Jurevicius could miss start of season

Jul 17, 2008 - 4:25 PM CLEVELAND (Ticker) -- Cleveland Browns wide receiver Joe Jurevicius will miss extended time while he recovers from his latest knee surgery, general manager Phil Savage told a Cleveland radio station Thursday.

Jurevicius, 33, underwent his third procedure in the last seven months on June 30 after he developed a staph infection following his initial surgery.

Jurevicius could begin the season on the physically unable to perform list, meaning he would miss the first six games of the regular season.

"It's been pretty frustrating because this started as an innocent knee scope back in January, and it's morphed itself into multiple procedures," Savage told radio station WTAM. "Obviously, every time he takes a step forward, it's been two steps back."

Losing Jurevicius would be a major blow for the Browns as he is coming off one of the best seasons of his career. Last year, he played in all 16 games and caught 50 passes for 614 yards and three touchdowns.

"It's a bit up in the air now," Savage added. "He's going to be looked at again obviously next week before we get started and probably will start on that PUP list."

Jurevicius, a Cleveland native, has said that he plans to retire after the upcoming season even though he signed a four-year contract with the Browns in 2006.