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Seven tryout players signed
Jeff Walcoff, Staff Writer
05.05.2008
Seven of the 54 players the Browns brought to last weekend's rookie minicamp as tryout candidates are most certainly glad they came and performed as they did.
Offensive lineman Nate Bennett of Clemson, wide receiver Nate Hughes of Alcorn State, defensive back Milvon James of UNLV, defensive back Damon Jenkins of Fresno State, linebacker Asa Matthews of Northern Colorado, linebacker Xavier Mitchell of Tennessee and running back Austin Scott of Penn State were signed to the Browns' roster after standout performances over the weekend.
Bennett was a four-year starter for the Tigers at guard.
Hughes caught 161 passes for 2,415 yards as a four-year starter for the Braves. Also a return specialist, Hughes led his conference in all purpose yards in 2007, racking up 160.6 yards per game.
James was a two-year starter for the Rebels after transferring from UCLA. He led the nation in pass breakups with 19 in 2007. He joins fellow UNLV alums Eric Wright and Beau Bell on the Browns' defense.
Jenkins totaled 49 tackles and led the Bulldogs with 9 pass breakups as a senior. He totaled 94 tackles in his 38-game college career.
Matthews managed 89 tackles (6.5 for loss), 1.5 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries, and 1 interception in 19 games for the Bears after transferring from Butler Community College. His father, Bo, was drafted by the San Diego Chargers.
Mitchell is an experienced linebacker who appeared in 47 games, including starts in his final 25 games for the Vols. He totaled 109 tackles, 8.5 sacks, 18 tackles for loss, forced 1 fumble and grabbed 1 interception during his career.
Scott managed 16 rushing touchdowns on 290 career carries for 1,323 yards while at Penn State. As a senior, he appeared in the first five games of the season, finishing with 302 yards and 6 touchdowns on 69 carries.
To make room on the roster, the Browns made seven roster cuts, six of which were undrafted free agents signed last week following the draft. The team waived linebacker Jermaine Dias of Virginia, defensive back Jerrid Gaines of Miami (Ohio), defensive back Justin Harrison of Illinois, quarterback Craig Hormann of Columbia, offensive lineman Robert Powell of Purdue and offensive lineman Eric Young of Tennessee. Finally, the club released running back Kory Chapman, who spent five weeks on the team's practice squad last year. ..........................
I didn't see this anywhere and figured it was good enough for a stand alone thread.
If everybody had like minds, we would never learn. GM Strong ![[Linked Image]](http://www.dawgtalkers.net/uploads/small-gator-chomp.gif)
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Surprised 2 see them cut Young he must still be hampered by the torn quad.
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Eric Young is gone.
He must be nowhere close to being healthy. I wouldn't be surprised if he catches on somewhere if he can get healthy.
Cleveland Browns, Space Browns ![[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]](https://i.imgur.com/iVP5Po2.png)
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His leg must be enough of a problem we didn't want to fool with it seeing we are pretty good at the position.
We took a look and decided to pass.
If everybody had like minds, we would never learn. GM Strong
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Quote:
James was a two-year starter for the Rebels after transferring from UCLA. He led the nation in pass breakups with 19 in 2007 . He joins fellow UNLV alums Eric Wright and Beau Bell on the Browns' defense.
That really stuck out to me. He lead the nation in pass breakups and wasn't drafted? He seems most likely to stick on the roster out of all these players due to his position..and apparently talent. The rest of these guys..really its just news until preseason.
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Nate Bennett is a pretty good sized guard from Clemson...and someone had to create some holes for those Clemson backs.
Clemson is a good program that is under rated IMO...maybe he is the guy we try to groom.
If everybody had like minds, we would never learn. GM Strong
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So does this mean they were only signed to the practice squad or the actual roster? It kind of excites me that a RB made it through the cuts, despite Scott's backround problems it would be great to see if he still has good play, apparantly the coaches think so.
If he keeps going who will leave, Jason Wright or someone else?
Find what you love and let it kill you.
-Charles Bukowski
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I doubt he cracks the final roster...
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Scott sounds like a Wright type of runner to me, but quicker. I would not be surprised at all to see Wright get cut, Harrison move up to the #2 spot, and Scott get signed as a PS/3rd string guy.
We need to upgrade the position, and Wright is not an upgrade by any stretch of the imagination.
“It doesn't make sense to hire smart people and tell them what to do; we hire smart people so they can tell us what to do.” -Steve Jobs.
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IMO, it'd be more likely that we keep Wright for this season - he's a FA next year I believe - and sign Scott to the PS and have him move up to the active roster next season.
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Milvon James 
![[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]](https://i.imgur.com/hfMNC7T.jpg) "I am undeterred and I am undaunted." --Kevin Stefanski "Big hairy American winning machines." --Baker Mayfield #gmstrong
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Sad to see that Scott is on the list. It bothers me that guys like this keep getting chances. Not a popular opinion, just as almost all of you don't agree w/me about E.Wright...........but, it is my opinion, and I will keep it. 
"What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us."
--Ralph Waldo Emerson
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Shocked Young was cut...I felt he was the UDFA Prize for Oline
HACK
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Didn't Young and some other notable guys already sign with the team?
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Quote:
So does this mean they were only signed to the practice squad or the actual roster?
They are signed to the roster.
Nobody gets paid this time a year as it is contingent upon making the final roster.
Practice squad players have to be cut, pass through waivers, and then be signed to the practice squad.
I don't think practice team squads can even be assembled until after the final roster is established.
If everybody had like minds, we would never learn. GM Strong
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Quote:
I would not be surprised at all to see Wright get cut
That'll take some doing. JW is a heckuva good blocker.
![[Linked Image from members.cox.net]](http://members.cox.net/flyinc5/smallsigpics/frcburnout.gif) AL 29 76 14 R_K
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i doubt they get rid of Wright he played well last year when he got the chance, is a good character guy, and is very smart.
#brownsgoodkarma
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Quote:
Quote:
James was a two-year starter for the Rebels after transferring from UCLA. He led the nation in pass breakups with 19 in 2007 . He joins fellow UNLV alums Eric Wright and Beau Bell on the Browns' defense.
That really stuck out to me. He lead the nation in pass breakups and wasn't drafted? He seems most likely to stick on the roster out of all these players due to his position..and apparently talent. The rest of these guys..really its just news until preseason.
He wasn't drafted OR given a contract initially. Was purely a tryout. Good for him. Nice to see guys work hard and have someone take notice.
![[Linked Image from pic18.picturetrail.com]](http://pic18.picturetrail.com/VOL905/3216203/6567769/349897772.jpg) "The Browns' defense is kicking mucho dupa."
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Quote:
Scott managed 16 rushing touchdowns on 290 career carries for 1,323 yards while at Penn State. As a senior, he appeared in the first five games of the season, finishing with 302 yards and 6 touchdowns on 69 carries.
Vers, i noticed you disagreed, this is almost 4.5 yds a carry in the big ten. Why do you not like this guy? Character issues? (Real question)
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Quote:
Didn't Young and some other notable guys already sign with the team?
#38 Terrell, Darnell DB 6-1 203 05/30/1984 R Missouri  
"I am undeterred and I am undaunted." --Kevin Stefanski "Big hairy American winning machines." --Baker Mayfield #gmstrong
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Unlike Wright, Scott has had a history of suspensions etc.
Charges in the rape deal were dismissed, but there are still team violation suspensions in there....
Unlike Vers, I don't expect all the players to be alter boys, but in the case of Scott, he is far enough removed that it isn't out of reason to expect something else might happen in the future.
But...I am all about redemption and allowing a person a chance to atone.
We just need to have a short leash and let this guy know exactly the footing on which he stands.
If everybody had like minds, we would never learn. GM Strong
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As to James...I can't remember where I read it or I would paste it here, but in a nutshell it said James wasn't really a fast player and had poor ball skills, especially with his back to the ball.
My own take on all the break-ups tells me other teams were throwing his way alot. You don't get many break-ups if teams shy away from throwing in your direction.
I am not saying the defended passes aren't a good thing, just pointing out there could be a ugly flip side to that stat.
If everybody had like minds, we would never learn. GM Strong
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I like that the FO is willing to give young men a chance to turn around. We have to have a clearly defined point of no return though. Isn't one of us that didn't need a second chance at some point in life, I'm glad my team offers that.
Go Irish!
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That was my thought Peen.. perhaps he has that many pass break-ups because he was picked on a lot and other teams viewed him as an oppotunity... After reading up on him a bit, the information is a bit confusing. He was named 2nd team all-mountain west... but given all of those opportunities he didn't have his first career interception at UNLV until the final game of his senior year and he played there for 2 years... 
yebat' Putin
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Quote:
That was my thought Peen.. perhaps he has that many pass break-ups because he was picked on a lot and other teams viewed him as an oppotunity...
After reading up on him a bit, the information is a bit confusing. He was named 2nd team all-mountain west... but given all of those opportunities he didn't have his first career interception at UNLV until the final game of his senior year and he played there for 2 years...
Couple of key thoughts on this guy:
1) The difference between a pass defended and an INT is half the blink of an eye. It seems like this is the kind of college player that a good program could improve through physical training and coaching.
2) Our roster is absolutely devoid of depth at CB. PS admitted he wanted a CB in the draft but that there wasn't one worth the slot. I wouldn;t be surprised to see our pre-September roster cluttered with DB's (maybe 4-5 extras until the final 53 cut).
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apparently some need to keep in mind who was running that program. JJ was suspended the last 2 games of his senior year for failing a class.... joepa is notorius for suspending players for infractions that other programs dont even bat an eye at. scott hooked up with a drunk chick that accused him of rape. charges were dropped when they found out she had done it before. players are targets on campus, plain and simple. he was also suspended for a curfew violation....major thug here guys...    http://www.centredaily.com/news/local/story/534968.html""The facts of the case have not changed from the time he was arrested. However, the trial judge has ruled evidence of the victim's past is relevant to this case though it has always been our position that the evidence of the victim's past is irrelevant." ie, this broad accused someone else of rape when it was consensual sex.... http://www.topix.com/content/trb/2008/04/prior-rape-allowed-in-austin-scott-trialenough with the witch hunt....
Last edited by choco; 05/06/08 12:50 PM.
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I don't know if he is a thug or not...but curfew is a team rule..you choose to be in on time or not.
I don't think they are so strict 15 minutes was going to be a big deal. it was probably more like a 11pm curfew was checked at 1AM and he was a no-show.
These asst. coaches checking beds at 1am aren't too far removed from college. They know the score and aren't out looking to screw some guy over 30 minutes...they probably don't even start until a hour after the fact.
30-60 minutes....that is just a thing...an hour or more, that is a attitude.
If everybody had like minds, we would never learn. GM Strong
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i agree...rules are rules. but a curfew violation is hardly a bad infraction. thats really all i meant. shows a small error in judgement....not like kids his age have good judgment anyway.
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I see your point but most of us have broken curfew before I'm sure. That doesn't mean we have an attitude problem though.
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In a team setting, it is. If 12 am is the time the coach says you are to be in...you need to be in by 12am....and as I said, bed checks aren't done by the head coach. If it usually the grad asst, or someone just a notch higher. Most don't want to find empty beds....I doubt it is like they are checking 2 minutes after the established curfew. Curfew violations that result in more than a evil eye are usually measured in the hour or more range....maybe more then that.
I am not saying that makes him a schmuck.
Mistakes can be made.
If he learned, great...
As I said....I am all about redemption....but along with that, you watch just a little closer. Once the leash is so tight it becomes a pain in the keister to handle, you just let it go.
If everybody had like minds, we would never learn. GM Strong
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j/c
Interesting how we look for players to have a bit of a mean streak (more-so on D and OL)...tough guys...a certain steeliness in their eyes...especially at MLB. We teach them how to cheat, how to 'hold' without getting caught. And yet we expect these same people to be like choirboys the rest of the time.
I'm not trying to excuse rule or law breaking. There's rules on the field and rules off the field and you have to be able to differentiate....but there's still a certain irony to it all.
AL 29 76 14 R_K
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I understand your point, I just didn't agree with you calling it an attitude problem. I'd say a poor choice.
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Quote:
I don't know if he is a thug or not...but curfew is a team rule..you choose to be in on time or not.
I don't think they are so strict 15 minutes was going to be a big deal. it was probably more like a 11pm curfew was checked at 1AM and he was a no-show.
These asst. coaches checking beds at 1am aren't too far removed from college. They know the score and aren't out looking to screw some guy over 30 minutes...they probably don't even start until a hour after the fact.
To be fair, you don't really have any idea how they run their curfew..... Some programs are loose and some are severe. I was once considered to have missed curfew because I was in a traffic accident that wasn't my fault and was police documented. So neither you nor I know any of the facts about this guy's "violation" without spending more time looking into it.
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Quote:
To be fair, you don't really have any idea how they run their curfew..... Some programs are loose and some are severe. I was once considered to have missed curfew because I was in a traffic accident that wasn't my fault and was police documented. So neither you nor I know any of the facts about this guy's "violation" without spending more time looking into it.
True enough.
All we know is he broke team rules while other people on the team didn't seem to have the same problem.
If everybody had like minds, we would never learn. GM Strong
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joepa is a stickler....i do know that much. no bending of his rules.
however, it appears scott went to the bar to pick that chick up.....which was the violation. i believe he stayed out with some friends on another night...so he had a zero tolerance policy enforced by joepa.
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Quote:
I don't know if he is a thug or not...but curfew is a team rule..you choose to be in on time or not.
I don't think they are so strict 15 minutes was going to be a big deal. it was probably more like a 11pm curfew was checked at 1AM and he was a no-show.
These asst. coaches checking beds at 1am aren't too far removed from college. They know the score and aren't out looking to screw some guy over 30 minutes...they probably don't even start until a hour after the fact.
30-60 minutes....that is just a thing...an hour or more, that is a attitude.
You do realize that you arguing w/a group of people who have been "allowed" to break rules their entire lives because they were "expressing" themselves? And besides.........it was probably another person's fault. Not theirs. *L*
"What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us."
--Ralph Waldo Emerson
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I have heard a lot of things over the past 25 years.
If everybody had like minds, we would never learn. GM Strong
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Believe it or not............I probably have heard a lot of the same things. Think about it.
"What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us."
--Ralph Waldo Emerson
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I'm fine with signing Scott, as long as we didnt waste a draft pick, or huge amount of money on him, or even worse a trade why not take a chance on him.
For what ever he did, if were trying to find some decent football players do you settle for a lesser one in talent just because he is more disiplined with a better background?
Notre Dame Hater since 1989 ![[Linked Image from img170.imageshack.us]](http://img170.imageshack.us/img170/2076/beware15trpc3.gif)
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