Aug 13, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns head coach Mike Pettine in a preseason NFL football game against the Washington Redskins at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
When the last person turned off the lights and left team headquarters in Berea Monday night it signaled the end of training camp for the Browns.
It’s not the end of the work, of course, as the team still has:
- two preseason friendlies – Saturday against Tampa Bay and Sept. 3 against Chicago;
- roster cut downs – the team must get down to a maximum of 75 players on Sept. 1 and 53 players by 6 p.m. on Sept. 5; and,
- several practices to get through before they line up on Sept. 13 against the New York Jets in the opening game of the 2015 NFL season.
Prior to the first practice of training camp, head coach Mike Pettine shared what he was looking for out of his team.
“Football’s about making plays. It is. You want guys to be productive. Potential only gets you so far, height, weight. We’re playing the game. We’re not out there running races or lifting weights. We’re playing football,” Pettine told the team’s website. “Who’s doing their job? Who can make plays but also who can make plays within the structure of the offense or defense, guys that aren’t coming out of structure and going outlaw, as we call it, to try to stand out.
“We tell our guys, do your job and good things will happen. If they go out every day of a mindset of ‘I’m going to fill my gradesheet with plusses,’ there’s that trust factor with coaches that ‘hey, here’s a guy that all he does is go out and does his job.’ Those are the guys that, you have your superstars that are going to make plays for you, but that next tier of guys you want to be solid, dependable, trustworthy and go out and do their job every time. If everybody goes out and gets a plus, if we’ve structured the offense or defense right as coaches, we’ll have a positive result.”
With that in mind, here are four things we’ve learned so far about the Browns.
Next: Soft-tissue injuries hurt
Jul 30, 2015; Berea, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns wide receiver Taylor Gabriel (18) and Cleveland Browns wide receiver Dwayne Bowe (80) during training camp at the Cleveland Browns practice facility. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
The Browns have been plagued throughout camp with soft-tissue injuries, most notably hamstring strains.
Among the players who have missed time with hamstring issues are Dwayne Bowe, Duke Johnson, Joe Haden, Tashaun Gipson, Robert Nelson and Terrelle Pryor.
That is quite the list.
Related: Terrelle Pryor ready to try slash-player role with Browns
“I think everybody in the league is trying to solve the soft-tissue riddle,” Pettine said when asked about it. “We feel like our protocol is tried and true, and unfortunately, we are still ending up with some pulls. That is something that we are constantly in a state of evaluating. We stress to our guys you have to eat right, sleep well and make sure we are hydrated. It is a source of frustration.”
“It’s hard to be evaluated when you’re not on the field.” – Josh McCown on Terrelle Pryor
The offense has been impacted the most by the injuries as Bowe and Johnson, players that offensive coordinator John DeFilippo called “major pieces” of the offense only returned to practice this week. While there is still time for them to get ready for the season opener, with a potentially easy opening four games, we’d feel a lot better if the offense was clicking right out of the gate.
Then there is the case of Pryor, who has barely been on the field because of his hamstring injuries.
Even if he had been healthy the entire time, Pryor faced long odds to make the Browns roster over players who have spent their entire football lives playing wide receiver.
“It’s hard at this point for me and anybody to say (if he could help), just because we haven’t seen him,” quarterback Josh McCown said. “It’s just unfortunate. It’s hard to be evaluated when you’re not on the field. As the preseason progresses and decisions have to be made, the window of time gets shorter and shorter.”
The thing is, even when the Browns cut Pryor they are not in danger of losing him. The Browns are not going to keep Pryor simply on hope that he can be an NFL wide receiver, especially since they haven’t seen him do it on the field. But that’s the same reason no other NFL team will claim him, so if the Browns want to bring him back down the road he will still be there.
Next: Justin Gilbert simply doesn't get it
Aug 13, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns cornerback Justin Gilbert (21) runs back a kickoff during the first half against the Washington Redskins in a preseason NFL football game at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Outside of quarterback Johnny Manziel, no player has caused more hand-wringing and consternation that Manziel’s fellow second-year player, cornerback Justin Gilbert.
With so many injuries in the secondary Gilbert has had numerous opportunities to show that after a rough rookie year he is finally learning what it means to play cornerback at the NFL level.
Related: Justin Gilbert’s very bad day
But a horrible game against Washington, followed by a rough practice against Buffalo showed that Gilbert still isn’t ready or able to take that next step. While he is in no danger of being cut, Gilbert is still out with a hip flexor injury that isn’t going to help his development.
“He’s further along than where he was last year. I still think he has some ground to make up.” – Defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil on Justin Gilbert
The problem isn’t physical talent when it comes to Gilbert, but the mental side of the game. Rookies Danny Shelton and Xavier Cooper have been seeking out advice from the veterans on the team, but we haven’t heard of Gilbert doing the same. Instead, he comes across as a player who is set in his ways and doesn’t believe he needs to change anything.
You don’t have to read too deep between the lines to understand that is what defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil was talking about when asked if Gilbert is making any progress.
“At the end of the day you have to be able to fall back on your technique and your teaching,” O’Neil said. “To me that’s what gives you confidence out there. You can just go out there and play and– I’m not saying he’s doing that but to me if you have a good foundation, if you’re having a bad day you can always fall back on that.
“He’s further along than where he was last year. I still think he has some ground to make up.”
There’s no reason for the Browns to give up on Gilbert, but if he wants to be part of what could be a talented defense, he needs to start listening to his coaches and get his mental approach on par with his physical talents.
Next: The defensive kids are all right
Aug 20, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns defensive tackle Danny Shelton (71) takes on Buffalo Bills offensive guard John Miller (76) during the first half at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Wide receiver Dwayne Bowe may be confident that the Browns can be a “high-powered” offense in 2015, but if the team is going to have success it will more than likely come from the defensive side of the ball.
Everyone expected first-round selection Danny Shelton to make an impact, and so far he has not disappointed, but fellow rookies Xavier Cooper and Ibraheim Campbell (who unlike Gilbert is making the most of his opportunity) are also turning heads.
“(Danny’s) done a great job. He brings a ton of energy. I think he proven throughout the first couple preseason games and the two days we spent out in Buffalo, he’s going to command a double team in the run game,” O’Neil said. “I think he’s going to very hard for guys to single block. I love the energy he brings. He’s going to push the pocket and the pass game so he’s going to help us.
“Thumbs up on Danny Shelton, I’m excited about him.” – Defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil
“I think (Campbell) has done a great job at safety, he has played almost the entire two preseason games and I think you’ve been able to see how physical he’s going to be in the run game. He’s where he’s supposed to be in the pass game and I think he’s only going to get better as he spends time in the system.”
Cooper, who has three sacks in two preseason games, is another player putting in as much work off the field as he does on it.
“He has a great knack and a feel for that first step and that get-off. To me, he is really good with his hands and I think he has a good understanding of what offenses are trying to do,” Pettine said of Cooper. “Guys that gather pre-snap information – he has shown a knack for being able to hedge his bet a little bit knowing whether it was going to be run or a pass or know whether the run was going to him or away from him. With that get-off comes disruptiveness that is difficult on an offense when your offensive lineman are slow and basically chasing a guy and getting bubbled back into the backfield.”
When the inevitable injuries hit this fall, it’s good to know that the Browns have some young players ready to step up when needed.
Next: The quarterback situation is what it is
Aug 13, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel (2) and quarterback Josh McCown (13) on the sidelines during the fourth quarter of preseason NFL football game against the Washington Redskins at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
While everyone outside of Cleveland is over-invested in Johnny Manziel being the starting quarterback for the Browns (yes, we’re looking at you ESPN), it would do everyone a lot of good if they accepted one simple fact.
Right now, Josh McCown is the best option at starting quarterback.
Does that mean McCown is a good quarterback? Not necessarily. But even if McCown is average or worse, that doesn’t make Manziel a good quarterback. They are two separate players and can be evaluated independently.
In addition, Pettine has sold the team on the notion that they are going to start winning now and that everyone has to earn their place on the team. What message does he send if he picks Manziel as the starter before he is ready?
“Practice after practice after practice together and next thing you know, you’re taking a one day at a time attitude and you put four or five days in a row of good work in.” – John DeFilippo on Johnny Manziel
We’ve heard the arguments that Manziel has “outplayed” McCown during training camp and the preseason, but there is simply no evidence to support that claim.
Has Manziel, at times, looked better than he did last season? Yes. But that has as much to do with him finally taking his job seriously as it does with the fact that he set the bar so low in 2014, there was almost no way he couldn’t improve.
Related: McCown’s finger OK; Manziel remains QB2
But that doesn’t make him ready to be a starting quarterback and, luckily for the Browns, there are adults in the room in Berea who understand that simple fact.
“I think (Johnny’s) a new guy,” DeFilippo said. “I think from a preparation standpoint and want to standpoint … I think you see a different quarterback. I think his overall understanding of the game and what we’re trying to do has changed drastically. He understands protections, he’s making the calls, he understands the sight adjusts, he understands his hots.
“You’re seeing those types of growth in him which I’m very pleased with. Our mantra with him and I talked about this with him all the time is one day at a time, just one day at a time. Practice after practice after practice together and next thing you know, you’re taking a one day at a time attitude and you put four or five days in a row of good work in.”
Not only is Manziel different this year, the quarterback room is as well because of McCown.
This isn’t a knock on Brian Hoyer, there are plenty of people lining up to do that for some reason, who had to focus on himself last season, leaving little time for him to help Manziel along. (And with Manziel’s attitude last season, Hoyer had little desire to help him.)
McCown is at a different stage of his career, meaning he can focus on getting in his work while also being open to helping Manziel make progress.
“(Johnny) understands obviously because you have seen it and you see the steps that he has taken that this is a process,” McCown said. “He has a good mindset and he is still working. The thing is for him with a lot of the growth – you can’t ever replace reps, but at the same time, mentally he can still stay sharp and do things. We just encourage him.”
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No matter how much people want to see Manziel on the field because they think he will be the same player he was at Texas A&M, the reality is that he is nowhere near being that player.
“When you think about Johnny, he’s made some great strides,” Pettine said. “But this is a guy [who] less than five months ago was in a very dark place, personally, and he’s come out of it and responded in a very positive way and where he is now personally has helped him professionally.
“I think the natural tendency might be to rush things. We feel we’re in a good spot with Josh. He’s a capable starter in this league when he’s surrounded by the right supporting cast.”
The quarterback situation is going to work itself out, it will just be on the Browns’ timetable rather than one imposed on them by the national media.
And there is nothing wrong with that.