The Browns officially began training camp on Thursday.
But in essence, they will begin it on Saturday when they practice from 3 to 5:30 p.m.
What’s the difference?
On Thursday and then again on Day 2 on Friday, the Browns worked in shorts and shell pads. Former Browns coach Butch Davis used to call that “playing two-below touch football.”
On Saturday, the Browns will don full pads.
There will be full hitting.
And full tackling.
Aside from the quarterback, for whom there is a no-touch policy, no one will be tackling anyone with two-below touch. If they do, then they’ll end up getting cut.
Indeed, this is big-boy football – real football. Long before the first camp practice on Thursday, the Browns had worked in shell-pads and shorts. They did it throughout all the spring practices.
Guys could get away with faking a tackle. They looked like they were “All-Berea,” which was another Butch Davis term.
But there is no faking now. Either a player has the courage to lay his body on the line to get the job done, or he doesn’t. It’s no more complicated than that.
And if he doesn’t, then it will show up like a sore thumb. You couldn’t miss it even if you tried.
Football is a physical game, and you have to be physical to play it.
So on Saturday, more will be revealed about these players in one 2½-hour period than was revealed in all the spring work, along withThursday’s and Friday’s practices, combined.
As such, then, pretty much forget everything you’ve learned – or, really, think you’ve learned – about the 2017 Browns, especially the newcomers. It doesn’t mean anything.
Instead, remember everything – and we do mean everything – you see on Saturday. It will say volumes.
And get this: Head coach Hue Jackson indicated Friday that the Browns may also practice in full pads again on Sunday.
That will give Saturday’s top players a chance to prove it – just like you do when you try to hit a shot again to eliminate a player in a game of -h-o-r-s-e in basketball – and Saturday’s strugglers a chance to improve it.
It should be a lot of fun.
