UPDATED: After a good preseason last year, running back James Davis' luck turned as he got injured and missed most of the season, then saw the Browns draft a running back in the second round and trade for another.
Running back James Davis was the hit of last year's training camp, but this year he must show coaches he has recovered from a shoulder injury that caused him to miss most of last year. He also has strong competition for a roster spot."Oh, yeah," Browns running back James Davis says with a wry chuckle. "Definitely."
A year ago, he was the training camp phenom as a rookie. Averaged 7.8 yards per carry in preseason. Broke an 81-yard run for a touchdown. Looked poised to replace Jamal Lewis as the feature back.
Then Davis had two "welcome to the NFL" moments in the first month of the season. His career was put on a shelf. He spent the year out of sight and out of mind.
The off-season was nearly as cruel to him. The Browns drafted a running back high, Montario Hardesty, and traded for another, Peyton Hillis, to compete with three-game sensation Jerome Harrison. Davis was nudged even lower down the totem pole.
All of which has hardened Davis' resolve and given him an edge in his second training camp.
"I can't wait to get to the season," he said this week. "That's what I've been working for.
"I want to prove people wrong, that James Davis is the real deal. I just want my shot."
Davis' rookie preseason was almost a dream. He led the team in rushing with 187 yards on 24 attempts. He ran past defenders like they were out of position, leaving them groping at his dust trails.
Davis was warned by coaches and teammates that the speed of the game would pick up in the opener against the Minnesota Vikings. Sure enough, the holes disappeared. He looked overmatched on four carries. On the last one, Davis was leveled to the ground on a hit to his left shoulder by cornerback Antoine Winfield.
But that wasn't the injury that would make national headlines and launch an investigation by the NFL and the players union.
Mangini denied any wrongdoing, and the Browns eventually were cleared.
Linebacker and special teams ace Blake Costanzo, who put the hit on Davis, said this week that both players were wearing "shells." Shells are the foam padding inside the regular plastic shoulder pads. Players routinely wear them in light practice sessions.
"We were just doing a drill in practice, and unfortunately he got injured," Costanzo said. "It's like one we do every day -- one-on-one pass rush with a running back. I guess he caught his arm the wrong way and got injured. The way he moved his shoulder, I guess, is how he got injured.
"It was nothing like I had pads on and he didn't. I don't know where that came from. I guess it was blown out of proportion."
Davis was asked directly if the injury occurred the way ESPN reported.
"I mean, I put it behind me," he said. "I don't even think about it any more. It was a freak accident that happened. I just have to learn to live with it."
He said there was no need for an apology, and he never considered asking for his release to pursue his career with another team.
"Because this is the team that drafted me, and this is the team that I think feels good about me," Davis said. "I never looked at anything in a negative way. Coach Mangini called me during my rehab. That was encouraging that they really liked me."
The whole experience matured him, Davis said.
"When I got injured, I didn't just go home and rehab," he said. "I stayed here to rehab and went to meetings. That stuff matured me a lot. I don't worry about anything when I'm on the field now. I'm a lot calmer, and I know what's going on."
Mangini said Davis is a better player in his second camp. He cited his improved recognition in picking up pass-rush schemes and said he appears to be playing stronger because of better technique in gaining leverage against defenders.
"I'm excited to see him in the preseason games and see what he can do and how far he has come along over the course of the year," Mangini said.
Davis said he feels stronger than before the injury. He has gotten a lot of looks in the first week of camp because of injuries to Hardesty and Hillis. He is intent on proving his rookie preseason was no fluke.
The ordeal also has won him the respect of teammates.
"Coach preaches about the team aspect. James is a team player to the fullest," Costanzo said. "He stayed here with us [last year], supported us the whole season, worked his butt off to get ready to play. It looks like he hasn't skipped a beat from last year."