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Hi Folks,
Good Wednesday to you. It's hump day as we head towards the Holiday Weekend. Let's get to it.
J
Houston Texans WR Andre Johnson (knee) is expected to miss three to four weeks after having arthroscopic surgery on his left knee.
Footballguys' view: Johnson already missed out on the team's first Organized Team practice, just two weeks after his surgery. We expect the superstar WR to be ready for training camp when it kicks off in August. Although this injury business is a little worrisome. We'll keep a close eye on this one for you.
Cleveland Browns general manager Tom Heckert said he expects QB Brandon Weeden to be the team's starting quarterback this year over QB Colt McCoy. 'The best guy is going to play and we fully expect Brandon to be that guy,' Heckert said.
Footballguys' view: Weeden has a lot to work on if he's going to win the starting job. He worked almost exclusively out of the shotgun in college so will first get used to taking a snap and dropping back from Center. Next, he'll have to break his bad habit of locking onto his initial target. The Browns say they're not going to hand him the starting job, but we expect him to be the starter unless he totally bombs in training camp.
Sean Howard, the agent for Arizona Cardinals RB Beanie Wells (knee), said his client underwent 'a clean-out procedure' and not microfracture surgery, which would have required extensive rehab. 'He's in shape and looks good,' Howard said. 'The doctors and the Cardinals have decided to play it safe. Rather than rush him back, the consensus opinion was to let him heal.'
Footballguys' view: Wells won't participate in OTAs but many expect him to be ready by the time training camp starts. Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt stated the team is playing it safe with the veteran RB.
Nate Ulrich, from the Akron Beacon-Journal, reports Browns QB Colt McCoy is no stranger to competition. "I had to earn my job at [the University of Texas] every year, basically except my senior year," McCoy said. "I had to earn my job in high school. My dad didn't start me when I was a freshman. I had to play when I was a sophomore, so I understand the idea."
Footballguys' view: McCoy is going to compete with rookie first-round QB Brandon Weeden. Many expect Weeden to win the starting job, but McCoy won't go down without a fight. This is a battle that should last all through training camp. Unless Weeden bombs in August, we think he'll be the starter in week one.
Philadelphia Eagles QB Michael Vick watched film of all 18 of his turnovers a season ago and vowed to be smarter and safer with the ball this year. 'He's learned from that. I think it makes him a better quarterback going forward, obviously. If we cut those two areas down, be more efficient in the red zone, don't turn the ball over as much ... your chances of success obviously go up,' quarterbacks coach Doug Pederson said.
Footballguys' view: Vick needs to be smarter with the football. Ball security is a big issue with him when running the football. He also needs to make better decisions when throwing the ball. We could see Vick throw the ball away more this year rather than try to force a pass into impossibly tight coverage.
New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft said that he wants to see WR Wes Welker remain a Patriot for life. Welker said over the weekend that negotiations on a long-term contract had gotten worse.
Footballguys' view: Welker backtracked off his statements the next day as the words probably didn't go over too well with the franchise. We don't see the Patriots being too hot to hand out a huge money deal to their aging slot WR. We'll see if Welker alters his expectations for a new contract.
Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger said he and new offensive coordinator Todd Haley aren't on bad terms to begin the season. Under Haley, the team is expected to a more balanced attack, and Roethlisberger admitted that the new scheme is 'a 90 percent change.'
Footballguys' view: This is an important relationship to monitor as we get closer to the season. Haley can build an extremely high powered passing game, but can also be demanding and difficult to get along with. We'll see if Big Ben and Haley can continue to build a strong working relationship.
Todd Archer, from ESPNDallas.com, reports Cowboys rookie WR Danny Coale will need surgery to repair a broken bone in his left foot.
Footballguys' view: Coale could perhaps come back by the time training camp rolls around. This puts a big dent in his chances to win the team's third WR job. Kevin Ogletree and Dwayne Harris will compete to be the slot WR in 2012.
Joe Reedy, from the Cincinnati Enquirer, reports Bengals veteran WR Brandon Tate opened up OTAs as the team's second WR opposite A.J. Green.
Footballguys' view: It's a long way until the start of the regular season and the depth chart will certainly change. We think rookie Mohamed Sanu is the likely favorite to eventually win the job. Tate will compete with Sanu, and second-year WR Armon Binns for the starting position.
Jeremy Fowler, from the Pioneer Press, reports Vikings WR Michael Jenkins said the torn meniscus in his knee has fully healed and he will be with the team for the start of Organized Team Activities that start on May 30th.
Footballguys' view: Jenkins should be starting opposite Percy Harvin to begin the year as Jerome Simpson serves his three-game suspension. He's not the type of player you want to draft in fantasy leagues even with increased playing time early in the year.
The Minnesota Vikings signed WR Jarius Wright (fourth-round pick), WR Greg Childs (fourth round), DB Robert Blanton (fifth round), PK Blair Walsh (sixth round), LB Audie Cole (seventh round) and DT Trevor Guyton (seventh round) to undisclosed deals Tuesday, May 22.
Footballguys' view: Keep an eye on both of the Arkansas WRs here. Wright is the speedster who is dangerous in the open field after the catch. Childs has good size, but struggled his senior season coming back from a knee injury.
Pittsburgh Steelers SS Troy Polamalu is joining the team for their organized team workouts this season, which is something he usually skips in order to workout with a personal trainer in Los Angeles.
Footballguys' view: Polamalu is looking to be more of a leader in the offseason. He acknowledged that it's good for him to mentor some of the team's younger players.
That'll do it for today, Folks. Thanks for reading and letting us be a part of your fantasy football season. We'll see you tomorrow with the update.
Peace,
J