SB Nation - Brett Ratliff

Bears Beat Browns 26-23 in Backup Bonanza

Chris Pokorny — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 14:27:02 -0000

More photos » by M. Spencer Green - AP

Orgy time!

CLEVELAND BROWNS (2-2)	GAME #4	CHICAGO BEARS (3-1)
	VS.
23		26

Eric Mangini didn't give any more hints out during the Bears/Browns contest about who the team's starting quarterback would be. That does show some progress though, because it means (hopefully) that Mangini has made a decision and is just playing the "competitive advantage" game.

With that said, the quarterback play belonged to Brett Ratliff and Richard Bartel Thursday night. Truth be told, by the end of the game, I was glad that neither Anderson or Quinn played. It doesn't make sense to see what they can do against second stringers, and for the first time this preseason, I got to see more of our youth in action.

Let's get to the recap of the game, which will be a little shorter than it's been for the first three preseason games...

PRESEASON GAME 4 - BROWNS VS. BEARS (GENERAL THOUGHTS)

Blame it All on...Norwood: The difference between the Browns finishing the preseason 3-1 versus 2-2 might have been WR Jordan Norwood. With the Browns down six and driving late in the game, he was targeted for I believe the first two times this preseason. On the first play, he couldn't bring in a slant pass with tight coverage on him. The second play hurt though, because he was open on a crossing pattern over the middle...and I mean wide open, with a blocker in front of him. Norwood dropped it for the second play in a row. That's a tough break for a player who had a lot of buzz as an UDFA, but really never had a significant impact at any point in camp.
Mr. Jennings Has Some Power: I thought we'd see RB Noah Herron play, but instead we got to see the young Chris Jennings in action. Minus his dumb penalty (tossing the football at another player), he had a very impressive "practice squad audition". Considering he already had former ties to Mangini, I'd say there is a good chance we stash him on the practice squad now.

Jennings' average was only 3.5 yards per touch on 17 carries, but that is deceiving. I recall at least two plays in which the Browns ran the ball with about a nine-man defensive front, forcing Jennings into a 5-yard loss. What was more important is that Jennings ran with quickness and power, bowling over a few defenders and showing a knack for getting out of bounds in two-minute situations when it didn't look like he'd get there.
Patten Makes His Case: This is a tricky one on David Patten. From a gameplay perspective, he has good hands and would probably have more trust from Mangini over a guy like Brian Robiskie in clutch situations. We're not going to keep Patten over Robiskie, but could we keep him as another receiver still? If we didn't plan on it, then why wouldn't we have given him the respect of cutting him early (alas Rod Hood)?
Bartel > Ratliff: If I had zero knowledge of where both of these quarterbacks came from and how we acquired them, based on their preseason performances, I would like Richard Bartel a whole lot more than Brett Ratliff. I like Bartel's arm strength and his ability to get some touch on the ball too. The negative that stood out is his inability to dump the ball off when the pocket starts to collapse around him. Ratliff will probably make the team due to his ties to Mangini, but I want Bartel on the practice squad.
Hall Didn't Belong There: With the second-string defense in, you could tell which player(s) didn't belong in there (i.e. they were too good). One of those players would be LB Alex Hall, who I hope ends up seeing 50/50 playing time with David Bowens this year.
Francies Still Good: It was an up-and-down game for Coye Francies, as he seemed to suffer a few negative plays after giving up a touchdown pass to former Browns receiver Brandon Rideau. What I liked throughout the entire game though is that he continued to have tight coverage and played very physical -- did you see how he almost decapitated that one running back on the screen pass? He also blew up a wide receiver screen earlier in the game. The positives far outweigh the negatives.
Special Teams Standouts: Special teams coach Brad Seely will have his pick on special teams players. We have several that have been standing out, particularly LB Blake Costanzo, LB Kaluka Maiava, and DB Mike Adams. DB Gerard Lawson is adding his name to the mix again, having his best return game outing of the preseason and also being a gunner on special teams.
Quick DL: Was it just me, or did DL Brian Schaefering look like he shot out of a cannon on both of his sacks against the Bears?
Add to the Suspense: To add to the suspense of the quarterback/center situation, Mangini ended up starting both Hank Fraley and Alex Mack. Mangini doesn't want anyone to know his plans, does he?
Real-Game Situation: If we're down by six, in field goal range, with three timeouts and a little over two minutes to play, do we kick the field goal like Mangini chose to do, or do we go for the first down there?
Brownies: We finally got another look at LB Marcus Benard. He was fine, but I'm not convinced that he'll be on the practice squad. The Browns were 2-of-2 on fourth down. The second/third-string offensive line got beat a lot but offered good protection a lot. K Phil Dawson was 3-of-3 on field goals, including a perfect 51-yarder. My comments about Norwood costing us the game were a little sarcastic; I don't literally blame him with a passion or anything.

The rosters must be trimmed to 53 players by Saturday I believe. Hopefully the Browns don't make their cuts before then, because I am going to put the official "cut" projection thread up later tonight.

Here is the roll call of who participated in the game thread, with theW0LF having the most to say...

Roll Call: vincefitz, talonk, drunkrooster, BradyQuinnisBeast, Joey_D, nickjs21, Roger Dorn, Buckeye Brad, Cols714, kwoog, fwembt, danvail, Fundamentals, theW0LF, rufio, JustBob, Riverboat Sam, BLAZER_FAN_199, Bernie19Kosar, BrownDawg1409, rockybrown, Bumblyjack, NM Dawg, SpecialBrownie, Brownie's Year, Juannieboy, Dawg Nuts
Total Users: 27
Total Posts: 234
Total Threads: 1

Name	# of Posts
theW0LF	64
Buckeye Brad	32
kwoog	26
JustBob	19
Bumblyjack	18
BradyQuinnisBeast	16
Cols714	9
BrownDawg1409	8
BLAZER_FAN_199	6
drunkrooster	6
Riverboat Sam	3
nickjs21	3
rockybrown	3
rufio	3
Bernie19Kosar	2
fwembt	2
NM Dawg	2
Fundamentals	2
talonk	2
Brownie's Year	1
Dawg Nuts	1
Juannieboy	1
SpecialBrownie	1
vincefitz	1
Joey_D	1
Roger Dorn	1
danvail	1

Cleveland Browns Training Camp Report: Day 26 - The Final Session

Chris Pokorny — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 15:09:03 -0000

More photos » by Tony Dejak - AP

3 months ago: Cleveland Browns running back Jamal Lewis, center, runs up the middle during practice at the Cleveland Browns NFL football training camp Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2009, in Berea, Ohio. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)

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The Cleveland Browns wrapped up training camp Wednesday with their final public session of the year. Fan attendance had died down the past couple days (not unusual), as the team prepares for the Tennessee Titans this Saturday. It's do or die time for players who are "on the bubble".

TRAINING CAMP REPORT - DAY 26 (8/26/09)

Tucker Missing Again: The random injuries/absences with Ryan Tucker continue to appear, making it seem more and more unlikely that his body will hold up to ever be a full-time starter again. Tucker was no where to be seen during the final practice. S Brodney Pool still remains absent.
Edwards Slipping: After catching everything in sight the first few days he participated in training camp, WR Braylon Edwards is starting to revert to old habits with a couple of drops each practice. He had at least two drops Wednesday. He also lost his shoe on one of his catches.
Play of the Day: A highlight play came when QB Derek Anderson threw a deep pass down the left sideline. RB James Davis made a one-handed catch after beating his defender. WR Lance Leggett also made a nice grab when he dove near the sidelines on an Anderson pass.
Two Minute Method: When Anderson kept throwing to James Davis in the two-minute warning against Detroit, things didn't work out. QB Brady Quinn ran the two-minute offense Wednesday and led the team to a 37-yard field goal by Phil Dawson. He got down there mainly by throwing four passes to RB Jamal Lewis. He also threw two passes to TE Martin Rucker.
Picked Off: CB Eric Wright intercepted a psss by QB Brett Ratliff, continuing upon his impressive camp. Ratliff did complete a deep pass to WR Brian Robiskie over DB Gerard Lawson though. Ratliff also worked the two-minute offense and led the Browns to a Dawson field goal.
Tight End News: With starter Robert Royal riding a stationary bike, veteran Steve Heiden pulled in a sideline pass from Brady Quinn with LB D'Qwell Jackson in coverage.
Brownies: Mangini said that Quinn and Anderson will both trade off opportunities this Saturday, with some of their reps going into the third quarter. Joshua Cribbs was acting like Vince Young for the scout team offense.

Wednesday's Links/Camp Sources

Battle for starting center position still unresolved (Cleveland Plain Dealer, Cabot)
Seemingly no urgency for Rogers (Akron Beacon Journal, Ridenour)
Training camp log: Day 26 (Cleveland Plain Dealer, Cabot)

Cleveland Browns Training Camp Report: Day 24 - Pool Absent, Foster Waived

Chris Pokorny — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 13:50:10 -0000

It doesn't really feel like training camp anymore, but a few sessions still remain. The team hit the field Monday for one of their final three public sessions; after that, everything will be closed off and geared especially towards preparing for the regular season. Rapid Reports indicates that only about 300 fans attended practice on Monday.

TRAINING CAMP REPORT - DAY 24 (8/24/09)

Pool's Injury: If you recall, S Brodney Pool left Saturday's exhibition game after getting dinged. Let's hope it wasn't a concussion, but it wasn't a good sign that he was no where to be found on the practice field Monday. The team did not offer any comment on his absence either. Veteran S Mike Adams took Pool's place on Monday. Safety Hamza Abdullah has a broken finger and sat out of practice too, so the roster odds of S Bret Lockett just shot up.
Getting Some Depth Soon: It was good news to hear that OL Rex Hadnot was out on the field again. He wasn't practicing, but him being on the stationary bike is an encouraging sign that he's on schedule to return from his MCL injury within the first few weeks of the season.
Goodbye Foster: The Browns waived offensive tackle George Foster after he had a disappointing camp. It was clearly evident why the former high draft pick could not stick around with other teams. This past Saturday, he completely failed to block a rusher that caused Brett Ratliff to get drilled and fumble the football.
Purcell Gone Too: After suffering an injury, DL Melila Purcell was waived/injured. If he clears waivers, he'll revert to the injured reserve. The team also released TE John Madsen, who rarely appeared in training camp reports.
Roster Replacements: With three people gone, three people were signed, presumably only to be waived in a few weeks too. They are OT Corey Hilliard, TE Nate Jackson, and S Tra Battle.
Massaquoi's Role: He got early reps in Saturday's preseason game, and rookie Mohamed Massaquoi was lined up opposite Braylon Edwards as the No. 2 receiver Monday. The race continues between him and Joshua Cribbs, with Mike Furrey likely seeing consistent action at No. 2 and No. 3.
QB Edge to Anderson: For Monday's session, Brady Quinn had some struggles while Derek Anderson was fine. On Quinn's first attempt in a game simulation, he was intercepted by S Mike Adams on a pass intended for TE Robert Royal. Later on, he had a pass batted away from DB Rod Hood. Anderson, on the other hand, was able to roll out and fire a touchdown pass to Mohamed Massaquoi. Later on, on perhaps the play of the day, he completed a 50-yard pass to Brian Robiskie. Robiskie laid out on the play to make the reception.
Bubble Watch: As Jerome Harrison continues to sit out with injuries, RB Noah Herron is doing well, seeing some action near the goal line in drills.

Monday's Links/Camp Sources

Pool absent, Hadnot spotted (Akron Beacon Journal, Ridenour)
QB leader in the clubhouse? None yet. (Cleveland Plain Dealer, Cabot)

Browns Dominate Lions 20-0 in First Quarter, Go on to Win 27-10

Chris Pokorny — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 22:20:06 -0000

More photos » by David Richard - AP

3 months ago: Cleveland Browns' Josh Cribbs (16) heads for the end zone on a punt return for a touchdown against the Detroit Lions in the first quarter of an NFL preseason football game Saturday, Aug. 22, 2009, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Richard)

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DETROIT LIONS (1-1)	GAME #2	CLEVELAND BROWNS (1-1)
	VS.
10		27

For once, I felt bad for the opposition. They don't know who their quarterback will be, they are turning the ball over, they can't stop the run very well, and they really don't have a great running back. They are last year's 0-16 Detroit Lions.

What I saw from the first overall pick in the draft, Matthew Stafford, was a complete mess. He was confused by our coverages numerous times, making it easy to bait him into dangerous throws. When our defense did leave a few players wide open, Stafford horribly overthrew them. You expect a rookie to take some time to adjust to the league, but no where near as bad as Stafford was.

That was good news for the Browns' defense though, because it gave our players the opportunity to build some confidence and quickly get the ball back into the hands of our offense. In the end, the result was almost a complete 180 from last week's debacle against the Green Bay Packers.

PRESEASON GAME 2 - LIONS VS. BROWNS (GENERAL THOUGHTS)

Preseason Game Ball - It's Time to Pay Up: Besides making progress as a wide receiver, Joshua Cribbs is just too good in the return game. If Eric Mangini wanted Cribbs to prove to him that he was worthy of a raise, then Cribbs is doing a heck of a job showing off his abilities. On the first play of the game, Cribbs returned the kickoff for a touchdown, disproving my theory that returners would have a tougher time this season without a wedge.

The play was brought back due to a phantom holding call on Abram Elam, but I'll live with that in the preseason since it gave our offense an early look on the field. In his next opportunity, coming on a punt return, Cribbs shifted through the defense and was off for an 84-yard touchdown.
The Truth on Derek Anderson: Did we learn anything new on Derek Anderson? Not really. He definitely played better than he did the previous week, and part of that had to do with making quicker decisions. Anderson was assisted by the playcalling of offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, who tailored the playbook to Anderson's strengths. This was Anderson, for the most part, at his best -- but we already knew he could make these plays.
The Struggles of Derek Anderson: If you're a new reader, don't get me wrong -- I like Anderson and wouldn't be ticked off if he was the opening day starter. But you can't call his performance perfect when he missed a wide open Braylon Edwards down the sideline. A better throw would've resulted in a long touchdown, and would've prevented the need for a long third down play (which Anderson did convert on).

Then during the two-minute drill, Anderson could only find RB James Davis on some dumpoffs. His lack of touch on short throws proved to be a weakness when his extra-high pass to Davis was tipped and intercepted by the Lions, allowing them to kick a field goal just before half-time. Anderson also had a play earlier in which he had no touch, firing a quick slant to Edwards either into the ground, or low and behind him for an incompletion.
Quinn - Fine From What We Saw: At least Brady Quinn didn't tank during his limited action at quarterback. I did not agree with Quinn being inserted on a 3rd-and-1 play to start the second quarter. Anderson started that drive, and at the very least, Anderson should have stayed in until the chains were moved. He started with a nice 24-yard completion to Brian Robiskie, but then the play-calling became much more conservative with an emphasis on the run and throwing short passes on third down.

John St. Clair didn't help Quinn's cause with a few penalties to set the drive back. Quinn was OK, but in no way can you look at this game and saw that Quinn lost his shot at the starting role. At best, you can say that Anderson did enough not to have Quinn be named the starter immediately following the game.
Lewis on the Ground: Looking at the stat sheet, Jamal Lewis had another low-carry average, having 3.3 yards per carry on seven attempts. I don't see this as him struggling though; that is Jamal Lewis. Remember that throughout his career, minus the times he just obliterated the Browns as a member of the Ravens, he made his mark by pounding away and staying strong during the second half of the game.
Davis' Stock Back Up: It's been about two weeks now since the James Davis show has had some highlights, but his 81-yard touchdown run changed that. It was a simple give-up call on 3rd-and-12 just before the end of the fourth-quarter -- a quick pump fake by Brett Ratliff, followed by the delayed draw handoff to Davis.

Davis shot through the line and the safeties overcommitted to the inside, allowing Davis to make a nice juke move to the outside where he then had the help of blocking from two Browns receivers. Davis then kicked it into another gear, outracing everyone to the end zone. Davis claims that it was the longest run he's had in his football career.

Rookie RB James Davis runs for an 81-yard touchdown.

Taking Advantage: DB Eric Wright took advantage of Stafford's inexperience and of the Lions' lack of healthy receivers when he intercepted the Lions' first pass of the game. His return went for about 5 yards on the stat sheet, but ended up taking him a whole football field to get that. I hate the pesky celebration penalty after the fact, but I guess a rule is a rule.
Ivy, Poteat, Francies: It was a great day to be a Browns cornerback, that's for sure. Between the three players listed in the subtitle, Corey Ivy had the most notable plays. He lit up one of the Lions' receivers on a third-and-short pass, and was also in on the tackle that caused a fumble at the start of the third quarter (Mike Adams had the recovery).

Hank Poteat had several nice plays, notably an interception near the sideline that didn't count after his hip fell just a bit out of bounds. Coye Francies, the rookie, had some tight coverage again. He left for a play or two with a hip injury, and returned on a play where he wasn't in press coverage and gave up a first down.
Quiet Night for Tight Ends: I'm not going to complain here, because I'd rather see our backs and receivers in the preseason over our tight ends. It was nice to see Steve Heiden back for his first game, catching a 20-yard pass from Derek Anderson. To see him in on a double tight end set with the first-string unit provides hope that he won't be a roster casualty.
Vickers With the Assist: I saw more of our fullbacks tonight, particularly Lawrence Vickers early on. He hit several of his blocks very well, paving some lanes open for Lewis, including on his touchdown run in the first quarter. We haven't heard much about Vickers this camp, but I believe he's still an intregal part of our running attack.

QB Derek Anderson celebrates in belief that he has won the quarterback competition (in reality, this was him celebrating Davis' TD run)

Backup QB's: I'm still not very impressed with Brett Ratliff, although our second-string offensive line is not very good in protection. Richard Bartel had his opportunity, but blew his chance when he just barely overthrew an open Lance Leggett deep down the field. I didn't get to see enough of Bartel this camp to have an opinion of him, but he'll probably be cut after the third preseason game when rosters are trimmed to 75.
Furrey & Edwards: You can just tell that our third-down offense is going to be built around Mike Furrey after these first two preseason games. Even when we're in third-and-long situations, we're throwing the ball to him on short routes to see if he can break them open. he's not that type of player, but I'd imagine that for the preseason, those are really practice situations to focus on getting him the ball on "3rd-and-7", even if it's really a "3rd-and-15". Braylon Edwards had a catch -- nothing special, but at least the talk of the drop from Green Bay can die down for another week.
Ticket Sales? The Browns are doing their 4 hot dogs, 4 drinks, 4 tickets for $99 deal again for this weekend's game against the Titans. I bet the Browns sell a few more of those packages than they did for the Lions game. A good outing at home can do that.
Bernie Ripping on Brown: Announcer Bernie Kosar really ripped on Lions sixth-round RB Aaron Brown. Once a year, there is always a player on the opposing team in the preseason that gets on Kosar's nerves. I look forward to who that player is, and boy did Kosar rip into Brown. It started after Brown took a handoff on 3rd-and-6 out of bounds for a gain of four, rather than staying in bounds to fight for the extra yardage.

A few plays later on a pass play, Brown scurried out of bounds to avoid contact. (roughly transcribed) "This Brown just doesn't appear to like contact. That is not going to show up well for him in the film room or for when any teams in the league are looking for a free agent running back." Then on the Browns' series, Kosar notes that veteran Ryan Tucker is still in the game. "13 years Ryan has been in this league, and he's one of the toughest guys I know...definitely Aaron Brown on the other side of the spectrum from TCU...he's not even close to that type of toughness the way he runs out of bounds." I might be snoozing in the second half of preseason games if it weren't for Bernie.
Special Teams & Kaluka Maiava: I'll give him this own category this week because I'm running out of fresh sub-titles. Maiava had two early special teams tackles and made some positive plays defensively. Also having a good play on special teams was veteran LB Blake Costanzo. I know Gerard Lawson is backing up Cribbs as a returner, but I can't see him making the team again.
This Week's Marcus Benard: ...is DB Bret Lockett. Lockett saw some action with the first-string defense and made several individual one-on-one tackles. That ability intrigues me, even to the point where I now might change my mind and want to keep him over backup S Nick Sorensen (who did have a nice block on Cribbs' punt return TD). I had no idea where LB Marcus Benard was this week, as I didn't hear his name mentioned once. I have to imagine he didn't even play.
Down on Foster: I'm not at all impressed by the play of George Foster. He's even rivaling Isaac Sowells when it comes to down performances. Foster was responsible for Ratliff's fumble in the third quarter, a play that led to Lions QB Drew Stanton throwing a touchdown on his first play.
Cleaning Up the Penalties: On special teams, the Browns had one too many penalties, negating a few nice punts by Dave Zastudil and Cribbs' first touchdown return. As good as the game was as a whole, we'll have a few players running laps for their mistakes.
Brownies: LB Kamerion Wimbley played well early, as did MLB Eric Barton, who made a nice play on the ball dropping back into coverage and drilled Stafford on a free blitz...RB Chris Jennings came close to blocking a punt on two consecutive possessions.
Final Word: Thanks for being a footnote, Shaun Smith.

Eric Mangini has a decision to make. Starting quarterbacks are usually named by the third preseason game, but based on our first two games, you can't really say one player outplayed the other. It should really come down to how the quarterbacks have done overall in training camp, and most importantly, who Mangini has more faith in to lead the type of offense he wants the Browns to run. If he wants mistake-free football, Quinn should be the guy. If he wants the high risk/high reward route, maybe it's Anderson.

NOTE: To all fantasy football DBN players, remember that the draft is at 9 PM EST tonight!

Here is the roll call of who participated in the game thread, with rufio and myself having the most to say...

Roll Call: kjc, doggrad87, dergru, Roger Dorn, BradyQuinnisBeast, rufio, gahnki, skipkirk, rockybrown, ChrisPokorny, irish1083, nickjs21, woodsmeister, danzig, dohior, JustBob, aufrank, BrownDawg1409, Bernie19Kosar, Juannieboy
Total Users: 20
Total Posts: 294
Total Threads: 1

Name	# of Posts
rufio	59
ChrisPokorny	59
Roger Dorn	35
JustBob	23
woodsmeister	19
gahnki	17
BradyQuinnisBeast	17
BrownDawg1409	13
rockybrown	10
skipkirk	10
Juannieboy	8
irish1083	6
aufrank	5
nickjs21	4
dergru	3
kjc	2
doggrad87	1
Bernie19Kosar	1
dohior	1
danzig	1

Cleveland Browns Training Camp Report: Day 18 (Morning) - Alex Mack Plays Some Guard

Chris Pokorny — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 22:16:31 -0000

More photos » by Mark Duncan - AP

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Braylon Edwards makes a great catch over defensive back Corey Ivy during practice Tuesday morning.

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Thank you WKYC and the Cleveland Browns. With a possible blackout looming in the Cleveland area for this weekend's Great Lakes Classic, WKYC and the Browns came to an agreement to eat the cost of the 4,500 or so unsold tickets.

Two practices were scheduled for the Browns today. There was a threat of rain in the morning, but the drops never came. Let's get to the recap...

TRAINING CAMP REPORT - DAY 18 [MORNING] (8/18/09)

Get Out of ~~Jail~~ Practice Free Card: It was unusual to see Joe Thomas absent from the field this morning. No worries for our star left tackle though -- apparently he received a non-transferable "day off from practice" card for exceptional work in offseason conditioning programs. Thomas cashed in this morning. It actually gave Mangini the opportunity to move some players around for experience purposes. Eric Steinbach worked at left tackle while Alex Mack worked at left guard and Hank Fraley worked at center for the first team.
New RB, LB Waived: The Browns waived LB Phillip Hunt. Taking his place is RB Chris Jennings, who is 5-10, 218 pounds from the University of Arizona. He has spent some time in the CFL. Jennings had some reps in practice, showing some effectiveness.
Cribbs' Stock Stays High: Continuing to make plays, Joshua Cribbs caught a 45-yard touchdown pass against CB Eric Wright. Credit to QB Brett Ratliff on the play too though, because he needed a perfect pass to beat Wright's near-perfect coverage. Cribbs also ran a nice route to fool DB Gerard Lawson.
Anderson Struggles in No Huddle: It wasn't a good no huddle 11-on-11 drill for Derek Anderson, who went 0-for-4 in his attempt. Part of the problem, according to Dawg Scooper, is that Anderson failed to read two cornerback blitzes pre-snap. He was sacked in both instances -- once by Hank Poteat and once by Brandon McDonald. Quinn fared better, going 6-of-6 for 51 yards.
Mangini Upset at Quinn: To end practice, a drill was put in place where 50 seconds were on the clock and the quarterbacks started at their own 25-yard line. In the situation, the score was supposed to be a tie score, 17-17. On Quinn's first pass, he threw an interception to CB Brandon McDonald who took it for a pick six. The pass was intended for Braylon Edwards, but it was no where near him. After the play, Edwards and Quinn deemed that there was a miscommunication between the two.
Same Drill With Anderson: The drill didn't go any better for Anderson. With 50 seconds to work with, the first play was an in-bounds, 8-yard completion to Brian Robiskie that drained the clock. After a few penalties on the drive, it ended with a punt.
Play of the Day: WR Braylon Edwards made a nice 30-yard catch over CB Corey Ivy near the sideline, able to keep his feet in bounds.
Onside Kick Executed...Somewhat: K Phil Dawson executed an onside kick, as it went the proper distance and was grabbed on one bounce by S Mike Adams. However, it wouldn't have counted since a member of the kicking team was offsides.
Injury Notes: DL Shaun Rogers, LB David Bowens, OL Ryan Tucker, RB Jerome Harrison and WR David Patten rode the exercise bikes.

The Browns will hit the field later tonight for an evening session.

Tuesday Morning's Links/Camp Sources

Tuesday 8/18 Practice (Dawg Scooper, Wolf)
Tuesday AM: Mangini lets loose (Akron Beacon Journal, Ridenour)
Tuesday camp notes (Orange and Brown Report, Greetham)
Browns game will be televised this weekend (Cleveland Plain Dealer, Grossi)

Analysis: Green Bay Packers defeat Browns 17-0

Brandon — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 21:55:58 -0000

More photos » by Jim Prisching - AP

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That was a dominant performance. The score: 17-0. Total yards: 392 to 191. Time of possession: 39:56 to 20:04. Of course then I read another game recap that said it wasn't dominant because Cleveland blew two plays. Well almost doesn't count. It would have been dominant even if Cleveland hadn't dropped one TD reception and committed a penalty that nullified a made FG.

The bad news is that it's just one win. The 1st string looked great against Cincinnati in last season's first preseason game, although the backups couldn't hold that lead. And it really showed how bad Cincinnati would be, not how good the Packers were.

But the good news is that a lot of players looked great. And the preseason is all about trends. Watch out for players or units that are playing bad throughout the preseason, like last season's defensive line. And Mike McCarthy said there were no significant injuries, which is the most important thing in the preseason.

Some players that really stood out:

Middle linebacker. LB Desmond Bishop made Cleveland's backup look bad, but LB Brandon Chillar did the same thing to their starters. The new 3-4 defense will make the linebackers look really good. But they still have to show that they can drop back in pass coverage too.
Backup QB. These guys look so much better than they did last season, even if the stats don't show it.
Defensive line. Cleveland's offensive line is good, and the Packers' defensive line did a good job holding their ground, something they were lousy at last season.

My complete game review after the jump.

Browns vs Packers coverage; Browns vs Packers recap; Browns vs Packers boxscore; Dawgs By Nature (Cleveland fan site).

But for my complete game review, I'm using the NFL.com play-by-play.

First Quarter

(12:54) 25-R.Grant right tackle to GB 47 for 14 yards.

It doesn't really matter, but seeing RB Ryan Grant play in the preseason is great. Except for one play, he missed all of last preseason with his bad hamstring. The starting offensive line is Clifton, Colledge, Wells, Spitz, and Barbre, and they got a great push. They gave Grant room to run and QB Aaron Rodgers time to throw. The time at right tackle was split exclusively between RT Allen Barbre and RT Breno Giacomini as they battle for the starting job. Both played well, but neither stood out.

(12:15) (Shotgun) 12-A.Rodgers pass deep middle to 80-D.Driver for 53 yards, TOUCHDOWN.

Rodgers is so good at throwing on the run. Nice move by WR Donald Driver to get behind the secondary.

(10:50) (Shotgun) 10-B.Quinn pass short middle to 88-M.Furrey to CLE 36 for 9 yards.

(9:00) (Shotgun) 10-B.Quinn pass short middle to 88-M.Furrey to GB 21 for 11 yards.

Two completions on 3rd down. It looked like WR Mike Furrey was matched up against a linebacker and beat them to keep the drive alive. All of the Packers' linebackers can play, but the starters will be the ones who can drop back into coverage. If you're keeping track of the cornerback depth chart, Harris and Woodson sat out so CB Tramon Williams and CB Will Blackmon started. CB Jarrett Bush was the nickel back.

LB Brady Poppinga got the start at right OLB since LB Clay Matthews and LB Jeremy Thompson were both held out with minor injuries. All of three are very active and have some pass rushing ability, but Matthews should be the best in pass coverage.

(6:53) 12-A.Rodgers pass short left to 88-J.Finley to GB 44 for 12 yards.

(6:14) 12-A.Rodgers pass short right to 89-J.Jones to CLE 48 for 8 yards.

Both TE Jermichael Finley and WR James Jones had good games. They both look better than last season, which isn't surprising since Finley is so young and Jones battled injuries. Neither will start, but they'll help.

(4:55) (Shotgun) 12-A.Rodgers pass incomplete short middle to 25-R.Grant.

You can't see it on the stat line, but this was a completely botched screen pass. It's odd to watch the Packers struggle so badly with the screen pass since they were so good at it in the 1990s.

(:10) 10-M.Flynn pass short right to 88-J.Finley to 50 for 6 yards.

QB Matt Flynn looks so much better. He's got some zip on the ball and can throw on the run. He's even adjusted his throwing motion so he looks an awful lot like Rodgers. Unfortunately the rest of the offense made three mental mistakes (false start, illegal formation, and illegal man downfield) that stalled his first drive.

Second Quarter

(9:34) 2-M.Crosby 60 yard field goal is No Good, Hit Left Upright.

There's been some Tweets from training camp that K Mason Crosby has been struggling. But his two misses were very long attempts that didn't miss badly. And he had two kickoffs go into the end zone. There's nothing wrong with him.

(8:45) 3-D.Anderson pass deep right intended for 16-J.Cribbs INTERCEPTED.

This gets back to what I said about the middle linebackers. It was a big night for LB Desmond Bishop, 4 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT, and he was a constant presence behind the line of scrimmage. But the 3-4 defense sure gives the middle linebacker opportunities to shine. Bishop was allowed to delay blitz, or run a stunt, and got in on the QB. The pass from QB Derek Anderson had no chance because Bishop came in unblocked, and hit him as he was throwing.

(1:20) (Shotgun) 10-B.Quinn pass short middle to 16-J.Cribbs to GB 14 for 22 yards (29-A.Smith). PENALTY on GB-29-A.Smith, Face Mask (15 Yards), 7 yards, enforced at GB 14.

(:25) (Shotgun) 10-B.Quinn pass short middle intended for 17-B.Edwards INTERCEPTED by 29-A.Smith at GB -7. Touchback.

S Anthony Smith was one of the budget free agents signed by the Packers. The former 3rd round pick was a starter in Pittsburgh, but was benched in 2008. He had a nice blitz for a sack and made a nice play to jump the route in the end zone for an INT. But he also had a careless facemask penalty. It's not clear whether he's an upgrade over last season's backup safety, S Charlie Peprah, who had an INT of his own during the game.

Third Quarter

(14:26) 5-B.Ratliff pass short left to 87-A.Walker to CLE 30 for 9 yards.

QB Brett Ratliff played the entire 2nd half for Cleveland. He connected with journeyman TE Aaron Walker on 3 passes for 48 yards, and one screen pass to WR Brian Robiskie for 15 yards, and that was the all Cleveland's backups could muster. The 2nd unit defense struggled at times last preseason, so this great game is hopefully the start of a promising trend.

(12:16) 11-B.Brohm pass short middle INTERCEPTED.

QB Brian Brohm had an ugly line, 3 for 10 for 18 yards and 2 INTs. This INT happened because the right defensive end got past LT Tony Moll and hit Brohm as he was throwing. But overall, he looks so much better than he did last year. He's got a zip on his passes, just like I said above with Flynn. The difference is that Brohm is a little late on his passes. One one late pass, he led the receiver too close to the sideline, and on another he made the receiver slow down on the sidelines when he had a step on the defender. He's still the 3rd string QB, but with more experience he'll be a solid pocket passer.

Fourth Quarter

(14:11) (Shotgun) 11-B.Brohm pass short right intended for 81-J.Harris INTERCEPTED.

Brohm threw the pass high, but it ricocheted off WR JaRon Harris' hands for the INT. It's a tough job, but receivers have to catch those passes.

(11:05) 23-T.Sutton left tackle to GB 37 for 17 yards.

I'm a big fan of RB Tyrell Sutton. He was a great player at Northwestern. He went undrafted because his 40 time at the combine was slow, he's only 5'8" (he looks even shorter standing next to the O-lineman in the huddle), and he's had a history of injuries. But he's talented and should make a good 3rd down/change of pace back. Unfortunately, it probably won't be with the Packers because there's nothing he does that RB Brandon Jackson can't do.

(8:47) 28-K.Lumpkin right end to CLE 38 for 14 yards.

I don't know how undrafted RB Kregg Lumpkin made the team last year. He wasn't awful, but he didn't really dazzle either. In this game, however, I could see what the coaches see in him. He's a strong runner and he's a load to bring down at 230 lbs. He beat out RB Deshawn Wynn last season because Wynn was injured for most of training camp, but then Wynn was resigned after Lumpkin was lost for the year with an injury. They'll only keep one of them, and Wynn played earlier in the game then Lumpkin did.

Opening Thoughts

John B — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 13:12:46 -0000

More photos » by Bill Kostroun - AP

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Preseason games don't mean a ton. Don't get too upset over the loss. Every year teams go undefeated in the preseason and stink in the regular season. It's mostly backups playing, and nobody is really gameplanning to stop what the opposition does well. There are some indicators of the bigger picture, though. Here's what I took from the game.

The starting quarterback debate may be over. Mark Sanchez's only drive was a 93 yard one for a touchdown. He hit David Clowney on a 50 yard pass and was 3 for 4 for 88 yards overall. Does this mean Sanchez will come in and play like John Elway right off the bat? Anybody who saw Kellen Clemens in the 2007 preseason or Brett Ratliff in 2008 probably knows how little preseason stats mean. What this does tell us is Sanchez has a grasp of the offense, a comfort level leading the huddle, and is starting to get on the same page as his receivers. You'd think this will be enough to win the starting job.
I would have liked to see a little more of Sanchez. I get the injury risk, but I think teams are too worried about that. Get the rookie as many reps with his new teammates in a game situation as possible so everybody can get more comfortable with each other.
David Clowney is going to have a role with the team this season. I'm not sure he'll be the starter, but his ability to stretch the field is going to be a valuable commodity. Add another preseason moment to the highlight reel. Teams will know they have to account for him.
Three sacks against the first team Rams offense. The Jets don't have a ton of great pass rushers, but in football more than any other design can compensate for a lack of ability.
Vernon Gholston showed little. For a guy who should be motivated, you'd think he would have been flying all over the field making plays.The Jets are putting too many of their eggs in his basket to see too many more performances like this.
Not a good showing by Danny Woodhead, who rushed for 5 yards on 6 carries. Woodhead's going to have to do something to stand out for the team to keep a fourth back. He wasn't great on kickoff returns either. Sadly, he kind of looked like the guy who is too small to break tackles.
Kareem Brown had a pair of receptions at tight end. It was garbage time against St. Louis' scrubs, but it still shows he's adjusting and developing the skill set to play his new position.
Not impressed by Erik Ainge. He looked like he had all the arm strength of the old number 10 with little of the poise or accuracy. I remember some people a year ago saying Flacco and Ryan were overhyped, and Ainge was the best quarterback of the 2008 class. I think those people have gone into hiding.

Cleveland Browns Training Camp Report: Day 12 - Two Days from Gameday

Chris Pokorny — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 02:36:37 -0000

The Browns offense is ready to take on the Green Bay Packers this Saturday.

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If you look around at other media sources, they are referring to practices one day later than I am, which probably takes into account an off day. I guess you can look at it that way, but to me, I am meaning "Day" to be synonymous with "Practice". I might end up jumping to something like "Day 15" the next time the Browns practice just to stay in line with the media; I'll have to see.

The Browns had their final practice before facing the Green Bay Packers this Saturday. Eric Mangini held a rare session without pads, as the team prepped for the Favre-less Packers.

TRAINING CAMP REPORT - DAY 12 (8/13/09)

No Sweat for Braylon: After sitting out one practice, WR Braylon Edwards returned to the field and was ready to go. He will play in this Saturday's contest against the Packers. Also returning to action were WR Lance Leggett and RB James Davis.

Which QB will start against the Packers? Probably not the guy in the middle, but maybe the guy on the left or the right.

Anderson Strikes: In the two-minute drill, Anderson hit WR Mike Furrey for a 50-yard touchdown despite the fact that DB Corey Ivy had solid coverage. Prior to the pass, Anderson had reportedly missed a wide open TE Robert Royal after he had beaten S Brodney Pool.
Quinn, Not So Much: In Brady Quinn's shot at the two-minute offense, his drive only lasted four plays. After a short incompletion to TE Martin Rucker, he threw two incompletions that weren't great throws to WR Brian Robiskie. He couldn't covert the fourth down when his deep pass to WR Jordan Norwood fell incomplete.
Edge to Anderson? If you look at Dawg Scooper, Brady Quinn had the best day statistically, tossing two touchdowns while Derek Anderson and Brett Ratliff each tossed three picks. However, you have to consider that those stats were combined from a variety of different drills. Eric Mangini would not announce which quarterback would start in Green Bay, but if today's walkthrough was any indication, it'll be Anderson since he was working with the No. 1 offense.
Can't Wait to Hear Bernie: The best thing about the Browns preseason isn't the game itself. It's the opportunity to hear former Cleveland QB Bernie Kosar in the play-by-play booth. He doesn't have Ken Dorsey to spew his love for this year, so I wonder which quarterback he'll decide to favor. Kosar attended the team's practice Thursday, the first time he's done so this camp.

Ryan Pontbriand looks lonely.

Phil Dawson Lifts Spirits: Mangini put it all on K Phil Dawson to end practice. If Dawson was able to connect on a 50-yard field goal, the team would have the night off from meetings. Dawson connected, springing cheers from his teammates.
Defensive Props in Secondary: Among the defensive players who stood out Thursday were S Brodney Pool and CB Coye Francies, according to Dawg Scooper. Pool had two interceptions and was contributing all over the field, while Francies picked off an end zone pass intended for Braylon Edwards.
Down Day for Cribbs: After strong practices left and right, WR Joshua Cribbs finally lagged behind. A few passes went off of his hands, with at least two of them being intercepted by the defense.
97 Yard Touchdown: Two days ago, Brett Ratliff made headlines by getting some reps with the first team. Yesterday, he made headlines for having his "spike" pass bounce off a player's shoe and into the air for an interception. Thursday, he had another play that stood out: after WR Brian Robiskie beat his man, Ratliff launched the ball about 60 yards in air from his own 3-yard line. Robiskie caught it and ran the distance for about a 97-yard touchdown.
Walking Wounded: Missing practice were DT Shaun Rogers, LB David Bowens, RB Jerome Harrison, TE John Madsen, and WR David Patten. With Bowens out, Alex Hall and Titus Brown received more reps. He is still a longshot, but Brown has received a lot of praise in camp, including again today from the powers that be over at the OBR. Rogers was reportedly just getting some rest.
Trickery? I'm not sure on the details of the play, but Rapid Reports says that DB Mike Adams intercepted a halfback option pass. My guess would be that...maybe Noah Herron threw it? Just don't tell me that it's Lawrence Vickers, please.
Side Note: For those who missed it, QB Michael Vick has signed with the Philadelphia Eagles.

The team is off Friday before their preseason game Saturday. Be sure to tune into Dawgs By Nature on Friday though, as we'll have a nice little interview up with the guys over at Football Outsiders.

Thursday's Links/Camp Sources

Training camp report: 8/13 (Dawg Scooper, Wolf)
Thursday camp notes (Orange and Brown Report, Greetham)
Dawson the hero (Akron Beacon Journal, Ridenour)
Berea Report: No call at QB (Orange and Brown Report, Greetham)

Cleveland Browns Training Camp Report: Day 11 - Off the Shoe

Chris Pokorny — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 02:34:25 -0000

More photos » by Tony Dejak - AP

4 months ago: Cleveland Browns running back Noah Herron, right, runs past the defense at the Cleveland Browns NFL football training camp Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2009, in Berea, Ohio. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)

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The Browns are getting ready for Saturday's first preseason game against the Green Bay Packers. The number of training camp practices for the public are going to start dwindling, but a few will still be there as the regular season approaches. Today, there were more updates on the injury front as well as the latest word on how the quarterbacks are doing.

TRAINING CAMP REPORT - DAY 11 (8/12/09)

Braylon Edwards - Undisclosed Injury is Back: After several outstanding practices for the Browns No. 1 receiver, Edwards rode the stationary bike after initially coming out for practice. The Plain Dealer is reporting that he tweaked his ankle in one-on-one drills early in the practice and then had it taped up by a trainer. It doesn't appear to be serious at this point.
Toothache for Davis: The mystery surrounding the whereabouts of rookie RB James Davis was solved when Mangini revealed he had a toothache and has had some dental work done.

LB David Veikune was all over the quarterbacks Wednesday with three sacks.

Breaking Out for Veikune: Rookie LB David Veikune had a great practice, getting pressure all afternoon long. Dawg Scooper reports that he was playing middle linebacker with the second unit and ended up recording three sacks.
Tight Ends Utilized: The Browns might not have an elite group of tight ends, but they are doing their best to utilize them in practice. TE Robert Royal caught two touchdowns in goal line 11-on-11 drills -- one from Anderson, and the other from Quinn. TE Steve Heiden caught a touchdown pass earlier from Quinn, and TE Martin Rucker came up with a diving catch on an Anderson pass. While rolling to his left, Anderson also hit TE Aaron Walker for a nice completion.
Shoe Job: For the second practice in a row, the playing time of QB Brett Ratliff increased. There was an unusual play that occurred during one of his series though -- in an attempt to throw the ball down to the dirt to stop the clock, the pass accidentally hit the foot of RB Noah Herron instead. The ball then bounced up into the air and was snagged by S Nick Sorensen, who took it the distance for a touchdown. On the day, Sorensen picked two of Ratliff's passes.
Making His Claim: CB Roderick Hood has been getting progressively better on the Browns defense, coming up with another interception in camp today, this time on QB Derek Anderson. The play wasn't necessarily Anderson's fault, as it was first tipped by WR Jordan Norwood.

DB Roderick Hood returns an interception here. Also pictured is WR Joshua Cribbs. Both players have been picking it up in camp.

Still Behind: Rookie C Alex Mack is still behind veteran Hank Fraley it appears. With Rex Hadnot down still, Fraley's roster spot seems to pretty much be guaranteed at this point.
Trickery: WR Joshua Cribbs ran a reverse for a ten-yard gain with Anderson as a blocker. This note was kind of interesting from the OBR's Twitter feed: "Browns ask media not to give up specifics on specialty or trick type plays - but the packages on stunt drill is intriguing."
Bubble Watch: This is a note just in general from the OBR regarding LB Beau Bell: "he hits a ton moving forward but lateral quickness is below average." With Davis still out, RB Noah Herron continues to make a strong case for being on the final roster. I'm really starting to believe that Herron will make the team as the backup fullback/fourth running back. He's not a bad player and he has some veteran experience. With RB Jerome Harrison also not practicing, RB Jamal Lewis and Herron got all the running back reps. CB Hank Poteat was burned by WR Brian Robiskie for a touchdown.
Stepping Up: It's getting repetitive, but that's a good thing in this case: once again, WR Joshua Cribbs had a good practice as a receiver. It doesn't sound like he's seen any work in the secondary this camp, but from what it sounds like, we won't need him there.

The Browns will have an afternoon practice again on Thursday.

Wednesday's Links/Camp Sources

Wednesday 8/12 Practice (Dawg Scooper, Wolf)
Lane's camp notes, Twitter style! (Orange and Brown Report, Adkins)
QBs debunk cheating story (Akron Beacon Journal, Ridenour)
Wednesday evening camp notes (Orange and Brown Report, Taylor)

Cleveland Browns Training Camp Report: Day 10 (Morning) - Depth Chart Released

Chris Pokorny — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 22:55:04 -0000

More photos » by Tony Dejak - AP

4 months ago: Cleveland Browns running back Jerome Harrison, left, catches a pass over Cleveland Browns linebacker Alex Hall at the Cleveland Browns NFL football training camp Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2009, in Berea, Ohio. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)

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The Browns had a rare day off on Monday to rest from the scrimmage played on Sunday. They were back to work Tuesday morning in Berea though, and they'll finish off with another evening session later tonight.

Something a little unusual did happen in practice though, and I say that due to the poster who was insistent that QB Brett Ratliff being on Derek Anderson's team was a sign of his position on the depth chart. What happened? Find out below...

TRAINING CAMP REPORT - DAY 10 [MORNING] (8/11/09)

Ratliff Works With First Team: You read that correctly -- Brett Ratliff, who has mostly been working with the second- or third-string teams, had an opportunity to get some time in with the ones. I still wouldn't read much into this, especially when as you'll see below, Eric Mangini has listed "Derek Anderson/Brady Quinn" as "co-starters" on the depth chart he submitted to the league for the Packers game this week.

QB Brett Ratliff worked with the first-team offense in the two-minute drill and scored.

...And He Scored With Them: Ratliff didn't work the entire practice with the first-team. He only received the opportunity when it came to the two-minute drill, a drill the Browns have struggled to score in during camp. Ratliff took the first-team offense down the field for 71 yards with about a minute still left on the clock. Tony Grossi of the Plain Dealer does note that Ratliff did have some luck on his hand.

For example, on a fourth-down play, a tipped pass still found the arms of Jerome Harrison for a first down. On the scoring play, Braylon Edwards caught a pass one-handed, put a move on Brandon McDonald, and went past him 30 yards for the touchdown. Grossi says that McDonald almost stopped playing on the play though, because he thought the referee was going to call Edwards down (the touch tackle rule).
New Role For Francies: With WR Syndric Steptoe out for the season, the person taking his place in backup return duties is rookie CB Coye Francies. Joshua Cribbs and CB Gerard Lawson are still the players ahead of him on the depth chart.
Injury Notes: Today, we were able to welcome FB Charles Ali back to the field. TE Steve Heiden was also practicing after sitting out Sunday's scrimmage. WR Lance Leggett and TE John Madsen were with the trainers, while the work of WR David Patten was limited.
Mangini on Scrimmage: In talking about players who stood out from the scrimmage, he noted WR Mohamed Massaquoi and CB Coye Francies. It feels kind of cool that I had the same opinion at the scrimmage that Mangini did.
Goofing Up The Trickery: The offense tried to run a trick play for a double reverse. After Brady Quinn handed the ball to WR Brian Robiskie, Robiskie tried to hand it to WR Mike Furrey. The exchange was mishandled though, leading to a fumble recovery and touchdown return by DE Robaire Smith.
Positive Day for Wimbley: After not getting a lot of practice as the Sunday scrimmage, LB Kamerion Wimbley was making things happen this morning, beating Ryan Tucker and George Foster off the edge in two instances. I could praise LB D'Qwell Jackson again too, but he's having a good practice every time.

The Browns ran a lot of running drills Tuesday morning, as Jamal Lewis carries the ball here.

Quarterback Derby: Daniel Wolf has this morning's statistics for the quarterbacks in their drills, and it sounds like both Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson had pretty good practices. It figures that they continue the trend of one of them not being able to run away from the other. My favorite play I read about was Anderson lobbing a nice pass to RB Jerome Harrison for about 30 yards, as he was covered by LB Alex Hall. That play can be seen in the picture at the top of this post.
Bubble Watch: After LB David Bowens tipped a pass from Anderson, WR Paul Hubbard was still able to pull the ball in.
False Starts: The word "FOCUS" was painted on the field today around the 20-yard line. Apparantly that had the opposite of the intended effect on the players, as there were more false starts than perhaps any other session in camp. The mishaps didn't go unpunished; players continued to run laps for their mistakes.
Hood Picking Things Up: After some questioning of his ability to make a play on the ball from his days in Arizona, CB Roderick Hood snagged two interceptions, one of them coming off of QB Richard Bartel. It wasn't a very good practice for Bartel, who will probably be considered for the first batch of cuts (I believe those come some time after the first preseason game).
Brownies: There was a heavy focus on the running game in drills...WR Joshua Cribbs continue to catch the ball as a receiver.

Now, let's get to the starting depth chart release by Mangini (credit to Steve Doerschuk for posting):

QB: Derek Anderson/Brady Quinn, Brett Ratliff, Richard Bartel
RB: Jamal Lewis; Jerome Harrison; James Davis; Noah Herron
WR: Braylon Edwards, David Patten, Mohamed Massaquoi, Paul Hubbard, Jordan Norwood
WR: Mike Furrey, Joshua Cribbs, Brian Robiskie, Lance Leggett
TE: Robert Royal, Steve Heiden, Martin Rucker, John Madsen, Aaron Walker
FB: Lawrence Vickers, Charles Ali
LT: Joe Thomas, George Foster
LG: Eric Steinbach, Kurt Quarterman, Dustin Fry
C: Hank Fraley, Alex Mack
RG: Floyd Womack, Isaac Sowells, Fred Weary
RT: John St. Clair, Ryan Tucker, Branndon Braxton

LE: Corey Williams, C.J. Mosley, Santonio Thomas, Melila Purcell
NT: Shaun Rogers, Ahtyba Rubin, Adam Hoppel
RE: Kenyon Coleman, Robaire Smith, Louis Leonard
ROLB: Kamerion Wimbley, Titus Brown, David Veikune
ILB: D’Qwell Jackson, Beau Bell, Marcus Benard
ILB: Eric Barton, Kaluka Maiava, Philip Hunt, Blake Costanzo
LOLB: David Bowens, Alex Hall, Leon Williams, Bo Ruud
CB: Eric Wright, Hank Poteat, Corey Ivy, Brandon Anderson
CB: Brandon McDonald, Rod Hood, Coye Francies, Gerard Lawson
SS: Abram Elam, Nick Sorensen, Hamza Abdulla
FS: Brodney Pool, Mike Adams, Bret Lockett

KR: Joshua Cribbs, Jerome Harrison
PR: Joshua Cribbs, Jerome Harrison
PK: Phil Dawson
P: Dave Zastudil
H: Dave Zastudil
LS: Ryan Pontbriand

It figures that Mangini has to stay mum on the quarterback situation, eh? I would have liked to have seen how Alex Mack fared with the first-stringers even if he isn't projected to start the season. On the defensive side of the ball, Corey Williams is now in the starting lineup, contrary to Sunday's scrimmage. I wonder if that has to do with the coaches not wanting to put too much physical pressure on Robaire Smith yet, since it sounds like Smith has been very good in camp. No surprises in the secondary, but at linebacker Mangini is sticking with the All-Jets group on one side.

Tuesday Morning's Links/Camp Sources

Tuesday 8/11 morning practice (Dawg Scooper, Wolf)
Bartel gets reps with first team (Cleveland Plain Dealer, Grossi)
Abe & the Depth Chart (Orange and Brown Report, Taylor)
Tuesday AM: Ratliff gets chance (Akron Beacon Journal, Ridenour)