Training Camp Update Volume 2, Issue 1 8/02/06
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Saints Depth Chart QB Drew Brees, Jamie Martin, Todd Bouman, Adrian McPherson, Jason Fife RB Deuce McAllister, Reggie Bush (KR/PR), Aaron Stecker (3RB/KR), Ray Hudson FB Mike Karney, Fred McAfee. Jamar Martin WR Joe Horn, Donte Stallworth, Devery Henderson, Bethel Johnson, Chris Horn, Michael Lewis (KR/PR), Mike Hass, Lance Moore, Chase Lyman, Jamal Jones TE Zach Hilton, Mark Campbell, Ernie Conwell (inj), Tim Euhus, Nate Lawrie, Billy Miller, Marcus Colston, Wesley Dukes K John Carney, Connor Hughes DE Charles Grant, Will Smith, Tony Bryant, Rob Ninkovich, Tommy Davis DT Brian Young, Willie Whitehead, Hollis Thomas, Rodney Leisle, McKinley Boykin, Brandon Villareal MLB Alfred Fincher, Colby Bockwoldt (W/M), Cie Grant OLB Scott Fujita (S), Tommy Polley (W), Anthony Simmons (S/W), Jay Foreman, Terrence Melton (W), E.J. Kuale, Bobby Iwuchukwu, James Allen (S) (inj) CB Mike McKenzie, Jason Craft, Fred Thomas, Joey Thomas, Josh Lay, Grant Mason, Anwar Phillips, Ray Williams S Josh Bullocks (FS), Bryan Scott (SS/FS), Roman Harper (FS), Steve Gleason (FS), Jay Bellamy (SS) New York Giants QB: Tom Coughlin bristled when asked about Eli Manning’s progress during the off-season as camp started. “This is the 9,733rd time I’ve answered this question,” retorted Coughlin. He simply pointed to Manning’s film work, team-best attendance in the workout program, his throwing session and great attitude. As for Manning himself, well, he wants to limits his mistakes this season. "Sometimes you get away with (improper form), so you get dependent on it and you start doing it more. That's when it starts to hurt you." He’s beginning to know when to throw it away or just take a sack instead of risking a turnover. On Saturday afternoon, Manning made some impressive throws, but he still had some poor throws that were off the mark along the sidelines. On Saturday morning, they opened with 11-on-11 drills. Eli hit WR Amani Toomer with a quick pass over the middle, then on the next play he had an outstanding hand-off to RB Brandon Jacobs. Outstanding handoff? Eli faked a hand-off to WR Sinorice Moss on a fake reverse after Jacobs had the ball. Eli is doing a supreme job of selling the fakes and doing it smoothly. Manning, Tim Hasselbeck, and Jared Lorenzen all look significantly better at locating the open receivers and all are more accurate than they were a year ago. Rob Johnson will need time to get familiar with the system, the playbook and receivers. He may take a while before Coughlin can tell if he’s ready for prime time again. RB: Second year back Brandon Jacobs is seeing plenty of carries early on in camp. He seems to be running strong and trying to keep his shoulders low. Meanwhile, big surprise here, Tiki Barber continues to dart through tiny holes in the defense for nice gains. Jacobs consulted Eddie George in the off-season for tips. “I watched a lot of Eddie George film to see how he was running when he got in the league,” Jacobs said between training camp sessions. “I talked to him a little bit about how he worked on getting his hips down and being able to stay low, those kinds of things. I talk to him occasionally.” Jacobs is currently practicing with the 2nd string, while Derrick Ward is running with the third string. Ward is playing well also. Little John Flowers has impressed some with his speed, agility, and pass catching and James Sims is doing almost as well. WR: In Saturday’s afternoon practice, Amani Toomer caught a deep sideline passes against CB Sam Madison and another against CB Corey Webster. It doesn’t look like he’s lost any speed. Plaxico Burress made a nice catch in full stride over the middle that would have been an incompletion for most receivers since the ball was about two feet over his head. On another play, Plaxico dropped a pass from Eli that was only knee high. Tim Carter suffers from patella tendonitis in his left knee, but he appeared to be running fast and cutting without problems. “You have little nagging things sometimes with football, just in training or when you get into the season,” said Carter. “You have stuff that you have to push through, so I’m hoping this is just one of those things that’s easy to push through.” Carter made one catch that was quite impressive as he ran down the sideline well covered. There was about 8 or 10 yards of open space inside. Eli Manning threw the ball to that spot and Carter adjusted and somehow he had the speed to go get the ball before the defender. In Saturday morning’s practice, Willie Ponder, Harry Williams, and Michael Jennings all made catches and looked good. QB Jared Lorenzen caught big Anthony Mix in stride for a nice gain. WR Plaxico Burress injured his right ankle on August 2nd, and it’s not clear yet how long he’ll be sidelined. TE: Jeremy Shockey showed up to camp sporting a new tattoo. He didn’t take long to get the crowd worked up either. He made one of his patented sliding catches on a low Eli throw that drew a big response from the crowd. Shockey suffered a mild concussion after getting hit by FS Will Demps on Monday, and was still experiencing headaches on Tuesday. On Saturday morning, TE Wade Fletcher made a couple nice catches. If he develops as a blocker, he might make the team. Boo Williams hasn’t done anything yet. Saturday afternoon, Vishante Shiancoe caught a pass, but messed up on a few others. In the morning, he looked good catching a pass in the corner of the end zone during 11-on-11 drills. Defense: There are plenty of new faces on the defensive side of the ball in camp. Chief among them is Lavar Arrington, but others include rookie DE Mathias Kiwanuka, CB Sam Madison and FS Will Demps. LB Thomas Carroll is handling the switch from defensive end well, prompting coach Coughlin to note, "He can run – that young man can run. We can use him as an end as well, so we're going to do some of that in the pass-rush situation." Will Demps has not been limited at all during the first few days of camp either. Coughlin wasn’t surprised. "He felt great in the spring and we slowed him down, to be honest with you. We're just going to see these two days right here whether or not he can maintain this kind of pace where he goes twice a day … He wants to go, and the medical people have cleared him to. I'm really happy." Safety James Butler did not go into details about a kidney ailment that forced him to the Active/Non-Football Illness list. He did say that it was a problem he has had since birth and that it is not career-threatening. He will be examined by a doctor next week. Special Teams: Jay Feely comes off the second year of his career where he led the NFL in scoring. He won’t get to relax in camp, since he’s the only kicker on the roster. The Giants have plenty of talent in the return game. Return specialist RB Chad Morton is back and the favorite to return both kickoffs and punts. The player to watch in camp is second round draft pick WR Sinorice Moss. He doesn’t have extensive experience on returns, but he definitely has the requisite skills. New York also added free agent CB R.W. McQuarters, who would be the starting return specialist for many teams. For the Giants, he’ll be a very talented backup. Lurking in the background is WR Willie Ponder who began last year as the Giants’ kickoff returner; however he worked his way into Tom Coughlin’s doghouse. Giants Depth Chart QB Eli Manning, Tim Hasselbeck, Rob Johnson, Jared Lorenzen RB Tiki Barber, Brandon Jacobs (SD), Derrick Ward, Chad Morton (PR), James Sims, Little John Flowers, Ryan Grant (inj) FB Jim Finn WR Plaxico Burress, Amani Toomer, David Tyree, Tim Carter, Sinorice Moss, Willie Ponder (KR), Anthony Mix, Harry Williams TE Jeremy Shockey, Vishante Shiancoe, Boo Williams, Tony Jackson, Darcy Johnson K Jay Feely DE Michael Strahan, Osi Umenyiora, Justin Tuck, Mathias Kiwanuka, Eric Moore, Willie Evans, Thomas Carroll DT William Joseph, Fred Robbins, Damane Duckett, Barry Cofield, Jonas Seawright, Ahmad Childress, Junior Ioane, Marcus Green MLB Antonio Pierce (W/M), Gerris Wilkerson, Kevin Lewis, Chase Blackburn OLB Lavar Arrington (S), Carlos Emmons (W) (inj), Reggie Torbor (S), Brandon Short (S), Nick McNeil CB Sam Madison, Corey Webster, R.W. McQuarters (FS/PR), Frank Walker (RFA), Curtis Deloatch, Jason Bell, Brandon Williams, Gerrick McPhearson, E.J. Underwood, Kevin Dockery S Gibril Wilson (SS), Will Demps (FS), Quentin Harris, Charlie Peprah (SS), James Butler (inj) New York Jets QB: Coming off shoulder surgery for the 2nd season in a row, Chad Pennington took a limited number of snaps on the opening day of practice but he did throw a 64-yard touchdown pass that traveled 40 yards in the air. Pennington realize that he’s fighting for his job and career. He used the words "precious" and "finite" to describe his career. "It's made me appreciate the opportunities that I have as a professional athlete… and I think when you're injured, you start to realize how finite your career can be and how quickly it can go. I look back, this is my seventh year, and it's gone by." Head coach Eric Mangini has called training camp an open competition and he’s dividing the reps among Pennington, Patrick Ramsey, Kellen Clemens and Brooks Bollinger. "I'm not going to lie about it," Pennington said. "It is a little bit difficult. He's not pulling any punches and he's not playing any favorites. It's made me better." Rookie Kellen Clemens has flashed some potential and impressed Mangini, but he knows it won’t all come easy for the rookie. “Kellen has been outstanding in terms of the classroom, his preparation, his work ethic, his maturity, all of that...,” said Mangini. “I think that all of that has been great, but when you’re working without pads and you transition to pads, the speed of the game increases dramatically. And that’s always a transition – getting used to the speed of the game. So, he’s going to have to adjust to that.” Meanwhile, Patrick Ramsey is making his own transition – to a new team and offensive system. Ramsey looked sharp in the first morning session. “I feel like I’m doing better,” he said. “I felt better about running this offense than I possibly did then (the spring), but I studied a lot in the time from mini camp to now. I am going to continue to do so throughout training camp.” Mangini liked Ramsey’s conditioning. “He has gotten his weight down,” said Mangini. “He is really working on his footwork. He’s like the rest of that group - impressive in the classroom. So, Patrick’s made a lot of progress and I’m pleased with what he’s done so far.” Reports surfaced on Wednesday that Pennington had won the competition, but Mangini explicitly denied that saying “I can just tell you as the Head Coach of this football team what I told everybody in here yesterday is exactly the same. The rotation will continue and there is no change on that situation.” RB: At 33 years old, Curtis Martin remains dedicated to his craft and he’s working hard to get back on the field. He started camp on the PUP list. "To be honest, it hurts more than the physical pain, not being out there," said Martin, who could walk away with a decorated career, but he still wants to play football. He made that clear. Asked if there's any doubt in his mind about playing this season, Martin replied: "I'm not going to comment on that at all.” He then quickly added, "Please don't go and insinuate." He replied without hesitation when asked if he wants to play. "Oh, yeah," he said. "I wouldn't be doing all this work for nothing. My fire will burn until the day I'm done with football. ... For me, it ends when it ends. Right now, that's not where my mind is at… It hurts… I'm a leader on this team and you can't lead standing on the sidelines." He doesn’t sound like a guy ready to hang it up. In his absence, veteran Derrick Blaylock and second-year man Cedric Houston are running with the starters. "Curtis is always telling me things," said Houston, who worked with the first team on Saturday. "He tells me when I've cut wrong and how to hit the hole. He's always teaching." WR: Justin McCareins was placed on the PUP list on the first day of came, but he returned to the field on Sunday. He was on the PUP for disciplinary reasons, apparently. Mangini wouldn't specify why McCareins was deactivated, but said he was put back on the active roster after passing a conditioning test at 6:30 a.m. Saturday. One of the stars in the early going of camp has been Jerricho Cotchery. He’s looking for a bigger role in the offense this year with the retirement of Wayne Chrebet. He’ll compete with veteran Tim Dwight. Brad Smith also deserves watching in camp as he makes the transition to NFL WR from collegiate quarterback. TE: Chris Baker and Doug Jolley will revisit their training camp competition from last year. Baker started fast last season before suffering a season ending injury as Jolley finished the year as the starter. Mangini commented on Baker Wednesday, saying “I think that Chris has come in really good shape. He came in looking like he had done a lot of work in the brief time he had off between the off-season program and the start (of training camp). He’s a pretty effective blocker, he’s caused some problems in the past. I’m pleased with the way he’s approaching things.” Joel Dreessen is also competing for a role. Defense: Dewayne Robertson, the team’s starting nose tackle, showed up to camp weighing 310 pounds. The drop in weight is not a concern to him and he foresees no problems playing lighter. Robertson said, "Nose tackle is a great position. I'm having fun learning how to play it. Really, I'm just here willing to play any position they asked me to play. It's not a big deal." The Jets defensive line was overhauled in the offseason after John Abraham’s departure. The two players who figure to have the best chance to make an impact are DE Bryan Thomas and DT Sione Pouha. “He (Mangini) made it clear where he wanted us to be at and I got the message, so I went back to the weight room and I went back to my locker,” said Pouha. “I just wrote a few things done and said, ‘This is where I have to be at to be on the team and to help the team and this is where I have to go.’ I have always kept that in mind during the off-season. When I went home, I didn’t relax. I kind of kept an open mind and went at it.” Now, Pouha now weighs 300 pounds. “I had to eat better - stop the McDonalds and stop the Wendy’s,” said Pouha. “I pretty much put myself on a strict diet and began eating healthier, eating smarter, and I got my body able to play.” Pouha’s body transformation was noted by Mangini this weekend. “Sione came back in outstanding shape. He has really worked hard to reshape his body,” said the first-year head coach. “He spent a lot of time with guys like Kimo and he is working at his craft, and I have been pleased with his progress.” Of course, Mangini is referring to Kimo von Oelhoffen, who was signed as a free agent to further replenish their DL and has experience in the 3-4 formation. “Kimo has had the chance to work with me a lot. I have been following him and he’s emphasized technique,” said Pouha. “We have done a lot of work with the hands. Anything like that to help the team out is what it’s all about.” Pouha and CB David Barrett both have missed some practice sessions with leg injuries. Special Teams: Kicker Mike Nugent will look to improve both his field goal accuracy and his kickoffs in his second year. The Jets offense needs to work on providing him with more scoring opportunities. Rookie kicker D.J. Fitzpatrick out of Notre Dame is the camp leg. Free agent acquisition WR Tim Dwight enters camps as the favorite to return punts, with WR Jerricho Cotchery the next in line. The kickoff return situation is less clear. CB Justin Miller had an excellent rookie year, and should be the favorite again this year. The team however has several other qualified candidates. Dwight and Cotchery have both had success returning kickoffs, along with RB Derrick Blaylock who wasn’t a factor last year due to injury. Jets Depth Chart QB Chad Pennington (inj), Patrick Ramsey, Kellen Clemens, Brooks Bollinger RB Curtis Martin (inj), Cedric Houston, Derrick Blaylock, Leon Washington, Stacy Tutt (QB/WR), Nick Hartigan FB B.J. Askew WR Laveranues Coles, Justin McCareins, Jerricho Cotchery, Tim Dwight (PR), Brad Smith, Dante Ridgeway, Maurice Avery, Deqawn Mobley, Reggie Newhouse, Phil Silva TE Chris Baker, Doug Jolley, Joel Dreessen, Jason Pociask K Mike Nugent DE Shaun Ellis, Kimo Van Oelhoffen, Trevor Johnson, Dave Ball, Darrell Adams NT Dewayne Robertson, Sione Pouha, Matt McChesney, Monsanto Pope, Titus Adams, Brennan Schmidt ILB Jonathan Vilma, Brad Kassell, Anthony Schlegel OLB Eric Barton (W) (inj), Victor Hobson (S), Bryan Thomas (DE), Matt Chatham (S), Darrell McClover, Craig Bailey, Blake Costanzo, Alonzo Jackson CB David Barrett, Andre Dyson, Justin Miller (KR), Derrick Straight, Ray Mickens, Andrew Davison, Roosevelt Williams, Lamont Reid, D.J. Johnson, Drew Coleman, Rayshun Reed S Erik Coleman (SS), Kerry Rhodes (FS), Rashad Washington, Eric Smith (SS), James Taylor, Andre Maddox, Jamie Thompson, Jovon Johnson Oakland Raiders QB: The difference between Aaron Brooks and Kerry Collins is simple. When everything heads south, Brooks runs. "The thing that he brings is mobility," wide receiver Doug Gabriel said. "If a play breaks down, he can take off and run. That's what we've needed the past few years and that's what he's going to give us. We haven't had it since Rich Gannon." For his part, Brooks seems to be working hard and taking it all in stride. "All this is new to me, which makes it more exciting," Brooks said. "I am more than aware that all eyes are on me. That doesn't bother me at all. I get to go out there and be myself on the field. You're allowed to be the player you like to be. I'm going to embrace it." Teammates are taking to him. On one play, Brooks took off running and dove for the goal line. In camp, quarterbacks are off limits, but Brooks jumped back up on his feet and gave DT Warren Sapp a little tap. A small gesture, but the players like that stuff. Brooks is asserting himself in the first week of camp to be a leader. When the offense lined up wrong on one play, Brooks called it off, and then he let them know exactly what went wrong. Before camp started, head coach Art Shell said Brooks was the starter but nothing was finalized. It’s only one week, but Brooks seems to be ending that discussion with his performance. "I want to see him step forward," Shell said. "I want him to be totally comfortable with the system that we have so that he can get in and out of the huddles with good tempo, know exactly where he's going with the ball so he can put us in a good spot. I think he's doing well." On Saturday, Andrew Walter didn’t have much success with the 2nd team. He fired one low pass to Jerry Porter, who caught it, but quickly pointed to Walter where he should have thrown it. The biggest play of the day came from Marques Tuiasosopo, who ran out of the pocket and took off down the left sideline for a 20-yard gain prompting DE Derrick Burgess to get visibly upset. "Why is the quarterback running like that? Hit the (expletive) out of the quarterback! Tui ALWAYS wants to run.'' RB: LaMont Jordan is entrenched as the Raiders featured running back. But the team wants to see what they have in Justin Fargas to see if he’s capable of handling a larger load. "It's important that we have more than just LaMont Jordan carrying the ball," said Art Shell on Thursday. "Justin is a guy we're looking at to see if he can carry the load." Even Jordan chimed in on the topic, “I think Justin realizes that it's time.” Jordan ended up leaving Thursday’s practice with a right knee injury that wasn’t regarded as serious. "When you get to the end of your contract, you want to go out and have your best season,” said Jordan, who knows know a little something about that. "It's important that we have more than just LaMont Jordan carrying the ball," Shell said. "I told (Fargas), 'I expect good things out of you. I watched you when you first came into this league. You were exciting and you did a lot of good things, and then you just disappeared. You'll have a chance to show that you can play this game, that you can carry the load.’” WR: The story amongst the receivers was Jerry Porter. He strained his calf on opening day, but was on the field on Saturday to practice despite being an unhappy camper. There’s no denying the rift between Porter and Shell now. Last Tuesday, Porter clearly laid it all out. Porter wants to be traded. "Yes. Absolutely. I've told them that," Porter said on the team's first day of practice at training camp in Napa. The whole thing might have started when they asked him what he was planning for the off-season program. "And I told them, 'I just bought a place in Florida, so I'm going to go down to Florida and work with a trainer’,” Porter continued. "And this is Freddie B talking. He said, 'What's the matter, stud, you're not gonna stay here for the program?' And I'm saying, 'Nah, I've got to get away and charge my batteries.' That’s when Belitnikoff said, 'Well, your battery's not charged?' .. "And I'm like, 'No.' "… From there, as Porter recalls, the dialogue became more colorful. Biletnikoff retorted: "Your batteries aren't already charged?" Porter said, "No, they're not." Biletnikoff, didn’t quite get that saying, "So, what's the problem?". Porter answered, “Well, for one thing, I don't like the way things are going around here." That’s when Art Shell intervened. "And then Art chimes in, 'Who the **** do you think you are?' " Porter recalled. "And then it starts from there. Art says, 'Who ... do you think you're talking to?' "And that was that." Porter said. Porter knew he could be blackballed by the coaching staff, but said, "If that's how they want to spend their money... have at it." Carlos Francis learned he has a partial left hamstring tear. That will force him to miss at least one week, but he said it feels worse than the hamstring tear that cost him three weeks of training camp last season. TE: The Raiders plan on utilizing the TE more this season and the TEs have been noticeably more involved in team drills. "This offense seems more tight-end friendly to me," said James Adkisson, a converted receiver. "The tight end gets to read a lot of things. If you're doing the right thing, you should come open. Seven times out of 10 you should be open if you're making the right read." The Raiders head into camp with Courtney Anderson, John Paul Foschi and Randal Williams competing for playing time, while Adkisson, O.J. Santiago, Marcellus Rivers and John Madsen all compete for roster spots. Defense: LB Sam Williams hopes to stay healthy this year. So does Art Shell, which is why he reluctantly answered a question regarding his progress. "Don't ask me," Shell said. "The minute you ask me something like that, something will happen." In each of Williams' first three years in the NFL, he suffered season-ending injuries. LB Danny Clark, has been supplanted by LB Kirk Morrison at starting middle linebacker, but he doesn’t plan on being a reserve role for long. "This is not a different role, it's just some adversity that every athlete goes through," Clark said. "And at the end of the day, I see myself as a starter for this football team." Special Teams: The Raiders will be keeping a close watch on kicker Sebastian Janikowski. He had his worst pro year last year, and has been inconsistent early in camp. Art Shell recently noted, “The pressure’s on him. I told him every time he misses, the team runs, so that’s the pressure that he has. Sebastian’s in good shape. He came into camp with his weight down, the way it needs to be. He’s got a very strong leg, as you know. We just have to work to get him on a consistent basis from every yard line area. So every zone that he misses, I looked at the stats from last year and I saw where he really had some problems so we just have to improve that area and keep the good areas up and we'll be fine.'' Kickers Tim Duncan and David Kimball are also on the roster. The return game is once again in the capable hands and legs of CB Chris Carr. Jockeying for backup return roles are WR Doug Gabriel, RB Rod Smart, WR Carlos Francis, and possibly CB Fabian Washington. Download 366.51 Kb. Share with your friends:
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