Also, Jason Trusnik, John St. Clair, Matt Roth, etc. as Browns prepare for Saturday night's preseason game against St. Louis.
Cornerback Eric Wright has intercepted eight passes and made 202 tackles in his first three seasons with the Browns.Cleveland, Ohio -- Coming off a 5-11 season, the Cleveland Browns look to improve at every position group.
The potential is there for a solid secondary. Cleveland should be able to count on cornerback Eric Wright for consistent play. Jason La Canfora of NFL.com lists several players around the league who could emerge this season as impact players. One of them is Wright. La Canfora writes:
Other corners have great respect for his technique and cover skills, but Wright has been stuck on horrible defenses for most of his career. He won't get too much help from the pass rush this year, either, but if rookie Joe Haden can perform adequately on the other side, perhaps the Browns can start building from the back on in defensively. He merits recognition for his work amid the chaos, and maybe he'll start to receive more this season.
Browns watch
Plain Dealer Browns coverage includes Browns beat writer Tony Grossi's story on linebacker Marcus Benard; his summary of Thursday morning's Browns practice; Starting Blocks links to Texas Monthly magazine stories on quarterback Colt McCoy.
Browns vs. Rams
The Browns play the St. Louis Rams in Saturday night's preseason game at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Matt Florjancic of ClevelandBrowns.com lists things to look for in the game, including:
Running back Peyton Hillis. He had only 2 carries for 3 yards against the Packers, but was an impact player in other facets of the game. He caught 3 passes for 34 yards (11.3 yards-per-catch), was in for kickoff coverage and helped as a blocker on punt protection as well.
The tight end position. In addition to Watson’s 20-yard touchdown, both Alex Smith and Evan Moore played critical roles in the passing game. Smith led all Browns receivers with 37 yards on 3 catches, while Moore hauled in 2 passes for 24 yards, both on the opening drive.
John St. Clair's role
Offensive tackle John St. Clair, now in his 11th NFL season, struggled at times last season as a starter. More likely to be used as a backup at multiple positions along the line this season, St. Clair is having a solid training camp, writes Fred Greetham for the Orange and Brown Report on Scout.com:
Many felt St. Clair’s future was doomed when Floyd "Pork Chop" Womak played well in place of St. Clair and the Browns signed 49ers right tackle Tony Pashos as an unrestricted free agent in the offseason. Eric Mangini was recently asked how St. Clair has done thus far in 2010.
“Good,” Mangini said. “I think he has had a pretty consistent camp. Really, that whole group that has been working together has had a pretty consistent camp. They really have a lot of experience working together last season, which has carried over to this season and the work they got in the spring, as well. I’ve liked what they have done as a group and I think that John has been consistent, as well.”
Jason Trusnik at home
Linebacker-special teams standout Jason Trusnik made a solid contribution to the Browns last season after being acquired from the New York Jets in the Braylon Edwards trade.
Nate Unlrich writes about Trusnik for the Akron Beacon Journal:
Browns coach Eric Mangini admired Trusnik's work ethic when he coached the Jets, so their reunion in Cleveland seemed to make perfect sense.
''It was definitely nice to come back home,'' said Trusnik, a 2002 Nordonia High School graduate. ''[It's nice] to be able to play for my hometown team, to be back here in Mangini's system that I knew before and also to be closer to family and friends.
''We grew up Browns fans. My dad had season tickets. We grew up rooting for the Browns. I was out here watching training camp and stuff. It's neat and fun to be on the other side and playing for the orange and brown.''
Fourth and goal
The right side of the offensive line is featured in Scott Petrak's Browns notes for the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram and Medina County Gazette.
Steve Doerschuk writes about linebacker Matt Roth for the Canton Repository.
Jeff Schudel writes about Matt Roth for the News-Herald and Lorain Morning Journal.
On ClevelandBrowns.com, "Ten Questions With" linebacker Chris Gocong.