The Cleveland Browns took to the field Friday afternoon for Day 2 of training camp, as the weather conditions were slightly warmer than Thursday but still at a very comfortable 75 degrees and sunny. While Day 1 of training camp was highlighted by NT Phil Taylor sitting out, Day 2 of training camp saw the return of a certain someone to the field.
Side note: I'll be going to Berea for Browns training camp this Sunday, weather permitting. If you'd like me to try to pay attention to someone or something in particularly, let me know.
CLEVELAND BROWNS TRAINING CAMP REPORT - DAY 2 (7/26/13)
- Welcome Back, Mr. Nelson: Friday morning, new Browns WR David Nelson tweeted that his excitement that he was cleared to return to practice. Nelson began camp on the PUP/active list, meaning he could be taken off at any time. That day was today, as Nelson was healthy enough to participate in practice for the first time since he tore his ACL in the season opener with the Bills last year.
According to head coach Rob Chudzinski, Nelson was still limited to the individual positional drills during practice, and will be evaluated again before he moves on to the team drills. That is pretty much standard procedure for anyone who comes back from an injury.
- The Wrath of Joe Haden: If today was any indication of the type of season that CB Joe Haden is in for, then opposing quarterbacks around the league are going to be shrieking in terror if they have to throw his direction. Haden's performance on Friday was the talk of Day 2, especially when he jumped a three-yard out route from QB Brandon Weeden to WR Josh Gordon and took it for a pick six.
On Thursday, WR Greg Little made a nice deep grab on Haden. Today, Haden got his revenge:Weeden threw a deep route to Little that looked like a for sure TD but Haden broke it up. Superstar type play #Browns
— Will Burge (@WillBurge) July 26, 2013
- Benjamin on Punts, Haden on Kicks? There really wasn't any doubt that WR Travis Benjamin would be the Browns' punt returner this year. According to Steve Doerschuk of the Canton Repoistory, Benjamin confirmed after practice that he will 100 percent be the punt returner. The interesting this is that he said CB Joe Haden, along with himself and a few other players, are in the mix to see who will return kickoffs. As a rookie in 2010, Haden actually returned 4 kicks for 96 yards.
- Day of the Defensive Backs: Although Haden was great, he wasn't the only one having a solid day: a bunch of defensive backs were making the quarterbacks miserable. Let's start with the cornerbacks. There was a slight switch from Day 1 of camp; CB Chris Owens worked with the first-team defense, and then CB Buster Skrine would rotate in to take his place.
Doerschuk referred to Owens as a "fearless corner" after he wasn't afraid to get physical with big WR Greg Little. Former NFL defensive back Je'Rod Cherry was telling ESPN Cleveland's Will Burge that he "likes what he sees from Owens" so far. Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal said that Skrine picked off QB Jason Campbell when he tried to throw a hook route to WR Josh Gordon. You can't like Gordon being the target on all of these picks.
- The Battle at Safety: Over the first two days of camp, Tashaun Gipson seems to have a firm grip on the starting role at free safety, especially with this type of post-practice assessment from Chudzinski:
#Browns HC Chud said he's been pleased with FS Tashaun Gipson b/c he's solid, smart, works hard & shown good coverage skills.
— Nate Ulrich (@NateUlrichABJ) July 26, 2013
Jeff Schudel of the News-Herald said that CB Johnson Bademosi was "making the quarterbacks look bad." According to reports, Bademosi dropped an interception from QB Brian Hoyer, and also dropped an interception in a one-on-one drill with a wide receiver earlier on. It's good that Bademosi is getting into position, but now the next step is to pull those balls in for interceptions. Bademosi and rookie FS Jamoris Slaughter were the safeties with the second-team defense.
- Cameron Looking to Snap Out of It: Some people have jobs locked up, but that isn't the case for TE Jordan Cameron. He has shined in past camps, but he's off to a really rough start over the first two days of camp. The latest miscue came in 11-on-11 drills; according to Doerschuk, QB Brandon Weeden threw the ball over the middle to Cameron, who just stood there, rather than attacking the ball, which allowed S Tashaun Gipson to come in and knock it away.
An offensive coach tore into Cameron: "You gotta beat him to the ball, man! If it's in the air, go get it!"
— Steve Doerschuk (@sdoerschukREP) July 26, 2013
- Lauvao Stays on First Team: Because of how important the competition at right guard is, this still warrants its own bullet point: for the second straight day, Shawn Lauvao was at right guard with the first-team defense, like Jason Pinkston was at left guard with the second-team defense.
- Cousins Leaves Walks Off: Veteran OT Oniel Cousins went down late in practice and then walked off the field with a trainer. After practice, Chudzinski said that Cousins rolled his ankle, so I imagine he'll be sidelined for the next couple of practices.
- Brownie Points With the Fans: This won't help RB Brandon Jackson's chances of making the roster, but it certainly scored him a lot of brownie points with fans in attendance:
As #Browns players raised arms while stretching, fan yells, "Raise ur hand if ur glad Shurmur's gone." Brandon Jackson raised both hands.
— Nate Ulrich (@NateUlrichABJ) July 26, 2013
- Brownies: Ulrich said that offensive coordinator Norv Turner got fired up at the end of practice, chewing out WR Naaman Roosevelt and TE Brad Smelley on back-to-back plays. Defensive coordinator Ray Horton was fuming after the defense twice came out with only 10 players. ... One report had Josh Aubrey listed at safety, so we can probably shift him over from our original list of having him at cornerback.
Whether it means much remains to be seen, but Ulrich noticed that former Jets punter T.J. Conley, not Spencer Lanning, saw reps first at punter. ... CB Trevin Wade intercepted a pass that went in and out of the hands of WR Jordan Norwood. ... WR Greg Little stayed after practice to get extra work in on the JUGGS machine. WR Josh Gordon practiced after having a leg cramp on Thursday. ... The Browns will have their first padded practice on Saturday, but Chudzinski doesn't want people taking each other to the ground just yet.
Haden wasn't the only defensive back who thrived on Day 2 of training camp. Here, CB Buster Skrine knocks away a pass intended for WR Josh Gordon. Credit: Ron Schwane-USA TODAY Sports
Photos & Videos from Twitter
Props to 92.3 The Fan's Daryl Ruiter for posting all of these:
Link Collection / Training Camp Sources
- Joe Haden implores DBs to step it up, and they do (Grossi, ESPN Cleveland)
- Secondary dominates, wide receiver David Nelson returns to practice (Ulrich, Akron Beacon Journal)
- News and notes from Day 2 of training camp (Petrak, Chronicle-Telegram)
- Phil Taylor should be back soon (Cabot, Plain Dealer)
- Cut six times, Cleveland Browns receiver Tori Gurley fights for a chance to play on Sundays (Reed, Plain Dealer)
- Training camp notes, Day 2 (Knott, WTAM)
- Revenge of the defensive backs (Grayshock, Waiting for Next Year)
- Browns Camp Notebook: Day 2 (Ruiter, 92.3 The Fan)
- 5 biggest takeaways from 2nd camp practice (Carucci, Official Site)
- (Note: Check out Doerschuk's Day 1 report, posted earlier today - Includes bootleg stuff for Weeden)