Somewhere, Shaun Rogers is clicking the heels of his ruby-red cleats, repeatedly envisioning what it would be like to return home.
In a recent interview with KILT in Houston, the 31-year-old defensive tackle says that his “dream scenario” is to sign with his hometown team of the Houston Texans.
The first round of Browns offseason moves came last week when the team parted ways with several players who would be considered to be on the down side of their respective careers. One of these players was the former Pro Bowl lineman who has had an up-and-down stint with the Browns since being acquired back in 2008.
Rogers, unfortunately, was due to make considerably more money that he was worth and the Browns were forced to part ways. Shortly thereafter, the team’s GM Tom Heckert called Rogers a “different cat,” likely due to his temperamental nature which was evident from the first week former head coach Eric Mangini stepped into Berea.
In the interview with KILT, Rogers wanted to clear the air on any negative perception that may be looming in front of potential employers, selling them on the fact that he can be on the field for all three downs.
“The league is getting specialized as far as guys playing two downs and bringing in other guys in third down situations,” said Rogers. “You see that a lot in the league. In my career I’ve been blessed and had the ability to do both. I’m just looking to get healthy and go out there and play at a level where I played at for many years which I consider to be one of the upper levels or a Pro-Bowl level.”
Rogers admitted that his injury in 2009 opened the door for Athyba Rubin to take over within the 3-4 defense and surprise coaches in back-to-back seasons. The veteran lineman also stated that, despite his agent pleading otherwise, that he played through injuries through all of 2010.
Through the season, Rogers amassed a career-low in tackles with 17 and tied his career-low in sacks with two – a total that matched the previous year despite playing in four more contests.
“We’re competitors in this game and guys go out there and try and give there all excluding all circumstances,” said Rogers. ”I think I did alright with what I was asked to do this year.”
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(h/t Sports Radio Interviews)
