BEREA, Ohio — By the time we reach August 14 on the calendar, the Cleveland Browns have usually been through at least one, if not two, preseason games along with several weeks of training camp.
As we all know, this is no ordinary year.
On Friday, the Browns got their coronavirus-delayed training camp underway in Berea, with new head coach Kevin Stefanski finally getting to have his entire roster on the field.
Well, almost the entire roster. Here's the rundown from Day 1.
TRETTER, GARRETT MISS PRACTICE
Stefanski started off Friday by informing reporters that center JC Tretter recently underwent a procedure on his knee and would not be practicing.
When asked how long Tretter would be unable to practice, Stefanski said, “We will see. I am going to make sure that I listen to the medical professionals.”
In addition, Myles Garrett missed practice with a hamstring issue. Stefanski said he should be fine.
BAKER SPEAKS
Reporters had the opportunity to speak with Browns QB Baker Mayfield via a Zoom conference before Friday's practice. There were several notable headlines from Mayfield.
**He talked about his struggles last year and used an interesting phrase, "I lost myself."
"Going and having success all through high school and college and having that standard so high and then the past couple years have been a rollercoaster of emotions and not nearly as much success as I am used to. I would say I lost myself not having that success, not finding out what was working. I tried different ways of trying to have that success, and I didn’t find it. I lost myself in that, and I wasn’t able to be who I am for these guys on the team. I have told them that, and I told them that if I am not doing that, hold me accountable. Just finding that and getting back to the basics, establish myself in this new system and attack it..”
**Mayfield told reporters that he made a concerted effort in the offseason to shed some excess pounds off of his frame.
“My emphasis was definitely cutting out the bad body weight. I think the bigger number was definitely the drop in weight of the bad pounds. That was my emphasis. Diet-wise, I cleaned it up."
**And he also reaffirmed his offseason statement that he would kneel during the national anthem in support of racial justice.
"Right is right, and wrong is wrong. There is a human rights issue that has been going on for a long time, and I believe in that. It is nothing against military or anybody who served. Anybody that knows my history knows that I completely support military and the people that serve our country for the right reasons and do it for justice. The people that do not know that, that is OK – just take your time and take a second to get to know me. It is a human rights issue. There is right, and there is wrong.”
You can watch Baker Mayfield's entire press conference below:
JIMMY'S TAKE
One of the best parts about camp for us is knowing that the 'Voice of the Browns,' Jimmy Donovan, is there to take in all the action for us. Here's what he had to say after Friday's practice on Front Row.
STEFANSKI DAY 1 ASSESSMENT
“Really fun to be out there with the crew. Got a lot of good work in. Our players are realizing that football shape is different than any other shape. They are pushing through it. There was some good hard work, and hopefully, we are going to use some of the things that maybe we did not so well, identify them and correct them for the next time. It was good work, though, for the first day. “
WATCH BROWNS LIVE: TRAINING CAMP
Yes, it's painful for all of us who aren't able to go out to Berea to see the team in action. Kudos to the Browns for coming up with a cool alternative. The team has put together a show called Browns Live: Training Camp and streaming it on their social media platforms. Host Nathan Zegura is joined by former Pro Bowl returner Josh Cribbs. Check out the Browns on the field below:
NEXT PRACTICE
The players are off on Saturday, but will return to the field on Sunday afternoon.