BEREA, Ohio -- The fashion police came out in full force Wednesday after Danny Shelton wore the big, gold wrestling title belt around the locker room given to the Browns defensive player of the week.

Paired with the Polynesian lava lava skirt he always wears around the Browns facility, he made quite the fashion statement.

"I think (so), yeah,'' said Shelton. "I want to keep the belt and continue to produce and help out the team. I felt good, felt comfortable. It was just an awesome game for me. At the same time, I was disappointed because we didn't get the win.''

But some fans and media took exception to the No. 12 overall pick parading around Wednesday in the championship belt awarded to him after the Browns lost 30-13 to the Seahawks Sunday to fall to fall to 3-11. The Browns also surrendered 182 yards rushing to drop from 29th to 31st in the NFL in run defense.



"I didn't hear anything,'' Shelton said. "Everybody has an opinion, but my opinion, I don't care what they say. This is an award. It's just like you winning employee of the month or employee of the week. That's how much it means to me. I'm going to represent and make sure people recognize that I tried my best that Seahawks game and the result was the result and I'm going to continue to do what I do.''

Browns defensive coordinator Jim O'Neil, who awards the belt each week win or lose, was surprised anyone would have a problem with Shelton modeling it.

"When you're 3-11, you have to find a way to have some fun in the locker room,'' he said. "Otherwise, this becomes pretty brutal. I'm all for it."

O'Neil was glad that fun-loving Shelton, who bounces around practice and the locker room keeping things light, showed off the belt.

"That's good,'' said O'Neil. "That's who he is. I'm glad he's having fun with it, that the guys are having fun in the locker room. Again, that's a reward that we give each week for 'Play Like a Brown' plays. We're rewarding behavior that leads to victories. He did the best on the defense this past week. Even though we didn't win the football game, he put seven or eight exceptional plays on tape that we would consider 'Play Like a Brown.' To me, you get everybody playing like that, then that is what we feel like will lead to more wins."

But Shelton was one of the few bright spots in Seattle, where the Browns couldn't get off the field on third down, allowing 9-of-12 to be converted for 75%.

Shelton finished third on the team with seven tackles, including one for a 2-yard loss on the Seahawks' opening drive. It was one of his best games of the season.

"I was happy with how he played in the middle,'' said defensive coordinator Jim O'Neil. "He was disruptive. He was in their backfield. He made some good plays. He pushed the pocket in the pass game. He's just continued to get better and better every single game that he's been out there for us.''

O'Neil joked that Shelton, a Washington grad and native, turned it up a notch in front of the Shelton clan -- about 30 strong.

"I know he had a lot of family in the stands so if he's going to play like that, we've got to bring all those family members to every game that we play,'' said O'Neil.



Shelton, who will face the red-hot Chiefs in Kansas City this week, wanted to be one of the few belt-winners to actually wear it.

"Some guys just had the belt in their locker and I wanted to be the guy to cherish the moment, cherish having the belt,'' he said. "You never know when you'll get the belt back. I had probably my best game and I got the reward for it.''

Shelton, who hasn't been happy with his production most of the season, acknowledged that the belt motivated him.

"I know it had that affect on me that made me push myself even more to try to win the belt,'' he said. "So me wearing it around is going to hopefully inspire the other guys to do the same, to want to get the belt back or get the belt.''

O'Neil said that Shelton, who recently admitted he was just realizing he had to keep his pad level low, has improved as the season's gone along.



"I know he said on record that it's way more physical,'' O'Neil said. "There are more blocking schemes that you have to be aware of, the pass protection is better. Those are all things that you have to learn as a rookie. As a nose tackle, you're never going to jump off the stat sheet; you're going to be a guy that causes a lot more production for people than you getting production.

"He has been a guy for us as the season has gone on who has been able to get vertical penetration into the backfield, cut a play in half, eat up two blockers a lot at the point of attack for us.''

O'Neil said the next step for Shelton will be to collapse the pocket in the passing game.

"He's done a really good job for us in the run game,'' said O'Neil. "The pass stuff will come. Not to say that he hasn't done a good job for us - he has when he has been out there - he just hasn't had a lot of opportunities on third down. He got a few more this past week, and he did some good things for us."



Coach Mike Pettine has also watched the big run-stuffer grow into the job this season and avoid hitting the rookie wall.

"He's getting better,'' said Pettine. "He's learning. He's played a good amount of snaps, and he's getting experience against some veteran offensive linemen and learning the tricks of the trade. He has been able to start to apply them on the field. He has a much better understanding of what we're trying to do and even moreso what the other team is trying to do.''

Pettine had no problem with Shelton being hard on himself all season.

"You want guys that are like that,'' he said. "He didn't walk in here thinking he had the NFL all figured out and knew that there was a learning curve that he was going to be on. (You don't want) a repeat offender from a mistakes standpoint. 'Hey that guy got me on that one time. That is not going to happen again.'''

Shelton clutched the belt while it was slung over his shoulder during his interview on Thursday. He didn't look anywhere near ready to give it up.

"Yeah, I'm planning on trying my best to get a repeat,'' he said. "We'll see after this Sunday.''