Cleveland Browns wide receiver Terrelle Pryor gives assistant athletic trainer Gordon Williams a noogie as they have some fun following training camp. Joshua Gunter, Cleveland.com Monday, August 1, 2016. Berea
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- I can understand the training camp excitement about seeing Josh Gordon, Terrelle Pryor, Gary Barnidge, Corey Coleman and Robert Griffin III on the same field.
These are very gifted athletes.
But I want to inject some realism -- if three of the five players come through, the Browns should be overjoyed. Let's think about what these five did last season:
1. Griffin didn't take a single snap with Washington. His last good NFL season was 2012.
2. Gordon was suspended for the entire 2015 season. He played only five games in 2014. His last good season was 2013.
3. Barnidge had a career year in 2015, catching 79 passes and making the Pro Bowl. In his six previous pro seasons, he caught only 44 passes.
4. Pryor played three games for the Browns, catching one pass. The former Ohio State quarterback is learning to be a wide receiver.
5. Coleman was the 2015 Biletnikoff winner as college football's top receiver. The Browns' first-round pick caught 20 TD passes at Baylor.
So of the five, only Barnidge did anything of note in the NFL last season.
This is not a story about how all five are destined to fail. I doubt that will happen. But it's wildly optimistic -- even by the standards of the most avid fan -- to believe all five will deliver. If nothing else, injuries loom. Griffin has had trouble staying healthy. Gordon is still trying to get into full NFL physical condition. You get the point.
A QUICK LOOK AT THREE
1. Barnidge bloomed at age 30. He played like a Pro Bowl tight end, especially when it came to receptions. His blocking is so-so. But I love 6-foot-6, 250-pound tight ends who know how to find holes in the defense. That's Barnidge, a very big and enticing target for Griffin. I don't think last season was a fluke.
2. Coleman had a terrific college career. In parts of training camp, his speed and ability to catch the ball have been on display. I put him right with Barnidge as likely to make an immediate contribution.
3. Gordon? He has the raw talent. You could see it in Friday's preseason loss to Tampa Bay, where he caught an acrobatic 43-yard TD pass. He also had a 44-yard catch in the first quarter. But he has to pass all the drug tests during his next suspension, covering the first four games of this season. The self-discipline has long been a huge question mark. He has to a lot to prove in terms of doing the right thing, day-after-day, month-after-month.
ABOUT ROBERT GRIFFIN III
Griffin is fascinating. When healthy, he is an elite athlete -- a former track star at Baylor. He has charisma and has worked extremely hard since coming to the Browns. He has a coach who really wants him.
That was not always the case in Washington. Former coach Mike Shanahan told the Undefeated's Jason Reid that he was against trading for the rights to draft Griffin.
"(Washington Owner) Dan (Snyder) knew I wasn't very happy about what we did. ... I just didn't think it was very smart to give up that much for a guy who we didn't even know if he could drop back and throw.
"When I finally sat down with Dan, I said, 'Hey, you own the team. We can work with him and do some things. But we haven't seen anything on tape that warrants giving [up] this type of compensation.' To me, it was absolutely crazy. But I told Dan that if that's what he wanted to do, I'd make it work."
It worked in 2011, and the Shanahan coaching staff took credit. When Griffin was hurt or made some poor decisions with a lack of accountabilty -- the coaches quickly shifted blame to Griffin.
He is a player who needs a fresh start. He is a 26-year-old who should be entering his NFL prime. If Griffin fails, it's on him -- not the coaching staff. That's why I'm patient with the Griffin experiment. I can picture a way that he becomes a viable NFL quarterback in Hue Jackson's system.
It's also easy to see how he could fail, especially if he refuses to avoid contact when running the ball.
ABOUT TERRELLE PRYOR
I'm extremely encouraged by Pryor. He's 6-foot-4, 225 pounds of raw athleticism.
The Browns have been extremely excited about the way Pryor has worked to learn his new position. He has been obsessed with it. Like Griffin, he has a coaching staff who believes in him.
Not sure that was the case last season. Former general manager Ray Farmer signed Pryor. Former coach Mike Pettine didn't seem very excited about it. Then Pryor pulled a hamstring and missed much of the 2015 training camp. He was cut before opening day so the Browns could sign Robert Turbin ... who played three games before he was cut.
Now, Pryor is working with Al Saunders, considered one of the NFL's best at teaching receivers. That also has made a difference.
Can Pryor stay healthy for a full season as a receiver? Can he adapt to defenses scheming to stop him? Can he catch balls over the middle? Those are question marks, but I want to see more of Pryor.
He has approached this season as if it's life-and-death for his NFL career, and that is the case. So far, he's showing lots of life.
ABOUT EXPECTATIONS
Browns vice president Sashi Brown told Cleveland media members: "We would be very disappointed if we have four wins. That said, we're not going to measure our success just in terms of wins. We're realistic with where our roster is in terms of a proven roster that's capable of winning."
This front office doesn't talk about "rebuilding." That because they know they really are "building." When you haven't had a winning season since 2007, there's not much to rebuild. That's why they are focused on piling up draft picks, adding young players, taking chances on athletes such as Pryor and Griffin from other teams.
But they also have an experienced, driven coaching staff. Like many of the players, Jackson & Company have a lot to prove at this stage of their NFL careers.
If the Browns were in total tank mode, they would have traded Josh McCown by now. But they know if Griffin gets hurt, they want a veteran quarterback who can hold things together.
So many of the key players on offense are young/inexperienced. Consider the following: Corey Coleman (age 22), Duke Johnson (22), Isaiah Crowell (23), Gordon (25), Pryor (27), Terrell Watson (23) and Rashard Higgins (21). I mention Watson and Higgins because it appears they are climbing up the coaches' depth chart.
On the offensive line, the youth extends to Cameron Erving (23), Joel Bitonio (24) and Austin Pastor (26).
One way to develop all those young players is have some experience at the quarterback position.
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