Training
Volume 3, Issue 2 –
Training
Camps are in full swing and we want you to feel like you have attended every
practice and seen every preseason game.
To keep all our Footballguys subscribers on top of everything, we've created our
incredibly detailed
This is the second of five training camp updates from us. We'll break
down every team's skill positions and position battles. It's the stuff you'd
see if you were there at every camp. This
Happy reading and let's have a great 2007 season,
Joe Bryant and
Owners, Footballguys.com
QB: Matt Leinart and Kurt Warner are
both looking good through the first week of camp. At the end of last Friday’s
practice, the two gave the crowd of 2,000 fans on-hand some entertainment with
an accuracy drill. From 40 yards out, each QB had 10 chances to throw footballs
into the tops of a 6-foot tall barrel. When they connected the crowd responded
with big cheers. The Cardinals new head coach Ken Whisenhunt is implementing a
new offense that will emphasize the run more (the team ranked last in the NFL
in rushing a year ago). Throwing fewer passes doesn’t upset Leinart though, “As
a quarterback and as an offense, if you can't run the football, no matter if
you have the best receivers or whatever, you're going to struggle to win,"
he said, "because the defenses are too good."
RB: One
drill this week caused more attention than all of the others – the Cardinals goal
line offensive drills. Edgerrin James has never been a great goal-line back, so
the drill raised some questions amongst the fantasy community if Whisenhunt was
looking to get Marcel Shipp, or another back, involved at the goal line. On the
first set of downs, the first-string offense was shut out in four straight
plays beginning at the 5-yard line, stuffing Edgerrin James on fourth down. The second-team offense needed
just one play for redemption. Backup RB Marcel Shipp pounded his way for a
touchdown. “We got a chance to lay a hat on them,” said starting LB Karlos
Dansby. “Coach did a great job planning it, giving us a chance to go live. It
keeps you motivated. It teases you a little bit with a little live action. It
keeps you going.” Whisenhunt acknowledged Thursday he is looking for his goal
line running back, but added that it’s unfair to judge James yet, “I know Edge
can run on the goal line,” Whisenhunt said, while adding that James needs more
reps. With that said, look for Edge to get a bit more preseason work this year.
Edge totaled seven carries in last year’s preseason. Whisenhunt added, “We will
get a feel for that next week,” he said. “I’d like to get him a little bit of
work just so he can be working with the line. But he is getting a lot done on
the practice field.” One change that could help the Cardinals plight at the goal
line is the addition of a fullback. Terrelle Smith isn’t much of a runner or
receiver, but he can block. The change is just one of many tweaks implemented
by new head coach Ken Whisenhunt. “He is a proven commodity. You like those
tough football players,” said Whisenhunt when discussing Smith.
WR: The Cardinals top three receivers Anquan Boldin,
Larry Fitzgerald and Bryant Johnson are all having strong camps, but the focus
of the coaching staff isn’t on them either. It’s on the players competing for
the two or three open roster spots. The leading contenders change almost daily
according to offensive coordinator Todd Haley. “It's going to be a tough competition,"
Haley said. "A couple of good players are probably going to have to be let
go." Sean Morey is a good bet for one spot based on his prowess as a
special teamer, but he’d like to contribute on offense, too. Rookie fifth-round
pick Steve Breaston is the all-time leader in punt return yards at
TE: Whisenhunt
chased free agent TE Reggie Kelly during the offseason because he wants to
emphasize the run more than the previous regimes. Unable to land Kelly, he’s
been working with the tight ends on the roster, but he’s still searching for
one that he can trust for the ground game to be effective. Leonard Pope, Troy
Bienemann, Tim Euhus, John Bronson, Alex Shor and rookie Ben Patrick all have
deficiencies as blockers. In the goal line drills, Whisenhunt pointed out that
it was the tight ends who caved in on the first dialed play. “We are looking for consistency and we are looking
for someone who will take the reins,” Whisenhunt said. “Fortunately, we have
some time before we have to make that decision.” Pope enters his second season
as the incumbent, but Whisenhunt will give the others a long look before
committing to Pope as the starter.
Defense: The battle for the starting free
safety job is heating up between veterans Terrence Holt and Aaron Francisco.
“It’s a great battle between those two,” Coach Ken Whisenhunt said.
“Eventually, they’re both going to play a lot. So it’s going to be hard to say
one will come out on top.” Holt signed as a free agent after spending five seasons
in
Ken Whisenhunt was asked to name the camp’s early standouts after the
first week. On defense, he listed all three players who are adjusting to new
positions — Bertrand Berry, Chike Okeafor and Karlos Dansby — plus Gerald
Hayes, Gabe Watson, Antonio Smith and Darnell Dockett. Rookie DT Alan Branch
appears to be motivated in camp after sliding out of the first round on draft
day. The Cardinals moved up, dealing a 4th round pick, to land the 6’5” Branch.
"He's getting a lot of pressure from the way the defensive line is playing
and he's improving," Whisenhunt said. "He wants to be good, and
that's one thing about Alan I really like, that he wants to be a good football
player and he's trying to do it the right way." The Cardinals signed safety Oliver Celestin
Thursday.
Offensive line: The Cardinals had Levi Brown, their first round pick (5th
overall), in camp after missing the first eight practices while getting his
contract hammered out. Brown signed a 6-year, $62 million deal with $18.5
million guaranteed. Brown took his conditioning test on Friday and reported to
camp for his first practice on Saturday.
Special Teams: Kicker Neil Rackers spent the offseason working out and trying to lose
a few pounds, in an effort to improve his long range accuracy which faltered
last year. According to him, he was “a little overweight last season ... which
might have caused my plant foot to be back. I wasn’t getting through the ball
quite as well. Now I’m sitting right at 198-200. I feel great, I’m a lot
stronger, so I don’t need to kick the ball quite as hard.” He also spent the
offseason continually practicing field goals from the spot where he missed a
potential game winner in last year’s devastating Monday night loss to
Cardinals
Depth Chart
QB: Matt
Leinart, Kurt
Warner, Shayne Boyd, Toby Korrodi
RB: Edgerrin
James, Marcel
Shipp, J.J.
Arrington (KR), Diamond
Ferri, Steve Baylark
FB: Terrelle
Smith, A.J. Schable (inj), Tim Castille, BranDon
Snow, Roshon Vercher
WR: Larry
Fitzgerald, Anquan
Boldin, Bryant
Johnson, LeRon
McCoy, Sean
Morey, Steve
Breaston (KR/PR), Todd Watkins, Greg Lee, Michael
Spurlock (KR/PR), Ahmad Merritt, Matt
Trannon
TE: Leonard
Pope, Ben
Patrick, Troy
Bienemann, Tim
Euhus, Fred Wakefield (inj), John Bronson, Alex
Shor
K: Neil
Rackers
DT: Alan
Branch (NT), Gabe
Watson (NT), Chris
Cooper, Ross
Kolodziej, Jonathan Lewis (inj), Ray Blagman
DE: Darnell
Dockett (DT), Antonio
Smith, Joe
Tafoya, Rodney
Bailey
ILB: Gerald
Hayes, Karlos
Dansby (W/S), Buster
Davis, Monty
Beisel, Pago Togafau, Nathan Hodel
OLB: Bertrand
Berry (DE)(inj), Chike
Okeafor (S/DE), Calvin
Pace (S/DE), Darryl
Blackstock (W), Brandon
Johnson, David Holloway
CB: Antrel
Rolle, Eric
Green, Roderick
Hood, Ralph
Brown, Matt
Ware, Darrell
Hunter, Travarous Bain, Michael Adams
S: Adrian
Wilson (SS), Aaron
Francisco (FS), Terrence
Holt (FS), Hanik
Milligan, Brandon Keeler (FS), Oliver Celestin
QB: Joey Harrington is pleased with his receivers so far
during training camp, remarking on Thursday, "I tell you what; this is the
best group of receivers that I've played with. The most talented, hard-working
group of receivers I've seen." Harrington also said, “I feel great,
honestly.” He further elaborated, “I was talking to coach
RB: On Wednesday (8/1), head coach Bobby Petrino
commented on the rushing/passing mix during 2007, “Well, we have to be able to
do both and there is no question about that. We need to be as balanced as we
can on first-and-10 between run and pass plays. If we get positive yardage on
first down, that will help us out a lot. We can’t just run the ball and we
can’t just throw the ball. It would be nice for us to run the ball well early
to take some pressure off of Joey (Harrington) and get him into a comfort zone
between run and play action. I think it is going to be paramount if we can
throw the ball deep too. Teams are going to drop safeties down and blitz early
on us, so we are going to have to hit some big plays down the field.” On
Saturday morning (the Falcons held an open practice in
WR: Offensive Coordinator Hue Jackson is pleased with
his receiving corps so far, according to comments made last Thursday, "I've
never been around a harder working group. They have really made strides. I'm
looking for them to continue to make strides. They need to really step up,
create and make plays for us, and I think they will." Free agent import
Joe Horn impresses his new QB – on Thursday Harrington said, "I'm
surprised that Joe Horn has been out here at every practice. That's a testament
to what kind of worker that he is." Harrington also commented on the
entire WR stable, “I don’t know anything about this group of receivers that
people are asking me about from last year. All I know is what I see this year
and they are the best group of receivers I have played with. They are the most
talented and hardworking group of receivers I have ever seen. Right now I have
nothing but confidence in them. It seems like we have a guy for every
situation. They are running and they are working out here and I respect
that.” Harrington also had praise for rookie Laurent Robinson, saying “He
is going to be a tremendous receiver. He’s got great size, great hands, good
speed and a great stride. He has a huge stride and he can get to defensive
backs and close that cushion. He is learning the game well. He has a great mind;
he is open to criticism and open to learning. He is asking questions and trying
to figure what he can do to get better. That’s all you want to see from a
rookie.” Coach Petrino commented on Roddy White and Laurent Robinson on
Wednesday, stating “Roddy is much faster and he’s doing a nice job catching the
deep ball. Laurent certainly has the speed and the stride. I think the thing
that surprises everyone about Laurent is his stride. He gobbles up the turf
quickly on defensive backs. He’s done a nice job adjusting to the ball as well.
I think we’ll definitely throw the ball downfield to those two guys. Joe (Horn)
has gone deep and he’s been able to catch the ball too.”
TE: Alge
Crumpler sat out of Thursday’s morning practice by design. Coach Petrino
commented, “We’re trying to get Alge in one practice a day so; hopefully, we
will get him in this afternoon. He did a great job yesterday so we are just
trying to let him get some rest.”
Defense: LB Keith Brooking sat out of practice on Friday due
to soreness in one of his knees. RCB Lewis Shepherd is locked in a positional
battle with rookie Chris Houston, and he may hold off
Special Teams: The Falcons
released Aaron Elling, leaving Billy Cundiff as the only kicker on the roster.
Punter Michael Koenen has been available in recent years for long field goal
attempts, although he may not be needed for that this year. Cundiff has the
range to hit long ones, so Koenen will probably stick to punting this year.
Head coach Bobby Petrino recently noted, “I like what Michael Koenen's doing. He's punted as well as he has since I've
been here. He's punting it nice and high, and his location has been very
good." Kickoff and punt returns will most likely be handled by CB Allen Rossum and/or WR Adam Jennings. The
dark horse candidate is WR Noriaki Kinoshita. He got off to a limited
start, "I can't be given many chances, because I haven't really memorized
the plays and the tempo (of the camp) is pretty fast."
DB/ST player David Irons is
making a god impression in training camp so far, according to Petrino, “David
Irons is the type of guy that is going to come out, work hard every day and be
competitive. He should be a very good player for us on special teams. He has to
get use to the NFL rules in terms of the 5-yard area and when your hands can be
on a receiver. Once he does that, he’ll have great recovery speed. Also, I
think his competitiveness and his ability to catch up will really help him to
be a player.”
Falcons
Depth Chart
QB: Joey
Harrington, D.J.
Shockley, Chris
Redman, Lang
Campbell, Michael
Vick
RB: Warrick
Dunn (inj), Jerious
Norwood, Jamal
Robertson, Jason
Snelling, Justin
Vincent, Taurean Henderson, Sha-Ron
Edwards, Arlen Harris
FB: Ovie
Mughelli, Corey
McIntyre
WR: Michael
Jenkins, Joe
Horn, Roddy
White, Laurent
Robinson, Adam
Jennings, Jamin Elliot, Vincent Marshall, Eric
Weems, Eric Newman, Noriaki Kinoshita (KR),
Ben Nelson, Brian
Finneran (IR)
TE: Alge
Crumpler (inj), Dwayne
Blakely, Martrez
Milner, Daniel Fells
K: Billy
Cundiff, Aaron
Elling
DT: Grady
Jackson (NT), Rod
Coleman (inj), Darrell
Shropshire (NT), Jonathan
Babineaux, T.J.
Jackson (NT), Trey Lewis (NT), Michael Bozeman ,David
Patterson, Kelly Talavou
DE: John
Abraham, Jamaal
Anderson, Paul
Carrington, Chauncey
Davis, Josh
Mallard, Nic Clemons
OLB: Michael
Boley (S), Demorrio
Williams (W)(inj), Stephen
Nicholas (W), Orlando
Huff (W), Marcus
Wilkins (S), John Leake (S), Travis Williams
CB: DeAngelo
Hall, Chris
Houston, Lewis
Sanders, Allen
Rossum (KR), David
Irons, Brent Grimes, Antoine Harris
S: Lawyer
Milloy (SS), Chris
Crocker (FS), Jimmy
Williams (FS), Omare
Lowe (SS), Daren
Stone (FS), Nick Turnbull (FS), Jeramie Johnson
(SS)
QB: In Saturday’s scrimmage against the Redskins, QB Steve
McNair looked calm and collected. On a third-and-6 he hit TE Todd Heap for a
12-yard completion down the middle of the field, and then he hit Demetrius
Williams for 14 yards on a 2nd-and-8. Kyle Boller also connected with Demetrius
Williams, who showed signs that he may indeed be ready to breakout this year,
for two potential TDs. Williams also caught passes for 5, 14 and 18 yards
during the scrimmage. “When you play against the No. 1 defense in the NFL, it's
kind of hard to see how good our offense really is," quarterback Steve
McNair said. "Coming out today, we moved the ball and made some plays down
the field. That shows where we're at and how far we've got to improve."
McNair finished 3-of-5 for 33 yards. He had his worst practice just a couple
days earlier on the fourth day of training camp. Boller took the majority of
the snaps, finishing with 88 yards on 5-of-8 passing. "I just feel really
comfortable out there," Boller said. "I'm not nervous. I just kind of
go out there and go through my reads and just have fun." Boller’s 39-yard
pass to TE Daniel Wilcox was the biggest play of the scrimmage.
RB: Willis McGahee didn’t set the world on
fire against the Redskins defense. He gained nine yards on four carries,
including a 5-yard burst up the middle on 1st down. "I can get used to
this. I can't wait until the opener," McGahee said. "I'm ready."
He said he wasn't affected by the sweltering heat either. "What heat? I
wasn't complaining about it," McGahee said. "I'm [an] all-terrain
guy." In the locker room afterwards, McNair was talking about the heat,
“"My toes are still burning.” The Ravens were shut down on one series
despite having a 1st-and-goal from the 4-yard line; settling for a
Matt Stover 22-yard FG. P.J. Daniels, with a 1-yard TD run, finished off a
drive by the second team offense that covered 60-yards. "I dedicate that
to my offensive line," said Daniels. "They kept pushing, and they
never gave up."
WR: Mike Preston,
Williams is becoming a fan favorite, too.
Fans went nuts on Friday when he leaped high into the air over corner Willie
Gaston to haul in a touchdown pass from rookie QB Troy Smith. Williams looks
like the most improved receiver in camp. He is fast and he’s running more
physical routes. "We
all saw what Demetrius could do last year, and he needs to build on that,"
Coach Brian Billick said. Added Boller: "Demetrius runs great routes. All
of them do." Williams said his comfort level within the Ravens offense has
grown, too. "I'm a little bit more comfortable, especially with this
training camp and everything," he said. "This year, I have a better
sense of what to do. So this year, it's more about working on the technique.
There's not as much thinking. Once you get rid of the thinking, I think your
ability starts to come out, and you can play your game." Clarence Moore
was not active for Saturday’s scrimmage, despite practicing all week.
TE: On Friday, the first big
scare of training camp occurred when Todd Heap was shoved to the ground and was slow getting up. The crowd became nervous when Heap
initially favored his right ankle, but he quickly walked it off and the trainer
checked him out just to be sure. Soon after, Heap was back on the field and
everything was fine. In Friday morning’s practice McNair connected often with
his tight ends. He hit Heap for a 25-yard TD behind safety Dawan Landry. Later,
McNair dropped a 4-yard TD to TE Daniel Wilcox. Wilcox also had a nice
scrimmage against the Redskins catching 2 passes for 53 yards. Tipping his hat
to the Ravens D, Wilcox said, “The Redskins were the closest thing we've seen
to a regular defense this year.”
Defense: Despite playing the 2nd
unit during most of the scrimmage, the Ravens defense dominated the Redskins
during 11-on-11 drills. Mark Brunell was playing for starter Jason Campbell, but
the Skins offense mustered only two first downs, failed one third down
conversion and didn’t cross midfield in 10 plays. LB Edgar Jones recorded a sack off the
left edge. "It felt good, getting a sack in front of all those fans,"
said Jones, who said he also made a couple of mistakes. "Just hearing the
fans and playing against the Redskins, it was a pretty good experience." NT
Kelly Gregg (bruise) and LB Antwan Barnes (ankle) didn’t play. On Friday, one
day after deflecting a pass that led to an interception by Jamaine Winborne,
safety Gerome Sapp intercepted a pass himself during a seven-on-seven,
two-minute drill. Sapp picked off a Kyle Boller pass intended for receiver
Damien Linson.
Special Teams: Kicker Matt Stover made a 22-yard field goal in a scrimmage against
Ravens
Depth Chart
QB: Steve
McNair, Kyle
Boller, Troy
Smith, Drew
Olsen
RB: Willis
McGahee, Musa
Smith, Mike
Anderson, P.J.
Daniels, Cory
Ross, Greg Pruitt Jr.
FB: Justin
Green, Le'Ron
McClain
WR: Mark
Clayton (PR), Derrick
Mason, Demetrius
Williams, Clarence
Moore, Devard
Darling, Yamon
Figurs (KR/PR), Romby Bryant, Damien
Linson, Matt Willis, Leo Bookman
TE: Todd
Heap, Daniel
Wilcox, Quinn
Sypniewski, Marcus Freeman, Kendrick
Ballantyne
K: Matt
Stover, Rhys Lloyd, Brendan Carney
DT: Kelly
Gregg, Haloti
Ngata, Justin
Bannan, Dwan
Edwards, Keyonta Marshall, Anthony Bryant,
Atiyyah Ellison
DE: Terrell
Suggs, Trevor
Pryce, Travis Leitko, Bill Swancutt
OLB: Bart
Scott (W), Jarrett Johnson (S/DE), Gary
Stills (S/DE), Dan
Cody (S) (inj), Antwan
Barnes, Dennis
Haley, Edgar Jones, Joe Martin, Jamar
Enzor, Ryan Riddle
CB: Chris
McAlister, Samari
Rolle, Corey
Ivy, Ronnie
Prude, David
Pittman, Evan
Oglesby, Derrick
Martin, B.J.
Sams (KR/PR), Willie Gaston, Terrell Maze
S: Ed
Reed (FS), Dawan
Landry (SS), Jamaine Winborn, Gerome Sapp,
Donnie Johnson, Bobby Blackshire
QB: J.P. Losman
has continued his strong play in Week 2 of training camp and the Bills are
showing signs of what should be a more potent passing attack this season.
Losman has been doing a great job of executing play fakes and connecting with
WRs on long pass plays, although the defense was able to make him pay for the
few mistakes he made. On Tuesday night, in one of the week’s highlights, Losman
rolled to his right and launched a 60-yard touchdown bomb down the left
sideline to Roscoe Parrish, who caught it in stride. Not surprisingly, there
appears to be a pretty big dropoff in play between Losman and the two backups.
Craig Nall’s accuracy has been improving and he is still the favorite for the
backup job, but rookie Trent Edwards has shown flashes of potential and could
put some pressure on with a solid showing in the first couple preseason games.
RB: Head coach Dick Jauron still maintains that the Bills
will use a committee approach at RB this year no matter who winds up with the
starting job. Anthony Thomas continues to take most of the reps with the first
unit and has looked quick, making several impressive cuts to get extra yardage
in the open field. Marshawn Lynch has been impressive in most drills thus far,
demonstrating great balance and soft hands out of the backfield. He was
inconsistent in pass protection during the week but showed signs of improvement
and recognized how important it was to his development, “It is key. It’s
something we go over. I felt with today’s practice I was well prepared for it
and that’s why I was able to get out on those edges and pick those guys up.”
Rookie Dwayne Wright has been running hard and demonstrated his blocking
ability, but also took a few big hits this week, including one that forced a
fumble in the backfield.
WR: Lee Evans is clearly the star of this group and as
Dick Jauron said, “We look for him to put fear in the defense we’re playing.”
Given all the attention Evans will receive from defenses, the Bills will need
some other players to play better than they did a year ago. Josh Reed took a
big step in that direction with a great week of practice, including a
one-handed grab over the middle and a long TD where he was wide open after
beating CB Terrence McGee on a double move. Roscoe Parrish missed some time
with heat exhaustion but has also shown the potential to be a big-play threat
for this offense. Peerless Price, the projected starter, had a quiet week in
practice and could lose some playing time to Parrish.
TE: The Bills have 6 TEs in training camp and any of them
could be used in the backfield or sent in motion, but OC Steve Fairchild indicated
that starter Robert Royal and backup Kevin Everett would primarily be used on
the line of scrimmage. The two players most likely to play H-back are Ryan
Neufeld and Brad Cieslak and they will likely compete for snaps all preseason
long. The goal of using an H-Back in place of a true fullback this season is to
make the offense more versatile. Defenses won’t be able to anticipate run or
pass when the H-back is in there, and it will also free up the tailbacks,
especially Marshawn Lynch, to be a receiver out of the backfield. Neufeld
suffered a hyper-extended knee in practice but it isn’t expected to be serious.
Defense: Early on in training camp, the offense was beating the
defense pretty regularly but in Week 2 the defense started to turn things
around. Linebackers Keith Ellison, Coy Wire, and Angelo Crowell have been
forcing plenty of turnovers and hitting anything that moves. DT John McCargo
had been playing well, including a burst through the line to drop RB Josh
Scobey in the backfield, but he suffered a strained oblique muscle on Friday
and may be out for a little while. In the competition to replace Nate Clements
at CB, veteran Jason Webster remains the favorite but he missed a few days with
a leg injury this week and durability was already a major concern for him to
begin with. Kiwaukee Thomas replaced Webster with the first unit. Rookie Paul
Posluszny has been taking reps at
Special Teams: CB Terrence McGee, WR Roscoe Parrish, RB Fred Jackson and WR Jonathan
Smith continue to practice on kickoff returns. Missing from the mix was RB Josh
Scobey, who was out with a calf injury. RB Shaud Williams and RB Dwayne Wright
have lined up in the upman position on returns. Smith rejoined the Bills this
year, after playing briefly for the division rival Patriots last year. He noted
that practice wasn’t really any different between the two teams.
Bills
Depth Chart
QB: J.P. Losman (PUP), Craig Nall, Trent Edwards, Kevin Eakin
RB: Marshawn Lynch, Anthony Thomas, Dwayne Wright, Shaud Williams (3RB), Josh Scobey, Fred Jackson
WR: Lee Evans, Peerless Price, Josh Reed, Roscoe Parrish (PR), Sam Aiken, Donovan Morgan, Scott
Mayle, Jemalle Cornelius, Jonathan Smith, Justin Jenkins
TE: Robert Royal, Kevin Everett, Matt Murphy, Ryan Neufeld (FB), Brad Cieslak (FB), Derek Schouman (FB)
K: Rian Lindell, D.J. Fitzpatrick
DT: Larry Tripplett, Kyle Williams, John McCargo, Tim Anderson, Jason Jefferson, Corey Mace
DE: Aaron Schobel, Chris Kelsay, Ryan Denney, Anthony Hargrove, C.J. Ah You, Eric Powell, Ryan Neill
OLB: Angelo Crowell (S/M)(inj), Keith Ellison (W), Mario Haggan (W/M), Coy Wire (S/FS), Josh Stamer (S/W), Roy Manning (W), Kevin Harrison (W)
CB: Terrence McGee (KR), Jason Webster, Kiwaukee Thomas, Jabari Greer, Ashton Youboty, Riley Swanson, Reggie
Lewis, Eric Bassey
S: Donte Whitner (SS), Ko Simpson (FS), George Wilson (SS), John Wendling (SS), Jim Leonhard (FS), Trevor Hooper (FS), John Sorto (FS)
QB: Jake
Delhomme and David Carr are growing together during training camp. On Saturday,
Delhomme stated, “David's started more games in this league than I have, so he
has the experience. So that's always great to draw back on and get feedback,
and sometimes he needs to ask me a question. We don't hold anything back, and I
mean that in a good way. I've been in situations where it's not a healthy
environment, and that doesn't do anybody any good. We're trying to get
everybody better, and that's when you have fun, when you win." According
to reports out of
RB: DeShaun Foster has been working as the Panthers’
starting RB during training camp, according to the Gaston
Gazette: “DeShaun Foster, who has been working as the team’s starting
running back, also looked good on the drive (Saturday’s intra-squad scrimmage)
with three carries for 17 yards.” Coach Fox commented after the scrimmage, “We
had some guys run the ball hard. I though DeShaun (Foster) and DeAngelo
(Williams) and even Alex Haynes there at the end.”
WR: The competition for the spots behind Steve Smith is
heating up. Keary Colbert and Drew Carter have been splitting the reps with the
starters so far, with Dwayne Jarrett in the background. The extra reps should
help fantasy owners evaluate the best prospect for the team’s #2WR position.
Ryne Robinson has expectedly made his mark as a kick/punt returner, but has
unexpectedly contributed at both split end and flanker in passing situations. Reports indicate
that Colbert looks like the promising player we glimpsed in 2004 – he’s said to
be catching everything thrown his way.
TE: Jeff King is reported to be
in great shape this year – he appears to be a slight favorite to start
at TE as of the second week of training camp. On Saturday (8/4), King, Michael
Gaines and Chad Upshaw all had solid plays to their credit. The competition at
TE is tight at this point. On Friday (8/3), King commented, “I’m extremely
excited. Anytime you have an opportunity to work with the #1 offense, it’s a
great feeling. But, at the same time, you have to realize you’ve got to get
better every day.”
Defense:
Special Teams: Kicker John Kasay attempted field goals of 59 and 62 yards the other
day, but came up short on both. The Panthers have never hesitated to let Kasay
try long attempts, and he makes his fair share of them. Rookie WR Ryne Robinson
is being given every opportunity to be the return specialist this year. After
missing a morning practice due to a tight leg muscle, he subsequently fumbled a
kickoff return in the next practice. But that was the only bad news. Otherwise
he has shown good judgment, good ball handling, and good moves once he catches
the ball. The returner job is currently his to lose. Robinson has also shown
early promise on offense. WR Chris Horn has also been practicing on punt
returns.
Panthers
Depth Chart
QB: Jake
Delhomme, David
Carr, Brett
Basanez, Dalton Bell
RB: DeAngelo
Williams, DeShaun
Foster, Eric
Shelton, Nick
Goings, Alex Haynes
FB: Brad
Hoover, Billy Latsko, Steven Jackson
WR: Steve
Smith, Drew
Carter, Dwayne
Jarrett, Keary
Colbert, Taye
Biddle, Kevin
Youngblood, Ryne
Robinson, Josh Davis, Justin McCullum, Chris Horn, Jahkeen
Gilmore
TE: Jeff
King, Michael
Gaines, Dante
Rosario, Chad Upshaw
K: John
Kasay, Andrew Wellock
DT: Ma'ake
Kemoeatu, Kris
Jenkins, Damione
Lewis, Chad
Lavalais, Kindal
Moorehead, Stephen
Williams, Brent Curvey
DE: Julius
Peppers, Mike
Rucker (inj), Charles
Johnson, Stanley
McClover, Dave
Ball, Otis Grigsby, Jason Hall (inj), Rondell Biggs, Gary
Gibson
OLB: Thomas
Davis (S), Na'il
Diggs (W) (inj), Jon
Beason (W/M), James
Anderson (W), Tim
Shaw, Brandon Jamison, Philippe Gardent, Mickey
Pementel, Terrence
Melton (IR)
CB: Chris
Gamble (PR), Ken
Lucas, Richard
Marshall, Curtis
Deloatch, Derrick
Strait, Kevin Garrett, Christian
Morton
S: Nate
Salley (FS), Chris
Harris (SS), Deke
Cooper, C.J.
Wilson, Cam Newton, Quinton Teal, Jermaine Hardy
QB: Grossman continues to have a strong training camp but
there hasn’t been much contact yet so a better test of how he handles pressure
will come in the preseason. Grossman often got into trouble last year by
throwing the ball away when pressured, so this year he has pledged to tuck the
ball and run a bit more. While that may cut down on his interceptions, it also
will make him more susceptible to injury. With Grossman firmly entrenched as
the Bears starter for now (he’s in the last year of his contract), Brian Griese
may be in a battle with Kyle Orton for the backup job. Griese’s experience
should win out in the end, but Orton had a strong offseason and the coaching
staff has rewarded him with some 2nd unit reps.
RB: Cedric Benson probably isn’t in serious danger of
losing his starting job, but Adrian Peterson took most of the first team reps
over the weekend. Benson has had some fumbling problems in camp early on and
was apparently “a little sore” according to head coach Lovie Smith. The Bears
are likely just being careful with their new starter here, but it’s not a great
sign for a player who is coming into the season with durability concerns.
Rookie Garrett Wolfe recently returned to practice after suffering a hamstring
injury on the second day of camp but is still limited.
WR: Muhsin Muhammad has missed 5 straight days of
practice due to an unspecified injury that was simply referred to as “general
soreness” by the Bears. In his absence, Bernard Berrian has been playing like
the team’s #1 WR and seems headed for a big season. “Bernard has already
started that ascension to being an elite receiver,'' position coach Darryl
Drake said. ''He's making himself into a complete football player.'' Other
players taking advantage of Muhammad’s absence include Mark Bradley and Mike
Hass. Bradley is entering his third season and the Bears think he’ll have a
breakout season if he can just stay healthy. Mike Hass has a decent chance to
make the team as a 6th receiver after spending all of last year on
the practice squad.
TE: Desmond Clark and rookie Greg Olsen both continue to
practice with the first unit. Having both players on the field at the same time
should give the Bears a new dimension on offense this year, although neither is
particularly well known for their blocking. Third TE John Gilmore also figures
to get regular playing time since he is the best blocker of the group by far.
Defense: Although the Bears return nearly every starter from a
year ago, they will have a new weapon this season in SS Adam Archuleta. One of
the league’s best pass rushers from the safety position, Archuleta has been
lining up like an extra linebacker and could make the Bears defense even
scarier for opposing QBs this year. The team also signed newly acquired DT
Darwin Walker to a 5-year, $25 million contract with $8.5 million guaranteed.
Walker is expected to back up Tommie Harris at the three-technique spot, but
could also receive playing time at NT. Chris Harris, who had fallen to 6th
on the safety depth chart in Chicago, was traded to the Panthers where he’s
expected to compete for a starting job. CB Dante Wesley was traded to the
Patriots to make room for young players like rookie Trumaine McBride, who
caught the attention of the coaching staff early in camp and has been playing
with the second unit.
Special Teams: Camp leg Nick Novak came close to being
Bears
Depth Chart
QB: Rex
Grossman, Brian
Griese, Kyle
Orton, Chris
Leak
RB: Cedric
Benson (inj), Adrian
Peterson, Garrett
Wolfe, Josh
Allen
FB: Jason
McKie, Obafemi
Ayanbedejo, Jon
Goldsberry, Quadtrine Hill
WR: Muhsin
Muhammad, Bernard
Berrian, Mark
Bradley, Rashied
Davis (PR), Devin
Hester (KR/PR), Mike
Hass, Dave
Ball, Brandon
Rideau, Drisan James, Timon Marshall, Clinton
Solomon
TE: Desmond
Clark, Greg
Olsen, John
Gilmore, Fontel
Mines, Brett Pierce
K: Robbie
Gould, Nick
Novak
DT: Tommie
Harris (inj), Darwin
Walker, Dusty
Dvoracek (NT), Anthony
Adams, Antonio
Garay, Tory Collins
DE: Adewale
Ogunleye, Mark
Anderson, Alex
Brown, Dan
Bazuin, Israel
Idonije (DT), Copeland
Bryan, Greg White, Chris Frome
OLB: Lance
Briggs (W), Hunter
Hillenmeyer (S/M), Michael
Okwo (W), Jamar
Williams (W), Brendon
Ayanbadejo (S), Leon
Joe (W), Darrell
McClover, Rod
Wilson, Danny Verdun-Wheeler
CB: Charles
Tillman, Nathan
Vasher, Ricky
Manning, Corey
Graham, Trumaine
McBride, Tim
Mixon, Greg Fassitt
S: Mike
Brown (FS/SS), Adam
Archuleta (SS), Danieal
Manning (FS/CB), Brandon
McGowan (SS), Kevin
Payne, Tyler
Everett (SS), Jay Staggs, Andrew Shanle
Cincinnati Bengals
QB: If the first ten days of camp are any indication, Carson
Palmer is back in 2005 form when he completed nearly 68% of his passes with a
32-12 TD-
RB: Although Rudi Johnson finished the first series of the
intrasquad scrimmage with a 6-yard touchdown run, the talk of the weekend’s
scrimmage and mock game was rookie Kenny Irons.
Irons showed the quickness and breakaway speed the team felt they were
getting when they selected Irons in the April draft. He ripped off 65 yards on
ten carries, including an impressive 24-yard cutback run. Unfortunately, Irons fumbled at the end of
the run getting tackled from behind, prompting head coach Marvin Lewis to say,
“If you keep doing that you end up in the press box…” Offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski
continues to praise Irons, noting that although he needs to continue to work on
pass protection and maintaining his pad level, Irons is “everything we thought
and more.” Running backs coach Jim
Anderson, one of the most respected and tenured position coaches in the league,
is also impressed. “He runs like he’s
220 pounds,”
WR:
TE: The Bengals were reduced
to pulling bodies in off the street last week after three tight ends were
injured during consecutive practices, with two taken to the hospital with back
injuries. Starting tight end Reggie
Kelly remains healthy. The injuries to
the competition opened up a number of repetitions for undrafted free agent
Daniel Coats. Coats took the opportunity
to impress the coaching staff with his blocking ability, route running and
quick grasp of the pass offense. He
appears to have separated himself in the race to earn the backup tight end
role. The Bengals aren’t afraid to use
their tight ends around the goal line, so Coats may end up with a significant
role if he continues to progress.
Defense: The same issues that plagued the
Special Teams: In recent years, Shayne Graham has been one of the most accurate
kickers in the NFL, although last year he missed two big kicks towards the end
of the year. In last weekend’s intrasquad scrimmage, he was only 3 of 6 on
field goals. He was good from 32, 35 and 39 yards, but missed on attempts from
27 (hit right upright), 42 (wide left) and 46 (wide right). The returners are
having injury problems. WR/PR Antonio Chatman remains sidelined after hurting
his hamstring on the first day of camp. WR/KR Tab Perry is day-to-day after his
bad hip flared up. WR/KR Glenn Holt missed the scrimmage with a hamstring
injury. In their absence, WR Skyler Green has looked good on returns. Green was
drafted by
Bengals
Depth Chart
QB: Carson
Palmer, Doug
Johnson, Jeff
Rowe, Jeff
Smith
RB: Rudi
Johnson, Kenny
Watson (3RB), Kenny
Irons, Chris
Perry (PUP), Quincy
Wilson, Curtis Brown
FB: Jeremi
Johnson, Chris
Manderino, Stan
White
WR: Chad
Johnson, T.J.
Houshmandzadeh, Chris
Henry (susp), Tab
Perry, Antonio
Chatman, Reggie
McNeal, Glenn
Holt, Benny
Brazell, Skyler
Green (PR), Tony
Kays, Jesse
Holley
TE: Reggie
Kelly, Bobby Blizzard, Tim
Day (inj), Daniel
Coats, Erik Jensen, Nate Lawrie, Sean Mulcahy (inj)
K: Shayne
Graham
DT: John
Thornton, Domata
Peko, Michael
Myers, Kenderick
Allen, Matt
Toeaina
DE: Justin
Smith, Bryan
Robinson (DT), Robert
Geathers, Frostee
Rucker, Jonathan
Fanene, Xzavie
Jackson, Jimmy
Verdon, Bryan Andrews
OLB: Rashad
Jeanty (S), Landon
Johnson (W/S), Ed
Hartwell (W/M), Andre
Frazier, Eric
Henderson, Matt
Muncy, David
Pollack (IR)
CB: Johnathan
Joseph, Deltha
O'Neal, Leon
Hall, Keiwan
Ratliff (PR), Blue
Adams, Brandon
Williams, T.J.
Wright
S: Madieu
Williams (FS), Dexter
Jackson (SS), Marvin
White (SS), Chinedum
Ndukwe, Herena-Daze
Jones (SS), Ethan
Kilmer (FS), John
Busing (SS)
QB: After 15 days of
practice, 22nd overall pick Brady Quinn finally signed a contract
and will begin his tenure in
RB: Jamal Lewis continues to impress the coaching staff
with his quickness and strength during the early stages of camp. Lewis has been pleased with the outcome of
his offseason surgery to remove bone spurs from his ankle, telling team
observers that “I’m now making cuts I haven’t made in a long time.” Lewis also had high praise for his new
offensive line, saying, “I haven’t seen a line like that in a long time. They look magnificent.” While that may amount to little more than a player
saying all the right things about his new teammates, it’s significant coming
from a guy who ran behind future Hall of Famer Jonathan Ogden and a solid
Baltimore offensive line. Romeo Crennel
brushed off concerns that Lewis would be unable to carry the full load all
season long. “He’s been out there every
day and hasn’t missed a beat. Everybody
is saying how old he is and how he’s lost a step and isn’t what he used to be
but he’s been doing it and taking the reps.” Jerome Harrison may have an early
leg up on the backup role. Browns’ beat
writers have noted that he looks “much more prepared mentally and physically”
and has been consistently good in practice.
WR: With Braylon Edwards and Joe Jurevicius entrenched as starters,
the focus remains on the battle to win the third wide receiver job. Second year man Travis Wilson may have edged
ahead of the group with a good week of practice. The coaches took note of
TE: Kellen Winslow
has held up well after his first week of camp practices. The Browns are still treating him carefully,
though, limiting his practice time to keep him as fresh as possible. Romeo Crennel thinks it’s working so far, "He
looks strong, but he's not taking all the practices. “We're trying to take care
of him so we can get into the game on Sundays, hoping he'll continue to look as
strong is he does now." As was
noted in the first camp report, Winslow will be featured prominently in the new
offense and has already made his presence felt in the huddle by making sure he
points out when he’s been open and not gotten the ball in team drills.
Defense: The Browns front seven was dealt a potentially significant
blow during the first week of practice when DE Orpheus Roye was forced out of
drills and later underwent arthroscopy to clean out of his troublesome
knee. Roye will be out for the remainder
of the preseason and is not a lock to play in Week One. Simon Fraser, Shaun Smith and J’Vonne Parker
will compete for snaps with Roye sidelined.
Another veteran, LB Willie McGinest, has been holding up better. Romeo Crennel hopes that new addition Antwan
Peek will be able to rotate in for McGinest to keep the 35 year old fresh. The Browns also welcomed back CB Gary Baxter
last week, who returned to practice after rupturing both patellar tendons in
2006. With Leigh Bodden, Daven Holly,
Eric Wright and Gary Baxter, the team hopes to be able to use its safeties more
often in run support. One of those
safeties, Brodney Pool, is settling into his full time FS role nicely after
playing a number of positions last year.
Crennel singled out Pool last week as a bright spot on the defense and
is pleased with his progress and playmaking ability.
Special Teams: Special teams coordinator Ted Daisher discussed the technique tweaks on
which kicker Phil Dawson has been working, "He made little corrections with
his approach. He's made some changes with his footwork. Phil is very
knowledgeable with the mechanics of kicking. He knows what he's doing right and
wrong. It's very, very minor, but hopefully it will help him become more
consistent." Starting kickoff returner WR Joshua Cribbs has done very well
fielding punts, and area in which he struggled last year when he filled in for
the now departed Dennis Northcutt. Rookie WR Syndric
Steptoe is looking like the strongest challenger to Cribbs for the lead punt returner
role. Rookie CB Brandon McDonald is the third candidate. He had troubles
fielding punts in the first few practices, but has looked better recently.
Browns
Depth Chart
QB: Charlie
Frye, Derek
Anderson, Brady
Quinn, Ken
Dorsey
RB: Jamal
Lewis, Jason
Wright, Jerome
Harrison (3RB), Chris
Barclay, Jerome Jackson
FB: Lawrence
Vickers, J.R. Niklos, Charles Ali
WR: Braylon
Edwards, Joe
Jurevicius, Tim
Carter, Travis
Wilson, Josh
Cribbs (KR/PR), Syndric
Steptoe, Maurice
Mann, Kendrick
Mosley, Steve
Sanders, Efrem Hill, Mike Mason
TE: Kellen
Winslow Jr (PUP), Steve
Heiden, Darnell
Dinkins, Ryan
Krause, Buck Ortega
K: Phil
Dawson, Jesse Ainsworth
NT: Ted
Washington, Shaun
Smith, Ethan
Kelley, J'Vonne
Parker, Babatunda
Oshinowo, Alvin
Smith
DE: Robaire
Smith, Orpheus
Roye (inj), Chase
Pittman, Melila
Purcell, Simon
Fraser, Orien
Harris
ILB: Andra
Davis (L), DQwell
Jackson (R), Chaun
Thompson (R), Leon
Williams (L), Mason
Unck
OLB: Kamerion
Wimbley (S/DE), Willie
McGinest (S/DE), Antwan
Peek, Matt
Stewart (S), David
McMillan (W), Jason
Short, Kris
Griffin, Clifton
Smith
CB: Leigh
Bodden, Gary
Baxter (PUP), Eric
Wright, Kenny
Wright, Daven
Holly, Brandon
McDonald, Jereme
Perry, Therrian
Fontenot
S: Sean
Jones (SS), Brodney
Pool (FS), Justin
Hamilton (FS), Mike
Adams (FS), DeMario
Minter (FS), Jeremy
Lasueur, Justin
Sandy
QB: Tony Romo continues to look
sharp and is making the decision to keep him on the bench for three-plus
seasons seem foolish. In 7-on-7 drills on Sunday (8/5) Romo went 12-of-16
completing passes including four passes to Sam Hurd. Veteran backup Brad
Johnson was less effective during the drills, dumping off his first four
passes. Johnson needs to show an ability to get the ball downfield, something
that he struggled with in
RB: The
Julius Jones versus Marion Barber III camp battle is turning out to be a
non-event, at least judging from their respective workloads. Jones has been
primarily running with the first team offense and has gotten what seems like 2x
the carries overall. Barber is being used at times with the first team, and has
been featured in the short-yardage drills. Tyson Thompson appears a stone-cold
lock to once again play third fiddle as his only real camp competition, rookie
Jackie Battle simply hasn’t made many memorable plays.
During Monday’s practice, Julius Jones and
safety Pat Watkins were the center of a team battle royale.
Jones was put on his back by Watkins on a safety blitz, which led to some
jawing. Punches were thrown and ultimately it became and offense vs. defense
battle. Teammates laughed off the fight afterwards, but Jones seemed noticeably
fired up for the rest of practice.
WR: After last week’s news that
Terry Glenn had a minor scope and would be out for 2+ weeks, the Cowboys can
ill afford for Terrell Owens to also come up lame. Yet, T.O. didn’t practice
for most of this week. At first dubbed “tired hamstrings”, he has also been
held out with tightness in his back. The good news I results of an
TE: Jason
Witten is going to be a big part of Jason Garrett’s offense, which really isn’t
a surprise. He has been catching passes all over the practice field, and has
been particularly effective when matched up against linebackers. On one play,
he got loose on crossing pattern as LB Bradie James couldn’t stay with him, and
then turned upfield for a long scoring play. Anthony
Fasano has had his share of impressive plays, including a diving catch in
between two defensive backs on Sunday during 9-on-9s. But he’s also had a few
drops, including several that hit him right between the numbers.
Defense: The addition of safety Ken
Hamlin may be the missing piece to the defensive puzzle, and he and Roy
Williams are starting to look like enforcers. In one practice last week, Hamlin
absolutely leveled a pair of tight ends (Andy Thorn and Rodney Hannah); not to
be outdone, Roy Williams laid the hammer on Anthony Fasano shortly thereafter. DeMarcus
Ware has been crushing it, racking up sacks seemingly every set of downs. When
Ware isn’t participating in team drills, he’s been spending a noticeable amount
of time in one-on-one tutelage with LB coach Paul Pasqualoni.
Special Teams: It appears that QB Brad Johnson will be the holder on kicks, which
makes kicker Martin Gramatica happy, "With Brad it is unbelievable. I get
so much more time to see the ball. He held for me in the past [
Cowboys
Depth Chart
QB: Tony
Romo, Brad
Johnson, Matt Moore, Richard Bartel
RB: Julius
Jones, Marion
Barber III (3RB/SD), Tyson
Thompson (inj), Jackie
Battle, Alonzo
Coleman
FB: Lousaka
Polite, Deon
Anderson, Oliver
Hoyte
WR: Terrell
Owens, Terry
Glenn (inj), Patrick
Crayton, Sam
Hurd, Jamaica
Rector (PR), Miles
Austin, Isaiah
Stanback, Jerheme
Urban, Jamel Richardson, Jerard
Rabb, Mike Jefferson
TE: Jason
Witten, Anthony
Fasano, Adam
Bergen, Tony
Curtis, Andy
Thorn, Rodney Hannah
K: Nick
Folk, Martin
Gramatica
NT: Jason
Ferguson, Montavious
Stanley, Ola
Dagunduro, Remi Ayodele
DE: Marcus
Spears, Chris
Canty, Jay
Ratliff, Jason
Hatcher, Stephen
Bowen, Marcus Smith
ILB: Bradie
James (M), Akinola
Ayodele (S), Bobby
Carpenter (S/I)
OLB: Demarcus
Ware (W), Greg
Ellis (S)(inj), Anthony
Spencer (S), Kevin
Burnett (S/I), Junior
Glymph, Dedrick
Harrington, Blair
Phillips, Alex Obomese, John Saldi
CB: Terance
Newman, Anthony
Henry, Aaron
Glenn, Alan
Ball, Courtney
Brown, Jacques
Reeves, Nathan
Jones, Quincy
Butler, Joey
Thomas
S: Roy
Williams (SS), Ken
Hamlin (FS), Keith
Davis (SS), Pat
Watkins (FS), Damarius
Bilbo, Abram Elam, Jasper Johnson
QB: Once again, we here at
Footballguys.com are proud to have two of our very best on hand, Cecil Lammey
and Sigmund Bloom, at Dove Valley covering the Broncos training camp from the
sidelines. In Friday’s practice, Lammey said the play of the day came when D.J.
Williams blitzed through a huge gap up the middle, when Jay Cutler quickly
spotted him and rolled to his right as Williams over pursued. Cutler found
Javon Walker, who got behind Champ Bailey, and threw the ball 55 yards in the
air with little effort as Bailey closed the gap and tipped the ball at the last
second, but
RB: On Saturday, the team had a big scare when Travis
Henry had to sit out of the morning practice and drills with a sharp hip
pointer. He stretched out and then returned for three plays before staying on
the sidelined the rest of the morning. "I had a little hip pointer
yesterday," Henry said. "I kind of re-aggravated it today but I'm cool.
I nicked it up again and didn't feel like I could go the way I wanted
today." He said he would get it treated and be back for Monday’s practice. In Saturday’s midfield drills, Cecil Sapp
initiated contact a few times while displaying sharp, crisp cuts. Two or three
defenders tried to sandwich Sapp, but took the worst of it on that play. Andre
Hall continued to give the team a different look than the rest of the Broncos
backs, showing great “quicks” and moving well in
space. Mike Bell attempted a spin move, but got nailed before he could pull it
off. On another play,
In goal line drills, Andre Hall burst through
the hole and left safety John Lynch grasping for air as he scored a TD. On
another play, Hall put in a great second effort, keeping his feet churning and
moving the pile for a score. Selvin Young tried to go airborne but got blown
up. FB Kyle Johnson was stood up at the goal line on his only run and he had
the ball knocked out of his hands by Nick Ferguson after getting open on his
route for what looked like it would’ve been a TD.
In Friday’s two minute drill, Henry showed great hands
the few times he was targeted. He and Mike Bell both lined up wide on some
plays as the team went with an empty backfield. Henry continued to make himself
small going through the hole. Andre Hall was able to get to the corner easily
on a few plays and Cecil Sapp displayed some nice cuts that allowed him to run
to daylight. Hall appeared to be the quickest of the backs in that drill.
WR: Brandon Marshall (quad) remains on the PUP list, but he is expected to
return to practice sometime next week. Domenik Hixon returned to practice after
sitting out Tuesday with a shoulder separation. Upon returning, HC Mike
Shanahan noted, “When guys get hurt, it really hurts their chances of making
the team," Shanahan said. "For a guy like Domenik to come in after a
first-degree shoulder separation is pretty impressive. He worked through it,
and that is what you are hoping a guy is going to do.” In Saturday’s midfield drill, Javon Walker
made a beautiful catch in stride on a ball that was deflected at the line of
scrimmage by a d-lineman.
In Friday’s end zone drills, there was a lot of
action. Dre Bly showed why he has one of the best sets of hands in the league,
but he also showed how he’s prone to gambling – consistently selling himself
out to make plays. David Kircus had trouble getting away from Bly, especially
once Bly got his hands into him at the line. Kircus has the quicks
to gain separation, and on one play, he drew a holding call. Brian Clark seems hesitant at the line, but
fought hard for the ball and attacked each ball at its highest point. Domenik
Hixon did the same, and on one play, he made a nice stutter step to get both
feet in on a catch.
In two minute drills, Quincy Morgan was going all out
and made a fully extended diving catch that elicited a huge cheer from the
crowd on hand. Kircus was guilty of a bad drop, as has been the case throughout
camp (he makes the tough ones, but drops too many easy ones). Hixon showed some
good instincts running after the catch, while
TE: Tony
Scheffler remains on the PUP list and is expected to return to practice
sometime within the next week. "We've got to have guys who can stay
healthy," HC Shanahan said, referring to Scheffler and WR Brandon
Marshall. In Saturday’s midfield drill, Daniel Graham made a big play downfield
when he gained inside position on Nick Ferguson for a catch and run. In the two
minute drill, Graham was targeted frequently as he consistently got open and
caught nearly everything thrown in his direction. Nate Jackson had a bad drop on an easy
pass, and then made a sprawling catch that drew a cheer from the crowd.
Defense: On Monday morning first round
pick DE Jarvis Moss hit the ground after making a spin move during a one-on-one
drill midway through the practice session. The extent of the injury was not
immediately known. “(The medical staff) really does not know,” HC Shanahan
said. “They think it’s a twist(ed) knee. It’s not loose right now, which is a
good sign. But until you look at that
The defensive line performed very well in third down drills, clogging
running lanes and applying pressure. Ebenezer Ekuban destroyed just about any
of the blockers that lined up against him as he blitzed from the rush end
position. Ian Gold owned Erik Pears on a blitz and got to Cutler. In two minute drills, Tim Crowder and
Jarvis Moss lined up on the strong side over the tight end. Crowder lined up
inside a few times. Jeff Shoate dropped two interceptions on back to back
plays; one of which would’ve been an easy “pick six”.
In Saturday’s midfield drills, D.J.
Williams did a nice job of resisting his incessant urge to over pursue, and he
stuffed a cutback run. Dominique Foxworth smothered Brian Clark on two straight
passes that he was able to break up. After dropping two INTs, Shoate made a
beautiful interception on a pass he read perfectly. On another play, Shoate
broke up a deep pass easily as he had the inside position on David Kircus.
Hamza Abdullah made a nice strip on Daniel Graham after the catch, while Jarvis
Moss looked like a beach volleyball player on another play as he batted a Jay
Cutler pass down.
Special Teams: One person on special teams for
the Broncos has been generating a lot of hype in camp. And no, it’s not WR
Domenik Hixon, despite the fact he suffered a first degree shoulder separation
one day last week and returned to practice the following day. Hixon by the way
is currently the top punt returner and the second string kickoff returner
(behind WR Quincy Morgan). The hype has been for Scott O’Brien, the new special
teams coordinator. His approach, his intensity, his sideline quizzes, and his
new playbook have been winning over the players. Punter Todd Sauerbrun
elaborated, “I think the attitude used to be that let's not have special teams
lose the game. But now, with Scott, his attitude is, 'No, we're going to win
games for the Broncos. Let's put it on us.' People talk about special teams
being one of the three phases of the game (along with offense and defense), but
I think it's just talk some places. Here, this year, we mean it." One area
that hasn’t been a bright spot in camp have been more misses than usual by
kicker Jason Elam. The problem appears to be the holder, where Jay Cutler, Todd
Sauerbrun, or Paul Ernster will replace the departed Jake Plummer.
Broncos
Depth Chart
QB: Jay
Cutler, Patrick
Ramsey, Preston Parsons, Darrell
Hackney
RB: Travis
Henry, Cecil
Sapp, Mike
Bell, Andre
Hall, Selvin
Young
FB: Kyle
Johnson, Paul
Smith, Troy
Fleming
WR: Javon
Walker, Brandon
Stokley, Brandon
Marshall (inj), Rod
Smith (PUP), Domenik
Hixon (KR), Brian
Clark, David
Kircus, David
Terrell, Quincy
Morgan, Glenn
Martinez, Marquay McDonald
TE: Daniel
Graham, Tony
Scheffler, Stephen
Alexander, Nate
Jackson, Teyo
Johnson, Chad
Mustard
K: Jason
Elam, Brandon
Pace
DT: Gerard
Warren, Sam
Adams (NT), Jimmy
Kennedy, Elvis
Dumervil, Demetrin
Veal, Marcus
Thomas, Alvin
McKinley, Antwon
Burton, Amon
Gordon, Steven
Harris
DE: Ebenezer
Ekuban, John
Engelberger, Kenard
Lang, Tim
Crowder, Jarvis
Moss (inj), Carlos
Hall, Kenny
Peterson (susp)
OLB: Ian
Gold (W), Louis
Green (S), Warrick Holdman (S)(inj), D.D.
Lewis (S/M), T.J.
Hollowell, Wesly
Mallard, Cameron
Vaughn
CB: Champ
Bailey, Dre'
Bly, Dominique Foxworth, Karl
Paymah, Jeff Shoate, Lamont
Reid, Bill Alford
S: John
Lynch (FS), Nick
Ferguson (SS), Curome
Cox (SS), Hamza
Abdullah (FS), Quentin
Harris, Steve
Cargile, Roderick
Rogers
QB: Offensive
coordinator Mike Martz has been pleased with quarterback Jon Kitna, who threw
for 4,208 yards last season. Kitna was given the day off Sunday. "Jon's
far enough along, we could start tomorrow," Martz said. "We gave him
the whole day off yesterday to rest his arm. We have to take care of him. He's
playing at such a high, high level. We're trying to be careful with him. When
other guys are all (aware) of protections and routes and we're just working
through those things ... there's just nothing you can give him that he can't do
right now." The news wasn’t as good regarding Drew Stanton. The second
round draft pick had arthroscopic knee surgery to repair cartilage damage. The
Lions placed him on injured reserve.
RB: Kevin
Jones had a successful 30-minute workout in Thursday's late afternoon practice
that included forward, backward and side-to-side cuts to test his recuperating
left foot. Jones has been out since the Dec. 10 loss to
WR: The Lions signed first round pick Calvin Johnson to a six-year contract
worth $64 million, which includes $27.2 million in guaranteed money. After Rod
Marinelli's speech about why players like Johnson are so important, he threw
the rookie right into the fire. Johnson worked on first-team offense and caught
balls over the middle during a two-minute drill. "They brought me in for
that purpose. There is no sense having me out here for no reason," Johnson
said. "I kind of expected to be out there with the ones." The Lions
practiced at Ford Field Saturday, and it was open to the public. The fans shouted
encouragement, chanted "Let's Go Lions" and buzzed anytime a player
got hit. But mostly, they kept track of Johnson. Though Johnson was the center
of attention, it was Roy Williams who made most of the night’s highlight plays,
including a spectacular, outstretched, tip-to-himself grab as he fell out of
the end zone. Martz said Mike Furrey and Troy Walters have been very good in
camp. WR Shaun McDonald (knee) was held out of Monday's afternoon workout, but
was back at practice on Tuesday. Kevin Kasper (hamstring) remains sidelined and
his status is day-to-day. Devale Ellis remains on the PUP list. Kick returner
Eddie Drummond is out with a minor hip injury; Marinelli said he would be back
soon.
TE:
Marinelli has been pleased with the work of Darnell Sanders. The Lions will
take it easy with starting Dan Campbell, who is returning from an injury.
Defense: Defensive
tackle Shaun Rogers remains on the PUP list. The Lions are pleased with the
leadership shown by Corey Redding. Shawn Cody is versatile and is playing both
nose tackle and under-tackle. The Lions like what they have seen from Langston
Moore and Jon Bradley. "I want to develop a fourth tackle, and they're
both exploding right now," Marinelli said. Defensive end Kalimba Edwards
is making moves he wouldn’t have made last year. He is much more decisive and
is finishing stronger. Dewayne White remains out with a groin injury. Marinelli
said rookie Ikaika Alama-Francis needs to work on getting aligned correctly. LB
Ernie Sims has been impressive in camp, and is seeing things faster and
reacting faster. Marinelli said linebacker Teddy Lehman (shoulder) was
week-to-week. Paris Lenon has been solid in camp. Boss Bailey is playing only
strong side linebacker this year. Anthony Cannon continues to impress the coaching
staff. Johnny Baldwin used film and extra drills to feel
more comfortable in the middle linebacker position and make fewer mistakes, and
the coaches say he has improved. Barry said Fernando Bryant and Kenoy
Kennedy are providing great leadership. Marinelli praised Daniel Bullocks, a
second-round pick last year, who has become the starting free safety. Keith
Smith is having a very good camp. The Lions have just left him at one spot,
doing one thing, and he’s playing well. Stanley Wilson has stepped up of late.
Travis Fisher has lined up as the nickel corner.
Special Teams: Kicker Jason Hanson has been with the Lions a very, very long time. He
discussed the current optimism in camp compared to prior years, "Every
team in the NFL that's being interviewed right now is excited and has big plans
for the season. Myself and everyone else has had them for the last six years
and by midseason it's been, 'Ok, I shouldn't have said that.' But all I can say
is, the atmosphere of the team, the way guys relate and the way they take the
field and practice is different." Potential returner WR Devale Ellis was on the PUP list. Head
coach Rod Marinelli discussed using WR Shaun McDonald on punt returns, "He
gives you more guys competing for that spot. You can't have enough of those
guys." Already in jeopardy of losing his job, WR Eddie Drummond missed
practices with a sore hamstring. Further jeopardizing his job has been the
strong play of Troy Walters which elicited praise from OC Mike Martz.
Lions
Depth Chart
QB: Jon Kitna, Dan Orlovsky, J.T. O'Sullivan, Drew Stanton (IR)
RB: Kevin Jones (PUP), Tatum Bell, T.J. Duckett, Brian Calhoun, Aveion Cason, Anthony Sherrell
FB: Alan Ricard
WR: Roy Williams, Calvin Johnson, Mike Furrey, Shaun McDonald (PUP), Eddie Drummond (KR/PR), DeVale Ellis (PUP), Edell Shepherd, Troy Walters, Cliff Russell, Kevin Kasper, Brandon Middleton, Ron
Bellamy, Reggie Ball, Marcus Robinson (IR)
TE: Dan Campbell (PUP), Casey Fitzsimmons, Darnell Sanders, Sean McHugh, Rudy Sylvan
K: Jason Hanson, Kenny Byrd
DT: Shaun Rogers (PUP), Cory Redding, Shaun Cody, Cleveland Pinkney, Langston Moore, Jon Bradley, Marcus Lewis, Salomon
Solano
DE: Dewayne White, Kalimba Edwards, Ikaika Alama-Francis, Jared DeVries, Corey Smith, Claude Harriott
OLB: Ernie Sims (W), Boss Bailey (S), Alex Lewis (S), Anthony Cannon (W), Donte' Curry, James Hargrave
CB: Fernando Bryant, Stanley Wilson, Travis Fisher, A.J. Davis, Keith Smith, Ike Charlton, Tony Beckham, Dee McCann, Ramzee Robinson, Israel Route, LaMarcus
Hicks
S: Kenoy Kennedy (SS), Daniel Bullocks (FS), Gerald Alexander, Idrees Bashir
QB: Since Favre returned to the team
on Thursday, the playing time for the backup QBs decreased significantly. Favre
was gone for a few days to attend a funeral. Aaron Rodgers got the majority of
snaps when Favre wasn’t on the field, while Ingle Martin gets a couple after
that and Paul Thompson, a rookie free agent from
RB: Vernand
Morency is the team’s projected starter at RB, but he suffered a knee injury in
the team’s first practice. Morency is expected to miss up to a month, according
to McCarthy. Since injuring his knee,
Morency has been rehabbing two and sometimes three times a day, while still
watching practices from the sidelines. "I want to be out there with my
guys," he said. "Sweat, blood and tears, that's what it's about in
training camp. It's the dog days, and you definitely want to be out there with
your teammates. It pains me every single day to go out there and watch those
guys in practice and get better, and me not out there." Friday’s practice
was chock full of poor pass blocking by the remaining running backs. Rookie
Brandon Jackson showed his deficiencies getting beaten repeatedly by
linebackers, who went practically unabated to the quarterback. On Saturday night at Lambeau,
As for the blocking woes in the backfield,
WR: After failing his initial physical due to a sore
shoulder, Donald
Driver rejoined the team and took part in
two practices last Tuesday. With Driver out for the first several days, rookie
James Jones took advantage, clearly separating himself from the pack by
catching everything in sight and showing good strength at the line of
scrimmage. "He's done really well," QB Ingle Martin said. "I
think he's going to help the Packers for sure this year." By the end of
the OTAs, the team already viewed Jones as their third-best WR. One week into
camp, Jones has made more plays than any of his peers. "My expectations
for myself are very high," Jones said. "What I'm doing right now, I
still expect more. I still don't think I'm making enough plays. I think I'm
actually playing under my standards. I need to step my game up." At 6 feet
½ inch and 209 pounds, Jones is strong enough to create space and his strong
hands allow him to consistently catch the ball with his hands, away from the
body.
The next morning, Jones scored two touchdowns during extended
red-zone drills, where the Packers ranked a lowly 31st in efficiency last year.
First, Jones took CB Patrick Dendy into the right corner of the end zone, where
he snagged a TD over Dendy, who turned back to the ball too late. Later, Jones
lined up in the slot where he beat a linebacker and safety Aaron Rouse on a
post pattern for a completion from Paul Thompson. "I don't know what catch
was better," Jones said. "I just try to catch everything. When it
comes down to the point of who would you count on and who can catch the ball, I
want my name to come up. Leave them no doubt." The way Jones is playing,
last year’s hot rookie Greg Jennings faces a possible battle for the starting
job opposite Donald Driver. Corner Charles Woodson was asked to compare
Jones had one dropped pass through the first five
practices. Overhearing Woodson’s comments, he said that he understands. It’s a
process and he’s in it for the long haul. "I don't try to get into whether
I'm competing against (Robert)
Where Jones has impressed, 5th round pick
David Clowney has disappointed. Clowney has struggled
mightily so far. He dropped a perfectly thrown pass in the corner of the end
zone after Will Blackmon fell down on coverage. Later, he caught a pass only
because the ball wedged itself into his facemask after going through his hands.
Clowney quit running on another play, a drag route from the 10-yard into the
end zone, allowing Favre’s pass to go incomplete. On the positive side, Clowney
showed his speed on a kick return that went for a TD on Saturday night at
Lambeau Field.
TE: The
Packers will have to wait for another draft or two to find a tight end with stretch-the-field ability, but they
remain cautiously optimistic that Bubba Franks is “back”. Bubba changed his
eating habits during the offseason in a concerted effort to reduce his body fat
and stimulate his metabolism. He started eating five times a day and reports
that his body fat is 2% to 3% lower than ever before. Franks reported to camp
at a svelte 260 pounds, five pounds less than most seasons. In the previous
power-gap blocking scheme, Franks routinely blocked defensive ends by himself.
In McCarthy’s zone blocking scheme adopted last season, Franks’ role is
different. In better shape, Frank hopes to rebound this season. A week ago
(Tuesday), Franks suffered a scratched cornea forcing him out of practice for a
few days. "I still can't see real good out of it,"
Franks said. "In my line of work you need both eyes, especially with Brett
(Favre) throwing the ball." Also last week, Tory Humphrey was placed on
injured reserve. On Wednesday, Humphrey underwent surgery to repair the broken
ankle suffered on July 28. Zack Alcorn (foot) and rookie Clark Harris (ankle)
both missed practice on Friday, leaving the team with only starter Donald Lee and recently-signed rookie free
agent Joe Werner available to practice.
Defense: There are a couple of key battles going on in camp.
One is the battle for the No. 3 corner between incumbent Patrick Dendy and
Jarrett Bush. "Bush had an exceptional offseason and is off to an
excellent start," McCarthy said. "You're seeing his play come up a
lot. He's a tough kid. Always liked him. Dendy is stronger this year and
playing with more confidence. Frank Walker is in the hunt. Tramon Williams is a
guy who just keeps getting better. That group will be very competitive." McCarthy
didn’t mention Will Blackmon, last year’s fourth-round pick, who was beat for a
few long completions and touchdown passes during the week.
The other battle is at strong safety between veteran Marquand Manuel,
last year’s starter, and 2nd year safety Atari Bigby, who at 5’11”
and 211 pounds brings the wood. Bigby has just one interception in camp, but he
is more physical and can play closer to the line where he can punish RBs.
Manuel is doing a better job of making calls in the secondary than he did a
year ago. He’s running better and seems to be holding up better in coverage,
but Bigby has made a name for himself so far, forcing himself into the mix. Marviel Underwood, Tyrone Culver, Charlie Peprah and
third-round pick Aaron Rouse are also in the mix for playing time.
T Ryan Pickett had to sit out four practices because he failed a
conditioning run. He still isn't in great shape, according to coaches. DL Cullen Jenkins burned Jason
Spitz with a nice spin move during the 1-on-1's. "I think Cullen
Jenkins is off to an incredible start," McCarthy said. "He's having
about as good a camp as I can recall."
Special Teams: Right now, two of the better
looking kickers around NFL camps happen to both play for
Packers
Depth Chart
QB: Brett
Favre, Aaron
Rodgers (inj), Ingle
Martin, Paul Thompson
RB: Vernand
Morency (KR)(inj), Brandon
Jackson, Noah
Herron, P.J.
Pope (inj), DeShawn
Wynn
FB: Brandon
Miree, Korey
Hall, Ryan Powdrell, Corey
White
WR: Donald
Driver, Greg
Jennings, Robert
Ferguson (inj), James Jones, Ruvell
Martin, David
Clowney, Carlyle
Holiday, Shaun
Bodiford, Calvin Russell, Chris
Francies, Carlton Brewster, Koren
Robinson (susp)
TE: Donald
Lee, Bubba
Franks, Zac Alcorn, Clark
Harris, Joe Werner, Tory
Humphrey (IR)
K: Dave
Rayner, Mason
Crosby
DT: Ryan
Pickett (NT), Justin
Harrell (inj), Corey
Williams (NT), Colin
Cole, Johnny
Jolly (NT), Daniel Muir
DE: Aaron
Kampman, Cullen
Jenkins, Kabeer
Gbaja-Biamila, Mike
Montgomery, Jason
Hunter, DeVon Hicks, Larry
Birdine
OLB: A.J.
Hawk (W), Brady
Poppinga (S), Tracy
White (W), Spencer
Havner (S), Juwan
Simpson (S), Rory
Johnson (W)
CB: Al
Harris, Charles
Woodson, Patrick
Dendy, Jarrett Bush, Frank
Walker, Will
Blackmon (PR), Tramon
Williams, Antonio
Malone
S: Nick
Collins (FS), Marquand
Manuel (SS), Aaron
Rouse (FS), Marviel
Underwood (SS), Atari
Bigby (SS), Tyrone
Culver (FS), Charlie
Peprah (FS), Alvin Nnabuife (SS)
QB: On Wednesday, QB Matt Schaub
underwent X-rays on his knee after practice following a collision with DE Jason
Babin. The X-rays were negative and the injury was classified as a bruise.
"He and Babin just ran into each other," Head coach
RB: Ahman
Green is having a solid camp so far, enough to give HC Gary Kubiak a distinct
impression. Kubiak said that Green has the same big-play ability that Terrell Davis
had, and he can’t wait to use his new weapon. "He reminds me of Terrell
(Davis), when I watch the way he runs," Kubiak said. "He’s a downhill
runner. He’s bigger than you think. He likes the physical part of football. He
likes to bang around, and if he gets a big enough crack, he’s capable of going
the distance. He reminds me of him quite a bit." Green and Ron Dayne
alternated with the first team throughout the week with Sam Gado and Wali Lundy
working with the 2nd and 3rd teams.
A week after Darius Walker was released by the
Texans; Chris Taylor suffered a season-ending knee injury.
After placing FB Jameel Cook on the PUP list,
the Texans signed free agent RB Patrick Pass, a versatile veteran who can play
both the RB and FB as well as contribute to special teams, to a one-year deal.
WR: The
Texans WR corps is suffering myriad injuries. Perhaps the worst, a strained
quad, was suffered by recent free agent addition Keenan McCardell. "We really need to get him back out there. He knows his body better
than anybody, and we’ve got to get him healthy," Kubiak said, who said
that David Anderson should be back on the field Monday and Andre'
“Best football practice he’s had since I’ve been here,” Kubiak said.
“There’s a little buzz tonight, there’s some people out here and you can tell
his juices are flowing. If he keeps this up and stays on the field, he’s going
to have a special year.” Mathis knew he was running out of opportunities, so he
made fitness and conditioning a top priority during the offseason. "I feel like I put my time in during the
offseason," Mathis said. "Now I’m looking forward to making it
through this camp." Kubiak then
added more thoughts on Mathis’ play. “I think Jerome is heading in the right
direction, and his conditioning level is much better than it has been in the
past,” Kubiak said. “Let’s face it, this is as long as Jerome (Mathis) has been
on the field with us over a period of time, and that’s a positive. I think he’s
gotten better. At the last play in practice just now, Sherm (offensive
coordinator Mike Sherman) called ‘Double Go.’ Our whole team is tired, and I
watched him run his route specifically, and he gave them a chance over there to
win at the end of a practice.”
Rookie Jacoby Jones had an excellent practice, too. He made a leaping
catch on one play and he got downfield on a reverse on another play. Harry
Williams had a couple nice practices. During a one-on-one receiving drill with
cornerbacks at the goal line, Williams beat his man cutting towards the goal
post on an inside route instead of breaking toward the back pylon. On another
play, he pulled the ball down for a TD on a jump ball.
TE: Owen Daniels
and Jeb Putzier are getting most of the work. Daniels and Putzier, at times,
are being used in double TE sets with Daniels on the line and Putzier in the
slot. In other situations, the Texans went with an empty backfield using
Daniels and Putzier lined up on the line of scrimmage.
Defense: LB DeMeco Ryans led the
highlight reel for the defense on Thursday night jumping nearly three feet into
the air to intercept a pass during a red zone drill. DE Mario Williams missed
Thursday’s practice due to a tight hamstring. Kubiak said it wasn't serious.
"I just don't want something to happen right now in training camp,"
Williams said. "This is a very important season coming up for the team,
and I want to be a part of that. So I'm going to try to be as cautious as
possible."
Corner Dunta Robinson, known for his physical play, talked about the
final practice of the week being a good preparation for the real games ahead.
“If you are going to put the pads on, you might as well use them,” Robinson
said. “If we are going to be out here you might as well have some fun. Guys are
just flying around making plays. It’s nothing personal, we just want to give
each other game speed looks, and that’s what we’re doing.” On Saturday,
Robinson showed why he’s ranked among the best at his position. Matched up with
Andre Johnson 1-on-1, Robinson consistently denied the 6’3” Johnson catches by playing
smothering defense and using keen ball skills. “He made a lot of plays today,” Kubiak said.
“That’s what makes him better. In practice, you’re not going to sit there and
go away from a player, you’re going to challenge. Everybody’s got to get ready
to play. Any time Andre (Johnson) is going against Dunta our football team is
getting better.” If Robinson’s reputation prompts teams to begin throwing in
the other direction, he said that won’t be a problem with DeMarcus Faggins
opposite him. “I trust Petey,” Robinson said. “I believe in him and he believes
in me. When the ball goes to his side, I don’t worry about it. I know he’s
going to make the play, and when the ball comes to my side, vice versa. I
wouldn’t rather have any other player on the other side of me.”
The other player separating himself from his peers in camp has been LB
Charlie Anderson, who hasn’t made a start in his three-year career. That is
likely to change if he continues his current level of play according to Kubiak.
“When I look at the defensive side of the ball, I think Charlie Anderson’s
really separated himself,” Kubiak said. “When you look at the linebacker group,
you look at Morlon (
Special Teams: Head coach Gary Kubiak discussed several players that will be competing
for kickoff and/or punt returner roles. After entering the coach’s doghouse in
minicamp, WR Jerome Mathis appears to have emerged, “He's gotten better. This
is as long as Jerome has been on the field with us over a period of time, and
that's a positive. His conditioning level is much better than it has been in
the past.” WR Bethel Johnson has some work to do to make the team, "He's a
very talented young man, very talented. On any given rep, he's as talented as
we got out here right now at receiver. Consistency and struggling a little bit
mentally are the things that hold
Texans
Depth Chart
QB: Matt Schaub, Sage Rosenfels (inj), Bradlee Van Pelt, Quinton Porter, Jared Zabransky
RB: Ahman Green, Ron Dayne, Wali Lundy (3RB), Samkon Gado, Darius Walker, Chris Taylor (IR)
FB: Vonta Leach, Jameel Cook (inj), Patrick Pass
WR: Andre Johnson, Kevin Walter, Keenan McCardell, David Anderson, Jacoby Jones, Jerome Mathis (KR/PR), Andre Davis, Bethel Johnson (KR), Charlie Adams, Harry Williams, Terry
Richardson
TE: Owen Daniels, Mark Bruener, Jeb Putzier, Ben Steele (inj), Joel Dreessen
K: Kris Brown
DT: Travis Johnson (inj), Anthony Maddox, Amobi Okoye, Thomas Johnson, Jeff Zgonina, Tim Bulman, Thomas Smith, Cedric Killings, Deljuan Robinson
DE: Mario Williams, Anthony Weaver, Jason Babin, Ndukwe Kalu, Earl Cochrane, Victor DeGrate, Alfred Malone (inj)
OLB: Morlon Greenwood (W), Charlie Anderson (S), Danny Clark (S), Shawn Barber (W/S), Shantee Orr, Zac Diles, Trent Bray, Eduardo Castenada
CB: Dunta Robinson, DeMarcus Faggins, Jamar Fletcher, Von Hutchins, Dexter McCleon, Jason Horton, Fred Bennett, Dexter Wynn, John Walker, Derrick Roberson, Roc Alexander (IR)
S: Glenn Earl (SS), C.C. Brown (FS), Jason Simmons (FS), Brandon Harrison (SS), Brandon Mitchell (FS)
QB: Saturday morning as the Colts
annual Blue-and-White scrimmage. HC Tony Dungy was pleased with the outcome
after Peyton Manning led the first team offense on two drives that produced a
pair of FGs. “I really like our attitude and the way we’re going about things… Some
of our young guys made some plays all week. I think we’re going to be a fast
team. We’re going to be an explosive team on offense, so I see a lot of good
signs,” said Dungy. “It’s been a good week… We’re off to a good start. We put a
lot of things in. It’s always nice to see these guys for the first time in
pads. Some of the young guys have gotten off to a good start with the
knowledge,” added Manning. “That’s the
main thing you want to see, as few mental mistakes as possible.” Manning noted
that some of the rookies like Anthony Gonzalez and Tony Ugoh were not all “wide
eyed” out there, “You can tell they’ve kind of been in their playbooks, which
is good. That’s what you want to see out of these guys, guys who are doing
things on their own to get ready to play.” Manning threw an apparent 16-yard TD
to Marvin Harrison on the first drive, but it was negated on a penalty. Manning
also connected with TE Dallas Clark for a 26-yard gain on the same drive. On
the third series, with Jim Sorgi at the helm, the offense converted a 3rd-and-15
with a 22-yard strike to rookie WR Roy Hall. Four plays later, Sorgi found Hall
again for 35-yard completion down to the 14-yard line (and another FG). With
3.4 seconds in the half, Josh Betts threw a 22-yard TD to rookie Anthony
Gonzalez. The second half was marred by turnovers (Betts fumbled a snap for
one).
RB: In the first week of camp, 2nd year running back Joseph Addai has
consistently stood out amongst the offensive players. In the first three days,
Addai had several long runs and was effective as a receiver. On Wednesday,
Addai had one of the morning practice’s best plays, a 10-yard reception from
Manning on a back-shoulder pass in the corner of the end zone. On Friday, Addai
caught a short TD from Manning in the morning then another in the afternoon.
WR: Starting wide receivers Reggie
Wayne and Marvin Harrison continue to have strong camp. In Wednesday morning’s
practice, they both caught several short passes.
The Colts offense may have two former Buckeyes making an impact this
year. 5th round pick Roy Hall is commanding a lot of interest based on his play
through Week One. The 6-foot-3, 240-pound rookie is really standing out at
times. "He might be a Marcus Pollard-type...,” said Dungy. “I don’t know
what Marcus looked like when he first got here, but he was probably very
similar…" It’s almost certain that Hall will contribute in multiple ways,
as an outside receiver, slot receiver, maybe even a little tight end or H-back
on occasion. He’s almost a sure bet for special teams, too. “We’re really
finding out things that
TE: Mike Seidman suffered a knee injury and he’ll miss the entire season.
With the loss of Seidman, the Colts have starter Dallas Clark along with Ben
Utecht, Bryan Fletcher and rookies Gijon Robinson and Jonny Harline. On
Wednesday, Utecht caught a TD pass from Manning on a slant pattern during
seven-on-seven drills.
Defense: The Colts finally severed ties with DT
Corey Simon on Saturday, and then on
Sunday, the Colts lost DT Anthony McFarland with a season-ending torn
Special Teams: On a nationally televised night practice, Colts fans got to see
successful field goals from 43 and 52 yards. No, it wasn’t Adam Vinatieri;
rather it was camp leg Shane Andrus. So far in camp, CB T.J. Rushing has done nothing to lose the return specialist role. Special
teams coordinator Russ Purnell is pleased with Rushing’s progress, "Most
of all, he has made good decisions, which is important. Sometimes those
returners are like quarterbacks; a quarterback has an ego in his arm and a
returner has an ego in his legs. They're going to field that ball seven yards
deep in the end zone and take off running or they're going to return a ball
that they should fair catch. We all felt confident T.J. has demonstrated the
maturity, decision-making and skill level that he could help us." Purnell
also indicated that Rushing is doing very well fielding the ball, "One of
the things we really stress in catching the football on kickoffs is catching it
with some momentum, rolling into the catch, not backing up, not being flat
footed so you can make that quick first step. He's doing that pretty
consistently. As a punt returner, in particular, you've got to have a quick
first step to set [up] your blocks and to make that guy miss. He has
that." The backup kickoff returners have also done well, and/or the
defenders have done a poor job of stopping them. WR Craphonso Thorpe had a 47
yard return and RB DeDe Dorsey had a 48-yard return in practice.
Colts
Depth Chart
QB: Peyton
Manning, Jim
Sorgi, Josh
Betts, Mike McGann
RB: Joseph
Addai, DeDe
Dorsey, Kenton
Keith, Clifton
Dawson
FB: Luke
Lawton
WR: Marvin
Harrison, Reggie
Wayne, Anthony
Gonzalez, Roy
Hall, Aaron
Moorehead, John Standeford, Craphonso
Thorpe, Brian Hare, Trent Shelton
TE: Dallas
Clark, Ben
Utecht, Bryan
Fletcher, Jerome
Collins, Gijon Robinson, Jonny
Harline, Justin
Snow, Mike
Seidman (IR)
K: Adam
Vinatieri, Shane Andrus
DT: Raheem
Brock (DE), Darrell
Reid, Quinn
Pitcock (NT), Dan
Klecko, Ramel
Meekins, Tom Johnson, Anthony
McFarland (inj)
DE: Dwight
Freeney, Robert
Mathis (inj), Josh
Thomas, Bo
Schobel, Keyunta
Dawson, Jeff Charleston, Ben Ishola, Ryan
LaCasse
OLB: Rob
Morris (S) (inj), Freddie
Keiaho (W), Tyjuan
Hagler (S), Clint
Session, Rocky
Boiman, Keith
O'Neil (inj), Brandon
Archer, KaMichael
Hall, Ramon
Guzman
CB: Marlin
Jackson, Kelvin
Hayden, Daymeion
Hughes, Michael
Coe, T.J.
Rushing (KR), Antonio
Perkins, Tim
Jennings, Cedric Holt, Duane Coleman
S: Bob
Sanders (SS) (PUP), Antoine
Bethea (FS), Matt
Giordano (FS), Brannen
Condren, Tanard Davis, Norman
LeJeune, Melvin
Bullitt, Scott Ware
QB: In Friday’s intrasquad
scrimmage, fans had reason to be excited, as Byron Leftwich led the offense to
a romp over the defense (46-13). Leftwich completed 12-of-17 for 181 yards and
a TD. David Garrard finished 9-of-16 for 125 yards and a TD. Last year, those
two combined for 50 yards on 9-of-16 passing in the same scrimmage. "What
you just got a glimpse of, I think, is what our offense is going to be about
this year," Jaguars head coach Jack Del Rio said. "We're going to
have an explosive offense." Added receiver Ernest Wilford: "I just
know it's going to be a special season." Whenever you read things like
this, it’s important to put the brakes on and say, “It’s only training
camp”. It’s also important to note that
the team’s starters on both sides only matched up for one series all night,
though Leftwich went 2-for-2 for 30 yards on that drive, which ended with a
23-yard TD to Matt Jones. Even against the team’s 2nd defense, the offense was
crisp, effective and most importantly, free of turnovers. Leftwich, Garrard,
and Tim Couch combined to complete passes to 12 different receivers. Leftwich
completed nine straight passes to start the “game”, but he was also indecisive
on two plays that would’ve been sacks in the regular season. "Byron's
timing and his footwork are right on," new OC Dirk Koetter
said. "The ball is coming out on time. He knows exactly where he's going
with the ball and when to go there. Any quarterback in that kind of rhythm is
tough to stop."
Quinn Gray took snaps Friday morning for the first time in training
camp. Gray was placed on the team’s PUP list before camp started, but they took
him off the list before Friday morning’s session. By Saturday, Gray received a
lot of repetitions during the morning’s mock game. He missed on a few passes,
but otherwise was on target. Leftwich connected on almost all of his throws and
Garrard was sharp as well. While Gray was out, the Jags signed Tim Couch to a
two-year deal to give them another arm for camp, at least until Gray returned. "He'll
help us out in camp with Quinn down," receiver Dennis Northcutt said of
Couch, with whom he played in
RB: Last
year, Maurice Jones-Drew ran with a chip on his shoulder. This year, it’s 10-year
veteran Fred Taylor, who is 487 yards shy of 10,000 yards rushing for his
career. There are 20 players in NFL history to reach that plateau, most are in
the Hall of Fame, but
WR: Charles Sharon did not practice
all week after he suffered a slight concussion last Monday. As a result,
TE: George
Wrighster is close to returning from offseason shoulder surgery. He was hitting
a blocking dummy on the sidelines and he could return within the next two
weeks. In the meantime, Marcedes Lewis and Jermaine Wiggins are getting most of
the reps.
Defense: Cornerback Scott Starks was
practicing with a cast on his left hand to protect a broken bone. DE Reggie Hayward returned to the field last
week. Bobby McCray is currently running with the starting unit opposite
Special Teams: In scrimmage, the offense did an excellent job of setting up kicker
Josh Scobee. He was good on field goals from 17, 22, and 26 yards. Fourth round
draft pick Adam Podlesh will almost certainly be the
Jaguars’ punter this year, although camp leg Tony Yelk is making him work for
it. Head coach Jack Del Rio noted following a recent practice, "Based on
the two or three kicks they each got, Tony had a better night kicking. But it's
kind of like a golf swing. You could go out with Tiger Woods, and he might dump
one, and you might hit one right down the middle. But that doesn't mean you're
better than Tiger." If practices are any indication it looks like RB
Maurice Jones-Drew will retain the top kickoff returner role. WR Dennis Northcutt has been working as the
primary backup, and rookie WR John Broussard has been working with the
third-string unit. RB Derrick Wimbush will likely be in the no. two or three
spot once the regular season arrives.
Jaguars
Depth Chart
QB: Byron Leftwich (inj), David Garrard, Quinn Gray, Tim Couch, Lester Ricard
RB: Fred Taylor, Maurice Jones-Drew (SD/3RB/KR) , LaBrandon Toefield (KR), Alvin Pearman (PR), Montell Owens, D.D. Terry
FB: Greg Jones, Derrick Wimbush (KR)
WR: Reggie Williams, Matt Jones (inj), Ernest Wilford, Dennis Northcutt, Charles Sharon, Mike Walker, John Broussard, Jimmy Farris, D'Juan Woods, Roosevelt Kiser
TE: George Wrighster, Marcedes Lewis, Jermaine Wiggins, Richard Angulo, Greg Estandia, Isaac Smolko
K: Josh Scobee
DT: Marcus Stroud, John Henderson, Rob Meier (DE), Derek Landri, Tony McDaniel, Walter Curry
DE: Reggie Hayward, Bobby McCray, Brent Hawkins, Paul Spicer, James Wyche, Jeremy Mincey, Brian Smith
OLB: Daryl Smith (W/M), Clint Ingram (S), Nick Greisen (W), Justin Durant (W), Jorge Cordova (W/S), Pat Thomas (inj), Kenneth Pettway, Brian Iwuh, Chad Nkang
CB: Rashean Mathis, Brian Williams, Terry Cousin, Scott Starks, Bruce Thornton, Dee Webb, Chris Roberson, Rashod Moulton, Jamar
Landrom
S: Reggie Nelson (FS), Gerald Sensabaugh (SS), Josh Gattis (SS), Nick Sorensen, Kevin McCAdam, Jamaal Fudge
QB: In the Chiefs scrimmage against
the Vikings on Saturday, QB Brodie Croyle opened the 11-on-11 team period with
the first-team offense. He completed his first pass on a check-down route to FB
Kris Wilson. Croyle looked good with his throws on 10-yard outs and completed
another nice pass to Eddie Kennison in stride on a slant route for 15 yards. Damon Huard got his share of snaps with the
first-team offense midway through the team session. In the Saturday night
scrimmage, during the passing segments, Huard was with the first team and
things didn’t go very well. Huard completed all three of his passes, but for
only short yardage, and he was sacked once. Croyle didn’t fare much better with
the 2nd team offensive line. His foot was stepped on by his own lineman on the
first play, and then two plays later he was knocked down by the Vikings pass
rush. Casey Printers played two downs with the third string line and was
sacked, too. The weather conditions didn’t help; the field was wet and the
night was damp in general. In the team offense portion, Huard looked good
hitting Kris Wilson for a nice gain, then Tony Gonzalez for a 30-yard TD. RB
Kolby Smith dropped Huard’s last pass in that segment. Croyle came in for four plays;
going 1-of-3 with a pick that was dropped by a Vikings LB. Printers went 1-of-2
with a nice pass to Titus Ryan that went for 20-plus yards. All three offensive
lines struggled with pass protection against the Vikings.
On Friday, Croyle connected with rookie Brad Ekwerekwu for what appeared
to be a great catch in the back of the end zone, but Ekwerekwu was ruled out of
bounds. Croyle threw the ball with more zip than Huard, and he was more
accurate. Huard looked great at times, too, including a pair of completions to
Rod Gardner over the middle. In Thursday morning’s practice, Printers had a
good showing throwing between defenders multiple times throughout the 7-on-7
and 11-on-11 drills. Printers showed good accuracy on a quick slant bullet to Brent
Little through traffic.
RB: Larry
Johnson remains a holdout, with neither side showing signs of flinching at this
stage. Priest Holmes is in camp, but he didn’t play in Saturday’s scrimmage.
Kolby Smith was impressive though. He made a couple of long runs. Michael
Bennett also had a nice run over right guard. In Wednesday’s practice, Bennett
had some nice runs in the early workout in full pads. He also dropped a perfect
pass over the middle. Derrick Ross ran over safety Chad Williams on one run and
FB Kris Wilson made a nice, over-the-shoulder catch for a TD from Brodie Coyle.
WR: Dwayne
Bowe, the team’s first round pick (23rd overall) finally signed a 5-year
contract on Sunday and reported to camp on Monday. Having missed 10 days of
camp, it’s going to be tough for Bowe to make an immediate impact, but HC Herm
Edwards isn’t ruling it out. "He's going to compete. We rotate those
receivers a lot," Edwards said. "He has the potential (to be a
starter). But when I look at starters, those receivers, to me, are going to
play in this system on a rotation, with three or four of them. We want to keep
them fresh." Samie Parker struggled last Wednesday, dropping four passes,
and then on Thursday, he continued with two more drops, including one that drew
boos from the crowd when the ball hit him in the numbers. Veteran Rod Gardner
felt like the forgotten receiver, but he’s been a pleasant surprise so far and
made some nice catches throughout the last week. "His
first couple of years in the league he was a very, very good receiver. I'm
hoping he continues to do that and really challenges." HC Herm Edwards
said, "I thought our receivers made some good catches today. I thought
they made some on the other field, too, today. We'll look at it all."
Elsewhere in practice throughout the week, Ean Randolph made a
spectacular play with a one-handed diving catch on a streak route down the left
sideline for a 40-yard gain inside the five-yard line. CB Mike Hawkins provided
excellent coverage, but QB Jeff Terrell’s accurate pass, along with
TE: Tony Gonzalez has been his usual self, nothing new there. On Friday,
rookie TE Michael Allan made his best play so far in camp on an athletic grab
of a Casey Printers pass.
Defense: The Chiefs defense is looking
good so far in camp. They’ve been physical, especially the secondary, who
dished out several tasty tributes to the Chiefs RBs. Bernard Pollard, Jarrad
Page, Greg Wesley and Jon McGraw have all been flying to the ball and levying
timely hits. Chad Williams was crushed by Derrick Ross on one play, but it
didn’t bother Williams for long. He dished out blows of his own to T Chris
Terry and RB Kolby Smith just a few plays later. On Friday evening, the Chiefs
D played well again. They shut down the Vikings on four of the first five plays
during 9-on-7 drills.
On Thursday, the MVP of practice was LB
William Kershaw, who picked off one pass and tipped another that led to an
interception. LB Kendrell
Special Teams: Rookie kicker Justin Medlock
has looked very good in camp, except for last Tuesday when he went 0-for-4 on
field goals. Otherwise he has shown both accuracy and range. Although Medlock
is the only kicker in camp, special teams coordinator Mike Priefer
noted, "I told him as soon as he got here that he is competing against all
NFL kickers that don't have a job." Priefer also discussed why Dante Hall
is no longer with the team, “He was treated differently by the previous staff.
This head coach and myself are not into babying players. I’m going to treat
them like men and treat them with respect. I guess it wasn’t enough. He was in
the tank a lot. His attitude wasn’t what it should have been. After a while, I
don’t know if he wanted to buy into what the head coach was preaching or what I
was trying to get done.” What they are trying to get done is hitting the hole,
and north-south running for positive yardage on every return, rather than
Hall’s all or nothing style. If rookie WR Ean Randolph can fit that mold, he
will probably win the punt return job. If he has trouble handling the ball
and/or spends too much time behind the line, the job will probably default to WR
Samie Parker. Priefer says that WR Jeff Webb isn’t a lock for the kickoff
return job, but that is probably just coach speak.
Chiefs
Depth Chart
QB: Brodie
Croyle, Damon
Huard, Casey
Printers, Jeff Terrell
RB: Larry
Johnson, Priest
Holmes, Michael
Bennett, Kolby
Smith, Derrick
Ross, Marcus O'Keith
FB: Boomer
Grigsby, Greg Hanoian, Gilbert
Harris
WR: Eddie
Kennison, Samie
Parker, Chris
Hannon, Jeff
Webb, Dwayne
Bowe, Rod
Gardner, Ean Randolph (KR), Maurice
Price, Brent Little, Ryan Titus, Brad Ekwerekwu
TE: Tony
Gonzalez, Jason
Dunn, Kris
Wilson, Michael
Allan, Mike Pinkard, Keith Willis
K: Justin
Medlock
DT: James
Reed, Ron
Edwards, Turk
McBride, Tank
Tyler, Alfonso
Boone (NT), Kiki Gonzalez, Patrice Majondo-Mwamba
DE: Tamba
Hali, Jared
Allen (susp), Jimmy
Wilkerson, Michael Heard, Chris
Harris, Montez
Murphy
OLB: Derrick
Johnson (L), Donnie
Edwards (R), Kendrell
Bell (R), Keyaron
Fox (R/L), William
Kershaw, Nick
Reid, David Hicks, Nate
Harris, Brian Crum
CB: Patrick
Surtain, Ty
Law, Benny
Sapp, Marcus
Maxey, Michael
Bragg, Justin
Phinisee, Dimitri Patterson, Will Poole, Tyron
Brackenridge
S: Bernard
Pollard (SS), Jarrad
Page (FS), Greg
Wesley (FS), Jon
McGraw, Chad
Williams, Marlon Fair
QB: Trent Green’s performance has
been erratic thus far. Green continues to run with the 2nd team
primarily, while Cleo Lemon takes more 1st team snaps. Rookie John
Beck is handling 3rd string duties. Green has thrown several
interceptions and bad passes in the first week of camp, but also produced some
nice, crisp plays. Green is still expected to be the team’s starter come
regular season, but head coach Cam Cameron is making him earn it, so Lemon
remains in the driver’s seat for now.
Under the lights on Friday, Green shined when he connected with Chris
Chambers in traffic for two consecutive completions. Later, he found a
wide-open Ronnie Brown in the flat for an easy TD. On Green’s last drive, he
capped off a drive with a 20-yard TD to Marty Booker down the middle. The team’s offense had mixed success
in 9-on-7 passing drills, where the team focused on third-and-short situations.
Green avoided pressure on one play and found Kerry Reed on a deep slant for a
completion. Lemon showed nice touch on a short pass over the middle to Ronnie
Brown. However, on the next play, Lemon was picked off by corner Travis
Daniels, who is having a strong camp and is fully recovered from the ankle
injury that limited him in 2006. On the next drill, Lemon ran the first-team
offense against the third-team defense, but quickly fell behind with a
third-and-long situation. From the shotgun, he dumped off a pass to Brown with
Rodrique Wright in his face. Brown got the first down on the next play, then Green
returned and hit FB Corey Schlesinger out of the backfield for another first
down. Beck then got his first action. He threw a perfect pass to David Sutton
for 25-yards, except Sutton dropped it. Lemon returned and threw a nice bomb
down the middle to Chambers, who made a diving catch.
RB: Ronnie
Brown knows he’s being counted on more this year. He’s being expected to carry
the offense on his shoulders, and he looks more like a guy that’s prepared to
do that than he did a year ago. Brown reported to camp at 235 lbs looking more
confident, and his teammates are picking up on it. "That's what's going to
be asked of me to do," Brown said. "Hopefully, I can do that and
carry the load. I'm going to go out every day and work toward that, so when
guys feel like they need to lean on me, I'm going to be able to carry the
load." Brown won’t get all of the touches though. The Dolphins will mix
rookie Lorenzo Booker into the game as a change-of-pace and 3rd down
back. Both Brown and Booker catch the ball extremely well, but Booker adds more
suddenness – he can start/stop on a dime and he’s fast. ''This guy is quick,
fast, I can't wait to see him actually get into a preseason game and get some
catches out of the backfield,'' said veteran DT Vonnie Holliday. ”His ability
to make a move and get north-south is very impressive.'' Holliday said he
couldn't remember very many backs with Booker's quickness and shiftiness.
Booker faces competition from Jesse Chatman as the primary backup though. If
Brown were to miss significant time, Booker might not be the team’s featured
back. That’s where Chatman becomes a factor. During Friday night’s practice the
team ended with a goal line drill. Chatman scored on the first play when he
bounced it to the outside. After that, the defense tightened up, denying Booker
and then Chatman on the next play. Keep an eye on this competition. Booker will
play, but Chatman could wind up being a free agent sleeper if injuries strike
the Dolphins backfield this season.
WR: No news can be good news
sometimes. Chris Chambers and Marty Booker aren’t drawing much publicity so far
in camp, but that’s a good thing according to Chambers. “We're under the radar
right now. My mom called me [Friday] and said, "I don't hear anything
about you guys? What's going on?” said Chambers. The Dolphins are looking at
several receivers in the background, hoping one or more of them can add quality
depth or even make an impact. Ted Ginn Jr., of course, has the highest
expectation as the team’s top pick. He’s generally looked good, showing his
trademark speed and he has caught most of the balls thrown to him, but he
dropped a perfectly thrown deep ball by Trent Green on Friday night and then
another from Green went off his fingers in the same session. After Ginn,
veteran Az-Zahir Hakim is in camp, but he was in shorts for the full pad
workouts Friday night. HC Cameron said it was the trainer’s decision, not Hakim
to sit out. Hakim was back for the afternoon practice in helmets and shoulder
pads. There are a couple other players of interest after that: P.K. Same, David
Sutton and Michael Malone. P.K. Sam is a 24-year old former 5th round pick of
the Patriots who spent the spring in NFL Europa. Sam was on the Dolphins
practice squad last year. At 6’3” 210 pounds, Sam is usually one of the biggest
WRs in the locker room, but that’s not the case in
David Sutton excelled at basketball, volleyball,
baseball and track in high school, but he never played much football. He
bounced around before landing at UTEP, where he was the blocking complimentary
WR to Johnnie Lee Higgins. Sutton had a nice workout when scouts came to see Higgins,
who was drafted in the 3rd round by
In Thursday’s drills, Michael Malone made a few
noteworthy plays. The first was a catch over the middle from Trent Green in
which Malone was greeted quickly by safety Christopher Vedder. On the last play
of that drill, Green found Malone again downfield as he made a nice catch over
an outstretched Shirdonya Mitchell.
TE: A month
ago, David Martin looked like a nice late round sleeper if he, as expected, won
the starting job. Then, last week, Courtney Anderson was cut by the Raiders and
then signed/claimed by the Dolphins. All of a sudden, the Dolphins have some
competition and improved depth at TE. Think Martin minds the competition? Martin
said he married competition. ''We're both competitors,'' Martin said of him and
his wife Kameisha. ”We compete over everything. Before we had kids, whenever we
would go out to eat we would drive separate cars, so we could race home. We
would just haul [tail]. Once we had kids, we had to stop that. But everything's
competition for us.'' Kameisha was 1.2 seconds away from qualifying as an Olympian
in the 800 meters in 2004. ''I mean, we do push-ups together,'' Martin said. ”I
kill her. She just had a baby, so she's trying to get back in shape, so we run.
Maybe we'll do sprints one day and I'll beat her. If we do long distance,
she'll leave me.'' Martin was never able to unseat Bubba Franks in
Defense: CB Travis Daniels and S Yeremiah Bell collided during Friday
night’s practice on an errant throw by Trent Green.
Special Teams: In between kicking practices, Jay Feely has been seen fielding punts
and catching passes from the quarterbacks. He explained, ''It keeps me active
and it's a good workout rather than just standing around. When you have to make
a tackle, and you haven't been moving around, doing things, change of
direction, then you can get hurt. That helps me just to have your body prepared
to do a football move besides kicking the ball. 'No. 2, I have fun doing it. I
feel like I'm back in high school, getting to actually play football rather
than just kick. The third thing is, it generates a little more respect from
your teammates, rather than just as a kicker. . . . When I go down there and
make tackles on kickoffs or I'm catching balls from the quarterback, it
develops an additional relationship and respect. They know I'm also an athlete,
not just a kicker.'' The winner of the punting competition between Brandon Fields and Ryan Flinn could also be the holder on kicks.
HC Cam Cameron indicated Feely would make the final decision between that or
the backup plan, ''They're both good athletes. They both have good
hands. I think Jay likes the development of both those guys, and you're sitting
there with a guy like [WR] Marty
Booker, who can hold.'' Word out of camp is that WR/KR/PR Ted Ginn Jr. is fast, but you already knew that. RB
Lorenzo Booker, the likely backup on returns, has done a better job of hanging
onto the ball recently on punt returns.
Dolphins
Depth Chart
QB: Trent
Green, Cleo
Lemon, John
Beck, Gibran Hamdan
RB: Ronnie
Brown, Lorenzo
Booker, Jesse
Chatman, Patrick
Cobbs, Ray
Perkins
FB: Corey
Schlesinger, Kyle
Eckel, Reagan
Mauia
WR: Chris
Chambers, Marty
Booker, Derek
Hagan, Ted
Ginn (KR/PR), Az-Zahir
Hakim, David Sutton, Kerry Reed, P.K. Sam,
Michael Malone, Marvin Allen
TE: David
Martin, Justin
Peelle, Courtney
Anderson, Tim Massaquoi, Aaron
Halterman, Jason
Rader
K: Jay
Feely
DT: Vonnie
Holliday, Keith
Traylor (NT), Paul
Soliai (NT), Rodrique
Wright, Kevin
Vickerson, Marquay
Love, Steve
Fifita, Chase
Page, Brian Soi
DE: Jason
Taylor, Matt
Roth, Mkristo
Bruce, John
Denney (LS)
OLB: Channing
Crowder (W), Joey
Porter (S), Donnie
Spragan (S), Derrick
Pope (W), Kelvin
Smith, Abraham
Wright (S), Akbar
Gbaja-Biamila, Edmin
Miles, Jim
Maxwell
CB: Will
Allen, Andre
Goodman (PUP), Travis
Daniels, Jason
Allen, Michael
Lehan, Derrick
Johnson, Shirdonya
Mitchell, Tuff Harris, Geoffrey Pope
S: Renaldo
Hill (FS), Yeremiah
Bell (SS), Travares
Tillman (SS), Cameron
Worrell, Chris
Harrell, Courtney Bryan, Christopher
Vedder
QB: After a couple of shaky
practices earlier in the week, the Vikings offense began to show improvement on
Wednesday and Thursday. Against the Chiefs in Friday night’s scrimmage QBs Tarvaris
Jackson and Brooks Bollinger each spent time with the first team and continued
their improved play from earlier in the week.
RB: Adrian Peterson signed a five-year, $40.5 million deal with the Vikings
last Sunday, ending the seventh overall pick's three-day holdout. After his
first two days in camp, HC Brad Childress was asked about his star rookie. “