Brian Hoyer took the first-team reps on the first day of training camp, but Johnny Manziel looked good with the second team offense. Watch video

BEREA, Ohio -- Only a hometown hero such as Brian Hoyer could hold his own against the tidal wave of Johnny Manziel Mania that engulfed the Browns facility on the first day of training camp Saturday.

The chants of "Hoyer! Hoyer'' rivaled the shouts of "John-ny! John-ny!'' on a steamy day in front of 3,702 fans from 10 states -- most on the opening day of camp in since 2005.

 "Yeah, no doubt (I felt the support),'' said Hoyer, who took all of the first-team reps. "Like I said all along, playing for this team was my dream as a child, but being from here doesn't make me the best quarterback for this team. I want to earn it on the field and it's great to have the support of fans. I saw someone I played youth baseball with over there, so it's really cool for me. But for me, it's really about football and what's going on on the field on each and every play.''

Even Browns owner Jimmy Haslam, who chatted with Hoyer on the field for a few minutes, couldn't help but get caught up in his comeback bid.

"Is there a better story?'' said Haslam. "He's a hometown kid. He's coming off an injury. He's a quality guy and class act, so we all want Brian to play well.''

Then he quickly added, "We want Johnny to play well and we want Tyler (Thigpen) and Connor (Shaw) to play well. It's an important position.'' 

Manziel, who worked with the second-team offense all morning, appreciated the sea of No. 2 jerseys surrounding the practice fields and the cheers for his every move.

"Personally, I've had an incredible fan base that's followed me and really come out of the woodwork here in Cleveland for me,'' said Manziel. "It's truly incredible. I'm truly thankful to have those guys, but more than anything, it's not just my number, my name on the back. It's Cleveland. It's the Browns. It's awesome to have the fan base that we have for this team, not just me. It's a great turnout today, and I'm sure that won't stop anytime soon."

Hoyer strode onto the field with a brace protecting his surgically-repaired right knee and participated in 11-on-11s for the first time since tearing his anterior cruciate ligament Oct. 3. At one point, the crowd fell silent when he went to the ground on a botched exchange and almost landed under a pile, but his teammates backed off quickly and he popped up without hesitation.

"At this point now, I don't even think about (the brace),'' he said. "It's something I've become used to, and for me, it'll be something I wear the whole year, just as a (precaution), not the stability of the knee but getting hit from the side. I think that's something I can benefit from. For me, I'm not the most mobile guy anyway, so it doesn't really affect me that much.''

The Browns will monitor Hoyer's knee, "but I don't think he'll let us back him off,'' said coach Mike Pettine.

Hoyer worked under center for the first time in the new offense after operating most of the offseason out of the pistol, about four yards behind the center, to keep bodies away from his knee in team drills. He completed his first attempt to Miles Austin and closed out the day with a crowd-pleasing 30-yard strike to Jordan Cameron over the middle with Karlos Dansby in coverage.

In between, Hoyer was picked off once by Tashaun Gipson on a ball deflected by Buster Skrine and had a pass tipped by Barkevious Mingo. He completed a deep ball to Andrew Hawkins down the left sideline and several others over the middle to Gordon. Once, he faked a handoff and rolled left to elude Desmond Bryant, moving well in the process. Another time, he found Josh Gordon open on a short pass to the right, but it went off the All-Pro's fingertips.

"I'm not out there trying to make spectacular plays -- magical plays -- because that's not what you do in a game,'' said Hoyer. "I try to treat every practice like it's a game. Going against our defense, you never know what you're going to get because they disguise a lot. You just play within yourself and take what the defense gives you.''

The starter in camp for the first time in his career, Hoyer acted like it.

"I can kind of be myself a little bit more,'' he said. "When you're not the starter, you don't want to step on too many toes and vocalize things and be a leader as much. Now with the position I'm in, I'm not afraid to go up and tell guys, 'hey, on this route do this.''' 

Manziel admitted he started off a little slowly, but as the morning wore on, he fired a pass over the deep middle to Gordon, who snatched it out of the air over No. 8 overall pick Justin Gilbert. He finished the day with a long strike down the left sideline for Hawkins and another for rookie Taylor Gabriel. Manziel showed his Johnny Football elusiveness, sometimes pulling the ball in and running when the heat was on. The installation was basic, but he came prepared and looked sharp. Several times he completed passes on the run, and executed the play-fake well.

"As we got into some team periods, we started moving the ball a little bit and the offense started to pick up,'' he said. "It was good to see. We started throwing the ball down the field, and people started to liven up, which was nice."

He acknowledged that the pace has picked up.

"It's absolutely a different intensity,'' he said. "We had a team meeting yesterday and on the board it shows how many days we have until the first preseason game. ....We only have 42 days until the first game and 16 until the first preseason game. It's getting close. It's getting real."

With all the off-field scrutiny, he welcomed the return to the football field, where he looked at home.

"It's definitely different for me having practices open to the fans and stuff, but they're cheering throughout the entire day and I really did enjoy it,'' said Manziel. "I think it's great for our fans to get a chance to see up close and personal that we're working extremely hard to try and change things around here and we're trying to be successful. Hopefully, we continue to bring this buzz and this excitement to the city."

Manziel huddled up with quarterbacks coach Dowell Loggains between drills and studied the other quarterbacks during their reps. "(His attitude) has been great,'' said Pettine. "From the day he walked in here, he's been extremely coachable. He asks the right questions. He's been fine."

For at least the first few days, Hoyer will take all the first-team reps, but quick-study Manziel will undoubtedly narrow the gap in short order.  

"I thought they both did some real good things that highlighted what they do well and they both made some mistakes,'' said Pettine. "Some of it's not necessarily their faults—a receiver going the wrong way. I thought it was a solid start for both of them."

Haslam stressed that the Browns will be in good shape regardless of how it goes.

"(The coaches) feel good about our quarterback situation,'' he said. "I think we'll have a great competition.''

Mike Pettine prefers black shoes and socks, Ray Farmer is making a movie (not really) and pads...finally, pads. Watch video

BEREA, Ohio -- Johnny Manziel made an interesting choice in footwear today. Tom Reed has that covered. But Manziel's choice of shoes also led to a revelation from head coach Mike Pettine:

"I'm a black shoe black sock guy."

Pettine surely knew there would be a learning curve with his first head coaching gig. Dealing with the media on a day-to-day basis, for example. Answering questions about Johnny Manziel's shoes? I'm not sure anyone could prepare him for that.

What we know about Pettine -- and maybe what his choice of footwear tells us -- is he's an old-school guy. A play defense, run the ball coach who was hired by an owner who used to have a stake in an organization that prides itself in running the football and playing defense. Yesterday I mentioned the contrasting styles of Brian Hoyer and Johnny Manziel. The same could be said for Pettine and Manziel.

It's not a bad thing. It's just one of those interesting juxtapositions that sports throws at people. A coach needs a quarterback and a quarterback needs a coach, even if that coach doesn't share your opinions on fashion.

Hey, at least he's not wearing black shoes and white socks. That would be a red flag.

Ray Farmer: Filmmaker

General manager Ray Farmer met with the media today, and on two separate occasions he likened building his roster to making a movie. Except this movie doesn't have an ending, as he said.

So what is Farmer's movie right now? A brash young star arrives as the Big Man on Campus. He's here to supplant the hometown hero -- the gutsy veteran who finally got his shot. Oh, and a first-time head coach who has to manage both of them.

Coming to theaters in 2014: A Berea Story: Hey, it's the Browns. But still pretty cool.

The pads go on Monday

It's hard to judge anything from training camp. It's really hard when guys are playing in t-shirts. So it will be a welcome relief to see pads on Monday morning.

Everyone's excited about pads. Coach Pettine said, "I want to be able to hear the practice."

Ben Tate said, "That's what football is about. It's not played in shirts."

So pads are good. Because what's football without a little popping every now and again?

Watch Mary Kay Cabot and Tom Reed talk about the highlights from Day 2 of Cleveland Browns Training Camp.

BEREA, Ohio --  Cleveland Browns beat writers Mary Kay Cabot and Tom Reed recap what happened during the second day of training camp

Topics include: Who had a better day between quarterbacks Brian Hoyer and Johnny Manziel as the competition for the starting job continues?  Jason Pinkston misses his second day of practice for reason the team will not disclose.  Who stood out on defense during practice?

Monday is scheduled to be the first practice in full pads, but rain is forecasted for the morning.  Practice begins at 9:30 a.m. and all available tickets are gone.

On Twitter: @CLEvideos

The Browns continue to praise Brian Hoyer because he is modeling what they expect from a starting NFL quarterback.

BEREA, Ohio -- In the first few days of training camp, the top Browns officials have been sending verbal valentines to Brian Hoyer.

As for rookie Johnny Manziel, there have been a few subtle warnings.

Those who wear their No. 2 Manziel jerseys about 24 hours a day may read this as favoritism toward Hoyer.

The veteran quarterback is trying to win an opening day starting job for the first time in his six-year career. He's started four NFL games. He still has much to prove.

But the reason Hoyer will start the first preseason game and is the favorite to open the regular season is obvious and based on common sense: Hoyer's actions on and off the field are giving the coaching staff a comfort level with him.

Remember, the Browns open the season in Pittsburgh...

With a rookie coach...

This is a team where the last coach was fired after one year -- the previous two coaches were dumped after two years.

It's a team where Ray Farmer is the Browns third general manager in the last three years.

Browns General Manager Ray Farmer and Owner Jimmy Haslam are both fans of Brian Hoyer.John Kuntz / The Plain Dealer 

ABOUT OPTIONS

If you are those guys, how would you approach the season?

Do you open the season with Manziel, who has been inconsistent in most practices and making no admirers with how he's handled his off-season?

No.

You'd probably go with an experienced quarterback who has the respect of the veterans on the team and has looked solid in the early practices dating back to the spring.

"He's a man's man," Farmer said of Hoyer. "He didn't cry over spilled milk (after suffering a season-ending knee injury)."

And there was more.

"Brian has been phenomenal" said Farmer.

The general manager said Hoyer spent more time in the practice facility than anyone.

He appears more NFL ready than Manziel, who has been very up and down in many practices.

That also was the case at Sunday's practice that I watched.

Manziel has talent and is an accurate passer when he sets his feet and concentrates on his target. When he tries to improvise, well, it's not working right now.

He also is very good when rolling out and throwing within the confines of the offense. But he's been victimized by busted plays. He's forced too many passes into crowds.

If Manziel's name was "Smith," people would not be demanding that he play right now -- at least not based on what has been happening in Berea.

ABOUT MANZIEL

Notice that I'm not spending much time on the Weekends With Johnny element to this story. Fans know Manziel has been jetting across the country and that there have been some embarrassing party photos appearing on line.

As Owner Jimmy Haslam said Saturday, "The great athletes make their news on the field, not off the field."

Haslam talked to Manziel about it, as have Farmer and Pettine. How the rookie will react?

"We'll see," said Haslam.

Manziel seems to love drawing attention to himself. Some of the party photos were ones he took of himself.

He showed up at Sunday's practice wearing electric lime green shoes. In a few minutes, he was told to change them.

Pettine said it was no big deal, mentioning how Calvin Barnett wore his Oklahoma State socks to Saturday's practice -- and had to change them.

But it's not hard to figure out that the Browns front office and coaches are tired of answering questions about Manziel's off the field activities.

"I did know of his off-the-field prowess, if you will (before the Browns picked him," said Farmer.

Between the end of his season at Texas A&M and the May 8th draft, Manziel kept a low profile. Since the draft is when he has become a regular on the celebrity websites -- and that hasn't pleased the team.

That's why Haslam also said, "We expect better of him."

ABOUT HOYER

By praising Hoyer, the Browns are sending messages to Manziel.

They made Manziel the 22nd pick in the draft. They believe he can eventually be a starter, or else why select him that high?

So this is not about writing off Manziel. Nor is it about anointing Hoyer as the next Bernie Kosar.

It's about telling Manziel that the Heisman Trophy and all the records at Texas A&M are old news -- and mean nothing in the NFL.

Odds are that Manziel's chance will come.

The Browns started three different quarterbacks last season. And three in 2012. And three in 2010. And four in 2008.

Only once (Tim Couch, 2001) has the same Browns quarterback started all 16 games since Bernie Kosar did it in 1991.

This tough love coming from the Browns to Manziel is designed to prepare him for the NFL, which is very unforgiving to nearly every young quarterback.

Cooper, from Gahanna High School, said he plans to wait until after his junior season to make a college choice, but he was proud to earn an OSU offer on Friday.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Two players have committed to Ohio State for the Class of 2016, running back George Hill and offensive lineman Tyler Gerald. The way defensive end Jonathon Cooper was smiling after divulging that he earned an OSU offer at the school's Friday Night Lights recruiting event, it's not hard to imagine him joining the group someday.

Cooper said he was a bit surprised by the offer but proud of the night he had to make it happen.

"I thought if I performed really well that maybe there was a potential of an offer," Cooper said Friday. "Whether they offered or not, I was still going to go hard and go back home and work hard. This doesn't change anything. It's exciting and motivating, but it's just more motivation to be an even better person and better player."

Cooper, a 6-foot-3, 220-pounder from Gahanna High School in the Columbus suburbs, worked out at linebacker for much of Friday, but worked at defensive end near the end of camp. His offer was extended by defensive line coach Larry Johnson, and it's at defensive end where the Buckeyes envision him as a college player. 

That's fine with Cooper.

His other offers so far include Indiana, Illinois and Kentucky. He plans to wait on a decision until the end of his junior year or start of his senior year. That's a year out. But Friday was a start.

Ohio State's Class of 2016

George Hill, RB, Hubbard High School: "I knew I had to amaze others"

Tyler Gerald, OL, Portsmouth (Ohio) Sciotoville East

If Miles Austin and Andrew Hawkins can stay healthy, the Browns may have at least some hope at wide receiver.

BEREA, Ohio -- Scribbles in my Browns training camp notebook:

1. Andrew Hawkins continues to draw raves from the coaches, and for good reason. As Mike Pettine said: "He's been an ultimate professional ... You would think he was a 10-year veteran with the way he carries himself. When we talk to the young wide receivers, he's the guy — if you want to pattern yourself after a guy, that's the guy. He comes out and works hard every day, on the field, off the field. It's been a very pleasant surprise. To me, when you have a guy that has that type of separation ability, that type of quickness that can turn a short game into a long one, it can only be a plus for you."

2. Different receivers have had some nice moments. Hawkins has been the most consistent since the opening day of spring practices. Veteran Miles Austin made some excellent catches. He missed all of the spring practices as the Browns wanted to make sure his cranky hamstrings had calmed down. Two years ago, Austin caught 66 passes for Dallas. Those hamstrings limited him to only 11 games -- and 24 catches last season.

3. Austin is a big target at 6-foot-2 and 215 pounds. That size is also what helps Josh Gordon, but who knows if the Browns will even have their star receiver this year as he awaits his suspension from the NFL. In 2009-2010, Austin was a star for Dallas, catching a combined 150 passes (18 touchdowns). But if Austin simply is in his 66-catch form of 2012, it would be a huge plus.

4. Austin as a factor would help Jordan Cameron, who also has been good in camp. But Cameron, Hawkins and Austin (as a deep threat) at least give the quarterbacks some targets. General Manager Ray Farmer mentioned how great tight ends such as Tony Gonzalez had big years when he was doubled and even tripled covered. He hopes Cameron can develop into that kind of player.

5. The big question is health, and not just for Austin. Hawkins is only 5-foot-7 and he has battled injuries. The Browns still need more depth at receiver.

6. General Manager Ray Farmer said he's still shopping (for receivers and others). Let's hope he finds another veteran or two with at least a little gas in the football tank.

7. I love the quick cuts and first steps of Ben Tate and Terrance West. It will be fun to see the two backs when they finally start to tackle in practice and the preseason.

8. The coaches seemed very taken with the idea of MarQueis Gray at fullback. Pettine wants a fullback who also can catch passes. Gray played quarterback and wide receiver at Minnesota. He ran out of the Wildcat formation (43 yards on six carries) last season.

9. Travis Benjamin (knee surgery) appears healthy. That would be a huge plus, because his speed is something this team desperately needs as a return man and a part-time receiver.

10. Ball State's Willie Snead has made some fine catches near the sidelines. The undrafted rookie is mostly a possession receiver, but has shown good hands in the spring and early in training camp.

Browns are likely set at four of the five key special-teams positions.

BEREA, Ohio – This is the final installment in a seven-part look at the Browns' roster position by position. The specialists are the subjects of today's report.

Overview

In the transient world of special teams the Browns should have continuity at four of the five major positions – kicker, punter, long snapper and punt returner. The biggest question is who will return kickoffs this season.

While many fans were miffed by the departure of Phil Dawson, the Browns got a decent season from kicker Billy Cundiff, who converted 21-of-26 attempts. His only game-winning attempt was a miss, but it came from 58 yards against New England. Punter Spencer Lanning enjoyed a solid first season that included a touchdown pass in Minnesota. Punt returner Travis Benjamin ranked eight in the NFL with an 11.7 yard average. He was lost to season-ending knee injury in late October against Kansas City.   

Projected starters

Kicker – Billy Cundiff (6-1, 212).

Punter – Spencer Lanning (5-11, 200).

Long snapper – Christian Yount (6-1, 250).

Punt returner – Travis Benjamin (5-10, 175).

Kick returner – Buster Skrine (5-9, 185).

Wide-open competition

Skrine acknowledged he's one of several candidates looking to win the kickoff-return duties. Dion Lewis and Justin Gilbert also could figure in the competition. The position was problematic for the Browns last season. They had five players return at least one kick.

Worth the risk?

Gilbert wants the job and he's eminently qualified. He returned a school record six touchdowns for Oklahoma State. But do the Browns want to expose their first draft pick and presumptive starter at cornerback to additional hits? A year ago, Minnesota allowed top-pick Cordarrelle Patterson to field kicks and he led the NFL with a 32.4 yard average.

Previous previews

Offensive line

Receivers and tight ends

Quarterbacks and running backs

Defensive line

Linebackers

Secondary     

Carlos Santana hit two homers Sunday to give him 20 for the season and five in the last three games as the Indians ended a four-game losing streak.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Indians denied Kansas City a four-game sweep Sunday to end a long and disappoint trip for everyone except Carlos Santana.

Santana hit his fourth and fifth homers in the last three games and Danny Salazar pitched seven good innings as the Indians beat the Royals, 10-3, at Kauffman Stadium. Santana's two-run homer off Bruce Chen capped a four-run fifth inning as the Indians erased a 2-0 deficit.

In the four-game series, Santana reached base 15 times in 20 plate appearances and hit five homers.

What it means

The Indians ended this 11-game, 10-day trip at 5-6. After going 3-1 against the Tigers at Comerica Park, the Indians went 2-5 the rest of the way.

Overall, the Indians are 52-53. They're 6-7 against the Royals, 23-5 in the AL Central and 23-34 on the road.

The Royals (53-51) had their five-game winning streak snapped as the Indians moved to with 1 1/2 games of second place in the AL Central.

Santana on the loose

Santana has hit five homers in his last three games and six in his last seven.

After hitting two homers on Friday night, the second coming on a 100 mph fastball from Yordano Ventura, Santana told reporters, "That's my talent."

Sunday's two homers tied Santana's total of 20 from last year. He did that in 541 at-bats. He's hit 20 this year in 340 at-bats.

"When he gets hot, he doesnt hit singles, he does damage," manager Terry Francona is fond of saying.

Star of the game

It has to be Santana, who hit .415 (17-for-41) with six homers and 13 RBI on the 11-game trip. He went 3-for-3 Sunday and reached base five straight times.

Second time's the charm

Ryan Raburn made his first appearance in left field since Thursday night's spike/Little League homer incident in the eighth inning on Mike Moustaka's bloop double to left field.

Raburn played incident-free baseball and in the sixth inning hit a leadoff homer of Bruce Chen. It was only his third homer of the year, but it gave the Indians a 6-2 lead.

Chris Dickerson replaced him to start the in the bottom of the sixth.

Salazar's day

Maybe it had something to do with Salazar using Trevor Bauer's shoulder tube as part of his pre-game routine. Or maybe, he was just due for a good outing.

Whatever the case, Salazar struck out seven, while allowing three runs on seven hits in seven innings for the win. He finished his day by striking out Alcides Escobar and Nori Aoki to end the seventh.

Salazar, who put the Indians in a 2-0 hole early, kept pitching and the Indians made him a winner for the second time in as many starts since his recall. On April 2, Salazar faced the Royals and allowed five runs on seven hits in a 8-2 loss. He was much better Sunday.

What's to come?

Monday is a day off for the Indians.

On Tuesday, Seattle arrives at Progressive Field for a three-game series with Bauer (4-5, 3.93) facing Hisashi Iwakuma (8-5, 3.09) at 7:05 p.m. SportsTime Ohio, WTAM and WMMS will carry the game.

Tuesday's game will be the start of an eight-game homestand against the Mariners, Texas and Reds.Highlight of the Seattle series could be Wednesday's matchup between RHP Corey Kluber (10-6, 2.77) and RHP Felix Hernandez (11-2, 1.99).

Thursday at 4 p.m. EST is the non-waiver deadline for making trades.

Ohio State commit Daniel Giddens did not survive the first round of cuts.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- We have just completed our sixth practice and have cut the roster to 17 players. VJ King made the first cut, but Ohio State commit, Daniel Giddens did not.

As far as the roster goes, we will finalize the team at some point on Monday, carrying just 12 players. We feel good as a coaching staff that we cannot go wrong with who we choose. The talent is going to be great no matter who we keep. Now we are simply trying to find the pieces that will make the best team.
A typical day for me here in Colorado Springs begins with a breakfast meeting with the coaches around 7:30 a.m. We then head over to the Olympic Training Facility for three hours of meetings, film and practice.

Coaches then meet again to discuss the roster and things we need to implement in the next practice. We usually go back to the hotel for about a two-hour break and some down time. At around 4 p.m., we head back to the OTC for our second round of meetings, film and practice.

We will finish the evening off with a dinner with the staff and coaches continuing our discussions on roster spots, etc., and return to the hotel around 10 p.m. This will continue until we leave the country on Aug 2.
These next two practices will determine our final roster, so it should be another round of great competition and high intensity.

About Flannery’s blog: St. Edward basketball coach Eric Flannery is blogging for cleveland.com during his tenure as an assistant coach for USA Basketball’s U17 World Championship Team. The team will play in the FIBA U17 World Championship For Men, Aug. 8-16 in Dubai. Also follow Flannery on Twitter (@CoachFlan).

Talk training camp live at 8 p.m. with Dan Labbe and a team of cleveland.com and Plain Dealer writers.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Talk Browns training camp with writers from cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer live on Sunday night. Dan Labbe hosts Browns Insider from 8-9 p.m.

Tonight's guests include Mary Kay Cabot at 8 p.m., Tom Reed at 8:15, Bud Shaw at 8:30 and WaitingForNextYear.com's Craig Lyndall at 8:45.

We'll break down everything that happened on Saturday and Sunday in Berea and preview the week ahead. We'll go over the biggest battles, break down the best quotes and tell you everything you need to know.

Click play on the player below to start the audio.

Nate Burleson says 'oh my God, I love Johnny Manziel' and that Brian Hoyer is fantastic. Who could pick just one? He's glad he doesn't have to.

BEREA, Ohio -- Browns receiver Nate Burleson is glad he doesn't have to pick the starting quarterback, because he's enamored with both Johnny Manziel and Brian Hoyer.

"Johnny – Oh my God – I love Johnny,'' Burleson gushed after day two of Browns practice. "I do. Johnny's for real. I like confident quarterbacks. I like guys that are borderline cocky. Both of those guys have that. You can see that. Johnny makes a play, he walks back to the huddle – he has a swag to him. His shoulders are bouncing.

"Same thing with B. Hoyer will throw a ball, he'll throw a little wink at you, and that's what I like. He's fantastic, man. He knows the playbook. He has a quiet swag about him.''

Burleson, a 12th-year pro who's played for Minnesota, Seattle and Detroit, is having a blast so far in camp making plays for two quarterbacks with starting ability and the moxie to match.

"I like getting in the huddle and seeing these quarterbacks,'' he said. "They should be saying, 'I'm the captain of this ship. Let's hit the seas, man. Let's go pillage and plunder what we want. That's exactly what these two guys have. We're going to follow their lead. This is an intense sport. We're not here to play around. We're here to make the city proud. We're working for that. We have a long way to go, but we have two guys competing for the same spot. We can't go wrong either way, so it's exciting."

Burleson has been impressed with Manziel since they both reported to camp on Wednesday with the rookies, quarterbacks and injured players.

"He was looking like he's looking now,'' said Burleson. "He was whipping that ball around. He knows what he's doing. He's a rookie, so he's going to make a couple mistakes here and there. You can't expect a guy to be perfect. I'm in year 12 and I make a mistake or two. He looks good. He knows the playbook. He's in a position where everything is over exaggerated, but he's handing it well."

Was Burleson a Johnny Football fan when Manziel was lighting it up at Texas A&M?

"Who wasn't?'' said Burleson. "I'm still a Johnny fan.''

Burleson is confident that the best of Manziel -- the running, playmaking, escape-artist -- won't emerge until the games begin.

"You'll see it here a little bit,'' he said. "He'll get out of the pocket, he'll make a few guys miss, he'll laser a ball in there on a tough throw. Right now everything is scripted a certain way to go out there and run what's called and make the play. What's going to happen in the game is a different story.''

Burleson has relished all the 'Hoy-er' and 'John-ny' chants at camp, which has drawn 7,568 fans over the first two days of camp -- most on back-to-back days since figures have been recorded in 2005.

"It's exciting, man,'' Burleson said. "I can see why people are cheering, I can see why there's a buzz around it, just because I'm realistic. If I was a fan, I'd be looking into this thing like it's a soap opera too. But as a receiver, I'm enjoying it, because either way I'm getting the ball.  It's rare that you come into a camp with two guys that can sling that rock. Either way, I've got two quarterbacks that can whip that thing around and we can't lose either way.''

Santana has felt more comfortable at the plate since the Indians gave him just one position to play. He started the season as their regular third baseman, backup catcher and sometimes first baseman/DH.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Maybe it has arrived too late to save the Indians' season. Or maybe it's right on time. That means little at the moment.

Just get out of the way and let Carlos Santana swing the bat.

Santana might have the weirdest stats of any player in the big leagues. He's hitting only .232 (79-for-340) – it sounds like .400 from where he was at the end of May – but he has 20 homers, 50 RBI, leads the American League with 72 walks and has a .827 OPS (.456 slugging and .371 on base percent).

He walks, he walks some more and then he hits the ball out of the park. To a pitcher he must look as dangerous as a bump on a log until he decides to swing the bat.

In Sunday's sweep-preventing 10-3 victory over the Royals, Santana walked in his first trip to the plate, was hit by a pitch in his second, hit a two-run homer right-handed on Bruce Chen's first pitch in the fifth, singled in the seventh and hit a two-run homer left-handed on a 1-0 pitch from Aaron Crow in the ninth.

Santana went 3-for-3 with two homers, four RBI and reached base five straight times as the Indians ended a four-game losing streak. In the last three games, Santana has hit five homers. In the last six, he's hit six.

"He's been a blessing," said manager Terry Francona.

The power is not surprising. It's part of Santana's game.

To see so much of it in a short period of times is the shocker. Especially when he hit just six homers in the first two months of the season, while batting .159 (28-for-176).

The surge could be connected to the change in Santana's job description. In the first two months of the season, he was the starting third baseman, backup catcher and sometimes first baseman/DH.

He has not caught since suffering a concussion on May 25 in Baltimore. He last played third on May 22. It's been strictly first base or DH since.

"In the first two months I played a lot of different positions and that bothered me a little bit," said Santana. "Right now I'm playing only one position. But I was open with the manager. Whatever position he wanted me to play, I played.

"Now I feel more comfortable playing only one position."

Here's to comfort. And here are some of the things Santana accomplished over the last three games.

-It's the first time in Kansas City history that an opposing player has hit five home runs in a series.

-Santana is the first player this season to hit five homers in a series.

-He is the fifth Indians' player to hit five homers in a series including Hal Trosky (1934), Joe Carter (1989), Albert Belle (1995), Matt Williams (1997) and Travis Hafner (2004). Hafner homered in a two-game series against the Angels.

"Carlos is the big bat everybody talks about," said Yan Gomes, who followed Santana's ninth-inning homer Sunday with on of his own. "He had a rough start and a lot of guys would have shut it down or got really upset.

"He wasn't that way at all. Now we've got the legitimate Santana back. He's the heart of the lineup that we need."

Santana hit .415 (17-for-41) with six homers and 13 RBI as the Indians slogged to a 5-6 record on the 11-game trip. In the four-game series against the Royals, he hit .643 (9-for-14) with five homers and eight RBI. He drew 10 walks on the trip, including five against the Royals.

"Some people say I walk too much," said Santana. "But I'm a patient hitter. The more pitches I see, the better I feel."

Indians first baseman Carlos Santana capped a monster week by going 3-for-3 with two homers in a 10-3 victory over the Royals on Sunday.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Indians played the Kansas City Royals in the finale of a four-game series Sunday. Here is a capsule look from The Plain Dealer reporter Dennis Manoloff:

Game: 105.

Opponent: Royals.

Location: Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, Mo.

Time of day: Afternoon.

Time elapsed: 3 hours, 3 minutes.

Attendance: 23,409.

Result: Indians 10, Royals 3.

Records: Indians 52-53, Royals 53-51.

No sweep for you: The Indians, in salvaging the finale of the series, won for the first time in six games at Kauffman Stadium. They trail the season series, 7-6.

Other streaks ended: The Tribe had lost four in a row overall. The Royals had won five straight.

Unpack the bags: The Indians ended an 11-game trip at 5-6. They opened the post-All-Star-break portion of the schedule by winning the first three of a four-game series against first-place Detroit. After losing the finale to the Tigers last Sunday, they dropped two of three to last-place Minnesota and stumbled three times against the Royals.

The Indians are 23-34 on the road.

Bottom line, up front: The Tribe performed superbly in all phases Sunday, doing so against a hot division opponent in its house. The victory is all the more impressive given that the Royals led, 2-0, after three innings.

Starring roles: This game belonged to Indians right-hander Danny Salazar and first baseman Carlos Santana. Salazar gave up the three runs in seven innings and Santana went 3-for-3 with two homers, one walk and one hit-by-pitch.

Quality work: Salazar allowed seven hits, walked none and struck out seven. He threw 77 of 112 pitches for strikes.

All factors considered, Salazar authored the best of his 21 major-league starts (20 in regular season, one in postseason) dating to his debut in July 2013. The line of 7/7/3/3/0/7, while good, does not tell anywhere near the whole story. What made this start stand out was Salazar's ability/willingness to support his fastball with a slurve and changeup.

Salazar is blessed with a live arm and "easy'' gas. His fastball has hit triple-digits. Last season, he rode the heater to a 3.12 ERA in 52 innings of 10 regular-season starts. He also started the wild-card playoff game against Tampa Bay (4 IP, 4 H, 3 R).

Salazar made the rotation out of camp this spring amid high expectations, but he struggled for the majority of his eight starts before being demoted to Class AAA Columbus. Salazar's fastball command needed to be better, sure, but the main reason he encountered trouble was lack of secondary stuff. His slider was inconsistent and his changeup a rumor.

A hard-throwing starter can survive primarily on heaters at the outset of his career. Soon enough, though, once the league has seen him and has a book on him, he will need other pitches to keep hitters honest. The American League had sent a message to Salazar, and the Tribe bosses figured the best place for him to work on the off-speed stuff was in the minors.

Salazar's final start with the Tribe before being demoted occurred May 15. He did not return to Cleveland until July 22. He has made just two starts in his second stint, but the results are encouraging for him and his club.

On July 22, Salazar gave up one run on six hits in five innings of an 8-2 victory over the Twins at Target Field. He walked three and struck out six. While far from dominant against a watered-down lineup, he periodically showed the ability to keep hitters off the fastball. Most importantly, he never let the start get away from him.

Against the Royals, he did more than manage the game; he controlled it. Even when Salazar was in trouble, he wasn't really in trouble. The main reason: He and catcher Roberto Perez had Royals batters uncertain of what was coming next. The quality of the slider and changeup was sporadic, but at least Salazar continued to use them. He never fell into the trap of being fastball-dependent.

By forcing Royals batters to respect something off-speed, Salazar made the fastball more effective. The Royals did not take many good swings at the fastball.

Dinks and dunks: Salazar easily could have allowed fewer hits and runs.

With two outs and none on in the Kansas City second, three batters went the opposite way for singles: Billy Butler to right-center, Brett Hayes to right and Jarrod Dyson to left-center. Dyson's blooper off a slide piece drove in Butler from third with the game's first run.

The Royals made it 2-0 in the third. Nori Aoki led off with a good piece of hitting, keeping the hands back on a changeup and hooking it into the right-field corner for a double. Aoki advanced to third on a grounder and scored on Alex Gordon's sacrifice fly.

The Royals pulled within 6-3 in the sixth. Gordon led off by fighting off a good pitch and blooping it into center. After two flyouts, Billy Butler slapped an RBI double to right.

Both of Butler's hits came against sliders on the outer half that, while not nasty, weren't bad. More credit goes to Butler than blame to Salazar.

Exclamation point: Salazar finished his day in style, tying up Aoki with a 98-mph fastball for a swinging strikeout.

El Oso en fuego: Santana extended his hitting streak to seven games and all but guaranteed the Indians will have back-to-back A.L. players of the week (Jason Kipnis).

Here are the lines from Santana's past seven games:

Monday @ Minnesota -- 1-for-4.

Tuesday @ Minnesota -- 4-for-5, homer, two doubles, two RBI, two runs.

Wednesday @ Minnesota -- 1-for-4.

Thursday @ Kansas City -- 2-for-4, run, two walks.

Friday @ Kansas City -- 2-for-3, two homers, three RBI, two runs, walk, steal.

Saturday @ Kansas City -- 2-for-4, homer, double, RBI, run, walk.

Sunday @ Kansas City -- 3-for-3, two homers, four RBI, two runs, walk, HBP.

Totals: 15-for-27, six homers, three doubles, 10 RBI, eight runs, five walks, steal.

In the first inning Sunday against lefty Bruce Chen, Santana walked, extending his major-league lead to 72. During the at-bat, Santana received the benefit of the doubt from plate umpire Paul Emmel on a 50-50 pitch that could have been strike three. The MLB leader in walks gets those calls.

Soft-tossing Chen grazed Santana's uniform in the fourth. Santana's "payback'' was a two-run homer in the fifth to give the Tribe a 5-2 lead.

Santana singled off lefty Francisley Bueno in the seventh and hit a two-run homer off righty Aaron Crow in the ninth, the latter making it 9-3. Yan Gomes followed with a homer to account for the final margin.

Santana leads the Tribe with 20 homers. His average is up to .232, but tracking  Santana's average largely is pointless. He doesn't need to hit for average to be productive. Among his relevant numbers: .371 on-base percentage and .456 slugging percentage.

Welcome back: Tribe shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera, who missed the previous five games because of injury, went 2-for-5 with an RBI and two runs.

Welcome back, part II: Tribe right fielder Nick Swisher was 1-for-4 with an RBI. He snapped an 0-for-21 with a single that drove in Michael Brantley in the seventh.

Swisher also made a diving catch.

Danny Salazar is 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA in two starts since rejoining the Indians on this just completed 11-game trip.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Pitching coach Mickey Callaway's antenna was up. Danny Salazar had just made his first start since being recalled from Class AAA Columbus and Callaway saw something that he hadn't seen since last year.

From the outside looking in, there appeared to be little, if anything, special about Salazar's effort against the Tins on July 22. He allowed just one run on six hits, but couldn't get past the fifth inning because he'd wasted too many pitches walking the bases loaded in the second inning.

Callaway, however, said that if Salazar could keep pitching like that, and if Justin Masterson could get back on track, the Indians could make a serious run at the postseason over the last two months.

Masterson is a question without an answer right now. He just made his second rehab as he recovers from a sore right knee. He's scheduled to start against Texas on Friday.

Salazar, however, gave much more credence to Callaway's faith as he pitched seven innings in the 10-3 victory that prevented a four-game by the Royals.

"I felt great," said Salazar. "It was hot and that helps a little bit. You're going to stay warm the whole time."

Salazar, showing good velocity, gave up runs in the second and third innings as Kansas City took a 2-0 lead. Salazar, however, didn't let the game get away from him.

"Early on he made some adjustments," said manager Terry Francona, "Kansas City had to earn everything. After they scored the two runs early, he didn't let anything happen after that. He gave our offense a chance to go to work."

The seven innings matched Salazar's longest start of the year and the first time he didn't walk a batter.

Catcher Yan Gomes DH'd Sunday, but he's caught Salazar plenty of times.

"Give Salazar credit," said Gomes. "He shut that lineup down. That's something we really needed.

"It's fun to see him coming back like that. At the beginning of the season we were all super excited about what he could do after last season. It's honestly a good thing that he hit a little bit of a speed bump early on."

Salazar opened the season with the Indians, but was optioned to Class AAA Columbus after a May 15 started against Toronto. He stayed there until his start against the Twins.

"He's learned and now he's coming back to do what we need him to do," said Gomes. "It's exciting."

Listen to Sunday night's Browns Insider featuring guests Mary Kay Cabot, Tom Reed, Bud Shaw and Craig Lyndall.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Browns Insider on cleveland.com is back. Every Sunday night at 8 p.m. we'll talk all things Browns football with host Dan Labbe and guests.

Smith hits a triple in the ninth inning to complete the cycle.

Outfielder Jordan Smith hit for the cycle and RubberDucks batters cranked out 19 hits in Akron's 6-4 win over the Fightin' Phils in a Class AA Eastern League game Sunday in Reading, Pa.

Smith was 4-for-5 with three RBI, completing his cycle with a two-run triple in the ninth inning. Smith had a double in the second inning, a solo-homer in the sixth and a single in the seventh.

It was a big day for several RubberDucks batters: Shortstop Erik Gonzalez and first baseman Bryan LaHair both were 3-for-4, while outfielder Tim Fedroff, designated hitter Anthony Gallas, third baseman Adam Abraham, and outfielder Bryson Myles all had two hits each.

Akron needed the offense. The RubberDucks trailed, 3-1, after four innings, but tied it in the top of the fifth with an RBI single from LaHair and an RBI ground-rule double from Abraham.

The Phils regained the lead in the bottom of the inning with an RBI single from first baseman Jake Fox, and Akron again tied it with a solo homer from Smith. 

Smith's two-run triple in the ninth gave the RubberDucks the winning margin.

Reliever Shawn Armstrong (5-2, 2.11 ERA) got the victory with two scoreless innings. Starter Will Roberts gave up four runs on seven hits in five innings.

The RubberDucks (59-50) are 5 1/2 games out of first place in the Western Division.

Notes: The RubberDucks have struggled lately. They've lost nine of 11 and are 11-15 for the month. ... Akron won the season series against Reading, 6-5. ... Catcher Tony Wolters has made no errors this season. Prior to Sunday's game, he had thrown out 47 percent (25-of-53) of base stealers.

Browns general manager Ray Farmer praised Brian Hoyer, but also had plenty of good things to say about Johnny Manziel. He noted that the there's still a long way to go in the QB comeptition.

BEREA, Ohio -- In his first press conference of camp, Browns general manager Ray Farmer praised both Brian Hoyer and Johnny Manziel, but stressed that he's still in the preview phase of this full-length feature.

"I would say everybody's going to get their opportunities,'' said Farmer. "Brian's right now working with the ones, and as he goes (we'll see what happens). We have meetings every day..one who needs more reps. We'll all have input, and we'll see what happens when the movie ends."

Farmer noted he won't be 'surprised, shocked about anything. The thing we're focused on now is driving competition. And so Brian will have to play, Johnny will have to play, Tyler (Thigpen) will have to play and Connor (Shaw) will have to play. Our goal is to try to promote the best environment for those guys to compete and demonstrate what their skill level is.

Like everyone else in the organization, Farmer has been thrilled with Hoyer's approach to his rehab and the quarterback competition.

"I think Brian's been phenomenal,'' he said. "I think he's handled it like a pro, which is what you would like. He's a man's man. He didn't cry over spilled milk. He attacked his rehab. He was here probably more than anybody. I think I work a lot of hours and there wasn't very many hours that I wasn't in the building that Brian wasn't somewhere working on his craft, be it the meeting room, be it the indoor facility, be in the weight room, he did everything he could to put himself in the best position possible. Now he's got to go out and perform."

Hoyer did just that on day two of training camp, outshining Johnny Manziel with crisp passes, quick decisions and accurate deep balls to receivers such as Anthony Armstrong, Andrew Hawkins and Nate Burleson. He appeared more aggressive than on Saturday, his first day back in team drills since his surgery Oct. 3 to repair his right anterior cruciate ligament. Granted, it's Offense 101 right now and the pads don't go on until Monday, but Hoyer's been in full command of the new scheme and his supporting cast.

"Oh, yeah. The guy's a pro,'' said Farmer. "If you watch how he attacked all of it, his rehab, his mental state, all of it, he has been professional. You can see it. One bad day doesn't make or break it. It's consistency that makes you win the National Football League. Guys have great games and you never hear from them again. It's the guy that can routinely go out and perform time and time again that we want, and Brian's starting to show that that's what he's going to do."

Farmer was asked if it's easy to compare Hoyer favorably to a rookie who's been on the party circuit.

"I would tell you from Brian's perspective, he's been a pro, he's handling himself the right way and I'm going to compare Brian to Brian,'' he said.

Farmer was quick to point out, though, the staff was happy with where Manziel was at when he showed up for camp on Wednesday.

"I've seen a young man that came back, that appears to be prepared for competition,'' said Farmer. "I think that's what we want are guys that took the time to come back and demonstrate that they're ready to compete to be starters in this league. You want to play as much as you can, so we'll see that while he's in the building, he's putting forth the work to try to be the starter.''

Farmer stressed that the Browns thoroughly vetted Johnny Football before the draft and knew what they were getting.

"I did know his off-the-field prowess, if you will, that everybody's kind of alluding to,'' said Farmer. "I will tell you that before the draft there were numerous conversations with people in the building, people outside the building, people including Johnny himself. Obviously we had a comfort level when we drafted him. If we thought that was an excessive nature of what it was going to be, then we would've never picked him.''

He declined to discuss the nature of his own talks with Manziel, but said, "our focus now is what happens on the field. He's focused, he's committed on football, he's doing his thing here in the building and we're excited about kind of where he's at at the moment.''

Coach Mike Pettine said Hoyer will run mostly with the ones at least through Tuesday, and then the staff will re-evaluate the quarterback competition and other battles on the off day Wednesday and possibly change things up after that.
"We want to make sure we get things evened out so we get a good evaluation,'' he said.
The buzz in Berea Sunday was that Manziel looked bad in practice, overthrowing and underthrowing passes, throwing into double-coverage, and almost getting picked off a few times by safety Josh Aubrey and others.  But Manziel also showed some Johnny Football flashes, including once when he scooped up the ball after a bad snap and lasered it in to Miles Austin over the middle. He also faked a handoff and found Josh Gordon over the deep middle, but the All-Pro dropped it.
In other words, it was a typical up and down day for a rookie quarterback.
"Sometimes you think one thing and you get in and watch the tape and your opinion changes completely, so it's hard to say,'' said Pettine, stressing that he won't publicly evaluate the quarterbacks on a daily basis.
He added that even though it's not an apples to apples comparison with Hoyer working with the ones and Manziel the twos, there's still plenty to be gleaned from these sessions.
"They still have things they need to accomplish every play,'' he said. "That starts with getting the play and calling it right in the huddle—all the minute details that they're being evaluated on -- footwork, if their eyes are where they're supposed to be as far as making the read, the mechanics of the throw—all those things go into it. I'm thinking that we will mix the groupings up, but it's just still so early. We're still technically under the rules of the minicamp. Until we put pads on and really get going, things will stay as they are."
Farmer said it's not tough to get a good read on the dual-threat, improvising Manziel in these controlled drills.
"I would say that Johnny shows up fine,'' he said. "The interesting part of it is that most people fall in love with the highlights because that's what gets portrayed. Nobody really pays attention to the routine throw, but he's made routine throws. He made routine throws at Texas A&M, he's made routine throws out here. So from our perspective we really like the idea that he can grow into all of the things we're going to expect him to do."
Pettine acknowledged that Hoyer seemed less tentative on his second day back from the ACL.

"I think anybody coming off (an ACL injury), it's just human nature, maybe a little flighty early with lots of big bodies flying around,'' he said. "I think he'll only get more comfortable as we go. He would have to be a robot not to be affected. I don't know if you asked him that or not. There was a lot going on inside his head, but it's a solid start for both quarterbacks."

The Browns are hoping rookie Chris Kirksey and Craig Robertson can at least combine to play the inside linebacker spot next to Karlos Dansby.

BEREA, Ohio -- Scribbles in my Monday Browns' training camp notebook:

1. I love how Chris Kirksey jumped up to pick off a pass from Johnny Manziel. The third-rounder is making a strong bid to start at inside linebacker next to veteran Carlos Dansby. The Browns are very weak at inside linebacker, at least in terms of depth. Dansby has taken over D'Qwell Jackson's spot. The two candidates to start next to him are Craig Robertson and Kirksey.

2. Kirksey was drafted because he is strong in pass coverage. Linebacker coach Chuck Driesbach said a rookie can start at the position "if he's smart and accountable." Driesbach was not with the Browns last season. He was the linebacker coach for Mike Pettine in Buffalo, but Driesbach has studied Browns game tapes. He mentioned that Buffalo started Kiko Alonso at linebacker last season, and the second-round pick played every snap as a rookie. Alonso is out this year with knee surgery. But Driesbach's point is not to discount the possibility of Kirksey playing a key role. He loves Kirksey's attitude, adding that he has the right mental approach and attitude to become a good pro.

3. Driesbach also defended Robertson, adding that he's "not a bad cover linebacker." He mentioned that Robertson's worst game was against Reggie Bush -- a nightmare assignment for any inside linebacker. Robertson had a good rookie year in 2012 when he played outside linebacker in a 4-3 defense. When he moved inside in 2013 in Ray Horton's 3-4 defense, Robertson did struggle. Driesbach wants to keep both of his young linebackers competing for the job.

4. Armonty Bryant is a player who may take a major step forward in Pettine's new defense. A seventh-round pick, the 265-pound defensive end has the speed Pettine wants from his pass rushers. Bryant has looked very good at times so far. He played only 187 snaps last season, recording 2.0 sacks and 12 quarterback harassments. By comparison, Barkevious Mingo had only 13 harassments and he was a regular.

Cleveland Browns receiver Taylor Gabriel leaps up to snag a pass as Buster Skrine covers. Gabriel is an undrafted free agent who has made a good impression. John Kuntz / The Plain Dealer 

5. The goal is to squeeze more production out of Mingo and Bryant by moving them around to different spots on the line, creating better angles to rush the passer.   Driesbach said Paul Kruger has made a major improvement from a year ago. The Browns expect him to be more of a factor as a pass rusher than he was in 2013, when he had 4.5 sacks. He had 9.0 the previous season in Baltimore.

6. Undrafted defensive lineman Calvin Barnett (317 pounds) has been receiving good reviews from the coaches.

7. Yes, Manziel had a pass picked off by Kirksey. Brian Hoyer should have been intercepted by Buster Skrine, but the ball bounced off his hands and receiver Andrew Hawkins made a nice catch. Hawkins has impressed in virtually every practice. Neither quarterback had a great day. The Browns seemed to be adding some read/option plays for Manziel to run. Hoyer made some very good throws to the sidelines, delivering the pass just as receivers turned to catch the ball.

8. I think Pettine is right to stay away from the "which quarterback had a better day" question. It was a windy day and both quarterbacks had some problems at times. Manziel made a good throw to Josh Gordon for 30 yards. The 6-foot-3 Gordon did a great job of using his size to seal off the defender and then make the catch. His loss (from an impending suspension) will hit the quarterbacks hard because he's such a large, inviting target. He also has excellent hands.

9. MarQueis Gray made a good catch on a short pass running out of the backfield as a fullback. He appears to be the most likely player to start at that spot as Pettine wants his fullbacks to do more than just be blockers.

10. While Andrew Hawkins and Justin Gilbert returned some kicks, the plan is for Travis Benjamin to be the main return man on punts and kickoffs. He has returned only six kicks in his first two years with the Browns. He is coming off ACL knee surgery, but is said to be healthy. Durability is an issue with Benjamin, who missed two games in 2012 as a rookie and the final eight games last season after knee surgery.

11. Buster Skrine will probably be the backup kick returner. He has not returned any kicks in his first three seasons, but he has been working out with the kick return team -- and shows some speed and potential as a return man. Jordan Poyer averaged 14.3 yards on seven punt returns last season after Benjamin was hurt, and he'll probably be the backup punt return man.

12. While Gilbert was an elite return man at Oklahoma State, Pettine has no interest in having him do that this season. The coach worries about the risk of injury.

13. Taylor Gabriel has made some excellent catches. He's 5-foot-8, 167 pounds and an undrafted free agent from Abilene Christian. Not sure if he makes the team, but this is a great place for any receiver to try out. Gabriel shows very good hands. I also like Anthony Armstrong, who continues to make plays as he did in the  spring practices.

 

cleveland.com's Mary Kay Cabot and Dan Labbe discuss Day 3 of Browns training camp.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Three days of Browns training camp are in the books. Mary Kay Cabot discussed what happened on Day Three with Dan Labbe on today's Browns Insider.

Among the topics discussed:

• What impact did the first day of pads have on practice?
• Johnny Manziel moved around more today. How did he look?
• How has the linebacking group looked so far?
• Who will step up at wide receiver for the Browns?

Mary Kay will talk Browns training camp each day live from Berea.

Can Braxton Miller make the same junior-to-senior year jump as a passer that Troy Smith did? Can Ohio State afford to run Miller less often?

CHICAGO, Illinois – Braxton Miller walks past the bronzed relics of greatness every day in the lobby at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. Eddie George's Heisman Trophy is there, and so is Troy Smith's, and Archie Griffin's two. In his mind's eye, Miller sees his own.

"I'll do whatever it takes," said the Ohio State senior quarterback.

The Heisman would suit him. The trophy is a statuette of a player stiff-arming an invisible tackler, a tactic most often used by running backs.

Former Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor had a stiff-arm that struck like a piston in a muscle car screaming toward Dead Man's Curve, but he struggled with passing accuracy, throwing low to tall players like tight ends.

As Miller's Ohio State career reaches its gun lap, he simply has not shown on the field the progress as a passer that his coaches forecast at this time last year. As a runner in the open field, however, he can stop, start, cut and swerve in improv shows that aren't diagrammed, but seem to be the result of rubbing a magic lamp.

Passing? Even though he was pronounced as "100 percent, in the best shape he's been in at Ohio State" by coach Urban Meyer, Miller has as far to go to NFL scouts as most of Meyer's spread-formation quarterbacks. They include national champion Chris Leak, national champion and Heisman winner Tim Tebow, and even No. 1 NFL Draft pick Alex Smith.

Ohio State fans like to point to the 2005/2006 transition that remade Troy Smith as a senior Heisman winner and deadly pocket passer. They hope it will be the same for Miller.

Smith's improvement was actually incremental in most areas -- 65.3 percent completions, compared to 62.9 the year before; 2,512 passing yards, compared to 2,282 the year before; but then, in a complete repudiation of himself as a running threat, 72 attempts and 204 yards rushing, compared to 136 rushes and 611 yards the year before.

That was a stunner, and so was the resulting upgrade from an already excellent 16/4 touchdowns/interceptions ratio in his junior year to 30/6.

Miller's stats last year through the air: 63.5 percent completions, 2,094 yards, 24/7 TDs to picks. The numbers were skewed by the three games he missed.

It was not as good as Smith, who is playing these days for the Montreal Alouettes.

In the big games, Miller struggled mightily through the air (6 of 15 in the wind at  Michigan, 8 of 21 in a dome vs. Michigan State in the Big Ten Championship Game.) He ran for more than he threw in both games. Clemson battered him in the Orange Bowl, and Miller's season ended with a sack, a fumble and interception.

If Ohio State were to make the championship game in the new four-team playoff system this season, the season would last 15 games. Miller might get pounded like the percussion instruments in "Drumline."

"(Last year) we were still trying to develop that receiving corps to be on par with the rest of the team, and I think we have," said Meyer. "I'll be disappointed if the receivers aren't now ready to carry their own weight. The first year they weren't.  We just weren't very good. Second year got much better." 

But all safety-first schemes can be negated by Miller's character.

"Braxton Miller, his issues are he goes sometimes above and beyond what his body is going to allow him to do," Meyer said. "We try to protect him, surround him and maybe come up with a good scheme to get the ball out of his hands maybe a little quicker.  Those are all the things that we address. But the durability issue isn't because his body wasn't meant to play college football.  It's because of how hard he plays."

Johnny Manziel, to take an example in which Browns fans will be interested, reduced his rushes by close to 25 percent with 141 attempts in his second season at Texas A&M. Miller rushed 171 times in what amounted to 11 games. Projected over the 14 games, he would have run 216 times, only 11 fewer than his solo act in 2012.

Asked how important it was to keep Miller healthy, tight end Jeff Heuerman said, "As important as it is for Cleveland to keep LeBron healthy."