BEREA, Ohio -- Tired of questions about his productivity during his first year with the Cleveland Browns last fall after signing a five-year, $40 million contract in the 2013 offseason, outside linebacker Paul Kruger made some changes to his game.
And the early returns were very positive, as Kruger registered two of the Browns' four sacks of Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in last Sunday's 30-27 loss at Heinz Field.
"There's a lot of guys that got back there and put a lot of pressure on him," Kruger said. "He's a tough guy. He's big and strong. He's one of those guys that's just really crafty, knows how to get out of situations.
"There's a lot more that goes into it than just numbers and stuff like that. I think the whole front played really well at times, and you have games where you're just the guy that in the one that takes him down."
Kruger's first sack of the game came as the Steelers were driving down the field on their first possession.
The Steelers marched all the way from their own 20-yard line down to Cleveland's 14, and on third-and goal from the 14, Roethlisberger dropped back to pass, but Kruger rushed in and registered the sack.
Then, right after the Browns had scored their second touchdown of the third quarter, Roethlisberger moved the ball to Cleveland's 43-yard line, but on third-and-11, he dropped back in the shotgun formation, and was sacked by Kruger. The 11-year veteran quarterback recovered a fumble for a 13-yard loss.
"It's always exciting to make some plays," Kruger said. "(I) just wish it would've translated into a win. That's really the bottom line with everything. It's tough to see your family, your dogs you sweat with every day put their heart and soul into a game like that and not be able to bring it home.
"(Against) pretty much any team in the league, you've just got to finish games. That's the bottom line, and especially a guy with the kind of experience and the type of playmaker he is, that's just something you have to do, or else you'll lose."
Despite the loss to the Steelers, Kruger made a positive first impression on his first-year head coach, Mike Pettine.
"Paul played well," Pettine said. "I thought he was very physical. His production came as a result of rolling off the ball and being physical. Jabaal (Sheard's) sack was the same way. Paul's a guy that's come a long way with his technique. We got on him early on that he was getting too far up the field. Our running saying in the defensive room was, 'You can't get a sack on a running play,' and he's taken it to heart, taken the coaching.
"He was one of the guys, too, on the sideline, and he was one of the guys at halftime too that kept saying, 'Hey, there's a lot of game left, a lot of game left' when I think there were probably a few doubters in that room that, 'We're probably done here, being on the road in this environment, down this much,' and he was one of the guys that stepped it up and kept our guys up."
While they saw their struggles in the first half, the Browns' defense keyed their second-half rally from 24 points down at the start of the third quarter to a 27-27 tie with 11:15 to play in regulation.
"(We) caught our breath and made some adjustments and just knew we had to come out and play better football," Kruger said. "I feel like everybody did that, came out with energy, and it was a good transition for us. (We) just need to finish stronger.
"To be honest, (it) wasn't like any serious differences as far as game plan or anything like that. It just comes down to players making plays and guys just stepped up and did that. Nothing revolutionary, (but we) just got into the rhythm and then, settled down, got the nerves out and just started playing.
"(I'm) just so proud of my teammates and coaches and everybody. Nobody panicked. It was just a situation where, 'Hey, we're obviously not playing our type of football, let's get back on the right track,' and everybody bought in, believed and just a heartbreaking loss. I wish we could've pulled it out."
Kruger hopes the team takes the momentum from the second-half comeback into Sunday's home opener against the New Orleans Saints and multi-time Pro Bowl quarterback Drew Brees, who has thrown for 5,000 or more yards four times in his career, including each of the past three seasons.
"It just gives you confidence and creates some momentum that you need," Kruger said. "Momentum is a big part of football and just sports in general. The more you can gain it, sustain it and know how to battle through adversity, the better you're going to be as a team.
"You can't take anybody lightly in this league, but there are certain teams you know you can't make many mistakes or else you'll be losing. We've got to start fast, and we've got to sustain the momentum and play a full four quarters of sound football."
