BEREA, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – As expected, the Browns’ best player was back on the field Friday but the left tackle situation remains up in the air for the third consecutive week.
Here’s the top Brownie Bites from Friday.
No pain, no gain – Myles Garrett has had foot problems for most of his life. Friday he revealed he had surgery on both of his feet as a child and the existing problems and pain he is dealing with might be related. “Hopefully the pain and everything else is something that we deal with and it goes away, but the issue itself is something that I'll probably have to deal with for so however long I end up playing,” Garrett said. “So it's just about managing that and playing through it.” Garrett practiced Friday after resting his feet Wednesday and Thursday and he is expected to play Sunday against the Giants. “It's still painful,” Garrett said. “It's just trying to get it as well as I can really try to lower the amount of inflammation and manage the pain until Friday. And then I definitely got to get some reps and some high-speed reps on my leg, get some running in so that I don't have to worry about anything else like soft tissue injuries, hamstring or anything like that. So just trying to take really the high-speed load off until Friday and then see how it feels, see how well I can go. Feels good. Lock and load, let's go.” The rest during the week, and likely in the weeks to follow, is part of the team’s plan to help Garrett manage and still play through the injury.
Status quo – The Browns left tackle situation going into Sunday remains unchanged – wait and see. “You have to see how guys come through tomorrow, how they feel tomorrow after a full week's worth of practice, those type of things,” head coach Kevin Stefanski said. “So all those guys are working really hard. We'll make those type of determinations as we get closer to the game.” Jack Conklin was a full participant for all three practices this week, a strong indication he could be active while Jedrick Wills Jr. continues to be limited. Although both are officially questionable, Conkin is closer to playing. Right tackle Dawand Jones, who is nursing a sore knee, said earlier this week he plans to play Sunday but during the open portion to reporters he took a knee and trainers spoke with him for a few minutes. Stefanski indicated that Jones was fine.
Hold on – The Browns are the most penalized team in the NFL heading into Week 3. Their biggest problem last weekend were the holding penalties that killed at least two drives. “Pre-snap penalties are, we're in a lot of control of that. Holding calls sometimes can be 50 50,” left guard Joel Bitonio said. “But if the guy's outside your framework, you got to try and let him go with the scrambling quarterback. Sometimes you don't exactly know where he is going, so when you feel that you got to try and release. I think the defensive linemen have gotten better at flopping a little bit as well, but it's something we have to work through. We've worked all week on really just focusing on like, Hey, if they're outside your framework and the ball should be out, let 'em go and live to play another day.”
Go big – We’ve seen the Browns new jumbo package include rookie Zack Zinter step in at tight end the first two weeks and backup quarterback Jameis Winston appears to be the new fourth down and short specialist. “We like to use everybody at our disposal and that it may be different game to game,” Stefanski said. “Truly we just go into what matchup we want. You're trying to go up against where you might be able to find a softer spot in a front, but it is so specific to each game….So playing your role, being a role player is a big deal for a team in this team sport and we appreciate all the guys that play the role.”
Injury report – OUT: RB Pierre Strong Jr. (hamstring), TE David Njoku (ankle); QUESTIONABLE: OT Jack Conklin (knee), LT Jedrick Wills Jr.; EXPECTED TO PLAY: DE Myles Garrett (foot), DT Dalvin Tomlinson (rest), RT Dawand Jones (knee), WR Jamari Thrash (illness), LS Charley Hughlett (foot), DE Zadarius Smith (back), CB Denzel Ward (shoulder), DE Alex Wright (triceps/elbow); Martin Emerson Jr. (ankle, shoulder), WR Jerry Jeudy (knee), DE Ogbo Okoronkwo (gameday concussion evaluation), LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (hand)
