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Training Camp Outlook
7/27/08

NFC WEST

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.

NFC NORTH

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.

NFC SOUTH

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.

NFC EAST

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.

AFC WEST

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.

AFC NORTH

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.

NFC SOUTH

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

AFC EAST

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.