Cleveland Browns Training Camp Report: Day 12 by Chris Pokorny on Aug 8, 2012 12:42 AM EDT
in 2012 Training Camp Reports
Fans who attended Day 12 of Cleveland Browns training camp immediately took noticed of the fact that running back Trent Richardson was on the sidelines with a sleeve on his knee. As we reported earlier today, Richardson was held out because of a sore knee and might not play on Friday. As always, the show must go on -- after the jump is the full recap from Day 12 of training camp.
TRAINING CAMP REPORT - DAY 12 (8/7/12)
Carlton Mitchell Returns...But is it Too Late? Wide receiver Carlton Mitchell was already on the roster bubble heading into this year's training camp, and he missed the first 11 days of action due to a leg injury. He finally made his 2012 debut (in terms of sessions open to fans) Tuesday afternoon, and according to reports, he was pretty rusty. Daryl Ruiter of 92.3 The Fan says, "[Mitchell] struggled with routes and catching the football, which are two thing’s he’s had difficulty with since being drafted."
Mitchell's Chances: After practice ended, head coach Pat Shurmur was clear that Mitchell needs to rise to the occassion since he's missed so much time already:
"For him to catch up, he needs to stay healthy, stay on the field in practice and when he gets in the game, make some plays," Shurmur said. "That’s the reality. For guys that miss practice that haven’t proven they can play in this league, they need to practice."
Mitchell will have a chance to jump right back into the spotlight if he delivers in front of large audiences at Family Fun Night on Wednesday and against the Lions on Friday.
Weeden Continues to Deliver: My personal opinion on the Colt McCoy situation: he had the chance to compete, and while he did fine, he was only going to be named the starter if Brandon Weeden looked Tebow-like. Weeden continued to deliver the goods on Tuesday, firing a ball 50 yards in air to the end zone for wide receiver Greg Little, according to the Canton Repository. There were reports of several dropped passes on Tuesday, but they were the fault of the receivers -- second-round pick Josh Gordon dropped a pinpoint pass and was frustrated afterward, according to Ruiter.
Wade Continues to Stand Out: Even though James Dockery has not been "fading," you might be able to say that rookie CB Trevin Wade has been "accelerating" with his share of interceptions and knockdowns. QB Colt McCoy reportedly underthrew a crossing route intended for WR Rod Windsor, and Wade stepped in for the interception.
Tight End Competition Continues On: It's been really tough to gauge where the tight ends really fall on the depth chart because all of them haven't been healthy at the same time. TE Jordan Cameron had another strong practice, making athletic catches whenever he received the opportunity. TE Evan Moore saw some reps with the first-team offense, according to Jeff Schudel of the News-Herald. After practice, Moore talked about whether he was concerned about missing so much time.
Injury Report: The absent players included RB Trent Richardson (knee), FB Eddie Williams, TE Ben Watson (undisclosed), DE Frostee Rucker (leg), DT Phil Taylor (pectoral), DE Marcus Benard (undisclosed), and S Usama Young (hamstring).
Brownies: Practice was pushed back to 2:30 PM (instead of 2:00 PM) and also ended about 45 minutes early, according to reports. ... The Associated Press noted that Reggie Hodges attempted a fake field goal, but his pass to LT Joe Thomas fell incomplete after Ray Ventrone broke it up. ... Colt McCoy returned to playing with the No. 2 offense, and Shurmur even was generous enough to give him one rep with the first-team offense. ... QB Thaddeus Lewis connected on a long pass to WR Owen Spencer with CB James Dockery in coverage. ... The Browns' next practice is Wednesday night, starting at 7:00 PM, at Cleveland Browns Stadium.