Chris Schubert is the poster boy for tryout players at NFL rookie mini camps.
The wide receiver -- all 5-foot-8 and 183 pounds of him -- is a small player from a small school. But from the youth leagues in Lorain County, about 25 miles southwest of Cleveland, to Oberlin (Ohio) High School and finally to Oberlin College, he has showed coaches that he has a big heart and can play much bigger than that.
He's trying to do that once again before a fresh set of eyes as he works this weekend for the Browns.
"I think every kid who ever puts on a football helmet has a dream of playing in the NFL someday. I had a good, solid college career, so I decided to give it a shot and try to get my name out there," Schubert, a wide receiver/kick returner/punt returner/holder for the Yeomen, said following Saturday morning's practice.
Growing up in the area, he said he was "a big Browns fan. I had the Bernie Kosar Halloween costume, the orange helmet, everything."
In anticipation of someday getting a chance with an NFL club -- maybe even the Browns -- he's come with his college coaches to the team's training camp the last two years to study the drills that are run.
He was watching the Browns Pre-Draft Show on SportsTime Ohio about three weeks ago and heard general manager Phil Savage say that the club would be inviting a lot of tryout players to its rookie minicamp. That piqued his interest, and then he officially got his invitation when Browns director of player personnel T.J. McCreight, a Greater Cleveland native who played at a smaller school (Liberty) and got his start in coaching in 1993 at none other than Oberlin, gave him a call.
McCreight didn't have to ask Schubert twice if he were interested.
"This is a heckuva opportunity," said Schubert, who played football and baseball at Oberlin High and was considering doing both in college as well until Oberlin started having spring football. "The questions about my size, and what size school I played at, are always going to be there, so it doesn't bother me.
"I'm confident in what I can do on a football field. I'm going to give it my best shot here. If things don't work out, then things don't work out. At least I will be able to say I had an opportunity."
*
BEEN THERE, WANTED TO DO THAT: Crennel can certainly understand the dream all players in camp, especially those like Schubert who are working on a tryout basis, have. He was a good player at Western Kentucky 40 years ago, playing defensive line and then switching to offensive tackle as a senior to help the Hilltoppers through some struggles on that side of the ball. When he got out of school, he never got a chance to go to an NFL camp and compete for a roster spot. "But I wanted to," he smiled. Instead, he started his coaching career, serving as a graduate assistant at his alma mater in 1970. "All of the guys without contracts here this weekend have got good attitudes and are working hard trying to make an impression and put their best foot forward," Crennel said. "If there's not a spot for them here right now, you tell them there's not a spot here right now. But you also tell them that they were in an NFL camp and got themselves on film, and maybe there will be spot somewhere else."
*
COACH'S KUDOS: Crennel singled out cornerback Darnell Terrell, an undrafted signee from Missouri, and tryout safety Mil'von James from UNLV, saying they have made some plays.
*
CAMPER OF THE DAY: Jamaal Lewis, a tryout player from Arizona State, is in a crowded position at tight end. But he is standing out, doing a nice job of catching the ball and then exhibiting some good speed in turning upfield and running after the catch. The 6-4, 233-pounder moves well for a big man.
*
HONORABLE MENTION CAMPERS: Lance Leggett, an undrafted signee from Miami (Fla.), and Brandon Copeland, a tryout player from Bridgewater (Va.), are two lanky wide receivers who caught everything thrown their way.
*
PLAYS OF THE DAY: Tryout wide receiver Nate Hughes from Alcorn State had a nice sliding catch at the 1, making sure he had control of the ball before flying out of bounds. ... A tryout running back from Colorado, Lloyd Charles took a handoff and showed good quickness and agility while darting between left guard and tackle. ... Tryout wide receiver Wynton Jackson, one of two players from Liberty (the other is offensive lineman Edward Pinigis), made a nice catch of a pass near the sideline and looked good while running back punts. ... Tryout defensive back Marcus Watts of Kansas State was undercut by a receiver after he went airborne to break up a pass. He came crashing down hard, but got up right away and appeared to be OK as he trotted off. ... The number of gasps that that play drew was second only to that drawn from a run into the middle of line that resulted in a bunch of interior players on both sides of the ball getting all tangled up. Nose tackle Ahtyba Rubin was knocked to the turf but, like Watts, he quickly got to his feet and did not appear to have been injured.
*
DÉJÀ VU: There is a No. 57 with the last name of Matthews playing linebacker in camp, but it's not some sort of comeback attempt. He's not Clay Matthews, who wore that number while starring at that position for the Browns from 1978-93, but rather Asa Matthews, a tryout player from Northern Colorado. Ironically, they are almost exactly the same size. The rookie is 6-foot-2 and 239 pounds, while Clay Matthews was listed at 6-2 and 238.
*
MORE NAME GAME: Maybe the player in camp with the best football name is Dane Krogstad, a tryout linebacker from Arizona. That -- especially the last name -- just sounds tough and rugged.
*
TALE OF THE TAPE: It didn't take long for seventh-round draft pick Alex Hall to come unraveled, so to speak. He spent most of practice with the tape job around his right shoe coming apart, with a big piece flopping in the breeze as he ran.
*
RIGHT NEXT DOOR: Maybe the most local player in camp is tryout offensive tackle Mike Galassi. He played at Strongsville High School, located only about five milers south of the Browns training headquarters in Berea. He then went on to Walsh University in Canton, Ohio.
*
WHOOPS: On Friday when we mentioned the young veterans working in camp, we omitted the name of defensive back A.J. Davis, who ended last season on the practice squad.
*
JUST VISITING: Although he has no players in camp, Bowling Green head coach Greg Brandon took in Saturday's practice. There are, however, five players from the Mid-American Conference, of which the Falcons are a member.
*
JUST DUCKY: The Browns were forced to practice inside for a second straight day by a steady rain that had started about three hours earlier. The fields outside were so waterlogged that two ducks were seen wandering around and splashing through the puddles. Much better weather -- with just a slight chance for rain -- is forecast for Sunday morning as the three-day camp winds up.
*
QUOTABLE: "You know what they say, that everybody looks good in shorts. Especially for the linemen, you have to put the pads on to know what any of these guys can do." -- Crennel explaining that he doesn't get swayed too far one way or another by what he sees in any mini camp.
