Training Camp Update Volume 6, Issue 1 8/3/10
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- Raiders Depth Chart QB
- Eagles Depth Chart QB
- Pittsburgh Steelers QB
- Steelers Depth Chart QB
- singled out Chris Ogbonnaya
- Defense
- Rams Depth Chart QB
Special Teams: The Raiders enter training camp as one of the few teams to carry a camp leg – beat writer favorite, Swayze Waters. How long into August they retain his services is the only question relating to their specialists. Kicker Sebastian Janikowski heads into 2010 coming off a strong 2009, for which he was rewarded with a new lucrative four-year deal that made him the highest paid kicker in the league. Punter Shane Lechler had already received his comparable payday the year before. While we’re on the topic of Al Davis’ checkbook, long snapper Jon Condo received and signed a restricted free-agent one-year tender during the offseason. Raiders Depth Chart QB: Jason Campbell, Bruce Gradkowski (inj), Kyler Boller, Charlie Frye RB: Michael Bush (SD/3RB), Darren McFadden, Rock Cartwright, Michael Bennett FB: Marcel Reese, Chase Moline, Manase Tonga, Luke Lawton (susp) WR: Chaz Schilens (inj), Darrius Heyward-Bey, Louis Murphy, Johnnie Lee Higgins (KR), Jacoby Ford (KR/PR), Paul Hubbard, Nick Miller (KR), Todd Watkins, Johnathan Holland, Yamon Figurs TE: Zach Miller (inj), Tony Stewart, Brandon Myers, John Owens K: Sebastian Janikowski, Swayze Waters DT: Richard Seymour, Tommy Kelly, John Henderson, Desmond Bryant, William Joseph DE: Lamarr Houston (DT), Matt Shaughnessy, Jay Richardson, Greyson Gunheim,Alex Daniels MLB: Rolando McClain, Travis Goethel OLB: Trevor Scott (W/DE), Kamerion Wimbley (DE), Thomas Howard (S), Ricky Brown, Quentin Groves, Sam Williams, Slade Norris, David Nixon CB: Nnamdi Asomugha, Chris Johnson, Stanford Routt, Walter McFadden,Jeremy Ware, Joey Thomas, Joe Porter S: Tyvon Branch (SS), Michael Huff (FS/SS), Hiram Eugene (FS), Mike Mitchell(SS), Stevie Brown, Jerome Boyd Philadelphia Eagles QB: The beginning of a new era is underway as Kevin Kolb officially starts camp as the Eagles’ starter. His play in the first few days has been inconsistent, as he threw two interceptions in Sunday practice – one to rookie Nate Allen and the other by Ellis Hobbs. Earlier in the week Kolb looked better, particularly in Saturday practice when he hit Jeremy Maclin for a huge deep bomb down the middle of the field. On the positive side, Kolb has been getting the ball out of his hands quickly and decisively. On the negative side, Kolb has been trying to thread the needle too much and that’s resulted in turnovers. Even LB Stewart Bradley picked him off once. Michael Vick looks infinitely more comfortable this year than he did in 2009, and has thrown the ball better than anyone had a right to expect. Rookie Mike Kafka is a project, and the first week illustrated that. He struggled anytime he was asked to throw beyond downfield, and it’s safe to say that if something happens to Vick, the Eagles will probably have to look for a veteran off the waiver wire because Kafka isn’t ready to contribute. RB: LeSean McCoy is the clear starter and has gotten a ton of reps in the first few days of practice. Although he still likes to dance a bit too much at times, his progress and production in the early going cannot be ignored. When he commits to a lane; he’s bounced off tacklers and has shown a second gear a number of times. He grabbed a quick slant from Kevin Kolb for a long TD run, and opened up Sunday’s practice with a 25-yard run where he looked like he was playing at a different speed than everyone else on the field. Mike Bell, running with the 2s, succumbed to a hamstring injury on Sunday afternoon. The Eagles traded backup LB Joe Mays to the Denver Broncos for J.J. Arrington. Arrington will compete for the RB3 role in camp against Eldra Buckley and rookie Charles Scott (who is also running reps at FB). Scott embraced the opportunity to work at FB and shows some promise in that role. Former Eagles RB Duce Staley was on hand and paid particular attention to Scott in blocking instruction. WR: The big news of the first week of practice was DeSean Jackson’s injury. He was carted off with an apparent back injury, which the team has downplayed the severity. Yet, he’s missed practice the last few days and the team hasn’t officially set a timetable for his return. Jeremy Maclin, on the other hand, has looked dominant at times in the first week and seems to have made the natural transition one would expect of a receiver in their second year running Andy Reid’s complex offense. Jason Avant continues to impress and now looks like a guy that could start, and flourish, if given the chance. He completely dominated CB Asante Samuel in Sunday’s practice, including one play where Samuel tried to jam him but Avant literally pushed him out of the way to get open and make the completion. Kelley Washington was signed this week and will primarily contribute on special teams. He will be fighting with rookie Riley Cooper and veteran Hank Baskett for last WR slot on the 53-man roster. TE: Business as usual for starter Brent Celek, nothing Earth-shattering to report about him after the first week of camp. The most interesting TE situation is the play of rookie Clay Harbor. Harbor seems very comfortable in the system and is getting a lot of reps with the 2s and 3s, and seems to be a good bet to displace Martin Rucker as the 3rd string tight end. Defense: The Eagles are hoping that a bit of planning and some luck will dramatically reshape the perception of their linebacking corps. It’s been a long time since the LB corps – en masse – was considered an elite unit and although it’s too easy to say as much, the pieces are in place for a resurgent year under DC Sean McDermott. On the strong-side, Akeem Jordan has been running with the first team over Moise Fokou. Stewart Bradley, who missed last season with a torn ACL, appears fully healthy and ready to command this defense. Newcomer Ernie Sims has been a tackling machine thus far in camp. Rookie Brandon Graham agreed to a 5-year deal and was in camp on time (as they did with the other 12 rookies, too). Ellis Hobbs has risen to the challenge of locking down the full-time starter job opposite Asante Samuel. He’s looked good in coverage, broken up some passes, and even got into a skirmish with rookie WR Riley Cooper, who outweighs Hobbs by about 30 pounds. The defensive line rotation is still a work in progress, as both Brandon Graham and Darryl Tapp are seeing a lot of action. At DT, 3rd year Trevor Laws has stood out, which is the first time anyone can really say that about him. He’ll still be a backup, but might actually be a solid contributor in the rotation if he can maintain this new level of intensity. Special Teams: Once again, the Eagles have Ken Parrish on board to serve as a camp leg, taking some of the workload off of over-30 kicker David Akers and punter Sav Rocca. As special teams coordinator Bobby April noted, "We've had him doing everything. Kickoffs, punts, field goals. He's been with us all spring and he's done an outstanding job." But unlike most camp legs, who are realistically auditioning for the future and for the rest of the league, Parrish does have a shot at unseating Rocca for the punting job. It’s a long shot, but a shot nonetheless. Pro Bowl kicker Akers’ job is of course secure, as is Pro Bowl long snappers’ Jon Dorenbos. Eagles Depth Chart QB: Kevin Kolb, Michael Vick, Mike Kafka RB: LeSean McCoy, Mike Bell (inj), Charles Scott, J.J. Arrington, Eldra Buckley FB: Leonard Weaver WR: DeSean Jackson (PR), Jeremy Maclin (inj), Jason Avant, Hank Baskett, Riley Cooper, Jordan Norwood, Kelley Washington, Chad Hall (KR), Jared Perry TE: Brent Celek, Cornelius Ingram, Clay Harbor, Martin Rucker K: David Akers DT: Brodrick Bunkley, Mike Patterson, Trevor Laws, Jeffrey Owens, Antonio Dixon DE: Trent Cole, Juqua Parker, Brandon Graham, Darryl Tapp, Victor Abiamiri,Ricky Sapp, Daniel Te'o-Nesheim MLB: Stewart Bradley (inj), Jamar Chaney, Omar Gaither (inj) OLB: Ernie Sims (W), Moise Fokou (S), Akeem Jordan (S/W), Keenan Clayton (S),Tracy White CB: Asante Samuel, Joselio Hanson, Ellis Hobbs (inj), Dimitri Patterson, Trevard Lindley, Geoffrey Pope S: Quintin Mikell (SS), Nate Allen (FS), Macho Harris (FS/KR), Quintin Demps (FS/KR), Kurt Coleman (SS), Ryan Hamilton, Antoine Harris, Marlin Jackson (inj) Pittsburgh Steelers QB: The biggest story of the opening of Steelers training camp was the reception of the Latrobe crowd for Ben Roethlisberger after a tumultuous offseason for the two-time Super Bowl champ. Much to the delight of Roethlisberger, he was welcomed back by cheers from a crowd including many people wearing his jersey. “I was nervous and scared about it,” said Roethlisberger. Head coach Mike Tomlin has not committed to a regular routine in divvying up the practice snaps between the QBs, and the division of snaps is a somewhat controversial subject, both because of the relative exclusion of Dennis Dixon from first-team snaps, and the decision of whether to focus more on preparing Byron Leftwich, who will start Week 1, or Ben Roethlisberger, who will start 10-12 games after he returns from his suspension. “We’ll do like we’ve done the majority of the spring,” Tomlin said of the camp quarterback rotation. “Byron Leftwich is going to get a significant number of snaps, followed by Dennis Dixon. But we will be somewhat non-rhythmic, of course. We’re going to make sure that at the end of this thing that Ben (Roethlisberger) has had a productive camp, but as we proceed at this juncture our focus is who’s going to be playing quarterback for us the week of the opener.” Roethlisberger has looked great so far, leading the first-team offense during a two-minute drill and completing 5-of-7 passes for 58 yards in a span of 90 seconds and tossing a 16-yard touchdown to Heath Miller on a third down. Leftwich struggled by comparison, completing just 2-of-7 passes and throwing four consecutive incomplete passes to end the drill, although one was a drop by rookie WR Antonio Brown. RB: The Steelers running game got a boost with the addition of OT Flozell Adams, whose drive-blocking should aptly replace Willie Colon, even though it will be Adams‘ first time playing the right side in his NFL career. “It’s like writing with your right hand and trying to switch over and then using your left hand to write a letter,” said Adams. “It’s difficult, but it’ll come along.” It may come along sooner than later, as offensive coordinator Bruce Arians called Saturday, July 31 “the best first day I’ve ever been a part of”, even though Adams was playing right tackle with the first team offense. Arians comments last week drew attention after it had been assumed that the Steelers would run the ball a lot more in 2010 than they did in 2009. "We need to run the ball better," Arians said, "not necessarily more. It is the quality of the runs more than the quantity that I am worried about." Still, the first contact scrimmage of camp featured 100% running plays. In addition that sobering news about Rashard Mendenhall’s fantasy stock with respect to the focus of the offense, Mendenhall also drew a little criticism from Arians on the subject of his short-yardage running. “Some guys have to learn that they aren't running for a touchdown. We need a yard. Rashard did a good job on goal line, but not as good a job on short yardage. That will again be an emphasis in training camp, " Arians said. 2009 camp sensation Isaac Redman has been mentioned frequently by the coaches this offseason, and he has shown up to camp in great shape and ready to seize that short-yardage role. Redman also stood out as one of the offensive stars of backs-on-backer drills, which should only help his standing with the team. As for Mendenhall, he showed up at 217 pounds, eight pounds less than his listed weight of 225. Mendenhall said he feels, “light, explosive, quick, just really in good shape.” On a dour note, he has fumbled twice so far in only a handful of practices, reminding us of Tomlin’s ominous quote, “I never have an extremely high tolerance for lack of ball security.” Rookie Jonathan Dwyer hurt his hamstring in the opening practice of camp, but he said he was fine and was seen dressed and ready to practice on Monday. WR: It was a quiet open to camp for the wideouts. The biggest news was the return of Hines Ward. Ward missed OTAs with a hamstring injury, but said the injury has healed and he’s ready to practice. Ward was held out of Friday’s conditioning test, but it was against his will. “I begged Mike to let me run the run test,” Ward said. “But he wouldn’t let me do it.” Ward practiced at full speed when camp opened on Saturday. The team had a nervous moment when Mike Wallace came up limping on Saturday, but he was ok. Antwaan Randle-el got some work with the ones while Wallace was briefly out, and he worked in the slot as the #3 when Wallace was in. Wallace also commented that his route running is much better than last year, very important for his transition to a starting receiver. TE: Only a few nuggets at the TE position from the first weekend of camp: David Johnson had one particularly rough day and struggled at other times, and as mentioned earlier, Heath Miller caught the TD at the end of the masterful hurry-up offense drive led by Roethlisberger. Defense: 2009 first-round pick Ziggy Hood drew tons of praise for his early camp performance, soundly defeating his opponents in 1-on-1s, making Tomlin say, “What a difference a year makes, right?!” Veteran DE Aaron Smith said, "I think he's going to be something special.” The team sounded excited about the prospect of Hood’s presence keeping everyone fresh for the fourth-quarter, a problem area for the defense last year. Superstar safety Troy Polamalu ran without any sign of knee trouble lingering from the injury that submarined his 2009 campaign. "My knee feels fine, but sometimes when it's a little weaker and you're driving like a race car, then other things start getting nicked here and there," Polamalu said. "Camp's long. You always want to make it out healthy." Rookie OLB Thaddeus Gibson has been a standout in backs-on-backer drills, and is outperforming second-round pick Jason Worilds, who might have suffered a knee injury during Monday’s practice. Special Teams: Heading into camp, the Steelers are set for the year with the two specialists that use their foot. Kicker Jeff Reed was given the franchise tag for 2010, although he and the team did not subsequently negotiate a new long term deal prior to the deadline. Dan Sepulveda will once again handle punting, as well as serving as the holder on kicks. The question mark for camp is the health of long snapper Greg Warren, who is coming off injured reserve and recovering from his second ACL injury in as many years. As a health insurance policy, Matt Stewart was signed. The former linebacker is looking to extend his football career by transitioning to long snapper. Steelers Depth Chart QB: Ben Roethlisberger (susp), Byron Leftwich, Dennis Dixon, Charlie Batch RB: Rashard Mendenhall, Mewelde Moore, Jonathan Dwyer, Isaac Redman,Stefan Logan (KR/PR) FB: Carey Davis, Frank Summers, Sean McHugh (inj), Dwayne Wright WR: Hines Ward, Mike Wallace, Antwaan Randle-El, Emmanuel Sanders, Arnaz Battle, Antonio Brown, Tyler Grisham, Limas Sweed (IR) TE: Heath Miller, Matt Spaeth, David Johnson K: Jeff Reed (UFA-F) NT: Casey Hampton, Chris Hoke DE: Aaron Smith (inj), Evander Hood, Brett Keisel (inj), Nick Eason, Doug Worthington, Ra'shon Harris ILB: James Farrior, Lawrence Timmons, Keyaron Fox, Larry Foote, Stevenson Sylvester OLB: James Harrison (W), LaMarr Woodley (S), Jason Worilds, Thaddeus Gibson, Andre Frazier, Patrick Bailey CB: Ike Taylor, Bryant McFadden, William Gay (inj), Joe Burnett (KR), Keenan Lewis, Crezdon Butler, Da’Mon Cromartie-Smith S: Troy Polamalu (SS) (inj), Ryan Clark (FS), Will Allen (FS), Ryan Mundy (SS) St. Louis Rams QB: The wait is over and Sam Bradford’s contract is out of the way. Bradford signed a six-year deal for $78 million with a reported $50 million in guaranteed money. At Saturday’s practice, Bradford took the field with the second team offense, but he also got in some snaps with the first team as well. "It was great," Bradford said. "I felt very comfortable, more comfortable than I did during OTAs, which is a positive sign after taking four or five weeks off. So I felt like it was a good day today.” By Sunday, Bradford saw a significant amount of reps with the first-team offense. There’s no doubt that the team will give Bradford every opportunity to win the starting job over A.J. Feeley, who for his part reported to camp early to get in some extra reps with the rookies. Keith Null returns, but isn’t even in the conversation. RB: After sitting out of the team’s minicamp and OTAs in the spring following surgery on his herniated disk, Steven Jackson was nearly a full participant on the first day of training camp practices. Last year, the team was cautious with Jackson during the preseason and Head Coach Steve Spagnuolo signaled that might continue to be the case with Jackson this year. "I don't think that will change," Spagnuolo said. "We'll have him ready for the opening game. We'll be smart about it." Jackson said he felt good, adding, "I've been working really, really hard with my trainer all offseason to make sure that when today came, I'd be ready to practice and be able to pretty much participate in everything." Given Jackson’s back concerns it’s surprising the Rams didn’t address the backup RB situation during the offseason. Rams GM Billy Devaney singled out Chris Ogbonnaya when asked about it. Ogbonnaya appears to have a slight edge over Ken Darby right now, while Keith Totson also looks to get a shot. WR: Donnie Avery bulked up during the offseason, reporting to camp about 10 pounds heavier than last year. Avery said that he added the weight to help his durability. "I'm trying to get the weight but keep the speed as well," he said. Expect a battle this year in camp as the Rams have a plethora of young receivers competing for action. Laurent Robinson is penciled in as the other starter entering camp, but Danny Amendola will be in the mix (particularly for slot duties) along with rookie Mardy Gilyard and veteran Brandon Gibson. Gibson missed some of the OTAs with a hamstring injury, but is back in action. TE: In Friday’s practice, Daniel Fells looked like he’s at full speed. He made a sliding catch along the sideline while having his second consecutive productive day. He didn’t appear to be limited after recovering from a knee injury last season. The Rams added a pair of rookies with upside in the draft to push Fells: Fendi Onobun and Michael Hoomanawanui, or “Uh-oh” as he was nicknamed in college. Onobun is a raw athlete that may take time to develop while “Uh-oh” looks like he could be a natural pass catcher, according to Spagnuolo. “My plate is not as full as the other tight ends," Onobun said. "The OTA's really helped and gave me time to work on my craft. But it's time to get up to speed." Not prone to hyperbole, Onobun said after three practices that he feels “more comfortable with the plays.” Spaguolo later added, "We're very hopeful with those two guys, Mike and Fend… They flashed. They do some good things. Like every rookie, they made some mistakes, but up to this point, (tight ends coach) Frank (Leonard), offensive coordinator Pat (Shurmur) and myself have a little bit of excitement about those two guys. We'll see where they go from here." While Fells is the veteran incumbent, it would not be a shocker if either one of the rookies emerged as a starter at some point this season. Defense: Larry Grant opened camp as the starter at weakside linebacker. Bobby Carpenter was in that spot all through OTAs and minicamps, but the coaches must not have been impressed with him. "Larry will roll in there, and Bobby will," coach Spagnuolo said. "Larry also jumps over to (strong side) linebacker. In this league, those outside linebackers have to be versatile. They’ve got to be able to play both sides." Second-year DT Dorell Scott missed Saturday’s practice after hurting his hamstring during a running test. Safety Darian Stewart was also out with a shoulder injury. Justin King, Bradley Fletcher and Jerome Murphy are competing for the starting job opposite Ron Bartell at corner, and so far, King is in the lead. O.J. Otogwe was cleared medically for the start of training camp after having major surgery in January for his dislocated shoulder and torn labrum. He also had a sports hernia. Special Teams: The Rams enter training camp with the three starting specialists on the roster. Josh Brown is back again at kicker, but that’s not really news. The team is hoping he’ll see more scoring opportunities in 2010 than he did last year. Donnie Jones is back again at punter, but that’s not really news. The team is hoping he’ll see fewer opportunities in 2010 than he did last year. Chris Massey is back again at long snapper, and that is good news. After missing most of last year with a knee injury, he returned to action during the June OTAs. He’s a vital part of the unit as evidenced by his offseason contract extension of four years and $4 million. Rams Depth Chart QB: Sam Bradford, A.J. Feeley, Keith Null, Thaddeus Lewis RB: Steven Jackson, Chris Ogbonnaya, Kenneth Darby, Keith Toston FB: Mike Karney (inj), Chris Massey (LS) WR: Donnie Avery, Laurent Robinson, Danny Amendola (PR), Mardy Gilyard,Brandon Gibson, Keenan Burton (inj), Brooks Foster (inj), Jordan Kent TE: Daniel Fells, Fendi Onobun, Billy Bajema, Michael Hoomanawanui, Eric Butler, Darcy Johnson K: Josh Brown DT: Clifton Ryan (NT), Fred Robbins, Chris Hovan, Darell Scott, Gary Gibson DE: Chris Long, James Hall, Victor Adeyanju, C.J. Ah You (inj), Hall Davis, George Selvie, Eugene Sims, Sean Conover MLB: James Laurinaitis, David Vobora (S/M/W), Josh Hull OLB: Na'il Diggs (S), Larry Grant (W/S), Bobby Carpenter (W), Chris Chamberlain,Dominic Douglas CB: Ronald Bartell, Bradley Fletcher, Justin King, Jerome Murphy, Kevin Dockery,Quincy Butler (inj), Marquis Johnson, Cord Parks (KR/PR) S: Oshiomongo Atogwe (FS), James Butler (SS), Kevin Payne (SS), Craig Dahl (SS), Eric Bassey, David Roach San Diego Chargers QB: Philip Rivers got a six-year contract extension before last season, and responded with a career-best 4,254 passing yards and 28 touchdowns to go with just 9 interceptions. His career win-loss record is an impressive 49–22, including a perfect 18–0 in December. With LaDainian Tomlinson in New York, Rivers is the unquestioned leader of the offense. Behind him, Billy Volek is a lock for the number two job; the Chargers consider him among the best backup QBs in the league. Rookie Jonathan Crompton will hold the clipboard. The best scenario for him would be to develop on the bench for a few years and then be traded to a team where he can compete to start — similar to former Chargers QB3 Charlie Whitehurst. RB: The Chargers ranked last in yards per rush last season, averaging just 3.3 yards per carry. In an effort to turn things around this season, they traded up in the first round to select Ryan Mathews, who averaged 6.1 yards per carry in his career at Fresno State. Mathews will replace LaDainian Tomlinson as the primary running back on first and second downs. In training camp so far, Mathews has impressed onlookers with his vision, speed, power, and cutting ability. Head coach Norv Turner said that Mathews may get about 250 carries and 40 receptions this season, and Chargers beat writer Kevin Acee echoed that the Chargers will likely limit Mathews to about 250 carries. Darren Sproles will reprise his role from last season as the team’s third-down back. Sproles has averaged 4.5 yards on 199 career carries, and is a big-play threat out of the backfield. The Chargers also plan to get Mike Tolbert more carries this season. Tolbert is listed at fullback, but can also play halfback, and is expected to get between 50 and 80 carries in 2010 — substantially more than the 38 carries he’s gotten thus far in his two-year NFL career. Tolbert is 5-foot-9, 243 pounds, and averaged almost 7 yards per carry at tailback his final year at Coastal Carolina. Aside from getting more carries this season, Tolbert will again split lead blocking duties with Jacob Hester — another versatile back who can also play halfback. Hester may make more of an impact on special teams than on offense, however. Behind Mathews and Sproles, there is an open competition for the third halfback spot. UDFA Shawnbrey McNeal is the early favorite over Marcus Mason and Curtis Brinkley; but whoever wins the job is unlikely to be active on Sundays. McNeal is a small, quick back who is drawing comparisons to Darren Sproles. Download 0.59 Mb. Share with your friends:
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