Jun 16, 2015; Berea, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns offensive lineman Joe Thomas (73) guards during a play during minicamp at the Cleveland Browns practice facility. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
The Cleveland Browns wrapped up the three-day mandatory minicamp on Thursday, which means the 2015 off-season is officially in the books.
The workouts are completed, the draft picks and free agents are all under contract, and now the players are off until training camp opens in July, where there will be several positional battles taking place as general manager Ray Farmer and head coach Mike Pettine work to finalize who will make the final 53-man roster for the Sept. 13 season opener against the New York Jets.
“When we wrap up … we’ll evaluate where we are, not just at (one) position but every position,” head coach Mike Pettine said. “Then, it’ll be on the coordinator to get with each position coach to kind of set the plan for training camp – ‘Hey, this is a guy that’s been with the No. 3’s, but he’s shown some glimpses. We’d like to see him against other competition, see if he can go against the No. 2’s, maybe even against the No. 1’s.’ You’ll see us in training camp, even with the quarterbacks, just mixing and matching lineups just to see guys playing with different supporting casts.”
While the players are now off for a break, there is no rest for the wicked here at Dawg Pound Daily, so let’s take a look at the five things Browns’ fans need to know from this week’s minicamp.
Next: The offense is 90 percent installed
Jun 16, 2015; Berea, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns head coach Mike Pettine (right) speaks with offensive coordinator John DeFilippo during minicamp at the Cleveland Browns practice facility. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
For the fourth consecutive off-season, the Browns are putting in a new offense, with offensive coordinator John DeFilippo taking over for Kyle Shanahan.
“The only things that really haven’t been installed yet are the things that you do in training camp – the special situation type things, like end of game,” DeFilippo told the team’s website. “For example, there are six seconds left in the game and it’s fourth down, sprinting out and throwing the ball out of bounds. Things like that, you install those things once a day in training camp. From an X and O standpoint, from a run game standpoint, it’s about 90 percent in.”
While there is no contact allowed during minicamp the offense still had to deal with the defense, which should be ahead at this point since the majority of the players are now in the second year of defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil’s system. That daily challenge has helped push the offense to improve from where they were just a week or so ago during Organized Team Activities.
“I would say in the middle of OTAs we hit a little bit of a funk for a combination of a couple things. First off, it’s a credit to our defense. They are really well coached, they have good players and they have a really good scheme. We are always one step behind because they have so many wrinkles in their defense that they come out and then you have to get it fixed,” DeFilippo said. “Once we’ve kind of caught up to them, and I think we’ve kind of reinstalled everything for a second time in this mandatory minicamp. The last two or three practices, I think you’ve seen it come together. It’s not where we want it to be yet, but I’ve liked the progress we’ve seen in the last three practices.”
Speaking of the defense …
Next: Stopping the Run
Jun 16, 2015; Berea, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns linebacker Craig Robertson (53) defends Cleveland Browns running back Glenn Winston (41) during minicamp at the Cleveland Browns practice facility. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
In an ongoing effort to stop every opposing running back from setting a personal best against the Browns every Sunday, the defense will explore using more four- and five-man fronts.
“We base out of a 3-4 personnel, but we really play a lot of five-man fronts because it is a lot of under fronts where our SAM and rush linebacker are up on the ball,” defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil told the team’s website. “I do think we’ll be able roll more guys up front, and that’s a good luxury because if you can keep those guys up front fresh, that will really help us in the later part of the game.
“The true test will be once we get the pads on, but I think just being able to go back and show the guys where the mistakes were made [is beneficial], whether it was technique, alignment or schematics. I think the position coaches have done a great job emphasizing it in their individual work in the meeting rooms. We’ve emphasized it a lot as a coaching staff. We got beat up a little bit in Phase II because the players aren’t allowed to go against each other in Phase II. The coaches have to be the dummies. I had some bruises on my chest from those guys rolling off on me. It’s definitely been a point of emphasis for us. I’m happy with where we are with the pads not being on right now, but we’ll really know in a couple months.”
The Browns loaded up on defensive linemen in the off-season in both the draft and free agency, and it will be interesting to see how the roster shakes out when you consider the club only carried seven defensive linemen on the opening day roster last year.
“The thing I love about Ray’s and Pettine’s philosophy is we’re going to keep the 53 best players, if we’re one or two heavy on the d-line or we’re one or two heavy at corner or one or two heavy on the offensive line,” O’Neil said. “I think that’s a great philosophy because if you try to match your roster to ‘We have to have this many guys at this position,’ you’re cutting good football players, which I don’t think you ever want to do. Are there going to be some tough decisions that probably have to be made, especially on our side of the ball? Absolutely. Absolutely. We’re probably going to have to cut a couple good football players when it is all said and done at the end of training camp.”
Next: Where is Cameron Erving?
May 26, 2015; Berea, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns offensive lineman Cameron Erving (74) and defensive lineman Randy Starks (94) during organized team activities at the Cleveland Browns training facility. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
One of the biggest stories that will come out of training camp this fall will be if first-round draft pick Cameron Erving cracks the starting lineup and at what position.
Erving spent the Organized Team Activities and the first day of minicamp working all over the offensive line, but absent an injury the only realistic spots he is looking at are right guard and right tackle.
“I actually think it helps me because I do best when I’m challenged,” Erving told Ohio.com. “I’m not saying that one position won’t challenge me, but I’ve never really had a problem with moving around, changing positions. So I don’t feel like it’s going to be an issue now.
“All I can do is do whatever they ask me. I can’t tell you where I’ll be. Maybe one day I’ll be a one-spot guy that has the ability to play anywhere else, but right now, it’s up in the air. I’m just embracing every moment of it and trying to learn everything I can to the best of my ability.”
While DeFilippo won’t commit to placing Erving at one position just yet, he did admit that Erving will “probably” line up at right guard when training camp starts.
“We’ll always mix him in a little bit at center and always mix him in a little bit at left tackle. If I had to guess, I’d say right guard,” DeFilippo said. “Right now, all the tape on Cam’s not going to be pretty because we’re playing him at three different spots, but in the big picture, like I always talk about – I try to think as big picture as I can – it’s going to help us in the fall. It really is. It’s going to help us. The kid is going to have exposure at a lot of spots on the offensive line.”
Next: Barkevious Mingo Facing Competition?
Jun 16, 2015; Berea, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam talks with Cleveland Browns linebacker Barkevious Mingo (51) during minicamp at the Cleveland Browns practice facility. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
The Browns are looking to drive competition across the roster, and while most of the focus has been on the offensive and defensive lines, outside linebacker is also apparently going to be a position to watch this summer.
We have to think that Paul Kruger is set at one outside linebacker spot, but while many would assume that Barkevious Mingo would hold down the spot opposite Kruger, defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil isn’t ready to make that call just yet.
“When we came out of training camp last year, we thought Mingo was one of our best outside backers,” O’Neil told the team’s website. We all know about the injury he suffered in play two of the season. He is going to have to compete for playing time on early downs. He’s going to have a role in our sub-packages. No one is guaranteed anything on the defense. You’re going to have to earn playing time. We’re deep in every position group. Mingo is going to have to come back ready to go, and he’s going to have to earn it.”
One player who might be pushing Mingo for playing time is fourth-year player Scott Solomon.
“Scott is very quickly becoming one of my favorite players on the defense. He embodies everything we talk about when we say ‘Play Like a Brown,’ ” O’Neil said. “I think the offense calls him ‘Bloodbath’ because it’s like a heat-seeking missile coming off the edge. I do see him competing with Armonty Bryant once he’s full go at the rush linebacker position. I see him getting a considerable amount of reps on early downs. He’s going to have to earn his reps in later downs in passing situations, but he is definitely going to help us on the edge in the run game.”
But don’t despair Mingo fans, the athletic Mingo is still going to have a role in the defensive game plan.
“I think where Mingo has really taken a step this year is he’s been able to participate in all of the passing stuff, all of the 7-on-7 drills with the red shirt on,” O’Neil said. “Coming out of LSU, he had no experience with that stuff. Right now, he’s by far our best linebacker in coverage, our best outside backer. Now, we’re going to see where he is when we get back to training camp and the pads come on of how he is at outside backer setting the edge, how he is as a defensive end rushing the quarterback and that kind of stuff.
“We were very optimistic about Mingo coming out of training camp last year. We’ve improved the depth, we’ve improved the competition in that room with a Scott Solomon, a Nate Orchard, like we have in every room. Guys are going to have to earn it. We don’t care where you were drafted, when you were drafted, how much you’re getting paid; the best 11 guys and the guys who earn their roles are the guys who are going to play.”
Next: The Quarterbacks
Jun 16, 2015; Berea, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel (2) and Cleveland Browns quarterback Josh McCown (13) during minicamp at the Cleveland Browns practice facility. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Trust us, we wanted to skip what is sure to be an exhausting topic this summer, but we would be remiss if we didn’t talk about Josh McCown and Johnny Manziel.
So let’s get one thing out of the way up front: McCown is the starting quarterback – for now.
“I think Josh is playing at a high level right now. I think Josh is doing the things we want him to do,” DeFilippo said. “There’s a long time until we kick off against the Jets. There are four preseason games to play. Last year, I was at a place where we were sold on a starter, too, and then a rookie came in and outplayed him in the preseason. I think (Mike Pettine) said today there are 86 days or something like that until we kick off against the Jets. Eighty-six days in the NFL world is an eternity. For right now, if we were lining up against the Jets tomorrow, which we’re not, I wouldn’t see that changing.”
We all know that unless McCown gets injured during training camp or in a preseason friendly, he’s lining up behind Alex Mack 86 days from now against the Jets. So do we really need to go on? We do? OK, so what is McCown doing right so far?
“I’ve been very, very impressed with Josh. Josh and I talk about it all the time: He’s a better quarterback now than he was in 2007,” DeFilippo said. “I haven’t seen anything from an arm strength standpoint, from an athletic standpoint to tell me that his game has declined at all. He is much better in situational football, a much smarter quarterback than he was in 2007. Obviously, the intangibles with Josh are as good as any quarterback in the league in terms of his leadership, in terms of being a good person. All of those things that you’re looking for in a starting quarterback, Josh McCown has.”
But Manziel has done something positive so far, right coach?
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“First off, I think he’s improved on his pocket awareness. I saw him the other day for the first time get to his third progression, which was fantastic,” DeFilippo said. “We were throwing a post and a corner out of the front side and we had a basic cross, which is a 12-yard in-cut coming from the backside. That’s hard to do for a young quarterback, to work from the right side of the field all the way back coming into his vision. You see him reset his feet and getting back to second and third progressions, which is something I didn’t see much of him last season or when he was in college.
“The other thing that Johnny has done a much better job of is his huddle management. He’s getting the play out with confidence. We do have some long play calls. That’s just the nature of NFL play calls. You are going to have some long play calls. He’s gone in there and he’s been like a veteran spitting it out. We’ve had very, very few issues pre-snap with him in terms of delay of games, forgetting motions, not sending a shift we wanted, motion landmarks. Again, the big picture thinking with Johnny, he’s improved a great deal. Has he made every through as strike point accurate as we want? No, and he knows that. He needs to be a little bit more strike point accurate than he has been. That will come. You want to work outside in with these guys. You want to work the big picture and then you can really hone in on what they need to do from the other parts of playing quarterback.”
So there you have it: McCown may not be the quarterback we want, but he could be the quarterback we need. And Manziel is mastering the art of going through his progressions.
There is still a lot of work for the Browns to accomplish, but at least the opening chapter of the 2015 NFL season has been written.
Only 86 more days for the coaches and players to write out the rest of the novel.
What impressed you the most about the Browns during minicamp?