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Crennel: Thomas has to earn a job
Saturday, May 5, 2007
By STEVE DOERSCHUK

BEREA The Foxy Lady has docked. The fish have been fried.

No. 3 overall draft pick Joe Thomas had to go to work Friday.

Midway through a rookie minicamp practice, Offensive Coordinator Rob Chudzinski put the new left tackle's transition in real terms.

The offensive line had just broken huddle and was lining up for a snap when Chudzinski barked at Thomas:

"Get your (butt) up there and sit down."

The ironic and salty yell alluded to Thomas' not having his knees bent enough.

The scene reflects the party line the Browns are trying to convey - that Thomas won't walk right into a starting job.

Of course, he was drafted where he was because the braintrust thinks he has the mind, body and soul to start. This makes it uneasy for incumbent left tackle Kevin Shaffer, who joined the team as a seven-year, $36 million free agent in 2006. Shaffer's agent told the New York Post he wished a draft-day trade with the Giants would have gotten done.

Head Coach Romeo Crennel said he looked up Shaffer in the weight room this week.

"I told him it wasn't my policy to give jobs away," Crennel said Friday's. "I told him it was his job, and it's his until somebody takes it from him. And if nobody can take it from him, he's gonna keep it."

Crennel sees Ryan Tucker as "a very good right tackle" and seems optimistic about Tucker returning from psychological issues that troubled him in 2006.

"I didn't talk to (Shaffer) about right tackle and whether he can play it or not," Crennel said. "Right now, he's the starting left tackle."

On Friday, with only rookies practicing, Thomas was the starting left tackle.

Just six days after being on national TV aboard a fishing boat, Thomas seemed comfortable in jersey No. 73.

"This is a lot more fun than being in the limelight," he said. "This is what I've been preparing for, not being a celebrity."

The 6-foot-65/8 Thomas weighed in at 310 pounds, a weight that line coach Steve Marshall told him he wants him to keep. There was no hitting, technically.

"It's a little frustrating," Thomas said, "especially when you're going against a lot of guys who are trying to make the team, so they're trying to show you up.

"But that's the way it's gonna be as a first-year, first-round pick in the NFL."

Marshall is tweaking the stance and hand positioning favored by Thomas' Wisconsin coach, Bob Palcic.

"One way is not right or wrong," Thomas said, "just different maybe than what you're used to."

Reach Repository sports writer Steve Doerschuk

at (330) 580-8347 or e-mail: steve.doerschuk@cantonrep.com

BROWNS REPORT

McKinney at right guard?

Free agency pick-up Seth McKinney is the early leader for the right guard opening.

"Seth has started in this league at right guard (Dolphins), and he's done pretty well," Browns Coach Romeo Crennel said.

Crennel said 2006 Round 4 pick Isaac Sowells, who was a tackle at Indiana, "has some possibilities" at right guard. Veteran Lennie Friedman also is in the mix.

Does Crennel prefer to let candidates with experience at guard vie for the right guard opening, rather than try a tackle such as Shaffer or Tucker there? "Starting off, that's the way you do it, but then as you see how it unfolds. You put the best combination out there," Crennel said.

Crennel: Quinn was OK

Crennel on Brady Quinn's first minicamp practice:

"He handled the information that was given to him ... pretty well. He made the formation calls, got the guys out of the huddle and ran the plays. It went pretty decent."

Browns notes

• Quinn seemed to have spent more time Friday with the No. 3 quarterback from 2006, Ken Dorsey, than he did with Charlie Frye. Another holdover QB, Derek Anderson, was not in the complex when Quinn was. "I talked to Ken for a while," Quinn said. "Ken's been great just talking about the terminology."

• Coming off a session that lasted about an hour, Quinn said, "I had too much fun out there. The practice was a little short for me." He said he hadn't thrown to receivers in such a setting since practice for Notre Dame's bowl game against LSU.

• Crennel said guard Joe Andruzzi expressed no hard feelings over being released this week. The two were together for three Super Bowls in New England. "He told me he was an undrafted guy who didn't think he'd be able to play, and here he's played 10 years," Crennel said.

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good read, i cna't get ehough Browns news.

Ken Dorsey is the kind of guy that knows all there is to know about playing the QB position. He studies more game film, and knows more about the game than 95% of QB's in the league. The problem is Dorsey doesn't have the physical skills. Quinn could learn alot from Dorsey.

Totally agree with you on that one. I want Dorsey as QB only in an emergency. But he is that veteran QB who understands the game. He also has knowledge about pressure and winning under it. He did play at Miami U and he lost very few games.

From everything i've heard about Dorsey, he is the clipboard master. Asks the right questions, sees the right things, etc. I wouldn't be surprised if he isn't QB coach in the league when he gets out. Nor would i be surprised if he ever became on O-Coordinator. Supposidley he is one of the best students of the game

I am glad to see some others beginning to see the value of Dorsey. A few months ago I would say pretty much the same things I am now and pretty much get laughed at and told he sucks.

I even suspect he could go in there with some preparation and do a pretty decent job....that isn't a call to see him play .

Once you put into context what he brings and understand he is the last qb to come in, he is a valuable player and teammate.

He is the type of guy who makes the team better even if he doesn't play. He makes the guys who do better. On both sides of the ball. As noted earlier, he is sharp enough to pick up the next opponents O will enough in a few days to run the scout team and make some of the calls our starting D is going to hear on Sunday during the game. That is big folks.

I hope we don't cut that guy anytime soon. Out of a 54 man roster, surely we can afford to keep a 3rd qb. Any teams 3rd qb isn't going to win many games on the field. It is a big positive when that guy can help you win off.

I had to finish reading your post to make sure you weren't talking about Nat.

Head Coach Romeo Crennel said he looked up Shaffer in the weight room this week.

"I told him it wasn't my policy to give jobs away," Crennel said Friday's. "I told him it was his job, and it's his until somebody takes it from him. And if nobody can take it from him, he's gonna keep it."

Translation: '' Kevin you are in a dogfight, unfortunately we just took a LT who isn't going to sit behind U..so give it everything U've got and I'll try and figure out when you will start battling Tucker at RT..

I didn't talk to (Shaffer) about right tackle and whether he can play it or not," Crennel said. "Right now, he's the starting left tackle."

I really don't need to talk about right now..I'll just wait till training camp to keep his ego from being too bruised ..


Seth has started in this league at right guard (Dolphins), and he's done pretty well," Browns Coach Romeo Crennel said.
Crennel said 2006 Round 4 pick Isaac Sowells, who was a tackle at Indiana, "has some possibilities" at right guard. Veteran Lennie Friedman also is in the mix.


Interesting..not having seen Sowells play I really don't know what he looks like out there..

j/c

Hopefully time will heal Shaffer's ego and he realizes playing on the right side for us isn't a bad way to go. He's still getting the paycheck he agreed to when he signed on.

This wouldn't be so bad:

This year Tucker - Shaffer - Fraley - Steinbach - Thomas

Next Year Shaffer - Bentley - Fraley - Steinbach - Thomas

Nothing will soothe Schaffer like playing on a winning team and being part of the offensive line that is the toast of the town. That'll make cashing those million dollar checks feel a whole lot better.

Everyone's calling him "necktie" and blaming the poor offensive production on him. He was lousy last year, I'll give you that. He was also apparently playing hurt and getting hammered because other teams could send more rushers. If he hadn't just rode some of those defenders like the rodeo he probably would have gotten a quarterback or two killed. He had a share in the mess last year but it was by no means all his fault.

Shaffer is the least of our problems right now. Seeing Shaffer, Bentley, Fraley, Steinbach, and Thomas line up would be fantastic. I'm betting they slide Tucker inside to RG and put Shaffer at RT before the end of camp. That would be a darn good line, too.

J.

but at the same time though, I don't think you can say that.. u said it yourself.. he's use to blocking for Michael Vick.. a left handed QB who loves to run... he comes here... and its totally different. He has to adjust to that type of play.. especially at Left Tackle... and especially in a division with guys who do nothing but blitz blitz and blitz a team like the Browns b/c of their problems at o-line.

if Shaffer moves to Right Tackle, i think he plays like a Pro Bowler. You have to give him a little credit. He played next to a mediocre guard, and still did okay.

PRO BOWLER?
What kinda Wheaties U been eatin?

yall have to give the guy some credit...

Why is his credit bad?

If he plays well I'll give him what he deserves..if not I call him out..
seems to me that most Browns fans dont root for guys unless they are 1st round picks, or pro bowl caliber guys that come from other teams (ie Bentley, Steinbach)...

Oh now U sound like Soup.. I root for any Brown that plays hard and plays WELL ...