Around the Pound (8/25): Player Injuries, Transactions, and Colt McCoy's Roster Spot

With all of the daily training camp updates that took place the month of August, "Around the Pound" was temporarily placed on the shelf. It's officially back now, marking its first edition since July 21. Today, we take a look at some recent quotes by Browns players, some minor transactions that have taken place, and the job security of one Colt McCoy.

Colt McCoy's Roster Spot in Jeopardy?

Stirred by a report from the Plain Dealer's Tony Grossi, speculation has begun that third-round pick Colt McCoy might be "on the bubble." If you look around on the Internet, I really think people are putting too much thought into what appears to be a personal opinion of Grossi's rather than a substantiated rumor (unless there's another article I'm missing):

Players who appear to need good showings in the last two games to make the roster include linebacker David Veikune, tight ends Robert Royal and Alex Smith, running backs Chris Jennings and James Davis, quarterbacks Brett Ratliff and Colt McCoy, and receiver Carlton Mitchell.

While McCoy certainly hasn't played very well this preseason, he's only done so behind a backup offensive line. It doesn't make any sense to have that be the only opportunity you're going to give a third-round rookie before cutting him loose, which is why I feel pretty confident McCoy isn't on the bubble.

With that said, if he came down with a minor injury over the next two weeks, it wouldn't surprise me to see him stashed on the injured reserve so that Eric Mangini could keep Brett Ratliff. In a press conference this morning, Mangini seemed to indicate that if everything went well with Jake Delhomme and Seneca Wallace against the Detroit Lions, then both may sit out the final preseason game against the Chicago Bears. Mangini used the same tactic last year with Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn.

This would give Mangini a better idea of how McCoy can play with the first-string offense. Mangini noted in his press conference that he's been part of teams that have kept two, three, or four quarterbacks on the roster, hinting that he isn't opposed to straying from the traditional "three quarterback" system.

Quotes / Notes from Browns Players & Coaches

• QB Seneca Wallace (On not showing the Wildcat in the preseason): "With me and (Josh) Cribbs out there, it's going to be very tough to stop. I don't want to let teams know what we have up our sleeves."
   
• WR Joshua Cribbs (On improving his receiving skills): "The motivation I've had throughout has been the negative comments and naysayers about my abilities."
   
• Eric Mangini (On if he had any criticism for Robiskie for not laying out for a ball thrown to him in the end zone) -- "I’ve never looked at Brian Robiskie and thought that he’s a guy that doesn’t do everything he can to catch footballs.  I don’t question that decision by him."

Tuesday/Wednesday Practice Notes and Injuries

On the offensive line, veteran John St. Clair missed practice Tuesday and Wednesday due to personal issues. The good news is that both Shawn Lauvao and Tony Pashos returned to practice on Tuesday. Mangini said that barring any setbacks, Pashos should play in this week's game against the Detroit Lions. That means that we might see our regular season starting offensive line blocking for Delhomme for the first time this preseason.

Also returning to practice on Tuesday were WR Mohamed Massaquoi and LB David Bowens. It's great to hear that Bowens is back, because he played pretty well at the end of last season to the point where I regarded him as our best linebacker at the time.

Since camp is closed to the public, even the media can't publish the specifics of what went down in practice anymore. With that said, CBS Rapid Reports noted that in Tuesday's practice, Seneca Wallace fired a 50-yard pass to Jake Allen was the offensive highlight, while the defensive highlights came from Gerard Lawson, who had a good day in red zone drills.

Lastly, according to a tweet by the Plain Dealer's Mary Kay Cabot, "RB Montario Hardesty put pads on and plans to run outside, another step [forward]." I didn't list this as major news, because it doesn't mean the second-rounder is involved in team drills yet.

Hello Ivey, Goodbye Danso

After placing Kwaku Danso on the waived/injured list, the Browns went out and filled his roster spot with nose tackle Travis Ivey. Ivey, an undrafted free agent from Maryland, was in camp with the Miami Dolphins originally.

Off-Beat Notes

• The Emmy awards are this Sunday; feel free to share which television shows you are rooting for! I'd love to see LOST win something as a nice "goodbye" to the show, and I'd also like to see Glee take home several categories for its first season.
• The second "Saboteur" gimmick on Big Brother was a joke. They basically handed $20,000 to a contestant for taping video clips that even the houseguests felt were a joke. Nonetheless, I'm still watching...
• The Browns game has an early start time this week. The game is scheduled to start Saturday at 5:00 PM EST.
• The official Dawgs By Nature Fantasy Football Draft takes place this Sunday at 9:00 PM. To those involved, don't forgot! If you can't attend, please let me know because I'm really hoping we can get all 12 people to be there.
• Be sure to visit Along the Olentangy, the newest Ohio State Buckeyes blog here on SB Nation. It is being co-run by Tyler (formerly known as gahnki). Be sure to stop on over and pay him a visit!