BEREA — Cleveland backup running back James Jackson remains adamant that he
doesn’t think about a potential trade to the Miami Dolphins.
If his claim is true, then it’s anyone’s guess as to how he can entertain
round after round of questions from reporters regarding his possible departure.
As the rumors mount concerning Miami’s interest in acquiring a running back
to replace the recently-retired Ricky Williams, Jackson continues to discuss his
candidacy for that role. He maintains that any trade the Browns make is out of
his hands, but illustrated his desire to be with a team that could grant him
more playing time than Cleveland can offer.
“I don’t want to ride the bench anymore,” Jackson said. “That would be hard
for me, riding the bench again. Very hard for me.”
If the Browns don’t trade Jackson to Miami or another team, the bench might be
his only option. With Lee Suggs and William Green slotted to get the bulk of the
carries this season, Jackson’s best chance to play might be on special teams or
in third-down situations.
“I don’t know how coach Davis will work it,” Jackson said. “Each back is
good. He might want to give each back 25 carries. If that happens, there won’t
be any room for anybody else.”
Perhaps the best news for Jackson is that he will be an unrestricted free
agent at the end of this season. He said on Thursday that he’d like to play five
more years after this season, and will be looking to spend his remaining time in
the NFL wearing a different uniform.
“It’s time for new money,” Jackson said.
THAT’S ALL FOLKS — The Browns ended training camp yesterday with two
indoor practices. They focused on special teams in the morning and prepared
themselves for Saturday’s preseason game against the Detroit Lions in the
afternoon.
Due to the rain, the team was forced to workout inside its fieldhouse,
keeping all fans and media (aside from one pool reporter and photographer) from
getting to watch the last open practice of the season.
All workouts for the rest of the year will be closed to the public.
Of all the positive things the Browns felt they saw during camp, the
brightest spot was a lack of injuries to infect the team.
Starting outside linebacker Chaun Thompson (broken wrist) and backup middle
linebacker Brant Boyer (broken foot) are Cleveland’s only regulars to miss
significant time due to injury.
Compared to the health of some teams in the league — a Browns spokesperson
said there are 125 players listed on injury reports in the NFL — Cleveland made
it through camp basically in one piece.
“I think we’ve been pretty fortunate, and we need to stay fortunate,”
Cleveland coach Butch Davis said. “We all saw what happens when you’re unlucky a
year ago. Fourteen guys go on injured reserve ... and we didn’t give ourselves
much of a chance to be as competitive as we would’ve liked.”
STILL SMARTING — Backup center Melvin Fowler and defensive back
Roosevelt Williams both sat out on Thursday with sprained ankles. Their status
is day-to-day.