Training Camp Update Volume 2, Issue 1 8/02/06
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- Ravens Depth Chart QB
- Bills Depth Chart QB
- Panthers Depth Chart QB
Special Teams: As always, Matt Stover will handle the placekicking for the Ravens this year. The question to be answered in camp is who will handle kickoffs. Kicker Aaron Elling handled them in nine games when activated last year, while Stover handled the others. Elling will be competing for a kickoff roster spot in camp this year against rookie punter Sam Koch, drafted in the sixth round. Koch is the favorite to beat out veteran free agent Leo Araguz for punting duties. Elling will probably need to be significantly better than Koch on kickoffs to merit the additional roster spot for a specialist. Two years ago RB B.J. Sams came out of nowhere (apologies to McNeese State fans) to win the return specialist role. He’s virtually a lock to keep that role, unless undrafted rookie RB Cory Ross out of Nebraska pulls off a huge upset. He got off to a good start, impressing the coaches during OTAs. Ravens Depth Chart QB Steve McNair, Kyle Boller, Brian St. Pierre, Drew Olson RB Jamal Lewis, Mike Anderson, Musa Smith (RFA), P.J. Daniels, B.J. Sams (KR/PR), Cory Ross FB Justin Green, Ovie Mughelli WR Derrick Mason, Mark Clayton, Clarence Moore, Devard Darling, Demetrius Williams, Ronald Bellamy, Romby Bryant, Rufus Skillern, Brian Bratton, Tre Moses TE Todd Heap, Daniel Wilcox, Quinn Sypniewksi K Matt Stover, Aaron Elling (RFA) DE Terrell Suggs, Trevor Pryce, Jarrett Johnson, Roderick Green, Gary Stills DT Kelly Gregg, Haloti Ngata, Dwan Edwards, Aubrayo Franklin, Justin Bannan, Cedric Hilliard, Remi Ayodele MLB Ray Lewis, Mike Smith OLB Adalius Thomas (S), Bart Scott (W), Dan Cody (S/DE) (inj), Dennis Haley, Ryan LaCasse, Tim Johnson CB Chris McAlister, Samari Rolle, Corey Ivy, David Pittman, Evan Oglesby, Derrick Martin, Ronnie Prude S Ed Reed (SS), Gerome Sapp (FS), B.J. Ward (FS), Dawan Landry (FS) Buffalo Bills QB: Head coach Dick Jauron is relying on one his three QBs emerging as the starter during camp. In the opening practice, Kelly Holcomb took the first snaps. J.P. Losman took the first snaps in the second practice followed by Craig Nall taking his turn on Saturday morning. Jauron committed to equally dividing practice time amongst all three and he hasn’t veered far from that formula yet. In Saturday’s practice, Kelly Holcomb was a rep short during 11-on-11 work. On day one through a 21-play session it was mostly three reps and rotate out. They did that twice through and then on the last three plays they'd each get one play apiece. On Saturday they changed it up in the first seven-on-seven session. "That's sort of the plan," said Jauron about his rotation. "We'll let them compete and it will take a while. I don't really have any indication as to how long, but hopefully someone is going to rise up and clearly be the guy." In the 11-on-11 work it was difficult to judge the quarterbacks because they focused on running the ball. Kelly Holcomb was sharp with his reads, but his receivers were covered well most of the time. The defense was making more plays on Holcomb's passes than of the other two QBs. One of Holcomb’s passes over the middle was tipped by London Fletcher, while another was tipped and intercepted. Holcomb rebounded with a nice throw over the middle to Jonathan Smith. J.P. Losman made some nice throws, too. He threw one down the seam over a couple of defenders to TE Brad Cieslak. He also hit Martin Nance a couple of times over the middle. He was almost intercepted along the sideline when the ball was bobbled by the receiver, but Matt Bowen dropped the ball. He was then intercepted in the flats when Jabari Greer jumped the route and took it for a “touchdown.” Craig Nall made some good reads and threw the ball well, but he also had a couple of late reads and the ball didn’t get there. Overall, Nall was more good than bad, but he seemed to favor working the middle of the field and the flats. Saturday afternoon, Nall suffered a hamstring injury during 11-on-11s when he rolled to his right and found no one open. He went back to the left and then before the play was blown dead, he pulled up clutching his left hamstring. He was held out for the rest of that session and left the field under his own power. "He obviously did something to his hamstring," said Jauron. "He felt something and we won't know until we check it out further. We probably won't know very much more tomorrow, but we'll certainly find out something on Monday because that's when we practice again, that will be our first padded practice. We're hoping that's it's nothing significant but we really won't know for a couple of days." RB: The main competition at RB during camp will be for the back-up job behind Willis McGahee. Lionel Gates, Fred Jackson, Anthony Thomas and Shaud Williams are all in the hunt. Offensive coordinator Steve Fairchild has been riding his backs about breaking runs outside. He wants them to just take what's in front of them. "Mainly he wants us to just get positive yards at all times," said Gates. "He doesn't really like the negative, side-to-side thing. He wants us to get positive yards always." Gates is 228 pounds and he has worked on his speed and quickness to enhance his chances of earning more time on the field. He also benefited from the extra reps due to the absence of McGahee in spring workouts. Gates thinks Fairchild's offense is easier to grasp. "I feel so much more comfortable," he said. "I don't have to think a lot like I did last year. I was doing a lot of thinking, trying to learn the system and play at the same time. Now it's just all about playing. I'm very familiar with the system." The player standing in his way is veteran Anthony Thomas, who played for Jauron in Chicago. "He's a pro," said Jauron. "He takes his craft seriously, he prepares himself and he stays in shape. He's very serious about what he does. In his first three years he rushed for over 3,000 yards and that's how I know him. He's not a complainer. I have a lot of faith in him." Thomas checked into camp weighing 219 pounds hoping to be quicker. "He'll perform for us I know that," said Jauron. Williams held the backup job last season, and he has an advantage having run behind Buffalo's offensive line for the past couple of years, but Mike Gandy, Chris Villarrial and Daimon Shelton are all former Chicago teammates of his, too. "It helps because if you know what guys can do out on the field it gives you more confidence running behind them," said Thomas. Rounding out the group is Fred Jackson, a game breaker who played in NFL Europe. Jackson is speedy and quick, but he may struggle in the NFL like previous NFL Europe backs before him. "They can all compete," said Jauron. "And Willis can get better too. The competition will only help us." WR: The Bills dealt Eric Moulds in the offseason, but welcomed his former teammate, Peerless Price, back as a free agent. And Price is happy to be back. He completed his first two practices on Friday. "It went good. It went real good," he said. "I'm pleased with it. It's just a start for us as a team and for myself." In returning to Buffalo, Price finds himself in a new role as a team leader. Lee Evans is expected to be the No. 1, but he's unproven in that role. With Moulds jettisoned, the team needs Price or another of their young WRs to seize the No. 2 spot. Price emerged in OTAs and enters camp penciled in that slot, but he’ll face competition in camp from 2nd year WR Roscoe Parrish and veteran Andre’ Davis. Josh Reed, Sam Aiken, Jonathan Smith, George Wilson and Martin Nance are all in camp looking for a role. The catches of the day (for day 1) went to George Wilson, who made two nice grabs. One was an over-the-head, one-handed fingertip catch along the sideline during individual work that drew some 'oohs' from the fans. He also made a difficult grab in traffic during 7-on-7s with three defenders around him. Sam Aiken also made a nice grab using his long reach to pull in a pass over a pair of defenders down the sideline. Reed had a solid first day of work, too. He made a few catches in traffic while lining up opposite Lee Evans as the number two receiver. In the afternoon, he made a few more nice grabs, one where he dove parallel to the ground and pulled it in. He was also knocked woozy after colliding with rookie FS Ko Simpson in Friday’s practice Friday, but he is OK. TE: On day two of camp, Robert Royal was the most frequently targeted tight end; as he was able to generate good separation from defenders. Kevin Everett and Brad Cieslak also made some catches. Defense: The Bills hope to have Takeo Spikes back in the fold this season. He participated in the individual drills and got some 7-on-7 snaps, but did not participate in 11-on-11s. "I'm not getting too high and I'm not getting too low," said Spikes. "I'm taking each day for what it's worth." Angelo Crowell started at strong-side linebacker ahead of James Posey on Saturday. "That's what we have penciled in right now," said Jauron. "What I like to tell them - and it's certainly not original - that it is penciled in and you can change it. The players change it. They'll make the decisions for us as we move along." Posey needs a strong camp to regain the starting spot. Crowell started 13 games on the weak side last season while Takeo Spikes was out. Now, Spikes is back, the team liked what they saw of Crowell on the strong side during the spring. The job is still up for grabs though. SS Coy Wire likes the team’s new high-energy level and aggressive defense so far, "All I'll say is I feel very comfortable in this defense. I feel it." The Bills signed CB Ashton Youboty to a four-year contract then inked first-round draft choice DT John McCargo soon after. On Sunday, they signed fourth-round pick, S Ko Simpson, and fifth-round pick, DT Kyle Williams, to four-year contracts. Williams is built like a fire hydrant at 6’1”, 295 lbs. and. plays with great leverage, strength and toughness, which serves him well against bigger offensive linemen. The Bills hope he gives them good depth as a rookie. The biggest addition up front is former Colts DT Larry Tripplett. Colt GM Bill Polian said, "Larry Tripplett ... could've played with the old Bills," referring to the Super Bowl teams he assembled in Buffalo. "He's a tremendous worker, an incredible character person, he's a leader, he's very smart, he does everything you ask of him, he loves playing football. We're going to miss him tremendously." Special Teams: Rian Lindell logged a solid 2005 to solidify his position as the Bills’ kicker. He’ll be spelled in camp by kicker Nicholas Setta, who has had brief stints in the Saints, Buccaneers, Bears, and Browns camps the previous two years, along with a trip to NFL Europe last year. There wasn’t a lot of practice on the return game when camp started, although WR Roscoe Parrish, CB Nate Clements, WR Jonathan Smith, S Jim Leonhard, and RB Shaud Williams practiced catching the ball. CB Terrance McGee is the top kickoff returner for the Bills, and remains one of the top KRs in the league. WR Roscoe Parrish should pick up where he left off last year atop the Bills’ punt returner depth chart; however that’s not cast in stone given the depth of talent behind him. The coaching staff wants to take a good look at Smith and Williams in particular during the preseason. Bills Depth Chart QB Kelly Holcomb, J.P. Losman, Craig Nall RB Willis McGahee, Shaud Williams, Anthony Thomas, Lionel Gates, Fred Jackson FB Damien Shelton, Alan Ricard, Joe Burns WR Lee Evans, Josh Reed, Peerless Price, Andre' Davis, Roscoe Parrish (PR), Sam Aiken, Jonathan Smith, George Wilson, Martin Nance, Chris Denney TE Robert Royal, Brad Cieslak, Kevin Everett, Ryan Neufeld K Rian Lindell DT Larry Tripplett, Tim Anderson (NT), Lauvale Sape (inj), John McCargo, Jason Jefferson, Kyle Williams DE Aaron Schobel, Chris Kelsay, Ryan Denney, Mark Word, Ryan Neill, Jason Hall, Joshua Cooper MLB London Fletcher, Liam Ezekiel, Courtney Watson (inj), Mario Haggan (W) (RFA) OLB Takeo Spikes (W) (inj), Angelo Crowell (W), Jeff Posey (S), Josh Stamer (S/W), Keith Ellison, John Digiorgio CB Nate Clements (PR), Terrence McGee (KR), Eric King, Jabari Greer, Ashton Youboty, Kiwaukee Thomas, Eric Bassey S Troy Vincent (FS), Donte Whitner (SS), Matt Bowen (SS), Coy Wire (SS), Ko Simpson (FS), Rashad Baker (FS), Jim Leonhard (SS), James Bethea Carolina Panthers QB: Jake Delhomme set the tone for training camp back in June when he said nothing short of a Super Bowl championship will make him happy this season. "That’s why you play this game," Delhomme said. "You don’t play this game to go 8-8 or to go 10-6 and play one round in the playoffs. You don’t do that. You play to get yourself in the game and win it." Delhomme is backed up by Chris Weinke, who faces competition from 2nd-year QB Stefan Lefors and rookie Brett Basanez. Lefors has a reputation for playing better in games than he practices, so this preseason will provide him an opportunity to push Weinke for the backup job. RB: The Panthers signed first-round pick RB DeAngelo Williams to a five-year, $7.5 million contract on Sunday. On the team’s first day of practice, Williams had to carry the shoulder pads of veteran RBs DeShaun Foster and Brad Hoover to the locker room after the morning workout. Williams will challenge DeShaun Foster for the starting job, but on the opening day of practice he was working mostly with the third- and fourth-teams. "Amazing, the speed and tempo," said Williams. "I was a bit nervous, because I didn't know what to expect." John Fox likes what he’s seen of Williams so far. “He looked good for a first practice. He ran with a low pad level. I saw in the mini-camps and OTA's that he had excellent vision and quickness.” Fox said during the summer that Williams appears to have “excellent vision, excellent quickness and a good feel for finding some small cracks. Now, we've got to get in football shape, and that's the hitting, pad levels and things we have to do to get ready for real football.” WR: All-Pro receiver Steve Smith was carted off the field on Saturday with a hamstring injury. He went down late in the team's second practice and was quickly put on a cart and taken inside for examination. He’s reportedly day to day, but obviously this is a concern and not the best way to start camp. Keyshawn Johnson will start opposite Smith with Drew Carter looking to win the 3rd WR job over third-year receiver Keary Colbert. Carter added size and strength (particularly in his upper body) during the offseason, improving his chances of winning the job. Fox talked about Colbert playing injured last season, "Our medical people will not clear people unless they're healthy. Colbert had an offseason surgery on his ankle, and we think that will help him. He played with a lot more pain last year than I think anybody knew. He feels a lot better know." Carter (6’3”, 200 lbs.) is bigger and faster than Colbert, but Carter must run better routes and avoid drops to win the competition. Meanwhile, Colbert isn’t giving an inch. According to coaches and teammates, he looks more like he did as a rookie in 2004 than he did last season when he was slowed by an ankle injury. "He's a different player already," quarterback Jake Delhomme said. "You can just see the way he runs his routes. He has explosion. He has separation." TE: The Panthers reportedly would like to get Kris Mangum more involved in the team's offense if they can get improved, consistent play from their offensive line. The Panthers tight ends have not been a factor (fantasy-wise) in recent years. Mangum is the starter, but he’ll face competition from Michael Gaines and Mike Seidman. Rookie Jeff King is also looking for a roster spot. Kris Mangum and Michael Gaines were given Saturday afternoon off at practice to rest. Defense: Keith Adams is practicing at weak-side linebacker with the first-unit ahead of linebacker Na'il Diggs. Fox was asked about signing Adams as a free agent, “We looked at him a couple of years ago when he came up in free agency. He was an outstanding special teams player with Philadelphia and then a year ago he started. He's a guy we've had our eye on a couple of times around. We just like what we saw.” Former All-Pro DT Kris Jenkins is trying to get back on track after playing in just five games in the past two years with knee and shoulder injuries. He is expected to be in the lineup by Week 1 despite suffering through back spasms in Saturday’s practice. He ended up riding a stationary bike in the afternoon. Fox was asked if Jenkins’ knee is 100 percent healthy or if he’ll be eased into things. Fox said, "It's a combination of both. He's been cleared medically, so his knee is healthy. Now, it's just getting him back into football shape, and we'll do that gradually."DE Mike Rucker's numbers have been down the last 2 years, but with Jenkins back, he should see plenty of one-on-one matchups and be a force against the run and rushing the QB. Rookie third-round pick James Anderson (6-foot-2, 240 lbs.) is a talent at outside linebacker. The Panthers are unsettled at the position and they’re happy with what they've seeing of Anderson. He'll be a factor. DL Otis Leverette (illness) was released after he failed his physical. Special Teams: John Kasay has been the Panthers’ kicker since they entered the league in 1995. He is the only player on the team that has the coveted private bathroom at the training camp accommodations. Kasay has been held out of initial practices with a sore leg. Consequently the team added a camp leg in MacKenzie Hoambrecker. The return picture is far less clear. RB Jamal Robertson is the incumbent kickoff returner; however he may not survive the final roster cuts given the team’s depth at running back. The early frontrunner for the KR role is rookie RB DeAngelo Williams. It may be unusual for a first rounder to be returning kickoffs, however he suggested the idea to the coaches and they were very intrigued. Second round draft pick CB Richard Marshall and WR Keary Colbert have also been working on kickoff returns. WR Steve Smith is the teams’ best punt returner; however the Panthers are becoming increasingly reluctant to use him on special teams, given his importance on offense. His recent hamstring injury will heighten that reluctance. Heading into camp, CB Chris Gamble appears to be the likely successor. WRs Daniel Smith, Jovon Bouknight and Efrem Hill have been handling punt returns in practice. Panthers Depth Chart QB Jake Delhomme, Chris Weinke, Stefan Lefors, Brett Basanez RB DeShaun Foster, DeAngelo Williams, Eric Shelton (SD), Jamal Robertson FB Brad Hoover, Nick Goings, Casey Cramer WR Steve Smith (PR) (inj), Keyshawn Johnson, Keary Colbert, Drew Carter, Karl Hankton, Jovon Bouknight, Daniel Smith, Justin McCullum, Lynzell Jackson, Taye Biddle, D.J. Smith TE Kris Mangum, Michael Gaines, Mike Seidman, Jeff King K John Kasay DE Julius Peppers, Mike Rucker, Al Wallace, Jovan Haye, Stanley McClover, Devan Long DT Kris Jenkins (inj), Ma'ake Kemoeatu, Damione Lewis, Jordan Carstens, Atiyyah Ellison, Tony Brown MLB Dan Morgan, Vinny Ciurciu (W/M) (RFA) OLB Thomas Davis (S), Na'il Diggs (W), Keith Adams (W), Adam Seward (W), Chris Draft (S/M), James Anderson (W), Sean Tufts CB Chris Gamble, Ken Lucas, Reggie Howard, Richard Marshall, Jermaine Hardy, Marcus Cassel, Jarrett Bush, DeShane Dennis S Mike Minter (SS), Shaun Williams (FS), Colin Branch (FS), Kevin McAdam, Nate Salley (FS) Chicago Bears QB: It didn’t take Rex Grossman long before he started completing passes to #1 WR Muhsin Muhammad last Friday. Grossman completed passes to Muhammad in all areas of the field. He also did a nice job selling play-fakes and seemed quick on his feet when he was in a couple of tight spots. On one play, he used a quick foot shift after looking left toward Mark Bradley, who was covered, then going back over to Muhammad on the right. Brian Griese provides a better insurance policy over Kyle Orton, but he’s still learning the plays and his teammates. He seemed a little slower with his release than Grossman. But he orchestrated a perfect fake, then rolled right and flipped the ball to rookie FB J.D. Runnels for a big gain. Grossman threw an interception to Mike Brown after overthrowing Muhammad on a deep pass. Brian Griese had the morning off. "They told me I'm only going to practice once a day," Griese said, laughing. "I don't mind that. Not a lot of guys want two-a-days. This is nine [years] for me so I look around and there's not too many guys older than me. But that's OK. That means I'm doing something right. As long as you're healthy." That gave Orton plenty of reps, but he had mixed results. Orton guided the offense in for a score on a pass to WR Reggie Harrell, but he under threw a wide-open Harrell another time and missed on another long throw that Harrell had to break up to prevent an interception. For his part, Rex Grossman directed throws to Bernard Berrian and hooked up on a good deep throw against coverage by Charles Tillman. RB: Thomas Jones reported to camp on time, but hurt his hamstring while running during the team’s physical. Jones was put on the PUP list to start camp and will be re-evaluated daily and he can come off the list at any time. Cedric Benson continued running with the first team as he did during OTAs earlier in the summer. Benson got plenty of extra work, too. He remained in as a pass protector and as the lone back on some third-down situations. On one occasion, Benson was flanked out wide. The Bears would like to create some mismatches against linebackers using that formation. Benson clearly has a better grasp on the offense than he did after holding out as a rookie. He’s excelled as both a runner and receiver early in training camp, running with quickness and power, showing no ill effects from the knee injury that sidelined him for six games late last season. Rookie FB J.D. Runnels displayed good receiving skills. Trade rumors regarding Jones persist, but the Bears are in no hurry to make a move. "As far as the trade situation, I really don't have a comment on that. Those are things that aren't important. I'm here at training camp trying to get ready," Jones said. Head coach Lovie Smith said Jones was aware of the impending rotation with Benson running first team. "There weren't any surprises when he came here," Smith said. WR: Moose was the show in Saturday’s afternoon practice with his numerous hauls from Grossman. Second year It was good to see WR Mark Bradley on the field, after tearing his ACL only nine months ago. Rashied Davis is getting some work with the No. 1 offense in the slot when they go to three-receiver sets. Davis is really laying it all on the line by selling his body to make catches; gaining the confidence of the Bears quarterbacks. Bradley got the crowd excited making a tough sideline catch against excellent coverage by rookie corner Carlos Hendricks. On Sunday morning, Muhammad got some rest, but the secondary made a string of nice plays. Dante Wesley poked the ball out of Justin Gage's hands forcing a fumble and broke up another pass to Reggie Harrell during 7-on-7 drills, which are always tougher for coverage guys. Bernard Berrian's spin move after one catch was the highlight move of the morning as he left several DB's in his wake. Berrian and Bradley are locked in competition for the No. 2 job opposite Moose. Berrian turned serious when asked about the battle with his friend (Bradley), "I'm not letting it go," he said. "It's mine to lose.” Both are getting snaps with the first-team and both have made outstanding catches early in camp. In Saturday’s morning session, Berrian hooked up with Grossman for a big gain over the middle. Offensive coordinator Ron Turner says establishing a good No. 2 threat is a priority for the Bears. Download 366.51 Kb. Share with your friends:
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