“Camp Colt” Proving to be Well-Received Amongst Browns Players

Goodbye pinched nerve, hello new potential targets.

For Browns second-year quarterback Colt McCoy, the 2011 NFL season will be one about continued growth, but it will also be one about new-found health. Playing most of the 2010 season with a bout of nerve damage in his throwing shoulder thanks to this year’s third-overall draft selection Marcell Dareus, McCoy not only has a sense of comfort having a season of NFL experience under his belt, but also a fully-healed throwing arm above it.

McCoy tells The Plain Dealer’s Mary Kay Cabot that he has made the most of his off-season, taking advantage of the downtime left by the league’s ongoing labor strife. With fatigue playing a large roll in some of the former Longhorn’s issues last season, he now says that his shoulder feels “as good as ever,” ensuring that he is ready to step back in under center when the gates are lifted.

Despite Browns President Mike Holmgren stating that he desired to select a quarterback in the late rounds of the recently-held NFL draft, the team left without doing so, further cementing McCoy’s standing amongst the front office and coaching staff. Along with the physical tolls, McCoy admits that there is a lot of mental preparation involved with the new system that will be implemented by the team’s new head coach Pat Shurmur.

With playbook in hand, McCoy held what his teammates dubbed as “Camp Colt” approximately one week ago. Reportedly, there will be another camp of sorts, this time with the hopeful additions of wide receiver Greg Little, tight end Jordan Cameron and fullback Owen Marecic – the three players selected in the recent draft, all of whom will likely play a role in the Browns offense in 2011. Given Marecic’s experience at Stanford, McCoy feels that the fullback is already a step ahead when it comes to the West Coast Offense.

In addition to the healthy shoulder, improved knowledge of the WCO and a few new players, McCoy will have a pair of third-year receivers in Brian Robiskie and Mohamed Massaquoi, two pass-catching tight ends in Ben Watson and Evan Moore, and a pair of rookie burners in Jonathan Haggerty and Carlton Mitchell.

Now, all we need is football.

(Photo:Joshua Gunter/Cleveland Plain Dealer)