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Hi Folks,
Good Sunday to you, hope you're having a great weekend. We've got the news and notes you need plus some more fun Twitter interviews so let's get to it.
J
One of commitments we have for you this year is to do all we can to help you maximize the use of Twitter. Part of that will be a series of Twitter Interviews where we talk to leading folks in the Football Twitterverse. In this one, we get with Bob Harris @Footballdiehard
One of commitments we have for you this year is to do all we can to help you maximize the use of Twitter. Part of that will be a series of Twitter Interviews where we talk to leading folks in the Football Twitterverse. In this one, we get with Bryan Fontaine @Bryan_Fontaine
Houston Texans QB Matt Schaub (foot) will be 100 percent when training camp begins in late July.
Footballguys' view: The Texans are Super Bowl contenders if they can stay healthy this year. Schaub is recovering after Lisfranc surgery on his right foot last November.
Pittsburgh Steelers RB Isaac Redman said he believes he will be able to handle the majority of the carries this season while RB Rashard Mendenhall (knee) is out. Redman said he believes he learning the playbook faster than the other running backs and is trying to help the others learn it.
Footballguys' view: Mendenhall suffered a late season knee injury and is likely to begin the season on the PUP list. This would force him to miss at least the first six weeks of the season. In the meantime the Steelers are going to lean on Redman to carry the load.
Free-agent WR Chad Ochocinco (Patriots) never knew how to run his routes properly during his short tenure with the New England Patriots. Coaches would instruct Ochocinco on how to run a route, only to have him forget minutes later. He made strides late in the year, but with new offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels taking over for Bill O'Brien, Ochocinco was behind the curve again this offseason.
Footballguys' view: Both Bill Belichick and Tom Brady went out of there way to help Ochocinco out in 2011 but it never worked out. He even struggled with the Bengals playbook according to former teammate T.J. Houshmandzadeh.
Chicago Bears QB Jay Cutler said he will still have concerns about the offensive line until they find a starting five that can show consistency. 'Until we get those front five hammered down, we're still kind of up in the air offensively -- even though we've got some really, really talented guys on the outside,' Cutler said.
Footballguys' view: Cutler should have real concern about the O-Line as it's one of the worst units in the league. They'll be helped by getting second-year OL Gabe Carimi getting back into the lineup. The main competition is at Left Tackle where J'Marcus Webb and Chris Williams are fighting for the starting spot.
The Miami Dolphins are scheduled to work out free-agent WR Chad Ochocinco (Patriots) next week.
Footballguys' view: The Dolphins could certainly use a guy like Ochocinco on the roster even though he's not the same player he used to be. If signed Ochocinco would compete with Davone Bess and Brian Hartline for pecking order on the depth chart.
The Buffalo Bills could have interest in signing free-agent WR Chad Ochocinco (Patriots).
Footballguys' view: The Bills don't really have an established second WR opposite Steve Johnson so adding a veteran like Ochocinco makes some sense. If signed he would compete for playing time with David Nelson, Donald Jones, rookie T.J. Graham, and Marcus Easley.
The St. Louis Rams, Carolina Panthers, Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens, Oakland Raiders and Jacksonville Jaguars are not interested in signing free-agent WR Chad Ochocinco (Patriots).
Footballguys' view: No surpise here. Ochocinco is not the same player he used to be and couldn't produce in the Patriots high powered passing attack with Tom Brady throwing him passes. The Patriots went out of their way to help Ochocinco learn the offense but he couldn't grasp the scheme.
Pittsburgh Steelers SS Troy Polamalu remains stunned at the simplicity of the offense the Denver Broncos ran with QB Tim Tebow last season and came away with the conclusion that the offense only worked because the team had a strong defense. 'You can't run that offense unless you have a great defense to go with it,' said Polamalu. 'It was an incredibly simple offense that you just don't think can work in this league, but it worked for them with the kind of talent they had.'
Footballguys' view: The Steelers won't have to worry about the belly option when they play the Broncos in week one on Sunday Night Football. Interesting comments from Polamalu about how Denver's offense was so simple. Usually teams are able to stop a simple offense.
The San Diego Chargers had running backs combine for over 100 receptions last season, but head coach Norv Turner feels WR Eddie Royal will cut into that total. 'As much as we push the ball up the field, I'd like to think (Royal) will get a lot of those catches (by running backs) because he becomes an option underneath,' Turner said. WR Roscoe Parrish might also give the team a quick, shifty slot presence which has been absent in recent years.
Footballguys' view: Royal has never lived up to the production he had his rookie season (91 catches) for the Broncos. His failure to recognize zone/man coverage means most of his routes are incorrect. If he doesn't fix this problem then he won't be much of an impact player for the Chargers in 2012.
Tennessee Titans QBs Rusty Smith and Nick Stephens have been competing for the No. 3 quarterback job during organized team activities. Offensive coordinator Chris Palmer said Smith has the edge over Stephens at this point.
Footballguys' view: Smith should be able to maintain that edge as he has more experience in the system. We don't like either QB as a developmental prospect.
San Diego Chargers head coach Norv Turner said Friday, June 8, that WR Robert Meachem has been more versatile than when he looked at videotape from his play with the New Orleans Saints. 'Meachem can get up the field. He's a deep threat, but he's also a more versatile receiver than I thought he'd be when you looked at tape,' Turner said. 'He can do a lot more things than he did in New Orleans because they didn't need those things from him because they had other guys. But he's an outstanding route (runner), he's a good 'feel' receiver and he does have outstanding hands.'
Footballguys' view: Meachem is trying to replace Vincent Jackson as the Chargers top WR. We'll see if he can stay healthy and stay focused as injuries and inconsistencies have kept him from playing up to his true potential.
Denver Broncos LB D.J. Williams appeared to reveal defensive formations when he sent out a picture of his digital playbook on his Twitter account Friday, June 8. The picture revealed what appeared to be six formations of one defensive play that had the label 'Sink Sam 1 Tite (Formation Adjustment).' A team official reportedly contacted Williams, and the plays were deleted from the account.
Footballguys' view: Teams guard their playbooks like the Holy Grail and we can't imagine this move went over very well with the Broncos.
That'll do it for today, Folks. Thanks for reading and I hope you have a great rest of your Sunday. We'll see you tomorrow with the update.
Peace,
J