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That is literally my least favorite song of all time. Worse than finger nails on a chalk board to my ears.

Cleveland Browns notes: Isaiah Crowell looks to overcome deep hole and past mistakes to make Browns roster

Isaiah Crowell is buried so deep on the Browns depth chart at running back it takes a miner’s lamp to find him.
Crowell is listed sixth behind starter Ben Tate, rookie third-round draft pick Terrance West and Chris Ogbonnaya plus Edwin Baker and Dion Lewis.
The undrafted rookie, forced to finish his college football at Alabama State because he got kicked out of Georgia, is not running like a sixth-string back in practice. He has thick, powerful thighs, elusive moves and shoots through the line of scrimmage quicker than Trent Richardson ever did in a brief time with the Browns.
“I feel real comfortable with the pads on,” Crowell said after practice on Aug. 6. “That’s what I do. That’s when you really get to see what a running back can do. That’s what it’s all about – making contact and being physical.”
Crowell, 5-foot-11, 225 pounds, is expected to get into the game against the Lions on Aug. 9 at some point of the second half. He might also get second team carries with Johnny Manziel at quarterback despite his spot on the depth chart.
Crowell’s checkered past includes testing positive for marijuana while at Georgia and being arrested on felony weapons charges. The black marks on his record caused teams to not draft him.
“I really don’t feel I have to prove myself on the field too much because I believe everybody knows what I can do,” Crowell said. “I really have to prove to everybody I’m a good person off the field. I regret doing things that happened in my past, but I have to man up and move on. I’ll never go back to that. I see myself in a few years from now signing a big contract. That’s the only thing I see myself doing.”
Crowell scored 160 points and rushed for 1,963 yards in two seasons at Alabama State.

Great Lakes Classic
Lest we forget to mention it, the preseason game between the Browns and Lions has been known as the Great Lakes Classic since former team president Carmen Policy concocted the idea in 2002. The winning team is supposed to take home a miniature bronze barge to set on a table and get dusty.
The Browns are 7-5 in the GLC since 2002. They are on a two-game winning streak, which did nothing to help extend the careers of former coaches Pat Shurmur (2011-2012, 9-23 record) or Rob Chudzinski (2013, 4-12).

Cameron won’t play
Tight end Jordan Cameron has not practiced this week because of a shoulder injury. He will not play against the Lions but should return to practice next week, Coach Mike Pettine said.
…Safety Tashaun Gipson returned to full practice Aug. 6 and will play against the Lions. He suffered a knee injury in practice on Aug. 1.

Gordon will be busy
Wide receiver Josh Gordon is continuing to practice as he and the Browns wait to learn how long he will be suspended by the NFL for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. Gordon’s two-day hearing appealing a positive test for marijuana concluded Aug. 4.
“We’ll mix him in,” Pettine said. “I wouldn’t be surprised to see him out there some with the ones and some with the twos and maybe even into the second half. The individual coaches are coming up with their plan. We’ve got a couple guys nicked up today so that’s always being adjusted.”
Gordon led the NFL with 1,646 receiving yards last season. He is clearly the best receiver in Browns training camp.

No worries
Brian Hoyer got hit on his right knee during practice on Aug. 5. It happened so quickly no one on the sideline knew until Pettine mentioned it in his Aug. 6 news conference.
Hoyer’s right ACL was torn in a game against the Bills on Oct. 3 last year. He wears a brace on the knee and plans to wear it all season.
“It was more scary than anything else,” Hoyer said. “I kind of went down and waited for there to be some pain and there wasn’t any, so it was actually kind of good to have some confidence going into Saturday knowing I’ve actually taken a hit and the brace withstood the hit and the brace felt good. I was scared for about two seconds and realized there was no pain and got up and went on to the next play.”
Hoyer will start against the Lions in the preseason opener Aug. 9 against the Lions.

http://www.morningjournal.com/sports/201..._medium=twitter

Browns Camp Report: Day 10



BEREA, Ohio -- A daily review of the hot topics coming out of the Cleveland Browns training camp:

No official word yet, but it would seem likely that Johnny Manziel will start the second preseason game in Washington. Coach Mike Pettine said it was a possibility, but he added it “seems like a month away.” Much likely will depend on what happens Saturday in Detroit.
It was refreshing to hear Pettine say he would play his starters more than the usual limited time in preseason. For years the Browns have changed systems and players, given the starters little time together and then wondered why the offense struggled early. “You want to walk that fine line,” Pettine said. “You’re potentially putting guys at risk, but I think that’s the price that you pay. There’s no substitute for live game reps against somebody else. That’s the best tape to evaluate.
Brian Hoyer got his first scare on Tuesday when Paul Kruger fell on his surgically repaired knee. “It was more scary than anything else,” Hoyer said. “I went down and waited for some pain and there wasn’t any.” Hoyer reports no issue with his knee, and said he has several braces ready.
What better way to sum up Hoyer than with these words, from him: “Prepare to be prepared, regardless of the situation.”
Hoyer took the team to task for what he thought was a lackluster start to practice. “I think we kind of took a step back as a team,” he said. “I think we need to come out with a better sense of urgency because we have a long way to go. It’s the dog days of training camp; everybody has to deal with it. But we’re certainly not a team that can afford to take a step back.” He said as the quarterback, some of the responsibility for the poor start rests with him.
Tight end Jordan Cameron (shoulder) willl not play in Detroit. Free saftey Tashaun Gipson (knee) returned to practice and should play. ... Manziel got a big smile when someone asked him about Kyle Shanahan’s system having plays as long as 18 words. “I know we sit in the quarterback room and we kind of joke about the play calls being a little longer,” he said. “I don’t count the words,” Hoyer said. ... About rookie LB Chris Kirksey, Pettine said: “If you were an observer at practice and didn’t have a roster, you wouldn’t think he was a rookie.” ... Pettine continues to emphasize that both quarterbacks are playing to their skill set. That means Hoyer drops back and reads the coverage and makes the fast throw and Manziel runs around and tries to make plays by improvising. ... Pettine said of Manziel: “I think he’s been better than we expected from the pocket as well.”

Up next: The Browns have one final day of work before heading to Detroit, but Thursday’s practice is not open to the public.

http://espn.go.com/blog/cleveland-browns/post/_/id/7095/browns-camp-report-day-10

2014 Browns training camp snapshot: Day 10

Lineup updates: On Wednesday, rookie quarterback Johnny Manziel took the reps with the first-team offense for the second time. The first time was Monday. Brian Hoyer worked with the first unit Tuesday but was with the backups Wednesday. ... Jordan Poyer and Jim Leonhard rotated at free safety until projected starter Tashaun Gipson returned to team drills despite suffering a sprained left knee Friday. ... With seven-time Pro Bowl left tackle Joe Thomas taking a day off to rest, Paul McQuistan took his place on the first-team offensive line. ... John Greco and Garrett Gilkey continued to rotate at right guard with the first-team offense. ... In the first team drill, the starting defensive line featured Phil Taylor (right end), Ahtyba Rubin (nose tackle) and Desmond Bryant (left end).

Highs and lows: The defense won its competition against the offense at the end of practice and will retain the orange jerseys for another day. Rookie inside linebacker Chris Kirksey broke up a pass from Manziel to tight end Jim Dray in front of the end zone, sealing the defense’s 3-1 victory in an 11-on-11, red-zone period. The offense won just one series, when Manziel connected with Dray for a 7-yard touchdown. Hoyer’s group failed to score on two attempts. ... On the first play of 11-on-11 drills, Manziel completed a 30-yard pass over the middle to slot receiver Andrew Hawkins. ... Linebacker Keith Pough recovered a fumble after quarterback Tyler Thigpen lost the ball on a handoff. ... Cornerback Buster Skrine ripped the ball away from wide receiver Josh Gordon as he attempted to haul it in during a 7-on-7 period. ... Manziel led the offense on a touchdown drive during a two-minute, 7-on-7 drill. On third-and-10 at the 36-yard line, he connected with Hawkins on a deep out for 24 yards. Three plays later, he extended the ball over the goal line for a 1-yard touchdown. ... In the same session, cornerback Pierre Desir deflected a pass from Hoyer over the middle, allowing fellow rookie K’Waun Williams to intercept it.

Injuries: Dray (shoulder) and inside linebacker Tank Carder (foot) returned to practice. ... Offensive lineman Alex Parsons was carted off the field early in practice after an athletic trainer examined his right knee. ... Thomas (scheduled rest), wide receiver Travis Benjamin (scheduled rest as he comes back from a torn ACL suffered last season), tight end Jordan Cameron (shoulder), inside linebacker Darius Eubanks (shoulder) and offensive linemen Michael Bowie (shoulder), Reid Fragel (lower leg) and Randall Harris (knee) did not practice. Offensive lineman Nate McDonald (wrist) remains on the nonfootball injury list.

Thursday’s schedule: Practice from 9:30 a.m. to 12:10 p.m., but it’s closed to the public.

— Nate Ulrich

http://www.ohio.com/sports/browns/2014-browns-training-camp-snapshot-day-10-1.511194

Crowell was a guy I talked about prior to the draft [wonder if steve will dig those posts up] because I think he has more talent than any other back from that class. He is fast enough. He is really powerful. He makes good cuts and would fit great in Shanny's one-cut system. He was SEC freshman of the year at Georgia.

I don't like all the talk about the weapon's charges because they are leaving some things out. First of all, he was never convicted and it wasn't like he was trafficking them. He was just stupid enough to carry one that was not registered.

I hope we keep this guy. Once again...............and no one has touched it one way or another----but I am trying to converse............I really wish we would not have signed Tate and that we were going to roll w/the winners of West, Crowell, Lewis, and Baker.

Does anyone know if it is typical to keep 3 or 4 RBs. I would go to war w/those 4...right now.

Oh..........what about Jordan? The guy has always been fragile, but stayed healthy last year. What happens if he doesn't stay healthy all year this year? Man, if he misses time and Gordon is suspended........

It appears that way, but last year at this time, there were people arguing that we had at top 5 running attack.

I was watching espn at lunch today and not sure who they had their watching practice as i caught the end of the segment but the OL was embracing Manziel after his TD to Dray. this was the first time I saw the OL really enjoying the moment with him. That looked like the moment when he won those guys over and cant believe no one was talking about it.

Anyway Crowell has big time potential and I would keep him and Baker. As much as I like OB, you can not play guys that fumble big plays and he does. I know Tate will get the most carries as he knows the system knows the blocking scheme but I think by the end of the year West, Crowell and Baker will be better than Tate and I am not knocking Tate either.

Mourg, what is your take on Lewis? I admit I know very little other than what I read last year during TC. He sounded very good, but was that just hype or does he have real skills?

He is fast and basically a gimmicky 3rd down scat back but he has to small of a frame. Isnt a good blocker. I dont think he will ever stay healthy. luxury item player and the wrong position for that here cause I consider Benjamin the luxury item WR already and will probably have us keeping 6.

I dont think Lewis makes it past first cuts which is good for him.

Why do I sense anger in your reply? It's freaking discussion, man. Damn, you guys are so quick to jump to conclusions and it's like discussion is a bad thing. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!


I don't want to give him up. I said I wish we would have never signed him. Tate fumbles too much. He doesn't stay healthy. I see a ton of potential in the other guy and I would actually like to see us have a backfield by committee rather than just trot Tate out there.

I am NOT saying I am right. It's just a feeling I have. Heck, I don't even know if I am correct to feel that way...............it's just a feeling I have and those feelings have usually been somewhat sound in the past.

I guess my big thing is this................if we let a guy like Crowell go, and he latches on w/another team and achieves success, while Tate continues to fumble and get injured, it will be a big negative.

Do I know that will happen? Nope. And I apologize if that is the way I came across, but if you go back and look at what I wrote..............I never stated it as a fact. It's a feeling. Now, if you wanna join in w/the rest of the gang and attack me for expressing my opinion, feel free.

I wasn't angry at all.

And I didn't think you came across in any particular fashion.

I just don't understand your take. Tate is the best RB we've had on the roster in years. He may not be the best by the end of the year, but he's the best right now. I just don't understand all the negativity the guy is getting. Baker over Tate? That's insane.

I agree. I went to camp last year and Lewis looked like a midget out there. Gimmicky is a very good term to describe what he brings to the team.

I will be honest. If i had to chose Baker or Tate, I would take Baker. I love watching this kid run. I think he is a legit #1 back and my biggest criticism of Chud and Norv was not giving this kid the ball more.

I will be honest. Your opinion is one of the few on here that makes me think ...especially when it differs from mine, but in this case I just don't see it. I didn't see any special skill. I did see a guy run hard and try hard and try to make the most of his opportunity, but I didn't see anything I would term as skilled. If the coaches really like Oby, I don't see Baker sticking.

Okay, my mistake. I guess I am just a little gun shy.

I hear you........we just disagree...no big deal. In fact, most people, even experts would agree w/your take over mine. I am not saying you are wrong.

Just an instinctual feeling I have. I really like Crowell and Baker. I think Lewis would be a good option as a 3rd down back in the mold of Sproles. I am not really arguing, just stating an opinion. I do understand the logic of your position.

Sure, I like using the search feature and pushed for years to have the draft forums searchable... Posting from my phone so I'll have to do some editing...

https://www.dawgtalkers.net/showflat.php?...rue#Post1127562

https://www.dawgtalkers.net/showflat.php?...rue#Post1128044

We are done. Don't even try to talk to me again.

The only reason to keep Baker over Tate this year is because you want to see potential grow. Nothing is wrong with that, but that's the real reasons. I would add myself to that list as well.

I feel like Lewis will be the first RB to get cut. Dude just doesn't have it. Most of his stories are built on a hype machine where people equate shifty with speed. He's dangerously slow, but he will make a guy miss in the open field. He'll just happen to be tackled a yard or two later. I really cannot stress how is lack of speed is a liability on offense.

I also hope we carry 6 RBs/FB's because I really can't choose between Obi (I'm a legacy kinda guy), Baker and Crowell.

Tate and West will be our 1-2 punch. I think Oby sticks around because of his versatility. Guys like Baker, Crowell and Lewis will have to shine on special teams to make the final cuts in my opinion, one will make it. I see Crowell as a guy the Browns put on the practice squad. I think he is raw/unproven enough to clear waivers, especially considering his checkered past.

Crowell did break-off a nice 60yd run in practice the other day. The guy definitely has talent worth trying to keep around.

What I love about Baker is the way he attacks the hole everytime he touches the ball, especially when ther wasnt even a hole there. that game against pitt last year I think he had something like 65 or 70 yards but it was a fantastic performance. He was giving as much as he was getting and he earned my respect. about 4 yards a carry where most of the backs in the league wouldnt have gained half that.

j/c:

I like the last three posts after mine. We might not agree, but it was good football talk. Keep it coming.

OK. Just fulfilling your request. By the way, I agree with your opinion on the running backs.

I'll be honest, the only reason I'd want him to stay was that it was fun hearing "Edwin Baker, the touchdown maker" on the radio.

web page

Vers check out the run from Crowell on this video freak!!

I think we had no choice but to sign Tate. We needed to bring in a proven talent during the off season and he was the best of the bunch. There was no way we could go into the draft with just Baker, Obi ad Lewis imo. Maybe if Baker played for us for a bit longer, maybe, just not with such a small sample. We were able to pick up our target in the draft. Crowell was a bonus that we didn't know we could snag.

I'm reserving judgement on all these guys until I can see them play at least a couple of preseason games.

That's my boy!

LOL...............he kinda has a little of that Marshawn Lynch thing going on in interviews.

Yeah, you are right and perhaps my meaning has been misinterpreted.

I am not bad-mouthing the FO for signing Tate. Like you said, it was a good move. I am just looking at it in regards to what we have. I wasn't being critical of the FO.

Look guys.............I am completely neutral w/this FO. I don't wanna talk about FO wars. I just wanna judge each move individually. I want to speak to each position w/out all the BS. I am NOT criticizing the FO for signing Tate. <<sigh>>

You don't have too explain yourself to me, I know where you are coming from. If I'm not sure about your opinion on something I will ask for clarification.

Great news that Hoyer got bumped on that knee. and was OK afterwards. I think that any player with a knee is going to worry about it until it until he gets hit a few times. It wasn't supposed to happen, but it's a positive, because he wasn't hurt at all, and I think that is a real 1st step towards moving past the injury.

I hope that we keep 4 RB, because I do think that we have some talent at the position, and guys can also get banged up there. (and Tate's history is one of having some nicks and dings along the way)

If the 4th RB, possibly Crowell or Baker, is better than the last player on the roster ar a different position, then I think we;ll keep 4.

Quote:

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You know, I played during a time when being a RB was special. Now, RBs are devalued and it kinda saddens me. I see the attributes that a guy like Baker has, but unfortunately, because there are so many good back across the country, he won't get a fair chance. I really think he could be Ray Rice before Rice started losing his stuff.

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Here's the thing that I see though ......

We aren't going to devalue the run. If we are going to run a scheme similar to what Seattle and the Niners do, then we are going to run a lot.

Both Seattle and Frsico ran the ball 500+ times last year.

The Seahawks had Lynch and Wilson as their primary ball carriers, and then also Turbin. The Niners had Gore and Hunter, in addition to Kaepernick.

I would think that we will keep 4 RB, just because of the load we are going to put on the RB position, and the way Tate has been banged up in his career.

Quote:

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You know, I played during a time when being a RB was special. Now, RBs are devalued and it kinda saddens me. I see the attributes that a guy like Baker has, but unfortunately, because there are so many good back across the country, he won't get a fair chance. I really think he could be Ray Rice before Rice started losing his stuff.

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I think it's a disservice when they say the NFL has devalued the running back position.. I think every NFL team still sees great value in having at least two quality backs. The problem, as you state, is that there are a lot of good backs out there and having two good ones at a reasonable price is better than having a guy like AP and paying him a fortune. I also think they see the career expectancy of an NFL back being so much shorter than other positions that they aren't willing to pay them big bucks..