Official Training Camp Thread (1 Viewer)

[Jene Bramel]

Notes from bengals.com on Ahmad Brooks, who is turning heads already, and the get-back-into-playing shape exploits of Odell Thurman.

Yes, Lewis has noticed rookie middle linebacker Ahmad Brooks as he gets more and more coaching.

“He really has done outstandingly. He keeps learning and getting better,” Lewis said. “Obviously he didn’t have those 18 to 24 practices that the rest of the football team had prior to coming here. He had a week with me, and that’s not quite good enough. But he has learned well, and when he makes a mistake, he understands what he did. He can ask the question to make the correction. He’s a guy who understands football and obviously has the physical skills. He has gone out every day to work and prove something.”

Brooks

While exiled middle linebacker Odell Thurman showed he’s not as out of shape as once feared, one of the kids trying to take his place racked up a non-heat related casualty.

Ahmad Brooks, the newest Bengal, made one of the plays he’s supposed to make when he shot the gap in a team drill and drove running back Quincy Wilson deep out of bounds in a play that entangled one of Cincinnati’s most veteran sports photographers.

The Associated Press’ Al Behrman left the field with an icepack on his shoulder after falling to get away from a play that he can usually avoid in his sleep. But it suddenly became violent very quickly. Which is why the Bengals selected Brooks out of Virginia in the third round of last month’s supplemental draft.

Earlier in the practice, Brooks dropped in coverage and after catching a ball thrown right at him, made a couple of hellacious cuts running the other way.

“He’s got a long way to go, but he’s learning,” said linebackers coach Ricky Hunley. “He showed what he can do today. The guy is an explosive athlete.”

John Garrett, the former Bengals scout and assistant coach who is now at Virginia, eerily called it Sunday night. A big booster of Brooks during his two seasons with the Cavaliers, Garrett predicted, “Wait until you guys see him on 26 Gus. He’s going to come right downhill and hit Rudi Johnson for a two-yard loss and people are going to say, ‘Holy Christmas, what do we have here?’ ”

Well, it wasn’t 26 Gus and it wasn’t Johnson, but Johnson was watching.

“Similar play,” Johnson said. “That’s why we got him. To come in and make plays. That might have been a real big hit if we’d been playing full contact.”

For his part, Brooks is saying all the right things a rookie says.

“It’s imperative for me to go out there every day and compete,” Brooks said.

He’s competing for Thurman’s job and although he’s going to sit behind nine-year veteran Brian Simmons, Brooks ought to get plenty of snaps in the preseason.

Thurman

He certainly will in the Aug. 13 opener at Paul Brown Stadium against the Redskins because Thurman isn’t supposed to get on the field until after the Bengals break here Aug. 12.

But the fact is, his four-game suspension for violation of the NFL’s substance abuse policy takes Thurman out of any mix. Yet, the coaches were pleased Tuesday after his first of three-sessions-a-day with head strength coach Chip Morton.

The hot rumor, of course, had been that Thurman was shriveled up somewhere at 190 pounds. But Morton, who has yet to weigh him, says he looks like he’s always looked, which is around 236-238 pounds. He doesn’t look as ripped (“I haven’t seen him with his shirt off,”), but Morton says, “he’s starting in a good place.”

“He’s not overweight,” said Morton, who plans to take his body fat Wednesday morning. “What’s impressed me is just that he’s come back and been ready to work.”

The pair had a good workout in the steam of the afternoon with Thurman working on a hill and using logs for 45 minutes in what Morton called “brutal” work.

It’s no fun not practicing. Thurman has to be ready to go at 6 a.m. each day.

 

[Bob_Magaw]

8-2-06 rams report filed by BAT (this guy is a machine... he may not have missed a practice yet )...

"Saw the entire practice which was nice. It was a bit cooler with a slight breeze...if you want to call 96-98 degrees "cool". Maybe less humity.

Full pads again. Seems like everyday now they have the pads going.

Here are some things I noticed:

Bulger. He looks strong. Very quick, very accurate. The guy is ready to go. If he gets protection, this is going to be a nice year for him (more on protection problems later). Frerotte still looks a bit rusty, nothing serious. Ragone had a nice series but still looks to be a bit behind Fitz. I would rate Fitz slightly ahead at this point.

Aaron Walker. He continues to show up and make plays. I've been impressed with his pass catching, route runnning and today he made a block or two. He also works out as the backup(I assume) long snapper. I like his chances.

Klops. Made a couple nice catches in scrimmage. Had a nice day.

Jerome Collins. I don't see it. He keeps dropping balls. Bulger practically put a ball through his chest and he still dropped it.

Tye Hill. Up and down, which is a positive thing, IMO. Most rookies in their first week are pretty much...down. He is an incredible athlete with great quickness, speed and change of direction. Even more, he anticipates well. One problem is that he goes for the ball a lot. He is so quick that he can jump routes and step in front of the receiver. The problem is that the QBs are throwing it a lot faster and more accurately then he is used to seeing in college. What happens is that he gets caught in no-man's land. Reminds me a little of Bly in that regard, but Hill is a far superior corner prospect, IMO. Hill is gonna be good. Unfortunately, he will always be short. The second problem he has is hands. He stepped in front of one out pattern and literally had the ball hit him at the waist. He anticipated beautifully, turned and was in great position only to drop the ball. He gets competitive and a bit frustrated/angry when he allows a catch (which is about half the time). He actually wrapped up a RB after a catch and put him down. Not much was made out of it, though. I like his competitiveness. Hill is a football player, not a track star.

The D-line did a nice job in scrimmages today. Little was excused (flu, I heard) so Brandon Green got the reps. Adeyanju also got a fair amount of time switching with Hargrove.

Green was in the backfield a couple of times and would have blindsided Bulger has it live with bullets, and that was around Pace. Adeyanju still looks kinda raw to me. He's almost a clone of Hargrove, only stouter and maybe a bit less athletic. Its hard to tell 'cause he still looks like he's pressing and thinking. He looks like an animal, just doesnt play like one.

Glover also played well. Fisk and Kennedy held up their men, too.

The goal line defense/offense was practiced. The goal-line D-line is Glover, Fisk, Kennedy, Wroten. It looks very good, although RB Russell was able to walk in on one occasion (pretty sure it was Kennedy). Kennedy did play well, today. On two occasions, Kennedy and Wroten stood up their blockers and left a nice easy path for Pisa, which he quickly filled and met the RB at the LOS. Nice stuff.

Holt and Bruce stand out as studs. The other WRs also had a nice day. Looker, McDonald, Curtis....they just catch everything. I still like Tinch. He's fairly mobile for a big guy and has soft hands. I would look to develop this guy unless there is some critical element of his game that I am missing (quite possible). He's just so darn big. The anti-Ram WR. McDonald did fumble in drills. It was late in the drill and he was stripped by someone (sorry didnt catch it....my guess is Atogwe). In typical fashion, the offense recovered the ball after a brief keystone cops attempt to fall on the ball by the secondary. Sorry, no ball hawks in this secondary group.

Anderson gets beat too much. I don't think he fits the style of corner play the Rams are looking for. He was schooled by Holt, almost broke his ankle and then Bartell, supporting from safety) bit on a little pump by Bulger so that both defenders were caught flat-footed and Holt ran by them. He dropped the throw in an ackward over-the-head attempt. Still, Holt can make guys look silly.

Witherspoon continues to be everywhere. He fills hard, covers well. Big improvement at MLB.

Chavous. Not sure what to think. He's certainly the leader and he seems to have a clue. I just don't expect many big plays. He put a shoulder into Jackson in drills, as Jackson got up to full speed in the secondary (no tackling). I saw Chavous shaking that one off for another play or two. I don't know. As I've said before, its hard to evaluate defenders when they can't tackle.

Mad Linny? The scrimmage started with the first play being a pitch to Jackson, who flipped to Looker on a reverse. Looker then threw a pretty nice pass to Holt. The play was sniffed out early and Holt was double covered. Atogwe provided nice support and actually had an INT but ....<<re-occuring theme>>.....yeah, you guessed it......he dropped it.

There was another trick shovel/flip to Jackson that was blown up immedietely by someone on defense...can't remember.

Hill made a very nice play on another reverse that would have resulted in a loss. Hill recognized and was in the backfield waiting. Smart play.

During the next scrimmage there were probably an equal number of passes to the TEs and there was to WRs, and a sprinkle of runnning backs. The TEs are gonna be very involved in the pass game. Many were intermediate routes, too. The RB passes seemed to be outlet dumps when the primary/secondary receivers were covered.

Special teams. Hagans still looks to be the primary guy on punt returns. There was a group of Stubblefield, Middleton, and Russell attempting kick returns. I don't know where Pyatt or Curtis were.

Turk finally punted. He looked pretty good, nice hang time and was better at drills where the goal was dropping it inside the ten. Groom seemed to boom them into the endzone or close enough that it made it difficult for the gunners to have a change to bat it down.

Wilkins took some FG attempts and knocked them all through, I believe. He was hitting 40 yarders through uprights that are half the width of a normal goal. No problem.

Thats all I can remember. Pictures later.

**Edit**...... Left out the Oline. Pace was back. Terrell did not participate. Setterstrom took some of those reps with the "2s". Incognito looks very strong. There were some nice runs off the right side behind Timmerman today. First time I was able to really watch Timmerman. Looks Ok to me. Barron was keeping Hargrove and Adeyanju away on pass protection. There was penetration on pass plays from the interior, which you would expect with Glover and Wroten (and no Little). I wasn't able to pinpoint the problem when it would happen. Green went around Pace once, for sure. Glover seemed to do it through Timmerman and McCollum but I think Turner was playing RG on one occasion. I also was not able to figure out the TE and RB protection responsibilities when the protection broke down. My point is that the Rams better clean that problem up and soon. Bulger is ready to rumble but won't be much help in the hospital."

 

[Jene Bramel]

Quick blurbs on some camp battles

Shaun Williams first team SS in Carolina -- for now

Charlotte Observer

Branch being worked in slowly

Strong safety Colin Branch is being brought along slowly as he continues his recovery from major knee surgery. He is wearing a bulky brace and practicing only once a day.

"We'll probably do that for the first week," Branch said. "After that, we'll see where it's at. If it looks like I can do two practices a day, that's definitely what I want to do."

He is working with the second team and free agent Shaun Williams is running with the first team. Branch could get a shot to move up the depth chart later in camp.

"The more I hit and the more punishment I can do to it, the more comfortable I'll be," he said.

Pat Watkins making impression in Dallasdallascowboys.com

Cowboys head coach Bill Parcells has never seen a free safety like 6-foot-5 Pat Watkins.

Watkins, the Cowboys' fifth-round pick out of Florida State, will become one of the tallest safeties in NFL history if he makes the team.

But according to Parcells, Watkins isn't just competing for a roster spot. The Cowboys have held only five practices, but the slender safety already is emerging as a legit candidate for the free safety job.

"I think he has a real good chance to be a real good player," Parcells said of Watkins. "It's a little early but we're encouraged by what we're seeing. He looks a little slender, and he is, but he's 211 or 212 pounds already. I think with a pretty good nutrition and some weight training he'll be in the 220s pretty quickly."

Parcells said he knows what to expect from last year's starter Keith Davis, who hasn't shown any physical problems stemming from July 16 incident when he was shot in the leg and back of the head.

But Parcells has made no secret he would like to create competition at free safety. Veteran Marcus Coleman also is a candidate for the job, but Parcells understands Coleman's strengths, too. He coached Coleman for three years with the New York Jets (1996-99).

Parcells has less knowledge of Watkins, who picked off two passes Monday during team drills.

"We're really trying to get Watkins as much (work) as we can," Parcells said.

 

[redman]

Something to watch for in Redskins camp that I've noticed: At DT, Ryan Boschetti, a backup at that position, has made impressive plays virtually every day in the 11-on-11 drills. He won't start over Griffin or Salave'a, but if he makes the roster then one of the two DT's the 'Skins drafted, either Anthony Montgomery (Minnesota) or Kedrick Golston (Georgia) are likely to either be cut or put on the practice squad, if not both.

Montgomery in particular is a guy who seems able at least in theory to outplay his (NFL) draft value, so it may be worth noting in a deep IDP league.

 

[Bob Henry]

Hey everyone, great stuff here.. These personal tidbits are EXACTLY the kind of stuff that helps me in the Camp Updates. Not exactly insider information, but it's definitely the personal "see with your own eyes" stuff that gives everyone a better look at what's going on in camp besides what we read in the papers and see on the tube.

Keep up the great work!

 

[Jene Bramel]

I'm not sure why I'm bothering to update this because it's likely to change again before I finished this post but here's another update on the Charger safety battle.

San Diego Union-Tribune

The juggling of the safeties has begun. Bhawoh Jue worked on the first team at free safety yesterday, and Marlon McCree dropped to the second team. The strong safeties, No. 1 Terrence Kiel and No. 2 Clinton Hart, remained the same. This mixing and matching will be a way for the coaches to assess where McCree will play and who will be back there with him.

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.”

 

[Bob_Magaw]

executive summary - fakhir brown & travis fisher starting CBs for now... wroten continues to impress... looks like incognito is LG... they are following through with plan to incorporate TE into offense more...

"Mike Franke on Training Camp 8-5"

RamView, August 5, 2006

From Rams Park

The first training camp of the Linehan Era seems to be moving along quite smoothly, with very little in the way of injuries or controversy. Even at that, though, it's still a training camp with more stories than the Empire State Building, and RamView is reporting a week late, so, after my annual caveat that I'm far from expert at all matters training camp, let's get cracking:

Position by position:

* QB: I didn’t find it to be a very impressive day for the QB corps. Marc Bulger was intercepted once (Travis Fisher) on a play where he'd better be throwing it away in the regular season and had another INT dropped. Bulger looked much better in goal line drills, throwing seeing-eye passes to Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt for fake TDs. Gus Frerotte (oops, sounds like that was actually Ragone --Mike) brutally missed ridiculously-wide-open Aaron Walker to avoid a TD. But Dave Ragone was easily the worst QB at this practice. He threw some bad short-hoppers, and thanks to a release point that is undoubtedly too low, had at least four passes tipped at the line or knocked down. He didn't look comfortable in the pocket, he stared down receivers, and how often do you see a QB scramble in a team scrimmage? Ragone was very much in the woods today. Ryan Fitzpatrick looked much, much sharper and more confident. He showed some real zing on his passes and looked all right throwing out patterns, a critical part of his game for improvement over last year. If I'm handicapping the #3 QB race right now, Fitzpatrick is Secretariat at the '73 Belmont and Ragone is Twice A Prince if he's lucky, Swaps if he's not. (Trivia: one of Secretariat's shoe nails worn in that race was sold in 2003 for $6,100.)

* RB: Stephen Jackson didn't see much action, trying the outside a lot and not getting anywhere. Wonder where we've seen that before. The local ESPN radio crew called him out afterward for dancing around, which – AUGH! Cut it out, Stephen! Tony Fisher had the rushing highlight with a long run down to the 1 and pushing in for a fake TD the next play. I'm not the first to say Tony is bigger than I thought he was. Fred Russell and Moe Williams also got some handoffs. Russell started off with a nice run up the middle. I think Williams got dinged late in practice but got up okay. Madison Hedgecock made a nice catch of a swing pass. If Paul Smith, Bagwell or Denzel's kid got in there, sorry, I missed them.

* Receivers: Isaac and Torry had TDs in the goal line drill; Kevin Curtis also had a TD catch. Third-stringers and beyond got most of the action in scrimmage. Dominque Thompson made a nice TD grab at the back of the end zone. Brandon Middleton had the long reception of the day, but this brilliant correspondent missed it coming back from the concession stand. Brad Pyatt beat Kevin (No Last Name) Timothee for a TD down the sideline. Marques Hagans had a couple of Ragone passes go off his hands. Neither were easy catches, but the first one was fairly catchable and is a ball Hagans has to be able to catch to contribute at WR. At TE, Joel Klopfenstein seemed to work with the 1s and Aaron Walker with the 2s. Walker got more attempts than I expected. Dominique Byrd was in with Walker on 2-TE sets, but I didn't see him much.

* Offensive line: The 1s were last year's starting o-line, but with Incognito at LG. There were a couple of false starts, but pass protection looked good up and down the lineup. The defense had maybe two sacks, and were probably helped by the QB holding the ball more than anything. I wasn't wowed by the run-blocking of the starters, since all of Jackson's outside attempts once again got shot down. I'll hope to get a better look at the o-line Thursday night.

* Defensive line/LB: The backups weren't impressive against the run, with Fisher breaking off the long run and Russell also having a couple of nice runs. Claude Wroten had one of the sacks, and it would be nice to have a DT who could get to the QB again. The D should probably get some credit for its success against the starting running game. Looked like Hargrove was stringing out those outside runs fairly well. They probably have to tone their games down for practice purposes, but I sure would like to see these guys getting after the QB better. They should get some credit for knocking down what seemed like half of Ragone's passes. I'd like to see these guys getting their hands up at the line on passes, which recent Ram defenses hardly ever seemed to do. It looked like Tim McGarigle was at fault on the pass Frerotte (Ragone --Mike) blew to wide-open Walker. Closest thing to a big hit for this practice was Mike Goolsby dropping Hedgecock on a play that was being blown dead as the ball got to Hedgecock, kind of a cheap shot, really. But Hedgecock didn't seem to mind.

* Secondary: The starters appeared to be Fakhir Brown and Travis Fisher. Fisher blanketed Ike and picked off a long pass from Bulger in the end zone to end the first drive of the scrimmage. I'd have to say Brown's pretty solid. It's taking perfect throws to Pro Bowl receivers to beat him out there. Tye Hill got dinged – reported as an aggravation to a shoulder sprain he originally suffered in the Senior Bowl – but returned and made a nice breakup of an end zone pass for Dane Looker. Dwight Anderson committed a ridiculous pass interference against Looker earlier – practically tackling the WR without ever turning for the ball, but had a nice pass breakup later. OJ Atogwe lined up at FS opposite Corey Chavous, and I believe that job is his to lose. He looks very natural at it and he did a good job supporting against the run.

* Special teams: There were some partial-speed kickoff-return drills, with Fred Russell, Kevin Curtis and Marques Hagans each getting a shot at returning. Curtis and Hagans showed nice speed hitting the seam, but whether that's good returning or poor coverage will have to wait. The interesting thing I noticed there was Incognito playing on the wedge. Groom and Turk did a lot of punting on the vacant practice field, but I'll wait for actual games to try to figure out who's better there. Groom had the one live punt of scrimmage, which I thought was downed at the 1, but I don't think the referee agreed. Wilkins and Hamilton shared duties on FGs and PATs; I don't think anybody missed any. They were kicking into the crowd and letting them keep the footballs. I'd like to see John Shaw's face when that expense report crosses his desk.

* Coaching/discipline: As with the kickers, I'm going to need a while to figure out where Scott Linehan is coaching-wise. Unless you count passes to TEs, which would have been a wrinkle if Mike Martz were still coach, the Rams didn't run anything that you could call a wrinkle other than an end-around for Curtis, which Atogwe did a nice job of staying home and stopping. There was a good amount of 2-TE alignments, and 3-wide was the fanciest passing formation I detected. Since Martz used to practice 5-wide formations in camp from time to time, I'd say Linehan's intention to protect the QB is palpable. I only noticed three penalties called by the NFL referees present, though one ignored a pretty blatant interference by Corey Chavous in the end zone right in front of him. We always wondered if the team ran any strip-the-ball drills – I saw the RBs doing it for about two minutes, pretty half-heartedly. The RBs also ran a drill with one of those big exercise balls. They're supposed to run and hit the ball with their shoulder, to emphasize getting down low.

* Cheers: Good crowd today, probably 1200 or more. It was hot but not too hot. If you haven't made a practice session yet, I'd recommend bringing a chair and binoculars. The practice fields have been rotated 90 degrees from last year. The bleachers would be great seats if the Rams were scrimmaging on the far field, but they were useless today with the Rams scrimmaging on the near field. I couldn't see shinola and ended up crowding on the hill with most everybody else. Pisa, Brandon Chillar and Kevin Curtis came over for autographs after the scrimmage. A lot of players ran sprints afterwards. Not being the most exciting part of a football practice, I didn't stay for the end of sprints to see if anyone else came over.

* What’s next?: The Linehan Era makes its preseason debut on national TV when the Indianapolis Colts come to St. Louis. That's a juicy offensive matchup in the regular season, but by the time CSI comes on Thursday night, it'll be Frerotte vs. Sorgi, and everybody except rabid Rams and Colts fans will tune it out.

Except local Rams fans may not get to tune it in at all; the game is close to being blacked out in St. Louis. That's the NFL's dumbest rule. Baseball Cardinal fiascoes, er, games, are on Fox when they're not sold out (though they're usually close) – why does the NFL insist on taking games away from local TV audiences?

Rams-Colts will probably leave more questions than answers. Goal number one for the Rams should be to have a good night defensively against the run. If the Colts run all over the Rams without Edgerrin James, it means Jim Haslett's still got a lot of work to do. But if the Rams succeed against the run, it may only mean that the Colt running game sucks. The crowded race for spots in the secondary will bear watching, as will Haslett's playcalling. On one hand, you don't want to show your cards in preseason games, and there's an unwritten rule about blitzing a lot, but on the other, the Rams probably need to run some of their new defense in a "live" game environment, especially blitzes, pass coverages that keep the DBs within 8 yards of receivers, and other defensive concepts that never penetrated Larry Marmie's cerebral cortex.

Goal number two is to run the ball effectively. The rushing game bears watching on the offensive side of the ball as well, not only because of the competition for backup RB. With the Ram running game breaking down far too often in critical situations last year, the offensive line needs to show it can take over a line of scrimmage, and Steven Jackson needs to show he's a decisive, hole-hitting runner and not a dancer. And certainly the battle at TE, and the fact the Rams will utilize the position now, will be worth watching.

The last goal is for Scott Linehan to call as clean a game as he can. Get all the play calls in on time. Use timeouts and challenges judiciously. Run a two-minute offense that looks like it knows what it's doing. This is Scott's ship now, his command, he's in charge, he's the boss, head man, top dog, big cheese… It won't be long remembered if the Rams win or lose Thursday night, but it'll be remembered longer if they go out there and look like the Keystone Kops, or worse, last year's Rams. It's opening night for Linehan; if he's not prepared now, he never will be. Here's to (another) successful era for the Rams.

 

[cr8f]

DEFENDER BENDER

Missing two starters on the line, the Saints' offense takes a back seat in Saturday's scrimmage

Sunday, August 06, 2006

By Mike Triplett

Staff writer

JACKSON, MISS. -- The Saints offered glimpses of their offensive firepower during Saturday's intrasquad scrimmage, with quarterback Drew Brees giving a decent performance and rookie tailback Reggie Bush showing off a few signature moves.

But the day belonged to the defensive line, particularly Charles Grant, who took turns disrupting Brees, Bush and a depleted offensive line for most of the afternoon.

"They just got us today," admitted Brees, who completed 10 of his first 13 passes, mostly against the second-string defense, before throwing a pair of interceptions on back-to-back plays against the first-string defense. "It's back and forth, which is good. I think it keeps it competitive, and it makes for some fun practices."

To be fair, the Saints offense was playing without starting guards Jermane Mayberry and Montrae Holland, both of whom are nursing injuries. But the defense took advantage in a big way.

During one series against the second-string offense, Grant blew past rookie offensive tackle Zach Strief to sack Jamie Martin, then he shot into the backfield past Strief and guard Chad Setterstrom to stop Bush for a four-yard loss on a fourth-and-one play.

Grant later made another sack, stopped tailback Deuce McAllister for a loss and applied the pressure on one of Brees' interceptions.

Defensive ends Will Smith and Tony Bryant shared one sack, tackles Hollis Thomas and Brian Young shared another, and defensive end Rob Ninkovich had a third. Roman Harper had a sack on a safety blitz.

Brees' passes were intercepted by Fred Thomas and Scott Fujita. Adrian McPherson threw two interceptions, to Jay Bellamy and Grant Mason.

"It's always that double-edged sword there," Saints coach Sean Payton said. "You're encouraged on one end because (the defense) established some pressure and hurried the quarterback. Then you want to check your protections and make sure that you're giving these guys a chance to function. Just based on what I saw, (the defense) did a pretty good job. Those guys got up the field.

"But there were some good things. I thought when we did run it, when we got into a little bit of a groove calling more runs, they came off the ball and did a good job. We've got a lot of work to do, and fortunately we've got four preseason games."

The Saints ran about 100 plays, varying the matchups between first-, second- and third-string units and finishing with some two-minute drills.

There was no live tackling. Instead, defenders wrapped up or held up the offensive players.

As a result, Payton said he called a majority of pass plays, because it's hard for players to physically defend the run when they're not tackling.

The scrimmage started with the first-string offense against the second-string defense, and Brees completed five of eight passes in those series, with McAllister and Bush rotating in and out of the backfield.

As a unit, the offense looked crisp and efficient, but a long opening drive stalled, and they settled for a field goal.

Brees completed two early passes to Devery Henderson for 15 and nine yards. Bush broke off an 18-yard run to the left behind tackle Jammal Brown and took a dump-off pass in the flat for a 13-yard gain.

"Reggie was great," Brees said. "Reggie was playing physical football, and I felt like we all kind of saw that gear that everybody talks about Reggie having. He looks good on a college field; I think he looks pretty good on an NFL field, too."

Official statistics were not kept, but Bush carried the ball seven times for 36 yards, with five catches for an estimated 29 yards. He had four plays that went for nine yards or longer.

Bush and McAllister lined up together twice, once with Bush motioning out wide and once with Bush lining up in the slot.

"I felt all right, pretty good," Bush said. "I don't think the offense had as good of a day as we wanted to, but that's what the scrimmage is for, to work on it and get better next week.

"I feel comfortable with where I'm at, but I'm not satisfied. I have to keep getting better every week."

McAllister lined up as the starting tailback, but with such an abundance of passing plays, he was not on the field as much as Bush. He said his reconstructed right knee felt good, but after he sat out for a long time it began to stiffen.

Brees said he had no problems with his surgically repaired throwing shoulder. He completed 15 of 22 passes for an estimated 133 yards. His best pass was probably a 17-yard completion to receiver Marques Colston with some zip on it.

The first interception was a great play by Thomas, who tipped the ball to himself. The second interception was a miscommunication between Brees and tight end Ernie Conwell. Fujita stepped in front of the ball and probably would have returned it for a touchdown.

Martin was decent as the second-string quarterback, though his unit also failed to score any touchdowns.

Todd Bouman had a solid showing with the third-string offense. He led a long touchdown drive, finishing with a four-yard touchdown fade to tight end Zach Hilton. The only other touchdown came on an eight-yard pass from Jason Fife to Nate Lawrie.

 

[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.

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?

Eric Coleman's absence was due to an appendectomy.Link

Jets safety Erik Coleman, who has been sidelined since the second day of training camp with a mysterious illness, had his appendix removed over the weekend and is expected to return in 10 days to two weeks, according to someone with knowledge of his condition who requested anonymity because of coach Eric Mangini's policy that prohibits discussing injuries.

Coleman, one of the starting safeties, didn't make the trip to Giants Stadium over the weekend for two practices and Mangini continued to refuse to give out any details on his condition. He would only call it an "illness."

After missing three days of camp, Coleman, a third-year pro, had been working out with the injured players on the sidelines until this weekend.

"Erik is fine," the person told The Star-Ledger yesterday. "It was a simple procedure and a total success. There's no mysterious illness."

 

[Rovers]

Yep, was just going to post that Jene. Went to the am session, not much IDP news to report. Barrett didn't practice, some sort of leg injury.... impossible to tell what's up with this Mangini era.... they don't report anything at all. E Smith continues to fill in for Coleman, and looks pretty good. Kassel and Schlegel provide excellent depth at the ILB spots, but again, no real IDP news. CB Drew Coleman's knee MRI was negative. The defense is ahead of the offense, but I have to say.... Pennington's arm has never looked this strong since the first shoulder injury. The question remains.... can he take a hit?

Mangini has let up some on the physical aspect of practices... more execution and playbook work now. It's hard to say much about practices when they are in shells.

 

[nortobc]

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.”

Where is Lamer Marshall? Is he still starting MLB?

 

[Jene Bramel]

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.”

Where is Lamer Marshall? Is he still starting MLB?

 

[nortobc]

 

[wannabee]

Browns | Baxter injury

update Published Fri Aug 11 4:15:00 p.m. ET 2006

(KFFL) Mary Kay Cabot, of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, reports Cleveland Browns CB Gary Baxter (pectoral) will be out 3-4 weeks.

 

[redman]

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.”

Where is Lamer Marshall? Is he still starting MLB?

As Jene said, Here's a Redskins.com article on Marshall. The coaches are critical regarding his development, but don't read too much into that because Dale Lindsay is a hardass of immense proportions.

 

[wannabee]

Vikings | Team's linebackers improving in pass coverage

Published Fri Aug 11 10:34:00 p.m. ET 2006

(KFFL) Mike Wobschall, of Vikings.com, reports the Minnesota Vikings' linebackers have improved in their pass coverage skills as the team switches to a cover-two defense. The linebackers have been responsible for covering the middle of the field and short, outside pass routes during seven-on-seven drills. LB Dontarrious Thomas said, "It's important for us as linebackers to be aware of the quarterback but also be aware of the pass routes underneath so we can defend those. We're still trying to get better, but right now we're doing a good job. There is always room to get better though, and that's what we're going to do."

 

[Bob_Magaw]

20 Observations drawn from the STL/IND game thur by RockRam...

Here's 20 things that became clear:

1) Rams played under control. Pretty darn sharp for 1st preseason game. They knew what they were doing, and were disciplined.

2) Ram's D should NOT feel bad for giving up early TD. Hey, that was Peyton mannnig Manning and the most potent offense in the NFL and they are back, this year, intact (minus James).

3) Rams 2nd string D played about 1 full quarter against Colts 1st string O, sans Manning. Meaning, all those QB pressures came against the Colts starting Oline, that is among the best in the league.

4) Barron was inconsistent.

5) McCollum is about as done as Timmerman.

6) Cogs is the real deal.

7) Terrell is the real deal.

8) Setterstrom is the real deal. Cogs, Terrell and Setterstrom should all start (Cogs at center).

9) Byrd MUST be in the doghouse. He had a down look on his face after missing a catchable ball that was a bit high.

10) The Rams have the best first 3, 4, and 5 WRs in the game.

11) Hagans is sure handed on punts. I like the way he's always going foward.

12) Wroten is going to be a beast THIS year. He's gonna beat out Kennedy.

13) Adenjahu might just beat out Hargrove as a starter. This kid reminds me a young Kevin Carter. I have no doubt that he can slide to the interior on pass rush downs. Amazing natural strength and leverage.

14) Wroten is REALLY fast for a DT. Quick as a cat. He is Warren Sapp all over again. He's hands are flying furiously swatting the Olineman's hands away, which is why he's able to penetrate.

15) Our DEs are going to have BIG years BECAUSE our DTs are going to constantly be in the QB's face. No more the QB just stepping up into a hollow pocket to escape the typical DE wide rush. We have 5.....count'em FIVE......DE's that can flat out rush the passer, and at least 2 DT's that WILL penetrate.

16)As of now, it's no contest between Ragone and Fitz; Fitz is the much better QB.

17)Not crazy about our LBs so far. Alston is invisible, I'm disappointed in McCarigle, Chillar didn't do a good job. I'd rather see Coakly start as SSLB if we had to play a real game next week.

18) I don't think we need another RB. Moe Williams will get better as he gets back into shape. Fisher is a darn good RB in his own right. Much niftier than I thought, and quite quick and powerful. Good, but not great, speed. North South runner.

19) JK and Aaron Walker will be our two starting TEs. Walker is not flashy, but blocks well and is a natural receiver.

20) What is with our kick-off coverage corps? Man.

 

[wannabee]

49ers | R. Williams injured

Friday Published Sat Aug 12 3:52:00 p.m. ET 2006

(KFFL) Chrissy Mauck, of SF49ers.com, reports San Francisco 49ers LB Renauld Williams (ankle) suffered a high ankle sprain during the preseason game Friday, Aug. 11.

 

[Jene Bramel]

Catching up on a bunch of news and notes and wandering through this week's gamebooks...

As reported in the game threads, Skins' linebacker Rocky McIntosh may have gotten some snaps at defensive end this week. The Washington newsrags were predicting that Marcus Washington would fill-in some there with Philip Daniels nursing a minor back injury. A little odd to see McIntosh there -- but it's highly unlikely that anything meaningful comes from this from an IDP standpoint.

More importantly in the NYJ/WAS gamebook, though, is the suggestion that the Jets opened up in a 4-3 front with Bryan Thomas at end. While the Jets are almost certainly going to run more 3-4 looks than 4-3 in the Belichick inspired hybrid scheme Mangini wants to run, if this depth chart holds it makes Rovers look like Kreskin and sends Bryan Thomas' value through the roof if he does in fact stay listed in the NFL.com gamebooks as an end while getting a significant number of snaps lining up off the LOS with LB responsibility. This is the second week that the gamebooks have listed the Jets depth chart this way so it's quickly becoming a loophole that could be difficult to close.

No big shocker here but the TEN gamebook seems to confirm the right/left handed alignment we expected for Bulluck and Thornton. Sure doesn't look like it'll impact Bulluck any as he tallied a 5-1 while Thornton only a 2-0.

Barrett Ruud got some extended playing time with the ones and twos this weekend with Brooks and Quarles sitting down and ripped up the boxscore with a 5-3-1 and a FF and pass defended. Didn't see the game to comment on whether he looked that good or was just good enough to keep the stat sheet full while the Dolphins (who scored twice in the first half) moved the ball down the field. Anybody hoping to snake Ruud from an impatient rival better hope his owners don't see this boxscore.

It's still Stephen Cooper at LILB and Matt Wilhelm at RILB in the gamebook although, as MT reported this week, it may not be quite that simple. Also, it's still Kiel and Jue starting at safety. I haven't watched the game yet, but it looked like McCree made another big play in coverage while somebody was a little out of position on the Bears TD. Bears lined up with Harris at SS and Manning at FS as expected. Manning went 3-0 while Harris was 2-0-1.

Despite hearing that Brodney Pool may have moved ahead of Sean Jones to start in Cleveland, Jones got the start this weekend. Both D'Qwell Jackson and Kamerion Wimbley look to be closing in on earning starting jobs. Ernie Sims didn't start for Detroit but came in early to get some time with the ones and all reports (including a 3-3-1 boxscore) suggest he continues to be a one man wrecking crew. Boss Bailey has been missing some practice time with a "tight hamstring" -- this guy is less reliable than Dan Morgan -- and was held out of the game as a precaution.

Jimmy Williams may not be guaranteed a starting gig in Atlanta after all. Jason Webster got the start this weekend. Also, Ed Hartwell could benefit if Darrell Shropshire has in fact matured quickly enough to win the starting job at NT.

Takeo Spikes may be ready for the regular season after all. He's been taking a good number of snaps and hasn't had any setbacks. He might take some snaps in the third pre-season game. Also, with Matt Bowen not ready yet, Donte Whitner is probably getting the upper hand to start the season as the starting SS. No big surprise, but some thought the Bills would use the vet until Whitner had a good handle on the defense, especially since he missed mini-camp time and had a short holdout.

bills.com

Patriots signed Junior Seau, who saw time at LILB with the second team. Barry Gardner (LILB) and Mike Vrabel started inside this weekend and, for now, it appears the Pats want to stick with mostly 3-4 looks. Monty Beisel looks like he may be done after Larry Izzo played alongside Seau on the second team. No surprise there. Despite indications that James Sanders was turning heads in camp, Artrell Hawkins got the start at SS. And Eugene Wilson started at FS despite all his camp snaps at corner. IMO, good luck with any Pats guys on your roster. Barry Gardner at LILB is and Vrabel at RILB or Hawkins at SS are only marginally attractive options.

Pats blog at bostonherald.com

Anthony Weaver and Travis Johnson have apparently been impressive enough (or Jason Babin/Antwan Peek have not) that the Texans are moving Weaver back outside to end and putting Johnson in the starting lineup. Putting Babin in a situational role all but kills whatever small sleeper upside he may have had.

houstonchronicle.com

Na'il Diggs has pretty much locked down the WLB job in Carolina and the local newsrags are speculating that Keith Adams may get shown the door. Also, Adam Seward gets his name added to the "keep him in the back of your mind for later" list as he's getting second team snaps behind the Human Chandelier Dan Morgan. Also, safety Colin Branch is apparently healthy enough to play but hasn't been able to unseat Shaun Williams at SS.

charlotteobserver.com

Tommy Polley had arthroscopic surgery last week for a shoulder injury he suffered earlier in camp. He's expected to be out at least another couple of weeks. With Alfred Fincher apparently demoted to second string, it looks like Fujita/Foreman/Bockwoldt as the first teamers. The complete mess at LB will be on national display tomorrow night so we'll all get a good look at the leftovers.

nola.com/times-pic

Eric Coleman returned to practice on a limited basis. He's recovering from an appendectomy.

nydailynews.com

Niners CB Shawntae Spencer pulled a hamstring. He may be ready for the regular season but you know how hamstrings can go. Also, rookie Parys Haralson has a foot injury. Doesn't sound like a Lis Franc injury, but missing this much time in camp makes it near impossible to have any meaningful IDP impact until late in the season at best.

pressdemocrat.com

 

[Rovers]

Catching up on a bunch of news and notes and wandering through this week's gamebooks...

As reported in the game threads, Skins' linebacker Rocky McIntosh may have gotten some snaps at defensive end this week. The Washington newsrags were predicting that Marcus Washington would fill-in some there with Philip Daniels nursing a minor back injury. A little odd to see McIntosh there -- but it's highly unlikely that anything meaningful comes from this from an IDP standpoint.

More importantly in the NYJ/WAS gamebook, though, is the suggestion that the Jets opened up in a 4-3 front with Bryan Thomas at end. While the Jets are almost certainly going to run more 3-4 looks than 4-3 in the Belichick inspired hybrid scheme Mangini wants to run, if this depth chart holds it makes Rovers look like Kreskin and sends Bryan Thomas' value through the roof if he does in fact stay listed in the NFL.com gamebooks as an end while getting a significant number of snaps lining up off the LOS with LB responsibility. This is the second week that the gamebooks have listed the Jets depth chart this way so it's quickly becoming a loophole that could be difficult to close.

No big shocker here but the TEN gamebook seems to confirm the right/left handed alignment we expected for Bulluck and Thornton. Sure doesn't look like it'll impact Bulluck any as he tallied a 5-1 while Thornton only a 2-0.

Barrett Ruud got some extended playing time with the ones and twos this weekend with Brooks and Quarles sitting down and ripped up the boxscore with a 5-3-1 and a FF and pass defended. Didn't see the game to comment on whether he looked that good or was just good enough to keep the stat sheet full while the Dolphins (who scored twice in the first half) moved the ball down the field. Anybody hoping to snake Ruud from an impatient rival better hope his owners don't see this boxscore.

It's still Stephen Cooper at LILB and Matt Wilhelm at RILB in the gamebook although, as MT reported this week, it may not be quite that simple. Also, it's still Kiel and Jue starting at safety. I haven't watched the game yet, but it looked like McCree made another big play in coverage while somebody was a little out of position on the Bears TD. Bears lined up with Harris at SS and Manning at FS as expected. Manning went 3-0 while Harris was 2-0-1.

Despite hearing that Brodney Pool may have moved ahead of Sean Jones to start in Cleveland, Jones got the start this weekend. Both D'Qwell Jackson and Kamerion Wimbley look to be closing in on earning starting jobs. Ernie Sims didn't start for Detroit but came in early to get some time with the ones and all reports (including a 3-3-1 boxscore) suggest he continues to be a one man wrecking crew. Boss Bailey has been missing some practice time with a "tight hamstring" -- this guy is less reliable than Dan Morgan -- and was held out of the game as a precaution.

Jimmy Williams may not be guaranteed a starting gig in Atlanta after all. Jason Webster got the start this weekend. Also, Ed Hartwell could benefit if Darrell Shropshire has in fact matured quickly enough to win the starting job at NT.

Takeo Spikes may be ready for the regular season after all. He's been taking a good number of snaps and hasn't had any setbacks. He might take some snaps in the third pre-season game. Also, with Matt Bowen not ready yet, Donte Whitner is probably getting the upper hand to start the season as the starting SS. No big surprise, but some thought the Bills would use the vet until Whitner had a good handle on the defense, especially since he missed mini-camp time and had a short holdout.

bills.com

Patriots signed Junior Seau, who saw time at LILB with the second team. Barry Gardner (LILB) and Mike Vrabel started inside this weekend and, for now, it appears the Pats want to stick with mostly 3-4 looks. Monty Beisel looks like he may be done after Larry Izzo played alongside Seau on the second team. No surprise there. Despite indications that James Sanders was turning heads in camp, Artrell Hawkins got the start at SS. And Eugene Wilson started at FS despite all his camp snaps at corner. IMO, good luck with any Pats guys on your roster. Barry Gardner at LILB is and Vrabel at RILB or Hawkins at SS are only marginally attractive options.

Pats blog at bostonherald.com

Anthony Weaver and Travis Johnson have apparently been impressive enough (or Jason Babin/Antwan Peek have not) that the Texans are moving Weaver back outside to end and putting Johnson in the starting lineup. Putting Babin in a situational role all but kills whatever small sleeper upside he may have had.

houstonchronicle.com

Na'il Diggs has pretty much locked down the WLB job in Carolina and the local newsrags are speculating that Keith Adams may get shown the door. Also, Adam Seward gets his name added to the "keep him in the back of your mind for later" list as he's getting second team snaps behind the Human Chandelier Dan Morgan. Also, safety Colin Branch is apparently healthy enough to play but hasn't been able to unseat Shaun Williams at SS.

charlotteobserver.com

Tommy Polley had arthroscopic surgery last week for a shoulder injury he suffered earlier in camp. He's expected to be out at least another couple of weeks. With Alfred Fincher apparently demoted to second string, it looks like Fujita/Foreman/Bockwoldt as the first teamers. The complete mess at LB will be on national display tomorrow night so we'll all get a good look at the leftovers.

nola.com/times-pic

Eric Coleman returned to practice on a limited basis. He's recovering from an appendectomy.

nydailynews.com

Niners CB Shawntae Spencer pulled a hamstring. He may be ready for the regular season but you know how hamstrings can go. Also, rookie Parys Haralson has a foot injury. Doesn't sound like a Lis Franc injury, but missing this much time in camp makes it near impossible to have any meaningful IDP impact until late in the season at best.

pressdemocrat.com

Jene..... I have been very busy with drafts and now it's contract assignment week, so I havent been posting much..... Maybe 5 FF teams is too many? I don't know how these folks with 10 or more do it....Bryan Thomas.... yeah, isn't it bad that we have to wait for an official depth chart to know what his value will be? I became convinced that Mangini would supply the NFL with a 3-4 depth chart, and was ready to cut Thomas. Now, I'm not so sure. After seeing how Thomas played in the Washington game, heck, he might be worth keeping even if he's listed as an OLB. Not only was he in the Redskins backfield on passing plays, he had two tackles for losses in running plays too.

Anyone else notice how these "3-4" teams lookl like 5-2 teams on the field? How the heck does a team do a depth chart when they run half their plays with 5 guys on the LOS? I've beitched about this before.... at some point in the IDP world, we're gonna have to find a way to list these hybrid guys.... gambling on what a meaningless depth chart says two weeks before the season starts is not a good thing, as far as protecting the integrity of good IDP players in FF goes.

Nice to hear that about Diggs... i picked him up last year as an FA, and gave him a 3 year contract (yes, I was desperate). So, Peek gets relagated to pass rush specialist, and proceeds to rack up two sacks.

When Bowen went down, Whitner now gets a 5 year contract (yes, I had both of them on one roster). Bowen may be done at this point, me thinks.

Great stuff Jene! Oh, no comment on the Barlow deal?

 

[Tick]

Great updates, Jene. I hadn't heard the Fincher news yet.

 

[Jene Bramel]

Anyone else notice how these "3-4" teams lookl like 5-2 teams on the field? How the heck does a team do a depth chart when they run half their plays with 5 guys on the LOS? I've beitched about this before.... at some point in the IDP world, we're gonna have to find a way to list these hybrid guys.... gambling on what a meaningless depth chart says two weeks before the season starts is not a good thing, as far as protecting the integrity of good IDP players in FF goes.

alert.You may already know this but the original versions of the 3-4 defense were a variation of the 5-2 front. The "ends" would drop off the line and play "soft" in one of many changes defensive coaches tried to make to keep up with more athletic offenses.

Great updates, Jene. I hadn't heard the Fincher news yet.

Well, Norton and I were trying to decide how much was motivational this week because neither one of us feel that Jay Foreman is worth much in NFL terms. But Foreman got a whole lot of PT tonight and while he got shoved into Mississippi on a couple of plays he was in position most of the time. Haven't seen much of Fincher's PT yet to make a informed comment there.And I'll be searching for updates this week to find out when the Saints first team of Bullocks and Stoutmire became the second team. Harper (SS) and Bellamy (FS) were the starters tonight, although Stoutmire was in with the ones in the nickel defense.If Will Smith, Charles Grant, and Rob Ninkovich didn't look so good tonight, I'd be about ready to rub the Saints depth chart from my eyes altogether.

 

[ATC1]

How do these guys look? Looking for Rookie draft fliers.

Iwuh, JAX LB

Dobbins SD LB

Tulloch TEN LB

Schegel NYJ LB

Is K. Wimbley starting?

 

[Jene Bramel]

How do these guys look? Looking for Rookie draft fliers. Iwuh, JAX LBDobbins SD LB Tulloch TEN LBSchegel NYJ LBIs K. Wimbley starting?

Iwuh -- Dobbins -- Looks very good against the twos and threes. Making a push to be in the mix with Cooper and Wilhelm when the old guard moves on.Tulloch -- All reports have been positive here.Schlegel -- Think Rovers had a note on him somewhere in the Vilma thread. Nothing special to report I don't think.Wimbley is starting and made a couple of nice plays last pre-season game.Dobbins and Tulloch are your guys here unless sacks are over-valued, then Wimbley has good value long-term.

 

[ATC1]

How do these guys look? Looking for Rookie draft fliers. Iwuh, JAX LBDobbins SD LB Tulloch TEN LBSchegel NYJ LBIs K. Wimbley starting?

Iwuh -- Dobbins -- Looks very good against the twos and threes. Making a push to be in the mix with Cooper and Wilhelm when the old guard moves on.Tulloch -- All reports have been positive here.Schlegel -- Think Rovers had a note on him somewhere in the Vilma thread. Nothing special to report I don't think.Wimbley is starting and made a couple of nice plays last pre-season game.Dobbins and Tulloch are your guys here unless sacks are over-valued, then Wimbley has good value long-term.

Iwuh is a undrafted rookie. I hear he is impressing coaches with his talent.

 

[Jene Bramel]

Iwuh is a undrafted rookie. I hear he is impressing coaches with his talent.

Even at that, I haven't heard that the bigger names are in danger of being cut (they may be) so he's probably still the 6th LB (Peterson, Smith, Thomas, Griesen, Ingram) on the roster. I think they like that Cordova guy too. If he's a stud special teamer he probably makes the team, otherwise he may be just a practice squad guy.

 

[Rovers]

I posted this in the Shark forum, but if you are like me, I visit that side less and less these days..... too many idiots, so here's my complete report:

I suppose most folks that are interested would like to hear about Barlow first so...

Barlow got only one rep in 11 on 11's, and it was with the first team. Just a simple handoff and run up the middle. They were in shells, so it wasn't full contact. Blaylock continues to get most of the snaps with the 1's, with Washington and Houston sprinkled in. At the beginning of practice Mangini was one on one with Barlow doing pretty vanilla basic running plays, taking handoffs. In this drill, Barlow got every other rep, with Mangini tutoring him after every play. This drill ran about 20 minutes, and Mangini never left Barlow's side. Later, they had some execution drills that included QB's, RB's and WR's, while the linemen played tackle dummies. Barlow looked pretty good, his hands look a little better than I expected. Made all his catches, had some decent speed turning up field after the catch.

I seriously doubt Barlow will play Friday night, but might get a little garbage time late with some basic running plays.

Pennington's arm is fine.

WR's: Cotchery is still running with the 1's over McCariens, and Dwight wasn't on the field, so McCariens later got the 3rd WR snaps in 11 on 11's. Brad Smith is getting a lot of time with the 1's, and is going to be a fairly significant part of the offense, albiet in spot duty, but the big play/trick play potential is there.

This was the first solid practice (out of the 7 I've seen) where McCariens had a good one. He was running with the 2's, but beat Strait down the sidelines, and Pennington made a nice 40-45 yard throw. Last week, I saw McCariens give up on a ball that was about as catchable. Maybe he has gotten the wake up call. In any case, I'm starting to wonder if McCariens has a depth perception vision problem. On this play, he made one step that looked like he had given up on the ball just before it arrived. Maybe he did that to keep Strait away from the ball, but that one step almost caused this to be an "overthrow". He had to fully extend, but made the catch, and took it 80 yards to the house. He otherwise looked very good for the entire practice. If he had given up on this one, the way he did last week.... I really think they would have cut him. That grab may have been the most important in McCariens Jet career.

Pennington's arm is fine.

Leon Washington is explosive. had a nice 70 yard run and got tackled inside the five by Smith who had an angle. He is the KO returner at this point, over Justin Miller. Dwight wasnt out there, but unless he's hurt, he's the starting slot WR and the punt return man.

Pennington's arm is fine.

On defense, Coleman and E Smith shared snaps with the 1's at SS. Miller was with the 2's, and has for now lost his starting CB job to Barrett, with Dyson entrenched at the other spot, snagging a couple of INT's today including one that would have been good for a 90 yard TD. Dyson might be a nice slepper at CB.

Bryan Thomas has won the starting WOLB/rush specialist job over Trevor Johnson. Chatham and Hobson continue to battle it out sharing snaps with the 1's.

Pennington's arm is fine.

That's what I got.... this was the last TC practice open to the public.

 

[Badm]

I posted this in the Shark forum, but if you are like me, I visit that side less and less these days..... too many idiots, so here's my complete report:I suppose most folks that are interested would like to hear about Barlow first so...Barlow got only one rep in 11 on 11's, and it was with the first team. Just a simple handoff and run up the middle. They were in shells, so it wasn't full contact. Blaylock continues to get most of the snaps with the 1's, with Washington and Houston sprinkled in. At the beginning of practice Mangini was one on one with Barlow doing pretty vanilla basic running plays, taking handoffs. In this drill, Barlow got every other rep, with Mangini tutoring him after every play. This drill ran about 20 minutes, and Mangini never left Barlow's side. Later, they had some execution drills that included QB's, RB's and WR's, while the linemen played tackle dummies. Barlow looked pretty good, his hands look a little better than I expected. Made all his catches, had some decent speed turning up field after the catch. I seriously doubt Barlow will play Friday night, but might get a little garbage time late with some basic running plays. Pennington's arm is fine.WR's: Cotchery is still running with the 1's over McCariens, and Dwight wasn't on the field, so McCariens later got the 3rd WR snaps in 11 on 11's. Brad Smith is getting a lot of time with the 1's, and is going to be a fairly significant part of the offense, albiet in spot duty, but the big play/trick play potential is there. This was the first solid practice (out of the 7 I've seen) where McCariens had a good one. He was running with the 2's, but beat Strait down the sidelines, and Pennington made a nice 40-45 yard throw. Last week, I saw McCariens give up on a ball that was about as catchable. Maybe he has gotten the wake up call. In any case, I'm starting to wonder if McCariens has a depth perception vision problem. On this play, he made one step that looked like he had given up on the ball just before it arrived. Maybe he did that to keep Strait away from the ball, but that one step almost caused this to be an "overthrow". He had to fully extend, but made the catch, and took it 80 yards to the house. He otherwise looked very good for the entire practice. If he had given up on this one, the way he did last week.... I really think they would have cut him. That grab may have been the most important in McCariens Jet career. Pennington's arm is fine.Leon Washington is explosive. had a nice 70 yard run and got tackled inside the five by Smith who had an angle. He is the KO returner at this point, over Justin Miller. Dwight wasnt out there, but unless he's hurt, he's the starting slot WR and the punt return man. Pennington's arm is fine. On defense, Coleman and E Smith shared snaps with the 1's at SS. Miller was with the 2's, and has for now lost his starting CB job to Barrett, with Dyson entrenched at the other spot, snagging a couple of INT's today including one that would have been good for a 90 yard TD. Dyson might be a nice slepper at CB. Bryan Thomas has won the starting WOLB/rush specialist job over Trevor Johnson. Chatham and Hobson continue to battle it out sharing snaps with the 1's. Pennington's arm is fine. That's what I got.... this was the last TC practice open to the public.

Thanks Rovers, nice report

 

[No. 16]

So how's Pennington looking?