In what may be the oddest story seen all day, Jim Brown is suing EA Sports and Sony for using his likeness in video games.  While the suit doesn't specify which game in particular, it's likely one of the various years of Madden since Jim Brown is on every All Browns Team in the game.  While Brown is not officially named, we all know who FB #32 is.

No word on if RT #63 will be joining Brown in the suit.

This is almost unbelievable. Joe Thomas, the Browns' second-year left tackle could be even better this season.

How could that be? As a rookie, Thomas only allowed one sack — a disputed one against Buffalo's Aaron Schobel.

You probably remember that game. It was the one with the blizzard. So, Thomas gives up one sack in a snowstorm and makes the Pro Bowl. Also consider that most of running back Jamal Lewis' 1,300 yards last year came from behind Thomas' side of the line. Or the Browns line only gave up 19 sacks last season. (Point of reference: The Patriots gave up 21, the Colts 23, the Giants 28)

Yet, he could be better. Lunacy!

Thomas has actually spent some time thinking about that singular snow sack.

"It's one of those things where you could have made a better set," he told reporters Wednesday. "The technique could have been better. You probably could have prevented it."

That is completely real. Joe Thomas was really pondering what he could have done during the only mental lapse he had in 2007. Can we vote Joe Thomas for president?

Heck, Willie McGinest, who knows a thing or two, compared Thomas to a young Tony Boselli. High praise, considering Boselli looked to be a future All Pro before injuries ravaged his legs.

Over the offseason, Thomas has bulked up to 310 pounds, and is reportedly even quicker on his feet during training camp. He put that on display at camp Wednesday, shifting and tossing rush linebacker David McMillan to the ground.

Without a doubt, it's just the first of many displays to come.

Aww. What a nice ending. After the jump, a Joe Thomas button I threw together!
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There are several stories today about the Browns group of defensive backs. Here are some of them:

Veteran cornerback Terry Cousin is putting in extra work working with younger players and in the film room. Cousin, who has definitely is on the back end of his career, could really be what a young Browns secondary needs.

Mike McClain of the Tribune Chronicle writes that safety Sean Jones is growing into the roll as a leader.

Brandon McDonald may be short but he easily makes up for it.

There has also been some coverage of special teams players.

Following a disappointing season, punter Dave Zastudil is looking for a bounce-back season.

Ryan Pontbriand has overcome the stigma of being a drafted long snapper.

And don't forget, you can always find the Beacon Journal's Browns stories either here.

Oh, and…
Brady Quinn just can't catch a break. The guy wears tights during a practice and manic, sophomoric bloggers go to town on the guy. You'll never find that sort of childish behavior here. Luke and I (clearly) have the maturity of high school juniors.

There are still some rumors of the Browns acquiring a veteran cornerback. Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star Telegram was ESPN's First Take today and mentioned the Browns could be interested in Lito Sheppard of the Philadelphia Eagles. However, it would likely cost the Browns a second-round pick, which Phil Savage probably doesn't want to give up.

Derek Anderson is in some kind of shape.

I was able to stop into today's afternoon practice down in Berea and get some info.  Today was a bit of wash and a blow off practice since they weren't in full pads, but still some interesting pieces popped up.

Let's Get Physical

If you want to just go by the eye test, a few guys really stood out to me for various reasons.

Ahtyba Rubin is a incredibly well built and strong, especially in the upper body.  He very much looks the part of a 3-4 Nose Tackle.  His arms are thick and muscular for a large man.  He's built like a competitor for ESPN2's classic late night fare, World's Strongest Man.

Chast Pittman looked much more physically ready to play in the trenches.  Last season he was a bit too lean, but he appears to have bulked up.

Steve Sanders looked the part of an NFL wide receiver.  He's got a great frame, and carries his weight well.  On offense with bigger targets at receiver like Braylon Edwards, Sanders really passed the eye test.

On the other hand, Jerome Harrison didn't look to be 210 pounds.  His legs were very skinny and he just looked diminutive.

I was close to Syndric Steptoe at one point, and I can say he's easily the shortest player on the roster.  I stand about 5'11" and he looked to be at least 3 inches shorter than me.

Passing Drills

The team did a good deal of the two minute offense and some basic passing drills.  The two minute offense looked a bit chaotic at times, but it wasn't 11 on 11's.  They looked to be just getting players in the right spot and had both Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn run the offense (Anderson ran the first team, Quinn the second).

In general the formations were spread sets, with a trips left of Stallworth at split end, Edwards in the slot (he would motion to strong-side usually), and then Winslow in line next to Joe Thomas.  Then lined up at flanker was Cribbs.  They seemed to working on swing passes and screens to the right, usually when Edwards would right.  If anyone remembers, this was usually what Jurevicius would do last year, and he would chip down the end or linebacker.

The plays that were run were just walk-through, but the formations intrigued me more.  Taking most of the snaps then at running back was Jerome Harrison.  The coaches looked to be trying him out as a receiver out of the backfield.

On one play they started out in a shotgun set with an empty back-field, Winslow motioned from the left slot and lined up in the backfield next to Anderson.  He stayed in to "block," and then released out into the left flat.  That was a new wrinkle not often seen last year.

Individually on passing drills, I came away impressed with Efrem Hill who had nice body control and ability to reach out for the ball.

Donte Stallworth practiced, after missing some time the past few days with a sore hamstring.  When running cone drills, he looked the most fluid changing directions of the Browns wide receivers.

Joshua Cribbs and Wilson ran nice routes, but were short-arming passes thrown to them.  Cribbs looked much crisper on double cuts, and Wilson looked okay.

Kudos to Ken Dorsey also for executing a nice flea flicker towards the end.

Running Drills

Handoff drills are mostly boring, especially for the fans.  Anderson, Quinn, and Dorsey all took turns practicing dives, stretch runs, and a few pitches from under center.  Then oddly enough Quinn took a high amount of snaps practicing handoffs from the shotgun, but the other quarterbacks did not. The Browns don't run the ball out of the shotgun much, so it could be something to look for in 2008.

One quick drill that drew my attention was a lower body strength drill.  They tethered a running back around the waist with a rubber band (similar to ones used for stretching in physical therapy clinics), and the running back had three cones in front of him.  Coaches would then let the back sprint out, and they'd direct them to a cone which they had to knock over, about ten yards out from their starting point.  I watched Jason Wright, Jamal Lewis, Charles Ali, and Jerome Harrison perform (I didn't see Lawrence Vickers).

Not surprisingly Jamal Lewis dominated this drill.  His legs kept churning and he performed best out of the running backs.

Second best was undrafted rookie free agent Travis Thomas (Notre Dame).  Thomas was much thicker and well built in person then he shows on television, and it showed up on the field.  His quick feet also impressed me.   He looked to be just as quick as Lewis.

Jerome Harrison was horrible.  His thin legs didn't give him much drive.

Charles Ali looked okay, but he's mostly a special teams player.  He's slower, but Ali is not going to be pounding the rock anytime soon.

Special Teams and Defensive Drills

Since most of the Special Teams and Defensive practice was being run on the opposite side of the field as the offense, I didn't get too see too much in terms of formations and player analysis.  Just a few notes.

It was nice to see Travis Wilson learning how to play gunner for the punt teams.  Wilson needs to carve out a niche to make the roster, and he has been mostly inactive the past two seasons since he doesn't play special teams.

Rookie linebacker Alex Hall was playing punt rush duties and playing right outside linebacker at times on defense.  Again, it's just shorts and helmets but Hall struck me as very quick off the snap.  He has fluid athleticism, and showed some good awareness in how to dip his body to avoid a defender.  His frame is wirey and lean, and but he knew how to use his long arms to his advantage.

The practice didn't show much, but it's still early.  Closer to the first preseason game against the Jets the intensity of the practices should pick up.  Today was a very non-chalant practice.

If you were at training camp, make sure you let us know.  Email Dan or myself and let us hear your story!

Peter King, head football guy for Sports Illustrated, was in Berea Wednesday and Thursday checking out Browns camp. This has led to some speculation that the Browns could be on the cover of the Sports Illustrated football preview.

Much like the members of KISS attempting solo albums, there are several things wrong with this.

The first is the potential for bandwagon fans to hop on for the ride that will be the 2008 NFL season. As if going to games wasn't bad enough, what with all the business-owned seats filled with mute and completely unenthused fans, these faux fans will make it even worse.

Second, I believe greatly in football jinxes. While being on the cover of SI isn't as much of a death sentence as being the Madden cover guy, it's not a good thing (that is, unless you're in a bikini. Then, it's fine. Great, even). Think about it. What happened after Joe Carter and Cory Snyder made the 1987 MLB preview cover? Not even Snyder's wonderful mustache could save that team from losing 101 games. And that was some 'stache!

And yes, the cover jinx is problematic for football players. Consider the following:
- 2000: Vikings quarterback Duante Culpepper proclaims he wants to be the "the greatest ever." The Vikings go on to lose their final three games. Culpepper is currently jobless.

- 2001: Oregon State (Derek Anderson's alma mater) is picked as the preseason No. 1. The Beavs finish the year 5-6.

There are probably several others that I'm too lazy to try and remember. The point is, this attention is no good. As a wise man (re: some Internet philosopher) once said, "great expectations lead to great disappointments." You think about that Browns PR people who would have to approve a photo shoot. You think about that.

Anyway. Notes…
Nice post from ABJ Browns beat writer Marla Ridenour. Also make sure to check out her second camp video. It'll be down by 9 a.m. tomorrow, per NFL rules, so check it out. Hopefully there will be more to come.

Fans are flocking to training camp this year.

Phil Savage should be pleased with the work he has done with the Browns.

Anderson looks like a star according to Fox Sports.

Someone e-mailed today with the following:

I'm a life long Browns fan, but I've never gone to a training camp before. What's the point?! Isn't it just guys in shorts and shoulder pads?

If I do go, what do I do? Can you cheer? is there food?

Well, dear reader, treat training camp like you were going to a game. It's proper to cheer, scream, clap or holler whenever you see fit. If you're lucky, you may see teammates come to blows. If you're unlucky, you'll see a player get carted off with a career-threatening injury.

There's plenty of parking available around the team's complex. I always like to park a decent walk away because a lot of times kids will set up shop in their front yards selling hot dogs and lemonade. If I remember correctly, you can bring it into the practices.

Make sure to get there kind of early because the place will fill up. More than 2,500 fans attended camp yesterday. The Browns set up rows of bleachers for fans to sit on. Afterward, you can attempt to grab an autograph. Just kind of follow the crowd.

Find full camp details here. Remember, if you go, we want to hear about it!

The Browns signed their entire rookie draft class late Tuesday, per the Associated Press.

Per Tony Grossi's blog, the first day of camp featured a good deal of action. On the injury front, the first day saw receiver Donte Stallworth out with a sore hamstring, tight end Steve Heiden return after back surgery and offensive linemen Ryan Tucker and receiver Joe Jurevicius placed on the PUP to start the season. Speaking of Tucker, he's expected to become active sometime after the first roster cut.

A few other interesting note is the Browns lack of interest in two recent cuts, former Chargers receiver/return specialist Eric Parker and former Broncos running back Mike Bell. It certainly appears that offensively, Phil Savage feels the offense is set, barring further injuries.

Keep checking back for more camp updates!

Training camp starts tomorrow. That got me thinking a little more than usual about the Browns.

Question no is asking one: Can the Browns actually beat teams over .500 this year?
Although the Browns won 10 games in 2007, only one (Seattle) was over a team with a record of .500 or better.

The game against the Seahawks was only possible thanks to 14 fourth-quarter points and a 364-yard passing day by Derek Anderson. Hardly encouraging.

So, whatever will the Browns do this season considering their opponents had a .546 winning percentage last season. As a wise man often says, not so fast my friend.

That schedule is good for seventh toughest in the league. Guess who has the hardest and third-hardest schedule based on 2007 winning percentage. That would be the Steelers and Ravens, respectively. And what then about the Bengals? Their opponents have the same 2007 winning percentage as the Browns.

Question no one is asking two: Can Jamal Lewis do it again?
Lewis had something of a career resurgence in his first season with the Browns, rushing for 1,304 yards and nine touchdowns.

In the three years prior to last season, Lewis averaged 1,015 yards per season, so last season was something of a spike. Look a little deeper in his stats, and there's a more disturbing picture. Lewis got more than half (789) of his yards in the last seven games last season. On the Browns side of the field, Lewis got 901 of his yards (69 percent). Yes, it's true he gets a lot more attempts (57 percent) on the Browns side of the field, but there's still a case here.

Let's compare Lewis' stats with another running back whose team uses a similar blocking scheme and one main running back (which is a little rare today). The closest match Thomas Jones of the Jets. While they're certainly different runners, the circumstances are similar.

He had 1,119 rushing yards in 15 games last season. The yards were dispersed fairly evenly. Fifty-seven percent of his yards came on the Jets' side of the field.

The point here is (I think I'm making one), is that while Lewis had a good 2007, the Browns will need him to become much better on the opposing side of the field. That will take even more pressure off Anderson, who completed only 52.5 percent of his passes on the opposing side of the field.

Under the microscope: Defensive coordinator Mel Tucker
With all the fuss about the a stellar offense and the additions on the defensive front line, Tucker's transition to coordinator has been underplayed.

Tucker is being given the task of improving a defense that gave up 23.9 points and 359.6 yards per game last season.

Coming into his fourth season with the Browns, Tucker was the defensive backs coach until replacing the fired Todd Grantham. Tucker's only coordinator work came at Ohio State from 2001-04, which he shared with Jim Heacock.

Fortunately, head coach Romeo Crennel has such a strong background on defense that it shouldn't matter too much. Still, outside of being able to develop players in the secondary, Tucker is an unknown.

Biggest impact from an offseason acquisition: Defensive lineman Corey Williams
Williams has been vastly overshadowed this offseason by defensive tackle Shaun Rogers. Don't forget the Browns traded Green Bay a second-round pick for Williams.

Williams, who will be 28 at the start of the season, is in the prime of a career that has seen steady improvement. He's had seven sacks each of the past two seasons and will be Cleveland's top pass rusher along the defensive line.

Question no one is asking three: How will safety Sean Jones perform in a contract year?
Terry Pluto of the Plain Dealer wrote the other day about Jones being the leader of the Browns' secondary. He briefly touched on Jones' contract running out at the end of the season. Equally important, to me at least, is that he mentioned that Jones is something of an introvert.

While it's not fair for me to judge the mental prowess of another person, it makes you wonder a little how Jones will do with a possible big-money contract looming. A lot of players seem to flourish in a contract year so hopefully Jones will be the same way. It's also a little confounding that Jones' impending free agency is rarely mentioned considering the team seems to be openly negotiating with tight end Kellen Winslow.

Notes…
If you subscribe to the Beacon Journal, you probably saw a nice page previewing training camp Sunday. Well, since I like you, I converted that page online here. Whatever stories beat writer Marla Ridenour or columnist Patrick McManamon write about training camp, you'll be able to find them there, or the usual places on Ohio.com

Speaking of McManamon, he wrote this column wondering whether or not the Browns should have gone after defensive end Jason Taylor. By the way, make sure you're checking out Pat's blog. It's always filled with good opinions, a laugh or two and (if you're lucky), a picture of Adriana Lima.

The Browns made a couple roster moves.

Rich Passan of Scout.com wrote about one of my all-time favorite Browns, center tackle Cody Risien. As a youngster, I met Risien. Probably at a mall or a car dealership. Possibly a pet store, I don't recall. What I do remember is that glorious mustache. Risien owned one of the most underrated mustaches in the history of mustachiodom. He was a pretty good offensive lineman as well.

Are you going to training camp this year? If you are, tell us all about it. Did an unknown player impress you? Did a starter look bad? Is Shaun Rogers the largest human being you've ever seen?

Send your thoughts to me and it'll go up on the blog. If you have any photos you took at training camp, please share and we'd be glad to put them up.

Brady Quinn's lawyer has contacted a gay dating website and requested they remove a shirtless photo of Quinn from the site.  Find4Men.com has been given a cease and desist order by Quinn's attorney, who states that Quinn did not give authorization for the picture's use on the site.  Their apparently has been some confusion on the site, with users potentially thinking that Quinn was homosexual and a user of the site.

Who's fault is this?  Quinn's clearly.  Brady's an avid weight lifter, and should maybe cutback on the upper body workouts if he doesn't want this kind of attention.  To quote Jim Rome "Yo, Brady, this is the NFL, not 'Who can run the forty-yard dash with a Subaru strapped to their back."