Rookie cornerback Joe Haden came up in a few controversial reports in the past few months, but the Browns and defensive coordinator Rob Ryan have assured him he is wanted on the team.
If getting $26 million in guaranteed money from the Browns was not proof enough that the team wants him, rookie Joe Haden has taken comfort from a talk with defensive coordinator Rob Ryan.Browns defensive coordinator Rob Ryan put top pick Joe Haden's mind at ease regarding the Kyle Wilson controversy -- specifically, reports that Ryan wanted to draft the Boise State cornerback instead of Haden.
Wilson was selected No. 29 by Ryan's twin brother, Jets coach Rex Ryan. Haden, a Florida star who signed his five- year, $50 million contract Saturday night and practiced for the first time Sunday, went No. 7 overall to the Browns.
During Jets minicamp the week after the draft, Rex Ryan told reporters: "There is somebody that I really know well for a long time that basically said that he was their guy, and they picked a lot earlier than us.
"You can probably figure it out. That's who he wanted, and then after practice, I'm like, 'Yep. I guarantee you were right because this guy is the real deal.' "
A source in New York confirmed Rex was talking about Rob. But Rob wasted no time assuring his new cornerback that he was wanted by the Browns all along.
"Coach Ryan came up to me during rookie camp," Haden said. "He was like, 'Joe, I worked out Kyle Wilson, and I said he was the best defensive back I worked out. I said that because I didn't work you out. [Defensive backs coach] Jerome Henderson worked you out and some other defensive backs, and you were the best DB he worked out.'
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"He was like, 'Joe, don't worry about that. It was nothing like that. We're so glad you're here,' and all of that stuff. cleared it up for me and made it a whole lot better. I don't care what everybody else says. Coach just told me exactly what happened."
It was the second of three times in his months-old pro career that Haden has been blindsided by adversity.
The first came during the NFL Combine in February, when Haden ran a disappointing 4.57 and 4.60 in the 40-yard dash. Many experts predicted he would fall out of the top 10. But Haden's father and trainer, Joe Sr., revealed Haden was suffering from lower back pain and shouldn't have run at the Combine. He rebounded at his Pro Day, clocking between 4.39 and 4.42. He also ran well for Henderson when he traveled to Maryland to work him out individually.
"Before that happened at the Combine, I always had everything laid out for me all the time," Haden said. "I never really had any controversy or any real struggles. After the Combine, when I ran slow -- and I know I'm fast -- man, it was crazy. I just realized how many people are on your side one second, and as soon as something happens, it feels like the world came crashing in."
The third instance came last month when former Browns General Manager Mike Lombardi, an analyst for NFL Network and a harsh Mangini critic, wrote on NFL.com that "coaches around the league" say Haden struggled at minicamp and may be too slow to play cornerback in the NFL.
"I'm not even worried about that," said Haden. "He's not here or in this inner circle. He's not my coach. I talk to my coach [Henderson] all the time, and he tells me, 'Joe, just compete, Get better. You just have to understand the playbook, and you're going to be perfectly fine.' He said one of the hardest positions to come in and play other than quarterback is cornerback. It's not just about ability. You have to understand the game."
Haden admitted after minicamp that he wasn't playing as fast as he'd like because he still was processing all the new information. So he spent the past six weeks poring over his playbook.
"As long as I know what's going on, I can play full speed," he said. "If you're out there reacting, you'll get beat. I feel like [Sunday] I did a whole lot better than the last time I was on the field. I felt a whole lot faster, and my legs felt fresh."
Browns coach Eric Mangini said all the rookies played slowly in minicamp, "but he's a good person, he's a smart kid, he's a hard-working kid. Those things will serve him well to get caught up."
Joe Haden is a happy camper on his first day of practice as a Cleveland Brown.Mangini made no promises that his $50 million man will be a starter on opening day, the way Darrelle Revis, his Jets cornerback, was as a rookie.
"Everybody's different," said Mangini. "Revis is Revis, and Joe is Joe. He'll get opportunities, and we just really have to see how it plays out. I like to think that he'll be as competitive as he possibly can be."
He said Haden, who broke up a few passes Sunday and gave up a few others, might start some games and not others depending on the opponent.
"With as many multiple-receiver teams that we face, we need to be able to play three, four cornerbacks in different spots," said Mangini. "He'll get plenty of chances to show what he can do."
In the meantime, Haden is looking at all this controversy as a blessing.
"You know who's got your back when you go through adversity," he said.