Browns’ Risien Feeling at Ease After a Season on the Sidelines

At 6-7 and 280 pounds, offensive tackle Cody Risien is unmistakably a big part of the Cleveland Browns’ plans in the upcoming National Football League season.

Risien, Cleveland’s seventh-round draft choice in 1979, likes it that way. After a year away from the game, he finds he is just now starting to feel at ease again.

“We’re committed to the run, and the short passing game will keep things open,” he said. “Most of the time we keep either a running back or a tight end in as a safety valve for the quarterback to drop the ball off if receivers are covered upfield. That will help reduce quarterback sacks.”

Risien’s knee injury in the final exhibition game last year reduced him to a spectator the rest of the season. Widely considered the club’s top offensive lineman, Risien wasn’t sure about his future when he reported to this year’s camp.

His successful rehabilitation from knee surgery did not help him from feeling like “a completely different person.”

“The first two weeks the knee bothered me quite a bit, but I’m getting back into the groove again. I guess it’s like riding a bicycle. Once you learn you don’t forget,” he said.