strong and frequently compared to Joe Flacco. If Leinart
bombs, don’t be surprised if Anderson does the same and
Skelton is pressed into action.
Training
Camp Update
Volume 6, Issue 1 – 8/3/10
Training camps are in full swing and we want you to feel like
you have attended every practice and seen every preseason
game.
To keep all our Footballguys Insiders on top of everything,
we’ve created our incredibly detailed Training Camp Updates.
They're an exhaustive look each week covering every bit of
news you need to know to stay completely on top of all 32
teams. 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
watching practice yourself. The Training Camp Updates are
created by our own Bob Henry with contributions from Jason
Wood, Mark Wimer, Mike Herman, Jene Bramel, Aaron
Rudnicki, Colin Dowling, Sigmund Bloom, Maurile Tremblay
and Anthony Borbely. Each camp update reflects the most upto-date information from each of the 32 training camps; the
type of information that will help maintain your advantage
over the rest of your league mates.
Happy reading and let's have a great 2010 season,
Joe Bryant and David Dodds
Owners, Footballguys.com
RB: As the team transitions to a new quarterback, they are
expected to lean on the run more heavily in 2010 with Chris
“Beanie” Wells and Tim Hightower leading the way.
Hightower continues to run with the first team as he did at
OTAs, but Wells has the pedigree to separate himself if he
stays healthy and improves as a blocker and receiver, both
areas where Hightower excels. As for Wells, Whisenhunt said
that he has, “gotten much better in pass protection” noting that
Hightower sets a high bar. Whisenhunt also mentioned that
Wells’ receiving ability “has always been an underrated part
of his game.” LaRod Stephens-Howling hopes to expand his
role on third downs while Jason Wright will be challenged to
make the roster. The team waived veteran fullback Reagan
Maui’a on Friday leaving Justin Green and Nehemiah
Broughton to vie for what will likely be one roster spot. In
Sunday’s practice, Wells, FB Charles Ali and WR Steve
Breaston all had drops.
WR: Larry Fitzgerald entered camp with a focus on
improving. "I don’t think I had a particularly good offseason
in minicamps," Fitzgerald told KTAR radio in Phoenix. "I
don’t think I was as crisp as I needed to be. There's a lot of
fine tuning I was trying to work on this summer. Coach (Ken)
Whisenhunt talked to me before I left and just told me how
much he needed me to raise my level of play." When
Whisenhunt was asked which players improved the most
during the offseason, Early Doucet was the first name he
mentioned. Doucet played well in the playoffs when Anquan
Boldin was hurt catching 14 balls for 145 yards and 2 TDs in
two games. Steve Breaston enters camp as the number two
receiver, but Doucet will give him a fight. Whisenhunt
mentioned Doucet as one of the players that benefited most
from John Lott’s strength and conditioning program. Andre
Roberts was drafted in the third round as the Citadel’s all-time
leading receiver with 3,743 yards and 37 TDs in four years.
He’ll likely begin the season as number four and he might
contribute on returns. Roberts’ route running, hands and speed
make him a player to watch for down the road, but he
probably won’t play right away unless injuries move him up
the depth chart.
Arizona Cardinals
QB: The vibe on Matt Leinart so far in camp has been
encouraging, but cautious. Leinart had a solid start to camp,
but the team eased him into action with simple throws, and
nothing too difficult. Leinart hit Early Doucet in stride 15
yards downfield for a crowd pleaser on Saturday, while
missing on other throws as he shook off some rust on the first
day of practice. "I'm just excited to play," Leinart said. "It's
been a long time, and I've learned so much. I feel fully
prepared…" Head Coach Ken Whisenhunt has been
supportive publically on Leinart as the team’s starter and beat
writer Kent Somers reported that Leinart would have to play
terribly to lose the starting job in the preseason. The team
added strong-armed Derek Anderson and rookie John Skelton
in the 5th round for competition. Anderson got some work
along with Leinart on Saturday. Skelton is a project, but big,
TE: The Cardinals have been a desolate wasteland for fantasy
production at tight end over the last several years. They return
largely the same nondescript cast from a year ago. Stanford
rookie Jim Dray is the lone addition, a seventh round pick in
this April’s draft. On Sunday, Stephen Spach made a nice onehanded catch beating Kerry Rhodes for a 35-yard TD.
Defense: There were a couple of minor surprises on the
opening day of camp. First, Trumaine McBride was running
opposite Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie as the first-team
corners, while Paris Lenon and Monty Beisel were the inside
linebackers. Rookie Daryl Washington was one of the last
second rounders to sign. He opened camp running with the
third-string. Gerald Hayes opened camp on the PUP, as
expected. Washington will have to earn his stripes, but he is
expected to emerge as a factor on passing downs quickly. The
Cardinals began camp with everyone under contract, but first
round pick NT Dan Williams, who signed a five-year deal and
joined the team in practice on Monday. The team continues to
work on a new deal for DT Darnell Dockett, who reported to
camp on time. Greg Toler is competing with McBride for a
starting spot opposite DRC, who returns from offseason knee
surgery. "It's so-so," he said. "I can be as good as they want
me to be. They say I am 100, so I'm going to be 100.
Personally, I can get through it. If there was a game Sunday, I
can play." DTs Alan Branch and Gabe Watson reported to
camp considerably lighter. Branch checked in at 326 while
Watson was 328, 11 pounds lighter than the team asked. With
Williams unsigned, veteran Bryan Robinson was manning
nose tackle, but the team hopes one of their two maligned DTs
emerges finally this summer. If not, one or both could be
gone. “It’s not going to be easy piercing that top lineup,” said
Branch, who ran with the twos at DE while Watson lined up at
NT.
Special Teams: All three of the Cardinals specialists are
experienced NFL players, although they are relatively new
with the club. Punter Ben Graham joined the team late in 2008
and long snapper Mike Leach came on board last year. Kicker
Jay Feely is the newest, having been signed this offseason
while former kicker Neil Rackers went to Houston via free
agency. None of the three are facing competition for their
jobs, so the focus in camp and preseason will simply be to get
their timing down as a unit. Graham (who also serves as the
holder) and Feely do have some brief history, having crossed
paths for several games with the Jets in 2008.
Cardinals Depth Chart
QB: Matt Leinart, Derek Anderson, John Skelton
RB: Tim Hightower, Chris Wells, LaRod Stephens-Howling
(KR), Jason Wright
FB: Justin Green, Nehemiah Broughton, Charles Ali
WR: Larry Fitzgerald, Steve Breaston (PR), Early
Doucet, Andre Roberts (KR),Onrea Jones, Darren Mougey, Ed
Gant (susp)
TE: Steven Spach, Ben Patrick, Anthony Becht, Jim Dray
K: Jay Feely
NT: Bryan Robinson, Gabe Watson, Dan Williams
DE: Darnell Dockett (DT), Calais Campbell, Alan
Branch, Kenny Iwebema, Keilen Dykes, Jeremy Clark, Jason
Banks
ILB: Gerald Hayes (inj), Monty Beisel, Paris Lenon, Daryl
Washington, Reggie Walker
OLB: Clark Haggans, Joey Porter, Cody Brown (inj), O'Brien
Schofield, Will Davis (inj), Pago Togafau
CB: Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Trumaine McBride, Greg
Toler, Michael Adams, Jorrick Calvin, Justin Miller, A.J.
Jefferson
S: Adrian Wilson (SS), Kerry Rhodes (FS), Rashad Johnson
(FS), Matt Ware,Hamza Abdullah (SS), Aaron Rouse
Atlanta Falcons
QB: Prior to the opening of training camp, Matt Ryan wrote
an article for Sports Illustrated in which he described his
offseason film-room study sessions: Ryan closely watched six
quarterbacks - Peyton Manning, Tony Romo, Tom Brady,
Phillip Rivers, Aaron Rodgers, and Drew Brees - to see what
each guy did to make his team so effective.
RB: Good news for Atlanta as Michael Turner is returning to
the team in top condition. On Monday it was reported that
Turner appears to be much faster running to the edge and
busting through the holes at the line of scrimmage."I'm feeling
great," Turner said. "I'm just trying to get that pop back, that
explosiveness that I was getting in the middle of last year.
This year I want to start off with it." Turner is also working on
becoming more of a pass-catching threat: "He made a nice
catch on a screen pass," running backs coach Gerald Brown
said on Monday. "If he can improve that part of his game,
that's just going to make him a better football player." There is
more good news for Turner - the Falcons are working on
improving depth along the offensive line and sorting out who
will make the roster in the trenches is a priority according to
head coach Mike Smith. "That’s going to be very, very
competitive. The front line starters are fairly set. They are set.
I think that was a solid group last year. But I think we need to
start looking at the backups at those positions. There are going
to be some very good battles for those roster spots.”
Unfortunately, Jerious Norwood, who started camp in top
condition, missed Monday morning’s practice with a hip
flexor injury. Coach Smith said it was not the same injury [as
last season], but was in the same “general” area. With
Norwood out, Jason Snelling, Antone Smith and Dimitri
Nance will get more reps. “We feel really good about all of
those running backs,” coach Smith said. “They all have a little
different skill set. It’s a very diverse group that gives us a lot
of flexibility with what we can do.”
WR: Harry Douglas was cleared to join the Falcons' training
camp after visiting Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham,
Alabama shortly before camp opened. He is expected to
compete for the #3 WR position during 2010. He took part in
the first padded practice on Monday. Coach Smith
commented, "Harry has done some things today... As we go
through this week, we are going to integrate him into full
practice.” Roddy White isn't thrilled with the Falcons' offense
after four days in camp, saying, "This is our third year going
into the system, and I thought we'd come out here and
dominate, but the defense is doing a good job...It's not
discouraging, just real interesting. They are making us work
very hard for everything, and that's good." On Monday, Brian
Finneran was on the field running for the trainers. He’s
working on recovering from back spasms.
TE: Tony Gonzalez commented as training camp opened:
“Offensively we’re pretty confident. We can move up and
down the field. We have the horses...If we stay healthy, the
sky’s the limit.” He added, "We’ve got a lot of guys in their
third and fourth years. That’s when it’s supposed to click.
That’s the norm in the NFL. If we do that, we’ll be pretty
good.” Tight end Colin Peek, an undrafted rookie free agent
from Alabama, left the field during the afternoon practice on
July 31st with an apparent right knee injury. Peek is expected
to miss one to two weeks due to a strained knee.
Defense: Coach Smith discussed the process of upgrading the
Falcons' cornerback position during the offseason and the
upcoming training camp, saying: “I’ve said it many times, that
it was just not the DBs, but we felt we had to start to address
that. We added Dunta Robinson. We also have Brent Grimes,
Christopher Owens, Brian Williams and we added Dominique
Franks in the draft. We feel like that is going to be the most
competitive spot on the entire team.” The Falcons signed their
first round pick (#19), LB Sean Weatherspoon, just hours
before the first team meeting - this is good news for the
defensive unit, as they'll have the new playmaker in camp
from day one, a crucial element for ensuring smooth
development of rookie players. Coach Smith commented on
Weatherspoon after the signing, saying, "I think Sean can play
all three [linebackers spots], but right now we have basically
spent our time training Sean at our outside linebacker
position... Is he a [strongside] or [weakside]? He's an outside
linebacker... I think more and more you're seeing more teams
developing their outside linebackers to be able to play multiple
spots." MLB Curtis Lofton commented on Saturday, "As a
rookie, having a guy play two positions, that's a lot to ask. But
he's very smart and energetic. We just love having him." DT
Peria Jerry was medically cleared by Dr. James Andrews to
resume his football career during training camp. "I'm back
now. I’m on the field," Jerry said after the first practice of
training camp. "They would have to tell me that I can't
play...All I can do is what they ask me to do. I've got some
really good veteran guys beside me like [Jonathan] Babineaux,
[John] Abraham, Chauncey [Davis] and Jamaal [Anderson].
They've all been there with me through the whole thing." Jerry
is expected to help the DL develop more push into opposing
backfields and help free the DEs for more QB pressures/sacks.
John Abraham, who saw his sack total drop from 16.5 in 2008
to 5.5 during 2009, spent a large portion of the offseason at
Bommarito Performance Systems in south Florida. "I don't
think I've lost anything," Abraham said. "I've watched myself
on tape. I looked at my moves, and they are still good. The
pass rush is still there. I just want to get there sooner...I've
been doing a lot of stuff for myself [during offseason],"
Abraham said. "This year I'm going to try to help them [the
DL] out more, so we can all work as a unit and get to the
quarterback."
Special Teams: The Falcons enter camp with four specialists
on the roster. All four were with the team at the end of last
year, however three were late 2009 additions: long snapper
Joe Zelenka and kickers Matt Bryant and Steve Hauschka.
Bryant was signed for the final five games last year to replace
the eventually retiring Jason Elam. Hauschka was signed for
the final week when Bryant was questionable to play due to an
injury. Their competition for the placekicking job will be the
primary focus of camp and preseason. A secondary question in
camp is punter Michael Koenen’s secondary role. He also
handles kickoffs, and will definitely continue to do so if
Bryant remains the placekicker. However if Hauschka wins
the placekicking job, he could potentially also take over on
kickoffs.
Falcons Depth Chart
QB: Matt Ryan, Chris Redman, John Parker Wilson
RB: Michael Turner, Jerious Norwood, Jason Snelling, Dmitri
Nance
FB: Ovie Mughelli
WR: Roddy White, Michael Jenkins, Harry Douglas, Kerry
Meier, Brian Finneran,Eric Weems (PR/KR), Troy Bergeron
TE: Tony Gonzalez, Justin Peelle (inj), Keith Zinger, Robert
Agnone
K: Matt Bryant (inj), Steven Hauschka
DT: Peria Jerry (inj), Jonathan Babineaux (susp), Chauncey
Davis, Corey Peters,Thomas Johnson, Trey Lewis, Vance
Walker
DE: John Abraham, Kroy Biermann, Jamaal Anderson
(DT), Lawrence Sidbury
MLB: Curtis Lofton, Bear Woods
OLB: Stephen Nicholas (S), Mike Peterson (W/M), Sean
Weatherspoon (W/S), Coy Wire (S/M), Tony Gilbert, Spencer
Adkins, Robert James (susp)
CB: Dunta Robinson, Brian Williams (inj), Christopher
Owens, Brent Grimes,Chevis Jackson, Dominique Franks
S: Erik Coleman (SS), Thomas DeCoud (FS), William Moore
(inj), Matt Giordano (SS), Jamaal Fudge (inj), Shann
Schillinger, Antoine Harris (inj)
Baltimore Ravens
QB: As if the fantasy community needed any more hype to
build up our own expectations of Joe Flacco. The Ravens
talented young quarterback enters his third season with a
better supporting cast than in either of his previous two years
and the continuity of working within the same system – the
Air Coryell system that offensive coordinator Cam Cameron
and Al Saunders, their senior offensive assistant, have
employed with great success in San Diego, St. Louis and
Kansas City. Both predict great things for Flacco this season.
"Joe is going to flourish in this system," Cameron predicted.
"There are some things we have invested time in the last two
years that we really haven't used a lot in games, because we
really weren't efficient enough at it yet... There are some
things we're working on that hopefully will show this year.
And really, it's not anything new that we put in. It's just
something that now we're at a level I feel comfortable in
calling it." ESPN’s John Clayton reported that Flacco’s
"bruised quad" last season was much worse than reported,
partially explaining his fade in late in the season. According to
the Baltimore Sun, Flacco is taking more command of the
offense and he may be on the “verge of turning… into an elite
(signal caller).” Marc Bulger was signed to give the club a
proven veteran backup, while several players were displeased
that it could mean the end for Troy Smith, although the trade
of John Beck to Washington suggests Baltimore may want to
keep Smith around. Bulger looked good on the second day of
camp after looking a bit rusty on the opening day, throwing
behind receivers. In two days, Bulger already created a gap
between himself and Smith, sometimes looking almost as
good as Flacco.
RB: The Ravens seems poised to have another big year
running the football, too. Willis McGahee reported to camp in
great shape, despite adding weight. He reported slightly over
240 pounds with added muscle. “I like it,” McGahee
explained. “I’m moving with it. It’s not holding me down. I
felt like when I came in lighter, that’s when I was getting the
injuries. I’ll just go with the flow now and keep it up.”
McGahee stood out during the first few practices showing
speed, sharp cuts and plenty of toughness. On Friday, when he
caught a pass before getting drilled by safety Dawan Landry,
splitting his lip and drawing some blood. Normally, secure
with the ball, he fumbled a couple of times on Saturday.
Expect more big plays from Ray Rice this year, too. The
Ravens offseason additions should help create more room for
Rice to operate as a receiver as well as a runner. Anquan
Boldin’s blocking prowess and Donte Stallworth’s ability to
stretch the field could help Rice produce more big plays.
“They brought in guys that will not only catch the ball, but
they get the safety blocked, keep the corner from making that
long tackle,” Rice said in an interview with 105.7 The Fan.
“That’s when big plays happen. Keeping an extra guy out of
the box is going to be one of the biggest things. If you looked
at my long runs from last year, our receivers block
downfield.” Rice added, “I’m anxious to see what teams are
going to do now that we have Anquan, Donte’ and still
Derrick… It’s one of those things where defenses are going to
do certain things, and we can adjust.”
WR: Derrick Mason and Anquan Boldin are the team’s top
vertical threats, while Stallworth looked good in minicamp
showing that he still has his deep speed after missing last
season. A starter last year, Mark Clayton now adds depth as
the team’s number four. Marcus Smith spent all of last year on
IR with a knee injury suffered in last year’s preseason. He
appears to be healthy. On Wednesday, he accelerated to catch
up to a Joe Flacco bomb. Mike Duffy, of the
BaltimoreRavens.com, named Smith one of the top 9
standouts from the first two days of camp. Demetrius
Williams, as well as Clayton, will face increased competition
for a roster spot with the addition of Stallworth, Boldin and
Smith healthy again. Stallworth had perhaps the catch of the
day on Saturday in the morning practice after Cary Williams
almost intercepted Marc Bulger’s pass. The ball glanced off
his fingertips right into Stallworth’s arms.
TE: Todd Heap missed practice on Friday while dealing with
swelling in his tonsils. Rookie Ed Dickson ran with the starters
in his absence. Heap was back at practice on Saturday. "It
knocked me out. There were three or four days I couldn't
sleep. I'm not 100 percent, but I passed the conditioning test
and I'm going forward." Dickson appears to be ahead of fellow
rookie Dennis Pitta, although the team considers Pitta more of
a “move“ tight end. Dickson will likely be used more
traditionally, while Pitta may be lined up all over the field to
utilize his superior route running skills. Dickson switched
from number 80 to 83 after talking with second-year TE
Davon Drew. "Well. I talked to Drew," Dickson said. "I said,
'Was he attached to the number or anything?' And he said, 'No,
it’s just a number.' Dickson said "I’ll take him out to dinner or
something like that... I’ll take him to pretty good dinner, him
and probably his girl, something like that. In exchange for the
number, I’ll look out for him." There were rumblings that
Dickson was struggling to learn plays. However, once he
gets situated, he could develop into a big-time threat, capable
of getting vertical down the seams of defenses. He caught one
pass Friday morning and he was gone as soon as he turned the
corner. Pitta had a nice TD grab late in the morning practice,
but he also dropped a pair of passes.
Defense: Jameel McClain opened camp as the starter at ILB
next to Ray Lewis, a surprise as a battle was expected between
Dannell Ellerbee and Tavares Gooden. CB Domonique
Foxworth tore his ACL during walk-through drills as camp
opened; he’ll miss the season. It’s a blow to the Ravens, who
have Fabian Washington and Lardarius Webb returning from
ACL surgeries of their own in the offseason, not to mention
Ed Reed, who could start the season on the PUP list (and miss
the first six weeks). The injuries could lead to problems
defensively, not to mention more pass attempts for the up and
coming Joe Flacco. The team is looking at veteran free agents
to help fill the void, like Frank Walker, Ken Lucas, Fred
Smoot and Nick Harper. The team is also without secondround pick Sergio Kindle because of a fractured skull suffered
when he fell down two flights of stairs last week. Head Coach
John Harbaugh confirmed that Kindle has narcolepsy and he
has been ruled out of training camp. Walt Harris and Travis
Fisher were signed earlier during the offseason for depth and
now they’ll be pressed into action along with Chris Carr and
Cary Williams, who faces a two-game suspension to begin the
season. Tom Zbikowski picked up where he left off last
season filling in for Reed with the first team defense. Dawan
Landry was off to a fast start as well, popping McGahee and
busting his lip as earning his “whop” nickname from
teammates. Also on a positive note, Terrell Suggs reported to
camp down about 20 pounds from last year in the mid-260s.
Rookie NT Terrence Cody passed his conditioning test on
Wednesday after failing the conditioning test on the first day.
Once he took the field, Cody’s size and athleticism were
evident, and he should push for playing time right away
behind Kelly Gregg. DT Haloti Ngata (pectorals) is back to
100 percent, too. On Saturday, the defensive pass rush was
working as Jarret Johnson, Albert McClellan and defensive
tackle Brandon McKinney each got to the quarterbacks for
“sacks”. Cody had another, but the play was blown dead by a
penalty.
Special Teams: The Ravens have no question at punter and
holder, roles both handled by Sam Koch. At long snapper,
although Matt Katula will likely retain the job, it is not a
certainty as he is coming off a difficult year dealing with
elbow tendinitis. In camp and preseason he’ll need to find a
delicate balance between showing that he has recovered and
establishing timing with his co-specialists, while not over
working his elbow. Should he falter, undrafted rookie Morgan
Cox could snatch the job. The primary competition to watch in
camp and preseason is the kicking battle between Shayne
Graham and Billy Cundiff. Graham was a late free agent
addition, coming from the division rival Bengals, while
Cundiff served as Baltimore’s kicker during the second half of
last year.
Ravens Depth Chart
QB: Joe Flacco, Troy Smith, Marc Bulger, John Beck
RB: Ray Rice (3RB), Willis McGahee, Jalen Parmele
(KR), Matt Lawrence (inj),Curtis Steele
FB: Le'Ron McClain, Mike McLaughlin
WR: Anquan Boldin, Derrick Mason, Donte' Stallworth, Mark
Clayton, Demetrius Williams, David Reed, Marcus
Smith, Justin Harper
TE: Todd Heap, Ed Dickson, Dennis Pitta, Tony Curtis
K: Shayne Graham, Billy Cundiff
DT: Haloti Ngata, Kelly Gregg (NT), Terrence Cody
(NT), Kelly Talavou (NT), Lamar Divens (inj)
DE: Trevor Pryce, Paul Kruger, Arthur Jones, Brandon
McKinney
ILB: Ray Lewis, Jameel McClain, Dannell Ellerbe, Tavares
Gooden, Brendon Ayanbedejo (inj), Jason Phillips (inj)
OLB: Terrell Suggs (DE), Jarrett Johnson (S), Antwan
Barnes, Sergio Kindle (inj),Prescott Burgess, Edgar Jones
CB: Fabian Washington (inj), Lardarius Webb (inj), Chris
Carr, Travis Fisher, Cary Williams (susp), Dominique
Foxworth (IR)
S: Ed Reed (FS) (inj), Dawan Landry (SS), Tom Zbikowski
(SS/FS), Haruki Nakamura (inj)
Buffalo Bills
QB: Even though the Bills changed coaching staffs this
offseason, they decided to go with status quo at the QB
position. One of the most interesting storylines throughout
training camp and the preseason will be a three-way
competition for the starting QB job between Trent Edwards,
Ryan Fitzpatrick, and Brian Brohm. Edwards had a strong
offseason and entered camp last week as the early favorite. He
has been taking all reps with the first-team offense and is
throwing the ball with confidence and accuracy, although he’ll
need to play well in the preseason games to hold onto his
position. Brohm seems to have a slight edge on Fitzpatrick for
the #2 job as he worked with the second unit on Friday and
Saturday, although HC Chan Gailey indicated that both QBs
would rotate in that position. Brohm was a college star at
Louisville who is trying to salvage his career after being cut
loose by the Packers last year while Fitzpatrick has already
enjoyed some limited success as an NFL backup the past few
years. Rookie Levi Brown is an interesting developmental
prospect who may have a hard time finding enough snaps this
preseason. Regardless of who emerges as the starting QB here,
don’t get too excited about their fantasy prospects as this may
wind up being one of the least productive passing attacks in
the league this year.
RB: The Bills got an amazing season from Fred Jackson in
2009 and still have former 1st round pick Marshawn Lynch on
the roster, but they apparently felt a talent upgrade was needed
and spent their first round pick on RB C.J. Spiller out of
Clemson. Spiller is an electric talent with the ability to make
plays all over the field, but he is joining a crowded backfield
that are all competing for time behind a very inexperienced
offensive line. It will be interesting to watch him in training
camp to try and get a better idea of how the Bills plan to use
him this year. Unfortunately, he remained unsigned as of
Monday and any additional missed time would likely set him
back considerably. Jackson has looked good early on and
figures to pick up where he left off as the team’s feature back.
Lynch was the subject of many trade rumors over the
offseason but appears to have the right attitude and has been
seeing some limited work with the first unit on offense. Chad
Simpson provides depth at the position, although special teams
likely provides him the best opportunity to make the final
roster.
WR: The wide receiver group will be interesting to watch in
camp for a very different reason this year. Terrell Owens and
the media spotlight is gone, leaving Lee Evans and a bunch of
young WRs competing for playing time. As the leader of the
group, Evans will clearly be the #1 WR and a focal point of
the offense. The fight for the right to start opposite him is most
likely to be between 3rd year WRs Steve Johnson and James
Hardy, although rookie Marcus Easley and former Patriot
Chad Jackson could also be in the mix. Roscoe Parrish is most
likely to wind up as the slot receiver and there are a couple of
interesting undrafted free agents (Naaman Roosevelt, David
Nelson) who will also be competing for a roster spot. There is
some talent in this group but it is extremely raw at this point,
so we’ll have to wait and see if any of these receivers are
ready to make a big jump and take advantage of the
opportunity in front of them. Steve Johnson entered camp as
the favorite for the #2 WR job based on a strong spring,
although Hardy is fully recovered from the knee injury that
wiped out most of his 2009 season and seems much more
comfortable than he has in the past. Both young receivers said
they learned a lot from watching Terrell Owens last year and
hopefully the competition this year brings out the best in at
least one of them so defenses can’t focus all their attention on
Evans.
TE: The Bills have not really had an impact fantasy tight end
in the past decade or more, but that may actually change this
year. Shawn Nelson was a 4th round pick last year who has the
talent and opportunity to be one of this year’s best fantasy
sleepers at the position. The departures of Terrell Owens and
Josh Reed has freed up a lot of targets in the passing game and
should open things up for a receiving TE like Nelson who can
work the middle of the field and be a reliable option for
whoever winds up at QB. Early in camp, Nelson has shown
excellent hands catching nearly everything thrown his way
and he will certainly be a player to watch once the preseason
games begin. Derek Schouman has flashed some ability in the
past and will likely see action as part of some 2-TE sets if he
can stay healthy. Michael Matthews is a big blocking
specialist who played under Gailey at Georgia Tech.
Defense: Things will look quite a bit different on defense this
year as the Bills will be moving to more of a 3-4 front under
new coordinator George Stevens and will likely be without
their best player. Aaron Schobel has been contemplating
retirement all offseason and the team announced on Monday
that they are ready to move on without him. It sounds like his
days in Buffalo are over, and if he decides to play later on, the
team will likely grant him his release to play somewhere else.
OLB Aaron Maybin will be a focal point of the preseason as
last year’s 1st round pick looks to make an impact as an edge
rusher in the new defense. Newcomer Andra Davis will battle
with Kawika Mitchell for the ILB job next to Paul Posluszny,
who was sitting out while recovering from offseason groin
surgery. The deepest position on the roster is likely at safety
where the Bills have at least 4 players competing for starting
jobs so it will be interesting to see who emerges there as well.
Overall, this unit should be stronger against the run than it has
been in the past thanks to some additions up front, but they
will have to find a way to generate consistent pressure on
opposing QBs if they hope to be a viable fantasy unit.
Special Teams: Nothing to see here (in a good way). The
Bills are set at the three specialist roles with long snapper
Garrison Sanborn, punter/holder Brian Moorman, and kicker
Rian Lindell: As new special teams coordinator Bruce
DeHaven recently commented, “Brian is one of the better
punters in the league no question about it. He’s very versatile.
He can drive the ball for distance if you get backed up. He can
hang it up there high if you have a returner you’re trying to
take out of the game. He’s very quick with the ball which
helps your protection. He’s got good hands and an excellent
athlete…. I think that Rian has really developed since he’s
come into the league. His accuracy has improved from his first
year in the league and he’s done a nice job with that. He’s also
an above average kickoff guy.”
Bills Depth Chart
QB: Trent Edwards, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Brian Brohm, Levi
Brown
RB: Fred Jackson (PR), C.J. Spiller, Marshawn Lynch, Chad
Simpson (KR),Justice Hairston, Joicque Bell
FB: Corey McIntyre
WR: Lee Evans, Steve Johnson, Chad Jackson, Roscoe
Parrish, James Hardy,Marcus Easley
TE: Shawn Nelson, Derek Schouman, Jonathan
Stupar, Michael Matthews, Joe Klopfenstein (IR)
K: Rian Lindell
NT: Kyle Williams, Torell Troup, Lonnie Harvey, Rashaad
Duncan
DE: Marcus Stroud, Aaron Schobel, Dwan Edwards, Spencer
Johnson, Alex Carrington, John McCargo
ILB: Paul Posluszny, Andra Davis, Kawika Mitchell, Keith
Ellison, Marcus Buggs,Ryan Manalac, Antonio Coleman
OLB: Chris Kelsay, Reggie Torbor, Aaron Maybin, Chris
Ellis, Arthur Moats, Dan Batten (inj), Donovan Woods
CB: Terrence McGee, Leodis McKelvin, Reggie
Corner, Drayton Florence, Ashton Youboty, Ellis Lankster
S: Jairus Byrd (FS), George Wilson (SS), Donte Whitner
(FS/SS), Bryan Scott (SS/LB), Jon Corto, Cary Harris, Lydell
Sargeant
Carolina Panthers
QB: Matt Moore shrugs off questions about the pressure of
being the new #1 QB for Carolina: “I just try to be myself,”
said Moore. “I think that is the approach I always try to take.
There are different styles to play this game. But just because
the depth chart has changed doesn’t mean I need to change at
all. If I can keep that in mind and just be true to myself I think
everything will work out...“I am pretty comfortable.
Experience, there is nothing like it. To have those five games
last year and finish the way we did, to me that’s a big deal.”
Jimmy Clausen commented on being third on the depth chart:
“Whenever you get your reps, you have to go out there and
make plays...When you go out to practice you want to do as
much as you can to be the starting quarterback. But at the end
of the day, I can control only what I can control and the
coaches are going to make the decisions, who's going to play
and who's not going to play.”
RB: Jonathan Stewart began training camp on the sidelines as
the coaching staff is slowly bringing his activity level up due
to his continuing recovery from offseason ankle surgery (to
remove bone spurs that were aggravating his Achilles' tendon
throughout 2009). He is said to be "close to healthy". Stewart
sat out of the team's first two practices, and said he has not
been 100 percent healthy since his last year in college. "Once I
get healthy, it is going to be one of the best days of my life."
Coach John Fox stated on July 30th that he expects Stewart to
practice in training camp sometime before the final day on
August 18th. In other injury news, key OL Jeff Otah started
camp on the PUP list on Wednesday - RT Geoff Schwartz
subbed for Otah. RB Tyrell Sutton, who was subbing for
Stewart early in camp, suffered a calf injury of unspecified
severity on Friday, July 30th, and sat out practice on Saturday.
He'll be evaluated further as camp moves along. Mike
Goodson was carted off the field on Sunday with an ankle
injury. After practice, Coach Fox told the media Goodson had
an ankle injury and didn’t break any bones. Goodson could be
out for several weeks. The team was down to DeAngelo
Williams and Josh Vaughn healthy enough to take reps on
Monday.
WR: With Muhsin Muhammad retired and Steve Smith
recovering from a broken arm (Smith may not return until
regular season), a camp battle is underway for the #2 starter.
Dwayne Jarrett suffered a hamstring injury (after dropping
catches and being yelled at for running incorrect routes),
which will hurt his chances to hold off Kenneth Moore, and
the rookies Armanti Edwards, Brandon LaFell and David
Gettis. On day one, Charly Martin made a pair of nice catches
and Kenneth Moore, who was playing with the first team, also
looked sharp. Moore has consistently made big catches and
beat DBs during the first three days of camp. Coach Fox said
Moore has earned the opportunity to run with the first team - it
looks like Moore has the early lead in the fight for #2 wide
receiver. Moore commented: “I always believe in my ability
and what I do... I believe my best should be good enough. If I
continue to take advantage of my opportunities and come out
and compete every day hopefully that will be enough for the
coaches.” LaFell reportedly made an impressive one-handed
catch during Friday’s full-pad practice, making his case for the
#2 job. Unfortunately, Martin suffered a finger injury and his
timetable for a return is unknown after he underwent surgery
to repair a badly broken finger on Saturday. He may end up on
IR due to the injury. LaFell didn't practice Sunday due to a
bruised leg.
TE: No items of interest to report.
Defense: Reports out of Carolina have observed that nearly
every position along the defensive line is in contention,
particularly in the middle. Louis Leonard and Tank Tyler are
penciled in, but Leonard enters camp on the PUP list with an
injured knee. Regarding Tyler, "In only three practices; it's
hard to declare," coach John Fox said when asked if Tyler was
at full health [Tyler is recovering from a right knee injury
from week 12, 2009]. The ongoing issue for Leonard will
likely allow Ed Johnson, Corvey Irvin and Derek Landri a
chance to be a starter. The Panthers opened training camp with
Jon Beason working at WLB Thomas Davis’ position and
moved Dan Connor over to the MLB slot. It appears the team
is committed to moving Beason to that position while Davis
tries to make it back from a torn right ACL (second injury to
that ACL). “The only reason I would prefer to be in the middle
is because it is something I have done - and I have done it at a
high level – and because I do have that comfort zone,” said
Beason. “If it’s going to help the team I want to do it.” Connor
commented on Sunday: “I feel like a different player than I did
the last couple of years. I have more experience. I’m more
comfortable with the defense. I feel comfortable on the field,
and I look forward to playing.” LB Jamar Williams and DE
Charles Johnson both tweaked hamstrings and left the first day
of practice. Backup LB Jordan Senn reportedly impressed day
one, delivering two big hits. While Johnson sat out of practice
on Friday due to his sore hamstring, DE Everette Brown has
done a solid job subbing during practice. Rookie DE Greg
Hardy is making a positive impression early in camp,
according to DL coach Brian Baker: "We're seeing what we
hoped we saw when we drafted him." He continued, "Big,
explosive, active kid. Certainly brings a lot of energy....He's
very conscientious, wants to understand exactly how we want
things and why we want them that way. So I'm pleased with
him." Johnson returned to practices on Monday.
Special Teams: Almost all of the specialist jobs for the
Panthers will remain the same in 2010 as they were in 2009.
J.J. Jansen will again be the long snapper, Jason Baker the
punter and holder, and John Kasay the placekicker. Kickoffs
are the one change to watch in camp and preseason. The
Panthers let kickoff specialist Rhys Lloyd become a free agent
(he quickly landed with the Vikings). Carolina subsequently
signed Todd Carter, who took off from playing football last
year to train and who gained notoriety this offseason with his
expletive inducing leg strength. If he fails to show enough to
convince the Panthers to once again carry a fourth specialist,
then presumably Baker would handle kickoffs as opposed to
Kasay.
Panthers Depth Chart
QB: Matt Moore, Jimmy Clausen, Hunter Cantwell, Tony
Pike
RB: DeAngelo Williams (inj), Jonathan Stewart, Tyrell Sutton
(KR), Mike Goodson (KR), Dantrell Savage
FB: Tony Fiammetta, Rashawn Jackson
WR: Steve Smith, Brandon LaFell, Dwayne Jarrett, Kenneth
Moore (PR/KR),Armanti Edwards (KR), David
Gettis, Wallace Wright, Charly Martin, Trent Guy
TE: Gary Barnidge, Dante Rosario, Jeff King
K: John Kasay, Todd Conner
DT: Ed Johnson, Nick Hayden, Louis Leonard (inj), Derek
Landri, Tank Tyler,Corvey Irvin (inj)
DE: Charles Johnson, Tyler Brayton, Everette Brown, Greg
Hardy, Hilee Taylor
MLB: Dan Connor
OLB: Jon Beason (W), James Anderson (S), Jamar Williams
(S), Mortty Ivy (S),Eric Norwood, Jordan Senn, Quinton
Culberson, Thomas Davis (inj)
CB: Chris Gamble, Richard Marshall, Captain Munnerlyn
(PR), Marcus Hudson,C.J. Wilson, R.J. Sanford, Jordon
Pugh, Robert McClain, Brian Witherspoon (KR/PR)
S: Charles Godfrey (SS), Sherrod Martin (FS), Aaron
Francisco, Keith Lewis
Chicago Bears
QB: All fantasy owners will want to keep a close eye on the
Bears this preseason as Mike Martz is in town and that usually
means a pass-happy offense and big fantasy production from a
few key players. Jay Cutler flashed his great arm at times last
year with 27 touchdowns, but he also was far too inconsistent
and wound up hurting the team with 26 interceptions as well.
The Bears have what looks to be a very solid and deep group
of WRs for him to throw to, but the offensive line remains a
major question mark. Early in camp, Cutler has looked very
comfortable and reports seem to indicate that he already has a
pretty strong grasp of the new offense. If he can avoid the big
mistakes from a year ago, he could certainly wind up as one of
the most productive fantasy QBs this year. Caleb Hanie and
Dan LeFevour will also compete with each other in camp for
the backup QB job. Hanie was the backup a year ago but he’ll
likely get a strong challenge from LeFevour, an extremely
mobile QB who was wildly productive in college.
RB: Another player looking to bounce back from a
disappointing season is Matt Forte. After a huge rookie season
in 2008, Forte struggled to find any room to run for much of
2009 and wound up being one of the year’s biggest fantasy
busts. The team signed veteran RB Chester Taylor to compete
with him and it will be interesting to see how these two
players are used during the preseason. If either player emerges
as a feature back, they will be a valuable fantasy back but
chances are that they will wind up being used in some type of
committee approach all year. Both players are great catching
the ball out of the backfield, but Taylor is the superior blocker
and also likely a better inside runner which might make him a
better fit in the Martz offense. The Bears also added rookie
Harvey Unga during this year’s supplemental draft so he’ll be
another interesting player to watch during the preseason to see
if he has the potential to overtake Forte as the RB of the
future. Kahlil Bell and Garrett Wolfe are back and could be
fighting with undrafted free agent Brandon Minor for the final
roster spot.
WR: This is likely the area where most of the fantasy value
will be found on the Bears this year as Martz offenses tend to
lead to some big reception totals from the receivers. Devin
Hester enters camp as the presumed #1 WR given his contract
and prior performance, but his numbers didn’t take the huge
jump last year when Cutler arrived that many expected them
to. The fight for who gets to start opposite him is where things
get interesting and the two favorites right now are 2 nd year pro
Johnny Knox and Devin Aromashodu. Knox is a speedster
coming off a very strong rookie season and he has definitely
been a favorite target of Cutler’s early in training camp.
Aromashodu adds some much-needed size to the group and
appeared to have great chemistry with Cutler during a very
strong finish to the 2009 season. Whoever loses this battle will
probably be the favorite to line up as the slot receiver in 3wide formations but Earl Bennett could also be a factor there
as well. Some other players to watch include Juaquin Iglesias,
a 3rd round pick last year who is currently sitting out with a
groin injury, and rookie Freddie Barnes who set the NCAA
record for catches in a season with 155 last year.
TE: What a difference a year makes. Greg Olsen was
everyone’s favorite TE sleeper in 2009, but now everyone is
running for cover as tight ends in offenses run by Martz do not
have a very productive history. He clearly has the talent to be
an elite player at the position, but it will be useful to see what
type of role the Bears have planned for him in training camp
and the preseason to see if he can remain among the top-10
this year. He’ll likely be pushed by veteran Brandon
Manumaleuna, a blocking specialist who played under Martz
in St. Louis. Veteran Desmond Clark has been very consistent
and productive for a long time and he was one of the stars in
the first day of training camp while working with the second
offensive unit. Kellen Davis is a young player who has shown
flashes at times, but may have a difficult time earning a roster
spot given the player ahead of him on the depth chart.
Defense: There is a new superstar in town after the Bears
made a huge splash in free agency with the signing of DE
Julius Peppers to a 6-year, $91 million contract. Although he
has a reputation for being inconsistent in his effort and
production, he’s an elite pass rusher and should provide a big
boost to the entire defense. Long-time starters Alex Brown
and Adewale Ogunleye are gone so training camp will likely
be used to find out who is going to start opposite Peppers with
Mark Anderson the most likely candidate. LB Brian Urlacher
returns after missing nearly the entire 2009 season with a wrist
injury and will look to reclaim his status as one of the best
inside linebackers in the league. The secondary has undergone
some changes with the trade for S Chris Harris who will help
solidify things on the back end, and the move of CB Charles
Tillman from the left side to the right side, which could affect
his IDP value. The defense has the talent to be one of the best
in the league, but they’ll need their key players to stay healthy.
Special Teams: Heading into camp, the Bears are set with
starting specialists long snapper Patrick Mannelly, punter and
holder Brad Maynard, and kicker Robbie Gould. As special
teams coordinator Dave Toub recently attested, “I’m very
fortunate. We’re going into our seventh season here, and I’ve
been fortunate enough to have Maynard and Mannelly the
whole time and Robbie for the majority of it. They work very
well together and they’re good leaders in our room, which is
real important.” Punter Richmond McGee is on the roster to
serve as a camp leg and to allow Maynard to ease back into
things following offseason hip surgery.
Bears Depth Chart
QB: Jay Cutler, Caleb Hanie, Dan LaFevour
RB: Matt Forte, Chester Taylor, Harvey Unga, Kahlil
Bell, Garrett Wolfe, Brandon Minor
FB: Eddie Williams (inj)
WR: Devin Hester (PR), Johnny Knox (KR), Devin
Aromashodu, Earl Bennett,Juaquin Iglesias, Rashied
Davis, Antonio Robinson, Freddie Barnes, Greg Mathews
TE: Greg Olsen, Brandon Manumaleuna, Desmond
Clark, Kellen Davis
K: Robbie Gould
DT: Tommie Harris, Marcus Harrison (NT), Anthony Adams
(NT), Jarron Gilbert,Matt Toeaina (NT), Dusty Dvoracek
(inj), Averell Spicer
DE: Julius Peppers, Mark Anderson, Israel Idonije, Corey
Wootton, Henry Melton (inj), Barry Turner
MLB: Brian Urlacher (inj), Tim Shaw
OLB: Lance Briggs (W) (inj), Nick Roach (S), Hunter
Hillenmeyer (inj), Pisa Tinoisamoa
CB: Zackary Bowman, Charles Tillman (inj), Corey Graham
(FS/CB), Tim Jennings, Brian Iwuh, D.J. Moore
S: Chris Harris (SS), Danieal Manning (FS/CB/KR), Major
Wright (FS), Craig Steltz (SS/FS), Al Afalava (FS), Josh
Bullocks (SS), Quentin Scott
Cincinnati Bengals
QB: Early reports from camp were promising on franchise
quarterback Carson Palmer, who started last season showing
plenty of arm strength and accuracy before faltering badly
down the stretch. Palmer insisted all offseason that his arm
was healthy, deflecting ongoing questions about his decision
to rehab his arm without surgery last offseason. The Bengals
filled the depth chart with receiving options this offseason,
adding Matt Jones, Antonio Bryant, Jermaine Gresham,
Jordan Shipley and last but certainly not least – Terrell Owens,
in the hopes of bringing some balance back to what was a
heavily run-oriented offense last season. Fantasy owners
should be watching Palmer’s mechanics closely this
preseason. If he looks right, there’s a lot of value to be found
in his current ADP. The backup quarterback spots are set with
J.T. O’Sullivan as Palmer’s primary backup and Palmer’s
brother Jordan still developing as the team’s third quarterback.
RB: Cedric Benson got good news last week when
Commissioner Roger Goodell elected not to suspend him for
an assault charge this offseason. Though the Bengals are
looking to bring better balance to the offensive play calling,
the offensive line is still set up to play power football. Benson
should again get plenty of opportunity. Bernard Scott has
proclaimed himself fully healthy after an ankle problem
limited his reps during OTAs. It’s been reported that he’ll be
used more often to spell Benson this season, but past history
suggests that we could see otherwise when the pads go on.
The team also brought in Cedric Peerman, who has a chance at
making the roster alongside third down back Brian Leonard
and FB Fui Vakapuna.
WR: The Bengals are flush with possibilities at receiver after
finishing the season extremely thin at the position. Chad
Ochocinco is back and in great shape. The team brought in
three veteran options to complement him. The team first
signed Matt Jones, who was cut by the Jaguars late last season.
Reports were mixed during OTAs, but the early returns in
camp have been decidedly negative, with observers calling
him slow and unimpressive. He’s in a battle to make the
roster and his lack of special teams value may earn him a
ticket back to the free agent pool. Shortly before the draft, the
Bengals signed Antonio Bryant to a big contract in the hopes
that his knee issues were behind him. That move may also be
backfiring. Bryant has yet to practice in camp and has been
seen limping and unable to run routes at full speed on the side.
Reports of a bone-on-bone condition and the late offseason
signing of Terrell Owens have many speculating that Bryant
may struggle to make the roster. That’s unlikely, however,
and Marvin Lewis has said that the team isn’t concerned about
the severity of the knee condition and he’s being held out of
practice to “give him the opportunity to get him back 100%.”
The Owens – Ochocinco Odd Couple has been the talk of
camp so far. With Bryant gimpy, Owens is the heavy favorite
to open the season as the team’s WR2. The team sees him as
filling the stretch-the-field role that Chris Henry has in years
past. If all hands are healthy, insiders have said that Owens
and Bryant could rotate on early downs, with Bryant slipping
into the slot and Owens staying outside in three wide
packages. Also competing for slot duties are third round pick
Jordan Shipley and Andre Caldwell, both of whom have
drawn praise from coaches over the past month. Jones, Quan
Cosby and Jerome Simpson are competing for the last spot on
the roster. Simpson has finally been showing signs of
becoming an NFL-ready receiver, but Cosby offers better
special teams value and may have the early lead for the final
roster spot.
TE: First round draft pick Jermaine Gresham is expected to
contribute immediately as a pass catching option, but remains
unsigned. His presence in camp is key and the players ahead
and behind him in the first round have been signed, so expect
him to get in camp this week. While Gresham holds out,
Chase Coffman has been taking advantage of the added reps.
After offseason surgery to remove bone spurs, Coffman is
now pain-free and bulked up to 260 pounds. He’s still raw,
but showing more confidence in learning to become an allaround tight end. He should see more time in two tight end
sets this year. The team was very happy to get veteran Reggie
Kelly back this offseason. He’ll be a stabilizing force as a
blocker and mentor to the young tight ends.
Defense: Mike Zimmer has the team moving toward more of a
multiple front defense and will employ many different nickel
looks to confuse offenses and make use of his versatile
defenders. Michael Johnson has been converted into a
standup SLB, but should also see time at end and tackle in the
nickel. The team hopes he can become the focal point of a
multiple front look. Antwan Odom is back after a torn
Achilles’ tendon ended a very effective start to 2009. If
Johnson can handle the SLB job, Rey Maualuga may be able
to bring his physical, downhill presence to MLB. The team
also added depth to the secondary, with Adam Jones expected
to improve the team’s nickel corner play and Gibril Wilson
offering another physical, big play presence in the safety
rotation. The depth and likely improvement in the pass rush
could help young and rising cornerbacks Leon Hall and
Johnathan Joseph to big seasons.
Special Teams: Kevin Huber heads into his second season as
the Bengals punter and holder. The other two specialist roles
are up for grabs during camp and the preseason. The kicking
competition features two players who’ve had their share of
setbacks, but are resilient enough to still be vying for a starting
job in the NFL. Last year Dave Rayner lost out in the
preseason to Shaun Suisham for the Washington Redskins
kicking job. Mike Nugent began last year as the Buccaneers
kicker, was released after struggling, and then resurfaced in
Arizona to fill in for an injured Neil Rackers. A less
publicized, yet just as important competition is for the long
snapper job. Clark Harris was brought in part way through
2009 to replace Brad St. Louis. He’ll have to beat out rookie
Mike Windt, who has previously worked with Huber when
they were team mates at the University of Cincinnati.
Bengals Depth Chart
QB: Carson Palmer, J.T. O'Sullivan, Jordan Palmer
RB: Cedric Benson, Bernard Scott, Brian Leonard
(3RB), Cedric Peerman,LaMarcus Coker
FB: Fui Vakapuna
WR: Chad Ochocinco, Terrell Owens, Antonio Bryant
(inj), Andre Caldwell, Jordan Shipley, Matt Jones, Quan
Cosby (PR), Jerome Simpson, Dezmon Briscoe,Maurice
Purify
TE: Jermaine Gresham, Reggie Kelly (inj), Daniel
Coats, Chase Coffman, Darius Hill
K: Mike Nugent, Dave Rayner
DT: Domata Peko, Tank Johnson, Jonathan Fanene (DE), Pat
Sims, Geno Atkins,Orien Harris, Clinton McDonald
DE: Antwan Odom (inj), Robert Geathers, Jonathan Fanene
(DT), Frostee Rucker,Carlos Dunlap, Rahim Allen
MLB: Dhani Jones (M/W), Abdul Hodge
OLB: Rey Maualuga (S) (inj), Keith Rivers (W) (inj), Rashad
Jeanty (S), Michael Johnson (S), Brandon Johnson
(W), Roddrick Muckelroy, Dan Scuta
CB: Leon Hall, Johnathan Joseph, David Jones, Brandon
Ghee, Adam Jones,Morgan Trent
S: Chris Crocker (FS) (inj), Roy Williams (SS), Chinedum
Ndukwe (SS), Gibril Wilson, Tom Nelson (FS), Kyries Hebert
(SS), Rico Murray, Jeromy Miles
Cleveland Browns
QB: Eric Mangini called the Browns’ starting quarterback job
Jake Delhomme’s to lose shortly before camp opened. After
Delhomme’s performance in Carolina, that isn’t necessarily a
ringing vote of confidence. Mangini has said that Seneca
Wallace will take some repetitions with the first team early in
camp, and Wallace was impressing observers with a strong
arm during the first practices of camp. Wallace will have a
firm grip on the number two quarterback job if he isn’t able to
surprise and overtake Delhomme on the depth chart during the
preseason. Third round draft pick and possible quarterback of
the future Colt McCoy isn’t expected to be ready to contribute
until 2011 at the earliest.
RB: What was shaping up to be a heated competition for
carries between Jerome Harrison and Montario Hardesty
fizzled before it began. Hardesty twisted a knee during rookie
camp practices last week and will miss at least two weeks of
camp. The team doesn’t feel the injury is serious and has said
that it’s unrelated to any of his prior knee injuries. Harrison
has been impressive early in camp and the two-week head
start could kill any chance Hardesty had to earn the majority
of carries. However, Hardesty was drawing lots of praise
from Mangini and the Cleveland coaches during OTAs and a
quick recovery could put him right back in the thick of things.
With Hardesty missing practice, Peyton Hillis assumed most
of the second team reps. Chris Jennings and James Davis,
who returns from last season’s controversial shoulder injury,
will give the Browns plenty of options to sort through before
final roster cuts. Lawrence Vickers is back as the team’s
fullback.
WR: Second year players Mohammed Massaquoi and Brian
Robiskie opened camp as the starting wide receivers.
Massaquoi flashed talent at times last year, but the inaccuracy
of the Cleveland quarterbacks and his inconsistent route
running and hands kept him from a better season. The Browns
need him to make big strides if Delhomme is to have much
success this year. Robiskie impressed observers during camp
last year, but saw very little playing time until late in the
season. He’s getting first crack at starter’s snaps after a strong
OTA season, but electrifying wideout/kick returner Josh
Cribbs will also get a chance to prove he’s improved enough
to earn more time. Cribbs is again expected to take a handful
of Wildcat snaps each week, possibly with Wallace in the
game at the same time. In the slot, Chansi Stuckey will battle
veteran free agent signee Bobby Engram. Rookie sixth round
pick Carlton Mitchell has big potential, but is likely too raw to
contribute much this season.
TE: Ben Watson was signed to give the Browns a stronger
presence at tight end. He’ll be the opening weekend starter.
Evan Moore should see time in the Browns’ two tight end sets
and was showing good hands and the ability to separate early
in camp. He’ll be competing with Alex Smith, who has
bounced around the league in recent seasons. Robert Royal
remains on the roster, but will have to compete for a roster
spot.
Defense: The Browns added lots of bodies on defense this
offseason. CB Joe Haden and Safety T.J. Ward were drafted
highly and they will be expected to solidify the Cleveland
secondary. Ward was already playing with the first team as
camp started. Haden ran with the twos, but could crack the
starting lineup if the Browns feel he’s physical enough in run
support to bump either Eric Wright or Sheldon Brown. Scott
Fujita was signed in free agency to bring some veteran
toughness to the linebacker unit. He’s getting a look at both
OLB and ILB. Shaun Rogers started camp on the active PUP
list and there’s been talk of moving him out to DE, where he
could give a boost to a pass rush that was among the worst in
the league last season. This year, the coaches have high hopes
that Matt Roth can continue his strong late season efforts and
that Marcus Benard will continue to develop as a situational
pass rusher.
Special Teams: Long snapper Ryan Pontbriand is back, with
no questions or concerns. Kicker Phil Dawson is the only
kicker on the roster (Leigh Tiffin and Shaun Suisham were
around briefly during the spring). For the second year in a
row, he had skipped voluntary workouts, but showed up for
the required ones. While the media has speculated extensively
on Dawson’s displeasure with his contract, he has not publicly
indicated so. He did note, “Regardless of whether there's a
new regime or not, you have to prove yourself again every
year, especially at my position.” Punter/holder Dave Zastudil
is recovering from a knee injury which caused him to miss the
second half of last year. Punter Reggie Hodges was brought in
to finish the 2009 season, and remains on the roster heading
into camp.
Browns Depth Chart
QB: Jake Delhomme, Seneca Wallace, Colt McCoy, Brett
Ratliff
RB: Montario Hardesty (inj), Jerome Harrison, Peyton
Hillis, James Davis (inj),Chris Jennings
FB: Lawrence Vickers, Jed Collins
WR: Mohamed Massoquoi, Brian Robiskie, Josh Cribbs
(KR/PR/RB/QB), Chansi Stuckey, Bobby Engram, Carlton
Mitchell, Syndric Steptoe (inj), Jake Allen
TE: Ben Watson, Evan Moore, Robert Royal, Alex
Smith, Greg Estandia (IR)
K: Phil Dawson
NT: Ahtyba Rubin, Jonathan Lewis
DE: Kenyon Coleman (inj), Shaun Rogers, Robaire Smith
(inj), Brian Schafering,C.J. Mosley (inj), Clifton
Geathers, Derreck Robinson, Titus Adams
ILB: D'Qwell Jackson (inj), Chris Gocong, David
Bowens, Eric Barton (inj), David Veikune, Kaluka
Maiava, Blake Costanzo
OLB: Matt Roth, Scott Fujita, Marcus Benard, Jason
Trusnik, Titus Brown
CB: Eric Wright, Sheldon Brown, Joe Haden, Brandon
McDonald, Mike Adams,Coye Francies, Gerard
Lawson, Chris Roberson, DeAngelo Smith
S: T.J. Ward (FS), Abram Elam (SS), Larry Asante (SS), Nick
Sorensen (SS), Ray Ventrone
Dallas Cowboys
QB: A business-as-usual start to camp for Tony Romo,
including sightings of his latest gorgeous blonde girlfriend.
Romo has run a measured, effective first week with the first
team and has been more vocal with the press in his role as
team leader. Don’t worry about reports that his arm was sore,
that is typical for him at this point in camp, and was nothing
more than a casual observation about having thrown passes for
14 straight practices over a week and change. Jon Kitna
remains the QB2 but hasn’t looked very good thus far.
Hopefully he’ll shake off the rust because the team doesn’t
want a reprise of a few seasons ago when Brad Johnson had to
play in Romo’s stead. 3rd stringer Stephen McGee ran the
majority of Sunday’s morning session as HC Wade Phillips
gave the veterans the morning off after 14 straight practice
sessions over the prior week. McGee is going to see a lot of
action in the Cowboys preseason games – and if shouldn’t
surprise anyone if McGee takes over for Jon Kitna as the QB2
as soon as next season.
OL: As to the matter of who replaces Flozell Adams,
incumbent backup Doug Free has gotten the majority of the
work with the first unit over Alex Barron. Barron has looked
good, too, but right now it appears the job is Free’s to lose. On
the right side Marc Colombo is back and healthy after missing
part of last year (Free started in his place).
RB: Those who are ready to anoint Felix Jones as the full-time
starter are counting out Marion Barber (and Tashard Choice)
too quickly. Barber played on a torn quad last season and the
difference between his 2009 form and his status in Week One
of camp has been night and day. He’s running with authority,
making decisive cuts, and is playing at 220 lbs, which was his
playing weight during his Pro Bowl season. Jones showed up
slightly heavier than Barber, as he believes the added size will
help him handle the rigors of a larger workload. Unfortunately
the same knee that kept him out of games last year flared up
this week, but to Jones’ credit he practiced through the pain –
even during one afternoon session where the coaches had
declared him out, yet he argued his way back into drills.
WR: Dez Bryant has made quite an impression in his first
week of NFL training camp, some positive, some negative. In
the early going Bryant was impressive, catching everything
thrown his way and hounding QB Tony Romo at every turn to
try to get more reps and build a rapport with the Pro Bowl
passer. Then there was a minor kerfuffle because Bryant
refused to carry Roy Williams’ shoulder pads after practice; a
matter that made for better internet message board fodder than
real life drama. Unfortunately the week ended with terrible
news – Bryant suffered a high ankle sprain and will miss the
next 4 to 6 weeks. History tells us that rookie WRs, even
talented ones, need time to adjust to their new offenses. Bryant
can’t be counted out for the season opener, but expectations
for an immediate fantasy impact should be tempered. Bryant’s
injury re-opens the door for Roy Williams and makes any
hope Patrick Crayton had of a trade evaporate into thin air. OC
Jason Garrett had nothing but positive things to say about
Crayton and his opportunity to contribute. "Patrick has always
been a very good football player for us," Garrett said. "He's a
smart guy. He's a reliable guy. He's made a ton of plays for us
in the past, and he has a role on this football team. Whenever
someone goes down, the other players at that position get
more of an opportunity. They simply get more snaps in
practice.” Kevin Ogletree, who was competing for the WR3
role a year ago, has been uneven in the first week and must
improve to secure his place on the 53-man. As for WR1 Miles
Austin? About the only thing memorable from his first week
of camp was the presence of his new gal pal, Kim Kardashian.
The less said about that, the better.
TE: Departed OT Flozell Adams was criticized for his
penchant to commit false start penalties, but Jason Witten tied
Adams last year with six false start flags. That’s notable
especially because Witten has been pulled out of team drills
twice already for – you guessed it – committing false starts.
There’s no reason this isn’t correctable but it is mildly
concerning to see the issue crop back up in training camp
already. Backup Martellus Bennett spent most of the week on
the NFI list with a sore ankle but was activated for the
weekend sessions. John Phillips has done well in Bennett’s
absence and could push him for the TE2 role.
Defense: The defense has been aggressive at the start of camp
and this unit has the makings of one of the NFC’s best.
Everyone knows what DeMarcus Ware can do, but Anthony
Spencer has been nothing short of dominant through the first
week including back-to-back sacks in 11-on-11 drills on
Thursday (July 29th). Alan Ball, the new starter at free safety,
has looked sharp in the first week of practice and lends
credence to the Cowboys decision to let Ken Hamlin go.
Special Teams: The Cowboys head into camp with three
specialists. Receiving no media attention is long snapper
L.P.Ladouceur. Receiving minimal attention is punter Mat
McBriar, who has resumed serving as the holder on kicks (he
had been demoted for Tony Romo for part of last year).
Receiving extensive daily coverage is kicker David Buehler,
who is working on expanding his kickoff specialist role to also
include placekicking. He’ll get all the work in that regard in
August, as Connor Hughes and more recently Delbert
Alvarado have been released. He’s being tutored by former
Cowboy’s kicker Chris Boniol, whom the team brought in as a
consultant. In essence, Buehler is competing against himself
during the preseason. If he “loses”, the team might opt to sign
a veteran placekicker for the regular season.
Cowboys Depth Chart
QB: Tony Romo, Jon Kitna, Stephen McGee
RB: Marion Barber III, Felix Jones (KR), Tashard
Choice, Herb Donaldson, Lonyae Miller
FB: Deon Anderson
WR: Miles Austin, Dez Bryant (inj), Roy Williams, Kevin
Ogletree, Patrick Crayton (PR), Sam Hurd, Jesse
Holley, Teddy Williams, Titus Ryan, Terrell Hudgins
TE: Jason Witten, Martellus Bennett, John Phillips, Scott
Sicko, Kevin Brock
K: David Buehler
NT: Jay Ratliff, Junior Siavii, Sean Lissemore, Josh Brent
DE: Marcus Spears, Igor Olshansky, Jason Hatcher, Stephen
Bowen, Joshua Price-Brent, Jimmy Saddler-McQueen
ILB: Keith Brooking, Bradie James, Sean Lee, Stephen
Hodge (inj), Jason Williams
OLB: DeMarcus Ware (W) (inj), Anthony Spencer (S), Steve
Octavien (W), Victor Butler, Curtis Johnson, Brandon
Williams (inj), Jay Moore
CB: Terance Newman, Mike Jenkins (inj), Orlando Scandrick
(FS/CB), Jamar Wall,Bryan McCann
S: Gerald Sensabaugh (SS), Alan Ball (FS/CB), Michael
Hamlin (FS), Pat Watkins (SS) , Akwasi Owusu-Ansah
(FS), Cletis Gordon, Barry Church
Denver Broncos
QB: The story of the first day of camp was Tim Tebow.
Shocker. The Broncos agreed to terms with their 25th pick in
the draft on a five-year, $11.25 million deal with $8.7 million
guaranteed. On his first day of practice, Coach Josh
McDaniels commented: "I think (he's) not rusty… I mean, he's
been throwing a bunch, but he's certainly getting the hang of
things we're doing and we are working on. (But) you know,
he's got some catching up to do in that regard. . . He can kind
of keep pace with them, but you know, typical — some good,
some bad. Just good to get him out there before we start on
Sunday." On Sunday, Kyle Orton worked with the starters
showing confidence and accuracy, while Brady Quinn ran
with the second group.
RB: On Sunday, Knowshon Moreno was carted off the field
and then moments later Correll Buckhalter left the field with
an upper back pull. Moreno will miss three weeks after an
MRI exam revealed no significant tear to his hamstring.
Buckhalter experienced numbness in his left leg after suffering
what was thought to be a minor hamstring pull. Moreno’s
hamstring had some “fraying” and “slight” tear, but he is
expected to be ready before Week 1. That means an
opportunity for Kolby Smith, Bruce Hall, Lance Ball, Toney
Baker, and possibly free agent Brian Westbrook. The veteran
free agent was already rumored as a possibility in Denver after
they dealt J.J. Arrington to the Eagles for LB Joe Mays.
WR: Eddie Royal, Jabar Gaffney and first round pick
Demaryius Thomas look like the top three receivers entering
camp. As expected, Royal saw most of his reps in the slot
during the first few days of camp, which fits his skill set best.
Fellow rookie Eric Decker, Matthew Willis, Brandon
Lloyd, Kenny McKinley and Brandon Stokley are
competing for spots, too. Gaffney set career highs in catches
and yards last year and he can play any of the team’s wide
receiver positions. The team hopes that Thomas emerges as
the team’s #1 receiver, but he faces a steep learning curve
after the unconventional nature of the Georgia Tech offense
followed by an inability to practice much in OTAs due to a
foot injury. Decker returned to the practice field Wednesday
after missing OTAs with his own foot injury. The 87th pick
overall looks like a nice complement to Thomas. “I’m excited
to be on the field and just get some work in,” said Decker,
who made an impression on QBs Kyle Orton and Brady
Quinn. “He looked good out there. He’s a big kid,” Quinn
said. “He looks big out of pads, but looks even bigger in
pads.” McDaniels seemed pleased, too. “I think today was a
good day for Deck, because he got to get out there today and
run and catch… There wasn’t the training he was doing all
spring — it was football.” Willis was named by McDaniels on
Sunday as a player that made an impression. “Matt Willis
made a few nice catches. He kind of continued his push from
the spring – had a real nice spring and then had an opportunity
to make some plays down the field today and really came up
with them.”
TE: Marques Branson continues to generate a buzz, especially
for a player that spent last year on the practice squad
emulating Antonio Gates in practices. Coach McDaniels said
Branson was hard to cover. “He did a nice job for us in terms
of showing our defense what we wanted him to do,”
McDaniels said. “We’re excited about his progress.” His
teammates rave about him, too. The Broncos have a void to
fill with Tony Scheffler’s departure. Coach McDaniels thinks
Branson can me that guy. “You didn’t see him last year, but
we have very high expectations and high hopes for him.” He is
competing with veteran starter Daniel Graham and Richard
Quinn, a second round pick last year, for roster spots. “I’ve
just got to come out and work as hard as I can, do everything
they want me to do to the best of my ability,” said Branson,
who caught 82 passes for 1,236 yards and 18 touchdowns in
two seasons at Central Arkansas. “I can make that leap (to
the active roster). But it’s going to take a lot of hard work and
dedication.”
Defense: Elvis Dumervil signed a five-year contract extension
worth a total of $61.6 million, with $43.1 million guaranteed
as training camp opened. The NFL sack leader last year is
under contract through 2015. The Broncos also acquired ILB
Joe Mays from the Eagles for RB J.J. Arrington and a
conditional pick in 2012. Mays will try to compete with
veteran LB Mario Haggan, a converted OLB, who is currently
slated to start at the “Ted” linebacker. Nate Jones and
Alphonso Smith were expected to compete to be the team’s
nickel corner, but Perrish Cox is now also in the mix. NT
Jamal Williams began training camp on the PUP list, but the
team thinks he’ll be ready within a week. Robert Ayers was
running with the first team on the opening day of camp. He
had been demoted in minicamps for disciplinary reasons.
Special Teams: Heading into 2010, the Broncos had a
question at only one of their specialist positions. They already
knew that Lonie Paxton was their long snapper and that Matt
Prater was their kicker. Heading into training camp, they have
already presumably answered the punter question. Although
he lost out on the punting job last preseason, Britton Colquitt
was re-signed late in the year. In this year’s minicamps he
competed with A.J. Trapasso (of 2009 first preseason TD and
hitting the video screen fame). Trapasso has since been
released. Colquitt has since noted, "I feel more confident, but
at the same time, it's not about who you're going against. It's
still you're going against yourself."
Broncos Depth Chart
QB: Kyle Orton, Tim Tebow, Brady Quinn
RB: Knowshon Moreno (inj), Correll Buckhalter (inj), Kolby
Smith, Bruce Hall,Lance Ball, Toney Baker
FB: Spencer Larsen
WR: Eddie Royal (PR/KR), Jabar Gaffney, Demaryius
Thomas, Brandon Stokley,Brandon Lloyd, Eric
Decker, Kenny McKinley, Matthew Willis, Lucas Taylor
(inj),Alric Arnett, Patrick Honeycutt
TE: Daniel Graham, Richard Quinn, Marquez
Branson, Nathan Overbay, Riar Greer
K: Matt Prater
NT: Jamal Williams, Ronald Fields, Chris Baker
DE: Jarvis Green, Justin Bannan, Ryan McBean
(inj), LeKevin Smith, Marcus Thomas, Jeff Stehle, Ben
Garland
ILB: D.J. Williams (W), Mario Haggan, Akin Ayodele, Joe
Mays, Wesley Woodyard,Nick Greisen, Devin Bishop
OLB: Elvis Dumervil (DE/LB), Robert Ayers
(DE/LB), Darrell Reid (DE/LB), Jarvis Moss, Baraka
Atkins, Jammie Kirlew, Korey Bosworth, Kevin Alexander
CB: Champ Bailey, Andre' Goodman, Nathan Jones, Perrish
Cox, Alphonso Smith(PR/KR), Syd'quan Thompson, Tony
Carter, Cassius Vaughn
S: Brian Dawkins (SS), Renaldo Hill (FS) (inj), David Bruton
(SS) (inj), Darcel McBath (FS) (inj), Josh Barrett, Kyle
McCarthy
Detroit Lions
QB: The Lions opened training camp on Saturday and unlike
last year's camp, Matthew Stafford is firmly entrenched as the
Lions' starting QB. It was only the first practice, but Stafford's
confidence, his command of the offense and the respect he has
for and from his teammates was obvious. "Honestly, we held
him back a little last year," Head Coach Jim Schwartz said.
"We didn't have the pieces that we have now. But he was
ready to take on a lot more than we gave him. You saw him
today. He was at the line calling plays, changing plays. That's
real important." The Lions made a move to shore up their
backup QB spot by acquiring veteran Shaun Hill from the
49ers for a seventh-round draft pick. Over the last three
seasons, Hill started 16 games, threw 23 TD passes against 11
interceptions and had a quarterback rating of 87.3. QB Drew
Stanton looked sharp during drills on Saturday. Stanton will
be the Lions' third-string QB this year.
RB: The Lions signed running back and first-round draft pick
Jahvid Best to a five-year contract reportedly worth $9.8
million on Friday. Best made one of those big plays in practice
Sunday morning that made him a highlight-reel favorite of Jim
Schwartz's. In a seven-on-seven drill, Best found himself in
one-on-one coverage against linebacker Vinny Ciurciu and
took off. Stafford hit Best, who would have gone into the end
zone untouched. "We knew that was part of his skill set,"
Schwartz said. "We knew that was part of what he brought to
the table. He's done nothing to dispel that right now." After
suffering a serious knee injury last December and undergoing
surgery, it was thought that Kevin Smith would begin camp on
the PUP list. Smith, however, was cleared to play and
practiced Saturday. "I didn't have any doubts, but I didn't
worry about it because it wasn't my decision," said Smith.
Veteran RB Maurice Morris returns and will be in the mix for
playing time at RB. Second-year RB Aaron Brown likely will
have to win a job on kick returns to earn a roster spot.
WR: Calvin Johnson returns for his fourth season and says he
feels much more comfortable than he did last year. “This is
my fourth camp. Definitely everything is a lot slower to me.
Since I know the whole offense, everything’s a lot easier – I
know what to do on every play. I’m not thinking about
everything, I’m playing fast." Veteran Nate Burleson signed a
five-year contract in the offseason and will start opposite
Johnson. During practice on Saturday, Burleson used a veteran
move -- a not-so-gentle push-off – to get separation from
cornerback Jonathan Wade and make a touchdown catch on a
bomb down the left sideline. The addition of Burleson will
move last year's starting WR, Bryant Johnson, into the slot.
Dennis Northcutt and Derrick Williams are battling for
playing time in four WR sets. Seventh-round draft pick Tim
Toone will likely have to win a job as a kick returner to make
the final roster.
TE: Brandon Pettigrew was taken off the PUP list and took
part in drills, from individuals to seven-on-seven, but didn't
participate in the team drills. During those periods, Pettigrew
did some conditioning on the sideline. "I did everything today
up until the team period. For the most part, I feel good,''
Pettigrew said. The Lions acquired Tony Scheffler in an
offseason trade and he is expected to be a big part of the
passing game. Scheffler, who has scored 14 touchdowns in his
career, has averaged 13.7 yards per catch during his career (28
starts). Will Heller began camp on the PUP list. His injury is
not serious and Schwartz expects him to return soon.
Defense: First-round draft pick Ndamukong Suh missed his
fourth practice Monday morning and Lions coach Jim
Schwartz is starting to grow impatient. "We have six practices
in shoulder pads and six full-padded practices in training camp
and we already finished two shoulder-pad practices," Schwartz
said. "Those are opportunities that, once they are gone, they
are gone forever.” With Suh not in camp, Sammie Lee Hill has
been starting at DT along with Corey Williams. Veteran Kyle
Vanden Bosch brings leadership, toughness, and intensity to
the defense. Defensive line coach Kris Kocurek said, "He's the
toughest player I've ever been around, and his focus is
unbelievable from day to day." Veteran Jared DeVries, who
missed all of last season with a torn Achilles, returns and will
battle Cliff Avril and Jason Hunter for the starting DE spot
opposite Vanden Bosch. LB DeAndre Levy missed the
morning session on Monday with a back injury. Zack Follett
has the inside track on the starting outside linebacker spot
opposite veteran Julian Peterson. Louis Delmas began camp
on the PUP list with a groin injury. With Delmas sidelined,
cornerbacks Chris Houston and Jonathan Wade, safeties C.C.
Brown and Marvin White, and nickel back Eric King were on
the first team during the opening practice. Houston nearly
picked off a pass from Stafford to Calvin Johnson. "When you
have make-up speed, you can sometimes take some gambles
on some things in front," Schwartz said of Houston. "He has
that kind of speed." Veteran Dre Bly and rookie Amari
Spievey will compete for playing time at CB.
Special Teams: No direction is the focus of the Lions’
kicking game in camp. Directional kicking hurt Nick Harris’
punting numbers and Jason Hanson’s kickoff numbers last
year. New special teams coordinator Danny Crossman will
allegedly minimize the directional stuff. As head coach Jim
Schwartz noted, “Jason's always been such a good kickoff
guy. And then we've tweaked our kickoff a little bit; probably
do a little less directional and just let him hammer the ball a
little bit more." To ease the workload in camp, rookie kicker
Aaron Pettrey was signed and is still on the roster. The Lions
had briefly claimed kicker Justin Medlock off waivers, just
long enough to thwart his return to Toronto. Don Muhlbach
remains the long snapper.
Lions Depth Chart
QB: Matthew Stafford, Shaun Hill, Drew Stanton
RB: Jahvid Best, Kevin Smith (inj), Maurice Morris, Aaron
Brown, DeDe Dorsey
FB: Jerome Felton (SD), Jake Nordin, Matt Clapp
WR: Calvin Johnson, Nate Burleson (PR) (inj), Bryant
Johnson, Derrick Williams (KR), Dennis Northcutt
(KR), Brian Clark, Tim Toone (KR/PR), Eric
Fowler,Contrevious Parks, Michael Moore
TE: Brandon Pettigrew, Tony Scheffler, Will Heller, Dan
Gronkowski, Richard Dickson
K: Jason Hanson
DT: Ndamukong Suh, Corey Williams, Sammie Lee
Hill, Andre Fluellen (inj),Landon Cohen, Leger Douzable, Joe
Cohen, Robert Callaway
DE: Kyle Vanden Bosch, Cliff Avril, Jared DeVries, Jason
Hunter, Turk McBride,Willie Young, Chima
Ihekwoaba, Copeland Bryan (IR)
MLB: Deandre Levy (W/M), Vinny Ciurciu
OLB: Julian Peterson (S), Zack Follett (W), Jordon Dizon
(W), Landon Johnson,Caleb Campbell (W), Ashlee
Palmer, Isaiah Ekejiuba, Lee Campbell
CB: Chris Houston, Jonathan Wade, Dre Bly, Amari
Spievey, Dante Wesley, Eric King (inj), DeMarcus
Faggins, Aaron Berry, Jonathan Hefney, Jack Williams
S: Louis Delmas (FS), C.C. Brown (SS), Marquand Manuel
(SS), Marvin White (SS), Ko Simpson (FS), Randy Phillips
Green Bay Packers
QB: The first two days of practice produced plenty of
noteworthy plays for Aaron Rodgers. On Saturday, he hooked
up with a pair of deep passes in team drills as Jordy Nelson
and James Jones each got behind the defense. The pass to
Nelson traveled around 65 yards in the air. Rodgers was also
picked off by Charles Woodson for what would have been a
pick-six. On Sunday, Rodgers squeezed a throw into Donald
Driver on a crossing route with rookie S Morgan Burnett in
tight coverage. Rodgers later beat Pat Lee on a blitz finding
Nelson on a short seam route. Graham Harrell completed a
similar pass to rookie TE Andrew Quarless a little while later.
Rodgers was nearly picked off by Burnett for a second time,
then later he found Jones on a deep ball.
RB: In the first days of practice, Ryan Grant didn’t have much
to work with while Brandon Jackson was impressive in
Sunday’s practice. Jackson didn’t allow a single
quarterback pressure in blitz protection last season. He will
get some competition in camp this year from rookie James
Starks. At least one AFC personnel director thinks that Starks
"could end up being a good hit" for the Packers. "You have
to wait and see how fast he comes back into full stride… He
was one of the true third-down backs in the (draft) class.
Really good hands. He's a good, productive, hard-running
back." Starks began camp on the active/PUP list with a
hamstring injury that has lingered since spring.
WR: In Sunday’s practice, Greg Jennings gave everyone a
brief scare when he appeared slow after taking a shot to the
knee. Donald Driver (knee surgeries) returned to full contact
practice on Saturday for the first time since last season.
"[Both knees] felt fine," Driver said. "I didn't have any
problems cutting today." Jordy Nelson and James Jones
continue to battle for the team’s third receiver spot. Driver sat
out OTAs giving both players extra snaps. Receivers coach,
Jimmy Robinson, was asked about Donald Driver slowing
down: “Common sense tells you eventually it will (catch up to
him).. I’m not sure it has, I’m anxious to see with training
camp. He’s not running around right now, but I think we’re
going to see a new and improved Donald, he’s feeling better
right now than he has in a long time with his knees.”
TE: The early reports out of camp continue to shower
Jermichael Finley with praise. In Sunday’s practice, Finley
was catching everything. He made a couple of moves to get
open that left defenders with broken ankles during one-onones with safeties. Coaches are happy with Finley’s increased
maturity during the offseason. “He’s really taken ownership
of the offense from a knowledge standpoint,” said Ben
McAdoo, the Packers’ tight ends coach. “We’re working on
the fundamentals and the details now, we don’t spend much
time talking about assignments. That’s exciting because when
you have a chance to polish up the way you play the game,
that’s when you really make strides.” Donald Lee, Spencer
Havner and Andrew Quarless will vie for the last roster spot or
two. Quarless will be hard to cut as a fifth-rounder with solid
potential.
Defense: In Saturday’s practice, Morgan Burnett was
opposite Nick Collins at safety with the first team. In the
nickel package, Brandon Chillar and Nick Burnett were the
inside backers. B.J. Raji and Cullen Jenkins were the
defensive tackles and Brandon Underwood the third corner.
Woodson picked Rodgers for a pick-six and rookie Sam
Shields cut in front of WR Chastin West to pick off Matt
Flynn. By all accounts, Burnett appears to be in the driver's
seat at strong safety. Atari Bigby injured his ankle during the
conditioning test on Friday and it will keep him sidelined for
another week or so. Bigby and CB Al Harris (knee) began
camp on the active/PUP list. Harris is a candidate for the
regular season PUP list. LB Clay Matthews was all over the
field in Saturday’s practice pursuing plays away from him
with vigor. LBs coach Kevin Greene called Matthews, "the
most complete outside linebacker that I have seen." Brad
Jones has been annointed as Aaron Kampman’s successor, but
he dropped out of Saturday’s practice early and didn’t practice
on Sunday. He had four sacks in his final three games last
season.Veteran Brady Poppinga worked with the starters in
Jones‘ place.
Special Teams: After missing a fair number of kicks last year,
some fans and media feel that Mason Crosby should have
competition for the kicking job this year; however the
Packers’ coaches do not. Crosby enters camp as the only
kicker on the roster. Brett Goode is the only long snapper on
the roster, although nobody is questioning that. The specialist
competition to watch during August is for the punting job. The
contenders are Chris Bryan, former Australian Rules Football
player, and Tim Masthay, who was in the Colts training camp
last year. In addition to punting, they’re also working on
holding on kicks, which could factor into the final decision.
After OTAs, coach Mike McCarthy noted, "I would say it is
still a dead heat. Frankly, I want to see both Tim and Chris
punt in games…. I definitely like the talent level of both the
punters and we'll definitely go into training camp and let these
guys slug it out."
Packers Depth Chart
QB: Aaron Rodgers, Matt Flynn, Noah Shephard, Graham
Harrell
RB: Ryan Grant, Brandon Jackson (3RB), James Starks
(inj), Kregg Lumpkin
FB: Korey Hall, Quinn Johnson, John Kuhn
WR: Greg Jennings, Donald Driver, James Jones, Jordy
Nelson, Patrick Williams,Brett Swain (inj), Charles Dillon
TE: Jermichael Finley, Donald Lee, Andrew
Quarless, Spencer Havner (TE/LB),Tom Crabtree
K: Mason Crosby
NT: B.J. Raji, Anthony Toribio
DE: Ryan Pickett (UFA-F), Cullen Jenkins, Mike Neal, C.J.
Wilson, Jarius Wynn (inj), Justin Harrell (inj), Ronald
Talley, Johnny Jolly (susp)
ILB: Nick Barnett (inj), A.J. Hawk (M), Brandon Chillar
(M), Desmond Bishop
OLB: Clay Matthews, Brad Jones, Brady Poppinga, Cyril
Obiozor, Robert Francois
CB: Charles Woodson, Tramon Williams, Brandon
Underwood, Pat Lee, Will Blackmon (KR/PR), Sam
Shields, D.J. Clark, Josh Bell, Trevor Ford, Al Harris (inj)
S: Nick Collins (FS), Morgan Burnett (SS), Atari Bigby (SS)
(inj), Jarrett Bush (FS/CB), Charlie Peprah, Khalil
Jones, Derrick Martin (SS)
leading the way so far, while Slaton looks quick and Johnson
has shown a good feel for the zone scheme. It might be a little
while before Tate gets the reps that most expected him to get,
but he has some catching up to do. For his part, Foster isn’t
conceding a thing. “I wasn’t up at 5:30 this offseason for
nothing, so my mentality isn’t, 'This spot is mine,' ” Foster
said. “My mentality is, 'This spot is going to get taken. I am
going to take it.' That’s my mentality and it’s not cocky, I just
put in the work, so I feel like I deserve it.” Kubiak on Foster:
"He is a totally different young man. He's a professional about
what does. It's exciting to see where he could go with this
thing.. (on his progress). He's grown up. He's just a totally
different young man. We're not having to battle Arian for how
he practices or his effort or how he meets or those things.
That's over. It's all about football with him. He's got a chance.
He's got a chance to be a fine player, but I think we're all
excited to see what he's doing right now, including his
teammates." On if he still has confidence in Slaton: "No
doubt, I think he's had as good an offseason as anybody we've
had. He's healthy and focused. You've got to go through that.
When it's time to bounce back, I'm pretty sure he will." On
Sunday, Tate had his best run so far in camp, breaking a tackle
and changing direction for a long run in the morning session.
On another run, he lowered his pads before engaging OLB
Brian Cushing and staying on his feet.
QB: It didn’t take Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson long to
hook up. On the first day of practice, during 11-on-11s with
the first team, they connected for a long touchdown up the
right side of the field as Johnson left a couple of defenders
behind. In the team’s third practice, Schaub found Andre
Davis deep over the middle after he got behind the defense for
the play of the day. Johnson drew some cheers from the crowd
when he caught a pass right in front of the bleachers. All three
QBs – Schaub, Dan Orlovsky and even John David Booty –
threw the ball with good accuracy in the morning practice.
WR: Concern over Andre Johnson holding out of camp was
quashed when he reported to practice with no signs of
unhappiness. Owner Bob McNair showed his support,
indicating that they plan to rework his contract that has five
years left to make him a happy camper. “I’ve always wanted
to be here,” Johnson said. “I’ve never thought about holding
out. I think that me missing the first few days of OTAs got a
little blown out of proportion. I came in. I’m here now. That’s
all that matters.” Kevin Walter is battling Jacoby Jones for the
number two job. Kubiak commented on Jones camp so far:
“He's in better shape than he's ever been. He's battling Kevin
head-to-head every day. It's a great competition. He's played
big for us and we need his consistency. He has a chance to
help this team big-time. We will give him a chance to do that."
In the first days of practice, rookie WR and return specialist
Trindon Holliday struggled as a receiver. The Texans don’t
expect to keep a return specialist, where he has excelled,
prompting Kubiak to say: “We got to have some patience here
and be willing to get him those reps and see how far he comes
from that standpoint. In the NFL you suit 45 (players) and you
got to go do other things. We got to get him better at that spot
as a receiver. He really worked as a running back at LSU more
than anything. So, it’s a whole new world for him and we
knew we were in for that. He’s working hard at it.”
RB: As expected, second-year back Arian Foster opened camp
with the first team, but he will have a fierce competition to
keep the job with a healthy Steve Slaton taking aim along with
rookie Ben Tate, now that his hamstring injury is behind him.
Head Coach Gary Kubiak said that he would split reps “right
down the middle”. Chris Henry and Jeremiah Johnson are also
competing for spots. In Saturday morning’s practice, Foster
got the starter’s reps and looked good. On one run where he
showed good vision and burst to make a cut back, Kubiak
yelled out "good job, Arian.... I like it". Foster is clearly
TE: On Saturday, Kubiak said that Owen Daniels had a
setback in his rehab from ACL surgery. On Sunday, Daniels
confirmed as much before saying that he will be ready in
September. "I think we’re just getting everything right to be
ready for Week 1," he said. "That’s been the plan all along. ...
I’ll be out here running next week; just doing the bike for now
and working back into things. But I feel really good. I feel
really good." Coach Gary Kubiak says he'll, "know a lot more
about Owen in the next two weeks," but added that the
Texans, "will be smart with him." While Joel Dreessen is
Houston Texans
currently listed as the team’s starter with Daniels sidelined;
he’ll compete with James Casey for the job.
Defense: First round pick CB Kareem Jackson was signed just
in time for camp. He opened with the first team after missing
the morning practice, and matched up with Jacoby Jones,
Kevin Walter and Andre Davis. SS Bernard Pollard has
become more vocal in the offseason, and he picked up where
he left off during OTAs getting physical with the blocking
sled. Corner Mark Parson picked off a pair of passes during
11-on-11s. In 1-on-1s with receivers, Glover Quin made a nice
play in coverage against Andre Johnson when he swatted
away a pass. In the third practice, Brice McCain made a nice
play during 7-on-7s, knocking a Dan Orlovsky pass away. LB
Brian Cushing, who will miss four games due to suspension,
ran with the first team at strong-side linebacker. Xavier Adibi
and Danny Clark will help fill the void while he’s suspended.
Mario Williams beat Duane Brown twice during 1-on-1 drills
with inside charges. Later, Williams beat Eric Winston with an
inside/outside move. Winston stuffed Williams the second
time around. DT Amobi Okoye lost 15 pounds before OTAs,
but he put on several pounds of muscle and looked good at the
start of camp.
Special Teams: “They're both fine kickers, and it's going to
be a great competition. One of them is going to kick for us and
the other one is going to be kicking somewhere else. They're
two quality kickers, and we're lucky to have that type of
competition in our camp," said head coach Gary Kubiak of the
competition between veteran kickers incumbent Kris Brown
and challenger Neil Rackers. Less straight forward is the camp
competition for the long snapping job, as it may depend on the
overall roster and the tight end position and Owen Daniels’
status in particular. Jon Weeks is solely a long snapper. The
other two candidates, Joel Dreessen and James Casey, also
play as tight ends. The simplest specialist scenario for the
Texans is at punter. That job belongs to Matt Turk.
Texans Depth Chart
QB: Matt Schaub, Dan Orlovsky, John David Booty
RB: Arian Foster, Steve Slaton (3RB), Ben Tate, Jeremiah
Johnson (inj), Chris Henry
FB: Vonta Leach
WR: Andre Johnson, Kevin Walter, Jacoby Jones, David
Anderson, Andre Davis (KR/PR), Trindon Holliday
(KR/PR), Dorin Dickerson, Glenn Martinez (IR)
TE: Owen Daniels (inj), Joel Dreessen, James Casey, Garrett
Graham, Michael Gaines, Anthony Hill (inj)
K: Kris Brown, Neil Rackers
DT: Amobi Okoye, Shaun Cody (NT), DelJuan
Robinson, Earl Mitchell, Frank Okam (inj)
DE: Mario Williams, Antonio Smith, Connor Barwin, Tim
Bulman, Tim Jamison,Jesse Nading, Pannel Egboh
MLB: DeMeco Ryans
OLB: Brian Cushing (S) (susp), Zac Diles (W) , Xavier Adibi
(S/W), Darryl Sharpton (S), Danny Clark (S), Kevin Bentley
(W), Toddrick Verdell, Darnell Bing
CB: Glover Quin, Jacques Reeves, Kareem Jackson, Brice
McCain, Fred Bennett,Sherrick McManis, Antwaun Molden
(inj), Mark Parson
S: Bernard Pollard (SS), Dominique Barber (FS), Eugene
Wilson (inj), Troy Nolan (inj)
Indianapolis Colts
QB: No news on the Peyton Manning contract front, although
Colts owner Jim Irsay indicated that discussions are ongoing.
"We're working through the timing," Irsay said. "It's not only
keeping Peyton going forward, but being able to surround him
with the right people. We need both." Expect Peyton to be the
highest-paid player in league history when the ink does dry.
The possibility remains that the Colts will allow Peyton to
play out his final year, and then place the franchise tag on him
while they negotiate a long-term deal. Bottom line is that
Peyton is going nowhere. Peyton doesn’t seem to be worried
about it. “It’s not a distraction because I’m under contract,"
Manning said. "It’s one thing if I’m here and didn’t have
(one). I’m under contract though. I’m ready to play football
and I’m excited about this season. So, as I’ve said before, I
have not spoken about a future contract in 12 years. I’ve
always played on the contract I’ve been under and when it’s
time to talk about it, when something is to be signed or
something to be announced, I’ve talked about it. That policy
has served me pretty well for 12 years going on 13 so I think
I’m going to keep that policy. I’m in a frame of mind
physically. I feel good mentally and I’m looking forward to
hopefully having a good 2010.” The Colts will let Curtis
Painter, Tom Brandstater, Tim Hiller and Drew Willy compete
for the backup job now that Jim Sorgi is gone.
RB: Mike Chappell of the Indy Star commented on five key
issues the Colts must resolve in camp. Chief among them is
improving the running game. Last year, the Colts ranked last
in rushing yards per game (80.3) and yards per attempt (3.5).
The team doesn’t necessarily want to run more this year, but
they intend to run more effectively – looking to improve their
average from 3.5 to 4.2 yards per average. Better blocking in
short yardage is one of the key areas for improvement, but
they also hope to get more production out of second year back
Donald Brown. The NFL Network’s Mike Lombardi predicted
that Brown will “take a giant leap” this year. Head Coach Jim
Caldwell praised Brown’s increased knowledge of the offense
during OTAs, but if he wants to supplant Joseph Addai (who
is in a contract year) he’ll need to improve his blitz pickups
and stay healthy. Brown is viewed as the better talent, but
Addai has proven reliable and he is one of the league’s best
near the goal line.
WR: Another big question that fantasy owners are hoping will
clear up in camp is who will start at receiver opposite Reggie
Wayne? Despite speculation that Wayne might hold out,
Wayne indicated via his website that he intended to honor his
contract, and he did just that. "It's raining every day in South
Florida due to hurricane season," Wayne wrote. "So maybe it
is time to play some football. Not much else to talk about at
this point in time. I'm about to go sit by the pool with a glass
of lemonade ... and enjoy my last few days of freedom. Talk to
you soon. GO COLTS!" As for who will start opposite him?
Pierre Garcon finished 2009 in that role, but Anthony
Gonzalez is back and, according to Peyton Manning, ready to
compete. “I had dinner with Gonzo last night and he sounds
really good," Manning said. “We had kind of July off and we
spent a little time down in Tennessee some. Gonzalez and
Collie came down there and worked out with me because he
missed mini-camp. He wanted to get down there and get some
reps. He and I had three really good days of throwing where I
thought he looked good and I thought he looked quick, had a
good burst on all his routes. So his hamstring, I think, that is
fully healed. I know he’s really excited to be here in training
camp and get started with truly kind of a fresh start to the 2010
season. I know the 2009 was frustrating for him. So, I’m
excited for him. There is going to be good healthy competition
at the wide receiver position all across the board. All those
guys are going to make a big impact for our team this year.”
There will be no shortage of competition between Gonzalez,
Garcon and Austin Collie for the team’s first four spots. Even
more encouraging for Gonzalez is that he avoided starting
camp on the active/PUP list. Sam Giguere, undrafted rookie
Blair White, Dudley Guice and Taj Smith are among those
competing for the last roster spot.
TE: Phil Wilson, of the Indy Star, won’t be surprised if rookie
TE Brody Eldridge turns out to be a better pass catcher than
blocker. The team’s fifth round pick was primarily used as a
blocker at Oklahoma, but so far in OTAs has proven to be
capable as a receiver. Eldridge has been described as a “big,
physical player” who appears to have the athletic skills to get
downfield quickly and make himself a target for QB Peyton
Manning.
Defense: The Colts signed LB Pat Angerer to a four year,
$3.14 million contract just before camp began. An All-Big
Ten selection and Iowa’s leading tackler last season, he’ll
begin as Gary Brackett’s backup in the middle instead of
competing with Phillip Wheeler for the strong-side job. Third
round pick Kevin Thomas also signed, but he suffered a knee
injury in May’s minicamp that might force him to miss all of
the 2010 season. The Colts announced the signing of veteran
Deshea Townsend the day before camp opened; he’ll add
depth and compete for one of the top spots at corner and
figures to be one of the top four along with starters Kelvin
Hayden, Jerraud Powers and Jacob Lacey. Top pick Jerry
Hughes was signed, sealed and delivered in time for camp as
he looks forward to working alongside Pro Bowl ends Dwight
Freeney and Robert Mathis. The Colts plan to use him along
with their other two pass rushers in a 3-DE package the
coaches have been working on. Colts President Bill Polian
said, “He has both the ability to rush the passer and he can
also stand up and move around… He gives us a lot of
flexibility to create third-down packages that we have not had
before and would like to have." Safety Bob Sanders opened
camp on the active list, avoiding the PUP.
Special Teams: Word on the street during the spring was that
Adam Vinatieri is fully recovered from the knee and hip
surgeries that shortened his 2009 season. Camp and preseason
will be chance to confirm that. The Colts recently released
rookie kicker Brett Swenson, however they still have a rookie
camp leg on the roster, as they had claimed Garrett Lindholm
off waivers from Atlanta. Pat McAfee enters his second year
as the Colts punter, holder, and kickoff specialist. He recently
commented regarding the latter role, “That's what I've been
working on this offseason, to get more [touchbacks] and hit
the ball better.” Justin Snow enters his second decade as the
Colts long snapper.
Colts Depth Chart
QB: Peyton Manning, Curtis Painter, Tom Brandstater, Tim
Hiller
RB: Joseph Addai, Donald Brown, Mike Hart, Devin
Moore, Javarris James
WR: Reggie Wayne, Pierre Garcon (PR), Austin
Collie, Anthony Gonzalez (inj),Sam Gugiere, Blair
White, Dudley Guice, Taj Smith, Jordan Sisco, Brandon
James
TE: Dallas Clark, Gijon Robinson (inj), Jacob Tamme, Brody
Eldridge, Colin Cloherty
K: Adam Vinatieri, Brett Swenson, Garrett Lindholm
DT: Antonio Johnson, Daniel Muir, Fili Moala, Eric
Foster, Ricardo Mathews, John Gill, Marlon Favorite, Mitch
King
DE: Dwight Freeney, Robert Mathis (inj), Jerry Hughes, Ervin
Baldwin, Keyunta Dawson (DT), Trevor Anderson, J.D.
Skolnitsky, John Chick
MLB: Gary Brackett (W/M), Pat Angerer
OLB: Clint Session (W), Philip Wheeler (S), Ramon
Humber, Kavell Conner, Cody Glenn, Vuna Tuhialamaka
CB: Kelvin Hayden, Jerraud Powers, Jacob Lacey, Deshea
Townsend, Kevin Thomas (inj), Ray Fisher, Terrail
Lambert, Thad Turner, Brandon King, Jordan Hemby, Pete
Ittersagen
S: Bob Sanders (inj), Antoine Bethea (FS), Melvin Bullitt (SS)
(inj), Jamie Silva,David Caldwell, Mike Newton, Donye'
McCleskey
Jacksonville Jaguars
QB: Jaguars owner Wayne Weaver and head coach Jack Del
Rio called out David Garrard during the offseason, demanding
greater dedication if the Jaguars are to improve offensively.
The response from Garrard is just one of the reasons why Vic
Ketchman feels there is a different buzz about the team in
2010. Garrard took the high road and set the tone for all of his
teammates, allowing Del Rio to demand the same of everyone.
“We’re going to get to work and continue what we started in
the spring. I’ve established very clear values I believe in and
it’s imperative our players embrace that,” Del Rio said. "I'm
very thankful that I'm still here and have a chance to redeem
all that," added the humbled Garrard. By all accounts, he had a
great offseason and is no longer squarely on the hotseat
entering camp. In the first few days of camp, none of the
quarterbacks stood out necessarily, but they didn’t look bad
either. Garrard has been his usual self while Luke McCown
had been just behind him. Trevor Harris doesn’t look like a
player ready to contribute.
RB: The Jaguars have two players that could provide much
needed depth and insurance behind starting RB Maurice
Jones-Drew this year. Rashad Jennings graded out very well
as a rookie despite very limited touches. Jennings looked
smooth, fast, big, and showed off his great hands in the first
days of practice. Deji Karim was added in the sixth round of
the draft. Karim stood out at times during OTAs, but he sat out
Friday’s night practice after suffering cramps in the afternoon
between practices. The heat was a factor as a few players had
to take breaks, or even sit out, due to cramps. Garrard was one
of those who went to the sidelines for a few minutes after
cramping. ESPN Insider’s K.C. Joyner speculated about the
decline of Maurice Jones-Drew, noting that he averaged only
3.9 YPA in the team’s last eight games. Jones-Drew is in no
danger of losing touches, but the team has to feel better about
their Plan B with Jennings and Karim competing for the
backup spot
WR: Mike Sims-Walker opens camp in a limited capacity, he
plans to practice once a day and the coaches will be cautious
with him given his checkered history of injuries. "In the past,
I've had a couple of injuries, and they came from two-a-days
in training camp, so I'm just trying to prevent that, but there's
nothing wrong with me. I feel great," Sims-Walker said.
"Training camp takes a toll on your body... It's all running and
grinding, so we're just being smart with it." Also sidelined
with left foot injuries were Jarrett Dillard and TE Zach Miller.
Both rode bikes and opened camp on the team’s active/PUP
list. Dillard has a minor stress fracture; while Miller is
recovering from plantar fasciitis. Free agent addition Kassim
Osgood showed why he never cracked the lineup in San
Diego. A special teams ace, Osgood dropped three passes in
Friday morning’s practice, but later caught a pair of TDs in the
night session. Nate Hughes had a solid day, making a leaping
catch over CB Derek Cox in the early practice, but later he had
a Garrard pass bounce off his foot resulting in a Tyron
Brackenridge interception. Hughes made the team last year
only to be waived after he dropped a fourth-quater TD against
the Cardinals in Week 2. He is looking for redemption and
another shot to make the roster. "I'd give anything for another
shot," he said. Second-year receiver Mike Thomas is primed
to start opposite Sims-Walker after grading out extremely well
as a rookie. Thomas’s impressive metrics as a rookie included
one of the highest catch %s in the league, an indicator of his
good hands. Troy Williamson is back, but so far he’s been
more a non-story as opposed to the standout player that
dominated headlines a year ago before he succumbed to a
season-ending injury in the preseason.
TE: On Sunday, Zach Miller was activated from the team’s
PUP list. Offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter remains "excited
about the role“ Miller can play this year, even though he
was sidelined during OTAs. "We think Zach can be that guy,
we have high hopes for him," Koetter said. The team doesn’t
consider his foot injury to be an issue. He remains a project,
but the speedy, athletic Miller played very well at the end of
the season filling in for Marcedes Lewis by catching eight
passes, including 2 TDs, in the team’s final game. He projects
as a part-time, situational player alongside Lewis, but the team
thinks he could give David Garrard another reliable target
underneath and prove to be a more consistent performer than
Lewis long-term.
Defense: It wouldn’t be a Jack Del Rio training camp without
the Oklahoma Drill. The offensive line performed well in the
drill as tackle Eugene Monroe beat rookie Larry Hart in two
matchups, while there were spirited face-offs throughout the
drill including one between Reggie Nelson and Nate Hughes.
In Friday morning’s practice, Derrick Harvey made a nice
play in team drills to get to David Garrard and knock the ball
out of his hands. The biggest impact was made by free agent
addition DE Aaron Kampmann, who is about 80% coming off
knee surgery in the offseason. Based on his early work, the
Jaguars are in great shape, especially once top pick Tyson
Alualu acclimates himself after missing the first day of
practice working out his rookie contract. The team also
selected the undersized Larry Hart in the draft. Hart made
himself visible by applying consistent pressure on the
quarterback. "I compare myself to Dwight Freeney," Hart said.
"I know I haven’t accomplished anything yet, but he’s what I
compare myself to and I can be that type of player." Corner
Reshean Mathis reported to camp on time after skipping OTAs
hoping for a new contract. "I want to finish my career here,"
Mathis said. "It has never been a secret. ... I still have great
years left. To stay in Jacksonville is what I want long term."
LB Daryl Smith missed Saturday’s practice with a tweaked
hamstring, but was expected to return quickly after resting
briefly.
Special Teams: The early July release of undrafted rookie
punter Robert Malone means the Jaguars enter camp with their
three specialists from last year. Punter Adam Podlesh looks to
build on last year’s direction, “Honestly, I don’t look at gross
punting…. That speaks for what we value in this league;
directional punting and [low] return yards.” Long snapper
Jeremy Cain looks to make a few tackles, “I love it. I have
been doing it since I was a little kid. It comes natural from
being a high school, college and NFL linebacker. I just try to
prove it every time.” Kicker Josh Scobee looks to find his long
stroke after getting some extra offseason coaching, "I can see
the way I am going. I feel good about this season."
Jaguars Depth Chart
QB: David Garrard, Luke McCown
RB: Maurice Jones-Drew (KR), Rashad Jennings, Deji Karim
FB: Montell Owens, Greg Jones (inj), Brock Bolen
WR: Mike Sims-Walker, Mike Thomas (PR), Jarett
Dillard, Troy Williamson,Kassim Osgood, Nate Hughes, John
Matthews, Tiquan Underwood
TE: Marcedes Lewis, Zach Miller, Ernest Wilford, Zach
Potter
K: Josh Scobee
DT: Terrance Knighton, Tyson Alualu, D'Anthony Smith
(inj), Atiyyah Ellison (inj),Walter Curry
DE: Aaron Kampman, Austen Lane, Derrick Harvey
(inj), Larry Hart, Julius Williams (inj), Jeremy Navarre, Bryan
Smith (IR)
MLB: Kirk Morrison, Ted Lehman
OLB: Daryl Smith (S) , Justin Durant (W), Freddy Keiaho
(W/S), Russell Allen (S),Aaron Morgan
CB: Rashean Mathis (inj), Derek Cox, Tyron
Brackenridge, Scott Starks (inj), Scotty McGee, William
Middleton, Don Carey (inj)
S: Reggie Nelson (FS/CB), Gerald Alexander (SS), Sean
Considine (SS) (inj),Anthony Smith (FS), Courtney Greene
Kansas City Chiefs
QB: The biggest non-story of the first day of camp was the
quarterback play. It’s not that Matt Cassel was awful, rather
the Chiefs practiced the Wildcat formation extensively,
utilizing rookie Dexter McCluster along with Thomas Jones,
Jamaal Charles and Kestahn Moore (who all took direct snaps
in the session). On the second day, new offensive coordinator
Charlie Weis sent the offense running after Cassel was
swarmed by defenders before he could get rid of the football.
RB: Jamaal Charles (offseason shoulder surgery) was
medically cleared for camp and was on the practice field
Friday with the second-team offense. Thomas Jones began
camp as the starting tailback, ahead of Charles. While it
might be a psychological ploy by Head Coach Todd Haley to
inspire Charles, Jones looked the part as he always does.
Charles, the team’s MVP last season, sat out most of the
OTAs while recovering from a shoulder scope and the staff
may simply be easing him back into the fold. On Saturday
morning, Charles got his first taste of action when his
offensive teammates came to his rescue after he was lifted,
then slammed to the ground on a play. It marked the camp’s
first brawl as Branden Albert and even QB Matt Cassel rushed
to his defense. Back to Jones, he took most of the first team
snaps looking strong and as quick as ever during 11-on-11
drills. The Chiefs have a pleasant problem on their hands with
Jones and Charles competing for touches in the backfield. The
team expects to run the ball more this year, not to mention the
spectre of the Wildcat with McCluster being an “X” factor out
of the backfield in addition to operating out of the slot. Tim
Castille has the early lead at fullback over Mike Cox, although
the two are rotating on the field depending on the personnel
package.
WR: The standout during the first two days of camp was
clearly Dwayne Bowe, according to Kent Babb. During the
first day of practice, Babb reported that Bowe made several
difficult catches, including a diving catch on a well-covered
route and another catch following an adjustment mid-air
against CB Brandon Flowers in coverage. He picked up where
he left off during Saturday’s two practice sessions making
several more tough catches while running excellent routes.
The only time he incurred the wrath of Haley was after he
ran a crisp route, to get past Brandon Carr to make the catch
and pose for fans. Haley yelled at Bowe to “hustle back” to the
huddle. “It’s carrying over from OTAs and minicamp,”
cornerback Brandon Flowers said of Bowe. “He came in in
OTAs and minicamp and dropped his weight, got in wellconditioned shape. He’s stepping up to a whole other level.
He’s definitely like a No. 1 receiver out there.” That’s a
welcome sign for Bowe. “I’m encouraged with where Dwayne
is right now,” Haley said. “I think he’s clearly ahead of where
he was last year. He’s fighting to be considered one of the
good receivers in the league. I think that’s his goal and his
mind-set.” Chris Chambers turned in another highlight during
Friday’s practice when he behind Brandon Carr to bring in a
perfectly thrown TD pass from Cassel on a deep fly route.
Dexter McCluster continued to be the focus of practice on
Friday and Saturday. One beat writer commented how
difficult it is not to watch McCluster in practice. McCluster’s
playmaking ability is evident. He also proved to be among the
toughest receivers during blocking drills, despite being the
smallest member of the group. He did have a couple drops, but
also took snaps split wide, out of the Wildcat and in the slot.
McCluster was also used on bubble screens and he was seen
fielding punts. The team released David Grimes and signed
Verran Tucker on Saturday morning.
TE: Tony Moeaki performed well in both the rookie and
veteran mini-camps, but he missed action in between with a
minor injury. If he can stay healthy during the preseason, he
could be in line for plenty of playing time. He is competing
with incumbent starter Leonard Pope. Moeaki has the allaround package to be a solid blocker and receiver, but he
struggled with nagging injuries during his collegiate career at
Iowa. Brad Cottam was waived/injured on Thursday leaving
Jake O’Connell and Leroy Banks to compete, although both
players are likely long shots to make the team. O’Connell
dropped a catchable pass on Friday.
Defense: Eric Berry missed the first practice of his football
career, but joined the team later after he signed his monstrous
rookie contract. He was immediately inserted as the team’s
starting strong safety opposite Jon McGraw. He has also
proved to be a model teammate apologizing to his teammates
for being a day late to camp and missing the first practice.
Unlike Dez Bryant, Berry willingly toted his own gear as well
as Dwayne Bowe’s shoulder pads and Maurice Leggett’s
helmet into the locker room following practice. Corner
Brandon Carr made one of the best plays breaking up a deep
pass at the last second in Friday’s practice. Carr was later
beaten by Chris Chambers for a pair of long TDs. Derrick
Johnson and Jovan Belcher ran with the starters at inside
linebacker, instead of Demorrio Williams and Corey Mays, on
Sunday. Veteran safety Jarrad Page remained absent as the
only player on the team not at camp. He still hasn’t signed his
one-year contract offer as a restricted free agent.
Special Teams: The Chiefs do not have any competition at
the specialist spots. The returning starters will spend camp
getting in their reps and honing their synchronization under
the tutelage of special teams coordinator (and kicking guru)
Steve Hoffman. Long snapper Thomas Gafford is back for his
third year. The veteran of the trio, punter and holder Dustin
Colquitt is entering his sixth year. Kicker Ryan Succop is
looking to pick up on the success if his rookie season last year,
"I was blessed with a great year and a great opportunity. I'm
very thankful for that…. I took advantage of it. Now, I've got
to build upon that."
Chiefs Depth Chart
QB: Matt Cassel, Brodie Croyle, Tyler Palko
RB: Jamaal Charles (3RB), Thomas Jones, Jackie Battle
(inj), Javarris Williams,Kestahn Moore
FB: Tim Castille, Mike Cox
WR: Dwayne Bowe, Chris Chambers, Dexter
McCluster, Jerheme Urban, Lance Long, Terrance
Copper, Quinten Lawrence, Verran Tucker
TE: Leonard Pope, Tony Moeaki, Jake O'Connell, Leroy
Banks
K: Ryan Succop
NT: Ron Edwards, Derek Lokey, Shaun Smith
DE: Tyson Jackson, Glenn Dorsey, Alex Magee, Wallace
Gilberry
ILB: Demorrio Williams, Corey Mays, Derrick
Johnson, Jovan Belcher, Justin Cole
OLB: Tamba Hali, Mike Vrabel, Andy Studebaker, David
Herron, Justin Rogers,Pierre Walters
CB: Brandon Flowers, Brandon Carr, Javier Arenas, Travis
Daniels, Donald Washington, Mike Richardson, Maurice
Leggett
S: Eric Berry (SS), Reshard Langford (FS), Jon McGraw
(SS), Jarrad Page (inj),DaJuan Morgan (FS) (inj), Kendrick
Lewis, Ricky Price
Miami Dolphins
QB: The start of training camp was uneventful for new starter
Chad Henne, while Pat White’s absence on the first day
grabbed everyone’s attention. White was excused with a
personal health issue. “We were dealing with some personal
health issues with him that we wanted to get checked out,”
Sparano said in between Saturday’s two-a-day practice.
“We did, we were all satisfied and had him back out on the
field today, so everything’s good and he’s ready to go.” White
got work as a backup to Henne on Saturday, while Sparano
added that White is still practicing as “strictly a quarterback.”
Henne completed 4-of-6 passes in the 7-on-7 drills, although
each of his four completions were checkdowns to running
backs. Sparano noted that Chad Pennington is healthy and will
compete for the backup job along with Tyler Thigpen and
White. At this point, Thigpen is considered the favorite to win
the No. 2 job, at least until Pennington proves that he hasn’t
lost any more juice on his ball. As for Henne, newcomer WR
Brandon Marshall loves what he has seen from him so far this
offseason. “He has a talented arm,'' Marshall said. “Tight
spiral, which makes it easy to catch a pass from him...A
perfect ball.''
RB: The good news continued for the Dolphins as Ronnie
Brown was medically cleared and ready to go on Day One of
camp. Sparano declared Brown (foot) and Brandon Marshall
(offseason hip surgery) "100 percent healthy and ready to
go" on Friday. Also returning from injury, Patrick Cobbs
made a nice one-handed catch from Brown out of the Wildcat
set. The team practiced out of the formation in front of fans on
both of the first two days of practice, a sure sign that Ronnie
Brown is indeed back in the fold. On another play, Cobbs
burned Tim Dobbins on a wheel route for a 70-yard
touchdown.
WR: Brian Hartline opened practice starting opposite Brandon
Marshall in each of the team’s first five practices, before
briefly sitting out with a leg cramp on Sunday. Patrick Turner
made a pair of acrobatic catches on Sunday, but then he
dropped a pass in tight coverage against Vontae Davis. Turner
needs a good camp to make the team as the fifth receiver after
being a game-day inactive regularly as a rookie. Brandon
Marshall ignited the crowd in the first practice of camp by
making a difficult catch around Sean Smith, who was wellpositioned defensively on the play. After the play, Marshall
ran over to Smith, patted him on the back to give him a few
words of encouragement. “He just told me to keep my head
up,'' Smith recalled afterward. “He said, `You'll have your
days, and I'll have mine.' '' Clearly, the day belonged to
Marshall. Moments later, Marshall made an inside move on
Smith on a short route that lead to a wide-open catch. “You
can tell when you've got a really good guy out there who can
just glide,'' Chad Henne said. As for Marshall’s recovery from
hip surgery? “I already forgot about it,'' Marshall joked. Greg
Camarillo and Davone Bess will once again compete with
Hartline for playing time, but barring injury or further trouble,
Hartline appears to have a solid grasp on the job as long as the
team doesn’t return to a rotation utilizing all three players.
TE: Anthony Fasano returns as the team’s starting tight end
looking to improve in both facets of the game. "I need to
improve – in the run game, in the pass blocking game and in
the pass receiving game," Fasano said. "I think I’ll have some
different opportunities this year and I have to make the most
of them, no matter what my role turns out to be in the offense
this year. I have to come through." Fasano goes into the 2010
season playing for a contract, so he won’t be lacking anything
in the motivation department.
Defense: The standout on the defensive side of the ball early
in camp was clearly ILB Karlos Dansby. "I've been really
impressed with what's happening with Dansby," Sparano
gushed. "... To have someone like that, with that kind of range
and that kind of skills has been pretty good out there. Karlos
would be the guy for me." Cameron Wake opened camp as the
starter at right outside linebacker. Wake brings excellent passrush ability and he is among the sleeepers who could emerge
to lead the team in sacks this season. Rookie Koa Misi
reported to camp even bigger than he was on draft day. He
worked as the left outside linebacker with the first team.
Randy Starks has drawn raves from coaches and teammates
after transitioning over to play nose tackle this offseason.
Sparano commented, "In the first two practices he's been in
the backfield several times, so that gives you an idea of his
capabilities." First round pick DL Jared Odrick is ticketed for
DE in the Dolphins‘ 3-4 scheme. He signed a five-year
contract and was on the field on the first day of practice. The
Dolphins hope he can make an immediate impact following
Phillip Merling’s season-ending injury. The Dolphins also
added veteran free agents Marques Douglas and Charles Grant
to fill the void. Another surprise thus far has been converted
DE Ikaika Alama-Francis, who lined up with the second team
at outside linebacker.
Special Teams: How content are the Dolphins with their three
starting specialists? Entering camp, each is the only player at
their position on the roster and thus has no competition –
although that is not uncommon give NFL roster limits and
especially since the demise of the NFL Europa farm teams.
More telling is the fact that all three players received contract
extensions since last year. Back in June, long snapper John
Denney saw three years added to his contract. At the same
time, punter Brandon Fields got a raise for 2010 plus had an
additional two years added. Last week, kicker Dan Carpenter
signed a three-year $6.2 million extension. Money talks.
Dolphins Depth Chart
QB: Chad Henne, Tyler Thigpen, Chad Pennington, Pat White
(WR/RB)
RB: Ronnie Brown, Ricky Williams, Patrick Cobbs, Lex
Hilliard, Kory Sheets,Tristan Davis
FB: Lousaka Polite, Rolly Lumbala
WR: Brandon Marshall, Brian Hartline, Davone Bess
(PR), Greg Camarillo, Patrick Turner, Taurus Johnson, Ryan
Grice-Mullen, Julius Pruitt
TE: Anthony Fasano, Joey Haynos, Kory Sperry, John
Nalbone
K: Dan Carpenter
NT: Randy Starks, Paul Soliai (NT/DE), Montavious
Stanley, Travis Ivey
DE: Kendall Langford, Jared Odrick, Tony
McDaniel, Marques Douglas, Charles Grant, Lionel
Dotson, Ryan Baker, Philip Merling (IR)
ILB: Karlos Dansby (W), Channing Crowder, Tim
Dobbins, Micah Johnson, A.J. Edds (IR)
OLB: Koa Misi (S), Cameron Wake (W), Charlie Anderson
(S), Ikaika Alama-Francis, Erik Walden (S), Quentin
Moses, Chris McCoy, Austin Spitler, J.D. Folsom
CB: Sean Smith, Vontae Davis, Jason Allen (FS/CB), Will
Allen, Nolan Carroll
S: Yeremiah Bell (SS), Chris Clemons (FS), Tyrone Culver
(SS), Reshad Jones (FS), Nate Ness (FS/CB), Jonathon
Amaya (FS)
Minnesota Vikings
QB: The annual Brett Favre saga has begun once again. Most
are under the impression that Favre will be under center when
the games count, but developments this week raise a bit of
doubt as several beat writers have relayed information that
Favre is skeptical about the pace of his recovery. Nevertheless,
Vikings owner Zygi Wilf was confident that Favre will play.
"Right now he’s the starting quarterback of our team. So we’re
in a good position," said Wilf. Added DE Jared Allen, "If I
make it 20 years in, I'm not coming to training camp either.
Brett we'll see you in a couple weeks, baby." After a demotion
to third string, Sage Rosenfels resumed working with the
second team on Friday, but he struggled badly on Saturday
throwing four interceptions, followed by two more on Sunday.
Rookie Chris Carr intercepted three of them. One of the top
plays from Saturday’s practice came when Tarvaris Jackson
found Visanthe Shiancoe down the right seam during 7-on-7s
despite good defensive coverage on the play. Later, safety
Husain Abdullah jumped a route to intercept Jackson on a
play-action bootleg as Jackson slipped but still tried to get rid
of the football. On Saturday, rookie Joe Webb was intercepted
by LB Chad Greenway over the middle on crossing route that
Greenway correctly read.
RB: Expect a big season out of Adrian Peterson following his
fumble plagued postseason and talk of Chris Johnson being
the best RB in the league. Peterson is focused on carrying the
ball high and tight, and also commented that he avoided
watching the NFL Network and ESPN saying that the
fumbling issues don’t bother him. “I’m the only one that can
do something about it. Adrian Peterson. My mind knows it’s
all mental. It’s something that I just have to be more aware of
when I’m out there. People are going to say what they want
say, voice their opinions my whole career. If I’m thinking
about all the negative things then I can’t move forward. I’m
focusing on the positive things." Head coach Brad Childress
confirmed that Peterson will be utilized more on third downs
this season, due partially to Chester Taylor’s departure. On
Saturday, Peterson gave the team a brief moment of concern
as he “tightened up a little bit“ prompting the team to be
cautious. He didn’t take many reps during 11-on-11 or 7-on-7
work, but was on the field and "pushing through" it, according
to Childress. Rookie Toby Gerhart was unceremoniously
welcomed to the league by DT Pat Williams on the first day
of practice. Apparently, coaches forgot to tell Williams it
wasn’t a full contact practice. Gerhart took at least three big
hits from Williams during the drills. “It was a long day,”
Gerhart acknowledged. “[But] as soon as you walk out here,
it’s just football and it’s fun.” Offensive coordinator Darrell
Bevell added, "I didn't know we were hitting that hard yet, but
they might have tried to welcome him a little bit." Williams
added his own spin. "I don't care who it is, man.. This ain't
college no more. They're grown mans out there. [Expletive.]
Paying these college boys like they already played before, so
[expletive], we just show 'em. This is a different breed out
there. This is grown men. It ain't boys no more. But they pay
'em like they done played in the NFL now." Awesome. Darius
Reynaud is making the conversion to RB and competing with
Albert Young and Ryan Moats for the #3 RB job.
WR: Sidney Rice opened camp on the PUP list due to a hip
injury he suffered at some point in the playoffs last season. He
has downplayed it throughout the offseason, but
acknowledged that it had flared up during OTAs. The
common story among coaches and reporters is that there is
"little concern" with his hip and that he will be ready for the
regular season and return to practice soon enough. Rice may
be brought along slowly and return to practice right around the
second preseason game. With Rice sidelined, Percy Harvin
and Bernard Berrian ran with the starting unit while Greg
Lewis filled in as the team’s No. 3. On Saturday, Harvin gave
everyone a scare after he was carted off the field in the
morning practice, but it turned out to be minor. Harvin missed
Sunday’s practice due to a death in the family. He appears to
be a bit thicker as he reported to camp at 205 pounds.
TE: Visanthe Shiancoe will welcome Brett Favre back to
camp after catching a career-high 11 TDs from him in 2009.
Shiancoe doesn’t seem to get much love from the fantasy
community, despite producing 18 TDs in the last two years
combined. As long as Favre is back, Shiancoe is one of the
safer plays for owners that want to load up on WR and RB and
grab a TE later in the draft.
Defense: Perhaps the most impressive story from Vikings
camp was the return of E.J. Henderson to the starting lineup
after breaking his leg in Week 13 of the 2009 season.
Henderson was back on the field less than eight months
following the gruesome injury. "I know it was a bad injury and
I know some of those injuries can be career-ending," defensive
end Jared Allen said. "So to see him back running, to see him
back with a helmet in his hand, to me is awesome. It's
inspiring." Henderson is rotating with Jasper Brinkley on the
first team while he gets back into the groove. CB Cedric
Griffin (torn ACL) began camp on the PUP while Benny Sapp
was carted off the field on Saturday morning with cramps only
to return later. Coach Childress commented that Griffin has,
“done a great job with his rehab” but conceded that the PUP
list is the right thing for him for now. Lito Sheppard is
working with the starters in the meantime and the team is also
having him line up on the left side with plans on using him as
the swing corner once Griffin returns. Antoine Winfield
proclaimed himself fully recovered from the broken foot that
sidelined him in the second half of last year. He looked good
in non-contact drills. Chris Cook, the team’s top pick, worked
with the second and third units at left corner while Sheppard
and Asher Allen earned first team reps. LB Chad Greenway is
off to a fast start in camp.
Special Teams: The Vikings enter training camp with four
specialists on the roster. The question is whether all four, or
just three, will continue into the regular season. Long snapper
Cullen Loeffler and punter Chris Kluwe don’t need to sweat it.
Nor does kicker Ryan Longwell, although he may
begrudgingly have to surrender one of his job duties kickoffs. Free agent addition Rhys Lloyd will have to show
enough during camp and preseason to convince the Vikings to
keep him employed as a kickoff specialist. He recently noted,
"It's time to get back in a rhythm. I'm not coming in and trying
to prove anything in camp by knocking every kick through the
end zone. That's what the games are for. I'm just trying to get
prepared for the games."
Vikings Depth Chart
QB: Brett Favre, Tarvaris Jackson, Joe Webb (WR), Sage
Rosenfels
RB: Adrian Peterson, Toby Gerhart, Albert Young, Darius
Reynaud (PR), Ryan Moats, Ian Johnson
FB: Naufahu Tahi, Jeff Dugan, Ryan D'Imperio
WR: Sidney Rice (inj), Bernard Berrian (PR), Percy Harvin
(KR) (inj), Greg Lewis,Jaymar Johnson (KR), Logan
Payne, Marko Mitchell, Taye Biddle, Marquis Hamilton, Ray
Small
TE: Visanthe Shiancoe, Jim Kleinsasser, Garrett
Mills, Mickey Schuler
K: Ryan Longwell, Rhys Lloyd
DT: Kevin Williams, Pat Williams (NT), Jimmy
Kennedy, Fred Evans (NT), Letroy Guion
DE: Jared Allen, Ray Edwards, Brian Robison, Everson
Griffen, Mike Montgomery,Jayme Mitchell, Cedric McKinley
MLB: E.J. Henderson, Jasper Brinkley, Nathan Triplett
OLB: Chad Greenway (W), Ben Leber (S), Heath Farwell
(S), Kenny Onatolu, Erin Henderson, J Leman (W)
CB: Antoine Winfield, Cedric Griffin (inj), Lito
Sheppard, Asher Allen, Chris Cook,Benny Sapp, Marcus
Sherels, DeAndre Wright
S: Madieu Williams (FS), Tyrell Johnson (SS), Jamarca
Sanford (FS), Eric Frampton (SS), Husain Abdullah
(FS), Terrell Skinner, Colt Anderson
New England Patriots
QB: Similar to Peyton Manning, Tom Brady reported to camp
downplaying stories about his contractual situation. Patriots
owner Robert Kraft acknowledged that Brady “isn't going
anywhere” despite both sides reporting no progress on a longterm deal. "He's going to be here," Kraft said Thursday. "I
love the guy. We're so lucky to have him. I have an emotional
attachment because I remember him coming in as the fourth
quarterback, being a skinny beanpole of a kid." For his part,
Brady hit the practice field and quickly picked up where he
left off. The play of the day on the first day of practice came
when Brady hit Moss on a fake end-around for huge gain.
Brady’s pass was slightly off target, but Moss adjusted to
make a fingertip catch before tiptoeing out of bounds inside
the 5-yard line. During red zone work, Brady had some
difficulties. He found Moss, as well as rookie tight end Rob
Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez for touchdowns, both
coming against Patrick Chung in coverage. As for the
downside, Brady was picked off by Gary Guyton for what
would’ve been a 100-yard pick-six. In the same practice,
Brady lobbed a pretty pass to Moss, who beat rookie Devin
McCourty to the back of the end zone for a touchdown.
RB: On the first day of practice, the defense fared better than
the offense in goal line drills. Pierre Woods made a couple of
nice hits, taking down Laurence Maroney on one play, while
Vince Wilfork also made a nice stop. Sammy Morris got
plenty of snaps and he was also stopped a few times short of
the goal line during the session. Fred Taylor lost a fumble
during team drills, resulting in a penalty lap for the veteran
back. During 7-on-7s on Friday, Maroney had a perfectly
thrown pass bounce off his chest, but he was bailed out as
Aaron Herndandez adjusted quickly to snatch the ball despite
it being slightly behind him. Taylor dropped a pass in the
morning session and hasn’t had the best start to camp overall.
WR: Randy Moss got off to a quick start making several nice
plays and participating fully in the two-a-day practices.
Meanwhile, Wes Welker was activated from the PUP list and
he took part in Sunday’s practice, although he didn’t
participate in full contact drills. "It felt good to be out there
with teammates and do some things," said Welker, while
adding that he is not yet 100 percent. While Welker is
practicing, don’t expect him to play in the preseason perhaps
until the third game. The Patriots have some competition
forming between Brandon Tate, Torry Holt, Julian Edelman
and rookie Taylor Price. Bill Belichick confirmed glowing
reports of Brandon Tate’s progress during the offseason
stating that he is "way, way ahead of where it was last year."
The team hopes he’ll continue to improve and seize the team’s
No. 3 job. On Saturday, Tate made the play of the day,
leaping over cornerback Leigh Bodden to catch a sideline pass
that appeared well out of bounds. Tate also made a great catch
early in Thursday’s practice falling to the ground while
securing the football inside the pylon for a touchdown. Albert
Breer, of the Boston Globe, reported that Price was "really
jump(ing) off the page" early in camp. "He's consistent
catching the ball away from his body, looks fluid in routes,
and is always in control," wrote Breer. "Doing it in practice is
a big difference from doing it in a game for a rookie receiver,
but this kid's potential is obvious." Torry Holt got off to a slow
start after fumbling in one afternoon practice and dropping a
pass earlier in the day. Holt is likely competing with Price for
what could be the final roster spot. Edelman and Tate are
considered “sure bets” making Holt a possible camp body
similar to Joey Galloway last year. Edelman got the best of
Patrick Chung on a couple of plays over the weekend. Lastly,
veteran David Patten announced his retirement on Saturday.
TE: The team‘s rookies, Rob Gronkowski and Aaron
Hernandez, were able to showcase their talents early in camp.
They each caught TD passes from Brady in red zone drills.
Hernandez went up over Patrick Chung on a flat route for his
TD, while Gronkowski used his big body near the pylon to
reel in his score. Both players appear to have talent for
working in tight areas, which should prove to be a boost for
the Patriots who struggled at times in the red zone last year.
Hernandez was seen lining up all over the field and he
continues to look the part with his impressive athleticism. He
understands how to setup defenders and make plays on the
ball while in the air. He was also described as smooth for a big
guy and most insiders expect Hernandez to have a role in the
offense even as a rookie. Veteran Alge Crumpler has proven
to be the consummate professional as well.
Defense: DE/OLB Derrick Burgress was placed on the
reserve/did not report list with an unexpected absence as
training camp opened. "Derrick wasn't here yesterday and we
expect him to be here," Belichick said. "I'm not sure exactly
that I know all the information that I need to know ... We'll
just take that day by day." The Patriots are counting on his
return considering the questions they have regarding their pass
rush. Rookie LB Brandon Spikes has been getting plenty of
prime time reps and has been getting the calls from the
sidelines and relaying them to his teammates. The Patriots
have big plans for him. 2009 third-round pick Tyrone
McKenzie is back and competing for action at inside
linebacker as well. He made a big hit on Maroney on Friday
morning to establish his presence. “That was just one play.
You have to be consistent on what you do every day. So that’s
all I’m trying to do right now,” McKenzie said. Brandon
Meriweather and Patrick Chung took the early snaps at safety
with the first team. Vince Wilfork got some looks at defensive
end while Gerard Warren manned the nose and second-year
DL Myron Pryor stood out during goal line drills when he shot
into the backfield to snuff Sammy Morris five yards shy of the
goal line. Elsewhere, the team finally severed ties with OLB
Shawn Crable as camp got underway.
Special Teams: The only specialist competition for the
Patriots ended when they released Aussie punter David King.
But that doesn’t mean there won’t be a fair amount of
attention on their new rookie punter, fifth round draft pick
Zoltan Mesko, during training camp. He commented on his
initial focus, "First year, I'm going to keep quiet to myself. I'm
sure I'll be able to develop some relationships with the players
and if they need anything, I'll be (there to) help. But as a
punter and a first-year player, a rookie, I'm going to have to
lead through my actions and how much time I spend at the
building and how much work I put in. That's basically my
first-year goal of being with the Patriots' organization." While
the media focuses on Mesko in August, kicker Stephen
Gostkowski and long snapper Jake Ingram can go about their
usual business.
Patriots Depth Chart
QB: Tom Brady, Brian Hoyer, Zach Robinson
RB: Laurence Maroney, Fred Taylor, Sammy Morris, Kevin
Faulk (3RB), BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Pat Paschall, Chris
Taylor
WR: Randy Moss, Wesley Welker (inj), Brandon Tate, Julian
Edelman, Taylor Price, Torry Holt, Sam Aiken, Matt Slater
(KR), Darnell Jenkins
TE: Alge Crumpler, Aaron Hernandez, Rob Gronkowski, Rob
Myers
K: Stephen Gostkowski
DT: Vince Wilfork (NT), Myron Pryor, Ron Brace
(DE/NT), Adrian Grady, Kade Weston
DE: Ty Warren (DT), Mike Wright, Damione Lewis, Gerard
Warren, Brandon Deaderick, Darryl Richard, Rob Ninkovich
MLB: Jerod Mayo (M), Gary Guyton (W/M), Brandon
Spikes, Eric Alexander, Tyrone McKenzie (inj)
OLB: Tully Banta-Cain, Derrick Burgess (DE), Jermaine
Cunningham, Pierre Woods, Marques Murrell
CB: Leigh Bodden, Devin McCourty, Darius Butler, Jonathan
Wilhite, Terrence Wheatley, Kyle Arrington
S: Brandon Meriweather (FS), Patrick Chung (SS), Brandon
McGowan (SS),James Sanders (SS), Bret Lockett (inj)
New Orleans Saints
QB: Drew Brees picked up right where he left off spurring
some to wonder if he can possibly improve upon his
remarkable performance from last season. Noting that Brees
worked with several players who were banged up (Reggie
Bush, Lance Moore, Jeremy Shockey and Marques Colston), it
remains an intriguing notion for the Pro Bowl quarterback as
those players enter training camp this year healthy, with the
exception of Colston, who began camp on the PUP along with
Robert Meachem. Patrick Ramsey was signed to replace Mark
Brunell as the backup. He’ll compete with Sean Canfield and
Chase Daniel to be the insurance policy for Brees. In Saturday
afternoon’s practice Brees turned in the first big play for the
first-team offense when he scrambled and found Devery
Henderson for a long touchdown behind corner Jabari Greer.
In the afternoon session, Daniel was intercepted by safety
Chris Reis and Danny Gorrer intercepted a tipped pass from
Sean Canfield in the morning. In passing drills, Ramsey had
back-to-back passes dropped by receivers; the first one by
Courtney Roby and the second one by Montez Billings.
RB: Pierre Thomas reported to camp and was practicing while
holding out hope for a long-term contract. Both sides appear to
be on the same page and continue to work to find middle
ground for a long-term deal. One of the players to watch in
camp is Lynell Hamilton. At 235 pounds, Hamilton has the
size and power to slide into the role created by free agent
Mike Bell’s departure. Hamilton got into the groove early by
running over safety Chip Vaughn in one of the afternoon
workouts. Reggie Bush reported to camp as healthy as he has
been since his rookie season. In Saturday afternoon’s practice,
Bush looked as fast as ever running upfield with burst, power
and determination during team drills. Also in the mix, P.J. Hill
is back after the Eagles plucked him off their practice squad
last season. He had a productive session on Saturday morning
ripping off two long runs.
WR: The star of the first few days of camp was clearly Lance
Moore. Marques Colston (knee) and Robert Meachem (toe)
began camp on the active/PUP list giving ample opportunity to
Moore, Devery Henderson and the team‘s other receivers.
Henderson didn’t look like he was 100% in Saturday
morning’s practice after having offseason sports hernia
surgery, but he had no problems in the afternoon. "I don't
know that he's quite 100 percent yet," said Payton "But he's
doing well." Meanwhile, Moore made numerous big plays,
running sharp routes and showing off his great hands. In
Friday morning’s practice, Moore snared a high pass and took
a hit from safety Malcolm Jenkins, but held on and flipped
over before hitting the ground while hanging on for the catch.
Courtney Roby and Rod Harper also had their moments and
caught the eye of the coaches. Moore talked about Colston and
Meachem, comparing them to his own recovery from injuries
a year ago. "I was in the same situation as last year, being on
PUP early and not getting the full reps," Moore said. "Guys
just have to step up and make plays. Younger guys have to
come in and show that they're worth being here."
TE: Jeremy Shockey reported to camp seemingly in great
shape, but he was already sidelined by Sunday with a sore
knee. "Nothing serious," HC Sean Payton said. "He had it
looked at. We'll just get him some treatment and get him back
as soon as possible." His absence will continue to open the
door for rookie Jimmy Graham, who has the team buzzing
from his performance during OTAs. Considered a
developmental project after switching to football from
basketball during his final year at the University of Miami,
Graham has been one of the team’s biggest surprises.
Graham has picked up things much faster than anyone
anticipated prompting some to believe he may play a bigger
role quicker than expected. In particular, Graham looks like
someone that could contribute in the red zone. For his part,
Graham is trying to lay low, especially after David Thomas
told him that he’d have to buy him a meal every time his name
comes up in the media. That might be a problem if he
continues to make plays in practice. Graham made a dazzling,
one-handed catch from Drew Brees in Friday’s afternoon
session. "I guess I got lucky. Hopefully I can do that in a big
game," said Graham. "I definitely think I can (make plays like
that). I think that's why they brought me here." It hasn’t all
been glossy for Graham though, he also dropped two balls in
Saturday morning’s practice.
Defense: Joining Colston and Meachem on then active/PUP
list is veteran safety Darren Sharper (knee) and LB Clint
Ingram (knee). Ingram has been a disappointment so far after
signing as a free agent to help fill the void created by Scott
Fujita’s departure. The team will employ a committee
approach as Ingram, Jo-Lonn Dunbar and Troy Evans are all
expected to compete for playing time at the strong-side backer
spot. Patrick Robinson, the 32nd overall pick, was signed in
time for camp and he didn’t waste any time. In Friday’s
morning practice, Robinson broke up a pair of passes during
7-on-7s shortly after taking the field. "It made me feel good,"
Robinson said. "I was trying to stay as calm as I could, and
that was pretty much it, stay as calm as I could and be focused.
Just being there is not enough. I think I have to make plays
and start getting on the field more." Another player making an
impression early in camp is undersized, undrafted rookie DE
Junior Galette. He might be able to push veteran Bobby
McCray, who underwhelmed last year with only 1.5 sacks. For
now, McCray is running with the first team, but most expect
Alex Brown to emerge as the two will likely form a time-share
opposite Will Smith.
Special Teams: Two of last year’s playoff heroes are secure
in their specialist roles as the Saints enter training camp.
Garrett Hartley will handle the placekicking while Thomas
Morstead will again handle the punting and kickoffs. Morstead
could also add another task – as holder on placekicks,
replacing the departed Mark Brunell. Others being tried in that
role during camp are back up quarterbacks Patrick Ramsey
and Chase Daniel along with wide receiver Lance Moore. It
looked like there would be a competition to watch during
preseason at long snapper; however rookie challenger Clint
Gresham from TCU was released at the end of July.
Incumbent Jason Kyle remains the only snapper on the roster.
Saints Depth Chart
QB: Drew Brees, Patrick Ramsey, Chase Daniel, Sean
Canfield
RB: Pierre Thomas, Reggie Bush (3RB), Lynell
Hamilton, P.J. Hill
FB: Heath Evans, Zak Keasey, Marcus Mailei (inj)
WR: Marques Colston, Devery Henderson, Lance Moore
(PR), Robert Meachem (inj), Courtney Roby (KR), Adrian
Arrington, Rod Harper (inj), Larry Beavers, Matt Simon
TE: Jeremy Shockey, David Thomas, Jimmy Graham, Tory
Humphrey, Tyler Lorenzen
K: Garrett Hartley
DT: Sedrick Ellis, Remi Ayodele, Anthony Hargrove
(DT), DeMario Pressley, Al Woods
DE: Will Smith, Alex Brown, Bobby McCray, Jimmy
Wilkerson, Jeff Charleston,Junior Galette
MLB: Jonathan Vilma, Jonathan Cassilas, Stanley Arnoux
OLB: Scott Shanle (W), Jo-Lonn Dunbar (S), Troy
Evans (W/S), Clint Ingram (S),Anthony Waters, Marvin
Mitchell (W)
CB: Jabari Greer, Tracy Porter, Patrick Robinson, Randall
Gay, Leigh Torrence,Danny Gorrer, Reggie Jones, Greg
Fassitt, Rafael Priest
S: Malcolm Jenkins (CB/FS), Roman Harper (SS), Darren
Sharper (FS) (inj),Usama Young (FS/CB), Pierson Prioleau
(SS), Chris Reis (SS), Chip Vaughn
New York Giants
QB: The Giants didn’t start camp until August 1st so there
aren’t a ton of practice details to review just yet. Manning has
looked fine in early practices, mainly working on timing with
his receiving corps. The highlight of his first few days was a
gorgeous deep vertical throw to Steve Smith; unfortunately
Smith dropped the perfectly thrown ball. Manning was
intercepted by Corey Webster during 11-on-11 drills Monday,
on a pass intended for Mario Manningham. Jim Sorgi ran the
2nd team as expected and Rhett Bomar took quite a few snaps
with the 3rd stringers.
RB: A lot of fantasy owners are prepared for Ahmad
Bradshaw to overtake Brandon Jacobs this year, but the first
few days of camp don’t necessarily paint that picture. Coach
Coughlin needs to see more from Bradshaw, “He made some
nice cuts and nice runs this morning. He caught the ball in the
individual drill. I'd like to see first he have confidence in
himself, what he can and can't do. I want to see him extend
that and fight his way through some of the tough days and
continue out here with his teammates without having to take a
step back. If you thought you could utilize Ahmad to the full
extent, he's a guy who has run kickoffs back and has run punts
back. He obviously is an outstanding runner in his own right
and used in with a combination with Brandon and some of the
other guys that we've got. You see how Danny (Ware) looks
just to keep some of those guys on the field. I think that with
Ahmad it's just practice, practice, and stay out there and prove
to everyone, himself included.”
WR: Hakeem Nicks has the opportunity to overtake Steve
Smith as the Giants top pass catcher, but he’ll have to stay
healthy to accomplish the task. Last year he played on a
broken toe and many expect that problem to be in the rearview
window. Unfortunately, Nicks is still bothered a bit by the toe,
and the Giants are only going to practice him once a day for
precautionary reasons. As long as Nicks looks dominant in his
once-a-day workouts, there’s no cause for concern. But if this
precaution turns into something more, the upside projections
so many of us are banking on may need to be tempered. The
other Giants receivers have had unassuming starts to camp, as
Steve Smith lined up as a starter as expected, and then Mario
Manningham, Sinorice Moss and Ramses Barden saw the
most snaps with the backups.
TE: Kevin Boss was given the option to skip the team’s
conditioning test on Sunday because of his sore ankle, but he
opted to participate. He passed and was a full practice
participant on Day One. He skipped the Monday (August 2 nd)
session as the Giants plan on holding him to once-a-day
sessions for now. Travis Beckum got off to a rocky start
mishandling a few passes, but it’s very early to draw any kind
of conclusions. Bear Pascoe has stood out in the early going,
looking very comfortable running routes.
Defense: New DC Perry Fewell is a massively different
presence than Bill Sheridan, the man he replaced. Fewell is
energetic and vocal, both when praising and damning his
players. HC Tom Coughlin welcomes the change. “It is
inspirational and they do know what's coming. I think it's a
good thing. I've always been in favor of that over anything
else. I don't care, even if you're wrong, if you're yelling and
screaming, it creates something for you. They respond to it,
they've been, and they do a nice of job it.” The most important
news is that, save for S Kenny Phillips, the team appears
healthy entering camp. Freshly signed FA Keith Bulluck will
be transitioning from OLB in Tennessee to the middle, but his
coaches think he’ll make the transition seamlessly. CB Corey
Webster made the play of the weekend, jumping in front of
Manningham for a one-handed interception of an Eli Manning
pass. S Antrel Rolle is already establishing himself as a vocal
leader on defense; a welcome addition to a unit that seemed to
lack accountability at times last year. Clint Sintim appears
ready to settle into his new starting role on the strong side.
Special Teams: Back in July, the Giants released Australian
Jy Bond. That ended the punting competition and left Matt
Dodge, the seventh round draft pick out of East Carolina, as
the replacement for retired Jeff Feagles. Dodge will also serve
as the holder on placekicks for Lawrence Tynes, who in turn
also handle kickoffs. The third of the Giants specialists, long
snapper Zac DeOssie, commented regarding his goals for
camp and this year, “Me personally, as a long snapper, just
consistent short snaps and consistent play. That’s all it is,
repetitions. It’s a mental game. You kind of find your grove by
the end of training camp then you try and stay in that groove
for the next 17 weeks, which is pretty tough. If you have a bad
snap you forget about it.”
Giants Depth Chart
QB: Eli Manning, Jim Sorgi, Rhett Bomar
RB: Brandon Jacobs, Ahmad Bradshaw (KR/3RB), Danny
Ware, Andre Brown,Gartrell Johnson
FB: Madison Hedgecock
WR: Hakeem Nicks (inj), Steve Smith, Mario
Manningham, Ramses Barden,Sinorice Moss, Derek
Hagan, Duke Calhoun
TE: Kevin Boss, Travis Beckum (HB), Bear Pascoe, Scott
Chandler, Jake Ballard
K: Lawrence Tynes
DT: Barry Cofield (NT), Chris Canty, Jay Alford (inj), Rocky
Bernard, Linval Joseph,Dwayne Hendricks
DE: Justin Tuck, Mathias Kiwanuka, Osi Umenyiora, Jason
Pierre-Paul, Dave Tollefson, Tommie Hill
MLB: Jonathan Goff, Keith Bulluck (inj), Phillip Dillard
OLB: Michael Boley (W), Clint Sintim (S), Chase Blackburn
(M/W), Bryan Kehl (W) (inj), Gerris Wilkinson (inj), Zack
DeOssie, Adrian Tracy, Alex Hall
CB: Corey Webster (inj), Aaron Ross, Terrell Thomas, Bruce
Johnson, Courtney Brown, D.J. Johnson
S: Antrel Rolle (FS), Kenny Phillips (SS) (inj), Deon Grant
(SS), Michael Johnson (SS), Sha'reff Rashad, Chad Jones (IR)
New York Jets
QB: The Jets signed veteran Mark Brunell to backup Mark
Sanchez leaving Kellen Clemens possibly on the outside
looking in. Clemens may ultimately stick as the team’s third
quarterback. Erik Ainge was placed on the reserve nonfootball list with an undisclosed illness and won’t count
against the team’s 80-man roster. Clemens (calf) opened camp
on the PUP giving Kevin O’Connell an opportunity to get
some extra snaps behind Sanchez and Brunell. In other news,
check out thejetsblog.com’s photo of Tom Brady and Justin
Beiber. The Jets camp promises to be entertaining with the
HBO cameras on site filming “Hard Knocks” and, as Head
Coach Rex Ryan joked, the only place where the cameras will
be off-limits is his shower. While there wasn’t a lot of news
regarding Sanchez in the opening days of camp, the Jets
moved to secure their team’s leadership for the near future by
extending the contracts of both GM Mike Tannenbaum and
Ryan through 2014.
RB: In Sunday’s morning practice, Shonn Greene set the tone
with his trademark physical running. “He runs hard, he takes
that extra hit sometimes,” Ryan said. “I talked to [RBs coach]
Anthony Lynn about if we can put big pads on him, can he
look like Leroy Selmon out there all padded up. But his
running style has to be that. That’s what makes Shonn an
unbelievable back.” Ryan also mentioned rookie FB John
Conner for some pad-popping hits. “He was just blasting guys.
He took the wind out of three linebackers. I don’t think I’ve
ever seen that.” Rookie Joe McKnight was on the receiving
end of a big hit from S James Ihedigbo. As for McKnight, he
initially failed his conditioning run on the opening day of
camp, only to return on Sunday and pass it. McKnight was
then activated from the PUP, but he has some work to do if he
has any designs of pushing LaDainian Tomlinson for snaps on
passing downs. On Monday, Tomlinson and Greene split reps
with the first team and Tomlinson promptly fumbled during 9on-9 drills. Veterans Chauncey Washington and Danny
Woodhead are also in the mix and hoping to earn a roster spot.
Veteran Tony Richardson returns for his 17th season
competing with Conner and veteran Jason Davis at fullback.
WR: The signing of veteran Laveranues Coles, oddly enough,
was the big news as camp opened. With Santonio Holmes
facing a four-game suspension to open the season, Coles will
be counted on to help fill the void at the team’s number three
receiver spot. If nothing else, Coles will compete with Brad
Smith and David Clowney and retire as a Jet when all is said
and done. Holmes was not in attendance as camp opened. He
has been excused until August 4th while he attends to a family
matter. His son recently had surgery in Atlanta and has sicklecell anemia. Jerricho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards will open
the season as the team’s starters. On Monday, David Clowney
got off to a tough start with a pair of drops, including a
short pass from Sanchez that drew criticism from offensive
coordinator Brian Schottenheimer. He came back later to
make a nice catch with Antonio Cromartie in tight coverage.
TE: Dustin Keller expects to play a pivotal role in the offense
this season, particularly in the red zone. Rex Ryan has
already predicted the tight end will score more
touchdowns. Veteran Ben Hartsock returns to contribute
primarily as a blocker while Matthew Mulligan has shown
potential in the same area.
Defense: The story that dominated the Jets training camp so
far is the absence of standout corner Darrelle Revis. Revis
decided to make good on his training camp holdout. "We
waited until last possible minute with hope of getting
something done. Darrelle won't be there." Meanwhile CB Kyle
Wilson, the Jets 29th pick in the draft, was signed and ready
for practice as camp began. Wilson and Dwight Lowery
rotated in with the first team with Revis out. DT Kris Jenkins
opened camp on the PUP list, despite losing 20 pounds while
following a “cookie diet”. The team signed S Emmanuel Cook
and cut LB Ezra Butler.
Special Teams: There is something to watch at each of the
Jets’ specialist positions during camp. Although Nick Folk is
the only kicker on the roster, he’s competing against the ghost
of his 2009 season in Dallas. He’ll need to prove that last
year’s hip surgery is no longer hindering his game. He
commented earlier, "Yeah, I have to prove myself again. But
that’s something I enjoy. I don’t have any problem doing that.
Mentally, I’m just as confident as I was my rookie year."
Veteran punter and holder Steve Weatherford will face live
competition in T.J. Conley, who was one of numerous punters
in the Jets’ camp last summer. Veteran long snapper James
Dearth is gone, setting up a competition between two younger
inexperienced players: Tanner Purdum and Matthew Mulligan
who also plays at tight end.
Jets Depth Chart
QB: Mark Sanchez, Mark Brunell, Kellen Clemens, Erik
Ainge, Kevin O'Connell
RB: Shonn Greene, LaDainian Tomlinson (3RB), Joe
McKnight, Danny Woodhead, Chauncey Washington
FB: Tony Richardson, John Conner
WR: Jerricho Cotchery, Braylon Edwards, Santonio Holmes
(susp), Laveranues Coles, David Clowney, Brad
Smith, Aundrae Allison
TE: Dustin Keller, Ben Hartsock, Jeff Cumberland
K: Nick Folk
NT: Kris Jenkins, Sione Pouha
DE: Shaun Ellis, Mike Devito, Vernon Gholston, Ropati
Pitoitua
ILB: David Harris, Bart Scott, Lance Laury, Brashton Satele
OLB: Calvin Pace, Bryan Thomas, Jason Taylor, Jamaal
Westerman, Kenwin Cummings, Cory Reamer
CB: Darrelle Revis (PR), Antonio Cromartie, Kyle
Wilson, Dwight Lowery, Drew Coleman, Marquice
Cole, Donovan Warren
S: Jim Leonhard (SS), Brodney Pool (FS), Eric Smith
(SS/FS), James Ihedigbo (FS/CB), Emmanuel Cook
Oakland Raiders
QB: As camp got underway on Wednesday, Head Coach Tom
Cable confirmed the obvious – Jason Campbell will be the
team’s starting quarterbback this season. Cable offered praise
for Campbell’s "leadership and professionalism" noting that
the team has responded. Bruce Gradkowski will likely backup
Campbell, although Charlie Frye and Kyle Boller are also in
the mix for that spot. After finishing last year as the team’s
starting QB, Gradkowski responded with a positive attitude
towards his new role. "You could take it two ways," he said. "I
feel like I would be the best backup, but I also feel like I'd be
the best starter. You have that confidence, and, whatever my
role is, I know I'm going to be ready to play. We did it last
year, and I'm going to do it again."
RB: Cable was quoted earlier in the offseason as saying he
wanted one of his two backs to emerge as a starter. However,
as camp opened, he changed his tune a little saying he thinks
that Michael Bush and Darren McFadden will have a great
battle in camp, but that they could end up splitting carries.
Given their complementary skills, Bush may end up being the
primary runner with McFadden getting the bulk of the thirddown work as the better receiver of the two. For his part,
McFadden is eager to put his nagging injuries behind him and
produce. “I want to show people I can go out there and run the
ball,“ McFadden said Sunday. “I know I haven’t had the type
of season I wanted to have the last couple of years, but I want
to go out there and show people I can run the ball and it’s not
just a lot of hype.“ Often described as going down too easily,
Cable offered a slightly different opinion. “It’s not that he
goes down too easily, he’s just been hurt too often.“
McFadden agreed, “That’s one of the main things that’s hurt
me, being injured, you know if you’re injured you’re not even
going to be able to get a chance to show what you can do. I’m
going to do my best to stay healthy out there.“
WR: The offseason reports on Darrius Heyward-Bey are
promising. He reported to camp bigger, stronger and ready to
take a big step forward in his second season. Chaz Schilens,
expected to be the team’s #1 receiver, continues to be in the
same place he found himself for much of last year – the
trainer’s room. He had X-rays on his left foot and missed both
practices Friday after leaving Thursday’s afternoon practice
with soreness in the same foot that required two surgeries to
repair a broken fifth metatarsal bone. "There's no damage,
anything like that," Cable said. "It's sore. We're going to have
to work with him to find out what his workload is, what he can
and can't do. We're going to have to deal with it, probably
from here on out." Most likely, Schilens will be limited to one
practice per day until he is past the soreness. Cable reiterated
his confidence that Schilens will make a full recovery and that
the team continues to envision him as their No. 1 receiver. As
for DHB, he had a good start to camp and has caught nearly
every pass thrown his way; which has earned him praise from
teammates and coaches for his improvement. Campbell
connected with DHB on a few nice passes in one practice. He
ran a stop route, caught the ball then had a physical run after
the catch, while catching a fade in the right corner inside the
5-yard line on another. He used a subtle push off to gain
separation and make a catch on another play. Louis Murphy
suffered a concussion in Friday’s afternoon practice. He was
still sidelined on Sunday allowing rookie Jacoby Ford to get
more snaps. Ford has looked good running routes so far,
showing that he might be more than just another guy that can
run fast. Johnny Lee Higgins will be pushed to make the roster
this year. He had the biggest play in Thursday’s practice on a
post against blown coverage from Charlie Frye.
TE: The worst kept secret in camp is the plan to get Zach
Miller more involved in the red zone this year with Jason
Campbell bringing more stability to the Raiders passing game
than what JaMarcus Russell offered a year ago. Campbell
offered the following assessment on Miller: “Zach doesn’t
have a whole lot of speed that he can try and outrun someone,
but he’s going to use his ability and knowledge knowing how
to run routes to get himself open,’’ Campbell said. “You can
have a 4.4 guy on him or a 4.3 guy on him and somehow he
always gets open. It’s not about how fast you can run from
point A to point B but it’s about the details of your route.’’
Defense: The Raiders hope to be much better against the run
this year with the addition of two key rookies – LB Rolando
McClain and DL LaMarr Houston. Houston was inserted at
left end with the first team defense while Richard Seymour
moved inside to give the team a more physically imposing
front line. Matt Shaughnessy and Tommy Kelly make up the
right side of the defensive line while Kamerion Wimbley and
Trevor Scott lined up as the starting outside linebackers
flanking McClain. Jerry McDonald tweeted that Houston has
been a fun player to watch, noting that he “plays with a lot of
fire and has a knack for getting on the nerves of offensive
linemen.” Cable added that he likes the team’s depth at
linebacker referring to former starter Thomas Howard and
newly acquired Quentin Groves. The team is also cautiously
optimistic that DT John Henderson can still help stop the run.
Special Teams: The Raiders enter training camp as one of the
few teams to carry a camp leg – beat writer favorite, Swayze
Waters. How long into August they retain his services is the
only question relating to their specialists. Kicker Sebastian
Janikowski heads into 2010 coming off a strong 2009, for
which he was rewarded with a new lucrative four-year deal
that made him the highest paid kicker in the league. Punter
Shane Lechler had already received his comparable payday
the year before. While we’re on the topic of Al Davis’
checkbook, long snapper Jon Condo received and signed a
restricted free-agent one-year tender during the offseason.
Raiders Depth Chart
QB: Jason Campbell, Bruce Gradkowski (inj), Kyler
Boller, Charlie Frye
RB: Michael Bush (SD/3RB), Darren McFadden, Rock
Cartwright, Michael Bennett
FB: Marcel Reese, Chase Moline, Manase Tonga, Luke
Lawton (susp)
WR: Chaz Schilens (inj), Darrius Heyward-Bey, Louis
Murphy, Johnnie Lee Higgins (KR), Jacoby Ford
(KR/PR), Paul Hubbard, Nick Miller (KR), Todd
Watkins, Johnathan Holland, Yamon Figurs
TE: Zach Miller (inj), Tony Stewart, Brandon Myers, John
Owens
K: Sebastian Janikowski, Swayze Waters
DT: Richard Seymour, Tommy Kelly, John
Henderson, Desmond Bryant, William Joseph
DE: Lamarr Houston (DT), Matt Shaughnessy, Jay
Richardson, Greyson Gunheim,Alex Daniels
MLB: Rolando McClain, Travis Goethel
OLB: Trevor Scott (W/DE), Kamerion Wimbley
(DE), Thomas Howard (S), Ricky Brown, Quentin
Groves, Sam Williams, Slade Norris, David Nixon
CB: Nnamdi Asomugha, Chris Johnson, Stanford
Routt, Walter McFadden,Jeremy Ware, Joey Thomas, Joe
Porter
S: Tyvon Branch (SS), Michael Huff (FS/SS), Hiram Eugene
(FS), Mike Mitchell(SS), Stevie Brown, Jerome Boyd
offense. Jason Avant continues to impress and now looks like
a guy that could start, and flourish, if given the chance. He
completely dominated CB Asante Samuel in Sunday’s
practice, including one play where Samuel tried to jam him
but Avant literally pushed him out of the way to get open and
make the completion. Kelley Washington was signed this
week and will primarily contribute on special teams. He will
be fighting with rookie Riley Cooper and veteran Hank
Baskett for last WR slot on the 53-man roster.
Philadelphia Eagles
TE: Business as usual for starter Brent Celek, nothing Earthshattering to report about him after the first week of camp.
The most interesting TE situation is the play of rookie Clay
Harbor. Harbor seems very comfortable in the system and is
getting a lot of reps with the 2s and 3s, and seems to be a good
bet to displace Martin Rucker as the 3rd string tight end.
QB: The beginning of a new era is underway as Kevin Kolb
officially starts camp as the Eagles’ starter. His play in the
first few days has been inconsistent, as he threw two
interceptions in Sunday practice – one to rookie Nate Allen
and the other by Ellis Hobbs. Earlier in the week Kolb looked
better, particularly in Saturday practice when he hit Jeremy
Maclin for a huge deep bomb down the middle of the field. On
the positive side, Kolb has been getting the ball out of his
hands quickly and decisively. On the negative side, Kolb has
been trying to thread the needle too much and that’s resulted
in turnovers. Even LB Stewart Bradley picked him off once.
Michael Vick looks infinitely more comfortable this year than
he did in 2009, and has thrown the ball better than anyone had
a right to expect. Rookie Mike Kafka is a project, and the first
week illustrated that. He struggled anytime he was asked to
throw beyond downfield, and it’s safe to say that if something
happens to Vick, the Eagles will probably have to look for a
veteran off the waiver wire because Kafka isn’t ready to
contribute.
RB: LeSean McCoy is the clear starter and has gotten a ton of
reps in the first few days of practice. Although he still likes to
dance a bit too much at times, his progress and production in
the early going cannot be ignored. When he commits to a lane;
he’s bounced off tacklers and has shown a second gear a
number of times. He grabbed a quick slant from Kevin Kolb
for a long TD run, and opened up Sunday’s practice with a 25yard run where he looked like he was playing at a different
speed than everyone else on the field. Mike Bell, running with
the 2s, succumbed to a hamstring injury on Sunday afternoon.
The Eagles traded backup LB Joe Mays to the Denver
Broncos for J.J. Arrington. Arrington will compete for the
RB3 role in camp against Eldra Buckley and rookie Charles
Scott (who is also running reps at FB). Scott embraced the
opportunity to work at FB and shows some promise in that
role. Former Eagles RB Duce Staley was on hand and paid
particular attention to Scott in blocking instruction.
WR: The big news of the first week of practice was DeSean
Jackson’s injury. He was carted off with an apparent back
injury, which the team has downplayed the severity. Yet, he’s
missed practice the last few days and the team hasn’t officially
set a timetable for his return. Jeremy Maclin, on the other
hand, has looked dominant at times in the first week and
seems to have made the natural transition one would expect of
a receiver in their second year running Andy Reid’s complex
Defense: The Eagles are hoping that a bit of planning and
some luck will dramatically reshape the perception of their
linebacking corps. It’s been a long time since the LB corps –
en masse – was considered an elite unit and although it’s too
easy to say as much, the pieces are in place for a resurgent
year under DC Sean McDermott. On the strong-side, Akeem
Jordan has been running with the first team over Moise Fokou.
Stewart Bradley, who missed last season with a torn ACL,
appears fully healthy and ready to command this defense.
Newcomer Ernie Sims has been a tackling machine thus far in
camp. Rookie Brandon Graham agreed to a 5-year deal and
was in camp on time (as they did with the other 12 rookies,
too). Ellis Hobbs has risen to the challenge of locking down
the full-time starter job opposite Asante Samuel. He’s looked
good in coverage, broken up some passes, and even got into a
skirmish with rookie WR Riley Cooper, who outweighs Hobbs
by about 30 pounds. The defensive line rotation is still a work
in progress, as both Brandon Graham and Darryl Tapp are
seeing a lot of action. At DT, 3rd year Trevor Laws has stood
out, which is the first time anyone can really say that about
him. He’ll still be a backup, but might actually be a solid
contributor in the rotation if he can maintain this new level of
intensity.
Special Teams: Once again, the Eagles have Ken Parrish on
board to serve as a camp leg, taking some of the workload off
of over-30 kicker David Akers and punter Sav Rocca. As
special teams coordinator Bobby April noted, "We've had him
doing everything. Kickoffs, punts, field goals. He's been with
us all spring and he's done an outstanding job." But unlike
most camp legs, who are realistically auditioning for the future
and for the rest of the league, Parrish does have a shot at
unseating Rocca for the punting job. It’s a long shot, but a shot
nonetheless. Pro Bowl kicker Akers’ job is of course secure,
as is Pro Bowl long snappers’ Jon Dorenbos.
Eagles Depth Chart
QB: Kevin Kolb, Michael Vick, Mike Kafka
RB: LeSean McCoy, Mike Bell (inj), Charles Scott, J.J.
Arrington, Eldra Buckley
FB: Leonard Weaver
WR: DeSean Jackson (PR), Jeremy Maclin (inj), Jason
Avant, Hank Baskett, Riley Cooper, Jordan Norwood, Kelley
Washington, Chad Hall (KR), Jared Perry
TE: Brent Celek, Cornelius Ingram, Clay Harbor, Martin
Rucker
K: David Akers
DT: Brodrick Bunkley, Mike Patterson, Trevor Laws, Jeffrey
Owens, Antonio Dixon
DE: Trent Cole, Juqua Parker, Brandon Graham, Darryl
Tapp, Victor Abiamiri,Ricky Sapp, Daniel Te'o-Nesheim
MLB: Stewart Bradley (inj), Jamar Chaney, Omar Gaither
(inj)
OLB: Ernie Sims (W), Moise Fokou (S), Akeem Jordan
(S/W), Keenan Clayton (S),Tracy White
CB: Asante Samuel, Joselio Hanson, Ellis Hobbs (inj), Dimitri
Patterson, Trevard Lindley, Geoffrey Pope
S: Quintin Mikell (SS), Nate Allen (FS), Macho Harris
(FS/KR), Quintin Demps (FS/KR), Kurt Coleman (SS), Ryan
Hamilton, Antoine Harris, Marlin Jackson (inj)
Pittsburgh Steelers
QB: The biggest story of the opening of Steelers training
camp was the reception of the Latrobe crowd for Ben
Roethlisberger after a tumultuous offseason for the two-time
Super Bowl champ. Much to the delight of Roethlisberger, he
was welcomed back by cheers from a crowd including many
people wearing his jersey. “I was nervous and scared about it,”
said Roethlisberger. Head coach Mike Tomlin has not
committed to a regular routine in divvying up the practice
snaps between the QBs, and the division of snaps is a
somewhat controversial subject, both because of the relative
exclusion of Dennis Dixon from first-team snaps, and the
decision of whether to focus more on preparing Byron
Leftwich, who will start Week 1, or Ben Roethlisberger, who
will start 10-12 games after he returns from his suspension.
“We’ll do like we’ve done the majority of the spring,” Tomlin
said of the camp quarterback rotation. “Byron Leftwich is
going to get a significant number of snaps, followed by Dennis
Dixon. But we will be somewhat non-rhythmic, of course.
We’re going to make sure that at the end of this thing that Ben
(Roethlisberger) has had a productive camp, but as we proceed
at this juncture our focus is who’s going to be playing
quarterback for us the week of the opener.” Roethlisberger
has looked great so far, leading the first-team offense during a
two-minute drill and completing 5-of-7 passes for 58 yards in
a span of 90 seconds and tossing a 16-yard touchdown to
Heath Miller on a third down. Leftwich struggled by
comparison, completing just 2-of-7 passes and throwing four
consecutive incomplete passes to end the drill, although one
was a drop by rookie WR Antonio Brown.
RB: The Steelers running game got a boost with the addition
of OT Flozell Adams, whose drive-blocking should aptly
replace Willie Colon, even though it will be Adams‘ first time
playing the right side in his NFL career. “It’s like writing with
your right hand and trying to switch over and then using your
left hand to write a letter,” said Adams. “It’s difficult, but it’ll
come along.” It may come along sooner than later, as
offensive coordinator Bruce Arians called Saturday, July 31
“the best first day I’ve ever been a part of”, even though
Adams was playing right tackle with the first team offense.
Arians comments last week drew attention after it had been
assumed that the Steelers would run the ball a lot more in
2010 than they did in 2009. "We need to run the ball better,"
Arians said, "not necessarily more. It is the quality of the runs
more than the quantity that I am worried about." Still, the first
contact scrimmage of camp featured 100% running plays. In
addition that sobering news about Rashard Mendenhall’s
fantasy stock with respect to the focus of the offense,
Mendenhall also drew a little criticism from Arians on the
subject of his short-yardage running. “Some guys have to
learn that they aren't running for a touchdown. We need a
yard. Rashard did a good job on goal line, but not as good a
job on short yardage. That will again be an emphasis in
training camp, " Arians said. 2009 camp sensation Isaac
Redman has been mentioned frequently by the coaches this
offseason, and he has shown up to camp in great shape and
ready to seize that short-yardage role. Redman also stood out
as one of the offensive stars of backs-on-backer drills, which
should only help his standing with the team. As for
Mendenhall, he showed up at 217 pounds, eight pounds less
than his listed weight of 225. Mendenhall said he feels, “light,
explosive, quick, just really in good shape.” On a dour note, he
has fumbled twice so far in only a handful of practices,
reminding us of Tomlin’s ominous quote, “I never have an
extremely high tolerance for lack of ball security.” Rookie
Jonathan Dwyer hurt his hamstring in the opening practice of
camp, but he said he was fine and was seen dressed and ready
to practice on Monday.
WR: It was a quiet open to camp for the wideouts. The
biggest news was the return of Hines Ward. Ward missed
OTAs with a hamstring injury, but said the injury has healed
and he’s ready to practice. Ward was held out of Friday’s
conditioning test, but it was against his will. “I begged Mike to
let me run the run test,” Ward said. “But he wouldn’t let me do
it.” Ward practiced at full speed when camp opened on
Saturday. The team had a nervous moment when Mike
Wallace came up limping on Saturday, but he was ok.
Antwaan Randle-el got some work with the ones while
Wallace was briefly out, and he worked in the slot as the #3
when Wallace was in. Wallace also commented that his route
running is much better than last year, very important for his
transition to a starting receiver.
TE: Only a few nuggets at the TE position from the first
weekend of camp: David Johnson had one particularly rough
day and struggled at other times, and as mentioned earlier,
Heath Miller caught the TD at the end of the masterful hurryup offense drive led by Roethlisberger.
Defense: 2009 first-round pick Ziggy Hood drew tons of
praise for his early camp performance, soundly defeating his
opponents in 1-on-1s, making Tomlin say, “What a difference
a year makes, right?!” Veteran DE Aaron Smith said, "I think
he's going to be something special.” The team sounded excited
about the prospect of Hood’s presence keeping everyone fresh
for the fourth-quarter, a problem area for the defense last year.
Superstar safety Troy Polamalu ran without any sign of knee
trouble lingering from the injury that submarined his 2009
campaign. "My knee feels fine, but sometimes when it's a little
weaker and you're driving like a race car, then other things
start getting nicked here and there," Polamalu said. "Camp's
long. You always want to make it out healthy." Rookie OLB
Thaddeus Gibson has been a standout in backs-on-backer
drills, and is outperforming second-round pick Jason Worilds,
who might have suffered a knee injury during Monday’s
practice.
Special Teams: Heading into camp, the Steelers are set for the
year with the two specialists that use their foot. Kicker Jeff
Reed was given the franchise tag for 2010, although he and
the team did not subsequently negotiate a new long term deal
prior to the deadline. Dan Sepulveda will once again handle
punting, as well as serving as the holder on kicks. The
question mark for camp is the health of long snapper Greg
Warren, who is coming off injured reserve and recovering
from his second ACL injury in as many years. As a health
insurance policy, Matt Stewart was signed. The former
linebacker is looking to extend his football career by
transitioning to long snapper.
Steelers Depth Chart
QB: Ben Roethlisberger (susp), Byron Leftwich, Dennis
Dixon, Charlie Batch
RB: Rashard Mendenhall, Mewelde Moore, Jonathan
Dwyer, Isaac Redman,Stefan Logan (KR/PR)
FB: Carey Davis, Frank Summers, Sean McHugh
(inj), Dwayne Wright
WR: Hines Ward, Mike Wallace, Antwaan RandleEl, Emmanuel Sanders, Arnaz Battle, Antonio Brown, Tyler
Grisham, Limas Sweed (IR)
TE: Heath Miller, Matt Spaeth, David Johnson
K: Jeff Reed (UFA-F)
NT: Casey Hampton, Chris Hoke
DE: Aaron Smith (inj), Evander Hood, Brett Keisel (inj), Nick
Eason, Doug Worthington, Ra'shon Harris
ILB: James Farrior, Lawrence Timmons, Keyaron Fox, Larry
Foote, Stevenson Sylvester
OLB: James Harrison (W), LaMarr Woodley (S), Jason
Worilds, Thaddeus Gibson, Andre Frazier, Patrick Bailey
CB: Ike Taylor, Bryant McFadden, William Gay (inj), Joe
Burnett (KR), Keenan Lewis, Crezdon Butler, Da’Mon
Cromartie-Smith
S: Troy Polamalu (SS) (inj), Ryan Clark (FS), Will Allen
(FS), Ryan Mundy (SS)
St. Louis Rams
QB: The wait is over and Sam Bradford’s contract is out of
the way. Bradford signed a six-year deal for $78 million with
a reported $50 million in guaranteed money. At Saturday’s
practice, Bradford took the field with the second team offense,
but he also got in some snaps with the first team as well. "It
was great," Bradford said. "I felt very comfortable, more
comfortable than I did during OTAs, which is a positive sign
after taking four or five weeks off. So I felt like it was a good
day today.” By Sunday, Bradford saw a significant amount of
reps with the first-team offense. There’s no doubt that the
team will give Bradford every opportunity to win the starting
job over A.J. Feeley, who for his part reported to camp early
to get in some extra reps with the rookies. Keith Null returns,
but isn’t even in the conversation.
RB: After sitting out of the team’s minicamp and OTAs in the
spring following surgery on his herniated disk, Steven Jackson
was nearly a full participant on the first day of training camp
practices. Last year, the team was cautious with Jackson
during the preseason and Head Coach Steve Spagnuolo
signaled that might continue to be the case with Jackson this
year. "I don't think that will change," Spagnuolo said. "We'll
have him ready for the opening game. We'll be smart about it."
Jackson said he felt good, adding, "I've been working really,
really hard with my trainer all offseason to make sure that
when today came, I'd be ready to practice and be able to pretty
much participate in everything." Given Jackson’s back
concerns it’s surprising the Rams didn’t address the backup
RB situation during the offseason. Rams GM Billy Devaney
singled out Chris Ogbonnaya when asked about it.
Ogbonnaya appears to have a slight edge over Ken Darby
right now, while Keith Totson also looks to get a shot.
WR: Donnie Avery bulked up during the offseason, reporting
to camp about 10 pounds heavier than last year. Avery said
that he added the weight to help his durability. "I'm trying to
get the weight but keep the speed as well," he said. Expect a
battle this year in camp as the Rams have a plethora of young
receivers competing for action. Laurent Robinson is penciled
in as the other starter entering camp, but Danny Amendola
will be in the mix (particularly for slot duties) along with
rookie Mardy Gilyard and veteran Brandon Gibson. Gibson
missed some of the OTAs with a hamstring injury, but is back
in action.
TE: In Friday’s practice, Daniel Fells looked like he’s at full
speed. He made a sliding catch along the sideline while having
his second consecutive productive day. He didn’t appear to be
limited after recovering from a knee injury last season. The
Rams added a pair of rookies with upside in the draft to push
Fells: Fendi Onobun and Michael Hoomanawanui, or “Uh-oh”
as he was nicknamed in college. Onobun is a raw athlete that
may take time to develop while “Uh-oh” looks like he could
be a natural pass catcher, according to Spagnuolo. “My plate
is not as full as the other tight ends," Onobun said. "The
OTA's really helped and gave me time to work on my craft.
But it's time to get up to speed." Not prone to hyperbole,
Onobun said after three practices that he feels “more
comfortable with the plays.” Spaguolo later added, "We're
very hopeful with those two guys, Mike and Fend… They
flashed. They do some good things. Like every rookie, they
made some mistakes, but up to this point, (tight ends coach)
Frank (Leonard), offensive coordinator Pat (Shurmur) and
myself have a little bit of excitement about those two guys.
We'll see where they go from here." While Fells is the veteran
incumbent, it would not be a shocker if either one of the
rookies emerged as a starter at some point this season.
Defense: Larry Grant opened camp as the starter at
weakside linebacker. Bobby Carpenter was in that spot all
through OTAs and minicamps, but the coaches must not have
been impressed with him. "Larry will roll in there, and Bobby
will," coach Spagnuolo said. "Larry also jumps over to (strong
side) linebacker. In this league, those outside linebackers have
to be versatile. They’ve got to be able to play both sides."
Second-year DT Dorell Scott missed Saturday’s practice after
hurting his hamstring during a running test. Safety Darian
Stewart was also out with a shoulder injury. Justin King,
Bradley Fletcher and Jerome Murphy are competing for the
starting job opposite Ron Bartell at corner, and so far, King is
in the lead. O.J. Otogwe was cleared medically for the start of
training camp after having major surgery in January for his
dislocated shoulder and torn labrum. He also had a sports
hernia.
Special Teams: The Rams enter training camp with the three
starting specialists on the roster. Josh Brown is back again at
kicker, but that’s not really news. The team is hoping he’ll see
more scoring opportunities in 2010 than he did last year.
Donnie Jones is back again at punter, but that’s not really
news. The team is hoping he’ll see fewer opportunities in 2010
than he did last year. Chris Massey is back again at long
snapper, and that is good news. After missing most of last year
with a knee injury, he returned to action during the June
OTAs. He’s a vital part of the unit as evidenced by his
offseason contract extension of four years and $4 million.
Rams Depth Chart
QB: Sam Bradford, A.J. Feeley, Keith Null, Thaddeus Lewis
RB: Steven Jackson, Chris Ogbonnaya, Kenneth Darby, Keith
Toston
FB: Mike Karney (inj), Chris Massey (LS)
WR: Donnie Avery, Laurent Robinson, Danny Amendola
(PR), Mardy Gilyard,Brandon Gibson, Keenan Burton
(inj), Brooks Foster (inj), Jordan Kent
TE: Daniel Fells, Fendi Onobun, Billy Bajema, Michael
Hoomanawanui, Eric Butler, Darcy Johnson
K: Josh Brown
DT: Clifton Ryan (NT), Fred Robbins, Chris Hovan, Darell
Scott, Gary Gibson
DE: Chris Long, James Hall, Victor Adeyanju, C.J. Ah You
(inj), Hall Davis, George Selvie, Eugene Sims, Sean Conover
MLB: James Laurinaitis, David Vobora (S/M/W), Josh Hull
OLB: Na'il Diggs (S), Larry Grant (W/S), Bobby Carpenter
(W), Chris Chamberlain,Dominic Douglas
CB: Ronald Bartell, Bradley Fletcher, Justin King, Jerome
Murphy, Kevin Dockery,Quincy Butler (inj), Marquis
Johnson, Cord Parks (KR/PR)
S: Oshiomongo Atogwe (FS), James Butler (SS), Kevin Payne
(SS), Craig Dahl (SS), Eric Bassey, David Roach
San Diego Chargers
QB: Philip Rivers got a six-year contract extension before last
season, and responded with a career-best 4,254 passing yards
and 28 touchdowns to go with just 9 interceptions. His career
win-loss record is an impressive 49–22, including a perfect
18–0 in December. With LaDainian Tomlinson in New York,
Rivers is the unquestioned leader of the offense. Behind him,
Billy Volek is a lock for the number two job; the Chargers
consider him among the best backup QBs in the league.
Rookie Jonathan Crompton will hold the clipboard. The best
scenario for him would be to develop on the bench for a few
years and then be traded to a team where he can compete to
start — similar to former Chargers QB3 Charlie Whitehurst.
RB: The Chargers ranked last in yards per rush last season,
averaging just 3.3 yards per carry. In an effort to turn things
around this season, they traded up in the first round to select
Ryan Mathews, who averaged 6.1 yards per carry in his career
at Fresno State. Mathews will replace LaDainian Tomlinson as
the primary running back on first and second downs. In
training camp so far, Mathews has impressed onlookers with
his vision, speed, power, and cutting ability. Head coach Norv
Turner said that Mathews may get about 250 carries and 40
receptions this season, and Chargers beat writer Kevin Acee
echoed that the Chargers will likely limit Mathews to about
250 carries. Darren Sproles will reprise his role from last
season as the team’s third-down back. Sproles has averaged
4.5 yards on 199 career carries, and is a big-play threat out of
the backfield. The Chargers also plan to get Mike Tolbert
more carries this season. Tolbert is listed at fullback, but can
also play halfback, and is expected to get between 50 and 80
carries in 2010 — substantially more than the 38 carries he’s
gotten thus far in his two-year NFL career. Tolbert is 5-foot-9,
243 pounds, and averaged almost 7 yards per carry at tailback
his final year at Coastal Carolina. Aside from getting more
carries this season, Tolbert will again split lead blocking
duties with Jacob Hester — another versatile back who can
also play halfback. Hester may make more of an impact on
special teams than on offense, however. Behind Mathews and
Sproles, there is an open competition for the third halfback
spot. UDFA Shawnbrey McNeal is the early favorite over
Marcus Mason and Curtis Brinkley; but whoever wins the job
is unlikely to be active on Sundays. McNeal is a small, quick
back who is drawing comparisons to Darren Sproles.
WR: Notably absent from training camp is Vincent Jackson.
The Chargers’ disgruntled receiver is threatening to hold out
the entire season, but could be traded before the October
deadline. (The Redskins and Seahawks are reportedly
interested.) The Chargers are reluctant to give Jackson the
long-term contract he wants, in part because of his off-field
issues (two DUIs, and caught driving with a suspended license
on his way to the playoff game against the Jets), and in part
because ~$50 million is a lot to spend on any wide receiver,
no matter how skilled. In Jackson’s absence, Malcom Floyd is
expected to be the team’s top wide receiver. In the last ten
games of 2009, after moving into the starting lineup in place
of Chris Chambers, Floyd caught 36 passes for 589 yards.
Over the past two seasons, he has averaged 17.2 yards per
catch. He is a big-play receiver with the speed to get deep, and
the size and leaping ability to win jump balls. Legedu Naanee
is expected to start opposite Floyd, and like Floyd, has an
excellent size-speed combination and normally reliable hands.
Naanee has 40 receptions so far in his three-year NFL career,
and should get another 40+ receptions this season. Former
first-round pick Craig “Buster” Davis has struggled through
injuries for most of his three-year career, but is healthy now
and is once again looking good in training camp. He is the
favorite over free-agent acquisition Josh Reed to man the slot
position. The fifth WR spot will likely go to an undrafted free
agent, with Jeremy Williams the current favorite over Seyi
Ajirotutu, Gary Banks, and Ernest Smith. Jeremy Williams is
a decent sleeper in dynasty leagues, but likely won’t be active
on game days this season even if me makes the final 53-man
roster.
TE: Antonio Gates led the Chargers with 79 catches last
season, and had a career-best 1,157 yards to go with his 8
touchdowns. He averaged 14.6 yards per catch — tops in the
league among tight ends. He was rewarded last week with a
contract extension that makes him the highest-paid tight end in
the league. Gates played through a foot injury last year, but
rested it in the offseason and has felt fine so far in training
camp. The Chargers signed free agent Randy McMichael in
the offseason. He will likely be the Chargers’ second tight
end, with veteran Kris Wilson — primarily a blocker —
manning the third TE spot. Rookie seventh-round pick
Dedrick Epps is in the mix, but is more realistically a
candidate for the practice squad.
Offensive Line: The Chargers’ offensive line struggled to
open holes in the running game last season. Injuries were a
partial excuse. They were without their starting center
(Hardwick), right guard (Vasquez), and right tackle (Clary) for
significant periods. They start training camp this year without
starting left tackle Marcus McNeill, who is holding out for a
long-term contract offer that may or may not be forthcoming.
With McNeill absent, Brandyn Dombrowski and free-agent
acquisition Tra Thomas will compete to start. Dombrowski is
a solid run-blocker who lacks the quickness to be a stellar
pass-blocker. Thomas is 35 years old and moves like it.
Neither player has the potential to play at the same level as
McNeill.
Defense: The Chargers may not have any top fantasy
prospects in their front seven, in part because they will rotate
players so heavily that none will get enough snaps to rack up
big numbers. They have nine solid (but unspectacular)
defensive linemen in camp fighting for seven positions, and
whichever seven make the final cut — it really is a wide open
competition — all seven should see substantial action on game
days. At outside linebacker, Shawne Merriman hasn’t reported
to camp yet, but he is expected to show up before the start of
the season. He and Shaun Phillips should start, but last year’s
first-round pick, Larry English, is expected to play a lot this
season. He has been one of the early stars of training camp this
year, beating all the left tackles in camp pretty badly (though
Marcus McNeill is absent). Inside, Stephen Cooper will start
at one spot but will likely rotate with rookie third-round pick
Donald Butler, who has proven to be a quick study so far. At
the other ILB spot, Kevin Burnett will rotate with Brandon
Siler. Burnett is better against the pass (both in coverage and
on blitzes) while Siler is stronger against the run. In the
secondary, Quentin Jammer will maintain his starting position
on one side, while Antoine Cason will take over for Antonio
Cromartie (traded to the Jets) on the other side. Cason is
expected to be more consistent but less spectacular than
Cromartie. At free safety, Eric Weddle has improved during
each of the last two seasons, and will be expected to make
more big plays this season. At strong safety, Steve Gregory
started in the second half of the season last year, and enters
training camp as the starter. But rookie fourth-round pick
Darrell Stuckey is the favorite to become the starter by week
one of the regular season. CB Donald Strickland is off to a
strong start in camp, and will likely be the top nickel back.
Nathan Vasher has the early edge over Brandon Hughes and
Dante Hughes for the fourth CB spot.
Special Teams: Although kicker Nate Kaeding is coming off
a stellar 2009 regular season, his 2010 got off to rough start
with the three missed FGs in playoff game and then a groin
injury. In camp and preseason he’ll want to show that there are
no lingering effects from either. Nick Novak was signed to
handle spring kicking chores after Kaeding’s injury and
remains on the roster heading into camp. Also still on the
roster is punter Cort Johnson, who was out of football last
year. He noted, "I graduated in 2008, so I put my life on hold
turned down some jobs to pursue my dream. I definitely have
the heart and determination to do it. It was a great sacrifice to
put my life on hold, to train on my own, to spend money of
my own -- money that sometimes I didn't have -- just to get
noticed." He’ll serve as a camp leg to ease the load on starting
punter Mike Scifres. David Binn is the lone long snapper on
the roster.
Chargers Depth Chart
QB: Philip Rivers, Billy Volek, Jonathan Crompton
RB: Ryan Mathews, Darren Sproles (KR/PR), Shawnbrey
McNeal, Marcus Mason,Curtis Brinkley
FB: Mike Tolbert, Jacob Hester
WR: Vincent Jackson, Malcom Floyd , Legedu Naanee, Craig
Davis, Jeremy Williams, Josh Reed, Seyi Ajirotutu, Gary
Banks
TE: Antonio Gates, Randy McMichael, Dedrick Epps
K: Nate Kaeding, Nick Novak
NT: Antonio Garay, Cam Thomas, Ogemdi Nwagbuo
(inj), Ryon Bingham (inj)
DE: Luis Castillo (inj), Jacques Cesaire, Vaughn
Martin, Travis Johnson
ILB: Stephen Cooper, Kevin Burnett (inj), Brandon
Siler, Donald Butler
OLB: Shawne Merriman (inj), Shaun Phillips (S), Larry
English (W), James Holt,Jyles Tucker (inj), Antwan
Applewhite (inj)
CB: Quentin Jammer, Antoine Cason, Nathan Vasher, Simeon
Castille, Donald Strickland, Brandon Hughes (inj)
S: Eric Weddle (FS) (inj), Darrell Stuckey (SS), Steve
Gregory (FS/SS), Paul Oliver (FS), C.J. Spillman
San Francisco 49ers
QB: Expectations are high for Alex Smith entering training
camp. "They say I'm the guy. ... Hey, great," Smith said. "'I'm
the guy' doesn't mean anything. I'm going to have to go out
there in Game 1 and prove that I'm the guy. And then I'm
going to have to go out in Game 2 and prove it again. I'm just
at the point where it doesn't mean much to me. This league's
not about talk." The 49ers have done enough to surround
Smith with the talent needed to succeed; now it’s up to him to
come through. Teammates like what they have seen from
Smith, too. He has taken control of the huddle, demonstrated
leadership and assured Head Coach Mike Singletary that he is
ready to make the most of his opportunity. The team hopes so,
as David Carr offers little hope as a backup although Nate
Davis is an intriguing project entering his second year. So far
in camp, Smith and the QBs have focused mostly on the short
passing game. On one longer throw, Smith under threw the
route and he was picked off by Dashon Goldson. He went 20of-24 on the drill while Carr finished 7-of-12.
RB: Frank Gore reported to camp at a svelte 215 pounds after
going through his tough, annual workouts at Miami’s Tropical
Park. Gore’s workout involved tying a truck tire around his
waist and running forward, backward and sideways on the
park’s hill. If he needed to kick it up a notch, he added
weights. Gore looks primed for a big season as the team
invested two first round picks in the offensive line and
defenses won’t be able to focus on the run with Vernon Davis
and Michael Crabtree emerging as big play threats. Fullback
Brit Miller will give Moran Norris a run for the starting job
this year after learning to play the position just a year ago.
Miller’s special teams value will likely earn him a backup spot
regardless.
WR: Michael Crabtree feels like a rookie all over again
having missed training camp last year. What will he gain from
being at camp in his second season? "I think the first thing will
be confidence," Mike Singletary said. "I think what he did last
year showed a lot about the kind of talent he is, the kind of
mindset that he has. The kid loves football. So what does he
gain now? I think he gains a lot of confidence knowing that, 'I
don't think I'm supposed to be here, I know I'm supposed to be
in this position." Crabtree caught 48 passes for 625 yards and
two TDs last year in 11 games without the benefit of camp.
With that under his belt and a full offseason to learn the
offense, Crabtree has a chance to take a big leap forward this
year. Josh Morgan will start opposite him with Ted Ginn
getting the first shot in the slot and returning kicks. Jason Hill,
rookie Kyle Williams and Brandon Jones will compete for the
last spot(s) along with rookie LeRoy Vann, who is more of a
return specialist.
TE: Vernon Davis noticed the big contract extension recently
signed by the Chargers Antonio Gates, but he’s not overly
concerned about it. He still expects to have a long-term deal in
place before the regular season begins. Otherwise, he will be
entering the final season of his contract. Davis is already a
punishing blocker and Pro Bowl player, but he’s looking to
improve in at least one key area this year – drops. David
caught only 61% of his chances last year, which is on the low
side, so he’ll need to improve that to maintain his productivity
or perhaps Alex Smith will begin targeting Michael Crabtree
more on those key plays. Backup Delanie Walker didn’t drop
a pass last year and hopes to increase his production. Lastly,
Nate Byham finishes out the group. The team hopes he can fill
a blocking role.
Defense: The team had all of its draft picks signed and ready
for camp, but the same wasn’t true for holdout NT Aubrayo
Franklin. Franklin was tagged as the team’s franchise player
during the offseason and he may simply be holding out until
the team is done with Singletary’s infamous “Nutcracker”
drills. In his second straight contract year, Franklin may not
want to risk the added contact or risk injury. Franklin has
yet to accept his one-year, $7.003 million franchise tender.
Ricky Jean-Francois had used Franklin’s absence to endear
himself to the coaching staff as he continued his conversion to
nose tackle. Singletary praised two players for their
improvement - safety Dashon Goldson and outside linebacker
Ahmad Brooks. "I think Dashon has really matured and gained
more confidence as he's gotten more comfortable back there,"
Singletary said. Patrick Willis has embraced his role as a
mentor to third-round pick Navorro Bowman. He stayed on
the field after practice to work on his pass coverage skills,
making sure Bowman did the same. “(Singletary) says all the
time that he wants us to help those guys. Players learn better
some times when they hear it from another player. If he has
questions, I’ll help him.” Manny Lawson reported to camp in
"tremendous physical condition" despite skipping the
voluntary OTAs over his contract.
Special Teams: While they may not receive as much publicity
or money as their counterparts across the Bay, the 49ers
specialists are experienced, cohesive, and possibly just as
talented. Kicker Joe Nedney did his part to boost publicity
during the offseason by beating a robot in a kicking duel.
Punter Andy Lee and long snapper Brian Jennings were more
low key. Heading into camp there is one other specialist on the
roster – kicker Shane Andrus whom the 49ers re-signed during
the offseason. He had been brought in for the final game of
2009 after an injury to Ricky Schmitt, who had been brought
in for the next-to-last game after an injury to Nedney. He is
expected to serve as a seasoned camp leg rather than as a
challenger.
49ers Depth Chart
QB: Alex Smith, David Carr, Nate Davis, Jarrett Brown
RB: Frank Gore, Glen Coffee, Anthony Dixon
FB: Moran Norris, Brit Miller, Michael Robinson, Jehuu
Caulcrick
WR: Michael Crabtree, Josh Morgan, Jason Hill, Ted Ginn
(KR/PR), Brandon Jones, Kyle Williams (PR), LeRoy Vann
(KR/PR)
TE: Vernon Davis, Delanie Walker (KR), Nate Byham
K: Joe Nedney (inj), Shane Andrus
NT: Aubrayo Franklin (UFA-F), Ricky Jean Francois
DE: Justin Smith (W/DE), Isaac Sopoaga (NT), Ray
McDonald, Kentwan Balmer (inj), Demetric Evans
(inj), Derek Walker
ILB: Patrick Willis, Takeo Spikes, Scott McKillop, Navorro
Bowman, Matt Wilhelm
OLB: Manny Lawson, Parys Haralson, Ahmad
Brooks, Marques Harris, Travis LaBoy
CB: Shawntae Spencer, Nate Clements (FS/CB) (inj), Tarell
Brown, Karl Paymah,Will James, Phillip Adams, Patrick
Stoudamire
S: Dashon Goldson (FS), Michael Lewis (SS), Reggie Smith
(FS/PR), Taylor Mays (SS), Curtis Taylor (FS) (inj), Lewis
Baker
Seattle Seahawks
QB: If there is one thing that could undermine Matt
Hasselbeck’s potential bounce back season, it would be the
lack of a blind-side protector. Top pick Russell Okung
remains a holdout and one of the last of the first round picks to
sign. If it weren’t for Okung not being on the field, the
Seahawks camp started off well. On the first day of practice,
Hasselbeck clearly stood out with his reads and the accuracy
of his throws. Charlie Whitehurst has thrown the ball well, but
Hasselbeck has a huge advantage with his understanding of
the offense. On Sunday, Hasselbeck once again looked sharp.
Against the starting defense at the end of practice, he finished
the drive with a 25-yard touchdown to Deon Butler, who beat
Kelly Jennings along the sidelines. Whitehurst had his
moments, too. He threw a strike to TE John Carlson for twenty
yards, but unfortunately fumbled the snap on the next play.
Whitehurst is clearly getting more reps than J.P. Losman.
Offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates plans to employ more
bootlegs and has no reservations about Hasselbeck’s ability to
run them.
RB: The Seahawks were happy to see Leon Washington
participate in the team’s first practice on Saturday. He passed
all of his tests during the offseason and remains on track for
the season opener. The team will limit him to individual drills
at first as the team monitors whether he has regained his
quickness and explosiveness. Washington said it felt good for
now just to be back in pads. "I had a lot of juice in me. Just
putting the pads on felt a little different because it's been since
October since I put them on," he said. "But this was fun.
Practice is energized. I can't wait to get that first carry and
make things happen." If healthy, Washington will figure
heavily in the mix for touches along with Justin Forsett and
Julius Jones. Mike Sando reported that Forsett looked like
the best of the group to him on the first day of practice. He and
Jones are the current front runners, but expect Washington to
become a factor. FB Owen Schmitt was sidelined for a few
days with an elbow infection.
WR: Deion Branch opened camp opposite T.J.
Houshmandzadeh as the team’s starting receivers. Eric
Williams, of the Tacoma News Tribune, believes the coaches
are deferring to Branch's veteran status because he did
nothing in the offseason. Branch at least made a few big
plays in practices. He stayed with one ball after it was
deflected to match the catch and turn it up field for a long
gain. Branch’s surgically repaired knees will be something to
watch, but for now, he’s in the driver seat. In Saturday’s
practice, both Housh and Branch took the evening off along
with Hasselbeck. In Saturday morning’s practice, rookie
Golden Tate made the biggest play when he soared up into the
air to snare a high pass that was barely out of the Marcus
Trufant’s reach. Later in the drills, Tate delivered a brutal
block downfield on rookie safety Kam Chancellor. In the
same session, Mike Williams made a great catch on a dart
from Hasselbeck in the middle of the field. When the team
went to three receivers, Tate lined up with Houshmandzadeh
and Branch. Tate made several nice catches over the
weekend showing his potential as a playmaker. Williams has
been a pleasant surprise for the Seahawks so far. Reporting at
233 pounds, Williams passed the conditioning test and has
lowered his body fat. He has made an impact in practices, too.
After spotting Tate talking to reporters, Williams ran over and
jokingly asked Tate to carry his shoulder pads. Everyone
enjoyed that one.
TE: There were no nuggets from the Seahawks tight ends,
save for John Carlson’s 20-yard catch that was among the
practice highlights on Sunday. Chris Baker was signed to add
depth behind Carlson while they drafted Anthony McCoy
(former USC Trojan) and Jameson Konz.
Defense: On Saturday, LB Aaron Curry laid some of the
biggest hits with two of them coming against Justin Forsett. It
spurred the first flair-up of camp. On Sunday, the running joke
was that Curry was held out of practice because he was hitting
his teammates too hard. As it turns out, it may have affected
him, too. Will Herring moved onto the first unit alongside
Lofa Tatupu and David Hawthorne with Curry sidelined.
Leroy Hill continued working with the No. 2 defense. Safety
Earl Thomas missed the opening of camp, but after signing his
five-year, $21.1 million contract, was immediately inserted
into the starting lineup at free safety. David Hawthorne, Chris
Clemons and Marcus Trufant all had highlight plays for the
defense on Saturday. The defensive line looks different with
Red Bryant lining up at defensive end opposite Clemons.
Lawrence Jackson worked with the second team. Lawyer
Milloy opened camp as the first-team strong safety.
Special Teams: During the offseason, the Seahawks retained
the services of kicker Olindo Mare for another year with their
franchise tag. He’s the only kicker on the roster and the only
punter is Jon Ryan, who also serves as the holder for Mare on
kicks. While those two positions have been and remain stable
for the Seahawks, the long snapping position is a different
story. Kevin Houser snapped most of last year until suffering a
collapsed lung. Jeff Robinson snapped in the final two games,
but was not re-signed. Patrick McDonald was added for
awhile during the offseason but then released. Former IFL and
UFL player Matt Overton was signed, broke his foot and
released, but then eventually re-signed. He was almost the
only long snapper on the roster heading into camp, however
the Seahawks just claimed rookie Clint Gresham off of
waivers from the Saints.
Seahawks Depth Chart
QB: Matt Hasselbeck, Charlie Whitehurst, Mike Reilly, J.P.
Losman
RB: Julius Jones, Justin Forsett (3RB/KR), Leon Washington
(3RB/KR), Louis Rankin (KR), Quinton Ganther, Tyler Roehl
FB: Owen Schmitt, Ryan Powdrell
WR: T.J. Houshmandzadeh (inj), Deion Branch, Golden
Tate, Deon Butler, Mike Williams, Ben Obomanu
(KR), Ruvell Martin, Mike Hass (inj), Isaiah Stanback,Kole
Heckendorf, Patrick Carter, Victor James
TE: John Carlson, Chris Baker, Anthony McCoy, Cameron
Morrah, Michael Allan
K: Olindo Mare
DT: Brandon Mebane, Colin Cole (NT), Kevin
Vickerson, Craig Terrill
DE: Red Bryant, Chris Clemons, Nick Reed, Lawrence
Jackson, Ricky Foley,Dexter Davis, E.J. Wilson, Brandon
Miller
MLB: Lofa Tatupu
OLB: Aaron Curry (S/W), David Hawthorne (W/M), Will
Herring (S), Leroy Hill (W) (susp), Matt McCoy
CB: Marcus Trufant, Josh Wilson (inj), Kelly
Jennings, Walter Thurmond, Kennard Cox, Roy Lewis
S: Earl Thomas (FS), Lawyer Milloy (SS), Jordan Babineaux
(SS) , Kam Chancellor, Kevin Ellison, Quinton Teal, Jamar
Adams
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
QB: Josh Freeman enters his second season as the team’s
unquestioned starter having a full offseason and several starts
as a rookie behind him for experience. "I feel really
comfortable and I'm getting more reps. It's a little bit different
when you're the number-one guy getting the majority of the
reps, getting in there with the ones rather than getting maybe
two a period like I was last year. I definitely feel like I'm
getting more work. I have a lot better understanding of the
offense. I'm really excited to see where this thing goes." To
help his cause, the Bucs re-signed LT Donald Penn to a sixyear, $43 million contract to lock up his blind-side protector
for the next several years. Freeman, and backup Josh Johnson,
got off to a rough start in camp as the defense generally was
ahead of the offense on the first day. Dropped passes didn’t
help, but they were mixed in with poor throws and generally
poor play. "You're going to have fumbled snaps, you're going
to have nervous jitters, all that stuff," Coach Raheem
Morris said. "You want to get angry, and you will. I'll go yell
at them when I go talk to those guys. But you expect it. They'll
come out and do a great job of correcting it.” On Saturday, the
biggest cheer from the crowd came when Johnson hit
Michael Clayton on a bomb. Geno Hayes answered for the
defense a coupleplays later with a pick over the middle.
Finally, a cautionary tale of players leaving school too early.
Sadly, Jevan Snead was waived by the team on the even of
camp, unable to beat out Rudy Carpenter.
RB: Carnell Williams entered camp as the clear cut starter for
the Bucs, but after a couple days of practice, Williams was
sidelined as "day to day" with a sprained ankle. Derrick Ward
made a flashy entrance to camp that caught everyone’s
attention. Ward drove up in a new black Lamborghini – still
with a temporary tag – as players reported to camp. Ward said
he is thrilled about the upcoming season and happy to be with
his teammates. "I'm happier and more excited," Ward said.
"I'm coming back with a new mentality this year and it's going
to be a fun time at camp starting today," Ward said.
"Everybody is excited. It's a new year. We're all 0-0.
Everybody is in first place right now so I'm just ready to get
back on the field and see what we can do this year." Earnest
Graham’s focus this year is to become a Pro Bowl fullback.
Graham noted that he’s not playing fullback just to get playing
time, adding that he thinks he can be very effective in that
role. Expect him to catch the ball and possibly get a few
touches near the goal line, too.
WR: Training camp seems to be a tale of two rookies for
Mike Williams and Arrelious Benn. As camp opened,
Williams was running with the first team a majority of the
time at split end. Asked why a rookie is getting so much action
with the starters, Coach Morris said, "He’s earned it."
Williams was the team’s most explosive receiver during
spring drills and probably the best receiver on the team. Bucs
GM Mark Dominik said that he’s anxious to see Benn in pads
after he was overshadowed in the spring by Williams. Benn is
the more physical of the two and known for his ability to
break tackles and block. Yet Benn "continues to make you
wonder if he will ever impress." Benn and Williams are
competing with veterans Reggie Brown and Michael Clayton
for starting spots. Sammie Stroughter is thought to have an
inside track on the slot receiver role. On Sunday, the offense
bounced back when Freeman found Stroughter deep down the
middle seam between a pair of defenders for a long gain. In
the morning practice both Williams and Benn dropped passes.
Freeman couldn't contain a smile when he was asked about
Mike Williams’ effort in practice. "A heck of a day," Freeman
said. Williams dropped an easy pass, but later made up for it
with several acrobatic catches. In his first pro practice with
pads, he played with the poise and athleticism that he flashed
during OTAs.
TE: Kellen Winslow sat out of practice three straight days
before returning Monday afternoon. Heading into camp,
Winslow was medically cleared to practice. The Bucs are
simply playing it smart with his reps after he had his sixth
knee surgery as a pro. "He's going to be able to practice and do
everything," said GM Mark Dominik. "We just want to get
Kellen to the season and let him go. I know what Kellen can
do." The team is taking a similar approach with Jerramy
Stevens. "We try to split those guys up, Jerramy and Kellen,"
Morris explained. "They've both got similar issues, they're
both a little older, they're both vets and they both need some
rest. We put Jerramy up this morning in the red zone and
Kellen will get his work this afternoon. [With Winslow],
you're talking about a guy with two or three percent body fat.
Conditioning is never a problem. It's all about maintenance,
it's all about reps and it's all about his ability to pick up the
offense in the classroom."
Defense: The Bucs defense will look much different up front
this season with the additions of DT Gerald McCoy with the
third overall pick and DT Brian Price with the 35th pick. Both
players are signed, in camp and practicing. Price is expected to
start at nose tackle while McCoy will be next to him playing
the three-technique. When practice began, Price wasted no
time making an impact. He repeatedly burst into the
backfield and disrupted the offense. "I'm still not 100 percent
yet," Price said, "but I did everything without restrictions. I
felt good and I made some plays out there. I picked up where I
left off, playing the ball I came to play.“ Price likes the
potential of playing next to Gerald McCoy. "We've got a
chance to be the best tandem in the league," Price said. "The
sky's the limit." In Saturday’s practice, DE Kyle Moore was
running with the first team at left end while Geno Hayes made
the play of the day with an interception for a touchdown.
Special Teams: The Buccaneers selected punter Brent
Bowden in the sixth round of this year’s draft. His only
competition, veteran punter Sam Paulescu was released
several days later. Bowden is also anticipated to serve as the
holder on kicks. After going through several kickers during
the first half of 2009, Connor Barth secured the job for the
second half. He enters 2010 as the favorite for the job, a new
scenario for him as he noted, “You've seen what you've had to
go through the last two years to put you in the position where
you're at now. I'm in a lot better position than I was the last
couple years. I'm excited about that, and I'm really excited
about helping this team win some games this year.”
Nonetheless, he still has competition in camp – undrafted
rookie Hunter Lawrence. Andrew Economos is back for his
fifth year with the Bucs, and is the only long snapper on the
roster.
Buccaneers Depth Chart
QB: Josh Freeman, Josh Johnson, Rudy Carpenter
RB: Cadillac Williams (inj), Derrick Ward, Clifton Smith
(inj), Kareem Huggins
FB: Earnest Graham, Chris Pressley
WR: Mike Williams, Arrelious Benn, Sammie
Stroughter, Michael Clayton, Reggie Brown, Maurice
Stovall, Terrence Nunn, Mario Urrutia, Preston Parker, Chris
Brooks
TE: Kellen Winslow Jr, Jerramy Stevens, John Gilmore, Jeron
Mastrud, Ryan Purvis
K: Connor Barth, Hunter Lawrence
DT: Gerald McCoy , Brian Price (NT), Roy Miller, Ryan
Sims, Dre Moore
DE: Stylez White, Kyle Moore, Tim Crowder, Michael
Bennett, Erik Lorig
MLB: Barrett Ruud, Niko Koutouvides, Rod Wilson (inj)
OLB: Quincy Black (S), Geno Hayes (W/S), Adam Hayward
(S), Cody Grimm,Dekoda Wilson, Jon Alston (S), Rico
McCoy
CB: Aqib Talib (inj), Ronde Barber, Elbert Mack (inj), Myron
Lewis, Torrie Cox, E.J. Biggers, Derrick Roberson
S: Sean Jones (SS), Tanard Jackson (FS), Sabby Piscitelli
(SS), Corey Lynch,Steve Cargile, De'von Hall, Matt O'Hanlon
Tennessee Titans
colors and was on the field right away. After the first practice
Coach Fisher said of Johnson, "He looked good, real good...as
fast as I remember." Johnson has told reporters that his goals
for the season include winning the MVP award and overtaking
Eric Dickerson's single-season rushing record.
WR/TE: The most interesting development of the early
practices for the Titans was the use of tight end Jared Cook as
a split end in a number of offensive sets. Said Coach Fisher,
"we're trying him in different spots, seeing what works best
with him." Fantasy owners, however, know that this could be
the beginning of Cook (who has physical talents akin to
Vernon Davis in terms of size and speed) getting in position to
be a fantasy force. We'll be watching his development for you
throughout training camp. Receiver Kenny Britt, from whom
big things are expected, had a mixed couple of days to start
camp. Coach Fisher said that he was working hard and clearly
looked better then at OTAs. That said, Britt dropped at least
two catchable balls and was outshone by a number of other
receivers in early drills.
Defense: The Titans signed first round pick Derrick Morgan
(the 16th overall selection) on Saturday to a five-year deal.
Morgan actually signed his contract in the Titans dining room
and said, "I'm ready to get started. I know what they have on
the table and I know what I have to do." Unfortunately,
Morgan has been limited in practice due to "an ongoing calf
issue.” He had it before he left OTAs. “We just backed him
down (because) he isn't 100%" said Coach Fisher. Tennessee
gave away Keith Bulluck's number 53 to Rennie Curran.
Curran had requested the number as it is the inverse of the 35
he wore in college. Coach Fisher said, "Well, it's no big deal.
We try to have our linebackers in the 50's and Keith isn't here
anymore." Long-time Titan Keith Bulluck, to whom Fisher
was referring, signed with the New York Giants last week as
an unrestricted free agent. The Titans are thin at cornerback
necessitating the move of safety Vincent Fuller to corner for
early practices. Coach Fisher said that Fuller was only
getting reps at cornerback to help the team and that "his value
was at safety" and there was no threat in him being asked to
change positions. Fisher said that Courtland Finnegan was
entrenched as one starting corner and that "hopefully we'll get
one or two other starters out of the group working with him."
The Titans are hoping Tye Hill, who is currently unable to
practice, will be a contributor early on at cornerback.
QB: Vince Young is taking all of the first team reps and has
shown tremendous command of the offense so far. His only
mistakes and most interceptions have come during goal line
seven-on-seven drills. Kerry Collins is taking snaps with the
second team and Chris Simms is working with the third team.
Simms is on the roster bubble and currently has a "50/50 shot"
to make the team.
The Titans practiced with pads for the first time on Sunday but
will not have a full pad, full contact practice until Wednesday.
Coach Fisher said that the idea was to let the players get their
legs about them and "spend more time with their coaches,
more time in the installation meetings and less time in the
training room. We have a long way to go before we are game
ready." The Titans begin the preseason on August 14th with a
game at Qwest Field against the Seattle Seahawks.
RB: The Titans began checking players in for camp last
Friday night. Saturday morning began with a conditioning test
for all of the non-injured players. Chris Johnson ran his test
later in the day, due to having "his times a little messed up...he
had the schedule a little off.." according to Head Coach Jeff
Fisher. As expected, Johnson passed the test with flying
Special Teams: The offseason retirement of long time punter
Craig Hentrich created a specialist job opening. Brett Kern is
the favorite to win the job, and has even been working on
adding Hentrich’s infamous knuckleball to his repertoire.
Although Ricky Schmitt is more of a camp leg at both punter
and kicker, he’s also challenging Kern for the punting job.
Special teams coordinator Alan Lowry discussed the primary
camp objective for kicker Rob Bironas, “The biggest thing is
not his field goals, but last year his kickoffs fell off a little bit.
So that will be the biggest deal, not his field goals. And we've
already talked about that. I think he'll make some
improvement in that area.” Ken Amato returns for his eighth
season as the Titans long snapper.
Titans Depth Chart
QB: Vince Young, Kerry Collins, Chris Simms, Rusty Smith
RB: Chris Johnson (3RB), Javon Ringer (KR), Alvin Pearman
(PR), LeGarrette Blount, Stafon Johnson
FB: Ahmard Hall, Willie Rose
WR: Nate Washington, Justin Gage, Kenny Britt
(KR), Lavelle Hawkins, Damian Williams
(KR/PR), Dominique Edison, Paul Williams, Marc Mariani
(KR), Phillip Morris, Bobby Sewall
TE: Bo Scaife, Jared Cook, Craig Stevens, Sean Ryan, Steve
Pfahler
K: Rob Bironas, Ricky Schmitt
DT: Tony Brown, Jovan Haye, Jason Jones (inj), Sen'Derrick
Marks, Kareem Brown, David Howard, Joe Joseph
DE: William Hayes, Jacob Ford, Dave Ball, Jason
Babin, Derrick Morgan, Erik Bakhtiari, Marcus Howard
MLB: Stephen Tulloch, Mike Rivera, Ken Amato (LS)
OLB: Will Witherspoon (W/S), David Thornton (S), Gerald
McRath (S) (susp), Colin Allred, Rennie Curran, Jamie
Winborn, Stanford Keglar (W), Patrick Trahan
CB: Cortland Finnegan (PR), Ryan Mouton, Jason
McCourty, Alterraun Verner, Tye Hill, Rod Hood
S: Michael Griffin (FS), Chris Hope (SS), Vincent Fuller
(FS), Robert Johnson,Myron Rolle, Donnie Nickey, Nick
Schommer, Robert Johnson
Washington Redskins
QB: The Redskins embark on a new era as Mike Shanahan
takes the helm of his first training camp in D.C. Redskins fans
are hoping that he’ll have the same success with new QB
Donovan McNabb that he had with John Elway in Denver at a
similar point in his career. No real surprises in the first few
days as McNabb took snaps with the 1s, Rex Grossman ran
the 2s and Richard Bartel and Colt Brennan split time with the
other units. The Redkins the proceeded to trade for John Beck
and waive Colt Brennan. This sets up a battle between Beck
(from Baltimore) and Bartel for the QB3 job, who according
to Shanahan, will be on the active roster during the season.
"Yes, I think it is good to have three quarterbacks if you feel
that guy deserves to be on your football team," Shanahan said.
"Number one, you never have enough quarterbacks and if you
lose somebody, it’s hard to find a person that can come in and
run your system.”
RB: Fantasy owners are hungry for any insight into the RB
competition, and so far, the results have been encouraging if
you’re a Redskins fan, but probably not what you wanted to
see if you’re a fantasy owner. Clinton Portis has run with the
first team most of the week and looks fit and explosive. On
Saturday, he outran uber-athletic Brian Orakpo and looked
like the Portis of old. But Portis isn’t the only RB looking
ready to contend for a big workload, as Larry Johnson – a
favorite of Shanahan’s when they were both in the AFC West
– has run with power and intensity from the opening snap of
camp. Willie Parker is no bet to make the final roster, so don’t
risk a pick on him unless he really lights it up in the coming
weeks.
WR: Santana Moss is the one constant in this corps, and
didn’t make a ton of big plays in Week One but was on the
field and looking every bit the top option. The fact 38-year old
Joey Galloway lined up with the first unit to open camp is a
tell-tale sign of the Herculean improvement Malcolm Kelly
and Devin Thomas have to make in order to be worthwhile as
players or fantasy commodities. Kelly missed time this week
with a hamstring injury – shocking, I realize. Thomas seemed
off at the start of the week but admittedly showed more
consistency over the weekend. On Sunday, Thomas grabbed a
ball in spite of triple coverage and ran it into the end zone. As
for Galloway, it’s hard to imagine he’ll really have significant
playing time once the games matter. He’s caught a combined
20 passes over the last two seasons in Tampa Bay and New
England. The real dark horse in this race is Roydell Williams,
who has done everything right so far in camp. If he continues
at this pace, he’ll deserve a roster spot more than Thomas or
Kelly, if you can believe that.
TE: All eyes will be on Chris Cooley, returning from a
season-ending injury, and his backup Fred Davis. Both are
talents and could quite possibly be the two best receivers on
the team at any position. Cooley has been full go in practice
but told reporters on Saturday that he is disappointed in his
efforts thus far. "I put a lot of pressure on myself. I honestly
believe that I'm my biggest critic. I will go in there right now
and watch that whole practice. I'm really not happy with the
way I practiced today. There's always stuff that I feel like I
could do better. But I think this offense is going to give me
every opportunity to make big plays and most importantly just
to help our team." Fred Davis has looked smooth, fit and has
built a quick chemistry with McNabb. Believe it or not, 3 rd
string TE Lee Vickers has also been a standout. Perhaps the
TEs stand out more because the WR corps is so pedestrian, but
either way all three of these guys look like key contributors.
Defense: The story of the first few days of camp revolved
around disgruntled DT Albert Haynesworth, who showed up
to camp saying all the right things after a contentious
offseason. Unfortunately he failed to pass Mike Shanahan’s
fitness test on consecutive days, and then swelling in his knee
kept him out of practice (and attempting the fitness test)
through the week’s end. Whether this is yet another tug of war
between the coach and player remains to be seen, but so far
there’s simply not much to say about how this situation will
ultimately unfold. At cornerback, Phillip Buchanon and Justin
Tryon both opened some eyes this week as they contend for
the nickel back role. LaRon Landry appears ready to embrace
the role of defensive leader, as he’s been eye-opening at times
in early practice, including a leaping Pick 6 interception return
on Sunday. On Saturday, starting corner DeAngelo Hall
intercepted Donovan McNabb for his own Pick 6. The defense
has had the better of the offense in the early going.
Special Teams: Head coach Mike Shanahan recently
commented on two of his specialists, "I was impressed by
Graham. He's done a great job since I've been here. It's always
nice to see him. It's not a live situation when you have a full
rush, but the timing was there. Really, the only one or two he
missed were poor snaps. Hopefully we can just keep getting
better in that area." That’s good news for Graham Gano, who
has been the only kicker on the roster since the team released
Justin Medlock in June. That’s not-so-good early news for
long snapper Nick Sundberg, who was signed to replace the
not re-signed Ethan Albright. Special teams coordinator
Danny Smith commented on punter/holder Josh Bidwell,
“He’s a professional. He’s a sturdy guy with a powerful leg
and I think he’s gonna do a good job for us. He’s done this
before and he knows his job is to get us good field position
and put the ball down the field wherever we need it to be.”
Redskins Depth Chart
QB: Donovan McNabb, Rex Grossman, Richard Bartel, Colt
Brennan (inj)
RB: Clinton Portis, Larry Johnson, Ryan Torain, Willie
Parker, Keiland Williams
FB: Mike Sellers, Dennis Morris
WR: Santana Moss (PR), Devin Thomas, Malcolm
Kelly, Joey Galloway, Roydell Williams, Terrence
Austin, Bobby Wade, Anthony Armstrong, Brandon
Banks,Shay Hodge
TE: Chris Cooley (inj), Fred Davis, Lee Vickers
K: Graham Gano
NT: Maake Kemoeatu (inj), Kedric Golston, Anthony
Bryant, Howard Green
DE: Albert Haynesworth (NT), Philip Daniels, Adam Carriker
(inj), Jeremy Jarmon,Vonnie Holliday, Rob Jackson, Antoine
Holmes, Darrion Scott
ILB: London Fletcher, Rocky McIntosh (inj), H.B.
Blades, Perry Riley, Chris Draft,Robert Henson, Darrel Young
OLB: Brian Orakpo (S/DE), Andre Carter, Chris Wilson
(S/DE), Lorenzo Alexander,Alvin Bowen, Curtis Gatewood
CB: Carlos Rogers, DeAngelo Hall (inj), Justin Tryon, Phillip
Buchanon, Kevin Barnes, Byron Westbrook, Ramzee
Robinson, Marcus McCauley, Doug Dutch
S: Laron Landry (FS), Reed Doughty (SS) (inj), Chris Horton
(SS) (inj), Kareem Moore (FS), Lendy Holmes