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#1865603 05/26/21 07:34 PM
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https://www.cleveland.com/browns/2021/05...ining-camp.html



CLEVELAND, Ohio — Browns safety Grant Delpit felt a sharp pain in the back of his leg during individuals drills in training camp last August, and thought he ran into someone behind him.

“I thought it was like a golf cart or something it hurt so bad,’' he said on a Zoom conference Wednesday. “[Linebacker] Jacob Phillips was walking by and I was like, ‘That was you?’ He was like, ‘No,’ and I was like, ‘Oh, OK, I kind of know what it is now.’ It’s only one pain in that area. It sucked, but I picked up quickly on what it was.”

His former LSU teammate Greedy Williams joined him in the training room a little while later with what proved to be season-ending nerve damage in his shoulder, and soon learned of Delpit’s grim news.

“I go in there, and I’m thinking Grant sprained his ankle, nothing serious,’' Williams told cleveland.com in an exclusive interview in March. “So when I get into the training room, he’s laying back with a towel over his face and I see a little tears. I’m like, ‘Wow, this must be really, really serious.’’

A distraught Delpit didn’t want to tell him at first what happened.


“He just kept crying,’' Williams said. “He said ‘I think I tore my Achilles.’ I was just like, ‘Whoa.’’'

Greedy Williams opens up about his dead shoulder, charges of a ‘fake injury’ and more

An MRI confirmed Delpit’s worst fears, and he soon underwent season-ending surgery to repair the ruptured Achilles, which is usually about a nine to 12-month recovery for an NFL player. A study in 2017 showed that about 72% of NFL players return from such a catastrophic injury, and Delpit revealed that he’s on pace to be 100% for training camp, which begins in late July.

“It feels good,’' he said. “Better every day. It’s a long process, a long journey to get fully back healthy, but the plan is to be fully healthy by training camp. I am on track for that.”

Delpit has traveled long, hard road to get to this point, where he can now sprint fullspeed backwards and cut on a dime.

“It’s been a lot,’' he said. “This injury is like nothing I’ve had before. I never thought about my Achilles and what it is used for until I hurt it. It’s an eye-opening experience for me. I’ve done a lot to come back in rehab and just do all of that right now. I’m doing sprints, cutting and all of that.

“Just on the backend of my rehab now and just trying to get rid of that annoying pain. It’s coming along, and I should be ready by training camp. It’s a crazy injury. It’s crazy how it happened, but I’m glad it happened, I guess, while I’m young so I can still have my whole career ahead of me.”

Sometime around late March when he was training at House of Athlete in Weston, Fla., Delpit realized it was going to be game-on for him this season, and it was really happening.

“I was in Florida, and I was running like 18 mph on the treadmill,’' he said. “That’s when I was like, ‘OK, I’m feeling like myself again. Let’s do it.’ At that moment, that was a good moment for me because I was just working and getting back in cleats and doing a lot of that stuff.”

The Browns’ 2020 second-round pick out of LSU, Delpit trained every day with Williams at the Browns facility to overcome their flukey same-day injuries.

“It was definitely tough for both of us,’' Delpit said. “It was cool to be able to rehab together – you never want to be in that position – just to keep each other in a positive mind and keep pushing each other to get better every day. He went through some hard, crazy stuff just as I did. Same with O (WR Odell Beckham Jr.). I know O is going to be come back ready. Hopefully, we can all stay healthy and the sky is the limit.”

While Williams admitted to some depression when the axillary nerve in his shoulder failed to respond week after week, Delpit somehow managed to keep the blues at bay.

“I feel like I keep my mind very positive at all times,’' he said. “That being said, I just try to focus on the positives and not be stuck in the negative or what happened to me. I always focus on how I can get better and what’s next. Focusing on negative things that could get me down, I could have easily been depressed and all of that, but I stay positive.”

In addition to Williams, Delpit relied on an entire support team to help him recover.

“A lot of people have helped me – old trainers, coaches and family, of course – staying in my ear, especially the Browns staff always hitting me up and checking on me,’' he said. “It’s great to have a great support system when you go through an injury like that.”

The hardest days were Sunday afternoons when the Browns were winning games and he couldn’t help. He missed the competition, the camaraderie, the euphoria of winning like he did at LSU, where he won a national championship.

“Some of the most difficult moments were just seeing the success and how I wasn’t playing,’' he said. “At the same time, it’s a great feeling – you want to see the guys you have been working with the whole year succeed and of course, the team succeed. It was a good and a bad feeling at the same time. I wanted to be a part of it, but at the same time, we were winning. I hope I can be a part of it this year.”

While watching the games on T.V. and the replays on film, he played the game mentally and acclimated to the pro level.

“Yeah, I don’t consider myself a rookie anymore,’' he said. “Definitely a Year 2 player. I got to sit back and really study a lot of film and see what happens behind the scenes, also. Watching the game from a fan’s perspective, which I haven’t been able to do my whole career, that was cool to do. I definitely don’t consider myself a rookie.”

Right around the time Delpit knew he could make it back, the Browns bolstered the safety room by signing former Rams starter John Johnson III. If all goes as planned, Johnson and Delpit will start, with Ronnie Harrison rotating in. In the big nickel and other sub-packages, all three will be on the field.

“Learning from guys like John and Ronnie and playing alongside of them, it’s going to be great,’' Delpit said. “We’re all playmakers. We know what John can do and what Ronnie can do, and it’s time for me to see what I can do. Hopefully, we all pitch in and do our part to win. That’s the plan.”

Delpit, who will likely take part in OTAs on a limited basis over the next two weeks, knows that he plays one of the marquee positions in Joe Woods’ scheme, one that requires him to be versatile in terms of blitzing, coverage, tackling and takeaways.

“Safety is probably one of the biggest roles on any defense,’' he said. “We’re installing the whole defense right now – installing everything. Just having the things like we do where we could rotate, three, two or whatever. It is going to be great for us to have versatility, show different looks and all that coach Woods has in place. I’m excited to get on the field.”

The Browns had huge plans for Delpit when they drafted him last year, with roles in the base defense and all of the sub-packages. As soon as he’s ready, he’ll be on the field a lot in a defense that will have as many as nine new starters this season. If he needs some time, Johnson and Harrison will hold down the fort until he’s healthy.

“I have high expectations for myself,’' he said. “We have high expectations as a team, first of all. We have to prove that to ourselves. Me, I know what I can do. Just putting myself in the best position by knowing all of the positions and knowing the defense as well as I can and know that coaches are going to do the same. That is all I can do. I am ready to give the fans what they want, and hopefully, be on the field.”


Micah 6:8; He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.

John 14:19 Jesus said: Because I live, you also will live.
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Man, I am so stoked to see this defense in action. Even just to get reports from OTAs or mini camps or whatever... I want those eyewitness reports of 11-on-11's.


Browns is the Browns

... there goes Joe Thomas, the best there ever was in this game.

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Got to give it some time to gel... 4th, 5th game we should be rockin!

jmho


Defense wins championships. Watson play your butt off!
Go Browns!
CHRIST HAS RISEN!

GM Strong! & Stay safe everyone!
eotab #1865743 05/28/21 10:35 AM
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Right now, I'm excited to see the Orange & Brown scrimmage.... or even a preseason game.


Browns is the Browns

... there goes Joe Thomas, the best there ever was in this game.

eotab #1865750 05/28/21 11:21 AM
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Originally Posted By: eotab
Got to give it some time to gel... 4th, 5th game we should be rockin!

jmho


idk, we are no longer in rebuild mode. I don't think grace is allowed.


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eotab #1865765 05/28/21 01:23 PM
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Originally Posted By: eotab
Got to give it some time to gel... 4th, 5th game we should be rockin!

jmho


and, I think it'll happen faster than that. Yes, we have a lot of new starters, but with only two exceptions (JOK and Newsome), they're either all veterans or were here last year. The defense isn't new this year.... things should be on-track a LOT sooner than you think.


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Originally Posted By: superbowldogg
Originally Posted By: eotab
Got to give it some time to gel... 4th, 5th game we should be rockin!

jmho


idk, we are no longer in rebuild mode. I don't think grace is allowed.


Agreed. This team has a legitimate shot at the Super Bowl. The expectation is that you use the offseason to gel, not feeling your way out through the first quarter of the season.

Stefanski will not accept such excuses.

Milk Man #1865798 05/28/21 11:46 PM
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Not only that but isn’t it true that most of the time, a largely-overturned defence in terms of personnel, can gel quicker than an O would?


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I can see us playing good fast...but I was alluding to GREAT and being cautious due to my Homer ways...lol laugh


Defense wins championships. Watson play your butt off!
Go Browns!
CHRIST HAS RISEN!

GM Strong! & Stay safe everyone!
eotab #1865829 05/29/21 10:32 AM
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Originally Posted By: eotab
I can see us playing good fast...but I was alluding to GREAT and being cautious due to my Homer ways...lol laugh


What I think will really be next level, if we can stay healthy, is this defense in the playoffs.

They will have a full season together at that point, and whomever we go up against, we'll have a full season of film on them.


Browns is the Browns

... there goes Joe Thomas, the best there ever was in this game.

eotab #1865844 05/29/21 12:00 PM
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I wonder if we will be stout enough to stop a big line and hard runners....like Raiders did to us last year. I see swarm D, smaller/yet quick like old Alabama teams vs Nebraska teams.


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Good god, if we get a healthy Delpit back, and our safety rotation is him, Johnson, and Harrison in our backfield?

And now we got a healthy greedy back, mixed with ward and Hill?

Guys...we might actually have our own No Fly Zone here in cleveland. Tab is trying not be a homer, but I’ve already hopped right on in.

And just talking strictly AFC north, NONE of those receiving groups should scare our defense.

Bengals can’t compete, ravens can’t compete, and the Steelers DAMN sure ain’t got the receiving talent to mess with us!!


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Swish #1865865 05/29/21 07:43 PM
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Originally Posted By: Swish
Good god, if we get a healthy Delpit back, and our safety rotation is him, Johnson, and Harrison in our backfield?

And now we got a healthy greedy back, mixed with ward and Hill?

Guys...we might actually have our own No Fly Zone here in cleveland. Tab is trying not be a homer, but I’ve already hopped right on in.

And just talking strictly AFC north, NONE of those receiving groups should scare our defense.

Bengals can’t compete, ravens can’t compete, and the Steelers DAMN sure ain’t got the receiving talent to mess with us!!


IF our front four can consistently get pressure without having to blitz an inordinate amount, then we will be a No Fly Zone.

And, don't forget that JOK is like a 7th DB, and whomever the other linebacker ends up being can also cover and hit.

This roster is completely in the elite stratosphere on both sides of the ball. We're the NFL's Golden State Warriors, right now..... we just have to earn it and prove it. And then figure out how to keep it together for another four or five years while reloading.


Browns is the Browns

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The nice thing is that there are 2 ways to defense a QB, either pressure him a half second too early for him, or cover a half second too long for him. Too often, last year, Myles would be a fraction of a second away from the sack with almost immediate pressure. However, our coverage stunk so bad that we gave up plays anyway. I think that will be much improved this year.


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I’ll be Debbie downer, I saw a ranking that put our defense at #5. Potential on paper is just that, 2019 wasn’t that far away.

It’s all hype for now, talk to me when our secondary is in the end zone.


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j/c

That Achilles injury is a difficult one to recover to full functionality. If he lost a step, how does that affect his play?

I'm excited by the prospect of a fully recovered Delpit living up to his potential along with JJ3 and Harrison. But I'll wait to see it before I count on it happening.


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This is actually for both you and Buck.

Our history dictates that we are the Missouri of football fans. Show me! I certainly understand it and to a great extent feel the same way.

I have a lot of hope to expect the best. I mean Stefnaski and company were a first year staff and had to deal with Covid. The installed a complete system on both sides of the ball almost exclusively virtually. That's no small feat.

Joe Woods has been given players to fit his system after using last year to address the final pieces of the O with the top two investments being the OT's.

So I have every reason to be hopeful. But much as yourselves seeing is believing.


Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.

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PitDAWG #1865944 05/30/21 06:46 PM
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We can't have seen it yet, because the defense is a rebuild. If it had been Sendejo, Mitchell, Harrison, Kevin Johnson and Karl Joseph, we could say we've seen some of it before, but dang near 14 of a group of more than 14 who didn't really play, on the field in a Browns Uniform in 2020.

Group A, a year older, no downs in the NFL, Weaver, Delpit, and McDowell,
B, vet free agents, Square, Billings, M,Jackson, Hill, JJ3, and Walker, that's 9 not even from this class

Then, Togiai, J.O.K. T.Fields, Newsome, LeCounte,
Plus Kiondre, (Cb), Rugumba Cb, or Romeo, De, and anyone else forgotten, (just on defense)

12-14 of 17+ new faces by any definition is a rebuild, at least 1/2 a rebuild.

edit: Ya! I forgot LeCounte the first time, forgot M.Wilson the 2nd time, Knew I had forgotten somebody



Last edited by THROW LONG; 05/30/21 06:50 PM.

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https://penntoday.upenn.edu/news/why-do-achilles-ruptures-take-so-long-heal

Why is it so hard to return the Achilles tendon to the status it was before it was ruptured?


You’ve ruptured a major tendon and even if you have it repaired, the way things heal, it’s never the original model. It’s never the same, normal, healthy tendon that it was. Even when you repair it, it still has a level of scar tissue in it that may not have the same amount of pliability to allow for the same amount of explosive activity. It may be that when it heals, it doesn’t heal with the right amount of tension. Sometimes it’s just that muscles atrophy enough that it’s just too difficult to really get the strength all the way back. But no matter what you do, the injured side is never as strong as it originally was, or really as strong as the other side because it’s just a different tendon than it was before.


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Delpit has mentioned that he still has some pain.

Most likely that is the scar tissue.

There must a point where you gain confidence that your injury is healed. That if you experience some pain that is ok. You have to trust you can move as you should.

The team has the luxury of bringing him along the right way. He does not have to be rushed.

Greedy's injury is completely different. Nerve damage causes weakness. You simply can not do what you could untill the feeling comes back. When it does you are fine.

The deal is you don't know when that will happen.


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