Browns notes: Quinn hoping to find a groove
Scott Petrak | The Chronicle-Telegram
BEREA — After a week of training camp, quarterback Brady Quinn is still trying to iron out the kinks.
During the morning practice Wednesday, he threw late toward the sideline and was intercepted by safety Nick Sorensen. Later in the session, he rolled right and threw a strike to Efrem Hill on a 10-yard comeback.
That’s how his camp has gone. Some good and plenty of bad.
“He hasn’t been as smooth as I think he wants to be. But I think he’s having fun,” coach Romeo Crennel said.
“Sometimes he tries to make plays down the field when in a different situation he might make a different choice. I know that he works hard. Things are going to smooth out for him and he will be less erratic.”
Quinn’s worst practice was last Friday when he threw three interceptions and fumbled a snap during a terrible stretch of team drills.
“You just put it behind you,” Quinn said earlier this week. “Obviously when you’re playing football, you have your good days and bad days — hopefully more good than bad.”
Quinn throws to his outlet receivers considerably more than starter Derek Anderson does, but Crennel said he believes Quinn is taking more chances downfield.
“Last year he would just take what the defense gave him,” Crennel said. “He has better command of the offense and he’s trying to anticipate when he can make a play down the field.”
Crennel wouldn’t cut Quinn any slack for working predominantly with the second-team offense.
“You’ve got to make the play. That doesn’t make any difference,” he said.
Anderson has been sharper than Quinn, but Crennel isn’t satisfied.
“He’s got things he needs to do to improve also, he’s not as smooth as he needs to be,” he said.
Holly not jolly
The Browns miss cornerback Daven Holly and he misses them.
Holly stopped by practice this week after rehabbing in the team facility. He would’ve competed with Brandon McDonald for a starting spot but suffered a major knee injury during organized team activities and is out for the season. The team has been left short-handed at cornerback and is hoping to add a veteran before the season.
Holly said he only feels pain when he bends the knee severely in range-of-motion exercises. He would only say he tore the anterior cruciate ligament, but he’s believed to have torn multiple ligaments. He expects to be ready for 2009.
“A delay is not a denial,” he said. “I’m only 25.”
Holly said it’s difficult watching the team without him. He was entering the final season of his contract and was hoping to sign a multimillion-dollar, long-term deal.
“It’s all bad,” he said. “I want to come back here next year. I’m staying here for rehab so they can see what I’m doing.”
Romeo: Let it rain
The first real rain of camp arrived Wednesday morning. A steady rain fell for about 10 minutes, sending some fans to their cars.
The team never left the field or stopped practicing.
“It was good for us,” Crennel said. “Guys have to play with their feet under them, handle a slick ball and concentrate.”
Although the flashbulbs from cameras gave the appearance of lightning, Crennel said he was well-advised that no electricity was in the atmosphere. If so, he would’ve removed the team.
Injury report
Linebacker Antwan Peek missed both practices with a sore right knee. He said he was fine and Crennel said he’d be back in a day or two.
• Safety Gary Baxter (knees) didn’t practice.
• Defensive end Corey Williams (shoulder), fullback Lawrence Vickers (hamstring), receiver Kevin Kasper (hamstring), tight end Steve Heiden (knee) and guard Seth McKinney (ankle) were held out again.
Extra points
NFL officials will be in town for a few days to watch practice. They were instructed by Crennel not to throw flags Wednesday, but tell the players what they did wrong.
• The players held a brief players-only meeting following morning stretching.
• The receivers did a drill in which they yelled out a number written on the nose of the ball after making the catch.
• During a drill in which the running backs leaped two garbage cans and landed on a pad, Jerome Harrison had some fun by barreling into the cans.
Contact Scott Petrak at 329-7253 or spetrak@chroniclet.com.
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Filed by Scott Petrak | The Chronicle-Telegram July 31st, 2008 in Sports. Popularity: 24% |
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