STEVE DOERSCHUK
BEREA — The horn sounded one last time. The portion of training camp open to the public was over for 2008.
The short ride to the Sept. 7 opener against Dallas passed another milestone.
The next one comes at the Meadowlands, where a game against the Giants will take the Browns through the halfway point of their preseason schedule.
“We’re gonna see where we are against the world champs,” said safety Sean Jones, practically smacking his lips at the thought.
Saturday’s last call for fans put players in a festive mood under a hot sun.
Slim cornerback Eric Wright ran out of the locker room and put a flying head lock on strongman Robaire Smith.
“You’re lucky I like you,” said Smith, aiming a mosquito-swat slap at Wright.
The young starting cornerbacks have been the life of the party throughout camp. Brandon McDonald strode out the door alongside quarterback Brady Quinn.
“Write this in your book,” McDonald shouted to a writer. “I’m gonna pick No. 10 today.”
During a light practice intended to ease into the Giants game, McDonald never got that interception.
“Quinn didn’t come at me,” McDonald protested.
After practice, the Browns spread out to sign autographs for another big crowd, this one surpassing 2,000. One by one, players filed back toward the locker room door. On the way, they signed an orange foam pad wrapped around a goal post — it will be sold for charity.
Long snapper Ryan Pontbriand did not sign his name, instead sketching a center looking between his legs. No. 64 wrote a 6 on one of the sketch’s butt cheeks and a 4 on the other.
Amid the tension-relieving scenes, this camp left one paramount thought about the Browns: They are convinced they are a serious team.
To prove it, they will need a big contribution from new defensive lineman Shaun Rogers, who nursed camp aches and didn’t practice Saturday but is expected to suit up Monday.
Obviously, the Browns also need their commitment to quarterback Derek Anderson to pan out.
Judging from camp reactions to the quarterbacks, the people still love Quinn, but they are warming up to Anderson.
“Derek has settled into the role as a leader,” running back Jason Wright observed. “He’s growing in confidence every day ... and he was always very confident.”
It doesn’t hurt Anderson’s confidence to have Pro Bowler Joe Thomas as his left tackle. Thomas and the offensive line had a quiet, efficient camp, during which right guard Ryan Tucker quietly worked his way back from a broken hip.
Head coach Romeo Crennel seemed to light up when he said Tucker finally made it out for some individual drills Saturday. He was a welcome sight in a camp nickeled and dimed to distraction by smaller injuries.
It’s not unusual for players to hate camp, but Thomas is one of those football junkies who loves it.
“It is really nice to have all the fans out here cheering for you every day like it’s a game day,” Thomas said.
The soundtrack changes as they lock the gates to fans, but ...
“Camp is not over yet,” Crennel said, with some attitude. “I’m not breaking camp for at least another week.”
Insofar as a milestone was reached, and the fans made their last stand Saturday, is there anything Crennel really liked about this leg of camp?
“Well, I’ve got two good quarterbacks, and I’ve got a nice-looking defensive front,” Crennel said.
There are three more weeks to fill in the rest of the details. Three weeks to Dallas.
‘Joe J’ sighting
Crennel doesn’t sound like a head coach who believes veteran wideout Joe Jurevicius’ career is over.
“I know Joe will do everything he can to get back on the field,” Crennel said. “I think he will be back. How long that’s gonna take, who knows.”
Jurevicius had four arthroscopic knee surgeries that knocked him out of training camp.
“He’s in and working on his flexibility ... basically stretching and doing low-impact stuff,” Crennel said. “He’s making progress.”
Jurevicius caught 50 passes in 2007. Kellen Winslow Jr. sees him as a vital part of the offense.
‘DA’ and ‘BQ’
An ongoing look at training camp through the eyes of quarterbacks Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn:
Throughout camp, Quinn’s body language never stopped saying, “I’m good enough to start.”
Crennel never stopped saying, directly or indirectly, “Derek Anderson is ‘The Man.’”
“He’s been improving ever since camp started,” Crennel said by way of further cementing Anderson’s grip on the job.
How are Anderson and Quinn getting along?
“It’s a good relationship,” Crennel said Saturday. “There’s no negative part that I see. They work very well together. They’re in the classroom together. They try to help each other. That’s what you want.”
Anderson won 10 games as a 2007 starter. Quinn played 10 snaps.
“When a guy has proven he can do it, it’s hard for jealousies to get in the way,” Crennel said. “Let’s say they both had won 10 games for us. Then they both felt like they deserved a shot ... that’s something different.
“But D.A. has won 10 games. Brady wants to get to the point he can win 10. He’s confident that he can, but he’s gonna wait his time.”
Extra points
n Crennel said Shaun Rogers missed practice because “he’s got several things that are a little sore.” He did not elaborate but said, “I expect that he’s gonna play (Monday night).”
n Crennel on whether safety Sean Jones is poised to have a big year: “I think so.”
n Crennel said he plans to play starters “into the second quarter” against the Giants.
