Training Camp Update Volume 6, Issue 1 8/3/10
CB: Brandon Flowers, Brandon Carr, Javier Arenas, Travis Daniels, Donald Washington, Mike Richardson, Maurice Leggett S
Download 0.59 Mb.
|
- Navigate this page:
- Miami Dolphins QB
- Sparano said in between Saturday’s two-a-day practice
- 100 percent healthy and ready to go
- Defense
- Dolphins Depth Chart QB
- Vikings Depth Chart QB
- New England Patriots QB
- Patriots Depth Chart QB
CB: Brandon Flowers, Brandon Carr, Javier Arenas, Travis Daniels, Donald Washington, Mike Richardson, Maurice Leggett S: Eric Berry (SS), Reshard Langford (FS), Jon McGraw (SS), Jarrad Page (inj),DaJuan Morgan (FS) (inj), Kendrick Lewis, Ricky Price Miami Dolphins QB: The start of training camp was uneventful for new starter Chad Henne, while Pat White’s absence on the first day grabbed everyone’s attention. White was excused with a personal health issue. “We were dealing with some personal health issues with him that we wanted to get checked out,” Sparano said in between Saturday’s two-a-day practice. “We did, we were all satisfied and had him back out on the field today, so everything’s good and he’s ready to go.” White got work as a backup to Henne on Saturday, while Sparano added that White is still practicing as “strictly a quarterback.” Henne completed 4-of-6 passes in the 7-on-7 drills, although each of his four completions were checkdowns to running backs. Sparano noted that Chad Pennington is healthy and will compete for the backup job along with Tyler Thigpen and White. At this point, Thigpen is considered the favorite to win the No. 2 job, at least until Pennington proves that he hasn’t lost any more juice on his ball. As for Henne, newcomer WR Brandon Marshall loves what he has seen from him so far this offseason. “He has a talented arm,'' Marshall said. “Tight spiral, which makes it easy to catch a pass from him...A perfect ball.'' RB: The good news continued for the Dolphins as Ronnie Brown was medically cleared and ready to go on Day One of camp. Sparano declared Brown (foot) and Brandon Marshall (offseason hip surgery) "100 percent healthy and ready to go" on Friday. Also returning from injury, Patrick Cobbs made a nice one-handed catch from Brown out of the Wildcat set. The team practiced out of the formation in front of fans on both of the first two days of practice, a sure sign that Ronnie Brown is indeed back in the fold. On another play, Cobbs burned Tim Dobbins on a wheel route for a 70-yard touchdown. WR: Brian Hartline opened practice starting opposite Brandon Marshall in each of the team’s first five practices, before briefly sitting out with a leg cramp on Sunday. Patrick Turner made a pair of acrobatic catches on Sunday, but then he dropped a pass in tight coverage against Vontae Davis. Turner needs a good camp to make the team as the fifth receiver after being a game-day inactive regularly as a rookie. Brandon Marshall ignited the crowd in the first practice of camp by making a difficult catch around Sean Smith, who was well-positioned defensively on the play. After the play, Marshall ran over to Smith, patted him on the back to give him a few words of encouragement. “He just told me to keep my head up,'' Smith recalled afterward. “He said, `You'll have your days, and I'll have mine.' '' Clearly, the day belonged to Marshall. Moments later, Marshall made an inside move on Smith on a short route that lead to a wide-open catch. “You can tell when you've got a really good guy out there who can just glide,'' Chad Henne said. As for Marshall’s recovery from hip surgery? “I already forgot about it,'' Marshall joked. Greg Camarillo and Davone Bess will once again compete with Hartline for playing time, but barring injury or further trouble, Hartline appears to have a solid grasp on the job as long as the team doesn’t return to a rotation utilizing all three players. TE: Anthony Fasano returns as the team’s starting tight end looking to improve in both facets of the game. "I need to improve – in the run game, in the pass blocking game and in the pass receiving game," Fasano said. "I think I’ll have some different opportunities this year and I have to make the most of them, no matter what my role turns out to be in the offense this year. I have to come through." Fasano goes into the 2010 season playing for a contract, so he won’t be lacking anything in the motivation department. Defense: The standout on the defensive side of the ball early in camp was clearly ILB Karlos Dansby. "I've been really impressed with what's happening with Dansby," Sparano gushed. "... To have someone like that, with that kind of range and that kind of skills has been pretty good out there. Karlos would be the guy for me." Cameron Wake opened camp as the starter at right outside linebacker. Wake brings excellent pass-rush ability and he is among the sleeepers who could emerge to lead the team in sacks this season. Rookie Koa Misi reported to camp even bigger than he was on draft day. He worked as the left outside linebacker with the first team. Randy Starks has drawn raves from coaches and teammates after transitioning over to play nose tackle this offseason. Sparano commented, "In the first two practices he's been in the backfield several times, so that gives you an idea of his capabilities." First round pick DL Jared Odrick is ticketed for DE in the Dolphins‘ 3-4 scheme. He signed a five-year contract and was on the field on the first day of practice. The Dolphins hope he can make an immediate impact following Phillip Merling’s season-ending injury. The Dolphins also added veteran free agents Marques Douglas and Charles Grant to fill the void. Another surprise thus far has been converted DE Ikaika Alama-Francis, who lined up with the second team at outside linebacker. Special Teams: How content are the Dolphins with their three starting specialists? Entering camp, each is the only player at their position on the roster and thus has no competition –although that is not uncommon give NFL roster limits and especially since the demise of the NFL Europa farm teams. More telling is the fact that all three players received contract extensions since last year. Back in June, long snapper John Denney saw three years added to his contract. At the same time, punter Brandon Fields got a raise for 2010 plus had an additional two years added. Last week, kicker Dan Carpenter signed a three-year $6.2 million extension. Money talks. Dolphins Depth Chart QB: Chad Henne, Tyler Thigpen, Chad Pennington, Pat White (WR/RB) RB: Ronnie Brown, Ricky Williams, Patrick Cobbs, Lex Hilliard, Kory Sheets,Tristan Davis FB: Lousaka Polite, Rolly Lumbala WR: Brandon Marshall, Brian Hartline, Davone Bess (PR), Greg Camarillo, Patrick Turner, Taurus Johnson, Ryan Grice-Mullen, Julius Pruitt TE: Anthony Fasano, Joey Haynos, Kory Sperry, John Nalbone K: Dan Carpenter NT: Randy Starks, Paul Soliai (NT/DE), Montavious Stanley, Travis Ivey DE: Kendall Langford, Jared Odrick, Tony McDaniel, Marques Douglas, Charles Grant, Lionel Dotson, Ryan Baker, Philip Merling (IR) ILB: Karlos Dansby (W), Channing Crowder, Tim Dobbins, Micah Johnson, A.J. Edds (IR) OLB: Koa Misi (S), Cameron Wake (W), Charlie Anderson (S), Ikaika Alama-Francis, Erik Walden (S), Quentin Moses, Chris McCoy, Austin Spitler, J.D. Folsom CB: Sean Smith, Vontae Davis, Jason Allen (FS/CB), Will Allen, Nolan Carroll S: Yeremiah Bell (SS), Chris Clemons (FS), Tyrone Culver (SS), Reshad Jones (FS), Nate Ness (FS/CB), Jonathon Amaya (FS) Minnesota Vikings QB: The annual Brett Favre saga has begun once again. Most are under the impression that Favre will be under center when the games count, but developments this week raise a bit of doubt as several beat writers have relayed information that Favre is skeptical about the pace of his recovery. Nevertheless, Vikings owner Zygi Wilf was confident that Favre will play. "Right now he’s the starting quarterback of our team. So we’re in a good position," said Wilf. Added DE Jared Allen, "If I make it 20 years in, I'm not coming to training camp either. Brett we'll see you in a couple weeks, baby." After a demotion to third string, Sage Rosenfels resumed working with the second team on Friday, but he struggled badly on Saturday throwing four interceptions, followed by two more on Sunday. Rookie Chris Carr intercepted three of them. One of the top plays from Saturday’s practice came when Tarvaris Jackson found Visanthe Shiancoe down the right seam during 7-on-7s despite good defensive coverage on the play. Later, safety Husain Abdullah jumped a route to intercept Jackson on a play-action bootleg as Jackson slipped but still tried to get rid of the football. On Saturday, rookie Joe Webb was intercepted by LB Chad Greenway over the middle on crossing route that Greenway correctly read. RB: Expect a big season out of Adrian Peterson following his fumble plagued postseason and talk of Chris Johnson being the best RB in the league. Peterson is focused on carrying the ball high and tight, and also commented that he avoided watching the NFL Network and ESPN saying that the fumbling issues don’t bother him. “I’m the only one that can do something about it. Adrian Peterson. My mind knows it’s all mental. It’s something that I just have to be more aware of when I’m out there. People are going to say what they want say, voice their opinions my whole career. If I’m thinking about all the negative things then I can’t move forward. I’m focusing on the positive things." Head coach Brad Childress confirmed that Peterson will be utilized more on third downs this season, due partially to Chester Taylor’s departure. On Saturday, Peterson gave the team a brief moment of concern as he “tightened up a little bit“ prompting the team to be cautious. He didn’t take many reps during 11-on-11 or 7-on-7 work, but was on the field and "pushing through" it, according to Childress. Rookie Toby Gerhart was unceremoniously welcomed to the league by DT Pat Williams on the first day of practice. Apparently, coaches forgot to tell Williams it wasn’t a full contact practice. Gerhart took at least three big hits from Williams during the drills. “It was a long day,” Gerhart acknowledged. “[But] as soon as you walk out here, it’s just football and it’s fun.” Offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell added, "I didn't know we were hitting that hard yet, but they might have tried to welcome him a little bit." Williams added his own spin. "I don't care who it is, man.. This ain't college no more. They're grown mans out there. [Expletive.] Paying these college boys like they already played before, so [expletive], we just show 'em. This is a different breed out there. This is grown men. It ain't boys no more. But they pay 'em like they done played in the NFL now." Awesome. Darius Reynaud is making the conversion to RB and competing with Albert Young and Ryan Moats for the #3 RB job. WR: Sidney Rice opened camp on the PUP list due to a hip injury he suffered at some point in the playoffs last season. He has downplayed it throughout the offseason, but acknowledged that it had flared up during OTAs. The common story among coaches and reporters is that there is "little concern" with his hip and that he will be ready for the regular season and return to practice soon enough. Rice may be brought along slowly and return to practice right around the second preseason game. With Rice sidelined, Percy Harvin and Bernard Berrian ran with the starting unit while Greg Lewis filled in as the team’s No. 3. On Saturday, Harvin gave everyone a scare after he was carted off the field in the morning practice, but it turned out to be minor. Harvin missed Sunday’s practice due to a death in the family. He appears to be a bit thicker as he reported to camp at 205 pounds. TE: Visanthe Shiancoe will welcome Brett Favre back to camp after catching a career-high 11 TDs from him in 2009. Shiancoe doesn’t seem to get much love from the fantasy community, despite producing 18 TDs in the last two years combined. As long as Favre is back, Shiancoe is one of the safer plays for owners that want to load up on WR and RB and grab a TE later in the draft. Defense: Perhaps the most impressive story from Vikings camp was the return of E.J. Henderson to the starting lineup after breaking his leg in Week 13 of the 2009 season. Henderson was back on the field less than eight months following the gruesome injury. "I know it was a bad injury and I know some of those injuries can be career-ending," defensive end Jared Allen said. "So to see him back running, to see him back with a helmet in his hand, to me is awesome. It's inspiring." Henderson is rotating with Jasper Brinkley on the first team while he gets back into the groove. CB Cedric Griffin (torn ACL) began camp on the PUP while Benny Sapp was carted off the field on Saturday morning with cramps only to return later. Coach Childress commented that Griffin has, “done a great job with his rehab” but conceded that the PUP list is the right thing for him for now. Lito Sheppard is working with the starters in the meantime and the team is also having him line up on the left side with plans on using him as the swing corner once Griffin returns. Antoine Winfield proclaimed himself fully recovered from the broken foot that sidelined him in the second half of last year. He looked good in non-contact drills. Chris Cook, the team’s top pick, worked with the second and third units at left corner while Sheppard and Asher Allen earned first team reps. LB Chad Greenway is off to a fast start in camp. Special Teams: The Vikings enter training camp with four specialists on the roster. The question is whether all four, or just three, will continue into the regular season. Long snapper Cullen Loeffler and punter Chris Kluwe don’t need to sweat it. Nor does kicker Ryan Longwell, although he may begrudgingly have to surrender one of his job duties - kickoffs. Free agent addition Rhys Lloyd will have to show enough during camp and preseason to convince the Vikings to keep him employed as a kickoff specialist. He recently noted, "It's time to get back in a rhythm. I'm not coming in and trying to prove anything in camp by knocking every kick through the end zone. That's what the games are for. I'm just trying to get prepared for the games." Vikings Depth Chart QB: Brett Favre, Tarvaris Jackson, Joe Webb (WR), Sage Rosenfels RB: Adrian Peterson, Toby Gerhart, Albert Young, Darius Reynaud (PR), Ryan Moats, Ian Johnson FB: Naufahu Tahi, Jeff Dugan, Ryan D'Imperio WR: Sidney Rice (inj), Bernard Berrian (PR), Percy Harvin (KR) (inj), Greg Lewis,Jaymar Johnson (KR), Logan Payne, Marko Mitchell, Taye Biddle, Marquis Hamilton, Ray Small TE: Visanthe Shiancoe, Jim Kleinsasser, Garrett Mills, Mickey Schuler K: Ryan Longwell, Rhys Lloyd DT: Kevin Williams, Pat Williams (NT), Jimmy Kennedy, Fred Evans (NT), Letroy Guion DE: Jared Allen, Ray Edwards, Brian Robison, Everson Griffen, Mike Montgomery,Jayme Mitchell, Cedric McKinley MLB: E.J. Henderson, Jasper Brinkley, Nathan Triplett OLB: Chad Greenway (W), Ben Leber (S), Heath Farwell (S), Kenny Onatolu, Erin Henderson, J Leman (W) CB: Antoine Winfield, Cedric Griffin (inj), Lito Sheppard, Asher Allen, Chris Cook,Benny Sapp, Marcus Sherels, DeAndre Wright S: Madieu Williams (FS), Tyrell Johnson (SS), Jamarca Sanford (FS), Eric Frampton (SS), Husain Abdullah (FS), Terrell Skinner, Colt Anderson New England Patriots QB: Similar to Peyton Manning, Tom Brady reported to camp downplaying stories about his contractual situation. Patriots owner Robert Kraft acknowledged that Brady “isn't going anywhere” despite both sides reporting no progress on a long-term deal. "He's going to be here," Kraft said Thursday. "I love the guy. We're so lucky to have him. I have an emotional attachment because I remember him coming in as the fourth quarterback, being a skinny beanpole of a kid." For his part, Brady hit the practice field and quickly picked up where he left off. The play of the day on the first day of practice came when Brady hit Moss on a fake end-around for huge gain. Brady’s pass was slightly off target, but Moss adjusted to make a fingertip catch before tiptoeing out of bounds inside the 5-yard line. During red zone work, Brady had some difficulties. He found Moss, as well as rookie tight end Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez for touchdowns, both coming against Patrick Chung in coverage. As for the downside, Brady was picked off by Gary Guyton for what would’ve been a 100-yard pick-six. In the same practice, Brady lobbed a pretty pass to Moss, who beat rookie Devin McCourty to the back of the end zone for a touchdown. RB: On the first day of practice, the defense fared better than the offense in goal line drills. Pierre Woods made a couple of nice hits, taking down Laurence Maroney on one play, while Vince Wilfork also made a nice stop. Sammy Morris got plenty of snaps and he was also stopped a few times short of the goal line during the session. Fred Taylor lost a fumble during team drills, resulting in a penalty lap for the veteran back. During 7-on-7s on Friday, Maroney had a perfectly thrown pass bounce off his chest, but he was bailed out as Aaron Herndandez adjusted quickly to snatch the ball despite it being slightly behind him. Taylor dropped a pass in the morning session and hasn’t had the best start to camp overall. WR: Randy Moss got off to a quick start making several nice plays and participating fully in the two-a-day practices. Meanwhile, Wes Welker was activated from the PUP list and he took part in Sunday’s practice, although he didn’t participate in full contact drills. "It felt good to be out there with teammates and do some things," said Welker, while adding that he is not yet 100 percent. While Welker is practicing, don’t expect him to play in the preseason perhaps until the third game. The Patriots have some competition forming between Brandon Tate, Torry Holt, Julian Edelman and rookie Taylor Price. Bill Belichick confirmed glowing reports of Brandon Tate’s progress during the offseason stating that he is "way, way ahead of where it was last year." The team hopes he’ll continue to improve and seize the team’s No. 3 job. On Saturday, Tate made the play of the day, leaping over cornerback Leigh Bodden to catch a sideline pass that appeared well out of bounds. Tate also made a great catch early in Thursday’s practice falling to the ground while securing the football inside the pylon for a touchdown. Albert Breer, of the Boston Globe, reported that Price was "really jump(ing) off the page" early in camp. "He's consistent catching the ball away from his body, looks fluid in routes, and is always in control," wrote Breer. "Doing it in practice is a big difference from doing it in a game for a rookie receiver, but this kid's potential is obvious." Torry Holt got off to a slow start after fumbling in one afternoon practice and dropping a pass earlier in the day. Holt is likely competing with Price for what could be the final roster spot. Edelman and Tate are considered “sure bets” making Holt a possible camp body similar to Joey Galloway last year. Edelman got the best of Patrick Chung on a couple of plays over the weekend. Lastly, veteran David Patten announced his retirement on Saturday. TE: The team‘s rookies, Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez, were able to showcase their talents early in camp. They each caught TD passes from Brady in red zone drills. Hernandez went up over Patrick Chung on a flat route for his TD, while Gronkowski used his big body near the pylon to reel in his score. Both players appear to have talent for working in tight areas, which should prove to be a boost for the Patriots who struggled at times in the red zone last year. Hernandez was seen lining up all over the field and he continues to look the part with his impressive athleticism. He understands how to setup defenders and make plays on the ball while in the air. He was also described as smooth for a big guy and most insiders expect Hernandez to have a role in the offense even as a rookie. Veteran Alge Crumpler has proven to be the consummate professional as well. Defense: DE/OLB Derrick Burgress was placed on the reserve/did not report list with an unexpected absence as training camp opened. "Derrick wasn't here yesterday and we expect him to be here," Belichick said. "I'm not sure exactly that I know all the information that I need to know ... We'll just take that day by day." The Patriots are counting on his return considering the questions they have regarding their pass rush. Rookie LB Brandon Spikes has been getting plenty of prime time reps and has been getting the calls from the sidelines and relaying them to his teammates. The Patriots have big plans for him. 2009 third-round pick Tyrone McKenzie is back and competing for action at inside linebacker as well. He made a big hit on Maroney on Friday morning to establish his presence. “That was just one play. You have to be consistent on what you do every day. So that’s all I’m trying to do right now,” McKenzie said. Brandon Meriweather and Patrick Chung took the early snaps at safety with the first team. Vince Wilfork got some looks at defensive end while Gerard Warren manned the nose and second-year DL Myron Pryor stood out during goal line drills when he shot into the backfield to snuff Sammy Morris five yards shy of the goal line. Elsewhere, the team finally severed ties with OLB Shawn Crable as camp got underway. Special Teams: The only specialist competition for the Patriots ended when they released Aussie punter David King. But that doesn’t mean there won’t be a fair amount of attention on their new rookie punter, fifth round draft pick Zoltan Mesko, during training camp. He commented on his initial focus, "First year, I'm going to keep quiet to myself. I'm sure I'll be able to develop some relationships with the players and if they need anything, I'll be (there to) help. But as a punter and a first-year player, a rookie, I'm going to have to lead through my actions and how much time I spend at the building and how much work I put in. That's basically my first-year goal of being with the Patriots' organization." While the media focuses on Mesko in August, kicker Stephen Gostkowski and long snapper Jake Ingram can go about their usual business. Patriots Depth Chart QB: Tom Brady, Brian Hoyer, Zach Robinson RB: Laurence Maroney, Fred Taylor, Sammy Morris, Kevin Faulk (3RB), BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Pat Paschall, Chris Taylor WR: Randy Moss, Wesley Welker (inj), Brandon Tate, Julian Edelman, Taylor Price, Torry Holt, Sam Aiken, Matt Slater (KR), Darnell Jenkins TE: Alge Crumpler, Aaron Hernandez, Rob Gronkowski, Rob Myers K: Stephen Gostkowski DT: Vince Wilfork (NT), Myron Pryor, Ron Brace (DE/NT), Adrian Grady, Kade Weston DE: Ty Warren (DT), Mike Wright, Damione Lewis, Gerard Warren, Brandon Deaderick, Darryl Richard, Rob Ninkovich MLB: Jerod Mayo (M), Gary Guyton (W/M), Brandon Spikes, Eric Alexander, Tyrone McKenzie (inj) OLB: Tully Banta-Cain, Derrick Burgess (DE), Jermaine Cunningham, Pierre Woods, Marques Murrell CB: Leigh Bodden, Devin McCourty, Darius Butler, Jonathan Wilhite, Terrence Wheatley, Kyle Arrington S: Brandon Meriweather (FS), Patrick Chung (SS), Brandon McGowan (SS),James Sanders (SS), Bret Lockett (inj) New Orleans Saints QB: Drew Brees picked up right where he left off spurring some to wonder if he can possibly improve upon his remarkable performance from last season. Noting that Brees worked with several players who were banged up (Reggie Bush, Lance Moore, Jeremy Shockey and Marques Colston), it remains an intriguing notion for the Pro Bowl quarterback as those players enter training camp this year healthy, with the exception of Colston, who began camp on the PUP along with Robert Meachem. Patrick Ramsey was signed to replace Mark Brunell as the backup. He’ll compete with Sean Canfield and Chase Daniel to be the insurance policy for Brees. In Saturday afternoon’s practice Brees turned in the first big play for the first-team offense when he scrambled and found Devery Henderson for a long touchdown behind corner Jabari Greer. In the afternoon session, Daniel was intercepted by safety Chris Reis and Danny Gorrer intercepted a tipped pass from Sean Canfield in the morning. In passing drills, Ramsey had back-to-back passes dropped by receivers; the first one by Courtney Roby and the second one by Montez Billings. Download 0.59 Mb. Share with your friends:
|