| Browns cornerback Joe Haden apologized to his teammates upon returning from a four-game suspension. (US Presswire) |
Has a team ever missed a player as desperately as the Browns missed cornerback Joe Haden the past four games?
OK, that's a rhetorical question. Statistics can provide evidence, but no proof. Haden is returning from his suspension for violating the league drug policy to a wreckage otherwise known as the Browns secondary.
And the numbers are pretty darn ugly. During his absence, opposing quarterbacks have completed 99 of 149 passes (67 percent) for 1,125 yards, 10 touchdowns and three interceptions. While Haden got engaged and prepared for his return by working out in Washington, D.C., -- he grew up in nearby Prince George's County, Md. -- the Browns surrendered an average of 30.5 points and lost all four games to remain the only winless team in the NFL.
Coach Pat Shurmur and defensive coordinator Dick Jauron tried multiple combinations to counter his absence, all of which failed. Second-year cornerback Buster Skrine was beaten repeatedly. So was veteran Dimitri Patterson, who is now out with an ankle injury. That injury even forced untested rookie Trevin Wade into the 41-27 loss Sunday to the New York Giants. All three were burned for touchdowns by Victor Cruz in the defeat.
So Haden was indeed a welcome sight to teammates Monday in the locker room. But his first order of business was to acknowledge that his mistake negatively affected many others.
"I'd like to apologize to the fans, Haden Nation and the Cleveland Browns organization," he said. "I hurt a lot of people with the decision I made. I want to sincerely apologize from the bottom of the heart. There's no script. No one told me what to say. ... It was just a very dumb mistake. There was no intent to hurt anybody. I'm just a young man who made a decision he shouldn't have made."
He admitted to taking Adderall, but declined to reveal whether he had a prescription for the drug, which is used to treat Attention Deficit Disorder. He also stopped short of admitting that his loss cost the Browns a victory, stating that those who replaced him are "NFL-caliber players."
But he stressed that his presence would have "made a difference."
Haden spoke with Shurmur on Monday morning. He said that as much as he tried to apologize, Shurmur would only talk about moving forward and preparing for Cincinnati on Sunday. Haden called the matchup "perfect timing" because it's a division game that features a spotlight battle between him and stud Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green .
Shurmur only reported that he had a "good talk" with Haden, but declined to elaborate on what was discussed.
Haden smiled when asked if he was concerned about confronting teammates who were angry after his suspension left them without arguably their best defensive player.
"Those dudes are the least of my worries," said Haden, who said he received many texts from teammates thinking about him and praying for him. "We're like a family. They got my back and I got their back."
He added that he stayed in shape by working out in D.C.
"I did the same as I would do in the offseason or training for the combine or OTAs," he said.
Good thing, too. If any secondary in the NFL needs a shot in the arm, it's that of the Cleveland Browns.
Stay dialed in on the Cleveland Browns on Twitter at @CBSBrowns throughout the season with on-site updates from CBSSports.com RapidReports correspondent Marty Gitlin.