Training Camp Report: Day 6 (Morning)

The sixth day or training camp didn't come without the first major injury of camp, and it involves a player that I clearly stated I was concerned about a few days ago: Orpheus Roye. Roye is going to have some cartilage cleaned out of his left knee Thursday morning, a surgery that should keep him out for about four weeks. The team still hopes that he'll be back in time for the opener against the Steelers. In the mean time, Shaun Smith is going to start taking some more reps at defensive end, as he may be needed there now. Let the turmoil begin.

1. Air Conditioner: While half of you that read this are probably enjoying an air-conditioned environment, guys like myself, the players and coaches at camp, and the fans at camp are roasting at temperatures are probably hitting highs for the 2007 summer. At least the team didn't have an afternoon practice today, but they'll be suffering through one tomorrow.
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3. Daily Wilson: In one of Travis Wilson's first few cuts of the day, he slipped and fell down. Wilson later walked off the field, stretched, and started watching only. Wilson did have one nice catch during practice, a touchdown reception from Derek Anderson over cornerback Eric Wright. If Wilson sticks around, it'll solely be based on the fact that coaches don't want to give up on a third-round pick so soon.
4. NFL Officials: Some NFL officials were at camp today to simulate more of a real game atmosphere in relation to penalties. "Offsides" was called a few times during the practice.
5. Best Rookie: The best rookie of camp continues to be Eric Wright. Early on in the practice, Wright batted down a pass from Derek Anderson and then intercepted a pass from Ken Dorsey. Wright continued playing with the first team for the most part.
6. Catching the Ball: While we're hearing that Travis Wilson and Braylon Edwards are dropping passes too often, the youngsters are trying to take advantage of their opportunities. Efrem Hill beat safety Brodney Pool on a slant pass, Maurice Mann has been rather fundamentally sound, and Kendrick Mosley and Syndric Steptoe are catching everything that's coming their way.
7. Groove Continues: Quarterback Derek Anderson continues to improve upon the little things. He looked very comfortable again this morning compared to the start of camp, and was a little more accurate than he's been. His advantage is still the fact that he can rope the ball into a tight spot, especially down near the red zone. However, he was intercepted by Daven Holly once in the end zone.
8. Conservative Frye: There hasn't been much down-field action from Frye in camp so far. Most of his plays appear to be dump-offs and safer routes. Whether that's the makeup of the playbook or Frye not being able to recognize a better match-up, it's still noteworthy.
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10. Rookie Cornerbacks: After the failed attempts to draft cornerbacks, such as Antonio Perkins and DeMario Minter, this year may be a change in trend. I already mentioned that Eric Wright has been great, but Brandon McDonald is playing coverage very well. He's had a few interceptions in camp already, and could challenge veteran Kenny Wright for the fourth defensive back position.
11. Linebacker Rundown: Let's hit a few notes on some linebackers, shall we? Leon Williams can have some decent pass coverage up the middle, but still has some open field recognition skills that need to be worked on. Veteran Matt Stewart seemed to be our best player at defending screen plays last season, and he did the same exact thing in practice this morning. Antwaan Peek has been giving maximum effort on the field and appears to be a perfect role player.
12. Shaffer's Edge: Although Joe Thomas is getting fans excited, he is still learning the schemes for an NFL team. Kevin Shaffer has been more consistent at left tackle than Thomas, and rightly so; he's been in the league for so many years. Another lineman, Seth McKinney, still looks very strong and agile, better than people expected him to be. He would be a definite upgrade over Joe Andruzzi.
13. Cut Him Loose: The next time that Nat Dorsey gets knocked on his ass, he should get cut. If the team went with that philosophy, he'd be a free agent mid-way through tonight's practice.
14. Gadget Plays: The Browns aren't putting a halt to the gadget plays that they're attempting. Cribbs was at it again this morning on a reverse. I like the idea of using Cribbs on gadget plays, but I just envision him being slower on reverses. He's effective on kick returns because he finds the gap and runs straight through it; he's not a shifter like Dennis Northcutt was. Just imagine the Browns running a reverse with Joe Jurevicius or even Braylon Edwards - they'd be too slow to actually get anything positive. I'd like to see the Browns try some reverses with Tim Carter instead.
15. Injury Update: Cornerback DeMario Minter is still in a boot. I'm sure he'll be placed on the physically-unable-to-perform list at some point in the coming weeks. Kellen Winslow is getting a break in the morning, but should participate in the evening session. With Winslow resting, the well-liked Steve Heiden was able to receive additional reps with the first team. Isaac Sowells was taken off the field in a cart; no word on his status yet. Receiver Mike Mason was also out with a knee injury.
16. Couch Update: How about a little Jacksonville Jaguars camp news? Tim Couch has looked very good on his touch passes, but is still rusty when it comes to timing is receivers on quick hitters. Based on Couch's first few efforts, there's now a belief that he could make a run at being the team's third quarterback.