Deshaun Watson at ota's
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Minicamp Notebook: Deshaun Watson 'getting his rhythm back' in offseason program
Watson looked sharp throughout the entirety of the first practice of mandatory minicamp
Jun 06, 2023 at 04:04 PM
The Browns couldn't have been much more pleased with what they saw out of their starting quarterback on Day 1 of mandatory minicamp.
Deshaun Watson rarely missed receivers on the first of three days of practice with the full roster. He unloaded a couple accurate deep balls and carried strong connections with Amari Cooper, Donovan Peoples-Jones, Elijah Moore and Marquise Goodwin during seven-on-seven drills in Tuesday's practice.
Yes, it's only June and the Browns are still seven weeks away from pads coming on, but it couldn't have looked much better for Watson to open camp.
"He made a throw today (where), right when he released it, I said, 'Great throw,'" Cooper said. "I didn't even know if it was a great throw. I just felt that it was, and it was right on the money."
Check out the action from practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus as the Browns go through Veteran Minicamp
1 / 52Defensive end Myles Garrett (95) and Defensive end Za'Darius Smith (99) during the first day of Mandatory Minicamp at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on June 6, 2023.
Matt Starkey/CleveMatt Starkey/Cleveland BrownsCooper, who said he was out of the play when Watson made that particular pass, was the recipient of several of Watson's best balls throughout the day. The duo didn't appear to show any rust that might've formed over the six months that have passed since they last worked together in Berea — or from Cooper's offseason core muscle surgery.
With Cooper back and participating in team drills after being limited to individual drills last week during the open OTA practice, Watson worked with a full set of starting weapons for the first time this offseason. He didn't take it for granted, either, especially during red zone drills when he found Cooper, Moore and Peoples-Jones all for touchdowns.
Cooper and Peoples-Jones' scores were leaping grabs where the ball was well-placed, while Moore's was a nice toe-tap touchdown near the back left pylon. Peoples-Jones also caught a second touchdown near the back of the end zone.
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Head coach Kevin Stefanski said that's how practices should look for the offense in the subdued settings of the spring.
"I think you always have to be real careful — I'm a former defensive back speaking now," Stefanski said. "Seven-on-seven is geared to the offense. You should complete balls in seven-on-seven."
Cooper echoed the same sentiments while still being impressed with the way Watson delivered the ball.
"When you have no pass rush, it's really like pitch and catch out there," he said. "Obviously, the (defensive backs) make plays sometimes, but it's not a level playing field for them when we're doing seven-on sevens, so it should look like that every time."
Despite the pass-friendly environment, the Browns should be encouraged by the smooth day from Watson, who's been hard at work this offseason at building chemistry with both new and returning receivers.
The Browns, of course, need Watson to return to the Pro Bowl form he held with the Texans for the offense to reach the explosiveness they envisioned when players such as Moore and Goodwin were added to the receiver room this offseason. It should lead to more deep ball opportunities, as well as create more chances for players such as Cooper to succeed in the middle of the field.
Tuesday certainly appeared to be a strong start toward that plan thanks to a solid day from Watson.
"He's definitely getting more comfortable and getting his rhythm back," Cooper said. "He's looking like Deshaun."
Here are other observations and notable moments from Tuesday's practice:
-One of the top defensive plays of the day came from rookie CB Cameron Mitchell, who caught a tipped pass for an interception.
-Unsurprisingly, Jakeem Grant Sr. and Peoples-Jones were the two punt returners during special teams drills. Stefanski said Grant is "coming along" well from the torn Achilles injury that forced him to miss all of last season.
-Rookie WR Cedric Tillman concluded the practice with arguably the catch of the day — a toe-tap touchdown grab during seven-on-seven red zone drills.
-Speaking of Tillman, he and Peoples-Jones were the two players who were used most at slot receiver. Defensively, CB Greg Newsome II mostly played slot snaps on the first team, although Denzel Ward also made occasional appearances in the role.
-One noteworthy piece of the defensive line combinations during 11-on-11 drills was Za'Darius Smith lining up inside in the second defensive tackle position while Ogbo Okoronkwo lined up on the outside. It's one example of how new defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz will look to mold a versatile defense capable of exploiting weaknesses in an offense.
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Tee shirts and shorts are a poor barometer.. Let me know when he does something of merit on the field in full NFL regalia... Fluff reporting does nothing for me...
Nickers...."There are no old running QB's in the NFL "~Sam Rutigliano~ -
Good to hear that Watson is looking good on day 1.
No doubt. This time of year, you don't want to hear anything else. At this point it is still passing camp. See your receiver and hit him.
When watching the tapes available, it looks like the QB can look around for 5-6 seconds. At some point, it if was the coach I would start blowing whistles at 4.5 seconds and call a sack.
But in fairness, the QB can't just roll out as he feels the 4 second clock closing and buy a few more seconds.
If everybody had like minds, we would never learn. -
Tee shirts and shorts are a poor barometer.. Let me know when he does something of merit on the field in full NFL regalia... Fluff reporting does nothing for me...
Tee shirts and shorts are a poor barometer.. Let me know when he does something of merit on the field in full NFL regalia... Fluff reporting does nothing for me...
No doubt Nick, but once you understand what it is, then you can go from there. Camp is a process. Go with the process and you can see the positives. I mean, if we weren't looking good in the part of the process where you should look good, that wouldn't be a concern?
Come on buddy, you know darn good and well it would.
Sometimes, it doesn't hurt to feel good about things..tee's and shorts are a good barometer if tees and shorts are the baseline.
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Tee shirts and shorts are a poor barometer.. Let me know when he does something of merit on the field in full NFL regalia... Fluff reporting does nothing for me...
No doubt Nick, but once you understand what it is, then you can go from there. Camp is a process. Go with the process and you can see the positives. I mean, if we weren't looking good in the part of the process where you should look good, that wouldn't be a concern?
Come on buddy, you know darn good and well it would.
Sometimes, it doesn't hurt to feel good about things..tee's and shorts are a good barometer if tees and shorts are the baseline.
No doubt Nick, but once you understand what it is, then you can go from there. Camp is a process. Go with the process and you can see the positives. I mean, if we weren't looking good in the part of the process where you should look good, that wouldn't be a concern?
Come on buddy, you know darn good and well it would.
Sometimes, it doesn't hurt to feel good about things..
based on last year.. we don't look good..
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No doubt Nick, but once you understand what it is, then you can go from there. Camp is a process. Go with the process and you can see the positives. I mean, if we weren't looking good in the part of the process where you should look good, that wouldn't be a concern?
Come on buddy, you know darn good and well it would.
Sometimes, it doesn't hurt to feel good about things..
based on last year.. we don't look good..
based on last year.. we don't look good..
I need you to qualify that. I am not sure what you are saying?
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The record disqualifies everything.. remember Parcells said... "U iz what yo record sez u iz"
Cool, but you are comparing last regular season to this seasons 1st mandatory camp. I don't know if that is a fair comparison
or standard to use.
Maybe starting comparing season to season when the games are real.
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The record disqualifies everything.. remember Parcells said... "U iz what yo record sez u iz"
Cool, but you are comparing last regular season to this seasons 1st mandatory camp. I don't know if that is a fair comparison
or standard to use.
Maybe starting comparing season to season when the games are real.
Cool, but you are comparing last regular season to this seasons 1st mandatory camp. I don't know if that is a fair comparison
or standard to use.
Maybe starting comparing season to season when the games are real.
They suck until they don't suck... Why is that so hard for you to grasp?
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Cool, but you are comparing last regular season to this seasons 1st mandatory camp. I don't know if that is a fair comparison
or standard to use.
Maybe starting comparing season to season when the games are real.
They suck until they don't suck... Why is that so hard for you to grasp?
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Good to hear that Watson is looking good on day 1.
No doubt. This time of year, you don't want to hear anything else. At this point it is still passing camp. See your receiver and hit him.
When watching the tapes available, it looks like the QB can look around for 5-6 seconds. At some point, it if was the coach I would start blowing whistles at 4.5 seconds and call a sack.
But in fairness, the QB can't just roll out as he feels the 4 second clock closing and buy a few more seconds.
I would start blowing whistles at 4.5 seconds and call a sack.
Heck, they so something similar during my 7 yr old grandson's flag football games. Make Watson et all get through their progressions quickly and get the ball out...like in real life. I mean, there's nobody going to hit them, so put a little pressure on them to get the ball out on time.
I glimpsed a headline earlier (at work, cough) that Stef said some really good things about what Tillman has been showing so far. That's also quite good to hear.
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Tee shirts and shorts are a poor barometer.. Let me know when he does something of merit on the field in full NFL regalia... Fluff reporting does nothing for me...
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no dumbass he is exactly where he should be
compared to this
Its all fluff at this point.. Lets see the body of work good or bad for both at seasons end... only then a tale can be told...
Nickers...."There are no old running QB's in the NFL "~Sam Rutigliano~ -
Mary Kay Cabot@MaryKayCabot#Browns Deshaun Watson to Donovan Peoples-Jones for the red zone TD in 7/7s. DPJ has had an excellent minicamp
Camryn Justice@camijusticeElijah Moore with an insane TD catch from Deshaun Watson. #Browns -
Its all fluff at this point.. Lets see the body of work good or bad for both at seasons end... only then a tale can be told...
Nicks, ANY QB that shows up for a 1st start in week 12 on a brand new team (after missing all of the previous season)- will be rusty aside from starting from square 1 with chemistry. That was the only season he struggled; so it's important to keep the why (it was so) in mind. There are no distractions this year. It's okay to hope a QB of our favorite team succeeds here.
When adversity strikes, good leaders shine - bad ones point fingers everywhere but thyself... Watson won a National Championship against a defense loaded with high round draft picks.
I welcome the only Defensive Coordinator to earn a Superbowl Ring in New Orleans while understanding Revenge of the Nerds is a sequel. "Come get some!" -
na man it's what a good qb should look like. unlike what we have had in the past
also you would have been patting yourself on the back if he looked like shit
na man it's what a good qb should look like. unlike what we have had in the past
also you would have been patting yourself on the back if he looked like shit
nickers is correct, it is only them in shorts running around in non-contact passing drills. I'm glad he looks good, but I doubt it really means much.
You are correct Sid, though, that if Watson looked bad, nickers would be doing cartwheels telling everyone how he told them he's overrated.
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Its all fluff at this point.. Lets see the body of work good or bad for both at seasons end... only then a tale can be told...
Nicks, ANY QB that shows up for a 1st start in week 12 on a brand new team (after missing all of the previous season)- will be rusty aside from starting from square 1 with chemistry. That was the only season he struggled; so it's important to keep the why (it was so) in mind. There are no distractions this year. It's okay to hope a QB of our favorite team succeeds here.
When adversity strikes, good leaders shine - bad ones point fingers everywhere but thyself... Watson won a National Championship against a defense loaded with high round draft picks.
Nicks, ANY QB that shows up for a 1st start in week 12 on a brand new team (after missing all of the previous season)- will be rusty aside from starting from square 1 with chemistry. That was the only season he struggled; so it's important to keep the why (it was so) in mind. There are no distractions this year. It's okay to hope a QB of our favorite team succeeds here.
When adversity strikes, good leaders shine - bad ones point fingers everywhere but thyself... Watson won a National Championship against a defense loaded with high round draft picks.
Again Tom.. I want to see it in real time in pads with defenders chasing him.. That is really a true measuring stick... Guys practicing in tees and shorts tells us nothing at this point... So far hes produced seasons of 4-12 ans 7-10 and sat out almost 2 years... Again.. Talk is cheap... They paid him big money... Now start playing like it..
Nickers...."There are no old running QB's in the NFL "~Sam Rutigliano~
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