For Mohamed Massaquoi, the lingering NFL lockout has afforded the Browns third-year wideout a chance to take a step back and learn from the game's best.
Massaquoi toured the country to meet with a who's who of receivers, including Chad Ochocinco, Hines Ward, Larry Fitzgerald, Calvin Johnson and Wes Welker, *The Plain Dealer* reported.
"I'm looking at this as a fresh start and I wanted to learn from the best," he said this weekend. "I wanted to be able to start from scratch and be able to use what they know to help me."
Massaquoi, who told the paper he picked up skills from every player he met with, called the NFL's receiving ranks "almost like a big fraternity," saying Ochocinco and Ward -- division rivals with the Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers respectively -- were generous in their help.
"None of them have big egos. They're all trying to get better and perfect their craft. In doing so, you get to see them correct their mistakes. They're coaching you up as they're improving their own game.
"There's a reason that they're in the league as long as they are. You really can't fix what you don't know. You see how those guys go about their business, how they work, how they're running routes and how they're adjusting to certain things and it's completely different."
The Browns spent a second-round pick on Massaquoi in 2009. With 70 catches and five touchdowns after two seasons, he has yet to elevate a passing attack that ranked last in the league in 2009 and No. 29 in 2010.
Massaquoi's offseason homework comes as the Browns shift to the West Coast offense, a change the former Georgia star backs wholeheartedly.
"I'm really excited about it," Massaquoi told the newspaper. "You wish you could've come into a more pass-happy offense from the start, but now that it's here, you embrace it and have fun."
Massaquoi is one of about 30 players attending this week's Camp Colt IV, the team's full-squad workouts in Austin, Texas, under the direction of second-year quarterback Colt McCoy, according to the newspaper.
