DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Mini camp and OTA part 2

Steve Doerschuk: Ten things that are apparent for the spring Browns

BEREA —

Ten things we have learned in a month of watching Browns spring practice.

1, It is impossible to tell how well Trent Richardson will run the ball. He looks fine in the marshmallow world of practicing in a helmet and shorts, but he must prove himself in the mash of training camp contact and preseason games.

Yet, there hasn’t been a peep about anyone but Richardson being the No. 1 running back. Unlike at quarterback, this rookie is the unquestioned starter.

2, Free safety Eric Hagg is on the verge of becoming the second seventh-round Browns draft pick of the expansion era to open a year as a starter. Guard Paul Zukauskas was the first.

Hagg is smart and athletic, but his instincts, a bit suspect when he was at Nebraska, could be a trouble spot. On one practice play Tuesday, he was late sliding to a receiver who had found a gaping hole in the defense. Seneca Wallace easily lofted the ball over Hagg’s head for what might have been a long catch and run in a game.

3, Coaches are itching to get rookie Round 4 pick Travis Benjamin’s speed on the field.

Based on the large volume of work Benjamin has been getting, it appears the staff would love to make hay with sets that include Benjamin and Mohamed Massaquoi as the outside receivers, with Greg Little in the slot.

Benjamin has dropped more than a few balls, after which he routinely screams, “Aaaaaahhhhhhhh!” But the scouts think he has good enough hands to grow into a job.

“I know I can mostly run past anybody,” Benjamin says, “so I just work on the little things.”

4, There are a few weeds in the rookie quarterback’s game.

One time, Brandon Weeden overshot his former Oklahoma State teammate Josh Cooper by a mile on a corner route. On Tuesday, one pass over the middle was batted at the line and picked off by defensive tackle Scott Paxson. Other times, Weeden guns the football toward windows that won’t be nearly as wide as the ones he saw in his Cowboy days. The Browns cover men bat them away, sometimes coming close to interceptions.

It has been clear since the first day Weeden and Colt McCoy were on the field together that Weeden throws a harder, more accurate ball. It is not yet clear he can translate the skill to the early part of his rookie year.

5, Time has softened the blow for McCoy.

Drafting Weeden landed like a heavyweight champ’s roundhouse on McCoy’s chops. McCoy seemed stunned and uptight for a while, and the mood seeped into his performance in early practices.

Lately, McCoy seems to have come to his senses. He is trying to have fun and is throwing he ball better. He doesn’t come right out and say it, but the McCoy mindreaders hear him thinking that he can handle the job better than any rookie.

Weeden has shown plenty of promise, but he has struggled just enough — and McCoy has come around just enough — to leave a sliver of doubt as to whether Weeden will be announced as the starter by mid-August.

6, Rookie Round 2 pick Mitchell Schwartz has an iron grip on the right tackle job.

For a while, 2011 opening-day starter Oniel Cousins, a fifth-year pro, was getting work with the ones. Schwartz, however, has been on top of the physical, mental and emotional aspects of showing he can handle starting as a rookie.

It must be remembered that Cousins soon was replaced in 2011 by Artis Hicks, who was replaced by Tony Pashos. Schwartz has carried himself well in 2012.

7, The receiving corps is a reason to worry.

Watching drills makes one wonder whether Greg Little is fast enough to play outside or quick enough to play inside — and he had all those drops as a rookie. Mohamed Massaquoi has made some practice drops that make one wonder whether the chiefs’ projections of a breakout are wishful thinking.

Weeden seldom goes to Joshua Cribbs in team drills.

The rookie, Benjamin, looks skinny, and he was no great producer in college.

Weeden is experimenting plenty with tight end Ben Watson, but Watson has averaged only about 400 receiving yards in eight seasons, and he’s getting older. What Evan Moore and Jordan Cameron might do is raw theory.

You wonder whether this group is strong enough to help Weeden look good, and whether he is good enough to bring out what talents each man might have.

8, Scott Paxson is a fighter, but is he a player?

When defensive tackle Phil Taylor went down with a pectoral tear, the Browns lost a 2011 first-round pick.

Paxson has been the replacement starter through much of the spring. With him, the starting unit gets a player who was cut seven times by the Steelers and once by Green Bay and had played in a grand total of one NFL game prior to 2011.

Paxson is from Philadelphia and is a huge fan of the Rocky series. Like Rocky, a big part of his appeal is the underdog theme. His teammates and coaches like him a lot.

A big cheer went up Tuesday when he intercepted a Brandon Weeden pass that was batted at the line.

9, Wide receiver Josh Cooper is fun to watch in practice, but it’s practice.

A few years ago, some camp observers were convinced the Browns were on to something with a possession receiver named Kevin Kasper. They weren’t.

In 2009, there was talk that free agency pick-up Mike Furrey might do big things with his Columbus-area pal, Brady Quinn. It was Furrey’s last year in the league, and Quinn’s last with the Browns.

This year, Cooper is catching balls all over the place, and not just from his former college teammate, Weeden. He definitely knows how to get open — against guys wearing shorts.

On the other hand, Cooper has caught the eye as much as any receiver in camp; plus, that Weeden connection doesn’t hurt him one bit.

He and Weeden will be spending much of the summer break playing catch in Oklahoma.

10, Egos don’t seem to be a problem.

The offensive player roster doesn’t have much experience, but the teachers certainly do. Mike Holmgren, Brad Childress, Nolan Cromwell and Gil Haskell have been in the NFL forever.

All of them are substantially older than the head coach, Pat Shurmur. Yet, Shurmur is neither anyone’s puppet nor thin-skinned and sensitive about proving he knows more than the other guys.

One can’t be sure about what goes on behind closed doors, but these guys leave a sense that they work well together.

Childress and Cromwell, new to the Browns this year, could make a big difference.

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A few years ago, some camp observers were convinced the Browns were on to something with a possession receiver named Kevin Kasper. They weren’t.

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Holy crap! I forgot all about that guy.

Even with Weeden's struggles, he's going to be our starter. I think Shurmur will see enough promise that he feels it'll be worth the growing pains. JMHO

1. 0n richardson: There is something about the kid. I saw him going through the high ropes and he churned through them like they were nothing, the balance it takes to do that is special. I also like the all buisness approach shown by all of our young ones.

2. On Hagg: I thought the kid played with good instincts in college but his phsyical skills didn't look very impressive especially at the senior bowl. Saying he hasn't shown good instincts because he made a mental mistake in spring is stupid.

3. On Benjamin: Coaches were itching to get Travis Wilson on the field as well. Never happened and unless Benjamin gets a major overhaul, it wont happen for him either. Dropping passes when there is no contact doesn't bode well for when they actually plan on hitting him.

4. Weeden: The fact that weeden hasn't stepped on his own foot and broken something has impressed me. Main thing i wanted to see in spring was improved footwork. The timing and passing game can wait till camp.

5. On McCoy: Being around another QB that will let it rip and take chances is just what Colt needed. Hard to throw a football with a stick up ya butt. Relax football is supposed to be fun.

6. On Swartz:

7. On the Receivers: I am not worried but I am concerned. My big worry is Weeden going out of his way to put his boy Cooper on the team is really something that can be an issue.

8. On Paxson: The guy played hard, he play fast and he earned it. He and Rubin are part of the all hustle team. It is infectious.

9. On Cooper: He may stick but we wont know until we see how he does when actual hitting and press coverage is in play. Scat receivers can't be judged until the bullets start flying. Some won't run routes over the middle when the hitting starts and others simply can't get off press.

10. On coaching staff egos: Only the lions have a staff with close to this much experience. It takes a certain type of individual to surround himself with that much talent and experience and not feel constant pressure. I know some think positional coaches are overrated and I agree most are but if you get a few special coaches they are worth their weight.

Rhodes working with the dbs is terrific, he is as good as they come. Jauron has that rep with the guys up front and our LB coach supposedly is one of the best in all of football but i forget his name at the moment.

On Offense i do worry that there may be to many chefs in the kitchen but we will see. That is a lot of pressure on young players having that many critical eyes observing.

Our defense is gonna be pretty decent. Even w/out Phil Taylor, I think we are gonna get some good push to get to the QB. I think our secondary will perform okay as well. The big question mark to me is the run defense. Our DE's have to be strong at sealing the edge, and from what I've heard about Rucker he does that well. Sheard still has some proving to do against the run, but hey.. you can't be good at everything right?

Our offense.. I'm not even gonna try to guess how they will do. One thing I will say though, is I think Trent Richardson will do well, and the O-line will look 1000 times better because of his ability to wait for his opportunity and make a move. Of all positions, the FB spot is worrying me.. Marecic is garbage and plays w/ a lackluster attitude IMO. Hopefully Smelley will be a little better.

I never got "lackluster" in my mind when thinking about Marecic. I felt like he hesitated or wasn't picking things up. Also, just seemed somewhat slow. I felt like he always tried pretty hard, though.

According to an article I read recently, Hagg had the physical ability in school, but was mentally out of the game far too often.

I don't know which is the case. I really never paid attention to him in college.I will say this .... he better get to playing and processing faster, because if Seneca Wallace can toast him ...... some of the other QBs we play this year will put him in the burn ward.

Man, I am not sure if this was an objective piece or an overly negative piece. Maybe a combination of the two.

I think people are going to be super disappointed in our WRs this year. They just aren't very good. I think the Benjamin experiment will be short lived. I think MoMass will be out of the NFL in a couple of years. I have reservations about how good Little can be ... there isn't one trait that is elite other than he puts out maximum effort ... that does count for something. I really like him as a complimentary player. Our TE situation is a complete disaster at this point.

I have a good feeling about Shurmur. Love that note on him. That is the sign of a great leader. Please, please fans do not run these guys out of town. Please!

Richardson holds the keys to whether we are average or below average. He can make Weeden, the WRs, and the TEs all look better than they are. We need him to be a stud.

One aspect of Weeden that I think is being overlooked. It has to help our D to practice against a strong arm QB. They've probably gone into games the last couple of years and felt like they weren't prepared.

Love that McCoy has relaxed a bit. Could go a long way in him staying. Like him as the #2.

Drops aside, Browns returning receivers appear 'faster' in second year of West Coast offense

Jun 13, 2012 -- 2:00pm

By Tony Grossi

Extra Points …

A new faster offense?: When you ask the returning quarterbacks what’s different about the Browns’ offense, their answers point indirectly at the receivers.

No, there isn’t a new elite playmaker out there lighting up the OTAs. There really are only two new receivers of note – rookies Travis Benjamin and Josh Cooper.

But the quarterbacks see something encouraging in the returning receivers and it has a lot to do with having the benefit of a true offseason to learn the West Coast system.

“There are guys flying around a lot faster,” Seneca Wallace said. “The body language has changed on certain players because they’re a little more confident in what they have to do every time they step out. And that goes a long way.

“Obviously, these OTAS and minicamps help out. Last year we didn’t have the luxury of having this (offseason). It was kind of a speeded up process of the West Coast system. Some guys are grasping it now and getting a better understanding of what it’s about.”

Colt McCoy put it this way:

“The biggest difference right now is we’re playing faster and thinking less. That starts with me, but it also starts with receivers from the time the play’s called in the huddle to the time they run their route. I feel we’re getting our hats in the right place. Our play-action looks good. I think there are little things (that are better). Obviously we’ve got to put the pads on (in training camp) and perform.”

These comments support the company line that the Browns’ embattled receiving corps should improve simply through the osmosis of experiencing another year in the West Coast system. But my eyes are telling me the unit still has not conquered the dropsies. I’ve seen too many drops for practices against air (no contact).

Fourth-round follies: Fullback Owen Marecic and tight end Jordan Cameron were somewhat surprising picks in the fourth round for the Browns last year, and neither had what you would consider “stellar” rookie seasons in part-time roles.

Each has a different challenge ahead in his second season.

Marecic could lay out a linebacker on a lead block, but he was stiff and ineffective catching the ball and running with it. Rookie seventh-round pick Brad Smelley may lack Marecic’s power as a short-yardage blocker, but he certainly has flashed more versatility in the passing game.

It’s doubtful that Marecic, Smelley and No. 4 tight end Alex Smith all can make the final roster; it’s possible that only one will make it, depending on configurations at other positions.

Marecic told the Akron Beacon-Journal that he lost about 15 pounds in a body “restructuring” because he felt a bit “sloppy” at 255 last year.

“He looks fitter and trimmer,” observed coach Pat Shurmur.

As for Cameron, he was drafted to eventually replace Ben Watson, 31, who is entering the final year of the three-year contract he signed as a free agent in 2010. Cameron, a former basketball recruit at Brigham Young who transferred to Southern California and turned to football, is the fastest and most athletic of the tight ends. He had six catches in very limited action as a rookie.

“He’s one of the players in my mind, at his position, that’s made the biggest jump in my eyes,” Shurmur said. “I see a guy that, number one, didn’t play much football before he got here. He competed and really showed the world that he had some skill and ability. And now in this offseason he’s gotten his body stronger. He looks more explosive. I think he’s done a pretty good job out here running routes.”

Cameron has to show in the preseason that he can be a reliable target and hold onto the ball when he gets speared in the back by a safety from the blind side. Those things don’t happen on a basketball court.

http://blogs.clevelandbrowns.com/2012/06/15/final-thoughts-on-browns-offseason/

Final thoughts on Browns’ offseason
Posted by Vic Carucci on June 15, 2012 – 4:56 am

By Vic Carucci, Senior Editor
Here are some final thoughts on the Browns as they wrap up their final week of organized team activity workouts:

>Brandon Weeden is the real deal. He throws the ball with exceptional accuracy, impressive velocity, and tremendous consistency. He makes good decisions with his throws most of the time. And the fact the former professional baseball pitcher is a 28-year-old NFL rookie becomes less important when you see the way he carries himself, showing the maturity and command of someone who already has been exposed to the life of a professional athlete.

>Trent Richardson has the look of a dynamic superstar. He moves with speed and explosiveness. No, he hasn’t had a collision in the hole with D’Qwell Jackson or any other NFL defender yet. But it’s hard to imagine that Richardson won’t deliver the elite skills as a runner, receiver, and blocker that he showed while helping Alabama win a pair of national championships.

>The incumbent receivers appear to have used their offseason for much more than relaxing and/or wallowing over being the target of most of the criticism for the Browns’ 4-12 finish last season. The group that dropped too many passes and made too few big plays showed up in top physical condition and has generally performed with a much greater sense of purpose and urgency. The practice performances haven’t been perfect, but they’ve clearly been better than what we saw for most of the 2011 campaign.

>New offensive coordinator Brad Childress has taken a necessary load off of the shoulders of Pat Shurmur, who wore the additional hat of OC as a rookie coach last year. Childress brings a sense of depth that one would expect from a man with 33 years of football coaching experience. Shurmur looks clearly more comfortable knowing that he has someone who not only shares his vision of the offense, resulting from their time together as assistants in Philadelphia, but is capable of running offensive staff meetings when Shurmur is pulled away by other duties that inevitably require the head coach’s attention. Players also speak glowingly of what Childress brings to the table.

>New senior offensive assistant coach Nolan Cromwell also has taken a load off of Shurmur’s shoulders. Cromwell earned plenty of Shurmur’s trust when Cromwell was the St. Louis Rams’ receivers coach in 2010, Shurmur’s final season as their offensive coordinator before becoming the Browns’ coach. Shurmur wisely has Cromwell working with receivers coach Mike Wilson to guide the Browns’ pass-catchers. In every drill, Cromwell can be seen and heard challenging the receivers to give maximum effort while paying ultra-close attention to details.

>Before a good portion of the Browns’ football operation shut down until training camp, team president Mike Holmgren met with the media to let them to know that they will be seeing more of him in the coming months. It is all part of Holmgren’s efforts to “try to be more available” to reporters. He said he was motivated to change the original approach of remaining in the background as much as possible in order to allow Shurmur and general manager Tom Heckert to be in the forefront of the organization by hearing questions about his long-term commitment to the Browns. Holmgren stressed that he is fully committed to the team and that he and his wife, Kathy, are committed to Cleveland. Holmgren is the same guy now that he was when he became club president in 2010 – the same driven man that led the Green Bay Packers to a Super Bowl championship during a coaching career that should land him in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. It makes perfect sense for him to allow more people to see that guy as often as possible.

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Brandon Weeden is the real deal. He throws the ball with exceptional accuracy, impressive velocity, and tremendous consistency. He makes good decisions with his throws most of the time.

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Tell me about it when he's not wearing shorts and a RED jersey.

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Trent Richardson has the look of a dynamic superstar. He moves with speed and explosiveness. No, he hasn’t had a collision in the hole with D’Qwell Jackson or any other NFL defender yet.

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Good, because I don't want Jackson to land on IR with damaged shoulders.

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The incumbent receivers appear to have used their offseason for much more than relaxing and/or wallowing over being the target of most of the criticism for the Browns’ 4-12 finish last season. The group that dropped too many passes and made too few big plays showed up in top physical condition and has generally performed with a much greater sense of purpose and urgency. The practice performances haven’t been perfect, but they’ve clearly been better than what we saw for most of the 2011 campaign.

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That's not hard to believe, considering they've gained three critical things:

1) Experience (Little)
2) Recovery from injuries (Mass)
3) The demotion of McCoy (All receivers)

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New offensive coordinator Brad Childress has taken a necessary load off of the shoulders of Pat Shurmur

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Thank God because Shurmur needs to just focus on being the HC.

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Before a good portion of the Browns’ football operation shut down until training camp, team president Mike Holmgren met with the media to let them to know that they will be seeing more of him in the coming months.

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Which IMHO will be a very bad thing.

yeah, when we brought Carucci on board to write about the Browns, I was expecting a positive spin on things from him (as the Browns employ him).

but, it makes my teeth hurt with how sugar-coated he makes everything.

I agree. Pick starters and feed 'em all a lot of reps. Chilly will help sort stuff out as well. Great read!

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• A later McCoy 11-on-11 shift, with the team working on third-down plays (McCoy is with the ones here):
- He throws a quick sideline pass to Massaquoi. The pass is fine, but a coach sees a need to yell to
No. 11 ... “Finish, Mo!”

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7, The receiving corps is a reason to worry.

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Duh!

What is the thumbs down and the head banging for.

I read that turn of events as the coach yelled " finish Mo" because Mo is doing well and he hopes to get all he can out of him.

I read, if Mo, wants to finsih or not, ... It's practice, ... off season practice... it's not even TRAINING CAMP YET... and Mo is the best Wr ( arguably) on the team.

Just curious, are you head banging against the coach, or Mo?

I think there's an idea people better start getting used to.

MoMass isn't any good.

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Mo is the best Wr ( arguably) on the team.

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Richardson holds the keys to whether we are average or below average. He can make Weeden, the WRs, and the TEs all look better than they are. We need him to be a stud.

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When I looked at Richardsons write up, before the draft, it stood out he had, well they were noting his number of plays over so many yards, like in the 15 yard gain range, but the number of breakaway long distance runs were not as emphasized.
They also appeared to include a high number of plays in the return game to get his number of plays in the 15 yard range up.
It's not uncommon for a decent returner, ( like Northcutt) to get 15 on a return, it is nothing special.

Richardson might be the key, but I question his ability to be a threat to break a play for a big gain. A gain over 20 yards.

So I expect I will see alot of "wow" moves in the 5-15 yard gain range but very little of plays over 15 yards. Actually 5-15 yard range is being too generous, I expect alot of plays with lesser gains.

So, in order to keep the offense and the draft pick and in order to keep him looking good, I think there will be a tendency to give Richardson the ball a few more times than even the high number we would expect. ( So instead of almost all the time, it is going to be even closer to all the time.) Therefore I expect to see something along the lines of a game of 36 carries/pass targets, for 110-130 yards. I don't think it will "always" be a good thing.

If he's touching the ball 36 times and is only getting 130 TOTAL yards.

Then you don't give him the ball 36 times.

IMO if Richardson averaged 36 touches I'm pretty sure he'd be averaging around 200 yards of total offense a game...

And the only way he gets 36 touches is if we have leads...

And the only way we have leads is if Weeden is playing well...

See what I did there?

36touches * 16 games = 576 touches on the season

Even if he gets 350carries (which is a ton), then that's 226 receptions.

a tad on the high side, no?

I posted a thread on this, perhaps I should remove it and just post this vid here

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=7338531

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but I question his ability to be a threat to break a play for a big gain.

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That's a shocker! You seem to question anything the team does, and it does not matter who is coach or who's in the front office. You've been down on the Team since we've been back. It's hard to take you seriously about anything.

Just saying

There is also a sports science piece on Colt McCoy

http://www.youtube.com/v/DVnAFdRY_I4

John Brenkus, host of Sports Science, says "When people talk about a great quarterback, like Colt McCoy, they call him a gunslinger with an arm like a rifle"

He goes on to explain that hitting a WR is harder than skeet shooting and shows how well Colt does it.

oops i didnt see your post. I just put it up in the Richardson thread. That one hit where the DB comes up and tries to blowup Trent early on in the video, is one of the most comical plays that I have ever seen in my lifetime. Kid is just a freak.

And I must point out that it's an INCORRECT assessment of the player's ability.