Browns Training Camp 2017: Day 13 Clips and Quips

The Cleveland Browns were back on the practice field on Sunday, the 13th day of training camp. You can find our full Day 13 recap here. Let’s check out what Hue Jackson, Briean Boddy-Calhoun and Corey Coleman had to say.

Hue Jackson

• First and foremost, was Sunday’s session better than the team’s lackluster Saturday practice?

“Yes, better than yesterday.”

• Was it the three live hitting periods today that woke up his players?

“Just getting our team better. Whatever it takes to get our football team better. I think we need to compete. We have some things we have to keep cleaning up and get better at. Plus, I knew our alumni would be out here today so let’s let them see a little taste of what football is all about. Those guys are the guys that paved the way. I see (Browns alumni) Greg Pruitt and several other guys out here. It is always a pleasure to have those guys come out. I want them to be able to see their football team in action.”

• Quarterback DeShone Kizer did not finish the final team period. Why?

“Just took him out. I told him that he was going to play two plays and then I was going to let (QB) Kevin (Hogan) play a little bit.”

• On if he was displeased with the scuffle between defensive tackle Caleb Brantley and offensive lineman Anthony Fabiano?

“I don’t like fights, but it is going to happen. Like I said before, just as long as we do them the right way, as long as we handle them right. I think that is over and done with. It was quick, to the point and done.”

• Is receiver Corey Coleman turning it around with good practices in consecutive days?

“Yes, he is getting better. That is why we do this is so our players can continue to get better. As a football team, individually and collectively, we have to reach – that is my challenge with our staff to our players; our players have a lot in them – we just have to get it out of them, all of them. They all have to take the next jump. That is what training camp is for.”

• Jackson is continuing his emphasis on penalties. He said his players will continue to run for penalties during practice, but gives them another option.

“It is either that or up-downs. Choose your poison. We just can’t do it. We are not going to hurt our football team that way with penalties and things that I know will get us beat. We are going to continue to work through that. The players, I think they all agree. They get it. Just the concentration penalties, we are not going to stand for.”

• He dispelled the notion that Kizer has not played much from behind center because the majority of his snaps were out of shotgun versus New Orleans.

“At some point. We play a lot of different ways as an offense. He has been under center. He has thrown from under center. He will throw from shotgun. We will move him around. We will do all kinds of things, but getting him to where he is comfortable and learning our system, we have chosen a few things for him to do, and he is doing them.”

• Justin Currie is playing with first-team defense following the injury to safety Ibraheim Campbell by design.

“He can cover. He is tough and knows how to play around the ball. He covers tight ends pretty well. We feel good about what he brings to the table. He has gotten better. We are going to give guys an opportunity to see where they fit and see if they can help our team.”

• When will Jackson finally make his decision on which quarterback will start the seasons as quarterback No. 1?

“Yeah, what is today? (laughter). Sunday, the Lord’s Day, right? (laughter). Today is Sunday, Monday, Tuesday – somewhere around Wednesday or Thursday. Somewhere around there. Guys, you asked me what day. I’m giving you the day (laughter). Honestly, right now, like I said yesterday, we are in this training camp mode. We are not thinking about New York. We are trying to get better. There are some things from this last game we needed to clean up. We are working through those, and we will continue to do that. The quarterback thing, as I go through practice and keep watching tape, will sort itself out. It is not the thing that is heavy on my mind that way. Obviously, we need to make a decision when the time comes and we will, but right now today, I still think it is too early.”

• Jackson is confident his team’s running game is better equipped than it was last year.

“It is better because we have better players on our roster that are playing inside. (OL) JC (Tretter), (OL Joel) Bitonio being back, although he wasn’t out there today and (OL) Kevin Zeitler, those guys are three real good pieces for our football team. (OL) Shon Coleman is coming on. (OL) Cam (Erving) is coming on. We have some guys that are coming on. (OL) Marcus Martin is coming on. We have some guys that are starting to really play. We just have to continue to grind, and eventually, we will get a real unit together where they are playing. It is important as we start to get closer toward the regular season, some of these guys will not be on the side. We will be done with the taking care of guys, making sure we are getting through practice so we can continue to build on our offensive football team.”

• The kicker competition may not be decided anytime soon, either, but probably before he decides on a quarterback.

“There is a little movement. I think it is kind of close. I am not going to say which way it is, but at the same time, they are still working through it. (Special teams coordinator) Coach (Chris) Tabs (Tabor) has done a great job of creating an environment for our kickers to get better and compete. They are both competing and competing hard. We have a veteran player, (K) Cody Parkey, who has done a good job, and (K Zane) Gonzalez is kicking, but that thing is going to show itself pretty soon. I wish I could have gotten them both more kicks the other night instead of going for two and all that stuff, but it was fun, too. We will keep working through it.”

• We haven’t seen very much of the kickers in high-stress situations. So what other things that we’re not seeing are being factored in to the kicking competition?

“Coach Tabor, obviously, he is a master at what he does. I am talking about Coach Tabor so he takes them through his process, which I know all about, to see if a guy can handle certain pressures. It is not just out here. It is in the classroom. It is understanding where to put the ball, how to put the ball in certain places. There is a lot that goes into to it, more so than just kicking at the end of practice.”

Briean Boddy-Calhoun

• Boddy-Calhoun played a lot and made an impact on Thursday. How’s that helping his confidence?

“I came into Thursday with a lot of confidence, watching some New Orleans Saints film and just having a good camp so far. I would say I came into the game really confident. I wouldn’t say I got more confidence from Thursday, but I just expressed and showed that confidence.”

• What’s he feel his his tackle for loss on fourth down says about his skill set?

“Definitely. I think when you have corners showing that you can tackle – that is something that (defensive coordinator) Coach (Gregg) Williams wants to do with this group – it sends a message to the offense. You are not going to be able to crack wide receivers and put us in one-on-one situations with the running backs. We do that with a lot of confidence so I think that does show something.”

• Though just an exhibition, how does winning a game so early in the year help the team’s psyche?

“It is extremely important, but we just have to realize that one win is not enough. We need more and it is the preseason. After four games, we will be 0-0 again. We just have to take it for what it is. We enjoyed it. We enjoyed it a ton, but we also know that we have a lot of work to do and we are going to come back from it and get ready for New York.”

• Jamar Taylor said he could be a top-five cornerback in the NFL. Does Boddy-Calhoun see that as a ceiling for his teammate?

“No doubt. No doubt about it. No doubt. Top five corner. No doubt in my mind that he could be that.”

• He was asked to elaborate on Taylor’s skills to justify that ranking.

“Just the way he works and his skillset. If he was a craftsman, he would have a lot the tools in his tool box. I am not a tool guy so I am not going to try to name all the tools he has, but I am just saying, the guy can play off, he can play inside and he can go back and play safety. He can play middle linebacker if you ask him to because he is just that versatile. When you talk about off the field, he is the guy that does all the right things. He is in here until camp night. We already break at 10 o’clock with 11 o’clock curfew and he is still in here. Like, you are saying, ‘Let’s go home. We have been here since 6 o’clock.’ When you look at a guy like that, his ceiling is extremely high.”

Head over to ClevelandBrowns.com for a full video of Boddy-Calhoun’s Sunday interview.

Corey Coleman

• Coleman asked reporters to move on, as he has, after he was cleared from an alleged assault investigation.

“Moving past that. I am strictly football. I don’t want to answer any [more] questions, to be honest.”

• Did DeShone Kizer’s performance against New Orleans give him a leg up in the quarterback competition?

“They are all out here competing. All of the quarterbacks we have are really talented, and I am excited for each and every one of them. DeShone did a really good job. He came in, and I think in the third and fourth quarter had an unbelievable performance, just like I thought he would.”

• What are Coleman’s goals for his sophomore NFL season?

“Feeling good. Just taking it day by day. Working on my body with the trainers and stuff. Still doing treatment and stuff, just taking it all in. Have some big goals for the season. I am excited for this season, too. We look really good. We have been working really hard. I am just ready for everybody to see the work we have been doing.”

• How does he rate his performance in training camp so far?

“Camp has been camp. Had ups and downs. As a team, as a unit, just working to get better. A lot of stuff we have to work on. Each and every day, we come out here and try to be the best that we can be.”

• What’s going to be his focus to improve during the rest of camp?

“Definitely knowledge of our offense and the scheme and stuff. Proper depths and routes and stuff – the big picture.”