2011 Training Camp / Preseason Observations, News & Tidbits Thread (1 Viewer)

[Thomsen]

http://espn.go.com/blog/nfceast/post/_/id/29273/camp-confidential-redskins

Hightower feature back? Interesting.

 

[Faust]

Today’s Patriots training camp observation to blow completely out of proportion: Can you say Gronk, the All-Pro?

At the end of every day, we’ll participate in a pasttime as old as training camp itself — taking an observation and blowing it way out of proportion. Here’s today’s edition:

Thus far in camp, Rob Gronkowski has been a man among boys. No one has come close to being able to guard him, or contain him. He’s been an absolute beast.

The second year tight end has looked virtually unstoppable, making catches all over the field. Yesterday, linebacker Gary Guyton, who’s proven to be pretty slick marking tight ends, looked completely over-matched.

Today, it was Rob Ninkovich’s turn. The linebacker had no chance either alone, or with help. The 6-6, 265 pound tight end just ate up whatever coverage was thrown his way, and caught every ball thrown from either Tom Brady, Brian Hoyer, or Ryan Mallett.

While he did catch a long sideline pass from Brady for one touchdown early in today’s practice, it was his work in the red zone that was particularly eye-catching.

Gronkowski did have 10 TD catches last year in his rookie season, but this year, judging by how great he looks at camp, how dominant he’s been, he’ll have even more. And with that higher TD bracket comes All-Pro status, as well as Pro Bowl honors.

Bet the farm on it.

 

[Faust]

Camp Confidential: Redskins

Excerpts:

By Dan Graziano

THREE HOT ISSUES

1. Who's the quarterback? Shanahan surprised a lot of people by not taking a quarterback in the draft. He surprised a lot more people shortly thereafter, when he declared that he believed Beck, who was already on the team, could be the starter. He has since moved to include Grossman as a candidate for that spot, but neither has inspired much confidence outside of the Redskins' offices.

Shanahan and his son, offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, insist that they loved Beck when he was coming out of college and was picked 40th in the 2007 draft. They believe he continues to show the same qualities they liked when they watched him then -- athleticism, mobility, quick release, natural leadership ability -- and that the only reason he hasn't had NFL success is because he hasn't had NFL opportunity. They insist they like Grossman, who operated their offense last year at least as well as, if not better than, McNabb did. The sense I got from hanging around the Redskins for a few days is that the coaches are more concerned about the pieces around the quarterback -- the line, the receivers, the backs -- than they are about the quarterback position itself. Speaking of which ...

2. To whom will that quarterback throw? Santana Moss is back, and the team added veteran wideouts to the mix in Jabar Gaffney amd Donte' Stallworth. But in order to be successful, the Redskins' offense must get a jolt from one or more of the inexperienced receivers on the roster. Anthony Armstrong showed something late last year, and he'll be pushed by rookies Leonard Hankerson and Aldrick Robinson, as well as by holdover Malcolm Kelly, a 2008 second-rounder. Running back Hightower can be a weapon in the passing game, and the best receivers on the roster outside of Moss may be tight ends Chris Cooley and Fred Davis. But because of concerns about the offensive line and whether it can come together in short order, those guys may end up doing a lot of blocking.

3. Do they have the defense down yet? Defensive coordinator Jim Haslett said last year that it would take two years for the 3-4 install to work because it takes that long for players to re-train their minds and bodies around it. Adding in players better suited to the 3-4 than the people they had here last year should help, but new players such as Cofield, Bowen and rookie Ryan Kerrigan are experiencing the defense for the first time. The Redskins have a lot of talent on the defensive side of the ball and could be good there in short order. But they're still in a learning process, and how good they are on defense this year will depend on the speed with which they learn it.

ADDITION BY SUBTRACTION

The story of last year's Redskins training camp was disgruntled defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth and his distaste for what he believed would be his assignment in the new 3-4 defense. Haynesworth's refusal to be open to the switch led to a drawn-out confrontation between him and Mike Shanahan, the conditioning-test mess and a feud that lasted all the way through the season. Trading Haynesworth to New England (and McNabb to Minnesota) was one of the first things the Redskins did when the lockout ended, and the main reason they did it was because they were determined not to let last year's problems infect this year's training camp. It hasn't. Without naming names, London Fletcher laughed when I told him Cofield, who played in a 4-3 in New York, had told me he was excited to make the switch to a 3-4 nose tackle.

"That's good, to hear that he's excited about it," Fletcher said, chuckling. "I want a nose that's excited about playing that position."

EXTRA PREPARATION

Fletcher, Beck and Lorenzo Alexander organized some of the most frequent and best-attended player workouts of any team during the lockout. Fletcher said the three of them divvied up administrative responsibilities such as calling guys to make sure they were coming and reaching out to local schools to see about the use of fields. Fletcher said there was one time he flew in the day before one of the workouts and went over on a whim to check out the high school field on which they were scheduled to practice only to find it unacceptable and have to make a last-minute change.

"We had some great turnout, got some great work in," Fletcher said. "Obviously it's not what we're getting here now, but it was important for us. What upsets me a little bit is when we have something that we did in our player-only camps, and we don't cover it correctly out here. I'll see somebody do something wrong and I want to yell out, 'Man, we worked on that!'"

Maybe, but the coaching staff appreciates that the players took the time to work out together while they weren't permitted to work out with coaches at the team facility. Kyle Shanahan said he notices it with those young wide receivers.

"We weren't able to work with them, so that was one of the positions I was worried the most with," he said. "And I could tell that Rex and John had gotten with these guys and given them some stuff, and I could tell these guys had put in their work before they got here, so we weren't just speaking Chinese to them."

OBSERVATION DECK

[*]Alexander is an extremely valuable guy to the Redskins' defense. He has lined up at all four linebacker spots, could start the season on the outside if first-round pick Kerrigan isn't ready and has been lining up inside next to Fletcher, as well. Even with the return of Rocky McIntosh, expect Alexander to find his way onto the field a lot.

[*]Tim Hightower isn't here just for depth. I believe, after talking to Mike Shanahan, that Hightower is the clear front-runner for the starting running back job as long as his fumble problems don't follow him to Washington from Arizona.

[*]Ryan Torain, at least before he hurt himself, seemed to be working on his role in pass protection, which was something he didn't do much of last year. He'll have to if he wants to keep up with Hightower, for whom that's a strength.

[*]Second-round pick Jarvis Jenkins has been one of the eye-openers in camp and should fit nicely into the defensive line rotation. "He's learning so fast," offensive tackle Trent Williams told me, "it's almost scary."

[*]Beck may look good to the coaches who loved his college tape, but if you were out there watching the first week of practice, you saw a lot of receivers reaching behind themselves to catch his passes and a lot of wobble on the deep downfield throws. He does look good when he scrambles and runs, but as a passer, he looks as if he needs more camp.

[*]Trent Williams looks slimmed down from last year and has looked good in his win-some, lose-some battles with Orakpo in early drills.

 

[Faust]

Thrilling Dalton-to-Green connections ignite Bengals camp

GEORGETOWN, Ky. -- The best play of the night? A.J. Green made it, of course. That's happening almost every day now in Bengals camp.

Green made a diving catch along the sideline during an 11-on-11 drill Friday night, a prelude to Cincinnati's scaled-back training camp scrimmage.

It was the crowd pleaser.

"When you see one-on-one (coverage) with A.J., it's going to trigger something in you to take a shot down there," rookie quarterback Andy Dalton said. "He's a big guy, he's physical and he can make a lot of catches."

He's making the spectacular ones look routine.

The Bengals took Green with the fourth overall pick out of Georgia, giving themselves a replacement for Chad Ochocinco. They traded Ochocinco to New England for draft picks, making the rookie their primary receiver.

He's playing the part so far.

During an 11-on-11 drill against the starting defense, Dalton was under pressure and simply threw the ball deep down the left sideline, hoping Green could catch up to it. The receiver stretched out and came down with the ball while landing hard inbounds -- easily the best play of the night.

It excited the fans. The coaches? Not so much.

"Every time he lands on the ground I'm like, 'Oh, please, don't hurt your shoulder,'" offensive coordinator Jay Gruden said. "He's a special guy. He's fun to watch. Every time I see someone lined up on him kind of seven or eight yards deep, I feel like yelling at the quarterback, 'Throw it to A.J.!'"

Green didn't make a big deal out of it.

"It was a good catch," he said. "Not one of my best. I can do that pretty much nine times out of 10. It's nice making a big play in front of my teammates."

How could it have been better?

"I probably could have scored on it," he said. "I probably should have stayed up and tried to run through it, but I chose to dive. I was a little tired."

The rest of the night was more humdrum by design.

The Bengals severely scaled back the annual camp scrimmage because many of the players had practiced only once. Free agents couldn't work out with the team until Thursday because the NFL's new labor agreement wasn't approved until then.

Usually, the Bengals give the ball to the offense and see how far it can advance on downs. This time, they did only about 15 minutes of scrimmaging, running 18 plays from midfield. Unlike previous years, nobody kept statistics.

Dalton, a second-round pick from TCU, is getting the first shot at the starting job. He worked with the starting unit and got the most snaps of the four quarterbacks during the scrimmage part of practice.

Dalton has run most of the plays throughout camp, learning a little more of the offense each day.

"Andy had another great day," Gruden said. "He was efficient on third-down (plays), had some key completions, got the ball out of his hand when he had to. He's doing a good job of managing the game so far."

He's in line to start the preseason opener Friday in Detroit.

"They've been giving me a lot of snaps, giving me the opportunity to go out there and start everything off," Dalton said. "I think they're just trying to get me ready, get me looks against the defense, and hopefully getting me ready for the preseason game next week."

 

[Faust]

Gabbert has the look of Jacksonville's next big thing

Excerpts (this one is not the full article...I extracted what I thought was important):

By Pete Prisco

CBSSports.com Senior Writer

Aug. 5, 2011

Let me start this column by saying it is not another shot at David Garrard. I mean it. Really.

It's praise for Blaine Gabbert.

What I saw on the Jacksonville Jaguars' practice field Thursday night from Gabbert, the team's top pick in the April draft, is like nothing I've witnessed on any of the Jaguars' practice fields in the 16 years they've been in existence.

Not from Mark Brunell. Not from Byron Leftwich, and not from Garrard.

What I saw on that practice field Thursday was a rookie quarterback who stood tall in the pocket, scanned the field, and made throws down the field with a big, strong arm.

He's also a guy who can improvise, seeing him several times get flushed out of the pocket, only to keep his eyes up for a chance to make a throw, which he did twice.

As one Jaguars source said, "He does some of the things that Ben Roethlisberger does. He's a playmaker. He makes plays."

At 6-foot-5, Gabbert looks the part. He walks with a swagger. He seems to take over the huddle.

Garrard is a run-around quarterback who plays hard, is certainly tough, but he is limited in what he does down the field. He can win if everything around him is right, but he's not going to carry a team. He can be fun to watch and maddening at the same time. Garrard is a quarterback ranked in the late teens to low 20s in the league rankings.

Gabbert can be a top-10 guy.

I watched his tape in college, and Gabbert did some things that were unsettling. He felt phantom pressure at times. But you could always see the arm and the athletic ability. I liked Florida State's Christian Ponder more -- still do -- but Gabbert looked much better than I expected Thursday.

I know it's only one practice, and it's not live contact, but he does things that you want from a quarterback. The coaches aren't publicly saying all that much about him, but they know. The scouts know. And you better believe general manager Gene Smith knows. He's the one who made the bold move to trade up and draft Gabbert.

When Smith did that, it ended the drought of not drafting a quarterback for the Jaguars, who hadn't done so since Leftwich was drafted eight years ago.

Gabbert throws ropes. There were three consecutive passes he threw for touchdowns in a red zone drill Thursday that buzzed by the heads of the defensive backs, barley getting above helmet level. He made two seam throws that Garrard doesn't make -- or won't make.

Sure, there were times where Gabbert has run out of the pocket too quickly during the first week of camp, but that will lesson as he understands the offense more. The coaches raved about the way he played in his first practice, even without an offseason to grasp the offense.

Before that practice, one of the coaches said, "It's one thing to know it on the board, but to do it on the field is another."

A week later, he's doing it on the field. The staff has raved about the way he has picked up the offense. He's still running with the second team, but he will get reps with the first team in the preseason. Garrard hurt his back Thursday and had to leave practice, and Gabbert stepped in as if it were his team.

The coaches want to make it a fair fight, which is why he will work with the ones during the preseason. If Gabbert continues to progress at the same rate, and plays well in the preseason, the team will have an interesting decision to make. Garrard has some supporters in the locker room, including running back Maurice Jones-Drew, so there has to be some concern about fracturing the team.

That happened in 2007 when coach Jack Del Rio made the decision the week before the regular season to jettison Leftwich and make Garrard the starter. The Jaguars made the playoffs that year, but there was some splintering in the locker room.

There are some scouts around the league who wonder about Gabbert's toughness. They say he will look good when there is no real pressure. The Jaguars don't buy it.

One team source said he's as tough a quarterback as he's seen on tape. But Garrard is tough, too. There's no denying that. For all his faults in the passing game, he shows up and competes. He takes shots.

Del Rio will always play the best guy. He's said as much.

If it's Garrard, then it's Garrard. If it's Gabbert, it will be Gabbert.

And don't even talk about it being too soon for the rookie. I've heard the talk that playing a rookie quarterback can impact their psyche for the future.

"That's the dumbest thing I've heard," one general manager said. "If it does, then you picked the wrong guy."

No, the Jaguars look like they picked the right guy. The face of the franchise has been Maurice Jones-Drew the past five seasons. It's been a while since it was a quarterback.

That time might be coming sooner than you think.

Even Garrard has to know that.

 

[Faust]

AJ Green making biggest impression in Bengals camp

JOE KAY

Published: August 6, 2011

GEORGETOWN, Ky. (AP) — The pass rush is closing in. Andy Dalton has to get rid of the ball. Though he's had only a handful of practices in training camp, the rookie already knows what to do.

Find No. 18 and fling it his way.

Rookie receiver A.J. Green has made so many impressive catches in the first week of the Bengals' camp that his new quarterback already expects the sensational.

"He's making outstanding catches," Dalton said. "He's going up, he's making diving catches, he's doing it all. It might not always be in the right spot, but he can go get it."

He's become the buzz of Bengals camp.

"There's a wow factor to him," receivers coach James Urban said. "I've not see a first week like this (by a rookie)."

It started in the first practice, when the first-round pick routinely beat defensive backs to get open. On the second day, he put a double move on Leon Hall — Cincinnati's top cornerback — and made him stumble in a pass-catching drill.

Later, when Dalton severely underthrew a pass, Green came back and jumped high above a safety to pluck the ball away.

His best moment came on Friday night, when he caught up with Dalton's long throw along the left sideline and made a diving catch that thrilled the small crowd on hand for the annual scrimmage.

"We haven't had many come in here as talented as he is," Hall said. "I don't think I've ever seen a receiver as he is this early. He's been doing great, and I'm really excited to see how he does in the preseason and then going to Cleveland for that first game."

The Bengals deemed Green worthy of the fourth overall pick. Draft analysts had dubbed him the most NFL-ready receiver in a while, a potential Pro Bowl player for years to come. Cincinnati traded Chad Ochocinco — the top receiver in franchise history — to New England for draft picks, making Green the No. 1 receiver before he signed his contract.

"Coming in being a high pick, some of the vets are like, 'Hope you don't steal money like some of the other guys,'" Green said.

So far, he's earning the accolades.

"Anytime you see him break the huddle, you feel like you have a chance something good's going to happen," offensive coordinator Jay Gruden said. "Andy's getting more comfortable and the quarterbacks are getting more comfortable with him. And A.J.'s getting more comfortable with the terminology.

"That's the biggest thing. Once he gets the terminology down and the route concepts down, he'll be a force."

The receiver out of Georgia is the anti-Ochocinco in many ways. He doesn't tweet much, doesn't celebrate or try to get attention on the field. There's no self-promotion, which has impressed the veterans as much as the catches.

"I'm not blown away with the physical ability because I expected all that," quarterback Jordan Palmer said. "He's a great guy. He's working hard. He's focused. When you ask him who he wants to be, he wants to be (Arizona's) Larry Fitzgerald. I asked him why, and he said because he does all the little things right.

"His physical tools are through the roof. It's the other things that are going to make him great."

Green's first year might be his toughest, not only because so much is new to him. The core of Cincinnati's passing game is green.

Dalton was a second-round pick who is being prepared to start. The Bengals worked him into some no-huddle plays on Saturday for the first time. Rookie quarterbacks tend to go through a lot of growing pains.

Plus, it won't take opponents long to figure out that they've got to take Green away.

The rest of the receiving group is inexperienced, too. Jordan Shipley and tight end Jermaine Gresham are starting their second seasons. Jerome Simpson and Andre Caldwell have been career backups — 16 combined starts between them.

The Bengals haven't gone with such little experience in the passing game since 2000, when second-year quarterback Akili Smith threw to rookies Peter Warrick and Ron Dugans and second-year receiver Craig Yeast. Cincinnati lost its first six games that season and finished 4-12.

With Ochocinco gone, Green's going to be the biggest target on a Bengals team coming off yet another 4-12 season.

"He's done what was advertised," coach Marvin Lewis said. "He's a big man with great speed and great body control. He can run every route, make every catch and make the quarterback look good on every play."

 

[GregR]

My observations from Texans Aug 6 practice

 

[Sigmund Bloom]

My observations from Texans Aug 6 practice

Welcome to the staff, Greg!

 

[Faust]

Twitter:

Mike Reiss

Patriots practice concluding. Aaron Hernandez with 3 TD in red zone work, one coming one-handed. No Albert Haynesworth for 2nd day in row.

Progress for Brady on practice field

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien answered questions from reporters this afternoon, and one of the more notable nuggets was his view that quarterback Tom Brady has elevated his work on the practice field over the last two days.

"To be a good quarterback for us, just like he's been obviously, it's about decision-making and it's about accuracy. In this past offseason he's had, where there were no defenses out there, obviously there is a little bit of an adjustment period to when you come back to a training camp and now you have defense, different coverages, different fronts and different blitzes that you're seeing from the defense," O'Brien said.

"Just like everybody else out there, he's working to be more consistent. I thought the past two days have been really, really good practices for him."

A few other quick-hits from O'Brien:

WR Chad Ochocinco fitting in. "He's been very professional, works really hard, in the meeting room and on the field. He's a competitive guy, takes a lot of pride in it. I'd say that about the whole group of receivers. I think there are 11 of them working right now -- smart guys, competitive guys. Ocho is fitting in. I think he's progressed on a daily basis. Just like everybody else, there are ups and downs in this time of training camp. He's just trying to be as consistent as he can be, like everyone else out there."

WR Taylor Price in Year 2. "It would be a similar answer to Ocho and the whole group. At this point of training camp, I think this is practice 12, there have been ups and downs. He's really trying to smooth it out. He's been there every day, he's working really hard, he's a competitive guy. It's really important to him. I believe that he will work to be consistent and we'll see how it goes."

Backup QBs Brian Hoyer & Ryan Mallett. "I believe it's a really good situation. I believe you have three good quarterbacks. Obviously you have Tom, who is a proven guy. Then with Brian and Ryan, you have two guys there that obviously can throw the ball. Again, working for consistency, working to learn the offense. They are at different points in their career now; Brian is going into his third year, with Ryan being a rookie. So they are at a little bit different points there. Both of them have impressed as far as being able to throw the football. You got three guys there that can really throw the football. That's been good."

 

[Faust]

Jets Shonn Greene ready to step up and carry workload as L.T. will have a reduced workload

BY Kevin Armstrong

DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Thursday, August 4th 2011, 4:00 AM

At 5-11, 226 pounds, Shonn Greene, the soft-spoken, hard-running tailback for the Jets, embodies coach Rex Ryan's ground-and-pound running game. Equally capable of shedding tacklers and shooting through gaps, Greene grabbed the starting tailback position in the offseason, insisting he is refreshed and fully confident.

"You know me, I love to fire a fresh back at ya," Ryan said. "But to start with, I'm thinking the plan is you're going to get a heavy dose of Shonn Greene."

Opportunity is afoot for Greene. Ryan intends to increase his workload as 32-year-old LaDainian Tomilnson, the Jets' leading rusher last year with 914 yards, sees a reduced role, mainly on third downs. Tabbed the starter last season, Greene, who ran for 766 yards, lost the No. 1 job by halftime of the opener by coughing up two costly fumbles against the Baltimore Ravens. He regained his job late in the season but has yet to prove consistent enough to carry a full load.

Greene, 25, will not grind alone. Tomlinson, who likely will return to practice Thursday, remains in good shape and second-year tailback Joe McKnight has come "a million miles," according to Ryan, from the player who threw up in his first minicamp as a rookie. Rotating all three will be in offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer's game plan as he employs his "hot hand" approach.

Greene has finished both seasons strong with powerful performances.

"I think I still had the same focus and everything," Greene said. "I just think now I'm a little bit more experienced, so I think the coaches feel a little bit more comfortable with me. That probably will be a difference."

He will deal with a dual role. Still learning from Tomlinson, Greene has accepted the responsibility of ushering McKnight through his second season as well as rookie Bilal Powell, who was selected in the fourth round of April's draft. He believes his experiences enable him to relate to the younger players.

"I'm no eight-year veteran but I've got the gist," said Greene, who carried the ball 185 times last season. "When you first get into this league, you're going to make mistakes; that's just part of the game.

"You've got to learn. You can't keep doing it or you're not going to be a pro very long around here."

Greene's hands hampered him in previous years. Unreliable out of the backfield as a receiver, he set out to improve his technique. Running backs coach Anthony Lynn continues to work with him on ensuring that the ball remains in his hands when it gets there.

"He's catching the ball much better than he has," Ryan said. "Which isn't saying much. When he first got here, remember that? It was like, somebody make two guys run to the same spot, play the deflection. But he's catching the ball well now."

Greene also vowed to protect his body so he can be around late in the season.

"I don't want to have to hamper my running style because then I'm not being who I am, you know?" Greene said.

Lynn sees no need to lighten the load over the long haul. He plans to watch Greene pound through opposing lines this season.

"Last year when we had a luxury like L.T., you didn't have to pound him all the time because injuries were a concern with his physical running style," Lynn said. "This year we'll increase his load, I'd love to see him get 300-plus touches this year."

 

[GregR]

My observations from Texans Aug 6 practice

Welcome to the staff, Greg!

Thanks!

 

[The Dynasty]

Twitter:

Mike Reiss

Patriots practice concluding. Aaron Hernandez with 3 TD in red zone work, one coming one-handed. No Albert Haynesworth for 2nd day in row.

At the end of every day, we’ll participate in a pasttime as old as training camp itself — taking an observation and blowing it way out of proportion. Here’s today’s edition:

Thus far in camp, Rob Gronkowski has been a man among boys. No one has come close to being able to guard him, or contain him. He’s been an absolute beast.

The second year tight end has looked virtually unstoppable, making catches all over the field. Yesterday, linebacker Gary Guyton, who’s proven to be pretty slick marking tight ends, looked completely over-matched.

Today, it was Rob Ninkovich’s turn. The linebacker had no chance either alone, or with help. The 6-6, 265 pound tight end just ate up whatever coverage was thrown his way, and caught every ball thrown from either Tom Brady, Brian Hoyer, or Ryan Mallett.

While he did catch a long sideline pass from Brady for one touchdown early in today’s practice, it was his work in the red zone that was particularly eye-catching.

Gronkowski did have 10 TD catches last year in his rookie season, but this year, judging by how great he looks at camp, how dominant he’s been, he’ll have even more. And with that higher TD bracket comes All-Pro status, as well as Pro Bowl honors.

Bet the farm on it.

These two observations seem to kind of contradict. Guess we'll spend another year trying to figure out which New England TE to start each week.

 

[gianmarco]

See, this is where it gets out of hand? So essentially every rookie looks really good? Ok, got it.

So many of the rookies that ended up being real keepers created a ton of buzz from day one. Some of the rookies that create a lot of buzz are just practice studs and they fade in-season. Either way, it is definitely relevant and worth noting when observers are raving about a rook. People can decide to do what they want with the info, but your dismissal of the info is uncalled for.

I think you read a bit more into my statement than was there. I'm not dismissing the info and nothing was uncalled for about my post. I've been following this thread as well as others with much interest. There's lots of great info. A lot of the TC blurbs in this thread are great because it talks about the good, the bad, and the the people of interest (even if nothing much about them). Then there's collection of fluff like the post I quoted where it just looks like a lot of noise. Everyone looks good. It happens every year. It happens around draft time and it happens around training camp time. I know there are going to be people that look good. But when EVERYONE seems to look good it gets to a point of diminishing returns where it's hard to discern the noise from the real stuff. You have to take it all with a grain of salt but I trust those that point out the good AND the bad (like Lammey) a lot more than those that just rave about the next guy in claiming he's the best they've seen. So, maybe every person listed there truly looks the part but when I review that list it seems it's just all the big names. It's unfortunate because the true gems get lost in the hype and the noise. Early on in camp and through most of this thread, you could pick out which guys were truly standing out. When you get to the post I quoted, it seems everyone is and, to me, that takes away from the true shining stars. That's all Either way, as I said above, a lot of the information in this thread (and Lammey's Broncos thread) is incredibly helpful and valuable and appreciated. So, I'm pretty sure you read much more into my statement than what was meant by it.

 

[Faust]

Postcard from camp: Ravens

Excerpts:

Three Observations

1. Even in his 16th training camp, Ray Lewis plays like he's an undrafted free agent trying to stick. During Thursday's practice, Lewis was running from sideline to sideline, barking instructions to the defense while trying to rattle the offense. "Flacco!" Lewis shouted. "Flaaacccooooooo!" Where does he get the energy? Every offseason, Lewis says he finds a new training regimen that keeps his body in peak condition. (This offseason it was cycling, he says). At 36, Lewis continues to set a standard that his teammates know they must meet. "I've lined up with Ray Lewis for nine years, and that man studies like Master Yoda," says linebacker Terrell Suggs. Lewis has been at it so long it's nearly impossible to imagine the Ravens without him.

2. One of the smoothest transitions in Ravens history was the handoff from tight end Shannon Sharpe to Todd Heap. With Heap's release before the season, Baltimore is counting on a pair of second-year tight ends -- Ed Dickson and Dennis Pitta -- to emerge. Dickson, who has good speed, caught 11 passes for 152 yards and a touchdown last season while Pitta, who is projected to have good hands, caught one pass for 1 yard. "They're doing well, they're very willing, and they're very smart guys," says Ravens tight ends coach Wade Harman. "Todd was a second-year player once, and so was Shannon Sharpe. [Dickson and Pitta] are going to grow at their rate." For many young tight ends, blocking consistently takes time. "[blocking was] something in college they weren't asked to do a lot, at least in that normal, traditional role," Harman says. "They got some time last year doing it, and they're going to keep getting better."

3. First-year defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano will bring the Ravens defense back to its attacking roots. After tallying only 27 sacks last season under coordinator Greg Mattison (who now holds the same job at the University of Michigan), the Ravens are expecting that number to rise. "That's the only way we'll get over the hump," Suggs says. "We like the aggressiveness that [Pagano] portrays at times, and we like the smartness that he portrays at times. Whether we're being aggressive or we're playing coverage, I think we still have enough great players on this defense to get the job done." Says head coach John Harbaugh of his defensive players: "They are going to be reckless in the best sense of the word."

Step On Up

Joe Flacco, quarterback. I pulled Flacco aside after Thursday's practice, as I hadn't seen him since he defeated Miami in the playoffs as a rookie. "That was a long time ago," Flacco says.

I was impressed with how mature Flacco looked Thursday in Owings Mills, how comfortable he seemed as the leader of the Ravens offense. Despite the occasional criticism from the outside, his outlook for 2011 is positive. For starters, head coach John Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Cam Cameron are allowing Flacco to have a louder voice in putting together the Ravens' gameplan. Flacco sees it as a natural progression. He also doesn't shy away from the challenge of raising his level of play.

"You definitely have more of an opinion," Flacco says of his input into the offense. "The other thing is, we have a lot of young guys on the team. They need someone out there to help guide them around and coach them up -- other than a coach. That's a big job for me."

New Face, New Place

Safety Bernard Pollard, who spent the last two seasons in Houston, is a physical hitter who should fit nicely in the Ravens' scheme alongside Ed Reed. Last season Pollard made 111 tackles and forced four fumbles in 15 games. (He was also fined $40,000 for a hit on Tennessee receiver Justin Gage). During Thursday's practice -- his first with the Ravens - he intercepted a pass from rookie Tyrod Taylor.

Looking At The Schedule ...

With the Ravens getting the NFC West and four games against transitioning teams in Cleveland and Cincinnati, 11-5 feels right. Of particular interest are Baltimore's Week 1 and 9 matchups with the Steelers, Week 4 at home against the Jets, Week 14 at home against the Colts, and Week 15 at San Diego. These five games should say everything about the long-term prospects of the 2011 Ravens.

 

[Sigmund Bloom]

See, this is where it gets out of hand? So essentially every rookie looks really good? Ok, got it.

So many of the rookies that ended up being real keepers created a ton of buzz from day one. Some of the rookies that create a lot of buzz are just practice studs and they fade in-season. Either way, it is definitely relevant and worth noting when observers are raving about a rook. People can decide to do what they want with the info, but your dismissal of the info is uncalled for.

I think you read a bit more into my statement than was there. I'm not dismissing the info and nothing was uncalled for about my post. I've been following this thread as well as others with much interest. There's lots of great info. A lot of the TC blurbs in this thread are great because it talks about the good, the bad, and the the people of interest (even if nothing much about them). Then there's collection of fluff like the post I quoted where it just looks like a lot of noise. Everyone looks good. It happens every year. It happens around draft time and it happens around training camp time. I know there are going to be people that look good. But when EVERYONE seems to look good it gets to a point of diminishing returns where it's hard to discern the noise from the real stuff. You have to take it all with a grain of salt but I trust those that point out the good AND the bad (like Lammey) a lot more than those that just rave about the next guy in claiming he's the best they've seen. So, maybe every person listed there truly looks the part but when I review that list it seems it's just all the big names. It's unfortunate because the true gems get lost in the hype and the noise. Early on in camp and through most of this thread, you could pick out which guys were truly standing out. When you get to the post I quoted, it seems everyone is and, to me, that takes away from the true shining stars. That's all Either way, as I said above, a lot of the information in this thread (and Lammey's Broncos thread) is incredibly helpful and valuable and appreciated. So, I'm pretty sure you read much more into my statement than what was meant by it.

Certainly not everyone looks good. lots of guys look bad and observers say so.not all big names - Denarius Moore, Cecil Shorts, Jeremy Kerley - three of the most buzzed about rookie WRs so far.

 

[EBF]

I'm intrigued by Kerley. He caught my eye in the Rose Bowl and really popped off the screen when I watched his highlights.

I didn't draft him in any leagues because his height (5'9") and speed (4.6) screamed "slot," but I'm snapping him up now.

Cotch and Braylon have been jettisoned. Plax is ancient. Mason is ancient. There's a slight chance that Kerley could steal that WR2 job.

Actually, Mason represents a best case scenario for the type of player he could become.

 

[Faust]

Camp Confidential: Cleveland Browns

Excerpts:

THREE HOT ISSUES

1. Is QB Colt McCoy the long-term solution?

It's unfair to judge a player on one week of practice. But I paid a lot of attention to McCoy this week, and I have some concerns.

The second-year quarterback was inconsistent. On Tuesday, McCoy had a poor practice. On Friday, he was better. There is a good chance that this is what you'll see from McCoy during the regular season.

McCoy has only eight starts under his belt. He is essentially halfway into his rookie year. He's also learning his second offense in two years.

Although McCoy isn't making excuses, expect some growing pains.

"You come out here and you have to be ready to play," McCoy said. "I feel like I'm in good shape. I felt like the guys around me -- offensive line, receivers, running backs -- I feel like overall everybody was in good shape and ready to work. For me, that's good. I need all the work I can get."

McCoy has intangibles and natural leadership ability. But no NFL quarterback wins on intangibles alone. McCoy's size and arm strength are two question marks he must overcome.

The Browns are "all in" with McCoy this year. If he has a solid season, the Browns could exceed expectations. But if McCoy falls apart, it could be another long season in Cleveland.

2. Can rookies make an immediate impact?

The Browns have the potential to start as many as four rookies in Week 1.

Rookie defensive tackle Phil Taylor, defensive end Jabaal Sheard, receiver Greg Little and fullback Owen Marecic are all vying for starting jobs. Barring injury, Taylor, Sheard and Marecic are virtual locks for the starting lineup. They already are working with the first team. Little is working with the first- and second-team offense behind starters Mohamed Massaquoi and Brian Robiskie.

This could be a blessing and a curse for the Browns. Holmgren and Heckert believe they drafted solid, NFL-ready players for the second consecutive year. But the fact that this many rookies can start right away also is an indictment of Cleveland's thin roster.

Taylor has been the most impressive of the group. He arrived in camp four days late because of a contract dispute. But Taylor made his presence felt later in the week with his size, strength and ability to get up field. He could be a force next to fellow defensive tackle Ahtyba Rubin.

"I am still learning and taking it all in," Taylor said. "I am learning every bit I can from the guys like Rubin. The guys that were behind me were helping me out as well."

3. Is running back Peyton Hillis a one-year wonder?

Hillis doesn't look like a one-year wonder. He was the most steady player in Cleveland's camp this week. He's is still running hard and catching the ball well out of the backfield. He's also not making mental mistakes in Cleveland's new offense.

Last year Hillis exploded on the scene with 1,177 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. He instantly became Cleveland's most popular player. A heavy push by Browns fans put Hillis on the cover of "Madden NFL 12."

Production has never been an issue for Hillis. Injuries are the only concern.

"He's a pro, and pros -- especially at running back -- it's very important for them to hear it, see it and feel it," Shurmur said. "He's done a good job of getting in there and getting his reps. Make sure he's getting his work, try to eliminate any kind of little injury in there and then give him the ball. I think that's the important thing."

BIGGEST SURPRISE

Because veteran free agents were unable to practice until Thursday, rookie fifth-round pick Buster Skrine received a lot of reps as the nickel corner this week. Skrine displayed good speed and playmaking ability. He jumped a route in team drills Tuesday and got a pick-six off McCoy, his best play of the week.

Skrine is competitive and looks like a mini-Joe Haden. He probably will make the team as a late-round pick.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT

Massaquoi missed the entire first week of camp because of an ankle injury. The injury happened before the lockout was lifted. Therefore, the team and Massaquoi have been quiet about it.

Massaquoi is missing valuable practice time in Cleveland's West Coast offense. He has a lot of pressure as McCoy's No. 1 receiver. Timing between Massaquoi and McCoy will be vital this season.

Massaquoi caught 36 passes for 483 yards and two touchdowns last season. He needs much better production for Cleveland to be successful.

OBSERVATION DECK

[*]The Browns are a slow football team. Cleveland has decent size but definitely not enough blazers and game-changing athletes. I thought the Browns would be more aggressive in free agency to close the talent gap with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens. But that wasn't the case. Keep an eye on team speed during the regular season. I think it will be an issue.

[*]Pro Bowl left tackle Joe Thomas is dominating Sheard in practice. Cleveland's coaching staff is putting Sheard, a rookie second-round pick, against Thomas to get him ready for the regular season. But Thomas is stonewalling Sheard at nearly every turn and had a pancake block in Friday's practice. Cleveland hopes Sheard will gradually improve by facing arguably the NFL's best left tackle.

[*]Second-year running back Montario Hardesty isn't all the way back from knee surgery. The former second-round pick tore his ACL last year and missed the entire season. The Browns are counting on Hardesty to spell Hillis this year. But the team has been very cautious with Hardesty in practice. Hardesty has a lengthy track record of injuries in college and the pros.

[*]A player who does look to be back from injury is linebacker D'Qwell Jackson. He's missed the past two seasons with back-to-back pectoral injuries but is active and making plays again in camp. When healthy, Jackson was one of Cleveland's top defensive players. He also has experience in a 4-3 defense and is seeing the field well. Jackson intercepted passes from McCoy by reading the quarterback's eyes in back-to-back practices.

[*]Little's drops are a concern. He has good physical tools. But by my count, Little dropped at least five passes in practice this week. He had a reputation in college for drops. It's too early to say if it's lack of concentration or bad hands. Perhaps rust also is a factor. Little was suspended at the University of North Carolina all of last season.

[*]Haden looks really good. He breaks up a lot of passes in team drills. Haden moves well and stays in good position. Last year Haden had a slow start at training camp as a rookie. That wasn't the case this year.

[*]If Tony Pashos is anything, he's huge. The projected starting right tackle is expected to protect McCoy's front side this season. Pashos missed most of 2010 with an ankle injury. But the Browns are still high on him and hope he can patch up the right side of the offensive line, which is Cleveland's weakest area up front.

 

[Faust]

Observations on the Buccaneers

By Pat Yasinskas

TAMPA, Fla. -- The Buccaneers just finished their annual night practice at Raymond James Stadium, which also serves as sort of a fan festival. But there was plenty of football.

Let’s run through some observations.

[*]Defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, who suffered a strained rotator cuff Friday, didn’t take part in the workout. But McCoy gave a fan a big thumbs-up when asked how he was feeling.

[*]Cornerback E.J. Biggers made a spectacular leaping interception.

[*]Cornerback Aqib Talib, who had some legal problems in the offseason, got a huge ovation when his name was announced to the crowd. Seconds later, he dropped what should have been an interception on a ball intended for Mike Williams that was thrown by Josh Freeman.

[*]Former Bucs tight end Jimmie Giles was in the crowd and got a huge round of applause when he was shown on the scoreboard video screens.

[*]Freeman looked sharp most of the night, particularly when throwing to tight end Kellen Winslow and Williams. But Freeman didn’t win the quarterback competition that was held at the end of the night. The quarterbacks all took turns throwing at targets on moving golf carts. The competition was won by third-stringer Rudy Carpenter.

[*]He’s never been known as a speed back, but fullback Earnest Graham torched rookie linebacker in one-on-one coverage and caught a deep pass from Freeman.

[*]I’ve been saying the Bucs need to add a solid veteran running back to play behind LeGarrette Blount. After watching Kregg Lumpkin, I think there’s at least a chance they might already have their backup.

[*]Some excellent stuff from general manager Mark Dominik, who was interviewed during practice and the conversation was played on the video screens. Dominik had high praise for rookie defensive end Adrian Clayborn. Then he delivered the line of the night when asked how he feels about his team right now. “It’s a team I want our town to fall back in love with,’’ Dominik said.

 

[Faust]

by Michael Erler - Several stand out in practice

Besides the obvious candidates, TE Vernon Davis (touchdown catch), LB Patrick Willis (three big hits, interception) and RB Frank Gore guys who stood out at practice were CB Tramaine Brock who shadowed people all day, T Alex Boone, who kept rookie LB Aldon Smith at bay and LB Alex Joseph.

49ers RapidReports

by Michael Erler - Dixon, Hunter practice poorly

Both backup running backs, Anthony Dixon and Kendall Hunter, had bad days of practice. Dixon fumbled his first carry and didn’t get many reps, while Hunter was stuffed on runs all day. WR Braylon Edwards is still trying to find his legs and he had at least three drops.

49ers RapidReports

 

[Faust]

The Rundown: Practice #12 - Offense strikes back

Excerpts:

TOP OF THE NEWS

- As we talked about in a previous blog post, absences are starting to creep up on the Patriots. They didn’t have 18 players, or 20 percent of the roster, available today.

- Among the missing were starters Albert Haynesworth, Brandon Spikes and Mike Wright.

- This is the practice where the offense got its groove back, as both Tom Brady and Chad Ochocinco, and the offensive line asserted itself.

TOP PLAYS

- Brady and Ochocinco seem to be growing their rapport. Both were in better sync today. They hooked up on the play of the day when Brady lofted a 40-yard pass down the left sideline and Ochocinco went over CB Malcolm Williams and S Sergio Brown.

- TE Aaron Hernandez had a terrific out-stretched TD reception of a Brady pass in the red zone drill on a corner route to the back pylon. The two ran the same route on the next play, and had the same result although Hernandez didn’t have to lay out for this one. Hernandez also had a one-handed catch of Brian Hoyer in red zone for a touchdown.

THUMBS UP

Brady and the passing offense is getting its groove back. I had him as being 14-of-17 in all team periods combined. He was at his best in a team period when he was 5-of-5 to four different receivers. That included his previously mentioned highlight hookup with Ochocinco, and then Brady followed it with an even better pass: a 20-yard out near the sideline to Hernandez with tight coverage. Brady put some mustard on that one and it could not have been more accurate. Hoyer was also much sharper (7-of-9), and Ryan Mallett was 2-of-3 with a few sacks.

THUMBS DOWN

For the most part, it was a very sluggish practice, which is not unexpected since today marked the fifth-straight day of practice. Most of those were of the long variety in full pads. The Patriots looked in need of an off day, and they’ll get one tomorrow.

SUPERLATIVES

- Dropped like it’s hot: Julian Edelman (2), Darnell Jenkins.

- Nice catch: Stevan Ridley, Chad Ochocinco, Aaron Hernandez (2).

- Fumbling men: None.

- Big hits: Sergio Brown (two – one on Hernandez, the hardest hit of the day on Ridley), Tracy White (on RB Richard Medillin), Brett Lockett (on Wes Welker)

And as an added bonus….We had our first TE vs. DE one-on-ones of camp. And Belichick was even on hand for the proceedings.

To no one’s surprise, Rob Gronkowski led the way going 2-0-1, followed by Lee Smith 0-0-2 and Carson Butler 0-0-1. Will Yeatman (0-2-0) and Aaron Hernandez (0-3-0) really struggled. Neither came close to winning. Hernandez was just overpowered.

Taylor Price bobbled a punt. He hasn’t shown sure hands there.

 

[Faust]

I know this is becoming a daily one:

Twitter:

Paul Gutierrez

re-tweet by caplannfl

To quote Hue: wow!!! Denarius Moore with another spectacular downfield grab, beating DVD and Hiram

2 hours ago

Jerry McDonald

re-tweet by VittorioTafur

BLTN Raiders practice notes: Either sad news or good news: DMoore has made more plays in a week than DHB in 3 yrs in training camp.

 

[Dragon1952]

Appreciate the updates...thanks!

 

[Faust]

Chris Wesseling

Just finished the Dez Bryant outlook from the @Rotoworld_FB Draft Guide: "Simply put, Bryant is the best breakout candidate in football. With little knowledge of the offense, a missed preseason, and a backup QB, Bryant flashed not just talent but dominance as a rookie. His vice-grip hands, enormous catch radius, explosive acceleration, and Michael Irvin-like physicality are the elements of a top-five NFL receiver. Bryant's early training-camp work has beat writers calling him "the best player on the team not named DeMarcus Ware." You know the drill: target Bryant as the highest-upside WR2 in all drafts."

 

[Faust]

Steelers camp report: Continuity what drives Pittsburgh

By Pat Kirwan NFL.com

Senior Analyst

Published: Aug. 6, 2011 at 03:20 p.m.

Updated: Aug. 6, 2011 at 05:18 p.m.

Observation deck

1. Ben Roethlisberger has never looked in better shape. Every year I watch him scramble around the field in the night scrimmage at Latrobe High School, making plays and exciting the fans. Not this year, though, as Roethlisberger consistently stayed in the pocket and drilled receivers with a much quicker and improved release. In the first real two-minute drill of the year against most of the Steelers' first defense, Roethlisberger marched the offense down the field the same way he did to win the Super Bowl against the Cardinals.

2. The cornerback position opposite Ike Taylor will be a battle as camp goes on. Bryant McFadden is the man to beat, but expect competition from rookie third-round pick Curtis Brown.

3. The door is wide open for second-year wide receiver Antonio Brown to shine. Hines Ward hasn't practiced yet and Emmanuel Sanders is recovering from foot surgery, and Brown is taking full advantage of his opportunity. I sat down with Brown on my visit, and I was very impressed with his humble approach and knowledge of the game. He looked almost as fast as Mike Wallace at the scrimmage, driving his route stems deep and catching the ball with ease.

4. The Steelers have expectations for Jason Worilds. The backup outside linebacker to James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley, Worilds has "to keep pushing to improve. He's a good player but his game has to take the next step," according to a member of the Steelers organization.

5. It sure looks like wide receiver Arnaz Battle is ahead of Limas Sweed for the fifth wide receiver spot.

New guys to watch

1. Seventh-round pick Baron Batch, a running back, blocked Harrison well in a blitz pick-up drill and got the attention of the coaches. During the team scrimmage Friday night, Batch blocked every blitzing linebacker extremely well, plus showed running ability and route-running ability.

2. First-round pick Cameron Heyward might not break into the lineup right away at defensive end, but he is impressive. Heyward was in a very similar system at Ohio State that used much of the same terminology. That knowledge shows up in his ability to play fast this early in camp.

Overheard

General manager Kevin Colbert on Harrison's back surgeries: "We're not worried about James, not the way he prepares. We'll be smart with him this summer. He does like to take every rep in practice, but he realizes he has to be smart."

Prediction

The Steelers return all 22 starters from last season and are loaded with quality backups. They practice like they had a full complement of mini-camps and organized team activities. There's no reason this team can't win the division and focus its sights on a trip to Indianapolis for the Super Bowl. The head coach, coordinators and assistant coaches also all return, giving them the ideal combination to deal with a lockout-shortened preseason.

 

[Faust]

Raiders camp report: Jackson raising team's expectations

By Bucky Brooks NFL.com

Analyst

Published: Aug. 6, 2011 at 03:47 p.m. Updated: Aug. 6, 2011 at 04:19 p.m.

Observation deck

1. There is a buzz surrounding the Raiders' camp, and it's coming directly from the confidence, energy and enthusiasm of Hue Jackson. The rookie head coach has set the bar high for his team, and he has been unrelenting in his approach to get his guys to think and act like champions. Jackson spent most of practice loudly encouraging and challenging his players to compete and finish drills with zest. His reinforcement of the fundamentals is a welcomed sight for a team that has tried to win solely on the basis of its talent for years.

2. The Raiders' offense will build upon the momentum created at the end of last season to rank as one of the league's best units in 2011.2. The Raiders' offense will build upon the momentum created at the end of last season to rank as one of the league's best units in 2011. That's saying a lot considering Oakland finished sixth in the league in scoring and ranked second in rushing offense in Jackson's first season as offensive coordinator. The addition of Al Saunders, however, will help the unit reach new heights due to extensive knowledge of the vertical passing game. He spent his formative years in the NFL working under Don Coryell, and he will certainly incorporate some of those principles into the Raiders' playbook. Saunders also is familiar with Jason Campbell after serving his offensive coordinator at Washington. Given their pre-existing relationship, the chemistry between play-caller and quarterback should help the offense get off to a fast start.

3. The Raiders' defensive line is the best in the league. Richard Seymour and Tommy Kelly are absolute monsters in the middle, and their ability to dominate the interior will give opponents problems. Kamerion Wimbley is undersized by prototypical standards, but his speed, athleticism and rush skills are impressive as a situational rusher. Also, keep your eye on defensive end Lamarr Houston. The second-year pro has the potential to be a stud as a base end due to his combination of size, strength and agility.

4. Nnamdi Asomugha's departure might force the Raiders to run more zone coverage. While that thought is almost blasphemous in Oakland, Stanford Routt and Chris Johnson could struggle holding up extensively in man-to-man coverage without consistent safety help. Routt, in particular, is not a classic No. 1 corner capable of locking down elite receivers, and opponents could have success relentlessly attacking his side. Although he is a talented athlete coming off the best season of his career, he has been up and down throughout camp and looked nothing like a cover man in the mold of his predecessor.

5. The Raiders might have discovered a viable replacement for Zach Miller in rookie David Ausberry. The former USC receiver has been sensational at camp, and his athleticism makes him a matchup nightmare in space. While he is still learning the nuances of blocking as a tight end following a collegiate career as a receiver, he is a potential weapon in the passing game as an H-Back, and the coaching staff has been beaming about his play through the first week of practice.

6. Hue Jackson still hasn't figured out how the Raiders' offensive line situation will play out, but he isn't afraid to experiment with various combinations to find the right fit. The team has kept Jared Veldheer primarily at left tackle, with Khalif Barnes and Joseph Barksdale battling at right tackle. Cooper Carlisle, Justin Smiley, Stefen Wisniewski, and Samson Satele have been rotated among the interior three spots, with Wisniewski and Satele sharing snaps at center. Bruce Campbell, a second-year pro expected to vie for a starting spot at guard, hasn't practiced to date due to an injury and will have a tough time cracking the lineup given his extended absence.

New guy to watch

Denarius Moore has opened eyes at camp with his speed and playmaking ability. He has repeatedly gotten free against the No. 1 defense, and a penchant for making acrobatic catches in a crowd has made him a favorite target of Raiders quarterbacks. Although the team loves its young corps of receivers, Moore is well on his way to working into the rotation as a third or fourth receiver.

Overheard

Hue Jackson yelling to the defense after watching Moore make a series of remarkable catches during a team drill: "Mama, there goes that man again!"

Prediction

The Raiders haven't been to the playoffs in eight years, but they assembled a talented roster that makes them viable contenders this season. Their schedule features a pair of AFC heavyweights in the New York Jets and New England Patriots in the opening month, but the rest of the slate is manageable for the Silver and Black. If they can quickly resolve their offensive line issues, there is no reason why the Raiders can't make a run at the postseason in Jackson's first year. A 9-7 record will certainly keep them in the hunt.

 

[Faust]

Giants camp report: Status of 'Player No. 72' hangs over team

By Steve Wyche NFL.com

Senior Writer

Published: Aug. 6, 2011 at 06:06 p.m. Updated: Aug. 7, 2011 at 12:42 p.m.

Observation deck

1. The drama surrounding Osi Umenyiora is the under- and over-current that the Giants aren't ignoring, but are doing their best to avoid turning into an Albert Haynesworth-like distraction. There is a feeling that the impasse could end soon, with a compromise involving the team offering opportunities for Umenyiora to earn more money through incentives, some of which could be easily achieved but several performance-based escalators could be involved. A team official said the Giants will not void the second and final year of Umenyiora's contract.

Defensive end Justin Tuck explained how he and other players are coping with the situation, joking that he is no longer allowed to talk about "Player No. 72."

"By concentrating on what you think you can control as player," Tuck said. "All I can control is what my actions are. I can't worry about what somebody else is doing. I can give my opinion on it but at end of the day, I still have to go out and perform."

2. The loss of tight end Kevin Boss in free agency to the Raiders is being viewed with far less panic within the organization than it is by the public. The Giants liked Boss and tried hard to retain him, but his limitations as a blocker and as a mid-range receiving threat were at times, counterproductive. The issue is how he will be replaced. Travis Beckum, who is more of a flex tight end in the mold of Dallas Clark and Dustin Keller, is penciled in as the starter. Although Beckum is the best receiving threat of any in-house option, a team official said he's also a solid blocker. Jake Ballard and Bear Pascoe also are in the mix, but more as blocking threats. How the tight ends will be used is being worked out.

3. Last year's first-round draft pick, DE Jason Pierre-Paul, is being groomed for a heavy workload, which probably would have been the case regardless of what's going on with Umenyiora. Pierre-Paul recently weighed in at 284 pounds -- he came into the league around 270 -- and has made himself more than just a pass rusher, a team source said. There is a big buzz within the organization about Pierre-Paul, who Tom Coughlin described as "a very physical presence and he's very quick off the ball."

4. Though Coughlin was hardly ready to declare Pierre-Paul ready for greatness, a sign that the team is committed to giving him more snaps is the move of veteran Mathias Kiwanuka to outside linebacker. Don't get caught in the schematics of the move, though. Kiwanuka is going to be more of a hybrid OLB/DE -- the "Elephant" position in the system. He'll play with his hand on the ground and from a two-point stance depending on the situation. He might not be the only player used in kind of an amoeba role, either. "You'll never know how we're going to lineup and attack," Kiwanuka suggested.

New guys to watch

First-round draft pick Prince Amukamara signed and arrived a few days into camp, and then suffered a broken foot on his second day of practice. With that injury, his impact will be minimal at best. With that setback look for veteran Aaron Ross to now be an intregal part of the nickel package, where Amukamara was initially envisioned to play, alongside Corey Webster and Terrell Thomas.

There is a lot of optimism surrounding defensive tackle Marvin Austin. The rookie second-round pick was suspended all of last season, so he's just getting back into the swing of things, but told me, "It's just like riding a bike." Austin has already shown the Giants' brass that he's a gap-penetrating force who'll play both tackle spots. He plays too high at times, a team source said, but he's learning quickly that if he doesn't play with a lower pad level, he'll get washed out.

Two potential sleepers: Quarterback Ryan Perrilloux and running back Da'Rel Scott. The star-crossed Perrilloux played in the UFL in 2010 after going undrafted following a promising career at LSU and Jacksonville State that turned sour after he was indefinitely suspended for repeated transgressions. Perrilloux has had a strong enough camp already to where he's turned a lot of heads and will get plenty of looks in the preseason. Scott has already thrown himself into the tight battle with D.J. Ware and Andre Brown for the No. 3 job. Scott, a seventh-round pick from Maryland, has shown good speed and explosiveness.

Overheard

Safety Kenny Phillips, whose promising career was sidetracked by a knee injury two seasons ago, is back to looking like his old self. A team source said that Phillips has looked very good early in camp and could be a major factor once the season is under way.

Prediction

The Giants won 10 games last season, but faded at crunch time. It wasn't the first time that has happened, but if they can stay healthy they should be in the running for the NFC East title. Nobody is talking about the Giants right now and some things seem unsettled, which is exactly how they prefer it. They've improved, albeit quietly, their defense -- especially up front. Quarterback Eli Manning won't be a turnover machine, either.

 

[Faust]

Solid analysis of how the Bengals depth charts are shaking out:

Roster scrum begins

 

[Faust]

Postcard from camp: Chiefs

Excerpts:

Three observations

1. For the second year in a row, the Chiefs did some savvy bargain shopping in free agency. It has always been Scott Pioli's way to put a lot of focus on roster spots 35 through 53 on his roster, because that's how the Chiefs' third-year general manager learned to do business in New England. Those guys are invariably going to have to play at some point, and there had better be some quality down there in that neighborhood of the roster.

Receiver Steve Breaston, fullback Le'Ron McClain, linebacker Brandon Siler, defensive tackle Kelly Gregg, and safety Sabby Piscitelli are solid role players who improve Kansas City's depth and add some needed toughness in key spots. McClain will upgrade the Chiefs' short-yardage game that was mostly dismal last season, and Gregg is a valuable veteran cog to throw into the mix at defensive line. Kansas City never goes looking for rock stars in free agency, just solid components who can plug in and play at a high level. Running back Thomas Jones and guard Ryan Lilja are just two examples from K.C.'s 2010 free agency class.

2. Todd Haley's response to this unusual offseason was to think outside the box in training camp. With no indoctrination time afforded them this year, the Chiefs head coach knows his rookies have been thrown into the deep end of the pool, so he's trying to toss them all life perservers of sorts. Haley asked his team last week if it was willing to do what it takes to be great, and when he got the answer he was looking for, he instituted a buddy system on his team, pairing up each rookie on his roster with a veteran who can help shepherd the youngster through his first training camp.

Haley had the players' lockers moved together, and the duos will room together in the dorms and in hotels, and even sit together on the team plane. All in an effort to create a bond between the two, and give the Chiefs a chance of coming out of the lockout a little stronger and a little tighter than most other teams. Haley stressed that it's not a mentoring program, it's just giving every rookie a buddy to turn to during what figures to be an overwhelming preseason. Haley mixed and matched his pairings, never putting two guys together at the same position.

Gregg and rookie offensive lineman Rodney Hudson are teamed, as are first-round receiver Jonathan Baldwin and safety Eric Berry, and rookie quarterback Ricky Stanzi and safety Kendrick Lewis, and third-round linebacker Justin Houston and tight end Leonard Pope. So far, the chemistry experiment seems to be working.

3. The Matt Cassel-Jim Zorn relationship is off to a very good start. The Chiefs' new quarterbacks coach is two years removed from his failed head coaching stint in Washington, where he was unfairly maligned, and he moved on again after last year, when he and Ravens offensive coordinator Cam Cameron apparently didn't co-exist well in Baltimore.

But Cassel, the Chiefs' third-year starting quarterback, has welcomed Zorn with an open mind, and Haley raves about the fit between the two, as well as his own comfort level with the soft-spoken but strong-willed Zorn. Offensive line coach Bill Muir was given the dual title of offensive coordinator upon the departure of Charlie Weis for Florida, but I think Zorn's the key to Cassel taking the next step in his development as a passer and team leader.

Step On Up

Andy Studebaker, OLB. With Mike Vrabel retired and joining Ohio State's staff as an assistant coach, the Chiefs have an outside linebacker job waiting to be won by someone. Don't bet against Studebaker, the fourth-year pro out of tiny Wheaton College, because's his whole NFL career has been about beating the odds as a collegiate free agent. "You're not going to replace Vrabel completely, but every time Andy's been in there he makes plays,'' Haley said. Rodney Houston, the former Georgia standout who arrived via the draft's third round, figures to be in the mix at some point as well. But the rookie is "lost'' early on in the estimation of defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel, so it's Studebaker's spot to lose as the regular season looms.

New Face, New Place

Steve Breaston's arrival in free agency could be one of the best recent moves made in the league, because the fifth-year ex-Cardinals receiver helps solidify a Chiefs receiving corps that was obviously dangerously short of playmakers beyond Dwayne Bowe last season. How short? Kansas City signed veteran receiver Kevin Curtis on the Tuesday before its playoff opener against Baltimore last January, and Curtis wound up starting that Sunday, just a week after he had been sitting on the beach during a vacation to the Bahamas.

With Bowe, first-round pick Baldwin, and Breaston, the Chiefs have the makings of a legitimate three-deep receiver set that could cause matchup problems for opposing secondaries. Maybe even a Killer B's nickname is in store, creating a little promotional buzz? Baldwin has been slowed a bit by an early hamstring problem in camp, but he has caught everything in sight, and Bowe looks serious and focused on raising his game to another level after his stellar 2010 season.

"We have potential, but now we've got to go out there and do it,''said Breaston, who played in Arizona for Haley when the Chiefs head coach was the Cardinals receivers coach. "It's a young team, and a young offense, but very talented. It's exciting to be around a bunch of playmakers again. I've been around a bunch of playmakers before, and we had a lot of success.''

Looking At The Schedule ...

Sometimes in the NFL, progress can't always be measured by the realities of your won-loss record. The Chiefs probably over-achieved last season, going 10-6 and winning the AFC West at least a year ahead of schedule. I think they've got an even better and deeper team this year, but I'm not sure they'll have a better record. Something in the 8-8 range feels about right, especially when I see the brutal five-game stretch that faces Kansas City in November and December. The Chiefs in that span play all of last year's final four teams, plus the team with the best regular-season record: At New England, home against Pittsburgh, at Chicago, at the Jets, and home against Green Bay. Kansas City won't sneak up on anyone this season, and their three nationally televised night games will help show us if they're ready for the increased spotlight that comes with last year's success.

 

[Dawg Pound 69]

Postcard from camp: Chiefs

Excerpts:

Three observations

1. For the second year in a row, the Chiefs did some savvy bargain shopping in free agency. It has always been Scott Pioli's way to put a lot of focus on roster spots 35 through 53 on his roster, because that's how the Chiefs' third-year general manager learned to do business in New England. Those guys are invariably going to have to play at some point, and there had better be some quality down there in that neighborhood of the roster.

Receiver Steve Breaston, fullback Le'Ron McClain, linebacker Brandon Siler, defensive tackle Kelly Gregg, and safety Sabby Piscitelli are solid role players who improve Kansas City's depth and add some needed toughness in key spots. McClain will upgrade the Chiefs' short-yardage game that was mostly dismal last season, and Gregg is a valuable veteran cog to throw into the mix at defensive line. Kansas City never goes looking for rock stars in free agency, just solid components who can plug in and play at a high level. Running back Thomas Jones and guard Ryan Lilja are just two examples from K.C.'s 2010 free agency class.

2. Todd Haley's response to this unusual offseason was to think outside the box in training camp. With no indoctrination time afforded them this year, the Chiefs head coach knows his rookies have been thrown into the deep end of the pool, so he's trying to toss them all life perservers of sorts. Haley asked his team last week if it was willing to do what it takes to be great, and when he got the answer he was looking for, he instituted a buddy system on his team, pairing up each rookie on his roster with a veteran who can help shepherd the youngster through his first training camp.

Haley had the players' lockers moved together, and the duos will room together in the dorms and in hotels, and even sit together on the team plane. All in an effort to create a bond between the two, and give the Chiefs a chance of coming out of the lockout a little stronger and a little tighter than most other teams. Haley stressed that it's not a mentoring program, it's just giving every rookie a buddy to turn to during what figures to be an overwhelming preseason. Haley mixed and matched his pairings, never putting two guys together at the same position.

Gregg and rookie offensive lineman Rodney Hudson are teamed, as are first-round receiver Jonathan Baldwin and safety Eric Berry, and rookie quarterback Ricky Stanzi and safety Kendrick Lewis, and third-round linebacker Justin Houston and tight end Leonard Pope. So far, the chemistry experiment seems to be working.

3. The Matt Cassel-Jim Zorn relationship is off to a very good start. The Chiefs' new quarterbacks coach is two years removed from his failed head coaching stint in Washington, where he was unfairly maligned, and he moved on again after last year, when he and Ravens offensive coordinator Cam Cameron apparently didn't co-exist well in Baltimore.

But Cassel, the Chiefs' third-year starting quarterback, has welcomed Zorn with an open mind, and Haley raves about the fit between the two, as well as his own comfort level with the soft-spoken but strong-willed Zorn. Offensive line coach Bill Muir was given the dual title of offensive coordinator upon the departure of Charlie Weis for Florida, but I think Zorn's the key to Cassel taking the next step in his development as a passer and team leader.

Step On Up

Andy Studebaker, OLB. With Mike Vrabel retired and joining Ohio State's staff as an assistant coach, the Chiefs have an outside linebacker job waiting to be won by someone. Don't bet against Studebaker, the fourth-year pro out of tiny Wheaton College, because's his whole NFL career has been about beating the odds as a collegiate free agent. "You're not going to replace Vrabel completely, but every time Andy's been in there he makes plays,'' Haley said. Rodney Houston, the former Georgia standout who arrived via the draft's third round, figures to be in the mix at some point as well. But the rookie is "lost'' early on in the estimation of defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel, so it's Studebaker's spot to lose as the regular season looms.

New Face, New Place

Steve Breaston's arrival in free agency could be one of the best recent moves made in the league, because the fifth-year ex-Cardinals receiver helps solidify a Chiefs receiving corps that was obviously dangerously short of playmakers beyond Dwayne Bowe last season. How short? Kansas City signed veteran receiver Kevin Curtis on the Tuesday before its playoff opener against Baltimore last January, and Curtis wound up starting that Sunday, just a week after he had been sitting on the beach during a vacation to the Bahamas.

With Bowe, first-round pick Baldwin, and Breaston, the Chiefs have the makings of a legitimate three-deep receiver set that could cause matchup problems for opposing secondaries. Maybe even a Killer B's nickname is in store, creating a little promotional buzz? Baldwin has been slowed a bit by an early hamstring problem in camp, but he has caught everything in sight, and Bowe looks serious and focused on raising his game to another level after his stellar 2010 season.

"We have potential, but now we've got to go out there and do it,''said Breaston, who played in Arizona for Haley when the Chiefs head coach was the Cardinals receivers coach. "It's a young team, and a young offense, but very talented. It's exciting to be around a bunch of playmakers again. I've been around a bunch of playmakers before, and we had a lot of success.''

Looking At The Schedule ...

Sometimes in the NFL, progress can't always be measured by the realities of your won-loss record. The Chiefs probably over-achieved last season, going 10-6 and winning the AFC West at least a year ahead of schedule. I think they've got an even better and deeper team this year, but I'm not sure they'll have a better record. Something in the 8-8 range feels about right, especially when I see the brutal five-game stretch that faces Kansas City in November and December. The Chiefs in that span play all of last year's final four teams, plus the team with the best regular-season record: At New England, home against Pittsburgh, at Chicago, at the Jets, and home against Green Bay. Kansas City won't sneak up on anyone this season, and their three nationally televised night games will help show us if they're ready for the increased spotlight that comes with last year's success.

This is encouraging, one of the criticisms of Baldwin was that he supposedly didn't have great hands.

 

[Faust]

Postcard from camp: Giants

Excerpts:

Three Observations

1. The ongoing contract dispute between the Giants and Pro Bowl defensive end Osi Umenyiora threatens team chemistry by the day, even if a winner already has been revealed.

In the league-wide labor negotiations, that is. It's easy to lose track of simple logic when things deteriorate into a circus, such as Umenyiora missing the first day of camp and facing a $30,000 fine; him reportedly saying he never wanted to speak with general manager Jerry Reese again and then having a sit-down; the Giants telling Umenyiora's agent they could seek a trade on their own, only to rescind permission within 48 hours; Umenyiora attending practices but only riding a stationary bike because he's apparently contemplating knee surgery to repair a meniscus injury that, according to reports, could be managed without going under the knife. So, back to simple logic ...

In an email to The Associated Press last week, Umenyiora questioned the NFL's way of doing business. How is it that a player like Shaun O'Hara, the Giants' center for the past seven seasons, can be cut even though he was due $3.45 million in base salary through the 2011 season? If players can be released or forced to renegotiate, why can't they turn the table on general managers if the contracts they sign aren't truly binding?

"If you get injured, or they feel like you underperformed, they cut you without hesitation," Umenyiora wrote. "But if you clearly outplay your contract and ask for something to be done, you're a bad guy and not a team player. It's ridiculous."

He's right, of course, and also wrong. His point is spot on, but he's missing a larger one, because it's an issue that should've been worked out in the collective bargaining negotiations over the past four months. Players can negotiate how much guaranteed money they'll receive, but until the contract itself is a guarantee, teams will have all the leverage. It's the owners' greatest victory -- just ask former Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer what digging your heels in can lead to. What doesn't follow simple logic is this: Why would the Giants even reconsider redoing a contract for someone facing potential surgery?

2. Brandon Jacobs is getting paid less and wants more, but not like Umenyiora does. The bruising back restructured his contract so the Giants could re-sign free agent Ahmad Bradshaw, who for the first time in four years had more carries (276) and more yards (1,235) than Jacobs did in 2010 (147 for 823). At age 29 and entering his seventh season, Jacobs came to the realization that "you could be as rich as you want to be and not win any games. That doesn't help you out. You'll just be an unsuccessful former player with a lot of money." Bradshaw, 25 and entering his fifth season, remains the feature back but Jacobs hopes to return to 2008 form (1,089 yards). "That's something I will be aiming for," he says. "Whatever happens, happens. I want to win games, I want to be successful as a team."

3. Should the Giants have tried harder to land Plaxico Burress? It's a question that could continually be asked this season, especially with the former Giant remaining in New York as a Jet. Burress chased green and wound up wearing it, signing a one-year deal worth more than $3 million that, according to reports, was three times the amount of guaranteed money the Giants had offered. Will they regret it?

Despite missing three games, second-year wideout Hakeem Nicks had a breakout season in 2010, catching 79 passes for 1,052 yards and 11 touchdowns. In his third year, Mario Manningham caught 62 passes for 944 yards and nine TDs, closing out the season with three straight 100-yard games. Both, however, are still learning the nuances of their position as questions are swirling about the passing game. Tight end Kevin Boss has bolted for the Raiders. Assuming he re-signs, Steve Smith could miss the first month while healing from microfracture surgery on his left knee. The trio of Domenik Hixon, Devin Thomas and Michael Clayton combined for two catches in 2010.

What's more: Nicks is 6-foot-1; Manningham just 5-11. Burress would have provided not only depth, but also height (6-5) that could have made Eli Manning look good throwing up jump balls. Such passes contributed to a league-high 25 interceptions last season.

Step On Up

It's time for safety Kenny Phillips to finally make his "Superman" nickname stick. A first-round pick of the Giants in 2008, Phillips was on the verge of becoming a marquee player before a degenerative knee condition derailed his sophomore season. He appeared in all 16 games as rookie, then started the first two in '09, pulling down a pair of interceptions before undergoing microfracture surgery. He returned last year and made 15 starts, but lined up deep to prevent his knee from being hit near the line of scrimmage. "Football is a violent game and I tried to minimize the collisions that he encountered," says defensive coordinator Perry Fewell, but no more: "I'm looking for him to take a quantum leap."

New Face, New Place

Cornerback Prince Amukamara, the longest holdout of this year's first-round draft picks, finally signed his contract on Friday after missing five practices. Now he'll miss even more. Amukamara, taken out of Nebraska with the 19th selection, fractured the fifth metatarsal in his left foot in just his second NFL practice on Saturday. He'll be out indefinitely following surgery. Giants tackle William Beatty suffered a similar injury last year and missed the first two months of the season. Asked on Friday what role he expected Amukamara to play this season, coach Tom Coughlin said it "depends on how fast he can learn a new language. It's all Chinese to him right now ... he has a lot of classroom work to make up." Now he has nothing but time to study.

Looking At The Schedule ...

The first half is favorable, as six of the Giants' first seven opponents finished no better than two games under .500 last season. The lone exception is a Week 3 trip to Philadelphia, where Big Blue will try to snap a six-game losing streak against the reloaded Eagles. Soon enough, they'll truly have their work cut out for them.

The final nine weeks include road games against the Patriots, Saints, Cowboys and Jets (though there's no traveling for that last one, to be played at New Meadowlands Stadium on Christmas Eve). They'll also face the Eagles and Cowboys again, this time at home, and host the defending Super Bowl champion Packers. The Giants faded down the stretch and missed the playoffs the past two seasons, even after posting 10 wins last year. It's a realistic number to see in the win column, but once again, it may not be enough to put the Giants in the postseason.

 

[Faust]

Postcard from camp: 49ers

Excerpts:

Three Observations

1. This is no place for the timid. Instead of easing his players into football shape after the four-month lockout -- as many other coaches are doing -- Harbaugh has his team getting after it. Saturday was the fifth time in six practices his players were in full pads, and they went full speed in goal-line, short-yardage and two-minute situations. Normally teams will hit and release in these drills because coaches are fearful of injuries. The 49ers, however, were allowed to tackle to the ground.

"He's definitely going with the approach that there's only one way to get in football shape, and that's to do it," says defensive end Justin Smith. "I really can't say that this camp has been easier than in the past. We've been out on the field for three hours a day, banging. It's been a physical camp."

Harbaugh played 14 years in the NFL as a quarterback, so you'd think he has as good a feel as anyone on just how hard and how far he can push the players. Still, Saturday's workout had the feel and the sound of an old-school college practice, not an NFL training camp. Maybe change is good for a franchise that has not been to the playoffs since 2002.

2. Patrick Willis is maniacal. The All-Pro middle linebacker has only one speed, and it's search and destroy. During a goal-line drill, he tracked down Anthony Dixon off tackle and stripped him of the ball, which Ray McDonald picked up and returned for what would have been a touchdown; then, during a 9-on-7 pass drill, he read an underneath route and stepped in front of tight end Vernon Davis to intercept a pass from Alex Smith.

Seemingly each time you heard the crack of a hard hit, Willis was involved. He had the crowd oohing and aahing during a pass-protection drill when he blew up fullback Bruce Miller and running back Kendall Hunter on separate occasions. Willis has always treated practices like games, believing if he can accomplish something during workouts it will carry over to Sundays. Based on his play Saturday, he appears to be in mid-season form.

3. The passing game needs work. Yes, the Niners are learning a new (West Coast) offense while the defense is running what is fundamentally the same 3-4 system as years past. However, their struggles to complete passes (and protect the quarterbacks) went beyond that Saturday.

Injuries and personnel changes have hindered the ability of Smith and rookie QB Colin Kaepernick to develop a rapport with projected starting wideouts Michael Crabtree and Braylon Edwards. Crabtree will miss most or all of camp for the third straight year with a foot injury, and Edwards signed a free agent deal only last week. The rust on Edwards' game was obvious. He dropped at least three passes that should have been caught. Afterward, running back Frank Gore attributed it to Edwards doing too much thinking while learning a new offense, but that should not be an excuse for a player of Edwards' ability.

Step On Up

Alex Smith, quarterback. The first pick of the 2005 draft is back for another go-around after signing a one-year deal. There is no doubt the franchise views Kaepernick as its future, maybe even its immediate future. But until the coaching staff is comfortable with the idea of sending him into the fire, Smith will be the guy.

Smith ran hot and cold Saturday. He was picked off a couple of times, failed to get off a play before the two-minute warning during a hurry-up drill, and forced his receivers to wait on the ball on a couple of deep throws. He also, however, threw a beautiful touchdown pass to tight end Vernon Davis during that same hurry-up drill.

The 49ers believe that the West Coast offense is a better fit for Smith's abilities. The system will allow him to use his athleticism outside the pocket and get rid of the ball quicker. According to one staff member, the 49ers attempted just 17 passes off three-step drops last season, and 37 percent of their pass attempts were off seven-step drops. With a young offensive line and fairly green wideout corps, that made a tough situation even more difficult for Smith.

"Coach and myself are on the same page regarding Alex," says general manager Trent Baalke. "He's got all the characteristics you're looking for. He's had a lot of productive games, but has he had the consistency? Have we been consistent as an offense? There have been a lot of different coordinators (six in Smith's first six seasons, including one early season replacement), and so now time will tell. Right now Alex is one of four competing for that starting spot. Coach has said, and I've made very clear, we're going to play the best player at every position."

New Face, New Place

Braylon Edwards, wide receiver. After the Jets chose to re-sign wideout Santonio Holmes instead of Edwards when free agency started, Edwards was linked to two teams: Arizona and San Francisco. When he opted for a less lucrative deal with the 49ers, the speculation in Arizona was that he wanted to go where he felt had a better chance of being a No. 1 receiver (the Cardinals already had Larry Fitzgerald) and could put up bigger numbers for a potential big free agent deal in 2012.

"There's maybe a smidgen of truth to that," Edwards says. "At the end of the day I just saw this as a better situation. I saw this as a future situation. Even though I signed a one-year deal I don't see this as a stop on Braylon's World Tour. I plan on shutting it down here if things go right. I just couldn't see myself shutting it down in Arizona. They're ever-changing. They're always making drastic decisions. At the same time I can see myself being a No. 1 here. I can see there being two No. 1s here, myself and Crabtree. We could just go after each other and make each other better. Larry is that franchise's face, but that was just a small part of my decision. I just ... didn't feel right about Arizona in my heart. I just didn't really see that as where I was supposed to be. I saw this as where I was supposed to be."

Looking At The Schedule ...

If the 49ers can at least tread water through the first nine games, they should have an opportunity to decide their fate. The reason? Five of their final seven games are within the division. Their only NFC West game before Nov. 20 is the season opener against visiting Seattle.

 

[Faust]

Camp Confidential: Falcons

Excerpts:

THREE HOT ISSUES

1. How is the offense going to get more explosive? It’s not as though Smith and coordinator Mike Mularkey have torn up the playbook and drawn up a whole new one. They’ve done some things really well in the past, but they’ve made some personnel changes and some tweaks in philosophy in an effort to get more plays of 20 yards or more.

Ryan has the arm to throw downfield, but other than Roddy White, he didn’t have a deep threat last year. Jones’ presence should change that, and we’re not talking just about the explosive plays he will make. Having him should open things up for White and may allow the Falcons to sneak tight end Tony Gonzalez down the field more often. It also allows Harry Douglas to concentrate solely on playing the slot, a position where he can have the most impact.

With all that passing going on, defenses might not be as focused on the running game, which may allow Michael Turner and rookie Jacquizz Rodgers to break off some longer runs.

2. How much will Edwards help the defense? There’s a bit of a misconception out there that the Falcons expect Edwards to come in and suddenly put up 15 or 16 sacks. That’s not realistic for a guy who never put up more than 8.5 sacks while playing opposite Jared Allen in Minnesota. Edwards will be playing opposite veteran John Abraham, and it’s possible Edwards could get to double-digit sacks.

But the Falcons will be happy if Edwards simply can provide some balance in the pass rush. They’ve got a good interior pass-rusher in tackle Jonathan Babineaux and are hoping 2009 first-round pick Peria Jerry is finally healthy and can generate some push from the other tackle position. For too long, Atlanta’s been relying almost exclusively on Abraham for a pass rush.

Now, the Falcons think they’ve got four guys who can pressure quarterbacks. If that’s the case, you’re going to see more mistakes by offenses, and that’s going to mean more big plays for guys such as linebackers Sean Weatherspoon and Curtis Lofton and cornerbacks Brent Grimes and Robinson. Edwards doesn’t have to come in and be a one-man show. He just needs to play a role, and that will make the entire defense better.

3. Does Ryan really have what it takes to win some playoff games and firmly establish himself as an elite quarterback? Absolutely. Ryan’s been very solid in each of his first three seasons. But the supporting cast always has been lacking in one way or another.

Now, all the tools are there, and the Falcons may turn Ryan loose more than ever. White’s made some comments about how the Falcons could be like the old St. Louis Rams when they were known as the “Greatest Show on Turf." That might be a bit of a stretch because the Falcons don’t have a running back quite like Marshall Faulk. But then again, they’ve got tons of talent, and that should allow Ryan to really shine.

BIGGEST SURPRISE

After returning last season and playing a limited role as a backup, Jerry has been flying around the field in the early part of camp. The defensive tackle has shed the knee brace he wore all last year and appears to be playing with confidence. Rookie Corey Peters did well in a starting job last season, but he was simply a role player. If fully healthy, Jerry has the potential to be a dominant defensive tackle. The Falcons drafted him because he could get penetration against the run and also put pressure on the passer. If he really is healthy, Jerry can create negative plays by an offense and help produce turnovers.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT

Although the Falcons were happy when running back Jason Snelling agreed to a one-year deal Sunday morning, they're not happy he missed so much time from training camp. Snelling has been the top backup to Turner and the Falcons view him as an important part of their offense. They're making some tweaks to their system and Snelling will be well behind the rest of the running backs in terms of knowing the new parts of the offense. Snelling's absence also allowed Rodgers to get lots of work early in camp and the rookie has made a good impression. Snelling is a power runner like Turner and will remain the top backup in running situations. But Snelling used to be the top receiving threat out of the backfield. Rodgers could take that role away from him.

OBSERVATION DECK

•The biggest camp battle is at right guard, where former starter Harvey Dahl left for St. Louis in free agency. Garrett Reynolds has been getting most of the first-team work so far and appears to be the leading candidate to start. Second-year pro Mike Johnson also is in the mix. But one of the most pleasant surprises of camp so far has been seventh-round pick Andrew Jackson. He might not be quite ready to start, but he’s likely to make the team and could emerge as a key backup at guard and tackle in the short term and potentially could be a starter down the road.

•The other key battle is for the nickelback position. The Falcons aren’t going to take the safe route and add a veteran later in the preseason. They’re set on letting Christopher Owens and Dominique Franks battle it out in camp and the preseason. The Falcons like both young players and are hoping the competition forces one of them to really step forward.

•The most impressive of the undrafted rookie free agents so far has been cornerback Kamaal McIlwain. He’s small (5-foot-10 and 175 pounds) and comes from Newberry College. But he’s shown great athleticism and is displaying a knack for being around the ball. Those traits have worked out pretty well for the Falcons in the past (see Grimes).

•A lot of people seem surprised that the Falcons didn’t do anything at tight end because Gonzalez is nearing the end of his career. But maybe the team knew what it was doing. Second-year pro Michael Palmer is having a very nice camp and is showing more pass-catching skills than he did as a rookie. His role could increase.

•The Falcons are very pleased with what they’re seeing out of second-year wide receiver Kerry Meier, who missed his rookie year with an injury. The Falcons aren’t going slowly with Meier because he’s fully recovered. He’s taken part in every practice and he brings a lot of versatility. Meier is the reason the Falcons didn’t bring back Brian Finneran. They believe Meier can do all the things Finneran did as a big receiver -- mainly being a reliable blocker and a dependable possession receiver. But they also think Meier can do some other things, like line up as an H-back or even as a fullback or tight end at times. Heck, you could even see him throw some passes because he’s a former college quarterback.

 

[Faust]

Camp Confidential: Arizona Cardinals

Excerpts:

THREE HOT ISSUES

1. Where's the pass-rusher? The Cardinals went into the 2011 draft thinking pass-rusher Von Miller would be their guy with the fifth overall choice. They badly needed pass-rush help after relying too heavily upon aging outside linebackers Joey Porter and Clark Haggans. Miller seemingly would have been the perfect fit. Plans changed when Denver made Miller the second overall choice. While Arizona was perfectly happy taking LSU cornerback Patrick Peterson at No. 5, not getting Miller meant the team would have to wait another year before targeting an elite pass-rush prospect. It's an area the team will have to address next offseason even if O'Brien Schofield and rookie Sam Acho exceed expectations. In the meantime, new defensive coordinator Ray Horton appears destined to live out what his recent predecessors experienced. It's tough fielding a 3-4 defense without sufficient talent on the outside. Then again, if Miller had been there for Arizona at No. 5, the team wouldn't have gotten Peterson. In that case, the Cardinals could not have justified trading Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie to the Philadelphia in the Kolb deal. The Eagles then might have asked for and received greater compensation through 2012 draft choices.

2. Who is the No. 2 receiver? Only Larry Fitzgerald remains from the 2008 Arizona receiving corps featuring three 1,000-yard wideouts, but the Cardinals do not sound particularly concerned. They considered adding Braylon Edwards in free agency, but they weren't interested enough to close the deal, particularly for a player with off-field issues. Andre Roberts and Early Doucet are the favorites to fill the No. 2 void created when Steve Breaston signed with Kansas City. The team is also expecting free-agent newcomer Todd Heap to provide a receiving option at tight end that has not existed previously under Whisenhunt in Arizona. Still, the Cardinals lack proven depth at wideout behind Fitzgerald. Durability is a concern for Doucet. Roberts showed promise as a rookie last season, but is he ready to contribute for a full season?

3. Does Kolb fit the scheme? The West Coast system Kolb learned during his time in Philadelphia differs from the one Whisenhunt installed in Arizona. I questioned heading into free agency whether Arizona would be the best landing spot for Kolb. In general, proponents of traditional West Coast systems seek to run the same plays from different formations with more precision than the defense can muster. Out-executing opponents trumps out-scheming them. A quarterback can become as good as the system allows him to be. The Cardinals' offense relies upon matching route concepts to specific coverages. Kolb: "I like the way they put it on the quarterback to get into those concepts. As long as your quarterback can think quick on his feet, a lot of times you are going to be in the right play in the right position. It just clicks with me. ... Look at what Kurt did. He understood it. He did it at the top level and look how successful they were. There is never a ceiling of how good you can get. Its just however much you can handle as a quarterback. That is what is exciting for me."

BIGGEST SURPRISE

Cornerback depth appears OK. Trading away Rodgers-Cromartie and losing Michael Adams to knee surgery would have sent the team into a panic last summer. That hasn't been the case so far. Former receiver A.J. Jefferson has caught the Cardinals' attention. He's even running with the starters pending Peterson's ascension. Free-agent addition Richard Marshall and Greg Toler combined for 29 starts last season. Peterson gives Arizona a special athlete and a player mature beyond his years. The biggest question is whether Arizona can generate a pass-rush sufficient enough to put the cornerbacks in favorable situations. Adams is expected back in a few weeks.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT

Adrian Wilson's injury. The Cardinals plan to announce Monday whether Pro Bowl strong safety Adrian Wilson will require surgery following a Saturday injury to his elbow/biceps area. Wilson will miss time even if surgery isn't necessary. That's a setback for Wilson personally after an injured abductor slowed him last season. It's a setback for the defense because Horton, the new defensive coordinator, needs Wilson to execute some of the blitz packages planned for 2011. Third-year pro Rashad Johnson would likely start if Wilson were unavailable.

OBSERVATION DECK

Beanie Wells still projects as the starting running back heading into the season even though rookie second-round choice Ryan Williams has impressed. Every negative play from Wells invites skepticism regarding his ability to meet expectations as a 2009 first-round draft choice. That was the case when Wells fumbled during the first full-contact goal-line session of camp. Wells bounced back with energized runs the following day, though, and he knows the offense better than Williams at this point.

Williams looks like the better pure runner. Where Wells is more of a downhill runner with straight-line tendencies, Williams has shown he can cut effortlessly, even at high speed. One of Williams' coaches from Virginia Tech told the Cardinals he had never coached a more talented player.

Nose tackle Dan Williams was another lockout victim. He reported to camp heavy and out of shape. Williams came on strong as a rookie late last season. Like a lot of big guys, however, he would have been much better off spending his offseason operating within a structured conditioning program.

The lockout could prevent third-round choice Rob Housler from contributing much as a rookie. Housler needed a full offseason to work on his blocking and smooth his adjustment from Florida Atlantic. The Cardinals take pride in developing players from smaller programs, but there simply wasn't enough time to get Housler up to speed this offseason. Heap's addition removes pressure in the short term.

Fifth-round choice Anthony Sherman came advertised as the best fullback in the 2011 draft. It's tough to argue with that assessment after watching Sherman early in camp. He was popping people left and right. Sherman also projects as an outstanding special-teams player, another plus. Fewer teams are keeping fullbacks on the 53-man rosters, but the Cardinals will happily find a spot for Sherman. I could see them keeping four tight ends, with free-agent addition Jeff King providing flexibility through his ability to shift into the backfield as a lead blocker. Under that scenario, Arizona would go with Heap, King, Housler and Stephen Spach as its tight ends. Wells, Williams, LaRod Stephens-Howling and Sherman would be the backs.

It's tough to envision Hall returning as part of the 53-man roster. John Skelton is clearly ahead of Hall as the No. 2 option behind Kolb. Richard Bartel looks like a better prospect, too. Hall's presence in the lineup for three starts last season sent defenses into feeding frenzies. They couldn't wait to come after him. Fewer teams are likely to keep three quarterbacks on their 53-man rosters, anyway, after the NFL modified rules for game-day rosters.

Right tackle Brandon Keith is coming off knee surgery and is still shaking off the rust. The Cardinals need solid play from that position in the regular-season opener against Carolina. Panthers defensive end Charles Johnson gave right tackles problems last season. He had three of his 11.5 sacks against NFC West teams, including one against Arizona when Keith was on injured reserve. Also last season, Johnson knocked out San Francisco 49ers quarterback Alex Smith with a shoulder injury.

It's only a matter of time before Bradley supplants Paris Lenon at inside linebacker. Bradley and returning starter Daryl Washington will be asked to blitz from the inside and also to cover. The Cardinals need to find creative ways to use them as pass-rushers given the situation at outside linebacker. The scheme Bradley played in Philadelphia took his eyes off the quarterback a fair amount of the time. Bradley, a defensive end as a freshman in college, wants more chances to rush the passer. He has the size (6-foot-4, 258 pounds) to .

Keep an eye on rookie receiver DeMarco Sampson, a seventh-round choice from San Diego State. Sampson keeps making impressive catches in practice.

The Cardinals' offense figures to change in complexion following so many additions at running back and tight end. The reality, though, is that Kolb likes operating from four-receiver personnel groupings. We could still wind up seeing the Cardinals spreading the field as they did before suffering personnel losses at receiver.

Defenses tend to outpace offenses early in camp. That hasn't been the case for Arizona. Fitzgerald offered one possible explanation: the team has been running the same offense since 2007, but the defense is new.

 

[Faust]

Camp Confidential: Philadelphia Eagles

Excerpts:

THREE HOT ISSUES

1. Can you have too many cornerbacks? When the Eagles signed Nnamdi Asomugha the day after acquiring Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and they already had Asante Samuel, the first question everybody asked was whether they'd keep all three excellent cornerbacks. The answer, to this point, seems to be yes. Rodgers-Cromartie has made it clear he doesn't mind sitting behind either of the other two, and Asomugha has made it clear that he's happy to play slot corner when all three are on the field if the other two would prefer to play outside. So although there was some early talk about possibly dealing Samuel (and that remains a possibility if somebody blows them away with a great offer), the odds favor the Eagles' keeping all three and just making triple-sure that all the receivers they play against are covered.

2. Will Vick have his receivers? As exciting as things have been during the early practices, you can't escape that Vick is throwing to second-string and third-string receivers. Sure, Jason Avant has looked like a star. But he's supposed to be the No. 3 wideout behind DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin. Jackson just showed up Monday after missing the first week-plus in a contract dispute. Maclin has been in camp for a week but has yet to practice as he continues to recover from an illness that neither he nor the team will discuss. If the team can't get Jackson happy and Maclin healthy soon, their top two receivers run the risk of starting the season behind or maybe not on the roster. No matter how many new defensive players they've signed, that would be impossible to overcome.

3. Who are the linebackers? The Eagles have beefed up on the defensive line and in the secondary. They've even added a couple of starters on the offensive line and Pro Bowl backups at quarterback and running back. But they did nothing at linebacker except allow Stewart Bradley to leave via free agency. That means rookie Casey Matthews, the team's fourth-round pick in April's draft, is currently the starting middle linebacker with Chaney and Moise Fokou on the outside. The coaches have been saying very nice things about Matthews, but no pre-draft projection I know of had him as a 2011 starter -- especially on a team that expects to win the Super Bowl. Don't be surprised if the Eagles bring in a veteran to add a little depth and/or experience at the position. Matthews could start Week 1, but it's hard to imagine that the Eagles don't have a backup plan.

D-LINING THEM UP

For all the talk about the rotation at cornerback, the Eagles have put together remarkable depth on the defensive line as well. New defensive line coach Jim Washburn has been using Trent Cole and Juqua Parker as his starting defensive ends in early practices, with newcomers Cullen Jenkins and Anthony Hargrove at the defensive tackle spots. But one would have to think that Antonio Dixon, who has been missing practice with a knee injury, would start in Hargrove's place if healthy, which means Hargrove would join newly signed defensive end Jason Babin on the second-team defensive line. Add in Trevor Laws, Darryl Tapp and, if healthy, Mike Patterson, and Washburn has plenty of options on a line that will have a different mission this year than it has in recent seasons. "We used to do a lot of reading, and now we're attacking, getting after the ball a lot," Cole told me. "Go to the ball every time, get the quarterback every time. I think they took a lot of the thinking out of it. Just go play ball."

O-LINING THEM UP

The offensive line also has a new coach in Howard Mudd, and he has changed the way they play line on that side of the ball, too. "It's a whole new thought of blocking your man," guard Todd Herremans told me. "Instead of meeting him at a spot, you're going to get to them before they get to that spot. It's more of an aggressive approach." Herremans said he's working on changing his ways, and left tackle Jason Peters and center Jamaal Jackson must as well. Rookie right guard Danny Watkins and right tackle Ryan Harris are new, and rookie Jason Kelce could wrest the starting center spot from Jackson. So there's a lot going on with the offensive line, and it bears watching, because keeping Vick healthy is probably the key to the entire Eagles season.

OBSERVATION DECK

Assuming Nate Allen's knee is healthy, he'll start at one safety spot, but it'll be interesting to see how the other one shakes out. It looks as though the Eagles would like to give rookie Jaiquawn Jarrett a chance to start, but it's tough to evaluate Jarrett during practices that don't allow hard hitting, because that's his thing. Also in the mix are Kurt Coleman, Marlin Jackson and newly signed veteran Jarrad Page.

As many weapons as the Eagles already have on offense, and as good as Brent Celek is, it'd be easy to overlook the signing of tight end Donald Lee. But when I was there, they were lining Lee up one-on-one with defensive ends like Babin and having him block them without help. He did a pretty good job, and if you're wondering how he might be deployed, that could be your answer.

Vince Young looks very much like a quarterback with a lot to learn about his new team's offense. So much so, in fact, that you wonder whether Young or Mike Kafka would be the starter if Vick were to suffer an injury early in the season.

Fourth-round draft pick Alex Henery has a great big leg. But after all the work they did in free agency and everything that's riding on this season, it does seem a little odd for the Eagles to potentially leave the outcome of a big game in the hands (or on the foot) of a rookie place-kicker.

Chaney played middle linebacker last season when Bradley was hurt. And when you ask which he'd prefer, he answers that he'd rather be back there than outside. But the Eagles think that his speed is his greatest asset and that having him on the strong side makes the best use of that. He could be the middle linebacker of the future or a fall-back option if Matthews can't handle it. But right now they appear to prefer him on the outside.

 

[BigTex]

Buffalo Billshttp://www.mpnnow.com/goldman/x2111993480/Things-I-learned-at-Bills-camp-on-Saturday-Aug-6

I attended my third Buffalo Bills practice of the 2011 season Sunday night and have another post of observations I made about the team. Here it goes:Eric Wood is looking good at center: I talked to Eric Wood after practice for a feature and he told me he didn't feel 100 percent for the beginning of the 2010 season. The lineman sustained a gruesome leg injury to end his rookie year. He looked good against Buffalo's big nose tackles on Sunday. Wood is a great guy too.Donte Whitner isn't going to be missed: I haven't spent a lot of time watching safety George Wilson, but he has made a number of plays with the first unit. I saw him pick off a pass and take it the other way for a touchdown on Thursday and stuff a run play on Saturday. He has been around the ball on many other occasions. Whitner was solid in run support and so is Wilson. I never liked Whitner in coverage and I think Wilson is better in that role. The former wide receiver has 8 interceptions in 63 games. Whitner has 5 interceptions in 69 games. Rookie Da'Norris Searcy made some good plays with the second team.David Nelson looks good: Nelson put on some muscle after a solid rookie year. He is getting a decent amount of work with the first and second units. I saw him haul in a number of solid receptions yesterday. The highlight was a deep pass that Tyler Thigpen placed between two defenders. Nelson tipped it initially, then secured it and it probably would've been a touchdown in a game situation. He could push for significant playing time.Brad Smith can do it all: Brad Smith did some interesting things against the Bills over the past few years. Now, we'll see what Chan Gailey can create for the athletic quarterback/wide receiver. I saw him throwing and catching passes during camp. He saw reps from under center in 11-on-11 and took off on runs and threw a few passes. One pass was nearly picked off by Leodis McKelvin though.The defensive line looks tougher: The Bills gave up a lot of rushing yards last year and struggled to get after the quarterback. Things should be better this year with the addition of Marcell Dareus. He'll lineup with established starters Kyle Williams and Dwan Edwards. Last year, Torrell Troup and Alex Carrington didn't get noticed a lot, but both looked good in lineman drills Sunday. Troup is big enough to demand double teams.Fitz to Stevie is still a good connection: It looks like these two are picking up where they left off last year. Stevie Johnson appears to be Ryan Fitzpatrick's favorite target on the field. Johnson runs great routes and has good hands. After the catch, he is explosive and gets upfield quickly. I was most impressed with Johnson's feet near the sideline and in the end zone. He always gets two feet down, no matter how tough the catch is

.

 

[Buclove]

The Rundown: Practice #12 - Offense strikes back

Excerpts:

TOP OF THE NEWS

- As we talked about in a previous blog post, absences are starting to creep up on the Patriots. They didn’t have 18 players, or 20 percent of the roster, available today.

- Among the missing were starters Albert Haynesworth, Brandon Spikes and Mike Wright.

- This is the practice where the offense got its groove back, as both Tom Brady and Chad Ochocinco, and the offensive line asserted itself.

TOP PLAYS

- Brady and Ochocinco seem to be growing their rapport. Both were in better sync today. They hooked up on the play of the day when Brady lofted a 40-yard pass down the left sideline and Ochocinco went over CB Malcolm Williams and S Sergio Brown.

- TE Aaron Hernandez had a terrific out-stretched TD reception of a Brady pass in the red zone drill on a corner route to the back pylon. The two ran the same route on the next play, and had the same result although Hernandez didn’t have to lay out for this one. Hernandez also had a one-handed catch of Brian Hoyer in red zone for a touchdown.

THUMBS UP

Brady and the passing offense is getting its groove back. I had him as being 14-of-17 in all team periods combined. He was at his best in a team period when he was 5-of-5 to four different receivers. That included his previously mentioned highlight hookup with Ochocinco, and then Brady followed it with an even better pass: a 20-yard out near the sideline to Hernandez with tight coverage. Brady put some mustard on that one and it could not have been more accurate. Hoyer was also much sharper (7-of-9), and Ryan Mallett was 2-of-3 with a few sacks.

THUMBS DOWN

For the most part, it was a very sluggish practice, which is not unexpected since today marked the fifth-straight day of practice. Most of those were of the long variety in full pads. The Patriots looked in need of an off day, and they’ll get one tomorrow.

SUPERLATIVES

- Dropped like it’s hot: Julian Edelman (2), Darnell Jenkins.

- Nice catch: Stevan Ridley, Chad Ochocinco, Aaron Hernandez (2).

- Fumbling men: None.

- Big hits: Sergio Brown (two – one on Hernandez, the hardest hit of the day on Ridley), Tracy White (on RB Richard Medillin), Brett Lockett (on Wes Welker)

And as an added bonus….We had our first TE vs. DE one-on-ones of camp. And Belichick was even on hand for the proceedings.

To no one’s surprise, Rob Gronkowski led the way going 2-0-1, followed by Lee Smith 0-0-2 and Carson Butler 0-0-1. Will Yeatman (0-2-0) and Aaron Hernandez (0-3-0) really struggled. Neither came close to winning. Hernandez was just overpowered.

Taylor Price bobbled a punt. He hasn’t shown sure hands there.

Hernandez is there to catch the ball not block. no concern

 

[5Rings]

Rookie Aldon Smith has been the most impressive defender in camp. He has been a dominant force off the edge in rush drills, and coaches are blown away by his athleticism. He also possesses the arm length that makes him difficult to block in isolated situations. Although he is still adjusting to playing from an upright position as a 3-4 OLB, he could post eight or more sacks off the edge as a rookie.

By Bucky Brooks

NFL.com

 

[Faust]

Jets camp report: Focused in on winning a Super Bowl

By Steve Wyche NFL.com

Senior Writer

Observation deck

1. A year ago, cornerback Darrelle Revis was holding out. He tweaked his hamstring shortly after his arrival and while he was among the best cornerbacks in the NFL, he wasn't Revis The Great. Watching him early in training camp, it's impressive at how good he is. Sure, guys can look good in practice because they know the plays and are familiar with the tendencies of the players they face. Where Revis seems to be ahead of the game is meshing his great skill with preparation. He's at the point where the game is easy in a lot of ways, like Peyton Manning reading defenses.

2. The Jets might not have that singular great pass rusher, but the physicality of the front seven and the variety of packages used to dial up pressure will continue to make them one of the most feared defenses in the NFL. The new infusion of athleticism and size on the line and the aggression of the linebackers wound up with the line of scrimmage being reset -- negatively for the offense at times -- in practice. Mind you, the Jets' offensive line is pretty good, even though starting guard Brandon Moore is on the physically-unable-to-perform list, and Vlad Ducasse is filling in for the time being.

3. Third-team running back Joe McKnight is going to get his opportunities. With wide receiver Brad Smith lost to Buffalo in free agency, McKnight could be the wild-card, big-play hitter. He'll be used at more than tailback, possibly in the slot or wide out. There is a lot of early excitement about him being an X-factor. A lot of that will be up to him, but early indications are positive.

New guys to watch

1. With uncertainty at the No. 3 wideout spot, the buzz is about rookie Jeremy Kerley, a dynamo return man and slot receiver taken in the fifth round from TCU. The Jets are trying to acquire a veteran receiver, but Kerley's already starting to establish himself with quarterback Mark Sanchez. He'll probably get first dibs to be the punt returner.

2. First-round draft pick Muhammad Wilkerson is off to a huge start. General manager Mike Tannenbaum told me that Wilkerson's size -- and especially his arm length have -- and the fact that he knows how to use them effectively have raised expectations. Though 3-4 defensive ends aren't big sack producers, there are expectations that Wilkerson, because of his relentlessness, will provide a lot of pressure once he settles into the system. He's already working with the first team at left defensive end.

Overheard

Wide receiver Santonio "Tone" Holmes on why he was a valed commodity New York had to keep: "Tone time. Tone time. When you show up on Sunday that's all that matters. You lead by example. You continue what, four games in a row, leading the team to victory? That's what Coach Ryan brought me in for. He knew I did those types of things to him when he was at Baltimore. He constantly reminds me of it and reminds his whole defense that we got to get a hand on this guy because we know what he's capable of doing."

Prediction

The Jets are going to have to rely on their defense early. Incorporating two new receivers in a short timeframe is going to stunt the desired progress of the passing attack initially. In time, the offense will get going, and we'll see New York in the hunt for a Super Bowl berth once again.

 

[Faust]

Browns camp report: McCoy leading youth movement

By Pat Kirwan NFL.com

Senior Analyst

Published: Aug. 5, 2011 at 11:21 a.m. Updated: Aug. 5, 2011 at 04:08 p.m.

Excerpts:

Observation deck

1. A lot of rookies are going to play. I rarely go to a camp this early in the preseason where so many rookies are already in position to start or play important roles. By the time we get to Week 1, there could be at least five rookies starting and another three to four playing in sub packages.

2. It is tough installing a brand new defense that had to be converted from a 3-4 to a 4-3. New defensive coordinator **** Jauron is a very patient, quiet man with a wealth of knowledge about the conversion process, but it is still a difficult job. Linebacker Scott Fujita, leader of the defense, told me he's fine with the transition after playing for seven different defensive coordinators in 10 years. He also told me that when the first-team defense lined up in the huddle for the first time, he had to introduce himself to three players he had never met before. It may also take a while for pass rushers to surface from the new 4-3 defense.

3. Sooner or later, McCoy has to start taking all the reps. As I finished watching tapes and practice, it was clear that three quarterbacks share the reps. Shurmur explained it this way: "Say we have a 12-play period in practice. That means six plays for Colt, three for Seneca Wallace and three for Jarrett Brown." That's smart in OTAs, but it is just about time McCoy gets 80 percent of the plays if he's going to be ready. The coaches don't soon expect to change the percentage of plays each quarterback will get in preseason games or even in practice, but McCoy needs more work on fundamentals like his drop and pocket presence.

New guys to watch

1. Jordan Cameron: Maybe the steal of what appears to be a very good draft class. He didn't play much at USC, but the Browns did their homework on him and they have an all-around tight end with size, excellent route running, hands, and blocking ability.

2. Greg Little: When I sat down with the rookie wide receiver from North Carolina, I felt like I was sitting with a young Anquan Boldin. He weighs 240 pounds and has running back skills after the catch. He was clearly featured in the red-zone pass attack, but struggled to catch the ball. Holmgren feels Little is a natural hand catcher but he appeared rusty after missing his last season in college.

3. Jabaal Sheard: The rookie defensive end from Pitt has a fine inside move against a tackle. If he works hard on a speed rush and an occasional bull rush, he could be the real deal. It will be interesting to see how he holds up against the run at 268 pounds. I did ask him what it was like to go against all-pro tackle Joe Thomas every day. He said his record against Thomas is 1-13, but he also believes it is making him better.

4. Buster Skrine: No. 22, a rookie from Tennessee-Chattanooga, has been the star of the camp in the secondary. "He's real smart and already has picked up the defense," T.J. Ward said. He looks like the perfect guy to compete for the 'slot corner' job where he can use his quickness. He had a very nice anticipation interception during practice.

5. Phil Taylor: The first-round pick from Baylor has to be a part of a significant number of plays at defensive tackle and he has to learn to keep his balance. In all fairness, he has had just a few practices.

Watching tape

Unlike some camps that I visit that don't provide access to practice videos, the Browns not only set up the tapes for viewing but Shurmur also stayed in the room with me, Brad Childress and Tim Ryan for an hour to give us a clear idea of what they are trying to do on offense.

The Browns are looking for one of their receivers to emerge as the slot in the three-wide receiver package. They definitely have a nice plan for two or even three tight-end packages, and with Peyton Hillis in the backfield it could be dangerous when that personnel group hits the field.

Prediction

The Cleveland fans may be restless and want a winner right now but they are going to have to be patient. This is an investment in young players and it will take time. Progress will have to be measured in ways other than wins and losses early in the season. The AFC North is not an easy place to be, but I think they could get six or seven wins.

 

[wiscstlatlmia]

http://insidefootball.com/blog/archives/2534

Some good stuff from a guy that went to Giants Practice.... noted that Beckum was looking good twice and victor cruz has the 'dropzes'

 

[BigTex]

Ryan Mathews remains in and out of practice while battling a reported toe injury and "general soreness."He worked on the side of Chargers practice Monday. We're keeping a close eye on Mathews because this is a critical training camp for his fantasy value. So far, he's shown nothing to give us the impression that he's in line to break out.

Source: Kevin Acee on Twitter Aug 8, 7:33 PM

 

[BigTex]

Mike Triplett of the New Orleans Times-Picayune expects Mark Ingram to "push for ... 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns" in his rookie year.Per Triplett, Ingram is "turning heads" in Saints camp with an impressive combo of "power, shiftiness, and breakaway ability" while running with the first-team offense. With Chris Ivory (sports hernia, Lisfranc surgery) out for the foreseeable future, Ingram doesn't have a whole lot of competition for early-down carries. The 2011 Rotoworld Draft Guide projects Ingram for 218 carries, 999 yards, 24 receptions, and 13 all-purpose scores

. Source: New Orleans Times-Picayune Aug 8, 6:40

 

[Faust]

Thoughts, observations from 49ers camp

By Mike Sando

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- A few thoughts after watching the San Francisco 49ers practice in pads for most of their three-hour afternoon session Monday:

[*]This was the crispest, most efficient practice I've seen while visiting NFC West camps over the past week. Coach Jim Harbaugh was everywhere, including deep inside the offensive huddle. The 49ers practiced with purpose. Harbaugh called this the best 49ers practice since camp opened. There was frequent give-and-take between offense and defense. Newly signed receiver Braylon Edwards dominated at times in the red zone. Fans in attendance cheered his every move, no matter how ordinary. Edwards' overhead touchdown grab against cornerback Tramaine Brock was a highlight.

[*]First-round pick Aldon Smith looks the part. Does anyone in the NFL have longer arms? He might be able to adjust his knee-high football socks without leaning over. Smith didn't do much in the limited one-on-one pass-rush drills I watched. He ran into double-team blocks during a team session. The sample size was small.

[*]Fans groaned audibly whenever quarterback Alex Smith or receiver Ted Ginn Jr. messed up. Fans also cheered when Smith rolled right and threw a long touchdown pass for Ginn with Patrick Willis nearby in coverage. Also, Ginn caught the ball cleanly time after time while fielding tricky punts in windy conditions.

[*]This wouldn't have been a 49ers practice without Smith finding tight end Vernon Davis for a long touchdown over the middle.

[*]Linebacker Thaddeus Gibson repeatedly won battles during one-on-one pass-rush drills. He beat rookie Donovan Edwards twice in a row, then beat starting right tackle Anthony Davis to the inside. Davis won the rematch. Gibson later came up short in coverage against speedy tight end Delanie Walker. Ahmad Brooks beat Davis for a would-be sack in team drills.

[*]Rookie cornerback Cory Nelms got his hands on the football in coverage, including when he jumped a pass from Jeremiah Masoli to receiver Kevin Jurovich, picking off the ball. Jurovich also dropped a deep ball, as did rookie receiver Ronald Johnson. Nelms nearly picked off rookie quarterback Colin Kaepernick, but he couldn't hold onto the ball.

[*]One of the biggest collisions involved Willis and running back Frank Gore meeting on a running play up the middle. This was a draw.

[*]Receiver Kyle Williams, sidelined by a toe injury early last season, was limping at times during practice after appearing to take a wrong step while running a route. He was clearly frustrated but managed to fight through whatever was bothering him. He finished practice.

[*]Kaepernick showed off his speed on a bootleg that fooled the backup defense for a touchdown. More thoughts to come on Kaepernick after watching him over the next couple days.

One more note: Harbaugh plans for his starters to play 20-plus snaps against New Orleans in the exhibition opener Friday. The 49ers are back on the practice field Tuesday at 8:45 a.m. PT.

 

[Faust]

The Rundown: Practice #13

Excerpts:

INJURIES

- TE Rob Gronkowski left practice midway through with two medical staff members. He was having trouble up to that point -- slow coming out of his breaks and had a few drops. He didn’t have an injury that was apparent. Just walked slow off the field. Could have been heat related.

- OL Chris Morris injured his left leg in one-on-ones and did not participate after that. Morris seemed to be making a push for second-team center over Rich Ohrnberger before the injury.

- RG Dan Connolly hurt his right elbow and did not participate after that.

- LG Logan Mankins was having a tough time at the end with the heat. He even stumbled around a little bit before taking a knee.

DRESS CODE

Full pads.

TOP OF THE NEWS

- Starters Albert Haynesworth, Brandon Spikes, and Mike Wright missed their third-straight practice.

- Some of the practice was played in heavy rain.

TOP PLAYS

- In the first play of goal-line defense, DT Vince Wilfork tossed aside C Dan Koppen and just about swallowed RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis whole.

- LB Dane Fletcher had a huge hit that stopped RB Steven Ridley in his tracks in red zone.

- QB Brian Hoyer showed nice touch and patience from the 5-yard line when he waited a beat for WR Julian Edelman to come free in the end zone.

THUMBS UP

Undrafted rookie LB Jeff Tarpinian is making a very strong push for a place on the roster, if he doesn’t have one already. Not only is he getting looks on the top special teams, but he had a pass breakup and a tackle for loss in red-zone drills. Tarpinian was injury prone in college at Iowa and he’s dealing with a right leg injury (not that he’d admit it), but he’s toughing his way through it.

THUMBS DOWN

One practice after having their best performance, the offense as a whole had a poor one. The passing game was out of sync, there wasn’t much room to run the ball … it just wasn’t very sharp. The offensive line was back to having a rough time in team periods. Injuries definitely took at toll as injuries to Connolly and Morris thinned the ranks. Probably didn’t help that Gronkowski, the best blocking tight end, was also out.

SUPERLATIVES

- Dropped like it’s hot: WR Chad Ochocinco, RB Stevan Ridley (vs. air). Taylor Price, Gronkowski.

- Nice catch: Ochocinco (but out of bounds).

- Fumbling men: Tom Brady and Dan Koppen, Brian Hoyer and Chris Morris.

- Big hits: Dane Fletcher, Sergio Brown, Tarpinian.

ODDS AND ENDS

- It was not a good session for the passing offense. Tom Brady was 7 of 17 in all team periods, Hoyer was 3 of 6, and Ryan Mallett was 2 of 4 with two sacks.

- Before he left, Gronkowski had four passes thrown to him in team and they were all incompletions. Before today, he was completely lights out.

- Jeremy Ross got some looks as a kickoff returner. Expect him to get a lot of action there Thursday night. He's done a nice job overall to this point.

- RB Stevan Ridley and LB Marques Murrell got a shot on the top kickoff unit.

- In two of the first three plays of the 9-on-7 running drill, DE Eric Moore easily slipped by LT Nate Solder to make tackles in the backfield. Myron Pryor also had an outstanding performance in the drill with one tackle at the line.

- In the two-minute period, the offense made two first downs in nine plays. It was a struggle for them.

- CB Kyle Arrington showed some heads up when Brady tried to execute the fake clock-spike play. Arrington wasn’t fooled and was all over Ochocinco.

- Rookie running backs Ridley and Richard Medillin really struggled in the blitz pick-up drill. Ridley couldn’t contain Tarpinian or S Sergio Brown. Medillin just about got run over by S Patrick Chung.

- In a team period, TE Will Yeatman teed off on Moore, and Solder was right there as well. DT Kade Weston blew up Thomas Austin, who has struggled of late, and tackled BenJarvus Green-Ellis for a loss.

- Yeatman had a great block that sprung Green-Ellis for a big run.

- Leigh Bodden is just playing great coverage. Devin McCourty has largely been a non-factor for a few days. He’s not making bad plays, he’s just not in on many. Perhaps the quarterbacks are staying away from him.

- Patriots executed their little pick play to Woodhead to perfection for a red-zone touchdown.

- S Josh Barrett had a tackle for a loss against Ridley as Ohrnberger failed to execute a block.

- S Brandon Meriweather was involved in a blown coverage in 7-on-7.

- LB Jerod Mayo had a nice pass break-up.

- Retired RG Stephen Neal was at practice talking to Belichick.

 

[Thomsen]

Tolbert and Matthews to share carries.

http://www.chargers.com/news/article-1/Two-back-system/33691fb6-dd9d-4a17-927a-abd2fb8bc29f

 

[Thomsen]

http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/Why-the-wide-receivers-stood-out-at-Bears-camp.html

Bears WRs looking good.

 

[saintfool]

Mike Triplett of the New Orleans Times-Picayune expects Mark Ingram to "push for ... 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns" in his rookie year.

Per Triplett, Ingram is "turning heads" in Saints camp with an impressive combo of "power, shiftiness, and breakaway ability" while running with the first-team offense. With Chris Ivory (sports hernia, Lisfranc surgery) out for the foreseeable future, Ingram doesn't have a whole lot of competition for early-down carries. The 2011 Rotoworld Draft Guide projects Ingram for 218 carries, 999 yards, 24 receptions, and 13 all-purpose scores

. Source: New Orleans Times-Picayune Aug 8, 6:40

except, of course, from Pierre Thomas. ivory would be buried on the depth chart if he wasn't still injured/recovering. i don't want to make this about PT vs MI but any mention of Ivory in the Saints ground game is ill-timed or misconcieved right now.

 

[Faust]

Camp Confidential: Tennessee Titans

Excerpts:

THREE HOT ISSUES

1) Will Johnson be around?

It’s hard to imagine his sitting out the season. The flamboyant running back loves the NFL stage. But he's one of the league’s most dynamic players and is certainly scheduled to be underpaid at $1.065 million. The Titans won’t negotiate if he’s not at camp. He won’t come to camp without a new deal. There are currently no signs of any real movement.

He’s not fired up about a compromise that would have him join the team but not practice until a deal is reached. Someone will bend. But in the meantime, we’re likely to see a much less threatening offense.

“It’s tough to tell how long it takes to become an issue,” left tackle Michael Roos said. “Once he’s here he’s here and we start working with him. We’ll be a different team without him. He's definitely one of the top two, if not the best running back in the league. A special player, very dynamic. It makes for a different kind of offense when he’s not in there.

“The plays wouldn’t change. Just without having his speed in there people would play us differently. I wouldn’t say it would necessarily be a worse offense. It would just be someone else running it, Javon Ringer or the rookie (Jamie Harper). It wouldn’t have CJ’s dynamic and people having to worry about his speed.”

If defenses aren't worrying about that speed, things will be far more difficult for Hasselbeck and the team’s other best weapons, receiver Kenny Britt and tight end Jared Cook.

2) How will Munchak’s style translate?

He’s a Hall of Fame player, and he’s been a top position coach for years. Odds are Munchak can coach a football team.

“He’s his own man,” linebacker Gerald McRath said. “Everybody is going to have to sit back and watch, but it’s definitely going to be different. He has that personality. He wants to establish something that’s his, something that he’s worked hard for. I feel like it’s a great opportunity. It’s a privilege just to be involved in that, to be able to put into some of that.”

The question really is about his CEO role. How does he deal with the late-night calls about DUIs or the overeating defensive lineman? How does he react to the city calling for the starting quarterback’s head or the player enduring stuff at home that’s hurting his play?

Munchak has talked about accountability and discipline and consequences, things that all had slipped at the end for Jeff Fisher. Can he enforce all that effectively?

One other thing: Fisher was great with rules and clock management. In Munchak’s first turn in the primary headset, it will be interesting to see how he fares in those departments.

3) Can the Titans stay healthy up front?

Part of the Titans’ push to be bigger up front on defense is about being better against the run. Part of it is about being more rugged deep into the season. Some of Tennessee’s speed rushers in recent years wore down late, and the Titans suffered for it.

Tracy Rocker has big shoes to fill as defensive line coach, where Jim Washburn had a great run of success. Can Gray and Rocker show the discipline to pace the linemen the way they are talking about doing now?

“I think we have to be real smart this year because our (defensive linemen), for some reason, get hurt quite a bit,” Munchak said. “We have to limit their plays not only in games but in practice so you don’t lose guys… We have to find a way to keep them healthy. You can’t control all that, but we have to be smart.”

BIGGEST SURPRISE

It’s early, of course. But the team’s talking up Cook again, and this time he seems prepared to live up to it. The tight end is running plenty of routes that take him deeper than most tight ends, and the quarterbacks are thrilled to have such a big target stretching the field. He seems to be responding better to the mellow approach of Palmer than he did to the high intensity of Mike Heimerdinger.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT

Britt’s offseason was filled with off-the-field issues. The Titans gave him a clean slate coming in, but hamstring problems have kept him out of camp so far. He said that he thought yoga was going to help him solve such problems but that his instructor apparently took the money and ran with it. The Titans are already without their most dynamic player in Johnson. With Britt sidelined, they are also missing No. 2.

OBSERVATION DECK

[*]McRath is probably the odd man out in the linebacker shuffle, unless he makes a charge to overtake Will Witherspoon on the weakside. McRath knows he didn’t make enough plays last year, but he’s saying the right things and carrying himself the right way. Maybe he’s a special teams stud if he isn’t playing defense.

[*]The pressure is on the Titans' interior offensive line. Munchak and O-line coach Bruce Matthews, both Hall of Fame linemen, expect Leroy Harris, Eugene Amano and Jake Scott to play better in their second season all together. If they don’t, we’ll call it part missed assessment and part blown confidence. Keeping Hasselbeck upright and healthy is a huge deal.

[*]I’m not sure how the Titans will distribute their tight ends without tipping their intentions. Cook is the receiver and Craig Stevens is the blocker. Veteran addition Daniel Graham can do both but is more a blocker.

[*]Jordan Babineaux was lured to the Titans from Seattle largely because of his relationship with Gray when both were with the Seahawks. They shouldn’t do anything that entails Michael Griffin playing anything but centerfield. And Babineaux is more a free than a strong safety, But the Titans will blur the distinction. Can he challenge for Chris Hope’s job? If he does, will Hope take a pay cut to stay?

[*]The Titans actually have reasonable depth at cornerback. Cortland Finnegan needs to produce big in a contract year and Alterraun Verner and Jason McCourty are up-and-comers. Ryan Mouton was lost for the year with an Achilles injury. But veteran addition Frank Walker made a nice early impression.

[*]This team always has an undrafted receiver who creates buzz early. This time it looks to be Michael Preston out of Heidelberg. He’s got nice size and athleticism.

[*]There’s not enough evidence to know if seventh-rounder CB Tommie Campbell can play yet. But he certainly had physical attributes that makes receivers take notice. Receiver Yamon Figurs recently went against him and came away muttering that Campbell was the biggest corner he’s ever seen. Figurs said Campbell, who is 6-foot-3, was “like a giraffe.”

[*]Jake Locker has shown steady improvement and has been far better early on that I anticipated he would be.

[*]If the Titans are going to be a lot better on defense, second-year end Derrick Morgan and second-round pick Akeem Ayers, a strongside linebacker, are going to have a lot to do with it. Morgan is a very good player, and Ayers bring the Titans size they’ve not had at linebacker since the franchise relocated.

[*]Leadership was a giant issue last season. There was hardly any when things got tough. The Titans' additions could solve that. Hasselbeck, Graham, Ruud and Ayers are going to be big in that department.

[*]Even if Justin Gage has a huge preseason, the Titans should consider moving on if everyone else is healthy. He’s simply not been a steady enough playmaker, and if his presence is going to keep the team from exploring the upside of someone like Damian Williams, it’s not the right move.

[*]Where does recently added, versatile veteran offensive lineman Pat McQuistan fit in? The Titans have a lot of young linemen they like, but his case for edging somebody out will include his experience at every position but center. That could increase their flexibility on the bench.

 

[Faust]

Postcard from camp: Buccaneers

Excerpts:

Three Observations

1. Josh Freeman is not just a rising star, he's on the brink of being an NFL rock star. Not that this is a revelation. In 2010, just his second season, all Freeman did was complete 61 percent of his passes for 25 touchdowns and only six interceptions (15 TDs and one pick over the last eight games). And he did it all before his 23rd birthday. Remember: Tampa Bay went 3-13 in '09, then 10-6 in '10, with half of those victories coming on fourth-quarter comebacks engineered by Freeman. There's a different vibe when he's out there and you can feel it. The 6-foot-6, 248-pounder is a big-bodied, big-armed playmaker who is revered by every person -- young and old; locker room or board room -- in the building. A Ben Roethlisberger minus the knucklehead factor, if you will. "Without a doubt, it's all about [No.] 5," said 15-year veteran cornerback Ronde Barber. "I've been doing this a while and I've never been around an offense with a dynamic quarterback who wins games by himself. He does that."

2. Young and hungry. Coach Raheem Morris, who turns all of 35 in September, likes the combination; even has his own term for it: youngry. For the third straight year, the Buccaneers have flooded the roster with young and talented players. The latest influx comes on defense, where the team used its first three draft picks in April on a pair of ends (Iowa's Adrian Clayborn and Clemson's Da'Quan Bowers) and a middle linebacker (Washington's Mason Foster). All three are projected to start for a unit that ranked 17th overall, but ninth in points allowed. Last year, Tampa Bay became the first team since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970 (excluding the '87 strike season) to start at least 10 different rookies and finish with a winning record. Running back LeGarrette Blount and wide receiver Mike Williams were the first teammates to lead all rookies in rushing and receiving yards in 42 years. Note: Freeman is younger than both.

3. Earth to Aqib! He is one of the most gifted cornerbacks in the NFL, but when watching Aqib Talib (15 INTs in three seasons) ballhawk wideouts you can't help but wonder what the guy is thinking ... or if he even is. The 2008 first-round pick has been an off-the-field train wreck during his short career. A year ago he was suspended from the season opener after assaulting a taxi driver. In March, Talib was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon (a gun, by the way) outside Dallas and faces a trial in March. How his latest legal run-in plays with judge-and-jury Commissioner Roger Goodell remains to be seen. In the interim, there are rules about interviews with Talib during camp: football questions only. Whatever.

Step On Up

Gerald McCoy, defensive tackle. While defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, the second overall pick in the 2010 draft, was Ndominating last season en route to rookie of the year honors, McCoy, the No. 3 overall pick, struggled to make the sudden impact so many predicted when the former Oklahoma superstar was anointed as the second coming of Buccaneers icon Warren Sapp. McCoy, though, was starting to show up late in the season when he tore a biceps muscle in Week 14 and was done. If Tampa Bay is going to upgrade its weak pass rush and a run defense that gave up 131.7 yards per game, McCoy needs to be the alpha dog of a starting front four expected to average less than 23 years old. "I learned that I can't be Warren Sapp. Warren Sapp was one of a kind," McCoy said. "I can only be me and I promise you I will give the very best that Gerald McCoy has to give."

New Face, New Place

Despite being a reported $59 million under the salary cap, the Buccaneers signed one unrestricted free agent from another team -- a punter, no less -- choosing instead to focus on re-signing the bulk of their own players. So the stranger in the building who figures to provide the biggest impact just might be new defensive line coach Keith Millard. An assistant with Denver ('01-04) and Oakland ('05-08), Millard brings the same ferocious, no-nonsense attitude that made him NFL Defensive Player of the Year with Minnesota in 1989 when he set a league record for sacks by a tackle with 18, a mark that still stands. Millard pulls no punches. On McCoy's play last year: "It wasn't good. He knows that." On the expectations of that inexperienced defensive front. "Youth is no excuse." Millard is charged with grooming a unit that accounted for just 26 sacks last season (30th in the league). "They may be young, but the expectations we have are high, very high," Millard said. "They will have to produce, and we made that clear when they walked in the door."

Looking At The Schedule ...

Unlike 2010, coming off that 3-13 mark, the Buccaneers won't have the benefit of a last-place schedule. The '11 slate features seven games against teams that reached the playoffs last year, including NFC South rivals Atlanta and New Orleans twice each, plus the club's first visit to Lambeau Field since 2005 to play the Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers. Tampa Bay, the league's only team to have all home games blacked out on local television, has just seven dates at Raymond James Stadium. The eighth was scooped up by the league office to pit the Buccaneers against the NFC runner-up Chicago Bears at London's Wembley Stadium on Oct. 23.

 

[Faust]

Chargers camp report: Focus placed on returning to playoffs

By Pat Kirwan NFL.com

Senior Analyst

Published: Aug. 8, 2011 at 09:34 p.m. Updated: Aug. 9, 2011 at 10:19 a.m.

Observation deck

1. The Chargers will rebound from their first non-playoff season in five years. After spending Monday at the facility watching tape, talking with coaches, players and GM A.J. Smith, I have a strong opinion they are very much driven to rebound. The Chargers' theme for this season is "one day at a time." No more worrying about things that are weeks and months away; now it's all about the next play, the next practice, the next game. It sounds good, but what tangible things can they point to as signs of the new attitude? Takeo Spikes and hopefully a healthy Bob Sanders bring an attitude to the defense. Philip Rivers has a content Vincent Jackson and Malcom Floyd back in camp. What I liked the most was the number of people in the organization who no longer buy the "We're the most talented team in the league" description and realize they have to do it on the field.

2. The special teams is a work in progress. Poor special teams play was a big -- if not the main -- reason why the Chargers did not make the playoffs last year. The coverage units were a disaster and contributed to too many losses. Enter Rich Bisaccia, the team's new special teams coach. Bisaccia comes from Tampa Bay, where the Bucs ranked near the top of several special-team categories in 2010. So far, it's clear Bisaccia is bringing a no-nonsense attitude to the practice field. It will be interesting to watch how the punt- and kick-coverage units do during the preseason games.

3. There's a big hole in third-down packages. Darren Sproles is gone to New Orleans and when I look at how well he blocked a blitzer or released as a receiver on third down, I think this is the biggest challenge the Chargers offense faces this summer. Right now, Ryan Mathews and Mike Tolbert have the opportunity to win the job, but I wouldn't be surprised if A.J. Smith looked around for options.

4. Film study told me... that Norv Turner does a brilliant job of mixing and matching personnel groups and creating big-play opportunities for Rivers. Their use of compressed formations with wide receivers tightly aligned and three tight ends on the field distort the pass drops for the back seven on defense. The offensive line may not be a group of all-pros but they play well together. (The starting five are entering their fifth year together.) As for the defense, they still need to find another outside linebacker to rush the passer. Whether it's a finally healthy Larry English, Antwan Barnes or the rookie Jonas Mouton, someone has to come through opposite Shaun Phillips.

New guy watch

[*]Takeo Spikes. The veteran linebacker is the consummate pro and whether it is his presence against the run or getting youngsters like Mouton to study film, he will help new defensive coordinator Greg Manusky, whom he followed from San Francisco.

[*]Bob Sanders. As always, the ex-Colts safety looks in tremendous shape and ready to go. He can be his own worst enemy on the injury front, with the violent way he throws his body around. Hopefully Sanders plays smart and lasts all 16 games.

[*]Jonas Mouton. The second-round pick from Michigan was a surprise pick to some and he surely has a long way to go. But as Turner pointed out to me, "When he hits, he explodes into ball carriers." Look for Mouton to make a first impression on special teams and come on strong at linebacker in the second half of the season.

[*]Corey Liuget. Turner, on the rookie first-round pick: "He was on the field two days and I knew he belonged on the field. He carries himself like a first-round pick." After watching him move around, it looks like the Chargers are getting a DE who can penetrate and rush the passer.

Prediction

The Chargers lost five games by a touchdown or less last year, but make no excuses. They have the talent to rebound. I see the Chargers battling the Chiefs for the division title especially if a healthy Mathews builds on his rookie season. Look for the Chargers to win double-digit games after a fast start.