Official Training Camp Thread (1 Viewer)

[Bob_Magaw]

its that time of the year we should be getting bob henry's camp reports pretty soon... some of us on the board may be going in person (who dat said he might, i went to cowboys camp last year & might go for a few days more towards of the end)...

if so, please put your observations under this thread...

it would also be interesting to know who has plans on going...

 

[Jene Bramel]

I'll make an effort to get an eyes-on look at Ahmad Brooks and Madieu Williams if the little man and I can get to Georgetown in a couple of weeks. May have to wait until they break camp and get back to PBS though...

 

[WhoDat]

I'll make an effort to get an eyes-on look at Ahmad Brooks and Madieu Williams if the little man and I can get to Georgetown in a couple of weeks. May have to wait until they break camp and get back to PBS though...

Groh swore Brooks was the secoming coming of LT. I am very curious to see what he looks like on an NFL practice field. If a group of general contractors that have currently invaded my home finish ahead or on schedule, then I am good for the Texans camp. If not, I will not be going but might know a few guys that will be there. Whatever I get I will post.

 

[Bob_Magaw]

if anybody follows regional type homer boards (rams in my case), those can also be a great source of camp reports... so even if you don't go to camp yourself, please feel free to post those type of second hand reports under this thread as well...

rams reported to camp yesterday or last night, so i'll start looking for stuff...

rafael vela's cowboys blog is imo the best site of its kind on the web... he is a college professor in TX in media studies (i think), & is a lucid & incisive reporter on the state-of-the-cowboys...

 

[Bob_Magaw]

the first STL camp report i have seen... it was filed by blockandtackle from rams original herd board, & he has been reliable in the past... interesting intel about how the overall mood seems to be better with linehan...

"Was able to attend part of camp today. I caught the first hour and a half.

I first ran into a security/staff guy that I know and we talked about the new regime. He made it very clear that the mood was like night and day. There is a real positive feeling about the organization. He gave one example: last year Martz would stick his nose into everything. At the start of camp last year, Martz yelled at the security director to open the camp gates for fans that were waiting to get in. The director explained that the security detail just finished their meeting and was not fully deployed. Martz fumed. Not a big deal, but he assured me that there have been zero issues like that.

I also talked with Randy K for a while, one of the nicest gentlemen in the media. He had a Media/VIP pass for him and his son but elected to sit with the fans. He mentioned another example of the different attitudes: Linehan walked into Ram's park on the second day and greeted a lower level employee by name. This employee was shocked because Martz had never bothered to learn his name in the six years he was there. I don't know if Linehan can coach but he's got the CEO thing down cold.

It was a warm morning but did have a nice breeze blowing through and an overcast sky blocked the sun through parts of the practice.

Since it was the first practice there was plenty of sloppy play, dropped balls, errant passes, etc. Hard to really judge anyone on the first one. The players were in pads.

Also, many of the drills were held too far away from the fans vantage point. That made it hard to watch all the different squads.

One of the first things that stood out to me was the corners going through drills. Coach Milus conducted a drill that required the corners to press at the line, focusing on jamming that first five yards and then releasing. You just don't see much of that with Rams corners.

Next, I watched a bit of the RB drills were the RBs broke through the line and flared out for a sideline pass. The linebackers were included and expected to jam the RB and then cover. Good drill. The star was Jackson. He looked fresh, light, quick and made some very nice catches. The rest of the RBs were just there. Denzel's boy did not impress me at all. Randy seems to think that the Bennett deal is a real possibility once Bush gets signed by the Saints.

I then focused on the corners against the WRs. The most aggressive CB, by far, was Fahkir Brown. He pressed, was physical and got his hand, arm, shoulder, etc in to pass defend. Of course, Bruce made him look a bit silly on a couple routes. Butler and Fisher looked OK, Bartell looked like a safety. He just doesnt seem to have the quickness or the instincts....something, anyway. Holt and Bruce looked fine. Curtis looked a bit rusty but made a couple plays. The new guy Tisch (?) is a monster but very unpolished.

I watched some of the QB work. Bulger's arm seemed fine. Randy K made a comment that MB had the most velocity and pace on his throws. The others looked fine, although Fitz looked especially small next to the others. He looked more than just an inch shorter than the other three. We agreed that Fitz has a serious uphill battle ahead of him.

Defensively, during the RB vs. LB drill mentioned above, the LBs looked a bit sluggish. Witherspoon and Pisa looked pretty quick and stayed with their guy most of the time. Pisa looked better. Chillar and McGarigle looked stiff and had trouble changing directions and staying with the back after the initial jam. Walhroos knocked some RB named Smith backwards and over an orange barrel with a solid jam.

I saw almost none of the Oline, which was a shame 'cause I wanted to get a good look at Incognito and Stussie. Maybe next time.

I saw very little of the Dline. Most of the time they were in drills at the far end of the facility....away from the crowd. I found Wroten a couple times and he looks big and strong. However, he took some plays/rotations off during drills. He looked gassed.

There were some scrimmages which included work on some surprising plays, such as the reverse and the flea-flicker. I guess Linehan 'aint gonna remind anyone of Chuck Knox.

During those scrimmages of 10-15 plays, I counted at least 6 blitzes from the safeties and/or linebackers. Carter, from the safety position looked much more alert. Alston, looked like a player but it may have just been an illusion with his speed and that big 92 on his jersey.

Haggans was receiving all the punts, at least the part I saw. Not much to say here other than he caught them all.

Linehan spent most of his time around the offense and the scrimmages. He was involved and making comments. Haslett was on the defense and the scrimmage. He was a bit more vocal and at one point screamed for someone (at the end of a drill) to "get the F'n ball". Not sure what the deal was but you could hear that all over the field. Made me warm all over.

That's about all I can remember."

 

[Jene Bramel]

Made me warm all over.

That'll happen.

 

[Weiner Dog]

the first STL camp report i have seen... it was filed by blockandtackle from rams original herd board, & he has been reliable in the past... interesting intel about how the overall mood seems to be better with linehan...

"Was able to attend part of camp today. I caught the first hour and a half.

I first ran into a security/staff guy that I know and we talked about the new regime. He made it very clear that the mood was like night and day. There is a real positive feeling about the organization. He gave one example: last year Martz would stick his nose into everything. At the start of camp last year, Martz yelled at the security director to open the camp gates for fans that were waiting to get in. The director explained that the security detail just finished their meeting and was not fully deployed. Martz fumed. Not a big deal, but he assured me that there have been zero issues like that.

I also talked with Randy K for a while, one of the nicest gentlemen in the media. He had a Media/VIP pass for him and his son but elected to sit with the fans. He mentioned another example of the different attitudes: Linehan walked into Ram's park on the second day and greeted a lower level employee by name. This employee was shocked because Martz had never bothered to learn his name in the six years he was there. I don't know if Linehan can coach but he's got the CEO thing down cold.

It was a warm morning but did have a nice breeze blowing through and an overcast sky blocked the sun through parts of the practice.

Since it was the first practice there was plenty of sloppy play, dropped balls, errant passes, etc. Hard to really judge anyone on the first one. The players were in pads.

Also, many of the drills were held too far away from the fans vantage point. That made it hard to watch all the different squads.

One of the first things that stood out to me was the corners going through drills. Coach Milus conducted a drill that required the corners to press at the line, focusing on jamming that first five yards and then releasing. You just don't see much of that with Rams corners.

Next, I watched a bit of the RB drills were the RBs broke through the line and flared out for a sideline pass. The linebackers were included and expected to jam the RB and then cover. Good drill. The star was Jackson. He looked fresh, light, quick and made some very nice catches. The rest of the RBs were just there. Denzel's boy did not impress me at all. Randy seems to think that the Bennett deal is a real possibility once Bush gets signed by the Saints.

I then focused on the corners against the WRs. The most aggressive CB, by far, was Fahkir Brown. He pressed, was physical and got his hand, arm, shoulder, etc in to pass defend. Of course, Bruce made him look a bit silly on a couple routes. Butler and Fisher looked OK, Bartell looked like a safety. He just doesnt seem to have the quickness or the instincts....something, anyway. Holt and Bruce looked fine. Curtis looked a bit rusty but made a couple plays. The new guy Tisch (?) is a monster but very unpolished.

I watched some of the QB work. Bulger's arm seemed fine. Randy K made a comment that MB had the most velocity and pace on his throws. The others looked fine, although Fitz looked especially small next to the others. He looked more than just an inch shorter than the other three. We agreed that Fitz has a serious uphill battle ahead of him.

Defensively, during the RB vs. LB drill mentioned above, the LBs looked a bit sluggish. Witherspoon and Pisa looked pretty quick and stayed with their guy most of the time. Pisa looked better. Chillar and McGarigle looked stiff and had trouble changing directions and staying with the back after the initial jam. Walhroos knocked some RB named Smith backwards and over an orange barrel with a solid jam.

I saw almost none of the Oline, which was a shame 'cause I wanted to get a good look at Incognito and Stussie. Maybe next time.

I saw very little of the Dline. Most of the time they were in drills at the far end of the facility....away from the crowd. I found Wroten a couple times and he looks big and strong. However, he took some plays/rotations off during drills. He looked gassed.

There were some scrimmages which included work on some surprising plays, such as the reverse and the flea-flicker. I guess Linehan 'aint gonna remind anyone of Chuck Knox.

During those scrimmages of 10-15 plays, I counted at least 6 blitzes from the safeties and/or linebackers. Carter, from the safety position looked much more alert. Alston, looked like a player but it may have just been an illusion with his speed and that big 92 on his jersey.

Haggans was receiving all the punts, at least the part I saw. Not much to say here other than he caught them all.

Linehan spent most of his time around the offense and the scrimmages. He was involved and making comments. Haslett was on the defense and the scrimmage. He was a bit more vocal and at one point screamed for someone (at the end of a drill) to "get the F'n ball". Not sure what the deal was but you could hear that all over the field. Made me warm all over.

That's about all I can remember."

 

[Bob_Magaw]

Made me warm all over.

That'll happen.

third degree sunburn will make you warm all over, too...i'm irish... do they have 50,000 sunblock?

 

[RAPTURE]

the first STL camp report i have seen... it was filed by blockandtackle from rams original herd board, & he has been reliable in the past... interesting intel about how the overall mood seems to be better with linehan... "Was able to attend part of camp today. I caught the first hour and a half.I first ran into a security/staff guy that I know and we talked about the new regime. He made it very clear that the mood was like night and day. There is a real positive feeling about the organization. He gave one example: last year Martz would stick his nose into everything. At the start of camp last year, Martz yelled at the security director to open the camp gates for fans that were waiting to get in. The director explained that the security detail just finished their meeting and was not fully deployed. Martz fumed. Not a big deal, but he assured me that there have been zero issues like that.I also talked with Randy K for a while, one of the nicest gentlemen in the media. He had a Media/VIP pass for him and his son but elected to sit with the fans. He mentioned another example of the different attitudes: Linehan walked into Ram's park on the second day and greeted a lower level employee by name. This employee was shocked because Martz had never bothered to learn his name in the six years he was there. I don't know if Linehan can coach but he's got the CEO thing down cold.It was a warm morning but did have a nice breeze blowing through and an overcast sky blocked the sun through parts of the practice. Since it was the first practice there was plenty of sloppy play, dropped balls, errant passes, etc. Hard to really judge anyone on the first one. The players were in pads.Also, many of the drills were held too far away from the fans vantage point. That made it hard to watch all the different squads.One of the first things that stood out to me was the corners going through drills. Coach Milus conducted a drill that required the corners to press at the line, focusing on jamming that first five yards and then releasing. You just don't see much of that with Rams corners. Next, I watched a bit of the RB drills were the RBs broke through the line and flared out for a sideline pass. The linebackers were included and expected to jam the RB and then cover. Good drill. The star was Jackson. He looked fresh, light, quick and made some very nice catches. The rest of the RBs were just there. Denzel's boy did not impress me at all. Randy seems to think that the Bennett deal is a real possibility once Bush gets signed by the Saints.I then focused on the corners against the WRs. The most aggressive CB, by far, was Fahkir Brown. He pressed, was physical and got his hand, arm, shoulder, etc in to pass defend. Of course, Bruce made him look a bit silly on a couple routes. Butler and Fisher looked OK, Bartell looked like a safety. He just doesnt seem to have the quickness or the instincts....something, anyway. Holt and Bruce looked fine. Curtis looked a bit rusty but made a couple plays. The new guy Tisch (?) is a monster but very unpolished. I watched some of the QB work. Bulger's arm seemed fine. Randy K made a comment that MB had the most velocity and pace on his throws. The others looked fine, although Fitz looked especially small next to the others. He looked more than just an inch shorter than the other three. We agreed that Fitz has a serious uphill battle ahead of him.Defensively, during the RB vs. LB drill mentioned above, the LBs looked a bit sluggish. Witherspoon and Pisa looked pretty quick and stayed with their guy most of the time. Pisa looked better. Chillar and McGarigle looked stiff and had trouble changing directions and staying with the back after the initial jam. Walhroos knocked some RB named Smith backwards and over an orange barrel with a solid jam.I saw almost none of the Oline, which was a shame 'cause I wanted to get a good look at Incognito and Stussie. Maybe next time.I saw very little of the Dline. Most of the time they were in drills at the far end of the facility....away from the crowd. I found Wroten a couple times and he looks big and strong. However, he took some plays/rotations off during drills. He looked gassed. There were some scrimmages which included work on some surprising plays, such as the reverse and the flea-flicker. I guess Linehan 'aint gonna remind anyone of Chuck Knox.During those scrimmages of 10-15 plays, I counted at least 6 blitzes from the safeties and/or linebackers. Carter, from the safety position looked much more alert. Alston, looked like a player but it may have just been an illusion with his speed and that big 92 on his jersey.Haggans was receiving all the punts, at least the part I saw. Not much to say here other than he caught them all.Linehan spent most of his time around the offense and the scrimmages. He was involved and making comments. Haslett was on the defense and the scrimmage. He was a bit more vocal and at one point screamed for someone (at the end of a drill) to "get the F'n ball". Not sure what the deal was but you could hear that all over the field. Made me warm all over.That's about all I can remember."

A "good posting" sign does not do this reading justice. Excellent post Bob!Do you have any analysis on FS Atogwe? I think he could flourish this year next to Chavous on the other side.RAPTURE

 

[Rovers]

I intend to be at the Jets morning session tomorrow. Should be an interesting contrast to Edwards' camps, which we dubbed "Camp Marshmellow". lots of questions on the Jets this year... how much 3-4, who sarts at the corners, is B Thomas the front runner for OLB, will Houston look any faster now that his thyroid meds have been stabilized, Leon Washington vs. Blaylock... and of course, the QB battle.

 

[RAPTURE]

I intend to be at the Jets morning session tomorrow. Should be an interesting contrast to Edwards' camps, which we dubbed "Camp Marshmellow". lots of questions on the Jets this year... how much 3-4, who sarts at the corners, is B Thomas the front runner for OLB, will Houston look any faster now that his thyroid meds have been stabilized, Leon Washington vs. Blaylock... and of course, the QB battle.

Rovers,Can you check out Justin Miller and if he is lining up with the 1st team defense......and of course, if he is the man on kickoffs. I guess living in Ft. Myers you have to live your dreams through other people's experiences. Thanks in advane Rovers!RAPTURE

 

[Rovers]

I intend to be at the Jets morning session tomorrow. Should be an interesting contrast to Edwards' camps, which we dubbed "Camp Marshmellow". lots of questions on the Jets this year... how much 3-4, who sarts at the corners, is B Thomas the front runner for OLB, will Houston look any faster now that his thyroid meds have been stabilized, Leon Washington vs. Blaylock... and of course, the QB battle.

Rovers,Can you check out Justin Miller and if he is lining up with the 1st team defense......and of course, if he is the man on kickoffs.

I guess living in Ft. Myers you have to live your dreams through other people's experiences. Thanks in advane Rovers!

RAPTURE

I'll do my best.... Last year, it was impossible to determine who would be the kick returner based on practices.... and everyone with eyeballs knew Miller didn't have the hands for returning punts, except Herm Edwards. I'd be very surprised if Miller doesn't keep the KO return job though. Last year, Miller looked great early in camp, until they went to that cover who. He was confused, and it showed. Mangini's system should be a much better fit for Miller's talent set. Rumors are that Miller and Dyson are the favorites to start at the corners, and Barrett will move to nickel. Having never seen how Mangini runs a camp, I have no idea what to expect tomorrow. If I can't get enough info to satisfy my curiousity, I'll also attend the 5:30 pm session, as I don't know how Mangini will break up his 2 a days. I really hope he does some 7 on 7 and full squad drills in the morning. I also want to see if Coleman runs with the 1st team D. I have a hunch Smith may win that job, but just a hunch.

 

[Bob_Magaw]

the first STL camp report i have seen... it was filed by blockandtackle from rams original herd board, & he has been reliable in the past... interesting intel about how the overall mood seems to be better with linehan...

"Was able to attend part of camp today. I caught the first hour and a half.

I first ran into a security/staff guy that I know and we talked about the new regime. He made it very clear that the mood was like night and day. There is a real positive feeling about the organization. He gave one example: last year Martz would stick his nose into everything. At the start of camp last year, Martz yelled at the security director to open the camp gates for fans that were waiting to get in. The director explained that the security detail just finished their meeting and was not fully deployed. Martz fumed. Not a big deal, but he assured me that there have been zero issues like that.

I also talked with Randy K for a while, one of the nicest gentlemen in the media. He had a Media/VIP pass for him and his son but elected to sit with the fans. He mentioned another example of the different attitudes: Linehan walked into Ram's park on the second day and greeted a lower level employee by name. This employee was shocked because Martz had never bothered to learn his name in the six years he was there. I don't know if Linehan can coach but he's got the CEO thing down cold.

It was a warm morning but did have a nice breeze blowing through and an overcast sky blocked the sun through parts of the practice.

Since it was the first practice there was plenty of sloppy play, dropped balls, errant passes, etc. Hard to really judge anyone on the first one. The players were in pads.

Also, many of the drills were held too far away from the fans vantage point. That made it hard to watch all the different squads.

One of the first things that stood out to me was the corners going through drills. Coach Milus conducted a drill that required the corners to press at the line, focusing on jamming that first five yards and then releasing. You just don't see much of that with Rams corners.

Next, I watched a bit of the RB drills were the RBs broke through the line and flared out for a sideline pass. The linebackers were included and expected to jam the RB and then cover. Good drill. The star was Jackson. He looked fresh, light, quick and made some very nice catches. The rest of the RBs were just there. Denzel's boy did not impress me at all. Randy seems to think that the Bennett deal is a real possibility once Bush gets signed by the Saints.

I then focused on the corners against the WRs. The most aggressive CB, by far, was Fahkir Brown. He pressed, was physical and got his hand, arm, shoulder, etc in to pass defend. Of course, Bruce made him look a bit silly on a couple routes. Butler and Fisher looked OK, Bartell looked like a safety. He just doesnt seem to have the quickness or the instincts....something, anyway. Holt and Bruce looked fine. Curtis looked a bit rusty but made a couple plays. The new guy Tisch (?) is a monster but very unpolished.

I watched some of the QB work. Bulger's arm seemed fine. Randy K made a comment that MB had the most velocity and pace on his throws. The others looked fine, although Fitz looked especially small next to the others. He looked more than just an inch shorter than the other three. We agreed that Fitz has a serious uphill battle ahead of him.

Defensively, during the RB vs. LB drill mentioned above, the LBs looked a bit sluggish. Witherspoon and Pisa looked pretty quick and stayed with their guy most of the time. Pisa looked better. Chillar and McGarigle looked stiff and had trouble changing directions and staying with the back after the initial jam. Walhroos knocked some RB named Smith backwards and over an orange barrel with a solid jam.

I saw almost none of the Oline, which was a shame 'cause I wanted to get a good look at Incognito and Stussie. Maybe next time.

I saw very little of the Dline. Most of the time they were in drills at the far end of the facility....away from the crowd. I found Wroten a couple times and he looks big and strong. However, he took some plays/rotations off during drills. He looked gassed.

There were some scrimmages which included work on some surprising plays, such as the reverse and the flea-flicker. I guess Linehan 'aint gonna remind anyone of Chuck Knox.

During those scrimmages of 10-15 plays, I counted at least 6 blitzes from the safeties and/or linebackers. Carter, from the safety position looked much more alert. Alston, looked like a player but it may have just been an illusion with his speed and that big 92 on his jersey.

Haggans was receiving all the punts, at least the part I saw. Not much to say here other than he caught them all.

Linehan spent most of his time around the offense and the scrimmages. He was involved and making comments. Haslett was on the defense and the scrimmage. He was a bit more vocal and at one point screamed for someone (at the end of a drill) to "get the F'n ball". Not sure what the deal was but you could hear that all over the field. Made me warm all over.

That's about all I can remember."

A "good posting" sign does not do this reading justice. Excellent post Bob!

Do you have any analysis on FS Atogwe? I think he could flourish this year next to Chavous on the other side.

RAPTURE

plenty more where that came from, rapture...just for the record, it wasn't my report but blockandtackles from rams homer site i frequent... i will post as many of these as are worthy of inclusion here, but above dude is a consistently insightful eye witness & reporter...

i'd encourage others to do the same, if you follow local & regional boards, copy & paste them here under this thread, so collectively we can get coverage on a lot of teams from around the league...

& the kind of reporting you don't always get on espn & nfl channel...

as to atogwe, he is expected to start... jerome carter & less likely bartell (who miklasz is now saying is a safety & no longer in CB mix) are dark horses... i like atogwe's resume in stanford... but due to a combination of being too optimistic last year, & them having a lot of new, replaced & moving parts on the defense, i'm sort of taking a wait & see attitude so i can get a sense for how they will mesh & play together as a team...

but you can always check my FBG rams team report on defense & player pages for what i thought in off-season...

* rovers - i also think coleman's job could be vulnerable, & am interested to see if smith pushes him for the starting role opposite kerry rhodes... speaking of rhodes, it would be great to get a report of what he looks like, & how vilma looks in the 3-4... will he have to take on more blocking, do you expect a decrease in tackles, or in your opinion can he thrive in 3-4?

 

[RAPTURE]

I'll do my best.... Last year, it was impossible to determine who would be the kick returner based on practices.... and everyone with eyeballs knew Miller didn't have the hands for returning punts, except Herm Edwards. I'd be very surprised if Miller doesn't keep the KO return job though. Last year, Miller looked great early in camp, until they went to that cover who. He was confused, and it showed. Mangini's system should be a much better fit for Miller's talent set. Rumors are that Miller and Dyson are the favorites to start at the corners, and Barrett will move to nickel. Having never seen how Mangini runs a camp, I have no idea what to expect tomorrow. If I can't get enough info to satisfy my curiousity, I'll also attend the 5:30 pm session, as I don't know how Mangini will break up his 2 a days. I really hope he does some 7 on 7 and full squad drills in the morning. I also want to see if Coleman runs with the 1st team D. I have a hunch Smith may win that job, but just a hunch.

Rovers, thanks a bunch! I always respect your views/opinions and it seems we see eye-to-eye on most topics.RAPTURE

 

[RAPTURE]

Just to add to what Bob said about Rams training camp report:

Rams | Atogwe lining up at free safety

Thu, 27 Jul 2006 18:54:30 -0700

Nick Wagoner, of StLouisRams.com, reports St. Louis Rams S O.J. Atogwe spent most of the time at practice Thursday, July 27, lining up at free safety.

Rams | Team using many two tight-end sets

Thu, 27 Jul 2006 18:50:45 -0700

Nick Wagoner, of StLouisRams.com, reports St. Louis Rams rookie TEs Dominique Byrd and Joe Klopfenstein worked with the first team in many two-tight end sets at practice Thursday, July 27.

Rams | Chillar lining up on the strongside

Thu, 27 Jul 2006 18:53:11 -0700

Nick Wagoner, of StLouisRams.com, reports St. Louis Rams LB Brandon Chillar spent most of the time at practice Thursday, July 27, lining up at strongside linebacker.

Rams | Incognito running with first-team offense

Thu, 27 Jul 2006 18:56:21 -0700

Nick Wagoner, of StLouisRams.com, reports St. Louis Rams OL Richie Incognito continued to run with the first-team offense at left guard during practice Thursday, July 27.

RAPTURE

 

[Rovers]

Just got back from Jets camp. If I called Edwards' camp "Camp Marshmellow", I gues I have to call Mangini's "Camp Concrete". This was part I of a 2-a-day, and they ran 2 and a half hours of non stop activity. I'll get to the meat, and do more fluff later.

Rhodes and Colman were the first team safeties, Miller, Dyson and Barrett rotated at the corners. Barrett got burnt on a long TD pass, Clemens to Coles. lots of contact today, some hard tackles... Hobson had several.

Barton and Vilma played the ILB, and Bryan Thomas, Trevor Johnson, Chatam and Hobson rotated at the OLB spots. They gave Johnson a lot of time in there, as well as at DE in the 4-3. The CS are looking at him very hard, but I'm not sure what to make of it. When the LB's and DL's split up, Thomas went with the LB's, Johnson with the DL's. Thomas looked good in coverage in the flat, stayed with his man and broke up some plays. Johnson seemed to be used more as a rush LB.

Schlegel and Kassel got some snaps at ILB too. Smith seems to be safety #3. I barely noticed Mickens, but Strait appears to be CB #4.

Sutton ran much more 3-4 than 4-3, and Ellis, Robertson and von Oelhoffen are clearly the front 3 starters. Pouha showed up today, and did a nice job on several plays, getting praise from both coaches and players. I still think this guy can develop into a bona-fide 3-4 NT. He looked good today.

Vilma took a Pennigton pass to the house, and Rhodes dropped an INT. There was another INT, but I'm not sure who threw it, or who got the ball. Oh well, you can't catch everything at TC's.... it happens.

There was a rotation on the practice KO's and punts (very few of the later), just fielding the ball, not full squad drills. The rotation was Coleman, Tim Dwight, Brad Smith (the converted QB) Leon Washington and Cotchery. Blaylock took a few as well. I'd have to say that Westoff and Mangini will look at all of them at this point. I still have to think Miller is the favorite for KR, unless he becomes the every down starter at CB, then that could change. Washington looked very quick and could be the dark horse here. Dwight probably has the inside track for punt returns.

My overall impression is one that bodes well for the team, but not so much for IDP studs. Other than the ILB and safety spots, it looks, at least as of now, like a real rotation at all the other spots.

Now, for some fluff. This camp is all business. In past camps, there wasn't anywhere near as much stretching, and half the players didn't do much. In contrast, they looked like the Rockettes out there. No fooling around, coaches all active, helping players stretch, correcting technique and doing at least 3 times the number of excersizes I'd seen in previous years.

Drills... tons of them. WR's and RB's going one on one with DB's and LB's in full "tackle the ball carrier" drills. Lots of flat pylon stepping drills. Tons of contact. While I wanted to see a tougher camp.... I hope Mangini doesn't kill them before the season starts. His coaching style is on the quiet side, no screaming and yelling, but a lot of one on one conversations with players. Schottenheimer was hard to even notice.... very low key, all business. Sutton, the promoted DC was a little more vocal, and was in control.

There is a tremendous contrast between this camp and previous ones I've seen. These guys had to feel like they played a full game, but they will be back out there at 5:30 this evening. I'm undecided if I'm going to that session. It was brutal hot in the bleachers.... I shook Cedric Houston's hand, the kid was absolutely drenched in sweat. He could barely talk.

I have to think this evening's practice will be more of the instructional type.... I don't see how the players could go through another workout like this one. Maybe more ST's stuff, of which there was very little, other than these 3 on 3 blocking drills that looked like KO blocking and return drills to me, full contact, some big hits, pads popping. That's it for the defense for now.... should I post the offense in the Shark Pool instead?

 

[Jene Bramel]

Awesome, Rovers.

How well did you think Robertson was doing plugging the middle? Vilma getting to the ball easily? Which of the safeties look more likely to line up in a deep cover role?

Camp time, baby. I'm just glad I'm not the one doing two-a-days in summer weather.

 

[Rovers]

Awesome, Rovers.

How well did you think Robertson was doing plugging the middle? Vilma getting to the ball easily? Which of the safeties look more likely to line up in a deep cover role?

Camp time, baby. I'm just glad I'm not the one doing two-a-days in summer weather.

First, a correction.... it was Pennington to Cotchery on the long TD, but Barrett was the right guy.... oops! On that play, I looked to see where the heck the deep help from the safety was, but the closest guy was.... Vilma! I mentioned Vilma took a Pennington pass to the house, so he's in mid season form. He also rang up some big hits. It's very tough to see exactly what goes on close to the line of scrimmage, to be honest. A pile of players, and a cloud of ... well more players. I didn't see anything that made Robertson stand out, but what I did get was an idea that Pouha had a very good day. On several running plays that got stuffed, it was Pouha getting the head pats by his team mates and atta boys from the CS.

So, line play is pretty tough to get a good look at from field level sideline, when they are doing the 11 on 11 sets. It's a lot easier to see the OLB's and DB's play. If I go again this evening, I'll see what else I can come up with in the way of linemen reports.

As far as which S is the deep man, well, I can't give you a solid answer on that either. There were only about 3 or 4 deep passes thrown today, and it's tough to see everything. I've found I usually have to play scout, and concentrate on just a position instead of watching like a fan to get a good feel for things. Right now, it seems like they are playing LS and RS, and switch coverage based on what the read is. I saw Rhodes deep once, but more often saw him in the deep flat defending the deep hook.

Instead of watching the line, snap and QB, I'll concentrate a bit more on the DB's next time. I spent most of my time trying to just gauge which players were getting how much of the first team snaps! With a whole new scheme, there was just too much to try and take in for one practice, honestly.

I wanted to watch the QB's the RB's the rook O linemen, the entire D.... so today was spent just trying to figure out who the starters were, and what the depth chart looks like. In that regard, I got a good handle on just about all the positions.

Here's what I've got:

NT- Robertson, Pouha

DE- Ellis, Thomas

DE- kimo von, Johnson

ILB- Vilma, Kassell

ILB- Barton, Schlegel

OLB looks like a rotation, Johnson and Thomas on the weak side, and Hobson and Chatham on the other.

SS- Coleman , Smith

FA- Rhodes, Maddox, Washington

The 4-3 uses last year's LB alignement, Barton- Vilma- Hobson primarilly, with Ellis and johnson as DE's, Pouha at slant NT, and Robertson at 3 T.

I'll probably head out for the evening practice too, and for you, Jene, I'll take special interest in the scheme the safeties are using!

 

[Jene Bramel]

Awesome, Rovers.

How well did you think Robertson was doing plugging the middle?  Vilma getting to the ball easily?  Which of the safeties look more likely to line up in a deep cover role?

Camp time, baby.  I'm just glad I'm not the one doing two-a-days in summer weather.

I'll probably head out for the evening practice too, and for you, Jene, I'll take special interest in the scheme the safeties are using!

You're the best. Really just curious about whether either Coleman or Rhodes will retain decent value in the 3-4 setup. If one of them is more likely to cheat toward the LOS or come on blitz packages (like Belichick did with Rodney Harrison) it'll be good to know.

 

[Rovers]

Sorry, some severe thunderstorms rolled through, if there was a practice, it was most likely moved inside. I'll be back at TC on Monday and Tuesday.

 

[Bob_Magaw]

rams camp report #2 from BAT...

"Caught a little over an hour of practice today.

It was HOT and HUMID, somewhere in the mid-90's. That made for a very hot practice for the players who were in full pads.

The crowd was once again sparce. More than the first day but still a small crowd. Maybe 500 or so.

The practice started with the typical easy drills. I watched the WRs go on simple patterns and the RBs some light run left, run right, run up the middle stuff. Interestingly, the flea-flicker was once again a part of the drills.

The QBs did not look particularly sharp, once again. Bulger was fine and the most accurate, most zip, once again.

The first full scrimmage was a blast. Lots of talking, lots of input from the coaches. Haslett has a very free-flowing vocabulary. He often makes it clear that he wants players to get to the F'n ball.

In fact, I found most of the coaches were a bit testy today.

Brian Baker, the new Dline coach was very vocal. He targeted Kennedy throughout the scrimmage. At one point, Kennedy was knocked to the ground (not sure which Olineman did this) and Baker screamed at full volume, "Get UP, Don't go down, Jimmy", then Linehan added, also in full volume, " I don't EVER want to see that again". After that, on each and every play of the scrimmage, Baker chided Kennedy with "Jimmy's getting tired", "Oh yeah, 73 is tired", "if I can see it, they can see it, Kennedy is tired". Kennedy looked like a beaten man after that spirited scrimmage. Maybe, it wasn't Kollar after all.

The scrimmage featured some nice stops by Witherspoon and Chillar. Wroten and GLover also stood some people up.

Ligashesky, special teams coach, is still the most animated guy on the field. He yells, claps, jumps, hops the entire time. He became a bit upset with Pyatt at one point during a return drill where the returner starts on the thirty and goes through each ST player while Ligashesky yells "squeeze and constrict" over and over again. Pyatt "freelanced" a bit an went outside on his turn. Ligashesky yelled, "Hey, young man, you, returner, yeah you returner", "follow your man", "Do NOT screw up my drill, son".

Other stuff:

Linehan spent a fair amount of time watching defensive drills. I saw him spending time with the LBs and with the secondary.

Venturi coaches the entire time. He mainly works with the LBs and instructs them constantly.

Jim Chaney (pretty sure anyway) the Asst. Oline coach is very involved. This guy has the largest gut, I mean a real over-lapper. Makes Martz' belly look supermodelish. Not pretty.

Jon ALston switched from #92 to #57. He looked bigger in #92.

Byrd made a fantastic catch in scrimmage #2. Bulger hit him in stride, but a bit high on a quick 15 yarder. Byrd stretched and caught it with his fingers and pulled it in on the run. Very nice.

During this scrimmage there was a fumble by Fred Russell (i think). When the ball popped out there was major screaming by the coaches, especially Haslett, "BALL, BALL, BALL". The safety, Carpenter, did not see it initally and then made a weak attempt to pick it up, as if it was on fire. Very weak play and Haslett/Venturi/Milus were not happy.

During that second scrimmage, there was a tackle of Jackson. I think Atogwe and maybe Witherspoon (who is called WIL by everyone). One of the coaches, not sure who, had a fit about the tackle. He screamed, got in several defenders faces, yelled about injuries, etc. He was fuming. Jackson spiked the ball, took off his helmet. The D didnt seem too upset or concerned, which I got a chuckle from.

Much of both scrimmages were focused on the run. Several went right at the left side of the Oline, Pace and Cogs. Timmerman was on the ground a lot during the scrimmages.

Little played the right side and was completely neutralized by Pace.

Hargrove was very vocal all day. Lots of "we gotta do it together", "Lets get this done", etc. He did this mainly on STs but also on his shift on D.

Haggans looked the best during return drills but there wasnt any real tackling, so..... However, he looked comfortable and quick. The other punt returners were McDonald and Pyatt.

Groom had most of the kicking opportunities. Not sure if I even saw Turk kick, but then I don't pay too much attention to kickers.

Wilkins was playing RB in LB drills. He was just going through the motions and it was completely non-contact. I did realize later that several of his patterns could be used on fake FGs. So, maybe there was a method to that madness.

Thats all I can think of right now. I took a bunch of pics but will have to get to them late tonight."

 

[Jene Bramel]

Saints camp tidbits from various posts from MSSaintfan and others on the SaintsReport.com forum.

Biggest news = Anthony Simmons did not show up today. The absence was unexcused. Looks like Fujita lined up at WLB and Polley at SLB with the first team. Stoutmire and Bullocks at safety.

Defense: Fincher started in the Mike position and seemed to cover ground and read well. Once or twice he got caught in overpursuit, but both times, Fujita covered it from the Right side. Polley started on the left side. Group looked very active and fluid as a whole. I thought they looked good against the run and the pass. All three dropped back well. Fujita had a couple of real nice pass break ups. Up front, Hollis Thomas and Bryan Young looked to be in position for almost everything. Offense wasn't going full out, of course, but the DL got there quickly enough that I don't think they will have trouble. Grant and Smith had the outside well read and defended. The only weaknesses I saw were in the secondary. Drew really picked them apart at times. Timing routes were common, and ate the DB's up. On longer passes, the DB's looked to recuperate well and be in good position, with most long passes being broken up. Safeties looked good in Run support and in longer pass protection. More detail on them next time out.

Simmons was a no show.  The last thing they said about it was that they heard it from Payton that it was an unexcused absence... and that Payton said that he didn't even hear from Simmons regarding his absence.

Fincher really impressed me. He seemed to be very aware of what he was doing..... just had a little trouble once or twice with overpursuit. He didn't look lost at all. He has the physical tools, and if he catches on to game speed and learns not to bite on the fakes..... look out!

Bullocks and Stoutmire started at safety. Hopfully that changes soon.

 

[Jene Bramel]

Multiple reports from Texans campCurrently it looks like WLB Morlon Greenwood/MLB Sam Cowart/SLB Shawntee Orr. DeMeco Ryans ran with the second team at WLB. Mulitple sources here suggest Kailee Wong will quickly move into the SLB role.Apparently, Mario Williams looked good and improved as the day went on. Babin is running with the first team as well. And, as expected, it's Glenn Earl and CC Brown at safety.From the Advance Scout at houstonprofootball.com

The defensive line’s first unit included ends Mario Williams and Jason Babin, and tackles Anthony Weaver and Seth Payne. Robaire Smith subbed for Payne into the first unit often. Second-year player Travis Johnson was decidedly fourth behind the top three tackles, followed by Alfred Malone. Antwan Peek and N.D. Kalu played mostly with the second unit, followed by reserves Earl Cochran, Jeff Charleston, and Devarick Scandrett.At linebacker, Sam Cowart resumed his role in the middle, flanked by Shantee Orr on the strongside and Morlon Greenwood on the weakside. Orr is likely holding the space while Kailee Wong recovers. When the second unit played, Wali Rainer manned the middle, with Charlie Anderson at the strongside and rookie DeMeco Ryans at weakside. Rainer was particularly entertaining to watch. With his jersey tied up to reveal his toned midsection -- a look only Corey Bradford would have loved -- Rainer showed off some surprising range and a pair of soft hands in pass coverage drills. And Ryans, who likely will see more reps in the middle during the second of the two-a-day workouts, displayed his agility and some quick, explosive hands.Among the cornerbacks, Dunta Robinson and Demarcus Faggins were starting, with Phillip Buchanon operating as the nickel. Right now, Lewis Sanders has the edge on Chris McKenzie for the fourth corner, but consider that to be a good battle to watch as camp progresses. At safety, C.C. Brown and Glenn Earl led the way, followed by the pairing of Michael Stone and Jason Simmons.

From Houston Chronicle's John McClain's blog

The crowd has just ooooed and aaaaahed because Mario Williams got off the line of scrimmage as if shot out of a cannon and could have destroyed David Carr if defensive linemen could hit quarterbacks. Carr says after practice that this happened more than once. He praises Williams' quickness and explosiveness off the ball.

 

[homebrumiester]

Just got back from the Seahawks morning practice

Some observations

Hill was manning the strong side with Peterson on the weak. In the past Seattle has used right and left side OLB but in practice Hill was always on the strong side.

DD Lewis was with the second team but made some nice plays in 11 on 11 drills

I was good to see Hamlin back on the field

Herndon and Trufant were at CB with the 1st unit

Jennings has yet to sign also absent in the 1st practice were DJax (although he was on the side lines and is suppose to practice this afternoon) and Jerramy Stevens

Rookie WR Obomanu looked decent Burlson looks like he will be a great addition and Engram looked sharp. Biggest surprise to me was Hackett, he made some fine grabs including the catch of the morning practice on a 30 yard throw from Hass over CB Reggie Austin

Hass looked good in passing drills and had a scramble in 11 on 11 drills that drew a good amount of applause from the crowd to which Hass Waved and took bows all the way back to the huddle.

Heading out to the afternoon session soon.

 

[Rovers]

Just got back from the Seahawks morning practice

Some observations

Hill was manning the strong side with Peterson on the weak. In the past Seattle has used right and left side OLB but in practice Hill was always on the strong side.

DD Lewis was with the second team but made some nice plays in 11 on 11 drills

I was good to see Hamlin back on the field

Herndon and Trufant were at CB with the 1st unit

Jennings has yet to sign also absent in the 1st practice were DJax (although he was on the side lines and is suppose to practice this afternoon) and Jerramy Stevens

Rookie WR Obomanu looked decent Burlson looks like he will be a great addition and Engram looked sharp. Biggest surprise to me was Hackett, he made some fine grabs including the catch of the morning practice on a 30 yard throw from Hass over CB Reggie Austin

Hass looked good in passing drills and had a scramble in 11 on 11 drills that drew a good amount of applause from the crowd to which Hass Waved and took bows all the way back to the huddle.

Heading out to the afternoon session soon.

Nice report.... I thought DJax was going to sit out most of TC. Also happy to hear Peteson on the weak side. how does SA look?

 

[No. 16]

rams camp report #2 from BAT...

"Caught a little over an hour of practice today.

It was HOT and HUMID, somewhere in the mid-90's. That made for a very hot practice for the players who were in full pads.

The crowd was once again sparce. More than the first day but still a small crowd. Maybe 500 or so.

The practice started with the typical easy drills. I watched the WRs go on simple patterns and the RBs some light run left, run right, run up the middle stuff. Interestingly, the flea-flicker was once again a part of the drills.

The QBs did not look particularly sharp, once again. Bulger was fine and the most accurate, most zip, once again.

The first full scrimmage was a blast. Lots of talking, lots of input from the coaches. Haslett has a very free-flowing vocabulary. He often makes it clear that he wants players to get to the F'n ball.

In fact, I found most of the coaches were a bit testy today.

Brian Baker, the new Dline coach was very vocal. He targeted Kennedy throughout the scrimmage. At one point, Kennedy was knocked to the ground (not sure which Olineman did this) and Baker screamed at full volume, "Get UP, Don't go down, Jimmy", then Linehan added, also in full volume, " I don't EVER want to see that again". After that, on each and every play of the scrimmage, Baker chided Kennedy with "Jimmy's getting tired", "Oh yeah, 73 is tired", "if I can see it, they can see it, Kennedy is tired". Kennedy looked like a beaten man after that spirited scrimmage. Maybe, it wasn't Kollar after all.

The scrimmage featured some nice stops by Witherspoon and Chillar. Wroten and GLover also stood some people up.

Ligashesky, special teams coach, is still the most animated guy on the field. He yells, claps, jumps, hops the entire time. He became a bit upset with Pyatt at one point during a return drill where the returner starts on the thirty and goes through each ST player while Ligashesky yells "squeeze and constrict" over and over again. Pyatt "freelanced" a bit an went outside on his turn. Ligashesky yelled, "Hey, young man, you, returner, yeah you returner", "follow your man", "Do NOT screw up my drill, son".

Other stuff:

Linehan spent a fair amount of time watching defensive drills. I saw him spending time with the LBs and with the secondary.

Venturi coaches the entire time. He mainly works with the LBs and instructs them constantly.

Jim Chaney (pretty sure anyway) the Asst. Oline coach is very involved. This guy has the largest gut, I mean a real over-lapper. Makes Martz' belly look supermodelish. Not pretty.

Jon ALston switched from #92 to #57. He looked bigger in #92.

Byrd made a fantastic catch in scrimmage #2. Bulger hit him in stride, but a bit high on a quick 15 yarder. Byrd stretched and caught it with his fingers and pulled it in on the run. Very nice.

During this scrimmage there was a fumble by Fred Russell (i think). When the ball popped out there was major screaming by the coaches, especially Haslett, "BALL, BALL, BALL". The safety, Carpenter, did not see it initally and then made a weak attempt to pick it up, as if it was on fire. Very weak play and Haslett/Venturi/Milus were not happy.

During that second scrimmage, there was a tackle of Jackson. I think Atogwe and maybe Witherspoon (who is called WIL by everyone). One of the coaches, not sure who, had a fit about the tackle. He screamed, got in several defenders faces, yelled about injuries, etc. He was fuming. Jackson spiked the ball, took off his helmet. The D didnt seem too upset or concerned, which I got a chuckle from.

Much of both scrimmages were focused on the run. Several went right at the left side of the Oline, Pace and Cogs. Timmerman was on the ground a lot during the scrimmages.

Little played the right side and was completely neutralized by Pace.

Hargrove was very vocal all day. Lots of "we gotta do it together", "Lets get this done", etc. He did this mainly on STs but also on his shift on D.

Haggans looked the best during return drills but there wasnt any real tackling, so..... However, he looked comfortable and quick. The other punt returners were McDonald and Pyatt.

Groom had most of the kicking opportunities. Not sure if I even saw Turk kick, but then I don't pay too much attention to kickers.

Wilkins was playing RB in LB drills. He was just going through the motions and it was completely non-contact. I did realize later that several of his patterns could be used on fake FGs. So, maybe there was a method to that madness.

Thats all I can think of right now. I took a bunch of pics but will have to get to them late tonight."

So it looks like they're planning to use Alston at LB, particularly WLB? Did he take any reps at SS like mentioned pre-draft? Any other thoughts on Alston would be appreciated.

 

[homebrumiester]

Just got back from the Seahawks morning practice

Some observations

Hill was manning the strong side with Peterson on the weak. In the past Seattle has used right and left side OLB but in practice Hill was always on the strong side.

DD Lewis was with the second team but made some nice plays in 11 on 11 drills

I was good to see Hamlin back on the field

Herndon and Trufant were at CB with the 1st unit

Jennings has yet to sign also absent in the 1st practice were DJax (although he was on the side lines and is suppose to practice this afternoon) and Jerramy Stevens

Rookie WR Obomanu looked decent Burlson looks like he will be a great addition and Engram looked sharp. Biggest surprise to me was Hackett, he made some fine grabs including the catch of the morning practice on a 30 yard throw from Hass over CB Reggie Austin

Hass looked good in passing drills and had a scramble in 11 on 11 drills that drew a good amount of applause from the crowd to which Hass Waved and took bows all the way back to the huddle.

Heading out to the afternoon session soon.

Nice report.... I thought DJax was going to sit out most of TC. Also happy to hear Peteson on the weak side. how does SA look?

DJax was put on PUP and won't be practicing until he passes his physical.SA looked good, ran crisptly and caught everything thrown his way.

Warrick got to camp late (flight problems I believe). He strerched but sat out the afternoon practice.

Trapp ran with the first team D and looked a little slow to me, could just be rookie jitters.

Mike Green and Hamlin were at safety with the 1st unit (Boulware sat out both sessions today, but I got a chance to talk to him after practice and he said he would be practicing Sunday in the morning and take the afternoon session off, he indicated that he was about 3 weeks out from being ready to go full time)

Winstrom and Tubbs did not practice at all today

2 best plays in the afternoon were turned in by C J Jones a 2nd year FA WR from Iowa. He made 2 nice catches and looked very quick off the line but is smallish at 5'11'' 195 but showed good hands

Seneca Wallace was fairly sharp as Hass's backup made a couple of strong throws. One on a deep out to Hackett and another on a rollout to Jones.

 

[cr8f]

From Philly burbs

A few training camp observations

Random thoughts after nine days, 16 practices of Eagles training camp ...

So far, Matt McCoy looks comfortable in his new role as starting weak-side linebacker.

McCoy can’t do any worse than Keith Adams, who didn’t make a big play in 16 starts last year. After a lost rookie year, McCoy remade himself, losing weight, adding muscle and immersing himself in the details of Jim Johnson’s defense. After being inactive for 12 games last year, McCoy has been one of the pleasant surprises of camp. He’s physical and always seems to be in the right place. He’ll be one to keep an eye on when the preseason games start ...

Kind of ominous to see L.J. Smith and Darwin Walker pop up with the same injuries they had last year. Smith sprained the same shoulder as last year and Walker has another quad contusion. Old injuries are never a good sign ...

Andy Thorn is having a better camp than Matt Schobel. That’s a little scary, since Thorn is an undrafted free agent tight end who spent last year on the practice squad and Schobel is a highpriced offseason acquisition. But so far, Thorn has caught the ball far more consistently than Schobel and is also a capable blocker. Not sure how Thorn can make the team, but he’s doing all he can to try and earn a job …

Special teams coach John Harbaugh will one day make a great big-time NCAA Division I coach. His enthusiasm, love for the game and down-to-earth personality will make him unstoppable on the recruiting trail. No parent would say no to him ...

Hank Baskett might be for real. History is full of receivers who looked like allpros at training camp, then disappeared once the lights came on. Na Brown, anybody? But Baskett has played so consistently at Lehigh that he’s elbowed his way into the receiver picture. He’s running polished routes, making circus catches every day, and has built up good chemistry with Donovan McNabb. And he’s already a fan favorite. You don’t want to get too excited until he makes some catches in the preseason games, but he has a shot …

Head coach Andy Reid appears far more cautious this year with injured players. A year ago, he pushed guys too hard who were banged up. This year, he’s backing off. Maybe because camp is so long and maybe because he learned his lesson a year ago, when he overworked Correll Buckhalter to the point where he could barely walk. He eventually re-tore his patellar tendon, jeopardizing his career. This summer, when injured guys return to practice, they’re getting just a handful of reps their first day back and gradually working into the rotation. Smart ...

Good to see Buckhalter and Todd Pinkston practicing here and there, but both seem far from the point where they can actually get on the field in a regular-season game and help this team. If Pinkston isn’t 100 percent in a couple weeks, the Eagles have to go out and get a receiver ...

Brian Westbrook is quietly having a superb camp. Westbrook, now in his fifth NFL season, is one of the biggest keys to the Eagles’ season. Since he became a full-time player in 2003, the Eagles are 25-7 when he gets more than 10 touches on offense and 5-9 when he doesn’t. Every conversation about Westbrook starts with, “If he stays healthy …” If he does, he’s going to have a monster season …

With every day that goes by, defensive end Jerome McDougle looks more and more like a player who might be able to contribute. McDougle, a first-round pick in 2003, has put the nightmare of his first three NFL seasons behind him, has hammered himself into shape, and has earned some run on the Eagles’ revamped defensive line …

Jeff Garcia is such an upgrade over Mike McMahon it’s ridiculous …

Jeremiah Trotter has been a maniac in camp. He’s constantly yammering at teammates, talking trash with the offense, and firing up the fans. And practicing at his usual intense level. Always fun to watch …

Nothing against retired defensive line coach Tommy Brasher, but Pete Jenkins is a hands-on coach who is constantly emphasizing technique. Yesterday, during a special teams drill, Jenkins gathered all his linemen together and just talked to them for 10 minutes about playing defense. This line should be light years better than last year’s.

 

[Tick]

Any mention of Darren Howard among the Philly bits? I don't see any here, but wondered if you had seen any that you didn't add in here.

 

[cr8f]

Any mention of Darren Howard among the Philly bits? I don't see any here, but wondered if you had seen any that you didn't add in here.

A nice story here.BETHLEHEM, Pa., July 25 -- Into the first real football practice of the summer he roared, pads clattering, helmet cracking. Darren Howard had been waiting for this day for a long time, for years really, desperate to have a new start, a new team, a new attitude.

And now he finally had it with the Philadelphia Eagles, two bitter final seasons in New Orleans behind him. And on this first day, in the first drill, they were pitting him against William Thomas, the team's towering left tackle, a giant of a man with three Pro Bowls to his name and a reputation for flattening pass rushers.

Try to get past him Darren, let's see what you got. Then the whistle blew. And all the losing and contract fights with the Saints exploded inside him. The defensive end lurched from his crouch and shoved past the startled Thomas. In an instant, he was gone.

For a moment, there was silence on the practice fields at Lehigh University. The Eagles were not used to this kind of thing happening, not to the most cherished of their offensive linemen. Then came the shouts, the whoops, the howls of hope across the morning.

"He beat me sooo bad," Thomas later moaned as he walked off the field.

 

[Jene Bramel]

Lions news and notes

Link

With about 12 minutes left in practice, Pro Bowl defensive tackle Shaun Rogers went down with a left shoulder injury. First reports are that the team doesn't believe it's serious. Rogers was carted off the field but that was more an issue of comfort than necessity. Also, Shaun Cody (knee) and Fernando Bryant (hamstring) missed practice.

Boss Bailey (ankle) was taken off the Physically Unable to Perform list and took part in practice. President Matt Millen said he was also encouraged by the rapid progress of Teddy Lehman (foot) but there's still no timetable for his return.

................

First-round draft pick Ernie Sims, who signed a five-year contract this morning, made an immediate impact at practice. On one of his first plays in the 9-on-7 drill, he delivered a forearm shiver to rookie running back Brian Calhoun. Sims also made a diving interception in front of Eddie Drummond and, during a running play, he took on a block by veteran guard Brock Gutierrez so violently that Gutierrez hooted and smiled and patted him on the butt.

You have to remember, though, that this was the fifth practice for everybody else so Sims has fresh legs and is going to be a little faster and hit with a little more pop. Still, it was an impressive start.

 

[Jene Bramel]

Update on Charger safety battle

McCree looks to be a clear starter -- as expected. And despite all the talk about Clinton Hart, it was Terrence Kiel who ran with the first team to begin camp. It is still very much an open competition, though.

It is the cornerbacks who get the publicity, good and bad.

But the reality is that the men who play in the far reaches of the defense can be just as crucial (and sometimes more so) to a secondary's success or lack thereof.

Thus, Chargers General Manager A.J. Smith's only significant free-agent signing this spring was safety Marlon McCree. Thus, the biggest battle for a starting spot in training camp is at safety.

“We have to be good in the secondary, and they know it,” safety Clinton Hart said. “They have to bring the best out of whoever is starting out there. Whoever that is is going to be good, because we have guys pushing them for the starting spot.”

This should be fun to watch.

While defensive backs coach Brian Stewart and coordinator Wade Phillips have stuck with the same rotation the first two days, it is likely they will start to mix things up soon.

The only certainty is that McCree will start at one of the two safety spots. (It is ridiculous to think the Chargers guaranteed him $6 million in the offseason to be a reserve.)

Up for grabs

The four Chargers battling for playing time at the two safety positions, from which the team needs more interceptions:

Marlon McCree: Extremely smart, most experienced of the group. Will start at one of the spots.

Clinton Hart: Showed he could play last year at either position. Is rapidly learning how to play the pass.

Bhawoh Jue: Was physical and at times made plays on the ball. Currently injured (knee) but expected back soon.

Terrence Kiel: Better against the run. Has had a good opening week of camp.

Where McCree plays is the only question. He played strong safety last year in Carolina, but he has also played free safety.

Really, Terrence Kiel is the only one of the four combatants seemingly tied to a position, having played strong safety his first three years and being better against the run than the pass.

Hart started nine games at free safety his rookie season in 2003 for the Philadelphia Eagles. Last year for the Chargers he started one game at free and four at strong. Bhawoh Jue, the Chargers' primary starter at free safety in '05, has played every secondary position in his five NFL seasons.

“We're all interchangeable,” Jue said.

Add to that widespread versatility the fact that in the Chargers defense the two safety positions are not all that different in their requirements.

“The safeties are a little more involved here,” McCree said. “That's great. The safeties here are identical. Other teams I've been on, you had a strong safety and he was the strong. You had a free safety and he was the free. The safeties here, both of them do the same thing a lot. Most of the time both are covering, both blitzing, both playing the post, both playing cover-two, both playing cover-four. That's fine. I like it that way.”

At the dawn of camp, McCree is the starting free and Kiel the starting strong safety. Hart is playing second-team strong. Jue is on the sideline, still recovering from an offseason knee 'scope. He is expected to return to the field by week's end.

“Those guys have a head start,” Jue said. “I definitely will push them. There's no question I'm going to come like a bat out of hell to win my job.”

It is likely Jue will initially be inserted back in with the No. 1 team, a nod to the fact starters don't lose their jobs to injuries.

One thing that could determine the winner to play opposite McCree is the player who shows the ability to find the ball. The Chargers secondary came up with just seven interceptions last season, including three by Jue and one by Hart. Increasing that total (a lot) is a point of emphasis this camp.

The Chargers also need a true leader at safety. It is likely McCree is that leader, as he was in Carolina. Jue struggled somewhat in that role last season.

“To be a safety you have to be a guy who can run the defense,” McCree said. “That's what I've been able to do in the places I've been. I've been able to adapt to the guys I've been with.”

Whatever happens, with multiple ways this could turn out, the participants and the man in charge are saying there are only positives to come from the summer battle.

“I think it is an ideal circumstance,” coach Marty Schottenheimer said. “It's the kind of competition that will clearly bring out the best in everybody.”

 

[Jene Bramel]

Link

Middle linebacker Wali Rainer, an eight-year veteran who was signed in the offseason, was carted off the practice field and later had a cast on his leg.

Rainer was undergoing tests, and the Texans will know the extent of his injury today.

Just in case anybody was wooed into thinking Wali Rainer was likely to hang on as the first string MLB for the Texans...

 

[Bob_Magaw]

BATs third rams camp report (monday)... sounds like wroten is turning heads... he is one of my favorite IDPs from this class, & imo will go down as one of the steals of the actual draft (unless his issue with the chronic becomes chronic)...

"Attended most of camp today with my son. It was really hot.

Team was in full pads again.

The team seemed to be all business today. I'm thinking that the camp bumps and bruises, along with the heat, has really caught up with most of them.

Tye Hill was in camp and received plenty of attention in drills and in scrimmages. Seemed as if the scrimmage plays were designed to pick on him a bit. A handful of deep routes were directed at Hill.

Hill held his own but I'm sure he thought it was a tough day. Frequently, Hill would clap his hands and yell Fudge. Well, not really fudge but you get the idea.

Hill was always around the ball and the WR, which is good. He went for the ball on several attempts in drills and scrimmage but found out quickly that the QBs can put the ball just out of reach and making him whiff, which is not good.

My first impression: Hill is very athletic and a serious competitor. But, he's short and will have to compensate somehow. Not a bad first day, but like I posted, he probably doesnt feel really good about it.

Fisher looked very good again. At one point during drills he tweaked something. He appeared to grab his hip but then a trainer was playing with the kneecap. PD's Jim Thomas was next to me and made a comment about how funny it is that as soon as Hill shows up, Fisher starts having issues. I hope that wasn't an insight on Fisher's competitiveness. I didn't ask JT to explain. Fisher stayed out of drills until the next segment, but was quickly back in the mix and seemed fine. I firmly believe that having Brown and Hill helps guys like Fisher get back on the field. Competition is a good thing.

The rest of the DBs looked OK. The WRs have a distinct advantage at this point because they can be fearless. On several occasions the safety could have removed a WR's head (Atogwe, especially) but simply gave them a harmless shove. So, its hard to tell if the DBs are doing enough. They are certainly around the ball.

Bulger was very sharp. He looks great. Frerotte still looks a bit rusty. Ragone settled in a bit and made some nice throws but most were short routes and flairs.

RBs looked fine. Fisher is a lot bigger than I realized. We had a nice view of him during one segment. I think he will be a nice addition.

Holt, Curtis, McDonald and Looker all had a nice day. Bruce seemed to be a spectator for most (if not all) of the drills and scrimmages. He spent most of the day under a towel. I'm thinking that Linehan gave him the day off. Jeremy Carter, once again, had the dropsies.

Haggans received most of the attention on punt drills. While he looks good, he did have a couple drops. First time I saw that.

The TEs looked better. Alex Holmes had a good day and seemed to get most of the action. Klops is still catching on, IMO. I have not been impressed with him, so far. He just looks a bit lost. Not a big deal, but lets hope that changes...soon. Jermome Collins doesnt get many looks and had a drop on his only opportunity. I dont see him beating out Holmes, Walker or Trafford..who are getting more looks at this point.

On defense, I spent time really watching the Dline. Wroten looks very quick. I mean VERY quick. He was in position to take out the QB on a couple of occasions but always throttled it back, per camp rules. Glover and Fisk looked OK but didnt stand out. Glover was back after taking some time off because of fluid/weight loss. Adenaju is a big boy and shows some potential. He's a project, for sure. He runs with the "2s" behind Hargrove at LDE. Little and Hargrove were OK. Nothing special to report. Kennedy was fine except for one play where he the RB took one up the middle. No screaming this time, just a quck yank and replaced by Wroten. Expect to see that often during the season. Wroten just seems be making plays. Howard and Green were in there but didnt notice them much. One nice play was a combo of Wroten holding up his man (I think it was Setterstrom but not sure) and allowing Pisa to fill and stop Jackson at the line. Wroten and Pisa were proud of themselves on that one. Good to see.

I can't get a feel for the Oline other than to say that the Dline seems to have the upper hand, so far. The first unit looks OK but certainly not dominating. Terrell did have a nice pancake block on Wroten. Wroten made that quick step move and Terrell just backed off and the deliver a blow as Wroten came down of that first penetrating step. Wroten went down hard on his back. Other than that, its hard to tell because there is no tackling. RBs seem to bounce off of guys at the LOS.

All I can think of and need to go. I'll try to post pics later."

 

[No. 16]

Bob, what are your thoughts on Jon Alston? Potenial WLB starter? POssible SS in the future? How are his prospects to you?

 

[Rovers]

Went to Jets camp today......

It's just too stinkin hot out there! I even brought an umbrella, but left at 3:30. Brutal. I need to get one of those umbrella hats with a fan in it! I actually had a hard time concentrating on what I was watching. I know I practiced in that sort of heat (with no water, idiots) in high school, but geeze.... I don't know how the players do it. In some ways, I think it's easier to be playing, because you have to do it.... sweltering for fun.... well, I left early.

I did get to see some red zone drills, and that was pretty good. I'll try to remember some specifics, but my brain is fried.

Smith ran with the 1st team D, since Coleman was out with a reported illness.... could be a geat related thing, I would guess. He looked pretty good, but what I don't have a handle on just yet is how the safeties work in this scheme. Smith was usually lined up about a yard and a half closer to the LOS than Rhodes, but it seemed to me that Rhodes was the safety that came up first against the run (and delivered some pretty big freakin hits, too). If I were game planning against this D, you can bet I'd have a shovel pass in the game plan.

Smith has a ways to go in making the read.... I think he could bite on play actions, and maybe that is why they had him wait a bit to persue the ball carrier. Rhodes seems to make those reads very fast and reliably. I didn't notice any safety blitzes or things like that. At this point in camp, I think they are trying to keep it simple.

As I've been telling Jets fans all along, Pouha was a known project. He is now down to 308, he lost almost 30 pounds, and is playing like a genuine NT. He's tying up two blockers and still making tackles. He's getting a fair amount of time with the 1st team D, and Mangini was saying he was impressed with him in the papers today. I actually expect him to put Robertson on the bench at some point this year as the starting NT in the 3-4. I can easilly see DRob getting the ax next year, as he was the only big contract that wasn't reniegoatied this off season.... more cuttable, in other words.

Aside from Rhodes, Coleman and Vilma.... right now it seems to me that Mangini's defense will be an IDP desert with what looks like heavy rotations at all the other spots.

I still have no real insight into who will be the punt and KO returners. They ran full squad KO's today, and it's still a rotation. Miller, Dwight, Blaylock, Washington and Brad Smith. Dwight remians the favorite for punt returns.

I mentioned that Houston looked like he had lost wieght, well it was reported he's at 218 now, and frankly, he looks just as fast as Blaylock. Blaylock is more elusive, but Houston is still the better power runner, by a long shot, always getting another two yards. Washington is a lock to make this team, and while not a FF stud, will give this team a very nice COP and explosiveness that the Jets have lacked in a RB for a long time. Kid is a burner, and hard to hit.

I'll have more by Wednesday, I'm going to both sessions tomorrow, with a bar b que sandwiched between at my place for 4 or 5 guys I know from Jets message boards.

 

[Rozelle]

Good Stuff Guys!

Anyone plan on visiting the Texans training camp?

 

[Bob_Magaw]

Bob, what are your thoughts on Jon Alston? Potenial WLB starter? POssible SS in the future? How are his prospects to you?

hey no. 16,earlier i heard they were thinking about safety, & so reported it... the latest word is that he will be a LB (i'll amend STL team report on defense to reflect latest info)...

i picked up alston in a couple leagues thinking he might be safety, but knowing he also could be OLB... a key question is if tino plays well (i expect him to in more aggressive scheme with hopefully better DL & secondary play), will the rams re-sign him... i think he is thought of as a team leader by the organization & new coaching staff... but they did just spend a lot of money (well spent, imo) on spoon...

so alston would seem to be a play at this point on if tino moves on, than i could see him being in the starting WLB mix... but given that, i probably wouldn't spend a high pick on him (i think in few leagues i got him it was around 5th or 6th where quality rookie starting LBs & safeties are slim pickings)... or cut a player more assured of being a starter in near term...

but he could be a good candidate to stash on practice/squad if you have room to buy time for a season & see how tino situation shakes out in 2007...

he does have some upside... one of only three LBs to clock a 4.4 at Combine (with manny lawson & thomas howard, both who are starting for SF & OAK)...

 

[No. 16]

Thanks Bob.... any info on how looks? Does he play as fast as he timed?

 

[Bob_Magaw]

tyu got it, main...

not a lot to report in addition to camp reports, but then it is early... as soon as i hear noteworthy stuff (especially within nfc west as that is division i am responsible for year round coverage) i'll post it here as a i get it...

 

[V1LL]

Lions news and notes

Link

With about 12 minutes left in practice, Pro Bowl defensive tackle Shaun Rogers went down with a left shoulder injury. First reports are that the team doesn't believe it's serious. Rogers was carted off the field but that was more an issue of comfort than necessity. Also, Shaun Cody (knee) and Fernando Bryant (hamstring) missed practice.

Boss Bailey (ankle) was taken off the Physically Unable to Perform list and took part in practice. President Matt Millen said he was also encouraged by the rapid progress of Teddy Lehman (foot) but there's still no timetable for his return.

................

First-round draft pick Ernie Sims, who signed a five-year contract this morning, made an immediate impact at practice. On one of his first plays in the 9-on-7 drill, he delivered a forearm shiver to rookie running back Brian Calhoun. Sims also made a diving interception in front of Eddie Drummond and, during a running play, he took on a block by veteran guard Brock Gutierrez so violently that Gutierrez hooted and smiled and patted him on the butt.

You have to remember, though, that this was the fifth practice for everybody else so Sims has fresh legs and is going to be a little faster and hit with a little more pop. Still, it was an impressive start.

Boss is the MLB

 

[WhoDat]

Good Stuff Guys!

Anyone plan on visiting the Texans training camp?

I am out.General contractors...missed deadlines...failed installations...couple of our best men on it excuse...I nearly snapped another man in half yesterday over this flooring fiasco.

I am trying to verify if a couple of my friends are going and, if they are, I will have something to report on Ryans and Williams.

Good Stuff Guys!

Anyone plan on visiting the Texans training camp?

I am out.General contractors...missed deadlines...failed installations...couple of our best men on it excuse...I nearly snapped another man in half yesterday over this flooring fiasco.

I am trying to verify if a couple of my friends are going and, if they are, I will have something to report on Ryans and Williams.

 

[Bob_Magaw]

8-1 rams report from T-Man (by way of RamsTalk)...

i continue to hear great things about wroten... glover, fakhir brown & tye hill also impressed this observer... sounds like for now brown & travis fisher are starting (butler comes in on nickle, but that could be subject to change if butler plays hiw way into better shape after returning from missing all of last season)... i've heard that fisher has lost weight & looks rededicated, so i could see him starting until hill is ready, & that might not be this year (he was a RB just a few years ago, & was drafted as much for his amazing speed & top end athletic potential than for his polished technique & pro ready game... that said, i could see him helping a lot in at least nickle fairly quickly)... fisher has been injury prone past few years, so any resurfacing of that issue could obviously blow up his chances to start...

"Random observations in no particular order....

1. Okay, Scott Linehan continues to impress. Moves from drill to drill making sure practice is moving along. This is a HC. MM never strayed far from his QBs and his offense, but Linehan spends time at each and every grouping throughout practice. Doesn't micro-manage practice which is kinda hard for most new coaches.

2. You know, anyone thinking Haslett is this insane, screaming madman would be sorely mistaken. He gets mad occassionaly, but overall, observes and coaches the players up. He's much more subdued and thoughtful than I think everyone thought he would be. I was expecting another Kollar, but he's nothing like that.

3. Fitz seems to have the edge for the #3 QB spot, but of course a lot will depend on the preseason games. However, Fitz did see a lot more game-type simulation today and looked pretty good, IMHO.

4. Fakhir Brown is the Rams best corner right now. Had a couple more picks in drills today and even took one away from Isaac Bruce. I think Haslett knew what he was getting with this guy.....he really looks special.

5. Right now, when the Rams D switches to the nickel package, Kennedy comes out and Wroten comes in and Chillar comes out and Butler comes in.

6. Pace practiced and so did Saipaia. However, Terrell was out and so was Little. Terrell's wrist is bothering him and Little has the flu.

7. Tye Hill. Okay, the heat is still killing him....whenever he's not in a drill, his helmet is off. His shirt is pulled up and his pants are rolled down a bit. He had a better day today.....made a nice INT in 7 on 7 passing drills and jumped a couple of other balls.....the guy is definitely a ball hawk. Unfortunately, he dropped a couple of picks. He got beat a bit, but you can see he has special talent and special quickness. He is supremely confindent and has a huge swagger about him.

8. Glover is the best d-tackle the Rams have had in St. Louis. In pass-blocking drills he just blew by everyone. People, this guy can still play. He's a beast.

9. WRoten was extremely impressive! He has a unique blend of size and speed and quickness. He was awesome in pass-rushing drills. Made several o-lineman look silly. If he stays off the dope and stays away from the wrong crowd, he will play a lot. He will spell Glover (he's the same type of player) and will play on pass-rushing downs as well.

10. First fight of camp.....Mike Goolsby and Antoine Bagwell during pass rushing drills. Bagwell took Goolsby down hard, wouldn't let him up and when Goolsby got up he got up swinging.

11. Uh, Shaun McDonald still is looking great. Getting wide open and catching everything in sight. Solomon dropped several balls today and Joshua Tinch made a great club move on a d-back to get open and catch an easy TD grab.

12. Palmer looked good on pass-rushing drills. Once he locks on, it's all over....he has tremendous strength and put Tim Sandidge on his butt twice.

13. Dwight Anderson tweaked his ankle but fought through it and continued to practice. He looked good and came up with another big INT during passing drills. I really like the way he battles.....

14. Curtis is so fast, but I hate him returning kicks. First of all, he's too valuable as the #3 receiver and #2 he's so darn skinny he won't break many tackles. Now, Hagans is built like a rock, is short, and has big-time quickness. He's the guy in my estimation, but again, a lot of who wins the kick returning job will rely on the preseason games. Anderson also returned kicks and he has great quickness and is a strong runner.

That's it for now....100 degrees out there today, but I survived.....barely!"

 

[Bob_Magaw]

outstanding source of cowboys camp reports by rafael vela can be found here...

http://theboysblog.com/

 

[Donnybrook]

Great stuff

10. First fight of camp.....Mike Goolsby and Antoine Bagwell during pass rushing drills. (190 pound) Bagwell took (255 pound) Goolsby down hard, wouldn't let him up and when Goolsby got up he got up swinging.

Not even close to being in the same weight division.

 

[Rovers]

Went to the last three sessions of Jets camp.... Monday, and both practices yesterday. Brutally, I mean brutally hot. That didn't stop Mangini..... total practice time yesterday: over 5 1/2 hours.

News, unsustantiated types, some reported in media, others from people with inside contacts.

1) Martin may hang up the cleats.... retire, BEFORE the season starts.

2) Pouha is out for the season with an ACL.

Both of these come from an aquantance who has proven reliable in the past. Martin is still PUP'd at this time, Pouha left Saturday's practice with a knne injury and hasn't been seen since. take it or leave it.... that's what I'm hearing from a source I have about 90% confidence in.

3) Pennington has won the job, as reported by Hutchinson, the best NYJ beat reporter in NY.

Ramsey has goten almost ZERO reps the past two days. He is the odd man out even in the rotating 3 QB drill. Bollinger, Clemens and Penny are getting all the reps and all the drill work. Ramsey is off by himself, doing not much of anything. It's not an arm problem, he still has a rocket, but he's getting very few reps.... Mangini runs over an hour of 11 on 11's each practice. Total number of reps Ramsey has in the last three sessions? 4. Yes, FOUR.

For Jene: Coleman has been out since Friday with some sort of flu. Smith has taken the vast majority of snaps at SS, with Rhodes solidly entrenched at FS, and he's making plays all over the place. He's bulked up from last year as well. I have a better handle on this scheme now. It is a traditional SS-FS setup, and the FS has the deep coverage responsability. That would make one think it's the SS that will rack up the tackles.... but Rhodes is playing like a house afire. He's getting up in run support faster than Smith does.... and Smith is lined up almost two yards closer to the LOS like a traditional SS. The scheme itself would favor the SS FF-wise, but Rhodes.... he's really looking like a potential all pro. I think his tackle numbers will equal those of whoever wins the SS job, but Rhodes is ball hawking as well.... always around the ball, and he must have 5 or 6 INT's already.

Aside from that, Mangini had this O vs. D 4th and goal at the one drill. Rhodes came up and took the lead blocking FB out of the play several times, allowing for an LB to make the tackle. good news for Vilma. I can't say enough about how stoked Mangini has this team. After 2 1/2 hours of hard non-stop practice in a heat index of 105, the defense was hooting and hollering evry time they made the stop. Mangini even threw a red towel and over ruled a ref's TD call to extend the practice.... the D went nuts.

As for the rest of the Jets D, only Kimo, Ellis, Vilma and Robertson appear to be "every down" players. The rest is up in the air, or looks to be a rotation. 90% 3-4.

Frankly, I'm just too shot for a full blown report, but would be happy to answer specific Q's.

 

[Jene Bramel]

Frankly, I'm just too shot for a full blown report, but would be happy to answer specific Q's.

I shudder to think what a full report might look like. Awesome job Rovers. Posts like this are why we have the best boards on the innerwebs. Interested to see what the breakdown will look like when Coleman returns, as it sounds like Smith has a ways to go before he adjusts to the pro game.Thanks for the posts.

 

[Sidewinder16]

Some quotes from Gregg Williams after day 2 of Redskins' camp. (Link is to a .pdf file)

Most significant was probably this:

On the weak side linebackers position:

“Warrick (Holdman) (LB, #57) has done very well. Rocky (McIntosh) (LB, #52) is improving daily. Physically, Rocky can do some things some of the other linebackers can’t even do. He’s got to get some verbiage down and he’s got to get some of the school studying down. In that position, we’ve had a lot of different people rotating through that spot and our packages and we’ll continue to do that. Right now Warrick and Rocky have a good heated battle going on. Khary Campbell (LB, #50) is in the mix and so is Chris Clemons (LB, #58). We’ll see. The guy who is playing the best will play the most, but we’ve got packages for every guy and the strength that he brings.”

 

[Bob_Magaw]

rhodes is a physical specimen & freakish athlete... i think theo ratliff is his cousin, & the jets FS also has NBA caliber hops... good size (played at around 210-215 last year?) & i think he has been clocked in 4.4 range... a knock on him was that he wasn't physical enough in college, but you could see last year that wouldn't be a problem... i agree that good FS if they have great instincts & range can end up with a lot of tackles despite scheme & positional constraints... bob sanders good recent example in that regard... sean taylor could blow up in the near future, too, from FS...

solid reporting rovers, thanx...

 

[Rovers]

Frankly, I'm just too shot for a full blown report, but would be happy to answer specific Q's.

I shudder to think what a full report might look like. Awesome job Rovers. Posts like this are why we have the best boards on the innerwebs. Interested to see what the breakdown will look like when Coleman returns, as it sounds like Smith has a ways to go before he adjusts to the pro game.Thanks for the posts.

I coul go on... LOL. for instance, Brad Smith could be a REAL surprise down the road. He is the best I've ever seen at Jets camp in beating the bump and run and explosiveness off the line. He needs some work, sure.... he can make the acrobatic catch, but makes a lot of mistakes.... not looking for the ball early enough, which makes it difficult to adjust to the less than perfect pass, but coachable problems. His hands are good, but that is an area he still needs to improve on. He has a STRONG chance at being not only a starter down the road, but a very good "slash" guy, being a converted QB. Thanks, Bob.... yeah Rhodes is starting to look truely freakish. Yes, Ratlif is indeed his cousin, and Rhodes says he can out jump him! Rhodes is 6'3", and is now up to a reported 220. The additional wieght has not affected his speed at all.... in fact, he looks even a bit more mobile and faster than last year. How sick is that? He and Hobson are the camps biggest hitters so far. No wonder Parcells called Bradway last year , telling him Rhodes was his top rated ST's guy in the entire draft, but who knew he could play FS like this?