Ray Farmer, Alec Scheiner talk Browns football in Columbus
COLUMBUS -- Ahead of Friday's Orange and Brown scrimmage, Browns' general manager Ray Farmer and president Alec Scheiner joined Columbus sports stars at The Morning Sports Report.
Much of the focus surrounding the Browns had to do with the team's time in Columbus, specifically the scrimmage and a potential future of moving training camp to central Ohio.
"I think there's a lot of guys who are excited just about playing in The Shoe because it is at Ohio State," Farmer said of the scrimmage at the Buckeyes' Ohio Stadium. "They did win the national championship. There's a lot of buzz in and of itself just around that fact.
"A lot of guys are excited about coming down and seeing what Columbus has to offer."
Farmer said he's excited to see what Browns fans in Columbus will bring to the table for the scrimmage that sold out its allotment of tickets in just a few hours. It provides an opportunity for people who don't typically get to see Cleveland up close to go out and watch live.
"For the Orange and Brown scrimmage, I'm interested to see Browns fans at their best," he said.
"That energy our fans bring both to FirstEnergy Stadium and then whenever we're on the road. Browns fans travel, so we're used to seeing these things and now having 50,000-plus people in the stands for a scrimmage, it'll be a really good venue and I'm excited to see it."
As for training camp moving to Columbus in future years, neither Farmer nor Scheiner would give a definitive answer, but the door is certainly open.
"We go through a long process and we started about a year ago vetting out the option of moving training camp away from Berea and Columbus is definitely realistic," Scheiner said. "There's still work to be done. The most important thing is how it works for our football team."
The discussions went beyond the logistics and onto the gridiron. There is intrigue in the air about what the Browns might do this year, especially if the team can find a quality quarterback.
"He's a unique, unique person," Farmer said of quarterback Josh McCown. "When you're researching free agency, you hear about guys that, one they're good people or they're this or they're that.
"The more time you spend with him you realize, this guy's a genuine good guy and he's good for your building. He's infectious, he makes other guys want to be around, want to study their playbooks, want to be better, so they don't let him down. And he's that kind of a personality, so he's been good for a lot of things that we've been doing."
The Browns quarterback discussion also touched on Johnny Manziel. Although he's mostly stayed out of the headlines this offseason, Manziel remains of captivating interest to fans in Columbus.
"Johnny realizes who he is," Farmer said when asked about the second-year player. "He's going to continue to be Johnny Manziel whether people want to write about it or not. The reality is that, from our perspective as a team, it's never about any one individual. It's about us. So that's what we're focused on."
There can't be football talk in Columbus without mention of Ohio State's recent success. Farmer praised head coach Urban Meyer and his players on overcoming adversity and winning the national championship last season.
"As a football guy, the utmost respect for Urban Meyer and all of those players," he said.
"You watch them week after week methodically go about just doing their business and not getting lost in the big picture and staying focused in the moment, that's what football comes down to. Because as soon as you overlook an opponent is when you lose."
Since Terrelle Pryor signed with Cleveland, the talk around Columbus has been about the return of the former Ohio State quarterback to Ohio Stadium, a place he once made erupt on Saturdays.
Though he'll be sidelined by a hamstring injury, he was still a focus at Thursday's event.
"I remember him coming out of high school and catching a jump ball in the corner of the end zone, thinking, 'Wow, that's impressive,'" Famer said of Pryor. "So then you move forward and the guy goes to college and makes a lot of big things happen and you're thinking, 'Wow, this guy's a phenomenal athlete.'"
In the future, the Browns may spend more time in Columbus. Right now, the team is happy with how things have gone and are looking forward to Friday's scrimmage.
"Columbus is a place that I think right now has definitely extended the red carpet to the Browns and just for tomorrow and in and of itself," Farmer said. "We're excited to see how that goes."
