Tiamat's 2019 training camp observations, thoughts, ramblings (who the hell knows at this point?)
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I'm tired as shit, probably because I was just woken up by my RB who ran into a family snag and now can't make it to camp. It's late and practice is in 9 hours but I'm opening this up to the floor because I doubt I can get anyone by 7:30am. I just tried the 'return' option on my app but it sends me to a dead link. So either the app is fucked, or it isn't an option. And With people selling these god damn things, it feels wrong to leave a couple open.
Because of this, I now have 2 open tickets for training camp tomorrow/today (27th) at 10am available to the select, able and willing Browns fan wanting them.
The app gives me the option of transferring the tickets, or if you want to roll into camp with us at the gate, I'm fine with that too. From that point on you can go your own way or whatever, I don't care. But it will require some immediate and tight coordination on your part. Either way, feel free to post or drop me a PM if you're interested. I'd hate to see them go to waste.
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I did pick up one of those white, bucket hats from the Browns site that you saw the coaches on HBO wear. Actually not a bad fit. Fortunately I don't have a head the size of a Shetland pony, so I can pull off a clean, summer buzz plus the hat.
Anywho.
Welcome to my yearly mad house, I trust you'll enjoy your stay. I'm sorry about missing last year, but life has a tendency to keep us from our passions at times. Myself and a few friends (former teammates) will be in attendance the first Saturday of camp - the 27th. Feel free to holler if you see us.
While I hope to soak up as much as possible, the camp time is only 2 hours. I plan to make a camp date in August to gauge progress so because of that I'll be focusing on a few spot mostly this time around.
- The secondary.
I'm a DB at heart, always have been. It's home. I want to see Greedy and the physical gifts he brings to the table. I want to see how he and Ward compliment each other. I also want to get a better understanding of their roles under our new DC.
From there my eyes will lead me to the safeties. Outside of Randall I want to know how Burnett and possibly Redwine look.. What our 2 primary safeties will be and how the nickel spot will be addressed and by who?
- The Oline
The interior especially. Who is going to shake out at RG between Corbett, Kush and Kalis. Will Corbett get more looks at center? How does Tretter perform without having Zeitler on his hip? Finally, any progress from Robinson and where might Forbes land..?
Last stop.
- The Backers.
Not so much Schob or Kirksey. I want to see Avery's further development and deployment. Where does Sione see snaps? And is Mack Wilson the steal many make him out to be.
I know you guys are into the sexy. The skill spots, QB, WR, etc etc. I'll do my best to keep an eye on them when I can and give my word on early returns.
Anything I post initially will be off the cuff and any tweets embedded will either be my own or to echo a point from another's words. Any questions?
Aaaaaaaaaaand break!
I did pick up one of those white, bucket hats from the Browns site that you saw the coaches on HBO wear. Actually not a bad fit. Fortunately I don't have a head the size of a Shetland pony, so I can pull off a clean, summer buzz plus the hat.
Anywho.
Welcome to my yearly mad house, I trust you'll enjoy your stay. I'm sorry about missing last year, but life has a tendency to keep us from our passions at times. Myself and a few friends (former teammates) will be in attendance the first Saturday of camp - the 27th. Feel free to holler if you see us.
While I hope to soak up as much as possible, the camp time is only 2 hours. I plan to make a camp date in August to gauge progress so because of that I'll be focusing on a few spot mostly this time around.
- The secondary.
I'm a DB at heart, always have been. It's home. I want to see Greedy and the physical gifts he brings to the table. I want to see how he and Ward compliment each other. I also want to get a better understanding of their roles under our new DC.
From there my eyes will lead me to the safeties. Outside of Randall I want to know how Burnett and possibly Redwine look.. What our 2 primary safeties will be and how the nickel spot will be addressed and by who?
- The Oline
The interior especially. Who is going to shake out at RG between Corbett, Kush and Kalis. Will Corbett get more looks at center? How does Tretter perform without having Zeitler on his hip? Finally, any progress from Robinson and where might Forbes land..?
Last stop.
- The Backers.
Not so much Schob or Kirksey. I want to see Avery's further development and deployment. Where does Sione see snaps? And is Mack Wilson the steal many make him out to be.
I know you guys are into the sexy. The skill spots, QB, WR, etc etc. I'll do my best to keep an eye on them when I can and give my word on early returns.
Anything I post initially will be off the cuff and any tweets embedded will either be my own or to echo a point from another's words. Any questions?
Aaaaaaaaaaand break!
Thatta boy! Looking forward to it.
I think this is the first day of contact. I'd love to hear how Forbes looks in the Okie drills if you get a chance as well as any scrimmage situations. These always show me a lot in terms of pad height, fundamentals, explosion and the ability to FINISH someone following initial contact! As for base, does he keep his feet wide enough apart to prevent over-extending? He probably has the biggest jump in competition levels; but his elite measurements of explosiveness really intrigues me. (Division III) Hobart's Ali Marpet reminds us it ain't the school you draft - it's the football player and what he's wired to accomplish.
I'm looking forward to reading you Tia-off on all the skill positions you specified as well. Have fun today!
As you were...
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Opening camp song is In Da Club. Every white person here over 40 looks confused.
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The Scottish Hammer has some hang time. Also has some of the most magnificent hair this side of Polamalu. Seriously his conditioner use must be unreal.
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Oline is parked right in front of me. Score.
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Mary Kay has done more talking than watching. Dont think she's looked at the field once. This is who covers your team, folks.
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Opening camp song is In Da Club. Every white person here over 40 looks confused.
That is not confusion, that is disgust.
(OK...I have no clue what that song is...but I can imagine)
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The Scottish Hammer has some hang time. Also has some of the most magnificent hair this side of Polamalu. Seriously his conditioner use must be unreal.
The Scottish Hammer has some hang time. Also has some of the most magnificent hair this side of Polamalu. Seriously his conditioner use must be unreal.
I am a fan of the good hair guys. If we could convince him to grow a Rollie Fingers-eaque mustache he would look like a Musketeer. Who doesn’t want a Musketeer as a punter? All for one!
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I have this feeling you're going to see a fake Punt or FG this season and Greedy will be the one it goes to. Call it a hunch.
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This starting Dline isnt tall aside from Garrett. Vernons inside move is still nasty though. Bito holding his own vs Sheldon.
Chad Thomas hit a NASTY spin move inside on Hubbard. The pass rush 1 on 1 is right in front of me. Forbes doing a better job of anchoring than expected. Gettkng drill snaps at LT.
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This starting Dline isnt tall aside from Garrett. Vernons inside move is still nasty though. Bito holding his own vs Sheldon.
Chad Thomas hit a NASTY spin move inside on Hubbard. The pass rush 1 on 1 is right in front of me. Forbes doing a better job of anchoring than expected. Gettkng drill snaps at LT.
This starting Dline isnt tall aside from Garrett. Vernons inside move is still nasty though. Bito holding his own vs Sheldon.
Chad Thomas hit a NASTY spin move inside on Hubbard. The pass rush 1 on 1 is right in front of me. Forbes doing a better job of anchoring than expected. Gettkng drill snaps at LT.
Good to hear about Forbes. Would like to see him get a fair shake at Tackle. I think he has the quick feet for it.
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yeah that's not good.
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Here's how the notepad looks from the top down.
Forbes - needs a little work on his knee bend, leg drive and lower strength. His height, arm length and weight do make him look like a center candidate. You can tell his arms are shorter than the other tackles just by standing next to them. The 1 on 1 pass pro snaps I saw real quick, he took away the outside then worked his ass off to anchor back in. But he held vs the 2nd team line at tackle drills.
Robinson - looks like he trimmed just a bit. Maybe 10lbs. You can see it in the way he walks without having to see the snaps. Perhaps seeing the film vs speed rushers and adjusting/improving his body to the game?
Kush - Natural pad level because of his height. Looked like the 1st team RG today at times.
Lamm - is an emerging RT option and was 2nd team from what I saw. Got most of his work there and honestly, looked a pinch better than Hubbard a times.
Coach Campen - I like him. Hands on and has a bit of fire when he's down lown with his position group. The raw tools for this line need work but the Oline, coaching wise, is in good hands with him. If they are underwhelming, it will be because of the (lack of) talent.
Baker was off a bit early in warmups. Missed some passes high. Also, I get that he has moments of brilliance but there were some throws today that just didn't need to be made. I understand you have to live with the good and bad, but avoiding the Farve mentality was something I was praying for.
Corbett - I just don't know about this kid. He saw some looks at center and in the 1 on 1 drills. I have no idea how he fits into this line aside from a rotational backup. I don't see full time starter material at any position he has played so far. Possible Center candidate?
Mary Kay - spent more time bullshitting and staring at her phone than paying attention to practice. At least, for the first 45 minutes or so that I was in proximity to her.
Punt return unit - at the moment, not very inspiring. Couple fumbles - and Callaway is a name that came to mind as a PR man buuuuuut...
Callaway - TD drop on a pretty pass to the corner. Wasn't ideal ball placement and he had to elevate just a little, but should be a routine catch for a professional athlete. Hands, hands, hands. Can't have you dropping shit that ends up in the bread basket. Eventually it will come back to bite you.
Saw some RPO looks. Or possibly the offensive incorporating more quick hitting alert read off of the gun runs. Good news is, the 2 that I saw went to the man Baker has developed the chemistry with - Higgy. Last year and the off season work now should hopefully pay dividends on ball placement and sight adjustments post/pre snap.
Saw a decent amount of cross formation movement from slot receivers. Again, the man was Higgy when I saw. Keep that little theme in mind heading into this season.
Hilliard - running low, showing patience, burst and staying behind his pads. Had a nice jump cut to the B gap, planted his foot and got upfield for an 8 yard gain early. Between Chubb and him, running game should be pretty solid to open the year. I don't have many, if any, concerns about those two.
2nd team Oline won inside on the 2nd team dline. And they did it with some frequency. Coley had a nice move in the 11's but that unit is going to need some work. At times though, I couldn't help but wonder if the interior D was holding back a bit? On the edge there isn't as much contact and unless you've been in the middle of those piles, you don't fully appreciate how easy it is to get fucked up by something stupid.
Kalis - thought he was the starting RG at first until I saw the number. Took good volume of 2nd string snaps and I think that helped with the interior wins I saw vs the 2nd team Dline.
Baker - still needs to work on his drive out from the back foot under center and making the pivot foot a bit lighter/smoother with a more immediate turn. See; Brady, Tom. But better than what I initially remember seeing from last season.
Greedy - tall, long arms, lean. Still needs to work on adding upper strength and good mass. Not much, mind you. But he's still very young so that will come in time. Has a natural frame that allows him to sit inside on receivers, squeeze them to the boundary than box out with height and length. He did it a couple times to Callaway vertically and you can tell it caught Antonio off guard. But I did see that glimpse of a DB attitude which was nice to see. Remember - I called (will still gladly call) Justin Gilbert a pussy. It showed on the field and in practice. Greedy doesn't strike me as a Gilbert clone in mentality. At least, not for the moment he doesn't.
Chris Smith - mostly looked like the 2nd team weakside end. Had a great bull rush in 1 on 1's but beyond that it was ho hum day from him.
A lot of odd/out breaking routes from the #2's in formation. Coaches believe Baker has the accuracy and we have the receivers to continuously attack the perimeter. I'm fine with it. Plus it avoids the middle of the field and that's the place Baker tends to get into trouble so far.
#99 - Devaroe Lawrence? Left the field early. Look like he tweaked his shoulder. But no real injuries beyond that it looked like.
Linebackers - miiiiiiiiiiiiight still be an issue in the running game. Let me say this - from what I saw today, if I want to beat this defense, I'm going to run right at them. Fuck the runs outside, I'll avoid Myles and at times Vernon. I want to test your manhood. ISO, traps, IZ, power, whatever. I'll work at Jobi until he's spelled, maybe somehow combo Sheldon and then sprinkle in a lead afterwards. Because I don't see the nasty, downhill enforcer on this team that is going to set the tone between the tackles. And week 1 vs 6'3 240lb Derrick Henry. That is a fantasy and football matchup I'm personally going to avoid for the moment re; Browns defense.
Chad Thomas - for the tweet I posted about him, he jumped offsides twice other times. You see physical gifts and it's not hard to tell when he's out there. I'm just hoping the physical meets the mental and we have a player that can contribute good minutes. The spin move he put on Hubbard was filthy. Like, the kid CAN do it. Doing it consistently and when it's full team live fire though? We'll see. But Garrett's comments on Wilks letting the pass rushers do their thing and find their moves? Looks like some early truth to that.
Hubbard - won a couple times vs Vernon when they were matched up. Quite handily to the outside too. I think he struggles against edge rushers with length. The compact bodies, such as Vernon, make it easier to win against when you land that initial punch.
Watching the DB's - Not a fan of some of the off coverage I saw. At times I felt it was too easy for receivers to get into their routes. Granted I understand Wilks reasoning, but I'm just old school yet at the same time, new school. You have to beat the QB AND the receivers today. But we gave up a couple passes with CB's playing off, dropping to a low hip and then peaking back inside (Greedy, I'm looking at you)
At this point - I just caught wind of the conversation behind me. These two dudes were gossiping the entire time like catty bitches in the coffeeshop. When I finally took a moment away from the field when the 1st and 2nd team swapped out, they were going on about being enlightened through Jesus Christ - but went on to the topic of the strippers they've hooked up with. Either way, take your asses elsewhere if you're not going to appreciate or even watch what's happening on the field.
Great read - Baker had a great ball fake and a nice read outside on the deepo (deep post) which he dropped over the top for a TD. Couldn't tell the DB in primary though. Too many people with their hands up going nuts. BUT It was Callaway that caught the pass. So a nice redemption from earlier. But you need to land the contested stuff. Separates the good from great.
The offense - towards the end had the 2 minute drill which the offense won and capped with a TD. Honestly it was the most in sync (90's boy band joke here) they looked all day. I feel like some tempo at the right times will really go a long way towards helping this team when the regular season hits. Should the rapport keep building with the receivers and the coaches increase their trust with Baker making more changes at the line, it can only help to have another weapon in the arsenal.
That's what I have for the moment. I didn't pay a shit ton of attention to the two receivers you're most likely asking about because they don't warrant the attention IMHO right now. I know what they bring to the table. The in house, home grown talent, is what I focused on most today.
Overall. More talent than last year but with question marks as to how and where it all fits. My concerns mostly rest with the Oline and the linebackers. But feeling pretty good about most everyone else sans the WR's and edge rushers - That is where this team is clearly head and shoulders above most so I and you should feel great about them.
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That's a awesome camp report tia. thanks for the time involved..correct-e-mundo on MKC..her 1st tweet came about a hour in, on Cleveland.com. I was getting more from your post here, flipping back & forth..thanks again..digest time
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I have a little more but it's mostly extensions on what I've posted. Just thoughts that I'm kicking around on the 'why' of what I saw. More on that later.
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Appreciate the recognition btw boys. It means a lot. Hoping to make at least one more camp before season starts. Just been busy along with a football side project I'm wanting to share with the board when it's ready. Also more on that later.
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