Rookie running back Terrance West did his best imitation of Spiderman on the opening day of the Browns 2014 training camp.
West twice reached out, extending his arm and with one hand snared the ball during one-on-one passing drills on July 26 at team headquarters in Berea. He made both plays on the right sideline in front of fans who roared their approval.
Photo gallery from today’s practice
‘I was a little shocked with Terrance today,’ Coach Mike Pettine said. ‘I had to double-check my roster card to make sure I was looking at the right number. He did some nice things in the one-on-one period. That’s always a bonus, when you have a guy that’s not just one dimensional. You don’t say, ‘We don’t need to cover him. We’re defending the run only.’
‘The more guys you can have like that the better. I think Ben (Tate) is probably going to be a little bit ahead of him just naturally in the protection part of it, but Terrance isn’t far behind.’
West and Tate are competing to start at running back. Tate was with the first unit as camp opened.
Tate during minicamp last month said, ‘I respect every running back here, but there’s nobody that can really touch me or is close to what I do.’
West on July 26 said he was not insulted by Tate’s remarks. He is using them as motivation in training camp.
‘Everybody is supposed to feel like that,’ West said. ‘If you don’t, you shouldn’t be on this field. We’ll see. Actions speak louder than words, so let’s go.
‘Use everything as motivation. That’s what I do. Use all the negatives for a positive.’
West is not awed by the step up in competition from Towson to the NFL. He did not pass his conditioning test on July 23, but Pettine admitted it was a matter of misunderstanding because he said West ‘crushed it’ the next day.
Hoyer’s day
Starting quarterback Brian Hoyer was sharp at times running the first team offense. He struggled at other times. His best throw was a 30-yard completion to tight end Jordan Cameron down the middle of the field. He also threw a pass Barkevious Mingo intercepted off a deflection. Another pass intended for Willie Snead was deflected by rookie Justin Gilbert.
‘It’s a good building block for our foundation,’ Hoyer said. ‘Now, you’ve got to go back and review the film and make corrections on mistakes and keep learning and move on.’
Hoyer appreciated fans chanting his name as players emerged from the locker room at the start of practice. Johnny Manziel’s ‘2’ jersey was the most popular in the stands, but fans supported both players equally.
‘Like I’ve said all along, playing for this team was my dream as a child, but also being from here doesn’t make me the best quarterback for this team,’ Hoyer said. ‘I want to earn it out on the field, and it’s great to have the support of fans.’
A reporter praised Hoyer for being classy as he tries to hold off a challenge from Manziel.
‘When it comes down to it, all that matters is what happens on the field,’ he said. ‘No one is going to cheer for a good guy if they’re 4-12. It’s good to know that people respect me and my character, but for me, when it comes down to it, it’s all about what happens out on the field.’
Hoyer has full clearance to practice, but said he will wear a brace on his surgically repaired right knee all season. He said the brace does not impede him.
The stripper
Cornerback Buster Skrine, trying to fend off a challenge from Gilbert, stripped the ball from Tate as Tate ran down the right sideline. … Miles Austin practiced. He was held out of OTAs and minicamp because of a hamstring injury. … Wide receiver Travis Benjamin fielded kicks. Benjamin was cleared to practice after missing OTAs and minicamp recovering from a torn ACL. …Rookie Joel Bitonio was the left guard and second-year player Garrett Gilkey the right guard with the first offense. …John Greco, the starting left guard in 13 games last year, is sidelined with an undisclosed injury.
Six players sidelined
Six players are on the active/non-football injury list – tight ends Gary Barnidge and MarQueis Gray; defensive linemen Phil Taylor and Billy Winn; linebacker Tank Carder and Greco.
It is believed Taylor and Barnidge did not pass their conditioning test July 25 or 26. Carder and Winn, plus Greco, are nursing injuries. Gray’s situation is unknown.
‘It (failing the conditioning test) is an area of concern,’ Pettine said. ‘We weren’t just going to have a real easy conditioning test. We wanted to make sure that guys came back and that we were ready to go. A couple guys may have had minor injuries coming into it. They were exacerbated a little bit when they went through the test, so it’ll be a period of time.
‘We might get a guy back tomorrow or the next day. It might take a period of a week or two to get everybody back full, but I think that’s the price of doing that. I believe a tough conditioning test keeps the guys on edge and makes sure that they come back ready to go.’
Seven sellouts
The Browns announced the next six practices in Berea are sold out, including the one July 27. The attendance for the first practice of camp was 3,702.
Fans from 10 states – Ohio, California, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Texas – attended practice, the Browns reported.
