Veterans and rookies alike are always in a state of learning in the National Football League.
During the Browns’ Organized Team Activities at the Berea training facility on Thursday, it was a day of recall and review to see how much players learned and remembered over the last few weeks. It is also a day for helping the players’ bodies and minds get used to a game day course of action.
“We’ve gone through two cycles of install, which is the first and second-down day, third-down day, red-area day,” Browns coach Eric Mangini said. “A review is considered a cycle. Today will be a catch-all day, so anything that we feel we want to go back and hit, maybe something we’ve installed but didn’t get to run as much as we’d like to, we’re doing that type of work.
“We’ll have a four-minute situation, a start of the game situation,” he added. “It’s just a good way to get into that routine of, you stretch, you go into the locker room, you kick-off and you’re rolling. It’s a little bit different. It’s not always scripted. We let the players have fun with that. It gives us a sense of things they like.”
With the installations complete, Mangini has noticed a lot of production from some of the newer Browns, specifically those on the defensive side of the ball.
“I think we’ve made a lot of progress with retention, with understanding different situations,” said Mangini. “I think 
Mangini has also seen progress out of the running back spot. With
“He’s looked good,” Mangini said of Harrison. “It’s really hard to evaluate where guys are. You’re looking at it more in terms of assignments, technique, things like that. He’s made very few mistakes, which is excellent. He looks similar to the way he looked. It’s just hard to project too far down the road without pads on.
“I think it’s a good situation,” he added. “Montario’s had a really outstanding camp for a young guy. He’s made very few mistakes. His level of maturity is one of the highest I’ve ever been around. That’s great; that’s going to give him the best chance to not only play, but to play a lot if he continues along this path. That’s exciting to see. It’s with a big asterisk because we don’t have pads on, there’s not games and we haven’t done a full evaluation, but I really like what he’s done to this point.”
DELHOMME CONTINUES TO IMPRESS
Browns quarterback
While he is in a new offensive system with different targets than he’s used to throwing to, Delhomme has displayed a sound ability to learn, adapt and still help wide receivers make good plays.
“He’s had a real good week,” Mangini said. “I’m getting to know him and (offensive coordinator) Brian (Daboll’s) getting to know him. He’s really bright. Chad Pennington was really bright. Jake just picks things up. Some of it is him picking it up and some of it is him knowing, him understanding and you don’t have to go too in-depth with why you’re doing it.
“He’s gotten the offense out of some plays that weren’t very good just by him understanding,” added Mangini. “He uses the cadence and it’s nice too from a defensive perspective with challenging those guys. You can teach both ways.”
TAKING A SECOND LOOK
With much of the sports world focusing on whether Major League Baseball should expand replay in the wake of umpire Jim Joyce’s incorrect call that cost Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga what would have been just the 21st perfect game in MLB history, Mangini was asked about his opinion of instant replay in the game of football.
“Any time you can get the call right, it’s a good thing,” said Mangini. “You want to get it right. At the end of the day you want to get it right and sometimes, you benefit from it and sometimes, you don’t. You can live with the fact that it’s right.”
