McCoy-led Browns to gather in Texas next week for camp

The Cleveland Browns will gather next week in Texas for their first full-team camp during the NFL lockout and their fourth series of sessions organized by quarterback Colt McCoy, The Plain Dealer reported Thursday.

No venue was identified for the minicamp, which will run Sunday through Tuesday, but two previous camps organized by McCoy, one in April and another last month, were held in Austin, where the quarterback starred at the University of Texas. Browns players also participated in a May minicamp in Berea, Ohio.

Linebacker Scott Fujita also is helping to organize the camp, which is expected to draw around 40 offensive and defensive players, The Plain Dealer reported. Veterans are helping to pay some or all travel expenses for rookies and other young players to attend the sessions, which will include on-field drills, conditioning and film study.

McCoy and backup quarterback Seneca Wallace have been teaching players the West Coast offense that new coach Pat Shurmur is installing.

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Former NFL players gather at forum to discuss head injuries

When Eric Hipple was on the wrong end of bone-crushing hits during his NFL career, he wore it like a badge of courage.

Hipple knows better now. After a post-NFL life marked by pain, depression and personal tragedy, the former Detroit Lions quarterback is speaking out.

The 53-year-old was one of about 20 former players who shared their stories during an NFL-sponsored forum Wednesday at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Detroit. "NFL Community Huddle: Taking a goal line stand for your mind & body" addressed head injuries and mental disorders such as Alzheimer's and dementia.

The risk of memory-related diseases for former players, including Alzheimer's, is 19 times the normal rate for men ages 30 through 49, according to an NFL-commissioned study in 2009.

"Took a lickin' and kept on tickin'," Hipple told The Detroit News, referencing the nickname that he earned during a playing career that lasted from 1980 to 1989. "I actually took pride in that name."

Hipple's body is a walking cautionary tale of the realities of an extended career in professional football. He underwent seven surgeries in his 10 seasons and battled severe depression after his career was done. He was in denial about his head injuries for years, and he dealt with the suicide of his 15-year-old son in 2000.

"Even the best health care in the world doesn't do you any good if you don't use it," Hipple said. "That's the problem with stigma. It stops people from getting the services they need."

The forum featured panelists Dr. David Satcher, a former U.S. surgeon general, former Buffalo Bills safety Mark Kelso, and Sylvia Mackey, wife of Hall of Fame tight end John Mackey.

Sylvia Mackey belives her 69-year-old husband wouldn't have developed dementia had he been better protected during a 10-year career in which the Colts great missed only one game.

Mackey's story prompted the NFL and NFL Player's Association to create the "88 Plan" in 2007 to help support players with dementia and their families. More than $7 million has been distributed through the initiative.

One of the forum's goals is to erase the "tough guy" thinking that leads to long-term issues for pro football players.

"There was a saying, 'You can't make the club if you're in the tub' and you're hurt," former Lions linebacker George Jamison said. "I always tried to get back out there and play."

Satcher believes there has to be a new way of thinking when it comes to protecting the players.

"People take protection of the brain for granted," he said. "Hopefully that will change."

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Jets D-linemen plan to gather for workouts next week in N.J.

NEW YORK -- The Jets' defensive linemen have been lifting weights and running while the NFL's labor dispute drags on. Well, now they're ready to hit something.

Sione Pouha and Mike DeVito told The Associated Press on Saturday they plan to gather in New Jersey sometime next week with the team's other defensive linemen, including Ropati Pitoitua and possibly first-round pick Muhammad Wilkerson and third-rounder Kenrick Ellis.

"We were talking and it was like, 'Dude, we've got to put something together,'" Pouha said. "All of us have been lifting and running and working out. That's one thing. Doing actual drills, making blocking reads and punching sled bags, well, that's another thing."

The players have made arrangements to bring in blocking sleds and add the physical element they've been missing in the absence of organized team activities because of the lockout. They also might review defensive plays from last season and reacquaint themselves with one another.

"It's great to get together as a unit," DeVito said, "so that we can start working together, getting our rhythm and timing right and to work that unity that is so important to have if you want a great defensive line."

Quarterback Mark Sanchez gathered several offensive players in Southern California earlier this month for his "Jets West" camp, and recently said the entire team expects to work out together in June if the lockout continues.

Pouha said no specific plans had been made yet in terms of gathering the entire team.

"I'm sure Mark will let all of us know," he said. "But in terms of the D-line, that's our plan, to get together. Nothing like an OTA, but to work on drills and get that fusion as a unit."

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press

View the original article here

Jets D-linemen plan to gather for workouts next week in N.J.

NEW YORK -- The Jets' defensive linemen have been lifting weights and running while the NFL's labor dispute drags on. Well, now they're ready to hit something.

Sione Pouha and Mike DeVito told The Associated Press on Saturday they plan to gather in New Jersey sometime next week with the team's other defensive linemen, including Ropati Pitoitua and possibly first-round pick Muhammad Wilkerson and third-rounder Kenrick Ellis.

"We were talking and it was like, 'Dude, we've got to put something together,'" Pouha said. "All of us have been lifting and running and working out. That's one thing. Doing actual drills, making blocking reads and punching sled bags, well, that's another thing."

The players have made arrangements to bring in blocking sleds and add the physical element they've been missing in the absence of organized team activities because of the lockout. They also might review defensive plays from last season and reacquaint themselves with one another.

"It's great to get together as a unit," DeVito said, "so that we can start working together, getting our rhythm and timing right and to work that unity that is so important to have if you want a great defensive line."

Quarterback Mark Sanchez gathered several offensive players in Southern California earlier this month for his "Jets West" camp, and recently said the entire team expects to work out together in June if the lockout continues.

Pouha said no specific plans had been made yet in terms of gathering the entire team.

"I'm sure Mark will let all of us know," he said. "But in terms of the D-line, that's our plan, to get together. Nothing like an OTA, but to work on drills and get that fusion as a unit."

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press

View the original article here