SB Nation - Spencer Lanning

Cleveland Browns Announce 53-Man Roster; Full List of Cuts

Chris Pokorny — Sat, 01 Sep 2012 03:51:35 -0000

The following players were cut by the Cleveland Browns, trimming their roster from 75 to the league required 53 players. Make sure you react to all of the cuts in the comments section below! The final 53-man roster is also at the bottom of this post.

(Key: Expected Cut, Highlighted/Notable Cut, Shocker Cut)

OFFENSIVE PLAYERS CUT

QB Seneca Wallace - Unless something else happens, Colt McCoy won the backup quarterback role behind Brandon Weeden. Wallace would have only played in a worst-case scenario, and he would've been the highest paid third-string quarterback in the league. This allows them to keep Thaddeus Lewis, a developmental quarterback who Pat Shurmur has liked for several years.
RB Adonis Thomas - He had a nice camp, but it also says something that the team kept the injured Chris Ogbonnaya. He was not too flashy but showed progress over the weeks, and could be a practice squad candidate.
FB Brad Smelley - I have been expecting Smelley to be cut because of how many reps Owen Marecic was getting with the first-team offense. He is another practice squad candidate; we'll see if he lasts. It's interesting that after all of the tight end/fullback talk, only four players were kept.
WR Josh Cooper - For all of the buzz that Cooper received before the start of training camp, he ended up being a non-factor in contending for a spot on the 53-man roster. Reports indicate that the team is trying to place him on the practice squad, which isn't a surprise.
WR Rod Windsor - Here is what I said about Windsor when the Browns cut him in 2011: "He was quietly consistent throughout the duration of camp and could be worth a second look." That same sentiment still sticks. I think he is worthy of a spot on the practice squad based on the camp he had, but will they stash two receivers on there?
TE Evan Moore - The only reason this was not a shocker was because he was listed as the fourth tight end at the start of camp, and a lot of people speculated that his roster spot was in danger. I am sorry to see Moore go. Like the Jerome Harrison's of the world, I was always fascinated with Moore's potential as a receiver. On the plus side, this shows a greater commitment to Jordan Cameron, and if he becomes anything close to a top-tier tight end, no one will think twice about Moore's release.
TE Dan Gronkowski - This was a tough one to figure out. He seemed to catch the ball and run routes very well in camp and during the preseason games, and he had some blocking skills. You never got the impression that he would make the team, though, since he was the fifth tight end. As he said on Twitter, Cleveland is now "Gronkless."
OG Jarrod Shaw - He spent all of last year on the team's practice squad. I was not very impressed with him during the preseason, so this isn't a surprise.
OG Stanley Daniels - I thought he was the best offensive linemen out of the guys who got cut, but it's not a surprise to see him here.
OG Jeff Shugarts - The former Ohio State product did not play very much.
OT Dominic Alford - Alford was on the practice squad last year and could find himself there again if the Browns like what he offered.
C Garth Gerhart - Gerhart is another guy who received limited reps in camp but showed a mean streak in the final preseason game.

DEFENSIVE PLAYERS CUT

DT Brian Schaefering - I wavered on Schaefering during my roster projections, but concluded that he would make the team. He played for the Browns (in various capacities) since 2008, and was part of the infamous tandem who took down Roethlisberger last year. He showed some nice pass rush during the preseason, but it looks like Scott Paxson was preferred over Schaefering despite being injured for a few weeks.
DT Ronnie Cameron - We'll see if Cameron clears waivers. A bunch of teams put in waiver claims for him when the Bears released him a few weeks ago. He had some flashes, but wasn't with the club long enough to put him on the final roster.
DE William Green - Green saw the most action against the Bears Thursday night. Because the team placed Marcus Benard and Auston English on injured reserve, there is an outside chance he makes the practice squad.
DT Kiante Tripp - He may best be known for getting into trouble during the offseason.
DE Ernest Owusu - He was just a temporary claim off waivers after Benard and English went on IR.
LB Benjamin Jacobs - Tough break for Jacobs, who started camp as the primary backup behind D'Qwell Jackson but was beat out by undrafted free agent L.J. Fort. I don't think we'll miss him a whole lot.
LB Quinton Spears - After being on the team for all 16 games last year, the Browns are looking elsewhere for special teams help.
S David Sims (TRADED) - This was a "shocker" only in the sense that out of all the undrafted free agent type of players, he made the biggest splash in camp and was even praised heavily by the coaching staff. I thought he was a lock to make it, especially since Usama Young missed all of camp and Ray Ventrone...really isn't a safety. We later learned that Sims was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles for a conditional draft pick. I'm not devastated to lose him, but it would've been nice to see him make it considering our apparent lack of depth at safety.
CB James Dockery - Dockery was another tough cut. He was the darling of camp last year and made the club as an undrafted free agent. Unfortunately for him, seventh-round pick Trevin Wade lit the world on fire in camp, and Dockery started getting a reputation for having too many pass interference calls.

As expected, LB Scott Fujita goes on the suspension/reserve list.

FORMER BROWNS PLAYERS WAIVED AROUND THE NFL

OG/C Steve Vallos (Eagles)
WR Demetrius Williams (Jaguars)
DE Clifton Geathers (Cowboys)
LB Leon Williams (Chiefs)
S Larry Asante (Buccaneers)
P Spencer Lanning (Jets)

FINAL 53-MAN ROSTER (on 8/31/12)

QB (3):
-Brandon Weeden
-Colt McCoy
-Thaddeus Lewis

RB (4):
-Trent Richardson
-Montario Hardesty
-Brandon Jackson
-Chris Ogbonnaya

FB (1):
-Owen Marecic

WR (6):
-Greg Little
-Mohamed Massaquoi
-Josh Gordon
-Travis Benjamin
-Joshua Cribbs
-Jordan Norwood

TE (3):
-Benjamin Watson
-Jordan Cameron
-Alex Smith

OL (8):
-Joe Thomas
-Jason Pinkston
-Alex Mack
-Shawn Lauvao
-Mitchell Schwartz
-John Greco
-Ryan Miller
-Oniel Cousins

DL (9):
-Jabaal Sheard
-Frostee Rucker
-Ahtyba Rubin
-Billy Winn
-John Hughes
-Emmanuel Stephens
-Juqua Parker
-Scott Paxson
-Brian Sanford

LB (5):
-D'Qwell Jackson
-Kaluka Maiava
-James-Michael Johnson
-Craig Robertson
-L.J. Fort

S (5):
-T.J. Ward
-Eric Hagg
-Usama Young
-Ray Ventrone
-Tashaun Gipson

CB (6):
-Joe Haden
-Sheldon Brown
-Dimitri Patterson
-Buster Skrine
-Trevin Wade
-Johnson Bademosi

ST (3):
-Phil Dawson
-Reggie Hodges
-Christian Yount

SURPRISE ROSTER ADDITIONS

I ended up being correct with 48 of my 53 roster projections (see my final roster projection here to compare), which is not as good as last year when I was correct on 50 of the 53 spots. The ones that I missed who ended up making the final roster were QB Thaddeus Lewis, DL Brian Sanford, CB Johnson Bademosi, S Usama Young, and S Tashaun Gipson.

The surprises include Sanford, Bademosi, and Gipson. You might be able to throw RB Chris Ogbonnaya in there too, but I picked him to make it. Bademosi and Gipson stood out on special teams, while Sanford has several years of experience with the team. I don't know why I overlooked that fact with Sanford throughout all of camp.

Some of these guys will probably get waived tomorrow, though, as many teams will claim players off waivers from other teams.

PRACTICE SQUAD PROJECTIONS

My original practice squad projection included the following eight players: RB Adonis Thomas, FB Brad Smelley, WR Josh Cooper, WR Rod Windsor, OL Dominic Alford, DE William Green, DT Ronnie Cameron, S Tashaun Gipson.

The only guy there who made the roster is Gipson. Therefore, I am going to make an amendment and put LB Benjamin Jacobs there instead. We'll see how close I come to being right!

Cleveland Browns 53-Man Roster Projection - Final Version & Player Notes

Chris Pokorny — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 04:04:23 -0000

This will be my final 53-man roster projection for the Cleveland Browns, since cuts are due in by Friday night at 9:00 PM EDT. Following the Browns' 28-20 loss to the Bears, Shurmur said that players will be notified of the cuts some time in the afternoon. We will have an open thread on Dawgs By Nature in the morning for you to discuss all of the cuts going on league-wide, so be sure to hang around.

Here are the previous iterations of my roster projections if you would like to see my thought process from the beginning to the end of camp: Version 1 (Pre-Training Camp) | Version 2 (After Packers Game) | Version 3 (Before Bears Game)

This final version, which can be seen after the jump, reflects what went down in the final preseason game and what my "gut" feelings are (hat tip: Butch Davis).

Pos	Final Roster	Players Cut
QB	Brandon Weeden Colt McCoy Seneca Wallace	Thaddeus Lewis
RB	Trent Richardson Montario Hardesty Brandon Jackson Chris Ogbonnaya	Adonis Thomas*
FB	Owen Marecic	Brad Smelley*
WR	Greg Little Mohamed Massaquoi Josh Gordon Travis Benjamin Joshua Cribbs Jordan Norwood	~~Carlton Mitchell~~ Josh Cooper* Rod Windsor* Bert Reed Jermaine Saffold Owen Spencer
TE	Ben Watson Jordan Cameron Evan Moore Alex Smith	Dan Gronkowski
OL	Joe Thomas Jason Pinkston Alex Mack Shawn Lauvao Mitchell Schwartz John Greco Ryan Miller Oniel Cousins	Stanley Daniels Dominic Alford* Jarrod Shaw Garth Gerhart Matt Cleveland Jake Anderson Jeff Shugarts
DL	Ahtyba Rubin Jabaal Sheard Frostee Rucker Emmanuel Stephens Brian Schaefering Scott Paxson Juqua Parker John Hughes Billy Winn	~~Marcus Benard~~ ~~Auston English~~ Brian Sanford Kiante Tripp William Green* Ronnie Cameron* Ernest Owusu
LB	D'Qwell Jackson Kaluka Maiava James-Michael Johnson L.J. Fort Craig Robertson Benjamin Jacobs	Quinton Spears ~~Emmanuel Acho~~ ~~JoJo Dickson~~
S	T.J. Ward Eric Hagg Ray Ventrone David Sims	Usama Young
CB	Joe Haden Sheldon Brown Dimitri Patterson Buster Skrine Trevin Wade	James Dockery Tashaun Gipson* Johnson Bademosi ~~Emanuel Davis~~ ~~Antwuan Reed~~
ST	Christian Yount Phil Dawson Reggie Hodges	Jeff Wolfert Spencer Lanning

Already on PUP: DT Phil Taylor
Already on IR: LB Chris Gocong, LB Emmanuel Acho, FB Eddie Williams
Projected Suspension List: LB Scott Fujita

Here are the changes that were made since the previous version:

Moved to Active Roster (Left Side): OT Oniel Cousins, LB Benjamin Jacobs
Moved to List of Cuts (Right Side): OT Stanley Daniels, S Usama Young

General Roster Projection Notes

On the surface, there weren't too many things that changed. I'll explain my decisions below.
I don't think Stanley Daniels did anything to lose the roster spot I gave him in version three of my projections. On the same note, since Oniel Cousins did not play again, he did not do anything to show he warranted a roster spot. Why the swap? I was hoping that John Greco would show enough at left tackle to make Cousins expendable, and I did not come away impressed enough.
When the regular season comes, Greco will already be filling the role of emergency center and backup guard. I'm not sure if he can wear all of the hats as a backup. Maybe we can try to mature Ryan Miller some more at left tackle through practice and let Cousins see action as the backup right guard.
The other change swapped two defensive players: LB Benjamin Jacobs and S Usama Young. I was a little alarmed to see that Young did not play at all against the Bears. The coaching staff has made up their mind on him already. He might not be in jeopardy, but I am taking him off for now.
I originally went with just five linebackers to start the year (assuming Scott Fujita serves a suspension), but the injury scare to James-Michael Johnson changed that. JMJ suffered an oblique injury, and x-rays were negative. Still, we don't know if he is going to miss any time. With cuts due so shortly after the game, Jacobs is an insurance policy, even if he's just temporary. Jacobs led the team with seven tackles against the Bears and also made some plays on special teams.
I still don't see why Montario Hardesty is in danger of being cut, given the question mark that remains with Trent Richardson. However, Brandon Jackson looked solid against the Bears and has outperformed Hardesty over the past two weeks. He should be the team's primary backup behind Richardson to begin the year.
I was not a big fan of Adonis Thomas during the first preseason game. Over the past three weeks, he's done a good job fulfilling his duties. You had to love the extra block he threw on a scramble for Thaddeus Lewis against the Bears. He could make the roster over Chris Ogbonnaya, but I still he's more practice squad bound. I feel Ogbonnaya on the 53-man roster is my biggest "reach" of the entire list, although leaving James Dockery off is tough too.
If the Browns are going to get someone off waivers, let it be Tyler Clutts if the Bears let him loose. We liked him last year, and he was the multi-dimensional guy we thought Brad Smelley might be. That's not to say Smelley can't do those things, but he really wasn't given the opportunity. Clutts hit on all cylinders here. I hated seeing Owen Marecic whiff on a block early on that got Colt McCoy sacked. Honestly, I don't really care what happens with the fullback position at this point. I'm not going to be crushed if someone doesn't make the final cut.
I still like Rod Windsor as a receiver and want him on the practice squad. Getting blocked back into Reggie Hodges didn't help his credibility on special teams, though. Josh Cooper received minimal playing time, furthering my belief that he won't make the 53-man roster.
If Joshua Cribbs does not make the final cut, it will be a crime against humanity. I think he's perfectly safe, but many others have questioned whether he will make it or not. He is very important to this team's success, and in my opinion, is still the team's best wide receiver in terms of consistency.
Pat Shurmur's mind was already made up about the Browns' backup quarterback situation, he said in his post-game presser. He knows who No. 2 will be, but he won't tell. He didn't indicate that a decision had been made on the No. 3 guy yet. I'd still like to see the three guys I projected on the final roster. I wish Thaddeus Lewis would have had a better night -- a little discouraging to see so many misplaced balls to open receivers, one pass of which bounced off the ground and into Shurmur.
I made a few practice squad changes. I removed CB Johnson Bademosi and added CB Tashaun Gipson. It wasn't just because of his interception. The Browns are more likely going to want to develop a guy who did some good things at cornerback vs. special teams, and I think Gipson fit that bill. I also added DE William Green to the practice squad. He finished the game with four tackles.
My final practice squad projection is RB Adonis Thomas, FB Brad Smelley, WR Josh Cooper, WR Rod Windsor, OL Dominic Alford, DE William Green, DT Ronnie Cameron, and CB Tashaun Gipson.

Feel free to tell me any changes you would make to the list in the comments section below! Please note that this roster projection will also double as my game review for this week, since after final cuts are made, the typical "review" of the game is pointless.

Flight Connections 08-30-12

David Vill — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 15:25:01 -0000

Wall Street Journal: Can Mark Sanchez and Tim Tebow stop turning it over?

New York Daily News: Tebow has the complete backing of Woody Johnson.

Newark Star-Ledger: The second season of "A Football Life" begins with a Tebow episode.

New York Times: Greg McElroy and Matt Simms wil run the Jets offense in the preseason finale.

New York Newsday: Matt has his dad Phil Simms' sense of humor.

Jets Insider: How you can attend Santonio Holmes' charity event on September 10th.

J.P. Pelzman: RT Jason Smith practiced yesterday.

John Holt: TE Dedrick Epps is doing his best to stick with the Jets.

Kristian Dyer: TE Hayden Smith goes from Down Under to under pressure.

Kristian Dyer: Nick Bellore hopes to make an impact on both sides of the ball.

Conor Orr: Rookie DT Damon Harrison hopes he won't have to go home just yet.

Dennis Waszak Jr.: Rex Ryan sends 19 Jets to leadership training.

Brian Costello: Jobs are on the line as the Jets prepare to make final roster cuts.

Brian Costello: T.J. Conley welcomes the challenge from Spencer Lanning.

Rich Cimini: Watch to watch for with the Jets vs. Eagles tonight.

The Metro: 3 things to watch with the Jets vs. Eagles.

NY Jets Draft: Rookies who could win jobs in the final preseason game.

NY Sport Space: It's so trendy to hate the Jets in 2012.

oneg82: Dominate the Buffalo Bills in Week 1 or gain no respect.

manuvsteal: The forgotten man.

Crackback: Ground and pound could use some Blount force trauma.

WCSC Live5News.com: CB Ryan Steed has been cut by the Jets. Not to be confused with this guy.

ESPN New York: EA Sports Madden NFL 13 season preview.

SB Nation: Imagining what TV shows sports GMS watch. Including Mike Tannenbaum, of course.

Deadspin: New England sports fans are the worst sports fans on the face of the Earth.

The Atlantic: The fans, players and coaches all hate the exhibition games, but the owners keep the ritual alive.

The Fifth Down: The NFL will use replacement referees when the season begins.

Syracuse.com: Former Jets WR Rob Moore believes that replacement referees are about to be hassled.

USA Today: Former Jets WR Braylon Edwards sees better things from Russell Wilson than Sanchez.

NorthJersey.com: Former Jets QB Boomer Esiason, Craig Carton and Simms came out to play in Glen Ridge.

AFC East Blog: Former Jets QB Joe Namath rips the Jets and the Wildcat.

Associated Press: His lawyers say that former Jets QB Brett Favre shouldn't have to address embarrassing claims.

Dickinson Press: Former Jets HC Joe Walton relishes his final season at Robert Morris University.

Associated Press: Former Jets RB LaDainian Tomlinson moves into broadcasting.

NYJets.com: Share your thoughts on former Jets RB Curtis Martin. Gang Green will videotape fans at Wall Street and at the Jets Shop at midtown NYC.

Enjoy your Thursday, Gang Green Gangsters. So far, there are still no takers for my screenplay called "Lawrence of Arabia 2: Lost in New York", so now I'm focusing on "Lawrence Goes to Camp."

Browns Transactions: Benard, English, and Reed Go on IR

Chris Pokorny — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 03:50:52 -0000

A few days after listing DE Marcus Benard, DE Auston English, and CB Antwuan Reed as waived/injured, all three players have cleared waivers without being claimed by another team, according to Daryl Ruiter of 92.3 The Fan. An injury settlement was not reached with any of the players, so all three guys now go on injured reserve, joining the likes of FB Eddie Williams, LB Chris Gocong, and LB Emmanuel Acho as players who are out for the season. The Browns would have first priority in trying to re-sign Benard, English, and Reed next year before they hit free agency.

Here are a few other Browns-related transactions from the past few days:

As I suspected, WR Carlton Mitchell went unclaimed on waivers. His best chance at staying in the NFL would be if the Browns suffer an injury and want to give him a call, without having to waste someone's practice squad eligibility (i.e. if they put Josh Cooper on the practice squad).
One player waived by the Browns did get claimed off waivers: the Jets got P Spencer Lanning.
After starting 15 games for the Buccaneers last year, former Browns center Jeff Faine, now in his tenth season in the NFL, has been signed by the Cincinnati Bengals. Bengals center Kyle Cook has a serious foot injury, so Faine could end up starting there immediately.
Former Browns CB Coye Francies continues to bounce around. Two days after he was released by the Seattle Seahawks, he was claimed off waivers by the Oakland Raiders.
After being waived by the Baltimore Ravens, former Browns K Billy Cundiff found a new gig with the Washington Redskins.
A little bit after the Saints cut former Browns QB Luke McCown, he was signed by the Atlanta Falcons to be their No. 2 guy behind Matt Ryan. The Falcons must have liked McCown a lot, because they waived veteran quarterback Chris Redman in favor of him.
The Patriots cut former Browns WR Donte Stallworth and DT Gerard Warren. Remember that CFL offensive tackle the Browns had in the past, Joel Reinders? He was in Giants camp this year, but they just cut him, and he promptly re-signed in the CFL. The Cardinals cut RB Thomas Clayton, who was on the Browns' 53-man roster at the end of last season.

Welcome To The Jets, Spencer Lanning!

David_Wyatt — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 16:07:20 -0000

As many can see from the fanshot that was added earlier today by sportsfank97 the Jets have added another punter to the roster for the final week of pre-season.

I'm always wary of any player that has been floating around the league and not one, not two but three teams passed him up and cut him without getting any regular season action.

However, Spencer attended the university of South Carolina. He finished his career with 171 punts for a 42.6 yard average downing 46 of those punts inside the 20 yard line. He also spent his last two years at South Caroline kicking field goals, connecting on 34 of 44.

Lanning was signed by the Chicago Bears after going undrafted in 2011. He competed with Adam Podlesh to make Chicago's final roster, but was part of the final cuts as he lost the battle. He was then signed in January by Jacksonville and released in April. He was then signed by the Browns earlier this year and we claimed him off the waiver wire.

He seems to have had a decent college career, then again T.J Conley had an excellent college career. It will be interesting to see if he can make an impressive against the Eagles this week, but my gut feeling is that we still go with T.J as our starting punter.

Flight Connections 08-29-12

David Vill — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 15:30:15 -0000

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Jason Smith departs as the king of the Rams draft busts.

USA Today: Wayne Hunter looks forward to a fresh start with the St. Louis Rams.

James Walker: Trading Hunter is addition by subtraction.

J.P. Pelzman: Smith arrives as a risk-reward for the Jets.

Jenny Vrentas: The teams worked out an arrangement where the amount each pays out will not change.

Mark Cannizzaro: Mike Tannenbaum is running out of scapegoats.

Rich Cimini: Austin Howard is the right tackle.

Associated Press: Brandon Moore had a minor procedure but will play in the opener.

Dennis Waszak Jr.: The Wildcat is still a secret subject for the Jets.

Conor Orr: Mark Sanchez says that there's a lot of suspense surrounding the formation.

Rich Cimini: Bills QB Coach David Lee knows the scheme just as well as Tony Sparano.

Manish Mehta: Sparano is upbeat despite offensive woes.

John Holt: Sanchez and Tim Tebow assess their summers.

Kristian Dyer: Tebow gives back through a foundation.

Kimberley A. Martin: Tim runs into calls for him to change position.

Dave Caldwell: Stephen Hill is not sweating his dropped passes.

Brian Costello: Rex Ryan praises "puppy-dog" Quinton Coples.

AllHipHop.com: Bart Scott talks music made in sports heaven.

Newsday: Eric Smith is the biggest concern injury-wise.

ESPN New York: The Jets claimed P Spencer Lanning on waivers.

CBS New York: Stars are emerging all over what should be a stellar Jets defense.

The Journal: The Jets' depth chart isn't exactly deep.

The Metro: What we learned from the Panthers vs. Jets.

NYJOTP: The good, the bad and the ugly of the Panthers vs. Jets.

cstroh8: What can we learn from Game #1?

viguy007: Maybe the problem is us.

OldProspects: Things that seem obvious to me.

Crackback: You're in the jungle, baby!

NY Jets Draft: Projected 53-man roster.

SB Nation: Browsing the bargain bin with NFL roster cuts.

SB Nation: NFL quarterbacks as video game weapons.

Grantland: The deals that every NFL franchise needs to avoid.

Associated Press: Exhibition football helped NBC and CBS.

Shutdown Corner: Braylon Edwards' altitude forced the receiver issue in Seattle.

Patch.com: Mark Gastineau attended a Cedar Grove fundraiser on Saturday.

And lastly, the "New York Post" is getting credited for this joke, but am I just me, or is this pretty old already?

Cleveland Browns 53-Man Roster Projection (Version 3)

Chris Pokorny — Tue, 28 Aug 2012 18:51:10 -0000

Since my previous roster projection for the Cleveland Browns, a lot of moves were made to get the roster down to 75 players. After the jump, my third roster projection has been updated to reflect the cuts, injury-related moves, and more. I will have one final roster projection immediately following this Thursday's preseason game against the Bears.

Pos	Final Roster	Players Cut
QB	Brandon Weeden Colt McCoy Seneca Wallace	Thaddeus Lewis
RB	Trent Richardson Montario Hardesty Brandon Jackson Chris Ogbonnaya	Adonis Thomas*
FB	Owen Marecic	Brad Smelley*
WR	Greg Little Mohamed Massaquoi Josh Gordon Travis Benjamin Joshua Cribbs Jordan Norwood	~~Carlton Mitchell~~ Josh Cooper* Rod Windsor* Bert Reed Jermaine Saffold Owen Spencer
TE	Ben Watson Jordan Cameron Evan Moore Alex Smith	Dan Gronkowski
OL	Joe Thomas Jason Pinkston Alex Mack Shawn Lauvao Mitchell Schwartz John Greco Ryan Miller Stanley Daniels	Oniel Cousins Dominic Alford* Jarrod Shaw Garth Gerhart Matt Cleveland Jake Anderson Jeff Shugarts
DL	Ahtyba Rubin Jabaal Sheard Frostee Rucker Emmanuel Stephens Brian Schaefering Scott Paxson Juqua Parker John Hughes Billy Winn	~~Marcus Benard~~ ~~Auston English~~ Brian Sanford Kiante Tripp William Green Ronnie Cameron* Ernest Owusu
LB	D'Qwell Jackson Kaluka Maiava James-Michael Johnson L.J. Fort Craig Robertson	Benjamin Jacobs* Quinton Spears ~~Emmanuel Acho~~ ~~JoJo Dickson~~
S	T.J. Ward Eric Hagg Usama Young Ray Ventrone David Sims
CB	Joe Haden Sheldon Brown Dimitri Patterson Buster Skrine Trevin Wade	James Dockery Tashaun Gipson Johnson Bademosi* ~~Emanuel Davis~~ ~~Antwuan Reed~~
ST	Christian Yount Phil Dawson Reggie Hodges	Jeff Wolfert Spencer Lanning

Already on PUP: DT Phil Taylor
Already on IR: LB Chris Gocong, LB Emmanuel Acho, FB Eddie Williams
Projected Suspension List: LB Scott Fujita

Listed below is what has changed since the last time. Any position not listed did not have any changes.

General Roster Projection Notes

Running Back: I moved RB Chris Ogbonnaya to the active roster, keeping four running backs for the first time in my roster projections. There is just too big of a question mark at this position due to the injury concerns. Trent Richardson has missed most of camp after having his knee cleaned up. Montario Hardesty had some soreness the other day, and Brandon Jackson did not play all of last year. Ogbonnaya has been slowed by an ankle injury, but I think he'll stick around until Richardson shows he is good-to-go.
Fullback / Tight End: Based on the preseason, it has become apparent that TE Alex Smith is still valued heavily by the coaching staff. I won't budge and get rid of Evan Moore, so that makes rookie seventh-round pick Brad Smelley expendable and headed for the practice squad.
Offensive Line: OT Oniel Cousins has really struggled in camp; you can see why the Ravens cut him outright last year. After being slowed by an injury over the past week or so, he could be headed for the same path. Against the Packers, OL John Greco showed his versatility by playing some left tackle -- he looked a lot better than Cousins there. I tried to look at each of the other lineman during Colt McCoy's drive, and OG Stanley Daniels, who has made a couple of starts with Denver in the past, caught my eye the most. Therefore, I swapped Cousins and Daniels.
Defensive Line: DE Marcus Benard was moved to the "waived" side after the team waived/injured him on Monday. With Auston English also waived, I don't see another defensive end who has made a splash. I think it says something that despite being bothered by an injury the past few weeks, the team did not placed DT Scott Paxson on the waived/injured list. With Phil Taylor officially on the PUP, the Browns may want to carry five defensive tackles to keep the rotation fresh up front. Paxson had replaced Benard in this version.
Linebacker: LB Emmanuel Acho was placed on injured reserve. This position looks really thin, and I don't know if Cleveland would really go into the season with just five linebackers. This is something that could change based on who I see playing in the Bears game. Their sixth linebacker, Scott Fujita, won't count toward the roster for the first three games.
Cornerback / Safety: I added CB Johnson Bademosi to the practice squad, removing English from the practice squad in the process.

Feel free to tell me any changes you would make to the list in the comments section below!

Cleveland Browns Training Camp Report: Day 26 - Improving Third Downs

Chris Pokorny — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 02:09:51 -0000

For the second time this camp, I made the trip out to Berea Tuesday morning to watch the Cleveland Browns practice in person. It was a much lighter crowd than when I went on Day 3 of training camp, and I would venture to guess that it was one of the smallest crowds of this year's camp.

The difference in weather between the two sessions I attended. The last time I went, I was baking in the sun with very little wind. Today, the sun did not emerge once during practice, and it was probably in the mid-60's to low-70's throughout practice. My full camp report from Tuesday is after the jump.

TRAINING CAMP REPORT - DAY 26 (8/21/12)

No Drives Attempted: Out of all the practices I have attended over the past two years, this one had the most different "feel" to it. One of the things that stood out to me is that none of the drills involved the goal of working down the field to score a touchdown or a field goal. There were no two-minute drills, no red zone drills, and no regular possession drills. After every play was run, the ball was brought back to the original spot.
Plenty of 11-on-11's and 3rd Down Drills: It also surprised me that the players jumped right into 11-on-11 drills. By my tally, there were about 40 plays run in 11-on-11 drills before any 7-on-7 drills were attempted. About 16 of the plays in 11-on-11's were third down drills, meaning the goal was to get a first down, even if it was 3rd-and-long.
Benjamin Stands Out Again: I remain very complimentary of WR Travis Benjamin. We already know that he has the speed. Once again in practice today, he ran smooth routes and caught the ball with ease. I think he'll be put in enough positions where he won't have to worry about a jam, or that it won't even be a problem. In terms of other receivers, I still like what I see from WR Mohamed Massaquoi.
Trying Hard...But Not Working: I keep hoping that the light bulb will go off for WR Josh Gordon before the start of the regular season, but he didn't have an awe-inspiring practice Tuesday morning. It's not like the guy dropped everything thrown his way, but I'm holding him to a higher standard and expect more out of him.

There was one play in which Brandon Weeden dropped back in third down drills and threw a long pass to Josh Gordon. He had a defender in tight coverage trailing him, but this is a pass that No.1 receivers on many other NFL teams would be able to adjust to and come down with. Instead, the pass bounced off of Gordon. There were some fun theatrics after the initial bounce, as defensive backs James Dockery and Jonathan Bademosi tipped the ball a few times, and as everyone started falling to the ground, it almost landed back in Gordon's lap (it fell incomplete, though).

There was another play over the middle in which Weeden tried to fit the ball into Gordon. It was a little bit of a high pass, but the type of one I imagined a "physical Gordon" would be able to go up and snag for good yardage. Instead, CB James Dockery made contact with him as the ball arrived and broke up the pass. Gordon later made a catch in traffic over the middle, but I attribute that play more to a nice pass by Weeden.
Tight Ends Still Impressing: Veteran TE Benjamin Watson sat out of team drills again, which meant plenty of reps for Jordan Cameron and Evan Moore. Both guys caught the ball very well, and one of the biggest "smacks" of practice came when a ball thrown by Brandon Weeden was a little behind Cameron. Cameron jumped in air and twisted his body to reach back and grab the ball. Because of the change in body position, his back obliterated whichever defender was in the area. The defender looked like a rag doll, whoever it was. Dan Gronkowski also seems to have good hands, and Alex Smith is still being utilized often.
Token Marecic Praise: I felt obligated to watch what FB Owen Marecic did for at least one play. From I-formation, Brandon Weeden handed off to Montario Hardesty, and Hardesty was able to run to the right after a nice edge block by Marecic. Granted, the defense was intentionally being very lackadaisical in many of the 11-on-11 drills Tuesday, but maybe this makes up for some of my Marecic-bashing.
Quarterbacks Were Fine: It wasn't a sloppy practice, and I would say all of the quarterbacks had decent days. Every one of them did a good job at standing tall in the pocket and hitting the short and intermediate routes. Brandon Weeden struggled at finding the deep ball, though, meaning any passes that had some air under them and were about 25+ yards in distance. Out of about five attempts, every one was either overthrown or went out of bounds. Colt McCoy had two mini-blunders: a high throw over the middle that sailed over the head of Jordan Norwood, and a pass that was almost picked off by Joe Haden after a playaction fake.
Good Day for Sheldon: On my bicycle ride to Berea, I turned right on a road called "Sheldon," and thought to myself, "I wonder how Sheldon Brown will look during practice today?" It must have been a good omen, because Brown had quite a few pass breakups, including a deep ball thrown by Seneca Wallace down the left sideline. WR Owen Spencer appeared to have a step on Brown, but the veteran corner made up ground and played the ball in the air to bat it away.
Sixth Receiver Battle: I like to judge the sixth wide receiver battle in terms of reps and targets. In that regard, Jordan Norwood and Rod Windsor are neck-and-neck. Both guys are targeted a good number of times, and I think we'll see Norwood on the roster and Windsor on the practice squad. Next up is Josh Cooper, but I didn't see him targeted very often today. It doesn't seem good for Carlton Mitchell, who only saw reps with the third-team offense. Despite doing a lot of route running, he wasn't targeted much. Mitchell was getting some practice reps as a gunner on special teams too.
Special Teams Notes: While we're at it, here were the three guys I noticed as gunners on punts during practice: WR Carlton Mitchell, CB Buster Skrine, and CB Jonathan Bademosi. I also saw something interesting during the punt returns. There were several attempts in which either Joshua Cribbs and Travis Benjamin, or Travis Benjamin and Jordan Norwood, would both line up as punt returners, kind of in a (wide) split back formation. Depending on which direction the punt was booted, the other guy would either go behind the other guy for a fake reverse, or would zoom ahead to be a lead blocker.
Haslam on the Sidelines: Even from a long distance, spotting Jimmy Haslam was pretty easy. It either had to be him, or Mark Whipple, and I figured, "why would Whipple be talking so much with Mike Holmgren during practice?" Sure enough, upon pulling out my binoculars, I confirmed it was Haslam. He chatted with Holmgren, Tom Heckert, Pat Shurmur, and other staff during practice, appearing to take another invested interest in the football side of things rather than just the business side of things.
Chatter From The Fans: Here are some of the silly things that I overheard from fans:

-A young Browns fan said they really wanted to get a look at P Spencer Lanning because "yeah, that Reggie Hodges isn't very good." He also praised the work of Brad Maynard last year.

-Two fans were discussing the backup quarterback situation between Colt McCoy and Seneca Wallace. Then, another fan randomly turned around and, acting like an expert, said, "They confirmed yesterday that Thad Lewis is going to be the No. 3 quarterback, so they're going to get rid of one of those other guys." I laughed at how Pat Shurmur's comments of Lewis being someone the team is interested in developing suddenly turned into a guarantee that he has the No. 3 job locked up.

-One fan looked at Travis Benjamin and said to his wife, "Oh, geez, look how small that guy is. Yeah, that's not good." Way to ignore how he's performing on the field, bud.

-When the quarterbacks were throwing without a defense present, Colt McCoy threw a couple of deep balls to his receivers. Some guy was obsessed with saying, "Wow, that's a nice ball!" You had to hear the way this guy was saying it and how often he was saying it when there was no defense on the field.
Brownies: CB Trevin Wade almost picked off Colt McCoy after WR Owen Spencer had slipped. ... WR Jermaine Saffold tried to turn around at the last second to make a great catch on a deep pass thrown by Seneca Wallace, but he couldn't haul it in. ... I had OL Jarrod Shaw marked down for having a false start. ... DT Billy Winn penetrated on the first running play of practice and would've had RB Montario Hardesty stopped. ... DE Juqua Parker dropped back and coverage and had a throw by Seneca Wallace go right to him, but he couldn't hang on to it. ... It was a short practice, ending after less than two hours of action. ... The final day of training camp open to the public is Wednesday morning.

Link Collection / Training Camp Sources

Dawgs By Nature, Chris Pokorny - I decided not to consult any other sources for today's report, so here's a link back to the homepage of DBN.

Cleveland Browns 53-Man Roster Projection (Version 2)

Chris Pokorny — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 22:25:10 -0000

It has been three weeks since my pre-training camp roster projection for the Cleveland Browns. Injuries have made it difficult at times to judge expected roles for players on this team, but there are still quite a few changes that have been made. There will probably be two more roster projections before final cuts are made, but I feel a lot more confident about this list than I did in the first version.

Pos	Final Roster	Players Cut
QB	Brandon Weeden Colt McCoy Seneca Wallace	Thaddeus Lewis
RB	Trent Richardson Brandon Jackson Montario Hardesty	Adonis Thomas* Chris Ogbonnaya
FB	Owen Marecic Brad Smelley	Eddie Williams
WR	Greg Little Mohamed Massaquoi Joshua Cribbs Josh Gordon Jordan Norwood Travis Benjamin	Carlton Mitchell Josh Cooper* Rod Windsor* Bert Reed Jermaine Saffold Owen Spencer
TE	Ben Watson Evan Moore Jordan Cameron	Alex Smith Dan Gronkowski
OL	Joe Thomas Jason Pinkston Alex Mack Shawn Lauvao Mitchell Schwartz John Greco Ryan Miller Oniel Cousins	Dominic Alford* Jarrod Shaw Garth Gerhart Matt Cleveland Jake Anderson Stanley Daniels Jeff Shugarts
DL	Ahtyba Rubin Jabaal Sheard Frostee Rucker Emmanuel Stephens Brian Schaefering Juqua Parker Marcus Benard John Hughes Billy Winn	Scott Paxson Brian Sanford Auston English* Kiante Tripp William Green Ronnie Cameron*
LB	D'Qwell Jackson Kaluka Maiava James-Michael Johnson L.J. Fort Craig Robertson Emmanuel Acho	Benjamin Jacobs* Quinton Spears JoJo Dickson
S	T.J. Ward Eric Hagg Usama Young Ray Ventrone David Sims	Johnson Bademosi
CB	Joe Haden Sheldon Brown Dimitri Patterson Buster Skrine Trevin Wade	James Dockery Emanuel Davis Tashaun Gipson Antwuan Reed*
ST	Christian Yount Phil Dawson Reggie Hodges	Jeff Wolfert Spencer Lanning

Projected PUP: DT Phil Taylor
Projected Suspension List: LB Scott Fujita

Listed below is what has changed since the last time. Any position not listed did not have any changes.

General Roster Projection Notes

Quarterback: I have moved Colt McCoy back to the 53-man roster, meaning Thaddeus Lewis has to be cut. McCoy could still very well be traded, but for now, I felt this list should reflect a scenario that assumes trades will not take place.
Wide Receiver: I put Rod Windsor on the practice squad instead of Bert Reed.
Defensive Line: I no longer believe Phil Taylor will be brought back early, so he is off the 53-man roster and in limbo (PUP list). I am also going to guess that the recent injury to Scott Paxson will also land him on an injury list, or he'll be waived in favor of Brian Schaefering. The other addition here is Emmanuel Stephens, who has seen first-team reps over the past two weeks with Frostee Rucker out. Stephens has really benefited by Rucker and Benard being banged up this camp, because his odds were looking nil three weeks ago. I also put DL Ronnie Cameron on the practice squad, but he probably won't make it there before being claimed by another team.
Linebacker: I had to take Chris Gocong off the roster since he will likely go on injured reserve. I also removed special teams linebacker Quinton Spears. Taking those two roster spots are rookies Craig Robertson and L.J. Fort, both of whom are having solid camps, making big plays, and looking good on special teams.
Cornerback / Safety: I was hoping a safety would step up a few weeks ago, and that's exactly what David Sims has done in the absence of Usama Young. With that addition, I had to subtract a cornerback. Sorry, James Dockery -- it was either him or Trevin Wade, and Wade has looked too good the past few weeks and saw some work with the first-team defense this past week at nickelback. I also made CB Antwuan Reed a practice squad player.

Feel free to tell me any changes you would make to the list in the comments section below!

South Carolina Fall Camp: Gamecocks Scrimmage Saturday Afternoon

Gamecock Man — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 00:06:40 -0000

The Gamecocks scrimmaged this afternoon in front of a small crowd at Williams-Brice Stadium. Here are a few thoughts about what we learned (check here for post-scrimmage interviews galore):

--One player who has played well this August but who we haven't mentioned yet here is senior placekicker Adam Yates. Yates had a forgettable year as a kickoff specialist in 2009 (only one touchback through an entire season of kicking off and numerous big returns allowed, including some that arguably lost the Georgia game for us) and hadn't been heard from since. In fact, Yates's last kickoff was the one that C.J. Spiller returned for a TD to open the Clemson game; Spencer Lanning kicked off for the rest of the game. However, Yates has stuck with the program while riding the bench the last two years, and he now appears to have matured mentally and has even lost weight. He was supposed to compete with Landon Ard for placekicking duties this year, but he has distanced himself from the competition and appears very likely to be our guy on kickoffs and placekicking. He reportedly gets the ball into the endzone with great frequency now on kickoffs, and he's become very consistent on field goals. He went 2-3 today, with one miss and one make from 50+, and one from 40+. Obviously, we need to see him play this way during an actual game to really know if he's ready (the mental aspect was reportedly a problem for him in the past), but I'm feeling fairly confident in him right now.

--I wish I could say the same about the punting situation, which appears to be down to Tyler Hull and Mike Williamson. Hull appears to have the lead and made one very nice punt today on his first attempt, but his second wasn't as good. He seems to struggle with the rush, so hopefully he'll get better as he gets more comfortable trusting his protection.

--The defense, as Spurrier said, got the better of the offense today, but not by as much as we've become accustomed to hearing in previous Augusts. The offense made some big plays and moved the ball, even though we were throwing a lot despite the fact that running will be our strength again. I continue to feel better about our receiver situation. Some players who stood out today in that regard were Shaq Roland, D.L. Moore, and TE Jerrell Adams. Regarding Adams, the staff seems extremely excited about this kid, who has the physical look of an elite NFL TE. He apparently made an absolutely beautiful catch on a Connor Shaw throw where he caught the ball, broke a tackle, and then showed some speed on a long TD sprint. I still think that Justice Cunningham is probably the better blocking TE, but Adams is a better-rounded player. In any event, with Adams, Cunningham, and Rory Anderson, we have some good options for two-TE sets. Adams and Anderson were apparently lined up alongside each other on Adams's TD grab.

--Not a lot of running in this scrimmage (Spurrier doesn't like to run the ball much in scrimmages to prevent injuries), but both Marcus Lattimore and Brandon Wilds had some nice runs. I continue to see no evidence that Lattimore is less than 100%.