2008 Training Camp

Browns Training Camp Report: Day 4 (Morning & Evening)

By Chris Pokorny@DawgsByNature Jul 27, 2008, 12:22am EDT

Anderson's short-game indeed seems to have improved, and he's outdone Quinn through four days. Credit: Official Site

Considering the time of this posting, it wouldn't make a lot of sense for me to make two different posts -- one for Day 4's morning practice and the other for Day 4's evening practice. Instead, I'll combine the two into one post, with the appropriate subheadings.

TRAINING CAMP REPORT - DAY 4 [MORNING] (7/26/08)

Winslow Held Out: We've seen this in each of the past few seasons now: Kellen Winslow receiving a day off. Romeo Crennel stated that Winslow was perfectly fine to practice, and it was merely a coach's decision to allow him to rest his surgically-repaired knee. The Plain Dealer reports that Winslow spent the morning practice acting as a coach / mentor for rookie tight end Martin Rucker.
Heiden Twists Knee: After it looked as if tight end Steve Heiden was back to 100%, he twisted his knee in the morning session and was forced to leave practice.
McKinney Twists Ankle: Boy, what's with the burden of the bad news from the morning, eh? Although Rex Hadnot returned to practice, now it was Seth McKinney who had to leave with a twisted ankle.
Stallworth Debuts: While it wasn't a full debut for receiver Donte Stallworth, he was in pads and participated fully in the individual drills. He did not participate in team drills, and the team did not provide a timetable as to when he'll be ready to do so.
Rogers Continues Dominance: One of the most impressive players in camp thus far is Shaun Rogers. After an interception yesterday, he had a nice upper edge on offensive lineman Eric Steinbach on at least one play. Here's a quote from a user over at the OBR who saw the play personally:

"Rogers knocked Steinbach back a foot and had him off balance with one arm. Rogers punched him with his a left hand to the ribs which knocked him off the line and then ripped with the right arm to easily get by Eric and finish the play."
Sounds great. Do it to the Steelers now.
Daily Wilson: No where near the negatives as last year for receiver Travis Wilson. In the morning session, he made a nice catch on a hitch route with a defender blanketing him.
Throw Left, Not Right: In a drill where the quarterbacks would roll out to a certain side and throw the ball, Brady Quinn had mixed results. While he struggled going to his right (2/5 success rate), he did fine going to his left (5/5 success rate).
Gotta Love Smith: You have to love how defensive lineman Shaun Smith gets people riled up in a good way. Today's conflict was reportedly with center Hank Fraley. Watch out, Hank.

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Smith and Fraley lock up. Credit: Official Site

Anderson's Consistency: A note that seems consistent throughout camp thus far: Derek Anderson seems to be ahead of Brady Quinn, as he should be after last season's effort. Anderson's throws in the short game appear to have less zip on the with improved accuracy.
Getting Names Out There: It's not always about the Winslow's and Edwards'. At tight end, Brad Cieslak, who I said to watch out for in my training camp preview, is playing fundamentally well. Darnell Dinkins still has no hands as a receiver, but that's not his "specialty". With the blocks that Charles Ali has been delivering, it's no wonder he made the final roster last year. It'll be tough to cut Ali, but not so much Dinkins.
Thomas & Scott I didn't seem to give Notre Damer running back Travis Thomas a shot in my training camp preview, but so far, he's draw some favorable reviews in comparison to Austin Scott. Scott was also hit hard on screen passes twice -- once by Shantee Orr and once by Mil'von James. The two of them should be fighting for a practice squad spot.
Pittman Making Bid: Second-year man Chase Pittman is making his bid for one of the few backup defensive lineman spots. So far, he's made more noise than Melila Purcell has.
Linebacker Report: A better defensive line is indeed allowing more freedom for our linebackers. Even veteran Willie McGinest has looked pretty darn good. Alex Hall continues to draw favorable reviews for having the size of Kamerion Wimbley with potential too. Most impressive of all though could be *gasp* Andra Davis. Davis, who is battling with Beau Bell for the starting role, seems to have lost weight and is delivering better shots / tackles than he has in the past.
Dropped Passes: Both Paul Hubbard and Syndric Steptoe dropped passes during practice. With Joe Jurevicius out, none of these "young guys" seem to have taken advantage. Heck, even someone like Efrem Hill, with a great camp in the next few weeks, could earn a roster spot still.
Speaking of Hill: He flourished in camp last season, and he's making plays again this year. Hill stretched out to make a nice catch over the middle on a pass from Ken Dorsey, according to the official site. I'm telling you -- don't rule out this guy making the final roster if he keeps this up.

Animated as always, special teams coach Ted Dashier calls out rookie Beau Bell for not being ready. Credit: Official Site

Animated Dashier: The ever-so-animated special teams coach Ted Dashier ripped into rookie Beau Bell for not getting out with the second-team special teams unit quick enough. If you've heard of Dashier's reputation, then..."enough said"...
Highlight Play: On a deep corner pattern, Braylon Edwards beat defensive back Steve Cargile on a pass from Derek Anderson.

And now, for the evening practice (with shorter details):

TRAINING CAMP REPORT - DAY 4 [EVENING] (7/26/08)

Less Intense: Part of the reason for a shorter evening report was due to the fact that it was less intense. Also, several veteran receivers received the evening off.
Veteran Breaks: The veteran breaks went to Jamal Lewis, Willie McGinest, Corey Williams, and Robaire Smith. None of them missed practice because of an injury.
Injury Breaks: These are the players that sat out with an injury: Seth McKinney (ankle injury from morning), Steve Heiden (knee injury from morning), Jason Wright (hamstring), and Marvin Philip.
Winslow Collides: Tight end Kellen Winslow, who was rested as a precaution in the morning, returned for the evening. According to the Plain Dealer, there was a scare though after Winslow collided with cornerback Brandon McDonald and was down for 20 seconds before getting up fine.
Baxter at Corner?: Reportedly, Gary Baxter was working a few drills with the cornerbacks, as opposed to the safeties.