Top 5 Position Battles for Browns, Revisited

by Chris Pokorny on Aug 31, 2011 11:59 PM EDT

Earlier this month, we highlighted the top five training camp position battles for the Cleveland Browns. Heading into the fourth preseason game on Thursday, are any of those position battles still up for grabs?

1. STARTING SAFETY - Usama Young vs. Mike Adams: This battle...never really happened up until now, because Young pulled his hamstring early and has not been able to do anything. He received positive reviews early in camp, but it is uncertain if he'll even play in the final preseason game. I'd say that Adams has the edge right now, but even without seeing much of Young, I'm still intrigued to see him start.

2. PUNTER TO REPLACE HODGES - Richmond McGee vs. Free Agent Market: A little bit of damage control was done by McGee last week against the Eagles. If he delivers another perfect game against the Bears, I imagine the team won't seek out a veteran punter. It'd be nice to somehow end up with Zastudil again, but that probably won't happen.

3. NICKEKBACK / THIRD CORNERBACK - Buster Skrine vs. Dimitri Patterson: Not that one person has played significantly better than the other, but I'm chalking up a "victory" to Patterson here. He hasn't appeared to be a liability in coverage and has enough experience with Dick Jauron from last year to keep the job.

4. WIDE RECEIVER (NON-STARTER) - Jordan Norwood vs. Carlton Mitchell: It's a shame that Mitchell injured his finger to keep him out for a couple of weeks. With that said, Norwood has made the most of his reps to the point where I think he could see significant action in the offense this season. Norwood won this battle pretty early. That doesn't rule out a roster spot for Mitchell though, because the team might keep six receivers.

5. STARTING RIGHT TACKLE - Tony Pashos vs. Branndon Braxton: Heard anything lately about this position battle? I don't think so. Pashos hasn't been as good as I would have hoped, but I don't get the sense that anyone is about to replace him, especially when two youngsters (Shawn Lauvao and Jason Pinkston) will already be starting.

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Didn’t Zastudil already sign elsewhere?

"It is unlikely that anyone has ever read Nietzsche or Derrida and has been inspired to open a soup kitchen"

by troy145 on Sep 1, 2011 12:25 AM EDT reply actions

arizona. unless a meteor slammed into the cards and zastudil was the only one remaining, we probably aren’t going to get him.

but that would be way too much work anyways because you just know that every freakin team in the nfl would start wearing a stupid sticker or patch to remember the cardinals. cry your eyes out IT WAS A METEOR. get over it…

Smile big, hug bigger. Talk big, act bigger. Stop judging do something, shut the fck up do something.

by pwndabear on Sep 1, 2011 10:21 AM EDT up reply actions

Zastudil was brought in to compete with their punter of the last three years or so, we have a 50/50 chance to get him back.

cautiously realistic

by North Coast Flea on Sep 1, 2011 10:43 AM EDT up reply actions

GIANT. METEOR.

Smile big, hug bigger. Talk big, act bigger. Stop judging do something, shut the fck up do something.

by pwndabear on Sep 1, 2011 10:48 AM EDT up reply actions

wouldn’t really have to be that big. maybe like the size of a quarter.

"It is unlikely that anyone has ever read Nietzsche or Derrida and has been inspired to open a soup kitchen"

by troy145 on Sep 1, 2011 11:40 AM EDT up reply actions

Well that wouldn’t really get it done. That might mess up someone’s car or something but it’s certainly not going to kill more than one person.

"An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools" -Hemingway

by notthatnoise on Sep 1, 2011 12:53 PM EDT up reply actions

Well I mean it’d only have to kill the punter competing with zastudil right? And what if it hit some highly volatile, explosive item that was in close proximity to the rest of the team?

"It is unlikely that anyone has ever read Nietzsche or Derrida and has been inspired to open a soup kitchen"

by troy145 on Sep 1, 2011 1:38 PM EDT up reply actions

Why would we want that? We don’t want Zastudil to stick with the Cardinals.

"An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools" -Hemingway

by notthatnoise on Sep 1, 2011 2:10 PM EDT up reply actions

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh

"It is unlikely that anyone has ever read Nietzsche or Derrida and has been inspired to open a soup kitchen"

by troy145 on Sep 1, 2011 2:57 PM EDT up reply actions

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh = tl;dr

Smile big, hug bigger. Talk big, act bigger. Stop judging do something, shut the fck up do something.

by pwndabear on Sep 1, 2011 3:49 PM EDT up reply actions

Meteors are only for the Ravens/Steelers game.

by HenryDawg on Sep 1, 2011 1:56 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs

The east coast earthquake came a little too early I guess

"It is unlikely that anyone has ever read Nietzsche or Derrida and has been inspired to open a soup kitchen"

by troy145 on Sep 1, 2011 2:57 PM EDT up reply actions

im really happy that we can take a perfectly legit thread about starting positions and turn it onto a discussion on meteor impacts.

Smile big, hug bigger. Talk big, act bigger. Stop judging do something, shut the fck up do something.

by pwndabear on Sep 1, 2011 3:50 PM EDT up reply actions

Physics, nachos, katanas, baseball etc.

cautiously realistic

by North Coast Flea on Sep 1, 2011 6:41 PM EDT up reply actions

Yes to Arizona, but only to be brought in as competition to their guy from the past 3 seasons. Not sure who’s winning the position battle their though.

by BornAKardiacKid on Sep 1, 2011 12:30 AM EDT reply actions

Reply fail =(

by BornAKardiacKid on Sep 1, 2011 12:31 AM EDT up reply actions

So good to not see QB listed.

cautiously realistic

by North Coast Flea on Sep 1, 2011 1:24 AM EDT reply actions 2 recs

Hooray!

"Statistics are like bikinis. What they reveal is suggestive, but what they conceal is vital." - Aaron Levenstein

by rufio on Sep 1, 2011 4:05 AM EDT up reply actions

Amen to this.

by johnf34 on Sep 1, 2011 2:58 PM EDT up reply actions

1. Abe Elam, or the ghost of him
2. Any healthy person can punt
3. nickelback: Joe Haden
4. wide receiver/non starter: Mitchell AND Cribbs AND Little AND anyone on the depth chart, and we don´t need to announce a wildcat to do it
5. I think it is clear that Oniel Cousins was signed to fill the guard spot next to Lauvao. I´m also for a trial by fire for Pinkston at right tackle

by mooncamping on Sep 1, 2011 6:55 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs

5. I think it is clear that Oniel Cousins was signed to fill the guard

Last we heard he was practicing with the 2nd and 3rd teams at rt

Hank Poteat owes me 60 bucks.

by LocalMan on Sep 1, 2011 12:19 PM EDT up reply actions

Also, what guard spot next to Luavao. Did he switch to tackle or something?

by scrumm on Sep 1, 2011 1:35 PM EDT up reply actions

by mooncamping on Sep 1, 2011 3:55 AM PDT reply actions

"Statistics are like bikinis. What they reveal is suggestive, but what they conceal is vital." - Aaron Levenstein

by rufio on Sep 1, 2011 3:25 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs

Then coach Shurmur has forgone a gutt check opportunity.

by mooncamping on Sep 2, 2011 4:11 AM EDT up reply actions

But what about Oniel Cousins’ ass? That is the question mooncamping needs to address.

2010 Official DBN League Fantasy Football Champion

by TheDriveStillHurts on Sep 1, 2011 1:05 PM EDT up reply actions

I think his ‘ass’ will be on the bench w/ the rest of him.

Hank Poteat owes me 60 bucks.

by LocalMan on Sep 1, 2011 1:38 PM EDT up reply actions

It’s all about the butt to gut ratio.

cautiously realistic

by North Coast Flea on Sep 1, 2011 6:42 PM EDT up reply actions

mooncamping defers to the homo phobe club.

by mooncamping on Sep 3, 2011 5:01 AM EDT up reply actions

The Beacon had an article saying Adams is pissed that the Browns are even considering pulling him from the starting position.

Pittsburgh is just jealous. We got Cudi and they have Wiz.

by SpecialBrownie on Sep 1, 2011 7:55 AM EDT reply actions

RE: Position battles

The punter will be fine and will be planting a lot of kicks inside the other guy’s 20 more and more as the season progresses. Skrine and Dockery are actually battling for the dime slot with Patterson a lock at nickel. The Browns will either keep 6 WRs or put Mitchell on IR ‘cause they won’t let him be snapped up by other teams off waivers. Pashos hasn’t gone full tilt yet because it’s preseason, but he will starting with week 1. Braxton has a way to go to give Tony P a real battle at RT. The only real battle for a starting slot is at FS. Watch for the Browns to alternate Adams and Young for the first month with the slot going to the one who performs better. As they say, competition is always good, even during the regular season.

by Wyoming Chas on Sep 1, 2011 12:16 PM EDT reply actions