Browns defense dominates, fights break out in spirited final practice at The Greenbrier
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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 8 …
You might say the Browns saved the best of eight practices at The Greenbrier for last.
Unless you were:* Backup right tackle James Hudson, who was agitated by a head slap by Ogbo Okoronkwo after a play and then chased down the edge rusher and threw a punch at him, precipitating the first brawl of the summer.
* Backup left tackle Tyrone Wheatley Jr., who emerged from the bottom of a pile after a second team skirmish, with Okoronkwo involved again, and walked off the field gingerly with a trainer.
* Starting left tackle Jedrick Wills, who was treated by Myles Garrett like he was wearing a Cincinnati Bengals uniform. Garrett beat Wills at least three times for would-be sacks, and arguably a fourth, and also caused a false start by Wills.
* Quarterback Deshaun Watson, who was repeatedly denied again in full-speed red zone periods.
It was a much more spirited practice on getaway day than anticipated, even without full pads on. The two fights resulted in Kevin Stefanski ordering gassers from sideline-to-sideline, effectively ending practice. Although Wheatley’s condition was unknown immediately, the 90-minute practice was a satisfying conclusion to nine days and eight nights amid the bucolic, green mountains surrounding The Greenbrier Resort.
“I’ll say this. Fighting, skirmishes, jawing happens in every training camp at every level of football,” Stefanski said afterward. “They’re tired, they’re hot, they’ve been going against each other, so I’m not surprised at that at all. They talked about it. It’s over.
“We don’t throw punches, so I’ll review that stuff and there’s obviously penalties. If you’re throwing punches in games, you get thrown out of the game. So why practice something that would get you thrown out of a game? We will address that, obviously, but I don’t think anybody’s ever been around a bunch of football players in the heat that don’t get a little agitated if you will.”
Two fights on the final practice resulted in the week in West Virginia ending with team gassers. (TheLandOnDemand)
Players weren’t available after practice as the team hurried to shower and load the coach buses to transport to the airport for the short flight home.
On the flight, the coaches were left to analyze whether Jim Schwartz’s defense is that good that early, or whether cracks in Bill Callahan’s offensive line are reasons for concern.
Wills was no match for Garrett. And while right tackle Jack Conklin sat out for a veteran day off, the top two backup tackles, Hudson and Wheatley, looked no match for Schwartz’s relentless rushers Garrett, Okoronkwo and Za’Darius Smith, who also beat Hudson for a sack.
“It was awesome. Yeah,” Stefanski said. “I was telling Coach Schwartz that’s great work for the offense, great work for the defense. It’s good versus good. Coach Schwartz and the DBs and then [the] front and the linebackers, they’re going to make the offense work. They’re going to make you earn everything. You’re going to have to throw into tight windows. So the drill we were doing down there was third downs in the red zone, that’s really challenging, and I thought the defense did a really nice job.”
As in previous practices, Watson made some nice connections in the middle of the field. But in the red zone periods on Sunday, Watson went 2 of 4 for touchdowns in a 7 on 7 period and 0 for 4 in an 11 on 11 period. One of his misfires in the 7 on 7 period should have been intercepted, but cornerback Greg Newsome failed to hold on, resulting in some up-downs for No. 0. In the 11 on 11 period, Watson threw twice out of the end zone and would have been sacked two other times by Garrett.
For the week, Watson converted 6 of 21 plays from inside the 10-yard line in full speed periods.
“They’re playing with great technique,” Stefanski said of the defense. “When you get into the red zone, you have to be so precise and those windows are so small – you better be making contested catches. And the quarterback has to drive throws, and you have to look off safeties and all those things. So, it’s just great work for both sides.”
So long, but maybe not goodbye
The nine-day getaway to The Greenbrier was classified a success by coaches, players and team officials.
“What an amazing experience,” Stefanski said. “They were so gracious to us down here. We were guests, [they]made it a great, great experience. And that’s players, coaches, staff. So thank you to that group. And then our group and I mentioned them before, but to pull this off, there’s a lot that goes into it. I’m extremely grateful to the men and women in our organization that worked tirelessly to get us down here and they’re working tirelessly right now to pack everything up. So really, a great effort by everybody.”
There is already a buzz about repeating the trip next year, though that may depend on what happens during the 2023 season.
I asked Stefanski directly if he’d like to come back.
“Like I said, we had a great experience. I think conversations for that will come at a later date, but it was a great experience. The backdrop of where we are is pretty special,” he said.
Brownie bits
Tight end Jordan Akins missed the last couple days to rest a knee, Stefanski said …
Return specialist Jakeem Grant and running back Jerome Ford each was excused the last two days to travel to separate funerals, a club source said …
The Browns will be off on Monday and then hold their first practice in Berea open to fans on Tuesday. They will be off Wednesday and play in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game on Thursday night against the Jets.
