DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Camp Stuff Continued.......

Okay........I don' t think it is pointless. Actually, I think your criticism of my post was pointless.........LOL

Not really, but let me clue you in on something. I will post what I want.You don't like it.......too freaking bad.

I don't get to camp many times, if at all, during the year, but today I made the trek and enjoyed it. A few notes:


- The QB controversy continues to be what we all know it is. Each has their strengths, but Hoyer's legs are noticeably less lively. That's the one thing I took from the whole day. WR's were dropping passes from every QB, which was frustrating. Our WR corp (without Gordon) is quite pedestrian.

- Most impressive/surprising athlete? Marquis Gray. Wow, that dude is a best.

- Billy Winn seemed to talk to EVERYONE and joke with everyone. He's a social butterfly.

- Mingo seemed pretty energetic. He and Kruger had solid days today from my perspective.

- Sheard didn't seem to get as many reps FWIW.

- Andrew Hawkins is freaking quick. He juked the crap out of Skrine during one drill.

- The OL worked extensively on gaining angles and getting to the next level. Bitonio and Schwartz excel here.

- Mack and Johnny spent a good portion of practice talking and reflecting. I liked seeing this.

- Gilbert is a freak athlete. He and Haden will make a deadly duo at CB.

- Trufant is TINY. I mean really tiny.

- Tate appeared to have the quickest cut up the field during running in the 11 on 11. He's very downhill.

- Jordan Cameron is an elusive athlete, and he has great hands. I like what I saw from him.

- At the end of practice I was able to get Johnny AND Haden's autograph on a helmet ... quite the lucky day

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- Sheard didn't seem to get as many reps FWIW.

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yea. he didn't play that well against the Lions. notice how many people were asking if he even played and he was In more than either kruger or mingo.

Thanks for the report. I don't always believe a lot of these reports, but your seems pretty legit.

Or because they were expecting him to be lined up where he was for the majority of last year, on the right side. But they replaced him back over on the left side where Kruger plays, which is where he was playing the weakest last year until they moved him over and then he started to get on fire.

From your link...


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Pos 	Player 	            Plays 	% 	Stats
OLB 	Jamaal Westerman 	37 	54% 	1 tackle (1 combined). 1 quarterback hit.
OLB 	Justin Staples 	        31 	45% 	2 tackles (2 combined). 1 pass defended, 1 fumble recovery.
OLB 	Jabaal Sheard 	        21 	30% 	No stats registered.
OLB 	Keith Pough 	        16 	23% 	1 assist (1 combined).
OLB 	Paul Kruger 	        16 	23% 	1 tackle (1 combined).
OLB 	Barkevious Mingo 	15 	22% 	1 tackle, 1 assist (2 combined). 1 sack, 1 quarterback hit, 1 tackle for loss.

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I just hope it's not one of those square pegs in a round whole we are so famous for . . And Mingo still can't play the run ~

JC

Sheard was one of the players getting pinched inside and allowing the Lions RB's room to run o the corner, or as Wilcotts said on 12 occasions not setting the edge.

On one occasion, he took the ball fake and crashed down the line, I saw that one time for sure... I am pretty sure he was not the only culprit and in some cases I have no idea if it was a scheme or a player error.

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And Mingo still can't play the run

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just wondering? what did you see in the lions game that makes you think that?

j/c:

Is it just me or has Isaiah Crowell completely fallen off the radar in training camp and the preseason? I mean, I understand he is an UDFA but I haven't heard a peep about him since before TC started. Also, I've been to a handful of training camp practices and have barely seen him.

j/c



is it just me or does jimmy looks pissed talking to Gordon?

I never saw him get live reps yesterday, so I couldn't compare his talent to other backs with my eyes. But I've read that his talent is on-par with the best RBs from this past year's draft as well.

Eh, could just be catching his face at the wrong moment, like thinking someone is sleeping when they're blinking or had their eyes closed for a moment.

Are you Brian31?

haha you got me Rishuz

Could be Haslams listening face.
Or it could be his - Why am I paying you money to not have pads on face...lol

Looks like he is using the facilities to work out!

jmho

I mentioned that his commitment was one of his biggest knocks. I wonder if they aren't playing him because they are hoping to stash him on the Practice Squad.

Looks like Haslam has a huge dip in to me.

I recognize that look. Its my father when I'd tell him I broke a another garage window shooting baskets in the driveway. (We used to play "buzzer-beater half-court shots" and often came up a bit short.)

I think he is looking into his eyes to see if he is stoned.

Wednesday's practice report

Kevin Jones Staff Writer

Receiver Travis Benjamin was wide open all day

Travis Benjamin had the best day a wide receiver has had in practice in a quite a while, at least to the naked eye. The third-year pro from Miami hauled in a 40-yarder from Johnny Manziel and several other routes across the middle of the field from Hoyer.
Benjamin tore his ACL last year right before Halloween on a complete non-contact injury. Nine months later, he’s made a near full recovery. He even suggested he feels faster with a surgically repaired knee. But Benjamin needs to prove he can be a reliable force in the passing attack.
“I think he’s progressing well, and it took some time,” said Pettine of Benjamin. “I think it helped him when we gave him some days off here and there, and we’ll continue with that until we feel that he’s back up to 100 percent. I think that’s critical. It’s hard to have a roster spot just for a guy and all he does is return. He has to be able to function on one side of the ball.”
One of Benjamin’s best friends on the team, Charles Johnson, is trying to mix his name in the fold too. The pair of receivers put in dozens of hours of work with Brian Hoyer in the spring, working together in the weight room as well as throwing the football. After a long day of lifting weights one day, Johnson and Benjamin decided to flip-flop jersey numbers. The two were inseparable during their respective rehabs.
Johnson was the last player off the practice field Wednesday after working for an extra half an hour on the jugs machine. Johnson feels the pressure of the wide receiver competition, in a good way.
“I’ve been out here trying to catch up to other guys because I’ve been out for a long time, trying to rehab and get back to where I need to be,” said Johnson. “I need to catch up. I’m not at where I want to be at. I’ve got to put in that extra work.”

Barkevious Mingo’s candid remarks

There is such thing as a rookie wall. The 24/7 grind of professional football hits some young players harder than others. Mingo admitted to being at that point last year where the season was bogging him down.
“Looking back on it, it’s a terrible thing,” said Mingo. “It’s just a grind. You really don’t want to wake up. ‘We have to go practice, we have to do this, we have to do that.’ At the end of the day you realize why you started playing this game: it’s fun. Moving past that, it’s a childhood game.”
As a rookie, Mingo said he walked into every play thinking he was supposed to be the one making a sack, a tackle for a loss or an interception. He relied heavily on his athleticism and less on studying and anticipation. As the season wore on, the LSU product figured out to just focus on his role and the chips will fall into place.
“Realizing that is what calmed me down,” said Mingo. “It made me speed up my thinking and play faster on the field.”
Mingo also told reporters about his bond with Armonty Bryant – our pick as the standout defensive player last week in Detroit. When the two were drafted last season, they bonded as roommates in the team hotel and have carried their friendship off the field. They often go out to eat or catch a movie. Now they are lining up to each other quite a bit together as pass rushers.

Nuggets and news

As the last portions of the offense continue to be installed during training camp, there was a big thing that stood out to us on Wednesday. It was only a 7-on-7 drill, but tight end Jordan Cameron lined up all the way as an outside wide receiver. The mammoth target beat Buster Skrine on a quick slant, hauled in the Hoyer pass and used his frame to box out the smaller cornerback. Cameron easily scored a touchdown
It’s worth pondering if/when the Browns will consider broadening Cameron’s role as a receiver. He may be a little smaller than Jimmy Graham, but he’s every bit as athletic. Cameron isn’t going to burn defensive backs 35-yards down the field. But on a third-and-seven, why not stick him at receiver? For shorter routes, his size makes it much harder for cornerbacks to affect the pass as opposed to bulky linebackers. Cameron can be more than a receiver in goal line situations and nobody on offense has been as reliable as him in training camp.
So how much will the starters play this Monday night against the Redskins?
“It will be in the neighborhood of a half,” said Mike Pettine. “The hard part for us is we have a quick turnaround to St. Louis, so we have to give some consideration to – I don’t know if we can go with the traditional model of half and then the three quarters with it being such a quick turnaround. That’ll be brought up, as well.”
The Browns will have to trim their roster down from 89 players to 75 shortly after leaving Washington.


Link

Who won Wednesday at Browns training camp: The battle at cornerback

By Dan Labbe, Northeast Ohio Media Group

BEREA, Ohio -- One of the biggest disappointments of the last week at camp and Saturday in Detroit was the groin injury to Justin Gilbert. Gilbert first missed practice last Thursday and didn't play Saturday night. He was back in pads on Tuesday but didn't get back to team drills until Wednesday. That means fans have missed out on seeing one of the Browns' most impressive rookies.

The cornerback battle has essentially boiled down to two players -- Gilbert and Buster Skrine. It always has been mostly about those two, but the small chance rookie Pierre Desir may have had to work his way into the mix are essentially gone at this point. Here's how the battle played out Wednesday and a look at who has the edge now.

Notable plays

11-on-11

Skrine had good coverage on wide receiver Taylor Gabriel off the line.
Receiver Andrew Hawkins made a catch in front of Desir for 13 yards in the second set of 11-on-11 reps.
Skrine was beaten by receiver Miles Austin. Brian Hoyer overthrew for an incompletion. Austin later got inside on Skrine playing off the line and made a catch.

7-on-7

Gilbert let tight end Gary Barnidge get behind him in the back of the endzone but made it a difficult throw for Hoyer, who threw high and missed his target.
Skrine was picked off the line and allowed Austin to get open on the goalline. Austin dropped the pass from Hoyer. Skrine later nearly intercepted Hoyer in the back of the endzone on a ball intended for wide receiver Jonathan Krause.
Gilbert broke up a throw from Johnny Manziel.

11-on-11 hurry-up

Barnidge got in front of Desir for a catch.
Skrine had good coverage on receiver Anthony Armstrong. Hoyer looked Armstrong's way and then threw the ball away.

Red zone

Hawkins made a catch in front of Skrine playing soft coverage. Skrine knocked him out of bounds after a gain of 6.

The verdict: Skrine and Gilbert both received time with the first team Wednesday with Joe Haden taking a veteran day off. Both stuck to their M.O. Gilbert showed off his ability as a strong cover corner with a penchant for making plays on the football. Skrine is a guy who's going to get beat -- but he's going to get his hands on the football and force turnovers, too. The ball went Skrine's way a good amount today and the results were mixed. Gilbert had the momentum before his injury and his first day back after nearly a week did nothing to stem it.

Gilbert wins the day, but Skrine shows he'll be a key piece in the secondary this season.

Link

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Notable plays

11-on-11

Skrine had good coverage on wide receiver Taylor Gabriel off the line.
Receiver Andrew Hawkins made a catch in front of Desir for 13 yards in the second set of 11-on-11 reps.
Skrine was beaten by receiver Miles Austin. Brian Hoyer overthrew for an incompletion. Austin later got inside on Skrine playing off the line and made a catch.

7-on-7

Gilbert let tight end Gary Barnidge get behind him in the back of the endzone but made it a difficult throw for Hoyer, who threw high and missed his target.
Skrine was picked off the line and allowed Austin to get open on the goalline. Austin dropped the pass from Hoyer. Skrine later nearly intercepted Hoyer in the back of the endzone on a ball intended for wide receiver Jonathan Krause.
Gilbert broke up a throw from Johnny Manziel.

11-on-11 hurry-up

Barnidge got in front of Desir for a catch.
Skrine had good coverage on receiver Anthony Armstrong. Hoyer looked Armstrong's way and then threw the ball away.

Red zone

Hawkins made a catch in front of Skrine playing soft coverage. Skrine knocked him out of bounds after a gain of 6.

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So the only 2 notable plays that resulted in a catch were against Desir?

I like Desir a lot as a person. I hope he sticks, even if it's just practice squad this year. That being said, he's got a long way to go after that game in Detroit. Gotta think the coaches see some potential in him and are going to look at him long-term, not like someone like Gilbert who should contribute very soon.

Also, maybe this happens in every camp, but I can't stand reading about dropped passes. Seems we just get killed by that.

Then again, we had a couple games last year where other teams dropping passes kept us in it.

Desir has some cover skills but like DJ said on draft day, that boy couldnt tackle a big mac.

plus, I didn't like how he seemed to get turned around and totally confused. I knew his physicality wouldn't be up to par, but he looked really lost.

jc

Plus in the Gordon thread there's an article than mentions how close they are, that they often talk at practice and hug it out.

Encouraging! I am excited. Our new Baby Brennan type perhaps. Quick is good for digs and any routes Bess clubbed. Hope to see what you describe.