What's new
Fantasy Football - Footballguys Forums

Welcome to Our Forums. Once you've registered and logged in, you're primed to talk football, among other topics, with the sharpest and most experienced fantasy players on the internet.

OFFICIAL 2015 Training Camp & Preseason: News & Tidbits Thread (1 Viewer)

Baltimore Ravens Training Camp Report:

http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2015/07/27/nfl-training-camp-tour-blog

Thursday, July 30, 2015

Site: 1 Winning Drive, Baltimore Ravens HQ, Owings Mills, Md., 13 miles northwest of Baltimore.

Robert Klemko writes:

What I Saw: Morning practice, Thursday, July 30. Sunny, 85 degrees, humid (probably shouldn’t have worn jeans).

The thing I’ll remember about Owings Mills: There were several big plays, including picturesque snags by 36-year-old Steve Smith and 21-year-old rookie Breshad Perriman that should excite Ravens fans for the future on offense, but my favorite moment from Thursday happened well after practice as players trickled out of the heat and into the air conditioning of the swanky Under Armour Performance Center. Following their first day of training camp – a spirited but cautious foray in helmets and shells – quarterback and Super Bowl XLVII MVP Joe Flacco, dropped his helmet on the grass path to the door, strolled towards the media hub, answered seven harmless questions, chatted with a reporter or two and went inside. Twenty minutes passed. Players signed autographs for screaming kids lined up behind ropes on their way into the building, and soon there was no one left outside but a handful of media packing up gear. And there was Joe’s helmet, resting on the ear fitted with Flacco’s all-important audio speaker linking him to coaches. Most of the quarterbacks I’ve met are cool on the outside and secretly neat-freak perfectionists at heart. I can’t imagine Peyton Manning or Tom Brady standing at a locker and not noticing or caring his helmet was missing. But that’s Joe. Maybe that’s what makes him so pedestrian in the regular season and so damn money in the playoffs; Joe cares when it counts.

Three things you need to know about the Ravens:

1. The offensive coordinator carousel continues. Joe Flacco will play for his fourth offensive coordinator in four years after former play caller Gary Kubiak’s departure for the Denver head coaching vacancy. Enter Marc Trestman, shown the door in Chicago after his locker room and his defense fell apart. It’s too early to say how different Trestman’s approach will be from Kubiak’s, but the foundation of his spread-leaning offense is being built on swing passes and dump-offs to Justin Forsett and a host of fullbacks, and on the downfield acumen of Smith and Perriman. The rookie’s hands remain a question mark, but he did pull off a beautiful falling catch on the right sideline near the end of practice Thursday.

2. Baltimore believes in Timmy Jernigan, the second-year lineman tasked with replacing longtime anchor Haloti Ngata (who was traded for fourth- and fifth-round picks to the Lions this offseason). Jernigan averaged just 26 snaps per game last season but did enough for John Harbaugh and the front office to feel comfortable dealing a player who remains a Top-10 3-4 defensive end entering his 10th season.

3. It’s a relief to be done with Ray Rice. And that’s despite what the team said about tuning out distractions a year ago. The controversy surrounding Rice’s arrest on domestic violence charges and subsequent suspension and release was an emotional burden that loaded stress in the early season and applied pressure on nearly every aspect of the organization this time last year. Said running back Justin Forsett: “It’s nice. There are no distractions. [We] want to keep it that way and focus on football.”

What will determine success or failure for the Ravens: How healthy the defensive secondary can remain over the course of a season. I’m talking specifically about the cornerback position, where there are the biggest question marks and the least depth. Jimmy Smith is the top corner, but he never quite got over a Linsfranc injury suffered at midseason. Lardarius Webb had perhaps the worst season of his career a year ago, and Asa Jackson struggled similarly. If the Ravens lose Smith, Webb, Jackson or free agent pickup Kyle Arrington for any extended period of time, trouble awaits.

Player I saw and really liked: Steve Smith. Who doesn’t like Steve Smith? Here’s reason No. 43,547 Steve Smith is an All-American Badass: Halfway through Thursday’s practice, the five-time Pro Bowler entering his 15th season wiggled past cornerback Rashaan Melvin in an 11-on-11 session, cut to the post and made a diving, one-handed grab of a Flacco pass in front of a late-arriving Matt Elam. Later, Perriman matched his effort with a diving catch of his own. You think Smith doesn’t know what he’s doing, diving for 20-yard receptions in shells on the first day of practice? Steve wants a ring, and he’s making sure everyone in Owings Mills is on board.

Five dot-dot-dot observations about the Ravens: Second-round tight end Maxx Williams has had a quiet minicamp and first day of camp as he learns the ropes. Meanwhile, second-year tight end Crockett Gilmore has bulked up while maintaining fluidity in a bid for the starting job… When the quarterbacks go with black jerseys and purple numbers, the easiest way to tell Flacco from 6-6 backup Matt Schuab is Schaub’s lackluster arm strength. Don’t count out Bryn Renner for the No. 2 job… Perriman seems to have your classic hot-and-cold hands early in camp, and he’s already answering questions about his biggest pre-draft knock… We surmise that the top position battle in camp will likely be at strong safety between Matt Elam and Kendrick Lewis, who, coincidentally, each struggle in coverage… In what seems like the next logical step in the downward sloping career of Lardarius Webb, the cornerback failed a conditioning test that measures anaerobic conditioning, according to Harbaugh. Bad news for a defense that needs him to return to 2011 form.

The one name on the roster I’d forgotten about. Kyle Arrington. Smart pickup for a couple of reasons: Baltimore is short on corners, as previously discussed, and Arrington fits a need for a quick-twitch nickel corner who can lock down the slot. For example, Indianapolis’ T.Y. Hilton made mince meat of the Baltimore defense in Week 5 a year ago with nine catches for 90 yards on 12 targets in an Indy win. But in two games against the Patriots and Arrington last season, Hilton managed four catches for 60 yards.

Gut feeling about this team as I left town. They’ll win the AFC North, but what’s next? Do they get past Indianapolis or New England, or both? Earning home field advantage deep into the playoffs is critical.

—@RobertKlemko

Thursday, July 30, 2015
Click to expand...
 
July 31, 2015 New York Giants Training Camp Report

PRACTICE NOTES…
Some snippets from various media sources:

  • Wide receiver Victor Cruz looked sharp in his first practice since suffering the knee injury in October 2014.
  • The starting offensive line continues to be left tackle Ereck Flowers, left guard Justin Pugh, center Weston Richburg, right guard Geoff Schwartz, and right tackle Marshall Newhouse.
  • The starting defensive line had George Selvie and Robert Ayers at defensive end and Johnathan Hankins and Cullen Jenkins at defensive tackle.
  • The starting linebackers were Jon Beason inside with J.T. Thomas and Devon Kennard outside.
  • Landon Collins and Cooper Taylor were the first-team safeties.
  • The first touchdown of training camp was a quarterback Eli Manning slant to wide receiver Odell Beckham. (Video) Manning later hit Beckham again on a 60-yard catch-and run for a touchdown.
  • Wide receiver Geremy Davis made two acrobatic catches from quarterback Ryan Nassib. (Video) Nassib also connected with wide receiver Dwayne Harris. (Video)
  • Tight end Jerome Cunningham received a lot of work with the first team. He made a really nice one-handed catch on a seam pass. Larry Donnell also worked at tight end with the first team.
http://www.bigblueview.com/giants-training-camp-2015/2015/7/31/9082239/ny-giants-training-camp-victor-cruz-odell-beckham-highlight-first-practice

  • Beckham and Cruz were both on what head coach Tom Coughlin called "a pitch count." Still, both players took part in all phases of practice, the individual drills, as well as limited snaps in 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills.
  • Beckham provided a highlight when, lined up in the slot with Cruz outside of him, he took a quick pass from Eli Manning and then did Beckham things -- juking defenders and racing downfield to the delight of the fans at Quest Diagnostics Training Center. Beckham, of course, missed the spring workouts with hamstring issues.
  • Cruz didn't have any true highlight plays. He did, however, have one play where he had to go to the ground in traffic to try and catch a low throw from Manning. The pass was incomplete, but the play was a success. Cruz got up unharmed, clearing a hurdle in his comeback from patellar tendon surgery.
  • One thing we saw from the Giants is that they will move their receivers, including Cruz and Beckham around. We saw Beckham in the slot with Cruz outside. We saw the reverse of that. We saw motion. We saw Beckham catch a swing pass while lined up at running back.
OBJ & Cruz video from practice

http://www.giants.com/videos/videos/Best_of_Odell_Beckham_Jr_Victor_Cruz/45589bbc-3a34-4fcd-80d3-788b345979a5

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Keeping the Weight of the World Off His Shoulders:

http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2015/07/27/nfl-training-camp-tour-blog

Excerpt:

Site: Bon Secours Training Center in historical downtown Richmond, Va., two hours South of Fed Ex Field. Sprawling grass fields with not even a square-foot of shade.

What I Saw: An afternoon practice, Friday, July 31. Baking hot at 91 degrees. Klemko, inexplicably, wore jeans. Again.

Three things you need to know about Washington:

The next month is about getting Robert Griffin III to be more of a conventional quarterback, so it isn’t all about being mobile. Coach Jay Gruden wants Griffin to stop winning games with his legs, and start winning games with his arm and his head. “We have to help keep the weight of the world off his shoulders,” Gruden told The MMQB. “He’s only 24, just turned 25. He’s been through so much. He just has to play quarterback for us and forget all the outside stuff.” To alleviate some burden, Gruden appointed Matt Cavanaugh as quarterbacks coach (something the team did not have last year). Cavanaugh will focus on Griffin’s presence in the pocket while Gruden will sprinkle more play-action into the offense.

To become less-quarterback reliant, Washington shored up its offensive line. Something needed to be done to a unit that allowed 36 sacks last season. Enter veteran offensive line coach Bill Callahan, architect of the Cowboy’s dominant run game in 2014. He has an exciting player to build around in 2015 first-round pick Brandon Scherff, the stud tackle from Iowa.

Washington also fortified its defense. Jim Haslett, the defensive coordinator for the last five seasons, is out. Joe Barry is in. You might remember Barry for his two-year stint as the Lions defensive coordinator. He’ll install a hybrid 3-4 scheme that should generate more pressure up front. New general manager Scot McCloughan prioritized on defensive linemen in free agency, adding Ricky Jean Francois, Terrance Knighton and Stephen Paea. And then came perhaps the biggest addition: Junior Galette. The controversial linebacker — a costly cut for the Saints earlier this week —attended his first practice on Friday (more on that in a bit).

What will determine success or failure for Washington: RG3. As stale as this storyline has become for a franchise which has been a bottom-feeder in the NFC East for the last two seasons, it's hard to overstate how true this is. As Griffin goes, so does Washington.

Player I saw and really liked: Alfred Morris. Maybe its because I know he’ll have such an important role in the offense, but I found myself watching Morris a lot in 11-on-11 drills. He plugged away in Washington’s power scheme. Of course, it was a no-pads session so if a running back didn’t look good that would be a problem. But with an added emphasis on the run game, I expect a productive year for Morris.

Five dot-dot-dot observations about Washington: Tough day for Bashaud Breeland, the second-year cornerback. After receiving a one-game suspension for a marijuana citation, Breeland took a nasty fall during one-on-one passing drills and was carted off. The apparent right leg injury looked serious. Breeland is one of the team’s better corners... Washington is lining up Scherff at right tackle, and he had some great battles with Ryan Kerrigan in one-on-one drills.....DeSean Jackson was fielding punts, as was fourth-round draft pick Jamison Crowder from Duke....It's so fun to watch Gruden at practice. He is incredibly animated and involved, even jumping in a few drills himself.... Neither Kirk Cousins or Colt McCoy stood out, though Cousins did have a nice deep ball to Crowder toward the end of practice.

The one name on the roster I’d forgotten about. Terrance ‘Pot Roast’ Knighton. After being so important to Denver’s defense, the self-professed “best nose tackle in the league” brought his 354-pound self to Washington on a one-year, $4 million deal. Knighton told me he’s excited to adopt a leadership role on this team, and was already a fan favorite as he walked off the practice field after day two. “We love you Pot Roast!” a group of women squealed as he walked to a local ESPN radio interview. He flashed them a smile. We’ll see if Knighton can maintain his upbeat persona as his switch from a perennial contender to an NFC bottom feeder sets in as the season marches on.

The thing I’ll remember about Richmond. Junior Galette’s debut. I did a double-take when players walked on to the field and there was Galette strolling side-by-side with Kerrigan. They were engaged in a pretty chummy conversation. Who would have thunk that these two would be teammates, and that Kerrigan would be the one with a fat contract and Galette on a veteran’s minimum deal?

Although Galette did not fully practice, his presence loomed. A cadre of reporters tracked his every move; the linebacker spent most of the two-and-a-half hour afternoon session doing sprints and footwork drills with position coaches and chatting with his new teammates on the sideline. Galette should fit into Barry’s scheme quite nicely, so his future in Washington, I think, depends solely on this: getting along with his teammates and staying out of trouble.

Gut feeling about this team as I left town. I have optimism that Griffin — if he stays healthy — will fare better than he did in the last two seasons. I really do. However I don’t think that’s enough to keep up with the Joneses (Philadelphia and Dallas) in a competitive NFC East. At best this feels like a 6-10 team, but even with a favorable schedule (Washington hosts the Dolphins, Rams, Buccaneers, Saints and Bills) that seems high. My gut tells me that next offseason will be especially fascinating in Washington.
Click to expand...
 
Rotoworld:

Texans coach Bill O'Brien said neither Brian Hoyer nor Ryan Mallett are in the lead for the starting quarterback job.

Hoyer and Mallett are each getting reps with the first team, but no one has pulled away so far. With neither player anything to write home about, this is a competition which should last deep into camp. Regardless of who wins, the Texans will need to ride their running game if they hope to find offensive success this season.

Related: Ryan Mallett

Source: Brian Smith on Twitter

Aug 1 - 11:36 AM
Click to expand...
 
NY Giants TE Donnell is on a pitch count due to his chronic achilles issues. So expect to read about the other TEs getting a good number of 1st team reps.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
The Best Defensive Coach No One is Talking About:

http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2015/07/27/nfl-training-camp-tour-blog

Andy Benoit writes...

Site: The Chargers home facility, located amongst a sprawl of Northern San Diego business parks, up against the green sage-brush hillside of Murphy Canon.

What I saw: Morning practice, the team’s first of this training camp. Also, very little shade. And, in my own reflection, the haggard redness of a man ill-prepared for such humidity.

Three things you need to know about the Chargers:

1. They have an “elite” quarterback. Philip Rivers, as good of a pure pocket passer as there, practices the way you’d expect: fully engaged and full throttle. In “offense vs. defense” sessions Rivers did his usual yeoman’s work before the snap, setting the protections by calling out the Mike linebacker and make adjustments based off the defensive front. (With plays being scripted, and this being Day One of camp, there did not appear to be any audibling.) When the second-and third-stringers were working, Rivers took a knee and talked with safety Eric Weddle (the defense’s quarterback). During special teams sessions, Rivers engaged with offensive coordinator Frank Reich and head coach Mike McCoy. Since entering into McCoy’s system in 2013, Rivers has completed 68 percent of his passes (second only to Drew Brees), averaging 7.8 yards an attempt (fifth best in the league).

2. John Pagano is the best defensive coach nobody talks about. Pagano employs a multifaceted scheme that features a breadth of different looks. “We try to disguise on every snap,” he told me after practice. “We start with it on Day One. It’s not something where in Week 5 we say, ‘Hey, whoa, we gotta start doing this.’” (Here Pagano clapped his hands as a gesture of urgency.) “We try to start it Day One, that’s what it’s all about.”

Pagano hasn’t always had great cornerbacks to work with, making his pressure concepts and post-snap coverage rotations all the gutsier. “You always have to still have that attack mode mentality,” he said. Much of these ploys come out of zone, though in this practice, the Chargers primarily worked on man-to-man. Most interesting was watching their corners perform a press coverage drill with their arms crossed shoulder-to-shoulder. Teams these days are finding all sorts of ways to teach corners to not rely on their oft-flagged hands. In the scrimmage portions of practice, the corners primarily matched up to specific wide receivers.

Every game has scenarios that demand man coverage. (Third-down-and-short, for example.) This could explain the heavy emphasis on it this first day. Overall, I’d expect the Chargers defense to continue using a heavy dosage of matchup zone concepts in their base packages. You can set up more disguises from zone than you can from man. This speaks to the point Pagano made to summarize his defensive philosophies: “The game is all about angles.”

3. Eric Weddle may not be happy with his contract situation, but the Chargers have every reason to be happy with him. Weddle is one of the most versatile defenders in the league. In this first practice, he played both deep safety and down near the line of scrimmage. I asked Pagano how important the ninth-year veteran is to their scheme. “Huge, huge, huge,” he said. “It’s like having a coordinator out there on the field. We’ve been together for so long, so he thinks like me. He has that mentality of football.”

What will determine success or failure of the Chargers: Whether their somewhat thin – and in spots, youthful – defense can stay healthy and generate more big plays. Last season, they registered only seven interceptions and 26 sacks, both near the bottom of the NFL.

Player I saw and really liked: Keenan Allen. The third-year wide receiver has very unique body control and a grasp on the nuances of his position. We talked in the afternoon about his route running, which he works on diligently during the offseason. He loves lining up in a tight split (i.e. inside the field numbers, closer to the quarterback).From here, he has more room at his disposal. He brought up Antonio Gates, and how much he’s learned from the likely future Hall of Famer. “He never takes baby steps,” Allen said. “He always takes full strides. That’s what I try to do.”

Five dot-dot-dot observations about the Chargers: First-round rookie running back Melvin Gordon looks the part. He showed eye-popping short-area lateral agility and cutback prowess. He both glides and explodes in his movement and can reach the second level effortlessly….Another Melvin who is critical to this team: Ingram. The fourth-year outside linebacker lost 20 pounds this past offseason, which surprised me considering that he already possessed outstanding horizontal burst for a 260-something pounder. But Ingram explained to me it was “bad” weight that he lost. And that his horizontal burst isn’t a purely physical thing anyway. “It’s about 50-50 for God-given ability and (something that’s) learned,” he said. “You’re given the ability but you take it to that next level by practice and film study, and (specifically) practicing lateral movements.” Ingram also said one of the more interesting tidbits about film study that I’ve heard: “In the pros, you have to do it to be successful.” So in college are you saying it’s just more of a bonus then? “Yep.”…..Stevie Johnson is replacing the departed Eddie Royal as the No. 3 receiver. Johnson is patient and acrobatic, which we were reminded of when he made a twisted (literally) adjustment for a catch against perfect man-to-man slot coverage by Steve Williams. The patience and acrobatics are necessary because Johnson doesn’t have great quickness. That’s where Royal will be missed…..Danny Woodhead has plenty of quickness, and he displayed it with no visible remnants of the fractured fibula that wiped out his 2014 season in Week 3. Woodhead also has a new little mustache, which looks either sharp or creepy, depending on your perspective….Charger fans haven’t lost any love for Antonio Gates, despite his four-game suspension for a PED violation. The media also seems to be still very fond of the veteran.

The one name on the roster I’d forgotten about: Austin Pettis. Not that I’m kicking myself for this. The former Rams third-round pick joined the team this past January. I only remembered him because during special teams gunner drills, which Pettis was partaking in, some kid up against the fence kept yelling his name. “Austin I know you hear me,” the kid eventually shouted. Pettis was left with no choice but to acknowledge the screamer, which he did by looking over (helmet off) and gently sticking an index finger in the air.

The one thing I’ll remember about San Diego: Qualcomm Stadium, and how absolutely hideous it looks from the freeway. “Yeah, and have you seen inside of it?” one Chargers staffer asked me. I have not. I’ve just seen its exterior of crisscrossing slabs of concrete. “It’s like a dinosaur,” the staffer said.

Gut feeling about this team as I left town: This has the feel of a 9-7 club. Maybe that’s just because the Chargers have won between seven and nine games each of the past five seasons. There’s talent here, but a lack of depth along the defensive and offensive lines. And there are unproven young players, like cornerback Jason Verrett and outside linebacker Jerry Attaochu (he ran with the first unit), who need to be stars for this defense to truly prosper. Maybe they can be; both are capable. In that case, the Chargers could win 11 games. But I’ve learned not to trust “maybes” in the NFL. So I don’t know. Just not a whole lot feels different about what’s been a good but certainly not great Chargers team.
Click to expand...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Hartliner
The edge I can get from Chat GPT?
Replies
5
Views
2K
bostonfred
bostonfred
Faust
OFFICIAL 2019 Training Camp & Preseason: News & Tidbits Thread
12 13 14
Replies
696
Views
28K
The Man With No Name
The Man With No Name
QuizGuy66
*** 2023 QuizGuy66 Somewhat Predictable Season Prediction Thread - feel free to add your own
Replies
0
Views
395
QuizGuy66
QuizGuy66

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
Top