never seen that before, never seen a guy just knocked out. The doctors kept us away. He was out of it for a while."

At the game were Sorensen's parents and wife, Danielle, who is seven months pregnant with the couple's first child. A Browns aide kept them informed of Sorensen's condition as he was taken to a hospital.

Sorensen was released in time to return to Cleveland on the team bus. He suffered concussion symptoms -- severe headache, blurred vision, dizziness -- and was cleared to begin working out again only after the symptoms disappeared for several days.

Sorensen said he doesn't remember the play or lying on the field and has yet to see the collision on video.

"I'm not scared to watch it. I want to watch it," Sorensen said. "It's weird. I went to see it the other day. We had it TiVo'd at the house. We're watching and my wife says, 'It's coming up,' and it just stopped playing five minutes before and then rewound to the beginning."

It's doubtful Sorensen will play in the season opener Sunday in Tampa. But when he returns to the field, he said he won't be gun-shy about throwing around his body on punts and kickoffs like he has for nine NFL seasons.

"He's just wired one way," coach Eric Mangini said. "He's consistent, he's smart, he cares. There are so many things about him that we're going to make sure that when he's back, he's back and he's right. He's going to know that he's right and at that point I fully expect him to play the same way he always played because that's just the type of person that he is."

Sorensen was a special teams captain in Jacksonville before he joined the Browns in 2007. He also played for St. Louis. He routinely leads his team, or is in the top three, in special teams tackles. He said the secret to his survival on special teams is being productive. Physically, somehow he always avoids major injury.

"I've been blessed with good opportunities and good coaches and good teammates and have just been fortunate," he said.

Many of those teammates sought out Sorensen's wife after the game in Detroit.

"She said she could just tell how much they cared," Sorensen said. "That to me meant the most. Because it really does feel like a family with these guys. It's been awesome."

AP Can new Cleveland Browns quarterback Jake Delhomme finally lead the team to the promised land of the NFL playoffs?

CLEVELAND -- A recent L.A. Times story traced the annual upheaval in the NFL's postseason -- though it's understandable if it feels like more of the same for Browns fans.

In each of the past 14 seasons at least five teams have made the playoffs after missing them the year before.

There were six last year: the Jets, New Orleans, New England, Green Bay, Dallas and Cincinnati.

With the new season kicking off Thursday when Minnesota gets a rematch with the Saints, my picks as the Best Bets To Return to the Playoffs after Missing Them in 2009 (with last year's record in parentheses):

Houston (9-7), Tennessee (8-8), Miami (7-9), Atlanta (9-7) and San Francisco (8-8).

I don't see Pittsburgh in the postseason. In fact, I think the Browns finish higher than the Steelers this season. And, no, I have not been drinking.

L.A. Times sportswriter Sam Farmer coins a term for the seven NFL teams that have gone at least five years without making the playoffs. For their inability to rise, he calls them The Unleavened Seven.

And, of course, that's where you'll find the Browns.

The list: Detroit and Buffalo (10 years), Houston (eight), the Browns, 49ers and Raiders (7), and the Rams (5).

Who will end the drought? Houston and San Francisco.

For the seventh consecutive year, a team -- New Orleans -- went from worst to first in its division. The Saints didn't stop there, of course, winning the Super Bowl.

But that streak of surprises looks to be in serious danger.

I mean, who would you pick to go from the bottom to the top out of this group: Buffalo (6-10), Cleveland (5-11), Jacksonville (7-9), Kansas City (4-12), Washington (4-12), Detroit (2-14), Tampa (3-13) and the Rams (1-15).

The fact that it's happened so often is another reason for the NFL's growing popularity as America's favorite sport.

That, fantasy leagues and gambling.

Associated PressOhio State's Terrelle Pryor hopes to put on a show for his friend LeBron James on Saturday against Miami.

Welcome to today's edition of Starting Blocks TV, our Web video show about what's going on in Cleveland sports. Today's show is hosted by Chuck Yarborough and Branson Wright.

• The Ohio State Buckeyes have a big showdown Saturday afternoon in the Horseshoe against the Miami Hurricanes. Who do you think will win, and by how much? Cast your vote in today's Starting Blocks poll.

• Today's guest, Plain Dealer Ohio State writer Doug Lesmerises, agrees with Branson that the Buckeyes will win by more than seven points in what will be a close and entertaining game. Looking for more predictions? You can guess which team actor/ex-wrestler/ex-Hurricane Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is picking.

Doug also talks about the Tweets that have become bulletin-board fodder in the OSU locker room; and the relationship between Terrelle Pryor of OSU and LeBron James. Also, Doug discusses a story he will have in Friday's paper and online about the Cleveland vs. Miami rivalry. Doug says Ohio State has a chance to stick it to Miami fans as payback for LeBron leaving town for the Heat, and for the 1997 World Series that the Indians lost to the Florida Marlins.

SBTV will return Friday morning with Plain Dealer Browns beat writer Tony Grossi as the guest. He will answer fans questions from his weekly Hey, Tony! feature.

ANAHEIM, Calif. --  The Indians and Angels, two teams with nothing left to lose this season, played into the night Wednesday as if they had nowhere to go. In reality, they really didn't, except for the little matter of the Indians four-hour flight back to Cleveland.

The proceedings finally ended in the 16th inning when Jeff Mathis scored Torii Hunter on a sacrifice fly to right field to give the Angels a 4-3 victory over the Indians in the second longest game in the big leagues this season.

Hunter hit a leadoff inning double off Hector Ambriz, who was starting his fourth inning. Alberto Callaspo moved Hunter to third on a grounder to first and Mathis sent the fly ball to right.

The loss prevented the Indians first sweep in Anaheim since August of 1999. They went 4-3 on this West Coast trip.

The Indians out-hit the Angels, 14-6. They out-hit the Angels, 11-3, from the eighth through the 16th.

Ambriz (1-1), pitching in front of his hometown crowd, made his best appearance of the year.  He allowed one run in 3 1/3 innings.

Hunter's double came on the 500th pitch of the game.

The win went to Matt Palmer (1-1), who pitched the final three innings.

Tribe reliever Justin Germano worked himself into trouble in the 11th by walking Bobby Abreu with one out.  Hunter sent him to third with a single to right center. After an intentional walk to Callaspo to load the bases, Mathis tried to squeeze home the winning run, bunt bunted foul to catcher Lou Marson.

 Germano completed his escape by striking out Erick Aybar.

 The Indians put runners on second and third in the 11th, but couldn't score. They stranded 12 runners from the eighth through the 14th. In that same period, they out-hit the Angels, 11-2.

Michael Brantley kept the game going in the 10th by stealing the game-winning home run from Juan Rivera to start the inning. Brantley stretched over the fence to bring catch Rivera's drive.

The Angels put runners on second and third with two out in the ninth against Joe Smith. With Rivera batting, a Smith pitch got past Marson as Albert Callaspo tried to score from third. Marson recovered the ball and threw to Smith, who applied the tag at the plate for the third out.

In the 10th, the Indians left runners on second and third.

After missing a chance to tie or take the lead in the eighth, Jayson Nix pulled the Indians into a 3-3 tie with one out in the ninth. Nix blooped a pinch-hit single into left field to score pinch-runner Luis Valbuena from second.

Singles by Matt LaPorta and Jason Donald off closer Fernando Rodney put the inning in motion.

 The Indians missed a great chance to tie or take the lead in the eighth. They loaded the bases on singles by Trevor Crowe and Michael Brantley and an intentional walk to Shin-Soo Choo after Asdrubal Cabrera advanced the runners with a sacrifice bunt.

 Jordan Brown pinch-hit for Shelley Duncan against Kevin Jepsen. Brown grounded a 2-1 pitch to first baseman Mike Napoli, who stepped on first for the second out and threw home. Crowe was caught in a rundown for the third out.

The Angels took a 3-1 lead off Josh Tomlin thanks to homers by Peter Bourjos and Mike Napoli hit homers.

 Scott Kazmnir  allowed one run on two hits in six innings. Kazmir entered the game with a 1-8 record in his last 10 starts, but the Indians barely mussed his hair.

The Angels, hitless through the first four innings, ambushed Tomlin with their power.

Bourjos started the sixth with a homer for a 3-1 lead. It was the eighth homer Tomlin has allowed in eight starts for the Tribe.

 Napoli gave the Angels their first lead with a two-run homer in the fifth. Tomlin walked Torii Hunter to start the inning and Alberto Callaspo hit into a force play. It was Napoli's 23rd homer.

 Andy Marte cut the Angels lead to 3-2 with a one-out homer off Jordan Walden in the seventh. Marte sent a 3-2 pitch over the wall in left center for his fifth homer and first since Aug. 4.

 The hit was Marte first of any in September. Before getting Wednesday's start at third, Marte was 0-3 in September.

Tomlin allowed three runs on 89 pitches. He struck out four and walked two. The loss ended his two-game winning streak.

 Donald doubled and Crowe singled him home to give the Indians a 1-0 lead off Kazmir in the fifth. Donald's double, just his second hit of the trip, was the first hit of the game.

 The Indians drew three walks against left Kazmir in the first two innings, but couldnt turn them into runs.   Cabrera and Duncan walked in the first, but Matt LaPorta flied out to center field to end the inning.

 Chris Gimenez drew a two-out walk in the second, but Crowe struck out. Brantley started the third by reaching base on an error, but Cabrera bounced into a double play.

 Tomlin retired nine straight Angels through three inning. He struck out three. Choo made a nice sliding catch to rob Kevin Frndsen in the first. Crowe went into the gap in left center to retire Hunter to start the second.

COLUMBUS -- Asked what he admires most about Jacory Harris' game, Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor pointed to the Miami quarterback's ability to throw the ball deep. Can Pryor throw that deep pass, too?

"It's pretty good," Pryor said. "I worked on it a lot. I've got a good spiral now. He throws a good one and I throw a good one, and we'll let it rest at that."

So they can both fling it. They're both juniors. Both came in with a lot of hype, Pryor as the No. 1 recruit in the 2008 recruiting class, Harris in the same class as the quarterback of the No. 1 high school team in the nation, Miami Northwestern. Both played early, Pryor taking over as a starter four games into his freshman season, Harris splitting time as a freshman, then taking the job as a sophomore.

That's about it. When No. 2 Ohio State plays host to No. 12 Miami on Saturday, no one will be confusing the quarterbacks.

"Terrelle is a guy who, if you give him the opportunity to run, he'll kind of take that and make you pay," OSU senior cornerback Chimdi Chekwa said. "I think Jacory is a guy who wants to sit back there. He'll throw the pass even with the opportunity to run. That's just his style, the way he wants to sit back there and throw. I don't think there's too much similar, but they're both good quarterbacks."

The difference in the styles could make all the difference. Pryor ran 162 times for 779 yards last season. Harris ran 48 times for minus-219 yards. A year ago, OSU coaches were asked if Pryor ran too much. Now, is it possible in Pryor's quest to mature that he may not run enough? No, Pryor said, that won't happen.

He has talked many times of his efforts to become a more complete quarterback, and not just a runner, but he won't abandon what he does so well. He will study the defense longer before he takes off, and he may be more judicious about choosing his spots. He said the coaches may call fewer running plays for him. He ran eight times against Marshall for 17 yards. But taking off when things break down? Absolutely.

View full sizeMarvin Fong / The Plain DealerTerrelle Pryor's record as the Buckeyes' starting QB is 20-4.

"My goal is still to get over 1,000 yards rushing," Pryor said. "That's my goal, to move the chains, and we could still possibly get that many yards.

"I'll always be able to run. That's who I am."

And that's just not who Harris is.

Harris threw for 3,352 yards a year ago, compared to Pryor's 2,094 passing yards, and he is in the top 10 on Miami's all-time list of most major passing categories after just two seasons.

"He's a great passer first," OSU safeties coach Paul Haynes said. "So first of all, he wants to get the ball downfield to his guys."

While Pryor built on an MVP performance in the Rose Bowl in his first game against Marshall last week, Harris was trying to get past his performance in a Capital One Bowl loss to Wisconsin. Harris told reporters in Miami, he's better "as a team player, more of a leader, more vocal.

"I know that's the past and we want to forget about those things," Harris said, "but mistakes help you learn from what happened."

Both made their share last year, Harris throwing 17 interceptions against 24 touchdowns, while Pryor threw 11 picks and 18 touchdowns.

"I know he went through some of the troubles I went through, going after the big play and getting yourself in trouble," Pryor said. "So I can relate to him from that standpoint."

Harris is 6-4 and 200 pounds, plenty big, but not on Pryor's level. So it's no surprise what impresses him most about Pryor.

"His size," Harris said. "To be a quarterback that big and have the athletic ability he has -- he's 6-6, 235, runs a 4.33 -- you don't see that around too often. I think his size is something that sets him apart from a lot of people."

Pryor and Harris have become texting friends, introduced by Miami defensive tackle Marcus Forston, whom Pryor befriended at a high school all-star game. They most recently talked briefly three days ago, though Pryor didn't want to get too friendly this week.

"It's hard to talk when you're about to play," Pryor said. "I don't want any soft feelings in the back of my mind."

Both know what the other is going through and know what's at stake. Harris and Pryor are among the best quarterbacks in the country. Both will hold the game in their hands. But Harris doesn't have the size or speed to be Pryor. And even if he can throw the deep ball and has come a long way in his understanding of the game, Pryor realizes he doesn't have to sit in the pocket and try to be Harris.

Jake Delhomme knows the Tampa Bay Buccaneers better than anyone in the Browns' locker room.

With Carolina, he beat the Panthers' NFC South rival nine times in 11 starts. He also beat the Bucs with one pass coming off the bench for New Orleans in a game in 2002.

He said he has a lot of respect for their speed on defense, their intensity and their ballhawking. The Bucs intercepted him 14 times in his 11 starts against them.

So don't for a second think that Delhomme sized up the Browns' 2010 schedule when it came out, like most of their fans, and circled the season-opener in Tampa as a gimme, or even a "must win."

View full sizeJoshua Gunter / The Plain DealerJake Delhomme will begin his first season with the Browns as a team captain.

"Never," Delhomme said of handicapping a season based on the schedule. "I used to. I quit about six or seven years ago, after our Super Bowl year [2003]. We go to the Super Bowl and think, 'We're going back next year, there's no doubt.' And we started out 1-7, so that went out the window way back when.

"You can't look at a schedule in July. Who knows about injuries? Things change so much. And if you do that, you're really doing a disservice to yourself. I know it's coachspeak, but if you don't take it one game at a time. . . . Honestly, and you're gonna laugh at me, I might know who we play the first three weeks, but other than that, I really don't know. I don't pay attention to what's down the line. It does you no good. I don't even know when our bye is this year."

Delhomme's wizened voice in the locker room is one reason why he was signed by Browns President Mike Holmgren 10 days after Carolina released him in March. It's also why he was elected by his teammates this week as one of six team captains.

By the nature of the position, the quarterback -- if he has any ounce of respect from his teammates -- should expect to be voted a team captain. But it certainly hasn't automatically happened here in the past. Neither quarterback last year garnered the vote.

So when the Browns take the field in Tampa on Sunday, you would feel they are in better hands at the position than in the recent past.

Outsiders may judge Delhomme on his 23 interceptions over his last 12 games with Carolina. But those who know him well -- especially opponents -- have a much higher opinion.

"Jake's the consummate pro," Tampa Bay coach Raheem Morris said on a conference call Wednesday. "He's a guy that can find people all across the board. He gets the ball into his playmakers' hands."

Veteran Tampa cornerback Ronde Barber said, "I know Jake very well. We have a great feeling of some of the things he's brought to Cleveland. They're the same things we saw him do in Carolina. He's never had the strongest arm, but he knows how to deliver the ball to the right guys. He's probably the best back shoulder-throw guy I've ever seen. His confidence in himself is what makes him a great player."

The last observation made by Barber is particularly cogent. If Delhomme's descent in Carolina can be largely attributed to a loss of confidence, then restoring it obviously is the key to his success with his new team.

And Delhomme's dead-eye accuracy in roughly six quarters work in the preseason -- 38-of-48 for 79.2 completion percentage, two touchdowns, no interceptions and a passer rating of 110.5 -- has him entering the season on a positive note. That change-of-scenery hope of Holmgren looks to be coming to fruition.

"I think the biggest thing is having the same approach since I've been here in spring -- just come and play football, let the offense work for itself," Delhomme said. "That's what I've tried to do all preseason. Don't change who you are, or what you are. Things have kind of gone somewhat smoothly so far. I'm just trying to keep that same approach."

Delhomme knows the weather challenge that awaits the Browns on Sunday. He has opened a season in hot and humid Tampa on two occasions and has played there in September one other time. But the stifling conditions will be offset by the excitement of a new beginning.

"It's always different every year. It seems like you always have the flyovers for the opener, and for whatever reason, makes . . . the spine just tingle," he said. "For me, it's always special because you never know if it's going to be your last season opener. That's how I've approached the last couple years. You just have to enjoy it. The emotions do fly, no doubt. It's opening day."

Like the rest of us, Delhomme is unsure about what exactly to expect from the Browns' offense -- at the start and over the season.

"We're excited to get going," he said. "Offensively, it's going to be up to us to define ourselves. How do we define the 2010 Browns? It starts this week. Certainly, I think this team ran the ball extremely well last year. That's something if you can do that consistently in the NFL, you're going to be in every game and give yourself a chance to win."

John Kuntz / The Plain DealerCleveland Browns defensive lineman Shaun Rogers was limited in practice on Wednesday but might play Sunday against the Bucs.

CLEVELAND -- Five Browns players were limited in practice today in preparation for Sunday's opener in Tampa. They were linebacker Marcus Benard (shoulder), linebacker David Bowens, defensive lineman Shaun Rogers, tight end Robert Royal and offensive lineman Floyd Womack.

Rogers practiced a little more today than he did Monday and his time will increase throughout the week.

 Linebacker D'Qwell Jackson (pectoral) is out for the game and defensive back Nick Sorensen (concussion) did not participate today.

For the Bucs, starting quarterback Josh Freeman was limited a right thumb injury.

Browns defensive coordinator Rob Ryan will try to find a pass rush by committee this season.

Welcome to today's edition of Starting Blocks TV, our Web video show about what's going on in Cleveland sports. Today's show is hosted by Chuck Yarborough.

• The Browns don't have a feared pass rusher on defense this season, which leads to this question: Which defender will lead the team in sacks in 2010? Cast your vote in today's Starting Blocks poll.

• Today's guest, Plain Dealer columnist Terry Pluto, points out that Rob Ryan's defense last season relied on a variety of players to produce sacks, and that likely will be the case again this season. Terry also predicts that the Browns will post a 6-10 record for their schedule this season, and he says that they might be a much-improved team but it won't be reflected in a winning record.

SBTV will return Thursday morning with Plain Dealer Ohio State beat writer Doug Lesmerises as the guest. He will break down the Miami-OSU showdown coming up on Saturday.