BEREA — The pads were on. The gloves were off.
Late in Thursday’s sun-baked practice, sparks flew after 27-year-old tight end Brad Cieslak rammed into rookie linebacker Alex Hall, who will celebrate his 23rd birthday this week, presumably still on the team.
Cieslak, a former star high school quarterback who became a Northern Illinois tight end and stuck around with the Bills at the latter position for most of three years, seemed content with the shoving as coach Romeo Crennel closed in.
Crennel, who blows four sharp toots on a whistle at the end of each 11-on-11 play, had whistled this one dead. When Crennel saw Hall load up a punch for Cieslak, he grabbed the rookie by the front of the jersey and gave him a fierce look.
That ended the fracas.
Later, Crennel said the last time he broke up a camp fight was when he was a Belichick lieutenant in New England.
“I almost got hit,” Crennel said with a grin. “Then I decided it’s not the place for me.
“I can get in between a young rookie. He’s probably not gonna hit the coach.”
Hall is a late bloomer who weighed 190 pounds coming out of high school and played college football at St. Augustine.
Now, he is a 6-foot-5, 250-pound physical specimen who could help as a pass rusher. The Browns got him in the seventh round of this year’s draft.
Despite the fight, Hall isn’t going anywhere, unless it’s the practice squad rather than the regular roster.
Kamerion Wimbley calls him “a great young individual.”
Chances are, Crennel put this one to bed by giving it the old Lou Brown:
“Good, I like that kind of spirit in a player.”
With players in pads and doing some hitting, spirits ran high Thursday.
Defensive lineman Shaun Smith further established himself as the mouth of the Browns.
At one point, Smith yelled, “Keep tiptoeing like that and we’ll get you a pair of stilettos.” It seemed to be aimed at a rookie running back, but Smith said the barb was for linebacker David McMillan.
Smith shrugged off his non-stop chatter, saying, “Somebody’s gotta be the happy spirit around here when things ain’t goin’ good.”
Defensive end Robaire Smith (no relation) laughed when asked if Shaun Smith ever shuts up.
“Basically, he’s the spokesperson for the defense line ... I could say for the team, really,” Smith said of Smith. “You’ve got guys like him. You’ve got Shaun, who is gonna be the peacemaker.”
He did not intend that to mean 6-foot-4, 350-pound Shaun Rogers is a pacifist.
Extra points
n Indications are Charles Ali is on the verge of making the team a second straight year as the No. 2 fullback. Is it a luxury to keep two fullbacks?
“No,” Crennel said. “If they can do something, it’s not a luxury.” Ali is a rugged special teams player who might come in handy as an up man on returns if opponents kick away from Joshua Cribbs — and they will.
n Has Rex Hadnot looked good enough at right guard to make it difficult for Ryan Tucker to take back the job when he returns from a broken hip? “Tucker is a pretty good player,” Crennel said. “We’ll have to see how he progresses when he comes back.”
n But how good has Hadnot looked? “He’s done a nice job,” Crennel said. “I think the guys are very confident about his abilities. I think we can go right along if he were the guy.” Tucker seems more likely to be the guy.
n Crennel said he wasn’t ready to say who will replace Braylon Edwards as a starting wideout Monday against the Giants. One guess: Travis Wilson.
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