Cornerback Brandon McDonald was the defensive star of Saturday's Brown-White scrimmage, picking off a pass from Colt McCoy and breaking up several others.
Browns cornerback Brandon McDonald flips into the end zone after intercepting a Colt McCoy pass and running it back for a score in the second quarter of the Brown-White scrimmage Saturday at Cleveland Browns Stadium. "I haven't heard anything (about a fine by the coaching staff), but I'm sure I will," he said. "We scored six points, so it doesn't really matter to me."TRAINING CAMP LOG: AUG. 7
What happened: During the Family Day scrimmage at the Stadium, the Browns beat the Whites, 14-6, in front of 22,311 fans. The Browns scored on a 40-yard INT return by defensive star Brandon McDonald and a five-yard TD pass from Jake Delhomme to tight end Ben Watson. The Whites scored on two field goals by Phil Dawson, a 48-yarder and a 35-yarder. At stake was no Saturday curfew for the winner and a later arrival on Sunday.
Injury update: The following players did not play: LB David Bowens (knee), OL Joel Reinders (walking boot), RB Montario Hardesty (knee), LB Titus Brown, DL Brian Schaefering, RB Peyton Hillis and P Dave Zastudil. The PUP players were also idle.
Take that: The scrimmage featured no live tackling, which put the defense at a distinct disadvantage. But some of the guys couldn’t help themselves. Big rookie Clifton Geathers was flagged 15 yards for a hit on Chris Jennings and Eric Barton was penalized 15 yards for a facemask on Jennings. NFL officials threw about 15 flags in all, which did not sit well with Eric Mangini.
More wild cats: Seneca Wallace and Josh Cribbs aren’t the only ones who can engage in some trickery. James Davis took a direct snap, started left and pitched it to Chansi Stuckey, who threw a 12-yard pass to quarterback Brett Ratliff.
Sunday’s schedule: Practice closed to the public. Next practice is Monday from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Call 877-6BROWNS (877-627-6967) for updates.
— Mary Kay Cabot
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Brandon McDonald, who lost his starting cornerback job with six games left last season, was the defensive star of the Brown team's 14-6 victory over the White during Saturday's Family Day scrimmage.
McDonald kicked off the scoring for the Brown squad by picking off rookie Colt McCoy on an underthrown pass to Syndric Steptoe. McDonald raced 40 yards for the touchdown, with Chris Jennings grasping at his jersey near the goal line. He executed a front flip into the end zone for the score, knowing full well he'll be reprimanded Sunday.
"I haven't heard anything, but I'm sure I will," he said. "We scored six points, so it doesn't really matter to me."
In addition to the pick, McDonald broke up an early deep ball to Josh Cribbs and a third-quarter pass over the middle to Steptoe. He also had good coverage on the previous pass that Steptoe dropped.
"Brandon's had a really good camp and I think that he put himself in nice position on that play," said coach Eric Mangini. "He kind of fell off late, baited Colt into throwing it. Then he did a nice job running with the football after the play to be able to get into the end zone."
In one team session last week, McDonald broke up a deep ball to Chansi Stuckey and a pass over the middle to tight end Evan Moore. Still, he finds himself trying to work his way back onto the field behind Eric Wright, Sheldon Brown and top pick Joe Haden.
"My main focus is to help this football team in whatever way I can," he said. "Joe was the seventh pick of this football team, so it's obvious he's going to get a lot of attention. Joe's a great player. He's a great asset to this team. He's a really smart guy, physical guy, and he's going to be tough."
A fifth-round pick in 2007, McDonald said he never considered that he might be finished here.
"My focus is to do my job, regardless of whether I'm first string or fifth string," he said. "I didn't really feel I have anything to prove, I just wanted to come out there and show them I have big expectations for myself, and I won't settle for anything less than being one of the best guys out there."
He admits he was inconsistent last year and worked on that in the off-season.
"I worked a lot on being more physical at line of scrimmage," he said. "As a corner, that's where you're going to win your one-on-one matchups."
Said teammate Marcus Benard: "B-Mac's been awesome since minicamp. He's like our silent killer. He keeps to himself and does what he's supposed to do and does it excellent."
McDonald wore a T-shirt that read "22 - It's true." What does it mean?
"Exactly what you saw today," he said.
Cribbs at safety? Cribbs played one snap at safety, blitzing off the left side. He said he would've gotten to the quarterback had it been a live game.
"I don't want to put my foot in my mouth, but coach really likes me back there and wants to give me a shot," said Cribbs. "I want to take advantage of the opportunity every chance I get."
Love hurts: Linebacker Benard and offensive lineman Scott Kooistra got into a fourth-quarter fight with a flurry of punches thrown. Both were ejected. At one point, defensive lineman Cliff Geathers, who's already been reprimanded for fighting in practice, came off the bench and joined the fray, but a coach quickly pulled him away.
Benard's helmet came off during the melee, but he doesn't remember how.
"It's just football man, it's all love," he said. "We play a physical game where we all beat each other up. It wasn't anything personal or anything bigger than what was out on the field. Me and Koos, we still love each other. We're out in the trenches. That's what we do, we fight everyday, legally."
He said he knows he'll get fined and "I'm definitely going to apologize to the team as soon as I get the chance. It was about letting my teammates down, because if I get ejected, then they can't use me."
Before the fight, Benard had two non-contact "sacks." The Brown team had seven overall.
Haden update: General Manager Tom Heckert said during the radio broadcast on WMMS-FM Saturday that Haden will probably won't be one of the top two starters right away.
"He'll probably start off in the nickel stuff, but he'll play for us this year," said Heckert. "We're high on Joe Haden."
Haden also returned a kickoff 22 yards, something he started in practice this week.
Hardesty sighting: Rookie running back Montario Hardesty was seen for the first time since camp opened, but only on the sidelines. He was in shorts with his right knee taped. The Browns continue to be cautious with him. ... Punter Dave Zastudil was not seen at the scrimmage. Mangini hasn't ruled out more surgery for Zastudil.
Roster move: The Browns signed defensive back John Bowie and placed defensive back Chris Roberson (right leg) on injured reserve. Roberson was on crutches with his right leg protected. Originally a 2007 fourth-round pick by Oakland out of Cincinnati, Bowie appeared in five games in three seasons with the Raiders, recording two tackles on special teams. He spent most of the 2010 off-season with the Browns.
| Cleveland Browns Family Day scrimmage |