I attended camp over the opening weekend. If you’ve been
reading the site, you’ve seen some details on what the team did. Let me step
back a bit to the big picture of what I observed.
There are certainly a lot of new faces in camp. Since the
Browns have lacked depth since their return to the NFL, it appears to me that
this is an area that is better than in the recent past. Players that have been
on the team for a while might be in danger of being bumped off the bottom of the
roster. This is a good sign that things are progressing.
My bottom line is that the team appears to be improved, but
will only go as far as the quarterback play will take it. The quarterbacks were
pretty underwhelming. I thought perhaps Derek Anderson would use his brief stint
starting last year as a springboard to improvement. Instead he was erratic. Even
short simple throws were off target. He threw one pass that I had no idea to
whom he was throwing. There were only defensive players in the neighborhood, and
it was picked off.
Meanwhile, Charlie Frye was workmanlike. It will be hard to
tell if he has improved until he has to make reads and so forth, but he
completed passes and generally looked like he was getting the new offense down.
I’m skeptical about Frye, but if he can just play at a credible level, the
talent around him might make another year of Frye tolerable. Keep an eye on this
as camp continues and the preseason unfolds.
I’m also taking a “wait and see” attitude on Jamal Lewis, but
he appeared to have quick feet, and that surprised me. Beyond Lewis, there is a
lot of sorting out to be done. Of the other backs, it seemed to me Jason Wright
was the most comfortable. They were running some sets where Wright was split
wide, taking advantage of his hands. Jerome Harrison did not impress me, but I’m
hoping he will step up as camp goes on.
The receivers are also a work in progress. Beyond Braylon Edwards and Joe Jurevicius, there are a lot of contenders. I liked the fact the
Browns were using Josh Cribbs in creative ways even this early in camp. The book
on Tim Carter seems correct: good speed, questionable hands. Travis Wilson
struggled more than I would have expected. He is blowing a golden opportunity to
seize a spot. Of the other players competing, I like Kendrick Mosley. He has
reliable hands. Mason, Steptoe, Mann, and Sanders did not do a lot. I did notice
Sanders out running around long after the Saturday morning session was over.
Someone is going to have to step up.
The tight ends looked great. The buzz about Winslow not being
ready to play is dead wrong. He looked fantastic. Steve Heiden is also his usual
self. Darnell Dinkins may find himself in a battle with Ryan Krause for that
last spot. Krause looks to be more of a receiving tight end, and I think Dinkins
brings better blocking to the table, but they were throwing to Krause deep down
the numbers and the guy looks like he has great hands.
The offensive line really seems improved. I like the fact
that the Browns finally have some depth at this crucial position. While Joe Thomas wasn’t perfect, he looked great. He was eating up the second team, and in
particular Simon Fraser, but he will find his challenge going with the ones. By
halfway through the session, the Browns tried running with Kevin Shaffer at
right tackle and Thomas at left. I noticed a long one-on-one conversation
between Romeo Crennel and Shaffer after practice. I wondered if Crennel might
have been talking to Shaffer about a role change. Among the backups, nobody
jumped out at me, but Rob Smith, who is a longshot, seems to be a really hard
worker.
I didn’t see a ton with the defensive line over the weekend
because of my various vantage points, but I must say that Chase Pittman
surprised me a bit. Keep an eye on him. With Nick Eason out of the picture,
there is a backup spot at end to be won.
The linebackers looked very solid. I like Leon Williams. I
have a hard time believing he won’t see significant playing time.
I was lucky to have a spot during Saturday 11-on-11 drills
where I could see Mel Tucker working with the defensive backs. He’s definitely a
teacher. Eric Wright missed Friday due to travel problems, but what I saw of him
once he arrived, I liked. I also think Adams looks like solid pickup at safety.
I was very impressed with Wes Chandler and his handling of
the receivers. I think it sends a great message that when you drop a ball or
flub a route, you are going to do push ups. I went into this thing concerned
about Ted Daisher after his tenure in Oakland, but I liked some of not only his
fire laced with colorful metaphors, but also some of the techniques being used.
The guys working on fielding punts were using some interesting tools to help
them. For example, they used a cloth that looked like two arms of a sweater
sewed together. The guys fielding the punt had to wrap it around him. That way,
if he gets his arms too far from his body, he’ll drop it. Also, they were
catching punts while holding another ball. If you don’t use good form, the
punted ball bounces off the one you’re holding and you muff the catch.
While the Browns appear to be the most improved team in the
AFC North, the gap between them and the rest of the division was a wide one.
Despite the strides taken so far, the problems at the quarterback position are
going to hinder the progress of the team. If the line can hold up and the Browns
can establish a credible running threat, Frye might be able to play at a level
good enough for the team to be solidly competitive. I’ll be watching this
closely as we get into the preseason games.
The season is short. Bark hard!