DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum camp stuff 2015

j/c:

Terrence West, K'wan WIlliams, Terrelle Pryor not in pads, so far.

Thanks, Memphis! . With the number of players in camp, it is difficult to track them on a daily basis...

With the run of injuries to our RBs, I wonder if they're thinking of calling Ray Rice.

I wouldn't be shocked to see the Texans give him a try now ... what about Pierre Thomas? Is he injured?

NACIH. Chris Johnson, Ahmad Bradshaw more likely if they are going to add a vet.

Pierre Thomas was visiting the Texans today.

If the injuries were considered serious we probably would but right now, looks like all these injuries are of the couple days to a couple week variety. Just got them all at once. The one that worries me the most is Malcomb Johnson with the shoulder injury. Shoulder injuries on linebackers, running backs and fullbacks can be devastating. I think out of all the injuries that one is the most alarming, although Duke having more hammy issues when that was the reason he dropped in the draft doesnt look good either.

jc...

Two things concern me about camp at this time:

1. The injuries.
2. Does anyone get the impression that Pettine is running a soft camp?

MUCH softer than I can remember. Lots of guys (especially vets) getting time off. I realize lots of teams give older players days off, but it seems like we are doing it very early in the process.

Maybe Pet/Farmer made it a point to ease into it this year because of the number of how we seemed to hit a wall near week 12 last year. Maybe vets are taking advantage of the situation (I know I probably would lol)

I hope it is a softer camp.

There was a time camp was used to get the players in shape. They are in shape all year now. What's the point in players on the same team injuring each other?

Yeah, the reports on Manziel today have been really encouraging.

Rappaport said he can really fling it.

Injuries are always a concern.
As for "soft", there's no value in running it like a military Boot Camp. None.
As 'Peen pointed out, this isn't the old days when guys had other jobs and let themselves go the rest of the year. This is their full-time, year-round job, they don't need to be "whipped into shape". Instead, they need to learn jobs, routines, and become a TEAM.

I questioned how hard he could spin the ball, not following him in college or anything, and my answer came in the form of a freaking heated laser throw to Jim Dray that one game.

That was a torpedo. Want to see more long balls though. Strength likely there, but accuracy?

His full presser is on Cleveland Browns website, and it was worthless. Idk if it was Mary Kay asking the traditional stupid questions, or if he just lacks confidence - but I took zero positive vibes from Justin's presser nor the things he said/how he said em.

j/c:

Hopefully it is nothing too serious.

Barkevious Mingo misses Cleveland Browns practice with undisclosed injury

BEREA, Ohio --- Browns linebacker Barkevious Mingo was absent from the field Wednesday at training camp and is being evaluated for an unspecified ailment or injury.

Coach Mike Pettine said he'll know more Thursday about Mingo's condition. Mingo was inside the Browns facility during practice and will undergo testing of some kind.

Mingo, the Browns No. 6 overall pick in 2013, played all of last season with a torn labrum in his shoulder and underwent surgery after the season. The shoulder has seemed fine in camp.

In his rookie season, Mingo missed the first game of the season with a bruised lung.

Fellow linebacker Karlos Dansby said after Wednesday's practice that he had no idea anything was wrong with Mingo until he didn't appear on the field. He said he's hoping it's nothing serious and that he'll be back soon.

Mingo injured the shoulder in the opening weeks of the 2014 season and elected to play through the pain. He finished with 42 tackles, two sacks and a fumble recovery. The LSU product played hurt most of the season, saddled by a shoulder harness that made it difficult for him to use both arms. He also agreed to switch roles, spending more time dropping into coverage and tracking tight ends than rushing the passer.

http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2015/08/barkevious_mingo_misses_clevel.html#incart_2box

West will be our #1 stud back, Johnny is gonna be our franchise QB, Gilbert will be a ??? trade bait to a cover 2 team???

freakin mingo

Mingo is just flat out soon to be completely forgotten.

I really, really hope it's not serious. I'm actually rooting for Mingo, when nothing outside of coverage skills has been presented.



... and then I saw that post.

You are Twitter Pro'in it!

5 observations from Day 6 of Cleveland Browns training camp


1) Goal line period gets feisty – and the defense won

The Browns held their jersey competition near the beginning of practice on the 4-yard line. Initially, the offense was off to a blazing start when running back Isaiah Crowell plunged into the end zone and running back Shaun Draughn caught a flare pass for a touchdown from quarterback Josh McCown. The offense was up 4-2 with three plays remaining.

But then the defense cranked things up a notch. Players on the sidelines were yelling and the buzz was tangible. Three straight running plays in a row were snuffed out, led by John Hughes, Craig Robertson and Desmond Bryant.

“It’s huge because it puts us in game-time situations,” linebacker Karlos Dansby said. “By any means necessary, we need to try and win those plays.”

“The one thing I was pleased with was the mentality that Flip (offensive coordinator John DeFilippo) took in that period,” coach Mike Pettine said. “That we weren’t going to try to trick the defense that much, it was essentially ‘hey, here’s where the ball’s going.’ That’s the type of team that we want to build here that we can, late in games, we’re down on the goal line and say ‘Hey, here’s where we’re running’ and still punch it in.

“I was pleased that the first play of the drill was an off-tackle run and the last play of the game was an off-tackle run.”

2) Two defensive players get repetitions at fullback

You weren’t seeing things Wednesday when linebacker Scott Solomon and defensive lineman Dylan Wynn took turns as lead-blocking fullbacks during a goal-line session. Pettine said he’s in favor of having at least one player who can be a “crossover” guy to include in his game plan.

“You always like to have a crossover guy defensively, especially if the way that you are building your offense is more of a hybrid fullback than heavier guy that can get it done in goal line and short yardage,” Pettine said.

An interesting note: Wynn actually participated in fullback drills during his Pro Day at Oregon State to show his flexibility as an athlete.

3) Injury updates

Add wide receiver Dwayne Bowe (hamstring) to the list of players nursing minor injuries. Cleveland will be cautious, but Bowe is a durable player who has played in all 16 games four out of the last five seasons.

Others who missed practice: Terrance West (calf), Duke Johnson (hamstring), Luke Lundy (concussion), Malcolm Johnson (shoulder), Terrelle Pryor (hamstring), Billy Winn (ankle), Barkevious Mingo (unspecified), K’Waun Williams (unspecified). Pettine said he’s leaning toward Pryor, an Ohio State alum, being doubtful for Friday night’s Orange and Brown scrimmage in Columbus.

4) Brian Hartline the star of the day – again

We hate to repeat an observation we wrote yesterday, but Hartline was far and away the biggest playmaker Wednesday. Connections with McCown happened all over the field: A 30-yard stop-and-go route, crossing patterns over the middle, out-routes to the sidelines. You can tell Hartline loves being back in his home state, as fans chant O-H whenever he touches the ball.

Hartline isn’t a speedster and he’s got decent size at 6-foot-2, 200 pounds. But where he can hurt a defense is with his patient route-running. The 28-year-old lulls cornerbacks to sleep by slow-playing his routes. It’s an effective strategy and it’s good news for this offense to see the chemistry Hartline and McCown are developing. Again, the depth at this position is night and day compared to 2014.

5) Others news and notes

Two undrafted skill players to watch at the Orange and Brown scrimmage: Tight End E.J. Bibbs and wide receiver Darius Jennings. Bibbs’ combination of hands and a quick release off the ball has him looking like a polished tight end in camp. Jennings has been on the receiving end of several big passes from Johnny Manziel on the second-team offense.
It was another positive day to chalk up for Manziel with the second-team unit. He really seems to be letting it loose on his throws and launching the ball to spots on the field.
Danny Shelton saw extensive action with the first-team, and was a mammoth at times. Pettine always talks about defensive linemen who can take two players on at the point of attack – and Shelton is excelling at this concept.

Link

So, our vaunted pass defense sucks?

Well, he drafted both... so, he found one stud and one question mark that could still become a stud.

Would you be happier if he picked Desir at #8?

Are they getting open against First team D or Second team D?

Since it was for the daily jersey competition there is a very strong indication it was the first team.

Some people will never be happy.

That's just the way they are.

"Some people will never be happy."

=====================================================

I guess people should do back flips because Farmer misses on high draft picks?

Amazing to me how people can justify Farmer when his drafts have set the Browns back for years.

Start a petition to have him fired.

Who would you like him to be replaced with?

he has come a long way from the dukes of hazard..

ok, that was too easy... really he has done a fantastic job and would have loved to have him here no doubt... still he hass made mistakes... Percy Harvin comes to mind a first a fourth and a seventh? ( I think) and got one good return from him and didn't he trade for Flynn, good thing he found talent in later rounds

Careful. Didn't you know it not proper to voice your opinion on a message board? You gotta be open-minded and repeat phrases such as:

"The Browns are on the right track."

"Things are different this year."

"Farmer is building the team the right way."

"We are a team of destiny."

Don't you dare question any move that this team makes. That's being closed-minded, you know.

I agree.

Agreed: Hysterical!

Cleveland Browns training camp: Betting big on Josh McCown

By Albert Breer
NFL Media reporter

The road to success in the NFL begins each year with the hard work and wide-open possibilities of training camp. As teams around the league gear up for the 2015 campaign, NFL Media reporters will be checking in from all 32 camps around the league. For our next stop, Albert Breer visits the Cleveland Browns.

Where is NFL Media?

The Browns' home facility in suburban Berea, Ohio, about two turns from Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. This place opened when Bill Belichick was coaching here and withstood the move to Baltimore in 1995 and the reanimation of the franchise in 1999. This might be the last full camp here for a while, as the team continues to negotiate to move at least a large part of camp to the state capital, two-and-a-half hours away by car in Columbus.

Observations
1) Mike Pettine's first year as head coach was a mixed bag, and he's not afraid to admit now, heading into his second season, that he had a lot to learn. "We made sure afterward we brainstormed and took extensive notes, 'What would we do different next time?' " he told me. "You just feel so much more comfortable. It's like anything else; you go through it once, you get a dry run, and I'm fortunate enough now to be here for Year 2, and it's like the old cliché, 'Answers to the test.' " Here's one change: The amount of time Pettine spent with the defense last year is being devoted to the offense this year. That means meetings, film work, practice time and, eventually, game-planning sessions. The coach decided that he, defensive coordinator Jim O'Neil and much of the staff on that side have been together so long that it was almost redundant for him to invest all that time with them, and so he'll be working closely with new offensive coordinator John DeFilippo in the coming months. It's been refreshing for Pettine, the former high-school quarterback who last worked extensively on offense while coaching at North Penn High over a decade ago.

2) The Browns' bet this year is that they'll get the 2013 version of Josh McCown (109.0 passer rating in eight games with the Bears) rather than the 2014 edition (1-10 record as a starter for the Buccaneers). The belief is that McCown was a victim of circumstance in Tampa (working with an unsightly offensive line and a coaching staff that had undergone summer upheaval) as much as anything else. The early returns have been good. Maybe the most valuable feedback the coaches have gotten has come from the defensive players, who have raved not just about his knowledge of the game (McCown coached two seasons of high school ball recently, so that's unquestioned), but about what he's bringing physically. "The first two days, Josh lit us up," said veteran safety Donte Whitner. "Before he got here, I didn't know he could do these things. He can really spin the football." And yes, McCown is 36 years old. But Pettine gave me a pretty awesome analogy on that. "He's so young if you look at his game logs," Pettine said. "That's why I made the joke the other day. He's like that car that has low mileage, kept in the garage and driven to church on Sundays by a little old lady. He's got a lot left."

3) The formula here is going to be pretty simple: The Browns have to win on defense and with their run game. And that means running the ball, with rookie Duke Johnson likely to carry a heavy load (hence the caution in bringing him back from a hamstring injury), and stopping the run more effectively, which was a big reason for Danny Shelton's selection with the team's top draft pick this year. Boring? Well, this camp certainly isn't what it was last year. But in a lot of ways, it is reflective of what the Browns are looking to be. "It's quieter for sure," Pettine said. "That's the way our guys are, they're serious about their business, they go out to get better, I don't think there's a lot of flash to this team. But that's how we're gonna win. We're gonna wear people down, and I think we're gonna be better on offense than people give us credit for when it's all said and done. And we're hopeful that our defense and our special teams are the cornerstone of what we do. I feel good about it."

New additions
Tramon Williams, CB: The former Packer has turned heads, giving the team a lot of the flexibility it feared it might lose at corner when Buster Skrine bolted for the Jets. His calm veteran presence has been good for a young group led by top-shelf cover man Joe Haden.

Duke Johnson, RB: The hamstring issue is troubling, since it followed him from Miami and into the pre-draft process. But (as we mentioned above) what he's flashed so far is a big reason for the coaches to play it safe with a back they plan on playing plenty. In particular, Johnson has adapted to the passing game faster than most rookies at his position do, a sign he could be a three-down player right away.

Overheard
"I can really only speak for when he's here. There's no news out of the building, which is obviously a good thing. I sit in on it, since I'm on the offense now, I sit in on a lot of those meetings, whether it's the install or the quarterback meetings with (quarterback coach) Kevin O'Connell and Flip. He's engaged, he bangs out the answers, he knows it, it's important to him. We got a little mad at him, because he got upset at practice the other day, was frustrated, threw a ball down. But the positive of that is, 'Hey, he cares.' This is a guy who's competitive and wants to be successful and is upset when things aren't done right. We feel good about where he is. But given his circumstances -- and that was recent -- no rush to push him back out there. If it takes a year for him to learn under Josh, then so be it."

-- Mike Pettine on QB Johnny Manziel.

"Johnny's a totally different guy than he was last year. He's 100 percent strictly football right now. He's working his best to be a pocket, prototype quarterback back there. He's been doing a pretty good job. Again, I just can't wait to see what he does in the scrimmage on Friday up in Columbus, and then going into the preseason games, to see what he can do up there."

-- Donte Whitner on Manziel.

Extra points
» The Browns still have the hole left by suspended receiver Josh Gordon, but they hope to make up for it with balance at the position. They're excited about how their speed guys have progressed. Taylor Gabriel may be the one to watch here -- he's a legit 4.3 player who has impressed coaches with keen attention to detail this offseason.

» Speaking of under-the-radar second-year guys, corner K'Waun Williams looks ready to take a step forward. He got a ton of experience last year playing in the slot, and he looks different physically coming into 2015, following his first full offseason as a pro.

» Maybe the most improvement here will be in the guts of the roster. The key for general manager Ray Farmer has been drafting beyond the first round, with much expected from guys like offensive lineman Joel Bitonio (second round), linebacker Christian Kirksey (third round) and corner Pierre Desir (fourth round) from the 2014 class, along with the 12-man class this year.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000...-on-josh-mccown