Missed PAT doesnit haunt Browns in the end

Cleveland Browns free safety Tashaun Gipson celebrates his second quarter pick-six in front of the Dawg Pound. (Thomas Ondrey / The Plain Dealer) Sept. 14, 2014, FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland ORG XMIT: CLE1409141458489545

(Thomas Ondrey)

BEREA, Ohio -- Browns safety Tashaun Gipson, who leads the NFL with six interceptions, was absent from practice Tuesday with a possible concussion.



Gipson, playing at a Pro Bowl level this season, returned from the Browns' four-day mini-bye after the big win over Cincinnati complaining of headaches. He was immediately placed into the NFL's concussion protocol, and his status for the Texans game Sunday is uncertain.



"He thinks it was something that happened during the game, so we're going to follow the league's protocol and have him evaluated (for a concussion),'' said coach Mike Pettine. "I don't know what the results of the evaluation were, but we'll have more information tomorrow.''



He said Gipson, who almost intercepted his seventh pass in Cincinnati but dropped it, didn't report any symptoms during the game.



"(He) thought maybe he could shake it and then showed up and it was still bothering him so he spoke up,'' said Pettine. "We'll know more (Wednesday).''



Pettine acknowledged the huge role that Gipson's six picks have played on the road to first place in the AFC North.



"I think we're plus-9 for the season, and that's a formula for success when you're not giving the ball away and you're taking it away,'' said Pettine.

"Other than the final score, that's the No. 1 indicator of wins and losses in the NFL is the turnover margin and that's a big part of it, that he's very opportunistic. The good thing about him is he doesn't come out of structure to make plays. Most interceptions for safeties come on tips and overthrows and he reads quarterbacks well and puts himself in the right position and the ball finds him.''



If Gipson can't play, 10-year veteran Jim Leonhard will most likely replace him.



Cameron still absent: Tight end Jordan Cameron was also still absent from practice Tuesday with his concussion. He's missed two games, and the Browns will know more Wednesday about his status for the Texans.



"He's been OK for the last couple days, so we'll know more tomorrow when he shows up,'' said Pettine.



Defensive back Johnson Bademosi also sat out practice today with his concussion, and two players were on the bike: center Nick McDonald and wide receiver Andrew Hawkins. McDonald suffered a calf injury in Cincinnati and left the stadium in a walking boot. Hawkins sat out the game against his former team with a thigh/knee injury, and Pettine said it was his call to hold him out.



"He wanted to go, and I made that decision that it just wasn't worth it. I know it was a big game for him, but we are going to play Cincinnati again. He could have gutted it out and gone, but we felt that to be close to 100 percent against Houston, it was important that he didn't go tonight."



Hawkins said "we'll see'' Tuesday when asked if he'll play this week.



Other quick-hitters from post-practice:



• Pettine on releasing fullback Kiero Small and re-signing fullback Ray Agnew: "We reviewed the body of work and decided to switch back.''



• Pettine on if the Browns understand how long it's been since they've been in first place: "They do. I asked (cornerback Robert) Nelson in the meeting how old he was, and he was 3 or 4.''



• Pettine and Ben Tate both raved about Texans quarterback Ryan Mallett's huge arm. He'll make his first career start against the Browns.



• Tate acknowledged that playing against his former team this week is meaningful. He also admitted that "he'd be lying'' if he said he was happy with the division of labor among the Browns' three backs. He said the talk when he signed here was that he'd carry the load, and acknowledged it hasn't gone according to the script. "It's just a bump in the road,'' he said. More on Tate in a post coming soon.



• Pettine said he might've "overdone the trap game'' thing when the Browns headed down to Jacksonville and got drilled after beating Pittsburgh Oct. 12. "But I'm not going to take anything away from Jacksonville. They earned the win,'' he said.



• Pettine on being considered for coach of the year: "As part of the over-reaction? I'm smart enough to know I'm part of it....everybody's pulling the rope in the same direction,'' he said. "Since I'm at the head of it, I can see why that talk is there, but there's no Nine-Game Coach of the Year.''