2023 Browns Training Camp

[nickers]

@orion said:

Training camps ain't what they used to be.  There's all kinds of rules on what they can and can't do now-a-days.  CBA

No one pitches a full game in Baseball anymore.. Injuries run amok because players aren't getting the reps needed to stay strong and finish games... Same with football.. They have become a bunch of pussies.. No more Oklahoma drills.. The NFL has turned into Woke Club Med..

[Flugel]

Here's a cut and paste of some very limited observations from yesterday's 1st live contact practice from clevelandbrowns.com:

Training Camp Observations from the 8th day at The Greenbrier

The Browns practiced in pads for the second consecutive day and had live hitting drills for the first time in training camp

Jul 29, 2023 at 03:49 PM

 

Anthony Poisal

Staff Writer

 

Training camp is officially in full-swing.

The Browns can say that now after their first padded and live contact practice since camp broke last Saturday at The Greenbrier. They saved the first padded, high-intensity practice for a full week later, and it comes after a lighter five days of practice which head coach Kevin Stefanski called an "acclimation period" before the pads were worn Friday for the first time.

There were plenty of hits and full-speed drills scattered throughout Saturday, the penultimate day before the Browns head back to Cleveland.

Here's what went down in West Virginia.

- The best position group of the day was arguably the tight ends. TE David Njoku appeared to snag every ball thrown his way, including passes that might've been a bit off target. One of his best catches was a leaping grab he made in the back of the end zone during a one-on-one red zone period, and he followed the catch by accidentally falling into a net that was raised behind the goal post. Staff needed a minute to untangle Njoku, who still safely secured the ball.

- TE Harrison Bryant also had a good day. One of his best catches was a smooth sliding grab he made during a seven-on-seven period for about 30 yards. This appeared to be his most active day in the pass game, and he was more involved because TE Jordan Akins was sidelined for the practice.

 

[Dutch Oven]

I love seeing our TEs performing well. 

I was kind of hoping they would have drafted one. A team that can run the ball well has the ability to use their TEs well in play-action. 

[Flugel]

@flugel said:

Here's a cut and paste of some very limited observations from yesterday's 1st live contact practice from clevelandbrowns.com:

Training Camp Observations from the 8th day at The Greenbrier

The Browns practiced in pads for the second consecutive day and had live hitting drills for the first time in training camp

Jul 29, 2023 at 03:49 PM

 

Anthony Poisal

Staff Writer

 

Training camp is officially in full-swing.

The Browns can say that now after their first padded and live contact practice since camp broke last Saturday at The Greenbrier. They saved the first padded, high-intensity practice for a full week later, and it comes after a lighter five days of practice which head coach Kevin Stefanski called an "acclimation period" before the pads were worn Friday for the first time.

There were plenty of hits and full-speed drills scattered throughout Saturday, the penultimate day before the Browns head back to Cleveland.

Here's what went down in West Virginia.

- The best position group of the day was arguably the tight ends. TE David Njoku appeared to snag every ball thrown his way, including passes that might've been a bit off target. One of his best catches was a leaping grab he made in the back of the end zone during a one-on-one red zone period, and he followed the catch by accidentally falling into a net that was raised behind the goal post. Staff needed a minute to untangle Njoku, who still safely secured the ball.

- TE Harrison Bryant also had a good day. One of his best catches was a smooth sliding grab he made during a seven-on-seven period for about 30 yards. This appeared to be his most active day in the pass game, and he was more involved because TE Jordan Akins was sidelined for the practice.

 

I was hoping to hear much more about the pass rush; and the OL vrs the DL.  Was the action above from a scrimmage or a 7 on 7 drill?  Any WRs or RBs look good?  How about the LBers and secondary?  When I'm only reading about the TEs - is that because everything else was "UH-OH" or just the usual "a lot more work needs to be done" after just the 1st day of contact? We gots to know these things...  

[Flugel]

@dutch-oven said:

I love seeing our TEs performing well. 

I was kind of hoping they would have drafted one. A team that can run the ball well has the ability to use their TEs well in play-action. 

At the time, I was hoping we could have landed that dual purpose TE Pittsburgh drafted in round 3 from Georgia (Darnell Washington).  I've read and heard draft analysts say he was thought to be the best blocking TE in the draft at 6'7" 264lbs while he has good speed.  At the combines, he looked like he pretty good hands too.  The other TE Georgia had is underclassman - Brock Bowers.  Often praised down in SEC territory as the best TE in the country each of the last 2 years, which undoubtedly cut into Washington's reception volume.  This guy could have been a BIG help to our LT on the blind side.

Tell you what though - getting WR Cedric Tillman and DT Siaki Ika in round 3 worked out even better for us filling 2 pressing needs.  How'd you like to be doing the commentary?  "Tackle by Ika, Takitaki and Owusu-Koramoah." 

[gumby73]

I'm guessing if we left our family & home for 10 days, to follow some rule called the ramp up period?  Wouldn't the last day in shell's & shorts piss ya off ?

ding-ding ?

https://www.cleveland.com/browns/2023/07/watch-browns-ol-james-hudson-iii-punch-ogbo-okoronkwo-in-fight-marred-last-browns-practice-ol-tyrone-wheatley-hurt.html

[gumby73]

@flugel said:

I was hoping to hear much more about the pass rush; and the OL vrs the DL.  Was the action above from a scrimmage or a 7 on 7 drill?  Any WRs or RBs look good?  How about the LBers and secondary?  When I'm only reading about the TEs - is that because everything else was "UH-OH" or just the usual "a lot more work needs to be done" after just the 1st day of contact? We gots to know these things...  

as good of a place to start as any. Remember, The Jets & Browns got to start Camp, 1 week before the other 30 due to HOF Game.. 

But what are the rules of NFL training camp?

Days 1 to 3 of the training program are designated as no-contact days. This means that participants are not allowed to engage in physical contact during this period. Following these three days, participants will be permitted to use helmets and light practice gear for the next two days. Teams must take a mandatory day off on the sixth day, after which they can resume fully padded practice.

Sunday--landed in Greenbrier to a walk-thru

Monday-- drills/walk-thru

Tuesday-- drills/walk-thru

Wednesday-- off day

Thursday-- drills/walk-thru

Friday --  1st pads on for fundamental drills/1 hour practice. no 7's or 11's. ST focus

Saturday-- 2nd pads with 7's & 11's that resembled football.

Sunday-- Shells/shorts with football played, short of tackling to ground

So by rule, we maybe one day behind in pads, but our back-up depth will see a extra preseason game vs. Jets 

Eagles & Commanders controlled practice week, we might get some news on 1's & 2's

[Orion]

@gumby73 said:

Eagles & Commanders controlled practice week, we might get some news on 1's & 2's

Those things scare me.  I think they're great for gauging or talent...but....they're heightened chances to get guys injured.  

[gumby73]

@orion said:

Those things scare me.  I think they're great for gauging or talent...but....they're heightened chances to get guys injured.  

Players untouched can get injured. We need injury luck. Watson to ball. Others than Chubb/Coop/Njoku to ball out. and Garrett's best Defensive team.

My biggest stress, is this team starting pieces continuity, along w/Watson's new playbook.. Meanwhile the top AFC teams have this on both sides of the ball and just add new pages.

Doesn't mean anything in late July .. 

We got to come out kicking teams tails in the 1st 5 games ! Schedule makers did us no favors early 

[Flugel]

Another update from Training Camp by clevelandbrowns.com:

Training Camp Observations from the 9th day at The Greenbrier

The defense won the day in the final practice in West Virginia

Jul 30, 2023 at 12:49 PM

 

Anthony Poisal

Staff Writer

 

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. — The work at The Greenbrier has finished.

The Browns completed their last training camp practice in West Virginia under sunny skies Sunday morning. The practice was roughly 80 minutes long and was completed in shells after two straight days of padded workouts.

Up next: practice in Cleveland. The Browns will be back in Berea on Tuesday with their first open practice for fans. They'll then play the Jets on Thursday in the Hall of Fame Game at Tom Benson Stadium in Canton.

Here's what happened on the final day in the Allegheny Mountains.

-The defense won the day, and it wasn't particularly close. Coverage was tight throughout seven-on-seven and 11-on-11 drills, and it often forced QB Deshaun Watson to make tricky passes or throw the ball away all together.

-CB A.J. Green III tallied his second pass breakup in as many plays during a red zone seven-on-seven period. LB Jordan Kunaszyk also had a chance to snag the lone interception of the day, but he dropped the ball.

-S Juan Thornhill swatted away a deep-ball attempt intended for WR Anthony Schwartz, who appeared to have a step on him on the play.

 

 

[Flugel]

@flugel said:

Another update from Training Camp by clevelandbrowns.com:

Training Camp Observations from the 9th day at The Greenbrier

The defense won the day in the final practice in West Virginia

Jul 30, 2023 at 12:49 PM

 

Anthony Poisal

Staff Writer

 

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. — The work at The Greenbrier has finished.

The Browns completed their last training camp practice in West Virginia under sunny skies Sunday morning. The practice was roughly 80 minutes long and was completed in shells after two straight days of padded workouts.

Up next: practice in Cleveland. The Browns will be back in Berea on Tuesday with their first open practice for fans. They'll then play the Jets on Thursday in the Hall of Fame Game at Tom Benson Stadium in Canton.

Here's what happened on the final day in the Allegheny Mountains.

-The defense won the day, and it wasn't particularly close. Coverage was tight throughout seven-on-seven and 11-on-11 drills, and it often forced QB Deshaun Watson to make tricky passes or throw the ball away all together.

-CB A.J. Green III tallied his second pass breakup in as many plays during a red zone seven-on-seven period. LB Jordan Kunaszyk also had a chance to snag the lone interception of the day, but he dropped the ball.

-S Juan Thornhill swatted away a deep-ball attempt intended for WR Anthony Schwartz, who appeared to have a step on him on the play.

 

 

Good to see guys like AJ Green and Jordan Kunaszyk getting their hands on the ball. The INTs will come if they're getting in the right place at the right time.  I guess I can say the same thing about Thornhill even though Anthony Schwartz had a step on him. Knowing we had a lot of injuries to the LBer Corps while there's always worry about Ward's durability, we gots to see what we saw from Green and Kunaszyk.  "Flugel, what part of Kunaszyk dropped the ball - did you miss?"   My telepathic reception is a real pain sometimes, he still prevented the completion!

[ballpeen]

I think the whole training camp thing needs to be re-evaluated.

I'd like to see the May mandatory mini camp eliminated.  Send the players on break then, then come back with the mini camp session attached to real camp.

Then teams could condition players towards full camp training in a transitioned way.  I think this would help eliminate soft tissue injuries.  Just skip the May, start a week or so earlier in July and slowly bring the players up to contact shape.

[gumby73]

I really like this idea @ballpeen ^^  maybe the only drawback is?  newly drafted rookies camps would need a start date around July 1st?

Camp brings these...

The Hall of Fame Game *unofficial Browns depth chart vs NY JETS

I'd be shocked if any projected 1's played.

WR's--Darden slips ahead of Schwartz. Tillman before Grant

RB-- Felton holding off Kelly

OL-- Harris ahead of Wypler.  LT Hudson/RT Jones

DL-- Togie before Ika.. Hill before Hurst..

DB's-- AJ Green CB4 & Bell holding off Hickman

ST's-- Jakeem Grant Sr. back to return specialist opt  

[blitzz2]

I know he's buried on depth chart. But SAM, Mohamod Diabiate really interests me. Seen his performance in the bowl. And seemed he was all over. 6'4 @225. Really hoping he pans out. 

[ballpeen]

@blitzz2 said:

I know he's buried on depth chart. But SAM, Mohamod Diabiate really interests me. Seen his performance in the bowl. And seemed he was all over. 6'4 @225. Really hoping he pans out. 

I agree.  I think he will stick and be a pretty solid special team addition as his career progresses.

[ballpeen]

  maybe the only drawback is?  newly drafted rookies camps would need a start date around July 1st?

Gums..

No doubt something would need to be done for rookies and possibly some select vets, such as practice squad guys and or newly signed FA vets.  I wasn't trying to be all encompassing with my earlier comment.  Some way or another rookies would need some extra time to be able to get the extra walk through and light practice time to have them up to speed heading in to their first camp.

[Flugel]

Observations from the 1st day of Training Camp in Berea by clevelandbrowns.com - all the photos get blurred in the cut and paste for some reason:

Observations from the 10th practice of training camp

The bleachers and sidelines were packed with fans for the Browns’ first practice back in Berea

Aug 01, 2023 at 06:06 PM

 

Anthony Poisal

Staff Writer

 

After spending the last week practicing under the sunshine and scenery of West Virginia, the Browns certainly looked happy to be back in Berea on Tuesday for their 10th practice of training camp.

"Obviously, it's exciting for us to be back up in Berea in front of our fans," head coach Kevin Stefanski said. "It's amazing the amount of juice that you get from playing in front of your own fans. I can promise you the players will get a little bit more pep in their step with our fans out here."

The bleachers were packed and the energy was palpable as players took the field for their final tune-up before the Hall of Fame Game on Thursday in Canton. Players interacted with fans calling their names, and a few eye-popping plays drew some loud cheers, too.

We're going to cover the latter — and more — below.

- This was the Browns' third padded practice of training camp and second where there were actual team drills. The intensity was at its peak for camp so far, and that was evident right away when CB M.J. Emerson Jr. delivered a clean hit on WR Donovan Peoples-Jones on the first play of the first team drill period. The hit knocked the ball loose from Peoples-Jones and was a nice play, although no other "tackle" the rest of the day featured that level of physicality.

- The practice appeared to be a stalemate between the offense and defense — no one "won" the day and both sides made good plays. Rookie fifth-round CB Cam Mitchell had one of the most notable plays of the afternoon when he intercepted QB Deshaun Watson and tallied his first interception of camp. Rookie third-round WR Cedric Tillman made the play of the day for the offense with a diving catch down the left sidelines on a deep ball from QB Kellen Mond during a seven-on-seven period.

- CB A.J. Green III tallied a pass breakup for the third straight practice. The fourth-year veteran has been around the ball a lot through the first week of camp.

- WR Amari Cooper had his most active day of camp so far and caught the first two passes of a seven-on-seven situation period where the offense started the ball from the 35 with 1:30 on the clock. He also caught several other passes from Watson throughout the day and, to no surprise, was constantly open.

- QB Joshua Dobbs and WR Austin Watkins had the longest completion of the day on a pass that traveled at least 50 yards. Dobbs attempted the throw while on the run from pressure and found Watkins, who was standing alone down the field and secured the catch.

- Watson and TE David Njoku left practices at The Greenbrier showcasing a strong connection, and they carried that over to Tuesday when they connected on a first-down pass during an 11-on-11 2-minute drill period.

- Peoples-Jones also made one of the smoothest catches of camp so far on a back-shoulder throw from Watson. Peoples-Jones had S Juan Thornhill in tight coverage, but he still managed to turn around and secure the ball before he was pushed past the right sideline. Peoples-Jones has continued to win contested catch opportunities throughout camp.

- Mond and QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson will each be the two starters for the Hall of Fame Game against the Jets, and both players looked good in their final practice. They each led their respective units down the field for field goals in the 11-on-11 two-minute drill period, which concluded the practice.

 

[Dutch Oven]

Listening to 92.3 on the way to work this morning, and apparently Myles was just abusing Jed Wills all day long.

"If Myles played for another team, we'd be in big trouble"

Myles is on his way to Canton, but Wills is a first rounder from Alabama. He shouldn't be getting abused by anyone by now. 

[Flugel]

@dutch-oven said:

Listening to 92.3 on the way to work this morning, and apparently Myles was just abusing Jed Wills all day long.

"If Myles played for another team, we'd be in big trouble"

Myles is on his way to Canton, but Wills is a first rounder from Alabama. He shouldn't be getting abused by anyone by now. 

Wills has been my biggest worry on the offense.  That's why we're going to have to assign a babysitting TE to line up to his left.  I know it sounds crazy but I'd like to see us line-up Dawand Jones to the left of Wills as a TE that mostly blocks.   Again, the former high school basketball star at 6'8" prolly developed good hands catching passes in traffic as a big man.  He also probably has a big wing span just in case we dare to ever use him like NE used Mike Vrable in certain offensive packages/situations.

[gumby73]

@dutch-oven said:

Listening to 92.3 on the way to work this morning, and apparently Myles was just abusing Jed Wills all day long.

Same here.

 Andrew Spayde reviews Day 9 of Browns Training Camp. Let’s think some thoughts.

My primary takeaway from the first nine days of camp, and it was driven home on Tuesday in Berea, is that the defense, after lagging behind in early work, has caught and exceeded the offense. Myles Garrett and the pass rush, combined with a secondary that is rounding into shape, have been wrecking the passing offense often enough that is starting to cause concerns about the state of the offense. Part of this is the natural push and pull of training camp when each unit is on a different schedule to be ready for the regular season.(include given off day) Given the enormous pressure on the offense, however, it is worrying to see that side of the ball struggle to move the ball against the defense or fail to put the ball in the end zone in red zone drills.(Sat. & Tues.)

For now, we will save our worrying until at least the joint practices against the Eagles.

There's been a swing since Goodwin (in OTA's) & Coop went out 4 days in TC. Coop's now back. TE Jordan Akins has been out 4 straight days. TE Harrison Bryant has missed 2 straight.(doubt neither play Jets) We're back to Schwartz as our speed WR. WR Jaelon Darden has missed the last 2 camp days ?  Tillman, Bell, Baldwin ? w/Schwartz.. interested to see if even Jakeem Grant plays WR/returner, coming off his last season injury?  Don't hold the ball to long Mon--d !