Former Browns head coach Butch Davis got it.

He really did.

He understood exactly what was going on. He knew the legitimacy — or, as it were, the lack thereof — of springtime minicamp/OTA practices.

“Guys running around in t-shirts and shorts playing two-hand tap (football),” he would say with a smirk.

In one practice when Davis was with the Browns two decades ago — gee, has it really been that long? — a smallish young wide receiver kept running crossing routes and making catch after catch after catch.

“That boy is All-Berea,” Davis said with a sarcastic chortle.

The player didn’t come close to winning a roster spot.

The quick, speedy guys look great in these practices because there is no equipment and no hitting. They can venture anywhere with no fear of being knocked into the middle of the next week. The physical guys suffer because they can’t be physical. They can’t knock those pass-catchers into the middle of next week, but they are chomping at the bit to do so.

When training camp begins in late July, though, and the pads go on and the hitting commences, then the playing field is leveled and the players — big and small, physical and speedy, or a combination of such — can exhibit their true ability in tackle football.

So, don’t get too excited or too disappointed about what transpires in these practices the Browns are conducting now. The players are just getting loose and working up a sweat as they learn or re-learn the playbook, and are re-acquainted with their old teammates or get to meet their new ones.

What does OTA stand for?

Organized team activities.

So is movie night. And lunch.

That tells you all you need to know.

Steve King