There won't be any Cleveland Browns training camp reports for Day 4, because Eric Mangini has called practice off. Tuesday was originally scheduled to be closed off to the public, but the team would've practiced in front of the media still. Mangini made the decision to just have the players be involved with meetings with the coaches instead, per the Plain Dealer.
Barry McBride over at the OBR noted that the media was told yesterday that practice would be canceled, but he wanted the media to keep it secret so he could surprise the players. Could this be another sign that Mangini is becoming a more player-friendly coach?
Mangini responded, with a chuckle, "I think I'm player-friendly every year."
The Brett Favre Saga
So, with the day off, we can discuss some other news in football, such as that of veteran quarterback Brett Favre retiring for a third time, reportedly. Favre played for the Minnesota Vikings last year and took on the Browns in Week 1. While Cleveland sacked him four times, Favre was still efficient enough in victory.
Right now, I still don't buy into the announcement. I can easily imagine the Vikings trying to play hardball with a statement like, "Come on Favre, are you ready or not?" Then, Favre might respond with, "you know what, my ankle doesn't feel as good as I had hoped, so I'm going to have to retire." When that ankle feels better in a couple of weeks, what's going to stop Favre from giving Minnesota a call and then being inserted into the starting lineup Week 1?
You can follow the SB Nation stream on Favre here; the latest word is that in Brad Childress' press conference, he said that Favre did not tell him yet that he's not coming back. Mmmm hmmm.
How's Derek Anderson Doing?
Even though many of you aren't fond of Yahoo Sports' Jason Cole, he visited the Arizona Cardinals training camp yesterday and had this report on QB Derek Anderson:
There’s an old saying about quarterbacks I once heard from long-time NFL scout and executive Tom Braatz while I was in college. He said really good quarterbacks shouldn’t miss throws in practice. They should hit everything, particularly in seven-on-seven drills where there’s no pass rush.
That brings me to Cardinals backup QB Derek Anderson, who has a great arm and is a really good dude, the type of guy you cheer for because he’s funny and engaging. However, Anderson is also a Nuke LaLoosh thrower (not to mention that he’s a bit of a knucklehead, too). Anyway, during a series of five throws to receivers who were running skinny posts against air, Anderson missed badly twice.
Now, some people will defend Anderson, pointing out he was a Pro Bowler in 2007 with Cleveland. Yeah, but if you remember, his top three receivers that season were Braylon Edwards, Kellen Winslow and Joe Jurevicius. Each of them is at least 6-foot-3. Get the point? At least the good news for Anderson is that the Cardinals also have a lot of tall receivers.
Donte Stallworth Off to Good Start in Baltimore
Former Cleveland Browns receiver Donte Stallworth is off to a positive start with Baltimore, according to Ravens Insider:
So far, Stallworth has had an excellent camp. He has had several long catches for touchdowns, but also has run precise routs on the short ones. More importantly, he has shown great acceleration and keeps making yards after the catch, which was a problem for Ravens receivers last season.
Of course, some will say the receivers are competing against second-rate cornerbacks, but they can only play against the players who line up against them. According to several players, Stallworth had a strong offseason in the weight room and has re-dedicated himself to getting into the best shape possible.
Next Practice
The Browns will take the field for two practice sessions on Wednesday. The morning session will be from 8:45 a.m. to 10:45 a.m, and the evening session will be from 5:45 p.m. to 7:45 p.m.