Browns reopen OTAs to media: Will Shedeur Sanders’ reps increase?

Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.

Takeaways from Browns events as OTAs resume …

As media get their second glimpse of OTAs on Wednesday, coach Kevin Stefanski wouldn’t say exactly what would be different from the first OTA practice open to media a week ago.

But he did admit that Shedeur Sanders has gotten more reps in 11-on-11 periods than he did last week.

“Yes,” the coach said. “And I would say there’s a lot of work that gets done when you guys aren’t out there, believe it or not.  Even in a meeting or in a walkthrough, our guys are getting exposed to a lot.

“Honestly, every day is different. Every day we’re mixing and matching, if you will, giving guys different looks. I’ve told you before, it’s not going to be a 25% [reps] down the middle type thing, but we’re trying to expose the guys to different things.”

While the coaches chart passes and compute completions v. incompletions by the four quarterbacks, Stefanski indicated the numbers in OTAs aren’t necessarily as important as they will be in minicamp and training camp.

“I would say this – there’s only so much you can do based on the rules, the constraints that you have, whether it’s 7-on-7 and teams,” he said. “So we try not to look into too much into the result, just black and white, if that makes sense. Because there’s things that our defense isn’t doing and things that our offense isn’t doing to gain advantages, if that makes sense.

“So really it becomes, are you doing what you’re asking you to do? Are you using the proper technique? Are your decisions sound and then the accuracy of what you throw? So I’d say all of that adds up to really good work for our guys and this is definitely part of learning how to get ready to play a game too, because as much as we’re just working drills, ultimately you’re also getting ready for September as well.”

The ABCs of OTAs

One of the perks earned by guard Joel Bitonio in 11 seasons, including seven Pro Bowl berths and five All-Pro honors, is to skip the on-field activities of OTAs. Yet he recognizes the significance of OTAs for younger teammates, especially those new to the organization.

“I think there's a process that you want to get your offense installed, you want to get your defense installed,” he said. “You want to get your foundation of what your standards of the team are, all that stuff.

“And then you want to get reps of guys getting reps at doing the technique and learning the technique. I got to a point in my career, personally, where it was the extra reps versus how my body feels. And so I've kind of worked through that over the last few years.

“And this year I've been in meetings. I've been in the weight room with the guys. I've been working out. I've been in, you know, Berea all offseason. So I've seen that. I've been around the guys. And it's really just a process of getting guys reps and building your depth and finding guys. Because, truly, I don't think anybody makes a team or doesn't make a team in OTAs. But you get a foundation of what you what your team is going to be.”

Here's what Stefanski said on the subject of OTAs.

“I think that offseason program, you’re really building a foundation, and that’s for the players,” he said. “You’re building a foundational understanding of scheme. You’re building a foundation of the culture, just being around your teammates. So that’s really what we’re doing right now.

“When we get to training camp, we’ll build on top of that foundation. But so much of what we’re doing right now is just making sure the guys understand who we are, what it means when we say Cleveland Browns, what it means when we say offense, defense, special teams, how we play. Because, you know, we’re different than the other teams in our division. Just like they’re different than us. We want to make sure that we have an identity that’s unique to us. So a lot of that is building that foundation now so that when you get to training camp, you can build upon that.”

Toughen up

Every team espouses a tough mentality, and the best way to establish toughness and physicality is through the running game. In this era of pass-happy offenses, that’s the purpose of the running game.

The Browns lost their toughness last year when they changed offensive line schemes and tried to operate a running game out of a shotgun spread offense. This year the quarterbacks will be back under center more and the running game will be significantly upgraded by the return to the wide-zone blocking scheme and the additions of young backs Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson.

“And I think Coach Stefanski has already stressed the toughness that we need to bring back, how practice is going to be,” Bitonio said. “It's a new team and we have to establish our standard and what we want the Browns to be.

“We gotta be tough up front. We gotta turn two-, three-yard runs into four- and five-yard runs. Our defense has to be tough. It's all tough as it starts, training camp and, just having that ability to go to battle. And when things do not go [well] … it's a long season, you're gonna lose some games … but how do you bounce back? How do you not let one loss turn into two? So yeah, we gotta be tough up front.”