The Cleveland Browns‘ training camp is in the spotlight on the HBO series “Hard Knocks.” Here are a few highlights from the fourth episode Tuesday night:
Put me back in: The Browns get a scare in their third preseason game on Thursday against the Eagles when starting quarterback Tyrod Taylor injures his left hand as he braces himself on a fall to the ground. He pops up and sprints back to the Browns sideline with his left arm appearing to dangle at his side.
“Oh, my gosh, I can’t feel it,” says Taylor, as he is led into the blue tent on the sideline for further evaluation away from the cameras.
When someone asks if he injured his shoulder, Taylor screams in pain, “No, it’s my hand!”
Taylor soon retreats to the locker room to have X-rays. Luckily for him and the Browns, they come back negative. He dislocated his pinky and bruised his hand, but he’s good to return to the sideline. “Get me taped up. I want to go back out there,” an anxious Taylor says.
Someone suggests that Taylor test his grip on the ball with his newly taped left hand. One pass comes his way, and as soon as he catches it, he drops the ball, pivots and heads back to the field. “We good,” he says.
Taylor re-enters the game and plays in three more series, quelling the possibility that the starting job could have been Baker Mayfield‘s a lot sooner than expected. Taylor isn’t expected to miss any time and is still on track to start the Sept. 9 season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The rookie show: A tradition in most NFL training camps is the rookie show, and the Browns’ first-year players had plenty of material to work with from their training camp. In taped segments, they inject some humor into two memorable and intense moments featured on “Hard Knocks.” The passionate speech by receiver Jarvis Landry about practicing through pain is lampooned by rookie receiver Blake Jackson, who catches passes in practice with a cast on one arm, then a walking boot and then two, much to the delight of the meeting room.
They make fun of the dust-up between offensive coordinator Todd Haley, who yells at the defense during a practice for touching the quarterback, and defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, who shouts back that they better block for him then. But Mayfield steals the show for his impression of Browns general manager John Dorsey. From a mouthful of gum to the oversized Browns sweatshirt, khaki shorts and white Nike shoes to calling everyone “buddy boy,” Mayfield as Dorsey has the room — and the GM — laughing.
John Dorsey had a special message at our Rookie Show: pic.twitter.com/HvFJBkF8kZ
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) August 21, 2018
Aliens are real?: Defensive end Carl Nassib, who made a memorable speech to his teammates earlier in camp about the power of compound interest, tried to enlighten teammate Nate Orchard about the possible existence of alien life as they stood on the sideline.
“Aliens are real. I don’t know that they are, but I think that they’re real,” Nassib says.
Seeing that Orchard is skeptical, Nassib presents him with some possible evidence.
“… so the Canadian Prime Minister of Defense, who is the equivalent to our Secretary of Defense, came out publicly and said that the United States is in contact with three different alien species,” Nassib says. “This f—-r is like one of the top admin officials.”
Orchard isn’t buying it. “Why are you lying, Carl?”
Nassib isn’t so much lying as he is believing the contention of Paul Hellyer, who oversaw defense for Canada in the 1960s. Hellyer claimed in February — as he has several times before — that “aliens have visited Earth and are hiding key technology from humans because they believe we are too destructive and irresponsible,” according to the fact-checking site Snopes.
Who needs new underwear? Mayfield didn’t escape the rookie show without getting a little ribbing back. Coach Hue Jackson oddly asks, “How many of you wear underwear? Raise your hand.”
Jackson puts an image up of a shirtless Mayfield standing behind a tiger, an ad for his new underwear line.
“Because if you guys need a new pair, I think I can hook you up. Baker, I think all of us would like to be fitted.”
Quotable: “I never played, but if I played I’d hope to play like you. I like your style.” — Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz to Mayfield after their preseason game.
Next: The final episode of the season airs at 10 p.m. ET Sept. 4 on HBO.
Be the first to comment