7/27/08
Cardinals - Anquan Boldin is looking
for a new contract but is participating in camp. There is a lot
of pressure on 10th overall pick Matt Leinart, to perform up to
the hype built around him. Kurt Warner has outplayed Leinart the
past two seasons and if Leinart plays poorly again this season
it might be time for the organization to move in a different direction.
49ers - The offensive line has
been a point of emphasis during the off season for the 49ers and
with the addition of Adam Snyder at LG, Nolan believes his O-line
has a chance to be one of the better lines in league….Free
agent acquisition Bryant Johnson expects to play a big roll in
the 49ers’ new plans for a more potent passing game, this
is his first chance to prove his first round draft worth.
Seahawks - The plan is for Julius
Jones to use his hands a lot this season. The acquisition of Jones
brings an aspect to the Seahawks offense that was not prevalent
with Shaun Alexander…. Bobby Engram is ready for a big year,
going into camp healthy, he is slated to be the feature receiver
this season with Deion Branch sidelined for at least the beginning
of the season with knee problems.
Rams - Steven Jackson is ready
to go into camp healthy and looking forward to a big year, but
is electing to holdout at the outset. Entering his contract year
he knows this is an important season to him and his teammates.
The offensive line has to play better in order to give Marc Bulger
the time to look downfield for his receivers. He spent most of
last year on his back and then on the bench with broken ribs.
Donnie Avery the speedy receiver out of Houston is looking to
make a big impact in camp from the slot and many with the organization
feel he can do it. He’ll compete with the underrated Keenan
Burton out of Kentucky for playing time.
Packers - The obvious story going
into training camp is Brett Favre and what city he will land in.
Green Bay seems to be far down the list at the moment. The team
will have to continue on and try to not get distracted….Aaron
Rodgers, the new Packers QB, was seen hooking up with WRs James
Jones and rookie Brett Swain, both looking very good…. TE
Donald Lee is expected to have a very good year with Bubba Franks
no longer the #1 TE; he has worked harder than ever this off-
season preparing for his new role.
Vikings - Starting QB Tarvaris
Jackson, has spent his time during the OTA’s and mini camps
mastering the playbook. The Vikings want to use Adrian Peterson
and Chester Taylor on the field at the same time, with one back
splitting out as a receiver. Bernard Berrian has been working
hard with QB Tavaris Jackson on the deep ball, which is Berrians’
specialty.
Bears - After some terrible luck
with RBs over the years it is reported the Bears have signed ex-lions
RB Kevin Jones, however the Bears have big expectations for rookie
RB Matt Forte to be the focal point of the offense. Going into
camp the Bears do not have the ideal QB situation they want with
Kyle Orton and Rex Grossman battling for the starting position.
They are hoping one will emerge who they can stick with throughout
the year.
Lions - The Lions should be entering
training camp at full strength for the fist time in the last couple
seasons…They are hoping a stronger running game will open
the deep passing game for Roy Williams and Calvin Johnson….Starting
TE Dan Campbell is coming back from another elbow surgery and
is questionable as to whether he will be ready for the start of
camp.
Falcons - WR Joe Horn is rumored
to be involved in a trade with the Dallas Cowboys since veteran
WR Terry Glenn has been released. Losing Horn would allow them
to unload his $2.5 million salary, which the Falcons would welcome.
Even though Matt Ryan was the biggest QB draft pick this year,
the Falcons plan to start camp with an open competition between
Ryan and Chris Redman who started a few games for the Falcons
last season. The coaching staff really likes rookie RB Thomas
Brown out of Georgia, he is a big play threat a la Darren Sproles.
Panthers - QB Jake Delhomme has
looked very sharp in mini camps and after undergoing Tommy John
surgery his arm strength has never looked better. Jonathan Stewart
is feeling better after toe surgery and is looking forward to
a strong camp. He and DeAngelo Williams will battle for the starting
position. With the signings of Muhsin Muhammad and D.J. Hackett,
Steve Smith should have a big year with defenses no longer able
to key on him.
Saints - Reggie Bush has set out
to prove this season that he is not a bust and has worked extremely
hard this off-season on running between the tackles, which many
people have said is not his style. Deuce McAllister will likely
be limited in training camp as he continues to rehab from another
torn ACL
Buccaneers - Even though RB Earnest
Graham had a sensational 2007, the Bucs brought in veteran Warrick
Dunn. Going into camp, Dunn believes he’ll have a major
part in the offense running and catching the ball. Cadillac Williams
will not participate in any camp activities and will start the
season on the PUP list. Joey Galloway is set to be 100% when camp
starts after off-season shoulder surgery.
Eagles - Donovan McNabb’s
shoulder tendonitis that kept him out of a June passing camp has
completely subsided and he is ready for the start of camp. QB
Kevin Kolb has been getting all the second string snaps ahead
of A.J. Feeley. Reggie Brown was slated as the #1 WR last year,
but Kevin Curtis replaced him in that role. Word is, Brown has
worked harder in the off-season.
Redskins - Ladell Betts expects
to get more carries this year. The once fantasy relevant Betts
has taken a liking to Zorn and expects to keep Portis fresh this
season. WR Malcolm Kelly out of Oklahoma might be the big WR the
Redskins have lacked the last few seasons and is fighting for
the third receiver position and a possible deadly red zone threat.
Giants - Trade rumors of Jeremy
Shockey have come true; as a result he won’t be a distraction
in camp. David Tyree (Super Bowl hero) might not be able to make
it into camp with off-season knee surgery and could start the
season on the PUP list.
Cowboys - The Cowboys are confident
in Marion Barber being able to carry the load this year and have
no concerns about him breaking down. WR Patrick Crayton has worked
extra with Tony Romo this off-season and plans on being the starting
receiver opposite of Terrell Owens.
Chargers - L.T. is ready to start
a new season after watching his team lose in New England in the
AFC championship game. He is coming into camp healthy and ready
to go although don’t look for him to get any carries during
preseason games. WR Legedu Naanee has learned from his rookie
campaign and has been working on his route running. He hopes to
be much improved this year.
Raiders - WR Javon Walker is fine
and ready to start training camp as the Raiders top receiver after
being beaten and robbed in Las Vegas. JaMarcus Russell is coming
into his own slowly. His camp experience will be working on a
lot of rollouts. With the release of LaMont Jordan, he’ll
be handing the ball to Justin Fargas and rookie Darren McFadden.
Zach Miller led all rookie TE’s in catches with 44, he plans
on working overtime with Russell in order to get on the same page.
Broncos - Champ Bailey is turning
30 years old this year, but coming into camp he feels fresher
than ever. The coaches will work on all aspects of QB Jay Cutler's
game as he enters his third season. Cutler has always been fast
to pick up the offense and should take another big step this season….
The Broncos will open with an all out war at RB with Young, Pittman,
Torain, Hall, all in the mix.
Chiefs - Brodie Croyle is coming
into camp as the uncontested starter and feels if the offensive
line can stay healthy he can have an excellent year. Larry Johnson
is fully healthy after being injured last season and has a lot
of work to do in order to get back to the form he was in previous
years.
Steelers - Pittsburgh is toying
with the idea of Willie Parker and rookie Rashard Mendenhall being
in the backfield at the same time. Limas Sweed is finally the
WR that Ben Roethlisberger has been waiting for since the departure
of Plaxico Buress. At 6’4”, Sweed is the red zone
threat the team sorely needs.
Browns -What should have been a
normal surgery on the right knee, wide receiver Joe Jurevicius’
procedure has turned out to be a nightmare. The 11-year veteran,
now in his third season with the Browns, will miss at least the
beginning of camp. Kellen Winslow Jr. is going into camp healthy.
Ravens - The Ravens hope to start
Jared Gaither at left tackle this season following the recent
retirement of Jonathan Ogden. Willis McGahee has skipped all off-season
workouts, which is a disappointment to the coaching staff. They
said McGahee was not in football shape last season.
Bengals - Rudi Johnson is going
into camp healthy, but has plenty of competition with Chris Perry
and Kenny Watson. This could lead to a timeshare. Ben Utecht comes
to the Cincinnati and ads a TE that they can use which Utecht
is excited about his prospect. Chad Johnson’s agent says
that he will honor his contract and attend camp.
Texans - QB Matt Schaub has a big
season ahead of him. He needs to prove he can stay healthy and
be the long-term answer for the Texans. TE Owen Daniels has been
working on his hands this off-season. Daniels was second on the
team in receptions with 63, but had a case of the dropsies in
2007.
Colts - Tony Dungy expects WR Marvin
Harrison and DE Dwight Freeney to be ready for the start of the
season, but neither will see very much work when training camp
starts. S Bob Sanders is not expected to be participating in camp
due to a shoulder injury. TE Dallas Clark became the highest paid
TE this off-season and plans on proving his worth. Perhaps the
biggest story going into camp will be QB Peyton Manning’s
recovery from knee surgery, which could extend into the regular
season.
Jaguars - DE Paul Spicer skipped
all OTA’s this off-season due to contract dispute, and it
doesn’t look like he will be participating in camp. WR Matt
Jones, who has been a disappointment so far in his career, might
have come to the end of the road a couple weeks ago after being
arrested on a felony drug charge. The Jags have said it will take
an excellent camp for him to remain on the team. For the first
time since Mark Brunell, the Jags have a solid starting QB in
David Garrard and the coaching staff plans on using camp to fine
tune the offense to his strengths. WR Jerry Porter had a nice
mini-camp, but just had surgery on his hamstring, which will keep
him out 6-8 weeks. This should open things up for Troy Williamson
and second year phenom, Mike Walker to prove their worth.
Titans - Vince Young is no doubt
the starter, but his footwork and decision-making are key areas
new coordinator Mike Heimerdinger expects to see improvement on.
TE Alge Crumpler is ready for camp and has reportedly lost weight
and looks like a good fit for the offense. He could possibly become
Young’s #1 option
Bills - RB Marshawn Lynch admitted
guilt to a misdemeanor charge of hit and run, but he’ll
be going into camp with the distraction behind him. QB Trent Edwards
is the starter, but will have J.P. Losman hot on his heels and
given every opportunity to take the starting position back. WR
Lee Evans is hoping rookie James Hardy can open up the field on
the other side, which should allow the lightning fast receiver
some single coverage.
Dolphins - QB John Beck will be
given every opportunity to be the starting quarterback this year
for the Dolphins. It is his job to lose going into camp. RBs Ronnie
Brown and Ricky Williams are excited about the new offensive line
(including the #1 overall pick Jake Long) and believe the ground
game will be much improved. WR Ted Ginn Jr. is working hard on
becoming a better route runner, after catching only one pass over
40 yards all year.
Patriots - The Patriots are hoping
TE Ben Watson can take that next step to becoming an elite TE.
He is entering camp recovering from off-season ankle surgery.
RB Sammy Morris is entering camp finally healthy after his freak
chest injury last season but will compete with Kevin Faulk and
the recently signed LaMont Jordan for playing time.
Jets - QB Kellen Clemens is listed
as the starter going into camp but Chad Pennington will have the
opportunity to compete for the starting job. LG Alan Faneca plans
on making Thomas Jones’ life much easier. Jones was only
able to register 1 TD all season and averaged just 3.6 yds per
carry.
|