Almost every day I spend covering the Browns at team headquarters, FirstEnergy Stadium or on the road, there are too many news items, notes and observations to fit into the newspaper. So this blog is designed to feature the nuggets that don't appear in print. They're like deleted scenes on a Blu-ray/DVD or the youth football players who ride the pine during the game but get to shine afterward in an extra session often called "The Fifth Quarter."
Here are some leftovers from the Browns' 21-7 loss to the Chicago Bears in the preseason finale Thursday night in Cleveland.
More rookie moments
Unfortunately for rookie wide receiver Corey Coleman, he did not bounce back from his lackluster NFL preseason debut last week.
Coleman, a first-round pick (No. 15 overall), was idle for the first two exhibition games because of a hamstring injury. He then finished his premiere against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with zero catches on two targets.
Against the Bears, he had one catch for 10 yards from backup quarterback Josh McCown early in the second quarter, but he was targeted four times. Later during the same series, he dropped a pass from McCown for a would-be first down on third-and-2.
Coach Hue Jackson said Coleman was also lined up wrong on first-and-goal at the 3-yard line, forcing the Browns to burn a timeout a few plays before Isaiah Crowell ran for a 4-yard touchdown with 22 seconds left in the opening quarter.
"I thought Corey battled tough tonight," Jackson said. "Obviously, he made a catch with the ball. There were a couple times that he came very close where we had a chance to get him, and the ball went off his hands one time. I think I’ve seen enough. I know what Corey is. We will get all these guys ready to go come this week."
Starting quarterback Robert Griffin III's main message to Coleman is "you just can’t press."
"I’ve talked to him about it. It is let your talent show," Griffin said. "I know at Baylor [University], every ball got thrown to him and he had many opportunities, and he’s going to get that in the league as well. But teams are going to cloud him. Teams are going to roll coverage to him to try to take the ball out of his hands, along with some of our other receivers.
"He just has to continue to work and put his head down and just keep grinding, keep working. He had a nice catch. On that one, I know the drop that you are talking about, a tough catch for him to make, but he can make it, and he knows that. It is just about continuing to work with Corey. He is a phenomenal talent, and I can’t wait for everyone to see it on game day like we have seen it in practice consistently."
Last time for a while
Wide receiver Josh Gordon caught three passes for 29 yards on six targets, playing the first half in what will be his last game until Oct. 9, when he’s scheduled to return from a four-game suspension at home against the New England Patriots. The ban for multiple violations of the NFL’s substance-abuse policy officially begins at 4 p.m. Saturday. Although Gordon won’t be eligible to practice again until Oct. 3, he’ll be permitted to stay with the Browns, work out at their facility and attend meetings.
"It was good. We threw some balls at him. He made some plays. Josh is a tremendous player. He just has to go handle these next four weeks the right way so that he comes back and hits the ground running," Jackson said. "I’m sure he will. I think he is excited about the opportunity that lays ahead of him, and I think he will work at it. We will be looking forward to getting him back."
After sitting out the first couple of weeks of training camp with a quadriceps injury, Gordon dazzled in his 2016 preseason debut Friday by catching two passes for 87 yards and a touchdown against the Bucs. It was Gordon’s first game since Dec. 21, 2014, because he had been banished from the league for the entire 2015 season.
Now he'll go back on the shelf.
"It’ll be a grind. I’ll be working out every day with the strength and conditioning staff, getting in shape, sitting in on meetings, being around the guys," said Gordon, who's been suspended for 27 of the past 32 games. "I’ve been in this position before, unfortunately. Mentally, I’m prepared for it. I know what to expect. Hopefully, I go out there on Week 5 and pick up where I left off."
Help wanted
The Browns are in the market for a punter after trading three-time Pro Bowl selection Andy Lee on Monday.
They dealt Lee and a 2017 seventh-round draft pick to the Carolina Panthers for punter Kasey Redfern and a 2018 fourth-round choice. Then they signed punter Michael Palardy on Tuesday to compete with Redfern.
Neither Redfern and Palardy have appeared in an NFL regular-season game.
On Thursday, Palardy punted five times for 243 yards (48.6 average) with a long of 75 and a dud of 14. Redfern punted four times for 158 yards (39.5 average) with a long of 52 and a dud of 26.
"Obviously, it wasn’t up to our standards tonight," Jackson said. "We need to do a little bit better. We will do whatever we feel that we need to do to shore that up. It wasn’t as good as any of us liked. We will do whatever, whether we need to go find another guy or see if there was something within the process of those kicking that was an issue."
For what it's worth, Palardy was the placeholder for kicker Patrick Murray. Murray made an extra-point kick, but missed a 31-yard field goal wide right with no time left in the second quarter.
Last time for a while (the sequel)
Defensive end Armonty Bryant started as the Browns began the game in their nickel package. He received significant playing time with the first unit, even though he'll be suspended for the first four regular-season games for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing drugs.
"We wanted to give him a chance," Jackson said. "As you guys know, we have been mixing and matching quite a bit just to give guys opportunities. There are certain things we want to see and see them do. That is what that is all about."
Bryant played into the fourth quarter and finished with two tackles, two quarterback hits, a pass defensed and a blocked extra-point kick.
Unlike Gordon, Bryant won't be allowed to stay with the team during his suspension. The league treats players suspended for performance-enhancing drugs differently than players suspended for substance-abuse violations.
"You are talking about two players who will contribute to our football team once we can get these guys back in the fold," Jackson said. "Until then, we have to hold down the fort with everybody else until we can get these guys back."