Training Camp Update
Volume 1, Issue 2 – 8/9/05
Intro
You've heard us talk about the Footballguys Strategy Guide
Magazine. We're really proud of that publication, but things
have happened since the magazine was written. Some
important things.
To keep all our Footballguys subscribers on top of everything,
we've created our incredibly detailed Camp Updates. They're
an exhaustive look each week covering every bit of news you
need to know to stay completely on top of every team. Quite
simply, they're the key to Dominating Your Draft.
This is the first of five training camp updates from us. We'll
break down every team's skill positions and position battles.
It's the stuff you'd see if you were there at every camp. This
Camp Update was created by our own Bob Henry and reflects
the most up-to-date info regarding each of these teams.
We offer this first edition free.
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Happy reading and let's have a great 2005 season,
Joe Bryant and David Dodds
Owners, Footballguys.com
Arizona Cardinals
QB: As expected Kurt Warner looked good in the first few
days of camp. Coach Dennis Green indicated that Kurt was
throwing well and looking sharp. Green’s pleased with the
development of the offense overall and specifically with
Warner. Of course, ask Kurt and he’ll be the first to say he can
recapture the glory years of his past. Keep tabs on Josh
McCown, too. Knowing Warner’s recent history and relative
ineffectiveness it won’t be a big surprise if he’s forced into
action at some point. McCown and 3rd stringer John Navarre
each threw a nice TD in Thursday’s practice. Navarre hit
Bryant Johnson on a 40-yard pass down the right sideline
against the first team defense while McCown located FB
Obafemi Ayanbadejo in the end zone during a goal-line drill.
RB: So far so good for J.J. Arrington. He’s looking sharp and
on top of his game in the opening week of camp. Green was
noticeably happy after watching a rather physical practice last
Wednesday stating, “There were some really nice plays. You
saw J.J.’s speed and speed can really be a good thing with this
offense when you can spread people out.” RBs coach Kirby
Wilson also had glowing praise for Arrington, “He's been
well-coached, No. 1, and No. 2, he comes from a very good
offensive system where he was allowed to be what he is,
which is a very good runner tackle-to-tackle, outstanding
perimeter run skills.” The first week of camp hasn’t changed
our mind. Arrington looks like he’ll be the man this year.
Troy Hambrick was placed on the Physically Unable to
Perform, or PUP, list and the Cardinals signed veteran RBs
J.R. Redmond and James Jackson to add more competition to
the mix. Marcel Shipp was also on the PUP, but the team
welcomed him back to practice on Wednesday (Aug 3rd).
“We’re working step by step with him and he is looking a lot
better,” said Coach Dennis Green. “He had done well with his
conditioning the first two days and everything seems to be
falling back in place for him. It’s good to have him back out
there.” As Shipp gets stronger he’ll be part of the mix, but it’s
unlikely he’ll start opening day over Arrington.
WR: Anquan Boldin inked his new four-year extension and
was a happy camper up until Thursday when he broke his nose
being tackled by safety Aaron Francisco. He’ll miss up to
three weeks after having surgery Friday to reset his nose. In
Boldin’s absence Charles Lee and Lawrence Hamilton split
reps with the first team offense during the rest of the morning
practice. A player to watch in camp is rookie Dan Sheldon,
aka “Seabiscuit”, as he was dubbed at Northern Illinois.
Sheldon is only 5’8”, 173 lbs but he led the nation in punt
returns as a sophomore with a 22.7 yard average.
TE: Eric Edwards left practice last Wednesday with a pectoral
injury and immediately scheduled an MRI which revealed a
partial tear. “That was the best thing that could have
happened,” Edwards said. “It could have been a lot worse.
They thought it was a lot worse until they got the MRI.” He’ll
miss between two and three weeks. Edwards is competing for
the starting job along with four other inexperienced players in
Bobby Blizzard, Adam Bergen, Aaron Golliday and John
Bronson. Currently, it’s rookie Adam Bergen taking snaps
with the first team. Keep an eye on this competition,
particularly on Bergen, who was a good pass-catching TE in
college.
Defense: Reminiscing to last year’s surprise training camp cut
of G Pete Kendall, Dennis Green struck again. This time it
was DT Wendell Bryant who was summoned by the reaper
unexpectedly. On the flipside, new safety Robert Griffith has
been setting the tone in practice recently laying out RB Josh
Scobey drawing the crowd’s praise. Griffith has been
impressive so far. DT Kenny King injured the same wrist that
forced him to miss the 2004 season. Overall, the defense is
looking good during the first week of camp. They didn’t allow
a rushing TD during goal-line drills while forcing two
fumbles. On one play, MLB Gerald Hayes met a diving J.J.
Arrington at the 1-yard line stopping him cold and keeping
him out of the end zone. LB James Darling also had a big hit
on Arrington.
Free agent WLB Orlando Huff also got into the act with a nice
blast on Arrington during 9-on-7 drills. Needless to say,
Arrington is getting plenty of greetings from his new
teammates. DE Calvin Pace delivered a nice blow to
Ayanbadejo forcing a fumble (Ayanbadejo’s 2nd in as many
days). DE Bertrand Berry was able to penetrate on a couple of
plays politely tapping backup QB John Navarre on the
shoulder. Needless to say, if hitting QBs were permitted,
Berry would’ve run Navarre’s bell on those plays. Rookie
Ernest Shazor didn’t report to camp and was placed on the
reserved/did not report list. Dennis Green indicated he was
dealing with some issues. It sounds like he’s a little bitter
about going undrafted after initially being dubbed a 2 nd round
pick potentially.
Special Teams: During a mock game this week, PK Neil
Rackers connected on both his field goal attempts (32 and 31
yards). After a poor showing on returns last year, the
Cardinals are paying extra attention to blocking schemes on
kickoff and punt returns in practices this year. As expected,
WR Bryant Johnson, RB J.R. Redmond, and rookie WR Dan
Sheldon practiced punt returns this week. Other candidates for
the punt return job include CB Antrel Rolle, WR Reggie
Newhouse, and rookie WR LeRon McCoy.
Cardinals Depth Chart
QB Kurt Warner, Josh McCown, John Navarre, Timmy Chang
RB J.J. Arrington, Marcel Shipp, Troy Hambrick, James
Jackson, J.R. Redmond, Larry Croom (3RB), Josh Scobey
(KR/3RB), Damien Anderson, Roger Robinson
FB James Hodgins (inj), Obafemi Ayanbadejo, Harold
Morrow, Casey Moore
WR Anquan Boldin, Larry Fitzgerald, Bryant Johnson,
Charles Lee, Lawrence Hamilton, Reggie Newhouse, Dan
Sheldon (KR/PR), Fabian Davis, LeRon McCoy, Carlyle
Holiday
TE Eric Edwards (inj), Adam Bergen, Bobby Blizzard, John
Bronson, Aaron Golliday
K Neil Rackers
DE Bertrand Berry, Chike Okeafor, Peppi Zellner, Calvin
Pace, Antonio Smith, Tyler King
DT Darnell Dockett, Russell Davis (NT), Kenny King (inj),
Ross Kolodziej, Tim Bulman, DeVone Claybrooks, Keith
Wright
MLB Gerald Hayes, Lance Mitchell, Greg Carothers
OLB Karlos Dansby (S), Orlando Huff (W), Darryl
Blackstock (S/W), James Darling (W), Eric Johnson, Isaac
Keys (W), Isaiah Ekejiuba (S)
CB David Macklin, Antrel Rolle, Eric Green, Robert Tate,
Rhett Nelson, Raymond Walls, Aaron Francisco, Jermaine
Hardy
S Adrian Wilson (SS), Robert Griffith (FS), Ifeanyi Ohalete
(FS), Quentin Harris (FS), Adrian Mayes (SS), Clarence Curry
(FS), Ernest Shazor (SS)
Atlanta Falcons
QB: One of Michael Vick’s primary goals this camp is
improving his accuracy. During the first couple days of camp
Vick looked great throwing the football to the left side of the
field, but he struggled at times throwing to the middle of the
field and to the right. In his 2nd season in the West Coast
offense Vick hopes to improve his accuracy and his overall
passing, but he may have to do it while working with a pair of
younger, inexperienced receivers. After the American Bowl,
Falcons QB Michael Vick said he feels far more comfortable
entering his second season in offensive coordinator Greg
Knapp's West Coast offense and Head Coach Jim Mora Jr.
said the fluidity and familiarity in the way the first-team
offense performed against the Colts was a good sign.
RB: T.J. Duckett continues to make progress and, as reported
last week, dropped 24 lbs in the first two days of camp due to
the sweltering heat. He dropped 13 lbs the first day and 11
more by the middle of Tuesday last week. "I'm drinking as
much water as I can, but I don't have an answer for it,"
Duckett said after a two-hour evening session. "This is the
hottest I've ever witnessed in my life. I've never lost this much
weight on a daily basis." That didn’t temper Duckett’s
feistiness as he and LB John Leake mixed it up after Leake got
too rough. The leaner and meaner Duckett drove Leake into
the ground taking exception to Leake’s aggressiveness.
WR: First round pick Roddy White was signed, sealed and
delivered after missing the first nine practices. White hit the
ground running though. He made several outstanding plays
during receiving and goal-line drills. Coach Mora was pleased,
“I'd be lying if I didn't say I'm impressed by some of the things
he does”. White narrowly beat him to a Vick pass on an 18yard out pattern, while Hall got the better of him on other
plays. After practice, DeAngelo Hall called White “like Larry
Fitzgerald without all the hype” when he was asked how the
rookie is playing. White will play the “X” position according
to Mora. If Vick emerges as a legitimate passer to compliment
his legs, one of the guys in this group might finally emerge
with some fantasy value. Despite the late start White is
expected to put pressure on Dez White to start opposite 2 nd
year WR Michael Jenkins. Brian Finneran is also in the picture
as is deposed starter Peerless Price, who relinquished his
starting job to Jenkins. Meanwhile, Dez White had a brief
scare after landing awkwardly on his abdomen and
experiencing chest pain. He visited the hospital then was later
cleared to practice.
TE: Alge Crumpler had some minor knee issues to work
through early in camp, but it was minor. He didn’t require any
fluid to be drained and coach Mora said “it’s nothing to be
concerned about”. He’s just adapting to the wear and tear of
camp. Apparently, it didn’t slow Crumpler down much. He’s
already in mid-season form. Coach Mora didn’t hold much
back gushing about Crumpler recently. "He's better than
advertised, in my opinion," Falcons coach Jim Mora said. "I
think you can make an argument that he's the best player on
our team, the best pure football player on our team. There's
nothing he can't do. He's a great blocker. He's levelheaded and
he's got great hands. In our opinion, he's the premier tight end
in football." Needless to say Crumpler is in position to return
to the Pro Bowl if he remains healthy.
Defense: One of the main battles in training camp is among
the safeties. Bryan Scott is still being held out of contact drills
but he’ll return soon and is expected to start at free safety with
Keion Carpenter at SS. Meanwhile, Ike Reese and Demorrio
Williams are competing for the SLB job. The additions of Ed
Hartwell and Ike Reese have given the Falcons LBs an added
swagger in camp. Perhaps the biggest impact player for the
Falcons defense this year might be 2nd year corner DeAngelo
Hall. Hall finished his rookie year on a high note and is
looking good in camp. He sure doesn’t lack confidence either.
Hall talked about regaining his confidence, "You've got to
have the swagger and, after what I went through last year, it's
definitely good to have it back. If you play cornerback, you
want people to notice you, because teams are coming after you
anyway. So, I'm just kind of saying, 'OK, here I am.' I really
don't mind sticking out, not at all." Other defensive players
worth noting are DT Brandon Mitchell and DE Brady Smith.
Mitchell tweaked his back while Smith will be out for at least
another three weeks after undergoing neck surgery.
Special Teams: PK Todd Peterson made both his field goal
attempts (28 and 36 yards) during the American Bowl on
Saturday. Punter Michael Koenen handled all the kickoffs,
getting anywhere from 60 to 74 yards (excluding one squib
and one he put out of bounds). Rookie WR Brian Bratton
handled most of the return duties on both kickoffs and punts.
Rookie WR Cole Manger fair caught a punt and WR Romby
Bryant returned one kick. None of the three receivers are
likely to make the final roster.
Falcons Depth Chart
QB Michael Vick, Matt Schaub, Ty Detmer, Bryan Randall
RB Warrick Dunn (3RB), T.J. Duckett (SD), Jason Wright,
Deandra Cobb (KR), T.A. McClendon, Marlion Jackson
FB Justin Griffith, Fred McCrary, Carey Davis, Kevin
Dudley
WR Michael Jenkins, Dez White, Peerless Price, Roddy
White, Brian Finneran, Kendrick Mosley, Romby Bryant,
Lawrence Bady, Cole Magner, Kerry Johnson
TE Alge Crumpler, Dwayne Blakely, Eric Beverly, Mark
Anelli, Steve Cucci
K Todd Peterson, Ryan Rossner
DE Patrick Kerney, Brady Smith, Brandon Mitchell (DT),
Junior Glymph, Chauncey Davis, Khaleed Vaughn, Erik
Flowers, Gabe Nyenhuis, Anthony Herron
DT Rod Coleman, Chad Lavalais (NT), Jonathan Babineaux,
Antwan Lake, Darrell Shropshire
MLB Edgerton Hartwell, Jordan Beck
OLB Keith Brooking (W), Demorrio Williams (S), Ike Reese
(S/W), Michael Boley, Jordan Kramer (W), John Leake (S),
Adrian Archie (W), Michael Brown (S), Derrick Tinsley,
Hannibal Thomas
CB DeAngelo Hall, Jason Webster, Kevin Mathis, Allen
Rossum (KR), Christian Morton, Byron Jones
S Bryan Scott (FS), Keion Carpenter (SS), Ronnie Heard
(SS/FS), Rich Coady (FS), Kevin McAdam (FS), Ettric Pruitt
(FS), Shawn Mayer (FS)
Baltimore Ravens
QB: Kyle Boller, like Michael Vick, is focusing heavily this
camp on improving his accuracy. He should also benefit from
his 2nd season under the guidance of Coach Jim Fassel, now
the team’s offensive coordinator. Rick Neuheisel is also
working with Boller as the QBs coach. Boller has more tools
to work with this year, but he also must develop chemistry
with new WRs Derrick Mason and rookie Mark Clayton. With
all the additions and help for Boller come higher expectations
and more pressure to succeed. On the subject of pressure
Boller noted, “Sure, there's a lot of pressure on me. There are a
lot of high expectations for this team and myself. But I put a
lot of pressure on myself. I want to be the best player I can be
and I'm going to put in the hours and hard work. I think the
pressures going to turn out to be good for me. It's made me
work that much harder."
RB: The expected return of Jamal Lewis was postponed
slightly because of a holdup with his probationary period. He
was supposed to join his teammates on Friday, August 5 th, but
instead will report on Monday, August 8th (at the earliest). For
now, the team has Lewis and Musa Smith on the PUP, but
only for the short-term as both are expected to return within
the next week. In their stead Chester Taylor is getting plenty
of work and has been very impressive. The Rouge Rocket may
once again be a nice sleeper if Lewis gets hurt again. The
Ravens might want to get their money’s worth since they
invested $3M in him for 2005.
WR: Rookie first round pick Mark Clayton signed a 5-year
contract worth $8.2 million ending his holdout. Clayton is
talented enough to earn a starting role possibly beating out
Randy Hymes and Clarence Moore to start opposite Derrick
Mason, but the week long holdout will undoubtedly set him
back. Mason is already making an impact. Not only will he be
a nice possession receiver for Boller but he gives the younger
receivers in camp a mentor and sounding board. When Boller
was asked if Mason will help take the pressure off the younger
guys he responded, “They're going to pick his brain because
Derrick really has a good understanding of defenses and where
the holes are. That makes the game a whole lot easier when
you can understand that. So the young guys are really going to
learn from him and he's going to push them. It works out for
both of them.”
TE: Todd Heap continues to push ahead with his
rehabilitation and is expected to return to practice in the next
couple of weeks. For now he’s merely working on
conditioning and catching passes after practice from Kyle
Boller. His ankle seems to be doing fine, but his shoulder is a
little further behind; he’s trying to rebuild strength in it before
returning to practice.
Defense: Rookie OLB Dan Cody suffered a second or third
degree knee sprain casting a big shadow on his availability for
the 2005 season. Reportedly some team officials are already
preparing for Cody to miss the season. Such speculation may
be prompting the Ravens to re-consider bringing OLB Peter
Boulware back into the fold. The ball is largely in Boulware’s
court as other teams are said to be interested. GM Ozzie
Newsome recently contacted Boulware’s agent, so don’t rule
out Boulware’s return just yet. On the bright side, look for
bigger things out of S Will Demps this year. He’s playing the
Doug Plank position in the Ravens version of the ‘46’ defense.
Demps promises to be more aggressive in this role and make
more plays since he’ll effectively be an extra LB at times.
Special Teams: Accurate PK Matt Stover kicked a 38 yard
FG in the Ravens scrimmage against the Redskins on
Saturday. Punt and kickoff return specialist B.J. Sams was
held out of the scrimmage due to a minor hamstring injury.
Backup punt returner Deion Sanders was perhaps the most
memorable player on the day but not for one of his patented
electrifying returns. Playing in the Ravens newly implemented
4-6 defense, he had two sacks on the day.
Ravens Depth Chart
QB Kyle Boller, Anthony Wright, Derek Anderson
RB Jamal Lewis, Chester Taylor (3RB), Musa Smith, B.J.
Sams (KR/PR), Tellis Redmon, Keith Burnell, Alex Haynes
FB Alan Ricard, Ovie Mughelli, Justin Green
WR Derrick Mason, Mark Clayton, Randy Hymes, Clarence
Moore, Devard Darling, Patrick Johnson, Derek Abney, Fred
Stamps, Curtis Williams
TE Todd Heap, Terry Jones, Daniel Wilcox, Darnell Dinkins,
Trent Smith
K Matt Stover
DE Anthony Weaver, Terrell Suggs, Jarrett Johnson,
Roderick Green
DT Kelly Gregg, Dwan Edwards, Ma'ake Kemoeatu,
Aubrayo Franklin, Matt Zielinski, Cedric Hilliard, Tron
LaFavor
MLB Ray Lewis, Bart Scot, Jim Nelson, Mike Smith, Matt
Sinclair
OLB Adalius Thomas (S), Tommy Polley (W), Dan Cody
(S/DE) (inj)
CB Chris McAlister, Samari Rolle, Deion Sanders, Dale
Carter, Calvin Carlyle, Zach Norton, Jamaine Winborne, Mark
Estelle
S Ed Reed (SS), Will Demps (FS), Chad Williams (SS),
Jarvis Johnson (FS), Chris Kelley
Buffalo Bills
QB: When the Packers played the Bills on Friday night Mike
Sherman was thinking about what he almost had in J.P.
Losman. Sherman made it no secret that if he were available
when the Packers selected, they would’ve taken him. Instead
he was selected three picks earlier. "We had very high interest
(in him)," Sherman said. "We thought he was a very talented
young man, and he is. He'll be one of those surprises, like a
(Ben) Roethlisberger-type surprise this year to a lot of
people." In the first 11-on-11 practice session on Thursday,
Losman and the offense as a whole started slowly, but calmed
down later. Earlier in the week Losman showed his running
ability scrambling for what would have been a long TD run in
11-on-11 drills. "He told me it was 82 yards," Coach Mike
Mularkey quipped. Mularkey wants Losman to be wise about
running though considering he broke his leg last year making
a similar move. Against the Packers, backup Shane Matthews
connected with George Wilson for a 23-yard TD pass. Losman
impressed his teammates on Friday night with making good,
quick reads and showing a quick release. "He handled things
well," running back Willis McGahee said. "I'm no expert on
quarterbacks, but he sure looked good to me. He didn't seem
nervous. That's a great sign. He's got his confidence and he
knows we have his back."
RB: During practice last Wednesday the defense got the better
of Willis McGahee when the first teams assembled for a four
play goal-line drill. DE Chris Kelsey was the star bagging
McGahee for a 6-yard loss on the first play. J.P. Losman threw
the ball away on the next down. On third down Kelsey stuffed
McGahee again. But McGahee didn’t stop. On 4th down he
broke through the middle and appeared to score. The referee
on hand signaled TD but the defense claimed his knee was
down. A war is being waged for the backup spot behind
McGahee between Shaud Williams, Joe Burns, Lionel Gates
and ReShard Lee. After one week it’s too close to call. Lee
scored on a 1 yard run against the Packers.
WR: Lee Evans has picked up right where he left off last year.
He broke off a huge run on a reverse in a scrimmage against
the Packers that was called back on a penalty. In the morning
session on Thursday (8/4) he caught two TDs in 7-on-7 drills
with CB Terrence McGee smothering him. Top pick Roscoe
Parrish shined during one-on-one drills going deep on the first
two plays in Friday’s practice. He also stood out against the
Packers making several nice catches. Parrish is getting off the
line cleanly with his cat-like quickness, turning a Packers
rookie corner inside-out on one play.
TE: The Bills are crossing their fingers that Tim Euhus and
Mark Campbell will stay healthy. "I think some of the players
were offering to sacrifice a chicken in our room," said tight
ends coach Mike Miller after practice. Euhus and Campbell
were both lost within a span of five plays last year after they
both tore their ACL. Fortunately, they’re both on the field now
and fully practicing after a lot of rehabilitation in the
offseason. Neither are wearing braces either. For Euhus, it’s
his second knee operation. He injured the same knee back in
2001 at Oregon State. Campbell had also injured his right knee
previously. The Bills expect to use their tights ends more
frequently this year after having them do mostly blocking last
season. With a quality group of receivers, Euhus and
Campbell should enjoy plenty of single coverage. Now they
just have to take advantage of it. When asked if their roles
might change Campbell said, "What I foresee happening is
we're going to do a lot more with J.P. (Losman) athletically,
getting him to run around a bit. You want to build confidence
with a young guy and get him some short throws early. I think
that comes into my strength. Anything within the 15-yard
mark I feel pretty good about, and I'm just building that
camaraderie with him right now."
Defense: One of the Bills strengths defensively is a strong
secondary led by 5th year corner Nate Clements along with
veteran safeties Troy Vincent and Lawyer Milloy and corner
Terrence McGee. For Clements this is a contract year. That
means another big season will almost certainly be followed by
a lucrative free agent contract. Clements knows what lies
ahead of him but when asked about it he tried to play it off.
“It's hard not to think about it, especially with people bringing
it to my attention," said Clements. "But I'm not going to sell
myself by talking about it. I'm going to let my play speak for
me.” The Bills would prefer he not hit the open market, so
they may opt to use their franchise tag on him or sign him to
an extension at some point during this season.
Special Teams: Rian Lindell has been doing well in camp so
far, even attempting and connecting on some FGs over 40
yards - something which didn’t occur very frequently in games
last year. CB Nate Clements, WR Roscoe Parrish , WR
Jonathon Smith, WR Drew Haddad, WR Josh Reed, CB
Terrence McGee, and S Jim Leonhard all practiced punt
returns this week. The rookie Parrish is expected to overtake
incumbent Clements for the top spot. Despite probably being
more involved on defense this year, CB Terrence McGee still
wants to and should be the primary kickoff returner again.
Bills Depth Chart
QB J.P. Losman, Kelly Holcomb, Shane Matthews, Kevin
Thompson, Troy Woodbury
RB Willis McGahee, Shaud Williams (3RB), Lionel Gates
(3RB), ReShard Lee
FB Damien Shelton, Joe Burns
WR Eric Moulds, Lee Evans, Josh Reed, Roscoe Parrish,
Sam Aiken, Jonathan Smith, Drew Haddad, George Wilson
TE Mark Campbell, Tim Euhus, Ryan Neufeld, Kevin
Everett (inj), Rod Trafford, Brad Cieslak
K Rian Lindell, Owen Pochman
DT Sam Adams, Ron Edwards, Tim Anderson, Lauvale Sape
DE Aaron Schobel, Chris Kelsay, Ryan Denney, Constantin
Ritzmann, Uyi Osunde, George Gause
MLB London Fletcher, Mario Haggan (W), Daryl Towns,
Liam Ezekial
OLB Takeo Spikes (W), Jeff Posey (S), Josh Stamer (S),
Angelo Crowell (W), Kellen Brantley (S)
CB Nate Clements (PR), Terrence McGee (KR), Kevin
Thomas, Jabari Greer, Eric King
S Lawyer Milloy (SS), Troy Vincent (FS), Coy Wire (SS),
Rashad Baker (FS)
Carolina Panthers
QB: Jake Delhomme is still developing as a quarterback but
he’s really settled in now as the Panthers starter going on three
years. Head coach John Fox said, “I think he's getting more
and more used to being THE quarterback. Last year, I thought
he got off to a little bit of a rocky start but really finished
strong. Like most young players at their position, I just see
him getting better and better. I've seen that so far in this
camp.” Rookie Stefan Lefors is a lot of fun to watch. He’s sort
of a Delhomme clone. He and WR Drew Carter provided most
of the sparks Saturday. In parts of two 12-play periods, LeFors
was 7-of-7 for 124 yards and two touchdowns. Carter, coming
off last year's season-ending knee injury, caught five passes
for 101 yards and both scores.
RB: Eric Shelton is already practicing with the first team in
short yardage situations. DeShaun Foster was named the
starter, but he’s missed 30 games in three years due to various
injuries. Foster’s betting on himself forgoing a contract
extension for the right to be a free agent after the season.
That’s risky for a guy with his track record in the infirmary,
but Fox has faith in him. "If he's had any bad things happen to
him, it's been injuries," Fox said Wednesday. "When healthy,
we feel good about DeShaun Foster. He is very capable of
running it 35 times (a game)." Foster was given the morning
practice off on Thursday after feeling general soreness after
five straight two-a-days. Foster has loads of talent, but buyers
beware. Shelton lurks in the shadows like the ghost of Stephen
Davis, only younger and healthier. Nick Goings is getting
more reps at fullback leaving the backup job to Shelton and
maybe at some point Stephen Davis, who is day to day.
The team still won’t discuss when Stephen Davis will test out
his knee in a live practice. He continues to run on his own and
looks good doing that. Davis did say he's had no swelling in
his right knee in recent weeks. He's increased his cutting and
lateral movement and said Saturday he still thinks playing in
the third or fourth preseason game is a realistic possibility.
WR: Keary Colbert sat out of practice on Wednesday and
Thursday due to a tweak in his hamstring allowing the newest
Panther Rod Gardner to get extra reps. Gardner took a pay cut
restructuring his contract taking his salary from $2.1 million to
$1 million. Steve Smith is back to full speed. One reporter
says he is moving better than he’s ever seen. “He can still
jump, still cut, he's still quick and he's still fast," S Mike
Minter says. But Smith says he did lose a step, “I probably lost
a step, but you can't tell.” Receivers coach Richard
Williamson said Smith is six pounds lighter and "can stop and
start better than anybody I've ever been around."
TE: And from the left field.. Freddie Jones announced his
retirement citing, “It was in the best interest of my family that
I conclude my career at this time. I appreciate the Panthers
signing me. It's a top-notch organization and I'm glad I got a
chance to experience it before I retired.” That puts Kris
Mangum right back into the lineup with Mike Seidman also in
the picture.
Defense: Julius Peppers is planning on 2005 being his
breakout season. He might be right. The Panthers plan on
using him in a variety of ways. “We line him up at tight end,
wideout, defensive end, linebacker. I mean, he's a phenomenal
athlete, and he makes phenomenal plays," Fox said. "I think
he's grown as a football player, not just in his techniques but
mentally. So much of this game is mental, and he's gaining
experience in that every day.” A healthy Kris Jenkins will do
wonders for both Peppers and Mike Rucker. Free safety Mike
Minter sprained his knee and was carted off the field on
Thursday. Luckily, there was no major structural or ligament
damage, just a sprain. The injury could pave the way for
rookie S/LB Thomas Davis to get more first team work. Davis
has been working as the backup strong safety behind Colin
Branch. CB Ken Lucas pulled his hamstring on the 2nd play of
the Panthers’ scrimmage on Saturday. Coach Fox said he
doubts Lucas will be available for their preseason opener
against Washington.
LB Brandon Short also suffered a knee injury in the first week
of camp, though Short’s is not considered serious.
Special Teams: PK John Kasay has been hitting FGs from
over 50 yards this week in practice (including a long of 59).
Head coach John Fox noted that, “John has worked very hard
this offseason. He has lost some weight. He has taken great
care of himself. He's a pretty strong-character, mental guy.
He's gotten himself ready to play." Both primary kickoff
returner RB Rod Smart and primary punt returner WR Steve
Smith have looked very good in practices showing no
lingering signs of their injuries from last year.
Panthers Depth Chart
QB Jake Delhomme, Chris Weinke, Stefan Lefors, Rod
Rutherford
RB DeShaun Foster, Eric Shelton (SD), Stephen Davis (inj),
Nick Goings (FB), Rod Smart (KR), Jamal Robertson, Nick
Maddox
FB Brad Hoover, Casey Cramer
WR Steve Smith (PR), Keary Colbert (inj), Rod Gardner,
Ricky Proehl, Drew Carter, Karl Hankton, Micah Ross, J.R.
Tolver, Taylor Stubblefield, Aaron Boone, Efrem Hill
TE Kris Mangum, Mike Seidman, Michael Gaines, Dan
Curley
K John Kasay
DE Julius Peppers, Mike Rucker, Al Wallace, Isaac Hilton,
Jovan Haye, Kemp Rasmussen
DT Kris Jenkins, Brentson Buckner, Kindal Moorehead,
Atiyyah Ellison, Jordan Carstens, Omari Jordan, Charles Hill,
Eddie Freeman
MLB Dan Morgan, Vinny Ciurciu (W/M), Adam Seward
OLB Will Witherspoon (W/M), Brandon Short (S/M), Chris
Draft (S/M), Bryan Knight (W), Marcus Lawrence
CB Chris Gamble, Ken Lucas, Ricky Manning, Dante
Wesley, Eddie Jackson, Shannon Fitzhugh
S Mike Minter (FS/SS), Colin Branch (SS/FS), Thomas Davis
(SS/LB), Idrees Bashir (FS), Marlon McCree (FS), James
Whitley (FS), William Hampton, Ben Emanuel (FS)
Chicago Bears
QB: Rex Grossman recently praised the simplified approach
of new offensive coordinator Ron Turner’s offense. Unlike
Terry Shea’s approach a year ago, Turner is implementing
specific plays in steps or packages. Once they master one
package, they go to a new one as opposed to using a bigger
playbook and practicing more plays, fewer times. Grossman
said, “Coach Turner understands this offense better than Terry
Shea understood last year's offense. He has had experience
calling this offense. He created this offense. It's a branch of the
West Coast offense. But he designed it and has its own
personality to it. I felt like [last year] we were trying to run
Kansas City's offense, not Terry Shea's offense.” The mere
possibility of Grossman playing all 16 games would help the
Bears rebound from a horrific offensive performance a year
ago. Sleepers abound on the Bears beginning with Grossman
who is among the last QBs getting draft in most leagues – if he
gets drafted. If there were any questions about Grossman’s
knee, they’ve been answered so far. He’s not wearing a brace
and his drops have looked good not showing any lingering
effects from his season-ending injury. Grossman’s also
making good decisions, displaying command of the huddle
and proving to have a strong and accurate arm. On Monday
night Grossman looked pretty good overall connecting with
Muhsin Muhammad for a long completion (and near TD).
RB: Cedric Benson’s holdout continues virtually guaranteeing
he’ll miss no less than the first two preseason games.
Meanwhile, no progress is being reported even though there is
ongoing communication between Benson’s agent and the
team. One of the sticking points is Benson wants a deal
comparable to Philip Rivers’ deal last year. Both were the 4 th
overall pick. That ship isn’t sailing in Chicago or with GM
Jerry Angelo. "It's America,'' he said, "You can ask for
anything you want. It's not comparable to last year's fourth,
and everybody knows that. It was different, given the fact they
made a trade.'' The Bears have also refused to work off last
year’s 3rd pick Larry Fitzgerald. Both sides are growing more
frustrated.
While Benson and the Bears remain at an impasse Thomas
Jones just keeps going to work. And rightfully so knowing the
team drafted Benson to ultimately replace him just one year
after signing as a free agent. Jones continues to impress the
coaches and teammates and at this point it would take a minor
miracle for Benson to begin the season atop the depth chart.
Jones is taking essentially all of the first team reps in practice.
Even beyond that Jones is miles ahead of Benson with his
pass-blocking skills. Jones is also a first-rate receiver out of
the backfield and has made several nice catches in drills this
week. Jones played well Monday night and capped a TD drive
with a 1 yd run after Muhammad made a big play along the
sidelines.On a side note fullback Keith Belton has gained the
early edge in the competition for the starting job. He’s
currently running with the Bears first team offense.
WR: Muhsin Muhammad is making a strong first impression
in Bears camp. He’s providing just the kind of veteran
leadership the Bears needed. He’s working hard, setting the
example and displaying excellent hands. The daily battles
between Moose and CB Charles Tillman are a highlight of
camp. Competing for the No.2 job Bernard Berrian looks
great. He went up high for a catch in double coverage on one
play, and then a couple plays later reeled in a pass over his
shoulder for a 30-yard TD from Grossman. Justin Gage is
looking good, too, but he lacks Berrian’s explosive quickness.
Gage dropped a pass, but came back with a nice grab on a
slant route later in the same practice. Mark Bradley continues
to drop passes, but he’s also showing a willingness to go over
the middle. Despite the drops he has displayed good hands,
too. Kareem Kelly was waived and the team signed Derrick
Lee.
TE: Desmond Clark (right ankle) is expected to be cleared
from the non-football injury list sometime this week, but his
status for the St. Louis game is unknown. Ron Turner will be
happy to get him back considering he’s yet to work with him
much. "I don't know a lot about him, although I've seen him
on film," Turner said. "I'm excited to get him back." Kind of
lurking in the background is Ron Johnson. The former Raven
is converting to TE from receiver and he’s making some plays
in camp. The team is lining him up mostly outside where he’s
just like a slot receiver, but they believe he can create matchup
problems if they continue developing him. At Thursday
night’s practice John Gilmore was the starter but Dustin
Lyman took several reps with the first team when they went to
double TE sets.
Defense: Starting corner Jerry Azumah visited a specialist in
Denver this past week regarding a degenerative hip condition
and surgery was recommended. Such a procedure would keep
him sidelined for three to four weeks and provide more
opportunity for second year CB Nathan Vasher. CB Charles
Tillman is having an excellent camp. He’s openly talking
about becoming a Pro Bowler but he’s backing it up making
play after play in practice and drills. His instincts and ability
to break on the ball are outstanding. 2nd year DT Darrell
Campbell’s high motor has made an impression on coaches,
but he’s competing for a roster spot at a deep position.
Special Teams: The Bears plan to give equal time to PKs
Doug Brien and Nick Novak in preseason games, not to
provide competition, but to avoid over working Brien. Novak
has been keeping pace with Brien, so it wouldn’t be surprising
to see him resurface later this year when some team’s starter
gets hurt. Brien says that so far he feels the winds in the new
Soldier Field are “manageable”, unlike the conditions at the
old Soldier Field where he kicked as a visitor several times.
Kickoff returner CB Jerry Azumah had arthroscopic hip
surgery on Wednesday and will miss most of the preseason.
WR Bernard Berrian is taking over the top spot in the interim.
Bears Depth Chart
QB Rex Grossman, Chad Hutchinson, Kyle Orton, Ryan
Dinwiddie, Kurt Kittner
RB Thomas Jones (3RB), Cedric Benson, Adrian Peterson,
Fred Russell, Zack Abron
FB Bryan Johnson (inj), Thump Belton, Marc Edwards, Jason
McKie (inj)
WR Muhsin Muhammad, Justin Gage, Bernard Berrian
(KR/PR), Bobby Wade, Mark Bradley, Eddie Berlin, Airese
Currie, Carl Ford, Derrick Lee
TE Desmond Clark (inj), John Gilmore, Dustin Lyman, John
Owens, Ron Johnson, Darnell Sanders, Gabe Reid
K Doug Brien, Nick Novak
DE Adewale Ogunleye, Alex Brown, Michael Haynes, Israel
Idonije, Alain Kashama, Shurron Pierson, Greg White,
Jonathan Jackson
DT Tommie Harris, Ian Scott, Alfonso Boone, Terry
Johnson, Darrell Campbell
MLB Brian Urlacher, Quinn Dorsey
OLB Lance Briggs (W), Hunter Hillenmeyer (S/M), Joe
Odom (S), Marcus Reese (S), Jeremy Cain (W), Derrick
Ballard (W), Levar Woods, Rod Wilson, Leon Joe
CB Charles Tillman, Jerry Azumah (KR) (inj), Nathan
Vasher, Todd McMillon, Alfonso Marshall, Talib Wise,
Rashied Davis, Leroy Smith
S Mike Brown (SS), Mike Green (FS), Todd Johnson (SS),
Bobby Gray (SS), Jason Shivers (FS), Cameron Worrell (FS),
Chris Harris, Jerrell Pippens, Brandon McGowan
Cincinnati Bengals
QB: Carson Palmer continues to look the part in training camp
this year. He appears ready to take the team to the next level –
i.e., the playoffs. "I don't care whether it's the skill guys, or the
linemen, or whatever, people just prefer to be around him,"
Coach Marvin Lewis said of his quarterback. "It doesn't matter
who it is. Guys are drawn to him and, for a quarterback, that's
great, because he has to be a leader. With Carson, there's just
something about him, you know?" The Bengals are well set at
QB with Jon Kitna as a backup. Craig Krenzel and Casey
Bramlet are dueling for the No. 3 job.
RB: No significant changes in the first week of camp except
perhaps that Chris Perry is practicing along with Rudi
Johnson, Kenny Watson and Quincy Wilson. Watson
continues to do what he does – catching passes out of the
backfield while contributing on special teams. Wilson faces
tough competition to win a roster spot. Perry hopes to unseat
Watson but is already looking good catching passes out of the
backfield and giving the Bengals a completely different style
of runner than Johnson.
WR: Jamal Broussard keeps working hard and trying to make
a name for himself, but he faces a tough battle for a roster spot
at a super deep position for the Bengals. Peter Warrick
continues to miss practice but was seen running deep fly
patterns. “He's doing really good, but it's being able to do
things three days in a row and more," Lewis said when asked
about Warrick. Just when you’re ready to write off Kelley
Washington, he shows another glimpse of his talent. “They
draft two receivers, but if it doesn't work out here, I'll play
somewhere else," Washington said. "And I'm talented. No one
can tell me I'm not a good football player.” If the first week of
camp is an indication, he could be in for a bigger year instead
of getting cut. He’s the classic third year receiver, but there are
a lot of hurdles for him to clear first.
TE: Reggie Kelly was slowed by a balky left knee and didn’t
practice on Wednesday.
Defense: LB David Pollack returned to Georgia without a
contract and remains a holdout heading into the 2 nd week of
training camp. Fellow rookie MLB Odell Thurman appeared
fatigued in his 2nd practice with the team after a 5 day holdout,
but now he’ll need to regain the starting job from LB Landon
Johnson. Johnson took the first team reps while Thurman was
holding out. During Wednesday’s practice DE Duane
Clemons had an interception and DE Justin Smith had a pair
of sacks in the two minute drill. LB Caleb Miller had
arthroscopic ankle surgery and will miss about 3 weeks.
Special Teams: Despite playing with a sore groin, PK Shayne
Graham hit FGs from 27, 32, 35, 39, and 42 yards in Friday’s
intrasquad scrimmage. His only miss was from 46 yards. The
Bengals might want to consider bringing in a camp leg to rest
Graham as he is currently the only kicker in camp. Top punt
returner CB Keiwan Ratliff is playing 15 pounds lighter this
year and displaying his speed in practice. There are growing
rumors that the return of WR/PR Peter Warrick is getting very
close.
Bengals Depth Chart
QB Carson Palmer, John Kitna, Casey Bramlet, Craig Krenzel
RB Rudi Johnson, Chris Perry (3RB), Kenny Watson (3RB),
Quincy Wilson
FB Jeremi Johnson, Doug Easlick, Ronnie Ghent
WR Chad Johnson, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Kelley
Washington, Peter Warrick (inj), Chris Henry, Tab Perry,
Kevin Walter, Cliff Russell (KR), Jamall Broussard, Freddie
Milons, Matt Cherry
TE Reggie Kelly, Matt Schobel, Tony Stewart, Kori
Dickerson, Lyonel Anderson
K Shayne Graham
DE Justin Smith, Robert Geathers, Duane Clemons, Carl
Powell, Elton Patterson, Jonathan Fenene, Derrick Crawford
DT John Thornton, Bryan Robinson, Matthias Askew,
Langston Moore, Shaun Smith, Greg Scott
MLB Odell Thurman, Landon Johnson (W/M), Nate
Webster, Caleb Miller (inj), Allen Augustin
OLB Brian Simmons (W/M), David Pollack (S/DE), Marcus
Wilkins (S), Larry Stevens (W), Cedrick Sullivan (S)
CB Tory James, Deltha O'Neal (WR/PR), Keiwan Ratliff,
Reggie Myles, Rashad Bauman, Terrell Roberts, Greg Brooks,
Brandon Williams
S Madieu Williams (FS/CB), Kim Herring (SS), Anthony
Mitchell (SS), Kevin Kaesviharn (FS), Siddeeq Shabazz (SS),
Patrick Body (FS)
Cleveland Browns
QB: The holdout situation with Braylon Edwards brings back
memories for QB Trent Dilfer, who held out 12 days in his
rookie season. Dilfer offered the following advice for Edwards
when asked about the holdout, “I completely stunted my
development as a football player," Dilfer said. "I was never
able to catch up. I worked as hard as I possibly could, but
there's no substitution for reps, there's no substitution for
camaraderie and there's no substitution for a trust level with
your teammates.” Rookie Charlie Frye is a lifelong Browns
fan from nearby Willard. He lit up Saturday night’s practice
featuring mostly 11-on-11s. Frye eluded the blitz on one play
and threw a 31 yd pass to rookie Brandon Rideau. Frye also
completed another 20-yarder to Rideau and ran for 20 yards in
a 2 minute drill. He fumbled at the goal line and rookie
Antonio Perkins picked him off at the start of the 2 minute
drills. Even with the two mistakes he played much better than
the others - Doug Johnson and Josh Harris – and he’s gaining
ground on Doug Johnson for the backup job. Frye dislocated
his left pinkie on the fumble, but kept playing.
RB: The Browns are experimenting with the notion of using
Lee Suggs and Reuben Droughns together on the field at the
same time. They’ve used both backs in the backfield as well as
splitting them out wide, too. Romeo Crennel mentioned using
both backs “does put a little pressure on the defense. They
have to defend you differently with two halfbacks in the
game." Unfortunately, Droughns sat out three straight
practices with a pulled hamstring. Almost forgotten in the
shuffle, William Green continues to turn his life around both
on and off the field. “I think he's applied himself to this game
and to life in general,” Crennel said. “He's doing pretty good.
He's still out there in the rotation, so that's a plus.” Green
looks to be in the best shape of his career after losing a few
pounds, improving his quickness and strengthening his upper
body. During 7-on-7 drills Friday he made several nice runs
against the 1st team defense. One noticeable difference is he
seems to be recognizing his read quicker and in turn hitting the
hole quicker. “The bottom line is that I want to play, and I
want to play for the Cleveland Browns," he said. "So I've got
to get out there and work hard on and off the field - whatever
it takes." He has an uphill battle against Suggs and Droughns,
but we shouldn’t discount Green knowing how quickly
injuries can change a team’s depth chart.
WR: The Browns are still without Braylon Edwards as the
first week of training camp comes to a close. At this point
Edwards needs to get into camp if he has any hope of making
an impact as a rookie. "It's a problem for Braylon to miss
because he is going to be behind everyone else," Browns head
coach Romeo Crennel said earlier this week. "The beginning
of training camp is valuable time for any player. We do
individual drills for the players. Once the season starts and you
start game planning, you cut back on the individual stuff. He's
missing a lot of individual time.” While Dilfer hasn’t been
able to work with Edwards in camp, he’s clicking with
Antonio Bryant. The former Biletnikoff Award winner is
taking advantage of Edwards’ absence. Bryant dropped a pass
in the endzone but bounced back catching every pass thrown
his way the rest of the day. Brandon Rideau has been one of
surprises in camp. He was an unknown and now has the
coaching staff’s attention.
Defense: One of the keys to the Browns new defensive
alignments under coach Romeo Crennel is getting great nose
tackle play. That’s where veteran Jason Fisk comes into play.
Fisk has experience in the 3-4 from San Diego where he also
played at nose tackle. Kenard Lang is lighter in camp this year
as he makes the switch to OLB from DE. CB Daylon
McCutcheon missed a couple practices this last week due to
migraine headaches. Safety Brodney Pool blocked a FG and
made another nice play on a Charlie Frye pass, and then on
Saturday he made some nice plays. Crennel said he’s working
his way into the safety rotation, "He's flashed a lot of ability,
but we still might try to bring him along slowly.” The Browns
claimed NT Ethan Kelley from the Patriots while waiving DL
Ellery Moore to make room.
Special Teams: PK Phil Dawson is enjoying the hot weather
in camp, "It feels good. This is like Texas weather." He’s also
enjoying the large chunk of change from his contract
extension. During a half-speed open-to-the-public practice,
WRs Richard Alston and C.J. Jones returned several kicks
untouched. Alston is the favorite to again handle kickoff
returns. RB Reuben Droughns is a potential backup, although
he hasn’t had a chance to compete having missed practice all
week due to a pulled hamstring.
Browns Depth Chart
QB Trent Dilfer, Doug Johnson, Charlie Frye, Josh Harris
RB Lee Suggs, Reuben Droughns, William Green, Sultan
McCullough
FB Terrelle Smith, Ben Miller, Corey McIntyre
WR Andre' Davis, Antonio Bryant, Braylon Edwards, Dennis
Northcutt (PR), Frisman Jackson, Richard Alston (KR), C.J.
Jones, Brandon Rideau, Lance Moore, Josh Cribbs (WR/RB)
TE Aaron Shea (TE/HB), Steve Heiden, Keith Heinrich (IR),
Kellen Winslow (IR)
K Phil Dawson, Nick Setta
DE Orpheus Roye, Alvin McKinley, Amon Gordon, Andrew
Hoffman, Corey Jackson (W), Simon Fraser
NT Jason Fisk, Nick Eason, Ethan Kelley, Larry Burt,
J'Vonne Parker
ILB Andra Davis, Ben Taylor, Brant Boyer (W), Mason
Unck, Jamal Brooks (S), Orlando Ruff, Renauld Williams
OLB Kenard Lang (S), Chaun Thompson (W), Matt Stewart
(S), David McMillan (W), Sherrod Coates (W), Nick Speegle
(S), Justin Kurpeikis (S)
CB Daylon McCutcheon, Gary Baxter, Mike Lehan, Leigh
Bodden, Antonio Perkins, Dyshod Carter
S Sean Jones (SS), Brian Russell (FS), Brodney Pool (FS),
Chris Crocker (FS), Michael Jameson (SS), Antwaan Harris,
Michael Grant (SS)
Dallas Cowboys
QB: Drew Henson continues to struggle through a slump
that’s lasted the first full week of camp. He’s overthrown
receivers, made a careless throw off his back foot, missed an
open receiver down the sidelines, but then bounced back
drilling a bullet to TE Jason Witten between two defenders in
the end zone. Henson is competing with Tony Romo for the
backup job behind Drew Bledsoe. If the first week is a
harbinger of things to come Romo seems to be distancing
himself from Henson. Romo has been sharper with his throws,
but this situation will almost certainly change several times
through camp and Parcells wasn’t about to make any defining
statement regarding their competition noting, “We're not even
to the first furlong pole.”
RB: Julius Jones knows there are big expectations for him
entering his 2nd season with the Cowboys. After rushing for
813 yds in the team’s final seven games, Jones has plans on
becoming one of the NFL’s top young backs. "I'd like to get
1,700 yards and 20 touchdowns," Jones said while trying to
remain humble. He’s clearly the starter and if he remains
healthy could be in for a monster year. The Cowboys have
great depth, too. Anthony Thomas is proven and while not
flashy, is durable and reliable. Rookie Marion Barber may also
figure into the picture. He’s looked good for the most part in
camp, but recently had a tough day of practice drawing the ire
of head coach Bill Parcells when he bobbled a pass in the flat
only to fumble on a running play in the red zone a few plays
later. The Tuna barked at the rookie, “That's two. Are you one
of those? Are you one of those Barber?"
WR: Quincy Morgan made a spectacular catch during team
drills on Friday. He’s made several nice catches during the
week. This one came against CB Anthony Henry. Rookie
receivers Jamaica Rector and Reggie Harrell each dropped
passes in position drills, prompting Parcells to give both
players an earful. Former Rams QB Kirk Farmer worked out
at receiver for the Cowboys last week, but wasn’t signed.
TE: Jason Witten made the Pro Bowl last year in his 2 nd
season, but the Cowboys don’t want him to rest on his laurels.
Parcells certainly isn’t letting up on him. ``I was teasing him
before camp, I said, `Well, are you ready to be a star now or
you just want to be a real good player?’,’’ Parcells said. “I try
to give him a needle a little bit.” The good news is Parcells
usually saves this kind of rhetoric for players he really likes or
the ones he thinks can excel. Bledsoe and Witten are
connecting well in training camp, too. Witten got wide open in
the back of the end zone on back to back players during goal
line drills. On another he snatched the ball away from the
grasp of two defenders. ``He's too quick; he's too fast for
linebackers. He's too big, too physical for safeties,'' said fellow
TE Dan Campbell, who remains sidelined following an
emergency appendectomy last week. ``A lot of the safeties in
the league, he's just as fast as they are. Then you put the size
on top of it, you can't cover it.''
Witten isn’t getting a big head though, especially with Parcells
around to set the tone and constantly ask him if he’s going to
be another one year wonder. ``He says that stuff, that's every
day,'' Witten said. ``You appreciate that just because he's
pushing you and he wants you to have success. At the same
time, he doesn't want you to get the big head. So that's him,
he's going to be like that every day.''
Defense: Rookie defensive end Marcus Spears will miss 2 to 4
weeks after spraining his right knee and ankle Friday in team
drills. Spears also hurt his groin. It all happened when a
lineman was knocked down and rolled up on Spears’ leg. He
was running with the 2nd team when he got hurt. Kenyon
Coleman is practicing with the 1st team and appears to be well
suited to the team’s new 3-4 scheme. The injury allows Jay
Ratliff, a 7th round pick, to take Spears’ spot. Another rookie,
DL Chris Canty wasn’t healthy during the offseason but has
been cleared to start full contact work August 8 th. Canty has
experience in the 3-4 from Virginia under Al Groh, Parcells
former longtime assistant. Third-year LB Bradie James is
working with the first team at inside LB with Dat Nguyen.
"He just seems to be more professional," Parcells said. "He
seems to get it now."
Special Teams: Bill Parcells said he expects PK Billy Cundiff
to hit in the mid-80s for FG percentage and that his 76.9%
from last year wasn’t acceptable for Texas Stadium. So far in
practices, he is not meeting that goal. Cundiff’s competition,
Brett Visintainer, injured his back and was released this week.
The Cowboys subsequently signed Jose Cortez, who is a camp
leg and kickoff specialist but not really a threat to take over
placekicking permanently. CB Jacques Reeves, RB Anthony
Thomas, RB Marion Barber, RB Tyson Thompson, WR Zuriel
Smith, and WR Terrance Copper all practiced on kick returns
this week. CB/PR Lance Frazier has missed practice with a
high ankle sprain.
Cowboys Depth Chart
QB Drew Bledsoe, Tony Romo, Drew Henson
RB Julius Jones (3RB), Anthony Thomas, Marion Barber,
Keylon Kincade, Woodrow Dantzler (KR), Tyson Thompson
FB Darian Barnes, Lousaka Polite, Erik Bickerstaff
WR Keyshawn Johnson, Terry Glenn, Quincy Morgan,
Patrick Crayton, Terrance Copper, Ahmad Merritt, Zuriel
Smith, Reggie Harrell, Jamaica Rector
TE Jason Witten, Dan Campbell, Sean Ryan (inj), Brett
Pierce, Tony Curtis
K Billy Cundiff, Jose Cortez
DE Greg Ellis, Kenyon Coleman, Marcus Spears (inj), Chris
Canty, Leonardo Carson, Jay Ratliff
NT Jason Ferguson (NT), La'Roi Glover, Jermaine Brooks,
Willie Blade, Chris Van Hoy
ILB Dat Nguyen, Bradie James (W), Al Singleton (S), Scott
Shanle (S), Kalen Thornton (W), Keith O'Neil, Mike Goolsby,
Roger Cooper, Joe Condo
OLB Demarcus Ware (S/DE), Kevin Burnett (W), Eric
Ogbogu (S/DE), Ryan Fowler (W), Reggie Love
CB Terance Newman (PR), Anthony Henry, Aaron Glenn,
Jacques Reeves, Lance Frazier, Bruce Thornton, Nathan
Jones, Lenny Williams
S Roy Williams (SS), Izell Reese (FS), Keith Davis (FS/SS),
Lynn Scott (SS), Justin Beriault (FS)
Denver Broncos
QB: Plummer is looking good in camp during the first week.
He’s hitting Rod Smith on shorter routes and also connecting
with Ashley Lelie on deep passes even though a few of the
long balls sailed on him a bit. In typical Mike Shanahan
fashion just days after lauding Danny Kanell’s commitment to
the offseason problem he demoted him to 4 th string. On the
new depth chart Bradlee Van Pelt, the local product out of
Colorado State, is running 2nd string with Matt Mauck No. 3.
Mauck has been inconsistent and looked bad in Thursday’s
practice. This is sure to change with four pre-season games
ahead, so keep Van Pelt’s name written in pencil. “I think it
was just giving Bradlee a shot”, said Kanell. “Things change
and things evolve, as long as I keep persevering and keep
working that much harder things will fall into place." Van Pelt
is still holding the ball too long and struggles looking away
from defenders, but he seems comfortable rolling out of the
pocket where he can use his mobility to his advantage while
avoiding the rush.
RB: Mike Anderson is the starter for the moment, but
common sense tells us Tatum Bell will emerge as the starter
before camp breaks. As easy as it may be to discount
Anderson as an old veteran coming off another knee surgery,
he’s a proven player who Shanahan trusts. And who knows
what Shanahan might pull? Just look at last year as a prime
example. Ron Dayne is in good overall shape and he’s been
running with the 3rd team mostly running inside with good
power, but his footwork still needs improvement. Shanahan
said Dayne’s been working hard during the offseason and is
having a good start to camp. Rookie Maurice Clarett is having
his moments – including a nice stiff arm on fellow rookie CB
Darrent Williams during a goal-line drill. Clarett has a lot to
prove, but he’s banking on himself by forgoing a signing
bonus in favor of an incentive-laden contract. Clarett was held
out of Thursday morning’s practice with a tight groin. Bell,
meanwhile, is running well. His inside running is sharp and
with his speed is effective on sweeps. His hands are looking
better as he snagged a few screens for first downs in
Thursday’s practice. Anderson seems to be coming back to the
pack and didn’t show the same fire he had earlier in the week.
Quentin Griffin is struggling. He’s only practicing once each
day to keep the swelling in his surgically repaired knee to a
minimum.
WR: Rod Smith didn’t practice on Thursday morning, but
that’s nothing to be alarmed since he generally only practices
once a day in recent years. After dogging it early in camp,
Lelie has picked up the pace showing improved focus. His
hands have been consistent thus far and he’s been going all out
for balls – even those that are nearly uncatchable. Charlie
Adams and Todd Devoe are fighting for a roster spot and
making the most of their opportunities.
TE: Recently in practice Stephen Alexander has been running
with the first team. We’re not reading much into that though.
Jeb Putzier is the team’s starting TE, but look for the Broncos
to mix it up and utilize double TE sets frequently making both
players honorary “starters” to some extent. Alexander is a
better blocker, but Putzier shows more promise as a vertical
threat. Putzier’s also practicing with pain as he’s dealing with
a minor knee injury.
Defense: DE Courtney Brown suffered a setback when he
dislocated his elbow Thursday. Brown’s expected to miss
three to six weeks. He was injured during morning practice
while attempting to strip the ball from a player only to have
his arm get twisted in the process. Shanahan hopes he’ll be
ready for the season opener. X-rays showed no breaks and an
MRI showed no structural damage. "He's done everything in
the offseason to get himself ready, and his previous injuries
are feeling great, so to have something like this happen to him
I'm sure is disheartening," Shanahan said.
Special Teams: PK Jason Elam went 10 for 10 in his first
kicking session of the week. He followed that up going 10 for
10 again in his second session. Rookie P/K Paul Ernster has
looked very good on punts, getting off kicks in the 60 to 65
yard range consistently. Unfortunately for him, the Broncos
had signed Todd Sauerbrun, who is hitting them another 5 or
10 yards further. CB Darrent Williams was drafted to upgrade
the return game and has impressed the staff and team mates so
far, even drawing public praise from Mike Shanahan.
Broncos Depth Chart
QB Jake Plummer, Danny Kanell, Matt Mauck, Bradlee Van
Pelt
RB Mike Anderson, Tatum Bell, Quentin Griffin, Ron Dayne,
Maurice Clarett
FB Kyle Johnson, Brandon Miree, Cecil Sapp, Kris Briggs
WR Rod Smith, Ashley Lelie, Darius Watts, Triandos Luke
(PR), Jerry Rice, Nate Jackson (TE), Charlie Adams, B.J.
Johnson, Todd Devoe
TE Jeb Putzier, Stephen Alexander, Patrick Hape (HB), Mike
Pinkard, Wesley Duke
K Jason Elam, Paul Ernster
DE Trevor Pryce, Courtney Brown (inj), Raylee Johnson,
Marco Coleman, Ebenezer Ekuban, John Engelberger, Anton
Palepoi, Randy Garner, Chukie Nwokorie, Aaron Hunt
DT Gerard Warren, Mario Fatafehi, Monsanto Pope, Michael
Myers, Luther Elliss, Demetrin Veal, Dorsett Davis, D.J.
Renteria
MLB Al Wilson, Keith Burns, Patrick Chukwurah
OLB Ian Gold (W), D.J. Williams (S), Terry Pierce (S/M),
Jashon Sykes (W), Louis Green (W), Marcus Steele (S)
CB Champ Bailey, Lenny Walls, Jeremy LaSueur (FS),
Darrent Williams, Karl Paymah, Roc Alexander (KR),
Dominique Foxworth, Curome Cox, Jeff Shoate, Brandon
Browner
S John Lynch (FS), Nick Ferguson (SS), Sam Brandon (FS),
Chris Young (SS)
Detroit Lions
QB: The pressure couldn’t be any greater on Joey Harrington
than it is going into the 2005 season. He’s run out of excuses
in his 4th season and has Jeff Garcia looming over his
shoulder. Yet Joey remains as upbeat and dreamy as ever. "It
doesn't take too much to see we've got more talent than we've
had since I've been here," Harrington said. "That makes it
more exciting. It's still a matter of getting guys on the same
page, keeping healthy. When we start winning ballgames,
that's when it's fun." That, my friends, is the key. Winning ball
games... Joey could either be a super sleeper or just as likely
flame out by mid-September. Harrington and Garcia are both
looking good in camp. So far Harrington has done nothing to
lose the job and Garcia nothing to distinguish himself.
At Saturday’s practice, the first open practice of the season for
fans, 26,000 were in attendance. Joey Harrington listened to a
smattering of boos from a vocal crown after every completion.
"Oh yeah, I heard them," replied Harrington after being asked
if heard the booing. "I don't like it, but it's part of the game. I
don't listen to them. I don't care about them. They are booing
for their own reasons, some of which happen to do with us
losing. I want to change the losing, obviously." On a funnier
note, the local radio station was looking for new nicknames
for Joey. Apparently his college nickname was ‘princess’. The
two best calls were ‘lame duck’ and ‘Joey Checkdown’.
RB: Kevin Jones has been outstanding in camp. He’s ready to
take his game to another level and he makes no bones about it.
“I want to do bigger and greater things,” Jones says. Head
coach Steve Mariucci said running back Kevin Jones and wide
receiver Roy Williams are both "light-years" ahead of where
they were last year. "They're more confident," he said. "They
get it. They understand what we're asking. I expect terrific
years from guys like Roy and Kevin Jones.” As a mid to late
first round pick in many leagues Jones might be undervalued.
His upside is tremendous and he’s capable of becoming one of
the best players in the league. ESPN’s John Clayton recently
called Jones “bigger, better and just as fast as last year” and
said he thinks he could be a 1,800 to 1,900 yard back.
Fullback Will Matthews, a rookie free agent from Texas, is
making some big hits in the first week of camp. "He had a
collision on a linebacker that was heard around the building,"
Mariucci said. "He got some hoots and hollers from the team.
That's how fullbacks earn their stripes. ... He is showing us
that he has a chance to make the team." Backup Jamel White
was held out of Saturday’s practice by a hamstring injury. On
a related note to the running game.. Right tackle Kelly Butler
has caught Mariucci’s eye. ``Kelly Butler is playing pretty
darn well. Now, we haven't played the Jets and we haven't
played live and all of that sort of thing, but so far, so good.
I've been impressed with Kelly Butler, I think he's got a
chance to be a pretty good tackle in this league.''
WR: Charles Rogers enters his third season with more
confidence than ever. He’s not worried about playing with
caution either. He’s been feisty and aggressive, eager to show
everyone his two broken clavicle injuries were a fluke, and not
a trend. “I'm feeling healthy, feeling excited,” Rogers said.
“I'm ready to go out there and play a full season.” Rogers
slimmed down about 8 lbs from last year and said he can feel a
difference and prefers playing at a lighter weight to regain his
speed advantage. With Rogers essentially missing his first two
years it’s easy to say that Roy Williams could very well be the
furthest along among the two potential stars. Williams is
lining up at flanker and he’s primed for a big season, too.
Now that Mike Williams is signed and in camp he’s got some
catching up to do. The first day he was in pads receiver coach
Fred Graves pulled him aside to run him through a 90 minute
cram session. The rookie has a lot of work ahead of him. In
the mean time, veteran free agent Kevin Johnson is looking
good and is on track to begin the season as the team’s No. 3
WR. That may change once Williams comes up to speed, but
Johnson is easily the most experienced receiver among the
group. Williams, working at the No. 4 WR spot, caught a long
touchdown pass in practice, but it was called back for
offensive pass interference by the visiting NFL officials crew.
The contact didn't appear worthy of a flag. Not that Mariucci
was going to argue. ``Let's say something controversial right
now about the officiating so I get fined,'' Mariucci said with a
laugh. ``Fined in training camp for dogging the officials,
wouldn't that be awesome?” Finally, Eddie Drummond (the
team’s Pro Bowl return man and receiver) ended his holdout
signing the one year $1.4 million contract that’s been on the
table all along. He arrived at camp on Thursday.
TE: Marcus Pollard should flourish in the Lions offense and
vastly improve the Lions chances in the red zone and
converting third downs. He’s already a positive veteran
influence on the team in the locker room. There's an excellent
battle brewing for the No. 3 spot between 2nd year tight end
Leonard Stephens and rookie Jason Randall, from Michigan
State. Stephens is the better receiver but the 280-pound
Randall is a better blocker. ``That's where he makes his mark,''
said Mariucci.
Defense: LB Boss Bailey has been restricted to one practice
per day as a precautionary measure. Bailey’s not reporting any
problems with his knees and is looking great so far in camp.
The Lions visited with Ty Law a 2nd time, but no contract was
offered. They remain interested, but aren’t likely to make an
offer in his expected range (like the Jets). Even without Law
the Lions secondary looks better with Kenoy Kennedy and
R.W. McQuarters definite upgrades. In Friday afternoon’s
practice Mariucci rested defensive tackles Shaun Rogers and
Dan Wilkinson. James Hall (groin) is sidelined and considered
day to day.
Special Teams: During a special teams drill this week PK
Jason Hanson was perfect on FGs, including long range
attempts from 52, 56, and 61 yards. The fans in attendance
gave him a standing ovation after the last one. After a one
week holdout per his agent’s advice, PR/KR specialist WR
Eddie Drummond surrendered and joined practices late in the
week. During Drummonds absence, CB R.W. McQuarters and
CB Dre’ Bly worked on punt returns, while WR Scottie Vines,
RB Shawn Bryson and RB Paul Smith worked on kickoff
returns.
Lions Depth Chart
QB Joey Harrington, Jeff Garcia, Dan Orlovsky
RB Kevin Jones, Artose Pinner, Shawn Bryson (3RB), Jamel
White, Howard Jackson
FB Cory Schlesinger, Paul Smith, Will Matthews
WR Charles Rogers, Roy Williams, Mike Williams, Kevin
Johnson, Eddie Drummond (PR/KR), Scott Vines, David
Kircus, Steve Savoy, Paris Hamilton, Kahlil Hill
TE Marcus Pollard, Casey Fitzsimmons, Leonard Stephens,
Jason Randall
K Jason Hanson
DE James Hall, Cory Redding (DT), Kalimba Edwards, Jared
DeVries, Bill Swancutt
DT Shaun Rogers, Dan Wilkinson, Shaun Cody (DE),
Marcus Bell, Brandon Kennedy
MLB Earl Holmes, Wali Rainer (W/M), Scott Genord
OLB Ted Lehman (W/S), Boss Bailey (S/W), James Davis
(W), Alex Lewis (W), Donte' Curry (S), Jonathan Goddard
(W), Andrew Battle (W)
CB Dre' Bly, Fernando Bryant, R.W. McQuarters (FS), Andre
Goodman, Chris Cash, Keith Smith, Stanley Wilson, Jeff
Sanchez, Mike Echols
S Kenoy Kennedy (SS), Terrence Holt (FS), Bracy Walker
(SS), Vernon Fox (SS), Kentrell Curry (FS)
Green Bay Packers
QB: First round pick Aaron Rodgers looked as good as can be
expected in the Packers/Bills joint practices and scrimmages
on Thursday and again on Friday night under the lights at
Lambeau. "He did good," Packers head coach Mike Sherman
said. "I thought he responded quite well." On the first night
Rodgers found WR Vince Butler, rookie WR Craig Bragg,
tight end Tory Humphrey and RB Tony Fisher all for TDs.
Yet much of this particular practice session came against
defensive players who may not even be in the league this
season. He still has a long way to go as it was apparent in
organized team activities that his inexperience is difficult to
overcome sometimes. He had difficulty with his reads and
going through his progressions from the hot receiver to the
safety valve. For now he’s focusing on his timing and
footwork and getting the ball out on time. "The mistakes I've
made in minicamp --I've learned from them and haven't made
the same mistakes twice," Rodgers said.
RB: Ahman Green’s back stiffened during practice last
Tuesday causing him to sit out a morning practice session. He
also played sparingly against the Bills Friday rushing three
times for 11 yards. The Bills defense was keying on him in
goal line situations (which allowed Favre to connect on a pair
of TDs). In game action both Najeh Davenport and Tony
Fisher looked good, but Davenport had to leave with an ankle
injury. Third year back Walt Williams has been out most of
camp with an ankle injury and RB/KR Chaz Williams broke
his ankle in drills Thursday. The Packers waived Chris
Robertson replacing him with Derrick Johnese, a rookie free
agent.
WR: It’s not taking Javon Walker long to make his impact felt
in training camp. Despite not participating in the offseason
program he’s having a strong camp and in Wednesday’s
practice beat safety Earl Little on a crossing route for a 50
yard TD pass from Favre. Walker is focused and downplayed
his big day noting that training camp is a marathon not a
sprint. 6th round pick Craig Bragg injured his knee Friday
morning practicing against the Bills. He tried to stay on the
field but left shortly thereafter. “I was able to go out there but
I was sitting around a lot and it stiffened up on me," Bragg
said. "Hopefully it's not anything serious.”
TE: Bubba Franks remains a holdout without a contract as
he’s not signed the one year tender that comes with the team’s
transition tag. Backup David Martin is nursing a groin injury
leaving the team with 2nd year TE Ben Steele getting all the
first team reps. He’s struggled during the offseason with his
hands. Against the Bills he lunged for a pass near the sidelines
in a red zone drill but came up short. He rebounded quickly
though snagging a pair of TDs from Brett Favre later in the
same goal line drill.
Defense: The Packers run defense looked ok for this early in
camp after struggling badly a year ago. They held the Bills to
116 yards on 30 carries in Friday’s scrimmage; McGahee had
just 32 yards on 12 carries. "They were flying to the ball,
doing a great job tackling wise," McGahee said. Nick Barnett
was quick to add they are “nowhere where they need to be”
and they still have a lot of work ahead of them – mainly
improving their timing and communication.
Despite being a rookie 5th round pick, corner Mike Hawkins is
getting some attention in camp. He got some personal
mentoring from the best in the business in the offseason.
Hawkins worked out with Deion Sanders focusing on
technique and agility together. Hawkins is an interesting story
having attended Oklahoma in ’02 before taking the Arena
Football League route in ’04 and ’05. Injuries to CBs Joey
Thomas and Al Harris are giving Hawkins more reps and his
opportunity to shine. He jumped a route by Bills FB Daimon
Shelton and nearly had an interception, but he dropped the
ball.
Another player emerging from nowhere is undrafted rookie
MLB Roy Manning, who is running with the 2 nd team defense
behind Nick Barnett. “He’s doing a nice job,” said Sherman.
“He has a lot to learn.” Of course, it helps that Hannibal
Navies (knee), Kurt Campbell (knee), Na’il Diggs (ankle) and
Brady Poppinga (hamstring) have been limited by injuries –
all of them sat out practice on Friday morning. DT Colin Cole
is also making an impression displaying solid pass rushing
skills from the inside. “He’s in the mix,” Sherman noted.
“He’s very stout, very strong.”
Special Teams: PK Ryan Longwell still appears to obsessing
about his holder situation, “I’m still really unsure and
panicked about that.” P B.J. Sanders, BQ Aaron Rodgers, QB
Craig Nall, WR Javon Walker, and WR Terrence Murphy
have all given it a try in practice. WR Antonio Chatman (the
incumbent), rookie WR Terrence Murphy, rookie WR Craig
Bragg, RB Najeh Davenport, WR Robert Ferguson all
practiced kickoff returns this week. Chatman wants to keep
that job but knows that the writing is on the wall.
Packers Depth Chart
QB Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers, Craig Nall, J.T. O'Sullivan
RB Ahman Green, Najeh Davenport, Tony Fisher, Walter
Williams, Joey Harris, Chaz Williams (IR)
FB William Henderson, Nick Luchey, Vonta Leach
WR Javon Walker, Donald Driver, Robert Ferguson, Antonio
Chatman (KR/PR), Terrence Murphy (KR), Craig Bragg,
Andrae Thurman, Michael Marker, Sam Breeden
TE Bubba Franks (UFA-T), David Martin, Ben Steele,
Garrett Cross
K Ryan Longwell
DE Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila, Aaron Kampman, R-Kal Truluck,
Corey Williams, Kenny Peterson, Seante Williams
DT Grady Jackson (NT), Cletidus Hunt, James Lee (NT),
Cullen Jenkins, Donnell Washington, Colin Cole (NT), Mike
Montgomery, Doug Sims (NT), Quintene Newhouse
MLB Nick Barnett, Roy Manning, John Garrett
OLB Na'il Diggs (S), Raynoch Thompson (W), Hannibal
Navies (S), Paris Lenon (W), Brady Poppinga, Ike Emodi (W),
Shawn Morgan (W), Nick McNeil (S)
CB Al Harris, Ahmad Carroll, Joey Thomas, Michael
Hawkins, Jason Horton, Chris Johnson (inj), Kurt Campbell,
Art Smith, Chris Day, Charles Byrd
S Mark Roman (SS), Arturo Freeman (FS), Nick Collins (FS),
Todd Franz (FS), Michael Underwood (FS), Julius Curry (FS),
Wendell Williams (FS), Chonn Lacey (SS)
Houston Texans
QB: Third string QB Dave Ragone is a popular guy on the
team right now. “We call him the MVP (laughs),” Pro bowler
Andre Johnson said. “Dave had a great year over in NFL
Europe. Now he’s out there playing well and as he goes
along, he’ll continue to get better.” Ragone completed 63% of
his passes playing for the Berlin Thunder. He set an NFL
Europe record with 174 consecutive passes with nary a pick.
He was named the league’s offensive MVP.
RB: The long reported contract extension for Domanick Davis
is finally completed. Davis was scheduled to earn the
$380,000 league minimum but instead inked a 5-year, $22
million contract with $8 million guaranteed. The primary
competition in camp is for the right to backup Davis. The
Texans drafted 25 year old rookie Vernand Morency to
compete with veterans Tony Hollings and Jonathan Wells.
Head Coach Dom Capers gushed about Hollings early in camp
stating it’s the “best he’s ever looked”. Take that for what it’s
worth. Morency will give them both a run for their money.
"Everyone knows about Domanick," offensive coordinator
Chris Palmer said. "I'm eager to see Morency go against other
teams, and I want to see how much Hollings has grown.
They've looked good so far, but until you start playing against
other people, you never know for sure." The Texans are giving
lip service to resting Davis more this year. We’ll believe it
when we see it.
WR: The Texans hope to get Andre Johnson in better
matchups by sending him in motion a lot more this year.
Johnson is off to a great start in camp. "That's what you get
when you get a rare guy like Andre," coach Dom Capers said.
"A couple of plays he made on the practice field today were in
critical third-down situations. That's the difference in whether
you continue your drive or are off the field. Without Andre,
we'd have been off the field today.” Johnson’s only drawbacks
remain the conservative nature of the Texans offense, QB
David Carr’s tendency to check down to RB Domanick Davis
too quickly, and the Texans need to develop a solid starter
opposite him. That honor will likely go to Jabar Gaffney, who
continues to sport a red jersey limiting his contact until his
shoulder is 100%. Corey Bradford remains in the mix and
Derick Armstrong continues to get no pub. “Jabar and Corey
are two different kinds of guys,” Capers said. “Jabar is more
of a route-runner with sure hands, while Corey is more of a
vertical threat. Derick may have the best hands on the team.”
Gaffney still managed to show his speed is intact streaking
past a defender and nearly catching a TD in the back of the
endzone in practice.
Rookie receiver Jerome Mathis has world class speed and he
used it in practice beating Dunta Robinson on a deep route by
a few steps only to have Robinson put on a display with his
closing speed, using a well-timed jump to bat the ball away.
Mathis will be a home run threat on special teams immediately
but he might prove useful as a receiver, too. Everybody in
camp is singing praises about his speed. Robinson’s ego was
bruised as he’s used to being the fastest guy on the field. "He's
probably the fastest receiver I've ever had to cover. So I think
he's going to help us a lot this season,” said Robinson. “You
hear about a lot of guys who run fast in the combine, but you
really don't see it on the football field. But with him, he ran
fast in the combine and he shows it on the football field.”
Capers obviously noticed, too, “His speed, wow, it's
breathtaking. He just runs by people, but he knows there's a lot
more to it. When he got here, he started competing hard. He's
done a good job of catching the ball, but he has to stay on
course and learn his assignments and proper techniques for the
position. He's already improved his route running." 2nd year
Kendrick Starling also made a spectacular over the shoulder
diving catch in 7-on-7 drills.
Defense: How well the Texans two new starting inside
linebackers play could very well define which way the Texans
defense goes this year – up or down? Morlon Greenwood and
Kailee Wong are settling into their new roles and learning
everything they can about each other both on and off the field.
“We’re definitely really tight,” Wong said. “The two inside
linebackers really need to be on the same page, it is probably
the most critical position aside from maybe the two safeties.”
Antwan Peek has the potential, and now the opportunity, to
become a double digit sack guy starting at OLB opposite
Jason Babin.
Special Teams: A slow news week on the kicking front… as a
result of having to attend two team practices, PK Kris Brown
missed out on going to a Wiggles concert with his family.
Rookie WR Jerome Mathis, a candidate for the PR/KR
specialist position, appears to be making a quick transition to
the big leagues. Head coach Dom Capers noted, “When he
came in here, you could tell he was very raw, but you could
also see he has amazing speed to go with a lot of ability. He
looks a lot smoother and more confident right now.” He’ll be
competing with WR Reggie Swinton for both KR & PR and
with CB Phillip Buchanon on punt returns.
Texans Depth Chart
QB David Carr, Tony Banks, Dave Ragone, B.J. Symons
RB Domanick Davis, Jonathan Wells (FB), Vernand
Morency, Tony Hollings, Jason Anderson, Adam Matthews
FB Moran Norris, Jarrod Baxter
WR Andre Johnson, Jabar Gaffney, Corey Bradford, Derick
Armstrong, Jerome Mathis (PR/KR), Kendrick Starling,
Reggie Swinton (KR), Sloan Thomas, Allen Suber, Nick
Narcisse, LaTarence Dunbar
TE Mark Bruener, Billy Miller, Matt Murphy, Marcellus
Rivers, Benny Joppru (IR)
K Kris Brown
NT Seth Payne, Travis Johnson, Jerry DeLoach
DE Gary Walker, Robaire Smith, Corey Sears, Junior Ioane,
Daleroy Stewart, Jason Davis
ILB Kailee Wong, Morlon Greenwood, Troy Evans, Frank
Chamberlin, DaShon Polk, Shantee Orr, Quincy Monk, Dave
Moretti
OLB Jason Babin, Antwan Peek, Zeke Moreno, Charlie
Anderson, Anthony Dunn, D.D. Acholonu, Kenneth Petway
CB Dunta Robinson, Phillip Buchanon, DeMarcus Faggins,
Lewis Sanders (FS), Jason Bell
S Glenn Earl (SS), Marcus Coleman (FS), Jason Simmons
(FS), Ramon Walker (SS), Jammal Lord (FS), Ceandris
Brown (SS), David Young (SS)
Indianapolis Colts
QB: Peyton Manning is doing just what you’d expect from a
returning 2-time NFL MVP. He’s making big plays in camp
and leading by example on the field. In preparation for their
game in Tokyo, Manning hit 3rd year WR Aaron Moorehead
for a long completion in what was described as the best play
of the day in practice, but not just for the offense either.
Moorehead adjusted to catch the ball (slightly behind him),
then ran towards the end zone only to have corner Eric Hill
knock the ball away poking it from behind. It was recovered
by the defense.
RB: Edgerrin James reported to camp on time but quickly
proclaimed that he wasn’t planning on traveling to Tokyo for
the American Bowl. James backed off that stance made the
trip while netting limited action in the game itself. Dominic
Rhodes is looking good so far. He caught a 15 yard screen
pass from Jim Sorgi in 7-on-7 drills. His new contract and his
experience (5 years) are indicators that he’ll have a larger role
in the Colts offense this year spelling James perhaps more
frequently and potentially even on third downs (to James’
chagrin).
WR: Brandon Stokley will miss three to four weeks after
dislocating his right shoulder during practice in Japan after
colliding with DB Waine Bacon. It’s the second time he’s
injured the shoulder during his career and there’s a slight
chance he could miss the season opener on Sept. 11 against
Baltimore. "It's going to be tight," Dungy said. "It sounds like
if everything goes well, they'll let him come back at that time.
How quickly he's ready to play, we'll see." Stokley had a huge
year in 2004 playing from the slot. He finished with 68
receptions for 1,077 yds and 10 TDs – all career highs. If
Stokley is unavailable the door opens for Troy Walters to step
into the No. 3 role. Walters missed 11 games last year with a
broken arm while Stokley thrived, but flashed big play
potential in 2003 when Stokley was hurt and he finished with
36 receptions for 456 yds and 3 TDs – starting 3 games.
Both Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne are looking great –
as expected. Harrison made a spectacular catch near the goal
line then got open deep for another 35-yard gain later in the
same practice. Wayne has been getting open consistently,
catching several passes near the sidelines.
TE: TE Dallas Clark didn’t play against the Falcons Saturday
night as the team held him out due to a lingering hamstring
problem. Clark has been solid in camp though catching a 15
yard pass earlier in the week in 7-on-7 drills. 2nd year TE Ben
Hartsock had two consecutive strong practices as well. He
caught two passes in Tuesday’s practice including a 20-yarder
from Manning.
Defense: Several players miseed Saturday’s game including
DE Dwight Freeney, currently on the PUP with a bad
shoulder, CB Von Hutchins, DT Josh Williams, DT Montae
Reagor, DE Nathaniel Adibi, S Mike Doss and CB Donald
Strickland. DE Raheem Brock sustained a hip flexor injury in
last Monday’s practice and underwent an MRI the following
day. Safety Bob Sanders is chomping at the bit in training
camp. Healthy this season after struggling with injuries as a
rookie, Sanders is confident in his abilities. “I don’t think a lot
of people have really seen what I can do when I’m healthy and
when I know the defense, when everything’s just kicking for
me,” he said. “I don’t think anyone has really seen the true
Bob Sanders. This year, with me being healthy and being able
to come to camp and start the first day, that will help.
Hopefully, I can show people what I can do.” Meanwhile
MLB Gary Brackett is battling with veteran Rob Morris for
the starting job. Only this time around Morris is competing
from the 2nd string as Brackett atop the depth chart for now.
Special Teams: The Colts did not attempt any FGs in
Saturday’s American Bowl. PK Mike Vanderjagt chipped in
two extra points, and Dave Rayner added one. Both players
kicked off twice. Vanderjagt was a consistent 59 yards on
both, while Rayner showed his potential with 69 yards on his
final one after hitting it 57 yards on the first kickoff. WR Brad
Pyatt handled all the punt returns with a meager 1.3 yard
average. Pyatt also had a kickoff return for 25 yards, RB
Anthony Davis took one 20 yards, and RB James Mungro ran
one for 6 yards.
Colts Depth Chart
QB Peyton Manning, Travis Brown, Jim Sorgi
RB Edgerrin James, Dominic Rhodes (3RB), James Mungro
(FB), Anthony Davis, Ran Carthon, Vashon Pearson, Marcus
Williams
FB J.T. Wall
WR Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne, Brandon Stokley (inj),
Troy Walters, Aaron Moorehead, Brad Pyatt (KR/PR), Roscoe
Crosby, John Standeford, Eric Hill, Levon Thomas
TE Dallas Clark, Ben Hartsock, Ben Utecht, Bryan Fletcher,
Joey Hawkins, Torey Humphrey
K Mike Vanderjagt, Dave Rayner
DT Josh Williams (inj), Montae Reagor, Larry Tripplett,
Jason Stewart
DE Dwight Freeney (inj), Robert Mathis, Raheem Brock,
Josh Thomas, Vincent Burns, Jonathan Welsh, Josh Mallard,
Nathaniel Adibi, Thomas Houchin, Javor Mills
MLB Gary Brackett (M/W), Rob Morris, Keyon Whiteside
OLB David Thornton (S), Cato June (W), Gilbert Gardner
(W), Nick Rogers (S), Kendyll Pope (W), Andre Sommersell
(S), Tyjuan Hagler (inj), Deryck Toles (W) (inj)
CB Nick Harper, Joseph Jefferson (SS/CB), Donald
Strickland, Marlin Jackson, Jason David, Kelvin Hayden, Von
Hutchins (inj), Waine Bacon, Willie Ford, Jermaine Mays
S Bob Sanders (SS), Mike Doss (FS) (susp), Gerome Sapp
(FS), Matt Giordano (FS), Brandon Lynch (SS), Daryl Dixon
(FS)
Jacksonville Jaguars
QB: Byron Leftwich looked outstanding in the offseason
workouts and minicamp this spring, but he had a slow start to
camp. He admittedly had a poor outing last Monday, but
quickly picked up the pace the next day. Leftwich could make
a leap in the fantasy rankings this year if everything comes
together and it all starts with Fred Taylor and the running
game, but also include how much Reggie Williams improves.
RB: Offensive coordinator Carl Smith is implementing two
key aspects to the Jags offense that were absent a year ago.
The deep pass is one and play-action passes are the other.
Leftwich is excited at the opportunities both create especially
if a healthy Fred Taylor is in the backfield. "Anytime you've
got Fred back there, people are going to fall for play action,"
Leftwich said. "You can't ignore Fred, so [play action] has a
chance to be a great weapon for us." Unfortunately, Fred
doesn’t even have a timetable for when he’ll be 100%. Head
coach Jack Del Rio remains steadfast in saying Taylor will be
ready for the regular season. Taylor’s getting a little action in
non-padded drills. “I thought I made pretty good strides,”
Taylor said of his offseason rehab efforts. “Of course, I need
to get better to reach where I should be. I'm upbeat. I'm doing
everything I can to be the best I can be and help this team.”
It’s easy to discount Taylor because of his famous “fragile”
label, but the team insists he’s never been more focused or
motivated for a season. Until he takes a hit everyone will be
looking for a sleeper in LaBrandon Toefield or rookie Alvin
Pearman.
WR: 2nd year WR Reggie Williams lost around 8 lbs and
looks like a new man on the football field. Through Thursday,
William caught at least one long TD pass in every practice
becoming the star of training camp. The former Huskie’s
trademark has been the deep post route in which he’s almost
routinely splitting two defenders for touchdowns. It looks like
the light went on for Williams, who suffered through an
unproductive rookie season despite starting most of the games.
“I think Reggie Williams' hard work is benefiting Reggie
Williams. For the most part, he has really devoted himself to
being a special player for us and having a great year. So,
certainly offensively we want to take advantage of what guys
are capable of and put them in positions to make plays. I think
you've seen early in camp here that he is poised to have an
excellent year for us,” said Del Rio. The Jags desperately need
a 2nd WR to emerge opposite the aging Jimmy Smith and
Williams is getting every opportunity to be that guy.
in there.” Starks lacks size but could be an IDP sleeper
following the old rookie corner theory if he wins the job.
1st round pick Matt Jones missed the opening of training camp
and most of minicamp and summer workouts because of a
sprained left hamstring. The good news is he’s signed after a
short holdout. The bad news is he’s got a lot of catching up to
do, especially as a rookie. Jones is playing at the “Z” receiver
behind Williams on the depth chart. "I'm definitely excited,"
Jones said. "I'm glad that everything got worked out and that I
haven't missed too much. I'm ready to get out there and start
making plays and helping the team win." Jones played QB at
Arkansas and rushed for 24 TDs in 46 games. His blazing
speed combined with a tremendous physique making him a
special prospect, but one that could take time to develop. His
contract has escalators beginning at $100,000 at 40 receptions
giving him plenty of incentive to hit the ground running as a
rookie.
Special Teams: The battle for the starting kicker job between
Josh Scobee (2004 starter) and Seth Marler (2003 starter)
should get underway this week and once the full slate of
preseason games begins next weekend. After the Jags drafted
WR Chad Owens, it was assumed he would need to win the
KR/PR specialist spot to make the team. He’s looked good in
that regard early on, but despite his diminutive stature, is also
making a surprising bid for playing time at wide receiver.
Head coach jack Del Rio has used the terms “supremely
conditioned”, “competitive”, and “very, very good football
player” when discussing Owens.
Also impressing coaches in camp is 5’7” rookie WR Chad
Owens who was drafted primarily because of his
explosiveness as a return man, but he’s also flashing his ability
as a receiver grabbing the attention of his teammates and
coaches. Smith called Owens “the best route runner on the
roster”. WR Troy Edwards predicted Owens could be a top 5
returner. That’s high praise for the diminutive rookie that’s
competing for a roster spot. It looks like he’s well on his way
to winning one.
TE: Kyle Brady ruptured a tendon in his right middle finger
during last year’s preseason and he’s lost some strength in his
right hand (grip) as a result. Brady’s able to deal with the
problem though and it’s not expected to keep him off the field.
Brady’s career is fading quickly though, look for team’s
young TEs George Wrighster and Brian Jones to see even
more action this year.
Defense: The Jags are pinning their hopes defensively on free
agent DE Reggie Hayward. After a lackluster pass rush last
year improving this area became a top priority. So far, the 6’5”
280-pounder has been impressive. Early in he’s bonded with
veteran DE Marcellus Wiley, another newcomer, hoping to
learn anything he can from him. Consider Wiley among the
believers now, too. "Oh, man, we call him top heavy turbo
because he's very strong with his upper body and always keeps
his motor running,'' Wiley said. "That's the turbo element. He's
just very athletic and very quick. I think he's going to be a
terror." Hayward added, “We have a lot of personality on this
defense. You also get it from the linebackers and defensive
backs. They're very boisterous. They have voices, and they use
them. We should be a high-energy, high-contact defense.
People are going to hear us and feel us." The other spotlight
on defense is centered on the RCB battle between veteran free
agent Kenny Wright, rookie 3rd round pick Scott Starks and
veterans Terry Cousin and Kiwaukee Thomas. Starks made a
great first impression on defensive coordinator Mike Smith.
“Very fast start; very impressive through the first six days,”
defensive coordinator Mike Smith said of Starks. “He
continues to show great speed and quickness and he has a very
good understanding of the defense. He's a film rat. You can
walk into the film room between practices and you'll see him
Jaguars Depth Chart
QB Byron Leftwich, David Garrard, Quinn Gray, Nate Hybl
RB Fred Taylor (inj), LaBrandon Toefield (KR/3RB), Alvin
Pearman (3RB), Chris Fuamatu- Ma'afala (FB), David Allen
(KR), Rich Alexis, Derrick Wimbush
FB Greg Jones (SD)
WR Jimmy Smith, Reggie Williams, Troy Edwards, Matt
Jones, Ernest Wilford, Cortez Hankton, Chad Owens
(KR/PR), Huey Whittaker, Chris Cole, Kelvin Kight
TE Kyle Brady, George Wrighster, Brian Jones, Todd Yoder
K Josh Scobee, Seth Marler
DE Reggie Hayward, Marcellus Wiley, Paul Spicer, Bobby
McCray, Rob Meier, Omari Hand
DT Marcus Stroud, John Henderson, Tony Williams, Martin
Chase, Anthony Maddox, Derrick Ransom
MLB Mike Peterson, Tony Gilbert, Pat Thomas
OLB Daryl Smith (W), Akinola Ayodele (S), Nate Wayne
(W/S), Jorge Cordova (S), Greg Favors (W), Jamar Enzore
CB Rashean Mathis (PR), Kiwaukee Thomas, Scott Starks,
Terry Cousin, Kenny Wright, Chris Thompson, David
Richardson, Chris Roberson
S Donovan Darius (SS), Deon Grant (FS), Deke Cooper
(SS/FS), Gerald Sensabaugh (SS), Nick Sorenson (SS),
Raymond Perryman (SS), Marcel Allmond (FS)
Kansas City Chiefs
QB: Trent Green added 10 pounds of muscle during the
offseason working harder than ever but when his shoulder
began aching from the overwork the coaches intervened.
Vermeil likened Green’s offseason to a pitcher going over his
pitch count. Green relented and rested the shoulder for camp.
RB: The Chiefs are taking it easy with Priest Holmes. One
practice in, one practice out. They want to take every
precaution necessary to see that he doesn’t get hurt again like
last year. “My body feels good,” Holmes said in what has
become his annual training-camp health update. “I can
definitely say that if I was practicing twice a day it probably
would not feel as good as it does now.” As luck would have it
Holmes sat out of Sunday’s practice after being kicked while
being tackled in Saturday night's practice, but is slated to
return to workouts by Monday morning. The added rest for
Holmes gives Larry Johnson more reps, but don’t get any
ideas that LJ will split carries with Priest when the games
count. “Priest Holmes is our starting running back, and Larry
Johnson is his backup,” Vermeil said. “There might be a few
things we program in the backfield for both of them at the
same time, but right now I don’t anticipate a this-guy-carriesthe-ball-six-times-and-that-guy-carries-it-five-times sort of
arrangement. I think the game and flow will determine all of
that.” In Wednesday’s practice Larry Johnson beat Scott Fujita
to the corner for a TD in a goal-line drill. They also converted
a halfback pass from Dee Brown to Marc Boerigter for a TD.
think he’s a good kicker. Obviously, that’s why we don’t have
any other kickers here.” In addition to his punting skills,
Dustin Colquitt and is also proving to be an adequate holder
for Tynes. Return specialist Dante Hall is learning to field
Colquitt’s punts, "I figured out what it does. It starts left, goes
right, comes back left, hangs and does some other freaky stuff.
"I haven't had a guy give me that much trouble at any level college, high school, the pros. He's well worth the third-round
pick." WR Chris Horn and RB Larry Johnson are competing
for the up-man position on returns. WRs Eddie Kennison and
Samie Parker are competing to back up Hall.
WR: Freddie Mitchell signed with the hope of competing with
Samie Parker for a starting position, but injured his knee in the
first few days of camp. After seeking a second opinion
Mitchell opted against arthroscopic surgery and was told he
may be able to return in 7 to 10 days. The Chiefs had him
scheduled for surgery and were originally expecting him to
miss 2 to 4 weeks. Coach Dick Vermeil was originally
annoyed that Mitchell sought a second opinion, but was later
pleased to hear he’d be back much sooner. Richard Smith was
also dinged with a shoulder injury. His injury isn’t believed to
be serious either.
Chiefs Depth Chart
Don’t look now but Marc Boerigter is having a strong camp.
He’s practicing only once each day, but his surgically repaired
knee is holding up well. “It’s kind of up to me,’’ he said.
“There’s no reason for going one a day because my knee is
healthy. They’re looking at saving the wear and tear. I feel
pretty good doing it this way. I’d hate to do a ton of two-adays and then have a setback or something and have to take a
couple of days off... Eventually, I’ll go to two practices a
day.’’
TE: All-Pro tight end Tony Gonzalez showed up at practice
Sunday night after X-rays revealed no broken bones on his
injured left foot. Gonzalez had surgery on the same foot in the
offseason. Vermeil expressed some concerned, noting he’s had
problems with the same foot, so for now Gonzo is being
limited to one practice a day. He was injured during a 1-on-1
drill Saturday night and came out halfway through Sunday
night's practice and caught passes on the sidelines. Tight end
Kris Wilson remained sidelined with a groin injury, but
returned to practice Sunday evening. Backup TE and blocking
specialist Jason Dunn suffered through back spasms last
Tuesday forcing him to the sidelines. “It's something he's had
before," Vermeil said. "I'm sure he'll be out a few days."
Defense: First round pick LB Derrick Johnson is already
running with the first team after two days of practice. Keyaron
Fox is now backing up Kendrell Bell on the right side. CB
Eric Warfield is not getting as many snaps as he would if he
weren’t suspended for the first four games. Dexter McCleon is
taking his job – at least temporarily – at right corner. LBs
Shawn Barber, Mike Maslowski and Quinton Caver are all
hurt.
Special Teams: Vermeil discussed PK Lawrence Tyne’s
training camp so far this year, “He’s been good, not great.
He’s missed one every time we’ve had a field goal session
which is disappointing. But I still have confidence in him. I
QB Trent Green, Todd Collins, Damon Huard, James Killian
RB Priest Holmes, Larry Johnson, Dee Brown, Ronnie Cruz,
Jonathan Smith, Sam Gado
FB Tony Richardson, Robert Holcombe, Joe Hall
WR Eddie Kennison, Samie Parker, Dante Hall (KR/PR),
Freddie Mitchell (inj), Richard Smith, Marc Boerigter,
Craphonso Thorpe, Chris Horn, Darrell Hill
TE Tony Gonzalez, Kris Wilson (HB), Jason Dunn
K Lawrence Tynes
DE Eric Hicks, Jared Allen, Carlos Hall, Gary Stills, Khari
Long, Jimmy Wilkerson, Clint Mitchell
DT Ryan Sims (NT), Lional Dalton, Junior Siavii, John
Browning (DE), Jabari Issa, Montique Sharpe, Arrion Dixon
MLB Kawika Mitchell, Boomer Grigsby, Mike Maslowski
(inj), Rich Scanlon
OLB Kendrell Bell (S), Derrick Johnson (W), Keyaron Fox
(S), Shawn Barber (W), Scott Fujita (S), Quinton Caver,
Kevin DeRonde, Kris Griffin
CB Patrick Surtain, Dexter McCleon, Eric Warfield (susp),
Ashley Ambrose, Dewayne Washington, Alphonso Hodge,
Benny Sapp, Julian Battle (inj)
S Sammy Knight (SS), Greg Wesley (FS), Jerome Woods
(FS), Shaunard Harts (SS), Willie Pile (SS), William Bartee
(FS), Ed Canonico (FS), Scott Connot (SS)
Miami Dolphins
QB: In Wednesday’s evening practice all of the quarterbacks
got into the action. Even backups Brock Berlin and Sage
Rosenfels had their moments, but it was Gus Frerotte with two
consecutive deep passes to TE Randy McMichael who looked
the best. Frerotte also hooked up with WR Chris Chambers in
the corner of the end zone. A.J. Feeley managed to complete a
35 yard pass to WR Derrius Thompson while showing nice
touch on several other passes. After a week of camp it still
looks like Gus Frerotte is leading Feeley for the starting job,
but there’s plenty of time for that to change before the season
opener.
RB: Ricky Williams continues to look good after showing up
to camp slimmer and quicker than ever. While he didn’t
exactly work out during his time away from football, Williams
hasn’t seemed to miss a beat. He’s getting a lot of reps and
thus far is playing as well as anyone could’ve expected.
Rookie RB Kay-Jay Harris showed tremendous burst in a long
run in the evening session. In the meantime, Lamar Gordon is
tentatively at the top of the depth chart, but we all know that
won’t last. Williams will miss the first four games and Ronnie
Brown remains a holdout. If Brown’s holdout becomes
prolonged Gordon might stand an outside chance of starting in
week 1. Currently, the Dolphins and Brown are about $3
million apart.
WR: Offensive coordinator Scott Linehan’s offense is
expected to mean better things for Miami’s receivers. It
stresses the deep ball more often than the previous regime. “It
is not a type of offense where your stats are [going to be] nine
catches for 63 yards and your average is 7 yards,” receiver
Marty Booker said. “The main thing is pushing the ball down
the field and opening up.” The receivers and offense, in
general, impress the defense. ''They do a lot of different
wrinkles and, I tell you what, they've been playing well
against us these last couple of days,'' linebacker Zach Thomas
said. ``A lot of guys over there, they're playing well. I don't
know if it's a little of everything with the coaches, the players
they have and the scheme, but it really fits what their strengths
are.” Chris Chambers isn’t complaining. ''It seems like I've got
a deep route every time I go out there,'' receiver Chris
Chambers said. ``It's a 50-yard sprint and these quarterbacks,
they're letting it go. You're getting opportunities to make plays
in practice, and you know they're going to throw the ball if
there's one-on-one coverage on the sides.
David Boston is having his moments in camp, but he still
doesn’t seem to have the same burst as he did before the
injuries. Boston faces a roster squeeze and has to beat out
Brian Gilmore, Derrius Thompson and Kendall Newson.
Wesley Welker is almost a given because of his versatility and
return abilities.
Defense: Injuries and inexperience have allowed safety
Yeremiah Bell to break into the lineup with the first string,
even if it may only be temporary. The Dolphins dealt DE
Ronald Flemons to the Seahawks for CB Kris Richard. Rookie
LB Channing Crowder had filled in for Junior Seau at the
WLB spot, while also working behind Zach Thomas at MLB.
Derrick Pope is also getting a lot of snaps at WLB in Seau’s
absence. He continues to impress the coaches in camp just as
he did in minicamp previously. NT Keith Traylor is only
practicing once a day. Nick Saban is trying to give his ailing
quad a rest. Rookie corner Travis Daniels could end up
starting. The Dolphins have high expectations for him, but he
was burned by Chris Chambers and Josh Davis in back to back
plays on Wednesday.
Special Teams: Early in the week, PK Olindo Mare ended a
practice connecting on seven straight FGs, including three
from beyond 50 yards. His team mates particularly liked the
final successful 58-yarder, which meant they didn’t have to
run sprints. Later in the week he headed to Canton for Dan
Marino’s induction. PR/KR return specialist Wes Welker has
been making some impressive plays in practice on offense. If
he continues, he’ll merit some playing time at wide receiver.
Dolphins Depth Chart
QB Gus Frerotte, A.J. Feeley, Sage Rosenfels, Brock Berlin
RB Ronnie Brown, Ricky Williams (susp), Lamar Gordon,
Sammy Morris, Travis Minor (3RB), Kay Jay Harris
FB Heath Evans, Jamar Martin
WR Chris Chambers, Marty Booker, Derrius Thompson,
David Boston, Brian Gilmore, Wesley Welker (KR), Kendall
Newson, Maurice Mann, Josh Davis, Danny Farmer, Tony
Madison
TE Randy McMichael, Donald Lee, Lorenzo Diamond, Alex
Holmes
K Olindo Mare
DE Jason Taylor (OLB), David Bowens, Matt Roth, Vonnie
Holiday, Matt Walters
DT Kevin Carter (DE), Keith Traylor (NT), Larry Chester
(inj), Jeff Zgonina, Dario Romero, Manuel Wright, Josh Shaw,
Kevin Vickerson
MLB Zack Thomas, Channing Crowder, Derrick Pope,
Winston Taylor
OLB Eddie Moore (S), Junior Seau (W), Donnie Spragan (S),
Tony Bua (W), Corey Jenkins (W), Jason Glenn, Brendon
Ayanbadejo (S), Billy Strother (S)
CB Sam Madison, Travis Daniels, Reggie Howard, Mario
Edwards, Kris Richard, Alphonso Roundtree, Will Poole (inj)
S Tebucky Jones (SS), Lance Schulters (FS), Travares
Tillman (FS) (inj), Yeremiah Bell (SS), Chris Akins (FS),
Deandre' Eiland (SS), Ricky Sharpe (FS), Abram Elam
Minnesota Vikings
QB: Aside from losing star WR Randy Moss, if there are any
worries about Culpepper’s production slipping it is due to the
loss of offensive coordinator Scott Linehan. Steve Loney took
over his duties, in addition to being the OL coach, but so far
there’s been little concern from the line or from Culpepper.
Loney has been sleeping in his car on a couple of occasions
and is spending more time than ever on the field working with
players. “I don't know how he does it, but I feel like he's still
focusing all his time on us,” center Cory Withrow said. “I
don't know if he ever sleeps. He must be half-vampire."
Culpepper isn’t worried. “He touches on exactly what he
needs to with me, and any time I have ideas I can always go
up to his room and talk to him,” Culpepper said. “He's very
good, very open with me. That's why I think this will work
because he's also very knowledgeable of the offense because
he's been in it for three years.”
RB: Michael Bennett is said to be working as hard as ever in
camp this year, and for good reason. His contract expires after
2005 and he wants to make the most of what might be his last
year in Minnesota potentially. “I'd like to finish my career as a
Minnesota Viking," Bennett said. "So it's time for me to hit
some more home runs, like I did in 2002. That's what I miss
most." Bennett had 25 runs of 12 yards or more in 2002, but
had just 15 total the past two years. To prepare for this year
Bennett returned to Milwaukee and did extensive track work
with Demi Omole, the current Big Ten 100-meter champ.
Bennett reportedly ran a 10.21, 10.15 and 10.19 this summer
meaning he’s faster now than he was in high school or at
Wisconsin. Bennett didn’t stop there, he also incorporated hill
training to increase his leg strength. The Vikings hope this
new level of dedication from Bennett will transform some of
that track speed into explosiveness on the football field. "I
wouldn't call this a make-or-break year for me," Bennett said.
"But it's a year I need to stay healthy. With an up-and-coming
star in Mewelde Moore and now [rookie] Ciatrick Fason, time
is not going to wait for me. With my injuries and everything, I
can be here today and gone tomorrow if I don't start hitting
some of those home runs again."… That’s the basic story to
watch here. If Bennett falters or gets hurt yet another time the
torch will pass to Moore and possibly even Fason. Not lost in
the mix is old reliable Moe Williams, who still figures to make
his mark at the goal line and occasionally on third downs.
WR: The Vikings are counting on Nate Burleson to emerge
from the shadows of Randy Moss now that he’s the No. 1 WR
on the team. So far, so good on that front as Burleson is taking
on a more vocal role on the field in addition to making plays.
In last Tuesday’s practice, Burleson made a great catch
streaking down the sidelines while going behind CB Ken
Irvin’s back to snare the ball. It was good for an 80-yard TD.
Burleson moves into the valued flanker position this year
where he’s expected to be Culpepper’s favorite receiver.
"Everybody knew the type of guy Nate was," Culpepper said.
"He's definitely getting noticed more by other people. He's a
great player. Those who don't know him will, because he's
going to get a lot of touchdowns. He's going to be in the elite
group of receivers pretty soon." There’s plenty of room for a
sleeper to emerge from this group, too. Most dynasty leaguers
have their sights on rookie speed merchant Troy Williamson.
Injuries to other receivers gave Williamson more reps in
practice. Williamson dropped a touchdown but quickly made
up for the gaffe catching a 32-yard TD from Brad Johnson. He
also dropped two passes on Friday but caught one pass for a
15-yard gain.
Veteran Travis Taylor remains a guy to keep a close eye on.
"Travis has always been good," Culpepper said. "I've watched
him play in high school and college, and he's always been
good. In Baltimore, I think he played with eight different
quarterbacks. That would be tough on anybody." Taylor is
currently being used as the team’s slot WR. He’s working hard
showing good quickness and not shying away from contact
when going after the football. All of those qualities are
endearing him to Culpepper and receivers coach Wes
Chandler. When Chandler was asked what Taylor adds the
Vikings offense? "What did Brandon Stokley bring to Peyton
Manning? That's why the [touchdown passes] record was set.
Manning had an inside guy you couldn't cover. The ability to
escape very quick. You had two outside guys, and you tried to
double over the top. Stokley killed you over the middle.”
Taylor was the leading receiver in Friday’s practice with 7
catches for 93 yards including a 2-yard TD from Culpepper in
traffic in the right corner of the end zone.
TE: The return of Jimmy Kleinsasser could have two effects
on the Vikings offense. It could mean a reduction in targets for
Jermaine Wiggins and signal improvement in the Vikings
running attack. Kleinsasser is an excellent lead blocker and
he’s more of H-back than Wiggins who serves more of a
traditional TE role.
Defense: Among the team’s many new faces on defense
perhaps none is stranger to see in purple and gold than former
Packers safety Darren Sharper. "Strange, very strange,"
Sharper said. "But your career sometimes will go different
directions and you have to adjust. But when we play that first
game and I have on the purple and gold, it is going to be a
different sight for my eyes to see." Sharper is a noted ball
hawk with more interceptions (31) than any player in the
league since 2000. He also has 7 TDs in his career, 3 last
season. At the moment LB Dontarrious Thomas is well-ahead
in the competition to start at WLB. He’s further ahead than
Raonall Smith because he’s not making mental mistakes and
he’s more consistent. “I don’t know that that’s as tight a
competition as we thought it would be when we started
(camp),” said Tice. Ben Nelson moved from receiver to safety
on Friday as the team tries to find a way to keep Nelson on the
team. "He had no more practice squad eligibility, and he's one
of our guys, so we really were just trying to find a spot for him
as opposed to bringing someone else in," defensive
coordinator Ted Cottrell said. Then Cottrell added, “The one
thing we know is some of our DBs have got really bad hands.
And this guy's got good hands. I hope he does; he's a wide
receiver, right?" Top pick DE Erasmus James remains “out of
sight, out of mind” to Tice after missing the first week of
camp as a holdout. Tice noted, “I think we’ve passed the point
of having him anointed at any position… anything he earns
now, he’s got to work his way up the ladder,” Such is life
when a rookie holds out.
Special Teams: After the first three days of practice, PKs
Aaron Elling and Paul Edinger were both 22 of 25 on field
goals. Elling maintained his “it’s-his-job-to-lose status”
however based on his better kickoffs. Edinger’s kickoffs have
been short, and he put one out of bounds. Backup QB Brad
Johnson has been anointed the holder on kicks. Head coach
Mike Tice indicated WR Keenan Howry is at the top of the
punt returner depth chart. RB Mewelde Moore has taken the
early lead over rookie WR Troy Williamson for kickoff
returns. WR Kelly Campbell and Howry are bringing up the
rear.
Vikings Depth Chart
QB Daunte Culpepper, Brad Johnson, Shaun Hill, Jason Fife
RB Michael Bennett, Mewelde Moore (3RB), Moe Williams
(3RB/SD), Ciatrick Fason, Joe Echemandu, Onterrio Smith
(susp)
HB Jimmy Kleinsasser, Sean Berton, Richard Owens
WR Nate Burleson, Marcus Robinson, Travis Taylor, Troy
Williamson, Kelly Campbell (PR), Keenan Howry,
Christopher Jones, Aaron Hosack, Ryan Hoag, Lane
Danielson, Daryl Jones, Avion Black
TE Jermaine Wiggins, Jeff Dugan, Richard Angulo
K Paul Edinger, Aaron Elling
DE Kenechi Udeze, Darrion Scott, Erasmus Jones, Lance
Johnstone
DT Pat Williams (NT), Kevin Williams, Spencer Johnson,
Steve Martin (NT), C.J. Mosley, Eric Coleman, Matt Mitrione
MLB Sam Cowart, E.J. Henderson, Rod Davis, Grant Wiley
OLB Napoleon Harris (S), Dontarrious Thomas (W), Raonall
Smith (W), Quincy Stewart (W), Keith Newman
CB Antoine Winfield, Fred Smoot, Brian Williams, Ralph
Brown, Dustin Fox, Rushen Jones, Adrian Ward, Will Hunter,
Ukee Dozier
S Darren Sharper (FS), Corey Chavous (SS), Ken Irvin (FS),
Willie Offord (SS), Brandon Pinderhughes (SS), Ben Nelson
New England Patriots
QB: For Tom Brady training camp is business as usual. Brady
says he’s in the best shape of his career. “I think I'm in the
best shape I've ever been in," he said. ''I'm the strongest I've
been. My legs are the strongest they've been and my arm is the
strongest it's been. 'I feel like I'm more mature -- another year
in the offense, another year with the guys. I think every year
you gain more respect from the players you play with and
ultimately [more] trust from the coaches." Brady’s focus
during camp is pretty simple. Prepare for each practice and
work on his mechanics. Brady knows preparation is the key to
making good decisions in clutch situations. That all comes
down to practice and so does consistency. So for now, Brady’s
taking it one practice at a time and not looking ahead towards
the playoffs or the regular season. He sat out Wednesday’s
practice as the team gave him a break for his 28 th birthday.
Doug Flutie is getting more reps with the 2nd team than Rohan
Davey at the moment. Rookie Matt Cassell got in some extra
work when the Patriots ran split squad drills in Thursday’s
morning practice. He was the lone QB to participate.
RB: Corey Dillon picked up right where he left off a year ago.
He’s off to a great start in camp and running with purpose.
Dillon’s workload will be monitored through the preseason,
but Coach Bill Belichick is quick to point out that he won’t
hold him back completely and he’s trying to find the right
balance, “What's the right amount, what's the right thing? You
just have to do it based on your experience, based on what you
feel like the needs of the team are and based on the individual
player. It's not scientific. It's very subjective.'' As far as
Dillon’s conditioning Belichick couldn’t be happier. “He
worked extremely hard,” Belichick said. “His strength level,
his conditioning level, overall his testing level (is better) . . .
and the results can be seen.”
WR: Deion Branch and David Givens are firmly entrenched
as starters, but both have missed games in the past couple of
years and the Patriots have frequently used multiple receiver
sets. Branch is having an extremely strong start to camp. The
top receiver's footwork is as good as always and his hands are
impeccable. Branch's instincts have impressed Belichick. “`He
kind of knows the right thing to do without being told,” his
coach said. ``He just knows how to get open and he has a good
understanding of passing game concepts. He knows where the
other receivers are. He understands where he needs to be. And
when there are traffic problems”.
It might seem like heresy, but we’re about to mention David
Terrell and the word sleeper in the same sentence. Coach Bill
Belichick had some glowing reviews of Terrell’s impressions
thus far with his new team saying, “He's tough and he doesn't
ever want to come out for a play. He has very good stamina
and goes full speed from beginning of practice until the end.”
Terrell is making the most of his opportunity to play with
former Michigan teammate QB Tom Brady. "I think we saw
that (chemistry) early when David first came to New England
and workouts started," said Belichick. "There was a
confidence level and reference point (between them). They
had done certain things together in games and in competition
and they had success with them, so there was an understanding
between those two players that goes back that they can both
relate to." Terrell could see more time on the field than Troy
Brown, his primary competition for the No. 3 WR job.
2nd year WR P.K. Sam is a young player to watch in exhibition
games. He’s improved in the offseason and could push for a
roster spot and possibly for the 5th WR spot along with Bethel
Johnson and Tim Dwight. Dwight didn’t make a favorable
first impression dropping several balls. If he’s going to make
the team he’ll need to show something as a receiver because
the team has plenty of other players capable of playing special
teams. One player who is turning heads in camp is Brandon
“Bam” Childress. He’s making the most of his opportunities.
He’s consistently getting open and made several nice catches.
TE: Daniel Graham missed a couple days of workouts but
returned to action later in the week. Meanwhile 2 nd year TE
Ben Watson is looking good and getting plenty of work as the
Patriots plan to move him around the field a lot to gain
matchup advantages. On Monday Watson had a “breakout”
day where he made two incredible catches on deep seam
passes from Tom Brady in the two minute drill. Look for more
of this during the preseason.
Defense: DL Richard Seymour ended his brief holdout and
reported to camp. He received a 40% ($1M) bump for his
2005 salary and appeared happy in his first day at camp. The
same thing may take place with SS Rodney Harrison. NT
Ethan Kelley was waived and the Pats signed Mario Monds to
fill his roster spot. Kelley was projected to be the backup to
starting NT Vince Wilfork, but his release also open up an
opportunity for Dan Klecko, who is back to working at nose
tackle after playing linebacker and even fullback last year.
Special Teams: There have been no new developments in the
team’s negotiations with PK Adam Vinatieri on a long term
deal. For now he’s still the Franchise guy. The kickoff and
punt return picture remains cloudy. WR Bethel Johnson with
his ankle and RB Chad Morton with his knee still haven’t
practiced. WR Tim Dwight missed the first few days, dropped
some balls when he did return, but looked much better later in
the week. RB Kevin Faulk has been practicing returns, and
WR Troy Brown joined the festivities one day.
Patriots Depth Chart
QB Tom Brady, Doug Flutie, Rohan Davey, Matt Cassell
RB Corey Dillon, Kevin Faulk (3RB), Cedric Cobbs, Kory
Chapman, Chad Morton (KR/PR)
FB Patrick Pass (3RB), Kyle Eckel
WR David Givens, Deion Branch, David Terrell, Troy Brown
(CB/PR), Bethel Johnson (KR), P.K. Sam, Tim Dwight
(PR/KR), Brandon Childress, Cedric James, Jason Anderson,
Eugene Baker
TE Daniel Graham, Ben Watson, Jed Weaver, Christian
Fauria (HB/TE), Andy Stokes
K Adam Vinatieri
DE Richard Seymour (DT), Ty Warren (DT), Jarvis Green,
Marquise Hill, Rodney Bailey
NT Vince Wilfork, Mario Monds
ILB Chad Brown (S/W), Monty Beisel, Larry Izzo, Dan
Klecko, Ryan Claridge, Don Davis, Tedy Bruschi (IR)
OLB Willie McGinest (W/DE), Mike Vrabel (S/I), Rosevelt
Colvin (W/DE), Tully Banta-Cain (S), Matt Chatham (S), Eric
Alexander (W), Grant Steen (W), Wesly Mallard
CB Asante Samuel, Randall Gay, Duane Starks, Tyrone
Poole, Chad Scott, Ellis Hobbs, Hank Poteat
S Rodney Harrison (SS), Eugene Wilson (FS/CB), Dexter
Reid (FS), Antuan Edwards (FS), Guss Scott (SS), James
Sanders (SS)
New Orleans Saints
QB: Aaron Brooks had a less than stellar practice last Tuesday
under throwing a pass that was intercepted by Jason Craft. He
did hook up with Devery Henderson on a 15-yard TD in the
back of the endzone in 7-on-7 drills though. Todd Bouman
fumbled two snaps. Adrian McPherson and Kliff Kingsbury
are competing for the 3rd string job and so far it’s been rather
uneventful. McPherson said, “I think I'm doing OK, but I'm
definitely not where I want to be.” That’s an understatement
after his first few days. He threw interception after
interception in 7-on-7 drills.
RB McAllister is licking his chops coming into camp leaner,
quicker and looking forward to playing behind an improved
offensive line. He’s backed by a coaching staff that wants to
re-establish the running game. Antowain Smith and Aaron
Stecker are competing for the backup RB job. Smith is well
liked by Head Coach Jim Haslett. “I love Antowain,” Haslett
said. “He's a guy that's won (two) Super Bowls that you can
go to when you need something, and he's a heck of a running
back. He doesn't have great speed, but I'll tell you what he
does. He's a big man, first of all, and he's going to run
downhill, he's going to get positive yardage.” Smith knows
what’s expected of him.
“They told me what my role would be and said they wanted a
veteran on the team that could provide leadership," Smith said
Wednesday. “They wanted someone with playoff and Super
Bowl experience who could tell the guys what to do to get to
the next level.” If anything the Saints have improved their
depth by adding a solid but unspectacular veteran like Smith.
Stecker is hoping offensive coordinator Mike Sheppard uses
him more. "(Sheppard) is probably the first coach in seven
years who tells me he thinks I can be an every-down back,"
Stecker said. "I know they like what they saw last year so
hopefully I can go out there and be a little more involved."
That remains to be seen with Smith also in the picture.
WR: Joe Horn is struggling a little early in camp. He
uncharacteristically dropped several balls in the first few days
of practice and Saints CBs Mike McKenzie and Fakhir Brown
handled him well in man coverage. The Saints are hopeful
second year WR Devery Henderson will emerge this year and
claim the No. 3 WR job. Talman Gardner has been the more
impressive receiver in the first week of camp. The focus has
been on Henderson and Az-Zahir Hakim yet Gardner’s the one
to recently catch Jim Haslett’s eye. "He has been outstanding
in this camp," Haslett said while adding, "He might be our
best receiver out there right now as far as catching the ball. He
hasn't dropped one ball yet in eight practices. He's running
great routes, and he's tough as nails. There are going to be
some tough decisions there, because right now he is probably
our best receiver." Knowing Donte Stallworth’s penchant for
hammy problems keeping tabs on Gardner, Henderson and
Hakim is probably a good idea. The one who emerges as the
No. 3 could very well be a strong waiver wire claim at some
point this season. Stallworth is also lining up inside as a slot
WR for the first time as a pro. Sheppard plans to use him there
in some packages to utilize his explosiveness against
presumably better matchups. Hakim suffered a mild
hamstring injury in Saturday's scrimmage while was making a
26-yard catch on the second series of the scrimmage.
TE: Boo Williams showed up to camp 20 lbs lighter at 255
lbs. He looks more serious and focused on and off the field
knowing he might face an uphill battle for a roster spot this
year. “This is a real important training camp for me because
I'm coming in the odd man out,” Williams said, “and it's going
to be real interesting how I take it and how I play football. A
lot of people know I can play football.” Williams is competing
with Shad Meier, Ernie Conwell and up-and-comer Zach
Hilton. Meier will miss about two weeks after team trainers
discovered a torn meniscus in his knee. Haslett said he’ll be
out two weeks after surgery is performed. Hilton is a guy to
watch in camp. If he comes on strong he could put the squeeze
on Williams. He’s reportedly catching everything thrown at
him and you have to like his size (6’8”).
Defense: The Saints improved their secondary significantly
when they signed former Bucs CB/S Dwight Smith, who is
taking on a vocal role early in camp. MLB Courtney Watson
strained his quadriceps and was sidelined for the rest of the
workout last Tuesday. SLB James Allen sat out one day after
twisting his right knee on the final play of practice. An MRI
was done that showed no damage. "I think he's going to be
OK," Saints coach Jim Haslett said. "There was not swelling
or anything, but we sent him to get an MRI for precautionary
measures." DL Johnathan Sullivan is trying to lose weight.
He’s been a bust. If the defense gets anything out of Sullivan it
will be bonus.
Special Teams: PK Nate Fikse hit 46 and 47 yard field goals
the other day, but don’t draft him for your fantasy team. He’s
just giving starter John Carney a rest and won’t survive the
roster cuts. PK/KR specialist Michael Lewis is yet another
return guy that is impressing at wide receiver in camp. He’s
showing better hands and extension on offense than he has in
the past. Backup returner WR Az-Zahir Hakim tweaked his
hamstring but should only miss a few days of practice.
Saints Depth Chart
QB Aaron Brooks, Todd Bouman, Adrian McPherson, Kliff
Kingsbury, Chris Finlen
RB Deuce McAllister, Antowain Smith, Aaron Stecker (KR),
Keith Joseph
FB Mike Karney, Fred McAfee, Nate Schurman, Jasen Isom
WR Joe Horn, Donte Stallworth (PR), Devery Henderson,
Az-Zahir Hakim, Talman Gardner, Nate Poole, Michael Lewis
(PR/KR), Chris Vance, Chase Lyman (IR)
TE Boo Williams, Shad Meier (inj), Ernie Conwell, Zach
Hilton, Lamont Hall, Mike Banks
K John Carney, Nate Fikse
DE Charles Grant, Darren Howard, Will Smith, Tony Bryant
DT Brian Young, Howard Green, Willie Whitehead, Rodney
Leisle, Johnathan Sullivan, Jason Jefferson, Jimmy Verdon
MLB Courtney Watson, Alfred Fincher, Ronald McKinnon,
Cie Grant (inj)
OLB Colby Bockwoldt (W), James Allen (S), Sedrick Hodge
(S), Roger Knight (S), Levar Fisher (W), Terrence Melton (W)
CB Mike McKenzie, Fakhir Brown, Fred Thomas, Jason
Craft, Jimmy Williams, Fred Booker
S Dwight Smith (FS), Jay Bellamy (SS), Josh Bullocks (FS),
Mel Mitchell (SS), Steve Gleason (FS), Brent Hafford (FS)
New York Giants
QB: Eli Manning continues to improve and get sharper with
each day of practice. Following Thurday’s practice head coach
Tom Coughlin was asked if it was Manning’s sharpest day yet.
He responded “It surely was a good afternoon for him.”
Manning’s been connecting regularly with both Amani
Toomer and Jeremy Shockey throughout the week for big
plays.
RB: Rookie Brandon Jacobs already got his first shot at
converting a 3rd and 1. The 265 lb. Jacobs ran over safety
Curry Burns and CB Corey Webster for the first down
creating a buzz among camp goers. "It was good to see him go
up there with some power," said Coughlin. "If there's a safety
or a corner in the hole, he should have the advantage."
WR: WR Plaxico Burress suffered a hyperextended knee in
the opening days of camp. He continued practicing but then
had to leave a few days later with a strained hip flexor. That’s
two injuries in less than one week of practice. It’s not serious
and Burress was seen riding an exercise bike while taking it
“day to day”. Unfortunately, Tom Coughlin described it as
more than day to day while Burress brushed it off saying it’s
“nothing real serious to get worried about.” Here’s a funny
quote from Newsday.com reporter Arthur Staple, “The Giants
didn’t sign Plaxico Burress to be the receiver who couldn’t
reach his potential because of fragile health. They had that guy
already – name was Ike Hilliard.”
Meanwhile, veteran Amani Toomer is looking good in camp
after moving to the “Z” WR position. The change means
Toomer lines up off the line giving him more of a chance to
separate from DBs and open things up for Burress (who is in
the “X” position). So far so great for Toomer, who shows no
signs of slowing down or lingering effects from last year’s
injury marred season. The 30 year old receiver made several
great catches in the first week of camp. He’s running great
routes. On Thursday and Friday he caught some deep balls and
made one diving catch along the sidelines from Eli Manning
while hauling in a 40-yard pass on a post route Thursday.
"He's worked real well," Coughlin said. "He's caught the ball
in traffic ... He has his endurance back again. He's made some
real tough catches." Keep an eye on Toomer as he could easily
rebound and be a huge bargain considering his low ADP. He’s
a great sleeper and draft day bargain at this point. Speedster
Tim Carter is trying to remain healthy and win the No. 3 WR
job. Carter and the other reserves are making the most of the
extra playing time created by Plax’s injuries. Mark Jones
made a juggling catch on a deep ball on Thursday while Davie
Tyree and Willie Ponder are trying to make their mark, too.
Jamaar Taylor continues to be slowed by a hip flexor and is
also missing some practice time.
TE: Jeremy Shockey made a strong first impression
prompting some to believe he’ll recapture the swagger and
production he had as a rookie. Despite skipping the Giants
offseason program and drawing criticism from both Coughlin
and Manning, both were impressed with him early in camp.
"He's running well, you can tell he's healthy and he feels
confident in his body right now," Eli said. "He's making his
cuts, making moves, so he knows what he's doing. Hopefully
he'll keep it up." Coughlin then added, “He made some nice
catches and some nice runs after the catch... I hope that
continues.” Shockey drew a loud cheer from the crowd on
Friday when he caught a deep pass down the middle from
Manning on the first play of team work. He also made a
terrific one-handed grab from Manning over the middle in
Thursday’s practice. Backup Vishante Shiancoe had a swollen
knee but an MRI found no damage. He’s sidelined for the
moment and there’s been no established timetable for his
expected return.
Defense: Free agent addition MLB Antonio Pierce is leading
the LB corps and making a great first impression with his
intensity. Teammate and fellow LB Carlos Emmons checked
in with this quote, “You like a guy to be able to step in,
especially a new guy, and take charge of his huddle without
overdoing it. He’s done that.” Rookie DE Eric Moore, a 6 th
round pick, twisted his left knee and ankle during practice on
Wednesday. The defensive line needs as many warm bodies as
they can get right now as injuries have left the unit fairly thin
during the first week of camp. The Giants are hoping to get
more out of former 1st round pick DT William Joseph, who
got some work with the first team in Thursday’s practice.
Special Teams: The Giants are already pleased with PK Jay
Feely’s kickoffs, which are an improvement over Steve
Christie’s from last year. WR Mark Jones is still atop the punt
return depth chart, but he by no means has a lock on the job.
WR Willie Ponder is probably the strongest competition,
although WR Ataveus Cash and CB Curtis DeLoatch have
also gotten carries in practice. Rookie CB Cory Webster and
WR Michael Jennings may also get a look during preseason.
Giants Depth Chart
QB Eli Manning, Jesse Palmer, Tim Hasselbeck, Jared
Lorenzen
RB Tiki Barber (3RB), Brandon Jacobs, Mike Cloud, Derrick
Ward (KR), Ryan Grant
FB Jim Finn, Luke Lawton
WR Amani Toomer, Plaxico Burress, Jamaar Taylor, Tim
Carter, David Tyree, Willie Ponder (KR), Mark Jones (PR),
Ataveus Cash, Brandon Smith
TE Jeremy Shockey, Vishante Shiancoe, Chris Luzar, Darius
Williams, Wade Fletcher
K Jay Feely, David Kimball
DE Michael Strahan, Osi Umenyiora, Justin Tuck, Raheem
Orr, Eric Moore, Brett Eddins
DT Fred Robbins, William Joseph, Damane Duckett,
Kendrick Clancy, Davern Williams, Kenderick Allen, Ahmad
Childress
MLB Antonio Pierce (W/M), Kevin Lewis
OLB Carlos Emmons (S), Barrett Green (W), Nick Greisen
(W), Reggie Torbor (S), Jim Maxwell (S), T.J. Hollowell (W),
Derrick Wake
CB Will Allen, William Peterson, Corey Webster, Frank
Walker, Curtis Deloatch, Lamont Brightful, Art Thomas
S Gibril Wilson (FS), Shaun Williams (SS), Brent Alexander
(SS), Curry Burns (FS), Jack Brewer (FS), James Butler
New York Jets
QB: Chad Pennington was held out of practice on Friday, the
2nd time in three days. The team is simply being cautious not
to overwork his shoulder. He had a good overall practice on
Thursday. "Five days in a row is a lot of throws, in my
estimation," Edwards said. "I just wanted to give him a rest."
He reported no soreness and remains on target according to
Edwards. On Thursday Pennington was 9 for 17, including 6
for 11 in 11-on-11 drills. He threw one deep ball for
Laveranues Coles that could’ve been a TD had CB Ray
Mickens not knocked it down. “I'm getting there,” Pennington
said. “..Sometimes I have what I want and sometimes I don't.
It's just a matter of timing, and I'm not going to get frustrated.
I could've gotten frustrated a long time ago when I could
barely move my arm, so I think it's a matter of time.”
Pennington’s sticking with mostly shorter throws for now
while focusing on his velocity and accuracy. Earlier in the
week Jay Fiedler threw two interceptions in Tuesday’s
afternoon practice.
RB: The team likes 6th round pick Cedric Houston quite a bit.
"I like Cedric," coach Herman Edwards said. "He's got good
feet. He's a really good zone runner and has good vision to cut
back. He runs sort of like those backs in Denver. You're going
with the flow and then all of a sudden, you kind of cut back.
He can run through arm tackles. I want to see him in our
preseason games." Considering that he played his last two
seasons with a thyroid condition that constantly made him feel
tired and winded, Houston’s looking forward to his rookie
season and hopes with the proper treatment it will be a thing
of the past. “In college, I did pretty good at about 75 percent,"
Houston said. "I'm definitely eager to see myself at 100
percent." Edwards offered more praise for Houston saying,
“"He's strong. He's very physical in the hole. And he has a
little nastiness about him, which is good for the position he
plays." The Jets gave him No. 34, previously worn by LaMont
Jordan. Houston hopes to fill his shoes but first he needs to
beat Derrick Blaylock for the No. 2 job behind Martin. On a
side note, Curtis Martin was given the day off on Thursday to
rest.
WR: The Jets top four spots are pretty well set with Coles,
Justin McCareins, Wayne Chrebet and Jerricho Cotchery. The
second year Cotchery is playing well in the first week of
camp. He was sizzling last Tuesday catching 5 straight passes
in the afternoon session. To put it succinctly, Cotchery is for
real. If he’s still lingering in your dynasty league, get him
now. The 5th spot is where the battle is being fought between
Jonathan Carter, free agent Chas Gessner and rookie Harry
Williams Jr. Carter ran a nice fade route catching a TD from
QB Brooks Bollinger against Justin Miller in Wednesday’s
practice. Rookie WR Harry Williams Jr., a seventh-round pick
from Tuskegee, had a breakout day on Saturday. He showed
excellent hands and blazing speed. HC Herman Edwards calls
him Willie Mays Hayes after the speedy character in the
movie "Major League".
TE: Doug Jolley is excited about the opportunities he has with
the Jets this year playing in Mike Heimerdinger’s system. "If
you look at Heimerdinger's record, he's had a lot of tight ends
catch balls everywhere he's gone," Jolley said. "I've been in
this offense my first two years in Oakland and I enjoyed it.
(Quarterback) Rich Gannon got me the ball and I'm looking at
the same relationship here with Chad." Heimerdinger made
sure to point out that he doesn’t think Jolley will be good for
Pennington only, but also Curtis Martin. "Jolley might benefit
Curt more because if he can stretch the field then you might
see some different coverages, and that's going to open up
some things for Curt," Heimerdinger said.
Defense: The Jets finally signed Ty Law. Jets assistant general
manager Mike Tannenbaum and Law's agent, Carl Poston, met
Thursday night and agreed on the framework of the deal then
hammered out the details into the weekend. The deal is
contingent on Law's passing a physical, which he will have in
New York early next week. Ironically, DE John Abraham is
now upset the team is willing to give Law and his injured foot
a contract, but not willing to secure him with a long-term deal.
There are now some rumblings that Abraham will not report to
the team until the Tuesday before the season opener. RB
Curtis Martin reportedly restructured his contract to help the
team. Martin and Law are close friends from their days with
the Patriots.
Rookie corner Justin Miller’s been a play-making machine so
far giving the Jets some confidence that he might win the
starting job – if they end up not signing Law. Miller made the
play of the day in practice last Tuesday on a diving
interception on a go route to Justin McCareins. He’s
consistently breaking up passes and had two interceptions in
as many days to open camp. "We're going to have a lot on his
plate," Edwards said. "We have to see what he can handle and
what he can't. ... Justin is practicing twice a day. The more he
is in there, the more we can find out about him.” Meanwhile
LB Victor Hobson was held out of Thursday’s practice with
what Edwards called “a little bit of a tight hamstring”.
DE Shaun Ellis is giving new right tackle Adrian Jones all he
can handle in the first week of camp. You might call if
baptism by fire. Ellis is one of the league’s top all-around DEs
and known for having a short fuse in camp. "The greatest asset
AJ has going for him right now is he's practicing against a Pro
Bowl player in Shaun Ellis," Jets offensive line coach Doug
Marrone said. "You can get a pretty good evaluation. Shaun
has excellent practice habits. He's going hard all the time.
Special Teams: PK Mike Nugent continues to show off his
accuracy and leg strength in practice. It’s apparently rubbing
off. Camp leg PK Xavier Beitia went 3 for 3 from 50 yards the
other day. If Australian Ben Graham wins the punting job, he
will also likely be the holder on kicks. His punts have been
drawing rave reviews for their distance, hang-time, and end
over end reverse spin that make them difficult to field. Now
that the Jets are bringing in CB Ty Law, rookie CB Justin
Miller should have more time to focus on kickoff and punt
returns.
Jets Depth Chart
QB Chad Pennington, Jay Fiedler, Brooks Bollinger
RB Curtis Martin, Derrick Blaylock, Cedric Houston, Josh
Davis, Delvin Joyce, Little John Flowers, Terry Butler
FB Jerald Sewell, B.J. Askew
WR Laveranues Coles, Justin McCareins, Wayne Chrebet,
Jerricho Cotchery, Jonathan Carter, Chas Gessner, Harry
Williams, Brock Ralph, Terrence Stubbs
TE Doug Jolley, Chris Baker, Joel Dreesen, Matt Chila
K Mike Nugent
DE John Abraham (W) (UFA-F), Shaun Ellis, Bryan Thomas,
Trevor Johnson, Radell Lockhart, Joey Evans
DT Dewayne Robertson (DE), Lance Legree (NT), Sione
Pouha, James Reed, Alan Harper, Tim McGill (NT)
MLB Jonathan Vilma, Barry Gardner, Kenyatta Wright
OLB Eric Barton (W/J), Victor Hobson (S), Mark Brown (S),
Darrell McClover (W/J), Eric Mahl
CB David Barrett, Ty Law, Justin Miller, Ray Mickens,
Derrick Straight, Pete Hunter, Darrien Johnson, Andrew
Davison, Roosevelt Williams, Brandon Haw
S Erik Coleman (FS), Rashad Washington (SS), Jon McGraw
(FS), Kerry Rhodes (FS), Oliver Celestin, Andre Maddox
(SS), Derek Pagel, James Taylor
Oakland Raiders
QB: Kerry Collins had a wrap on his knee following
Wednesday morning’s session and had a slight limp. Collins
wasn’t concerned though and was moving around just fine in
the afternoon practice. In the background is Marquis
Tuiasosopo. The former Washington Husky QB is working
hard and biding his time, just waiting for a chance to shine.
Tui received some work with the first team giving Collins a
rest. “We kind of planned this as we started camp," Turner
said. “I want to see Tui get a chance to work with the first
group, but I really want our first defense to practice against
Tui sometimes because it's a whole different deal. It presents a
whole different feature for our defensive football team.”
Turner expects to give Tui a lot of playing time during the
preseason, more than last year, when both Gannon and Collins
needed a lot of reps. "I was extremely impressed with him in
the preseason (last year)," Turner said. "I really think he's
growing, making better decisions. He's a year further along
and I'm excited to see him play in the preseason." On a related
note, Rich Gannon officially retired from the NFL on
Saturday.
RB: So far in camp LaMont Jordan and Zack Crockett have
alternated in goal line drills. It would be no surprise if
Crockett reprised his role as the Raiders goal-line back.
Jordan’s no slouch at the goal line, but Crockett has been
among the best in the NFL scoring 21 TDs in the last three
years. "LaMont is a good short-yardage back," coach Norv
Turner said. "But obviously Zack might be the best there is."
Turner later added, "A year ago we really went through a
period where we didn't have a lead blocker other than Zack.
That was a decision we made," Turner said. "I would see Zack
being the short-yardage back, knowing that LaMont has been
awfully good at it."
WR: Jerry Porter’s hamstring pull could possibly be worse
than expected. "He's got a pulled hamstring," said head coach
Norv Turner after practice. "It's going to be a little while... I
can't tell you right now, but it could be a couple weeks... He
was sore this morning, and he won't do anything until next
week for sure.” Porter will miss the team’s season opener
against their bay rivals (49ers). In the meantime the Raiders
signed former Cowboys WR Randal Williams to give them
another body while Jerry Porter recovers. Porter’s absence
means that Ron Curry moves to the No. 2, and when he’s not
able to go, it’s Doug Gabriel getting some runs at No. 2. Keep
this in mind if the Raiders lose either Moss or Porter during
the season. Curry could be a great mid-season pickup again
this year if he goes undrafted. Meanwhile, 2nd year receiver
Carlos Francis was declared 100% after rehabbing a knee
injury that forced him to miss his rookie season. Shortly
afterward, Francis tweaked his hamstring and had to be helped
from the field. The MRI looked good though and Francis
should be ok. On Saturday, Doug Gabriel dislocated his right
index finger. Gabriel will be out for a short time. The injury
happened while Gabriel was attempting to catch a pass against
CB Stanford Routt. The injured finger was put back in its
proper alignment by a team trainer.
TE: Norv Turner wasted no time in naming Courtney
Anderson the starter at tight end. Meanwhile, former Raiders
Ricky “stone hands” Dudley returned to the team signing a
contract on the eve of camp. He’ll compete for a backup spot
and there’s no guarantee he’ll make the club.
Defense: The defense is showing signs of improving against
the run. In one goal-line drill that featured the hardest hitting
in camp so far, RB Justin Fargas was stuffed short of the goal
line on back to back plays. Turner said: "We're going to be a
good goal-line defense.” That’s probably a bit optimistic given
their performance last year, but a good sign nevertheless.
Special Teams: Two rookie cornerbacks currently lead the
race for the top punt returner position. CB Fabian Washington
is in front followed by CB Chris Carr. Washington is the
better bet, since Carr is a long shot to make the team. WR
Doug Gabriel and CB Charles Woodson also practiced punt
returns this week. Gabriel remains the top choice for kickoff
returns.
Raiders Depth Chart
QB Kerry Collins, Marques Tuiasosopo, Andrew Walter,
David Rivers, Brent Engmann
RB Lamont Jordan, Justin Fargas, DeJuan Green
FB Zack Crockett (SD), Chris Hetherington
WR Randy Moss, Jerry Porter (inj), Ron Curry (PR), Doug
Gabriel, Alvis Whitted, Carlos Francis, Johnnie Morant, John
Stone, Randal Williams
TE Courtney Anderson, Teyo Johnson, Josh Norman, Ricky
Dudley
K Sebastian Janikowski
DE Derrick Burgess, Bobby Hamilton, Akbar Gbaja-Biamila,
Grant Irons, Mark Word, Ryan Riddle
DT Ted Washington (NT), Warren Sapp, Ed Jasper, Tommy
Kelly, Anttaj Hawthorne, Terdell Sands (NT), Kenny Smith,
Lorn Mayers
MLB Danny Clark, Tim Johnson, Kirk Morrison, Jay
Foreman, Maugaula Tuitele
OLB Sam Williams (S), Tyler Brayton, Marquis Smith (W),
DeLawrence Grant, Edward Thomas (S)
CB Charles Woodson, Nnamdi Asomugha, Stanford Routt,
Fabian Washington, Renaldo Hill, Denard Walker, Calvin
Branch, Brock Williams
S Stuart Schweigert (FS), Derrick Gibson (SS), Marques
Anderson (SS/FS), Jarrod Cooper (FS), Keyon Nash (FS),
Kevin Curtis (FS)
Philadelphia Eagles
QB: For Donovan McNabb training camp is business as usual.
He always seems to maintain a positive outlook and this year
is no exception. In similar fashion McNabb addressed the
Owens situation by keeping it positive and letting everyone
know that Owens isn’t the focus, but the team offense are. "I
think the best way for me to handle it is just to do what I've
been doing, just making sure that Coach (Andy) Reid and I are
on the same page, and the offense is on the same page as
well," McNabb said.
RB: Brian Westbrook surprised head coach Andy Reid by not
reporting to training camp on time. Not to be distracted by
Westbrook’s absence Reid moved right along quickly naming
Correll Buckhalter the starting RB in practice during
Westbrook’s absence. Westbrook’s holdout isn’t expected to
last beyond August 8th and he faces a $6k fine each day he’s
not in camp. Buckhalter caught a swing pass in practice
Wednesday made one defense miss then initiated contact with
the second tackler. This play was encouraging knowing that
Buckhalter was carted off the field just minutes before
suffering from the heat. However, on Friday morning
Buckhalter limped off the field with an injury to his surgically
repaired right knee. It turned out to be just a bruise but it’s still
cause for concern given his history. Buckhalter is coming off
his 2nd knee injury in 4 years. Despite the setbacks, he says he
won’t shy away from contact. “This is football. I'm going to
get knocked around - I know that. The main thing is to put on
the pads and get hit. Right now, everything is smooth sailing,
but the big test will come when I get hit.”
On Sunday night, Westbrook reported to camp. The Eagles are
hoping Westbrook will be amenable to a contract similar to
Domanick Davis, but closer to their previous offers. Eagles
sources say the team has offered a $9 million signing bonus
and more than $12 million over the first 3 years of a 5-year
deal. "Domanick, LaMont Jordan, Rudi Johnson, all the
running backs who got deals recently. They're all going to be
benchmarks for Brian's deal," Westbrook's agent Fletcher
Smith said Sunday night. Westbrook wants to get a deal done
"as soon as possible" - in fact, he wanted a long-term contract
before camp. For now, he’s playing under the team's 1-year,
$1.43 million restricted free-agent tender. On the other hand,
Westbrook has been fined $42,000 by the Eagles, $6,000 for
each day of workouts he has missed because he was under
contract.
The Eagles were hoping for a 3-headed monster consisting of
Westbrook, Buckhalter and either veteran Reno Mahe or
rookie Ryan Moats. Mahe is a versatile, all-around back who
lacks size while Moats is looking like a better all-around back
already. Moats could pay immediate dividends, unseat Mahe
and push Buckhalter for playing time is he picks up the system
quickly. Moats has been a 5’ 8”, 210-lb bundle of energy
during the last week of camp. He’s running with power and
finesse breaking tackles, running around defenders and
instinctively changing directions. He’s fueled by powerful
legs, particularly his thighs, and especially for this size, he’s
tough. He catches the ball like he’s a veteran in the West
Coast offense. Interestingly enough, his first experience in the
offense wasn’t until his first pro minicamp earlier this year.
He's been called "one of the smallest, strongest, quickest guys
I have ever seen," by quarterback Donovan McNabb, a "piece
of gristle," by offensive coordinator Brad Childress and a
"pretty exciting player," by head coach Andy Reid. Moats
faces a steep learning curve. Andy Reid said, “Added Reid:
"He's doing a nice job picking it up. There is a lot we are
throwing at him, but he is working at it and getting better.
When we get ready for the game, we will narrow it down,
simplify it for all the young guys and they can concentrate on
going out there and playing and not being so worried about
formations and so on.”
WR: Terrell Owens showed up to camp wearing full army
fatigues just trying to blend in with the rest of the team
apparently. He drew jeers in the first practice but the cheers
began after he caught a few balls in drills. During Thursday’s
morning session Owens suffered an inflammation of his left
groin causing him to sit out of the afternoon session. Rookie
Reggie Brown is looking like a player in camp. He’s one of
the camp’s bigger draws. When McNabb was asked about
Brown, he praised his hands, route running ability and most
importantly what he can do after the catch. "He has big play
ability, and he's the type of guy who if you put the ball in his
hands, he can make a couple guys miss," McNabb said. "If
you give him the ball in a six yard route, he can take it the
distance." Keep in mind that Brown, a rookie, went to Arizona
with McNabb to work out in the offseason. Brown has a lot of
work ahead of him as rookies have traditionally struggled in
Andy Reid’s offense, but Brown is off to a good start so far.
Another player to watch is Greg Lewis, a former walk-on at
Illinois who worked his way up the depth charts and will start
opposite Owens. Todd Pinkston, the intended starter opposite
T.O., was lost for the season after rupturing his Achilles
tendon on Friday morning.
TE: Do you know who Andy Thorn and Stephen Spach are?
Chances are not most people, even fantasy sharks, won’t have
a clue. They are a pair of rookie TEs competing with veteran
James Whalen to be the backup to starter L.J. Smith. Spach is
also playing a little fullback to further his cause and also
because the Eagles are lacking any healthy FBs. Chad Lewis
could also return but he won’t be healthy for a couple more
weeks and remains unsigned.
Defense: Apparently other Eagles are following the lead of
Terrell Owens. Hugh Douglas recently commented, “I'm
renegotiating for a package of Milk Duds and a box of
crackers. If I don't get it, I'm leaving. I've got to feed my
family.” On a more serious note DE Jerome McDougle was
shot in the abdomen while in his car, spent five days in the
hospital, and was released on Tuesday, August 2nd. His
prognosis is good; he’ll fully recover, but not for around six
weeks leaving the spot opposite Jevon Kearse wide open for
N.D. Kalu, Hugh Douglas and Jamaal Green to see more
playing time. Meanwhile, Corey Simon is holding out and
linebacker Matt McCoy suffered a knee injury in practice last
Tuesday. Andy Reid doesn’t believe it is serious. Rookie Trent
Cole played OLB in college, but he’s gained 20 lbs and hopes
to become an effective pass rushing DE. "As long as I'm on
the field, I don't care," Cole said. "I'm just an athlete. When
you're called to do something, you just have to do it. I'll play
wherever they put me." With McDougle out the Eagles are
even considering DT Darwin Walker at DE. "It's something
we could look at," Reid said after practice. "We'll see how it
goes."
Special Teams: Backup camp PK Jimmy Kibble has also
been getting some time in practice on punts while Dirk
Johnson recovers from a sports hernia. More surprising is that
starting PK David Akers is also taking turns at punting. CB
Dexter Wynn sits atop the punt returner list, although he’ll get
some competition from CB Lito Sheppard and WR Robert
Redd. RB Brian Westbrook will also factor into the mix now
that he has ended his holdout. CB Roderick Hood is the top
kickoff returner and has the support of his special teams coach
John Harbaugh.
Eagles Depth Chart
QB Donovan McNabb, Mike McMahon, Koy Detmer, Andy
Hall
RB Brian Westbrook (3RB), Correll Buckhalter, Ryan Moats,
Reno Mahe (3RB/PR), Bruce Perry, Eric McCoo
FB Josh Parry, John Ritchie, Thomas Tapeh
WR Terrell Owens, Greg Lewis, Reggie Brown, Billy
McMullen, Justin Jenkins, Robert Redd, Isaac West, Carlos
Perez, Chauncey Stovall, Grant Adams, Jared Jones, Jason
Peebler, Chris Samp, Todd Pinkston (IR)
TE L.J. Smith, James Whalen, Steven Spach, Andy Thorn,
Mike Bartrum (LS)
K David Akers
DE Jevon Kearse, Jerome McDougle (inj), Ndukwe Kalu,
Hugh Douglas, Jamaal Green, Trent Cole
DT Corey Simon, Darwin Walker, Sam Rayburn, Mike
Patterson, Hollis Thomas, Paul Grasmanis, Norman Heuer,
Keyonta Marshall
MLB Jeremiah Trotter, Mike Labinjo, David Bergeron
OLB Dhani Jones (S), Mark Simoneau (W/M), Keith Adams
(W), Matt McCoy, Jason Short (S)
CB Lito Sheppard, Sheldon Brown, Matt Ware, Roderick
Hood (KR), Dexter Wynn
S Brian Dawkins (FS), Michael Lewis (SS), J.R. Reed (FS)
(KR) (inj), Quintin Mikell (SS), Sean Considine (FS)
Pittsburgh Steelers
QB: Ben Roethlisberger was inadvertently kicked by RB
Jerome Bettis in practice last week, but he’s no worse for the
wear. The bigger concern might be how he’s reacting in camp
without his top two WRs from a year ago. Cowher answered
those concerns stating, “Ben will be fine. I was impressed, he
came in a little bit heavy, but he looks faster. He’s worked out
this offseason and he was impressive. Ben’s going to go
through his progressions and he’s going to throw to whoever
is open. I think the bottom line is the comfort level that he has
with this offense. A year ago, when he was calling the plays, I
don’t even know if he looked up in the huddle. At least [now],
when he’s calling the plays he can see who’s in the huddle. He
didn’t even know who was in the huddle a year ago because
he was reading his wrist band the whole time. I think the
comfortable level that he’s at, to me, is the most important
thing and I think it’s very evident.”
RB: Jerome Bettis may be 33 years old but he isn’t holding
anything back in his 10th and quite possibly final training
camp with the Steelers. He almost retired during the offseason.
He’s running hard in camp, but appears to be content with his
role behind starter Duce Staley. Bettis said, "I've been 'The
Man' for a long time. I'm comfortable in my role right now. I
want to support Duce and I'll be ready to rock when they call
me." Duce, meanwhile, has been held back by inflammation in
his knee. He was held out of practice on Thursday following
double drills on consecutive days, but it was merely a
precaution. "We had two guys not work today," said Cowher.
"Duce Staley (knee inflammation) probably will not work
until Saturday, but again, it’s precautionary. We’ll monitor
that. With him, Jerome Bettis and Verron Haynes, we’re going
to monitor this through camp.”
At publishing time it was just announced that Staley will
undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right knee to determine
what, if any, damage there might be. The MRI tests were
inconclusive.
Rookie Bryant McFadden is also getting opportunities to earn
a starting job. This is significant because the Steelers coaches
are not using the same strategy at other positions signaling
they expect better production from their corners in 2005.
WR: While Hines Ward’s holdout continues free agent
Cedrick Wilson is taking Ward’s place in the lineup. Wilson
was supposed to compete with Antwaan Randle-El for the
starting job vacated by Plaxico Burress. The Steelers ended
negotiations for a contract extension when Ward didn’t report
to camp. Ward's agent Eugene Parker said he’s ready to talk if
the Steelers change their minds. "We haven't closed any
doors," Parker said. "They may have, but we haven't.”
Meanwhile Ward is being fined $6k each day he misses.
Cowher addressed the situation early in camp to reporters.
“First of all, Hines Ward, I love him as a player, a great kid,"
said Cowher. “He’s very much respected on this football team,
not only by the players but by the entire organization. It’s
unfortunate that it has come to this. We’re hopeful that he’ll
get here sometime in the near future, but we are going to move
on with or without him. Hopefully this thing will rectify itself,
but we’re going to proceed with the players who are here. I’m
not going to answer questions about it on a day-to-day basis.”
Special Teams: While Hines Ward has been holding out, QB
Ben Roethlisberger and WR Cedrick Wilson appear to be
developing some chemistry. Wilson is competing with WR
Antwaan Randle El for the WR2 spot. If one of them secures a
larger role on offense, then the other could see more time on
returns on special teams. During practice this week, Randel El
was utilized as the primary punt returner. Plenty of others also
got some opportunities: Wilson, WR Zamir Cobb, WR Sean
Morey, WR Sam Simmons, rookie WR Fred Gibson, WR
Nate Washington, rookie RB Noah Herron, and CB Vontez
Duff.
While Ward is out Lee Mays will get extra work on the
outside when the offense goes to a 3 receiver set. Either
Randle-El or Wilson will slide inside to the slot. "I think El
can have a big year easily," wide receivers coach Bruce Arians
said. "And I think Cedrick could have that type of year, too.
Plus, you never know who can bust out, because whoever's
playing, we're going to be throwing him the ball.” Wilson
caught everything thrown at him in Wednesday’s practice
including a juggling 40-yard grab between two defenders.
Sean Morey and Zamir Cobb are also fighting for a roster spot
but will need to beat out 4th round pick Fred Gibson and
Mays. Also in the hunt for that last spot is Walter Young, a
former Panther draft pick. Young’s making the most of his
opportunities, according to Cowher, who called him “a big
target” that is “having an excellent camp to this point”.
TE: Heath Miller, the 6’5” 256-pound first round pick out of
Virginia, signed a five year contract. He’s currently working
behind starter Jerame Tuman, but the Steelers expect he’ll pay
immediate dividends in the passing game, particularly in the
red zone. Miller is the ACC’s all-time leader amongst TEs for
receptions, TD catches and yards gained.
Defense: LB James Harrison has been a standout in the first
week of camp making several plays in team drills and
practices. Unfortunately, Harrison got hurt when the team
went indoors to practice because of wet weather on Friday.
Cowher was hopeful and expected him to be back Saturday.
DE Travis Kirschke missed a 2nd consecutive day of practice
with lower back pain, but expects to return on Monday.
Backup corners Ike Taylor and Ricardo Colclough have
rotated with starters Willie Williams and Deshea Townsend all
week during team drills. The coaches want to see them run
with the first team and get them some extra snaps. The
Steelers want their young corners to have every opportunity to
take the job from the veterans and create more competition.
Steelers Depth Chart
QB Ben Roethlisberger, Tommy Maddox, Charlie Batch,
Brian St. Pierre
RB Duce Staley (3RB), Jerome Bettis (SD), Verron Haynes
(3RB/FB), Willie Parker, Noah Herron, John Kuhn
FB Dan Kreider, Darryl Kennedy, Travis Wilson, Zach
Tuiasosopo
WR Hines Ward, Antwaan Randle-El (PR/KR), Cedrick
Wilson, Lee Mays (KR), Fred Gibson, Zamir Cobb, Sean
Morey, Walter Young, Sam Simmons, Chris Collins, Tavaris
Capers, Jake Verstraete, Nate Washington
TE Heath Miller, Jerame Tuman, Matt Kranchick, Walter
Rasby, Matt Cushing, Marco Battaglia, John Frieser
K Jeff Reed
DE Kimo von Oelhoffen, Aaron Smith, Travis Kirschke,
Brett Keisel, Grant Bowman, Bob Dzvonick, Shaun Nua
NT Casey Hampton, Chris Hoke, Eric Taylor
ILB James Farrior, Larry Foote, Clint Kriewaldt, Dedrick
Roper
OLB Joey Porter, Clark Haggans, Alonzo Jackson, James
Harrison, Rian Wallace, Matt Farrior
CB Deshea Townsend, Willie Williams, Ricardo Colclough,
Bryant McFadden, Ike Taylor, Chidi Iwuoma, Vontez Duff
S Troy Polamalu (SS), Chris Hope (FS), Tyrone Carter (CB),
Mike Logan (SS/FS), Russell Stuvaints (SS), Ron Israel (SS)
St. Louis Rams
QB: The biggest difference for Marc Bulger this year might
simply be his newfound comfort level. “I feel as good as I
have in a system since I was in college," he said. "There were
still some issues coming into last year that I really wasn't sure
about. You'll never completely understand Coach (Mike)
Martz's offense, but I feel like at I'm the point where I need to
be, where if he wants to move on, I can move with no
problem." The Rams WR corps is as good as it’s been since
their Super Bowl season and first round pick Alex Barron
promises to bolster the offensive line giving Bulger plenty of
optimism for a strong 2005 season. Yet he still can’t help but
sympathize for the team’s younger QBs as they struggle to
grasp the intricacies of Mike Martz’s offense. Second year QB
Jeff Smoker, despite some inconsistencies, is showing steady
improvement and could challenge Jamie Martin for the No. 2
spot. Martz also has taken a liking to rookie Ryan Fitzpatrick
who seems like a lock for the practice squad if he doesn’t
make the roster.
RB: Steven Jackson continues to make strides in his second
season. It remains to be seen exactly what role Marshall Faulk
will play as the backup, or change of pace back to Jackson, but
Martz was surprised when Faulk approached him during the
offseason to tell him he thought Jackson should be the starter
in 2005. “I see a teamwork deal between the two of them,”
Martz said. “They’ll be in at the same time, work as a team.
Marshall’s role will be more of a receiver. We’ll have them in
the same backfield. We can split either of them out — both
can catch the ball. Marshall’s role will be as he defines it,
basically. If he wants to play 80 percent, basically that is what
he’ll do.”
WR: The Rams WR corps is once again four deep and loaded
with superb talent fueling some to speculate the Rams are
regaining the offensive swagger of a few years back. "I am
real excited about the receivers, Kevin (Curtis), (Shaun)
McDonald, everybody,” said head coach Mike Martz. “It
brings back a lot of memories from some of the guys we had
in the past. They are just playing now." Curtis could emerge as
a poor man’s Brandon Stokley this year in the No. 3 role while
McDonald is also perfectly capable of making a lot of big
plays from the No.4 slot. Torry Holt experienced some
tightness in his back forcing him to miss four practices in a
row. Holt emphasized the injury isn’t significant explaining,
"It's just some tightness, some stiffness. It's kind of hindering
me from running and using my explosion and my quickness
coming out of my breaks and my route running. So I'm just
going to take it easy and make sure the back calms down.
Then, once I feel ready to go, I'll go.” Holt is considered day
to day.
Meanwhile a pair of unknown receivers are drawing the
coaching staff’s attention catching plenty of passes. Brandon
Middleton and Jeremy Carter are doing their best to get
noticed. Carter brings 4.3 speed to the table and could develop
into a decent deep threat while Middleton was a prolific
receiver at Houston where he caught 55 passes for 1,250 yards
in 2003, which was then a Conference USA record (since
broken by Roddy White).
Defense: Rookie safety Jerome Carter quickly impressed the
coaching staff in the first week of camp. Carter comes to the
Rams with a reputation as a hard worker and fierce hitter at
Florida State. Rams secondary coach Kurt Schottenheimer
said, “The young man has tremendous toughness”. The fourth
round pick is already running with the first team at strong
safety, while Adam Archuleta moved to free safety in the
offseason. The shift to FS means Archuleta will be tasked with
calling defensive signals and making sure his teammates are in
the right place on the field. "We've challenged him with that,"
Martz said. "It's not enough to know what you do; now you've
got to have a grasp on everything going around you. That's the
next level for Adam. I think it's fun for him, the mental part of
it. He's up to the challenge. He's never studied in the past the
way he needed to. Now he's all over that stuff." On an injury
related note Travis Fisher has been slowed by a bad groin and
DT Brian Howard is dealing with a hamstring injury. In other
news the Rams reportedly are trying to get into the Ty Law
lottery. They made an inquiry this past week into his
availability though the Jets have the inside track on Law.
Special Teams: PK Jeff Wilkins has been spending time in
practice working with punter Reggie Hodges. The rookie is
the only punter in camp and has struggled early. CB DeJuan
Groce, CB Terry Fair, WR Shaun McDonald, and rookie WR
Dante Ridgeway have been practicing punt returns this week.
There’s no official word who tops the list, but Groce seems to
be the unofficial consensus. RB Aveion Cason is the early
unofficial favorite over RB Arlen Harris on kickoff returns.
Rams Depth Chart
QB Marc Bulger, Jamie Martin, Jeff Smoker, Ryan
Fitzpatrick, Russ Michna
RB Steven Jackson, Marshall Faulk, Arlen Harris (KR),
Aveion Cason
FB Joey Goodspeed, Madison Hedgecock, Dusty McGrorty
(HB)
WR Torry Holt, Isaac Bruce, Kevin Curtis, Shaun McDonald
(PR), Dane Looker, Dante Ridgeway, Brandon Middleton,
Jeremy Carter, Michael Coleman, Dominic Robinson,
Dominique Thompson
TE Roland Williams, Brandon Manumaleuna (TE/FB),
Jerome Collins, Erik Jensen
K Jeff Wilkins, Remy Hamilton
DE Leonard Little, Tony Hargrove, Tyoka Jackson, Vontrell
Jamison, Brandon Green, Clifford Dukes
DT Ryan Pickett (NT), Jimmy Kennedy, Brian Howard,
Damione Lewis (NT), John Parrella, Jeremy Calahan
MLB Chris Claiborne, Robert Thomas (S), Trev Faulk
OLB Dexter Coakley (S), Pisa Tinoisamoa (W), Brandon
Chillar (W), Drew Wahlroos (S), Jeremy Loyd (S), Louis
Ayeni (S)
CB Jerametrius Butler, Travis Fisher, DeJuan Groce (inj),
Ronald Bartell, Kevin Garrett, Tod McBride, Terry Fair,
Corey Ivy, Dwight Anderson, Duvol Thompson
S Adam Archuleta (FS/SS), Jerome Carter (SS), Oshiomogho
Atogwe (FS), Michael Hawthorne (CB), Michael Stone (FS),
Mike Furrey (FS)
San Diego Chargers
QB: The truth comes out now. QB Drew Brees admitted he
separated his left shoulder in the 4th game last year but played
with the injury the rest of the season. He had arthroscopic
surgery in the offseason to repair the problem, but it didn’t
seem to stop him from throwing 27 TDs against only 7
interceptions earning a trip to the Pro Bowl. In Friday’s
practice the Chargers picked up the tempo a bit (at the urging
of head coach Marty Schottenheimer) as Brees connected with
rookie dynamo Darren Sproles on a slant down the middle of
the field on the 2nd snap of the drill. He and 2nd year QB Philip
Rivers played well while the defense had their share of big
plays against both QBs. Rivers connected deep down the
middle of the field with rookie Vincent Jackson on one play in
particular.
RB: LaDainian Tomlinson isn’t resting on his laurels. He’s
worked as hard as ever in the offseason and recently offered
his upcoming goals for 2005 – 2,200 rushing yards – or
breaking the NFL rushing record for a season. His primary
goal is to break 2,000 yards and not just make the playoffs but
win it all. The Chargers coaching staff is trying to find
creative ways to get rookie RB Darren Sproles more involved
in the offense. Tomlinson and Sproles together on the field
present huge matchup problems for defenses. Sproles is
showing his playmaking ability every day in camp. He’s got
excellent hands catching numerous passes in traffic during
drills and he’s already a fan favorite. He’s almost certainly
going to return punts for the Chargers but is having problems
at the moment fielding the ball cleanly.
WR: Reche Caldwell practiced for the first time since the
opening of camp on Thursday. He says the hamstring is 100%
healed now. Caldwell ran well and made a handful of nice
receptions including one in the end zone to finish off a two
minute drill. Rookie 2nd round pick Vincent Jackson signed a
five year deal with a $1.375 million signing bonus. He’s got a
long way to go before he’s ready to make an impact, but the
early signs are promising. "He really looks good," Brees says.
"He's such a big target. He has great hands and real good body
control. Usually a guy his size is stiff. He does stuff little guys
can't do and he's further along than a lot of rookies are at this
time. I haven't seen him make the mistakes most rookies do –
or even veterans coming into a new offense." Jackson is
competing with Kassim Osgood for the No. 4 WR. Now that
Caldwell is practicing he’ll try to make a run at Eric Parker,
but he’s got an uphill battle. Parker is looking great in camp
catching deep passes, showing great run after the catch ability
and continuously getting good separation. He won’t yield the
starting job easily (or without injury).
TE: Antonio Gates continues to hold out while seeking a
long-term contract. To date he’s missed 14 practices. The
Chargers and Gates’ agent continue to work diligently toward
an agreement, but nothing is done yet. For his part, Gates
would prefer to be in camp. "I feel like I play an imperative
role in this offense and I want to make sure my team knows
that I'm going to be there for them," he explained at the time.
He attended minicamps and voluntary workouts even though
he was not under contract. Expect this situation to be resolved
quickly.
Defense: First round pick OLB Shawne Merriman signed a
contract and finally reported to camp. He’s immediately
seeing a lot of snaps since OLB Ben Leber underwent
arthroscopic surgery to remove a bone spur in his ankle
sidelining him for about two weeks. Merriman’s speed is
apparent, but he also looks bewildered at times. “You can see
the power and speed he's got, and that's even with a bit of
uncertainty,” Schottenheimer said. “That will improve as he
becomes more comfortable with what we're doing.”
Meanwhile ILB Randall Godfrey says this is his final season.
He didn’t have any hesitation stating, “Oh yeah. This is the
first day of my last season. I'm done.”
Fourth year corner Quentin Jammer continues to get better.
He’s looking more comfortable than ever before. "This is the
first time I know where all my help is coming from, where all
the safeties are dropping, where the linebackers are dropping,"
Jammer said. "Now I can use that to my advantage. It's huge
for me." He’s eager to prove he can be among the top corners
in the game despite having just 1 interception last year. In
camp he’s been solid in coverage, showing good closing speed
and generally blanketing receivers. "He is playing as well as
I've seen since he's been here," Schottenheimer said.
Schottenheimer expects his secondary as a group to make
more plays this year.
In Thursday’s practice during a two minute drill Jammer and
safety Terrence Kiel intercepted back to back passes from
Philip Rivers. CB Jonathan Cox also got into the act
intercepting a Rivers pass on the final play of the practice. DL
Igor Olshansky, bothered by a hamstring, missed three days of
practice last week returning on Thursday while Jamal
Williams (ankle) was sidelined in the afternoon practice.
Special Teams: During the first day of practice, following a
missed FG by PK Nate Kaeding, a spectator yelled to him,
“Hey Kaeding, that one was just like the one in the playoffs."
He does not appear to be distracted by last year’s miss and has
been focused on what he always during practice. As expected
rookie RB Darren Sproles has been working as the top return
man on both kickoffs and punts. SS Robb Butler and WR
Willie Quinnie both practiced kickoff returns this week.
Another potential backup, RB Michael Turner received some
public praise this week from coach Marty Schottenheimer for
his special teams work.
Chargers Depth Chart
QB Drew Brees, Philip Rivers, Cleo Lemon, Craig Ochs,
Chris Rix
RB LaDainian Tomlinson, Michael Turner, Darren Sproles
(KR), Ahmad Galloway, Cal Murray, Antoineo Harris, Lydell
Ross, Ray Perkins, Derek Farmer
FB Lorenzo Neal, Andrew Pinnock, Matthew Tant
WR Keenan McCardell, Eric Parker, Reche Caldwell, Kassim
Osgood, Vincent Jackson, Ruvell Martin, Malcolm Floyd,
Willie Quinnie, Carl Morris, Greg Camarillo
TE Antonio Gates, Justin Peelle, Ryan Krause, Sean Brewer,
Duncan Reid
K Nate Kaeding
DE Igor Olshansky, Jacques Cesaire, Luis Castillo (NT),
Adrian Dingle, DeQuincy Scott, Dave Ball, Robert Pollard,
Adell Duckett, Jemelle Cage
NT Jamal Williams, Ryon Bingham
ILB Donnie Edwards, Randall Godfrey, Stephen Cooper,
Robby Farmer, Carlos Polk (IR)
OLB Steve Foley (W), Ben Leber (S), Shawne Merriman,
Shaun Phillips (S), Matt Wilhelm (W), Jonathan Pollard
CB Quentin Jammer, Drayton Florence, Sammy Davis, Jamar
Fletcher, Jonathan Cox, Abraham Elimimian, Gabe Franklin,
Markus Curry
S Terrence Kiel (SS), Bhawoh Jue (FS), Jerry Wilson (FS),
Hanik Milligan (FS), Clinton Hart (SS), Robb Butler (SS),
Jason Leach
San Francisco 49ers
QB: Alex Smith is off to a decent start in his first NFL
training camp. His passes rarely touch the ground and he’s
done a great job of protecting the football. He’s showing a
rapid release, intelligence and arm strength so far in camp. In
Saturday night’s scrimmage he threw an interception but then
came back on the next play with a 25 yard TD to TE Eric
Johnson. He finished the scrimmage 5 of 7 for 57 yds (in two
offensive series). He also had a nice 8 yd scramble showing
speed getting around the corner. Tim Rattay led a drive that
was stopped at the goal line. Maurice Hicks was stuffed on
third down up the middle. The team is splitting reps at QB
giving all of their young players an opportunity. Head coach
Mike Nolan estimated the breakdown to be “basically about
50-30-20”. Smith will almost certainly emerge from the group
but for the time being Tim Rattay is finally healthy and both
Ken Dorsey and Cody Pickett will get a lot of opportunities in
preseason games to show their wares as well.
RB: Frank Gore and fullback Steve Bush both injured their
shoulders on Friday morning in practice and were held out of
the afternoon session. Nolan said he expects each player to
miss about a week recovering. Gore’s injury may be a little
more serious as he apparently chipped a bone in the shoulder.
Prior to that Gore had been looking great all week in camp. He
continues to put his major knee injuries behind him and in
Wednesday’s practice Gore broke free for a 30-yard TD run
prompting a celebration by the entire offensive unit. Nolan
commented on Gore following Thursday’s practice, “He’s
picked it up well. He has his brain farts from time to time, but
he’s done a good job. He’s got a lot of talent and skills. I think
he will help us; as a matter of fact I’m pretty sure he’ll help us
as long as he stays healthy. Knock on wood. I’m sure he’ll be
a part of what we’re doing this year. And Kevan (Barlow)
needs that as well. You can’t have your go-to back out there
every down, it just doesn’t work.”
When asked about Barlow, Nolan recounted scouting him a
couple years ago with the Ravens and added, “We played the
Niners two years ago at Baltimore. I had my feelings about
who he was and the way he played. Then I saw him on film
this year, because we didn’t play them last year. Then I had
two different opinions at that time. When I saw him when they
played us I noticed his work ethic in the game. You can tell
when a guy quits on a read, because if you stay with your read
you’ll get a lot more runs that are effective. I saw things like
that, so it was more from a work ethic standpoint that I saw
that he needed to improve his game. That was the best chance
for him to get back on track to the back that he needs to be.
You can talk about all the angles and this and that, but in
reality bust your butt and you perform better.” The bottom line
here, as Nolan indicated, is the need for Barlow to return to
the guy he was two years ago. With Gore riding up his heels
Barlow has less room for error. Nolan believes Gore is going
to be a “very exciting and explosive player.” That’s more or
lees a ringing endorsement and a tell-tale sign that Barlow’s
leash isn’t very long.
The player who stood out the most in Saturday’s scrimmage
was Maurice Hicks, who had the run of the day breaking
through the line and taking off for a 35 yard gain.
WR: The 49ers had high expectations for last year’s top pick
Rashaun Woods despite the fact he didn’t make any impact as
a rookie. After the first week of camp the team appears to be
growing frustrated with him being sidelined by a groin strain.
Even before the injury Woods had only been running with the
3rd string and reports of his play have not been reassuring of
late. It’s doubtful the team would cut Woods after just one
season, despite that rumor being floated, but Mike Nolan does
appear to be exerting pressure on Woods to “get himself
right”. Nolan repeatedly has said he believes both WRs
drafted this year – Rasheed Marshall and Marcus Maxwell will make the roster. Marshall has also struggled in the first
week of camp frequently dropping passes and drawing the ire
of fans in attendance.
In Friday’s practice the rail-thin P.J. Fleck was rushed to
Stanford Hospital after taking a hit from Jamie Winborn. He
didn’t get up and laid on the ground for 15 minutes. He was
released with a back strain and expected back in practice
Monday morning. “It looked worse than it was, and thank God
it wasn't as bad as everybody thought at first,” Fleck said. “I
pretty much froze up. About 35 seconds later, I could breathe
and I could move. It was scary - and a little bit embarrassing.”
Ironically, Fleck had passed Woods on the depth chart and has
been working as the 49ers 4th WR behind veteran Johnnie
Morton and projected starters Arnaz Battle and Brandon
Lloyd. The play of the day in Friday’s practice came from
Johnnie Morton, who made a diving catch along the sidelines,
while Jason McAddley made a nice leaping catch on a deep
pass from rookie Alex Smith. In Saturday’s scrimmage WR
Marcus Maxwell grabbed Nolan’s attention with a big play.
He bailed out Dorsey on a 3rd and 15 coming back and
making a diving catch along the sidelines for 16 yds.
TE: Eric Johnson is back to doing what he does best. In
Wednesday’s practice he received a large cheer from the fans
in attendance after making a one-handed catch in the back of
the end zone.
Defense: The coaches and players both seem to be relatively
happy with the team’s new 3-4 scheme after the first week of
practice. OLB Julian Peterson is looking sharp appearing to be
in top form as he returns to action after missing all last year
with a ruptured Achilles. "If he's not explosive, then there are
a lot of people in the league who want to be 'not explosive,"
said Jamie Winborn. Peterson is excited about the new scheme
raving about the defense’s potential and his role in particular.
“We can create havoc, break down a lot of protections, have a
lot of mismatches. You'll never know what I'm going to do.
You'll never know if I'm rushing from the outside, inside,
dropping in coverage. It's going to be great for us. We won't
be taking no nonsense from anybody." Safety Tony Parrish
said they are already much further along than where they were
last year. He sung the praises of Coach Mike Singletary saying
“his presence along makes an impact.” Corner Shawntae
Spencer has been sidelined for much of the week because of a
hamstring injury. He may return as early as Monday. Safety
Arnold Palmer, taking time from the golf course apparently,
injured his shoulder and is expected to miss some time while
recovering. Corner Ahmed Plummer is doing well in his
rehabilitation prompting Nolan to be optimistic. Nolan
believes Plummer will be 100% physically and mentally by
the season opener.
Special Teams: The 49ers would prefer not to use WR Arnaz
Battle on punt returns, so that he can focus on offense. After a
week of camp however, it appears he may be their only viable
option on returns. None of the other candidates have shown
much promise. One of those is rookie Rasheed Marshall who
is trying to make the transition from QB to WR/PR. So far he
has looked very tentative while trying to field punts.
49ers Depth Chart
QB Tim Rattay, Alex Smith, Ken Dorsey, Cody Pickett
RB Kevan Barlow, Frank Gore, Maurice Hicks, Terry
Jackson, Bobby Purify
FB Fred Beasley, Brian Johnson, Steve Bush
WR Brandon Lloyd, Arnaz Battle (KR/PR), Johnnie Morton,
P.J. Fleck, Rashaun Woods, Rasheed Marshall, Marcus
Maxwell, Jason McAddley, Fred Amey, Javin Hunter, Derrick
Hamilton (inj)
TE Eric Johnson, Aaron Walker, Doug Ziegler, Patrick Estes,
Billy Bajema
K Joe Nedney, Kirk Yliniemi, Chance Long
DE Bryant Young, Marques Douglas, Chris Cooper, Tony
Brown, Corey Smith, Tony Ficklin
NT Anthony Adams, Isaac Sapoaga, Ronald Fields
ILB Derek Smith, Jeff Ulbrich, Richard Seigler, Saleem
Rasheed (S), Max Yates
OLB Julian Peterson (S), Jamie Winborn, Andre Carter,
Brandon Moore (S), Andrew Williams, Raymond Wells
CB Ahmed Plummer (inj), Shawntae Spencer, Willie
Middlebrooks (FS), Joselio Hanson, Derrick Johnson, Daven
Holly, Rayshun Reed, Mike Adams, Allan Amundson, Randee
Drew
S Tony Parrish (SS), Dwaine Carpenter (FS), Mike Rumph
(CB), Keith Lewis (SS), Arnold Parker (FS)
Lumsden are all dealing with minor injuries leaving the
Seahawks with just two warm bodies for practice on
Thursday. Lumsden’s injury may be the worst as he twisted
his leg injuring his hip. He was on crutches and sat out
Thursday afternoon’s practice. Alexander and Morris were
held out for precautionary reasons. Morris tweaked his
hamstring while Alexander had soreness in his hammy. That
left Kerry Carter and rookie Marquis Weeks to take all the
snaps in Thursday afternoon’s practice. Lumsden, an
undrafted rookie out of McMasters University in Canada, is
one of the more interesting stories in camp. He was looking
good, showing good hands and a little swerve in his stride.
He’s good at the point of attack and runs with a “good lean.”
Before getting hurt, on Wednesday, Lumsden scored a TD in
goal-line drills and also had a nice breakaway in another team
session. Lumsden is taking it all in stride though. “I’m
learning a lot of things and making a few mistakes and trying
to correct them,” Lumsden said. “That’s part of being a rookie.
You just can’t mess up too many times because they’ll give
you a plane ticket home.”
WR: Bobby Engram is embracing the starting role in training
camp replacing the departed problem child Koren Robinson.
Engram is used to being the team’s slot WR and more of a 3rd
down possession target. One of the bigger adjustments
Engram faces in camp is running different (longer) routes. “It's
just the amount of running again, getting my legs back,"
Engram said. "As opposed to everything being short and
quick, you're getting into that mode of sprinting 20 (yards) and
getting in and out of my breaks. It's not a big difference; it's
just different.” In Thursday’s practice, promising youngster
Jerheme Urban caught a nice 20-yard TD from Hasselbeck as
CB Marcus Trufant fell on the play. Taco Wallace was rocked
in practice Wednesday leaving him woozy, but he returned to
practice the next day. Alex Bannister, recovering from a
broken clavicle, is about a week to 10 days away from
practicing. As camp broke the Seahawks added yet another
WR to the mix signing veteran Bobby Shaw to a contract.
TE: Jerramy showed up to camp in great shape and is catching
everything thrown his way. He is making diving catches and
turning underneath routes into big gains when he’s able to
catch the ball in stride. Mili returns as the backup and is
rounding into shape slowly. 3rd stringer Ryan Hannam is
practicing just once a day. Stevens has impressed the coaches
with a new sense of dedication and focus this year. Keep an
eye on him to emerge as a possible sleeper who could crack
the top 10 or 15.
Seattle Seahawks
QB: Matt Hasselbeck has been more accurate in camp than in
the past. This could be a sign that he’s established more trust
in his WR corps to be where they're supposed to be on the
field. Backup QB Seneca Wallace continues to improve as a
passer, though he’s still nothing more than mere adequate in
that area. It’s his many other skills that the team really likes.
Wallace has been inconsistent in his throws so far. Rookie
David Greene is hoping to stick as the 3rd string QB.
RB: Injuries are taking their toll on the Seahawks running
backs. Shaun Alexander, Maurice Morris and rookie Jesse
Defense: Defensive ends Grant Wistrom and Bryce Fisher
hope to bolster the Seahawks pass rush after being reunited
after previously playing together in St. Louis. "We have two
high-effort guys," Wistrom said. "Anytime you have two guys
out there working hard, good things are going to happen for
you. I don't think either one of us is going to be a 15-sack-ayear player, but both of us can be every-down players who can
play the run and the pass equally well." Wistrom blew by the
Seahawks young offensive line in a scrimmage Saturday and
said he feels great, the healthiest he's been in 2 or 3 years.
Also making an impact in camp is new DT Chartic Darby.
Darby hopes to help the Seahawks improve their run defense
along with the slimmer and more focused DT Marcus Tubbs,
last year’s 1st round pick. “One of the key guys who can help
our football team right away is Chartric Darby,” coordinator
Ray Rhodes said. “Chartric has been here playing with a lot of
energy and effort. The thing that is very noticeable about him
is that he has one speed. I like players who play with one
speed … all out.” Except for a handful of plays, Tubbs has
been nothing short of dominant, collapsing the pocket on
passing plays and stuffing the run.
Rookie MLB Lofa Tatupu missed Thursday’s afternoon
session with a minor hamstring injury, but he’s showing a
knack for shedding blockers and meeting the ball carrier at or
behind the line of scrimmage on running plays. He’s seeing a
considerable amount of reps with the first team defense and
could be on the verge of beating Niko Koutouvides for the
starting job. Safety Ken Hamlin (shoulder) and DT Cedric
Woodard (knee) are a little over a week away from returning
to practice. DT Rashad Moore was held out with a sore
shoulder. In a minor deal the Seahawks traded CB Kris
Richard to Miami in exchange for DE Ronald Flemons on
Thursday.
Special Teams: PK Josh Brown went 10 of 12 on FGs in
Thursday’s practice. He’ll be getting more work in camp
because the Seahawks released PK Kevin Miller this week
(assuming they don’t sign someone else). WR Jerome Pathon,
CB Michael Harden, RB Kerry Carter, rookie RB Jesse
Lumsden, and RB Marquis Weeks are all competing with RB
Maurice Morris for his kickoff return role. WR Bobby Shaw
and WR Taco Wallace both returned punts this week, although
Taco had several muffs. Seneca Wallace is no longer returning
punts now that he has apparently secured the backup QB spot.
Seahawks Depth Chart
QB Matt Hasselbeck, Seneca Wallace, David Greene, Gibran
Hamdan
RB Shaun Alexander, Maurice Morris (3RB/KR), Kerry
Carter (FB), Jesse Lumsden, Marquis Weeks
FB Mack Strong, Tony Jackson, Leonard Weaver
WR Darrell Jackson, Bobby Engram, Jerome Pathon, Joe
Jurevicius, Jerheme Urban, Alex Bannister (inj), D.J. Hackett,
Bobby Shaw, Jason Willis, Taco Wallace
TE Jerramy Stevens, Itula Mili, Ryan Hannam, Caleen
Powell
K Josh Brown
DE Grant Wistrom, Bryce Fisher, Antonio Cochran, Kevin
Emanuel, Ronald Flemons, Joe Tafoya, Otis Leverette,
Christian Mohr
DT Rashad Moore (inj), Cedric Woodard (inj), Marcus
Tubbs, Chartric Darby, Rocky Bernard, Ron Smith, Craig
Terrill
MLB Niko Koutouvides, Lofa Tatupu, Terrence Robinson
OLB Jamie Sharper (S), D.D. Lewis (W), Solomon Bates
(W), Kevin Bentley (S), Isaiah Kacyvenski (S), Leroy Hill,
Tracy White (W), Jeb Heckuba, Cornelius Wortham
CB Marcus Trufant, Kelly Herndon, Andre Dyson, Jordan
Babineaux
S Michael Boulware (SS), Ken Hamlin (FS), Terreal Bierria
(SS), Marquand Manuel (FS), Omare Lowe (FS), Jammal
Brimmer (SS)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
QB: Nothing major to report out of camp regarding the
quarterbacks thus far. Brian Griese is the starter with Chris
Simms and Luke McCown competing for backup roles,
though Simms is clearly the front runner for the backup job.
The biggest thing to watch will be how quickly Griese
establishes rapport with new targets WR Ike Hilliard and
rookies RB Carnell Williams and TE Alex Smith.
RB: Carnell Williams continues to make Gruden a happy
man. He’s working hard and taking a lot of reps in practice.
Yet that didn’t keep Michael Pittman from proclaiming
Pittman a welcome addition to the team. "I'm not a selfish
player," Pittman said. "I have a bunch of pride, but I will tell
you right now I would rather have a championship before any
rushing title ever. I can't win this game myself. I have to win it
with my teammates, and with the addition of Cadillac, I know
he is going to make this team better." Pittman continued, “It
didn't hurt my pride at all. ... Maybe Cadillac is in front of me
on the depth chart, but I am still going to play a lot," Pittman
said. "There will probably be games where I play more ... and
there will probably be games he plays more than me.” Barring
injury the Bucs running game improves vastly with Cadillac
on board. He should get the majority of carries with Pittman
spelling him and also working as a 3rd down back and even out
of the slot occasionally. On Wednesday the offense went 3for-3 in goal line situations as Mike Alstott, Cadillac Williams
and Earnest Graham all crossed the line. Derek Watson,
competing for a roster spot, drew Gruden’s wrath for fumbling
on the first play near the goal line in a full contact drill.
WR: No. 1 WR Michael Clayton continues to get healthier.
Gruden said, “he’s not far away..” after being asked how long
until he’s 100%. He and Joey Galloway are well entrenched
as starters while Ike Hilliard is gunning for the No. 3 job. The
team is taking it easy with Galloway hoping they can get a full
season out of him this year. He’s healthy, but the team is
holding Galloway out of morning practices just to be safe. Ike
Hilliard might be the most polished receiver the Bucs have on
the roster, but he’ll face some competition from third year WR
Edell Shepherd. The Bucs have high hopes for him. They also
invested three draft picks on WRs Larry Brackins, Paris
Warren and J.R. Russell. Brackins is what Gruden calls a
“wild horse”. He hopes to tame Brackins, a raw super-sized
former super prep talent who went the JUCO route. He was
just activated from the PUP list, but the team will bring him
along slowly. Keep an eye on Tampa native J.R. Russell, who
was extremely productive at Louisville. He goes 6’ 3” 205 lbs.
Russell scored three times in the Senior Bowl hooking up with
college teammate Stefan Lefors. Gruden also offered praise
for Kevin Youngblood for his progress in the offseason. The
competition will be fierce among the Bucs WRs for the last
few roster spots.
TE: Rookie Alex Smith is looking good in camp. Gruden was
quoted after Wednesday’s (8/3) practice, “Alex Smith made
several plays, physical plays in the running game that I was
pleased with and a couple nice receptions.” As a rookie he
undoubtedly faces a steep learning curve, but there’s plenty of
reason to believe he might emerge as a solid fantasy TE by
midseason. Anthony Becht is a steady veteran, but he’s far
less talented as a receiver. Dave Moore is a glorified long
snapper these days and poses no threat to the starting job.
Expect to see plenty of Becht and Smith this season as Gruden
has said in the past “we love our tight ends down here in
Tampa”.
Defense: Despite the loss of FS Dwight Smith to free agency
the Bucs aren’t too concerned about their secondary this year.
CBs Ronde Barber and Brian Kelly are healthy and looking
good early in camp. “When I was with the Giants, we knew
when we faced Tampa that those two guys were physical and
if the ball was anywhere near them, look out, because the play
was going the other way," said new Bucs wide receiver Ike
Hilliard. "They're legit. They're as consistent as any defensive
back can be." Fellow corner Juran Bolden returned to practice
on Wednesday after missing time with an abdominal strain.
DL Ellis Wyms also returned. LB Jeff Gooch has a mild
hamstring injury prompting him to sit out Wednesday, but
Gruden said “If we needed him to play, he would.” Meanwhile
the coaches are happy with rookie MLB Barrett Ruud. "The
future is very big for him” said linebackers coach Joe Barry.
“Currently he is the backup middle linebacker behind Shelton
Quarles. He'll be on the field on special teams, but as far as
defense, Shelton Quarles is our starting middle linebacker and
Barrett Ruud is our backup."
Special Teams: The battle for the kicker job started off
poorly. Both Matt Bryant and Todd France struggled from the
outset of camp. It prompted the Bucs to publicly comment that
they may once again be searching for free agents. France
improved significantly in the latter part of the week, while
Bryant still struggled. Bryant blamed the hot breezy weather
as the problem. Rookie RB Carnell "Cadillac" Williams
practiced both kickoff and punt returns this week. The Bucs
indicated they have no problem using their top pick on special
teams.
Buccaneers Depth Chart
QB Brian Griese, Chris Simms, Luke McCown
RB Cadillac Williams, Michael Pittman (3RB), Charlie
Garner (inj), Ernest Graham, Ian Smart, Derek Watson
FB Mike Alstott, Jameel Cook, Rick Razzano
WR Michael Clayton, Joey Galloway, Ike Hilliard, Edell
Shepherd, Larry Brackins, Parris Warren, J.R. Russell,
DeAndrew Rubin, Derek McCoy
TE Anthony Becht, Alex Smith, Dave Moore, Nate Lawrie,
Will Heller
K Matt Bryant, Todd France
DE Simeon Rice, Greg Spires, Dewayne White (DT), Josh
Savage
DT Anthony McFarland, Ellis Wyms, Chris Hovan, Anthony
Bryant, Damian Gregory, Jon Bradley, Bryan Save, Delbert
Cowsette, Lynn McGruder
MLB Shelton Quarles, Barrett Ruud
OLB Derrick Brooks (W), Jeff Gooch (S), Ryan Nece (W),
Marquis Cooper (S), Josh Buhl (W), Jermaine Taylor (W),
Byron Hardmon, Matt Grootegoed
CB Ronde Barber, Brian Kelly, Torrie Cox, Juran Bolden,
Ronyell Whitaker, Blue Adams, Kevin Arbet
S Jermaine Phillips (SS), Will Allen (FS), Dexter Jackson
(FS), Donte Nicholson (SS), John Howell (FS), Kalvin
Pearson (SS), Eli Ward (FS), Hamza Abdullah (SS)
Tennessee Titans
QB: Steve McNair is excited again about playing football. In
Norm Chow’s offense McNair will be unshackled. He’ll be
allowed to do more under Chow than he could previously
under Mike Heimerdinger. "We can do just about anything we
want in this offense as far as being a quarterback and making
changes. The only thing he asks is why we did that, and give
him a good reason. I think that is something we haven't had in
the past," McNair said.
RB: Oft-injured Chris Brown was slowed by several injuries
last year and continued to be thwarted by more setbacks
during the offseason. The Titans stopped fooling around and
acquired a proven insurance policy in RB Travis Henry. Both
players are going to get the ball, but who gets the ball and how
much remains to be seen. Norm Chow is known to throw the
ball to his backs, so whoever emerges as a potential 3 rd down
back stands to gain some solid stats if the Titans pass as often
as we expect in ‘05. When asked about his role recently Henry
responded, “The only thing I can say is he's got a role to play.
I've got a role to play. We've both got to accept whatever role
is given us and go from there." On Tuesday August 2nd Henry
took all the work with the first-team offense while Brown
watched because he felt ill with a virus (though he later
returned). Imagine that. Brown’s owners need to be wary of
Henry potentially settling into a 3rd down and goal-line role
limiting Brown’s fantasy potential. 5th round pick Damien
Nash remains on the mend from a knee injury suffered in a
previous minicamp.
WR: Tyrone Calico is in good condition as far as his
surgically repaired knee goes; now it’s a matter of getting the
rest of his body tuned up. Coach Jeff Fisher is happy with his
progress at the moment noting “he’s done a great job”. All
eyes remain on the competition between rookies Brandon
Jones, Roydell Williams and Courtney Roby for the team’s
No. 3 and No. 4 jobs. So far there’s been little news coming
out of camp on the three way race though Roby had a injury
set him back during the week, but he’s fine now.
TE: Erron Kinney is the man for now until Ben Troupe is
back to 100%. With Troupe recovering rookie Bo Scaife is
getting more reps as he tries to earn a roster spot himself.
Scaife has overcome several injuries during his 6 year career
at Texas, but he’s also leaning on both Kinney and Troupe as
much as possible. “They’ve both been great,” he said. “You
hear a lot of stories about veterans and how they don’t adapt to
certain rookies well. That’s not the case with us with Erron
and Ben. They’ve been open arms with me and are trying to
help me learn. They want me to be here. The only thing that I
can do in return to them is just work hard and help them as
much as I can. I’m very appreciative to have two guys like
that.”
Defense: The Titans continue to work on negotiations with top
pick Adam “Pacman” Jones, who is expected to start and also
handle the punt return duties for the team. MLB Rocky
Calmus was slowed early in camp by with a back injury, but
like Rocky Boiman, is eager to play this year, stay healthy and
possibly cash in as a free agent at the end of the year. Both
players are in contract years. Safety Lamont Thompson is
ready to take charge of the Titans secondary. He’s drawn
praise for his aggressiveness and overall athletic ability. “L.T.
may be one of the all-around best athletes on the team. Last
year he was kind of thrown in there and this year he is the guy
and he is ready to make an impact on this team,’’ linebacker
Keith Bulluck said. “The team has put its faith in him and is
counting on him to hold it down.’’ Meanwhile, Bulluck
continued to look as sharp as ever intercepting a Billy Volek
pass for the 2nd day in a row early in camp. “I'm just trying to
get his confidence up. He was a little bit down," Volek said.
"One was tipped and it went right to him. The one today I
wanted to help him out."
Special Teams: PK Rob Bironas is the early leader in the
kicker competition. He has been making field goals while Ola
Kimrin has been missing them. Bironas has also been getting
more distance on his kickoffs - an area that was supposed to
be Kimrin’s strong suit. Rookie CB Adam "Pacman" Jones
would be the definite favorite for KR/PR specialist; however
his off the field problems combined with the fact he is still
unsigned are not encouraging. Contract negotiations are not
progressing well. CB Michael Waddell and rookie WR
Brandon Jones both had trouble fielding punts during practice
this week.
Titans Depth Chart
QB Steve McNair, Billy Volek, Marcus Randall, Shane Boyd,
Gino Guidugli, Jason White
RB Chris Brown (inj), Travis Henry, Damien Nash (inj),
Jarrett Payton, Walter Reyes, Ray Jackson, Joe Smith
FB Troy Fleming (3RB), Robert Douglas
WR Drew Bennett, Tyrone Calico (inj), Brandon Jones,
Roydell Williams, Courtney Roby, Vincent Cartwright, Chris
Bush
TE Erron Kinney, Ben Troupe (inj), Bo Scaife, Ben Hall
K Ola Kimrin, Rob Bironas
DE Antwan Odom, Bo Schobel, Kyle Vanden Bosch, Travis
LaBoy, Shawn Johnson, Derrick Strong
DT Albert Haynesworth, Randy Starks, Rien Long, Jared
Clauss, Marcus White
MLB Brad Kassell, Rocky Calmus, Robert Reynolds (S)
OLB Keith Bulluck (W), Peter Sirmon (S) (inj), Rocky
Boiman (S) (inj), Cody Spencer (W), Ken Amato
CB Andre Woolfolk, Pacman Jones, Tony Beckham, Rich
Gardner, Michael Waddell, Reynaldo Hill
S Lamont Thompson (FS), Tank Williams (SS) (inj), Donnie
Nickey (SS), Justin Sandy (SS), Vincent Fuller (FS), Norman
LeJeune (FS), Sam Massey (FS)
Washington Redskins
QB: First round pick Jason Campbell signed his contract and
reported to camp last week. He’ll compete with Mark Brunell
for the backup job, but even though Brunell appeared washed
up last year and turns 35 next month, don’t look for Gibbs to
send him out to pasture just yet. Of course, Patrick Ramsey,
26, is the team’s starter and for now there is no controversy
brewing. Coaches and teammates both said Ramsey’s looked
good in the offseason training program and if he’s able to get
off to a decent start any talk of a potential controversy should
be muted.
On this weekend’s scrimmage Baltimore the Redskins
quarterbacks were 14-for-26 for 117 yards, one touchdown
and one interception. They were sacked five times and had
only one completion longer than 12 yards. By comparison,
Baltimore quarterbacks were 11-for-15 for 160 yards.
RB: Clinton Portis sat out an evening practice last week with a
sore knee, but the team wasn’t worried, and he quickly
returned the next day. He’ll benefit from the return of RT Jon
Jansen, who missed last year with a knee injury, as well as
more plays designed to get him into the open field allowing
him to better utilize his speed and cut-back ability.
WR: Santana Moss wants to clear up a slight misconception
about him being purely a deep threat because of his speed.
"Everybody looks at me as a guy who goes deep because of
my speed," said Moss, "It's true I'm blessed with speed and I'm
very thankful for having it. But what I have done in my career
to get me this far is my route-running. That's what I take pride
on: my separation from defenders and running precise routes."
So far in camp Moss is staying quiet, working hard and
making plays. This is just what the doctor ordered considering
the malcontents the Redskins have dealt with in recent years.
Players and coaches alike are happy with Moss and he’s
expected to be the primary target for Patrick Ramsey in the
Redskins passing attack. “He definitely has all the DBs shook
up," said wide receiver Darnerien McCants. "He has a little
flavor at the top of all his routes that lets him get open."
Receivers coach Stan Hixon said that certain plays in last
year’s offense are tailor made for Moss. On a side note, Taylor
Jacobs was day to day this past week with the flu and free
agent addition Kevin Dyson, hoping to make the roster, was
day to day with a sprained ankle.
TE: If Chris Cooley keeps up the good work he’s putting in at
training camp, the coaches say he may not leave the field.
“When we’re looking at a tight end, number one, they’ve got
to have the strength,” tight ends coach Rennie Simmons said.
“Toughness and strength. [Cooley] shows a lot of strength,
even though he’s labeled as an ‘H’ back, and he’s doing a
really good job in the passing game, but he’s as good a
blocker. He’s doing a real good job blocking. I think if he
continues to improve on that, he’s one of those guys that could
stay in there on all packages.” By contrast TE Robert Royal
fits into the offense in a slightly different role. “Robert
basically can play ‘Y’ end,” Simmons said. “Billy’s mostly
just an ‘H’ back. His strength lies in the passing game, but
he’s really got to work on the running game. Robert does well
in both areas. He’s just got to get a little stronger. He fights the
weight thing. He’s pretty lean right now.” The Redskins also
added Manual White, out of UCLA, in the draft. White will
play H-back as well and will backup Cooley along with
veteran Mike Sellers. White played fullback in college though
so his transition could take some time and work.
Defense: The Redskins defense has been short at corner
during the first week of camp. Rookie Carlos Rogers reported
to camp after signing, but hasn’t been able to practice as he
recovers from a sprained ankle and stress-fracture in his foot
suffered during offseason workouts at Auburn. He’s currently
on the PUP list. CBs Walt Harris and Artrell Hawkins were
also nursing minor injuries and have been day to day. So far
the team hasn’t brought any new bodies into camp, but that
might change if the situation continues much longer. DT
Cornelius Griffin has missed some practice time with a
shoulder strain, but the injury is not said to be severe. In the
mean time, Lavar Arrington remains on the PUP list as does
DT Brandon Noble. Meanwhile, Lemar Marshall is leading
the race to replace departed MLB Antonio Pierce in the lineup
holding an edge over veteran free agent Warrick Holdman,
Clifton Smith and promising rookie Robert McCune.
Special Teams: PK John Hall is back on the field and kicking.
He did get an unusually large number of questions from a
reporter following practice one day; however it was because
the reporter had mistaken him for Patrick Ramsey. The hype
for WR Antonio Brown continued this week, coming from
none other than head coach Joe Gibbs, “A guy like that, at that
size, if he can run back a kick in this league, he can play
anything else. To run back a kick probably takes as much
courage as anything in sports. It's good to have depth at punt
returner and I'd say Antonio is going to take a lot of it, but I
also like him very much as a receiver.”
Redskins Depth Chart
QB Patrick Ramsey, Mark Brunell, Jason Campbell, Zack
Mills
RB Clinton Portis, Ladell Betts (3RB), Rock Cartwright (FB),
Nehemiah Broughton (FB), John Simon, Dahrran Diedrick,
Jonathan Combs (FB/HB)
HB Chris Cooley (HB), Mike Sellers (HB), Manuel White
(FB)
WR Santana Moss (PR), David Patten, Taylor Jacobs, James
Thrash (PR), Darnerien McCants, Kevin Dyson, Antonio
Brown, Tiger Jones
TE Robert Royal, Jabari Holloway, Brian Kozlowski
K John Hall, Jeff Chandler
DE Philip Daniels, Renaldo Wynn, Ron Warner, Demetric
Evans, Ryan Boschetti, Melvin Williams
DT Cornelius Griffin, Brandon Noble (NT), Joe Salave'a,
Cedric Killings
MLB Lemar Marshall (S/W), Warrick Holdman (W/S),
Robert McCune, Clifton Smith, Brian Allen, Brandon Barnes
OLB LaVar Arrington (W), Marcus Washington (S), Chris
Clemons (S), Jared Newberry, Khary Campbell (S), Devin
Lemons (W), Joe Tuipala (S)
CB Shawn Springs, Carlos Rogers (inj), Walt Harris, Artrell
Hawkins, Ade Jimoh, Rufus Brown, Eric Joyce, Garnell
Wilds, James Bethea
S Sean Taylor (FS), Matt Bowen (SS), Ryan Clark (SS),
Pierson Prioleau (FS), Omar Stoutmire, Tony Dixon