SB Nation - Richard Bartel

Practice Squad for Browns Includes WR Leggett, RB Jennings

Chris Pokorny — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 17:45:56 -0000

by Tony Dejak - AP

WR Lance Leggett made the practice squad, but former sixth-round pick Paul Hubbard did not.

The Cleveland Browns named six players to their practice squad on Monday after the players had cleared waivers. That still leaves the team with two open spots.

BROWNS PRACTICE SQUAD

RB Chris Jennings: It's good to see him here after a strong effort against the Chicago Bears. His power and good hands were fairly impressive. Some may wonder why we signed RB Cedric Peerman to the 53-man roster instead of Jennings. In reality, you can look at it as Peerman being on the practice squad, but the only way we could prevent him from being on another team's squad was to sign him to the final roster.
WR Lance Leggett: I called in before training camp started -- between Legget, Paul Hubbard, and Jordan Norwood, I expected Leggett to have the most impressive camp. Hubbard's short reign with the team appears to be over.
OL Pat Murray: You usually need an offensive lineman on the practice squad; here he is.
DL Brian Schaefering: I liked his quickness against the Bears, and I believe we had him briefly on the practice squad last year.
LB Titus Brown: Not at all surprising to see him here. Brown was working with the team's first-string defense before suffering an injury in training camp. If he doesn't get claimed by another team this year, I'd expect him to contend for a roster spot next year.
DB Brandon Anderson: We didn't get to see much of him during the preseason. He ended up being the only non-veteran cornerback to get waived, so we basically kept all of our young corners.

Who isn't on the practice squad? Don't panic that LB Marcus Benard and S Bret Lockett aren't there yet. They still have to clear waivers since the Browns just waived them yesterday. It seems to make sense that if we left two spots open on the practice squad that these two players would fill the voids. LT Corey Hilliard is an option too, but probably not.

Regarding other Browns cuts, the Jacksonville Jaguars signed QB Richard Bartel to their practice squad. Also, with LB Beau Bell being left off the practice squad, it looks like his days as a member of the Browns are finished.

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.

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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.

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!

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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 23, Tennessee Titans 17

Chris Pokorny — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 03:27:14 -0000

More photos » by David Richard - AP

3 months ago: Cleveland Browns wide receiver Braylon Edwards, left, catches a 20-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Brady Quinn in the third quarter against the Tennessee Titans during a preseason NFL football game at Cleveland Browns Stadium, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2009, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Richard)

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The Cleveland Browns kept it close in the first half and then capitalized quickly in the second half on a few turnovers to defeat the Tennessee Titans 23-17.

The quarterback situation was difficult to evaluate early on because the Titans controlled the clock under quarterback Kerry Collins. After the Browns' defense forced a three-and-out on the first possession, Collins was able to move the chains threw the air, finishing the game 11-of-14 for 102 yards and a touchdown.

Both Browns quarterbacks played well against the Titans' tough defense, but RB Jamal Lewis found difficulty in the running game. Lewis had a preseason high 10 carries for just 23 yards. The Browns scored their first touchdown after the half when Brady Quinn fired a touchdown pass to WR Braylon Edwards, who did not have a drop in the game. Shortly after that, LB Eric Barton and DE Robaire Smith pressured Titans QB Vince Young, who tossed an interception to LB Alex Hall. Hall returned the pass for an easy touchdown, capping a sudden 17-0 run by the Browns.

Officially, here are the stats for the Browns quarterbacks:

Brady Quinn: 11-of-15 for 128 yards, 1 touchdown
Derek Anderson: 7-of-11 for 77 yards
Richard Bartel: 3-of-3 for 40 yards

Young rallied after that for a score, but the Browns maintained their second half efficiency on offense to hold on to the lead for the win. Stay tuned to Dawgs By Nature on Sunday for our full, in-depth recap of the game.

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 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)

Browns Training Camp Report: Day 3 (Evening) - Hubbard's Rebound

Chris Pokorny — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 01:34:46 -0000

After a rough start to camp, WR Paul Hubbard got things going during the evening session of Day 3. Photo via photos.theobr.com

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If you missed the morning report on Day 3 of Cleveland Browns training camp, then click here. In the evening session of Day 3, things turned around for one player in particular -- wide receiver Paul Hubbard. After looking like camp fodder over the first several practices, something set him on fire for the PM practice.

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

The Paul Hubbard Show: In total, Hubbard recorded five catches and two touchdowns. One of those touchdowns was a deep ball from QB Richard Bartel, a play in which Hubbard dodged the double coverage of S Nick Sorensen and CB Gerard Lawson. You might be thinking, "hey, does one good practice really garner that much attention for a player?" Well, in almost all of the media outlet reports for the evening, Hubbard was praised like you wouldn't believe.

Maria Ridenour of the Akron Beacon Journal went so far as to say that Hubbard might be looking to contend for the No. 2 receiver role. I wouldn't go that far, but if Hubbard can string together a few more practices like this, it raises the question of whether Mangini would choose a more consistent player like Lance Leggett, or a potential big-playmaker in Hubbard for a surprise roster spot. I'd still prefer the likes of Leggett.
Steptoe Your Way Down: To contrast Hubbard's great practice was WR Syndric Steptoe, who reportedly dropped four passes in the evening session, with three of them occurring within close proximity of each other. According to the OBR Twitter feed, one of those drops was a perfect 35-yard corner pass from QB Brady Quinn.
Extra Note on Hubbard: One thing to consider about Hubbard's excellent practice -- for the evening session, the team was not in pads. Just something to ponder about.
Safety Updates At Last! This morning I begged for some updates on our starting safeties, and coincidentally, the positive reports came in for S Abram Elam. Elam had two interceptions; one on a failed trick play, and the other when he jumped in front of a Quinn pass intended for TE Aaron Walker.
Rough Evening for Quinn: Besides getting picked off by Elam, Quinn was also intercepted by LB Eric Barton. The early portion of the practice saw the quarterbacks working on fade routes to the corner of the end zone.
Wait...What? This one stood out from Steve Doerschuk's report regarding OG Eric Steinbach. I'll quote it entirely to best serve its purpose:

Something Joe Thomas said today caught me off guard. Big Joe said it would be strange playing without Eric Steinbach after they spent two seasons side by side, but he added, "Whoever ends up at left guard I’m sure will do very well." I had begun to think Steinbach was locking down the position. Maybe he is, but …
Injury Updates: I'm pleased to report that CB Eric Wright returned to practice after leaving this morning's session. LB David Bowens was on the stationary bike for the night though. All other injured players reportedly retained their same status.
Take a Seat: Doerschuk also reports that LB Leon Williams lit up RB James Davis big time during a live blocking drill.
Not as Unpleasant as We Thought: The news regarding DL Shaun Smith seemed a little more upbeat today. He has lost some weight and is down to a reported 315 pounds and was having fun with his teammates earlier. On the OBR's Twitter feed, it was stated that he was giving C Hank Fraley a difficult time in blocking drills.

Tomorrow's practice is closed to the public. However, the media should be able to attend, so there should still be manageable report to put together here. Be sure to check out Abram Elam's blog post (check the links below) for his thoughts on which players are standing out in training camp thus far.

Sunday's Evening Link Collection / Camp Sources

A New Paul Hubbard Appears (Canton Repository, Doerschuk)
Monday PM Aug. 3: Hubbard's Day (Akron Beacon Journal, Ridenour)
Abram Elam's Training Camp Blog (AbeElam.com, Elam)

Cleveland Browns Training Camp 2009: QB Preview (Quinn vs. Anderson Again)

Chris Pokorny — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 04:48:18 -0000

More photos » by Tony Dejak - AP

6 months ago: Cleveland Browns quarterbacks Brett Ratliff (5), Brady Quinn (10) and Derek Anderson (3) run drills during football minicamp, Friday, June 12, 2009, in Berea, Ohio. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)

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To quote Heath Ledger's character from the legendary The Dark Knight, "And here...we...go."

It's Week 1 of our 2009 Cleveland Browns training camp preview here at Dawgs By Nature, where the theme will focus on the offensive attack -- quarterbacks and running backs. Today and over the next two days, we'll talk about the quarterbacks Eric Mangini has to choose from this year in camp, as well as whether we can finally put this quarterback debate to an end.

Right now, I can almost guarantee you that the majority of fans want Brady Quinn to be Mangini's choice as the starter. That is a lot different than last year. At the beginning of July last year, when I ran a poll on Dawgs By Nature asking how many fans thought Quinn should be named the starter heading into the 2008 training camp, only 18 out of 433 people gave him their approval. What happened over the past year to change everyone's opinion? Derek Anderson laid a big-fat egg.

Let's take a look at the quarterbacks that are scheduled to be in camp this season, and the position on the depth chart I expect them to hold initially...

1. BRADY QUINN - STARTING QUARTERBACK

Brady Quinn (#10)
Height: 6-3
Weight: 235
College: Notre Dame
Experience: 2 years
Note: 3 career NFL starts

After a collapse to the Baltimore Ravens last year with a below average 3-5 team record, Crennel finally yanked Anderson from the starting lineup. In a short week, Quinn made his first start of the season against the Denver Broncos. Quinn played very well, completing 66% of his passes and tossing two touchdowns. Unfortunately, after a late defensive collapse, Quinn was unable to muster a game-winning drive.

The following week, in a much less impressive performance, Quinn picked up his first and only career win at the NFL level against the Buffalo Bills. Shamefully, Quinn broke a finger against the Bills. He tried to give it a go one week later against the Houston Texans, but something was clearly wrong with his game. Quinn and the offense stalled against the Houston Texans, with Quinn tossing two costly picks. Quinn did not play for the rest of the season, but he did win over the hearts of may Browns fans with the potential he showed.

Worst Attribute: Lack of Experience - Two years in the NFL for a team that hasn't made the postseason, and this first-round draft pick basically sat on the bench? Thanks a lot, Romeo Crennel. For all of the training and preparation that Quinn had from Notre Dame's "NFL-like offensive system", that potential sure went to waste. The experience factor is a huge disadvantage for Quinn because Mangini has no obligation to utilize a first-round draft choice that he was not responsible for selecting. Quinn was not a star in training camp last year, so he will have to step his game up to make an impression on Mangini this year.

Best Attribute: Mobility - This should be the factor that ultimately results in Quinn getting the job over Anderson. Anderson was outstanding two years ago when the offensive line protected him well on every play. When the pass protection broke down last year, so did Anderson. Quinn, on the other hand, does a better job evading pass rushers. Even a quick side-step, followed by an accurate short throw (jab at Anderson), is enough to provide Quinn an advantage in an offense that will put more emphasis on the short passing game.

Various Concerns / Comments - To be fair, you can't blame Crennel for starting Anderson last year; after all, the guy came off a Pro Bowl season. Nonetheless, Crennel just never seemed to show enough respect for Quinn, to the point where he almost seemed sickened to play him. I know we're under a new regime now, but Anderson had his chance last year and blew it; if we waste Quinn's talent on the bench much longer, before you know it, his contract will be up and he won't have a proper evaluation on him. I expect Quinn to have a lot better chemistry with Brian Robiskie and Mohamed Massaquoi in training camp than Anderson too, which will play to his advantage if the rookies can't handle Anderson's errant short throws.

Job Security: B
Player Quality: B
Final Roster Odds: 99%

2. DEREK ANDERSON - BACKUP QUARTERBACK

Derek Anderson (#3)
Height: 6-6
Weight: 229
College: Oregon State
Experience: 4 years
Stats: 9 TD, 8 INTs (2008)

I still consider myself a fan of Anderson. There is even a part of me that believes that with the right coaching in the right system, he would be a better quarterback than Quinn.

Here's the problem(s) for Anderson though: (1) We're not running an offense suited for him, (2) the offense we are running specifically seems to play against Anderson's strengths, and (3) we don't have the same player personnel Anderson had two years ago.

Worst Attribute: Carrying a Team - Last year, the primary weakness I listed for Anderson was "middle zone throws". This year, I'm listing a broader weakness, something of which is often affected by those middle zone throws: his inability to carry a football team. Braylon Edwards was awful last season. Jamal Lewis was pretty bad last season. Jason Wright made an awful play every time he was in the game. The offensive line was shaky. Through all of that, a quarterback can be defined on whether or not he can put the team on his shoulders and keep them in the game.

How many comeback victories do you remember Anderson having? After our defense worked so hard last season in several games keeping some of the better offenses in the league to a minimum of points, how many times did Anderson strike with a game-cushioning score? In both cases, I'm sure the answer is zero. Now, compare that to the number of times you remember the game on the line and Anderson being involved in a play that sealed our fate (in a bad way), and you'll see why Anderson relies too much on the talent around him to be successful.

Best Attribute: Arm Strength - Anderson has zero touch, but man can he throw a football through two or three defenders like no other quarterback. That's an advantage when you have big targets who run effective routes 20-30 yards down the field.

Various Concerns / Comments - Practice after practice last season, we kept hearing about Anderson throwing the deep ball to Edwards in training camp. I expect a lot less of that this year, and a lot more of hearing about how our rookie receivers are struggling to hold on to Anderson's short passes because they are either too fast or off-target. Again -- it's just not the system for Anderson this year. As a backup quarterback though, I cannot complain. That's where Mangini will have to be the person who makes the adjustments and plays to Anderson's strengths in a situation where Quinn needs to leave a game.

Player Quality: B-
Final Roster Odds: 90%

3. BRETT RATLIFF - EMERGENCY QUARTERBACK

Brett Ratliff (#5)
Height: 6-4
Weight: 235
College: Utah
Experience: 2 years
Note: No career stats

Last year, a young quarterback named Brett Ratliff was the No. 3 quarterback the entire season for the New York Jets. He wasn't even the best "Brett" quarterback on the team though; that title would've belonged to starter Brett Favre.

We can't go off of much in terms of Ratliff's abilities. I recall seeing him face the Browns in the preseason last year, and he did leave enough of an impression to the point that I knew who he was as soon as Mangini acquired him in the big draft-day deal in April. Ratliff had two bowl victories during his college career at Utah:

Stats	Passing
YEAR	CMP	ATT	YDS	CMP%	YPA	LNG	TD	INT	SACK	RAT
2005	48	77	642	62.3	8.34	48	8	2	4	161.47
2006	228	391	2796	58.3	7.15	57	23	9	14	133.19

At the very least, Ratliff should be an upgrade over last year's disaster of a third-string quarterback in Ken Dorsey. Ratliff's arm strength might not be the strongest, but it got old making jokes about how any of us could throw the ball better than Dorsey had. Here is what a Jets' fan had to say about Ratliff back in December; I picked this quote because it seemed to be a sentiment that many Jets fans shared:

[Ratliff] has a smooth throwing motion and has increased his accuracy tremendously from college. He has a strong arm (nowhere near Cutler but strong enough). Ratliff has excellent pocket presence and moves around in the pocket well. Not a scrambler. Doesn't get much depth on his drops due to inexperience in taking snaps under center as opposed to in shotgun (ran spread in college), but this will correct over time, especially with actual game reps. From limited observation in the preseason he makes good decisions and has excellent accuracy on his touch passes. He perfectly looped quite a few passes over the heads of linebackers this preseason.

Here's some footage of last year's preseason game against the Browns, if you don't remember:

Final Roster Odds: 80%
Practice Squad Odds: 5%

4. RICHARD BARTEL - PRACTICE SQUAD ELIGIBLE

Richard Bartel (#13)
Height: 6-3
Weight: 230
College: Tarleton State
Experience: 2 years
Note: No career stats

Last year, the Browns only had three quarterbacks in camp. Thankfully, it looks like we'll have a fourth this season to make things interesting. Bartel actually joined the Browns late last season in November. He was signed to the practice squad after Quinn was placed on the injured reserve. He was then promoted to the 53-man roster for the final game of the season after Ken Dorsey was placed on the injured reserve.

Bartel had a little stint in the MLB farm systems (excerpt from Wikipedia):

Bartel was drafted as a pitcher by the Cincinnati Reds in the 14th round (516th overall) of the 2001 Major League Baseball Draft.

He appeared in one game for the Gulf Coast Reds in 2001 and pitched a shutout inning. The following season for the GCL Reds, Bartel allowed 19 hits, eight runs (five earned) and four walks with nine strikeouts in 14.1 innings. He finished his career with a 1-1 record and a 2.98 earned run average in eight games.

Bartel had some work in camp last year with the Dallas Cowboys, but he didn't receive anywhere near the same glowing remarks that Ratliff did with New York fans. If Bartel makes the team, it'll be due to an injury. Mangini didn't have Ratliff thrown into the draft-day trade for nothing. In a scenario of Anderson being traded, I can't imagine Bartel jumping up to third-string either. He's an arm in camp with an outside chance to draw some praise; nothing more at this point.

Final Roster Odds: 5%
Practice Squad Odds: 25%

QB Position Quality (Overall): B-

I overestimated our quarterback rating last season, giving our guys a cumulative "A" heading into training camp. After Anderson's off-year, Quinn still not having a lot of NFL experience, and both quarterbacks having to learn a new system, it's only fair that I pull back.

Feel free to weigh in on the quarterback debate here, especially your feelings on how you would react if Mangini ends up choosing Anderson to start over Quinn. Don't forget to check out our training camp preview schedule; and if you'd like to contribute a piece this week, send me an email with your idea at pokorny@pfcritics.com.

Poll

If Eric Mangini decides to start Derek Anderson over Brady Quinn this season, which statement below would best summarize your thoughts?

Thank god! I WANT Anderson to start!

72 votes

I'll trust Mangini's judgment for his first year

400 votes

Wow, what a horrible decision by Mangini

706 votes

1178 votes | Poll has closed

Brady Quinn has Early "Edge" on Derek Anderson

Chris Pokorny — Thu, 21 May 2009 16:08:47 -0000

I don't believe we are going to see a true quarterback controversy/competition this offseason. Nonetheless, without a starter named yet under the new regime, QB Brady Quinn has struck first. According to the Eric Mangini, Quinn has captained the first team this week in minicamp.

"That's because he's done a really outstanding job in the offseason program," Mangini said today. "Not that Derek [Anderson] hasn't done well, but [Quinn] had the edge so he took the first reps. There's no overwhelming significance to that."

Mangini is keeping all possibilities open though, including the thought of having Brett Ratliff or Richard Bartel run the first team:

"I'm going to look at that position completely," Mangini said. "It's one of those things where he'll get opportunities and there will be a rotation. There will be some days where any of the four quarterbacks can be the one. But right now my primary focus is with Brady and Derek."

No matter what fluff he says to the media, I think it's pretty clear that the guy you choose to run your team right off the bat is the guy you envision being your quarterback during the 2009-2010 campaign.

Sources: Cleveland Plain Dealer, the OBR

The OBR also indicated that Joshua Cribbs showed up in Berea this morning to attend a full team meeting. However, at this point, it is unclear as to whether Cribbs will actually participate in practice (I'd say that unless he likes what he hears in contract development, he won't be practicing).

Poll

Do you think this is a telling sign?

Yes; it means Mangini envisions Quinn as the QB

477 votes

No; he had to pick somebody first, it happened to be Quinn

167 votes

644 votes | Poll has closed

Browns Rookie Minicamp Recap - Day 1

Chris Pokorny — Sat, 02 May 2009 14:39:29 -0000

More photos » by Mark Duncan - AP

RB James Davis carries during the NFL football team's minicamp Friday. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan)

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For the fans, trying to actually "critique" a player's performance in minicamp is about as meaningless as it gets. Training camp, which will begin in a couple of months, is where the evaluations really begin.

Nonetheless, minicamp is still very important to the many undrafted free agents who are fighting for a training camp roster spot. Based on reports from The Plain Dealer and the OBR, here are some news, notes, and nuggets from Day 1 of Rookie Minicamp:

Head coach Eric Mangini has a strict policy when it comes to making mistakes:

"If you put the ball on the ground, you run," said Mangini. "If you get a penalty, you run. There's nothing more valuable than the football. And just looking at how turnovers affect games every single year. It's amazing and dramatic how much one turnover or plus-one or minus-one can affect a game, so there's nothing more important than the ball, and penalties are concentration errors. If you can't concentrate long enough to get the snap count, we need to give you some time to concentrate on that."
An example? When WR Brian Robiskie dropped a punt, he was forced to run a lap.
Besides blunders such as Robiskie's, players who commit penalties will also be scrutinized. Mangini will have officials at every practice to track types of penalties, who received them, and trends in penalties.
In total, there were 47 players at the practice. They included the Browns' 8 draft picks, 14 undrafted free agents who were signed, and 20 undrafted free agents fighting for a contract in a tryout.
There were 5 non-rookie players, according to the OBR, who participated: QB Richard Bartel, WR Lance Leggett, OL Kurt Quarterman, DL Melila Purcell, and LB David Holloway.
RB James Davis, pictured at the top of this post, had the following to say on whether he thought he was a steal in the sixth round:

“I would call myself a steal,” he said. “But, I’m a hard worker and going to do what I can to contribute.”
At least he didn't say he was the best running back in the draft.
Mangini's core values were made clear: "communication," "focus," "finish" and "trust."
Mangini stands behind his decision to draft LB David Veikune where he did in round two:

"I love the guy's motor," said Mangini. "This guy's got toughness, aggressiveness and a smoothness to the way that he changes directions and run games. I think he could play both outside and inside for us moving forward."

In an update from a previous story, Mangini has stated that he did not leak negative reports about Texas Tech WR Michael Crabtree.