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Cleveland Browns Training Camp Report: Day 11 - Joe Thomas is Fine

By Chris Pokorny
Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Day 11 of Cleveland Browns training camp took place on Tuesday and everyone can breathe easy knowing that LT Joe Thomas appears to be fine. A new question came up about QB Johnny Manziel, though, in the final public practice before Thursday's preseason opener against the Redskins.

CLEVELAND BROWNS TRAINING CAMP REPORT - DAY 11 (8/11/15)

  1. Joe Thomas' Legacy Grows: It would have been a normal day of rest for LT Joe Thomas anyway, so it was not a surprise to see him missing practice. The good news early on in the day was that he did not have any brace or cast on his leg, and continued to show no sign of a limp.

    Thomas was interviewed by the media after practice and said that it was just a minor ding, and that he hadn't talked with the coaches yet on whether he will play in the team's first preseason game. Thomas' legacy grew when he revealed to the media that he has played through three MCL tears and two high ankle sprains during his NFL career.

    Regarding his consecutive snaps streak, Thomas told the media that he is more concerned about the pride he has of being out there with my line mates and doing what he can to try and help the Browns win. "That is really the pressure I feel, not necessarily any individual streak," said Thomas.

    With Thomas out, rookie OL Cameron Erving filled in at left tackle with the first-team offense. Per Andrew Gribble of Browns.com, OT Michael Bowie also saw some work with the first-team offense at left tackle after having been the second-team right tackle all camp.

  2. Manziel Converts to Lefty: QB Johnny Manziel has made the bold decision early in his NFL career to officially convert from a right-handed quarterback to a left-handed quarterback.

    In all seriousness, the top story during Day 11 of camp was, "why isn't Manziel throwing [right-handed] or taking part in any team drills?" It was revealed after practice that he had a sore elbow, so was getting somewhat of a day of rest while still going through some of the non-throwing reps such as handing the ball off to running backs. When it came time for 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills, QB Connor Shaw was the No. 2 quarterback.

  3. The Lenz Love Continues: Ever since last Friday's scrimmage, WR Josh Lenz has been receiving a lot of targets and a lot of love from the media and fans. He caught two more touchdowns during 7-on-7 drills today. We've been through the numbers game before, but if Lenz keeps delivering is there a chance that he is the surprise roster addition over the likes of WR Travis Benjamin, WR Terrelle Pryor, or even WR Vince Mayle?

  4. Hartline Jumps Right Back Into Action: Despite getting tangled up on the final play of practice on Monday, WR Brian Hartline jumped right back into action on Tuesday. The best offensive play of practice came when QB Josh McCown launched a pass deep for Hartline. It might have been a tad underthrown, but Hartline still made the catch before rolling to the ground.
  5. Housler's Up-and-Down Trend Continues: On Monday, I made a point to mention the ups-and-downs of TE Rob Housler. He was expected to come in and seize the opportunity in light of TE Jordan Cameron's departure, but now everyone is speculating whether he'll even make the roster. Today didn't help his cause. Although he caught two touchdown passes in 7-on-7 drills, he also had 2-3 drops, according to several media reports. The number of drops prompted reporters to ask head coach Mike Pettine about it after practice.
    "We’re in a bottom-line business. If the ball gets thrown to you, you have to catch it. [I’m] confident that he’ll put in the work that he needs to do."
    Pettine wants to see how Housler does in the preseason games, noting that "that's where it counts the most."

    Meanwhile, TE Gary Barnidge showed his skills in keeping his feet in bounds during 7-on-7 drills after he got open against ILB Craig Robertson:
  6. Haden Catches McCown With an Underthrow: I haven't seen a lot of bad throws from QB Josh McCown this camp, but this was one of them. At the end of practice, the team was working in the red zone and McCown tried to find TE Gary Barnidge in the end zone. If McCown would've led Barnidge to the back corner, he probably would've had him. Instead, the ball was underthrown, allowing CB Joe Haden to jump in front of Barnidge for the interception. Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal notes that rookie S Ibraheim Campbell intercepted QB Thaddeus Lewis in the red zone drills, so my guess would be that the defense won the competition for the day.

  7. Fit for a King: Sports Illustrated's Peter King was at training camp today. Here are some of his tweets during and after practice:

    (1) "Browns employ 2 nicest men in NFL: LT Joe Thomas, QB Josh McCown … McCown’s 9th team. Not including Hartford of UFL."

    (2) "WR Terrelle Pryor (hamstring) out for a few days. Has impressed a lot. GM Farmer: Big q is taking shots over the middle."

    (3) "Impressed w/Farmer not passing buck in any way, taking full responsibility for texting incident prompting 4-gm suspension."

    (4) "P Andy Lee a great acquisition … Johnny FB doing all right things, but McCown would have to be awful for Manziel to play."

    (5) "For a guy who prob will play only 20-25 snaps a game, Browns think he’ll [NT Danny Shelton] be important. Make it 2d+8 a lot."
  8. PFF Visits Training Camp: Pro Football Focus' Mike Renner was at Browns training camp today and weighed in on a few players:

  9. Injury Update: Per Browns.com, the following Browns did not participate today: WR Dwayne Bowe (hamstring), DB Pierre Desir (hamstring), RB Shaun Draughn (hand), DB Ifo Ekpre-Olomu (knee), RB Duke Johnson Jr. (hamstring), RB Luke Lundy (concussion), Joe Madsen (concussion), OL Andrew McDonald (concussion), LB Barkevious Mingo (knee), DB Robert Nelson Jr. (hamstring), WR Terrelle Pryor (hamstring), DB De’Ante Saunders (calf), TE Randall Telfer (foot), OL Joe Thomas (rest), DL Billy Winn (knee/ankle) and RB Glenn Winston (knee).

  10. Brownies: There were 3,160 fans who attended practice. ... SS Donte Whitner almost picked off QB Josh McCown during 11-on-11 drills. ... FB Malcolm Johnson practiced but was wearing a red no-contact jersey. ... The weather was overcast for all of practice for the first time this camp, meaning it was the best possible weather you could've asked for as a fan. ... Daryl Ruiter of 92.3 the Fan posted a log of how the kickers did to start practice, and K Travis Coons once again edged out K Carey Spear. ... The Browns' next (and final) practice in Berea is Saturday at 10:20 AM in Berea.

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