Finally, head coach Romeo Crennel is admitting what has been painfully
obvious to even the most casual observer of the 2006 edition of the Cleveland Browns.
The loss of LeCharles Bentley to a season-ending knee injury will be felt
for the entire ’06 season. And, regardless of what is done between now and next
training camp at the position, the hole left by the Pro Bowl center can only be
filled by one person.
Bentley himself.
“I don't care what we do,
you can't replace a two-time Pro Bowler,” Crennel said.
“We don't have that yet. You never know how Bentley would have fit in and
exactly how much he would have brought to the table. You have to feel like he
would have brought a lot to the table with the talent he has. He would have been
able to solidify some things on the inside, and now we're just not as solid.”
*****
Yesterday, speculation was running rampant that wide receiver Braylon Edwards
could potentially play a few snaps in Saturday’s pre-season tilt versus the
Bills.
Today, that speculation has been somewhat tempered by no less than the man in
charge of who plays and who doesn’t: general manager Phil Savage.
Haha, got ya.
It’s Crennel, of course, doing the tempering of one of the few positive injury
stories to come out of Training Camp ’06.
“We
feel good about his progress, but we're going to be cautious and conservative as
far as he's concerned,” Crennel told reporters.
Edwards practiced Monday in full pads in 11-on-11 team drills for the first time
since returning from off-season knee surgery. He also practiced in the
afternoon without his ever-present knee brace, a fact that “mysteriously”
changed during the lone practice yesterday.
Crennel told reporters that somebody might have whispered to Edwards about the
need to continue wearing the knee brace for the foreseeable future.
*****
One of the many threads that have been woven into this edition of Browns’
training camp is the veteran off-season acquisitions providing not only
production on the field but also mentoring and tutoring off of it.
To wit:
Ted Washington
providing vet guidance to not only his fellow defensive lineman but the team as
a whole.
Willie McGinest
embracing his inner role model and aiding in the steady progress of rookie
first-round pick Kamerion Wimbley.
Joe Jurevicius
being the silent mentor to the entire receiving corps, showing more with his
actions and professionalism than with boisterous speech.
Now, you can add Reuben Droughns to the list of veterans taking a
youngling under his wing. While not a 2006 off-season acquisition, the
seventh-year RB is joining his newest teammates in imparting his wisdom to the
latest camp sensation.
And the rookie out of Washington
State is more than willing
to soak up the knowledge.
“Everybody here loves Reuben.
He’s a great guy to work with,” Jerome Harrison said yesterday.
“He gives me little tips on things I wouldn’t have a clue about unless I had
played. He gives me the heads up on what to look for, where the blitz is coming
from. He’s a great guy for a rookie to learn from.”
While these feel-good blurbs do not portend great gains in the ’06 win column,
they sure cannot hurt.
*****
Coach Crennel is not one to suffer a holdout with a shrug and a smile.
Particularly a rookie one.
Travis Wilson,
a third-round pick out of Oklahoma, missed the
first two days of training camp due to a contract dispute. That missed
time, as short as it was, dug the receiver a hole and planted him squarely
inside the head coach’s doghouse.
Slowly but surely, though, Wilson—through effort and production—has
climbed his way out of the hole. He’s not completely out of the doghouse
just yet, mind you, but he is at least able to squint and catch a glimpse of the
outside world.
“The thing that he has done is he’s been able to make some plays on the ball
even in practice and in the games, so
that’s a good sign,” Crennel said. “And he is trying to make a contribution
on (special) teams.”
*****
Ex-Browns defensive tackle Jason Fisk was roasted by fans for his lack of
production almost as much as he was scorched by the opposition’s interior
offensive line during his short stint in
Cleveland
last year.
But, you have to give the 12-year veteran credit for one thing. He knew he
was not the optimal tackle for the 3-4 defense even as the coaching staff tried
to make do with his round peg in their square hole.
“(The 3-4) really was a bad fit. I played that last year in
Cleveland,” Fisk told the Belleville News-Democrat.
“They play a true 3-4 where the nose tackle is standing right in front of the
center trying to hold up space. I managed to learn how to do that, but
you want
a bigger guy in there, a 330-pound or 340-pound guy that just eats up space,
and I'm not that guy.”
Are people beginning to understand why the Browns would sign a 38-year-old
behemoth to man the interior of the defensive line?
*****
So, the Browns dealt wide receiver Carlton Brewster to the Packers in
exchange for cornerback Therrian Fontenot, heh? Well, the way I
look at this deal, it seems…
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
…oops, sorry about that. Must’ve dozed off. Now, what was I talking
about again?
*****
QUOTE OF THE DAY:“I
got my résumé ready in my locker. Hey, whatever helps to make the team a little
better, that comes before your pride. You have to focus on the team more than
yourself. I think he's a great talent. He'll only help this team."—running
back Reuben Droughns, on fellow RB Jerome Harrison.