BEREA - Coach Eric Mangini wasted no time in getting his message across on the first day of a rookie minicamp, and Ohio State receiver Brian Robiskie was the target.

Robiskie, who returned punts at Ohio State, had to run a lap during the afternoon practice. The punishment was for dropping a punt.

Mangini is known for his no-nonsense style of coaching. He won't tolerate mistakes, even if they occur as early in the year as a rookie minicamp.

"If you put the ball on the ground, you run, and if you get a penalty, you run," Mangini said. "There's nothing more valuable than the football, and looking at how giveaway-takeaway affects games every year, it's amazing how much one turnover can change a game."

Mangini said the practice of making players run laps worked well in his three seasons as coach of the New York Jets.

"The main thing it does is raise consciousness," he said. "It keeps track of something that can be easy to overlook, where a guy gets a penalty one day and maybe two days later he gets one. You start stringing those weeks together, usually that's the guy that gets a penalty in a game. One holding penalty on a long return can kill you."

• GETTING TOUGH: If the first day of a rookie minicamp is an indication, Mangini will conduct more physical practices than his predecessor, Romeo Crennel. While there wasn't full-speed contact, there was a drill in which a player with the ball stood 20 yards form another player whose job it was to strip the ball from the ball carrier. There were several collisions, bringing cheers from the players standing off to the side.

"That's a drill we'll do almost every day during training camp," Mangini said. "That's one of those things when you get to pro football and lot of people say, 'I've tackled a thousand times. I'm a great tackler.' There are a lot of things you can teach from that drill. It's not contact now, but there will be times during camp when there is contact."

• STANDING TALL: Word leading up to the NFL draft was that USC linebacker Kaluka Maiava wouldn't be a high pick because of his size. After meeting him for the first time Friday at the Browns' rookie minicamp, reporters were able to see why he wasn't a higher pick. Maiava is listed at 5-11 and 229 pounds. He looks to be a better fit for strong safety than linebacker, but there are no plans to move him to the secondary.

The fact that his size has been questioned motivates Maiava.

"What can I do," he said. "This is what God gave me. If I'm 5-11, I'm 5-11. I'm here now and I have to make the most of it."

• SHORT & SIMPLE: It didn't take long for first-round pick Alex Mack to notice the difference between college and the NFL. In the NFL, it's a matter of getting things done as soon as possible.

"Right now it's just the level they expect you to perform at," the center from Cal-Berkeley said. "All right, go. Do it. It's quick. If you don't know it, they're going to get rid of you and go and get someone else."

• LOCAL CONNECTION: Among the 14 rookie free agents signed is Brandon Braxton, who played at Youngstown Ursuline. Braxton (6-6, 312) was an offensive lineman at the University of Oklahoma.

He played in nine games (one start) for the Sooners last season. He started seven games as a junior and six as a sophomore.

• STAR POWER: Jim Brown and Paul Warfield will speak to the rookies tonight after practice is done for the day. Mangini also expects to have two or three current players talk about their path to the NFL.

mmclain@tribtoday.com