Browns-Titans: Looking Back

Browns fans have something they haven’t had in a long time—hope.

In the dress rehearsal game before next week’s scrubfest, the Browns came out and took it to the Titans, beating them 23-17 in a game where the starters played well into the third quarter.

If there is anything the fan base can complain about this week, it was the Titans’ ability to throw the ball against Cleveland virtually at will. I was surprised we didn’t see more long passes from Kerry Collins and Vince Young; the receivers certainly were open.

But that can be chalked up to preseason game planning and other minor things that differentiate this past week’s game from a regular season game.

In other words, had this been Week One, the Titans probably would’ve put more points on the board.

What will be intriguing to watch going into Week One is how the coaching staff addresses the inability of the defense to stop the passing game. After the Packers game, head coach Eric Mangini really went after the team for the sloppiness and lack of production.

We’ve seen the results of that effort the last two weeks as the Browns have come out looking much tighter on the field, actually scored some touchdowns, and generally “look” better.

There still were some stupid penalties Saturday night, none more ticky-tack than the unsportsmanlike conduct on Derek Anderson for not standing exactly where the rule book prescribed, but overall the play has improved.

Speaking of the phantom rule book penalty, do you think that penalty is called during the playoffs or the Super Bowl?

I don’t think so. The ref who called that should get a good talking to this week about knowing when to pull that flag.

You can quote the rule book all you want, but when you call a penalty like that, it better be because the violation was egregious and deliberate, not because Anderson happened to be standing a few feet from where he’s supposed to be.

If I were on that field, my next play would’ve resulted in an accidental takedown of the ref. Whoops!

The defense did do a great job of stopping the run, though, and that was very encouraging. Holes were closed and runs around the end were routinely cut off and stuffed.

Putting on my Captain Obvious hat, I’ll simply say the Browns need to keep doing this when opposing teams call running plays. It helps keep the opposing team from scoring more.

On the quarterback front, Brady Quinn didn’t do anything to hurt his chances of being named the starting quarterback. His 11-15 for 128 yards was a very good performance and included a touchdown pass to Braylon Edwards.

You read that correctly, Edwards caught a touchdown pass. But before anyone gets too excited, that’s the first touchdown pass Edwards has caught since the Bush Administration, and while encouraging, it needs to happen a few more times before we all can relax when the ball is thrown in his direction.

Speaking of pass distribution, I can’t help but wonder if Edwards is hoping Anderson is named the starter. While Quinn hooked up with Edwards for six last week, Quinn has been avoiding Edwards for the most part, with most of his passes going to Mike Furrey, Joshua Cribbs, or one of the rookies.

I don’t know if it’s coincidence due to Quinn’s check down pattern, or if it’s deliberate because Edwards hasn’t been able to hold onto the ball lately. Either way, Edwards isn’t the type of teammate to keep quiet about this sort of thing once the regular season starts.

Anderson didn’t score a touchdown on Saturday, but he didn’t throw an interception, which is saying something. It means, for once, Anderson wasn’t trying to force the ball into places it shouldn’t be going. That’s progress, but it’s too early to know if Anderson is going to be consistent about this sort of thing.

Then there’s James Davis. All Davis did on Saturday is look like one of the biggest steals in the draft, catching balls and hitting holes against Tennessee’s first team like he’s done it before.

Jamal Lewis continues to look slow and Jerome Harrison still is unavailable.

The offensive line showed a lot more strength this week, as both quarterbacks showed they had ample time to throw the ball and adjust to the defense. There still were problems, but once again, it’s preseason and the team showed improvement.

Mangini sounded happier after the game, but I’m sure he’ll be looking at the film and working to find out what happened to his defensive secondary on the passing plays this week.

As for the quarterback competition, I’m sure Mangini still thinks the aura mystery means something to somebody (It doesn’t), so expect a lot more non-answers from him on that point.

The biggest worry coming out of the Titans game is that we still haven’t seen Shaun Rogers or Harrison. Mangini also (mistakenly) believes the huge aura of mystery surrounding their status and possible injury/non-injury is a good thing.

Instead, all the opposing teams have seen is Davis take control of the running game and get a really good look at what this defense looks like without Rogers.

Ironically, showcasing Davis is doing the exact opposite of what Mangini wants since now the Vikings will prepare for him in Week One.

The defense can only be better with Rogers in the game, there’s plenty of tape on Rogers, so I still fail to understand how Mangini thinks being tightlipped about the situation gives him a competitive advantage.

The calendar now is turning to September, and the clock is ticking louder on the regular season. So far, the fans should be happy with what they see as it is much improved over last year.

One more week of preseason to go, and we’ll see if the Browns are as good as they looked against the Titans, or as bad as they looked against the Packers.

Looking Ahead To Titans-Browns 8-29-09

The “dress rehearsal” game of the preseason is upon us.

 

I had certain expectations going into the first two preseason games, but I’m not too sure what to expect out of this game, so I’m going to run down a list of what I’d like to see.

 

Even with the first team playing deeper into the game, it’s tough to come up with some concrete expectations now that the Browns have actually lived up to my earlier goal of just showing up and looking like a professional football team.

 

That being said, one thing I do expect to see this week is fewer penalties from the offensive line. Should they continue to commit drive-killing false starts and illegal formation penalties, it’s going to be a long year.

 

James Davis should get some quality reps with the first team. The offensive line, while not exactly good, did manage to open a few holes last week. I’d like to see how Davis does with those kinds of openings.

 

Jamal Lewis isn’t hitting them, so don’t waste them.

 

I’d like head coach Eric Mangini to be a little more consistent with how he conducts the quarterback competition because he has been very inconsistent in how he distributes the reps with both quarterbacks.

 

Not only is this unfair to Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson, it’s unfair to the team. This team needs a leader on the field, and busting up the reps like Mangini has been doing isn’t getting the team any closer to a decision.

 

Brady got good reps in week one, but Anderson didn’t get much to work with when he was behind center. In week two, it was the exact opposite with the same results.

 

I’ll qualify that comment by stating Anderson didn’t do much with the opportunities he was given—He just doesn’t make good decisions.

 

I could say I expect Anderson to make better decisions this week, but that would be like asking a diva wide receiver to put the team before themselves.  We all know that’s not going to happen.

 

While I don’t expect it, I do hope to see our defense put some pressure on Kerry Collins, contain the running game, and not see Abram Elam get smoked. That might be asking for a lot, but one can dream.

 

Actually, what I would like to see from our defense is some some progress from rookie David Veikune that demonstrates he’s starting to “get” the adjustments he’s had to make since being moved to the inside.

 

It also would be nice to see Kaluka Maiava put up a few more takedowns like he did last week versus the Lions. Those kinds of tackles on special teams never get old.

 

I haven’t predicted any scores yet due to the innate kookiness of the preseason. I’ll start doing that with the regular season. However, I wouldn’t be surprised to see this game turn into a high-scoring affair.

 

This week, more than any other week in preseason, will give you an idea about how the Browns will look coming out of the gate in Week One.

 

Let’s all hope they look good.

 

Looking Back on Detroit Lions Vs. Cleveland Browns , Aug. 22

Browns fans now can take one collective step back from the ledge because we finally scored a touchdown.

 

First of all, congratulations to Derek Anderson and Jamal Lewis for the drive that brought our offense its first six-point score since Nov. 17. I always give credit where credit is due, and they came through Saturday night.

 

But I caution everyone not to read too much into that touchdown drive for several reasons, the primary reason being Anderson didn’t actually throw a touchdown pass.

 

Anderson did look improved over last week, while Lewis looked very slow and wasn’t hitting the holes before they closed up.

 

This is very worrisome, and I expect Lewis’ carries this year will be dwindling, unless he somehow finds a way to rejuvenate his aging legs.

 

Rookie James Davis made his case for making the team with an 81-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter. He’s been ripping off these kinds of long runs in camp, so it was nice to see him step up during a game.

 

If Davis can do this during the regular season, you could see a major shift in responsibility should Lewis’ production continue to diminish. You can’t bench that kind of talent, assuming Davis is the real thing.

 

Anderson’s passer rating was torpedoed by an interception that, to be completely fair, was tipped by the receiver. However, Anderson has never been known for his accuracy, and that also has to be pointed out.

 

Josh Cribbs just made his case for a new contract a whole lot stronger. Two run backs for touchdowns (one negated by a penalty) would be enough to categorize Saturday night as a good game for Cribbs, but then he caught a 20-yard pass to top it off.

 

The defense looked better, but Detroit quarterback Matt Stafford was making mistakes and not reading the defenses properly. However, the Browns were doing a good job of stopping the run, and that was encouraging.

 

Braylon Edwards had one good catch, but showed complete lack of awareness on a sideline throw during the first drive. He’s been in the league too long to be making those kinds of mistakes.

 

It’s one thing to tiptoe the sideline and just not be able to pull the ball in, but he wasn’t even attempting to keep the ball in bounds.

 

Brady Quinn looked pretty good in his limited time on the field, but once again rookie offensive coordinator Brian Daboll hampered things with questionable play calling.

 

With a third-and-long, Daboll called for a screen pass that a high school defense could read and react to.

 

Like last week’s backwards pass on third down, Daboll keeps falling into the trap a lot of rookie OC’s fall into: trying too many trick plays in unnecessary situations in order to prove…I don’t know what he wants to prove, but I wish he’d stop it.

 

Quinn did have a nice pass to Mike Furrey wiped out by penalty. While it didn’t count, the performance should still count in the quarterback contest.

 

Despite Anderson’s improved performance, it won’t last, and Mangini shouldn’t be lulled into a false sense of confidence in regards to Anderson.

 

Anderson always has shown flashes of brilliance followed by long stretches of suck. It is what it is, and you just have to trust the process.

 

That process brought Cleveland a win Saturday night, and while wins and losses are meaningless in August, this team was a winner where it counted this week.

 

I’m not saying there aren’t any flaws, or that we still don’t have gargantuan hills to climb before it’s done, but the Lions game was a good step in the right direction.

 

Still, I’m very happy right now with the coaching staff, all things considered. Mangini and the rest of his staff took last week’s debacle and used it to make the team better.

 

The team that took the field against Detroit had focus, made tackles, and generally looked like something I haven’t seen out of Berea in quite some time: a professional football team.

 

How about that?

Looking Ahead To Lions/Browns 8-22

It may only be the preseason, but the Browns need to score an offensive touchdown in this week’s game.

 

The preseason isn’t about winning or losing, because the record doesn’t matter, but it is about demonstrating that good football is on the horizon. Cleveland failed to show that last week versus Green Bay.

 

Last week’s game was a debacle I won’t dwell on any more than I have to, but I will point out it was the seventh game in a row the team did not score an offensive touchdown.

 

The last time the offense produced six points was at Buffalo Nov. 17 on a 72-yard run from Jerome Harrison. Tragically, Harrison barely touched the ball again after that.

 

Above all else, though, the Browns need to LOOK life a professional, NFL football team. It was very disheartening to see what amounted to “the same ol’ Browns” last week, going through the motions, causing stupid penalties, and generally looking worse than a high school football team.

 

Head coach Eric Mangini stresses smart, mistake-free football. That didn’t happen last week. While I don’t expect the Browns to look like Super Bowl champions, I do expect them to look better than Freshman Football.

 

It’s going to be make-it or break-it for Derek Anderson this week. He has to come out looking comfortable in the pocket and make good decisions, or anything Mangini says about not making a decision will look twice as foolish as it does today.

 

On the other hand, Brady Quinn can’t come out and wet the bed, either. Quinn will have to make sure any mistakes made on that field aren’t his, or the drama continues for another week.

 

On the defensive side of the ball, this line has to prove they can put pressure on the quarterback without having Shaun Rogers on the field. If they can’t, it’s going to be a long year.

 

Abram Elam also can’t get smoked this week like he did last week by Donald Driver. The corners have to at least look like they know where the ball is being thrown, even if the receiver beats them to it.

 

As for the coaching, it’s too early to grade Mangini in any kind of meaningful way, but I know I don’t want to see offensive coordinator Brian Daboll throw another backwards pass on third down again—EVER.

 

The object on third down is to move the ball forward, and this backwards trickery strategy is for high school. Don’t do it in the pros on third down, you end up looking stupid when it fails.

 

My expectations for last week were very low, yet I was still let down. As for this week, I don’t care if the Browns lose, as long as they look like they showed up for the game, I’ll be happy.

Browns Midweek Thoughts: Braylon Edwards and Bernie Kosar

My complete and utter hatred of Braylon Edwards continues to grow.

 

I’ve got my own problems, as do all of us, but when I see an entitled jerk like Edwards tell the media he thinks one of the problems with the Browns right now is head coach Eric Mangini’s refusal to pat them on the head and tell them everything is going to be all right, it makes my blood pressure spike.

 

If Edwards wants some positive reinforcement, he should start catching touchdown passes instead of dropping them. I know a pass thrown right into your numbers is such a difficult thing to hold onto, but like I said, I’ve got my own problems.

 

Edwards’ problems may go deeper than any of us might want to speculate. It’s obvious there’s nothing wrong with him physically, so that only leaves mental issues. It’s hard to believe a guy with such a diva attitude would have a self-confidence problem, but you never know anymore.

 

All I do know is that Edwards has to start catching passes in games very soon, or not only will his trade value be completely gone, but so will his career. A receiver with a bad case of the dropsies just doesn’t figure into the plans of most NFL teams.

 

Before the draft, rumor had it the Browns were offering Edwards up for a first round pick, which was ludicrous because he stinks. Rumor also had it that the Browns were offered second or third round picks but held off, which also is ludicrous because Edwards can’t catch the ball.

 

Right now, I estimate Edwards’ trade value at a case of (cheap) beer and a tackling dummy to be named later.

 

I don’t know of any team that would have even the slightest interest in this guy right now. I don’t think it’s a coincidence Brady Quinn kept throwing to Mike Furrey on third down last week.

 

I don’t even want Edwards on MY team, and he’s supposed to be one of our top playmakers this year.  I certainly won’t be drafting him in any fantasy league.

 

But on to brighter things, like the return of Bernie Kosar to the broadcast booth.

 

I don’t know about anybody else, but I love listening to Kosar do color commentary. He’s refreshingly blunt and is way more entertaining than anyone on ESPN, FOX or CBS.

 

I like Chris Collinsworth on NBC, so I’m excluding him from that list.

 

Kosar’s color commentary speaks to all football fans sitting in a bar watching a game, because Kosar sounds like he’s sitting right next to you working on his sixth beer. Let that be a lesson to those of you who don’t think multiple concussions are serious.

 

Despite all his recent troubles, he still seems like the same guy and I wish him nothing but the best. Plus I grew up right next to his hometown, so I have a soft spot for the “hometown” guy.

 

I wish I had more for you this week, but why dwell on the negative. This team has a long road ahead of them if they’re going to even go 4-12 this season.

 

As for Brett Favre, I’ll deal with him before Week One. I just don’t want to have to talk about that prima donna before I have to.

Midweek Browns Thoughts: Ratliff and Crabtree?

Did I get your attention?

 

Good, because I’ll get to Michael Crabtree in a minute.

 

The Plain Dealer is making a big hullabaloo about third string quarterback Brett Ratliff taking reps with the first team on Tuesday. The hint is being thrown out that if neither Brady Quinn nor Derek Anderson impresses head coach Eric Mangini, he’ll just give the job to Ratliff.

 

My first reaction to that reaction is: Mmmmm, not so fast.

 

But then I thought about it for a minute and realized this idea could have some merit. Let me be perfectly clear, though, I would be flat on my back if Brett Ratliff got named the starting quarterback for Week One and both Quinn and Anderson weren’t laying in traction.

 

But since it’s Wednesday, let’s entertain ourselves.

 

Mangini is from the moldy Bill Belichick coaching tree. I call it moldy because I have yet to be impressed by any coach to spring from it, and Romeo Crennel is quite possibly one of the worst head coaches in the history of the game.

 

But, the connection is there, so let’s look at it. Belichick is known to have little to no loyalty toward ANY of his players, especially if he didn’t draft them or develop them.

 

Look at 1993. Belichick cut Bernie Kosar, arguably one of the most popular Cleveland sports figures, while the team was in first place. He cut Kosar for being insubordinate during a game.

 

Ignoring the fact that Kosar’s insubordination resulted in a game-winning touchdown, there was nothing wrong with cutting a player for being insubordinate. However, that incident was the final move in a huge clash of egos and showed Belichick did not care what anyone thought, or how much money was involved.

 

Belichick was the boss, and that was that.

 

Fast forward to 2009. Mangini is evaluating two quarterbacks he didn’t know prior to January, and has brought in a quarterback he found and developed to increase depth at the position.

 

Given Mangini’s coaching style, is it really too far fetched to believe if Mangini isn’t impressed with either quarterback he’ll just scrap both of them and go with Ratliff?

 

I don’t think it is.

 

That being said, I believe Mangini will ultimately choose Quinn and trade Anderson. He’ll trade Anderson prior to naming Quinn the starting quarterback to maximize the trade value because once Quinn is named starter, Anderson’s value drops.

 

If he chooses Anderson, the same thing will happen, just switch the names. Once this is done, Ratliff becomes your default No. 2 quarterback. After that, all bets are off if the starter falters early.

 

For example, if the Browns get off to a 2-4 start, or worse, and quarterback play can be blamed for a good portion of that record, Ratliff will be your starting quarterback.

 

Mangini found him and developed him. Ratliff was going to compete for the starters’ job in New York prior to the trade. These dots are easy to connect, the only variable in this equation is whether or not the pencil is out to connect them.

 

I don’t doubt Mangini put Ratliff in with the first team on Tuesday just to get him some experience with the guys, but I’m not dumb. Mangini knows Ratliff may need that experience down the road if the two guys in front of him bust or break down.

 

Right now, reading any more into this non-story may be just frantic speculation by a jaded fanbase, but as a Browns fan, I’ve come to suspect the worst, especially if Belichick is even remotely involved.

 

Michael Crabtree

 

You may be wondering why I put Crabtree’s name in the title. It’s not because I think he’s going to be wearing Brown and Orange.

 

I’m hoping he lives up to his threat to hold out for the season and re-enter the draft if he doesn’t get paid whatever it is he thinks he deserves. I want to see the look on his face next April when he not only isn’t drafted in the first round, but the second round goes by without his name being called.

 

Crabtree is trying to send a message to ownership that he’s more important than the team, and ownership needs to send the same message Mangini sent to new Detroit Lions linebacker Shaun Smith, “Nobody is more important than the team.”

 

Given I’m experiencing my third layoff, I can’t say I’ll feel sorry for the guy if he ends up losing out on millions of dollars. The “Diva” wide receiver mentality needs to be stamped out. If Crabtree ends up being the example for everyone else, so be it.

 

A note on Syndric Steptoe

 

My favorite wide receiver has torn his labrum and is out for the year. This makes me extremely sad as he probably will be cut after the season. Steptoe wasn’t high on Mangini’s depth chart from all the reports I read, and I doubt he was going to make the team anyway.

 

(UPDATE: Apparently, Steptoe has been waived.)

 

So I will bid adieu to my favorite wide receiver with this haiku:

 

Syndric Steptoe rocks

Your name made me giggle

Catching balls is good

Picking Apart the Browns, 8-10 Edition

The Brown and White Game was yesterday, and what a day it was.

 

The temps hovered around 90 degrees, the humidity was in full summer bloom for what seems like the first time this summer, and where was I?

 

Mowing the lawn.

 

Now, I could entertain you with the drama that grows out of trimming the verge in the hot summer sun, but instead I will focus on the Browns, since that is what you’re here to read.

 

Given the restrictions on the game regarding tackling and the like, it’s hard to get the kind of information you’d normally get from a regular preseason game, but there were some things I got from reviewing the sparse highlights and reading all the reports from the field.

 

First of all, my apologies to Derek Anderson fans because, unfortunately, Derek Anderson remains Derek Anderson.

 

With his helmet gear malfunctioning, Anderson tossed his cookies and threw an easy interception.

 

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, Anderson does not have the moxie to lead a team to a championship.

 

He has a great arm, a good attitude, and a lot of guts.  But he doesn’t have it between the ears.

 

When the going gets tough, Anderson crumbles.

 

Brady Quinn also had an interception, but the ball went right through Lance Leggett’s hands, so that’s on Leggett, not Quinn. Had Anderson’s pick gone through somebody’s hands first, I would be giving credit where credit is due.

 

To be completely fair, the true test begins this weekend versus Green Bay.

 

I’ll be watching that game closely.

 

Quinn also had a 51-yard pass caught for a touchdown to open the scrimmage, hopefully the first of many examples on why the “Brady Quinn can’t throw long” statement is false.

 

I’m still not sure how that misconception got started to begin with, considering the incredibly small sample we have of his pro career.

 

Does Quinn check down his receivers too quickly and give up on the long ball?

 

So far, that argument has merit, but again, with such a small sampling, there’s nothing there that I’d want to bet the farm on.

 

The defenses reportedly played well, rolling their coverage to keep Braylon Edwards from being an impact player in the contest. In fact, Derek Anderson’s squad didn’t score any points until quarterback Brett Ratliff came in and rallied their side to a win.

 

The question this raises is twofold: Is our defense making the improvements we all are expecting?

 

Or is our offense still this inept?

 

Another question: With the squads being split, does the lack of scoring mean anything?

 

I cautioned in my preview of the scrimmage that there would be precious little to take out of this event to merit much discussion.

 

Other than the interceptions, the questions haven’t changed. This is a team rebuilding through a huge transition at the top. We may not know the answers until the Vikings come to town next month.

 

What To Look For In Browns Scrimmage

Browns Preview

 

The Browns take the field for the first time tomorrow in a “game” situation.

 

How much you can glean from this scrimmage is debatable.

 

Head coach Eric Mangini stated he’ll try and keep the teams as balanced as possible with the senior coordinators acting as the head coaches.

 

This game will be run on 10-minute quarters with Mangini playing the role of observer. He said he’ll be listening in on both coaches, Brad Seeley and Carl Smith, as they run the Brown and White sides.

 

“It’s as much like game day as it can possibly be,” said Mangini. “Including a pregame itinerary, coaches in the booth, teams split up, head coaches for each team, officials come in, head coach will address the teams, have a coin toss, there’ll be TV timeouts. The whole operation across the board.”

 

The quarterbacks are still going to be protected, so don’t look for anything substantive to come out of the quarterback competition. The only things that might be worth noting are if Brady Quinn or Derek Anderson have trouble getting the plays off, or are nowhere near the mark on their passes.

 

Other than those two things, you can’t really tell how the quarterback is going to be in the pocket until a couple of opposing defenders looking to kill them come hunting next weekend during the first preseason game.

 

There also will be no live tackling, which is fine at this point in the camp.

 

Mangini said the scrimmage is mainly being used as a teaching tool, and the fans should take it as such.

 

 

Notes:

 

Shaun Smith was released this morning. No reason has been given, but it’s safe to say Mangini probably had a few goals in mind for Smith to stay on the team that he obviously wasn’t close to achieving.

 

Smith had a bad 2008, and his altercation with Quinn as the season concluded last year was a huge mark against him, especially with a coach like Mangini, who is far less tolerant of those kinds of shenanigans than Romeo Crennell was.

 

So long Shaun, you won’t be missed.

 

Also, happy trails to Don Carey. Carey was waived after he injured his shoulder. No specifics were given, but Mangini neither confirmed nor denied Corey might need surgery to repair the damage.

 

“None of those steps have taken place yet,” he said on the Carey injury.

 

He was officially waived/injured, meaning if he clears waivers, he reverts to the Browns IR list and won’t be allowed to return to the team until after the season.

 

This tells me Mangini wasn’t impressed with what he saw in the rookie, and his chances of making the team were minute.

 

Still, it’s refreshing to see the Browns admitting a mistake and moving on, rather than riding multiple mistakes into 4-12 seasons.

I Want Some Cleveland Browns Stats

As I reviewed the last few days of training camp reports, it occurred to me there is one glaring hole—I have no stats to riff of off.

 

Statistics are the lifeblood of a sportswriter. They can be used in a variety of ways to prove or disprove a point. They give opinions validation and generally make the writer look better when they’re telling you why Syndric Steptoe needs to quit dropping balls.

 

Most of the stuff I’ve written over the last few weeks have been stat-free due to the complete lack of football going on, and the fact that when nobody is playing football, it’s awfully hard to come up with stats for that.

 

Now we’re playing football, or at least we’re practicing at playing football, and hoping a real football team takes the field this year to produce some real stats for sportswriters to plunder.

 

With players on the field running drills, I’d like to take some stats from the Brady Quinn/Derek Anderson competition and tell you exactly why one quarterback is better than the other.

 

But I can’t do that.

 

All we’ve really gotten is, “The competition is pretty even,” and “Both quarterbacks were intercepted today.”

 

So, without stats, I’ll just state the obvious: Interceptions are bad and both quarterbacks need to quit practicing throwing them.

 

Of course, I could take the “Glass Half Full” position and crow about how good our defense is performing during this first week of training camp, but I’d need stats for that.

 

We all know the coaches are keeping numbers, but even the reporters on-site have been light on actual stat reporting.

 

The Plain Dealer described some of the drills the team went through, simulating situations common at the end of close games, such as being down by four points with a few seconds to go. I have to admit, I got a bit of thrill reading them.

 

But, once again, no stats.

 

How am I supposed to draft my fantasy football team with this kind of secrecy?

 

At least Braylon Edwards is back on the field and looking very healthy. He even caught a touchdown pass.

 

Sorry to sound snarky, but until he does that in the regular season, why should I care? I do have last year’s stats on Edwards, and I wish I didn’t.

 

I want to see the stats on D’Qwell Jackson and rookie James Davis. Both names are popping up in reports as having great camps so far.

 

“He’s really good at setting an example,” said Mangini about Jackson on Tuesday. “Whether it’s out in the field the way that he finishes plays, the way he runs the football, the way he communicates with the other players. All those things are positive attributes.”

 

Davis notably broke out for two huge runs on Monday, one for 50 yards that led to a touchdown. (See, stats are wonderful!) His running style has been tagged as “aggressive,” and he’s the current offensive darling of the media.

 

Mangini also singled him out for praise earlier this week, noting his dedication to getting the work done. “That’s what gets you noticed,” he said.

 

It’s worth noting here the intense competition going on between the tight ends. With Kellen Winslow gone, the field is wide open for Steve Heiden, Martin Rucker, and Robert Royal. I’d be interested to see the breakdown on how they’re blocking and how well they’re breaking away from the line on a receiving pattern.

 

With the first preseason game a little more than a week away, I’m anticipating the long stat dry spell will be over.

Cleveland Browns’ Camp: Hitting Is Good

Hopefully, there were a lot of Browns players nursing bumps and bruises the last few days.

 

Unlike the day cares run in Berea in the recent past, head coach Eric Mangini opened a real NFL training camp this past Saturday.

 

Reports out of Berea all have pretty much said the same thing: There was more hitting in two days of Mangini’s camp than there were in three weeks of Romeo Crennell’s Happy-Fun-Time-Spectacular.

 

While Crennell’s intentions were to protect his players and keep them fresh for the season, we all know the reality was Cleveland consistently entered the season unprepared for the physicality of an actual NFL regular season game.

 

Mangini summed it up on Monday at his press conference, saying, “It’s (hitting) what we do. It’s a contact sport and you have to practice contact. You try to do as much of it as you can without getting to the point where you’re adding risk and also trying to maintain the guy’s bodies and things along those lines.”

 

When you break it down, if a player wishing to make an NFL team can’t take the rigors of a training camp, I don’t want him on the team. If the beating they need to take in training camp means they run out of gas in December, they’re not good enough.

 

Training camp is where you separate the men from the boys, not coddle the weak links along, hoping they’ll somehow perform in an environment you haven’t even remotely prepared them for.

 

Besides, most football fans I know would rank missed tackles among their top pet peeves when watching a game.

 

“It’s called TACKLING!!!” I would constantly scream at the TV the last few years as the opposing team’s running back would explode past our defenders for a 30-yard gain.

 

Hopefully, I won’t be screaming that very often this year.

 

It’s important to get players used to the physical pounding they’re going to take during the season, or, as we’ve become all too familiar with the last few years, the players end up getting the stuffing knocked out of them for the first few weeks until their bruises heal and they can take hits again.

 

By then, it’s usually too late.

 

 

Stray Observations:

 

The discipline being enforced to date also is encouraging. Of particular note was the sloppy play of the offensive line on Sunday, resulting in a couple of extra laps for the entire offense.

 

Too many penalties last year were of the drive-killing variety. Mangini looks to be on top of this situation.

 

Syndric Steptoe dropped four passes on Monday, not good for a guy brought in under the old regime. With two wide receivers drafted in the second round in addition to the free agent signings, Steptoe has to step up, or he’ll be off the team.

 

No Steptoe would be incredibly sad for me as I love his name. I love typing it, I love saying it, I love watching the announcers say his name during games. I want this guy to be a Pro Bowl receiver so I can keep writing about Syndric Steptoe for the next five years.

 

Syndric Steptoe, Syndric Steptoe, Syndric Steptoe, Syndric Steptoe.

 

It’s the little things, I guess.

 

Speaking of wide receivers, Braylon Edwards continues his Lance Armstrong impression on the sidelines while the quarterback derby continues on the field. Mangini continues to be silent on the nature of Edwards’ injury and his comeback timetable.

 

I’m not attaching any significant importance to the injury until the first preseason game. If Edwards misses that game, then it’s time for some hardcore reporting to find out exactly what happened.

 

As for the quarterback competition, reports from The Plain Dealer and Mangini’s press conference statements reveal nothing of note for either quarterback. They have good drills, they have bad drills.

 

The first preseason game, again, will tell us more.

 

James Harrison continues to impress, as does Abe Elam, who was brought to Cleveland from the Jets in the draft day trade that netted the Jets Mark Sanchez.

 

“There are so many things I like about him as a person,” said Mangini about Elam on Monday. “And the other thing I like is he’s gotten better as a player.”

 

Mangini went on to describe Elam as the kind of player who constantly is looking for ways to improve his game and framed him as a team leader.

 

Three days into camp and I’m officially excited. I see more reasons for hope this year than I have in a long time.

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