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Browns VP of Media Relations Reportedly Being Let Go

2013-05-24T23:28:49Z

According to Mary Kay Cabot of the Plain Dealer, the Cleveland Browns will be parting ways with Neal Gulkis, their Vice President of Media Relations:

#Browns Vice President of Media Relations Neal Gulkis let go, club interviewed #Ravens Chad Steele Thursday s.cleveland.com/wM4wpgY
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) May 24, 2013

Per Cabot, Gulkis is expected to remain with the team until mid-June, which is presumably when they will name his successor. He was hired during the Eric Mangini regime after previously serving in a similar role with the Miami Dolphins. It is unclear whether Dan Murphy and Brian Smith, media relations coordinators who served under Gulkis, will remain with the team or not.

This might not be a big public story, but it will surely have an impact on the local media, for better or for worse. All I know is that in my personal experiences with the Browns' PR staff, I have contacted them several times over the past few years to ask a simple question. I never heard back once from them.

Cabot noted that "Baltimore Ravens director of media relations Chad Steele was in Berea for an interview on Thursday." We'll see if any other candidates end up getting the job, or if it will be Steele's for the taking.

RUMOR: Browns player being suspended to start the season?

2013-05-24T17:29:05Z

Bear in mind, these are all rumors, most of which originated on sites that (ahem) are not this one. Now is the chance for all the conspiracy theorists to make the sales pitch they have been saving all winter.....who will be the first Browns player suspended, and why?

Editors' Note: You can read about how this rumor got started over at the OBR.

I fear the dreaded "4-game suspension." RT @twithersap: #Browns DL D. Bryant not on practice field. No reason given. Chud will address later
— O'MalleyTheAlleyCat (@zanebhill) May 23, 2013

WOW.... So a prominent Browns player will be suspended to start the season possibly.
— k p (@1BE4IGO) May 23, 2013

Remember, this is just for fun.

Cleveland Browns Sign 7th Round Draft Pick, OG Garrett Gilkey

2013-05-24T11:11:21Z

It's now two down, three to go. After inking Jamoris Slaughter a few days ago, the Cleveland Browns signed the second draft pick of the season, the one they added with the team's final selection in the seventh round at No. 227 overall, guard Garrett Gilkey.

The exact details of the deal have yet to be announced by the Browns, although according to a pre-determined draft chart, Gilkey's contract will be worth about $2.21 million, with a $56,000 signing bonus.

Gilkey described the situation as "official" via Twitter, also sharing a picture of his big moment.

It's official! #GoBrowns #DawgPoundPhilippians 3:7-8 twitter.com/gagilk73/statu…
— Garrett Gilkey (@gagilk73) May 23, 2013

Status of Cleveland Browns Draft Picks

ROUND	OVERALL	PLAYER	STATUS	CONTRACT*	BONUS*
1	6	Barkevious Mingo	Unsigned	$16,347,012	$10,268,736
3	68	Leon McFadden	Unsigned	$3,070,832	$690,832
6	175	Jamoris Slaughter	Signed	$2,277,932	$117,932
7	217	Armonty Bryant	Unsigned	$2,222,248	$62,248
7	227	Garrett Gilkey	Signed	$2,215,952	$55,952

*Projections

Daily Dawg Chow: Browns news (5/24/13)

2013-05-24T10:30:07Z

Cleveland Browns:

"Hoyer feels he can start in the NFL" (FS Ohio) - "They say you can always come home. That’s at least true for the Browns newest quarterback Brian Hoyer. The North Olmsted native and St. Ignatius graduate joined the Browns last week after being released by the Cardinals on May 12."
"Browns QB Weeden to help with Oklahoma tornado" (AP) - "Browns quarterback Brandon Weeden is heading home to help his cherished Oklahoma heal. Weeden will return to his home state over the holiday weekend to assist in any way he can in the aftermath of the deadly tornado that tore through Moore, Okla., killing 24 people and destroying more than a thousand homes in the Oklahoma City suburb earlier this week."
"Browns' Cooper deals with tragedy during OTAs" (Canton Rep) - "Josh Cooper has a job fight on his hands and a tragedy back home weighing on his mind. Cooper was a security-blanket receiver for Brandon Weeden at Oklahoma State in 2011, but that doesn’t cut much with a new Browns regime in 2013."
"Browns Q and A: Running back Brandon Jackson" (Beacon Journal) - "The Browns re-signed running back Brandon Jackson to a one-year deal Tuesday, and Jackson discussed his return Thursday during a post-practice interview with the Beacon Journal. Below are some excerpts from Jackson’s question-and-answer session."
"Coaching tree, legacy of Paul Brown" (ESPN) - "ESPN celebrates the 100th anniversary of Vince Lombardi's birth with the "Greatest Coaches in NFL History" series, saluting the finest innovators, motivators, tacticians, teachers and champions ever to stalk the sidelines. Follow along as we reveal our list of the top 20 coaches of all time and document the lineage of the league's most influential coaching trees."

NFL:

"Richard Seymour, Atlanta Falcons reportedly talking" (NFL.com) - "Around The League predicted earlier this month that free-agent defensive tackle Richard Seymour would end up signing with the Atlanta Falcons, not far from where the veteran defensive trains in the offseason."
"Robert Griffin III raises more questions than he answers at Redskins' OTA" (Yahoo! Sports) - "Because he is smart and thoughtful and speaks for himself in a league where players are terrified to go off script, you must parse every word that comes from Robert Griffin III. Is there something more? A hidden message?"
"Nine offseason moves that need to happen -- and one that doesn't" (CBS Sports) - "Again, just recently, the topic of an 18-game season arose. It just won't go away. It may never go away."
"Texans give $100,000 to tornado relief efforts" (AP) - "The Houston Texans have donated $100,000 to help in relief efforts in the wake of this week's devastating and deadly tornado in Oklahoma."

Browns Sign WR Tori Gurley, Who Has Played Everywhere

2013-05-23T23:27:40Z

After waiving QB Thaddeus Lewis, the Browns were down to three quarterbacks on the roster and had a space available to sign a player. Thursday morning, it was announced that wide receiver Tori Gurley was signed to take Lewis' place.

Looking at Gurley's career, it is pretty astonishing how many teams he has been part of since entering the NFL in 2011 as an undrafted free agent. You could draw a spaghetti diagram with the number of teams he has bounced around to in two years of time. Here are the teams (in order) that Gurley has been with

Green Bay: Things were pretty steady for Gurley at first. He signed with the Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2011, and spent all season on their practice squad. He came to camp in 2012, but did not make the final roster.
Minnesota: After the Packers released him, the Vikings signed him to their practice squad in September 2012. He was released a few weeks later.
Oakland: In late-September, Gurley joined the Raiders' practice squad.
Tampa Bay: By mid-October, Gurley found himself on the Buccaneers' practice squad.
San Diego: A few weeks later, Gurley was on the Chargers' practice squad, but was released prior to December.
Baltimore Ravens: The Ravens signed Gurley at the beginning of January to a reserve/future contract, but was released in mid-May. I would assume that he did not receive a Super Bowl ring since he was on a future contract.
Cleveland: Now, Gurley will try to see if he can make some noise with the Browns.

Gurley definitely has some size on him at 6-4, 232 pounds. Brent Sobleski of ESPN Rumor Central had the following to say about Gurley:

Recent Browns pickup Tori Gurley is a big physical WR that always had questions about the type of separation he could create.
— Brent Sobleski (@brentsobleski) May 23, 2013

Rob Chudzinski's Post-OTA News Conference - Discussing the QB Depth Chart

2013-05-23T23:06:42Z

Cleveland Browns head coach Rob Chudzinski met with the media following the conclusion of the team's second set of organized team activity sessions on Thursday. He discussed the depth chart at quarterback, our outside linebackers switching sides, liking what Dion Lewis has to offer, and more. The transcript of what Chudzinski discussed is organized by topic below:

Opening Statement

(Opening statement)- "We had a good week. I’m pleased with what we got done. A lot of it we focused on situational work again and this week we got more into red zone, two minute situations. We worked that really all week long was red zone. We got a lot of work there. Then the last two days we have worked two minute situations and have done that. I feel good about the progress we are making. We are covering a lot. The energy has been great. We are making our way."

Bringing Brian Hoyer in and How He Has Looked

(On what made them bring Brian Hoyer in)- "He was available and we decided to bring him in. He is a guy who has had experience. He has been around. With our situation right now, you don’t have enough reps to split, they are split a lot of different ways. Having a guy who has had some experience and knows how to play and has been on NFL teams helps."

(On how Hoyer has looked this week)- "It’s early. He has picked things up quickly and he has a good feel."

(On if Hoyer’s skill set fits what they wanted)- "Again, he’s had experience. He has a good arm and a good sense for playing. We are working him here and we’ll get more of a look at him as we go."

Setting the Early QB Depth Chart, and Not Needing Thaddeus Lewis

(On if the reps will be taken by Brandon Weeden-one, Jason Campbell-two and Brian Hoyer-three and then whatever happens happens)- "That’s how we will have them. We will have them 1-2-3. We are getting some extra reps with the young guys and really working that so Brian has been able to get some extra reps with the threes."

(On if they didn’t need a fourth quarterback for training camp)- "We don’t necessarily need a fourth. It’s not the worst thing to have a fourth and that’s traditionally what has been done, but we need reps and guys to get reps, especially with a new offense right now so three is a good number for us."

(On Brandon Weeden looking better this week an practice than last week and his improvement over the course of OTAs)- "You guys are out here one day a week so sometimes you might see one thing one day and the next day you are out. I've seen a progression with Brandon. With all the guys, some days are better than others and that's the thing working with these guys and these quarterbacks. It's not going to be about what a guy does in one day. We're looking over the course of time and they are doing a good job. They are learning what we are doing. Again, we are really working different situations. Next week, we'll work in different situations, get into backed up, get into some four-minute and some of those types of situations. We’ll continue to throw different things at them."

Tashaun Gipson & Johnson Bademosi at Safety

(On Tashaun Gipson)- "He has done a nice job and there are some young guys there, we’re giving them opportunities. That's going to be a competitive and fluid situation and we'll just keep working. Again, when we get into training camp, that'll really play itself out when we get into contact."

(On if Johnson Bademosi is now the leader of the special teams unit)- "I’ve been pleased with him. He has taken that type of role, special teams wise. Obviously, he is learning a new position and playing some safety. His approach has been great and I have been pleased with his progress."

(On is it an experiment or if Bademosi is a safety until further notice)- "I think he looks pretty good at safety right now. We'll keep playing him there and we'll also get him some work at corner and see how that goes."

Brandon Jackson's Return, and Dion Lewis' Performance

(On Brandon Jackson returning)- "With Brandon, I always felt like you can't have enough good running backs. He's a proven guy who has had production in the league. He has been able to have good production catching the ball as well. Just bringing in another guy who was available at that position from my experience, you can never have enough good running backs."

(On Dion Lewis)- "Dion has done a nice job. He had a couple nice runs out here. He has shown some quickness, can catch the ball and has some skills."

(On if he likes Lewis’ pass catching ability)- "I do. I’ve liked what I’ve seen."

(On if pass catching is a high requirement for his running backs)- "You'd like to have somebody who can do everything. That's typically not what the case is so you look for different things from different guys. That's something that he obviously has shown that he can do."

Paul Kruger & Jabaal Sheard Switching Sides

(On if Paul Kruger and Jabaal Sheard switched sides from last week)- "We are working them a little bit on both sides. You have probably seen that with a lot of players out here. We are working them multiple sides. It gives us a chance to work them there in case you need to down the road and just to see guys from different sides"

(On if a player could be more comfortable on one side than another)- "I haven’t noticed it. It would be too early to tell. Where they have been playing and how they have been playing has looked pretty good to me."

Praising OG John Greco, Discussing the Wide Receivers

(On if John Greco being a versatile lineman)- "John is able to play a lot of different positions. He came in and did a really nice job last season. He's smart and he can handle a lot of different things. We've been working him on both sides and he is a valuable guy."

(On the competition at the wide receiver position)- "It's pretty open right now and there are a lot of guys there. Again, here, there is no press coverage and there are some things that will make it a little easier for the offense and the receivers particularly. Once we get into training camp that'll play itself out."

(On Josh Cooper)- "He has done a nice job. He has had some nice plays out there. He's a versatile guy who has played in the slot and he has some quickness. He has caught the ball well this spring."

Injuries and Missing From Practice

(On Trent Richardson's injury)- "It's precautionary. We are holding him out. He may miss minicamp in a week and a half. I'm not sure, we'll just take it day-by-day."

(On Jordan Cameron's injury)- "Same thing. He has a groin that he has pulled. Again, we are being more cautionary with these type of things. We'll have to wait and see."

(On why Desmond Bryant wasn’t at practice today)- "He has a legal matter that he is taking care of today."

Trent Richardson Could Sit Out of Minicamp With a Pulled Shin Muscle

2013-05-23T22:51:13Z

So much of this season's success for the Cleveland Browns on offense could rest on the shoulders of running back Trent Richardson. On Wednesday, I asked, "which injury would hurt the Browns the most?" I think that could be Richardson.

Despite playing through injured ribs for a good part of the 2012 season, he was not able to be the dynamic and electric player that he is capable of being. Injuries were a concern when Richardson was drafted, and when the media attended the second round of organized team activities on Thursday, they immediately took note of the fact that Richardson was sidelined. According to reports, Richardson was not practicing because he has a pulled shin muscle.

"It's precautionary," said Browns head coach Rob Chudzinski, when asked about Richardson's status. "We are holding him out. He may miss minicamp in a week and a half. I'm not sure, we'll just take it day-by-day."

The Browns have one more group of OTA sessions coming up from May 28-31. Mandatory minicamp takes place from June 4-6, which is almost two weeks from now. I don't think the concern here is that Richardson is missing these practices or minicamp. The bigger question that will be looming in fans' minds is whether injuries will be a recurring problem through Richardson's career or not? Will the Browns be rolling for a couple of games with Richardson, only to have him hurt something and then miss some action? Montario Hardesty reportedly took reps with the first-team offense on Thursday.

Tight end Jordan Cameron also missed practice, as he is dealing with a groin injury.

Daily Dawg Chow: Browns news (5/23/13)

2013-05-23T10:30:05Z

Cleveland Browns:

"Secret Superstar: John Greco" (Pro Football Focus) - "With our Secret Superstar series reaching its second week, we’ve already highlighted players from seven teams, giving you some potential breakout stars for the 2013 season and even giving one player an awesome new nickname."
"A look inside Browns’ QB battle" (SI.com) - "A strong offseason has the Cleveland Browns feeling like they’re on the verge of contention in the AFC North. Before that dream becomes a reality, though, the franchise needs to decide on a quarterback. The Browns’ competition there could be one of the most entertaining during the NFL preseason, with at least three QBs in the mix for the No. 1 gig."
"Schwartz gets on-the-job training" (ClevelandBrowns.com) - "Cleveland Browns right tackle Mitchell Schwartz is a student of the game of football. When it comes to learning how to be an offensive lineman at the professional level, Schwartz has focused on improving his “foundation of technical skills” by studying his film and that of six-time Pro Bowl left tackle Joe Thomas."
"Former Boise State linebacker Tommy Smith does not sign with Browns despite agency's announcement" (Beacon Journal) - "Former Boise State linebacker Tommy Smith has not signed with the Browns after all, but a deal could still be reached in the future, his agents said. KLASS Sports, the agency that represents Smith, said Tuesday that its client traveled to Cleveland Monday night and signed with the Browns as an undrafted free agent the following day."

NFL:

"Michael Crabtree tears Achilles" (ESPN) - "San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Michael Crabtree has had surgery to repair a torn right Achilles tendon. Crabtree was operated on Wednesday, one day after suffering the injury during an organized team activity."
"Giants kick off OTA without WRs Cruz and Nicks" (AP) - "Coach Tom Coughlin and the New York Giants knew Victor Cruz wouldn't show up for the organized team activity without a contract, so his absence was expected."
"Rokevious Watkins suspended for St. Louis Rams opener" (AP) - "St. Louis Rams offensive lineman Rokevious Watkins has been suspended without pay for the season opener for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy."
"Peyton Manning Q&A: Broncos QB details long road back, ambitions" (CBS Sports) - "The different jersey isn't a big deal anymore. The health questions, for the most part, are subsiding. Peyton Manning is back being an elite quarterback again. Last summer when I came here to talk with Manning, it was a much different time."