Jerry Jeudy had cornerback Mike Jackson beat on this route, but Jackson's tight coverage led to two pass breakups on other plays. (Cleveland Browns)
brought to you by Kaz Company - call 216-901-9300
You must have an active subscription to read this story.
Click Here to subscribe Now!
Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns and NFL analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.
CHARLOTTE, NC
Rain fell before and after the Browns’ joint practice with the Carolina Panthers, but it stopped on cue during the 1 hour, 45 minutes the teams were on the field.
But that’s when things got really sloppy.
Pre-snap penalties knocked the Browns out of any offensive rhythm. They had at least four in two 11-on-11 periods. But Carolina was not exactly clean, either. Panthers coach Dave Canales said his team had three game delays and two false starts in the second team period alone.
Pre-snap penalties haunted the Browns’ offense all last season. It appears that not even the change back to a more Kevin Stefanski-style offense and new O-line coaches have fixed the problem.
“I think it’s been something that we’ve been constantly on,” quarterback Joe Flacco said after the joint session. “You know, there’s been days where we’ve been really good and there’s been days where we’ve been not good enough. I definitely think today was a little bit more so. And I think that’s natural, but it’s very controllable, so you don’t want to see it.”
“These kind of opportunities really shine light on what you need to work on,” Canales said.
Shedeur’s golden opportunity comes Friday
Stefanski spoke only prior to practice, and it was of note to hear him say he did not intend to give Shedeur Sanders extra reps to prepare the rookie for the starting assignment on Friday against the Panthers.
“No,” Stefanski said on giving Sanders more work. “I think with a lot of our younger guys, they’re going to get the majority of the reps in the football game. Today has been more about some of the older guys and the starters.”
The coach said that only Sanders and newly-arrived emergency QB Tyler Huntley would play in the game.
The team is being cautious with Kenny Pickett and Dillon Gabriel, who’ve had hamstring issues, in hopes of having them both fully active next week in two joint practices and a game in Philadelphia.
Sanders did receive more reps than usual in the team periods – with the second team offense. Pickett and Gabriel participated only in 7-on-7 periods, where there is no pass rush to evade.
Joe Flacco, who will not play on Friday, practiced with the first team in two 11-on-11 periods. Sanders was second and Huntley was third.
Numbers, please …
Flacco was 8 of 13, including a connection on a deep crosser to Jerry Jeudy, who tipped it with one hand and hauled it in. Jeudy also had a one-hander on a pass from Gabriel in 7-on-7s.
Sanders was 4 of 7, including three reps in 7-on-7s.
Pickett was 5 of 7, all in 7-on-7s, with touchdowns to David Njoku and Cedric Tillman.
Gabriel was 7 of 8, all in 7-on-7s, with a touchdown to Jamari Thrash.
Huntley was 2 of 5 in one 7-on-7 and one 11-on-11 period.
Playing nice
There were a few shoving matches, but nothing that erupted into a brawl to stop play. That good behavior is partly attributed to the relationship between opposing coaches in these joint practices.
"Kevin Stefanski and I have known each other for 15 years," Canales said. "We both were quality control coaches for Darrell Bevell, who's now in Miami. We had some good interchanges. The veteran guys met before practice for the rules of engagement.
"We expected a physical day but we’re not going to dive at legs. There was a couple pushing and shoving [incidents] and a little facemask lockup a couple times. But I saw two groups come in not to throw haymakers but to pull guys apart. Jawing at each other and a lot of juice. I can’t dream of a better situation to have that kind of competition but also be able to respect each other. A tribute to Kevin and the Browns."
Let’s wrap this up
In response to a question about whether he can see the finish line to the starting job, Flacco expounded a little on the consequences of spreading QB reps to four guys.
“I can say that when you get a little bit – it’s still not like, ‘OK, I went from three reps here, three reps there to a little bit more.’ Not like a ton more, but a little bit more,” Flacco said. “And in just that little bit, you know, you can start to feel like yourself, get in the groove and you calm down a little bit. It’s just human nature.
“Like, when you’re getting two reps, three reps to like, ‘oh, this has to be perfect.’ And when you feel that way, you’re not going to be as good. So, to be able to relax a little bit, let it loose and get a little bit more, it just feels right, you know what I mean? So I’m not going to look into what it means, but it definitely feels good to be out there.”
Brownie bits
Stefanski wouldn’t itemize who’s playing and who’s not, but did say Jeudy and Cedric Tillman would not play. That’s interesting because it indicates the Browns have Tillman ranked as WR2 ahead of Diontae Johnson …
The Panthers’ first-team defense had at least four PBUs on Browns receivers, including two by cornerback Mike Jackson against Jeudy. Panthers safety Tre’von Moehrig summed up, “I think we just had a lot of energy. Everybody fed off it and made plays.” Definitely more energy than the Browns on this day …
The only interception of the day was turned in by Browns backup DB and special teamer Tony Brown on a pass from Andy Dalton …
Despite limited reps, there is a discernible connection being made between Flacco and Jeudy. Flacco said, “Yeah, Jerry’s good. Yeah, Jerry’s a difference-maker. I’m excited for the things he’s doing.” …
DNPs for the Browns were linebacker Mohamoud Diabate, running back Pierre Strong and offensive lineman Zak Zinter, who stayed in Cleveland with an undisclosed injury suffered last week …
Stefanski said cornerback Martin Emerson had his surgery to repair his left Achilles tendon …
Deshaun Watson made the trip and was on the field before practice, mingling with teammates and members of the Panthers. Carolina was one of the four teams who were interested in trading for Watson in 2022.