The season starts now and our goal is to be in Dallas in February. Iím excited about the upcoming season and to be back working with these guys.

Training camp is going real well so far. Guys are flying around on the field, itís very competitive and progress is being made.

We made some great additions in the secondary with Sheldon Brown and rookies T.J. Ward, Larry Asante and Joe Haden. Joe is doing real well although his pockets are a little heavy after signing his 50 million dollar deal. I'll try to help him out with that problem and have the rookie spend a few dollars on defensive backs in the room. He's been great, he came in excited to work and to learn. His little brother Jordan and my little brother Matt are starting camp together at the University of Florida. It's been great in the meeting room, I think the rookies understand that they were successful at the college level but the game changes at this level and communication is very key. Theyíre students of the game and I really enjoy that interaction. Joe, Larry and T.J. all seem like they want to learn what it takes to be successful.

On a typical day of two-a-day practices, I'm up at 7:30, hot tub, stretch, get dressed and out on the field for warmups and prepare for practice. We practice until about 10:45, then do some media and sign some autographs.

Come back in and take a cold tub, shower, try to get a quick nap or get some things done over the phone, take care of my responsibilities.

Back for meetings around 1 and we have meetings until about 4:45. I think I have more meetings than the President. Special teams, offense, defense, positional meetings, then another meeting to install the defense, then with the position coach again to go over what we ran through at practice.

After meetings, back into the hot tub, tape up, do it all over again with another practice and then get home by 8:45 or 9. Study the playbook for an hour, spend time with the family and lights out by 11.

The days we have only one practice, we have more meetings. We watch film of the practice we just had and correct the things we did wrong.

I feel like I came in in great shape. I passed my conditioning test and made my weight. I feel healthy and I'm off to a good start. My training in the off-season has paid off, Iím moving a lot better and my body feels good.

I also want to send a shout-out to Brian Smith of the PR department. The Browns have one of the best PR departments in the league, and itís nice to have good people on your side.

Abram Elam is a safety with the Cleveland Browns. His blog for www.playerpress.com runs at www.abeelam.com. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/abeelam.

The NFL is a fraternity, and you always want to support your brothers. So I've been going around the country working football camps for different guys.

Two weeks ago I was at the David Clowney Foundation football camp and celebrity basketball game in Delray Beach, Florida. My younger brother Matt took part in that, as well. There was a great turnout for a good cause and everybody had a good time.

I also traveled to Kalamazoo, Michigan, for Jerome Harrison's camp, and last weekend I spent time in New Orleans for my teammate, Robert Royal, and Ryan Clark of the Steelers camp. There was another great turnout there and it's nice to see how the city has rebounded since Hurricane Katrina. A bunch of guys came out to give the kids the time of their life and it was a nice event for a great cause.

Friday I will be hosting my 2nd Annual Youth Empowerment Fitness Camp in Adamsville, Georgia. I will be joining my teammate James Davis and my former teammate with the Jets, Drew Coleman. We take boys and girls from the Atlanta area and promote health, training and fitness, and empower them to eat right and exercise. We try to encourage youth to stay active to fight obesity and concentrate on being health conscious. John Lewis, the older brother of Jamal Lewis and one of the best trainers in the Atlanta area, will be there to help run the camp along with myself. John will offer the youth great tips and things they can do to stay healthy and in shape.

I've been in Orlando training with Tom Shaw and I've been the only Brown among about eight Steelers, two New York Jets and one San Diego Charger. I have been putting in work. I hear all the jokes from the Steeler players, but I tell them I'm one up on them. You're only as good as your last game and we won that one.

Today I'm training with my little brother Matt at the University of Florida and Terry Bradden, a quarterback at Howard University. We're working out with Ron Israel, assistant strength coach at Florida, and the rest of the Florida Gators team. If the young guys are lucky I'll take it easy on them but then again I don't know what easy is!

Abram Elam is a safety with the Cleveland Browns. His blog for www.playerpress.com runs at www.abeelam.com. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/abeelam.

Abram Elam is a safety with the Cleveland Browns. His blog for www.playerpress.com runs at www.abeelam.com. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/abeelam.

I signed my tender last Monday so I'll still be a Brown this season. There won't be any hard feelings, I hope the fans understand that the NFL is a business and I try to separate that from my emotions. I'm happy to have a job and be able to play for one of the great football cities in Cleveland. I'm just excited to get back to work and hopefully I can help us turn things around and win some games for the greatest fans in the league.

I held my charity weekend with Team Elam June 17-19 in South Florida and we had a great turnout, both with the kids and a lot of players coming out to support me. We had a reception at the Capital Grille in Riviera Beach, a place that is always there to offer support, and a Celebrity Bowling Challenge at Jupiter Lanes, then the Team Elam Fun Day. More than 2,500 people came out for the weekend and it was a great success.

It was an exciting weekend for me and I was honored with the key to the city of Riviera Beach and my own day, Abram Elam Day, which will be every year on June 19 in Riviera Beach.

It's an honor, especially knowing what I had to overcome in my life. To be honored with such a special award, I never dreamed of it. It's something God sent to me and I just want to continue to walk in line and be a role model for youths and the community.

Abram Elam is a safety with the Cleveland Browns. His blog for www.playerpress.com runs at www.abeelam.com. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/abeelam.

I’ve had the opportunity to do some great things this summer.

I had my first chance to visit Kalamazoo, Michigan, to support my teammate Jerome Harrison at his first annual football camp. There was a great turnout and a bunch of my teammates showed up, Josh Cribbs, Mike Adams, Eric Wright, Chris Jennings, Brandon MacDonald, Syndrick Steptoe and James Davis, plus Brandon Flowers of the Kansas City Chiefs and T.J. Jackson, a trainer from XPE Sports in Delray Beach, Florida. A lot of kids had a great time and we were able to interact with them.

That was an opportunity for me to give back to some kids who might otherwise never have gotten the chance to interact with NFL players. It touched me and made me look forward to my event June 17-19, Team Elam Charity Weekend.

It’s a big thing here in Palm Beach County. It kicks off Thursday June 17 with a reception at Capital Grille in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, for all of our sponsors. Our First Annual Celebrity Bowling Challenge will be at Jupiter Lanes that Friday night. Saturday will be the annual Team Elam Fun Day at the Dan Calloway Amphitheater from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. It’s the third annual event and we’ve had a bigger turnout every year. This year we expect more than 3,500 people to enjoy the great things we’ve got going on in my hometown of Riviera Beach. I look forward to having my NFL friends there, including Brandon Marshall, Anquan Boldin, Brandon Flowers, Atari Bigby, Josh Cribbs, Pierre Garcon and a lot of other guys to help me support a great cause. For additional information on TEAM Elam Charity Weekend starting June 17-19 visit www.teamelam.org.

I’m grinding hard, getting the most out of my time training down here in Florida this offseason. I feel I’m in top-notch shape, one of the best offseasons of my career. I’m down to 207 pounds. I haven’t been this light since my rookie year with the Dolphins and that’s a testament to my conditioning and hard work.

I had fun conditioning yesterday in Miami Beach running sprints with the Rosenhaus Sports family. Drew Rosenhaus, Robert Bailey, Danny Martoe, Jason Katz and Jason Rosenhaus ran with me, 18 110s, all under 15 seconds, and each guy finished the drill. To me, that shows support and respect from my agency, to see how hard they work on their conditioning and that they are pushing there clients to get better. It’s nice to know I'm putting in work on the field and they are handling their business in the office!

So I’m grinding like sandpaper till I make it all shape up. Working until that finish product is formed – that’s being the best.

Abram Elam is a safety with the Cleveland Browns. His blog for www.playerpress.com runs at www.abeelam.com. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/abeelam.

I was tendered at second round level by the Browns but at this point I am weighing my options in hopes of receiving a multi-year deal. I am praying everything works out for the best. As of right now my focus is on training and continuing to improve as a player.

I have been working out between Orlando and Delray Beach, Florida. I have spent time training in Orlando with Tom Shaw's SPEED and Tony Valani in Delray Beach at XPE Sports. My focus has been improving my weaknesses and getting in the best shape of my life. Thus far this has been one of the best offseasons of my career. My body is in good health and only getting better. Being able to train in some of this great Florida weather has been a plus as well!

Last week, my younger brother Matt and a couple of his Gator buddies, Robert Clark and Gerald Christian, came down to train with me when they were home. I enjoyed spending time with those guys, reliving my college experience all over again. I was there once myself and I'm happy to provide them resources I didn't have at their age. They held up well in training, I was impressed. It just goes to show you how advanced these young players are nowadays.

I’m happy to be able to act as a role model for younger people. God has blessed me and put me in a great situation and I want to take advantage of it the best I can. I feel it’s not by chance that I am where I am, that God has definitely blessed me and I need to make the most of it.

Just a head’s up, my charity weekend will be June 17-19 in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. There will be a reception at the Capital Grille, celebrity bowling, and my third annual Day at the Park. Check back here for more information in the next few weeks. You can go to www.teamelam.org

 

Abram Elam is a starting safety with the Cleveland Browns. His blog for www.playerpress.com runs at www.abeelam.com. Follow him on Twitter as abeelam.

I had a great time Pro Bowl week, Super Bowl week and then I went to Dallas for NBA All-Star weekend. While in Dallas I got a chance to kick it with some of my former teammates on the Cowboys, Patrick Crayton, Anthony Henry, Andre Gurode, Pat Watkins and T.O. It was great being back in Dallas where I started my NFL career, hanging with guys I haven’t seen in a while.

It’s always good to see the guys you shared time and victories with. Whenever we get together it’s like a reunion. You usually see a bunch of your friends at the big events like Super Bowl week, then spend some time going to their events, their camps and charities in the off-season. You reminisce, talk about the battles you’ve had, in high school, college or the pros. Being in the NFL is like being in a fraternity.

I took a little time off but I’ve already started to get back to training the last couple weeks. Devin Hester, Emmanuel Cook and I have been back in our hometown of Riviera Beach running hills and running in sand at the beach of Singer Island and taking advantage of the good weather. I’m taking it slow but I want to stay in shape, you don’t want to wait too long to get back into shape.

I’ve been popping my head into some workout facilities and I see a lot of guys working out hard already. It’s a competitive league and you can’t lay off for too long. You want to gain that edge and then keep it. That’s why a lot of guys are back to training hard already.

You don’t want to burn out late in the season, though. I think I’m doing a good job of pacing myself and getting enough active rest. Active rest, meaning taking advantage of the time off but maintaining a moderate exercise routine. In the off-season I’m getting massages, taking pilates and yoga classes. My masseuse introduced me to yoga so actually a work in progress.

I recently participated in Heath Evans’ 2nd annual NFL vs SWAT softball game against the Palm Beach County Sheriffs officers. Devin Hester won the home run derby but I redeemed myself by hitting a two-run homer my first at-bat. A lot of players were there, Randy Moss, Mike Bell, Pierre Thomas and David Clowney. It was a great turnout and we won for the second year in a row. Me and Randy were joking that this is like the World Series of baseball because as the game gets going, it begins to get competitive.

Abram Elam is a starting safety with the Cleveland Browns. His blog for www.playerpress.com runs at www.abeelam.com. Follow him on Twitter as abeelam.

My future with the Browns is up in the air a little bit. But I’m not even thinking about that right now. My agent will be talking with the team and he’ll get back to me. I did my part, went out and had a decent season. I would love to stay in Cleveland, it’s a great football town, a great locker room and I love playing for Coach Mangini and Coach Ryan.

I’m excited about this off-season, I’m just enjoying my time off with my family and thinking about how I can get better as a player. I’ve already talked to my position coach about things I can improve on before training camp.

I just got back from the Bahamas where I went for the second year in a row to the Michael Jordan Golf Tournament. I had a great time and I want to give a shout-out to Mike, Rich and Dave Rendina, Mike Dillon, Wade Kuzmik and Greg Whelan, high school buddies of mine who have been reading my blogs. Guys, I appreciate your support! While I was there I got to holla at Dre Bly, C.C. Sabathia, Anthony Hamilton, Charles Oakley, Ronnie Brown, Alex Smith and Joe Bennett, there were a great bunch of guys, the weather was great and everyone had a good time. I’m looking forward to going back next year, but they’re saying they might move it to Vegas and it might be during football season.

I also want to talk about my brother Matt, who is already enrolled at Florida, taking classes and going through winter conditioning. He’s loving it. They had baseline training and he was clocked in the 40 in 4.41, so people are excited about that. Last week he was named Mr. Florida and this week a Parade All-American, so he’s doing some big things. I told him he’s accomplished everything he can in high school, now it’s time to step up for the next challenge, which is college ball.

Also, today is January 26 so Happy Birthday to my daughter Abraiya Elam, who is 8 years old today.

In the Super Bowl, I’d like to see the Saints pull it off. I think it will be a high-scoring game. I’ll go with the Saints, 42-35.

Abram Elam is a starting safety with the Cleveland Browns. His blog for www.playerpress.com runs at www.abeelam.com. Follow him on Twitter as abeelam.

Before the Pittsburgh game, Coach Mangini said we were going to win our last four games and finish the season strong. We went out and made it happen.

I think things were jelling and we were growing and connecting. Everything was going right, I don’t think our preparation or game plan changed, we were just able to go out and execute.

We finished strong and now we have a reason to look forward to next year. Now we know what we can do when we put all three phases of the game together. We can accomplish a lot and Coach Mangini helped bring that together.

I don’t know if I’m even going to be here next year. I would love to be a Brown. I love playing in Cleveland and I know how much potential this team has. But without the CBA cleared up everybody is in limbo for a while. I should know something by the end of March.

This was definitely the most adversity I’ve ever had in my four years in the league. I think I learned a lot with all the ups and downs. All we went through really showed the true character of everyone in this locker room. It was definitely one of the better locker rooms, character-wise. There was no division, no cliques. Everybody got along. Thursday nights were DB nights, we all hung out together and that allowed us to stick together when things were tough.

I’m going to take the month of January off to rest up, but I’ll be busy. I’m still in Cleveland now and I’m going to San Antonio to watch my little brother in the U.S. Army All-Star Game. Then I’ll be doing a lot of traveling.

Honestly, this is the best I’ve ever felt. I had 2-3 massages a week during the season and I give a lot of credit to my massage therapist. I feel like I could play another six games.

Abram Elam is a starting safety with the Cleveland Browns. His blog for www.playerpress.com runs at www.abeelam.com. Follow him on Twitter as abeelam.

We’re riding high right now and definitely enjoying this winning streak. The team has been playing well and really starting to come together. That’s been the difference. I don’t think our preparation or anything else has changed, we’re just playing complementary football. The offense, defense and special teams are all contributing.

Now we’re seeing what we’ve been striving for all year. Everybody is doing their job and the team is becoming successful. Everybody is buying in, no one is making excuses. When you’re not going to the playoffs it would be easy to throw in the towel but nobody is doing that. Everybody is trying to get better and we want to end the season with our fourth straight win.

Jacksonville is still fighting for a playoff spot and they’ll be fired up coming into our home. They have some good players, Maurice Jones-Drew who I work out with in the off-season, a talented young receiver in Mike Sims-Walker and a good quarterback in David Garrard, so it will definitely be a challenge for us.

Because we’ve been winning we got some time off. I got a chance to go to Brooklyn and see some family. I also got to hang out with some former teammates and friends, Drew Coleman, Wallace Wright and Danny Ware.

For Christmas I flew to Florida on Christmas Eve and had the chance to spend the holiday with my close family. It was the first Christmas I’ve spent with them in three years. I enjoyed it, everybody got what they wanted for Christmas and it was very special. But I had to fly out on Christmas Day and go back to work.

Abram Elam is a starting safety with the Cleveland Browns. His blog for www.playerpress.com runs at www.abeelam.com. Follow him on Twitter as abeelam.

That’s two wins in a row, and now we just want to keep it going. It feels so good after you win, you want to do whatever it takes to make that feeling continue.

 

After all the hard work we’ve put in it’s nice to get a reward.

 

It was nice to be part of such a great feat. James Harrison rushed for 286 yards, the third-best day in NFL history, and Josh Cribbs set an NFL record with eight career kickoff returns for touchdowns. Watching those guys from the sidelines definitely helped us. It gets you fired up.

 

I think James has always had the talent, and this game he and the offensive line definitely took advantage of their opportunities. The defense also stepped up and we were able to close the game out.

The Browns hadn’t won at Arrowhead Stadium in 21 years, so that was a great thing.

 

It was also great to play against two of my homies who are doing so well in Kansas City. Brandon Flowers is a friend and DaJuan Morgan grew up in the house behind mine in Riviera Beach, Florida. It’s crazy, what are the odds that two kids growing up next to each other would both go on to be starting safeties in the NFL?

 

Now we want to keep it rolling and we’re definitely focused on the Raiders. They’ve won three of their last five games and they’re not going to lay down for us.

I want to give a shout-out to my little brother Matt and Dwyer High School, which won its first state championship last weekend. Matt was named Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of Florida and there’s a nice story on him at espn.com

 

We practiced on Tuesday this week and Coach gave us Christmas day off. We have practice on Saturday. I definitely have a lot to be thankful for.

 

Abram Elam is a starting safety with the Cleveland Browns. His blog for www.playerpress.com runs at www.abeelam.com. Follow him on Twitter as abeelam.

This was definitely a big win, the city of Cleveland wanted this win. This was a game I highlighted on my calendar when I first got to Cleveland. Playing Pittsburgh at home is always one of the biggest games of the season here.

We did it for the fans and they definitely enjoyed it. The season hasn’t been great but we were able to step up on Thursday night when everyone was watching and give the fans a big win.

I credit Coach Ryan and Coach Mangini for coming up with a great game plan. It reminded me of two years ago when I was on the Jets and we beat Pittsburgh. This game was similar, we were able to get pressure on Ben, neutralize their passing game and we did a great job in the secondary of not giving up big plays and making them drive the long way down the field. We knew we had to pressure him and not let him out of the pocket because that’s what happened when we played them in Pittsburgh and that didn’t work out too well for us.

This time, we stayed disciplined in our pass rush lanes and that definitely played a key part. We had eight sacks and I didn’t get one, but every time I blitzed they had a guard pop out on me, so they knew I was the bigger threat.

Josh Cribbs showed up big once again, in the return game and in the Wildcat on offense where he rushed for almost 100 yards.

This was something that I hope can springboard us for the rest of the season and show everyone that we have a lot to look forward to.

It was definitely the coldest game I’ve ever played in my life. I remember coming out for warm-ups and I couldn’t feel my fingers. The forecast was for -10 degrees but I played sleeveless … showing off my guns and representing for my Florida boys!

Now I’ve completely switched it, we got a couple days off and I’m in South Florida where it’s 80 degrees. I went to my brother Matt’s game last night, he had four touchdowns, three rushing and one on an interception return and Dwyer High beat Armwood 41-15 so they’re going to the state championship game. I never won a state title in football but had two in basketball.

We’re on the road to Matt’s official visit to the University of Florida.

I also want to give a shoutout to Coach Mangini for his Soulja Boy anthem Ya Trick Ya. He knows what I mean.

Abram Elam is a starting safety with the Cleveland Browns. His blog for www.playerpress.com runs at www.abeelam.com. Follow him on Twitter as abeelam.

Adversity exposes character. Facing losing like we are, you really see who is going to continue playing and who is going to give up. The type of conversations you have in the locker room change drastically. You see who’s going to strive to get better and who is going to pack it in, say the season’s already over.

When Coach Mangini was hired, Abe was the first guy I called because he had played for him with the Jets. Then we traded for Abe and I was excited, not only to be getting a teammate but a friend as well. We went to Kent State together and we’ve always had each other’s back. No matter what I’ve got his back and I know he does the same for me. It’s good to have a true friend on the team because a lot of guys are just coworkers. We are genuine friends who look out for each other and give each other advice, and not just in the football aspect. The type of friendship we have we can talk about anything.

We kid around in the locker room and Abe and I have our own corner, our own little block that we claim as the Kent State block. We had a couple of vacant lockers, but the team brought in a kicker and another linebacker to replace injured guys, and Abe and I basically had to OK their arrival before they could come into our block in the locker room. That’s the kind of pull we have on this football team.

When the team isn’t doing as well as you would hope you have to try to take the good out of it. A lot of friendships are being built on this team, a lot of friendships strengthened. Football players come in from all walks of life and on some teams they just become coworkers. We’re more than just coworkers.

Abe and I, we lost before at Kent State and then we started to win at the end. We saw the light at the end of the tunnel but we knew that to get to the light we had to go through the darkness first. That’s what we’re trying to instill in this team, even though we’re not winning now there’s still a lot to play for. Since I’m on offense, he’s on defense and we both play on special teams, it’s like we have the whole team covered basically. We get that message out to keep the guys in tune with our objectives. We might not make the playoffs this year, but it’s not the end of our careers. So we keep playing and looking ahead, instill ethics about playing the game of football even though we’re not winning right now.

There’s still a lot of football to look forward to in the future.

Josh Cribbs is a wide receiver and Pro Bowl kick returner with the Cleveland Browns. His guest blog for www.playerpress.com is running at www.abeelam.com.

I heard there was a fan protest going on Monday night but the stadium was packed, the atmosphere was live and it felt like a big-time game. It was only my second time on Monday Night Football so I really enjoyed it.

We came out fighting and had a great first half, held the Ravens to 0-0. Unfortunately they were able to make some plays and pull it out at the end. As a defense we gave up only one touchdown and we felt we shouldn’t have given that one up.

We have to find ways to help the offense, either by getting a touchdown ourselves or forcing some turnovers to give the offense better field position. We haven’t been doing enough of that. At the end of the day we just have to continue to get better and eliminate mistakes if we want to win football games.

I had a big hit on Todd Heap and a few good stops. It felt good to be on Monday Night Football with everyone watching. It gave my family a chance to see me in action.

Next up we have Detroit. They have an explosive offense with a young quarterback with a very strong arm. They have Calvin Johnson, one of the premier up and coming wide receivers in the league and Bryant Johnson, a former 1st round pick who has found a home in Detroit. Plus Kevin Smith, a running back I work out with in the off-season who is hard to bring down. Stopping the Lions will be a good challenge for us.

I’m also looking forward to seeing my good friend Anthony Henry, who plays for the Lions.

Before the Baltimore game we had a little time off, and the bye week gave me a chance to go home, see my family and watch my little brother play. I’m looking forward to seeing a lot of my family on Thanksgiving, too.

Is it hard to get up to play when you’re 1-8? No. Because to me I feel blessed to be able to play this game for a living. I feel blessed every time I run out onto that field. This is a chance to live out a dream that so many people have but so few can actually realize. I cherish each and every moment because I know it’s not going to last forever.

Hey, stay tuned next week when I’m going to try to get my good friend Josh Cribbs in here to do a blog.

Abram Elam is a starting safety with the Cleveland Browns. His blog for www.playerpress.com runs at www.abeelam.com. Follow him on Twitter as abeelam.

Me and my brother are close, he's like another father to me. A father figure. We talk every day, I'm very proud of him for what he's overcome and what he's doing now.

He's an inspiration to me and a lot of people.

On the field I've learned from watching him and trying to do the same things he did, but better. We're both safeties. When I go up to see him we watch his game film together and he shows me some things, stuff he should have done differently, like what to do, and what not to do and why.

Sometimes I work out with him in the summer and he pushes me hard. We worked out so hard I threw up. He's got a crazy work ethic.

With him in the NFL I know I can follow in his footsteps. My goal is to be in the NFL and line up on the other team against him.

The recruiting process has been crazy. It's my senior year, and I'm having a good time but I'm focused on trying to win a state championship.

Though I made a verbal commitment to Florida last year to take the pressure off me, my brother thought it would be a good idea to take some visits anyway, just in case. So the recruitment is still going on and I'm getting attention from a lot of different schools. Other schools I'm looking at are Tennessee, West Virginia and Georgia.

I would say I'm 85 percent committed to Florida.

The craziest thing that happened during the recruiting process was I got a call from a coach who was driving in his car, and he said if I didn't commit to his program he was going to drive off a cliff. That was crazy.



Matt Elam, the brother of Cleveland Browns safety Abe Elam, is a senior safety at Dwyer High in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., and a consensus 5-star recruit. He has committed verbally to Florida.

We’re going to Chicago this week and I’m excited to be going up against a quarterback like Jay Cutler. He’s got a big arm and a nice swagger that a quarterback needs to play the position. He just signed a big contract so I know he’s pumped about finding a home in Chicago.

He’s going to give us some opportunities in the secondary to take advantage of. The Bears have a lot of weapons, Matt Forte, Dez Clark, Greg Olsen. I look forward to seeing my homeboys, Greg Olsen, who I train with in the off-season, and Devin Hester, who I grew up with. We’ve been Tweeting back and forth for a couple of weeks. The last time I was in Chicago Devin picked me up at the hotel and we went around the city, went to Nike Town. I’m happy for him with all the success he’s been having. He deserves it and he’s worked hard for it. That hard work has definitely paid off.

Through seven games I think I’m doing alright but it could be better, especially when it comes to winning games. I don’t care about individual stats, I just want to win and we’re not doing that right now. We have to try as a team to elevate our games, stay positive and hope something good comes up.

I want to give a shout-out to some of the guys I know doing well around the league. Sidney Rice in Minnesota, Miles Austin, who I broke into the league with in Dallas, David Clowney, who I played with in New York, Nate Jones had a big pick for Miami, Thomas Johnson, a DT with Atlanta, and Darren Sharper in New Orleans.

I’m just thankful to be part of a wonderful organization like the NFL.

Abram Elam is a starting safety with the Cleveland Browns. His blog for www.playerpress.com runs at www.abeelam.com. Follow him on Twitter as abeelam.

The Steelers did a good job of making plays, they made a bunch of big ones. We fought, but when you give up that many big plays and over 400 yards passing, it’s tough to win.

Pittsburgh is definitely a talented team with Hines Ward, Santonio Holmes and Heath Miller catching passes from Ben Roethlisberger, and they all played well against us.

If you look at the score, though, to give up that many yards but hold them to 27 points is a good thing. We definitely had our chances to be in the game. The defense caused four turnovers. We just have to continue to fight and not give up big plays. We have to make them drive the length of the field and give ourselves a better chance.

With a quarterback like Roethlisberger who can extend a play you have to be disciplined in coverage and stick to the receivers. They did a good job of finding the holes in our zone and running through them.

Next up we have another explosive offense in Green Bay so we have to patch the holes real quick. They have wide receivers like Greg Jennings and Donald Driver and a quarterback in Aaron Rodgers who can really throw the ball, so we can’t repeat our performance of last week. We have to put that behind us and look at this like it’s another opportunity to make plays.

I had nine tackles and forced fumble but I still know I can play better and make more plays.

I hate losing. I enjoy having Monday off, but with a loss you don’t get Victory Monday, which is something I look forward to. This week I’m looking forward to seeing Jay-Z in concert on Thursday at Cleveland State.

I also want to say I enjoyed my birthday, I went to the Trey Songz and Mario concert and hung out with my family and teammates. Thanks everybody for your birthday wishes.

Abram Elam is a starting safety with the Cleveland Browns. His blog for www.playerpress.com runs at www.abeelam.com. Follow him on Twitter as abeelam.

A win is a win and it feels great. We got a chance to play a Buffalo team that had a lot of weapons and we were able to neutralize them. We didn’t give up a big play and we executed our game plan.

I think this game showed the importance of field position. It was a defensive battle and a battle of field position, and winning that battle helped us win the game. Our punter Dave Zastudil had some great punts, I think we downed two of them at the 1-yard line and seven inside the 20. That’s how you win with field position.

I watched the whole Jets game on Monday night. I stay in touch with a lot of my former teammates, like Drew Coleman and David Clowney. We still talk frequently. Also my good buddy Channing Crowder is on the Dolphins so it was fun to watch those guys compete. I’m thankful for the opportunities I had with the Jets, but I’m happy to be here in Cleveland.

Next we go to Pittsburgh and I’m hearing a lot about the rivalry between the Steelers and the Browns. It’s a big game because it’s in the division, and also because the teams play so close to each other. It’s a backyard rivalry for the fans. Any game against a division rival is big, plus these are the defending Super Bowl champs, so I’m definitely wired up and ready to go.

I’ve been watching film and Roethlisberger is as good as ever, they have Hines Ward, Santonio Holmes and a couple of guys with speed, they have Mike Wallace and I saw on film No. 11 Stefan Logan is coming on. They definitely had guys jumping off the screen, so it will be a great challenge for our secondary and the Browns as a whole.

As usual, in the secondary we can’t give up big plays and we have to keep in mind that Roethlisberger can extend a play. It will look like he’s sacked but then he’ll spin out of it, so we have to make plays and make sure we go to the whistle.

I had a lot of fun in Buffalo, I was able to talk to my friend T.O. before and after the game. We exchanged jerseys. That’s one I’m going to hang up in my TV room.

Hey, my birthday is Thursday, I’m excited because my mother and some family will be up. It would be a good birthday gift to myself if we could beat Pittsburgh.

Abram Elam is a starting safety with the Cleveland Browns. His blog for www.playerpress.com runs at www.abeelam.com. Follow him on Twitter as abeelam.

Cincinnati was a tough loss, a battle all the way to the end. They played well and you can’t give a great quarterback like Carson Palmer too many chances. He’s seasoned, he can make things happen and he did.

I really thought it was our week to get a victory, but my hat goes off to Cincinnati.

Now I’m excited about the opportunity we have this week in Buffalo. You’ve got to stay positive, because at the end of the day you can’t change the past. The guys were torn last week because we lost, but when we sat down and watched the film we saw a lot of positive things, and we saw how close we were to getting our first win.

The Bills will be a good test. They have explosive receivers in Terrell Owens and Lee Evans, plus good slot receivers in Roscoe Parrish and Josh Reed, a young talented quarterback in Trent Edwards, and Marshawn Lynch came back last week. He’s a beast. I played against him twice last year when I was with the Jets and I know it will be a challenge.

With Marshawn in the lineup I know I’ll have to bring my lunch pail on Sunday. You’ve got to shoot your gun against a back like that. When you get an opportunity to take a shot at him you have to take it, because if you hesitate a moment, a good back will be gone.

Also playing Buffalo will give me a chance to see my buddy T.O. We spent a lot of time together in the off-season, he has a condo in Miami. We played together my rookie year when I was in Dallas.

It’s always a challenge going up against a future Hall of Fame receiver. I’m looking forward to it.

Abram Elam is a starting safety with the Cleveland Browns. His blog for www.playerpress.com runs at www.abeelam.com. Follow him on Twitter as abeelam.

I want to clear up some misinformation that has come out in the press the last couple weeks.

First of all, I was not fined for taking a bottle of water. That’s just ridiculous. I don’t even know why anyone would write that.

Second, Coye Francies never threw a punch at me in the locker room. He did dump some ice on Brandon McDonald, and then he came after me at my locker with a bucket of ice. But there were no punches thrown. How could he throw a punch at me while he’s holding a bucket of ice?

I just wanted to clear that up.

It’s been a tough start for us but there are still a lot of games to go. We have the talent on this team to win games and be successful, we just have to clean up some minor things and continue to improve. The margin for error is so slim in the NFL, with a few things done differently, we could have a better record.

You have to stay optimistic. You can’t quit just because you’re 0-3, you have to keep pressing forward. We’re just trying to get that first win, from there hopefully the momentum will swing and we’ll get going.

Mostly I’m looking forward to getting back to work tomorrow and starting over with my teammates. I’m really enjoying the guys I go to battle with on Sundays. I feel like this is a good organization, I’m happy to be playing the game I love. I’m trying to improve myself as a player because I know that will help the team win.

Against the Ravens, on the long pass to Derrick Mason I busted my butt to get over there and get over the top, help make the play. He made a great move. Mason is one of the best in the NFL at running after the catch and I found that out firsthand. When Baltimore comes to Cleveland we plan to play better.

For now we’re focused on Cincinnati. They’ve got Chad Ochocinco and Laverneus Coles, Andre Caldwell is playing real well right now and Carson Palmer is back. They went down to the wire with Pittsburgh and came out on top.

Plus this is a big in-state battle for us. Everyone’s excited. I’ve had a lot of interview requests to talk about this game so I’m starting to see the importance of it.

Abram Elam is a starting safety with the Cleveland Browns. His blog for www.playerpress.com runs at www.abeelam.com. Follow him on Twitter as abeelam.

I feel like we played well against Denver, especially at the beginning of the game, and we’re getting closer every week to where we want to be. But the margin for error is so small in this league…I think we fought hard and played well the majority of the game, we just gave up a couple of plays that hurt us.

My hat goes off to Denver. Correll Buckhalter made some big plays and Kyle Orton was able to handle our pressure. Early we had him rattled, but he stood in there and fought hard for his team. At the end of the day they just made a few more plays than we did.

It was my first experience playing at Mile High Stadium. It was like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. The crowd was loud and the air was thin. I heard all the stories about getting tired because of the high altitude, but I was still amazed at how dry my mouth was from the minute we started running around until I got back on the plane. That was crazy. I also got a chance to see a couple of friends who play for the Broncos, Jack Williams, a college teammate of mine, and Alphonso Smith, who is from Pahokee, Florida, near my hometown. We spent some time together in the off-season.

The experience was good playing in Denver but we didn’t come away with a win. I feel like we’re improving and guys are fighting, doing everything they can, so it hurts. These guys are putting in so much work, you should see how many guys are in the facility today on our day off, working, doing extra studying, taking care of their bodies because they want to win so bad.

Well, we have another opportunity this week. Baltimore is 2-0, they have one of the top offenses in the NFL right now and we know their defense is good so it’s another big challenge for us.

It will be my first time playing in Baltimore and I heard it is a very hostile environment, but we’re not backing down.

Joe Flacco is really coming on in his second year as a pro, he makes good decisions and has a lot of weapons in Todd Heap, the Pro Bowl tight end, Derrick Mason and Mark Clayton are solid receivers and they have three good running backs, where most teams only have two. They have Ray Rice, Willis McGahee and fullback LeRon McClain, who may as well be a tailback because he can take it the distance.

It will be a good challenge for us. Anytime they kick the ball off, you have to be ready to go.

Abram Elam is a starting safety with the Cleveland Browns. His blog for www.playerpress.com runs at www.abeelam.com. Follow him on Twitter as abeelam.

It was my first home game at Cleveland Browns Stadium, the Dawg Pound was live and it was a great atmosphere for a football game. Definitely an experience I will never forget.

Unfortunately we were not able to win this one for the fans. We set a great tempo in the first half but just couldn’t keep it up in the second half and the Vikings played real well. With a great back like Adrian Peterson you have to keep plugging away at him for all four quarters. If he gets to the edge he can take it the distance, and that’s what we found out on Sunday. You can definitely see why he’s an All-Pro. He runs the ball hard every time and has a great O-line. All those things make Minnesota tough to beat.

I was able to get a sack on Brett Favre and that was kind of cool. I came off the edge on a blitz, got picked up by Bryant McKinnie but was able to fight him off a little bit and trip up Brett. It was a big play for us at the time. We pressured Brett early and didn’t give up any big plays in the passing game, that was big for us in the secondary.

Brett and I talked before and after the game. We were teammates last year with the Jets so it was good seeing him again. I was glad to see Vikings quarterbacks Coach Kevin Rogers, he was one of my favorite college coaches being that he helped recruit me to Notre Dame.

The first half we were executing our game plan and doing the things we were supposed to do, playing them tough. Minnesota did a good job of making adjustments, coming out and playing their type of football. They wanted to run the ball and they were able to do that.

Sunday we have Denver and it will be my first time ever going to Mile High Stadium with the altitude and the thin air. It will definitely be a new experience for me. It’s a good challenge for us because Denver has a lot of talent with receivers like Brandon Marshall, Brandon Stokley and Eddie Royal and backs like Knowshon Moreno and Correll Buckhalter. It’s definitely a challenge and I take it as such. I already started my preparation for Denver today.

Once again I want to thank the fans for their support. This is a great place to play football.

Abram Elam is a starting safety with the Cleveland Browns. His blog for www.playerpress.com runs at www.abeelam.com. Follow him on Twitter as abeelam.

We’ve got a big challenge in our first game with Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings coming to town.

With Brett, he can extend plays and make all the throws, so you have to make sure you play to the whistle. I’ve been watching a lot of film, picking up on tendencies, seeing things the Vikings like to do, their key players and go-to guys. Against Brett you always have to keep tight coverage and know the play isn’t over until the whistle blows.

We know we’re the underdogs but we don’t care. Nothing matters but what goes on on the field. That’s why we play the game.

I’m just excited to get out on the field and run around. It will be my first regular-season game at the Dawg Pound and I’m excited about that. I’m definitely hoping we come out with a big win, especially because there’s going to be a bunch of media coverage. It will be one of the top games of Week 1 because of Favre.

My friend Sidney Rice is a receiver for the Vikings, We spent a lot of time together in the off-season, working out in Florida. I’m looking forward to going up against him, he has nice size and good hands. Looking at their offensive weapons, we’ll have a good challenge against Adrian Peterson, he’s one of the best backs in the NFL. You have to get him before he gets going. If he gets an opening, he’s proved he can take the ball the distance.

I know that every guy in the Browns locker room thinks we have a chance to go out there and win every time we take the field. We’re ready to show why we worked so hard in training camp, why we spent all that extra time watching film.

Sunday, you’ll see a team that is going to play tough and play smart, with a lot of effort and energy.

Abram Elam is a starting safety with the Cleveland Browns. His blog for www.playerpress.com runs at www.abeelam.com. Follow him on Twitter as abeelam.

We broke camp and I’m not sleeping in a hotel anymore. I’m excited just to be sleeping in my bed every night.

Training camp was tough but it really brought the team together. The guys got a chance to learn a lot about each other. When you go through tough times, you lean on each other. That’s one of the great things about camp.

But after three weeks, I’m just happy to be home and sleeping in my bed.

I think the team is doing very well, we’ve had two wins in our last two games and I can see improvement. We had a big victory against Tennessee, we improved on offense and defense and as a whole unit. Things are looking good and we’re building some momentum going into the season.

We have another tough one when we finish our preseason at Chicago. Anytime they’re keeping score, we’re trying to win.

Personally, I feel like I’m playing better, I’m continuing to improve. I’m taking advantage of all the reps I’m getting in training camp, when you get to see different things. I’m definitely enjoying the way we’ve been communicating in the secondary.

We’re still growing as a unit and as a team, but I feel we’re on the right path.

Abram Elam is a starting safety with the Cleveland Browns. His blog for www.playerpress.com runs at www.abeelam.com. Follow him on Twitter as abeelam.

My first game in the Dawg Pound, it was great, man. The fans are amazing, it was a great atmosphere, like a regular season game. Hearing the fans chant your name, and Welcome to the Dawg Pound, was definitely a good feeling.

It was a good win for us, a chance to go out there and fly around. We played well and the offense did as well. I had a nice tackle and a forced fumble but it was overturned on replay. My guy Josh Cribbs returned a punt for a touchdown and had a long kickoff return nullified by a penalty. The offense scored on their first drive.

Even though it was preseason, anytime they’re keeping score, I want to win.

We did some good things and that continued today on the practice field as well.  The idea now is to continue to improve and build on what we did in the preseason game.

We’ve got Tennessee this week and that’s a new challenge. Chris Johnson is one of the fastest backs in the league, LenDale White complements him and Kerry Collins is a solid quarterback who has been in this league a long time.

Each and every day we’re trying to improve. Our goal is just to keep preparing for the regular season. I feel better and better the further we get into training camp, I think Coach is doing a good job of preparing us.

Nothing has changed since I was named starter. I’ve prepared my whole career as if I were the starter. It’s a chance to take on a little more responsibility, make sure everyone is lined up where they’re supposed to be.

This secondary has taken it upon itself as a group to stand up and be accountable to each other and the rest of the team, so that makes it a lot easier. We communicate well, in meetings, on and off the field. This is a great group of guys. Brodney Pool, Mike Adams, Eric Wright and Brandon McDonald. A great nucleus of guys who work hard every day in practice.

Let’s go, I’m already looking forward to running through the tunnel and out into Cleveland Stadium again.

Abram Elam is a starting safety with the Cleveland Browns. His blog for www.playerpress.com runs at www.abeelam.com. Follow him on Twitter as abeelam.

Our first preseason game went OK. We ended up losing to a pretty good team in Green Bay, they did well. Though we didn’t get the result we were looking for it was fun just to get out there on the field. We’re deep in training camp, so it was nice to compete against other guys rather than the ones we’ve been going against every day.

It was great just to be going against a different color jersey, and there’s a great atmosphere in Green Bay. It was my first time playing there. I also had a chance to see a friend who plays for Green Bay, Atari Bigby, after the game. It was the first time we had gotten a chance to play against each other and we talked for a while. He’s coming back strong from an ankle injury.

I started at strong safety with Brodney Pool at free safety. I played the first quarter and a little into the second. I made a couple tackles. Overall the defense can definitely improve and the Browns can get better as a team. I’m looking forward to getting back on the practice field tomorrow to hone some things. All in all it was a great experience for a first preseason game. Now we know what we have to work on and we can continue to get better.

We got in late and I didn’t get home ’til after 2 a.m. I’m trying to enjoy my day off and I have a massage scheduled for later. I’ll also have a light workout, then it’s back to the practice field tomorrow.

I think as a defense we need to continue to communicate, work on our technique and come together as a unit. Our goal is to win a championship. This wasn’t the opening we wanted but that’s why we play the preseason, to iron out some of the wrinkles.

Abram Elam is a starting safety with the Cleveland Browns. His blog for www.playerpress.com runs at www.abeelam.com. Follow him on Twitter as abeelam.

Training camp is going real well, and I’m just glad to be back playing football in Northeast Ohio again. Being out there running around with a bunch of new teammates, guys who love the work, it’s definitely a blessing and I’m enjoying each and every day.

It’s Coach Mangini’s training camp so it’s going to be tough, but the weather’s been good. All the training I did in Florida is really helping out now. I was training at 6 a.m. there and it was 85-90 degrees and steamy. Here it’s high 70s, 80. Nice.

We’re staying in a hotel right down the street from the facility. I get a room to myself, that’s the nice thing about being a veteran.

It’s great to be back with the guys getting ready for this long journey together. The camaraderie has been great, everyone is eager to work to get better every day and every practice has been competitive.

We start every day with an open field tackling drill. It gets you going early in practice, there’s no sluggin’ around, it’s uptempo, guys are talking trash. It’s definitely a good thing. The offensive guys are doing well, making moves and stuff. Jerome Harrison, James Davis and Mike Furrey have been good, we have some quick, shifty guys on offense and they’re playing real well.

Defensive guys are also stepping up, D’Qwell Jackson, Mike Adams, guys who really stick their noses in there.

I can already tell that all those sprints, all the hard lifting I did in the off-season is coming in handy now. I feel like I’m getting there, getting better each and every day. I’m working hard to try to push myself.

Abram Elam is a starting safety with the Cleveland Browns. His blog for www.playerpress.com runs at www.abeelam.com. Follow him on Twitter as abeelam.

Last weekend I held a fitness and life skills camp near Atlanta with Ahmad Carroll of the Jets and Chris Houston of the Falcons. We had a great turnout, lots of media coverage, over 300 kids, boys and girls, working on fitness skills and life skills.

John Lewis, Jamal’s brother, is a personal trainer in Atlanta and he ran most of the physical drills.

We also stressed the point of education. I think the kids can learn from my experiences and the things I have overcome to make it to where I am today. I think it means a lot to them and it means a lot to me, as well.

Now you can smell training camp in the air. You’ve got to enjoy the last few weeks you have before it starts. I’m back in Cleveland training and I brought my little brother, Matt up here. He’s a senior in high school ranked No. 5 in the country by rivals.com and the No. 1 athlete. I’m showing him the importance of hard work and training. It’s been kind of rough on him the last couple of days but he’s been progressing and learning a lot of stuff.

It’s a new year here in Cleveland. I’m training hard and looking forward to a great new start. We have a lot of new faces on the Browns, including players and coaches. We can go a long way if we come together as a team and work extremely hard.

Abram Elam is a starting safety with the Cleveland Browns. His blog for www.playerpress.com runs at www.abeelam.com. Follow him on Twitter as abeelam.

I don’t know if I’m going to play free safety or strong safety this season. Probably both. The goal is for us to be interchangeable in the secondary, for all of the safeties on the field to be able to play up in the box as well as deep in the back.

I’m focusing my training on becoming more versatile. As a strong safety you have to play more in the box, cover the tight end and stop the run. The free safety is the last line of defense, the ballhawk in the back.

Personally I don’t care where I play, I’ll do whatever it takes to help the team. Whether I’m starting or coming off the bench, I’m training to be the starter.

Playing strong safety means you have to have a physical, aggressive mentality to get up and stick your nose in. You can’t shy away from contact. The toughest thing is to dodge the offensive linemen. They see a smaller guy and try to push them around. The key is to beat them with agility and speed.

The free safety anchors the deep part of the field. Some of the QBs are hard to get reads on and you have to study them more extensively and watch their mechanics. Quarterbacks make either full-field or half-field reads. The experienced ones can read the whole field, while some of the younger ones are not as confident or patient and can only read half the field.

Tomorrow I’m flying to Atlanta to take part in a football fitness and life skills empowerment camp on Friday. Team Elam and the Humble Grind Foundation of my former Jets teammate Ahmad Carroll will host the event. Chris Houston of the Falcons and Jets Drew Coleman, Chansi Stuckey and James Ihedigbo are also going to be there for more than 300 campers at the Adamsville Natatorium. It runs from 9-1.

Abram Elam is a starting safety with the Cleveland Browns. His blog for www.playerpress.com runs at www.abeelam.com. Follow him on Twitter as abeelam.

I just flew in from Maryland after doing a camp with Usama Young of the Saints. A lot of players were there, Daniel Muir of the Colts, Jack Williams of the Broncos, David Jones of the Bengals, Tracy Porter of the Saints. It was a great time, we had fun with the kids, taught ’em a few things.

Sometimes the player holding the camp flies you in, but it doesn’t really matter if you have to fly yourself around for all of these camps. What matters is that you want to be a part of something positive and help out a teammate. We all support each other.

I’m saving Marriott reward points and Delta sky miles to try to get a full vacation for free at some point. I love to travel but I don’t have quite enough points yet. When you fly around during the season the team pays so you don’t get those miles.

I enjoyed the camp but I’m happy to be back. I’m getting up at 5 a.m. to work out at 6 with my trainer, Pete Bommarito. He’s a good trainer, I heard about him from Anquan Boldin. He does the things you need to do to get ready for training camp and the season.

To get ready for two-a-days I’m going to be working out twice a day. At 6 a.m. lifting weights and running, agility stuff. Then come back in the afternoon and work on DB drills. Sometime during the day I also do some rehab, treat my body, take care of bumps and bruises.

This job is 24/7, it’s about taking care of your body and getting ready for the season. I want to be in the best shape of my life for training camp. I’m already off to a good start and on my way to being better than I was last year.

Abram Elam is a starting safety with the Cleveland Browns. His blog for www.playerpress.com runs at www.abeelam.com. Follow him on Twitter as abeelam.

I’m checking into the Fontainebleau in Miami right now, getting ready to start my training regimen that leads into training camp at the end of next month. I usually stay here or in Palm Beach when I come in to work out with my trainer, Pete Bommarito.

I’m excited about improving and working on some of the things I know I need to work on to get ready for the season. I like to push myself hard so when training camp starts it seems easier. I’ll be getting up at 6:15 every morning and working out twice a day to get ready.

I think working out that hard gives me an edge mentally that will help me through training camp.

Mostly though I want to talk about how well my event went this past weekend.

Team Elam’s Second Annual Fun Day went amazing. We had an unbelievable turnout and raised a lot of money for my foundation. My agent Drew Rosenhaus came out, my high school coach Sam Budnyk, Giants great Tucker Fredrickson and about 16 or 17 players over the course of the weekend.

We auctioned off one of my game-worn jerseys and a helmet that I wore in a game. On Saturday alone over 2,500 people came through. There was food, fun and the weather was amazing. It was HOT. I think the players had a good time, too. Anquan Boldin, Alphonso Smith, Jack Williams, DaJuan Morgan, Brandon Flowers, C.J. Mosley, Hank Poteat, Santonio Thomas, David Clowney, Drew Coleman, Emmanuel Cook, Ahmad Carroll, and others who I know will be mad that I forgot them.

The players signed autographs, interacted with the kids and had tons of fun. We also got great support from the community and hopefully inspired some kids to continue to work hard, stay positive and do the right thing.

Abram Elam is a starting safety with the Cleveland Browns. His blog for www.playerpress.com runs at www.abeelam.com. Follow him on Twitter as abeelam.

We just finished our mini-camp and we’re out until training camp sometime at the end of July, we haven’t gotten the exact date yet. I’m staying in Cleveland this week to get settled in.

Mini-camp went well, the defense looked good, guys were flying around making plays and seemed to really grasp the system. The guys are understanding their roles and what Coach Ryan and Coach Mangini expect from them.

The offense looked pretty good too and got a lot of stuff installed. I’m really looking forward to the upcoming season.

We have a veteran defense with a number of guys who have been around and have been a great example for younger players like myself, including Eric Barton, David Bowens and Shaun Rogers. They set a great example of how to prepare to practice and play the game.

Knowing how to prepare is very important. You want to make sure when you go out there and execute your job and that all your bases are covered. Being prepared allows you to react on the field without having to think too much because you’re doing something that you’re familiar with. You can play much faster if you’re prepared.

Watching film is so important in preparing to play. I watch at the facility with the guys so we can talk stuff over, how we handled it, what’s the best way to handle it. I like to bring some film home with me as well in case there’s something I might have missed throughout the day.

Our film is very different from the film you see on TV on Sundays. We get the sideline view as well as the view from the back, it’s up close and gives you a chance to study your technique and your assignments. Fans would love to get a chance to see the game in the same light we see it.

I just want to mention my charity event one more time, Team Elam’s second annual Family Fun Day on June 20 from 9 to 4 at the Dan Calloway Amphitheatre in Riviera Beach, Florida. A lot of NFL guys will be there so come on down.

Abram Elam is a starting safety with the Cleveland Browns. His blog for www.playerpress.com runs at www.abeelam.com. Follow him on Twitter as abeelam.

We just finished our OTAs for the day and we have one more on Thursday, then OTAs Monday and Tuesday next week. Then we have mini-camp the following weekend.

Everybody’s excited just to get back on the field. The defense is really getting to know each other, we’re working hard to learn a new system and we’re communicating. The guys are spending extra time studying together.

This is a group of guys eager to help the Cleveland Browns reach the next level.

Coach Mangini is a coach I always have enjoyed playing for. He’s a very smart man and he challenges you to be as smart as him, to be an extension of him out on the field.

I think everybody dreams of being a starter in this league, but the most important thing right now is for me to do everything the coaches ask of me to help the team reach its full potential.

I’m also preparing for Team Elam’s second annual Fun Day in my hometown of Riviera Beach, Florida, June 19-20. You can learn more about it by clicking the Team Elam box on my homepage.

Loads of players have confirmed, Anquan Boldin, Devin Hester, Josh Cribbs, CJ Moseley, Hank Poteat, David Clowney, Dujuan Moran and Drew Coleman and more. We just enjoy a day of interacting with the community and showing kids a positive light. We want to influence kids to do the right thing and make our community and environment better.

I’ll also be at David Clowney’s football camp in Delray Beach on Saturday.

Check back soon for more bloggin’.

Abram Elam is a starting safety with the Cleveland Browns. His blog for www.playerpress.com runs at www.abeelam.com. Follow him on Twitter as abeelam.

My first impressions of Cleveland: These are off the hook Browns fans. This is a football town.

I haven’t found a place to live yet but I’ve been around town because we just started OTAs. I went to the Cavs Game 2 against Atlanta and it was an unbelievable atmosphere there, everyone in this town is excited about their Cavs.

But I’ve been real surprised that even with the Cavs doing so well, there’s still a lot of love for the Browns, even during the off-season.

The fans let you know that they really want us to do well. I’m getting recognized around town and at the airport even though I haven’t played a down for the team yet. Or people see my name and welcome me, there’s lots of love here.

New York is a lot faster than Cleveland and it’s obviously a lot smaller here, but it still feels like the team has a big huge following just like the Jets in New York. I’m liking it.

Plus, knowing some people in the area has made it that much easier for me. I can see some old friendly faces and travel to some spots that I’m familiar with. I talked to the head coach at my old school Kent State. When I get a break I’m going to try to get there and I will definitely go to some games this season. Coach Martin is doing a great job with the program and hopefully they’ll add some more wins this year.

I’m looking forward to OTAs, just getting out there on the field and running around instead of just lifting weights. We have 3 or 4 weeks of OTAs and I’m psyched to play some football.

I’m also looking forward to Memorial Day. I’ll be headed down to Boynton Beach Florida for Ottis Anderson’s scholarship golf outing. Check out OJ’s website for details at www.ottisanderson.com.

I’ll be playing with former Giant great Tucker Fredrickson, he’s like my mentor. Hopefully we’ll be in the same foursome because I can use all the help I can get.

Abram Elam is a starting safety with the Cleveland Browns. His blog for www.playerpress.com runs at www.abeelam.com

I just finished my physical with the Browns and I’ve got meetings today with Coach Mangini and my position coach. Getting traded to Cleveland will mean a big transition for me but I’m looking forward to it.

I knew something might happen during the draft because Coach Ryan called me to let me know that something might go down. So I wasn’t blindsided Saturday when my agent texted me to let me know I had been traded to the Browns.

Then my phone blew up with texts and calls the rest of the day.

It’s tough to leave the friends I have made with the Jets behind but I know I have some relationships made there that I will definitely keep with me for the rest of my life, with guys like David Clowney and Drew Coleman. Those are guys I really bonded with and got close to.

But I’m really very excited about the opportunity I have here in Cleveland. I went to Kent State so this is like my old stomping grounds. I already have a lot of relationships here, with guys like Josh Cribbs who I played with in college. I think it will be a great fit for me.

It’s also exciting to feel wanted. Coach Mangini and the Browns extended an offer sheet to me before the season and then went out and got me in a trade. I’m thankful for that.

When you get traded and show up in your new city, the team has people in place to assist you in every way imaginable. They get you settled in a hotel and get you transportation until you can arrange for that stuff yourself. They highlight some places where a lot of the players live.

I have another friend here, Tony Fisher, who I knew from Notre Dame, he’s from the Euclid area. Knowing a lot of people in the area will definitely be helpful in the transition.

I just want to thank all the Jets fans for their support and their love, I really appreciated my time in New York.

And to all the fans in Cleveland, I look forward to coming to work every day and doing my job and interacting with you all in my new home.

Abram Elam is a starting safety with the Cleveland Browns. His blog for www.playerpress.com runs at www.abeelam.com

It’s been a great offseason. I went to the Bahamas with a bunch of high school buddies and we went to Michael Jordan’s golf tournament. Had a great time, met some great people, MJ, Charles Oakley, Dr. J, CC Sabathia, Johnny Damon. We stayed at The Cove and had a great time.

 

I signed a one-year contract and I feel blessed for that. I know if I just continue to improve and become a better player the money will follow. I came in as an undrafted free agent and now I have the opportunity to shop myself. It meant a lot to me to get that offer sheet from Coach Mangini in Cleveland, it motivated me to continue to work hard so good things will happen.

 

Last year was a pretty good year, I would say a 7 on a scale of 1-10. I definitely improved but there are a lot of things I could do better and I’m working on them this offseason. I really learned a lot under Coach Mangini but I’m very excited about our new head coach Rex Ryan. All his former players speak highly of him and I’ve heard nothing but great things.

 

With a one-year contract it’s really just another opportunity to go out and prove myself.

I’m my hardest critic, I’m very competitive and motivated to be great. All I can do is go out and have another good year, play solid and help the team win.

 

Hopefully the Jets can go all the way.

Abram Elam is a starting safety with the Cleveland Browns. His blog for www.playerpress.com runs at www.abeelam.com