View from the golf cart: Awaiting the Browns

by Gary Shelton on August 22, 2019 · 0 comments

in general, NFL, Tampa Bay Bucs

Thursday, 4 a.m.

The first team that Bruce Arians flirted with this off-season was the Cleveland Browns.

The one he married was the Tampa Bay Bucs.

Those teams get together Friday night. Arians, for one, believes the hype about the Browns.

"I think (it’s) totally justified, yeah, (because of) what they did in the offseason," Arians said. "They’ve got a great young quarterback. I think he’s one of the best young guys to come in the league in a while. He brings a lot of confidence and a lot of energy to that team.

"You can just see them – I (broadcasted) them in the first game, then I did them later in the season — it was a totally different ball club, and it fed off to their defense. They’ve got some really good young players on defense, too. That’s a heck of a group of guys — you add the guys they added in the offseason and yeah, I think they’re a contender right off the bat.”

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On other topics, Arians said:

(On who might play): “Other than the guys who have been out, everybody else will be a game-time decision. Lavonte (David), Vita (Vea) — those guys who have been out — will not play in this ball game. Mike Evans will not play in this ball game. The rest of them will be game-time decisions. Like I said yesterday, how much they play will be determined on how we’re playing, and we’ll make those decisions as the game goes on. Like I said earlier, it’s a really good challenge for us. It’s a heck of a good football team coming in and it will be a nice measuring stick."

(On if safety Justin Evans was able to participate in team drills): "He’s not allowed to. He’s still on (Active/Physically Unable to Perform)."

(On what specifics he is looking for in Friday’s game): "Consistency and solid play, elimination of penalties on the kicking game, (and) just looking sharp against a good, solid opponent."

(On how much he expects the starters to play): "Like I said, it depends how well they play."

(On if he is concerned with the injuries at outside linebacker): "Yeah, it’s always a problem. They’re always happening in the same position, but we’re okay there. We’ll have enough guys."

(On how he will handle the kicking competition on Friday): "Cairo (Santos) will get the first long one this week and see how that works out. It’s going to go down to the wire."

(On if he has seen enough out of QB Jameis Winston during the preseason): "You’re always looking for improvement, but he’s played really solid (during) the little bit he’s played and again, (he needs to) protect the football and make those decisions that move the chains. (We need to) play better around him, not have those mental errors where we turn a guy loose on him like they did last week and let him continue to grow."

(On what he’s looking for out of the offensive line): "It’s the same thing — just continue to get consistent. (Pick up) four or more [yards], run the ball as well as we have been — and maybe better — against a good, solid front, and protect the quarterback."

(On having a Thursday Night Football game scheduled for the second week of the regular season): "It’s really hard because you don’t practice that week — you just have walkthroughs. Coming out of camp and then (playing) the opener — we have a Thursday schedule, but if for whatever reason that game gets delayed because of weather — that’s going to be a night game — that throws another wrench into it as far as recovery time. The big thing is recovery time."

(On if it takes bodies longer to recover after the first regular season game): "Yeah, they haven’t played that much. There’s no doubt. We’ll start recovery in the locker room after the game."

(On if he still feels that he could cut the roster down to 60 players right now): "Yeah, easily."

(On when he started to adopt sports science practices, and whether it is important for teams to be successful): "I don’t think there’s any doubt, if you stay ahead of the curve in just I.T. – I was in 16 millimeter [film], then beta tapes, then all of a sudden, we’re at computers and you punch [numbers] up and it came up in a second. It took you three hours to do at work. It cut hours out of the week of a coach’s job. So, the same thing in sports science as far as the individual healing of a player, recovery, all those things — we’re still pushing the envelope as far as getting things in here for recovery so that guys can bounce back quicker.”

(On if the swelling in RB Ronald Jones II’s knee is still a concern): "If he plays, he’ll be fine.”

(On if he will expand Winston’s playing time on Friday): "He’ll play with the one’s as long as the one’s play.”

(On if a player who hasn’t played during the preseason can make the team off of practice reps): "We’ve put them in every situation they could possibly be in in practice, and with the Miami practices, so that there’s probably not a situation we haven’t been in. Not everybody got that rep, but the guys that need them got them.”

(On if Friday’s game will be the greatest test the offensive line will face in the preseason): "Yeah, sure. When those guys play, Myles Garrett and those guys are solid. They’re big time, so yeah, this is a good test.”

 

 

 

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