Lorain/Elyria, OH
Donte Stallworth makes his training camp debut with the Browns
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Stallworth made his Browns training camp debut Saturday morning by appearing in individual receiver drills. He didn’t participate in team drills as he recovers from a hamstring injury, but tried to stay sharp mentally and not waste the practice time — hence the unusual routine.
“The main thing is just trying to stay abreast with the playbook,” he said following the morning practice. “It’s very challenging, but that’s what I’m here for, that’s what I get paid to do. I’m just trying to make sure I put in the extra time.”
Stallworth was the signature offseason addition to the offense. He signed a seven-year, $35 million contract to step into the No. 2 receiver role and add quickness to an already-potent offense that scored 402 points and sent four players to the Pro Bowl in 2007.
The slow start to camp would seem to add a little pressure on the 27-year-old. So would the absence of projected third receiver Joe Jurevicius, who could miss the start of the season following four offseason knee surgeries. And the lofty expectations facing his new team.
“I don’t believe in pressure,” Stallworth said. “I feel pressure is what you make it.”
Stallworth then quoted Patriots coach Bill Belichick, who dealt with suffocating pressure last season on
“If you put a 2-by-4 on the ground and walk across it, there’s no pressure,” Stallworth said. “If you put it 300 feet up in the air, you’re going to be afraid. It just depends on what you think about it.
“I’ve never been one to worry about pressure. That word’s not in my vocabulary.”
Stallworth is with his fourth team in four seasons. He caught 46 passes for 697 yards and three touchdowns last year in
His quickness and ability to turn a short catch into a long gain appealed to the Browns. So did his 53 career starts, 279 catches, 31 touchdowns and 15.1-yard average.
His best season came in 2005 in
“Now we’ve got an experienced guy who can play in games and run after the catch,” coach Romeo Crennel said. “We felt he would upgrade our receiving corps.”
Stallworth isn’t satisfied being thought of as an underneath receiver. He also feels he can go deep, which he wasn’t asked to do often in
“I had no problems with the role I was put in,” Stallworth told the Boston Globe recently. “Would I have liked to run more downfield routes? Yeah. But if you have me and Randy (Moss), who are you going to pick? Randy is a freak of nature.”
So, is Stallworth better underneath or running deep?
“Ummm. I’ll let the Cowboys figure that one out,” he said of the opener Sept. 7. “I won’t give any secrets away.”
But he is trying to learn a few, which is why he eavesdrops on the huddle.
“You try to listen to the quarterback’s rhythm and see how he calls the plays,” Stallworth said. “It’s probably the most I can do as far as not being out there.”
Stallworth wouldn’t set a timetable for entering team drills, but will spend the interim studying his playbook and picking the brain of offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski.
“Chud knows exactly what he’s doing,” Stallworth said. “I’m just trying to make sure I know what I’m doing. He’s probably tired of me talking to him.”
Stallworth finished Saturday morning catching passes from quarterbacks Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn well after practice had ended. Then he signed autographs for 15 minutes.
“I’m glad to be here,” he said. “It’s going to be an exciting year for us.”
Contact Scott Petrak at 329-7253 or spetrak@chroniclet.com.
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