BROWNS NOTES | From Berea

TACKLE ALERT: The questions concerning Greedy Williams’ tackling skills are sticking to the Browns rookie cornerback like he stuck to SEC receivers at LSU. Williams, picked in the second round with the 46th overall choice, couldn’t escape the issue even when he talked with Browns coach Freddie Kitchens on the phone shortly after being selected. After welcoming Williams to the team, Kitchens reminded him that he’s going to have to tackle. It appeared as if Kitchens was joking. He changed that thinking when addressing the media following a Friday rookie minicamp practice. “I wasn’t joking,” Kitchens said. “He’s going to have to tackle some. If the ball gets out on the edge, we’re not going to let him go. Greedy is going to tackle. He wants to tackle. He’s a willing tackler. Peer pressure gets to you sometimes. If we have the leaders that I think we have, he’ll tackle.” The primary criticism of Williams has been what some perceive as an aversion to hitting hard. No one questions his cover skills, which were widely considered the best in the draft. Williams can best be described as an ankle diver. He’ll take shots to the upper body at times, but primarily his target area is near the ground. “The first season they had me play a little zone, so I was able to make some tackles,” Williams said. “By midseason they put me on a guy and that was my assignment for that game. It’s kind of tough to make a tackle in man-to-man.”

TONE IT DOWN: Williams got caught up in the emotion of the night when the Browns drafted him on April 26. During a conference call he told reporters he feels as if the Browns will win the Super Bowl this season. “I like the confidence and the passion he has,” Kitchens said. “I think that mantra changed today, right?” Kitchens wouldn’t reveal what he told Williams, but it can be assumed he informed him it might be a good idea to watch his words in the future. “That’s between him and I,” Kitchens said, “but I don’t know how many predictions he’ll be making. He’s a good kid, and he was just full of excitement.”

WEB MASTER: Former Browns receiver Webster Slaughter was at practice. Slaughter was among several former players asked to speak to the players by Kitchens. “We’ve had a lot of those guys around,” Kitchens said. “We had Webster and Bernie [Kosar] and Mr. [Jim] Brown, Earnest Byner and [Kevin] Mack were here. We wanted our rookies to see what it is to be a Cleveland Brown and what it meant to the city.”

GONE BUT REMEMBERED: Safety Sheldrick Redwine, who played at Miami, still has an autograph he received from former Miami safety Sean Taylor. Taylor was picked in the first round of the 2004 draft by the Washington Redskins. He was one of the NFL’s best safeties through four seasons before being shot to death by home intruders. “My goal is to live up to him,” Redwine said. “Just push myself to be the player I know I can be.”

HE’S RIGHT: Oklahoma kicker Austin Seibert is aware of the great 14-year career kicker Phil Dawson enjoyed with the Browns. However, for some reason Seibert, a fifth-round draft choice, says he might not be able to fully relate to Dawson because they kick from different sides. The fact is both kick with their right foot. Seibert will undoubtedly discover that bit of information when he contacts Dawson to pick his brain about handling the tricky winds at First Energy Stadium.

— Mike McLain