Wilson holds on, Quinn holds out
By STEVE DOERSCHUK
Repository sports writer
BEREA One play of the day. Twenty questions.
First, what was Browns wideout Travis Wilson thinking as he streaked down the right sideline against rookie cornerback Eric Wright late in Thursday’s steam bath of a practice?
“It’s a go route,” Wilson said. “With those go balls, it’s just the quarterback having faith his receiver can make a play.
“I took off running to get past the DB. I looked back. When it’s in the air, you’ve got to make the most of it. You never know when it will come back to you.”
The quarterback was Charlie Frye. Does he have enough arm to make the deep ball a staple of new coordinator Rob Chudzinski’s offense?
“I don’t think there’s concern about Charlie’s arm being too weak to get the ball down the field,” Head Coach Romeo Crennel said. “I think his arm is strong enough.”
How well did Frye execute this “go” route?
“I thought it had pretty good trajectory to start with,” Crennel said.
The throw didn’t finish pretty. It sailed short. How did Wilson turn it into a thing of beauty?
“You compete,” Wilson said. “You have a DB out there who’s pretty good. He’s going for ball, too.
“When it was thrown a little short, I reached back with one hand and concentrated hard on holding on.”
After making a circus catch that drew a huge cheer, where did Wilson stand in the wide receiver pecking order?
“I tell these guys all the time,” Crennel said, “one way to get noticed is to make plays. He did make a play.”
It didn’t hurt that one of Wilson’s main competitors — speedster Tim Carter — was out with a hamstring strain.
Wilson caught just two passes as a rookie last year. He regrets a holdout that cost him several practice sessions.
“Last year definitely was something I didn’t expect,” Wilson said. “It made me humble. It made me hungry. It has me out here with a chip on my shoulder.
“Just because I was drafted doesn’t mean I deserved to be out there. Coming in late ... that didn’t help at all.”
How does Wilson think Brady Quinn’s holdout, now seven days and 10 practices old, will hit the rookie QB?
“It definitely has an effect, whether you’re the first pick or the last pick,” Wilson said. “(Quinn) will have to catch up to everyone. We’re putting new stuff in every day. You’re putting yourself behind the 8-ball.”
Frye is battling Derek Anderson for the No. 1 quarterback job. But isn’t Quinn the quarterback of the future?
General Manager Phil Savage lashed out against the thought he is being stubborn in the Quinn negotiations:
“All of a sudden the Browns are gonna shift gears and try to extract blood from the quarterback that we picked, that we say is gonna be the face of the franchise, that we say is the future of the team?”
Wilson thinks he can be a No. 1 receiver. What’ll become of the tall, sleek-looking Wilson this season?
“He has long speed,” Crennel said. “He’s aggressive going for the ball.”
In Wilson’s best all-around practice, he also showed lightning quickness while turning on a dime and exploding downfield after a catch.
Who is Travis Wilson?
For now, he’s a guy who has a lot better chance to change the course of the 2007 Browns than Brady Quinn.
Reach Repository sports writer Steve Doerschuk at (330) 580-8347 or e-mail
steve.doerschuk@cantonrep.com
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