A source informed Profootballtalk that suspended WR Josh Gordon's failed drug test barely generated a positive, and it would have been a negative had luck been on Gordon's side. Gordon was summoned for a urine sample. Those samples are split into two bottles, one marked "A" and the other "B." It's completely random which one is marked "A" and which is labeled "B." "A" is tested first, and if it generates a positive test, then "B" is tested. The limit is 15 nanograms-per-milliliter. Gordon's "A" bottle showed a concentration of 16 ng/ml, while his "B" registered a 13.6 ng/ml. The result was a failed test. If urine sample handlers would have by chance marked the "A" bottle "B" and the "B" bottle "A," then Gordon would be free to play. Gordon is appealing the ban, and his hearing will be held on Friday. There seems to be a decent chance he wins
bluez, not anywhere near Baltimore were ya, someone pissed on Modell's grave. *THUMBSUP* Read that and thought of you.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reports Josh Gordon will argue in his appeal hearing this his positive marijuana test was the result of second-hand smoke. The news comes to light after it was revealed that Gordon's positive test was barely above the NFL's strict threshold. Gordon would have tested negative for marijuana in Major League Baseball, the Olympics and even the federal government. It shines a light on just how odious the NFL's marijuana policy is. Gordon's appeal will be heard on Friday.
Hmmm........I seem to remember a defense similar to this. [video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bktd_Pi4YJw[/video] Or maybe Gordon should try the old.......... [video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_apIbmsUwU[/video]
Browns coach Mike Pettine met with reporters today after practice. Below is a transcript provided by the team. On if today?s practice was more intense: ?We challenged the guys last night in the meeting and in the meetings this morning. At times, the practice before a day off has a tendency to not be very good. We challenged them to come out and compete. We were going to build some competitive things into practice, as we did at the end. I thought our guys responded, kept them out through individual. Guys seemed to be focused. I thought the teamwork was sharp, as well.? On the defense celebrating quite a bit at the end: ?It was a competitive period where the offense had to gain 20 yards. That was best out of five. The defense won three out of the first four. The reward is we have orange practice jerseys that the defense will wear on Thursday. We?ll go back and forth. Hopefully, the jerseys ? I know the D [defense] won?t want to give them up ? but I have a feeling that they?ll hopefully bounce back and forth.? On how OL Garrett Gilkey is doing: ?He?s been solid. It?s still early. He?s probably getting some more reps than maybe he would have with (OL John) Greco being out.? On if it?s tough not to overreact when he sees the quarterbacks throwing interceptions in practice: ?I don?t react to that. I want to know the why. What is it? The DB just made a heck of a play or was it a misread by the quarterback? Was it a bad throw? Was it a missed route by a receiver? The route was maybe supposed to be flattened out and it wasn?t. There are reasons for it that I don?t want to react too much as far as the content of the plays until I get a chance to study it on tape.? On DL Ahtyba Rubin?s role in the defense: ?First and foremost, we?re going to get him down close to the ball, either right over the center or shaded either way and let him do what he does best, which is control blockers and get off blocks and make plays. He?s as good as I?ve had in this system as far as his technique in defending the run.? On how Rubin?s role affects DL Phil Taylor: ?Phil will play the other spot. Those guys need to be fresh. I think it?s very difficult to be effective as a D-lineman and play every snap. I think you have to take a committee approach, and the nice thing about how we?re training them is that they learn to play all the inside positions. Phil can come in and he could play the nose. He can play the tackle. He could play the end. Most of those guys, they?ll all learn at least two of the spots.? On if TE Jordan Cameron?s role will get bigger if Browns WR Josh Gordon isn?t playing and what he?s seen from Cameron so far: ?Hopefully, it?s just a step forward from last year. I know that the tight end in the past has been a big part of (offensive coordinator) Kyle?s (Shanahan) offense, and we?re excited to see that play out. He?s extremely coachable. He was one of our hardest working guys in the spring, worked very hard. He?s on the jugs machine a lot. He?s constantly with (tight ends) Coach (Brian) Angelichio after practice, trying to get some extra help. He?s a guy that?s committed to taking another step to being an elite tight end.? On if a tight end can be the No. 1 focus in a passing offense: ?I don?t know if that?s a question I can really answer. You?re going to take what a defense gives you. There are going to be some games where the tight end is going to be targeted the most. There might be some other games where he hardly gets any looks just based on what coverages they?re playing and who they decide to take away.? On if the coaching staff will look to move Cameron around more than in the past: ?Yeah, I think Kyle does a good job at his offense of having those guys on the move. You?ve seen him in a variety of places: in the backfield, on the line of scrimmage, either side, flexed out. We?re still in the early stages of the playbook so formationally, I think we?ll get more creative as we go along. Then, it will always be something from a game plan standpoint. If we think we have a certain mismatch, we can put him in a certain spot, we?ll put him there.? On the orange jersey reward: ?It was something we had done in New York. We went with black then. I was going to go with black here, and decided when guys sweat heavy in brown, they turn black. I don?t think anybody would have noticed. It was something we had experimented with there. It was an idea that I liked that I wanted to bring here.? On if the Browns are aware that WR Marlon Moore may be suspended for the first game of the regular season: ?Yeah, I don?t want to speak on that. I know there is something involving the league, but I don?t have the exact details. I don?t feel comfortable commenting on that.? On why the Browns acquired Moore: ?We felt we had a need. We were a little nicked up. We have some veteran guys. He?s a guy that has played some quality minutes in the NFL, and we wanted to bring him in and see where he was and help with just our depth at that position. We have some older guys that we?d like to give some time off, too. We also have some guys that are coming off ACLs, and that can be a double-whammy. You rest those guys and now your veterans, it kind of has a ripple effect throughout the group. That?s why we wanted to look to add to that number.? On how good OL Alex Mack can be in the zone-blocking scheme the offense is implementing: ?I think his skillset is built for this scheme. I think he can play. He?s a good enough talent that I think he could play in any scheme, but I think his lateral quickness with still the ability to maintain his strength and play with leverage is just built for this.? On if he feels like the defense really dominated today: ?To me, it?s just knee-jerk reaction, and then certainly, at the end, it was upper hand to the defense. I reminded them in the meetings that we?re going to do those competitions at the end, and this could have been the day where the offense dominated all day and the defense wins it at the end where it counted. We want to train our guys to know it doesn?t matter what happens over the course of a game, we?ve got to make sure we can finish, whether it?s in practice finishing a drill at the end when we start doing our two-minute stuff, our red zone stuff. I think that?s important to realize. If I?m with a group who?s played well throughout the game, it still comes down to playing well at the end in virtually every NFL game.? On how it is seeing DB Isaiah Trufant and some other guys in the nickel: ?We feel very good with where we are. Trufant is a veteran guy who knows the system very well. I think he has elite short-area quickness. He?s an excellent special teamer. It?s one of the reasons we jumped at the chance to bring him here. (DB) Buster (Skrine) at some point will look to move inside and take some reps there. We have some depth there. (DB) K?Waun Williams is another guy. (DB) Aaron Berry has some nickel experience in his background. We feel very good about the depth at that spot.? On if the flare up with RB Ben Tate throwing the ball at Rubin showed that the competitive juices were flowing: ?When we talk about the kind of team we want to be, you have to practice that way. It?s hard. It?s difficult. I can?t tell that lie that we can be a certain way on the practice field and carry it on the game field. There are going to be times when it does boil over. You don?t want one side of the ball to get bullied by the other. There has to be some push back, whether it?s offense vs. defense or defense vs. offense. You look at that and it?s the price of doing business. You don?t like to see it. You?re afraid somebody could potentially get hurt in it. It breaks up the rhythm of practice, but at times, it?s going to happen.? On the scuffle involving a lot of players: ?Yeah, it was a lot. You hate to see it, but it?s also teammates defending teammates. You go with unit pride first; then, it goes to your side of the ball; then, it goes to the whole team. When they see a guy that?s involved in something, they want to go help them out. I like the fact that everybody jumped in, but that can?t be a habit that carries over to a game day. We?re not going to be clearing benches.? On every running play ending with two or three defenders trying to pry the ball loose and if that?s planned: ?Absolutely. To me, you look at the statistics in the league ? what?s the biggest indicator of wins and losses? It?s the turnover ratio. We want to be one of those teams that takes the ball away and doesn?t allow teams to take it away from us. I think as frustrating as it is for our running backs, it?s great practice for them having guys pulling at it and hacking at it, and it?s good for our guys defensively. It?s a habit like anything else. Hopefully, it will carry over to Sunday.? On if the speed and competitiveness in the run drill where Tate got fired up is what he?s looking for: ?I liked the way both sides of the ball attacked each other. It?s not a great drill for the offense. The wide receivers are tied into the run game. There are certain calls that Kyle (Shanahan) can?t make in that, but to me, that drill was more for the mentality. It?s a defensive drill. We don?t get exotic defensively. We line up in basic fronts and our guys just roll off. Defensively, let?s see if we can knock a guy back and make a play. Offensively, you?re playing against a unit that knows its run. If we can run the ball in that period, then we?ll be able to run the ball against anybody.? On OL Joel Bitonio being with the first string in the spring and if he?s the most NFL ready of the rookies: ?I think it?s where we were with the depth chart there. He is NFL ready. We feel very confident, but also with (OL John) Greco being out, we can potentially see some rotations in the lineup there. It?ll give (offensive line) Coach (Andy) Moeller a few more options. We?re very comfortable and very confident there with Joel at left guard.? On if the players having the day off tomorrow means they?re completely off: ?It is. By the rules, you can?t have a curfew the night before, and they have to be in by 10:30 p.m. the following night. We?ll have some off days that have meetings later in the day, but they don?t count in the league?s eyes as a true day off.?
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Assuming the reports about Josh Gordon's marijuana case with the NFL are true, it would be an outrage if the Browns receiver is suspended for an entire season. This is not buying the "second hand smoke theory" that Gordon's representatives are expected to present to the NFL at Gordon's hearing on Friday. Gordon flunked three tests for marijuana in college. He flunked another as a rookie with the Browns in 2012. He tested positive for codeine in 2013, drawing a two-game suspension (and was fined four game checks). So let's not nominate Gordon for a spot on a church stained-glass window. But the recent test that has Gordon in trouble seems strange, because it's not especially conclusive. Let's say the test is correct. Gordon tested positive for marijuana -- again. Do you suspend him for the entire season for that? Is that what is best for Gordon, to have him away from the Browns facility for 12 months? If he's suspended, he's not supposed to have any contact with the team. Is that the best way to hold him accountable and help him deal with his problems? And yes, Gordon has problems beyond marijuana. He was arrested for a DUI in early July. His blood alcohol content was .09, barely above the North Carolina limit of .08. My concern was that he was bailed out by a guy named "Fats" Thomas, who was already on probation for drug and weapons charges. Thomas also had a rather long criminal record. In June, Gordon was pulled over for speeding. A passenger in his vehicle was cited for smoking marijuana. Gordon was hanging around with guys who were going to cause him some major grief. That's why I wrote a column suggesting the Browns present him with this choice: Rehab or Release. The circumstances of Gordon's story don't even come close to meriting a full-season suspension. Nor is that a way to help Gordon. My motive was to pressure Gordon to enter a rehab center -- get off the street and away from some of these characters. He had two legal problems in a month, and he was heading down a very bad road with the wrong people in the car with him. In fact, he was driving a 2015 Cadillac Escalade that belongs to Charlotte Bobcats rookie P.J. Hairston. The two met at a North Carolina grocery store and decided to switch vehicles for the day. Gordon let Hairston drive his Mercedes. Remember, these guys didn't even other know each until that random meeting -- and traded cars. At least, that's Hairston's story. And Thomas is a friend of Hairston's, which is why he bailed out Gordon. Let's just say that Gordon's decision making needed some work. This thought process would invariably lead to more dead ends and legal problems. Not long after that, it seems the Browns (or someone close to Gordon) convinced the receiver to enter a rehab center in California for a few weeks before training camp. That is a positive step and and the NFL should take that into account. None of this is to excuse Gordon. He should face a suspension, perhaps the same as last season (two games, four game checks). Or maybe a bit longer if there are other facts in this story that are not known. The league can also attach requirements such as Gordon's receiving treatment. I'm not even going to dwell on the NFL's ridiculously soft two-game penalty for Baltimore's Ray Rice assaulting his wife. The circumstances of Gordon's story don't even come close to meriting a full-season suspension. Nor is that a way to help Gordon. If the NFL simply uses some common sense, they will agree there are better methods for dealing with Gordon than booting him out of the league for a year.
Connor Shaw takes a snap during an 11-on-11 drill. He bootlegs hard to his left, veering for the sideline. The oncoming safety, hard-hitting Johnson Bademosi, is within a millisecond of clobbering the rookie quarterback from South Carolina. Shaw niftily ducks out of bounds untouched. He flips the ball to the referee and jogs back to the huddle ? his huddle. Nearly three months after our profile of his first week as a Brown, Shaw is fully settled in Cleveland. He swapped his trusty number 14 Gamecocks uniform for a red number nine Browns practice penny. Four full days into training camp, it?s apparent Shaw has been getting cozy with playbook. It?s apparent in the way he throws the football with conviction. Hundreds of hours of studying at the team hotel or on your honeymoon in Punta Cana will do that. Find something more difficult than a rookie quarterback?s battle with the playbook. It might be the hardest on-the-job training in any field of work. When Shaw called a play at the University of South Carolina, it he only had to use three, maybe four words. With the Cleveland Browns, play calls can reach upwards of 15 to 16 words. One wrong word could lead to a receiver being on a different page than Shaw, resulting in an interception. ?The margin of error is so small compared to college,? Shaw said, of playing in the NFL. ?You just have to be focused at all times.? Shaw?s attention during practice remains razor sharp at all times. He?s constantly taking mental repetitions while the other quarterbacks are under center. He has to. With the way things are set up, Shaw gets eight to 10 practice reps in 11-on-11 drills. There?s a lot of standing and watching for Shaw. It?s not the lead on SportsCenter every night, but Shaw?s duking it out with veteran quarterback Tyler Thigpen for the Browns number three spot. Thigpen and Shaw share a unique relationship. They both live in South Carolina during the offseason, share the same agent and speak with a slight southern drawl. They immediately hit it off as buddies. Thigpen, 30, has actually been instrumental in guiding Shaw. The playbook isn?t their main focal point in conversation either. Thigpen instructs Shaw on how to manage time during the summer break, or how much soreness a quarterback will feel on a Monday after a game compared to college. It?s normal for two players to be respectful of one another when they are competing for the same job. It?s another for them to be rely on each other. Thigpen has been a full encyclopedia, making Shaw?s transition to the NFL a smooth one. Their bond has been lauded from Browns coaches as to why an average team can turn into a playoff contender. *** Training camp for most players a 15 hour day, and that?s before they get back to the hotel at 10 p.m., likely reviewing more practice footage. It?s exhausting. It?s challenging. ?I don?t think there?s anything you can do while you are in college to learn how the NFL is until you actually get into the NFL,? said Shaw. ?There?s nothing you can say to someone, until you are on the grind in the NFL. That?s the only way you are going to learn about it.? Even though he?s now regarded as one of the best quarterback?s in school history, Connor Shaw was never automatically given the starting quarterback position at South Carolina. Head coach Steve Spurrier drilled it home to Shaw that players earn every snap. So walking into this new pressure-filled practice culture coach Mike Pettine has launched is actually an aspect that makes Shaw feel like he?s at home. ?I?ve always been fighting for my spot,? Shaw said. ?Nothing is given. If you go out and win the Heisman, you?re still going to have to compete for your job. That?s the way coach Spurrier taught me and that?s the way coach Spurrier coached our whole team. Nothing is ever given. That?s the way I play my best.? The preseason will dictate Shaw?s future with the Browns. He knows this. He wants it that way. He wants the games to matter the most, because when they did in the SEC, Shaw rarely walked away in defeat. The spotlight on the Browns third-string quarterback spot is dim. The livelihood Shaw and Thigpen bring to both Brian Hoyer and Johnny Manziel is not a secret in Berea. Quarterbacks coach Dowell Loggains? classroom is important, in terms of chemistry, for the entire team. Choosing Shaw or Thigpen won?t be a decision that?s made quickly.
Browns signed S Jim Leonhard. Leonhard and Browns coach Mike Pettine go way back. The duo has worked together with the Ravens, Jets and most recently the Bills last season, where Leonhard recorded a career-high four interceptions in seven starts. Leonhard should push Tashaun Gipson for snaps opposite locked-in starter Donte Whitner. Turning 32 in October, Leonhard has already said this season will be his last.
And in other Manziel news, his mommy packed him a PBJ with a banana, some Wheat Thins, a little carton of 2% milk and a Twinkie. :-*
On a lighter side . . . The Browns reportedly have signed Safety Jim Leonhard [del]and Running Back Fred Jackson (Willis Mcgahee Part II)[/del] to one year contracts. {edit} Scratch the Fred Jackson part . . . that was the bills.
Happy Thursday Lounge Houndz *HI* Had to take the Mrs. to see Tim McGraw, her favorite music star, the "ONLY" concert she's really wanted to go see. Though now that she's been through that experience, we may have to go to more concerts *OK* And while I'm not a huge fan I did enjoy the eye candy *YES* Spoiler [video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJZOeTnvq4k[/video] *DRINK* As the season draws near I do find myself getting more excited to see what kind of team Farmer and Pettine will field this year. Defensively this could potentially be one of the best units in the league this year. They just need to Finish games. Gilbert will be tested early and often. I hope that he lives up to his potential. I think the Browns are set up to have one of the best D-lines they've had since their return. IMHO the only real question marks will be at the LB position. Mostly ILB. My biggest question is will the LB's be able to cover backs and TE's better than they didn't last year. Offensively, everyone expects the Browns to struggle mostly because of Gordons looming suspension. I get that QB is ("supposed to be") a big question mark, but I think that Hoyer will excell and play well to start the year. Once JF pulls his head out and realizes that it takes more than freakish altheltic ability to play QB in the NFL just may be the answer we've all been looking for. I for one hope Hoyer is healthy all year and doesn't miss any time. Give JF time to get his ego in check somewhat and learn how to be an NFL QB. The O-line is shaping up to be a very solid unit and the duo of Tate and West appears to be the makings of a good/great 1-2 punch at RB. I am definatley ready for some Football, Game day can't get here soon enough. This round is on me *DRINK*
TGIF!!! Have a wonderful Friday lounge hounds!!! #CLEVELANDGOODKARMA for Josh Gordon and his appeal today!! Now off to Browns Training camp in Berea! GO BROWNS!! *DRINK*
Tonight we honor the memory of Travis " the rabbit " Miller who lost his life in a motorcycle accident . he was a fine man and one helluva racer .
