Jeff Schudel of The News-Herald is writing a series on the Cleveland Browns leading into training camp. Schudel writes how coach Eric Mangini and offensive line coach George Warhop will use training camp to find a starting right guard and a starting right tackle. Mangini and Warhop will decide amongst a series of candidates ---- Floyd Womack and rookie Shawn Lauvao at guard...
Coach Eric Mangini.Jeff Schudel of The News-Herald is writing a series on the Cleveland Browns leading into training camp.
Schudel writes how coach Eric Mangini and offensive line coach George Warhop will use training camp to find a starting right guard and a starting right tackle. Mangini and Warhop will decide amongst a series of candidates ---- Floyd Womack and rookie Shawn Lauvao at guard and Tony Pashos and John St. Clair at tackle. Pashos could play guard and Womack could play tackle.
Somewhere between the start of training camp on Saturday and the start of the regular season on Sept. 12, Mangini and Warhop hope to hit on the best combination.
"We will continue to rotate those guys through and see how it plays out," Mangini said at the conclusion of minicamp last month. "Shawn got some reps both in OTAs and this camp with the ones, twos and threes, so he will be in that mix. He's done a good job. He's gotten a little bit better each time we've gone out there. He's a smart kid. He's stout. That's what he was in college, and that's what it looks like here early. George Warhop did a nice job with his planning of how we are going to build flexibility."
Mangini will also have to find a backup center in training camp. Last year, Hank Fraley filled that role. So did Rex Hadnot. Those two players are no longer here.
Billy Yates, now in his seventh NFL season and second with the Browns, could win the job as Mack's backup. Yates has played in 25 NFL games with 11 starts. He is primarily a guard but can play center.