Rookie QB looks sharp
NFL
BEREA, Ohio — Nothing screams rookie about DeShone Kizer.
After wrapping up a news conference Friday, when he handled questions about Cleveland’s three-way quarterback competition with the finesse of a polished politician, Kizer was escorted into the Browns’ facility with two members of the team’s media relations staff flanking him.
If he’s not the starter, Kizer certainly is being treated like one.
Kizer took snaps with the starting offense during the Browns’ first practice of training camp on Thursday and coach Hue Jackson acknowledged afterward that the former Notre Dame standout has made significant progress since minicamp. Kizer is not making the same mistakes and he is moving with a confidence that indicates he knows he belongs.
“The way that they’ve thrown me into the fire in the last couple months has been one that has allowed me to grow quickly and to become comfortable pretty fast,” he said before Friday’s workout. “It’s (the starting job) out of my hands, and I look forward to just trying to play well when my time does come.”
The second-round pick is competing with veterans Cody Kessler and Brock Osweiler to be Cleveland’s Week 1 starter, a job that has been mostly a parttime gig in recent years because of injuries and roster shake-ups.
But while Kizer lacks the experience of Osweiler (13 NFL wins) or Kessler (eight career starts), the 6-foot-4, 233-pounder appears to have all the necessary tools to handle starting duties.
At Notre Dame, Kizer played on a big stage nearly every week, and Fighting Irish coach Brian Kelly prepared him for the scrutiny he’ll get as a pro by demanding perfection on every play.
The Browns, who have been in a nearly constant search for a franchise quarterback for most of the past 20 years, aren’t going to rush Kizer into the lineup.
“There’s multiple ways of getting there,” Kizer said. “This is an awesome environment to learn and develop. Coach Jackson’s had a lot of success with quarterbacks and developing quarterbacks and to have the veteran offensive line, it’s a great opportunity for me to learn as much as I can to hopefully have some success early — if that time has come.”
Kizer isn’t skipping any steps in his development. After minicamp, the 21-year-old picked the brains of NFL QBs Matt Ryan, Matt Stafford and Blake Bortles, hoping to learn all he could about his new profession.
“I was able to kind of be a fly on the wall to guys who have had a lot success,” Kizer said. “Matt Ryan’s a guy who obviously was the MVP and has shown that he’s headed in the right direction to be a great quarterback.
“Some of the things that he does within his workouts I like to emulate myself. He’s a guy who’s all about quality over quantity and takes every rep seriously.”
Crew — GK Steffen; D Jimenez, Crognale, Williams, Francis; MF Artur, Trapp, Meram, Manneh, Finlay; F Kamara. Real Salt Lake — GK Rimando; D Beltran, Silva, Glad, Acosta; MF Beckerman, Mulholland, Plata, Rusnak, Savarino; F Silva.
Real has won two of its last three games after losing four of the previous five. … After back-to-back games allowing five or more goals, it has gone six straight without allowing more than two. … Keeper Nick Rimando is one save shy of an 11th straight season with 50 or more saves.
Midfielder Federico Higuain is listed as “out” because of a knee sprain. He has not played since July 1. … Crew SC has scored two goals in four games with Higuain out of the lineup. … The Crew is 3-4-2 at Real Salt Lake.
Is Real’s recent uptick (2-0-1 this month) an anomaly or a sign of change? After a draining 3-0 loss at Philadelphia, can the Crew find the energy to finish a stretch of three games in eight days on a high note? Will it be able to find offense with Higuain back out of the lineup?