A day after arthroscopic knee surgeries on the right and left knees of Daylon McCutcheon and Ryan Tucker, respectively, various reports have the
Browns cautiously optimistic about the surgical duo’s return for the September
10th season opener.
“We're shooting for that," head coach Romeo Crennel told reporters
following a two-hour practice on Tuesday.
"Things can change, of course, but
I'm hoping for them to be there."
There is a sliver of hope that either Tucker or McCutcheon—or both—would be
available for the team’s exhibition finale, but Crennel stated that an
appearance against the Bears would not be a prerequisite for either to start the
real season.
*****
The clear “winner” in the McCutcheon injury situation has been, obviously,
fourth-year veteran Leigh Bodden.
(Or, as Chad Johnson and Yogi Berra are wont to say, “Lehigh
Bowden”.)
Heading into camp, the race for the starting corner opposite Gary Baxter
was considered too close to call between Bodden and McCutcheon. However,
after the first few days of camp—and even before McCutcheon was slowed by an
injury that would eventually require surgery to repair—Bodden was considered the
slight frontrunner.
Now, Bodden’s status as a starter has clearly been cemented not only by his play
on the field and Crennel’s “compliments” off of it, but also by the fact that he
is the subject of not
one,
but
two full-length feature stories in this morning’s papers.
*****
While the Bodden/McCutcheon corner fight is nearly settled, there is another
position battle in the secondary that is still very much up in the air.
Former second-round draft picks Brodney Pool and Sean Jones,
according to the
Warren Tribune-Chronicle, are in a virtual dead heat in their race
to replace Chris Crocker at one of the two safety positions.
While some (you know who you are) seem to think that Pool has the upper hand
based on his status as a Phil Savage draft pick, most learned observers
feel that the battle will be decided on the field and not in the inner bowels of Berea.
*****
Lost in the shuffle of the season-ending injury to LeCharles Bentley (why
does typing that still elicit a bemused chuckle and shrug of the shoulders, with
nary a hint of surprise?) and surgeries to two additional starters is the
bubbling-just-below-the-surface story of the back of Joe Jurevicius.
For the second consecutive day, the veteran wide receiver was held out of camp
due to back spasms.
While this is likely precautionary in nature, and in the grand scheme of things
will probably be nothing more than a mere blip on the training camp radar, one
cannot help but think—given the injury events of this year, specifically, and
the last seven years as a whole—that something more, something insidious, is
lurking just around the injury corner.
Like, say, reports trickling across the AP wire that Jurevicius’ spine was
completely ripped from his body in a tragic ice-pack incident and the jelly-like
outer shell of the WR was carted off the field in a 55-gallon drum.
Would anyone be surprised? Honestly?
Didn’t think so.
*****
Various reports coming out of Berea have backup quarterback Ken Dorsey
struggling with his play on the field.
Gee, never saw that one coming.
In fairness to Dorsey, though, Crennel refused to come out and state that the
backup was struggling, deferring instead to the veteran’s assessment of himself.
“It's not fair to say he's struggling without talking to him.”
*****
While most of the rookie attention has been focused on Kamerion Wimbley
and D’Qwell Jackson, the Browns’ other other first-year linebacker—Leon Williams—has been quietly impressing the coaching staff.
Williams took a handful of reps with the first team defense yesterday, and while
Crennel stated that it meant next to nothing, he did offer—for the coach—high
praise for the rook, stating that he’s “done
pretty good”.
Whoa there coach. Easy on the platitudes. Wouldn’t want the kid’s
head to swell or anything.
*****
Crennel, again, on Williams, this time on how the University of Miami product slipped to the fourth
round: “He’s
not the most flexible guy, but he can bend well enough.”
Obviously, Williams was not a graduate of the Courtney Brown School of Hip
Rotation.
*****
Speaking of Wimbley, it’s beginning to look more and more like the Florida State product will begin the season as a
situational pass rusher, with Matt Stewart getting the majority of
the snaps on first and second downs.
*****
Memo to the Browns re: their relationship with WOIO 19 Action News (Motto:
EVERYTHING WE REPORT IS IMPORTANT AND SENSATIONAL, WHICH IS WHY WE SCREAM
EVERYTHING, UP TO, AND INCLUDING, OUR MOTTO): If you lay in bed with gutter,
trailer-park trash, you’re bound to get screwed by the skank.
QUOTE OF THE DAY:
“I
would say he’s an elite left tackle for us. He’s the only one that I have.”—Romeo
Crennel, damning starting left tackle Kevin Shaffer with faint
praise.
QUOTE OF THE DAY, THE SEQUEL:
“I
look forward to getting a big-name QB on the ground.”—Kamerion Wimbley,
knowing full well that getting a QB born with no name—or arms or legs, for that
matter—to the ground would be an immense improvement over the 2005 “pass”
“rush”.