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Until the NFL shortens its preseason http://www.brownsfanshop.com/Sione-Takitaki-Jersey , there will be one goal in late July and early August.Stay healthy.Unfortunately, nearly every team sustains significant injuries, some of which can be devastating for the regular season. Coaches and general managers will curse under their breath when they lose a key regular, then claim the “next man up” policy will take care of the problem.Sometimes, they are right. Often, the swearing becomes more intense and louder.As teams settle in at sweltering training camps this week, playbooks are distributed (digitally, of course), rookies and other youngsters try to catch the eye of decision makers, and fans wonder what their teams will look like in early September. And beyond.Except, perhaps, in New England.Some things to keep an eye on until the Packers and Bears kick off on Sept. 5 to open the league’s 100th season.BRADY, YES; GRONK, NOWe’re not likely to see much of Patriots quarterback Tom Brady until opening day. We won’t see any of his buddy and standout tight end, Rob Gronkowski, whose battered body caused him to retire.It’s a big blow for the soon-to-be 42-year-old Brady, who somehow manages to overcome such obstacles.“Yeah, it’s the first time in a long time and he was such a great player for our team,” Brady says of Gronk. “I think like any season, things are different and we’re going to have to adjust differently and teams are going to play us differently without him. We’ve seen it even when he’s been on the team.“That’s got to be a position of strength even if it’s not one player but multiple players doing different roles. There were times in my career before that where we had similar approaches. No one’s going to make any excuses for our offense, we’re going to do everything we can to be the best we can be, score every time we touch the ball, and the tight end position’s a big part of our offense and those guys are going to have to do a great job for us.”Those guys include veteran Ben Watson, who also was ready for retirement before opting to come back to New England. But Gronk’s absence is the most critical difference for last season’s champions.COACHING CAROUSELWhen the spinning stopped, new head coaches landed in Tampa, Miami, Green Bay, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Arizona, Denver, and New Jersey.Bruce Arians, Buccaneers — One of two hires with previous head coaching experience (Adam Gase is the other), Arians is charged with developing the talent and instilling maturity in Jameis Winston. The quarterback never has lived up to his top overall draft pick status, but if anyone can push Winston toward elite status, it is QB whisperer Arians.Brian Flores, Dolphins — For a while, it looked as if Miami was ready to tank this season as it reorganizes from top to bottom. But this is not the worst roster in the league. Still, Flores has to prove a Belichick protege can succeed as a head coach.Matt LaFleur, Packers — Aaron Rodgers isn’t the easiest superstar passer to work with, so keep an eye on the transition in Cheesehead Land. The offense should be pretty good if A-Rod is healthy, so the biggest chore is upgrading a previously unreliable defense.Zac Taylor, Bengals — Good luck, Zac. The Bengals have the weakest talent group in the AFC North, with even their stars such as A.J. Green and Geno Atkins carrying big question marks. Of course, if Taylor ever wins one postseason game Greedy Williams Jersey , he will have outdone Marvin Lewis.Freddie Kitchens, Browns — The idea here is that Kitchens, QB Baker Mayfield and wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. will blend their skills and personalities to create a dynamic offense. And, yes, a winner on the shores of Lake Erie. Of all the new hires, Kitchens might be under the most pressure considering the ramped-up expectations in Cleveland — and the potential for major disruptions.Kliff Kingsbury, Cardinals — Perhaps the strangest hire of this group because Kingsbury had a mediocre record at Texas Tech and was fired. But he specializes in the kind of offense top draftee Kyler Murray favors, and he is innovative. Kingsbury also is stuck with a weak roster.Vic Fangio, Broncos — A career assistant who has built strong defenses for years — including in Chicago last season — Fangio is the latest sideline boss hired by John Elway. He has some studs on D with Von Miller, Chris Harris Jr. and Bradley Chubb, so improvement is possible. Can the offense, with Joe Flacco behind center, do the same?Adam Gase, Jets — Developing Sam Darnold into the franchise QB the Jets believe he will become is Gase’s responsibility. While there’s been substantial turmoil in New York’s front office, the roster has been upgraded with the likes of RB Le’Veon Bell and LB C.J. Mosley. That gives Gase a chance to do what predecessor Todd Bowles could not: make the playoffs.WHO ARE THOSE GUYS?New addresses for veterans now with the Jets, Browns, Raiders, Broncos and Jaguars on offense could have huge impacts. Defensively, the Cowboys, Chiefs, Cardinals, Rams and Redskins made major moves.Le’Veon Bell, Jets — Bell will get plenty of work as a runner and receiver, and is critical to turning Darnold into a dangerous quarterback — and the Jets into a contender.Odell Beckham Jr., Browns — If the histrionics and selfish attitude disappear, Beckham could link with Mayfield for the best pass-catch combination in football.Antonio Brown, Raiders — If the histrionics and selfish attitude disappear, Brown might make Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock look very wise with this trade.Joe Flacco, Broncos — Flacco got hurt and lost his job to Lamar Jackson last year; he would have lost it eventually anyway. So Flacco gets a freshstart in the Rockies, but his receiving group is very questionable.Nick Foles, Jaguars — The most intriguing move of the offseason. Foles was perfect for Philadelphia’s offense, and the Jaguars want to be more of a running team. There is something special about Foles, though, so don’t doubt him.Earl Thomas, Ravens — Jerry Jones coveted this premier safety for years and didn’t get him for Cowboys. Baltimore gets a somewhat battered player who should become a leader in the secondary and locker room, and will never give less than his all.Frank Clark and Tyrann Mathieu, Chiefs — Had the Chiefs boasted any sort of defense in ’18, they probably would be NFL champions. Now, they can boast a little bit, with Clark supplying a pass rush and Mathieu playmaking everywhere.Terrell Suggs, Cardinals — This is likely Suggs’ last stop in a Hall of Fame-caliber career. He might get a lot of sacks, but the end game is the Cardinals won’t contend even if he does dominate blockers.Eric Weddle, Rams — Savvy and versatile, though a bit beyond his prime, Weddle joins an already stout defense that lost an important cog in safety Lamarcus Joyner.Landon Collins, Redskins — It was bad enough the Giants allowed their best defender to leave in free agency. Then he goes to a division rival https://www.brownsfanshop.com/Howard-Wilson-Jersey , where he immediately is a huge upgrade. Collins should be very active in Washington — especially when the Giants are the opponent. CLEVELAND (AP) — During a meeting this week with his defense, Browns interim coach Gregg Williams used star end Myles Garrett as a model.And a warning.A 6-foot-4, 270-pound mass of chiseled muscle, power and speed, Garrett cuts an imposing figure. He's a physical specimen, the kind of athlete that stands out even in a room full of elite humans. Oh, and he happens to be about the same size as Carolina quarterback Cam Newton."I said that he is bigger than Myles," Williams said. "People said, ‘What?' I said, ‘There it is. There is your quarterback right here— Myles Garrett. That is the kind of framework that you guys are looking at here.' We have our work cut out for us."One week after failing to contain Houston quarterback Deshaun Watson, the Browns (4-7-1) now have to deal with Newton and the Carolina Panthers (6-6), who have lost four straight games and need a win Sunday to improve their playoff hopes.Williams has a history with Newton, who has been slowed by a sore right shoulder and has been limited in practice over the past few weeks. When Williams was with New Orleans, he had to plan for Newton twice a year and still seems to have scars from his encounters with the 6-foot-5, 245-pound dual threat."He has grown and taken very good steps year by year by year," Williams said. "(Panther offensive coordinator) Norv (Turner) has done a really good job with the things that they are doing with him. It is back-to-back games with that kind of a quarterback, but more powerful in the pocket. When you are taking a look at getting him down in the pocket, now that is a grown man. It is not a small quarterback."Newton is coming off a poor performance in last week's loss at Tampa Bay. He threw four interceptions and was replaced on the game's final play by backup Taylor Heinicke, who came in to attempt a Hail Mary that wasn't answered.Earlier this week, Newton said he'd be ready to face the Browns and try to get the Panthers back on track. Carolina trails Minnesota by one-half game for the NFC's second-wild card spot and can't afford another loss.With the holiday season approaching, Newton said ending the Panthers' slide would be wonderful."Is Santa listening? I hope he comes early," said Newton, who needs just 1 passing yard to reach 3,000 for the eighth straight year. "I feel like we are so close. Every week I try to think of certain things that can get me over the hump. There is no denying and faking that you see other teams thriving and you know that we can do the same thing."All you need is one (win) to catch fire."BAKER BOUNCES BACKBrowns rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield is looking to put together a complete game after a half-good performance last Sunday.Mayfield's three interceptions in the first half led to the Texans opening a 23-0 lead. He recovered nicely by passing for 351 yards after halftime, and he knows he must be more inconsistent.And while Mayfield accepted blame for the miscues, offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens said it wasn't just the QB's fault."When interceptions happen, sometimes it is bad decisions by the quarterback, sometimes it is pressure happening more than it should, sometimes it is guys not being in the right spot, sometimes it is a bad play call, and sometimes it is a combination of everything," he said. "That is sort of what happened the other day. This did not all fall on Baker."DEFENSIVE ADJUSTMENTWith Carolina's defense underperforming, Panthers coach Ron Rivera has taken play-calling duties away from coordinator Eric Washington. The Panthers have forced just one takeaway in the last four games and have struggled on third down and in the red zone.Rivera was Chicago's defensive coordinator for three years.Safety Eric Reid doesn't expect much to change philosophically, but Rivera may call more blitzes."I don't know if a ton of stuff will be different, but he has a different way of going about things," Reid said. "He explains why we are doing things and why he likes making a call in a certain situation, the philosophy behind it and how to execute it."REPLACING OLSENGreg Olsen's right foot gave out again last week, and the Panthers will be without the three-time Pro Bowl tight end for the remainder of the season. Olsen, who broke the foot twice in the last two years, ruptured his plantar fascia.Rookie Ian Thomas and Chris Manhertz replace Olsen. Thomas is considered more of the receiving threat. He was pressed into duty earlier this season with Olsen out, but struggled at times with the intricacies of the offense, including route running. Still, the Panthers love his potential.McCAFFREY'S RUNTireless running back Christian McCaffrey has been a one-man wrecking crew for the Panthers recently. He has more catches (53) than any player in the NFL since Week 6 and has already tied last year's mark with 80 receptions.Over the last five weeks, McCaffrey has run for 440 yards and four touchdowns and caught 36 passes for 363 yards and four TDs. He needs 137 yards rushing and 337 receiving to become only the third running back to surpass 1,000 yards in both categories. The others are Roger Craig and Marshall Faulk.