It's good to be a Browns fan. Notes from my visit to the first day of training camp.

[TheBestPlayersPlay]

Here's the Blog.


I was going to just post some of what I saw ...but as an aside, going to training camp this year was an awesome experience, and it made what being a Browns fan is all about hit home.

A quick story.. I took my son Noah with me to training camp this year at all of 20 months old, and I wasn't sure how he'd behave. Noah is a smart kid for his age and he's picking up on everything, and getting a little ornery in a mischievous sort of way.


Noah at his first training camp. Beyond the rope.






The kid would not stay behind the rope. Every time I set Noah down to give my aching back a rest, he would run back underneath the rope ...and out onto the field. Some of the guys stationed around the field warned us not to let him past the rope, but it's easier said than done, being we were right in front up against it. (during the A.M. session we had great seats due to one of the aforementioned guys escorting us right to the front on the sideline of the field, even though it was a packed house) Luckily, we ended up with a really nice guy monitoring our section. He was talking with my little guy quite a bit, extended the rope for us a bit to give us room, and was totally ok with Noah continuing to break the rules ..over, and over and over again. He was an old timer, and told us some stories about how he used to drink with Marion Motley and his brother back in the day.



The gentleman who was in charge on monitoring us most of the day. (left) and the guy who made a seat for us where there was none. (right) By the end of the day, most of these guys knew Noah by name.


In the process of testing his limits and boundaries, Noah was catching the attention of some of the players ...and ultimately it turned into something incredible. For me this is what it's all about ...going out to training camp with your kid, and instilling the undying love for the Browns that you feel in your heart, into the little dude that looks up to you in a big way. Noah got some great memories today that he'll revisit time and time again.. probably through-out most of the rest of his life. If I could have pictures like these to look back on, I can only imagine how cool that would be. You're a lucky kid Noah, thanks for making this a very special day for the both of us, and thanks to the players who have started the process of winning my little boys heart.


Carlton Mitchell


Brandon Mcdonald


Tony Pashos


Robert Royal


Jake Delhomme


Colt McCoy


Noah was scared to death of Eric Wright. (but Eric was super nice)



Good Vibes

There was a good feeling in the air at training camp, the players seemed pretty focused for it being only the first day. Early on, Holmgren drove his golf cart around talking to fans, shaking hands, and thanking us for coming.


Here are some brief notes/observations..





The Offense

Yes, that's Josh Cribbs taking the snaps.

Jake - While expecting Jake to look good.. watching in person and remembering how bad Anderson and Quinn looked at times (most times)..has me excited to get our season underway. He looked accurate, strong, and confident.

Seneca - Wallace has a really nice arm while on the move and appeared to be pretty accurate as well. Soon I think there's someone that may be nipping at his heels.

Colt - I wasn't really sure what to expect, but I came away feeling much better about McCoy. Yes, it's only day 1 of TC, but he throws much harder, and with less effort than I thought he might ..he puts a ton of torque on some of those throws and it really gets in there when he wants it to. He was throwing some very pretty fade routes to the RBs in one drill. Looked really solid for day 1.

RB
Didn't see much running or hitting the hole, saw more of the passing and blocking drills with these guys.

Jennings - Looked solid. Caught what was thrown to him, and seemed to be pretty quick.

Davis - Didn't see much. He dropped a beautiful pass right in his breadbasket on one play.

Harrison - Noticed his speed, it really pops out at you. He looks to be ready to go.

Hillis - He got destroyed on one blocking play, I think it was DQ who pounded him into the turf. Otherwise didn't see much worth noting.


WR

Robo - Dropped a very easy ball early on, but after that didn't drop another that I noticed. He also redeemed himself later on by catching a bomb with E. Wright glued to him. Night & day compared to last year.

MoMass - He looked like the #1. He was fast, and caught everything thrown his way, including a couple deep balls in traffic. (1 from Delhomme, 1 from McCoy)

Cribbs - Got a lot of work, and didn't disappoint. Caught everything and in some tough spots, ran hard after catch and with authority. They also had him back in a couple wildcat formations.

Mitchell - Dropped a tough pass from Delhomme ...didn't notice him otherwise.

Others - Didn't see a lot of it. They all looked solid in basic drills, but nobody screamed greatness at this point.

T.E.

Evan Moore - Had an easy drop early on, but was nails through-out most of the day. Making some great catches, and absolutely burning Gocong on one play. I think I recall seeing him struggle a bit on a blocking drill but don't quote me on it.

Robert Royal - Dropped a couple balls, caught the rest of them and looked very solid in blocking drills.

Ben Watson - Looked fast, and totally stood up one of the DEs in blocking drills.

O-Line - They were trying different combos. Looked good ...St. Clair is HUGE. Didn't see a lot where I was. I did talk to Pashos when he held my kid. I asked him how his first day was, and he told me he didn't get to do much "because they still have me on rehab". Didn't seem to have a cold or be sick in any way shape or form.


The Defense
I didn't see much of the D, but here are some of the limited notes I have.

Veikune - Looked bigger than I remember, and was showing a high motor. Didn't do much exciting, but I think he's ready to go.

Ward - Had to run a lap for illegal use of hands against MoMass, (I think it was Mo) it was pretty blatant. However, as the day wore on he seemed to be getting better, around the ball alot ...broke up a pass or 2 and I think he had a INT.

Gocong - Only thing I noticed here was him getting burnt by Evan Moore. Moore accelerated right past him and made Gocong look pretty slow.

Eric Wright - Played good corner for the most part, however he was getting balls caught on him all day it seemed like. To his credit though, they were great catches ...and usually he was glued to the receiver.

Sheldon Brown looked really small.

Ahtyba Rubin - He's a beast, and looked like he was pushing people around with ease. He started jogging over to my kid when I called him over, but then the swarm of other fans got to him and the boy missed out.

D'Qwell Jackson - I mentioned earlier DQ had a great hit on Hillis. It was during blocking drills and DQ absolutely blew him up. I wish I had gotten it on video, but my battery died after like 10 minutes of footage, so I had to start using the cell phone ...and with no zoom it just wasn't going to work out.



I'm sure I'm forgetting a ton since I waited so long to write this ...but feel free to ask questions and maybe it will jog a memory.



Here's some raw footage ..I didn't edit it as I had planned, nor did I spend as much time on this write up as I hoped. Time is fleeting my friends. I am going again on Saturday and I'll try to get more. (COMING AS SOON AS IT UPLOADS)

You Tube

You Tube

You Tube

[BernietheKid]

That is some great stuff Gabe especially with your kid. Thanks for the write up and posting the pictures as well.

[Vegasdogg]

That's awesome. Very cool. What a lucky father and son day that was.

[Flugel]

Great thread TBPP! Exactly what I asked for from people going to camp. We're less than 2 weeks away from the 1st preseason game. Looking forward to seeing what the QBs look like. It was very cool to see how the team treated your son/family.

Hey, David Bowens has a great interview on the clevelandbrowns.com from yesterday or the day before. I really like that guy's approach - very refreshing change from the Shaun Smith types we had previous younger players looking up to.
- Tom F

[TheBestPlayersPlay]

I've got 30+ minutes of raw footage from camp. I'll have to break it down into 10 min segments after work because youtube won't allow videos that long.

[Danamal]

Gabe,
Forget the camp report,what you just did with your son will continue the rabid love of the Browns for another generation and what being a father is all about.
Alot of guys have told the story of there dad taking them to there first taste of sports and you did it right,my hats off to you my man,great,great stuff.

[golfer704u]

Originally Posted by Danamal

Gabe,
Forget the camp report,what you just did with your son will continue the rabid love of the Browns for another generation and what being a father is all about.
Alot of guys have told the story of there dad taking them to there first taste of sports and you did it right,my hats off to you my man,great,great stuff.

Agreed, I barely read the report about the players, I kept going back to look at the pictures of players holding your son. Awesome memories for the both of you. ANd also to me tells me something that all those players look genuinely interested in giving back to fans.

Thanks!

[mz.]

Very cool, Gabe. Thanks.

Did Mangini make your son run any laps for crying?

[hiwaygal]

Originally Posted by Danamal

Gabe,
Forget the camp report,what you just did with your son will continue the rabid love of the Browns for another generation and what being a father is all about.
Alot of guys have told the story of there dad taking them to there first taste of sports and you did it right,my hats off to you my man,great,great stuff.

Agreed!

It made me a little "jealous" that my brother hasn't taken his son there...how cool that would be!! Those memories/pics are going to be priceless for both of you!

Great post!

[Flugel]

Originally Posted by golfer704u

Agreed, I barely read the report about the players, I kept going back to look at the pictures of players holding your son. Awesome memories for the both of you. ANd also to me tells me something that all those players look genuinely interested in giving back to fans.

Thanks!

Very well put! Just think, some day that little guy is going to be explaining to someone why he's a Browns' fan. It's right there on film. Great stuff!

- Tom F.

[Greythan]

While I was too dumb to take pictures, I know I've bored you all with my "take my kids to training camp" story before.

Quick recap from two years ago:

- Took my three little ones (8, 6 and 4 at the time; boy/girl/boy)

- They had mixed feelings about standing around in the sun watching the players practice

- They LOVED the autograph tents at the end with the mini-footballs

- We LUCKED into getting into Josh Cribbs autograph line

- Josh looked EACH of my three children in the eyes when they passed him their football for an autograph and gave each a special greeting with some small talk ("Hey big man!" to my 8 year old, "Hi princess" to my 6 year old, and "What's up little man?" to my 4 year old.)

- They were all THRILLED at the special treatment from Josh and in turn he became my favorite modern day Brown in the process.

I'm taking them all again this Friday (yeah, I know I've said it a few times) and can't wait. Taking a camera this year.

[Danamal]

All you have to do is close your eyes and think of your earliest memories of time spent with your parents doing something,anything.
Never forget how important that is and good stuff Grey,I probably would have been in the line for Stallworth!