Berea— Browns General Manager Phil Savage met with the media and assessed the
Browns heading into this weekend’s mini camp.
Savage addressed several areas in his discussion with the media.
Q: Do you feel the team has made significant progress in the off-season?:
Savage: We’re very encouraged with our off season in respect to our on the
field and off the field progress. There are several areas. We have had
continuity and carry over from the coaches from last season. We feel we’ve
created a culture for winning and I think we’re well on our way to doing that.
We’ve kept our staff intact and the continuity will be positives that will help
us.
Q: Do you think there will be any major additions to the team between now and
training camp?:
Savage: I think it’s now a matter of taking the pieces and build with what we
have.
Q: Do you see Reuben Droughns still being the No. 1 back at this point?
Savage: Because Reuben Droughns ran for 1,200 yards last year, he would come
in as our No. 1 back based on what he did last year. I think the idea would be
for Reuben to be the No. 1 guy with a backup guy and a third down guy.
Q: Are you concerned about his recent legal problems?
Savage: There’s nothing new. We’re just waiting for the system to take its
course. We want a winning team on the field and we want to represent ourselves
off the field. It’s a bit of a concern. All in all, it’s a family situation. I
do think it will work its self out.
Q: How has Charlie Frye been as the starting quarterback?:
Savage: Charlie has had a solid showing so far. He might miss a couple of
passes but generally then comes through. I think his arm strength has improved
in terms of some of the short intermediate passes. He’s worked hard and it’s
showed up. I think he’s established himself as a leader. We’ve went down a path
with Charlie with that’s a vote of confidence in him. I think he’s responded
well so far. His characteristics have been that of a tough player with a lot of
moxy.
Q: What about the young receivers?
Savage: We need someone to emerge in place of Braylon Edwards. It’s too early
to say. (Brandon) Rideau has been catching the ball well. Frisman (Jackson) and
(Josh) Cribbs have been making strides. (Travis) Wilson is working hard. It’s
been good competition so far and we think someone will emerge.
Q: What about the veterans you’ve brought in?:
Savage: I think it’s been a good thing. We have established players almost at
every position. Last year, it was very quiet at practice and now with the
competition elevated it’s not nearly as quiet as it was last year. The biggest
challenged is taking all of the parts and bringing them together in three phases
of the game.
Q: Talk about Kellen Winslow.
Savage: He has participated in just about everything. There’s only been a
couple of things he’s been limited. There’s really no reason to think he
won’t be full go by training camp. As for the contact, he might be limited a
little there. I think he’s doing well. K2 has done well as an active
participant. If anything we’ve had to reign him in. He’s able to cut and I think
the team is generally watching to see what he can do.
Q: What about Braylon Edwards?
Savage: Braylon continues to rehab and is on a path that will lead him back
to the team. I said earlier about maybe Oct. 1 or sometime in September, but we
feel positive about what he’s accomplished.
Q: What has Jerome Harrison showed thus far?:
Savage: He’s shown a knack to get open and make things happen. He’s looked
pretty good so far.
Q: Any updates on the draft choices as far as getting them signed?:
Savage: We’ve had conversations with all of our draft choices. We’ll wait and
see how this develops in the next several weeks. The challenge is the minimum
salaries went up 19 percent and the cap went up just 4 ½ percent.
Q: How has Ken Dorsey looked?
Savage: Ken Dorsey is getting more and more comfortable with the system and
the coaches are getting encouraged. Ken doesn’t have any imagination about who
he has. We think he’s done pretty well. We’ll track him this weekend and see how
he ramps up.
Q: What do you think about the pass rush now that there are mobile
quarterbacks in the division?:
Savage: There are some quarterbacks in this division that can move around. I
feel a lot better now that we have some guys who can rush the passer. To have
guys like Kamerion Wimbley and Willie McGinest makes me feel better.
Q: Do you feel the Browns have made strides to catch up with some of the
other teams in the division?:
Savage: We try to keep our focus on our team. You never know until you get
out on the field. We brought in eight free agents and drafted 10 guys. Getting
K2 back is a positive and getting Braylon back at some point is a positive. We
think we can be competitive this season.