DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Gilber CB Break Out Season?

Oh, you didn't lie. It's just that the rest was pretty much pure conjecture. We have no idea what he will play like until he plays. We are all hoping for the best. It's just that OTA's pretty much tell you zero about actual game play.

You just take things to personal tab.

What? Someone says Joe has endorsed Gilbert this year. No one challenged that. I said that Joe also endorsed Johnny. You did challenge that.

If you are calling me a liar, I refuse to do the search for you. You are an intelligent guy and quite capable of searching for yourself.

You were just being ........well.......you can say "jerk," but I can't..........so, I won't.

Joe obviously endorsed JM. They're good friends and teammates. That said, who cares what Joe has to say?

Also, saying Gilbert will play well this season is just taking a safe bet, but not a bad one.

LOL......that was my point when I responded to the poster who said that Joe endorsing Gilbert was evidence of Gilbert having a breakout year.

It's amazing how things get misconstrued around here.

It is. Considering it was more of a reply to whoever posted it than it was to you. I was defending you. My bad. I know why JC is needed and forgot to use it.

LOL.......I wasn't really saying that to you in particular. So...........it's my bad.

Few rookies know what it takes to make it in this league when they come out of college. We also know that QB and CB are the 2 most difficult positions for a rookie but it is also true the biggest jump players make is most often between their first and second year.

We brought in well respected vets to assume the positions but these rookies have it in their power to turn things around. Both have taken steps in the right direction to salvage their careers. Whether either makes it or not is left up to them now. McCown is doing all he can to teach Johnny about being an NFL QB and Haden is teaching Gilbert how to be a pro as well.

I know its just fluff right now but there is something behind these fluff pieces and hopefuly its growth maturity and eventually success of our rookies. I am about 50/50 between belief they will improve and worry that they will revert to their old ways of taking things for granted and wasting opportunities.

What you stated is true, Mourg, but I am somewhat more optimistic about their chance for success than you. Is there not an indoctrine class for rookies run by the League? I believe so but I don't have an understanding of what it entails....

I'd be shocked if they cut Williams.. Doesn't he have a pretty heavy guarantee on the contract?

I'm with you. I just don't envision that happening...

None of the things you mentioned equate to Gilbert having a break out year. For you to even suggest you know how conversations went between Pettine and his players?



You expect people to take things like this seriously?

I'm sure EVERY player on this team is "working out and getting in shape'. In the grand scheme of thing this means nothing, zero, zilch, nada.

Call it conjecture, puffing or what have you.

The truth of the matter is we will know very little of anything until the season starts and the bullets fly.

Which is exactly why I wonder how folks can say, without reservation, that the Browns will suck or will win it all and everything in between..

It's not that they say that, it's that they say it as if it's fact and then argue over it.

"I know manziel will be fine" "no he won't" "yes he will" "no he won't" "yes he will"

LOL Then they go on to discuss why he'll be good.. "his footwork has improved" "no it hasn't" "Yes it has" "no it hasn't" "yes it has"

So far, nobody has seen him at camp in order to determine if his footwork has or hasn't improved.. But they argue about it anyway

Cracks me up...

All we can judge things on is what we've seen. Can things change? Yes they can. But until we see some evidence of it, everything else is pure conjecture. Which is my point.

We can fluff it up, talk all positive about it and buy into every little hint that things "might be better", but until the real season starts, nobody knows.

Now with veteran players you have a large body of work. You can look at their tendencies and careers as a guideline. But with guys like Gilbert and JFF, we really don't have a clue.

Unless of course maybe you're a guy like Tab who knows almost word for word how conversations go between the HC and his players.

I highly doubt Tramon Williams gets cut.

Unless he's VASTLY out played by ALL of the DB's below him on the depth chart, I think he's a lock to make the final roster and contribute on defense this season.

Oh my. That should go over well.

Hey, I couldn't even make stuff like this up......





I wonder how that would explain things like this?

Browns tell Johnny Manziel to cool it, but partying QB says, 'I'm not going to change for anybody'

http://www.nj.com/giants/index.ssf/2014/...or_anybody.html

I like Tab and all, but sometimes I just can't resist some of the things he throws out. I know he gets upset about it, but sometimes he just sets himself up for it.

Pit shoulda left the red muleta in the closet. (Before anyone goes running to google that, it is the small cape used in bullfighting)...

LOL........it's all funny stuff.

tab, I love you brother, but don't get mad at Pit for those comments. He is just playing. It's okay to laugh about things like that.

You have a link for that?

Ole...

To be fair, that was last June of 2014.. Things really do appear to have changed in this regard. At least by all outward appearances.

What possible idea do you have to the conversation between Pettine and Manziel? "Almost word for word"? It's an extremely poor assertion tab.

You, I nor anyone else on this board has a clue how any conversations have gone between those two. It was just a silly premise. Nothing more, nothing less.

all he has to do is stay healthy. 2 concussion in his only year playing and that last one looked nasty. when did he get clear to practice?

Browns Justin Gilbert on struggling like Johnny Manziel: 'Our situations are not 100% the same but similar'

EREA, Ohio -- Browns 2014 top pick Justin Gilbert admitted to having a personal issue last year that resulted in what his teammates described as a wasted year. He declined to share what it was, but acknowledged that he can relate to what Johnny Manziel has gone through.

"We haven't really talked about (our struggles and hopes),'' said Gilbert, who spoke for the first time since before the season finale last year. "But I'm pretty sure our situations are not 100 percent the same but similar."

Gilbert at first denied having a personal issue, but when asked if he had one but just doesn't want to share it, he said, "You could say that, yeah."

Coach Mike Pettine first revealed at the NFL combine in February that Gilbert was dealing with something deeper than a lack of maturity last season when he managed just two starts and played sparingly.

"I don't want to get into it,'' Pettine said at the time. "It's very personal and I'm not going to get into details about it."

Manziel spent 10 weeks at the Caron addiction treatment center outside Philadelphia and was discharged April 11. When Gilbert describes his situation as similar to Manziel's, he was believed to be referring to their rookie foibles and not anything related to a problem with substances.

"I'm not worried about (last year's) mistakes right now,'' said Gilbert. "I'm just looking forward from here.''

Gilbert acknowledged that being suspended for the season finale in Baltimore after being late for a team meeting the night before was a turning point for him. In a fitting end to the seasons they had, both Gilbert and Manziel, the No. 22 overall pick, were banned from that game for breaking team rules. Manziel, on injured reserve at the time, overslept the day before for treatment on his pulled hamstring.

The suspensions came just days after both players vowed to turn things around and have stellar sophomore years.

"I would like to say so, yes (it's pivotal),'' said Gilbert. "I wish it didn't happen that way, but I think it really helped me as well.''

Like Manziel, Gilbert always seemed to take one step forward and two steps back last season.

"There were times I realized it but mistakes just kept on happening,'' he said. "So once the season ended, I just wanted to come back looking straight forward, not looking back."

The day after the season finale, Gilbert received lectures from all over the building.

"Just talking to the coaches, some of the players, some of my teammates, Ray Farmer after the season was over with, talking about how I have to grow up, have some maturing to do, I kind of took that to heart,'' he said. "I didn't disagree with them on anything that they said. We talked for quite awhile.''

Going back home to Texas after the season was also a sobering experience for Gilbert. Instead of strutting in as the superstar NFL cornerback, he went home having to explain starting only two games and being called out by his teammates on a consistent basis.

"Seeing how everyone in my small town looked up to me and how much my family supported me and not wanting to let them down (made a difference),'' Gilbert said.

In addition to the support of family and friends, teammates such as cornerback Joe Haden took Gilbert under their wing and mentored him through the offseason. Gilbert flew to Miami to work out with Haden, and added 10 pounds of muscle to his chiseled frame.

"(Haden) just (showed) me that this is really a sport that you have to be committed to year-round,'' he said. "You can't really take too long off from this game, or your body will be behind in a lot of things. Just to continue to grind, weekly, daily, whatever the case may be.''

Gilbert acknowledged that 2014 was a learning experience for him. He started two of the first six games and then rode the bench most of the season, finishing with 29 tackles and one pick-six off of Andrew Luck.

"I think last year pretty much humbled me a lot, and I learned from my mistakes,'' he said. "I'm just looking forward from here on out, and coming to work every day with the same attitude, love being around my teammates and communicating with them more than last year, so it's been pretty good so far.''

Gilbert admitted it "added a little fuel to the fire'' that his teammates often went public with their criticism of him, "(but) we fixed everything, and everybody's on the same page now, so there's no hard feelings toward anyone.''

Teammates and coaches have praised the Oklahoma State product all offseason, and secondary coach Jeff Hafley went so far Thursday as to say that he sees Gilbert starting this season. Currently, Haden and Tramon Williams, the nine-year veteran signed as a free agent from Green Bay, are the starters.

"I hope (he starts),'' Hafley said of Gilbert. "I do believe he can start this year and play and help us win games. The thing that we'll do, and Jimmy's (O'Neil) done an awesome job of, we're going to have so many packages and guys are going to have so many roles, we'll get guys on the field that deserve to be. And if he's working and if he deserves it and he's consistent, we're going to get him on the field.''

Hafley said that if Gilbert comes out and does his best every day, "then I think he's got a great chance.''

Safety Jordan Poyer, who's been starting in place of Tashaun Gipson while the Pro Bowl safety continues to work out at home, has noticed the big change in Gilbert.

"He's got a lot more confidence, he's more focused in the meeting rooms,'' said Poyer. "He's a freak athlete and he's just going out there and playing and competing every day.''

So why should the Browns trust Gilbert after all the broken promises last season?

"I can't really say a reason, but just by my actions, that's the best I can do, prove it every day,'' he said.

Is the turnaround legit?

Most definitely yes.

Now that he's gotten his head on straight, Gilbert is confident he'll live up to No. 8 overall status -- and his four-year, $12.833 million guaranteed contract.

"I most definitely will be,'' he said. "One hundred percent."

He's also determined to crack the starting lineup again, exactly what one would expect from a top 10 pick.

"I always told myself that I'm going to put a picture of one of my best friends from last year, Buster Skrine, up on my locker because I came in and everyone was expecting me to take his spot, and he didn't say a word about it, nothing to me, nothing to the coaches, he just went out every day and he proved himself on the practice field and that's the same thing I intend on doing,'' he said.

Skrine parlayed his quiet confidence into 16 starts and a four-year, $25 million free agent contract with the Jets. Gilbert already has the money and the pedigree.

Now all the Browns need from him are the starts.

http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ss..._medium=twitter

That is indeed worrisome...

Our secondary is getting crowded. That's a good thing...

"I always told myself that I'm going to put a picture of one of my best friends from last year, Buster Skrine, up on my locker because I came in and everyone was expecting me to take his spot, and he didn't say a word about it, nothing to me, nothing to the coaches, he just went out every day and he proved himself on the practice field and that's the same thing I intend on doing,'' he said.

Browns DB Justin Gilbert ‘humbled,’ ready to redeem with consistent play

Andrew Gribble
Senior Staff Writer

Former 1st-round pick draws praise from teammates, coaches

By the time training camp rolls around, Justin Gilbert plans to have a picture of Buster Skrine hanging in his locker.

Skrine, who signed a lucrative deal with the New York Jets during the offseason, was one of Gilbert’s best friends from last year’s team. The photo, though, has little to nothing to do with their close relationship.

It has everything to do with what Skrine accomplished in his final season with the Browns, when he beat out Gilbert, the No. 8 overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, for a starting job and held onto it from start to finish.

“I came in and everyone was expecting me to take his spot and he didn't say a word about it,” Gilbert said after Thursday’s OTA. “He just went out every day and proved himself on the practice field. That's the same thing I intend on doing.”

Gilbert, on a day in which he knocked down a number of passes as a first-team cornerback, was reflective and confident in his first interview of 2015. He said he was “humbled” by a disappointing rookie season and vowed to prove he was capable of rebounding with his actions.

“I learned from my mistakes and am just looking forward from here on out and coming to work every day with the same attitude and love being around my teammates,” Gilbert said. “I’m communicating more than last year. It's been pretty good so far.”

Gilbert’s expectations for himself remain high, and he said he would “100 percent” prove he was worth such a high draft pick. Secondary coach Jeff Hafley is similarly confident.

Even if the Browns trot out two-time Pro Bowl defensive back Joe Haden at one cornerback spot and veteran Tramon Williams, who was signed in March after a long run with the Green Bay Packers, there’s still an important role available for Gilbert in this stacked Cleveland secondary.

“I see a level of focus. I see a more consistent attitude and a more consistent approach to the game,” Hafley said. “Maybe he's learned from watching the guys we have in the room.

“I do believe he can start this year and play and help us win games.”

Gilbert did more than just watch the Browns’ veterans. He joined Haden in Miami for a workout session that went viral and served as one of the more uplifting moments of the offseason.

Gilbert, one of the most athletic players on the entire Cleveland roster, added 10 pounds of muscle, but there was a much more important takeaway from his time in South Beach.

“It showed me this is really a sport that you have to be committed to year-round,” Gilbert said. “You can't really take too long off from this game or you will be behind in a lot of things. Just continue to grind weekly, monthly, whatever the case may be.”

Gilbert said he has also had “heart-to-heart” talks with Hafley, assistant secondary coach Aaron Glenn, defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil and general manager Ray Farmer. Browns coach Mike Pettine has praised Gilbert for the noticeable changes he’s made while continuing to stress the consistency that will be required for Gilbert to earn a significant role in a Browns secondary that is confident it can be one of the NFL’s best in 2015.

Hafley said “it’s become apparent” that football is “very important” to Gilbert.

“You see him frustrated when balls are caught on him. You see him buying into the coaching, and it’s been fun to see,” Hafley said. “Energetic, he’s been all in, and that’s important to us.”

Link

It would be HUGE if he can actually become worthy of his high pick!

Supposedly Gilbert put on ten pounds of muscle this off-season. I don't know if that is good or bad. Just interesting at this point.

I'm thinking the same. Gilbert plays up to his projected potential. Defense instantly becomes very scary good! When Gilbert was drafted, my very first thought was Handford and Minifield.

Help us Obi-Wan you're only hope!!!

Pet's D coupled with him getting his head right could result in just that.

What are these rules that you speak of?

Monday was not a good day for Browns CB Justin Gilbert

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/201...lbert/#comments

Posted by Zac Jackson on August 17, 2015, 3:09 PM EDT

AP

The Browns took to the practice field in Rochester with the Bills Monday missing half of their starting secondary; backup cornerbacks Pierre Desir and Robert Nelson were out, too.

So, 2014 first-round pick Justin Gilbert knew he was going to be busy. And Gilbert was apparently kept very busy by the Bills quarterbacks and wide receivers.

“Never seen such a rough day,” Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal tweeted.

The Browns expected to have a strong secondary — and still do — but are playing shorthanded right now; top corner Joe Haden and free safety Tashaun Gipson were out Monday. Early in camp, Desir played in front of Gilbert with the starting defense when Haden was given a veteran day off from practice.

These are important reps for Gilbert, whose rookie season included on-field struggles, multiple benchings for tardiness or maturity issues and Browns coach Mike Pettine and general manager Ray Farmer eventually saying Gilbert was dealing with “personal issues” in addition to trying to play catch up in his first NFL season.

Gilbert started last week’s preseason opener and was beaten badly by Redskins wide receiver Pierre Garcon on a deep ball that Garcon dropped. After the game Gilbert told reporters his technique was “flawless” during the game except for that play.

The Browns need Gilbert, the No. 8 pick in the 2014 draft, but had to sign veteran cornerback Tramon Williams in March because they can’t trust that he’s ready to produce.

“If he’s in a slump,” Pettine told reporters after Monday’s practice, “he has to play his way out of it.”

The Gilbert-related tweets out of Rochester were, um, something; CBS Sports collected a bunch of them. When a beat writer is keeping stats on how many times a certain cornerback is giving up plays in practice, that cornerback is probably not having a very good day.

“He’s good in the meeting room,” Pettine said of Gilbert. “He understands his mistakes. He wants to learn. He wants to get better.”

That Pettine made Gilbert and fellow 2014 first-rounder Johnny Manziel watch the 2014 season finale from the locker room summed up how the season went for both. Manziel appears rededicated to football, and though it’s far from certain he’ll ever be an NFL quarterback, he’s showing improvement.

Gilbert, however, has been a little short of flawless — and apparently has a long way to go.



(end)

While watching the game the other night, I seriously started wondering if he could be cut.