I've been watching the Philadelphia Eagles take on the Pittsburgh Steelers, and unfortunately, the outcome wasn't one that Cleveland Browns fans would hope for. Ben Roethlisberger went 8-of-12 for 125 yards and 2 touchdowns. The worst part was that Roethlisberger looked in midseason form already -- he faced a pass rush, but consistently dodged defenders and extended plays for positive results. Michael Vick had a terrible outing, throwing three interceptions as the Eagles had the very definition of an "off" day.

I needed a booster after that, and I got it when I read Don Banks' latest article on Sports Illustrated. It talks about the optimism in Detroit and Cleveland (the two teams will meet on Friday), led by two young quarterbacks looking to revive franchises.

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The Cleveland Browns front office and coaching staff has shown a lot of confidence in second-year offensive lineman Shawn Lauvao. The team did not re-sign last year's starting right guard, Floyd Womack, and decided to hand the job to Lauvao instead. Lauvao has responded with a solid training camp and a good effort against the Green Bay Packers in the team's first preseason game. On Friday, he'll face his toughest test when he lines up against Ndamukong Suh on the other side of the line of scrimmage.

Suh lived up to expectations last season with Detroit, and I don't think there is any question that he brings a nastiness that has to strike some fear in opposing quarterbacks. Last year in the preseason, he had no qualms about tossing Jake Delhomme around like he was a rag doll, and he was subsequently fined $7,500 for it.

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Cleveland Browns left tackle and all-around beast Joe Thomas was on The Really Big Show this morning on 850 WKNR. A transcript of the interview has been posted here; I've included some highlights about quarterback Colt McCoy after the jump.

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We have had two and a half weeks of action since my previous training camp roster projection. Since then, training camp has started and I think we all have a better grasp at which players are serious contenders to make the final roster. I didn't post a practice squad last time, but I'll indicate a few hopefuls this time around. There will probably be two more roster projections in the next couple of weeks before the final 53-man roster is unveiled.

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If you don't want to hear about injuries, then don't read today's training camp report. Three of Cleveland's key players left the field early, meaning the team could be a bit short-handed when they face the Detroit Lions on Friday.

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The Cleveland Browns are quickly approaching their second preseason game, and guess which position seems to have the most issues when it comes to depth? It isn't the defensive line, it's not at wide receiver, and I'd even go as far as saying it doesn't include the linebackers. The position with the biggest depth problems appears to be at safety.

Just think -- a couple of days ago, our first-team defense in practice was Mike Adams and Ray Ventrone. Eeek! Granted, that was only because T.J. Ward was at the dentist, but are we really one step away from putting Ventrone into the starting lineup? It won't matter that Joe Haden is on the field -- opponents would just go right after Ventrone every play.

[UPDATE: On cue, safety T.J. Ward had to leave practice early on Wednesday with a tight hamstring.]

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Where in the world is running back James Davis, who is a member of the Washington Redskins?

"I don’t know," Shanahan said following Tuesday morning’s practice. "If you see him, let me know because I was wondering where he was at, too. I don’t know where he was at. Missing in action."

"I think he’s retired from football. That’s my guess." Shanahan said he believed Davis was in Atlanta and was prepared to walk away from football. He said the team has not released the third-year back.

If you don't remember, Davis was a sixth-round draft pick for the Browns during the 2009 draft. He suffered an early season-ending injury that year, and in 2010, he was released. At the time, Davis seemed to indicate on his Twitter account that he had asked to be released by the Browns, probably due to his lack of playing time in Cleveland. That might be the case in Washington too since he did not see a single carry in the Redskins' first preseason game against Pittsburgh.

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The media went wild talking about appearances made by former Ohio State Buckeyes coach Jim Tressel, former Michigan coach Lloyd Carr, former Packers general manager Ron Wolf, former Browns defensive coordinator Dave Adolph, and members of the Cleveland Cavaliers' front office. Their presence doesn't reflect what went on with the players during practice, so let's get to that part after the jump...

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