These guys are quietly doing amazing jobs.
• Woods was supposed to be a DB whisperer, check, our DB's are looking great vs all-pro receivers.
• He has the DL room tight as a drum. The first team AND second team. They’re said to have great chemistry already.
• LB's? Even with Mack out, they're doing better then we hoped. Zegura naming Taktaki the star of the defense for training camp, with Elliott and Ekuale as honorable mentions. BJG seems to have hit his carreer-stride.
• Callahan has totally squashed the camp battle of the off season, which was right guard. Teller has had a great camp. • Nick Harris has too.
• And yet he's still molding Jed, who by all reports, is truly coming along with his willingness to learn.
The only caveat, there is no preseason game live bullets to really know.
AB deserves credit for supplying the horses, but Woods and Callahan seem to be doing a bang-up job.
Agreed they deserve credit. It's easy to lose them due to the sheer amount of talent on the roster, but talent doesn't mean much if it isn't molded correctly. Everyone seems to be clicking and showing their abilities.
I don't want to put too much pressure on anyone because I feel we're at a great disadvantage due to the impact of COVID-19 on camp and preseason, but I do expect we'll see some flashes of a potential championship team.
Zegura also called Takitaki the most improved player on the entire team. He and Goodson have looked damn good together according to many sources... and so has Phillips.
More than ever, I have a feeling we'll go into the next offseason NOT talking much about linebackers.
Most improved for Taki. I think that's what I was referring to above as well.
Taki.....
A player taking a leap forward going into his second year - like that has ever happened before......
Seriously, GREAT post Ocon. Bill Callahan was a bit easier to project because of his NFL experience. But go back to his post combine interview on Building The Browns when he talked about how Jed Wills just blew him away with scheme recognition. I bet that even for an old timer like Bill - that had to get the juices flowing that much faster to want to work with Jed.
This may be Joe Woods' coming out party. Sad to have lost Delpit for the season, and I will be honest, I have not heard if/when Greedy will be back - but curiously, the Browns did not race out and sign a safety - post Delpit injury. That, my friends, I am sure is a sign of confidence in those who already call 76 Lou Groza Blvd. home. And that resonates LOUDLY in the locker room. But it also would not surprise me to see us sign another DB or S after Saturday's cuts if Andrew and Stefanski think it will improve the team.
3rd round is the 1st round for OBLBs (!). It really is kind of a sweet spot. Takitaki took a year, seems like Phillips is more immediate. I will not be overly stunned to see the Browns draft another in R3 or 4. A designated cover guy, for instance.
But it's pretty impressive that Mack, Sione, and Phillips all seem like keepers. Feed that 4-years-and-out pipeline, baby. Exception could be the Mike/Captain figure, seems to be BJ Goodson for now.