Browns Training Camp 2017: Day 2 Clips and Quips

The second day of Cleveland Browns training camp has come and gone, and you can find our full Day 2 recap here. Let’s check out what Hue Jackson said after practice and what the quarterback room said prior to practice.

Hue Jackson

• The first two days of practice were without pads, but that changes on Saturday. Jackson said the team will have pads for two days straight and will also be tackling on Saturday.

“Good two days and then tomorrow, like I told the team afterward, we get to put on the pads so then we really get to knock each other around a little bit. ... It is going to be fun. I truly believe that to get your team ready you have to play football. When you put on pads, it is blocking and tackling and doing those things, but it is also being smart and doing it in a controlled situation so that we take care of our team and we keep them as healthy as we can.”

• He walked about on-field conversations he has with QB DeShone Kizer and the poise the rookie is showing compared to other rookie players:

“I will always chat with him like I chat with all of them because I think it is important that they continue to understand our system and how to orchestrate our offensive football team. Those are the things that I share with him – little nuances of our system; things that he should look at and see; little keys that are different that he maybe he did not get in college. There are some things that are tell-tale signs in the National Football League that can help you make faster decisions. ... He comes from a good program and has a good family. He has worked extremely hard. At the same time, he still has to show. What I mean by that it is he still has to play consistently over time. It has only been two days, but he is different. I agree with you guys. He does see the big picture a little bit different than some other guys do, but that does not always equate to being a really good football player, too. We have a lot of work to do.”

• As we said in our full practice recap, TE David Njoku was stripped of the ball twice. Here is how Jackson addressed it:

“Hold on to the freaking ball. That has got to stop, and that will get stopped. We will get that corrected because we can’t turn the ball over. That is one of the big goals that we have. We can’t turn the ball over. He gets that. He understands that. That is something where we can’t give the ball away so we need to get that squared away with him.”

• When asked if the quarterbacks not throwing the ball downfield during team drills was a concern, Jackson said that it was not a concern because it was by design due to Day 2’s gameplan.

“No, we are in Day 2. We can’t throw the ball down the field every day. We have to have those other plays too where you check it down and throw the ball underneath. We are working on all parts of our game, and that is what training camp is for. There are different phases and different things we are trying to accomplish each and every day, but today wasn’t a ‘throw the ball down the field’ day.”

• There was some pass that Jackson liked from QB Brock Osweiler toward the end of practice. Jackson discussed what he liked about the play, and about Osweiler’s improvements in general:

“[I liked] just watching him work through progression. I was really pleased with his progression. I was really pleased with the offensive line giving him time, and he was able to shift and move. Brock has really improved. I go back and watch his tape often, and he has really made a lot of strides that way – planting, rhythm, getting rid of the ball and making decisions. All of our guys are working hard. They are all competing and trying to get better, and that’s a good thing.”

• Hue’s entire transcript and conference can be seen here.

Cody Kessler

• What has Kessler been up to since minicamp, and did he expect to open camp receiving the first-team snaps?

“I went back to California and had a really good workout program going. I got back with (quarterbacks coaches) Tom House and Adam Dedeaux. I really just committed to that same offseason program and tried to tune some things up those last couple of days before I got back here. ... I had no idea [if I’d get the first snaps]. Obviously, that was (Head) Coach (Hue) Jackson’s decision, but my mindset has been the same no matter if I am with the ones, twos or threes. Wherever it is, you have to compete the same. Everything is on film and everything you do, like you said, it is evaluated. No matter where you get thrown in there or who you are with or who else is in there with you, you have to make the most of every opportunity.”

• Video still hasn’t surfaced of it to my knowledge, but Kessler was asked about the long touchdown pass he threw to WR Kenny Britt on Day 1 of practice. If you recall, his hesitation in going downfield became a problem last year for head coach Hue Jackson, to the point where he was pulled in the second half of a prime time game.

“[Britt] made a great move on that and got some separation there. It was awesome to stretch the field a little bit and kind of show off some of that offseason work a little bit and be able to put the ball down the field. Even in one on ones, we had some chances to take some deep shots there. At the same time, my mindset has always been to play within the system. Do not force throws. If they are there, take them. If not, throw it to the check down or get to the second or third read and be smart with the football. You want to be able to hit the long ball here and there, but at the same time, be smart, eliminate turnovers and put your team and your offense in the best chance to score and win.”

Brock Osweiler

• Despite having the most NFL quarterbacking experience on the team, Osweiler isn’t using that as a crutch or to drive his ego — it’s a competition and everyone is competing for the job.

“I have been in the league a little bit longer than the other guys, but at the end of the day, that means nothing. Every quarterback that is in that room is very talented and very smart. Every single person works extremely hard trying to perfect their craft, trying to clean up little things every single day. There is no edge. Everyone has their strengths and has their weaknesses, and I think it is going to be a great competition.”

• Osweiler says the coaches pick apart everything that goes on during training camp sessions, so nothing goes to waste.

“Everything. Everything. We were in meetings very late last night. Day 1, you are knocking off some cobwebs, and that is for every single position. We are looking at footwork, where tight ends, linemen and the run game might be looking at hand placement; receivers looking at certain spots on pass plays. There is nothing that (Head) Coach (Hue) Jackson misses, and that is what you want in your head coach. Coach Jackson is a phenomenal coach who holds us all very accountable. We are having some great meetings right now cleaning up those mistakes.”

• This is Osweiler’s third different team and offense in as many years, and he playfully shared some of the side effects that has on him. He also got some work in with a former NFL quarterback during his summer break.

DeShone Kizer

• All quarterbacks put in work during their summer break, and Kizer was no exception, also working with quarterbacks coach Tom House:

“I went out and worked with House. There are quite a few guys who have played in Coach Jackson’s systems who go out there and spend time with them so I thought it was a no-brainer to go out and spend time with the guys who have taught guys to have success with Coach Jackson’s system. I learned quite a bit about myself and some of the biomechanics behind being a good thrower, as well as the right mental process that you need to have to continue to have success within something under Coach Jackson. ...

It is all about making sure that you are getting good ground-first production to get the ball out with good accuracy, with good speed and understanding who you are as a passer and everything that goes into throwing. If I can go up there and preach it all, he would not be Tom House because everyone would be able to go out and do it, but there is so much that he knows when it comes to throwing and the biomechanics of throwing that allows us to be more accurate, be more consistent and have the velocity needed to be a good quarterback.”