BR1986FB;1251221 wrote:Vick got banged up again last night against the Patriots. Nothing serious, to my knowledge, but these nicks & bumps could take their toll. Hopefully, he's a little skittish in the opener.

Hopefully their line plays that shitty in the opener as well.

like_that;1251226 wrote:Hopefully their line plays that shitty in the opener as well.

Was reading some comments from Sobo over on the OBR. Sobo is an O-Line guy and he said the Eagles no longer have their historical road grading "beef" up the middle at the guard spots. With Howard Mudd as their O-Line coach they prefer lighter guys like he had in Indy. This would bode well for the Browns if Rubin & Hughes can create an interior push. New England's defense was pretty shitty last year and they manhandled Philly's O-Line last night.

I also expect to see a HEAVY dose of T-Rich/Hardesty on the ground in that first game.

BR1986FB;1251228 wrote:Was reading some comments from Sobo over on the OBR. Sobo is an O-Line guy and he said the Eagles no longer have their historical road grading "beef" up the middle at the guard spots. With Howard Mudd as their O-Line coach they prefer lighter guys like he had in Indy. This would bode well for the Browns if Rubin & Hughes can create an interior push. New England's defense was pretty ****ty last year and they manhandled Philly's O-Line last night.

I also expect to see a HEAVY dose of T-Rich/Hardesty on the ground in that first game.

Swartz is liable to get our QBs killed if they're dropping back too much

bases_loaded;1251239 wrote:Swartz is liable to get our QBs killed if they're dropping back too much

Right now, that's my biggest concern with Weeden. When he has to backpedal on screens, etc he looks VERY awkward doing it. I'm skeptical as to whether they will be able to effectively run screens with Weeden at QB.

Will Burge ‏ @
WillBurge
Our own @ TonyGrossi just said the # Browns will wear their brown uniforms
Friday vs Philly

holy shit. i thought we only had white jerseys anymore

Browns defensive end Jabaal Sheard aiming for greatness as he prepares for his second NFL season

By Nate Ulrich
Beacon Journal sports writer


BEREA: Browns defensive end Jabaal Sheard led all NFL rookie linemen with 8½ sacks, tied for third in the league with five forced fumbles and established himself as a key piece of the franchise last season.

Despite his early success, Sheard isn’t satisfied. He has not come close to reaching the same level as Dwight Freeney of the Indianapolis Colts or Julius Peppers of the Chicago Bears, but he’s aiming to earn a place among the league’s elite pass rushers.

“I hear about Freeney and Peppers and all these guys,” Sheard said Monday after practice. “I just want to be as good as them. I just want to be great. I want to work hard and hopefully one day be that dominant D-end that guys talk about.”

Sheard, a second-round pick (37th overall) in last year’s draft, has reason to believe he can achieve his goal.

As a rookie, he didn’t benefit from a normal offseason because the NFL lockout wiped it out. There were no experienced, veteran defensive ends on the roster who could show him the ropes as a professional. He didn’t even start his career in the spot he wound up playing. He spent training camp, the preseason and the first regular-season game at right end before switching to the left side in Week 2.

Now Sheard has a season and a structured offseason under his belt. In March, the Browns signed veteran ends Frostee Rucker and Juqua Parker, who have already filled the role of mentors. And Sheard is entrenched as the starter at left end, the same position he played at the University of Pittsburgh.

“I expect him to pick up his game,” Browns coach Pat Shurmur said. “I’d love to see him be a very dominant player. I think that he would expect that from himself, so whatever that means number-wise, I don’t know. But I expect him to be somebody that teams we’re playing are worried about blocking.”

Sheard’s 8½ sacks last season rank second among Browns rookies. Kamerion Wimbley, who’s now with the Tennessee Titans, had 11 sacks when he was a rookie with the Browns during the 2006 season.

Now Sheard has a double-digit sack total in his cross hairs.

“I think it’s possible with the D-line that we have and the defense that we have in general,” said Sheard, who started all 16 games last season. “I think with this defense, we all should have great stats this year, and we should all be out there [thriving] together.”

The 6-foot-2 Sheard said he improved his quickness in the offseason. He trimmed down by working out with trainer Pete Bommarito in Miami. Sheard said his weight fluctuated between 270 and 273 pounds last season. Now he weighs about 265.

Browns rookie right tackle Mitchell Schwartz, who routinely lines up across from Sheard during practice, has been impressed by the combination of speed and power Sheard displays as a pass rusher.

“He’s one of the guys that has all three moves,” Schwartz said. “He’s got the speed outside when he wants to use it. He’s got the bull rush when he wants to use it. He’s got a couple good inside moves when he wants. So he’s got a little bit of everything.”

Sheard is also focused on becoming a better all-around defender. The defense as a whole struggled mightily against ground attacks last season, ranking 30th in the league against the run (147.4 yards allowed per game). Sheard accepts responsibility and knows he must improve.

“Sometimes I like to hop around and not stay in my gap,” Sheard said. “So I mostly [need to focus on] staying in my gap more and getting off blocks faster and just helping out the defense any way I can.

“If they can run the ball down your throat all day, they may never pass the ball. So definitely you want to stop them and get to third-and-long, where they’re forced to throw the ball. That’s when you get a chance to get after the quarterback.”

Sheard is at his best in those situations, and he believes he’ll only get better.

“I was just a rookie last year,” he said. “Obviously, there’s a lot of improvement to get to. I left a lot of sacks out there early in the season and later in the season as well. I left a lot of plays out there that I should have made, so hopefully this year I’ll make those.” web page

I see the Patriots released DE Jonathan Fanene (former Bengal). He had 6.5 sacks last year. He is 30 years old which would go against Heckert's "youth" philosophy even though he did bring in 34 year old Jaqua Parker. Worth a look for the rotation?

Doubt we'll look at him BR, esp after we claimed that Cameron guy off of waivers.

If our DTs stay healthy I see Sheard having a big year(11 or 12 sacks) What day do we play this week?

Rotinaj;1252037 wrote:If our DTs stay healthy I see Sheard having a big year(11 or 12 sacks) What day do we play this week?

Friday

Haden removed from practice for "rough play."

http://www.espncleveland.com/common/more.php?m=49&post_id=3601

BR1986FB;1252084 wrote:Haden removed from practice for "rough play."

http://www.espncleveland.com/common/more.php?m=49&post_id=3601

Smh, shurmur is such a pussy. I hope everyone else on the defense takes after Haden's "rough play."

I have mixed feelings on the Haden issue....part of me agrees with Shurmur that we already have enough injuries, let's not hurt any of our own players..especially our smallest player on the team in Benjamin. The other side of me likes the aggresive defense that was displayed because it is something we have lacked since coming back in 1999.

I'm just ready to get the preseason BS out of the way, play some games that matter and see how these young guys are progressing.

Shurmers a douche. I can't wait to get rid of him honestly.

http://espncleveland.com/common/more.php?m=49&action=blog&r=19&post_id=3611

This is the play that got Haden booted from practice....WOW

http://video-embed.cleveland.com/services/player/bcpid619326673001?bckey=AQ%7E%7E%2CAAAAQBxUNqE%7E%2CxKBGzTdiYSQED_HQJlhmSCKNFhrBY-nL&bctid=1799145140001

BR1986FB;1252229 wrote:This is the play that got Haden booted from practice....WOW

http://video-embed.cleveland.com/services/player/bcpid619326673001?bckey=AQ%7E%7E%2CAAAAQBxUNqE%7E%2CxKBGzTdiYSQED_HQJlhmSCKNFhrBY-nL&bctid=1799145140001

No video..

Midstate01;1252232 wrote:No video..

Strange. Comes up when I click on it. Let's just say it was kinda ticky tack. The only reason I could see Shurmur pissed was that it was borderline horsecollar.

BR1986FB;1252234 wrote:Strange. Comes up when I click on it. Let's just say it was kinda ticky tack. The only reason I could see Shurmur pissed was that it was borderline horsecollar.

Saw it on twitter. There has to be more to this. No way he got kicked out just for that. Benjamin didn't even react. He didn't fall hard... I don't see the problem.

Wasn't he warned earlier in practice and then to take a guy down from behind on a TD later... Can't have the inmates running the asylum.

The only reason I can see Shurmur going ballistic is because a) it did look like a borderline horsecollar (still ticky tack), b) Benjamin is just coming back from injury and is their ONLY vertical threat (Carlton Mitchell you tweeting bitch....:thumbdown and c) they have been essentially a MASH unit with injuries and he doesn't want anymore.

EDIT: Just heard Eric Steinbach retired today

I'm not reading into any of the BS. End of camp, multiple warnings. Could go either way. I think there's some fire in Haden with the potential suspension being released today from the NFL.

I feel like with the Cleveland media, every little situation is bigger than what it is. QB back-up situation, now Haden, the injury reports, etc.


I'm ready for the season to begin instead of constantly beating the dead horse that continues here in Cleveland. Let's play some &#*)ing football!

Not sure what Haden did wrong, but on the flip side, what a throw from Weeden.