Some good things on both side of the ball for Family Night.

 First up, the offense is starting to get into rhythm - that was at least the case Friday night.  It may be me but Jamal Lewis looks faster and more powerful.  He hit holes quickly, broke some arm tackles.  Now granted this wasn't full contact, but nonetheless he impressed.

Braylon Edwards plays as if he wants to top last year's spectacular numbers.   Granted it's just practice right now, but when you're diving for balls as he did Friday night that says a lot about your desire.  He pulled in a 47-yard beauty from Derek Anderson.  I doubt that the Edwards that initially showed up in Cleveland several seasons ago would have done that. 

Anderson is also showing that he's developing chemistry with Donte Stallworth as the duo hooked up for a couple of nice receptions, one of them came with Anderson scrambling, lookign for an open man and finding Stallworth for a 13-yard gain on the sideline.

 Defensively, Eric Wright stepped up with a nice performance that included a pick of a Brady Quinn pass that should have never been thrown.  Rooking linebacker Alex Hall continues to impress as he had a sack in the controlled scrimmage.

As good as the Browns first-team offense looked in some cases Friday night, I was more in awe of the crowd that showed up; more than 26,000 screaming, jacked up fans attended the practice session.   After rookie Beau Bell saw that he had the mone quote of the night:  "They told me this was a football town, and they proved it right here.  This was just a practice; I can't wait for the games."

Another hot and sultry day - reminiscent of summer days in the great state of Alabama - out at Berea today.

Just when Coach Romeo Crennel offers some praise for Brady Quinn, the Cleveland Browns second string quarterback goes out and has - shall we say - an uneven day. Looking at Quinn in the team's lone practice today it was obvious that the passer wasn't accurate on deep routes today, often overthrowing the ball. 

Some of that can be attributed to blanket-like coverage of the Browns DBs on some occasions, but Quinn, for whatever reason, was off.  To his credit, however, he spent a significant amount of time after practice throwing balls to a member of the Browns staff.  Might he be pushing?  Possibly.

But Quinn needs to learn something right now:  for the time being, this isn't his team.  No matter how much he and his legions of fans want it, it's not happening this year unless starter Derek Anderson starts to look like Spurgeon Wynn.

Speaking of Mr. Anderson….With wide receiver Donte Stallworth able to go full speed after a slight hamstring issue, he and Anderson seem to be developing the all-important sense of timing and chemistry.  Anderson hit Stallworth on a nice bomb that the receiver laid out for drawing some serious applause from fans in attendance.  Yes, it was that impressive.

That would be one of the few times that Browns defensive backs would get burned all day, however. For the most part they attacked the ball, slapping passes away and creating turnovers.  Corner brothers Eric Wright and Brandon McDonald, the season's likely starters, draped themselves on receivers.  McDonald had one sweet interception and dropped another.  Wright proved consistent throughout.

Right now, McDonald's play gives Browns' management reason to hope that they won't end up with egg on their face for trading cornerback Leigh Bodden during the offseason.  Of course, looking good in practice and in playing situations are two different situations.

Travis & Travis sounds like a law firm.

It's not, but two players who share that name - Travis Thomas and Travis Wilson - may actually make contributions to the Browns this year.  I mentioned Thomas in my post earlier today.

Wilson has been drawing a lot of attention because the former third round draft pick out of Oklahoma looks to be living up to the potential that the Browns saw in him when they took him in the '06 draft.  Like Thomas, Wilson continues to impress with his consistency in camp.  He snared several passes in the evening practice.  That hasn't been the problem throughout his career, however. Catching them consistently has been.

A situation exists in on this team that the third receiver role is wide open and it's anyone's for the taking.  Josh Cribbs has had little problem believing he's up to the task.  Yet, it's Wilson who continues to catch the attention of fans and the assembled media.

If Kellen Winslow plays in games the way he is during training camp, opposing linebackers and DBs will be in trouble.  Winslow caught several balls this evening and looked unstoppable on runs after those catches.  His potential backup, fourth-round choice Martin Rucker, also got in the act looking good on one reception.

The big question on the defensive side of the ball very well may be who is Alex Hall is.  Should you make it to training camp, play close attention.  The linebacker defensed several passes like a veteran.

Weather that caused an immediate sweat remained in Berea for the Cleveland Browns morning practice - only this time it brought a calvacade of clouds - the dark ones too.  While some of the fans were disappointed that they got drenched for a brief spell, Browns Coach Romeio Crennel couldn't help but show his happiness over the soaking.  "We learned how to play with our feet under us.  It was good," he said. 

 Indeed that proved to be the case as the weather didn't seem to faze the players - with the exception of a minor slip here and there.  Some of the rest of us are still drying out, however.

 Crennel brought in game officials for the morning practice for the first time during camp.

"We had the officials here to put emphasis on what happens in games," he said.  "The officials are looking at things evne though they're not dropping flags.  If they see a guy do something they talk to them and say 'Look, that's going to be a penalty, we we were able to re-inforce the proper way to play the game."

Brady Quinn continues to draw a lot of attention, especially from fans. He looked good throwing a few balls on out patterns, but what is very obvious when you look at him and Derek Anderson is how differently they approach the game.  On many of the passing plays Anderson looked down field first before checking down to a receiver.  Quinn seemed to look shorter first.  Crennel said that has worked to change that through the first week of camp.

One thing that you can see in the Browns defense, first and foremost is that they're active, secondly when given the chance, they like hitting.  In the case of Jereme Perry, he apparently loves it.  He laid wideout Efrem Hill out on a play that elicited "oohs" and "ahhs" from the fans that saw it.

 Once again, running back, Travis Thomas looked good.  In the two days I've been here he's yet to drop a ball and he looks to hit holes with some pop.

The Browns must address two perceived weaknesses on offense - lack of depth at the running back and wide receiver positions. If Travis Wilson can continue to have a consistent camp, he may fill the latter role.

How pumped are Browns fans?  Pumped enough to cheer when kicker Phil Dawson, taking practice kicks, made several in a row, the longest being 48 yards.

Today felt like a pro football training camp - hot, sticky and a sun beating down so ferociously you felt as if you were the main dish at a Thanksgiving Day turkey dinner - and that's just how I felt.

But that sizzling, sultry air the Browns looked to get some serious work done.

Offensively, observers couldn't help but notice a package of plays that that unity worked on that revolved around kick returner-wide receiver and former Kent State Golden Flash, Joshua Cribbs.

They showed a number of plays that had Cribbs taking a direct snap, running an option and throwing the ball.  While Rob Chudzinski's offense flashed a little of this last season, Cribbs said after practice that they are looking to implementing it more this year.  He suggested that it will go a long way toward helping to keep opposing teams off balance defensively.

 Indeed, that would add some more wrinkles to the Browns' O, but what that unit really needs is for Cribbs, or another receiver, to step up and claim the No. 3 spot in that corps.  With Joe Jurevicius out until at least the start of the season, the Browns will need someone with soft hands to fill that role.  Cribbs, should he develop some consistency (he dropped a couple of balls in practice Tuesday), could fill that spot.

From what I've seen in the practices I've been to thus far, the offensive line possesses the potential to be dominating.  Courtesy of explosion off the ball, the O-line opened holes for all of the running backs to waltz through.  Jamal Lewis showed an impressive mix of power and speed.  Jerome Harrison showed some breakaway speed as did Jason Wright.  Rookie free agent Travis Thomas (Notre Dame) made the most of his limited opportunities.

Defensively, Brandon McDonald, the second-year cornerback who made Leigh Bodden expendable in the off season blanketed almost every receiver he covered and Mike Adams grabbed an interception off a pass tipped by wide receiver Travis Wilson.  Although they're not allowed to touch the quarterbacks, on some plays it was obvious that the defensive line at bare minimum would have forced a bad pass.

Browns quarterback Derek Anderson looks to be in the best shape of his life.

He said he trained extremely hard during the six weeks he spent at home in Oregon before training camp. That included sessions with a woman in Portland who specializes in Thai massage and has worked with several members of the NBA's TrailBlazers. He called her somewhat of a "hippie."

When asked on the first day of camp if he had six-pack abs, Anderson joked and said, "4 1/2." But he really wasn't kidding. His 6-foot-6 frame now boasts a waist that looks as tight as Tiger Woods'. Backup quarterback Brady Quinn, a workout fanatic, has no edge on Anderson now in that regard.

Declared the Browns starter when he signed a new contract in the off-season, Anderson said his motivation was to make it through 16 games and perhaps a playoff run.

"The long haul of the season, getting through the season with all those games, your body gets worn down," he said. "I was just tying to make sure my body was ready for that pounding and that marathon."

Impressions from training camp, Thursday, July 24

Excuse me if I'm old fashioned, but why was rookie tight end Martin Rucker wearing diamond stud earrings in both ears at the team's first practice in pads? Doesn't that hurt with a helmet on?

Receiver Travis Wilson continues to show improvement. The third-round pick in 2006 made a sliding catch of a Brady Quinn pass. Not sure he would have gone after that one last year.

The most entertaining assistant coach: Ted Daisher (special teams). The man can be heard no matter which practice field he's on and where you're standing. And he pulls no punches. When the morning drill started lethargically, Daisher said, "Let's cut the B.S. and get lined up." His language may be a little salty, but is nowhere near as bad as former defensive coordinator Nick Saban, who had fans complaining about what their children were hearing during the Belichick regime.

In the morning, the linebackers seemed a little over-aggressive and for some reason their target was running back Jamal Lewis. Andra Davis appeared late with two knockdowns after short pass receptions, so Lewis took it out on Shantee Orr, putting him on the ground with a forearm. When the evening session started, defensive lineman Shaun Smith said during stretching, "Please do not touch No. 31 (Lewis)."

Worst play of the morning: Third-string quarterback Ken Dorsey slips and falls after a handoff.

The young Browns seem more accountable for their actions already. When rookie linebacker Beau Bell dropped a ball in an interception drill that a coach threw right to him, he got down on the ground and did a few pushups. Later when running back Jerome Harrison missed a swing pass from Dorsey, he also did pushups.

Jason Wright missed the evening session with an undisclosed injury and spent part of the session riding the bike. He was close enough to see Bell stuff fullback Lawrence Vickers on a running play, which prompted Vickers to shove Bell. Wright laughed as he chastized Vickers for trying to start something.

It may be just my imagination, but the offense looks different when Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn are running team drills. Anderson always looks for the deep pass and is willing to wait for his receivers to get open. Most of Quinn's completions are dump passes to running backs or tight ends. Perhaps Quinn is only executing the plays that are called.

Pro Bowl special teamer Joshua Cribbs didn't look focused when fielding punts in the evening, but as a receiver he had a decent practice. His best catch was snatching a ball from Dorsey out of the air in traffic.

It's only one day of serious practice, but none of the young receivers have stood out in the battle for the No. 3 job. Wonder if the Browns would consider taking Keenan McCardell back. He's looking for a job and might be willing to return to the city where he started his career from 1992-95.

Player of the day: Kellen Winslow. Even though he's still knocking the rust off after a post-season knee cleanup, the tight end shows every day how special he is with his effort and superb performance. His teammates came out in shoulder pads and shorts in the evening, but he was in full gear as usual.

Ten night practices, including an event at Cleveland Browns Stadium, highlight the Browns' training camp schedule announced Wednesday.

The Browns will take the field at their Berea headquarters on July 23 for drills that will span 19 days and 28 practices.

Among the events planned for camp, which runs through Aug. 16, is Family Night on Friday, Aug. 1 at 7 p.m. at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Doors open at 6 p.m., with music and giveaways starting on the Tailgate Terrace on the east patio at 4:30 p.m. The evening will conclude with a fireworks show.

Also scheduled are locker room sales of game-used equipment on July 30 and Aug. 10, a blood drive on July 26, a school supplies drive on July 30 and Browns Backers weekend Aug. 1-3.

Practices moved indoors due to inclement weather are closed to the public.

PRACTICE SCHEDULE

Wed., July 23………………… Afternoon Practice………………………. 3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Thur., July 24……………….. Morning Practice………………………… 8:45 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.
Evening Practice………………………….. 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Fri., July 25………………….. Afternoon Practice………………………. 2:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Sat., July 26………………….. Morning Practice………………………… 8:45 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.
Evening Practice………………………….. 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Sun., July 27…………………. Afternoon Practice………………………. 2:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Mon., July 28……………….. Morning Practice………………………… 8:45 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.
Evening Practice………………………….. 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Tue., July 29…………………. Afternoon Practice………………………. 2:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Wed., July 30………………… Morning Practice………………………… 8:45 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.
Evening Practice………………………….. 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Thur., July 31……………….. Afternoon Practice………………………. 2:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Fri., Aug. 1……………………. Family Night at Cleveland Browns Stadium - 7:00 p.m.
Sat., Aug. 2…………………… No Practice
Sun., Aug. 3………………….. Afternoon Practice………………………. 2:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Mon., Aug. 4………………… Morning Practice………………………… 8:45 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.
Evening Practice………………………….. 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Tue., Aug. 5………………….. Afternoon Practice………………………. 2:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Wed., Aug. 6…………………. No Practice
Thur., Aug. 7………………… New York Jets at Cleveland Browns – 7:30 p.m.
Fri., Aug. 8……………………. No Practice
Sat., Aug. 9…………………… Afternoon Practice………………………. 2:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Sun., Aug. 10………………… Morning Practice………………………… 8:45 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.
Evening Practice………………………….. 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Tue., Aug. 12………………… Morning Practice………………………… 8:45 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.
Evening Practice………………………….. 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Wed., Aug. 13……………….. Afternoon Practice………………………. 2:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Thur., Aug. 14………………. Morning Practice………………………… 8:45 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.
Evening Practice………………………….. 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Fri., Aug. 15………………….. Afternoon Practice………………………. 2:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Sat., Aug. 16…………………. Morning Practice………………………… 8:45 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.
Evening Practice………………………….. 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

PROHIBITED
* Smoking
* Weapons, noisemakers, animals, and aerosol cans
* Alcoholic beverages
* Cans and glass
* Hard plastic coolers
* Commercial video equipment

PERMITTED ITEMS
* Plastic bottles and boxed liquids.
* Soft case coolers
* Cameras (not interfering with other fans' view; images may not be used commercially)
* Umbrellas, strollers, purses, fanny packs, backpacks and diaper bags (subject to inspection)
* Portable folding chairs, lawn chairs (subject to inspection)

PARKING: Free at Baldwin-Wallace College. Entrance at Beech Street. Parking on city streets is prohibited without a residential permit.

HANDICAPPED PARKING: On Front Street at the Berea Recreation Center with a shuttle to camp.

AUTOGRAPH SESSIONS: Children 12 and under will be selected randomly midway through each session and given brown or orange tickets, good for admission to a color-coded player autograph tent. Players will not be announced in advance. Players and coaches may be available along the fence for those who do not receive tickets.

CAPACITY: Once reached, the Browns will turn away fans for the remainder of the practice.

INFORMATION LINE: The schedule is subject to change. Call 877-6BROWNS (877-627-6967) for updates.

Center LeCharles Bentley left the Browns facility in Berea with a suitcase at lunchtime Wednesday and general manager Phil Savage later confirmed that Bentley had asked for and received his release.

Bentley did not show up for a morning team meeting, but spoke with Savage and coach Romeo Crennel after the first of two minicamp practices and they granted his request.

"The landscape of our team has changed from July, 2006," Savage said. "We want to wish him the best of luck in his pursuits, whatever they are. He's indicated he wants to play this year. There's no way for us to know whether he can or cannot.

"As far as the Browns and LeCharles, this is a chapter that finally comes to an end. We've got some closure to it now. We can go our separate ways in a positive manner and focus on the '08 season and training camp."

Bentley's agent, Jonathan Feinsod, did not respond to messages seeking comment.

Bentley spoke to reporters outside before being picked up by his mother. Asked if he'd asked for his release, he smiled and said, "Would I do that?" Asked about supposed bad blood between him in the Browns, he said, "Not any more."

Bentley suffered a torn patellar tendon on the first play of training camp in 2006 and contracted a staph infection that he said was life-and-limb threatening and required three more surgeries.

"It was a unique circumstance in terms of him being a local icon, playing at St. Ignatius and Ohio State, it was going to be the trifecta in playing for the Browns," Savage said. "It just didn't work out.

"It was a big disappointment for everybody, particularly him. He's got great pride in the kind of player he had been prior to getting here. He's got expectations and goals of trying to reach that level again. It's going to be somewhere else, apparently, at this point."

Bentley, 28, a Pro Bowler in New Orleans, Pro Bowler passed the Browns' physical Monday night, along with a running test that consisted of a series of 20 40-yard dashes. Savage said Bentley had also been cleared to play by his own doctor in New York.

Savage said he did not know what happened between Monday night and Wednesday morning. Bentley spoke to reporters Tuesday and hinted that he wasn't sure about his future in Cleveland.

"We've already gotten a note from his agent," Savage said. "We have a good relationship with those two guys. They've indicated they appreciate the way things were handled."

Kellen Winslow will attend the Browns' mandatory three-day minicamp that begins in Berea Tuesday. His off-season demand for a new contract led some to speculate that Winslow would hold out, especially given the history of his new agent, Drew Rosenhaus.

But Winslow's level of participation is unsure after he underwent a procedure to clean out his right knee after the Pro Bowl. Winslow originally hurt the knee in a motorcycle accident in spring, 2005.

The Browns will hold two practices Tuesday and Wednesday and one on Thursday that will cap a month of off-season training activities. Then the team will break until training camp begins, tentatively on July 23.

There may be no word until Tuesday morning on Monday's scheduled physical for center LeCharles Bentley. The former Ohio State star has been out the past two years after tearing his patellar tendon in July, 2006, and contracting a staph infection that required three more surgeries.

General manager Phil Savage will address the media at 10 a.m. Tuesday.