Camp off and running

08.01.2009

One training camp practice is in the books. If you weren't part of the large, enthusiastic crowd on hand Saturday morning, here's a little of what you missed...

**Brady Quinn got the first snap with the first-team offense, but head coach Eric Mangini said the reps will be split evenly between Quinn and Derek Anderson until a starter is declared.

"We'll alternate depending on day and teaching progression," Mangini said. "They'll get an equal amount of reps and they'll be equally distributed through different segments -- red area, third down, two-minute. We'll track the reps daily, as we track all the reps daily."

**A couple rookie linebackers made an impression in an early one-on-one blitz drill against running backs. Kaluka Maiava got the better end of a big collision with Charles Ali, then blew past James Davis. David Veikune laid a big hit on Lawrence Vickers, but on Vickers' next rep he stepped up and knocked Beau Bell back. Veikune later beat Jamal Lewis with a swim move.

**On the first play of the inside run drill, Lewis drew a round of applause after finding traffic on a run to the right and making a nifty cut back to daylight on the left side. A few plays later, Ali got one back for the fullbacks when he delivered a punishing lead block on Veikune.

**Ryan Tucker said he did contemplate retirement following minicamp, but said he's now in a good frame of mind and anxious for his 13th NFL season. Tucker has battled injuries the last couple years but said he's worked hard to come back and being around his teammates has him ready for football. Tucker was clean shaven and wearing his hair short for the first time "since second grade," he joked.

**Steve Heiden, who's rehabbing from a December knee injury, practiced but wore a red "no contact" jersey. Robaire Smith, who suffered a torn Achilles tendon last September, practiced and said he's making progress, but he also said he's not full-go yet.

**Not that any lineup is even close to set on the first day, but the first offensive line looked like this, from left to right: Joe Thomas, Eric Steinbach, Hank Fraley, Floyd Womack, John St. Clair. The second line, in the same listing order: Isaac Sowells, Rex Hadnot, Alex Mack, Tucker, George Foster.

**The first defensive line had Shaun Rogers at nose flanked by Kenyon Coleman and C.J. Mosley at the ends. On the second line, Robaire and Shaun Smith were at end with Ahtyba Rubin at nose.

**In a later one-on-one drill, Rogers welcomed Alex Mack to the NFL by pushing the rookie five or six yards back off the snap.

**In a 7-on-7 drill, Mike Adams intercepted a Derek Anderson pass. On Anderson's next throw, he threw a dart to the sideline to Syndric Steptoe after getting Brandon McDonald to bite on a pump fake.

**Phil Dawson kicked the session-ending field goal on extra-narrow goal posts at the northeast end of the practice fields, another thing new to the Browns. After practice, Mangini said he wasn't sure exactly how wide the small target was. Dawson said he liked the challenge: "Make the slightest little mistake, and you're going to miss."