"Cohesion.
That is a word Browns coach Romeo Crennel has used and something he will be looking for as his team begins the preseason schedule at 7:30 tonight against the New York Jets at Cleveland Browns Stadium.
With all the personnel moves during the offseason, especially on defense, Crennel and his staff need to see how the new additions work together during the four-game run up to the regular season.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Browns brought in Shaun Rogers and Corey Williams on the line and Terry Cousin in the secondary. They also added linebackers Beau Bell and Alex Hall through the draft.
''I want to see how the new people fit in with the team because we've got some new guys from other teams. We've got some young rookies, so I want to see how the new guys fit,'' Crennel said.
Of particular interest to the Browns' fourth-year coach: how the rookies respond to their first taste of game action.
''I want to see how the rookies react to the environment with people in the stands and it actually counting,'' Crennel said. ''Also in the preseason, the tempo of the game increases. . . . So I want to see how they handle that. Will they hit? That becomes an important thing - and how they handle getting hit.''
Left tackle Joe Thomas remembers going into last season's opener with a touch of nervousness. But for the most part, players this year said they're eager to get on the field and start popping bodies that don't belong to their teammates.
''It'll definitely be a relief,'' cornerback Eric Wright said.
'' . . . We're just looking to get better so we can get some different competition, so we can see a few different wide receivers.''
This year might be different from other opening preseason games for the Browns, primarily because the starting roles are all but locked up. When Crennel and his crew analyze game film, they will be looking for a third wide receiver and depth in the defensive backfield"
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Crennel looking for team cohesion
Crennel looking for team cohesion
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