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I remember Rueben Droughns buying the entire Oline watches when he hit 1k...

http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2011/08/cleveland_browns_awarded_safet.html

Cleveland Browns awarded safety Brett Johnson off waivers
Published: Monday, August 15, 2011, 10:02 AM     Updated: Monday, August 15, 2011, 10:53 AM
By Tony Grossi, The Plain Dealer

BEREA -- The Browns were awarded safety Brett Johnson off waivers from Seattle.
Johnson, 6-1 and 194 pounds, was signed last year by Buffalo as an undrafted free agents. He moved to Philadelphia and St. Louis before ending the season on the Bills' practice squad.

The Browns needed a safety after rookie Eric Hagg suffered a knee injury in practice last week. Coach Pat Shurmur said after Saturday's exhibition game that Hagg would have surgery, but the club has not indicated how long Hagg would be out.

Hardesty is practicing today.

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/rapid-reports/team/CLE

32 minutes ago - by Marty Gitlin - Hardesty back to practice with Browns
RB Montario Hardesty (knee) has returned to practice after missing two weeks. Browns RapidReports

Wow, finally. Hopefully this is a huge step towards him being healthy for the season opener.

Hopefully he'll be healthy for the rest of a long, productive career.

If we carry 4 RB and a FB .... which is possible given the Rams depth chart last year, then we could see Hillis, Hardesty, Marecic, Jackson and maybe even sneak in a guy like Smith to develop as a super speedster.

I have to wonder if there is a market for any of our WRs. If Little shows that he can handle being a starter, and Norwood shows that he can handle the slot, then we may look to move Massaquoi or Robiske for a pick.

Moving either of them is an interesting thought, but I really want to see what they can do in this offense.

If either/both shine, that is one less position to have to worry about next year and speeds up this process!

there as barely a market for free agent WRs this offseason. i doubt there is a market for unproven WRs from a team that many see as WR-needy.

Perhaps ... but there has been a decent trade market for WRs. A worn out and washed up Chad Ochostinko got traded. Lee Evans got traded.

Teams like the 49'ers, despite having talent at the position, may look for help because of injuires and probable suspensions. The Panthers may want a WR. The Redskins may look for a WR. The Rams may look for WR help, moving to an offense that uses 3, 4, or even 5 wide. . Jacksonville, The Giants, The Jets, The Bears, The Raiders, The Chefs, The Titans, and others may be looking for a #2-3 WR who can step in and help.

I'm not saying that we'd get a #1 for these guys ...... but we do have some guys who could have some trade value.

j/c

www.KFFL.com

Browns | Billy Yates considering retirement
Mon, 15 Aug 2011 10:21:12 -0700

Cleveland Browns OL Billy Yates did not participate in practice Monday, Aug. 15, and head coach Pat Shurmur said Yates is considering retirement.

Wow, that's random. he re-signed and started camp, and even went into the preseason, and is now considering retirement? maybe he was hoping for his last shot at starting, and with Lauvao steppimg up, he would rather retire than be a back-up again.

Either way, best of luck to him. He played very well last year before being injured.

I like to call this pulling a Hallen.

This just opens the door for a younger OL that might not otherwise have made the roster.

IIRC didn't Murray get some work at Center last pre-season?

j/c

BEREA - Browns running back Montario Hardesty returned to practice Monday after missing two weeks.

He participated in the team drills, including a physical inside running drill in which he was tackled to the ground. He took several repetitions and appeared to come through the full-pad practice OK.

Hardesty said he was glad to be back.

“It felt natural,” he said.

Hardesty had spent the last two weeks working on the side with a trainer after practicing the first two days of training camp, neither in full pads. The Browns insisted it was part of the plan to bring him along slowly following knee surgery that cost him his entire rookie season in 2010.

Hardesty was a second-round pick out of Tennessee. He missed camp as a rookie with a knee injury, returned for the preseason finale and tore his anterior cruciate ligament.

Other news and observations from Monday’s practice.

** Coach Pat Shurmur said veteran offensive lineman Billy Yates is planning to retire. Yates told the staff Monday morning, but Shurmur wanted to give him a little time to reconsider.

Yates, 31, was a valuable backup at center and guard and had been working at center with the second team. The Browns re-signed him following the lockout.

** Shurmur apologized to fans for closing Monday’s practice to the public. He thought the fields wouldn’t be ready following a lot of rain - he expected to move inside the fieldhouse — but the rain stopped and the fields were fine.

** Safety T.J. Ward didn’t practice, and Shurmur said he had to go to the dentist.

** Tight end Benjamin Watson (hamstring) and linebacker Scott Fujita (thigh) didn’t practice. Shurmur said the time off was precautionary.

** Cornerback Coye Francies (back) didn’t practice after getting injured Saturday night making a tackle against the Packers.

** Receiver Mohamed Massaquoi was out of a walking boot and in tennis shoes. He didn’t practice, but could return to the field this week. He opened camp in a cast.

** Defensive lineman Brian Schaefering had his foot stepped on in a line drill. He walked off the field with a trainer.

** Linebacker Chris Gocong (neck stinger) and safety Usama Young (hamstring) continued to sit out.

** The Browns claimed safety Brett Johnson off waivers from Seattle. He was undrafted in 2010 and spent time with Philadelphia, St. Louis and Buffalo but never made the 53-man roster. He’s insurance for rookie safety Eric Hagg, who was scheduled for “minor” knee surgery Monday.

link

For some reason, this really struck me as funny, more so because of the way it's written:

Quote:

---

Safety T.J. Ward didn’t practice, and Shurmur said he had to go to the dentist.

---

Wait, who had to go to the dentist, Ward or Shurmur?

ST= 3 slots
That will leave 25 spots on O and 25 on D

QB =3
OL= 8
WR= 5
TE= 4 Moore and Cameron are like having 2 more receivers
RB= 4 with these backs again it is having additional receivers
FB = 1 backup goes on PS

4 DEs
5 DTs
7 LB
4 Safeties
5 Corners

We seem to be veering into a roster discussion.. just FYI,

I believe the deadlines are so:

August 30 - Roster cuts to Max 75 players

September 3 - Roster cuts to Max 53 players

October 18 - Trade deadline

Cleveland Browns running back Montario Hardesty returns to practice, guard Billy Yates retiring
Published: Monday, August 15, 2011, 1:08 PM Updated: Monday, August 15, 2011, 1:38 PM
By Mary Kay Cabot, The Plain Dealer The Plain Dealer



CLEVELAND -- Browns running back Montario Hardesty, who's been held out of practice since the third day of camp Aug. 1, returned today and went fullspeed in team drills, including some inside running drills.

Hardesty took plenty of reps and also caught several nice passes out of the backfield. He didn't appear to be favoring his surgically-repaired left knee at all.

"It was fun to get back in football mode again,'' said Hardesty. "It was tough (sitting out) but it let me get my legs back up under me.''

Coach Pat Shurmur said there's a chance Hardesty might be held out of Friday's preseason game against the Lions.

"We haven't really talked about it yet, but I'm ready to play whenever they let me,'' Hardesty said.

Other news and notes from Monday's practice, which was closed to the public because of inclement weather:

* Browns safety T.J. Ward was absent today while visiting the dentist. Shurmur said Ward showed up for work with a swollen cheek. "It looked like he'd been punched in the cheek,'' said Shurmur. He said he doesn't know how long Ward will be out. He was replaced by Ray Ventrone.

* Eighth-year guard Billy Yates was seen leaving the Browns facility before practice this morning and is most likely retiring. Shurmur said he likes Yates, was surprised to hear he wants to retire and was hoping to talk him out of it. The fact that he left the facility means his mind is probably made up. Yates started three games at right guard last season but landed on IR at the end with a biceps injury.

* Receiver Mohamed Massaquoi was on the sidelines in his shoes today and out of the walking boot that was protecting his left foot (bone chip). Shurmur said he hopes Massaquoi can be worked back into practice soon.

* Plenty of other Browns sat out with bumps and bruises today: linebacker Scott Fujita (thigh), linebacker Chris Gocong (neck), tight end Ben Watson (hamstring), and free safety Usama Young (hamstring). Defensive lineman Brian Schaefering also left practice after his foot was stepped on.

* Shurmur provided a little more detail on receiver Carlton Mitchell, who underwent finger surgery Friday and rookie safety Eric Hagg, who will undergo minor knee surgery today. Shurmur said Mitchell had screws inserted to stabilize the finger and that he'll be out a few weeks. He hopes to have him back by the start of the season. He said he doesn't expect Hagg to be out long. The Browns also picked up free safety Brett Johnson today off waivers from Seattle.

* Former Browns cornerback Eric Wright, who will visit on Friday, is battling a groin injury.

* Shurmur opened his press conference today by apologizing to fans for having to close the practice because of weather. The team ended up outside anyway because the fields were dry enough to work on.

* The only other practice open to the public this week is Tuesday from 8:45 a.m. to 11:15 a.m.



http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2011/08/cleveland_browns_running_back_16.html

What? retiring? WOW

That was just a general idea of how most rosters are constructed atleast ones in a 4-3 defense. There will be some variations. Used to be everyone seemed to carry 9 or 10 OL, now its 7 or 8. Hell at one time last year we had something like 13 or 14 linebackers lol.

Now getting into who is roster worthy at this point and we have a lot of open space. 3 special teamers
On O
2 QBs
2 RBs (Hardesty and Smith gonna have to earn it at this point)
3 TEs (Alex Smith still looking to earn his spot)
4 WRs Mo, Robo, Cribbs and Little seem locked in, Mitchell and Norwood are your ??
5 OL I think it is wide open after your starting 5 as to who makes it
1 FB

On D
3 DTs Rubin, Taylor and Schaefering is it
3 DEs Mitchell, Sheard and Benard
5 LBs DQ, Fujita, Gocong, Maiva, Titus
3 Safeties Young, Adams and Ward
3 Corners Brown and Haden and Skrine its wide open.

So about 8 spots open on O and 8 on D

I would guess that we'll see the roster break down along these lines:

1 P
1 LS
1 K
3 QB
4 RB
1 FB
6 or 7 WR
9 OL
3 TE
9 DL
6 LB
8 or 9 DB

I would guess that the DB/WR will come down to the more promising player and/or special teams contributor.

IIRC, we kept 10 LB on the final cutdown last year. We won't see more than 6 .... and maybe only 5 is not out of the question.

Quote:

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* Former Browns cornerback Eric Wright, who will visit on Friday, is battling a groin injury.

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Say what now? Did Detroit cut him? Or is he simply referring to the pre-season game, and if so, why is he mentioned in that article, in that context?

We play Detroit on Friday.

Yeah, needed to complete the thought...lol. Guess he's just reporting on injuries whether the player is, was, or could be a Brown.

Nothing we didn't already know, but figured I'd throw it out there.

link

CLEVELAND -- Browns quarterback Colt McCoy did a lot more to get ready for this season than conduct four Camp Colts to teach his teammates the West Coast offense.

He also called 11-time Pro Bowl quarterback Brett Favre and asked if he could come down to Mississippi and learn the scheme from him. Favre obliged, and the two spent several days together working out at a high school near where Favre lives.

McCoy's visit was first reported by NFL Network's Steve Mariucci, and McCoy -- who was not available to the media today -- confirmed the report.

Favre played for Browns President Mike Holmgren in Green Bay and the two won a Super Bowl there together in 1996, 35-21 over the Patriots.

Apparently, all of the hard work McCoy did on his own and with others during the offseason paid off. During Saturday night's preseason opener, he completed 9-of-10 attempts for 135 yards and a TD. He earned a superb 152.1 rating, which is near perfect.

cool stuff..

wonder if Cam Newton gave him a ring too?

I just heard the same news on "all bets are off" on Sports Talk Ohio...

...got to hand it to McCoy...this summer Colt was doing all he could to learn the new offense and learn from the best available teachers.

...judging from McCoy's performance against GB...I would say Favre did a decent job teaching him.

apparently he learned a lot of the Shurmur system and language from Sam Bradford according to NFL network. So the kid has the smarts and motivation. This kid is doing everything he can to find success. He won me over with his post draft comment. "I can promise you one thing. I will never lose to denver."

Thanks for the refresher.....To those who asked weather or not they would get anything out of the "Camp Colts" just might be seeing your answer.

Then McCoy sees a curve ball and loses Massaquoi, to date and also Cribbs for a spell.
He had to wait for Evan Moore ("under cover WR") and the rest of the FA's to have his full complement of weapons, so although they where missing the actual Coaching, they got a head start on running their routes and the language (numerical) of the offense.

That said I would still much preferred that they had the off-season, but it is what it is I guess. ::shrug::

Edit; Thanks Brett

BEREA, Ohio -- Montario Hardesty cradled the handoff from Seneca Wallace and pumped his legs toward a tiny hole in the middle of his offensive line. A scrum of defenders converged, knocking Hardesty to the ground.

Teammates and coaches didn't have time to ponder whether Hardesty would survive his first hit in almost 12 months. Immediately, Hardesty popped to his feet and skipped onward.

Sighs of relief.

"I liked that. First carry, get hit. I liked that," Hardesty said, smiling, after his first practice in full pads since having ACL surgery on his left knee last September.

It was a milestone event on a milestone day for Hardesty, the Browns and General Manager Tom Heckert. Next to Hardesty's name on an otherwise sterling report card of Heckert's two Browns drafts is a red "incomplete." Trading two fifth-round picks and a third to move into the second round and select Hardesty in the 2010 draft, despite a history of injuries at Tennessee, is the one personnel decision that catches Heckert the most grief, it seems.

On a special conference call hookup with season ticket-holders in April, Heckert was grilled about his thought process.

"We still think he'll be fine," Heckert said three months before training camp. "We'll see how that works out in the end."

When camp opened with Hardesty watching his teammates from the outskirts of drills, skepticism about the running back's recovery persisted. For two weeks, coach Pat Shurmur insisted Hardesty suffered no setback and the plan was to ease him cautiously back to work.

So Hardesty's first practice Monday was indeed a big event.

"I don't know if I feel like a rookie, but I definitely had the jitters, just getting back out to practice and getting with the guys," Hardesty said. "I get the jitters before every practice and every game. It's fun."

Shurmur was not shy in giving Hardesty reps. He followed the same regimen of the regular backs ahead of him, Peyton Hillis and newcomer Brandon Jackson. He did not get time off and had successive reps on a few occasions.

"I feel today I made some good cuts -- running full speed, change of direction cuts. I got hit. I've been playing football all my life so when I'm on the field it's about going out and playing ball," Hardesty said.

Shurmur was satisfied with what he saw. He's been hearing about the 6-foot, 225-pound back since he became coach and had all of seven plays of one preseason game last year to evaluate and project him into his West Coast offense.

"He made a couple nice runs," Shurmur said. "He caught the ball out of the backfield in some of the passing drills. He actually made a real nice catch. He was running away and the ball was a little behind him so he pinned it on his fanny and then brought it around. He did a good job.

"It was good seeing him out there. I think he enjoyed being back at practice. We'll go in now and evaluate how he did and move forward."

That evaluation starts with how Hardesty recovers Tuesday from his first day of work. Then how he does it the next day and the next.

Shurmur said he was "not convinced" Hardesty is totally over the mental hurdle of favoring his surgically repaired knee. "I think he's got to fight through that. I think you get that way by practicing," the coach said.

It's not like this was Hardesty's first major injury, of course. He had the same surgery on the right knee in his first game at Tennessee as a freshman. He came back the next year but did not break out until his senior year in 2009 when he rushed 282 times for 1,345 yards and 13 touchdowns. Hardesty missed most of his rookie camp with a bone bruise on the right knee, and then tore the left ACL on his seventh carry of his only preseason appearance.

"I am really just out there planning on football," Hardesty said. "I am really not thinking about [the injuries]. I think of the things we have been doing in the last couple weeks, all the extra running, cutting, just getting into my comfort zone with spins. I was doing cuts that you might do every week in a game. Coming back out here on the field, everything is feeling natural."

Shurmur indicated Hardesty might not be active for the second preseason game Friday night against Detroit in Cleveland Browns Stadium.

Ultimately, Shurmur envisions an occasional package of Hillis and Hardesty together in the same backfield. At worst, a 1-2-3 punch of Hillis, Hardesty and Jackson would give Shurmur a trio of running backs with deliciously disparate skills.

"I think we all bring different things to the table," Hardesty said. "We all are completely different styles of runner. I think, us three being different, that's going to keep the defense off balance.

"I feel I can do a little bit of it all -- catch, run and cut, and run guys over if I need to do that. I just want to get out there and maximize every time I get the ball."

link