* Progress made: Maybe Tuesday will be regarded as the day the light went on for Johnny Manziel. Or maybe for the entire offense as a whole. Manziel had his finest practice throwing the ball, and so did Brian Hoyer. Both quarterbacks had different periods with the first-team offensive line, but Hoyer definitely received more reps with the starters as the practice went on, a tip-off that he will start the preseason opener in Detroit on Saturday. According to ESPNCleveland?s Jason Gibbs, Manziel completed 15 of 27 passes in 7 on 7 and team drills ? his highest completion percentage of camp in a week. In one sequence, Manziel completed four consecutive passes ? one to the left, one to the right and two over the middle. Coach Mike Pettine agreed that Manziel was more assertive in knowing where to go with the ball. ?That?s also understanding the play and then who he?s reading. Am I reading the weak safety? Am I reading the strong safety? Where am I looking to go with this ball? I think that?s true of any rookie quarterback. Most of the time, they?re much slower. They have to anticipate. Where Hoyer?s ahead is his ability to throw a ball before a guy breaks open. But we certainly see Johnny make strides in that direction,? Pettine said. * First depth chart unveiled: NFL coaches generally are loathe to release their first depth chart of camp because it sometimes sends wrong messages to media, fans and players about where each player stands in the team?s plans. ?I did it because I had to do it,? Pettine said with a sigh. ?I think at a lot of positions we would have just slashed guys (as co-starters). I would say it?s very loose in our minds. I wouldn?t put a lot of credence in it. It will be very fluid. And there?ll likely be changes after every week.? Cases in point: Phil Taylor and Jabaal Sheard are listed on the second team at their positions (behind Desmond Bryant and Paul Kruger, respectively). Miles Austin is the No. 2 receiver opposite Josh Gordon, ahead of Nate Burleson. Justin Gilbert is still listed behind Buster Skrine at cornerback. For the record, Hoyer is No. 1 at quarterback and Ben Tate No. 1 at running back. * Safety numbers: Even though the Browns added Jim Leonhard to the safety competiton, don?t count out Jordan Poyer from the mix. With free safety Tashaun Gipson in uniform but out of the rotation after spraining a knee last week (precaution), Poyer received a lot of looks with the first and second teams, alternating with Leonhard at the position opposite Donte Whitner. Poyer was active in all nine games last year after being waived by the Eagles. A positive sign for Poyer is that he appears to be the No. 1 upback in punt formation ? the player who calls the signals and is the punter?s last line of defense. * Brownie bits: Lots of fans have asked about the future of Leon McFadden, who showed up fourth at cornerback on the depth chart behind Joe Haden, Isaiah Trufant and Pierre Desir. Happy to report that McFadden, a third-round pick last year, turned in an interception of Tyler Thigpen on Tuesday ? Haden lit up Charles Johnson after a pass to the right sideline from Hoyer. Johnson smacked to the ground ? but completed the catch ? Manziel launched a deep ball to Travis Benjamin, who sprinted behind coverage. Only green grass between Benjamin and the end zone. Benjamin dropped it. Crowd groaned ? Tight end Jordan Cameron remained out with a shoulder injury. Pettine said it's precautionary ... The team is not going with a backup kicker or punter right now, but that could change next week ... When Manziel walked off the practice field at the end of the day, he was carrying the shoulder pads and jersey of running back Ben Tate ? another reminder that he is indeed a rookie.
BEREA, Ohio? Rookie cornerback Pierre Desir was all over the field during Monday?s practice. Desir broke up a pass the 11-on-11 scrimmage and chased down wide receiver Miles Austin on a long run and stripped the ball from Austin. ?He had a rough veteran camp,? Pettine said. ?The coaches challenged him and he went away and responded. He has really made some strides. We are very pleased with Pierre. I think he is one of the more difficult corners (for receivers) when he presses because with his length he?s more difficult off the corners.? Notebook Gordon Practices: WR Josh Gordon was on the field practicing while his appeal hearing is scheduled to continue in New York this afternoon. ?It?s still part of the process,? Pettine said. ?He?s involved with something with the league today we?ve been patient so far we?ve waited this long and hopefully, a resolution is coming soon.? Cameron, Gipson Out: TE Jordan Cameron (shoulder) and DB Tashaun Gipson (knee) were on the side during practice along with DB Isaiah Trufant, WR Chandler Jones and TE James Oboh. LB Tank Carder was suited up but didn?t participate in team drills. Pettine said Cameron could likely practice if it were the regular season, but might be held out of the Lions preseason game Saturday. He said the injury is to Cameron?s AC joint. ?More than likely we?ll err on the side of caution.? OL Nick McDonald is the only player still on the Active/non-football injury list. Fragel Hurt: OL Reid Fragel was injured in the scrimmage and ended up being taken back to the locker room on a cart. Taylor Back: DL Phil Taylor (hamstring) was back at practice after being on the Active/non-football injury list. Taylor had missed the first full week of training camp and the scrimmage on Saturday. Pinkston Likely Out: OL Jason Pinkston was on the sidelines in street clothes. He still hasn?t been medically cleared for practice. Pettine was asked if he thought he would return in the near future. ?I don?t see him coming back in the foreseeable future,? Pettine said. ?That?s great it comes with the territory,? Pettine said. Quick Hits: QB Johnny Manziel?s first throw in team scrimmage with the first team was a 40-yard completion to WR Travis Benjamin with CB Joe Haden covering. His second pass was to WR Josh Gordon but DB Jim Leonhard tipped it and DB Donte Whitner intercepted it?QB Brian Hoyer threw a 40-yard completion to WR Miles Austin in 7-on-7?Manziel hit WR Taylor Gabriel after rolling out of the pocket for a 25-yard gain?QB Tyler Thigpen had two interceptions in his time at quarterback at the end of practice. DB T.J. Heath got the first one and DB Robert Nelson the second?K Billy Cundiff kicked a field goal to end Hoyer?s drive in the team offense. Next Up: The Browns return to practice Tuesday at 9:30am-12: 10 pm. They practice Wednesday and Thursday before heading to Detroit to open the preseason with the Lions on Saturday.
I just heard on the radio and read on cbs that Gordon's suspension will more than likely be 8 games. Still makes me wonder why we didn't draft a WR? Lets hope Tate can stay healthy or West can pick up the slack! Go Brownies
Coach Mike Pettine said third-round ILB Christian Kirksey is "as advertised." Getting a ton of first-team reps, Kirksey looks like the favorite to start next to Karlos Dansby. "He?s been great," said Pettine. "If you were just an observer at practice and didn?t have a roster, you wouldn?t think he was a rookie. ... We just felt a lot better when he got here and realized that this kid is a complete linebacker."
Browns Camp Report: Day 10 ?No official word yet, but it would seem likely that Johnny Manziel will start the second preseason game in Washington. Coach Mike Pettine said it was a possibility, but he added it ?seems like a month away.? Much likely will depend on what happens Saturday in Detroit. ?It was refreshing to hear Pettine say he would play his starters more than the usual limited time in preseason. For years the Browns have changed systems and players, given the starters little time together and then wondered why the offense struggled early. ?You want to walk that fine line,? Pettine said. ?You?re potentially putting guys at risk, but I think that?s the price that you pay. There?s no substitute for live game reps against somebody else. That?s the best tape to evaluate. ?Brian Hoyer got his first scare on Tuesday when Paul Kruger fell on his surgically repaired knee. ?It was more scary than anything else,? Hoyer said. ?I went down and waited for some pain and there wasn?t any.? Hoyer reports no issue with his knee, and said he has several braces ready. ?What better way to sum up Hoyer than with these words, from him: ?Prepare to be prepared, regardless of the situation.? ?Hoyer took the team to task for what he thought was a lackluster start to practice. ?I think we kind of took a step back as a team,? he said. ?I think we need to come out with a better sense of urgency because we have a long way to go. It?s the dog days of training camp; everybody has to deal with it. But we?re certainly not a team that can afford to take a step back.? He said as the quarterback, some of the responsibility for the poor start rests with him. ?Tight end Jordan Cameron (shoulder) willl not play in Detroit. Free saftey Tashaun Gipson (knee) returned to practice and should play. ... Manziel got a big smile when someone asked him about Kyle Shanahan?s system having plays as long as 18 words. ?I know we sit in the quarterback room and we kind of joke about the play calls being a little longer,? he said. ?I don?t count the words,? Hoyer said. ... About rookie LB Chris Kirksey, Pettine said: ?If you were an observer at practice and didn?t have a roster, you wouldn?t think he was a rookie.? ... Pettine continues to emphasize that both quarterbacks are playing to their skill set. That means Hoyer drops back and reads the coverage and makes the fast throw and Manziel runs around and tries to make plays by improvising. ... Pettine said of Manziel: ?I think he?s been better than we expected from the pocket as well.? Up next: The Browns have one final day of work before heading to Detroit, but Thursday?s practice is not open to the public.
Who won Thursday at Browns training camp: Looking deeper at running back BEREA, Ohio -- The battle for the Browns' top running back spot has been a grind. It was the featured position battle in this spot yesterday. The fight going on behind those guys, however, is where it gets interesting. Rookie Isaiah Crowell is going against Dion Lewis, Chris Ogbonnaya and Edwin Baker for the right to back up Ben Tate and Terrance West. We last looked at this battle last Friday. Today, it's time to circle back and check back in on how it's going. Notable plays 11-on-11 ?The order of how the backs appeared behind Tate and West: Crowell, Baker, Lewis and Ogbonnaya. ?Crowell lost yardage on a run and had a short gain up the middle. ?Lewis stutter stepped up the middle for a short gain and caught the ball over the middle for Connor Shaw for a gain of about five yards. He later lost yardage on a run left. ?Ogbonnaya ran up the middle for a medium gain. ?Baker countered left for a short gain and stretched a run left for another short gain. 11-on-11 red zone ?Ogbonnaya ran left for a touchdown. ?Crowell cut back up the middle for five and ran right off tackle for a touchdown. The verdict: The problem with this battle is that each of the players involved seems to do a certain thing well, but none of them encompass the all-around back you want for your third guy. Crowell is the best runner while Lewis is the best catching the ball and running in space. Ogbonnaya will do whatever you ask him to do. Baker showed something in live game experience last season. On top of all that, no one really separated Thursday morning. In the end, it's hard to think that the team won't turn to the high upside of Crowell over the rest. That upside wins the day.
My buddy went to the Browns practice the other day and said that Kirksley kid is all over the place. he said he can cover the pass and play run stuffer. I like Dansby but he is long in the tooth. lets hope this kid really is a ball hawk type LB. As I said before, Jackson did make plays but to many plays down field. My new slogan....... GO BROWNIES!!!!!
*YAHOO* It's game day Lunge houndz *YAHOO* Here we go Brownies here we go!!! WOOF WOOF!!! *DRINK* *DRINK*
maybe its just me, but it sure does seem like our offense revolves around Marques Gray for some reason.......
Johnny just makes plays...he cant throw it and catch it...shuld have been bout 9-11 for almost 80 yds or so....man is Det in big time trouble if Stafford goes down...those other QBs r AWFUL
Actually, I thought BOTH QB's looked . . . just okay. Nothing to write home about. Lots of dropped balls for both of them. Both made some decent throws. Both made some lousy throws. Now, before someone chimes in and says, "But Johnny played with the 2's." Yes, he did. He also played against the Lions 2's (and partial 3's). And Hoyer played against a mix of 1's and 2's.
Hoyer had a 2 yd dump off that went for almost 30 yds in a busted coverage....that sure made his stats look better and 2 b honest I dont remember a drop 4 Hoyer unless ur counting Miles but he may have been out of bounds anyway. If this is a fair comp they have to let Manziel start the next game.
If I'm reading Pettine correctly, I think Manziel will start the next game. They have to see to see how he performs with the 1's against the 1's.
Same here Lym. A few nice things, a few bad things and plenty of mistakes and dropped balls. Manziel did have a nice couple of runs which intrigues me to see what he can do with the first string. He definitely brings another dimension. However, not sure if he's gonna have the happy feet or grasp the playbook as well as Hoyer by the time the season starts. Armonty Bryant had some nice plays. I kept my eye on him after his name was called a couple times for making tackles. Oh, and Mingo looked pretty good too, especially for an underweight linebacker withno durability.
Ya he lit the world on fire....not sure how he got credit for the sack when A. Bryant was the 1 who made the play....Mingo was tied up w the OL and if Bryant doesnt come from the right side Mingo had no shot of getting the QB....1st 2 pass plays the LT just eats Mingo up and 2nd play he tries a spin move and gets stone walled.....next play Bell runs right behind Fauria at TE cause he engages Mingo and turns him completely out of hole...misses a tackle in the flats and keeps trying inside moves where the guard picks him up easy....not sure what game ur watching so I just watched it again on dvr....I will say it again ur clueless when it comes to x's and o's
