CHARGER UPDATE : NOTEBOOK / T.J. SIMERS : Weather Doesn’t Bode Well for Conditions at Cleveland

It’s been raining in Cleveland this week, and now there are snow, high winds and dropping temperatures.

Add a football field that looks like it has been hit by low-level bombing, and Southern California this is not.

“I kicked there in a preseason game while I was with Tampa, and the weather obviously wasn’t bad,” kicker John Carney said, “but the field wasn’t good.”

In the past the ground has been painted green to make it appear as if there is grass on the field. There are pot holes, and huge clumps of grass which haven’t been cut since Otto Graham was throwing the football here.

“I’ve kicked on some crummy fields before so all you do is kick and do the best you can,” Carney said. “I kicked for four years at Notre Dame outside because we didn’t have an indoor facility, and I froze, but I fought through it.”

The Chargers wanted to travel to Cleveland early today and practice in Cleveland Stadium, but they were denied permission to use the field. The Chargers were told the field needed to remain covered.

The Chargers, therefore, scheduled a chilly 7:30 a.m. practice in San Diego.

Coach Bobby Ross said defensive end Burt Grossman (ankle) and wide receiver Nate Lewis (hip flexor) should be able to start against the Browns, although it was believed earlier in the week that their injuries would keep them on the sidelines.

Ross said he will have Lewis return kicks, but he remains undecided between Lewis and recently acquired wide receiver Brian Brennan on who should return punts.

Running back Eric Bieniemy continues to be bothered by a sore ankle, but running back Marion Butts does not appear to be bothered by the sore knee that forced him from the game last week.

Former Stanford running back Tommy Vardell, who played at Granite Hills High School in El Cajon, leads the Browns with 299 rushing yards on 76 attempts (3.9-yard average gain).

Vardell, who was known as “Touchdown Tommy” at Stanford, has yet to score his first touchdown in the NFL this season.

“From what I’ve seen he is a powerful guy,” Ross said. “He’s got good speed and is a heck of an athlete.”

Cleveland tight end Scott Galbraith on Charger linebacker Junior Seau: “Junior Seau is one of the best football players in the NFL, and for that matter, in the world.”

Cleveland running back Ron Wolfley on the Chargers: “San Diego used to be a team that was more interested in going to the beach to surf and see what was happening on the pier. But it’s not like that anymore. Coach Bobby Ross has brought a different attitude to the organization, and right now they’re one of the hottest teams in the NFL.”