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Cleveland Browns Training Camp Report: Day 8 - Time to Impress Haslam

By Chris Pokorny
Players stretch during Cleveland Browns training camp at the Cleveland Browns training facility. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-US PRESSWIRE
Players stretch during Cleveland Browns training camp at the Cleveland Browns training facility. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-US PRESSWIRE

On the eighth day of training camp, the feeling was that everyone wanted to show off for new owner Jimmy Haslam III. That included quarterback Brandon Weeden and a few receivers, most notably Mohamed Massaquoi and Greg Little, connecting on several touchdown passes in red zone drills. Also, another defensive lineman had to leave during practice, which meant more time for one of our rookie draft picks. Who was it? Find out after the jump.

TRAINING CAMP REPORT - DAY 8 (8/3/12)

  1. Showing Off for the New Owner: Even though this bullet point doesn't get into specifics, I felt obligated to lead off with it in the summary because almost every media outlet harped on how everyone seemed to be at the top of their games, particularly on offense, in front of Jimmy Haslam III, his wife, and his father. Haslam was dressed casually with a Browns' t-shirt and shorts during practice. There was a sense of excitement in the air and the feeling is that everyone wanted to impress.

  2. Massaquoi is One of Those Guys: The team worked on 7-on-7 red zone drills Friday, and Mohamed Massaquoi continued his strong catch by having a pair of touchdown receptions from Brandon Weeden, including one play in which he got the best of cornerback Joe Haden on a fade route in the corner. One of Massaquoi's other touchdown receptions came on a quick slant, according to the Akron Beacon Journal.

  3. Others Joining in on the Party: Wide receiver Greg Little was led by Weeden on a pass that he made a spectacular diving catch on for a touchdown, according to the OBR; it was touted as the play of the day. Wide receiver Travis Benjamin and tight end Jordan Cameron also had touchdown receptions from Weeden, according to Jeff Schudel of the News-Herald.

  4. Haden With a Pair of Picks: One defensive player stood out on Friday, and that was cornerback Joe Haden, who recorded two interceptions. One of the interceptions came in 11-on-11 drills on a pass overthrown by Brandon Weeden, and the other came off a pass by Seneca Wallace in which it was just defensive backs versus receivers. After practice, Weeden talked about how Haden is helping him be a better quarterback.

    "Having a guy like Joe helps me," Weeden said. "He got me early (with an interception) jumping the route. I asked him what he saw and what happened."

  5. T-Rich Returns: It was just a headache. The third overall pick in the draft returned to practice on Friday and didn't seem to miss a beat, according to reports. He was, however, one of the last players to jog out onto the field Friday, which surely gave some fans an early scare. Trent Richardson had a touchdown catch from Weeden off of a screen play for about 15 yards.

  6. Not So Hot for Colt: Even though everyone wanted to impress, I'm sure Colt McCoy wished he could pull out the memory erasure sticks from Men in Black after throwing interceptions on back-to-back passes in front of the new owner. The first interception came after he overthrew wide receiver Josh Gordon. The second interception came when he underthrew wide receiver Rod Windsor in the seam and had it picked by rookie cornerback Trevin Wade. Note: details came from Browns fan nickski24 on Twitter.

  7. Paxson Leaves Early: We can't keep losing these defensive linemen...or can we? Veteran Scott Paxson left practice early because he wasn't feeling well, according to a report. After practice, Pat Shurmur commented that Paxson should be back on Saturday. Taking Paxson's spot on the first-team defense Friday was rookie sixth-round pick Billy Winn, who continues to look good in individual match-ups in camp.

  8. Other Injuries: Defensive tackle Ahtyba Rubin is still limited, and Frostee Rucker and Brian Schaefering remained on the sidelines. Safety Usama Young, defensive tackle Phil Taylor, fullback Eddie Williams, and wide receiver Carlton Mitchell continued to miss practice. Backup kicker Jeff Wolfert was also added to the injury report.

  9. Brownies: Defensive end Marcus Benard continued to see action with the first-team defense with Rucker out. ... James-Michael Johnson played some weakside linebacker with the first-team defense, as the team prepares to play the first few games with Chris Gocong at strongside linebacker over Scott Fujita. ... WR Rod Windsor continues to make some athletic catches in year two after being on the practice squad most of 2011. ... QB Colt McCoy had touchdown passes to tight end Benjamin Watson and wide receiver Jordan Norwood, but Norwood reportedly had 2-3 drops on the day. ... The crowds in Berea continue to be ridiculous in size, with 3,175 fans in attendance. ... There is another morning practice Saturday before an off day on Sunday.

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