SB Nation - Paul Hubbard

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.

Browse more photos »

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.

Cleveland Browns Training Camp Report: Day 19 - Not Too Eventful

Chris Pokorny — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 02:02:23 -0000

There won't be any more two-a-day training camp sessions for the Browns this season. In fact, there are only four practices open to the public remaining -- this Thursday, and then next week Monday-Wednesday. All of those practices will be held in the afternoon.

I don't know if I remember a Browns training camp having such good weather. Sure, it's hot, but the team has not been forced to move to the indoor facility yet, and it really only rained during one session this August.

TRAINING CAMP REPORT - DAY 19 (8/19/09)

Tucker Missing in Action: It's not looking good for Ryan Tucker's odds of being in the starting lineup Week 1, which would go against what most of us expected in our training camp previews. Tucker left Monday's session with an apparent injury, and he was no where to be found Wednesday. When asked if this had anything to do with him considering retirement again, the team responded "no".
Scouting the Lions: Much of the session focused on preparing for the Detroit Lions this weekend. There are two former Browns players you might be interested in following on the Lions. First up is WR Dennis Northcutt, who is listed as a starter or the equivalent of Mike Furrey's role with us. The other guy is DT Shaun Smith, who isn't even close to first-string.
Heiden Drops a Pair: It was an off day for TE Steve Heiden. Close to the end of practice, a drill was run with 1:30 on the clock at their own 24-yard line with no timeouts and a 16-10 deficit. Brady Quinn didn't manage a first down, thanks to Heiden dropping passes on second and fourth down.
Same Drill, With Anderson: In the same drill, QB Derek Anderson had some support from our second-round picks. He hit WR Brian Robiskie for gains of 16- and 24-yards to move the ball down the field, and eventually capped the drive with a 20-yard touchdown to WR Mohamed Massaquoi.
Back-to-Back Jacks: The play of the day came when Brady Quinn connected with WR Braylon Edwards on a deep ball for a 65-yard touchdown over DB Corey Ivy. A little bit later though, Derek Anderson responded with a deep ball of his own to WR Lance Leggett. Quinn ran with the first-team on the day, but both quarterbacks ended up playing pretty decent.
Slowly Progressing? Rapid Reports suggests that the number of mistakes in practice are starting to go down for first-round center Alex Mack. Either way, Hank Fraley looks to be a roster lock at this point.
Injury List: Still not practicing was LB Titus Brown. Working with the trainers were NT Shaun Rogers, LB David Bowens, WR David Patten, WR Paul Hubbard, RB Jerome Harrison, and TE Robert Royal.
Mum on QB Decision: As he did last week, Eric Mangini will not reveal who will start at quarterback for the Browns this Saturday. Expect a decision to not be publicly announced until a few hours before kickoff.

Wednesday's Links/Camp Sources

QB battle could last awhile (Akron Beacon Journal, Ridenour)
Center is only uncertainty as offensive line settles in (Cleveland Plain Dealer, Grossi)
Tucker missing but has not retired (Canton Repository, Doerschuk)
Wednesday camp notes (Orange and Brown Report, Greetham)

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)

Browse more photos »

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 Report: Day 7 (Morning & Evening)

Chris Pokorny — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 03:05:38 -0000

LB Kamerion Wimbley had a good day generating pressure. So did LB Alex Hall (not pictured), who registered a few sacks.

View full size photo »

I was a bit busy throughout the day today, so I didn't have time to crank out a recap of the morning practice. Considering it's late in the day, rather than breaking what happened into two posts, everything will be lumped into this one post. If something needs to be distinguished between day/night practice for whatever reason, I'll mention it.

TRAINING CAMP REPORT - DAY 7 [MORNING & EVENING] (8/7/09)

No Team Comment on Hadnot: Head coach Eric Mangini would not acknowledge the extent of OG Rex Hadnot's injury, but it sounds like he suffered an ACL injury and will probably miss the entire season.
Bubble Watch: I haven't heard many positive things about OT George Foster. Whether he is getting beaten by defenders, missing assignments, or getting yelled at by coaches, it's hard to say that he'll be on my next roster projection.
Solid Practice for Hall: The OLB competition is still ongoing, but Alex Hall only improved his chances today by getting to the quarterback(s) for a sack several times.

WR Braylon Edwards refuses to drop the football, as he is wrapped up by CB Brandon McDonald here.

Elam Knows How to Tackle: The Browns ran about 20 different matchups of open-field tackling drills. Grossi reports that these drills usually favor the offensive player, because with one good move, they can easily evade the defender (imagine yourself as a defender trying to guess where the offensive player is going to go). S Abram Elam excelled in the drill, being able to take down his assigned player twice -- once with WR Jordan Norwood, and the other time with WR Paul Hubbard. Good open-field tackling is something Cleveland has needed for quite awhile.
From DOWN-TOWN: Kicker Phil Dawson worked on some deep kicks in practice today, with four attempts over 50 yards. He made the first from 54 yards, missed the second and third from 52- and 56-yards, and then made the final one from 56-yards. Dawson and the special teams unit also worked on some onside kicks.
Tight Ends Busy: Our blocking tight ends were busy today, as Robert Royal and Steve Heiden each had three-four catches.
Not a Drop Yet: In four practice sessions, WR Braylon Edwards has reportedly not dropped a single pass that can be ruled as "catchable". Let's hope he keeps that up for the live games.
QB Stats: Sorry if it sounds like I am envying the reporting of Daniel Wolf too much in these training camp recaps, but it's just so refreshing to see someone take the time to provide unique and detailed information regarding the play of the quarterbacks. In this morning's report, Wolf went above and beyond in recording the stats of the quarterbacks from each drill, along with notes on the reasons why the stats looked the way they did. It'd be unfair of me to reproduce everything he said here, so check it out here for the stats.

Rex Hadnot is down, but Joe Thomas is stronger than ever as he blocks DL Corey Williams here.

Assuming You've Read...the above link, here is a quick recap. Both quarterbacks were more effective than they have been the past few practices. The most interesting part was the regular 11-on-11 drill, for several reasons. First off, Alex Mack was involved in another bad snap. He's having one or two of those a practice it seems, and you can't start a player on gameday if they have that problem. Against a team like the Ravens, you're definitely asking for a "gimme" turnover.

Also, Kamerion Wimbley was getting some good pressure, reports Wolf. This is also where Alex Hall recorded two of his sacks -- once on Anderson and once on Quinn. Joshua Cribbs also took a direct snap in one instance and looked to pass, but the defense shut it down and sacked him. If I go through with my intentions to visit the stadium this Sunday, I'm going to try to compile similar statistics on the quarterbacks, time permitting.
More on Massaquoi: The past few days, the camp reports have hinted towards the fact that Mohamed Massaquoi might have an edge over Brian Robiskie. The OBR's article today discusses this more in depth.
Hubbard Watch: It sounds like a quieter day for WR Paul Hubbard again, who reportedly dropped an easy one in the morning session.
Brett...WHO? It took seven days, but for the first time I believe, I am mentioning the name of QB Brett Ratliff. WHO is that you ask? He is the former Jets quarterback we acquired along with Elam, and is behind Quinn and Anderson as the No. 3 guy. In the evening session, he fired a touchdown pass to Braylon Edwards through two defenders.
Close, But No Cigar: CB Rod Hood would have had an interception on an Anderson pass in the evening session, but the ball slipped through his fingers.
Good Battles: Although Edwards has been catching everything in sight, CB Eric Wright has reportedly had very good coverage on him during camp, including today.
Offensive Line: The first-team offensive line during the evening practice was LT Joe Thomas, LG Eric Steinbach, C Alex Mack, RG Floyd Womack, and RT John St. Clair. Based on what has happened in camp, if Tucker is going to play somewhere, it looks like it might be RG.

The Browns will have one afternoon session on Saturday before taking the field for a Sunday scrimmage at the stadium.

Friday's Link Collection / Camp Sources

Training camp report - 8/7 (Dawg Scooper, Wolf)
Browns quarterbacks not scoring in two-minute drills (Cleveland Plain Dealer, Grossi)
LB Alex Hall hopes to build on rookie season (Cleveland Plain Dealer, Grossi)
What is it about George Foster? (Canton Repository, Doerschuk)
No. 2 receivers and Joshua Cribbs (Akron Beacon Journal, Thomas)

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

View full size photo »

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)

Cleveland Browns Training Camp Report: Day 5 (Morning) - Braylon Edwards Returns

Chris Pokorny — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 18:11:44 -0000

Cleveland Browns WR Braylon Edwards made his debut in training camp on Day 5. He didn't disappoint.

View full size photo »

After missing the first four days of training camp with an "undisclosed" injury, Cleveland Browns WR Braylon Edwards returned to the team for Day 5 of training camp. Did he make an impact during his first practice session since last year?

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

All Eyes on No. 17: You couldn't help but notice the Browns' No. 1 receiver back on the field. Assuming everything goes right, this is encouraging news that he should be able to participate in the preseason games. It also gave Eric Mangini some time to look at some of the value we can get from the other receivers on the roster this season. Edwards looked good in his first practice, and also had the catch of the day. On a pass to the left corner of the end zone from QB Derek Anderson, Edwards peeled the ball off of the helmet of CB Gerard Lawson for a touchdown.
Doerschuk on Edwards: Usually I leave the links for the bottom of these posts, but I'll cite this one here. In the link, Steve Doerschuk of the Canton Repository has a nice small blog on how things looked to be fine between Mangini and Edwards.

Defensive coordinator Rob Ryan and his father, Buddy Ryan, evaluating the defense.

Goal Line Drill for Quinn: Today, the team ran goal line drills, and Tony Grossi of the Plain Dealer gave the details for each QB. First, let's start with Quinn, who worked with the first team. The first two plays saw Jamal Lewis get stuffed. On the third play, Quinn ran a playaction fake and lofted the ball to FB Lawrence Vickers for a touchdown.
Goal Line Drill for Anderson: Anderson had to work with the second team offense. On the first play, Anderson scored on a bootleg touchdown run. On the second play, RB James Davis was stopped by a swarm of defenders. Finally, Anderson was sacked on a rollout on the third play by DL Corey Williams. There might have been more goal line drills for both quarterbacks.
Wimbley at Tight End? During Anderson's drill, Grossi noted that LB Kamerion Wimbley lined up at tight end on the play Davis ran on.
Lawson's Roster Chances: Doerschuk believes that second-year CB Gerard Lawson has a good shot at making the team. Not because he is a good cornerback, but because he is the "fastest player on the team" and is good on special teams.
Mack With the Pancake: It happens. The OBR reports that C Alex Mack was able to pancake DT Shaun Rogers. Daniel Wolf of Dawg Scooper notes that Rogers manhandled Mack on more than one occasion, and believes the rookie still has quite a bit of work to do.

CB Brandon McDonald breaks up a pass for WR Jordan Norwood.

Robiskie's Reps Lessened: Grossi noticed that the reps of WR Mohamed Massaquoi and WR Paul Hubbard seemed to increase, while the reps of WR Brian Robiskie decreased. Quinn was intercepted by DB Coye Francies when a ball bounced off of Massaquoi as he was going to the ground for the catch.
Low Key on Harrison: This has not been the "pimpage" camp for Jerome Harrison. Wolf also noted that Harrison had a few short gains, while RB James Davis continued to excel.
Still Nothing Special: The quarterbacks still aren't showing anything that makes fans go "wow, this guy is really good". Maybe the return of a star receiver in Edwards will help the quarterbacks due to the spectacular plays he can make. If one quarterback was to be favored in that aspect though, I think it would be Anderson.

The Browns will be featured on Sirius NFL Radio from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. EST. Unfortunately, I won't be able to give live play-by-play of the segments like I have the past two years. The team will be having their evening session later tonight. Be sure to check out Dawg Scooper's thoughts again -- another good, personable read.

Wednesday's Evening Link Collection / Camp Sources

Training Camp Report: Wednesday AM Report (Dawg Scooper, Wolf)
Braylon Edwards shines in first practice (Cleveland Plain Dealer, Grossi)
Day 5 practice notes (Orange and Brown Report, Greetham)
Tucker encouraged; Mangini noncommittal on Stallworth (Canton Repository, Doerschuk)
Relaxed, Happy Braylon Edwards Speaks (Orange and Brown Report, King)
Five Questions: John St. Clair (Official Team Site, Florjancic)

Cleveland Browns Training Camp Report: Day 4 - QB Position Still Open

Chris Pokorny — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 23:19:46 -0000

Cleveland Browns head coach Eric Mangini is still waiting for one of the quarterbacks to emerge over the other.

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Practice was closed to the public today, but the media still had the pleasure of watching and reporting on your Cleveland Browns. Here's what happened today, according to the media reports coming in...

TRAINING CAMP REPORT - DAY 4 (8/4/09)

A Tale of Two Sources: Form your own conclusion on how WR Brian Robiskie did in practice today. If you read Tony Grossi's report, Robiskie dropped three balls within a five-play span. If you ask Lane Adkins, Robiskie only had one drop and nearly caught two others that were off target.
Bubble Watch: For the second consecutive practice, WR Paul Hubbard made the most of his reps. Hubbard caught everything in sight, standing out amongst the crowd of receivers. The OBR notes that he has made the noticeable improvement of extending his hands for the ball rather than waiting for the ball to come to his body.
Mass is Matter: It was also a great practice for WR Mohamed Massaquoi, and perhaps his best one yet. He also caught everything that was coming his way, proving to be a threat due to his speed. Massaquoi had a nice catch on a crossing route which he was then able to run past the defensive backs for a long gain.

LB D'Qwell Jackson has been a favorite of Eric Mangini, as he blankets RB Jerome Harrison here.

Quinn Not Excelling: Tony Grossi had some nice statistics from today's practice as to why it's difficult to judge which quarterback truly has the upper hand in practice. Thus far, it seems to be Derek Anderson, but here's what happened today: in 3rd- and 4th-down situations, the offensive units under Anderson and Brady Quinn were each 4-of-9 with an interception. In the two-minute drill, Anderson moved the ball into field goal range with the first-team offense. Quinn, on the other hand, could not manage a first down with the second-team offense in the two-minute drill.
Props to the Defensive Players: I mentioned above that each quarterback threw an interception. From what I can gather, Quinn was picked by S Abram Elam on an errant pass to TE Aaron Walker, while Anderson was picked by LB D'Qwell Jackson. It wasn't an easy play for Jackson, who made a great read, tipped the ball, and then dove to the ground for the interception. Jackson was praised by head coach Eric Mangini when talking to the media for being a leader on defense.
Bad Snaps: It sounds like Alex Mack has had some trouble getting through multiple practices without a bad snap. I'm sure he'll have plenty of time to correct that before the regular season though.
Rogers Motoring Again: Big Baby Shaun Rogers was back at work today, proving to be a powerhouse on the defensive line once again. He did have to run a lap though, something that Ohio.com deemed as him looking like he "virtually tip-toed around the outskirts of the field drawing both applause and laughs from individuals in attendance".

WR Mohamed Massaquoi shouldn't have any problems locking up a roster spot.

Backup Corners: The OBR today pointed out that backup cornerbacks Roderick Hood and Corey Ivy have been providing stable coverage. I presume that means they are better than the Terry Cousin's of the NFL. I haven't heard any updates on CB Hank Poteat yet, and the news on rookie CB Coye Francies has been limited.
Robaire Still Holding Up: Adkins also reports that Robaire Smith continues to look strong in practice, including having a few "epic" battles with LT Joe Thomas.
Cribbs Not Returning Kicks: On kickoffs, Joshua Cribbs took a break from returning the ball in practice and just worked on being on the coverage team. Instead, WR Syndric Steptoe and WR Jordan Norwood handled kickoffs.
Mangini Practices "Icing": Coach Mangini needs to practice too. When Phil Dawson lined up for a 47-yard field goal, he drilled it. However, the kick was negated since Mangini called a timeout just before the snap. Dawson missed the second attempt wide left.

The Browns will practice for the public again tomorrow, with a morning session and an afternoon session. I might be a little late on the morning report tomorrow, meaning the evening recap might not come until some time Thursday.

Also, from the Official Team Site:

SIRIUS NFL radio, a 24-hour NFL talk channel, will be visiting camp with Tim Ryan, a former NFL defensive lineman, and former front office executive Pat Kirwan, hosting "Movin' The Chains" on SIRIUS channel 124 from 3-7 p.m.

Tuesday's Evening Link Collection / Camp Sources

Bell more comfortable in year two (Official Team Site, Florjancic)
Lane's Training Camp Quick Hits (Orange and Brown Report, Adkins)
Training Camp: Day 4 (Akron Beacon Journal, Thomas)
Cleveland Browns training camp log: Day 4 (Cleveland Plain Dealer, Grossi)

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)

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)