6:00 p.m.-Cleveland Browns quarterbacks have RV meeting room at training camp
BEREA, Ohio -- There is the official Quarterbacks Meeting Room at the Cleveland Browns’ Training Facility in Berea, and then, there is the unofficial one, which has gotten plenty of attention over the first few days of training camp.
Just outside of the Casey Coleman Fieldhouse in Berea stands an RV, and the recreational vehicle is there for the Browns’ quarterbacks to get out of the building in-between practices and meetings and relax in the little downtime there is in training camp.
“It is just some place that you can go, get out of these four walls that start to close in on you after a certain period of time,” Browns quarterback Drew Stanton said. “There are no secret meetings going on. It is not excluding anybody. Everybody’s welcome. It is just a place to go unwind, get away from here for the time period that we have off. Nothing more and nothing less.”
By revealing the story behind the RV, Stanton essentially took credit for the idea, which is something he borrowed from former Detroit Lions quarterback Shaun Hill, who made Matthew Stafford rent one for training camp during the 2010 season.
“I don’t think Baker thought I was serious at first, and Tyrod, when I started getting on my rants sometimes, he kind of starts looking down at his paper because he doesn’t want to hear what’s coming out of my mouth next,” Stanton said. “When Baker figured it out, he did a really good job, and that’s exactly what we needed.
“It’s got a TV, and supposedly, we’re going to try and get some video games in there, but it’s literally just a way to get out of this building to go get your mind away from football and do whatever you need to do to get ready for practice.”
Although the quarterbacks came up with the plan for the RV, it is open to more players than just the signal-callers, and offensive lineman Joel Bitonio plans on taking advantage of the invitation Stanton has extended to him.
“I’ve heard about it, and I might have a password or VIP access,” Bitonio said. “Drew Stanton over there has given me the green light. I haven’t actually made it in yet, but it’s my goal this next week, so if I get in, I might spill the beans or something.
“You get away from the building a little bit, so it’s a cool idea and I like it.”
That offer Bitonio received is good for all offensive linemen.
“Any offensive lineman that’s protecting us has VIP access,” Stanton said with a smile.
And should he feel it necessary, Browns coach Hue Jackson has let it be known that he will pay a visit to the RV.
“Hey, anytime I want to go in, I’m going in,” Jackson said. “That’s my parking lot, so I’m going in.”
5:25 p.m.-Cleveland Browns not shying away from bold predictions for 2018 season
BEREA, Ohio -- The Cleveland Browns finished the 2017 season with only the second 0-16 record in NFL history, and yet, the failures of the past are not determining the future, as players have used their platforms on social media and through press conferences to let it be known the goals for the team.
And the Browns are thinking big…playoff big...for the 2018 season.
“Everybody starts the year at 0-0, and only one team wins the championship,” wide receiver Jarvis Landry said.
“I’m just saying that I think if we play to our full potential, every guy plays to his full potential, we have a great chance of making the playoffs, and even going further.”
PHOTOS: Cleveland Browns open Training Camp for 2018 season
By going 0-16 last year, the Browns are on a 17-game losing streak and are a league-worst 1-31 since the opening game of 2016.
The Browns have not won on a Sunday afternoon since December 13, 2015. The 33 straight Sunday losses are an NFL record, and the Browns’ 4-49 mark in the last 53 outings is the worst in the league in that span.
Last season, the Browns broke the record for the worst 28-game stretch in NFL history, as they “bested” the previous mark of 2-26 set by the expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the 1976-1977 seasons with a 1-27 mark that got four losses worse after Week 13.
In five seasons under the majority ownership of Dee and Jimmy Haslam, the Browns have posted an NFL-worst 15-65 record. Factoring in the remaining games of the 2012 season after the sale was approved at an NFL Owners Meeting in Chicago, the Browns have gone 19-70.
But the struggles of the past have not stopped the Browns from focusing on building toward the ultimate goal of any team in the NFL, winning the Super Bowl.
“The goal every year is to win the Super Bowl. You ask any player, and their goal is to win a Super Bowl,” quarterback Tyrod Taylor said. “Of course, to get to that, you have to get in the playoffs. My mindset has always been one game at a time, starting even with preseason.”
Second-year defensive end Myles Garrett added, “To win it all. It is a team game. If we go to the playoffs, that means I am doing my job. If we go further than that, then we are doing a wonderful job. I am going to just play my part and do my role.”
Although the Browns have the stated goal of playing in the postseason, they know there is much work to be done to get to a point not seen in Cleveland since the 2002 season, and the players are committed to focusing on the every-day tasks to put their ambitions into reality.
“Talent is one thing. You’ve got to be a team,” Landry said.
“The old saying is talent wins games, teams win championships, so we’re trying to be a team. We’re not trying to be just a bunch of talented guys running around here. We want to be a team, and we want to win a championship. That’s it. Simple.”
4:05 p.m.-Haslams confident Cleveland Browns will see 'The Real Hue Jackson' after overhauling roster
BEREA, Ohio -- The first two years of Hue Jackson’s tenure as Cleveland Browns head coach were a struggle, and yet, despite a 1-31 record, he was retained during the offseason by owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam.
Now that general manager John Dorsey has overhauled the roster with more than a dozen free-agent signings and nine selections in the 2018 NFL Draft, the Browns’ ownership is confident they will see “The Real Hue Jackson” have success on Sundays in the fall.
“We’re excited about Hue Jackson,” Jimmy Haslam said prior to Saturday’s practice at the team’s Berea headquarters. “I think our commitment to him has been unwavering and still is.
“I think we’ll see the real Hue Jackson. He’s got good quarterbacks, he’s got some skill players, and he’s got a veteran offensive line -- now, we gotta figure out left tackle -- three really good backs and good defense.
“Gotta give Hue credit for bringing in Todd Haley which will allow Hue to be the head coach, so I think this will be the first opportunity Hue’s had the opportunity to do what we know he can do as a head coach, as a leader. Even though Todd’s calling all the shots on offense, I think Hue, obviously, will have some impact there like he will on defense, so we’re excited to see it.”
By going 0-16 last year, the Browns are on a 17-game losing streak and are a league-worst 1-31 since the opening game of 2016.
The Browns have not won on a Sunday afternoon since December 13, 2015. The 33 straight Sunday losses are an NFL record, and their 4-49 mark in the last 53 outings is the worst in the league in that four-year span.
Additionally, last season, the Browns set the record for the worst 28-game stretch in NFL history, as they “bested” the previous mark of 2-26 set by the expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the 1976-1977 seasons with a 1-27 mark that got four losses worse after Week 13.
“I think you can realistically expect progress,” Dee Haslam said. “That’s what we feel like. We’ve already made a lot of progress, and we realistically feel like we’re going to have progress this year.”
The Browns started the 2017 regular season with a quarterback room consisting of rookie DeShone Kizer and second-year players Cody Kessler and Kevin Hogan, none of whom had won in the NFL before, or since for that matter.
Now, with Tyrod Taylor as the starter after leading the Buffalo Bills to the postseason in 2017, veteran Drew Stanton and Heisman Trophy winner Baker Mayfield at quarterback, the Haslams feel Jackson has a fresh start with the team.
“I know everybody’s saying, ‘Hue has to win this many games’ or ‘he has to win that many games,’” Jimmy Haslam said. “We don’t look at it [like that.] We’re really excited about the relationship that Hue and John have and not just that they have but their staffs have.
“I mean we’re in here at seven this morning talking about who else we might need to add to the roster, so we feel good about the chemistry, we feel good about the work ethic, but at the same time, we all understand we’ve got to win games.”
TAYLOR MAKES A DIFFERENCE
During his seven-year career with the Baltimore Ravens and Bills, Taylor completed 793 of his 1,271 attempts (62.4 percent) for 9,056 yards and 51 touchdowns against 18 interceptions. Of those 793 completions, 116 went for at least 20 yards and 22 more were 40-yard gains.
In his three seasons with the Bills, the 6-foot-1, 215-pound Taylor completed 774 passes for 8,837 yards and 51 touchdowns against 16 interceptions.
“There's no harder worker on our team than Tyrod Taylor,” Jimmy Haslam said. “I knew we were getting a good football player, I didn't understand what a great person we're getting. He, alone, has set a different tone and you all are at practice, I don't want to jinx us, I'll knock on wood, we're not jumping offsides, we get lined up, we're not throwing interceptions, and so, to have him on the team, I think you have a chance every game.
“Everybody knows we were 32nd in offensive turnovers last year and Tyrod's record in that area has been really good. He's a really good athlete. He's a really good person, so having him in the building helps us tremendously, and I think it takes the pressure off Baker and allows Baker to develop.”
HARD KNOCKS
A 30-person NFL Films crew is embedded with the Browns in Berea and have unlimited access to players’ and coaches’ meeting rooms, training rooms, the team hotel and practice fields, where they will gather more than 2,000 hours of footage for the “Hard Knocks” mini-series, which debuts on HBO August 7.
“Hard Knocks” debuted in 2001, and has since won 16 Sports Emmy® Awards.
“It’s a very professional group of people that are here,” Dee Haslam said. “I mean, they’re very impressive. We hardly see them or pay attention to them. I know they’re doing their job, but now that they’re here, we’re kind of excited about it and think it’ll be good for Cleveland. So that is a good point. I think it’ll be very good for Cleveland.”
STADIUM DISCUSSION
Early in May, it was reported that the Browns had undertaken a study about the development of Downtown Cleveland, which could include massive renovations to FirstEnergy Stadium or a new stadium altogether at a different site in the city.
According to Dee Haslam, the Browns are “continuing that process,” despite a lack of action over the last month.
“I think it makes sense to stay there, but it really does depend on what the community wants,” Dee Haslam said.
“If they want to open the waterfront, they don't want the stadium there, then we have to come up with another solution. I think they do want it there. It's just a matter of connecting downtown to the waterfront. I think it's really important, so I think that's what everybody's focused on.”
3:00 p.m.-Cleveland Browns: 'Cautious optimism' NFL, NFLPA can agree on National Anthem policy
BEREA, Ohio -- During the offseason, the National Football League and its owners created a new policy requiring team and league personnel to stand for the playing of the National Anthem or remain in the locker room until after its completion.
But after resistance from the NFL Players’ Association and individual players speaking out against the rule because those involved in holding the protests were not consulted before a decision was made, the NFL opened a line of dialogue on the topic.
“The League and the Players’ Association are working to come up with a win-win solution, and I think there’s cautious optimism on both sides that that will happen,” Browns owner Jimmy Haslam said prior to Saturday’s practice in Berea.
“We’ve learned a tremendous during this process. We’ve worked very closely with our players. Dee and I have always been involved in the communities we’ve been involved with in a lot of different ways, but have become actively involved here in some issues that affected the players and look forward to continue to work with our players to make Northeast Ohio and Ohio and the U.S. for that matter a better place to live and work.”
When the announcement was made back in May, the NFL released a six-point outline of their stance on the National Anthem.
All team and league personnel “shall stand and show respect for the flag and the Anthem,” but the previous requirement to be on the field for its playing has been removed. Personnel who do not choose to stand for the Anthem will be permitted to stay in the locker room “or similar location off the field” until its conclusion.
A club will be fined by the league should personnel be on the field and refuse to stand.
Parent clubs have the right to develop their own rules for personnel who do not stand for the Anthem, and the Commissioner has discretion to hand down “discipline on league personnel who do not stand and show respect for the flag and the Anthem.”
“I think the conversation should just be more so about what we can do to help our community out in each respective city that has an NFL team, as well as other cities and communities that do not have NFL teams -- how can we help the community out and bring the conversation back to one that is not divided,” quarterback Tyrod Taylor said. “Whatever it takes to get to that point.”
Over the last year, the Haslams and Browns players have been committed to holding neighborhood summits, something they “absolutely” plan on continuing with in the future.
“The players are really active in working on a plan for social justice reform in our area,” Dee Haslam said. “They want to get out and be volunteers and dive deep. We’ve hosted summits. We’ll continue to work. We focus on what we’re doing, the positive impact we’re having, so that’s really our focus and we’re excited about it.”
Admittedly, Browns offensive lineman Joel Bitonio “does know what the right answer is” to the debate, but is looking forward to addressing the “social injustices in the world,” and hopes the dialogue between the NFL and NFLPA can be a launching point for positive change.
“I know it’s not going to be perfect, but we’ve got to try and work as a group and come together,” Bitonio said.
“I think the more rules you put in, the more separate people feel, and so, if we can come together and pick or choose a few things that we can work on as a group to kind of improve, then I think that would be a step in the right direction.”
2:15 p.m.-Cleveland Browns RB Carlos Hyde wants to be NFL's top rusher
BEREA, Ohio -- “Why stop at 1,000 rushing yards?”
That is the question Cleveland Browns running back Carlos Hyde posed when he addressed the media prior to Friday’s practice, and the fifth-year ball carrier is not just settling for 1,000 yards. Hyde has lofty expectations for himself heading into the 2018 season, his first with the Browns.
“I’d like to raise the bar a little higher than just 1,000,” Hyde said. “I want to aim for the top rusher in the NFL, not just 1,000.
“You can get 1,000 yards easy, just play every game. I think more than that, try to raise the bar higher and try to be the leading rusher in the NFL, so that’s my standard with it. But I guess it’s good to get 1,000 yards. It’ll be good for me. I’ve actually got a little bonus in there.”
Over his 50 games in four years with the San Francisco 49ers, Hyde turned 655 carries into 2,729 yards and 21 touchdowns with 133 first downs, 15 20-yard rushes and three 40-yard bursts.
With the ability to break long plays down the field despite being labeled a “power runner,” Hyde believes he has the ability to be among the league’s best rushers, including Los Angeles Rams star Todd Gurley and another former Buckeye, Dallas Cowboys standout Ezekiel Elliott.
“If you look at those guys, those guys make a lot of explosive plays for their teams, so that carries on to more yards,” Hyde said.
“If you’re making explosive plays, that’s just more run plays being called. If you’re not down a lot of points, there’s more run plays being called. You just try to maximize the opportunities of the run plays being called, and then, that leads to more yards.”
To be that elite-level running back, the 6-foot, 235-pound Hyde, a native of Cincinnati and product of The Ohio State University, knows a well-rounded game is a necessity, and he displayed plenty of ability to catch passes out of the backfield while in San Francisco.
During his time with the 49ers, Hyde caught 109 passes out of the backfield for 634 yards and three touchdowns.
“You know, I can catch the ball too,” Hyde said with a laugh. “I can do it all.
“I think it was just part of (Kyle) Shanahan’s scheme, just allowing the back to be more involved in the passing game. I think in this offense, it’ll be the same thing kind of, just be more involved in the passing game, get me out wide, get me in the slot sometimes, so it’ll be good.”
Outside of an injury-shortened 2015 season, Hyde played in at least 13 games in three of his four years with the 49ers, and knows consistent productivity is a by-product of taking care of the body while away from the practice field.
“It’s part of the game,” Hyde said. “The injuries, they just come with the game. You try to stay away from them, but it’s just part of the game. You stay on top of your body. You understand your body. You understand how your body works, get your treatment, massages, whatever. Just stay on top of your body.”
10:15 a.m.-BROWNS TO INCREASE COMPETITION, HITTING WITH PADDED PRACTICE
BEREA, Ohio -- The acclimation period is over for the Cleveland Browns and the time for hitting has come.
After the first two days of training camp, the Browns will put on the full pads Saturday for the first full-contact practice of the year as the coaches and players continue their preparations for the 2018 regular season.
“Competition,” Browns coach Hue Jackson said. “Just watching guys compete. I know that everything will not be perfect -- it is football -- but I expect our offense to execute. I expect our defense to fundamentally do the things that they are supposed to do, special teams to keep getting better.
“As I told our team, every day, we just want to keep getting a little bit. We have a long way to go before we ever get to a game. What is really important is that we just keep getting a little bit better every day.”
Jackson will use Saturday’s practice as a way to evaluate both the offensive and defensive lines and how the men in the trenches have progressed since last season, the last time they carried pads.
“I keep telling our big guys that they are the heart and soul of this thing,” Jackson said. “They have to do their part, offensively and defensively. It starts with those guys. We will get a chance to start setting that identity that way. Those guys have to meet the challenge.”
Jackson is not the only one looking forward to the padded practices, as the running backs relish the opportunity to test their skills in game-like situations after going through drills in shorts and shell pads during the offseason program and first two days of training camp.
“I’ll be excited to get the pads on,” Browns running back Carlos Hyde said. “I think I’ve had enough of the two-hand touch part of the game, so it’ll be exciting to get the pads on, get a cleaner look of some of the run plays that we’ve been running, get a better look at them.”
Rookie running back Nick Chubb added, “It’s been a long time. In the NFL, you don’t have spring ball or anything, so it’s time to go back to playing football.”
Jackson is hopeful that building strong offensive and defensive lines as well as a tough running game will allow the Browns to play with leads and wear down opponents in the regular season.
“I want to have leads this year,” Jackson said with a laugh. “More so than that, I just think it is the make-up of our team. You mention two of those guys there when you talk about Carlos Hyde and Chubb. They are guys that eat up ground.
“I think guys like to get after it. We have to have a mindset that we can do that, but at the same time, we have to do what it takes to win games. You guys know sometimes, that means we might run it a ton, and sometimes, we might have to throw it a ton. Whatever it takes, but we have to become a physical group and be able to run the ball when we need to run it.”
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