Brown players and coaches agreed to cut the practice to one hour Thursday and spend the rest of the practice time having a discussion indoors about how they could make positive changes about issues of social justice in Northeast Ohio.
The decision came after several professional sports teams and leagues proposed games and practices to hold similar talks after the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, by police. Coach Kevin Stefanski said he let the players make the decision and was fully supportive of any option they chose.
“I just felt it was important to get the players together and have a voice,” he said. “I’m in the moment, and what this moment evokes is dialogue and unity. I think we get that in a lot of ways from this football team. That’s what I really appreciate about the guys we have.”
Here’s some highlights from Thursday’s abbreviated practice:
Violation continues to find identity
Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt said Monday that the Browns were still working to find their offensive identity because the Browns implemented a new playbook by Stefanski.
“Through training camp and the installation, we are still trying to find out who we really are,” Van Pelt said. “We do not have that time in the spring. As we continue these next three or four days of practice, I now think as an offensive group that we are beginning to understand what we have, what we do well and how we can exploit defensive works. “
However, after the 10th team practice of training camp, quarterback Baker Mayfield believes the Browns are looking to do just that.
His chemistry with top receivers Odell Beckham Jr., Jarvis Landry and Austin Hooper appeared to be growing slowly. Rookie receivers Harrison Bryant and Donovan Peoples-Jones have also looked strong, and although not every game has gone according to plan – which is expected in every training camp – Mayfield believes the number of smooth reps has increased each practice.
“The more plays we run in this camp to see what the identity is, the more we start to see what works for us,” he said in an interview on Browns Live: Training Camp after Thursday’s practice. “I’m starting to feel more comfortable. It’s been great to go through installations for the first time and put everything under our belt for the first time. We’re really starting to make progress, what needs to happen. We know the feeling of urgency is on. a whole lot of time. “
One of the biggest components of that “identity,” so far, has been Mayfield’s consistent connection with tight ends, which is what the Browns hope to see after strengthening the tight space with Hooper and Bryant. If statistics of training camps were taken, the duo would be at the top of the receiving leaderboard in receptions, and Mayfield appeared to show a mid-season level of comfort in confidence on his tight ends for first-down pickups and more.
“It all comes back to communication and being on the same page,” Mayfield said. “There’s such a feeling that has to happen for tight ends to make the next move, and we have guys who have that instinct and feel it.”
