When will they start hitting at Browns training camp practice?
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, WVA
Takeaways from Browns training camp Day 6 …
The first day of practice in full pads used to be the first checkpoint of training camp. Live hitting at full speed was something to look forward to – by players, coaches, media and fans. Former coach Hue Jackson used to set off a loud siren to signal a live hitting period at training camp.
Well, there was none of that on the gnat-infested grounds of The Greenbrier’s Sports Performance Center on Friday. The Browns put the pads on for the first time and didn’t even have a competitive period between offense and defense in a practice shortened to about one hour.
It’s all part of the methodical “acclimation” process Kevin Stefanski has instituted in this unique year.
Instead of live hitting, Stefanski used his first padded practice to reacquaint his players with not only wearing full pads for the first time since January, but practicing in them without losing proper technique.
“Sometimes the pads go on and technique goes out the window,” the coach said before practice. “So we're going to spend a ton of time in individual today [focusing on technique].”
The slow ramp-up to the normal pace of training camp was derived from new rules in the CBA limiting strenuous practices in the first week of camp and the Browns’ own sports science research on soft-tissue injury prevention. The third reason is the Browns’ extra week of training camp, due to their appearance in the Pro Football Hall of Game in Canton on August 3.
“We’re fortunate with the Hall of Fame game, we get to acclimate like this,” Stefanski said.
Safety Juan Thornhill, who came to the Browns this year in free agency from the Kansas City Chiefs, said he “definitely” has felt this change of pace.
“I'm used to just getting out there, like going full speed, and then you can kind of feel like that wear and tear on your body,” he said. “You start to get super sore when you're going, like, consistent days, like hard back to back. But here is just more like you're practicing hard and then you think you're about to go again, and then it's like a pull back a little bit, let your body recover. You're going to go hard again. Pull back a little bit. Let's let your body recover. So I really enjoy it, and I feel like it's just going to help us out a lot and keep guys healthy and get us close to season.”
Guard Wyatt Teller added, “I know that we're ready to start hitting.
“Right now, it's a lot of mental. We got to know where to go. At the end of the day, it's X's and O's. You got to win the war between the ears. So I think right now we're gritting at the teeth to kind of hit, but at the same time, we want to know where to go, where to - our techniques, our fundamentals and all that different stuff. So that when the games get hard. It's physical, but it's also mental. So trying to put practices together where we can do both, where we can hit a little bit, protect our bodies, but also at the same time, get ready and sharpen that iron.”
Iron-sharpening starts on Saturday. It’s the climax of the practice week in the bucolic setting beneath the Allegheny Mountains amid a world-class resort. There will be hitting. Finally.
Wyatt Teller feels Joe Burrow's pain. (TheLandOnDemand)
The calf strain heard 'round the division
When Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow went down on Thursday and was carted off the field with a calf strain, it didn’t take long for the news to make its way to The Greenbrier. After all, the Browns open the season at home against the two-time division champion Bengals on September 10.
The injury has been reported as a grade 1 calf strain, prompting Teller to say, “I was praying for him. I've been through that and it sucks. I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy.”
Teller missed two games and three weeks of practice after suffering the injury last season. He also missed three games in 2020 with the same injury on a different leg.
“Depending on the position, calf strains are never fun,” he said. “It's one of those things that even when it happened in 2020, it was a different muscle. And depending on which one it is, I mean, you're pounding the ground, all that different stuff. It's hard to put pressure in. It's hard to stop on the bull rush. So much of being an offensive lineman. Usually if you're like a DB, I know some DBs and some skilled guys, they can come back and kind of repetitive sets. It's not too bad. They're not pounding the ground kind of thing, but it's tough.”
Browns linebacker Matthew Adams suffered a calf strain in Tuesday’s practice and will be shelved at least two weeks, the club has said.
On Friday, Bengals coach Zac Taylor told reporters that Burrow will miss "several weeks." That could put his availability for the season opener in Cleveland in jeopardy. Even if Burrow recovers in time to play in the game, the time he misses on the practice field will be costly to him and his team.
Brownie bits
After the trade of Za’Darius Smith to the Browns, reports from Minnesota about Smith being a bad teammate or for caring only about his contract status came out. Dalvin Tomlinson, who joined the Browns in free agency this year, vouched for his former teammate with the Vikings. “He's super motivational,” Tomlinson said. “He is going to give you some energy, give you some juice. When you feel like you're a little tired or something, he's going to come jump around and joke around with you to get you going a little bit more. And he's one of those guys who learns your reason why you’re playing this, and he just reminds you, 'Hey, that you're doing this for this.' When you go and Play Twelve on a drive or something like that, like 'Keep pushing DT', stuff like that." …
Several players enjoyed veteran days off, including Myles Garrett, Za’Darius Smith, and Joel Bitonio …
Just as Amari Cooper got back on the field, another wide receiver came off. Mike Harley missed the day with a head injury.
