Baxter back in the mixBy Jeff Walcoff, Staff WriterApril 13, 2006 Jamir Howerton chats with Gary Baxter Six months after suffering a pectoral tear and landing on injured-reserve for the first time in his career, Browns cornerback Gary Baxter is back. Photo By Getty Images After surgery and several months of rehab, the team's No. 1 corner said he's 100 percent and ready to rejoin the team. "I'm feeling real good and I'm excited to come back from my injury," Baxter said last week. "My injury was just one of those things that happened and I learned a lot from it, mentally, physically and emotionally. "I have to give credit to (Browns head trainer) Marty (Lauzon) and all of the trainers and doctors who performed the surgery on me." One of the biggest free agent acquisitions for the Browns during general manager Phil Savage's first year with the club, Baxter barely saw the field in Year 1, playing just five games before going down during a loss to the Lions on Oct. 23. The 10 games thereafter were the most consecutive contests he has missed during his pro career. The only other time he missed action was during his rookie year of 2001, when a knee injury kept him out of the first eight games of the season. Baxter said it took him about three months to fully recover. He said team doctors insist it was actually about five. Now, he is cleared for action and said he will have no restrictions for offseason workouts and practices. Baxter joins fellow veteran Daylon McCutcheon in the starting line up. A benefit of Baxter's injury, meanwhile, was the development of Leigh Bodden, who, in his third NFL season, started 11 games and played well. The experience for Bodden gives the Browns three reliable cornerbacks to handle some of the NFL's deeper receiving corps. "Any time you have depth at cornerback that's good," Baxter acknowledged. "You look at teams with three or four wide receivers and now you can match-up across the board. "Just look at my injury. Freak things happen. If a cornerback goes down, you don't want to have a player who is good on one side and another who comes in and is not good. Now, you have a weak spot. The more good cornerbacks we have, the better the defense and secondary will be." Still in question, however, is who will fill out the defensive backfield in the safety slots. Brian Russell seems a lock for one position, while young talents Brodney Pool and Sean Jones are likely to compete for the second opening vacated in March when the Browns traded Chris Crocker to Atlanta. Crocker, a 2003 third-round pick, spent three seasons with the team. "It was just the nature of the business that he got traded," Baxter said of Crocker. "But we have Sean Jones, Brodney Pool and of course, Brian Russell, who is already the starter. I think either Sean or Brodney can emerge as a big-time safety and help us out." Pool played 13 games last season, while Jones played 16, but Pool appeared more during scrimmage situations. Also helping the secondary will likely be an improved pass rush behind Pro Bowl linebacker Willie McGinest, and a better run defense with help from veteran nose tackle Ted Washington. Scoring more points on the offensive side of the ball through new acquisitions also wouldn't hurt. "The moves this team made in the offseason are key ingredients to a winning recipe," Baxter said. "The guys are excited that we made some strong moves and put guys in place on both offense and defense. We are putting ourselves in a better position to compete and win." Baxter is most excited to be back, however, simply because he's not used to sitting out. He hadn't missed a game since he became a starter in the NFL, so watching from the sidelines, or in some cases from home, wasn't easy - especially when the team wasn't succeeding. He learned a lesson so many players learn when their sport is taken away from them. "I learned I can't control what I can't control," he said. "Some things I can control, some things I can't. I've never been able to control being out for the season and nobody will be able to control that. Things happen for a reason and sometimes you don't know why. "I was upset at a lot of games because I didn't think we were competing. I think if I would have been out there, I would have made a difference in some parts. "I just sat back and realized I couldn't take this for granted. Every time I go on the football field, whether it's practice, offseason workouts or training camp, I have to find a way to love it and be happy. It only takes one play to be out. The next time I'm out there on the football field, I have to enjoy it to the best of my ability."
