Jake Delhomme is eager to see his first game action with the Browns in Saturday's preseason opener in Green Bay.
Former Carolina quarterback Jake Delhomme is eager to begin putting 2009 behind him when he takes the Browns' opening snap in the exhibition opener against the Packers.Quarterback Jake Delhomme will get his first chance to shake off the Carolina blues tonight in Green Bay and see his first live action in a Browns uniform.
"I'm sure it will be a little bit different, but I've had all spring to put on the orange helmet," he said. "I'm looking forward to it. I think we all are. There's a lot of new guys here. The Packers are an extremely talented football team -- a lot of people's pick to go very far this year. It'll be a good test to see where we're at and where we need to improve."
Delhomme, who is scheduled to play a quarter tonight, said he's trying to put 2009 behind him. It was a year in which he threw 18 interceptions and eight touchdowns for the worst season of his career.
"I tried not to make a mistake last year," he said. "There were a lot of other factors, but I think you get to sit back and learn from it. You've just got to go out and play. See it, throw it, play it and hope you make the right decision."
He said he's aware of the perception that he doesn't have as much talent around him here as he did in Carolina.
"I love it when I hear things like that because that's when you just kind of keep your mouth shut and go under the radar," he said. "I think there's a lot of talent here. I really and truly believe that. I think it's some deep talent. Our running backs, we have some guys who can do it and do it in different ways. Our tight ends and our receivers -- these guys are going to do just fine. That's good. I kind of like that perception."
He said concerns about the passing game and young receiving corps are unfounded. Delhomme has developed an especially strong chemistry with new tight end Ben Watson.
"They [receivers] are doing an outstanding job and it's different guys," he said. "They all have their strengths. They're extremely intelligent and they work their tails off. The tight ends are really doing well, the running backs coming out of the backfield. It's been very, very positive so far."
Quarterback Seneca Wallace is also excited for a season in which he figures to get more playing time than ever before.
"I just want to have a good first showing in my new Cleveland Browns uniform," Wallace said. "I want to show that I know the system, that I'm being smart, knowing my reads and checks, and running the offense the way it's supposed to be run."
Wallace already has a great thing going with tight end Evan Moore and former quarterback Josh Cribbs, who has come a long way at receiver.
Browns quarterbacks, from left with QB coach Carl Smith, Seneca Wallace, Jake Delhomme and rookie Colt McCoy are expected to play about a quarter each against Green Bay. Brett Ratliff will also play one quarter."Hopefully the chemistry we've developed in practice will translate over into the game," Wallace said.
The running game will be without rookie running back Montario Hardesty (knee), but Jerome Harrison, Peyton Hillis, James Davis and Chris Jenning have all been impressive. Hillis has been catching the ball downfield and getting the tough, short yards behind Lawrence Vickers. Harrison has looked like the player who rushed for 561 yards in the final three games of last season.
"The offensive line and the running backs, we're on the right page," Harrison said. "We learned a lot from each other at the end of the season and when we got back here, we all wanted to pick up where we left off. We're all in the right mind-set and it's going pretty well. The running backs all have their own unique talents and gifts."
Defensively, the Browns will unveil their revamped unit, one that features new starters in linebackers Scott Fujita and Chris Gocong, rookie safety T.J. Ward and cornerback Sheldon Brown. Top pick Joe Haden, currently a second-teamer, will also see plenty of time in the nickel.
"It'll be great to see all these new guys playing with the guys we had and coming together as a team and trying to get better moving into the season," linebacker Jason Trusnik said. "The biggest thing is guys flying around and playing physical."
Mangini -- and everyone on the team -- is looking forward to seeing Ward finally get a chance to hit someone. He's had an outstanding camp, including a three-interception day on Thursday.
"Part of his charm is the way that he's able to hit and tackle, which is not something that we have been doing a lot of here in the early part of camp or in the spring," Mangini said. "It will be fun to watch him in some live action."
The young defensive backs will be tested by one of the best quarterbacks in the game in Aaron Rodgers and one of the most high-powered offenses in the NFL. Green Bay finished third in the NFL in scoring last season (28.8 points per game).
"I was talking to T.J. [Ward] yesterday and I was just reminding him that it's the same game that he's been playing since Pop Warner," Mangini said. "It's just a little bit faster and you're wearing a different color uniform. You don't want them to get so worked up over the game that they lose track of the fact that they have done this thousands of times before. The quicker they get the butterflies out, the better we'll do."
Browns sign offensive lineman: The Browns signed free agent offensive lineman John Malecki and waived tight end Joel Gamble.
The Tennessee Titans signed Malecki (6-2, 304) as an undrafted free agent April 26 and waived him Tuesday. The Pittsburgh native was first-team All-Big East as a senior at Pitt.