Cleveland Browns: 3 Takeaways from minicamp practices
By Greg Newland
![Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett (95) chats with teammates during an NFL football practice at the team's training facility, Tuesday, June 15, 2021, in Berea, Ohio. [Jeff Lange / Akron Beacon Journal]Browns 11](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_1080,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape%2Fcover%2Fsport%2Fhttps-3A-2F-2Fdawgpounddaily-com-2Fwp-content-2Fuploads-2Fimagn-images-2F2018-2F08-2F16263263-850x560-a4d1c14fad70530f86ab049591bc4c17ee125b046b0c91c44bbcb4347a715631.jpg "Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett (95) chats with teammates during an NFL football practice at the team's training facility, Tuesday, June 15, 2021, in Berea, Ohio. [Jeff Lange / Akron Beacon Journal]Browns 11")
The Cleveland Browns have officially ended the first week of mandatory minicamp. Here are three takeaways from the first week of work.
Can you remember a happier time as a fan of the Cleveland Browns? COVID-19 is starting to subside, fans can attend sporting events, the Browns appear loaded for the 2021 season, and organized team activities (OTA’s) have officially begun.
This team heads into the season with a ton of expectations. Having high expectations for a team is a great thing, but unfortunately, that also leads to a ton of pressure. One thing that can keep Browns fans resting easy, Baker Mayfield has shown he can thrive under pressure.
Not only has Mayfield shown he can handle the pressure, but head coach Kevin Stefanski has also been a master of keeping his team levelheaded. Remember, his first season as an NFL coach came during all the fiascos from the COVID-19 protocols.
There were multiple times last year when the Browns found out they would be missing multiple starters on a Thursday, and they even lost their star defensive player, Myles Garrett, for two weeks.
The difference between 2019 (the last time expectations were high), and now is really two things. One is experience. Guys like Mayfield, Garrett, Nick Chubb, and Denzel Ward were all here for that disappointment. This team now has a nucleus that has seen how to win and has playoff experience under their belt.
But the biggest difference is Stefanski. I’m not sure everyone realizes just how important coaching is in the NFL, but you can’t just win with talent. With 53 grown men in one room who are extremely talented, there must be some major guidance and buy-in to the direction of the team to make things work.
With the first week of the 2021 camp finally under the team’s belt, let’s look at three very early takeaways.