Cleveland Browns (2008 Season) - Page 52

osugrad21 · #**766** (**permalink**) 07-23-2008, 05:05 AM

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Browns sign 5 draft picks to 4-year contracts

CLEVELAND ? The Browns have signed all five of their 2008 draft picks to four-year contracts.
Cleveland had no picks in the first three rounds of the April draft. They had to wait until the fourth round to select UNLV linebacker Beau Bell and Missouri tight end Martin Rucker with picks acquired in trades with Dallas.
Rucker was a consensus first team All-American last year, and Bell won the Mountain West Conference defensive player of the year award.
Also signed are Ahtyba Rubin, an Iowa State defensive lineman, Paul Hubbard ? a receiver at Wisconsin and Alex Hall, a defensive end from St. Augustine in North Carolina.
Terms of the deals were not disclosed.

osugrad21 · #**767** (**permalink**) 07-23-2008, 05:06 AM

DDN

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Training camp begins with unbridled optimism

By Bill Lubinger
The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer

Wednesday, July 23, 2008
CLEVELAND ? Any day now, freeway commuters will see new orange, brown and white billboards with an unlikely battle cry for a town typecast as perennial sports victim: ?There?s always this year.?
What?s this? Hope? A dash of self-confidence even?
Last summer, a quarterback chosen by coin flip led the Browns onto their Berea practice field fresh off a 4-12 season.
As training camp opens at Browns headquarters today, last season?s 10-6 mark and near-playoff miss, a roster of rising stars and a rugged, ready-for-primetime schedule are whipping up a wave of optimism not seen since the Bernie Kosar era of the late ?80s.
Limited game tickets were snapped up. Browns merchandise is hot. National media are watching.
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osugrad21 · #**768** (**permalink**) 07-23-2008, 05:11 AM

ABJ

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Prime-time anticipation for Browns Fans, networks have lofty expectations as camp gets under way
By Marla Ridenour
Beacon Journal sportswriter

Published on Wednesday, Jul 23, 2008
BEREA: Two weeks ago, crews from ESPN and the NFL Network spent hours scouting camera positions and familiarizing themselves with Cleveland Browns Stadium.
The practice facility in Berea will be a popular stop for national writers making their summer rounds, especially with the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction in Canton on Aug. 2. A few visited during June's mini camp.
Coming off a 10-6 season that fell one game short of the playoffs, the Browns step into the NFL spotlight when training camp opens today.
Expectations have not been this high since the late Bud Carson coached the Browns in 1989-90. Local hysteria might more closely approach the days of Bernie Kosar in the mid-1980s, when 10,000 fans packed Lakeland Community College in Kirtland and the popular quarterback ran a gauntlet of autograph seekers screaming, ''Bernie, Bernie.'' This time the high-pitched wails probably will plead, ''Brady, Brady,'' with children seeking a few seconds with backup quarterback Brady Quinn.
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osugrad21 · #**769** (**permalink**) 07-23-2008, 05:12 AM

ABJ

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Hard not to think good thoughts now Lots to think about before training camp
By Patrick McManamon
Beacon Journal sports columnist

Published on Wednesday, Jul 23, 2008
I think I heard a rumor that Browns training camp opens today.
Imagine that one slipping by.
The opening of camp always prompts some thoughts about the state of the team, and this season is no different.
I think there is little reason not to be optimistic about the Browns' chances. They have questions, but no more than any other team, and the questions they have are answerable. As camp opens, there's really no reason to think they cannot win the division.
I think it has been a long, long time since we looked at the Browns' roster and did not find a position that lacked a solution.
I think that's a nice feeling to have.
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osugrad21 · #**770** (**permalink**) 07-23-2008, 05:15 AM

CPD

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Ready . . . set . . . football!

Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Unlike any time in their expansion era, the Browns don't have to spend much of their training camp choosing their starting lineup. Barring injuries, the starters are fairly obvious.
That leaves the 19 days of camp, beginning today in Berea, to expand the resurgent offense, retool the defense under new coordinator Mel Tucker and evaluate the bottom end of the roster.
This season of great expectations holds different challenges for coach Romeo Crennel and his staff. Foremost is to manage the team through camp with few injuries while prioritizing the positions that will make up the final roster. The four exhibition games, more than ever, seem irrelevant to the bulk of the team.

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