Gerard Warren, the Browns' No. 1 pick in 2001, has signed with New England to play for ex-Browns coach Bill Belichick.
View full sizeDefensive tackle Gerard Warren and coach Butch Davis look awfully pleased with themselves in announcing Warren as Davis' first pick in his tenure as head coach of the Browns back in 2001. Warren has since played for Denver, then Oakland (who released him) and now with New England.Foxborough, Mass. – Former Cleveland Browns No. 1 pick Gerard Warren already faced an intense training camp as the defensive lineman learned a new system upon joining the Patriots.
Now there's even more pressure after Ty Warren was placed on injured reserve Friday with a hip injury.
Gerard Warren, the third overall pick in the 2001 draft when then-Browns coach Butch Davis made him Cleveland's No. 1 choice, is being counted on heavily as he lines up next to All-Pro nose tackle Vince Wilfork.
"It's called stepping-your-game-up time around here," he said. "I have to step up to another level now. I was going through at a learning pace but now it's more of a ramp it up -- I just want to go out and prepare."
The 10-year veteran signed with New England in April after being released by the Oakland Raiders, who had acquired him from the Denver Broncos. Warren said he has been able to eliminate some of the errors he was making earlier in camp as he adjusts from playing mainly in a 4-3 system to the Patriots' 3-4.
"There's no room for mistakes and errors now," he said. "Everything has to be on point."
Warren said he has found Patriots camp "very professional" and has been fortunate to play alongside Wilfork and Ty Warren, before he was hurt.
"It's great to have dependable veterans who have been here for a while and have been productive in the system," he said. "I lean on his (Wilfork's) shoulders as much as possible."
Warren talked about New England with former Patriot Richard Seymour, who was traded to the Raiders just before the start of the regular season in 2009, and Seymour recommended the Pats as a possible landing spot for Warren.
"He said if I had an opportunity to come out to New England, it was a place I wanted to be," Warren said.
Interesting, given Seymour's unhappiness with the trade.
"He didn't leave on the best of terms, but he didn't have anything negative to say with the way things were run," Warren said.
Patriots director of player personnel Nick Caserio said both Warren and fellow defensive line newcomer Damione Lewis, another 10-year veteran signed in April, have made progress during camp.
"They've made a conscientious effort to take the coaching and just kind of understand how the defense is played," he said. "I think they're both smart football players. They've learned the techniques of how to play in our defense. Predominantly they've played in 4-3 systems, four down fronts for most of their careers. Gerard has played a little bit in the 3-4 at different points, but in the end, regardless of who the player is and where they've played, we're going to train them in our system and then teach them the techniques that we believe in and that we preach."