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What we learned from Week 1 of the Browns' OTAs



Patrick Maks Staff Writer Twitter

Joe Haden on the mend, RBs full of confidence, Robert Griffin embracing QB competition, Terrelle Pryor 'flashed' on offense

The grind of the offseason continues as the Browns wrapped up their first week of OTAs, marking the first time veterans and rookies practiced together under first-year coach Hue Jackson.

“It’s just so exciting to get the players all out there on the field and practicing and practicing together and getting a feel for what your team looks like and what your team potentially could be in certain spots and places,” said Jackson, who says Cleveland has entered the third phase of its workouts.

“I think the guys are working hard, and that’s what you want. The guys have done everything I’ve asked. We’re not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but we don’t need to be right now. We need to work at it and pay attention to detail and be accountable to each other and make sure guys are doing the right things and coach them the way we know we have to in order to get them to where we need to get them to be.”

Jackson, who has been impressed by the work ethic and energy of the players, added: “I think our guys understand there’s a tall challenge ahead.

“We’re starting at the bottom, and we’re going to climb our way to the top. We’re just going to keep putting our head down and keep grinding through.”

Without further ado, here’s what we learned from the first week of OTAs

On the mend, a recharged Joe Haden doesn’t want to miss ‘any games’

Joe Haden seemed to be in good spirits Wednesday in his first meeting with the local media since having ankle surgery in March. The Pro Bowl cornerback shed his walking boot the day before — another positive step in his road to recovery — and said the arrival of Jackson is “the best thing that’s happened since I’ve been here.”

While there’s not yet a timetable set for his return, Haden said it’s his goal to be ready for Cleveland’s season opener against the Eagles. “I’m not missing any games,” he said. And as he continues to work at getting healthy, he said he has something of a newfound appreciation for football and what it means to him.

“I never went through any type of adversity like this playing football. It's always been pretty good,” Haden said. “Being able to go through something like this, it definitely brings a newfound respect, newfound love, passion and I'm missing it, not being able to be out there with my guys.


“Sometimes I feel like I'm in the way a little bit. I just don't really like that feeling at all knowing I'm a leader on this team and a person that's going to be making a big impact in terms of wins and losses. But I'm just excited to keep pushing.”

Jackson said Haden’s “done an outstanding job” of preparing himself despite the injury.

“He’s worked extremely hard. As I said from Day 1, Joe can’t wait to get back out there with the guys. I think he’s progressing well. There’s still no timetable, but I think he’s getting there and is going to be there hopefully sooner than what we all thought because the mind is something that’s special,” Jackson said.

“The guy really wants to be out there. He works extremely hard, and I think that’s where he wants to be. I think he’ll be out there sooner rather than later.”

Confidence in the RBs

Shortly after the draft, Hue Jackson offered the Browns’ running backs a considerable vote of confidence when asked why Cleveland didn’t add another back to the room last month.

“I think we have some really good players there,” said Jackson, who added Isaiah Crowell and Duke Johnson Jr. are “as good as I’ve seen in a while. Their talent is extreme.”

Trust the pair of running backs took notice, saying Wednesday such comments served as a “confidence booster” as they’re expected to shoulder the load for Cleveland’s run game next season.

"I just think (Jackson) has a lot of confidence in us, period, just knowing that we're going out there getting the job done," Johnson said. "We're both two young guys they have a lot of trust in knowing that we're going to go out there every day and give our all and do our job. “He's willing to bet it all with us just because he knows. He knows our work ethic. He knows that we're going to do whatever it takes and we got his back."

Crowell added: “I feel like me and Duke both have what it takes to be a big threat on this level/ Really, it just showed me that he has great confidence in us. We want to go out there and give them all we’ve got.”


Robert Griffin embracing QB competition

Amid a flurry of questions about the quarterback position, Jackson has stressed he’s not going to name a starter anytime soon. And this week, Robert Griffin III echoed a similar sentiment, saying he’s embraced the competition to earn the right to lead the Browns on offense next season.

“Everybody has to earn everything that they get. When you go out there and you perform at a high level and you show guys that they can trust you, that is when they will buy in,” Griffin said.

“You don’t really focus on putting together a plan to take over the team. You put together a plan to go out and execute the offense, be there for guys when they need you to be there and continue to grow and increase the camaraderie amongst your teammates.“

Griffin, who was the 2012 Offensive Rookie of the Year, added: “The way I look at it is that it is my spot and I have to go out and defend that and go out there and grow with my teammates, grow within the offense and just showcase my talent and ability, and Coach will make the decisions accordingly to how he feels.”

Jackson and the coaching staff are still evaluating their options at quarterback, a position group that includes Griffin, Josh McCown, Austin Davis, Connor Shaw and rookie Cody Kessler.

Griffin said he and the other veterans have welcomed Kessler, the third-round pick from USC, with open arms. “All of us are going to have to earn our spot on this team and earn our spot on the depth chart,” Griffin said. “We are not going to hoard our notes or hoard our special keys here and there. We are going to try to help him be the best football player he can and then go out there and compete on the field.”

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WR Terrelle Pryor ‘flashing’

Quarterback-turned-wide receiver Terrelle Pryor continued the momentum he built during the Browns’ voluntary veteran minicamp last month, catching Jackson’s eye once again.

“Obviously, he’s flashed. He’s flashed the last several days,” said Jackson, who previously lauded Pryor for his work ethic. “He’s taking coaching from the best there is from (senior offensive assistant/wide receivers coach) Al Saunders and (offensive quality control/assistant wide receivers coach) Bob Saunders.”

Pryor, a 6-foot-4 dynamic athlete who was a backup quarterback for Jackson in Oakland in 2011, is competing for a spot in a crowded wide receivers room that includes veterans such as Brian Hartline and Andrew Hawkins and newcomers such as first-round draft pick Corey Coleman, Rashard Higgins, Ricardo Louis and Jordan Payton.

The former Ohio State quarterback might have an advantage, though, having worked in Jackson’s offensive scheme before.

“I think he kind of knows this system. He’s been around it a little bit. He knows what to expect, what to do, what not to do,” Jackson said.

“The biggest thing, I think, that he’s done is he’s settled down and understands this is really what I want to do and I want to be good at it. ‘I’m athletic enough to do it. What’s my why? Why do I want to do this? Do I want to be great at this?’

“My challenge to each and every one of these guys is to be great at what you do, not just be average, it’s to be great. He’s working at it. I think we all see it. I think he’s growing every day and getting better every day, and that’s all you can ask for.”

clevelandbrowns.com

5 things to take away from mini camp

This is a good read one thing I wanted to mention was talk of how fast paced practice is. I have been hearing day 2 of mini camp had more drills than a week of normal camp under Pet. No standing around, everyone is sweating including the coaches. Great to see.

Terrelle Pryor flashes, Josh McCown throws well at Browns OTAs
12:56 PM ET

Pat McManamonESPN Staff Writer



BEREA, Ohio — Cleveland Browns coach Hue Jackson implored the media this week not to make snap judgments on players or systems based on two organized team activity practices (the media was able to watch the second).

We shall honor that request. But we shall also make the following observations, with this proviso: Jackson is right. It is wise not to read too much into OTA practices.

Here are five thoughts coming off the first OTA:

Temper the optimism. This May-June period is the second-most optimistic period of the year for Browns fans, the first of course being the draft. The annual May/June optimism makes immediate Pro Bowl players out of new acquisitions and brings excitement beyond the stage the team is in. OTAs are exciting only to teams that do not win. Winning teams use OTAs to refine and assess. The Browns use it to learn and start over. OTA's are far different from training camp, which is far different from preseason games, which is far, far, far different from regular-season games. May phenoms can turn into September cuts. Best to keep the May/June optimism to a minimum, and instead demand results in November and December.
Browns quarterback Josh McCown looked sharp in organized team activities. Tony Dejak/AP Photo

Josh McCown is the best quarterback right now. Judge it on individual ability and arm strength, and Robert Griffin III leads the pack. Judge it on reading defenses and throwing the ball from the pocket and McCown leads. He has been in the league so long and learned new offenses so many times that this transition might be less challenging for McCown than it is for other players. One year ago, Browns players marveled at McCown's ability to pick up the offense. He's doing the same now. The question is whether McCown can actually win the job given the team's signing of Griffin, who was the choice of the new coach. It certainly seems that the job is Griffin's to lose. The other question about McCown is the same as it's always been, and the same as it is for Griffin: Can he stay healthy?

Terrelle Pryor has made strides. Pryor looks far more comfortable at receiver than he did last season, and his skills seem to be the kind that Jackson likes. Pryor is a big guy who can run and who can be moved around the offense. The Browns signed Pryor just before training camp last season, then he was sidelined by injury. The team never got to really see what he could do. Now he's healthy, running well and catching the ball. It's way too soon to say Pryor has made the transition — Pryor has yet to play in pads against Joe Haden in press coverage — but as Jackson said: "He's flashed the last several days."

The practice was energetic, and coaches were loud. This is not a quiet staff. The head coach races around the field, making corrections and giving encouragement. After Isaiah Crowell caught a short throw and ran down the field, Jackson called him to his side from 30 yards away, put his arm on Crowell's shoulder and gave him tips on how to make the play work better. Receivers coach Al Saunders is like the Tasmanian devil. The days of quiet practices seem to be over.

Jackson's effervescence boils over. The coach challenged his rookies to work to get in better shape, but his outlook usually is sunny. Consider Alvin Bailey, an offensive lineman snatched by the Browns after Seattle did not make him an offer as restricted free agent. Bailey started eight games in three seasons in Seattle, one in the NFC Championship Game. Said Jackson: "[Bailey] was at Seattle and did a tremendous job for them." Being positive isn't necessarily a bad thing. Players do pay attention, even though they say they don't. It's just interesting.
Link

That's pretty cool....Up tempo camp, working them hard, "Jackson Shape" funny. I like it. Hope it pays off.

If TP has taken big steps at WR, I cannot wait to see him in preseason. Hopefully no hamstrings, so we can get him a good amount of reps.

Hue seems to talk up alot of players though... so we'll see.

Am I the only one that feels that things are truly different this time?

We may not be one of those take the league by storm this year, but I think we'll improve significantly (maybe not in record, but in play).

I'm actually cautiously excited about the future

Damn it Hue! Why haven't you gotten us into the playoffs yet?

i think he should take a lesson off haden and guarantee a play off spot......

The hiring of Hue Jackson is the 1st time we hired my 1st choice as head coach. I am much more than guardedly optimistic that the Browns finally got it right this time.

so, when it doesn't work out, we can say it was all your fault.

Excellent

Ah, the pressure is on...

I am not criticizing you, but man, I have read that very same comment hundreds of times since I joined the boards back in '01 or so. Heck, I read it last year.

No doubt you have. Regardless, it feels different to me this time. The only other time it came close was when we signed Holmgren - hopefully this turns out better than that...

there is a good interview with him on the page. Al is one of my all time favorite coaches.

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Meet the Browns’ everlasting energy source, Al Saunders

Posted 16 hours ago

Andrew Gribble Senior Staff Writer @Andrew_Gribble

Cleveland’s senior offensive assistant/wide receivers coach never stops moving

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At 69 years old, Al Saunders only knows one way how to approach his job. It’s been the same mindset he’s carried from his first day as a graduate assistant at USC to his 46th year in the business as Browns senior offensive assistant/wide receivers coach.

It’s no different whether he’s inside or outside the Browns facility in Berea. In the months leading up to the Browns’ first on-field practices, Saunders buzzed from office to office, cubicle to cubicle trying to inject energy -- sometimes literally pointing at a large photo of FirstEnergy Stadium -- into every team employee. On the field, he logs more miles per practice than most of the players, sprinting up and down the sidelines after each route run by one of his numerous, young wide receivers.

For Browns coach Hue Jackson, this is the same Saunders he’s known for years. It’s why Saunders was one of the first coaches to hear from Jackson after he landed the position with the Browns. Though Saunders was five years removed from his last, on-field coaching position, Jackson had little doubt the energy was still surging through one of the most experienced coaches in the NFL.

“Every practice that’s who Al Saunders is, and our players, our receivers, you can see that there are some guys in that group that are really growing and getting better,” Jackson said Wednesday. “I think it’s because of his tutelage and his ability to relate and get guys to play hard and understand what they need to do. I think you see some guys emerging and getting better every day in every practice. That’s good.”

The list of successful players Saunders has guided from stop to stop throughout his NFL career -- whether it be as a wide receivers coach, quarterbacks coach, offensive coordinator or head coach -- goes on and on and includes a handful of Pro Football Hall of Famers. Ask Saunders to single out one of the players who stood out the most or one of the coaches who influenced him the most, and you’ll get double-digit answers for both.

To explain why he remains perma-energized, Saunders goes back to the beginning. The advice he received from John McKay, the legendary USC coach who gave him his first coaching opportunity back in 1970, serves as his credo today.

“If you can't bring energy to a field or energy to a building then you probably don't belong in the building or probably don't belong on the field,” Saunders said. “You expect energy from the players, you expect enthusiasm and you expect enthusiasm from the people around you. Hopefully it's a little bit contagious and everybody else will feel better about what they're doing during the day.”

‘The greatest job in the world’

Before McKay, there was Mr. Anderson.

A native of Hendon, England, Saunders emigrated to North America as a five-year-old, first to Canada and then to the U.S. His formative years were spent in Oakland, where he fell in love with all types of sports. A Junior Olympic swimmer, Saunders was just as enthralled with team sports and spent as much time as he could playing them whenever their respective seasons arrived.

During basketball season, Saunders and his friends would go to the office of Mr. Anderson, a physical education teacher, to grab a basketball. They did the same during football and baseball season, and Anderson would often join them.

As good of an athlete Saunders was -- he went on to be a three-time academic All-American defensive back/wide receiver at San Jose State -- his true career aspirations can be traced back to the impact of Mr. Anderson.

“I always wanted to be Mr. Anderson. I thought this guy has the greatest job in the world,” Saunders said. “(My father) had two jobs sometimes. Sometimes he had three. Mr. Anderson just had one job and every morning he went out on that field and played with us and that was what I wanted to do.

“Somebody teaching me, me helping younger kids, it's something I always wanted to do. I never thought I wanted to do anything else. Here I am many years later having really lived the life I've been fortunate to live with a wonderful family and a wonderful job. I wouldn't change anything from Day 1.”

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PHOTOS: Day 2 of OTAs

From ‘Air Coryell’ to ‘Greatest Show on Turf’

After 12 years of rising the ranks in college football, Saunders received his first NFL opportunity in San Diego, where he was the team’s assistant head coach during the latter years of the “Air Coryell” era. Saunders worked with three future Hall of Famers -- QB Dan Fouts and WRs Kellen Winslow and Charlie Joiner -- under the tutelage of Don Coryell, one of the game’s biggest offensive innovators.

Saunders became the Chargers interim head coach in 1986 and held the job full-time from 1987-88. From there, he moved on to Kansas City, where he worked under Marty Schottenheimer, the former Browns coach who navigated the team to back-to-back AFC Championships in 1986 and 1987.

About 25 years before he’d land in Cleveland, Saunders heard stories about Schottenheimer’s unforgettable time in the city and his relationship with the Dawg Pound.

“He felt like what happened in Cleveland was an entire city coming together and having a lot of pride in what they are and what they do. They love the Browns here. The fan base is phenomenal,” Saunders said. “One of the attractive things about coming here when Hue got the job and asked me to be on the staff, I thought about what Marty said. I thought about how great it would be in probably is the last stop in my career to think about maybe having a hand in bringing some pride again and some performance levels the city of Cleveland can be proud of, to unify a group of people who so desperately want their team to be successful.

“I would like to have Cleveland feel so great about the Browns like they did when the Browns were winning championships and I'd like to help Hue Jackson be the kind of football coach I believe he can be.”

Saunders earned the Super Bowl ring he carries today amid similar circumstances to what he faces now as an offensive assistant on a team trying to carve out a new identity after years of losing.

In 1999, Saunders was named the assistant head coach/wide receivers coach of the St. Louis Rams, a team that was coming off a 4-12 campaign and averaged five wins per season from 1990-98 with no playoff appearances The Rams’ projected starting quarterback, Trent Green, went down with a knee injury during the preseason, and the team had no other choice but to anoint Kurt Warner, a former NFL Europe and Arena Football League quarterback, as their starter.

Just a few months later, Saunders and the Rams celebrated a Super Bowl victory over the Tennessee Titans, the crowning moment of a 13-3 season that saw the Rams take the NFL by storm with their “Greatest Show on Turf” offense. His top two receivers, veteran Isaac Bruce and then-rookie Torry Holt, combined for nearly 2,000 yards and 18 touchdowns.

“There's no greater sense of feeling of accomplishment and joy than a teacher, whether it be a math teacher or an English teacher to see your students get an A on the test,” Saunders said. “It kind of reconfirms what you're doing and reconfirms you possibly have the opportunity to influence somebody and make them better than they thought they could be, and that's the excitement and joy I get out of coaching is watching a player who maybe given a couple different techniques or ideas on how to improve their game, then they do that and have some sense of success themselves.

“That's the enjoyment of coaching, the relationship with players and the ability to help them get better at what they do.”

‘No agenda’

Saunders and Jackson first crossed paths in 2009, when Saunders joined the Ravens staff as a senior offensive assistant. Jackson joined the team one year earlier in 2008 as a quarterbacks coach and helped the team select and develop Joe Flacco.

Two years later, when Jackson was named the head coach of the Oakland Raiders, he brought Saunders back to Oakland as the team’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. There was no shortage of adversity, as Raiders owner Al Davis died early in the season and starting quarterback Jason Campbell was lost a few weeks later to a season-ending injury. Still, the Raiders boasted a potent offense and finished 8-8, one of their best records of the past 10 years.

Jackson was removed from his position after the season while Saunders hung with the team for three more years as a senior offensive assistant. The impression Jackson left, though, was lasting, and Saunders didn’t hesitate to join forces with Jackson for a third and final time in Cleveland earlier this year.

“At this stage of my career, after 40 years of coaching, 34 in the NFL, I had an opportunity to win a world championship and coach a lot of great players and be around a lot of tremendous coaches, one of the things I really feel good about in this stage of my career is I have no agenda,” Saunders said. “I'm not going to be a head coach again, I don't want to be a head coach again. What I want to do is help coaches and help players achieve what they can achieve with their God-given talent in their field. I would like nothing more than to help Hue succeed as the head football coach.”

To do that in 2016, Saunders will be tasked with building up a wide receivers room that is heavy on youth and sprinkled with veterans vying to prove they’re worth a spot on the 53-man roster. Cleveland used its first of 14 draft picks on a wide receiver, Baylor’s Corey Coleman, and added three more on Day 3, bringing in Auburn’s Ricardo Louis, UCLA’s Jordan Payton and Colorado State’s Rashard Higgins.

Saunders wasted little time with the group and made the most of every second he had with them on the field at last week’s rookie minicamp, focusing on the finer details of route running and imploring them to make defenders miss after making a catch. At OTAs earlier this week, he did the exact same thing with the group’s oldest veterans such as Brian Hartline, Marlon Moore and Andrew Hawkins.

It’s a final opportunity for Saunders to impart everything he’s learned, from Mr. Anderson to Marty Schottenheimer, on a group of hungry Browns receivers. For those players, it’s an opportunity to simply learn and grow under one of the NFL’s most decorated offensive coaches.

“He is one of the best coaches in this league that this league has ever seen,” Jackson said. “I think you all know what he means to me, personally and professionally. He is as good as there is. Not only is he a motivator, he knows how to take guys all the way from Step A all the way to Step Z. He’s the best I have ever been around.” Link

5 things to watch at Browns’ 3-day veteran minicamp

Posted 9 hours ago

Andrew Gribble Senior Staff Writer @Andrew_Gribble

It’s the final team Cleveland will be on the field before training camp


Two months and three days since they began their first offseason workout program under Hue Jackson, the Browns will hit the field for the final time before training camp this week for their mandatory veteran minicamp.

It all starts Tuesday afternoon and runs through Thursday. It’s the only mandatory part of the offseason workout program, but the Browns enter with a solid foundation established through hard work at OTAs.

“It is not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but the guys are starting to truly understand what it takes to have an opportunity to win in this league and just how hard it is each and every day,” Jackson said last week. “When you go on a football field or in a weight room or into a classroom, just the focus that you have to have to go out and compete at such a high level. There are 31 other teams that we compete against and some of the best players in the world and some of the best coaches in the world.

“I think we are starting to get it.”

Here are the five things we’ll be keeping a close eye on when camp begins Tuesday afternoon.

1. Young WRs’ big opportunity to impress

It was around this time last year when Travis Benjamin, sparsely used at wide receiver during the first three years of his Browns career, started making enough plays on the practice field to raise some eyebrows. He followed with a career year.

What happens this week shouldn’t be proclaimed as a foreshadowing of what’s to come in 2016, but it certainly can set the tone heading into a long stretch away from Berea.

Seven of Cleveland’s 12 wide receivers have yet to catch a pass in the NFL. Another, former quarterback Terrelle Pryor, has one career reception. It’s a young group loaded with talent -- and that includes Pryor, who has flashed throughout the offseason workout program -- that is receiving hands-on coaching from one of the game’s best, 33-year NFL veteran Al Saunders.

First-round pick Corey Coleman is among the many rookies in this group who will experience his first veteran minicamp in this group. The opportunity is there for a strong impression heading into his first training camp.

View Gallery | 35 Photos
PHOTOS: Final Browns OTA

2. Who’s at tight end?

Speaking of opportunity, there’s a big one out there this week for Cleveland’s young tight ends.

Pro Bowl veteran Gary Barnidge recently underwent surgery on a sports hernia and will be sidelined for the minicamp. That means more repetitions and opportunities with the projected starters for the likes of E.J. Bibbs, Randall Telfer, rookie Seth DeValve and other members of the group.

With the departure of Jim Dray, the Browns have an opening at the second tight end spot that is likely to be filled by a player with minimal professional experience. Bibbs saw some spot duty near the end of last season and gained experience after spending the entire 2015 season on the 53-man roster. Telfer spent all of his 2015 rookie season on injured reserve.

3. Is there an E.J. Bibbs in this year’s class of under-the-radar rookies?

Last year, Bibbs landed on the Browns roster after a tryout at rookie minicamp and made the absolute most of it. He was the only undrafted player to stick with Cleveland for all 17 weeks of the 2015 season and he started paving the way to that type of standing with the team by impressing at veteran minicamp.

Cleveland signed 10 undrafted free agents shortly after the draft and added another after its rookie minicamp. The odds are always stacked against these types of players, especially when the team is breaking in a 14-man draft class, but there’s always room on the roster for a player who proves he can be one of the team’s best 53.

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PHOTOS: Adapted Football League

4. Wide open Browns secondary

With Joe Haden on the sidelines and vacancies to fill at the two safety spots, the Browns have plenty of questions to answer in a secondary that has a nice mix of young players, players entering their prime and experienced veterans.

Justin Gilbert, looking to bounce back from a tough start to his career, has been among the players filling in for Haden at the cornerback spot opposite of Tramon Williams. Second-year safety Ibraheim Campbell and fourth-year Jordan Poyer have been among those looking to fill the cleats of Donte Whitner and Tashaun Gipson. The Browns also have rookies -- Trey Caldwell, Derrick Kindred, Tracy Howard, A.J. Stamps -- and veterans looking to rebound -- Rahim Moore Sr. and Jamar Taylor -- in the mix for what promises to be a new-look secondary.

5. The quarterbacks

Yes, the Browns are in the midst of a quarterback competition and it will continue at this week’s minicamp.

Cleveland has five quarterbacks on the roster -- Robert Griffin III, Josh McCown, Austin Davis, Connor Shaw and rookie Cody Kessler. Griffin received plenty of work with the first-team offense throughout OTAs and made plenty of progress, coaches said. It’s an important decision the Browns only want to make once this season, though, and Jackson has stressed he’s in no hurry to release a pecking order at quarterback.

Their production over the next three days will go into the deep vat Jackson and group that I am looking for, but we still have a little bit more that I need to see to feel very comfortable and confident in saying, ‘This is our guy,’” Jackson said. “I think they are all competing extremely hard and extremely well.

“I feel very comfortable that we have enough candidates at the position that people are starting to emerge.”
link

Shocking to see an EJ Bibbs reference. He had a pretty nice preseason, then never saw the field. Alot of people forgot about him I bet.

Agreed. The article made it sound like he was a big time diamond in the rough contributor.

Many on here were demonstrative in wanting to see him active ... yet he rarely was

He obviously did not play enough like a Brown.

I'm so thankful we don't have to hear that dumb saying no longer. It was more annoying than the infamous "battle" repeats from Pat Shurmur.

Pettines problem was that he never fully defined what playing like a brown meant. I mean, damn, Playing like a Brown of the last 16 years wouldn't be a good thing at all LOL

Hey, he had 1 catch for 7 yards last year.

Joking aside, I think that Bibbs is a high effort player, but I wonder if he can be the secondary threat at TE in Hue's offense.

Barnidge will be the #1, unless he is traded. DeValve has a great opportunity to be the 2nd TE, and a plus level receiving threat. I don't see any others on our roster who are any kind of dynamic pass catching threat, but maybe one of those guys can be the more "all around" TE. I think that Holtz may be a guy to watch at the position .... but I would make no bets on anoy of the guys beyond the top 2..... and I might not bet on them either.

Bibbs didn't play last year because he was an awful blocker. It is very rare that you have two TEs on the field at once that are primarily used as receivers. Barnidge was balling out which made Bibbs unnecessary.

Jim Dray though played like utter crap, was Bibbs really that much worse in the eyes of the staff? Then again, the staff assembled was a joke, so eh.

Something in the wind that we don't know about?

Whenever I heard "play like a brown" I always expected there to be more to the sentence ...


play like a brown .. what?

The potential Browns 53 man roster; if we accept the idea that the Browns will keep a Kicker, a punter, and a long snapper and they are all different players, that leaves 50 roster spots to fill. If we assume the 14 rookies will be given an opportunity to make the team over an equally talented but older player, then that leaves us with 36 players on the team who are left from the 2015 roster. If we accept the fact that the free agent signings have a shot at making the roster, that reduces the number to 31 players.


Let us assume that the Browns will not release Thomas, Bitonio, Greco, Erving, Crowell, Johnson Jr., Barnidge, Cooper, Hughes, Shelton, Kirksey, Orchard, and Haden, we further reduce the open roster spots to 18 players. That is a very few amount of spots for an awful lot of players. If we believe in the youth movement, veterans who are not solidly set as a starter on the team could be at risk. Training camp should be interesting this season. What does that say for players like Pryor, Carder, Marlon Moore, Pasztor, Hawkins, etc...

No. I just don't believe that any of the 30+ year old players will be here if there is any kind of trade market for them.

I would think that Joe and Gary are safe for at least this year...next idk depends on how other guys progress.

I would think that Barnidge would be safe for this year, as he just signed a new deal ..... but who knows?

Nate Ulrich
‏@NateUlrichABJ
#Browns NT Danny Shelton said goal was to drop to 335 lbs before season, reached that about 3 weeks ago, hopes it'll help him play more


Nate Ulrich
‏@NateUlrichABJ
#Browns NT Danny Shelton said he has lost 30 pounds since the end of last season.

Nate Ulrich ‏@NateUlrichABJ
#Browns DE Desmond Bryant said NT Danny Shelton stayed here the whole offseason to work.

Hope my UGA guy Arthur Lynch sticks... Already has some dawg in!! #sic'em

So Shelton lost 30 pounds. That means he's down to about 450.

4 things to know from Day 1 of Browns minicamp

Posted 54 minutes ago

Andrew GribbleSenior Staff Writer@Andrew_Gribble




Cleveland hits the ground running after 4-day break




A busy day in Berea has come to an end.


Two more, and it’s summer break for the Browns before a late July return for training camp.


A theme today, though, centered on all of the work some players do when they’re far removed from the Browns facility in Berea.



1. Shelton hits his goal
Danny Shelton envisioned being slimmer entering his second NFL season, but he didn’t expect to hit his goal as soon as he did.


Consider it a pleasant surprise the former first-round pick is using as motivation as he continues to build himself into the kind of shape he wants to be when the season opens Sept. 11, in Philadelphia.


Shelton, Cleveland’s second-year nose guard, ended his rookie year at 365 pounds. He’s now at 335 after an offseason that included some mixed martial arts before the start of the offseason workout program. He called Director of High Performance Adam Beard and strength and conditioning coordinator Evan Marcus his “secret weapons.”


“I really am just taking the opportunity with (defensive coordinator Ray) Horton and Coach (Hue) Jackson coming in, to show them a new player,” Shelton said. “Obviously everybody has a fresh start with these new coaches, but I wanted to take advantage of that opportunity to start the change with myself. When I was able to change my weight, drop the weight, it was more me being accountable and sacrificing myself for the team.”



2. Coleman connecting with QBs
Browns first-round wide receiver Corey Coleman built chemistry with third-round quarterbackCody Kessler in the buildup to the draft, and that’s continued through their first two months together in Cleveland.


When they’re not on the field together, Coleman and Kessler will connect after practice, whether it be on the phone or FaceTime to go over plays and prepare for the next day’s session.


“We’re both so eager to get here and hop into the fire,” Coleman said. “He’s a quarterback so I know he’s been studying a lot, they have a lot of responsibilities. We went over some plays and I had questions for him, he had questions for me.”


Coleman never shared the field with Robert Griffin III at Baylor, but the two have grown close in the time they’ve had together and it promises to blossom over the summer. Coleman said he planned to meet up with Griffin at some point during the Browns’ six-week break before training camp.


“We get together in the morning a lot of the time and go over the script, what we’re going to be running for that day’s practice, at nighttime if I have any questions, he’ll come to my room and we’ll go over the script for tomorrow so he’s always there if I need him, he’s always available,” Coleman said. “And I’m thankful to have him as a quarterback because he’s on me, he expects a lot out of me and I expect a lot out of him. So we hold each other accountable.


“Wherever Robert is, I’m gonna be out there working out with him making sure that we come back and we’re on point that we haven't lost a beat.”



3. Desmond Bryant embracing ‘elder statesman’ role
This is a new feeling for Desmond Bryant, but the veteran defensive lineman is taking it in stride.


After some offseason turnover within the Browns defensive line room, Bryant is now the oldest member of a group that has a nice mix of rookies, players entering their prime and seasoned players such as himself.


At 30, Bryant is the oldest by three years among Cleveland’s nine defensive linemen. He’s coming off a productive season in which he led the team with six sacks and provided the unit with a steady, reliable presence amid a year full of injuries and adversity.


“I want to be a better leader,” Bryant said. “This is the first time that I am an ‘elder statesman’ in the D-Line room. With that, I get a little more responsibility. On and off of the field, I just want to be more vocal with the guys. I want to let them know what I am thinking more, which is something I haven't done in the past.”



4. Four days too long for many Browns
On Thursday, Jackson said he hoped the Browns would come back from their four-day weekend prepared to make the most of the team’s three-day minicamp.


He got his wish and then some.


Jackson said 49 players returned to the facility on their own volition at some point during their four-day layoff before Tuesday’s practice. In turn, Jackson liked the response from the team and said it was a significant improvement from their first practice of the final week of OTAs.
http://www.clevelandbrowns.com/news/...e-c4d36f4cecc9

5 things to watch at Browns’ 3-day veteran minicamp

Posted 18 minutes ago

Andrew GribbleSenior Staff Writer@Andrew_Gribble



It’s the final team Cleveland will be on the field before training camp




Two months and three days since they began their first offseason workout program under Hue Jackson, the Browns will hit the field for the final time before training camp this week for their mandatory veteran minicamp.


It all starts Tuesday afternoon and runs through Thursday. It’s the only mandatory part of the offseason workout program, but the Browns enter with a solid foundation established through hard work at OTAs.


“It is not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but the guys are starting to truly understand what it takes to have an opportunity to win in this league and just how hard it is each and every day,” Jackson said last week. “When you go on a football field or in a weight room or into a classroom, just the focus that you have to have to go out and compete at such a high level. There are 31 other teams that we compete against and some of the best players in the world and some of the best coaches in the world.


“I think we are starting to get it.”


Here are the five things we’ll be keeping a close eye on when camp begins Tuesday afternoon.



1. Young WRs’ big opportunity to impress
It was around this time last year when Travis Benjamin, sparsely used at wide receiver during the first three years of his Browns career, started making enough plays on the practice field to raise some eyebrows. He followed with a career year.


What happens this week shouldn’t be proclaimed as a foreshadowing of what’s to come in 2016, but it certainly can set the tone heading into a long stretch away from Berea.


Seven of Cleveland’s 12 wide receivers have yet to catch a pass in the NFL. Another, former quarterback Terrelle Pryor, has one career reception. It’s a young group loaded with talent -- and that includes Pryor, who has flashed throughout the offseason workout program -- that is receiving hands-on coaching from one of the game’s best, 33-year NFL veteran Al Saunders.


First-round pick Corey Coleman is among the many rookies in this group who will experience his first veteran minicamp in this group. The opportunity is there for a strong impression heading into his first training camp.






2. Who’s at tight end?
Speaking of opportunity, there’s a big one out there this week for Cleveland’s young tight ends.


Pro Bowl veteran Gary Barnidge recently underwent surgery on a sports hernia and will be sidelined for the minicamp. That means more repetitions and opportunities with the projected starters for the likes of E.J. Bibbs, Randall Telfer, rookie Seth DeValve and other members of the group.


With the departure of Jim Dray, the Browns have an opening at the second tight end spot that is likely to be filled by a player with minimal professional experience. Bibbs saw some spot duty near the end of last season and gained experience after spending the entire 2015 season on the 53-man roster. Telfer spent all of his 2015 rookie season on injured reserve.



3. Is there an E.J. Bibbs in this year’s class of under-the-radar rookies?
Last year, Bibbs landed on the Browns roster after a tryout at rookie minicamp and made the absolute most of it. He was the only undrafted player to stick with Cleveland for all 17 weeks of the 2015 season and he started paving the way to that type of standing with the team by impressing at veteran minicamp.


Cleveland signed 10 undrafted free agents shortly after the draft and added another after its rookie minicamp. The odds are always stacked against these types of players, especially when the team is breaking in a 14-man draft class, but there’s always room on the roster for a player who proves he can be one of the team’s best 53.



4. Wide open Browns secondary
With Joe Haden on the sidelines and vacancies to fill at the two safety spots, the Browns have plenty of questions to answer in a secondary that has a nice mix of young players, players entering their prime and experienced veterans.


Justin Gilbert, looking to bounce back from a tough start to his career, has been among the players filling in for Haden at the cornerback spot opposite of Tramon Williams. Second-year safety Ibraheim Campbell and fourth-year Jordan Poyer have been among those looking to fill the cleats of Donte Whitner and Tashaun Gipson. The Browns also have rookies --Trey Caldwell, Derrick Kindred, Tracy Howard, A.J. Stamps -- and veterans looking to rebound -- Rahim Moore Sr. and Jamar Taylor -- in the mix for what promises to be a new-look secondary.



5. The quarterbacks
Yes, the Browns are in the midst of a quarterback competition and it will continue at this week’s minicamp.


Cleveland has five quarterbacks on the roster -- Robert Griffin III, Josh McCown,Austin Davis, Connor Shaw and rookie Cody Kessler. Griffin received plenty of work with the first-team offense throughout OTAs and made plenty of progress, coaches said. It’s an important decision the Browns only want to make once this season, though, and Jackson has stressed he’s in no hurry to release a pecking order at quarterback.


Their production over the next three days will go into the deep vat Jackson and associate head coach - offense Pep Hamilton will pull from when they make their final decision.


“I’m seeing the improvement out of the whole group that I am looking for, but we still have a little bit more that I need to see to feel very comfortable and confident in saying, ‘This is our guy,’” Jackson said. “I think they are all competing extremely hard and extremely well.


“I feel very comfortable that we have enough candidates at the position that people are starting to emerge.”

http://www.clevelandbrowns.com/news/...9-ff6df761692d

Well indeed it will be the QB's that will be something else. Due to having twenty-five of them since going back to Cleveland in 1999.

That has to be the worst secondary in the entire NFL. It will be interesting to see which unit is worse, the secondary or the ILBers.

I think it's the other way around, until we stop getting shredded by short yardage plays with lots of YAC (slants, out routes, anything in the flats, etc) the front will never have a chance to hit home. It works both ways, the secondary has to jam if we're going to continue to play press all the time, take away the quick developing routes and let the front work it's magic.

The issue is, on paper, there's not really any magic to work. And the secondary looks horrific on paper. It looks like we're in for a real defensive nightmare this season. It's exactly what I'm anticipating, sadly.

That has to be the worst secondary in the entire NFL. It will be interesting to see which unit is worse, the secondary or the ILBers.

Didnt think Horton was much when he had a lot of talent on Defense so it will be interesting lol

I have to be honest though, i dont know what we have on defense. It was a mutiny on defense. Players had no respect for Oneil at all.

On Defense the sooner we can get Scooby in the lineup the better, I think u sink him inside and let him and kirksey control the middle. Secondary, does Haden even want to play anymore? Is Gilbert even worth trying to salvage. I dont think its the worst secondary but its the biggest ??? we have on the team even bigger than QB.