Running back Hardesty and quarterback McCoy own secure roster spots as second- and third-round draft picks. Saturday, 22 players will be cut to finalize (temporarily) the roster.
Browns fans will see Montario Hardesty and Colt McCoy get extended playing time tonight.Cleveland, Ohio -- Running back Montario Hardesty and quarterback Colt McCoy were drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the second and third rounds, respectively, in April.
Tonight, they will get extensive playing time as the Browns close their preseason schedule against the Chicago Bears at Cleveland Browns Stadium.
For Hardesty and McCoy, it's a chance to enhance their NFL experience with the comfort of knowing they will make the Browns' roster.
For 30 players or so, the game will be critical to their immediate NFL futures. The Browns must cut 22 players by Saturday at 6 p.m. to reach the regular season roster count of 53.
Certainly, the 53 will be fluid, with a few likely to depart within the next few weeks, and the 22 departed may find work on the practice team if not, eventually, on the regular roster or with another team.
The Plain Dealer and the cleveland.com/browns pages on the PD's cleveland.com website continue to cover the Browns. PD Browns beat writer Mary Kay Cabot previews tonight's game, highlighting Hardesty and McCoy.
The Browns open the regular season at Tampa Bay against the Buccaneers on Sept. 12.
Don Delco previews tonight's game for the Orange and Brown Report on Scout.com. He writes about Hardesty, who missed the first three preseason game with an injury:
Hardesty suffered a bone bruise in his right knee before camp began. He also battled injury problems at Tennessee, but still finished with 2,391 yards rushing and 26 touchdowns on 560 attempts. Last season was his best rushing for 1,345 yards and 13 scores on 282 carries.
If Hardesty holds true to form, he is expected to compete for carries in an ever-increasing backfield with Jerome Harrison and Peyton Hillis.
“We have the talent in our backfield,” Hardesty said. “I feel like competition makes everybody better and I look forward to get out on the field and start competing.”
Browns watch
Besides Cabot's game preview, other Plain Dealer Browns coverage inludes Cabot talking about the Browns on Starting Blocks TV; PD reporter Branson Wright's video interview with safety Abram Elam; a video preview of tonight's game with Cabot and PD Browns beat writer Tony Grossi; a Starting Blocks poll on the Browns' running backs; columnist "Bud Shaw's Sports Spin."
Browns blockers
Don Banks previews the Browns' AFC North Division for Sports Illustrated's SI.com. He writes about what might be the Browns' greatest strength:
It probably takes all of one finger to count the positions on the Cleveland depth chart that inspire true envy around the league: That would be offensive line. After years of floundering around in free agency and in the draft, wasting dollars and picks, the Browns have built a pretty good wall up front on offense, which is led by All-Pro left tackle Joe Thomas. Entering his fourth NFL season, Thomas is close to becoming the standard by which offensive left tackles are measured these days.
But the Browns also have a talented young center in Alex Mack and a valuable veteran left guard in Eric Steinbach, putting them light years ahead of some of the lines Cleveland has run out there since returning to the league in 1999.
Mangini on the spot
FoxSports.com has a photo gallery of 10 "NFL football players and coaches in dead end jobs this season." Included is Browns coach Eric Mangini.
Text that accompanies a photo of Mangini:
The Mangenius once was so huge he got 15 seconds on the Sopranos (most among active coaches). But thanks to one bad December with Brett Favre in New York and an even worse run with the Browns last season, he's suddenly in the situation of needing at least a .500 mark this year to avoid heading back to the ranks of eternal "assistant." If this wasn't a team with Jake Delhomme as its QB (see: 23 INTs in final 12 games as Panther) and one with a slight confidence problem at home (four wins in 16 tries the past two seasons), that might not be such a challenge. But Mangini’s seemingly being set up to fail to allow the team's GM (Mike Holmgren) the opportunity to turn it all around in 2011.
Sideline to sideline
ESPN.com previews the 2010 Browns.
Browns notes by Scott Petrak for the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram and Medina County Gazette.
Where the Browns stand in USAToday.com's new power rankings.
Mike McLain reports on the Browns quarterbacks for the Warren Tribune Chronicle.
On ClevelandBrowns.com, Steve King looks at the history of Browns-Bears games; Matt Florjancic writes a game preview and about Colt McCoy.