Training Camp Can't "Shelter" Cleveland Browns From All Of Their Internal Storms

“Oh, a storm is threat'ning, My very life today; If I don't get some shelter, Oh yeah, I'm gonna fade away.” – Rolling Stones

It seems no matter how hard a team may try, there always are events threatening to spin out of control just before the season starts.

Players report for training camp in just over a week, and there are several issues swirling around Berea. How these issues are resolved will determine the course of 2009.

"Gimme Shelter" is a song about events spinning out of control and the need to find a calm center. Given the last few years in Cleveland sports, you play professor on why I chose to use it as a theme for this column.

For a team as bad as the Browns were last year, they certainly have been interesting to follow this past offseason. Going into training camp, they are as intriguing as ever.

Just how much influence does head coach Eric Mangini wield in the front office with general manager George Kokinis? How will they put this team together? What will the final product look like?

I could go on, but let's move forward.

You’ve got two contract situations with kicker Phil Dawson and everyman Josh Cribbs. There’s the “quarterback controversy,” new schemes to be learned on both sides of the ball, and above all, beating teams in our own division.

The latest reports state Cribbs will not holdout from camp, indicating a victory for Mangini, who has quietly been stamping out egos on the team formerly allowed to run free.

The news is not so good in regards to Dawson, where rumor has it he fully intends a holdout unless he gets a bigger contract.

My initial response to this news was, “Good luck with that.”

Now Dawson may very well have been the team’s leading scorer last year given Romeo Crennel’s fondness for kicking field goals instead of getting into the end zone, but whether or not there is any truth in that last statement is completely irrelevant because Mangini will happily move on without Dawson.

I don’t know a whole lot about Mangini yet, but I’ve seen enough to realize he’ll cut ties with Dawson and find another kicker without losing any sleep over the matter. Mangini is the type of coach who just needs a warm body at that position with decent range.

I think it’s safe to say rookie Parker Douglass is ready and willing to take Dawson’s job for a lot less money.

Those two contract issues are but two of the storm clouds moving in. There’s the matter of unsigned second round draft picks Brian Robiskie and Mohamed Massaquoi still lingering, but I expect all our guys to be signed by the time players report on July 31.

The biggest thunderhead is, of course, the Brady Quinn versus Derek Anderson debate. I’ve already made my feelings known on this, so let’s move on. It’s not worth talking about again until the preseason actually starts.

On defense, you have another attempt to implement the 3-4 scheme. Besides Shaun Rogers, there is the disappointing Shaun Smith, new faces on the corners, and the mysterious Kamerion Wimbley.

Wimbley, a first round draft pick in 2006, lit things up his rookie year, yet seemed overwhelmed last year, posting only four sacks. Just watching him last year was painful because you kept saying, “I know he’s better than this.”

The offensive line is undergoing an evolution with the addition of center Alex Mack. There really is nowhere to go but up for this squad, so we’ll all probably be satisfied with their progress no matter what.

If Mangini can execute his plans, beat the Steelers, and turn in a performance akin to his first year with the Jets, there’ll be a lot of excitement around Brownstown.

Between the contract issues, the daunting task of completely rebuilding a team, and having the unenviable task of getting all the veterans to buy into his philosophy, Mangini has quite a gauntlet to navigate through.

But I believe Mangini can come through this a winner. It’s just a shot away.