BEREA - As far as interviews go, Phil Taylor isn't going to knock anyone over.
The Browns could care less if Taylor isn't an eloquent man. All they want to see is their first-round draft choice knock over a few people on game days.
The plan was put into the place Thursday, the day after Taylor ended a five-day holdout. Taylor lined up with the first team at defensive left tackle. There should be no looking back.
"I don't feel I'm that far behind," Taylor said. "It's a new defense. Basically all the guys are learning it, so I'm right where I need to be."
Fielding a good run-stopping defense has been the goal since the first practice of the expansion Browns in 1999. Unfortunately, for the franchise, it remains a goal, which is one reason for just two winning seasons in 12 years.
Last season the defense allowed 129 rushing yards per game, which was 29th in the NFL. That statistic made it a no-brainer that the focus of the offseason would be to find a big, physical presence on the inside to team with tackle Ahtyba Rubin, who was the only consistently productive player on the line in 2010.
Wanting to add more picks, the Browns traded out of the fifth overall spot with the Atlanta Falcons, picking up the 21st pick and a first-round pick in 2012. Taylor was a good fit at that point.
His arrival now gives the defense a physical presence on the inside, if for no reason other than size. Taylor checked in at a trim 338 pounds. Rubin, who's working at right tackle, weighs 315.
"It's two big, beefy guys on the inside focused on stopping the run," Rubin said. "At the same time we're trying to get to the passer. I believe Phil's a good pass rusher. We just have to see what happens. I'm excited."
Rubin was fifth on the defense and first among linemen in tackles last season with 82. The closest defensive lineman to him was Kenyon Coleman with 68.
Rubin's career has been on a steady ascent since being selected in the sixth round of the 2008 draft. He's now firmly entrenched as a starter with Pro Bowl aspirations.
"This is my fourth year coming up," Rubin said. "I'm picking up the speed of the game a little bit better. I'm learning how to be a better pro.
I'm just looking forward to going out and seeing what this season brings."
The only concern with Taylor is his weight. He ballooned to close to 390 pounds a few years ago, but he was able to get his weight down to the current level through dieting.
"Just watched what I was eating and when I was eating," Taylor said. "I was doing a lot of eating at night. They gave me the blueprint down at Baylor, and that's how I got here."
There doesn't appear to be much fat on Taylor's frame. He worked out during the offseason, so conditioning isn't a concern.
It's now all about trying to do what the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens do so well - stop the run. It didn't take Taylor long to get up to speed with the plan.
"In the AFC North there are a lot of good teams that know how to run the ball," Taylor said. "You have to anchor down on defense and stop the run."
One of the defensive tackles that Taylor admires is Casey Hampton of the Steelers. He also singled out Vince Wilfork and Warren Sapp.
If Taylor plays like any of those three, the run defense might finally be worth watching.