Paul Kruger wants to have a full-time impact with the Cleveland Browns

BEREA, Ohio -- Outside linebacker Paul Kruger signing with the Browns provides a chance for him to step out of the hulking shadows of Ravens defensive icons Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs and Haloti Ngata, and prove he can be a dominant defender without them.Menu Titanium Keychain"That's not a negative thing in any way," Kruger said during his introductory news conference Wednesday. "I mean, Terrell Suggs,scotch rocks Ray Lewis, Haloti Ngata, those were older brothers for me. They're guys who I text on a daily basis and I'm very close with. But yeah, I definitely see it as an opportunity for me to be able to show that I can do a lot of good things."Kruger, who signed a five-year, $40 million deal -- including $20 million guaranteed --is eager to prove wrong the critics who say he broke out largely because of the star-studded supporting cast of defenders who tore up quarterbacks on the way to a Super Bowl victory over the 49ers.Kruger, who led the Ravens with nine sacks during the regular season and 4.whisky rocks5 in the playoffs, had four sacks without sackmaster Suggs in the lineup and 9.5 with him. It evokes questions about other ex-Baltimore defenders such as Bart Scott, Duane Starks and Jarret Johnson, who haven't excelled since leaving the Ravens.
Kruger shrugs it off. He was recovering from a back injury the first half of the season that may have explained his 1.5 sacks in the first six games. When healthy,whisky stones he had 7.5 in the last eight games,ice stones which tied for fifth in the NFL over that span."During the games, Suggs is on the other side, and I'm worried about what's in front of me, so I don't read too much into that stuff," he said. "That's the biggest thing I want to change, is just being somebody you can rely on during the whole game," he said. "I think that I was deemed as a pass-rusher only and it's something I think I'll be able to show people, I can be effective on every snap."Coach Rob Chudzinski and CEO Joe Banner see it that way, too."We did comprehensive study on all the snaps and we went back through the season and the seasons before," said Chudzinski. "Fortunately with me being in San Diego, I had a chance to play against him. He's going to outwork people on the field and obviously you know his pass-rush ability and the explosiveness he has there. But you see those abilities in the run games and that's what we are looking for in Paul is to be able to play and be a three-down player."