QB Brady Quinn tried to lead the Browns offense, but he and QB Derek Anderson struggled in drills again.
The biggest story of Thursday's training camp involves OG Rex Hadnot. As reported earlier, the OBR indicated that Hadnot had blown out his knee. More details have come in to the OBR, now saying that it could be a serious left knee injury. The details of the play it happened on are in the report below.
TRAINING CAMP REPORT - DAY 6 (8/6/09)
- How It Happened: It started out as a normal play, with Hadnot blocking DL Louis Leonard. As he was engaged with Leonard, rookie LB David Veikune rolled on the top of Hadnot's leg. Hadnot remained on the ground for awhile in pain as the team gathered around him, before being carted off. It doesn't look very good right now for Hadnot, who started 15 games for the Browns last year. We didn't project him as a starter this year, but no doubt this could improve the roster odds of C Hank Fraley, and might create an opening for someone like Dustin Fry.
- Sunday Scrimmage: Head coach Eric Mangini revealed how the scrimmage will take place at the stadium this Sunday (free admission to all fans). There will be two teams -- the Brown Team and the White Team. They will play four quarters, each lasting ten minutes. Special teams coach Brad Seely will manage one team, while quarterbacks coach Carl Smith will manage the other. Mangini will be focusing on evaluating how things unfold. There will not be full-blown tackling, but the players will be in pads and allowed to make contact. It sounds much cooler than what has taken place the past several years.
RB James Davis dashes by another defender.
- It Can't Be Luck, Can It? Once again, rookie RB James Davis made an impact and possibly the play of the day, running for a 55-yard touchdown after cutting against the grain.
- The Quarterbacks Hit Bottom: Thanks again to Daniel Wolf of Dawg Scooper, who attended today's practice and provided the statistics for how the quarterbacks did in their drills today. Unfortunately, the results were pretty poor for both men. Here's a sample: in the first 11-on-11 drill, each quarterback was one-of-four with an interception. In an 11-on-11 one-minute drill, Quinn had poor clock management and barely moved the ball, while Anderson threw three incompletions before being sacked. If these two turned in this type of performance this Sunday, the hopes for our offense this year probably wouldn't be too high.
- Robiskie Still Down the Chart: The trend seems to be continuing, as WR Braylon Edwards, WR Mike Furrey, and WR Mohamed Massaquoi seemed to be working with the first team. WR Brian Robiskie received doesn't seem like he's demoted or anything, but he's not getting the same level of work as when camp first started. It's hard to say if this is indicative of their performances, or if Mangini is just rotating the reps.
Hey look, it's TE Martin Rucker. Training camp has not provided many clues as to who the starting TE will be.
- Punt Fakes in Full Effect: Thanks again to Mr. Wolf for providing some information on punt fakes. S Nick Sorensen caught the punt coverage by surprise when he took the snap and ran for about 10-15 yards. Later in the practice, P Dave Zastudil executed a fake as well. Speaking of Zastudil, CBS Sportline reported that he has been booming the ball well throughout training camp.
- Wildcat Formation: The Browns worked on the "Wildcat" formation with Joshua Cribbs, but it sounds like it was much of the same stuff as last year -- Cribbs running or handing the ball off rather than passing.
- Focusing on Run Drills: ClevelandBrowns.com reports that the practice involved focusing largely on running drills.
- Did Not Practice: FB Charles Ali, CB Don Carey, and WR David Patten did not practice.
- New Player Signed: The Browns signed a new defensive back -- Brandon Anderson, undrafted free agent from the University of Akron.
- The Vike: Rookie LB David Veikune looked good, beating OT George Foster a few times. That's either good for Veikune or bad for Foster.
Thursday's Link Collection / Camp Sources
Hey look, it's TE Martin Rucker. Training camp has not provided many clues as to who the starting TE will be.
Don Carey was waived today.
Also, I hate seeing Furrey get 1st team reps over Robiskie. The dude couldn’t even start on an 0-16 team. I mean its not that I don’t like him, but at this state of the Browns I would like to see the younger players receive the playing time as Furrey is a one and done player.
kjc - August 6, 2009
actually he was hurt last year. just sayin
BradyQuinnisBeast - August 6, 2009
o well than hes just too old lol
kjc - August 6, 2009
I think he still has a couple years left
BradyQuinnisBeast - August 6, 2009
It could be a situation where our offensive system always uses one WR as the “flanker” and one as the “split end”, and that Mangini has specific backups for each role.
This would mean the WR depth chart would essentially be split in (at least) half, so Robo could really be the 2nd best WR right now, but stuck behind Braylon as the “flanker”.
Either way, we don’t even have a starting QB right now, so building chemistry there is pretty much useless and I am sure Robiskie is getting reps somewhere.
rufio - August 7, 2009
TE
Also, as far as tight end position is concerned I definately see Royal and Heiden as the two who play the most and start.
kjc - August 6, 2009
From Canton Repository: Link
Doerschuk with quotes from Cribbs, saying he’s being worked into the first offense more.
Chris Pokorny - August 6, 2009
worried
something that has been worrying me throughout all of these ‘training camp reviews’ is that i have yet to read anything about wimbley, or d. jackson. whats been going on with our veteran lbs?
brownsMania - August 6, 2009
I’ve read that Mangini has absolutely praised Jackson
Roger Dorn - August 6, 2009
Like Dorn said, DQ has received very high praise from Mangini, and the media has alluded to the fact that he’s done well. There has been less news on Wimbley, but it sounds like the coaching staff is moving him around some more.
Chris Pokorny - August 6, 2009
If Hubbard makes the roster(which he could if we act smart and cut patten), I think the most effective place for him would be the slot. I mean picture a nickel back or linebacker having to cover someone who is 6-3 220 and runs a 4.3-4.4
BradyQuinnisBeast - August 6, 2009
with Hubbard’s speed I wonder y we dont hear about him on special teams at all?
kjc - August 6, 2009
He wasn’t on the active roster much (at all?) last year, if I remember correctly.
rufio - August 7, 2009
I see him more as a Bernard Berrian home run threat type. The guy that doesn’t make a ton of catchers, but will catch some long TD passes.
Roger Dorn - August 6, 2009
Hixon is another lesser example
Roger Dorn - August 6, 2009
yeah, definitely this. hubbard doesn’t sound like the kind of guy we want operating in crowded areas, relying upon his route running, concentration, and hands (i.e. the slot). let’s get him on the edge, utilizing his speed, and out-running/jumping/tall-ing a single DB.
DontCallMeJoey - August 7, 2009
He could still go deep from the slot. Posts, post-corners, corers, gos, are all definitely viable options from the slot. If we can draw him on a 5’9" CB in the endzone, just about anything would probably work.
I agree that we don’t want him as our Wes Welker. Our poor-man’s Anquan Boldin is probably more like it.
rufio - August 7, 2009
Thunder DavisJDWell even though it was his nickname in college I doubt it will stick. The biggest Davis has been is 218, when he struggled at the combine. In the senior bowl, he was 206, and was more explosive but struggled in pass protecting. At his pro day he was listed at 210, and that is where he had his best performance of the offseason.
So, I dont think he can be Thunder anymore, but JD(which is what the coaches have been calling him) doesnt sound too bad at all.
BradyQuinnisBeast - August 6, 2009
Reading the QB situations, it seems like we’re not doing so well with regards to interceptions. I understand interceptions have to happen sometime, and I guess it’s a better reflection from our defense’s point of view.
Still. Should we be worried?
skipkirk - August 7, 2009
i think we’re rolling with the “everyone is learning a new system” line for now. that runs out after a while, though…
DontCallMeJoey - August 7, 2009
I’m not worried unless it is happening at an alarming rate in the 3rd preseason game. Our defense knows our offense better than any other team, and they had better know our offensive playbook better than any other team, too.
Plus, with these happening during drills, you never know what the instructions were. Is the goal of the drill to stop the deep throw/complete the deep throw? Is it more run-oriented? Are the options at all limited? Have the QB’s been told to be trigger happy? To not run with the ball? How much do the O and D know about what each other is doing during the drill? Is our talent on D just finally being used properly?
I am more worried about one QB not outplaying the other right now than the fact that both aren’t doing so well.
rufio - August 7, 2009
QB play
That is my concern as well, I guess I was hoping to hear that Quinn was looking sharp and the off season work paid off. That does not seem to be the case, I am not a big DA fan, but at this point someone needs to step it up and lead the offense. I know it’s early, let’s hope for good QB play today.
Joey_D - August 7, 2009
Good point Rufio.
I am getting tired of the negative take on the QB’s at least in the media. I just wish one would step up.
I still thing Quinn is the QB, but who knows, maybe after the second pre-season game we will have an answer.
Grockcubs - August 7, 2009
Yea. It’s early. Let’s let them play a few preseason games before we start worrying too much
Roger Dorn - August 7, 2009
That’s why I kinda hate this time of year. I want to hear something good, which really isn’t happening in the QB competition. On the other hand, if I did hear something good, I would tend to take it with a grain of salt, especially after all of the good news from the last off season.
An excruciating dilemma.
JustBob - August 7, 2009
Well that’s the thing. Somehow from these tidbits I gather that the QBs are the ones that aren’t really up to par. Everyone else seems to be doing fine. Relatively anyway.
Just my POV.
skipkirk - August 7, 2009
James Davis
I’m liking what I see from James Davis so far. It would be great to see him added to the backfield mix this year. He was a stud in college except for his subpar final season. Hope to check him out in person this evening at camp.
Overlord1976 - August 7, 2009
as soon as we picked him, i was more excited about it than any of our earlier picks. i think this kid will be our starter in a year or two.
Dawg Nuts - August 7, 2009
Too bad about Rex Hadnot. That means we have to aquire a center, because Fraley and Mack are the guards. Hope he heals well.
The hair stands up on the back of my neck, when I hear half speed contact scrimmage. That is exactly wrong. With guys timidly planting their feet and pussyfooting around on contact, that is when accidents happen. It´s either full speed or it isn´t, most former players know this from experience. Just kind words of advice for the Brown vs. White game.
Robiskie is being marginalized because he isn´t what was advertised, we were suckered in, because he is a former interim coaches son, and someone was looking for a feel good ballboy to pro story, ala Fitzgerald. I´m not there, but I suppose his physical tools don´t measure up to the others. Maybe the coaches should make that even more evident.
D´Quell Jackson is an armordillo, a roaming rhino, he is too heavy and too slow. He´s causing havoc in practice, but in a game, if I require him to drop back in the box, or backpedal diagonally, he will look lame. I also suppose Wimbley has been shown to be too slow to play outside linebacker from the OT to the sideline and float on back into the flats, and too small and weak to play outside containment or pass rush.
The quarterbacks are still in Karma Coma. I would be looking forward to rotating them first half to second half and vice versa every game, to get my money´s worth next year. And, yes, bad fit for the Browns or not sufficient by our expectations, could very well mean what a steal for another franchise. I would rather brag about a former player succeeding elsewhere, than curse about them failing with us.
mooncamping - August 7, 2009
with hadnot gone, we have roster space for another FB. it’s all starting to come together…
Dawg Nuts - August 7, 2009
As Mr.Burns would say, Excellent.
tjk_doc - August 7, 2009
Is this getting more and more into “starting to get annoying” territory and coming out of “hilariously inaccurate” for anyone else?
rufio - August 7, 2009
Rec
SpecialBrownie - August 7, 2009
i’ll blend the two – hilariously annoying. i’m still extremely amused at how nonsensical it all seems, but i’m also steamed that he refuses to offer any facts or basis for his lunacy.
Dawg Nuts - August 7, 2009
Yes, I said that last week. This isn’t funny any more, it’s just annoying and wasting space on our blog. Even if I don’t read his posts, the time I spend scrolling past them is a waste of my time. I’ve had enough and I think it’s time for Chris to do something about it.
People are allowed to have dissenting opinions, but he’s not even talking about football, he’s talking about some made-up game which only exists in his head. It would be like me going to Let’s Go Tribe and suggesting that we make Grady Sizemore a starting pitcher, move Fausto Carmona to shortstop, and play eight infielders on defense. And doing it over and over and over again. That’s just being a pain in the butt, which is exactly what he keeps doing here.
Buckeye Brad - August 7, 2009
yea im tired of it too
BradyQuinnisBeast - August 7, 2009
LeBron should play center. Shaq is the point.
rufio - August 7, 2009
or playing Gimenez every day
Roger Dorn - August 7, 2009
You sir are offending. You´ve taking your baseless criticism into open agitation. Speak for yourself and stop talking as if you represent common consensus. You seem to me to be the type, who randomly goes between “I” and “Us”, possibly falsely assuming you can speak for the tribe. What makes you so certain that everyone else accepts you as a representative, because you act like you can direct peoples opinions.
You can make believe all you want, but deep inside you know I´ve contributed more to a fresh approach to football in the Browns organisation in a short time than you will in your lifetime. You are a hater and degrader, you´re a wolf in sheep´s closing, you shine the glaring spotlight to distract from your own faultiness.
If you like group dynamics so much join the lemmings!
mooncamping - August 8, 2009
Meant this to appear under Buckeye Brad.
mooncamping - August 8, 2009
I knew there would be a rebuttal concerning my openness regarding my assertions about the quality of Brian Robiskie. This is a touchy subject, because of the positive scouting reports fluffering his pick at number 36, and the consequent excitement at getting a guy billed “the most pro ready receiver in the draft” and the “most sure thing in the draft”. My stance is risky, but I figured I would use my newbie status to avert a colossal blunder, and maybe help to assuage the disappointment that is sure to follow, when this guy´s star is extinguished in the harsh reality of pro football. Once again, you have the right to ask for great not good in the NFL. Things are picking up as the season approaches, I would just like to make sure we don´t settle for less than we are entitled to in the heat of training camp battles. We should not put aside the stringency of an NFL standard of excellence, out of false loyalties and favoritism. I know this guy is a homey, but the Browns aren´t an Ohio farm team, it´s a sporting franchise with national access. I have not questioned his ambition, character or appeal, but as a fan I have the right to assess his sporting qualities.
mooncamping - August 8, 2009
Brad and most people around here with any common sense agree that the Browns should not draft OSU players because they are OSU players. Robiskie has a shot to be very, very good in the NFL. There weren’t many/any WRs at 36th overall who are going to be great, and if any do turn out to be great, they weren’t clearly going to be great on draft day.
No one was arguing that Robiskie was a good pick because he played for their favorite college team. Quit putting words in others’ mouths.
If anything, you argued that Robiskie’s physical attributes (not “sporting qualities”, which is neither an accurate term for what you believe to be Robiskie’s deficiencies nor a term with any real shared meaning) are not NFL ready. Then, many of us talked about how your position was incorrect and supported our position with facts.
-Robiskie got open on much faster players in college
-Robiskie’s combine times were middle of the pack (not so slow that his speed should be flagged as a concern)
-Slower WRs have been successful in the NFL (if you rooted for the Browns in 2007, you remember Joe Jurevicious’ contributions to the Browns, and he was awfully slow)
All you have to say is that your in your opinion, Robiskie is surely going to be a “dissappointment” and that he can’t ever be great, and that the Browns shouldn’t “settle” as the season approaches. Well, for one, we are going to have to settle for most of the players we have, because the draft is over and players that are “great” won’t be available to us anytime soon. Your opinion is based on nothing of substance, other than a few draft “experts”. Many “experts” really have no idea what they are talking about. Even those who do are wrong about players all the time. You haven’t said anything of substance, there.
If you watched Robiskie play, you saw him get open and catch the ball—even in a scheme that didn’t suit his strengths all the time. The kid is big, has average NFL speed, and can catch the ball.
Some of the other things you say are so ridiculously incorrect that they are hardly a “fresh approach to football”. D’Qwell Jackson is hardly a “roaming rhino”. You say that a “roaming rhino” is a player that is too heavy and too slow because of their weight, but Jackson is one of our lightest linebackers! He’s hardly too heavy.
Also, the scrimmage on Sunday is not to be “half speed”. The players will run, block, and hit full speed—the only change from regular football is that they won’t carry that hit through to the ground.
Robiskie is hardly being “marginalized”—and I don’t think you know what that word implies. You “suppose” he can’t play because of his physical abilities, but there is nothing behind that—it’s simply something you think. I guarantee being a ball boy is not a quality that gets you drafted in the NFL.
If you want to bring a “fresh approach”, then do it. But you need to have reasons behind what you say—and opinions and other peoples’ opinions don’t count.
rufio - August 8, 2009
thank you
BradyQuinnisBeast - August 8, 2009
rec
doggrad87 - August 8, 2009
Yeah, I did go overboard on that one. Guys believe in him.
He´ll get plenty of chances I suppose. I mean how likely is it you would cut a second round draft pick?
mooncamping - August 9, 2009
I still don’t mind. I don’t really want to ban him because I am really looking forward to the day and post where he decides to leave us for another team. I am actually kind of excited to see who he lands on
Roger Dorn - August 7, 2009
I say Raiders. He and Al Davis both have unique views on football
BradyQuinnisBeast - August 7, 2009
I still wanna see his nicknaming of our players.
skipkirk - August 8, 2009
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