SB Nation - Charles Ali

Cleveland Browns Announce Roster Cuts; Few Surprises As Jamal Lewis Makes It

Chris Pokorny — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 22:31:32 -0000

More photos » by M. Spencer Green - AP

It's a "no" for veteran WR David Patten, who won't be able to play for the Browns for the second time in his career.

The following players were cut by the Cleveland Browns, trimming their roster from 75 to the league required 53 players:

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

OFFENSIVE PLAYERS CUT

QB Richard Bartel
FB Charles Ali: I'm sorry to see him go. I really like having at least two players at every non-special teams position, and Ali was a pretty good backup fullback. We didn't keep Herron either, so who will serve as the backup fullback remains a question.
RB Noah Herron
RB Chris Jennings
WR David Patten: I'm sure he'll catch on elsewhere. We really would have had too many receivers on the team if we kept him.
WR Jordan Norwood
WR Paul Hubbard
WR Lance Leggett
TE Aaron Walker
OL Dustin Fry
OL Kurt Quarterman
OL Pat Murray
OL Branndon Braxton
OL Isaac Sowells: It's party time!

DEFENSIVE PLAYERS CUT

DL Brian Schaefering
DL Adam Hoppel
DL Santonio Thomas
LB Titus Brown: An early injury in camp foiled his roster chances. I thought there was an outside chance he might end up on the practice squad.
LB Beau Bell: Phil Savage's fourth-round pick goes down the drain. He might not even be practice squad eligible.
DB Brandon Anderson
DB Corey Ivy: I guess this means Coye Francies is going to receive a lot of playing time this season.
DB Tra Battle
DB Hamza Abdullah

The team also reached an injury settlement with DL Melila Purcell, so he is no longer with the team. To be more specific about some of the players, we didn't "waive", but rather "terminated the contract of" Abdullah, Patten, Herron, Ivy, and Walker. The Browns actually waived one more player than required, so we should be signing someone soon to the 53-man roster.

Now, it's interesting to take a look at which bubble players did make the team. Here is a brief list of the players we can congratulate:

POTENTIAL "SURPRISES" TO THE TEAM

TE Martin Rucker: He might have made the team by default, because Aaron Walker really wasn't an upgrade over him. On the same note, the fact that he did not drop any passes against the Bears might have been the difference too.
OL Corey Hilliard: Who? He was a sixth-round pick by the Patriots in 2007 and spent the past two years on the Colts as a backup/practice squad type player. We didn't get a chance to evaluate his talent much, but I'm happy to see Isaac Sowells finally go. For the record, Hilliard will serve as the team's backup offensive tackle.
LB Marcus Benard: The undrafted free agent out of Jackson State did it. The first preseason game against the Packers was his best game by far, although I wonder if Titus Brown would've made the team instead had he stayed healthy.
LB Leon Williams: The veteran hasn't really been seeing reps with the first-team defense, but he's still on the team. Perhaps his versatiliy of playing the inside or the outside helped his cause. Either way, I really don't see him getting much playing time this season.
LB Blake Costanzo: Not a surprise to me. I welcome his special teams abilities this season.
DB Gerard Lawson: His kick return abilities against the Chicago Bears this past Thursday might have saved his job. He doesn't have a huge role on the Browns, but maybe that'll change with us waiving both Hood and Ivy.
DB Bret Lockett: It's funny how us as fans can pick out players like Benard and Lockett and say, "if someone is going to make the team, I can see it being these players". Lockett adds some depth to the safety position.
DB Nick Sorensen: Again, not necessarily a surprise, but he is mainly a special teams contributor.

Many of the players we cut could still end up on our practice squad.

For those curious, here is a list of former Browns players that have been cut/waived recently:

FORMER BROWNS PLAYERS WAIVED

QB Jeff Garcia
RB Marcus Thomas
RB Allen Patrick
WR Steve Sanders
WR Brandon Rideau
WR Travis Wilson
WR C.J. Jones
OT James Lee: This is a guy I'm sure we'd take a look at if Crennel was still here. He was the young prospect who we tried to sneak on the practice squad last year, but the Buccaneers signed him to their 53-man roster.
C Melvin Fowler
DL Shaun Smith: Gotta love this one.
LB David Holloway
CB Travis Daniels
CB Rod Hood
S Nate Ness
S Brian Russell: This would be too good to be true if the Browns were able to bring him back. He's been gone the past few years, playing for the Seattle Seahawks.

Browns Cut CB Corey Ivy, RB Noah Herron

Chris Pokorny — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 18:43:13 -0000

According to the National Football Post, the Cleveland Browns cut CB Corey Ivy and RB Noah Herron.

The release of Ivy is particularly surprising. When Eric Mangini took over the Browns, the team was lacking depth at cornerback, specifically the nickel back position. Corey Ivy, Roderick Hood, and Hank Poteat were brought in to contend for that role, and the team has waived the frontrunners in Ivy and Hood already. This seems to increase the roster odds of DB Gerard Lawson to make the team.

The release of Herron helps the roster odds of FB Charles Ali. The remainder of the cuts should be in later today before the 6 PM deadline.

WR Jordan Norwood, via his Twitter feed, stated yesterday that he was released.

Stay tuned to Dawgs By Nature for all of the latest on the Browns cuts.

Cleveland Browns Training Camp Report: Day 18 (Evening) - Positives Come Back

Chris Pokorny — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 03:40:31 -0000

More photos » by Mark Duncan - AP

The offense ran a little smoother for both quarterbacks in the evening session Tuesday.

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After a preseason game and a few practices of the quarterbacks struggling, they fared a little bit better in the evening session Tuesday. If you missed the recap from this morning's practice, click here.

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

Setting the Stage: Here's the main drill to talk about: it was 1st-and-goal from the 9 with just 23 seconds on the clock. Each quarterback would be down 28-20, meaning they would need a touchdown and a two-point conversion. Here is how things turned out for each quarterback...
Drill for Anderson: On the very first play, Derek Anderson fired a nine-yard touchdown pass to TE Robert Royal. Anderson then took it himself for a two-point conversion.
Drill for Quinn: Although it took him four plays to do it, Brady Quinn also scored a touchdown. His first two passes were pretty poor, and after a shuffle pass to RB Noah Herron got him to the two-yard line, Quinn snuck it in for the score. On the two-pointer, he connected with WR Lance Leggett to complete the drill successfully.
Titus Brown Injured: After getting some reps with the first team recently due to LB David Bowens riding the stationary bikes, Titus Brown suffered a leg injury and was seen being attended to by trainers, according to Steve Doerschuk. After practice, it's been reported that he was wearing a walking boot. While Brown was out, he was replaced by LB Marcus Benard.
Mistakes Force Laps: Practice wasn't perfect. Derek Anderson fumbled snaps on back-to-back possessions and had to run. FB Lawrence Vickers dropped a wide open flat pass and paid the price.
The Trick Play: In a goal line drill, on a tackle eligible play, LG Eric Steinbach caught a touchdown from Brady Quinn, according to Rapid Reports. In the same drill, Quinn also tossed a touchdown pass to backup FB Charles Ali.
Back to the Backseat: Now it's the defense making plays on rookie RB James Davis. In a red zone drill, Davis was stopped behind the line of scrimmage by LB Beau Bell. Later on, DE Kenyon Coleman broke into the backfield to stuff Davis again. RB Jerome Harrison missed practice again.
Hurry Up: According to Rapid Reports, P Dave Zastudil practiced punting the ball while running. You never know when that might come in handy -- a bad snap or a dropped snap in a wet game could force that situation.
Starting Line: The first-string line was LT Joe Thomas, LG Eric Steinbach, C Hank Fraley, RG Floyd Womack, and RT John St. Clair.

The Browns will have an afternoon session the next two days to get ready for the Detroit Lions this Saturday at home.

Tuesday Evening's Links/Camp Sources

Tuesday PM: Situational work (Akron Beacon Journal, Ridenour)
Trouble at outside linebacker (Canton Repository, Doerschuk)
Training camp log: Day 18 (Cleveland Plain Dealer, Grossi)

Cleveland Browns Training Camp Report: Day 10 (Evening) - Where's James Davis?

Chris Pokorny — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 05:20:25 -0000

More photos » by Tony Dejak - AP

Cleveland Browns tight end Aaron Walker isn't helping his roster odds by dropping passes.

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After this morning's sloppy practice full of penalties, the Browns took the field for their evening session of camp. Did things fare any better?

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

James Davis Missing in Action: If this is the lead story, it's a sign that there really isn't a lot to mention tonight. RB James Davis did not practice, but he wasn't with the rest of the injured players on stationary bikes either. He was just sort of...missing in action. No word was given on the reason Davis did not practice.
Pick City: It wasn't a great evening session for QB Brady Quinn, who was picked off twice -- once by CB Coye Francies (his name is coming up left and right now, eh?), and once by CB Eric Wright. On Wright's pick, Quinn was trying to throw a quick slant pattern to WR Braylon Edwards but the defensive back did a good job jumping the route, although it was reportedly also a god-awful pass from Quinn. The interception made up for a pass that Wright had in his breadbasket from Derek Anderson earlier, but he dropped. Francies' pick came after S Nick Sorensen had tipped Quinn's pass.
Under Pressure Again: Whether it's a result of him holding onto the ball too long or just not catching lucky breaks, QB Derek Anderson was facing pressure from the defense most of the night. One of the players involved in the pressure was LB Kamerion Wimbley, capping off a good day overall for him.
Out on the Bikes: After practicing this morning, FB Charles Ali was back on the stationary bike for the evening practice. Also on the bikes were receivers Lance Leggett and David Patten.
Cribbs Continues to Thrive: When he keeps catching the ball while flashing the ability to break almost every catch for a touchdown, you have to be getting more and more exciting about Joshua Cribbs as a receiver. He caught a pass from Anderson in heavy traffic during the evening session. WR Mike Furrey also had a nice grab, as he also shows why he's definitely in line to be the No. 2 or No. 3 receiver this year.
Bubble Watch: Rapid Reports says that TE Aaron Walker is not helping his roster odds by dropping several passes in the evening practice.
Morning Note: Former Browns TE Aaron Shea attended the morning practice. He was there to escort former University of Michigan coach Lloyd Carr was visiting camp today. It was noted that Shea is now helping the Browns sell loges.

The Browns have an afternoon practice on Wednesday. The weather look to be pleasant, at around 82 degrees and partly cloudy.

Tuesday Evening's Links/Camp Sources

Night practice: to the well too often (Canton Repository, Doerschuk)
Tuesday PM: Davis missing (Akron Beacon Journal, Ridenour)

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)

Cleveland Browns Training Camp Recap: Day 6 - Man Down at Guard

Chris Pokorny — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 23:24:27 -0000

QB Brady Quinn tried to lead the Browns offense, but he and QB Derek Anderson struggled in drills again.

View full size photo »

The biggest story of Thursday's training camp involves OG Rex Hadnot. As reported earlier, the OBR indicated that Hadnot had blown out his knee. More details have come in to the OBR, now saying that it could be a serious left knee injury. The details of the play it happened on are in the report below.

TRAINING CAMP REPORT - DAY 6 (8/6/09)

How It Happened: It started out as a normal play, with Hadnot blocking DL Louis Leonard. As he was engaged with Leonard, rookie LB David Veikune rolled on the top of Hadnot's leg. Hadnot remained on the ground for awhile in pain as the team gathered around him, before being carted off. It doesn't look very good right now for Hadnot, who started 15 games for the Browns last year. We didn't project him as a starter this year, but no doubt this could improve the roster odds of C Hank Fraley, and might create an opening for someone like Dustin Fry.
Sunday Scrimmage: Head coach Eric Mangini revealed how the scrimmage will take place at the stadium this Sunday (free admission to all fans). There will be two teams -- the Brown Team and the White Team. They will play four quarters, each lasting ten minutes. Special teams coach Brad Seely will manage one team, while quarterbacks coach Carl Smith will manage the other. Mangini will be focusing on evaluating how things unfold. There will not be full-blown tackling, but the players will be in pads and allowed to make contact. It sounds much cooler than what has taken place the past several years.

RB James Davis dashes by another defender.

It Can't Be Luck, Can It? Once again, rookie RB James Davis made an impact and possibly the play of the day, running for a 55-yard touchdown after cutting against the grain.
The Quarterbacks Hit Bottom: Thanks again to Daniel Wolf of Dawg Scooper, who attended today's practice and provided the statistics for how the quarterbacks did in their drills today. Unfortunately, the results were pretty poor for both men. Here's a sample: in the first 11-on-11 drill, each quarterback was one-of-four with an interception. In an 11-on-11 one-minute drill, Quinn had poor clock management and barely moved the ball, while Anderson threw three incompletions before being sacked. If these two turned in this type of performance this Sunday, the hopes for our offense this year probably wouldn't be too high.
Robiskie Still Down the Chart: The trend seems to be continuing, as WR Braylon Edwards, WR Mike Furrey, and WR Mohamed Massaquoi seemed to be working with the first team. WR Brian Robiskie received doesn't seem like he's demoted or anything, but he's not getting the same level of work as when camp first started. It's hard to say if this is indicative of their performances, or if Mangini is just rotating the reps.

Hey look, it's TE Martin Rucker. Training camp has not provided many clues as to who the starting TE will be.

Punt Fakes in Full Effect: Thanks again to Mr. Wolf for providing some information on punt fakes. S Nick Sorensen caught the punt coverage by surprise when he took the snap and ran for about 10-15 yards. Later in the practice, P Dave Zastudil executed a fake as well. Speaking of Zastudil, CBS Sportline reported that he has been booming the ball well throughout training camp.
Wildcat Formation: The Browns worked on the "Wildcat" formation with Joshua Cribbs, but it sounds like it was much of the same stuff as last year -- Cribbs running or handing the ball off rather than passing.
Focusing on Run Drills: ClevelandBrowns.com reports that the practice involved focusing largely on running drills.
Did Not Practice: FB Charles Ali, CB Don Carey, and WR David Patten did not practice.
New Player Signed: The Browns signed a new defensive back -- Brandon Anderson, undrafted free agent from the University of Akron.
The Vike: Rookie LB David Veikune looked good, beating OT George Foster a few times. That's either good for Veikune or bad for Foster.

Thursday's Link Collection / Camp Sources

Thursday 8/6 Practice Report (Dawg Scooper, Wolf)
Hadnot Blows Out Knee (Orange and Brown Report, King)
New year, new goals for Williams (Official Team Site, Jackson)
Day 6 Training Camp Notes (Orange and Brown Report, Greetham)

Cleveland Browns Training Camp Report: Day 5 (Evening) - "One Second Left" Drills

Chris Pokorny — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 04:14:59 -0000

With neither quarterback gaining a definitive edge over the other in camp so far, Mangini's decision might come down to how Quinn and Anderson perform in the preseason games. via photos.theobr.com

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For this morning's Day 5 training camp recap, click here. The news coming in was more low-key for the evening session, so bare with me as I scrape the bottom of the barrel for some notes, as the team was not in pads. For the evening practice, Derek Anderson was working with the first-team offense.

TRAINING CAMP REPORT - DAY 5 [EVENING] (8/5/09)

Game Specific Situations: The Plain Dealer reports that much of the evening's practice was devoted to special game situations, such as a needing a Hail Mary pass or executing a touchdown with one second left on the clock. The notes on the drills below all come from the Plain Dealer's report here.
Drill One - At the Five: Both quarterbacks started at the five-yard line on fourth-down with one second left. Derek Anderson connected with WR Mike Furrey over DB Corey Ivy, and Brady Quinn hit TE Martin Rucker for a touchdown.
Drill Two - From the 35: Same drill, longer distance. Anderson's pass was knocked away by S Brodney Pool, and Quinn's pass fell incomplete too.
Drill Three - From the 45: This is more so the Hail Mary range. Anderson was intercepted by Pool this time, while Quinn's pass was knocked away by S Hamza Abdullah.
Injury Updates: Add two new players to the "sitting out list" -- S Mike Adams and WR David Patten. No word on the status of either player. FB Charles Ali and CB Don Carey continue to sit out.
Surprise Linebacker? This was probably from the morning practice, but the OBR mentioned that second-year LB Titus Brown has been having a fine camp, and even saw some work with the first-team defense.
Quinn Underthrows Edwards: Steve Doerschuk's piece on the evening session talks mainly about a play in which Quinn underthrew WR Braylon Edwards on a deep ball. Edwards had beaten DB Coye Francies, but he had to wait for the ball to come to him. Francies was flagged for interference on the play, but it led to some more questions about Quinn's ability to throw the deep ball well enough.
Speaking of Edwards: Our beloved No. 1 receiver was just that -- a No. 1 receiver in his own league. It doesn't sound like he had a single drop in either practice, but then again he lit it up in training camp last year too.
Anderson Holding On Too Long? A user from Dawg Talkers who went to the practice commented that he believed Anderson was holding onto the ball way too long on too many plays, saying that if it were a live game, Anderson would consistently be getting sacked. Another fan saw the same thing over at The Browns Board.
Veteran Advice: As WR Brian Robiskie came off the field for a play, veteran WR Mike Furrey offered him some advice on his footwork.
Punt Block Drill: A fan over at The Browns Board commented on something surprising in punting drills; Dave Zastudil was punting the ball, and the punt block team was going all out to block the punt, which they did. It was a surprise in the sense that this is a situation where you can kill your punter if you hit him the wrong way on the foot/leg.
Brownies: CB Eric Wright had an interception on Quinn, and also had a great blitz that would have killed Anderson in a live game...RB Jerome Harrison broke free for a nice run...WR Jordan Norwood put a good fake on CB Brandon McDonald in one-on-one drills to grab a pass...TE Martin Rucker had a play where he caught it over the middle and broke free...WR Paul Hubbard had a few drops, but doesn't look completely lost.

Well, I guess I did find some more reports than I thought I would, but I still scraped the bottom of the barrel. The Browns will take the field for one afternoon session Thursday.

Wednesday's Evening Link Collection / Camp Sources

Quinn's arm tired? (Canton Repository, Steve Doerschuk)
'The Forgotten One' Speaks (Orange and Brown Report, King)
Rapid Reports (CBS Sportsline)
Training camp log, Day 5 (Cleveland Plain Dealer, Cabot)

Browns Training Camp Report: Day 3 (Morning) - Leggett, Davis Continue to Shine

Chris Pokorny — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 20:53:26 -0000

WR Lance Leggett continues to make plays, catching a deep ball thrown by QB Brady Quinn for an eventual touchdown.

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It's Day 3 of Cleveland Browns training camp, and the morning practice is already in the books. There weren't a lot of updates on the injury front, with a name or two even being added to the "minor" injury list.

TRAINING CAMP REPORT - DAY 3 [MORNING] (8/3/09)

Welcome Back, Mr. Heiden: Tight end Steve Heiden is no longer wearing the red "limited contact" jersey, meaning he is now going through practice the same as everyone else. How pumped up was Heiden to get back into contact? So much, that he was able to take down LB Kamerion Wimbley in one-on-one tackling drills. I'm feeling the Heiden buzz already, and it really seems like a wide open competition for the starting tight end position.
Play of the Day: Once again, Lance Leggett is taking advantage of his reps. Earlier in the practice session, Brady Quinn threw the ball about 50-55 yards in the air and after juggling it a bit, Leggett was able to haul it in with DB Corey Ivy being unable to break up the play. Leggett then proceeded to run it the rest of the way for about an 80-yard touchdown. WTAM adds that another thing that made the play impressive was seeing rookie RB James Davis pick up a blitz from S Hamza Abdullah.

RB James Davis is consistently running past defenders with quick cuts.

Not Practicing: Among the players still not practicing: WR Braylon Edwards, DL Shaun Rogers, DB Don Carey, and FB Charles Ali. CB Eric Wright left the morning practice late with an apparent tweaked hamstring.
Backup Nose Tackle: With Rogers sidelined, it's a good opportunity for the coaches to see which player is best suited for the backup nose tackle position. According to the OBR, Robaire Smith, Louis Leonard, C.J. Mosley, and Ahtyba Rubin have each had some work there, with Rubin standing out the most.
Average Day at Quarterback: Neither of the quarterbacks particularly outshined the other, as both of them failed to produce a score in this morning's two-minute drills. Among their biggest mistakes of the practice -- Anderson gave a pick six to Hamza Abdullah, while Quinn threw behind WR Jordan Norwood on a would-be touchdown.
Bubble Watch: So far, WR Paul Hubbard is experiencing some of the same issues he faced in camp last year -- not being able to catch the ball consistently. The OBR reports that Hubbard was up and down Monday, cutting off a route to lead to an incompletion, then coming back to make a spectacular catch, only to come back and have another negative play. On the defensive side of things, CB Corey Ivy stood out with two nice pass breakups.

OLB Alex Hall gets the better of TE Martin Rucker in a rushing drill.

Asset on Special Teams: Head coach Eric Mangini noted that RB James Davis has been one of the first players down the field in special teams drills. That'll be something to look out for during the preseason; perhaps he can make it so Joshua Cribbs doesn't have to work so hard.
Rucker's Blocking: Tight end Martin Rucker didn't handle his OLB as well as Heiden did to Wimbley. Rucker was generally overpowered by Alex Hall during drills.
NoMo Drops: According to a fan's report, WR Mohamed Massaquoi struggled in the morning with several drops. Staying on par, WR Brian Robiskie was once again catching the ball well.
Harrison Holds Up: Daniel Wolf of Dawg Scooper noted that RB Jerome Harrison held his own on a blitz from LB Eric Barton. Still, with James Davis impressing day-by-day (he again had big runs, including a 50+ yarder), you have to wonder if he will slip into the Leon Washington role instead of Harrison.
Foster Struggling: While it doesn't sound like he's anywhere near "Nat Dorsey or Isaac Sowells bad", OT George Foster's abilities seem to be behind those of Ryan Tucker, John St. Clair, and Floyd Womack. Foster was being given a tough time by OLB David Bowens.
No News is...Good News?: If anyone attends camp, please let us know about Brodney Pool and/or Abram Elam. The news on them the first three days has been scarce.

The evening practice report will be up either late tonight or some time tomorrow morning.

Sunday's Evening Link Collection / Camp Sources

Lane's Training Camp Quick Hits (Orange and Brown Report, Adkins)
Cleveland Browns Training Camp Report (Dawg Scooper, Wolf)
QBs stymied in two-minute drills (Cleveland Plain Dealer, Grossi)
Monday AM Aug. 3 - Heiden Cleared (Akron Becaon Journal, Ridenour)

Browns Training Camp Report: Day 2 - Shaun Rogers Sits Out

Chris Pokorny — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 00:55:42 -0000

More photos » by Tony Dejak - AP

Cleveland Browns DL Shaun Rogers rides a stationary bicycle at the Cleveland Browns NFL football training camp Sunday, Aug. 2, 2009.

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The Cleveland Browns hit the field for an afternoon practice in Berea today, and one thing stood out -- the massive Shaun Rogers was riding the stationary bicycle instead of being on the field.

TRAINING CAMP REPORT - DAY 2 (8/2/09)

Big Baby Sits: Star defensive tackle Shaun Rogers did not practice Sunday afternoon. It is believed that he hurt himself during Saturday's evening session, but it isn't believed to be anything too serious. The team did not comment on his status.
Cornerback Swap: Rookie defensive back Coye Francies only missed one day of training camp, as he suited up and was in action today. Our other rookie draft pick at the cornerback position, Don Carey, did not practice after hurting his shoulder in Saturday's evening session.
Getting Into Shape: The laps are starting to accumulate. These plays were amidst the series that led to the entire offense running a lap: Alex Mack miscues the snap count, allowing a free defender through the line; Isaac Sowells and Kurt Quarterman jumped offsides; Hank Fraley snapped the ball into the ground. The players themselves seemed to agree that they deserved to run.

CB Brandon McDonald had a good day, breaking up several passes.

Edge to Anderson, Again: For the second straight day, the quarterback competition reportedly belonged to Derek Anderson. I'll recap Anderson first, and then Quinn. In 7-on-7 drills, Anderson had four plays and three touchdowns in three of them -- one each to RB James Davis, TE Robert Royal, and TE Aaron Walker. To end practice, both quarterbacks ran the two-minute drill. Anderson led the offense down the field against the second-string defense, and with 20 seconds remaining, he fired a 20-yard touchdown to Joshua Cribbs.
The Day for Quinn: The two-minute drill didn't go as well for Brady Quinn, who faced the first-team defense. On a 4th-and-15 play, Quinn had Lance Leggett open but threw behind him to end the drive. Quinn isn't necessarily doing bad in camp, as both quarterbacks reportedly have a good grip of the offense. Anderson is just having the same solid camp he usually does -- whether that translates to gameday or not is the problem.
New Reps On the Line: The rotation on the offensive line continues, with Ryan Tucker and George Foster playing with the first team. Both players started slowly, but by the end of practice, Tucker was running his drills effectively. Foster, on the other hand, appeared to struggle.
Bubble Watch: Featured in today's bubble watch is OL Isaac Sowells, and the news isn't good. The OBR reports that he has had a difficult time gaining leverage against defensive linemen and linebackers thus far.
McDonald Shines: In a span of six passes, Brady Quinn threw the ball to Lance Leggett four times. Leggett was unable to come away with any of the balls, as Brandon McDonald had two nice breakups.

Rookie RB James Davis has had a great start to camp.

Pass Interference: The defensive backs were getting flagged for a few pass interferences, including Roderick Hood twice and Eric Wright at least once.
Hello, Mr. Norwood: I was disappointed to not hear anything about Jordan Norwood yesterday, but the OBR delivered today:

"...undrafted free agent Jordan Norwood continues to make plays and be noticed. Running solid route after solid route, Norwood is not making plays solely against the bottom-of-the-depth chart type players. This rookie has made a number of acrobatic grabs, as well as the ordinary type in his productive practices to date."
Buddy Ryan: Rob Ryan's father, Buddy Ryan, attended camp today.
Ali Taken Out: Fullback Charles Ali was escorted off the field after big collisions with Beau Bell and D'Qwell Jackson, reports WTAM.
Praise for James Davis: The OBR has praised the play of rookie RB James Davis over the past two days: "The Browns offense looks to be a one-cut-and-go type rushing attack, which fits perfectly into the natural ability of the Clemson product." I have to admit, while I never mind hearing positive news about one of our players, I wish I was hearing this about Jerome Harrison.

The Browns will have two practices on Monday -- one in the morning and one in the evening.

Saturday's Evening Link Collection / Camp Sources

Lane's View: Day 2 (Orange and Brown Report, Adkins)
Sunday Aug. 2 (Akron Beacon Journal, Ridenour)
Day 2 of training camp (WTAM, Knott)
Mangini Has Two, Will Keep Two (Taylor)

Cleveland Browns Training Camp 2009: Fullback Preview (Will Ali Make the Cut?)

Chris Pokorny — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 04:00:20 -0000

With the running back training camp preview, you sort of get a two-for-one. With only two fullbacks on the roster, it wasn't worth giving the position its own three-to-four-day period. Nonetheless, you'll still have two full days to talk all you want about Lawrence Vickers and Charles Ali, as well as continuing the discussion on the running backs.

Romeo Crennel did a horrible job utilizing the roster he was provided with. The fullback position was included in that. Vickers was once praised by Crennel and Savage as a huge asset to the offense -- yet how many times did we run the ball with Jamal Lewis without Vickers in the backfield? Or, how many times were we struggling to protect the quarterback, but Charlies Ali would motion out of the backfield to the top of the screen?

Eric Mangini had a reliable fullback last year in veteran Tony Richardson. Richardson mostly did what he has always done -- blocked. It should be noted that the Jets only carried one fullback on their roster though, which could leave Ali shafted.

1. LAWRENCE VICKERS - STARTING FULLBACK

Lawrence Vickers (#47)
Height: 6-0
Weight: 250
College: Colorado
Experience: 3 years
Stats: 5-of-6 in short runs

Is Vickers still a future Pro Bowler, as he looked to be two years ago? That'll depend on how he is utilized by Mangini. Vickers missed four games last season, allowing Ali to gain some experience in his place. People have suggested before that Vickers should be given more carries as almost a "third running back", like some teams do. He has the speed to pick up some nice yards, but I see Mangini keeping his non-blocking offensive involvement to a minimum.

I'm not going to do a specific worst attribute/best attribute for the fullbacks; I tried coming up with something, and the categories I came up with seemed a bit "forced" just for the sake of trying to find something.

Vickers seemed to improve upon his third-down situations last year.

1. 3rd-and-1: 2 yard gain (first down)
2. 2nd-and-1: 4 yard gain (first down)
3. 3rd-and-1: 2 yard gain (first down)
4. 3rd-and-1: No gain (led to punt)
5. 4th-and-1: 1 yard gain (first down)
6. 2nd-and-1: 2 yard gain (first down)

Five out of six isn't bad, and if I recall correctly, that is better than his 2007 campaign. Vickers also has pretty good hands; although we might not be running fullback screens as often as I'd like, his hands are definitely an asset when you get down on the goal line off of a playaction pass.

Job Security: A+
Player Quality: B+
Final Roster Odds: 100%

2. CHARLES ALI - BACKUP FULLBACK

Charles Ali (#41)
Height: 6-2
Weight: 255
College: Arkansas-Pine
Experience: 2 years
Note: Special teams

As an undrafted rookie free agent two years, Ali made the roster. He returned last season and ended up playing in all 16 games. Most of his action came on special teams, but when Vickers was hurt, he gained some starting experience. As a blocker, he wasn't elite, but he wasn't a weakness either. Throughout the season, Ali was praised by the coaches as another coveted player.

With a new coaching staff, it doesn't come down to talent as much as it does a numbers game. Personally, I am in favor of having two fullbacks on the roster. In a big game, I always want the luxury of having a backup ready to enter the game. A player like Noah Herron might be able to fill that role temporarily, but he doesn't have the same bulk that Ali does. Mangini carried one fullback when he coached the Jets last season; it's hard to believe that he'd change his mind and definitively want two fullbacks. Ali's chances will likely come down to whether or not special teams coordinator Brad Seely wants him on the roster or not. I say he'll make it.

Player Quality: C+
Final Roster Odds: 60%

FB Position Quality (Overall): B

Expanding more on keeping two fullbacks, another option is to just consider one of your tight ends a backup fullback. Darnell Dinkins could have been an emergency fullback last year; could Robert Royal or Steve Heiden be given that consideration this year? Two years ago, the Jets did have two fullbacks on their roster, but both of them were listed as hybrid fullbacks/tight ends.

Poll

Who will be our backup fullback this season (and "who cares" is not an answer!)?

Charles Ali

190 votes

Noah Herron

64 votes

One of our TE's

60 votes

314 votes | Poll has closed