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i'm generally an optimistic guy, but that's how I read those paragraphs too.

to cfrs, I hope Kaluka wins the WOLB spot. He's really our only hope of having a decent guy there and that's if he takes a big step forward. Here's hoping.

(and I'm not completely down on Gocong, I'm just completely down on him being anything other than Fujita's backup at SOLB)

J/C.

DL Fletcher carted off
DL Jabari Fletcher went down and has been carted off with an apparent right leg injury

Linky

Just keeps getting better and better

I was hoping the best for this kid, too.

injuries happen. feel bad for the guy, but better to happen to a backup than a starter.

I feel like Fletcher has (could have) practice squad written all over him.
Small school DL prospects usually need a year or so to develop physically and mentally, but I think that he has the basic tools to develop into a good pass rusher.

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And I don't know a single person on this forum that is fine with Jackson at MLB after his tore pecs. He's another guy that's an injury waiting to happen too. In fact, I'm surprised the Browns brought him back.

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Now you have one

I'm sort of fine with DQ being a starting LB too (though I'd prefer him at WOLB and have brought in Barnett or someone at MLB).

What I'm not fine with is that we don't seem to have a good backup plan for when he gets injured (I assume he'll at least miss a few games as most players do and worry that it'll be more).

with the Browns fully endorsing DQ for MLB this early, I am going off the assumption the MLB scheme is being built around speed. Not Gocong's forte.

and I am also really hoping Kaluka can lock down that WOLB spot (and do it because he has improved not because he's the best of a bunch of evils)

either way, if DQ is the type of LB that Jauron wants at MLB, then Gocong is definitely not

Gocong will be the most hated person on this board by week four if he keeps his spot.

My vote is Sheldon Brown or whoever they trot out at RT.

let's not leave off whoever starts opposite Sheard at DE.

I'm not saying you will hate him. But others will.

dang.. I was hoping Fletcher would be the next Marcus Benard in a sense.

but to be fair not all of those are serious...

2006 ACL. Big Surgery ... from 5 years ago.

Knee Scope 2006. Im no expert on scopes but I almost had one and was told I would need to stay off of it for about 10 days to 2 weeks ... not exactly major. You can be out longer with the flu.

High Ankle Sprain 2007 - we have 3 QBs on our roster who had them. Not major. Takes time to get over but you almost expect it to happen, especially to a bruiser/power style running back who goes up the middle.

Stress fracture 2008. By definition a stress fracture is a break. It is only minor and it usually happens from over training ... though it can be caused by damage in other ways. Like I said I had a college roomate who had a stress fracture in his foot. Hurt like heck when he got it and he was in a walking boot for a few weeks. Still finished the season and after the season he rested a couple weeks. Never bugged him again. No long term damage.

Knee Drain. Some players have this done after games. It's a "fun" way of getting excess fluid and swelling out of an old injury.

Shoulder Subluxation. Fancy term for partial seperation. It happens, but some guys play through it or wear a brace. If your job is running back and you need to hold the ball then you can't. If you're the quarterback of the Texas longhorns in the national championship and it happens ... you miss the game. Still, no long term damage just from an isolate incedent of these.

Right Knee Bone Bruise. If this is anywhere but the cruicial spots (like knees, hip, maybe thigh) then he plays through it. However, the bruise isn't bad. It's the fact that it swells up so big and you can't move your leg without interfering with the swelling. It just takes a little bit of time to go down.

ACL in 2010. Big injury.

By my count (and feel free to disagree) he had 2 ACL surgeries in the past 5 years. He also had a shoulder seperation and stress fracture, which are normal wear and tear for football players, especially running backs in the SEC who play for their team from the time they are a freshman. Other than that its bumps and bruises or processes to clean out old injuries and swelling.

If all of this is no big deal, then why did everyone say he was injury-prone when we drafted him? Then why did he start camp late? Then why was he out for the season? Then why is he being held back in practice now? At some point, it's a trend... right?

I agree. Most of Suggs injuries were not a big deal by themselves either.

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... Then why is he being held back in practice now? At some point, it's a trend... right?

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Slow Go: RB Montario Hardesty was still held out of practice contact drills, but Shurmur said it’s all part of the plan.

“It’s all been a planned deal with Hardesty,” Shurmur said. “We have to be smart in his return to playing.”

OBR

ok, well that's good. Hopefully it's true. As long as he learns his protections, he should be ok. RB is probably one of the easier positions to play without practice reps. I just don't want his first hitting to be on the other end of an overzealous backup linebacker trying to make some other squad in preseason. It's been a long time since he's taken contact, and he's got to prepare his body for it before it's being done by someone who doesn't care if he gets hurt.

Thought some of the players comments on Mangini were interesting.

http://www.foxsportsohio.com/08/05/11/Br...amp;feedID=3724

Browns shed veteran look for youth movement
By: Pat McManamon

BEREA — Give the Cleveland Browns players credit for one thing: They are unashamed realists.

In fact, they almost seem to understand why Vegas and prognosticators and pundits do not expect a lot from the team this season.

“No one really knows what we have at this point,” linebacker Scott Fujita said Thursday. “This clearly wasn’t an ideal situation with the offseason, the lockout.”

Are people underestimating the Browns?

“Why wouldn’t you?” said linebacker D’Qwell Jackson.

Offensive tackle Joe Thomas talked of the ongoing youth movement.

“That makes sense for the goals of this team,” he said.

The Browns eschewed big names in free agency, instead choosing to fill out the roster with lesser-known names. It made sense on one front. No one or two players available in free agency was going to transform this team. But it brought impatience from fans — and media — hoping to add more veteran support.

“I don’t think we needed to bring in a big splash name-wise,” Thomas said.

Team president Mike Holmgren said on Seattle radio station KJR-950 that the Browns shed “331 years” of experience heading into season (No, not all of it belonged to Jake Delhomme).

“We went from one of the oldest teams in football to one of the youngest,” Holmgren said. “Now, having said that we’re going to have some growing pains.”

Most of the world agrees. Vegas put the Browns odds to win the Super Bowl at 80-1, same as Denver and Seattle and better only than Washington, Cincinnati, Buffalo and Carolina. The over-under on the number of wins for the season is 6 1/2, a shockingly low number for Vegas.

Such is the feeling when a team brings in a new coaching staff and new systems and the NFL has a lockout through the entire offseason. Instead of spending time preparing, players could not even come to the team’s facility to pick up a playbook.

Fujita said when he lined up at outside linebacker for the first rep of the first practice, he looked up and saw three faces he didn’t know.

“We literally made introductions right there,” Fujita said.

Of the 80-some players in camp, only 10 are 30 or over. Of those 10, just six are definite or likely starters — PK Phil Dawson, TE Ben Watson, Fujita, G Eric Steinbach, CB Sheldon Brown and OT Tony Pashos. Holmgren has turned the team over to GM Tom Heckert and his drafts, and the Browns seem committed to riding the storm with a young quarterback and young receivers and young defenders.

“There are a lot of moving parts in this,” Fujita said. adding the Browns are “a little bit behind the eight ball.”

The Browns are not, though, do not seem unhappy with the changes in coaching staff and approach. They appreciate Pat Shurmur is coaching them, and they appreciate the new rules limiting practice time.

“I can’t thank Scott enough,” Jackson said of Fujita, who was involved intimately in the talks for the new CBA, which was officially ratified on Thursday.

As for the feeling in the building, Jackson said things are “much more relaxed.”

Jackson and Thomas both chuckled when it was mentioned to them that some players were calling the new rules “The Eric Mangini Rules.”

“I’m leaving that one alone,” Jackson said.

“I could see that,” Thomas said. “I’m not going to go there, but I don’t think it’s going to take much to see it that way.”

Fujita laughed too, but said the issue was “way bigger” than one coach.

“It’s about lengthening careers,” Fujita said. “Doing things safe, and doing things smarter. We did a study a few years ago and I think it showed that on average about 60 percent of injuries reported in an average season occur in the first two weeks of training camp. So to me that’s just not smart.

“So there’s a way to fix things up and do things better, and I think that’s what we’re doing.”

In theory, the systems will help as well. The short passing game of the West Coast offense — first run by Paul Brown, mind you — should help Colt McCoy. Jackson spent a lot of time talking about the new four-three defense, which calls on linemen, he said, to “get up the field, cause havoc” and let linebackers run.

“Once I figure out what I can and cannot do,” Jackson said, “there’s going to be a lot of tackles for loss for linebackers, and hitting gaps. They want us to play downhill.”

Which seems to be an aggressive mindset for a defensive player.

“I think everybody is rowing that boat in the same direction for the first time since I’ve been here,” Thomas said.

Approach is one thing, talent another. The Browns seem firmly committed to building through the draft and to getting younger. How it plays out will be interesting. The Browns are showing belief in their younger players and their roster that is not generally shared from the outside.

“From the outside,” Jackson said, “(people) don’t expect anything of us.”

6 1/2? I love my Brownies, but I'm tempted to take the under.

j/c

One thing I like about this coaching staff so far is that they're putting guys like Shear and Taylor in with the first team. I think we could all understand the "have to earn your time" line of thought, but let's face it, we didn't spend high draft picks on these guys to have them sit.

We brought these guys in to make an impact right away.

And, at DL, there's not the learning curve of a QB or maybe a WR.

JMHO

Thanks I enjoyed reading that.

It's important to get a pulse on how the players feel

-Cornerback Joe Haden was still locking down his assigned receivers all session long. He made several great pass break ups showing tremendous closing speed.

If you assume Haden is the #1 Corner, I wonder who he is assigned to the most often?

Aug. 5, 2011: News, notes and observations from Browns training camp

by Nate Ulrich on August 5, 2011

Comeback: Wide receiver Josh Cribbs fully participated in practice today for the first time since he suffered a left knee injury this past Sunday. "I needed to get back out there more for conditioning purposes and just to get back in the groove of things," Cribbs said after practice. "The leg feels fine."He entered the first-team offense's rotation of wide receivers during 11-on-11 sessions. He even took a pitch from quarterback Colt McCoy and completed a pass to wide receiver Brian Robiskie. Cribbs said coach Pat Shurmur's plans for him are becoming clear.

"He's not a big fan of the Wildcat," Cribbs said of Shurmur. "But he's a big fan of giving me the football. … He's gonna do everything he can to put the balls in the hands of the guys that [are] gonna make plays. … I'm pretty sure that there will be times more than not that I'll be in the backfield catching passes."

Injury updates: Cornerback Joe Haden (hamstring), pictured to the right, wide receivers Jordan Norwood (hip flexor) and Mohamed Massaquoi (left foot), tight end Jordan Cameron (hamstring) and linebacker Sidney Tarver (unknown) were sidelined. Shurmur said Haden woke up with a tight hamstring and was held out for precautionary reasons. Running back Montario Hardesty wore full pads again, but he continued to be limited in practice. Hardesty, who tore his left ACL during the 2010 preseason, worked off to the side with a trainer. Shurmur said bringing Hardesty along slowly is part of a plan the team developed a while ago.

Tough break: Undrafted rookie defensive end Jabari Fletcher hurt his right knee during O-line vs. D-line drills. Shurmur said Fletcher sprained his right knee. Fletcher was carted off the field.

Substitutions: Cornerback Dimitri Patterson filled in for Haden with the first-team defense. Rookie Buster Skrine, who's pictured to the right, took Patterson's spot as the nickel back when three corners were used.

Rotations: The following duos rotated with the first-team offense at wide receiver: rookie Greg Little and Robiskie; Carlton Mitchell and Cribbs; Demetrius Williams and Johnathan Haggerty. Running backs Brandon Jackson and Peyton Hillis rotated at running back with the first unit. Also with the first-team offense, Eric Steinbach and rookie Jason Pinkston rotated at left guard, and Tony Pashos and Branndon Braxton switched on and off at right tackle.

Practice highlights and lowlights: The first-offense was pitted against the first-defense in a two-minute drill toward the end of practice. Here's how it wrapped up: On third-and-goal from the 8-yard line, Little dropped a pass from McCoy near the goal line as Patterson got his hand in the way. On fourth-and-goal from the 8, tight end Benjamin Watson got his fingers on McCoy's pass in the end zone, but safety T.J. Ward knocked the ball away. …

Earlier in the two-minute drill, McCoy completed a pass to Little, who recorded a significant chunk of yards after the catch. … In an 11-on-11 session, McCoy's pass appeared to be tipped near the line of scrimmage, but Mitchell came back to the ball and made a diving catch. … McCoy also completed a pass over the middle to wide receiver Demetrius Williams. Free safety Mike Adams then knocked the ball out of Williams' hands, but Williams recovered the fumble. … Undrafted rookie cornerback James Dockery dropped an interception and immediately punished himself by doing push-ups. Quarterback Seneca Wallace threw the pass.

Browns move Usama Young into starting lineup

Published: Friday, August 05, 2011, 6:25 PM
Mary Kay Cabot, The Plain Dealer By Mary Kay Cabot, The Plain Dealer

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Browns are wasting no time deciding if former Kent State cornerback Usama Young can tackle the starting free safety job.

Young, who was signed last week as a free agent from New Orleans, was thrown into the starting lineup opposite T.J. Ward on Thursday, the first time free-agent signees were permitted to practice. He remained there today.

"The players we feel like we might be counting on, we're going to get them in there and get them going," said coach Pat Shurmur. "Even though they missed a little time with us, they got themselves in shape. Now, they just need to get in there and do it."

Young, who played his first four seasons in New Orleans after the Saints drafted him in the third round in 2007, is determined to keep the job.

"I've got to keep on working to get better every day," he said. "I know that it's still early and I know that I've got a lot to learn. I was absorbing it from the sideline and now I'm out on the field taking it all in, so it's been full speed ahead. I'm just trying to impress the coaches every play."

Early on in the off-season, the Browns homed in on Young, 26, as their replacement for Abe Elam, who signed a two-year deal with the Cowboys.

"We feel good that he's here," said Shurmur. "[The safeties] have to be able to work together, take charge and communicate well. And then you typically play on the weak side, so you've got to be able to come up and support the run. That's what we're looking for. We feel like [Young] can do that. We were impressed with him watching him play."

Young's main challenger for the job is eighth-year pro Mike Adams, who can also play cornerback.

"Those two will compete and we'll see how it shakes out," said Browns General Manager Tom Heckert. "[Young] is a real physical guy and a really good athlete. I think he's going to be good. We'll have to wait and see. I [also] like Mike Adams. He can do it all. But right now he's at safety and we have to find that other starter. I think between him and Usama we'll find one."

Young, who started six of his 52 games in New Orleans, welcomes the competition from Adams, who started two of his 15 games here last season and 14 over the previous two seasons.

"When you have someone like that pushing you, it makes you take your game to the next level," said Young.

In New Orleans, Young backed up safeties Darren Sharper, a six-time All-Pro, and Malcolm Jenkins, the former Buckeye.

"I was seen as a reliable player but I wasn't on there as a starter," said Young. "So I'm looking to start. I want to come in and I want to play."

Browns linebacker Scott Fujita, who won a Super Bowl in New Orleans with Young as a teammate, knows he's ready for an increased role. "No question about it," said Fujita. "They have a real good backfield down there in New Orleans and it was tough for him to break in on an every-down basis, so this is a good opportunity for him."

Fujita has seen firsthand just how versatile Young (6-0, 200) can be.

"He's an exceptional athlete," said Fujita. "He's one of those guys that can do everything on the back end. You want him to play nickel cover, he can do that. He can lock you down as a corner. He's big, he's rangy, good leaping ability, great ball skills. I think they moved him to safety [two seasons ago] in New Orleans. I always felt that body type-wise and skill set-wise, that's probably what he's most suited to doing."

Browns receiver Josh Cribbs played with Young at Kent State and knew him from back home in the Washington, D.C. area,

"He's a raw talent, very athletic," said Cribbs. "He has the same skills as Abe Elam. A younger guy, a little quicker. He's going to help this team a lot."

Young described himself as "a physical guy. I hit. I run. Wherever the coaches want me, that's where I'll play."

But he definitely wants "starter" to be part of the job description.

"If I said no, that would immediately make me at a failing pace, so I'm ready," said Young. "I've been working for it, and I'm just going out there every play to succeed."

Pat Shurmer gets creative with Josh Cribbs on offense: Browns Insider

Published: Friday, August 05, 2011, 6:51 PM
Tony Grossi, The Plain Dealer By Tony Grossi, The Plain Dealer

Josh Cribbs lined up behind Colt McCoy, took a pitchout from the quarterback and fired a sideline pass to Brian Robiskie.

So new coach Pat Shurmur is still open to using Cribbs creatively in the Browns' offense. But it won't be from the wildcat formation. After two years of unfulfilled promise, the wildcat has been laid to rest for now.

"He's not a big fan of the wildcat, but he is a big fan of giving me the football," Cribbs said.

Said Shurmur, "He's a fantastic player and we're going to try to put him in position to make plays, however we can do it."

Shurmur views Cribbs as a receiver. There are no apparent plans to reset Cribbs as a third-down back, but he will visit the backfield on occasion in this new offense.

"I'm pretty sure there'd be times -- more than not -- I'll be in the backfield catching passes, or so," Cribbs said.

Stay tuned.

Little strides: Rookie Greg Little was no worse for the wear after getting extensive work in red-zone drills on Thursday and dropping a few balls. The physical receiver responded on Friday with some catches in a two-minute period.

"I'm a receiver. I'm born to run," Little said. "That's one of the most underrated qualities about a player -- endurance and durability. And that's what you want to make sure you take care of."

Little was not particularly distressed about his drops on Thursday.

"No, it was definitely some good work with our defense being so competitive, with me going against Joe [Haden] and some of the veteran guys, D'Qwell Jackson, Scott Fujita, Sheldon Brown," he said. "Those guys don't bite on double moves or head fakes, so it's really technique things you have to focus on to get open."

Little was suspended for the 2010 season at North Carolina and hasn't played in a game in 18 months. Yet he said he doesn't think he needs extra reps to shake off the rust.

"I take time and pride myself on studying and doing the extra things so I don't need as many reps to know exactly what it is I need to do," he said. OK, fine: Running back Montario Hardesty continues to be held out from any contact and Shurmur continues to insist it's strictly precaution.

"It's kind of a planned deal," Shurmur said. "As we started training camp, we knew there would be some actual live practice time that he'd have to miss. We knew that. So, we're just working through that so we don't create any setbacks."

Hardesty had surgery on his left ACL in September. The day before camp started, he beamed with the anticipation of finally getting back to playing football. Hardesty worked with the team on the first day of camp, without pads, but not for the past six days. Hold, please: New punter Richmond McGee got first crack at doubling as the holder on Phil Dawson's place-kicks. It's a sign that he might be the long-term replacement for injured Reggie Hodges. If the Browns didn't think that was possible, they would be breaking in new candidates to hold while their search for another punter continued. Quarterback Seneca Wallace and receiver Jordan Norwood can also hold on kicks. Tidbits: Branndon Braxton, a Youngstown native undrafted out of Oklahoma last year, is emerging as the top backup to both starting offensive tackles. . . . Newcomer John Greco is working with the second team at right guard. . . . Newly arrived cornerback Dimitri Patterson took Haden's starting spot Thursday while Haden rested a hamstring. . . . Shurmur said today's Family Day practice at Cleveland Browns Stadium "will feel like a game in some periods and it'll look like a practice in others."

Cleveland Browns 2011 Training Camp Report: First Look at New Players in Pads

Friday, August 5, 2011
Daniel Wolf/National Football Authority
By Daniel Wolf
Senior Writer

On a nice and cool Friday morning the Cleveland Browns took to the practice field. While you could feel the humidity steadily rising, the players were hitting hard with pads on anyway.

Of the nearly 90 players trying to make the regular season roster, there were a select few I was concentrating on and watching intently—they were either re-signed players or new additions—since it was their first practice with pads and contact.

I'm talking about these players: tight end Evan Moore, wide receiver Carlton Mitchell, running back Brandon Jackson, free safety Usama Young, cornerback Dimitri Patterson, defensive linemen Jayme Mitchell, Phil Taylor and Marcus Benard. A bonus was receiver Josh Cribbs, who was suited and finally practicing with teammates since suffering a leg injury earlier in the week.

The following are some observations of the above-mentioned players.


Evan Moore, TE

-There is no way to miss Moore on the field, since he is usually the tallest offensive player, and his height continued to create mismatches. He was lining up on the outside as a receiver many times, so look for those mismatches all season long.


Brandon Jackson, RB

-Looked fast and was getting most of the reps today, of all the running backs, probably since this is only his second practice since being allowed to play per the new CBA and he is playing catch-up.

-He looked fast and strong and there were many short passes to him as well.

-Jackson got a lot of reps because once again Montario Hardesty didn't see any reps.

Wide Receivers - Josh Cribbs and C. Mitchell

-Cribbs looked fast and fluid while running routes. He lined up in the slot at the start of practice—with Greg Little on the outside of him—then they switched and Little was in the slot with Cribbs outside. Brian Robiskie was always lined up on the other side by himself.

-Cribbs was running shorter routes like short slants and hitches, but was able to use his strength and speed to get open against corners Sheldon Brown and Patterson many times (Joe Haden was sitting out with a minor injury).

-C. Mitchell looked fast at times and was so open deep, the big arm of quarterback Jarrett Brown even over threw him. He looked comfortable running routes, but needs more time to grow and didn't make as big of an impact as Cribbs coming back to play receiver, did today.


Usama Young, S

-I really liked watching Young play alongside T.J. Ward with the first team defense. He seems to have a higher maturity level and awareness for the position and looked very comfortable.

-I also saw Young around the ball a lot, and he just seemed to be everywhere at times too. Could be a big sleeper this season if he can win the starting free safety job over veteran Mike Adams.


Dimitri Patterson, CB

-Due to Haden being held out of practice today, Patterson was moved into the starter role opposite of Brown. He looked comfortable and I could see the experience of starting nine games, for the Philadelphia Eagles last season, has given him confidence.

-Patterson is my new candidate for No. 3 corner on the depth chart over rookie Buster Skrine and Coye Francies.

Defensive Lineman - J. Mitchell, Phil Taylor and Marcus Benard

-Benard looked fast, really fast coming around the end from the left side. He did not go up against Joe Thomas, but you can tell he is much more comfortable going back to playing his old college position at end.

-Taylor looked big and strong, though he is not Shaun Rogers big, so anything you have heard like that is false. He was able to use his power to overwhelm starting right guard Shawn Lauvao more than once.

-J. Mitchell is another one of my picks to surprise this season. He is very tall—the tallest on the first team defense—and surprisingly strong and quick too. He has shown me he can use his abilities to his advantage as he was quick and explosive off the snap and used power to push the right tackles back into the pocket to create some pressure on quarterbacks.

3 man DE rotation should be decent:

Sheard
Mitchell
Benard

I like those 3.. I really like Benard though. Hope he gets to start. My sleeper was Jabari Fletcher, but w/ that injury, he might have to be put on PS.

I'm also not sure how I feel about this Hardesty situation.. I don't like the fact that they are holding him out. If he is gonna get hurt, then he is gonna get hurt.. If he gets hurt now, then you know he was probably not worth the pick, and u can get someone else in here to get some reps to learn, rather than signing someone week 3/4 and just plug them in hoping that they do okay.

If he is still recovering from the injury, then say that.. but if you are saying he is ready to go, but we are just gonna hold him out a bit.. its confusing to me.