Cleveland Browns:

• "Browns have NFL's largest rookie pool" (AFC North Blog) - "It comes as no surprise that the Cleveland Browns have the largest rookie pool. With 11 draft picks, including two first-rounders, the Browns were allowed to spend $9.7 million to sign their selections."
• "Browns heading in the right direction?" (Springfield News-Sun) - "The Cleveland Browns say they are headed in the right direction, but Las Vegas isn’t buying it. The Browns are the only NFL team not favored in any of their first 15 games, according to Cantor Gaming."
• "Ozzie Newsome: Poise and accuracy are the keys to a QB's success" (ESPN Cleveland) - "Ozzie Newsome’s visit to Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse on Monday night was mostly a stroll down memory lane in his former life as the great Browns tight end who spanned the eras of quarterbacks Brian Sipe and Bernie Kosar."
• "Pressure point: Browns" (AFC North Blog) - "Examining who faces the most challenging season for the Cleveland Browns and why."

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Go ahead and read into or scrutinize this one line as much as you would like:

"I'm a competitor and I'm working harder than ever."

That is the quote that Cleveland Browns quarterback Colt McCoy told the Cleveland Plain Dealer in an e-mail. The quote, published in a report Wednesday morning by Mary Kay Cabot, is significant because it represents the first public remark made by last year's starter since the team stunningly drafted Brandon Weeden with the 22nd overall pick in the draft.

The front office has not declared a starting quarterback yet, but they the writing is pretty much on the wall that Weeden is "the guy" moving forward. Questions originally arose as to whether the Browns would try to trade McCoy, but heading into OTA's next week, they'll have Weeden, McCoy, and Seneca Wallace all on the roster. And, even if there isn't a big-time competition going on, what approach should McCoy take moving forward? Should he concede the starting role to Weeden and be content with being a backup? Or, should he give 100 percent and verbally convey the fact that his intentions are to remain the team's starter?

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Anyone who has taken a look at the NFL's countdown of the top 100 players knows that the list is...kind of a joke. For a fresher spin on things, though, NFL.com analyst Daniel Jeremiah took a look at the top 10 NFL players under the age of 25. When I saw the article headline, the first thing I asked myself was, "would any member of the Browns be on the list?" Note, this list would not include players from April's draft. Think of your answer, check out the article, and then look after the jump.

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Yesterday, we asked Cleveland Browns fans if they thought the team should attempt to sign a veteran defensive lineman in light of the injury to Phil Taylor. The original worst-case scenario for Taylor was that he would miss the entire 2012 NFL season. The second-year defensive lineman had surgery at the Cleveland Clinic on Wednesday, and according to a report by Mary Kay Cabot of the Plain Dealer, things went better than expected:

Browns defensive tackle Phil Taylor underwent surgery to repair a torn left pectoral muscle today at the Cleveland Clinic, but "everybody's optimistic he's going to have a significant impact on the team this season,'' a league source told The Plain Dealer.

Granted, it's not like we should suddenly expect Taylor to be ready for training camp or something like that, but maybe there is a chance that he will be able to return to action some time in September. In that case, Taylor wouldn't really miss very much time.

Hat tip to The Licensed Optimist for posting about this optimistic news as a Fanshot.

Cleveland Browns:

• "Browns' Weeden is showing his confidence" (AFC North Blog) - "No one knows how Browns rookie quarterback Brandon Weeden will react when James Harrison is bearing down on him or when Ed Reed is baiting him into a throw."
• "A Farewell to Armond Smith" (WFNY) - "I don’t know if it is unique to Cleveland that Armond Smith could be such a big topic of conversation, but it sure feels that way. Smith was cut in favor of Adonis Thomas yesterday after apparently getting beat out in rookie camp with shorts on."
• "Blogger Blitz: Browns' run defense" (AFC North Blog) - "It's going to be a challenge for the Cleveland Browns to absorb the loss of defensive tackle Phil Taylor, who tore a chest muscle last week. I explain the impact in this week's Blogger Blitz video."
• "Ozzie Newsome, unplugged at Fleming's, blames Browns offense for losing 'the Drive' game to John Elway" (ESPN Cleveland) - "I’ve known Ozzie Newsome for over 25 years, have interviewed him a thousand times and stated his case for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in three closed-door selectors meetings before he was enshrined."

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Last season, we reported that it was discovered that former Cleveland Browns running back Jerome Harrison, then a member of the Detroit Lions, had a brain tumor and needed to have surgery. Harrison had surgery to remove the tumor and is "progressing" according to his agent, via the Detroit Lions official website. With that said, Harrison isn't progressing well enough to be under consideration to play during the 2012-2013 NFL season, as the Lions placed him on the Reserve/Non-Football Illness list.

The Lions had to declare that Harrison would not be eligible to participate in the 2012 regular season or postseason for him not to count toward the 90-man roster while on the Reserve/Non-Football Illness list.

We continue to wish Harrison the best on his road to recovery.

In other running back news, the Carolina Panthers signed running back Armond Smith off waivers from the Browns. Smith joins a crowded backfield in Carolina, where DeAngelo Williams, Jonathan Stewart, and Mike Tolbert are the team's top three backs. Should the Panthers trade someone like Stewart, maybe Smith will have a shot at making their final roster.

We're going to milk this luncheon for everything that head coach Pat Shurmur talked about. One of the topics that was brought up was the production of the tight ends, specifically how Benjamin Watson was after landing on the injured reserve with a concussion last year. Then, based on the context of the article at the Akron Beacon Journal, it would seem as though Shurmur, unsolicited, decided to talk about tight end Jordan Cameron, a fourth-round pick from 2011 who only caught 6 passes for 33 yards.

"The guy that looks way different is Jordan Cameron," Shurmur said. "Oh, gosh -- the size -- and he’s had a great offseason. He’s a guy that hadn’t played much football, so I think he’ll make a big improvement this year."

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When the Cleveland Browns drafted defensive tackles John Hughes and Billy Winn in the third- and sixth-rounds, respectively, it seemed as though they would contribute as depth players right away. Now that starter Phil Taylor is projected to miss a significant amount of time, and possibly the entire season, should the Browns give those rookies a chance at starting, or bring in a veteran to help replace Taylor for the year?

Last year, when the Browns lost Eric Steinbach during the preseason, they inserted Jason Pinkston, a fifth-round draft pick, into the starting lineup for the entire season. That might be easy when you've got veteran Pro Bowlers like Joe Thomas and Alex Mack beside you, but what happens when you're asked to step in on a defensive line that is young and struggled to defend the run in 2011?

At a luncheon in Canton on Monday, head coach Pat Shurmur talked about the possibility of Hughes contributing right away, and whether they would consider bringing in a veteran player:

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