The players were ready to do battle Tuesday in the most difficult conditions of camp thus far, with temperatures around 88 degrees and very little wind. It was only a taste of what's to come, because over the next week, summer will continue to arrive at a rapid pace, with temperatures in the mid-90s. Let's see what happened during Day 5 of camp, as the Browns were scheduled for one afternoon session:
- Two-Minute Drills: The biggest story of practice on the final day of July had to be the implementation of the two-minute drill, which is how practice ended. Derek Anderson operated the first-team offense, and didn't find much success. After Anderson was able to pick up one first down, the drive stalled and Anderson was done. Charlie Frye took control with the second team, but was not great either. Frye let the offense get into a fourth-down situation, and was able to complete a pass to Kendrick Mosley for a first down, now in field goal range. Frye then fired a pass into the end zone intended for Travis Wilson, but it was intercepted by cornerback Brandon McDonald. Frye was slightly better during the drill, although neither quarterback has anything to brag about at this point.
- QB Continued: According to the OBR, Derek Anderson is trying to work on not staring down his receivers, something that's been an issue with him in camp. When he tried that Tuesday, he made a bad pass over the middle that should have been picked off by Sean Jones, who dropped the ball. The media may be optimistic about both quarterbacks because they know what to expect, but it sounds like the fans aren't pleased with what they've been seeing at the position. No wonder Brady Quinn wants a lucrative deal; he's expecting to play so soon at such a high level.
- Personal Note: On a side note, I still have faith in Frye to lead this team, at least to start the season.
- Depth Chart Solidified: For the first time in camp, Romeo Crennel has narrowed down a position firmly. Crennel stated that the team's top three receivers will be Braylon Edwards, Joe Jurevicius, and Tim Carter, in no particular order. He stated that any two of those three could start on game day, depending on the team they are matched up against. Folks, it's going to be Edwards and Jurevicius.
- Speaking of Carter: The very fast Tim Carter is quickly starting to look like a mirror image of the type of player that Dennis Northcutt was (I'm still puzzled why he's not competing for the punt return role). Carter's veteranship definitely gives him an edge over someone like Joshua Cribbs, who is still learning the position.
- Daily Wilson: I think the "Daily Wilson" subtitle should be included in every session report that I type up from now on, because his status changes from day-to-day. In today's "Daily Wilson", Travis Wilson went back to his roots of having an off day. He's been having two bad days in a row followed by a good day, so if the trend continues, Wilson will struggle again tomorrow in at least one of the sessions.
- Best Player: There are people in camp that are just going out there and playing tremendous, and one of those men is Kellen Winslow. Amidst all of the drops in camp, Winslow is catching every single ball that is thrown to him, including some of the ones that originally appear out of his each. On Tuesday, he was able to haul on a pass from Frye down the sideline, catching over defensive back Jereme Perry.
- Thomas Update: Left tackle Joe Thomas saw most of his reps with the second team and is amazing with his pass protection. Overall, there haven't been any glaring weaknesses in the offensive line still; hopefully that's not a result of simply having a joke of a defensive line.
- Chaun Thompson: Butch Davis' project linebacker that nobody thought would be drafted as high as he was is not showing enough to stay on the team. He's a veteran compared to many of our linebackers on the team and is making some of the most mistakes.
- Locked Down: Are we handing the starting cornerback job to Eric Wright? Wright continued to see most of his action with the first team and did very well again.
- Pass Rush: On at least one occasion, the Browns lined up Willie McGinest at defensive end and Antwaan Peek at linebacker to create an effective pass rush. If that works out well in practice and the preseason, it could be a play that's run often on third down during the season.
- Mean Leon: Linebacker Leon Williams will probably continue to replace D'Qwell Jackson this year in nickel and dime packages, as that's what he's been doing in camp so far.
- RB Derby: So far, it looks like Jerome Harrison and Jason Wright will continue being the two backup running backs on the team. Chris Barclay fumbled the ball in one of his few opportunities.
- Step on Toes: Wide receiver Syndric Steptoe did another fine job at fielding punts and making receptions.