Cleveland Browns Training Camp Recap: Day 2 - Njoku getting stripped, and high winds in Berea

Cleveland Browns Training Camp Report - Day 2 (7/28/17)

1. Managing Minutes: Last year, we saw Browns LT Joe Thomas and former CB Tramon Williams often get “veteran” days off. Cleveland will continue that practice this year, as it was reported that the following players were getting the day off: LG Joel Bitonio, LT Joe Thomas, OG John Greco, WR Kenny Britt, DE Desmond Bryant, CB Joe Haden, and CB Jason McCourty. I guess that face-off between Thomas and DE Myles Garrett will have to wait yet another day.

2. Njoku Battles the Drops: Some late information from Day 1 of practice: DBN user thelonius7, who was in attendance, noted that rookie TE David Njoku “had the dropsies.” On Day 2, hanging on to the football became a bigger story for Njoku, as he was stripped twice after catching passes: including once by CB Briean Boddy-Calhoun after a pass by QB DeShone Kizer.

The other strip came from CB Marcus Burley. Probably embarrassed by his day of work, Njoku got some after-practice work in on the JUGGS machine, and head coach Hue Jackson said they will get the issue sorted out. But maybe the tight ends in general were just getting some extra work in, as TE Randall Telfer followed suit.

3. Wind Plays a Factor: For once, rain or heat weren’t an issue in Berea...but the wind was. Winds were projected to be around 30 MPH, and anyone walking around Cleveland Friday afternoon knows that was the case. Here is how Steve Doerschuk of the Canton Repository thought some of the quarterbacks responded:

After practice, Jackson said that, unrelated to winds, Friday was not designed to be a “throw the ball down the field” day. The OBR’s X’s and O’s guy was in Berea and noticed it during practice.

4. Feed Me Garrett: Fans are going to attend Berea this year solely to get a glimpse at DE Myles Garrett (No. 95). The video clip below from Tom Withers of the Associated Press highlights a couple of his pass rushes. Also interesting is the format of the drill (which you also saw yesterday) to cater to fans. It takes place right in front of the main bleachers, and has line markings on the ground to help guide players where to line up.

5. Equal Representation: We’ll try to give all of the quarterbacks their due throughout camp, when deserved. Here is a good connection between QB Brock Osweiler and WR Jordan Payton, although it was only a 1-on-1 drill.

With the good comes the bad. According to Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal, Osweiler had a passed tipped by DL Trevon Coley, which was then picked off by MLB Dominique Alexander, representing the first interception of camp.

Regarding some other quarterback highlights, QB Cody Kessler hit WR James Wright in stride, and QB DeShone Kizer found WR Rannell Hall down the field.

6. Fight! The first fight of training camp happened between OT Shon Coleman and DL Karter Schult. Although it was broken up quickly (see below), word is that a punch was thrown.

7. Analytical Media Coverage: The OBR had their X’s and O’s guy in Berea today, and he promised to offer a different perspective than your typical local media coverage. I think he’ll have his own report up later on, but for now, here’s a taste of him going over the purpose of a certain drill with TE Jabrill Peppers:

8. Brownies: Hall of Fame RB Jim Brown took in practice. ... S Derrick Kindred missed practice after suffering cramps on Thursday. ... WR Mario Alford will need to show he can contribute as a backup receiver if he wants to make the team, and this is a good start. ... Despite sitting out of drills, WR Kenny Britt still got some work in on the team drills. ... Ben Axelrod of WKYC said that DE Myles Garrett lined up inside on some plays. ... After practice, QB DeShone Kizer ran several 100-yard sprints, and Garrett did the same.

9. Next Up: Practice continues Saturday in Berea, from 3:00 PM to 5:30 PM. It will be the team’s first padded practice, and Jackson said they will be tackling as well.

• What did Hue Jackson say after practice? Plus, some player interviews before practice.
• More highlights.