Training Camp Update Volume 3, Issue 1 8/02/07
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- New York Giants QB
- Giants Depth Chart QB
- Jets Depth Chart QB
WR: Marques Colston, Terrance Copper, Devery Henderson, Robert Meacham (inj), David Patten, Jamal Jones, Lance Moore, Dante Ridgeway, Aaron Hosack, Tramain Hall TE: Eric Johnson, Mark Campbell, Billy Miller, Robert Johnson K: Olindo Mare, Brett Bergstrom DT: Hollis Thomas (NT), Brian Young (inj), Antwan Lake (NT), Kendrick Clancy (NT), Rodney Leisle, Brandon Villareal, McKinley Boykin DE: Charles Grant, Will Smith, Rob Ninkovich (inj), Tommy Davis (inj), Willie Evans MLB: Brian Simmons (W/M), Mark Simoneau (W/M), Alfred Fincher, Marvin Mitchell, Trev Faulk OLB: Scott Fujita (S), Scott Shanle (W), Dhani Jones (S), Troy Evans (W), Cornelius Wortham CB: Mike McKenzie, Jason David, Fred Thomas, Usama Young, Jason Craft, Anwar Phillips, David Jones S: Josh Bullocks (FS), Roman Harper (SS), Kevin Kaesviharn (FS), Jay Bellamy (FS), Chris Reis, Steve Gleason (IR) New York Giants QB: New QB Coach Chris Palmer is pleased with his early work with Eli Manning. "We spent 13 hours watching film, and it was very tedious.’Why did you do this?' and 'What did you see here?'" Palmer said. "That's a grueling experience and I thought he learned from it. The things we talked about early in the film session, he carried out to the field and had great carryover." Despite the praise from Palmer, his on-field play has been less reassuring. One observer noted that teammates started actually quacking at Manning after he overthrew Sinorice Moss on a deep pass in practice. As it was last season, Manning has looked brilliant at times, and erratic at others. It’s the consistency that will either turn him into an elite QB or push him toward mediocrity. During a 2-minute drill in evening practice, Manning failed to get his team into the endzone, throwing an interception to safety James Butler. Meanwhile the hefty lefty, Jared Lorenzen, has played well and could conceivably break camp as the #2. RB: Brandon Jacobs is going to be the Giants bell-cow this year barring an unforeseen circumstance. Offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride threw out the idea of getting Jacobs “20 to 25 carries per game”, which obviously implies Jacobs will push for 300+ carries this season if things go according to plan. In consecutive practices, he absolutely blew up S Gibril Wilson and LB Antonio Pierce; running over them in a way Tiki Barber never could have. Jacobs has also been surprisingly confident as a receiver, showing soft hands and a willingness to go out and snatch the ball despite the inevitable hit. Reuben Droughns is entrenched as the backup and should see 8-10 touches in games where the Giants can run the ball as much as planned. Ahmad Bradshaw is running well, and could displace Derrick Ward as the 3rd running back. Bradshaw’s youth and upside could give him the edge if the Giants only keep three tailbacks. WR: There were fears that both Plaxico Burress and Amani Toomer would be unable to practice at the start of camp, but that turned out to be a false concern. 33-year old Amani Toomer, coming back from an ACL injury, caught everyone’s attention including his head coach’s. “He was good,” Coughlin said. “I tell you what was really interesting was that Amani ran the conditioning test really well. I don’t know if I was prepared to see him do it that well. He made all ten times and he did it with some style and some endurance. Then to be able to see him come out and have a practice in which, to be honest with you, there was no quarter asked and none really given.” Toomer may be back, but that doesn’t change how impressive rookie Steve Smith has looked. Running primarily with the 2nd unit, Smith has been crisp in and out of his cuts, and made an electrifying 30-yard catch in Saturday’s practice. Sinorice Moss, hurt most of last year, has been healthy and looks capable of contributing, too. Michael Jennings has also had his moments, even running with the first team at times. From one through five, the Giants appear to have the best WR depth they’ve seen in a long, long time. TE: There is Jeremy Shockey and then everyone else. Kevin Boss and Darcy Johnson are ill-equipped to fill Shockey’s shoes, but they won’t have to as long as the perennial Pro Bowler stays healthy. Defense: The Giants once again find themselves amidst a media storm thanks to retirement chatter from a veteran. This year, it’s DE Michael Strahan who is unhappy with the $8mm due him over the next two seasons. What most thought was a negotiating ploy has now turned personal, with Strahan saying he “feels betrayed” by the Giants and ownership; which has refused to consider redoing his contract. Whether Strahan reports to camp or not, the team appears ready to move on as HC Tom Coughlin met with DE Simeon Rice on Tuesday. Mathius Kiwanuka will not be moved back to DE from LB in spite of the Strahan situation; as the team doesn’t want to stunt Kiwi’s transition. With Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora making plays at defensive end, that’s a luxury the Giants can afford themselves, for now. The surprise of camp so far has been safety James Butler; who has shown a knack for pass deflections while also showing a physical side necessary to excel at strong safety. Special Teams: Medical matters have taken precedence over the kicking competition. It may be difficult for kicker Lawrence Tynes to be fully focused in camp for personal reasons. His newborn twin sons were born premature in early July and just recently released from intensive care. Josh Huston, the challenger for the kicking job, did not get a chance to kick in minicamps due to appendicitis. In the first practice, Huston was perfect on all his field goals, while Tynes missed twice. Training camp will feature battles for both return jobs. WR Sinorice Moss and rookie RB Ahmad Bradshaw will challenge RB Derrick Ward, the incumbent on kickoff returns. Both will also challenge veteran CB R.W. McQuarters and rookie CB Aaron Ross on punt returns. The early favorites are probably Moss on kickoff returns and Ross on punt returns. Giants Depth Chart QB: Eli Manning, Anthony Wright, Jared Lorenzen, Tim Hasselbeck RB: Brandon Jacobs (SD), Reuben Droughns, Derrick Ward (RFA), Ahmad Bradshaw, Cedric Humes FB: Jim Finn (IR), Robert Douglas WR: Plaxico Burress, Amani Toomer (inj), Sinorice Moss, Steve Smith, David Tyree, Michael Jennings (PR), Anthony Mix, Brandon London, Marco Thomas, Kevin McMahan TE: Jeremy Shockey, Darcy Johnson, Kevin Boss, Charles Davis, Michael Matthews, Rodney Burgess K: Lawrence Tynes, Josh Huston DT: Fred Robbins, Barry Cofield, William Joseph, Jay Alford (DE), Marcus Bell, Jonas Seawright, Ahmad Childress DE: Michael Strahan (inj), Osi Umenyiora, Justin Tuck (inj), Adrian Awasom, Marquies Gunn, Charrod Taylor MLB: Antonio Pierce (M/W), Chase Blackburn OLB: Kawika Mitchell (W), Mathias Kiwanuka (S), Reggie Torbor (S), Gerris Wilkinson (W), Zak DeOssie, Tyson Smith CB: Sam Madison, Aaron Ross, Corey Webster, R.W. McQuarters (FS/PR), Kevin Dockery, Gerrick McPhearson, E.J. Underwood (inj) S: Gibril Wilson (SS), Will Demps (FS), James Butler (SS), Michael Johnson, Michael Stone, Craig Dahl, Jason Bell (IR) New York Jets QB: Unlike last year when Chad Pennington had to win the starting job, he enters this year’s camp as the anointed starter. Last year’s Comeback Player of the Year, Pennington knows he has more work to do coming off a year in which he threw a career-high 16 INTs with a completion percentage of 64.5% (the lowest of his career in which he started at least 10 games). With Pennington as the entrenched starter, the offense is enjoying more continuity than they had at this time last year. “It feels good to have a set quarterback right now," WR Jerricho Cotchery said. "When you have one guy in the entire time, you get used to that guy. Everyone becomes one and gets that good feeling. Everyone just feeds off the quarterback." On Saturday, Pennington hooked up for a TD with Cotchery down the deep middle, beating CB Justin Miller to the ball. One slight surprise at the beginning of camp was WR Brad Smith, who is working as a quarterback now. "He is a quarterback that plays receiver some and does some other things. Brad is a quarterback and you will see him throughout camp playing quarterback and in preseason games he will play quarterback. He's just a quarterback that has the versatility to play other positions," Head Coach Eric Mangini said. Smith was a dual-threat QB at the University of Missouri. RB: Thomas Jones didn’t waste any time ingratiating himself to his new teammates. “We all know what type of player Thomas Jones has been in this league," QB Chad Pennington said. "I’ve known Thomas since 2000. We trained together for the combine in Florida. He’s a hard worker, number one, and he works extremely hard and is a true professional.” During 11-on-11 drills, Jones flashed his trademark quickness and power by bursting through the line for a 15 yards gain taking a few hits from defenders in the process. While he was impressive early, he also put the ball on the carpet once. During 9-on-7 drills, Jones broke off a 20 yard run only to be surprised by DE Shaun Ellis, who caught up to him and stripped the ball as the play came to an end. For that, Jones earned a lap around the practice field. “Coach Mangini runs practices the way they’re supposed to be run," Jones said. "We go through each drill and if you don’t get it right, you do it over.” A few plays later, Leon Washington stumbled then fell on his chest, fumbling the handoff in the process. As Washington began his lap, Jones ran over to join him. He even waited for Washington while he lost his breakfast halfway through the lap. “Thomas has been a really positive influence and it goes back to what our research showed on him," HC Mangini said. "Every team that he was at had great things to say about him and that’s been our experience. That’s why we brought him here. Outside of his abilities, there’s great character.” On Friday, the Jets signed veteran RB Tony Fisher to replace Cedric Houston, who abruptly left the team on July 26 for personal reasons. Mangini commented that he believes Houston's departure is a permanent one. On Saturday, Washington was absent for personal reasons allowing Alvin Banks and Danny Ware more reps working behind Jones. Ware had a couple of nice plays. In red zone drills, he made a 15-yard inside run, putting his shoulder into S Jamie Thompson to get across the goal line. Then he got free on a swing pass around end as Eric Barton and Bryan Thomas collided trying to tackle him. WR: Last year, like several years prior to it, Laveranues Coles battled through injuries to post a career-high 91 receptions. Despite his chronic toe problems and other assorted ailments, Coles is the only NFL receiver to start all 96 games in the past six seasons. Coles and Jerricho Cotchery are locked in as starters, but there is plenty of competition for the spots behind them. Veterans Justin McCareins, Tim Dwight, Wallace Wright, Frisman Jackson and rookie 7th round pick Chansi Stuckey will battle for those spots. Mangini was asked what kind of role Stuckey could have this year. "The first thing he's got to do is make the team. The second thing is carve out a role for himself. There are a lot of receivers, it's a competitive group. That's what he's doing and that's what we're trying to find out as well. There's a lot of work ahead for him." Rookie WR Jessie Pellot-Rosa was held out of practice after he broke his hand. Pellot-Rose was a college basketball star at VCU and he’s attempting to make the transition as an NFL WR. He needs all the reps he can get, so this injury is a major setback for him. The Jets also signed free agent WR Chris Davis to a contract. Davis spent most of the past two seasons as a member of the Montreal Alouettes in the Canadian Football League. WR Tim Dwight, who is on the team’s PUP list, was on the field but didn’t dress or participate in practice. Defense: The Jets defense hopes to improve in their second year running the 3-4 scheme. While the team wanted Jonathan Vilma and DeWayne Robertson to gain some weight this offseason, that didn’t happen, but just as important – they feel more comfortable and expect to be much better this year. With more experience and some key additions, the Jets are confident heading into camp. One key addition is 2nd round pick (No. 47 overall) LB David Harris, who has already displayed his run-stuffing prowess. The 6’2”, 243 pounds inside LB led the Michigan defense in tackles as a senior with 96. “Football is football,” he said of the transition to the pro game. “Two-a-days are going to be hard no matter where you go. You have to pick up everything as fast as you can and hopefully it will translate from the classroom to the field.” Harris hopes to be a quick study on the field, and off it, too. He dives right back into the playbook when the day is over and they head back to the dorms. “I'm actually rooming with Chansi Stuckey. We get along very well. He's very funny and cool, just a humble guy,” Harris said. “We actually haven’t had time to play video games. As soon as we go back to the dorms, we're in our books and then it’s lights out after that.” Harris has a couple of familiar faces to help him along, too. Fellow LB Victor Hobson was a 5th year senior at Michigan when Harris was a red-shirt freshman. His position coach Jim Herrmann was his defensive coordinator for a couple seasons, too. “It makes the transition easier. Even if you know one person, it makes it easier because you have someone to talk to,” said the rookie. “Victor gives me pointers every chance he gets and has just been a real good teammate.” First round pick CB Darrelle Revis was not on the field when camp began as he had not yet reached a contract agreement with the team. "Anybody that's not here is really missing opportunities to get better and to compete for what I'm sure what they all want, which is playing time," said Mangini. "But we are going to focus on the guys that are here and get them better and collectively get better." Free-agent addition Kenyon Coleman lined up at DE with the first team along with David Bowens at OLB and David Harris at ILB. Safety Eric Smith was also with the starting group. Veteran DE Bobby Hamilton looked sharp and managed to be in all the right places. LB Cody Spencer had two big hits during drills, including one that knocked RB Alvin Banks' helmet off. The Jets signed LB Mark Zalewski on Friday. LB Matt Chatham is on the PUP list, and like Dwight, was on the field but didn’t dress or participate in drills. Special Teams: Kicker Mike Nugent turned the proverbial corner after Week 1 last year, and was nearly perfect thereafter. Camp leg Justin Ayat, who graduated from Hawaii in 2004, was signed last week and then released over the weekend. CB Justin Miller will once again be the lead kickoff returner, assuming his offseason legal troubles do no cause him to miss any games. RB Leon Washington should be the primary backup. The punt returner role is less defined. WR Tim Dwight has been their best punt returner, although he’s had trouble staying healthy and is currently on the PUP list. Rookie CB Darrelle Revis is the favorite for the job, assuming his success in college translates into the NFL. Leon Washington also serves as a backup on punt returns. The dark horse candidate is rookie WR Chansi Stuckey who has drawn comparisons to Dwight. Jets Depth Chart QB: Chad Pennington, Kellen Clemens, Marques Tuiasosopo, Brett Ratliff RB: Thomas Jones, Leon Washington (3RB), Alvin Banks, Danny Ware, Tony Hollings FB: Darian Barnes, Stacy Tutt WR: Laveranues Coles, Jerricho Cotchery, Justin McCareins, Brad Smith (QB), Tim Dwight (PUP), Chansi Stuckey, Wallace Wright, Frisman Jackson, Jessie Pellot-Rosa, Evan Prall, Iiro Luoto, Juan Wong, Chris Davis TE: Chris Baker, Jason Pociask (inj), Sean Ryan, Joe Kowalewski, James Dearth (LS) K: Mike Nugent, Brian Wingert NT: Dewayne Robertson, Rashad Moore, Monsanto Pope, C.J. Mosley, Sione Pouha (inj) DE: Shaun Ellis, Kimo Van Oelhoffen, Kenyon Coleman, Bobby Hamilton, Eric Hicks, Michael Haynes, Andre Wadsworth, Matt King, Jason Trusnik ILB: Jonathan Vilma, David Harris, Eric Barton, Brad Kassell, Anthony Schlegel OLB: Victor Hobson (S), Bryan Thomas (DE), David Bowens, Matt Chatham (S) (PUP), Mark Zelewski CB: Andre Dyson, Darrelle Revis, David Barrett, Drew Coleman, Justin Miller (KR), Hank Poteat S: Kerry Rhodes (FS), Erik Coleman (SS), Rashad Washington, Eric Smith (SS) Oakland Raiders QB: Things keep getting more interesting in Oakland. Contract negotiations with 1st overall pick JaMarcus Russell are going nowhere fast and, as a result, the Raiders signed Daunte Culpepper to a one-year deal on Tuesday. Culpepper clearly has the pedigree to start most, if not all of the season, giving the Raiders protection against a protracted Russell holdout. Prior to Culpepper’s arrival, quarterbacks Josh McCown and Andrew Walter split time with the first team. Head coach Lane Kiffin did a bit of posturing at the press conference to announce Culpepper, promising an open competition. "He'll be part of that competition to be the starting quarterback. We'll give him the opportunity and see if he can take it and if he can't, he'll be a backup," said Kiffin. Yeah, okay Lane, we really believe that’s how it’s going to shake out. Assuming Russell eventually signs, it looks like either McCown or Walter will be the odd man out. Walter, recovering from knee surgery, did his best work when throwing on time and staying in the pocket. McCown had some nice plays on bootlegs and rollouts to the perimeter. McCown has been more consistent than Walter throwing to the RBs and TEs, while Walter’s timing has been good with the WRs. RB: In the first two days of camp, starter LaMont Jordan struggled with his receiving, dropping at least three balls on the first day and a couple more on the next day. Tight end Fred Wakefield, a converted tackle, has also had his share of drops. Fortunately, Jordan bounced back to make a few nice catches later in practice. Rookie fourth round pick Michael Bush, signed his contract in time for camp and he was eager and ready to get started. "It feels good. I am real happy about it. It's all new, you have to read things carefully and sit down with your agent to go over things. I will be out there [at camp] ready to go." Bush, who broke his leg at the beginning of the 2006 season at Louisville, has begun to run and that he’s close to being 100 percent for camp. “I’m out here running and cutting, every other day, making sure everything feels good. Right now I’m getting excited. Just being out there on my own two feet feels good,” he explained. He has been attending meetings and keeps his nose in the playbook, in preparation for when he is healthy. As for the skeptics who think he is too big (at 245 pounds), Bush said it just adds fuel to his fire and that’s ok with him, it’s part of what drives him. “I love to make a guy miss. They always say that I’m kind of big, that I can’t make a guy miss. I like to prove people wrong about that,” he said. Bush added that he’s been rehabbing diligently, attending team meetings and working hard in the weight room. He’s anxious to let loose on the field. With Bush’s motivation he could be a deep sleeper as a fantasy back both this year, but especially for dynasty leagues. For now, Bush is on the team’s PUP list until he fully recovers. According to beat writer Jerry McDonald, the best looking running back in the first couple of days was Adimchinobe Echemandu. WR: In stark contrast to last year, Jerry Porter reported to camp in good spirits, no championship belt and no obscene gestures. "You'll see the belt later this week," Porter said. "I lost about seven pounds so it's going to look even better." During the first day of drills, WRs rotated along with QBs and RBs, with no regard to who will be the eventual starters. Mike Williams was back on the field for camp and catching the ball well after tweaking a hamstring in minicamp. "He's moving around OK," HC Lane Kiffin said. "He caught the ball real well today. But he has a long ways to go. There is a lot of potential in there. We'll see if it comes out." Saturday’s play of the day came from WR Ronald Curry, who outran CB Stanford Routt and S Stuart Schweigert on a deep route in the morning practice. Curry adjusted nicely to a Josh McCown pass and took it for a long touchdown. On another play, veteran Alvis Whitted flew past the coverage and caught up to a long pass from Josh McCown for what also would’ve been a TD. Rookie Johnnie Lee Higgins had Saturday night's biggest gaffe when he dropped a perfectly thrown pass from McCown on a deep post. After Higgins made it back to his group, he dropped down and did push-ups with Jerry Porter looking on. Higgins did make a few nice catches on Friday though and he was the first guy in line for punt returns, too. Travis Taylor also got some work catching several short and medium passes working against the 2nd and 3rd defensive units. TE: After missing the first day of training camp, rookie 2nd round pick Zach Miller reported to camp after signing on the dotted line. "I feel good; I'm just glad to have it done and be able to get out to practice." Miller said, "I'm here now and I can start practicing, showing the coaches what I have." Courtney Anderson was released leaving Miller to compete with Randall Williams, John Madsen and free agent additions Tony Stewart and Fred Wakefield. Williams missed Saturday’s practice for unspecified reasons. HC Lane Kiffin was excited to have Miller on the field. “I would say the initial, obvious thing is that we got Zach (Miller) out here. That was real big for us. I know he’s excited,” Kiffin expressed. “He’s a great competitor. He always has been, all the way back to high school. He’s a guy who’s going to give it up for you, the type of guy we’re looking for.” Defense: Warren Sapp weighed in at a svelte 282 pounds. He played along with the media when asked if he was a threat to the team’s 32-year old HC Lane Kiffin. "I guess it's my age that got me in trouble so let's not talk age," Sapp said. "The only thing I know is I'm ready to prepare for 16 games if they allow me to do so." Sapp said he’ll probably put on about 10 to 15 pounds before the season starts and that he was "disrespected" by not making the Pro Bowl in 2006 with a 10-sack season. In the secondary, Donovin Darius and Stuart Schweigert both got first team reps along with Michael Huff at safety, with Huff playing deep safety when Darius was on the field. On one play, Darius came forward and knocked the ball free from tight end Fred Wakefield. "Nice punch, Donnie," Wakefield said. On another play, Darius greeted RB LaMont Jordan in 7-on-7 drills with a big hit that left the 230-pound RB dazed for a few minutes, and HC Lane Kiffin smiling. "We got ourselves a hitter, I know that much," Kiffin said. "He about knocked LaMont out of practice." Oakland LB Derrick Burgess was absent after having hernia surgery two weeks ago. He’s on the team’s active PUP list and participated in agility drills only on Friday. Burgess didn’t sound like a player ready to make any noise about his contract either. "I'm here. I signed a contract here, I'm here to play for the Raiders," Burgess said. "Hopefully they decide they want to give me a new contract, cool. If not, hey, it's a business, you got to remember that." On the eve of camp the Raiders cut SS Darnell Bing and S Jarrod Cooper. The Raiders also claimed DE Bill Swancutt off waivers after he was released by the Lions a day earlier. Directory: 2007 2007 -> Bbc archives: Beyond the programme download 2007 -> The environment in the news 2007 -> - 2007 -> Out On The Prairie Cowboys fall for each other in Ang Lee’s riveting, landmark “Brokeback Mountain.” 2007 -> An Extension Cord to mars 2007 -> Pricing Closing Price $3,578 (June 22) 52-Wk High $3,825 52-Wk Low $2,982 Market Data 2007 -> Weather Research Center 2007 -> Student enquiry teacher background information 2007 -> The environment in the news tuesday 31 July, 2007 unep and the Executive Director in the News 2007 -> Student enquiry hurricanes in the caribbean Download 0.56 Mb. Share with your friends:
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