Cleveland Browns safety Ray Ventrone had surgery to repair a broken left hand last week, but he is expected to play against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.
#Browns S and tough guy Ray Ventrone plans to play this week with soft cast despite undergoing surgery last week on badly broken thumb.
— Tom Withers (@twithersAP) September 20, 2012
Ventrone had a plate and six screws inserted in his hand. He says the injury occurred on the first play of the Browns' Week 1 game against the Philadelphia Eagles, a 17-16 loss. Ventrone is a key contributor on Cleveland's special teams, and without him last week against the Cincinnati Bengals, the Browns gave up an 81-yard touchdown to Adam Jones on a punt return.
The Browns haven't been great on special teams this year. They rank 30th in the NFL, allowing 24.0 yards per punt return. Cleveland gives up 23.9 yards per kickoff return, which ranks 16th in the league.
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