Training Camp Update Volume 9, Issue 2 8/12/14
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- Oakland Raiders QB
- Mack said he learned a lot
- D.J. Hayden back sooner than later
- Gabe Jackson
- Philadelphia Eagles QB
- Pat Shurmur recently explained how Ertz’ versatility makes him a mismatch
- Julian Vandervelde
- Pittsburgh Steelers QB
FB: Tommy Bohanon WR: Eric Decker, Stephen Hill, Jeremy Kerley (PR), David Nelson, Jacoby Ford (KR), Clyde Gates, Jalen Saunders, Shaq Evans, Quincy Enunwa, Greg Salas, Vidal Hazelton, Saalim Hakim, Michael Campbell TE: Jeff Cumberland, Jace Amaro, Zach Sudfeld, Konrad Reuland, Chris Pantele, Colin Anderson LT: D’Brickashaw Ferguson, Ben Ijalana LG: Brian Winters, Oday Aboushi C: Nick Mangold , Caleb Schlauderaff RG: Willie Colon, Dakota Dozier, William Campbell RT: Breno Giacomini, Bruce Campbell K: Nick Folk DT: Sheldon Richardson, Damon Harrison (NT), Kenrick Ellis (NT), T.J. Barnes DE: Muhammad Wilkerson, Jason Babin, Leger Douzable, IK Enemkpali, Tevita Finau ILB: David Harris (M), Demario Davis (W), Nick Bellore (M), Jeremiah George, Troy Davis (W) OLB: Quinton Coples, Calvin Pace, Garrett McIntyre, Antwan Barnes, Trevor Reilly, Tim Fugger, Jermaine Cunningham (IR) CB: Dee Milliner (inj), Ellis Lankster, Antonio Allen (FS/CB), Dimitri Patterson (inj), Darrin Walls, Kyle Wilson, Ras-I Dowling, Johnny Patrick, Brandon Dixon, Nick Taylor, Jeremy Reeves, Dexter McDougle (IR) S: Dawan Landry (SS), Calvin Pryor (FS), Jaiquawn Jarrett (FS), Josh Bush (SS), Rontez Miles, Brandon Hardin Oakland Raiders QB: The Raiders quarterbacks struggled in their first preseason game against a Minnesota defense that isn’t expected to be particularly strong. Matt Schaub played three series and didn’t complete a pass to a wide receiver. Schaub and his coaches were not pleased with the performance. “Overall, we were pretty sloppy,” he said, via CSNCaliforna.com's Scott Bair. “We hurt ourselves with a lot of penalties and we put ourselves in long yardage situations. It's tough to win that way. We have to really look hard at the mistakes and clean those up because they are things we can control, especially pre-snap issues. We need to iron those (mistakes) out if we want to be the type of team we want to be.” Derek Carr had a little more success down the field but also threw the team’s only interception. Carr seems firmly entrenched with the second team and Matt McGloin didn’t enter the game until the 4th quarter. McGloin scored the team’s only touchdown on a 10 yard scamper in the 4th quarter but was unimpressive with his arm. RB: Despite the fact that Darren McFadden was listed atop the depth chart, Maurice Jones-Drew started the team’s first game and had some success in the first quarter. Jones-Drew was heavily involved in the passing game and picked up 10 yards on his two carries. McFadden’s only carry went for 23 yards in the first quarter as he showed that he’s bounced back from last year’s injuries. Latavius Murray saw extended time with the second and third team and led the team with 28 yards rushing. Dennis Allen was pleased with what he saw from Murray. "Latavius is a big, powerful back that really also has exceptional speed. When he gets out into the open, he has an opportunity to take the ball the distance. I thought he ran the ball hard in the game ... I thought he did a pretty good job, for the most part, of making the right reads and putting the ball where it needs to go in the run game." Kory Sheets did very little with the touches he got late in the game and looks to be squarely on the roster bubble. WR: It’s difficult to gauge the battle for the Raiders starting receiver as none of them logged a catch in the first preseason game. James Jones, for one, is not excited about the possibility of a reduced role. "I wouldn't like that at all," Jones said. "I have missed two games in five years. I came from a no-huddle offense, real high tempo. ... My body is built to go through the season. If I have to take practices or plays off, it's time for me to hang my cleats up." Brice Butler (4-44) and Denarius Moore (3-28) were both active in the passing game but their action came after the starters had left the game. Moore needed the strong performance as he’s slid down the depth chart recently, and Butler is in a fight to make the roster. TE: Mychal Rivera did not help his case in the battle to be the TE1 against the Vikings. Rivera dropped at least one catchable pass, something that was not lost on Allen. “I mean, two of the third-down throws, you know, he tries the back-shoulder throw down the middle to Mychal Rivera and that's a catch that he's made consistently in training camp. The corner route on a third down was an outstanding throw in a tight window against Cover 2 and Mychal again wasn't able to come up with that play.” Rivera started the game due to David Ausberry having an unexpected knee surgery. At this point there is no timetable for Ausberry’s return. "We should be able to get him back at some point and time," Allen said. "I don't know how long that is going to be. We'll have to evaluate that as we go along." Defense: The Raiders made a lot of acquisitions this offseason to improve their pass rush and it looked like it worked this week as they logged six sacks against the Vikings. One defender that didn’t have a sack was first round pick Khalil Mack, but Mack said he learned a lot. “I mean, you could say I settled in,” Mack said. “I got better today. (I) learned a lot of things.” The first team defense was shredded by Matt Cassel on the first drive as he completed 5/6 throws on a 70-yard touchdown drive. The Raiders were still without a large portion of what they hope will be their starting secondary and were called for several penalties. The team did get some good news earlier in the week when Allen said he expected to have D.J. Hayden back sooner than later. “I expect to see him before preseason [ends],” Allen said, via ESPN.com, “but we’ll have to wait and see. He is getting better, but he is not ready to be out here playing football yet.” K/P: The Raiders changed camp legs last week, releasing Michael Palardy and signing Kevin Goessling. In the preseason opener, kicker Sebastian Janikowski’s only work was the kickoff at the beginning of the second half. The only placekick came early in the fourth quarter, when a 44-yard attempt by Goessling was blocked. Punter/holder Marquette King was much busier in the game, averaging 45.6 yards on seven punts and placing three of those inside the 20-yard line. OL: The Raiders’ offensive line had problems in their first preseason action against the Vikings. Right tackle Menelik Watson was called for a false start before the first play from scrimmage. This play set the tone for the evening and it is questionable how much longer Watson will man that spot before team moves Austin Howard back to his normal right tackle position. The team is obviously hopeful that Watson plays better in the weeks to come. Later in the game, a first down completion was wiped out by a holding call on left tackle Donald Penn. It wasn’t all terrible news as rookie Gabe Jackson looked excellent at second team left guard. Jackson started 52 games at the position at Mississippi State and could push Khalif Barnes for starting reps sooner rather than later. Raiders Depth Chart QB: Matt Schaub, Derek Carr, Matt McGloin, Trent Edwards RB: Darren McFadden, Maurice Jones-Drew, Latavius Murray, Jeremy Stewart (KR), Kory Sheets, George Atkinson III FB: Marcel Reece, Jamize Olawale, Karl Williams WR: Denarius Moore, James Jones, Rod Streater, Andre Holmes, Juron Criner, Brice Butler, Greg Jenkins, Mike Davis TE: Mychal Rivera, David Ausberry (inj), Nick Kasa (inj), Jake Murphy, Brian Leonhardt LT: Donald Penn LG: Gabe Jackson, Khalif Barnes, Lucas Nix C: Stefen Wisniewski, Tony Bergstrom RG: Austin Howard, Kevin Boothe, Lamar Mady RT: Menalik Watson, K: Sebastian Janikowski DT: Antonio Smith, Pat Sims, Stacy McGee (NT), Justin Ellis, Ricky Lumpkin, Torell Troup DE: LaMarr Woodley, Justin Tuck, Jack Crawford, C.J. Wilson, Shelby Harris, Ryan Robinson MLB: Nick Roach, , Kaluka Maiava OLB: Kahlil Mack (S), Miles Burris (W), Sio Moore (W), Kaelin Burnett(S), Frank Beltre, Justin Cole, Spencer Hadley CB: Carlos Rogers, D.J. Hayden (inj), Tarell Brown, Chimdi Chekwa, Johnny Adams, Taiwan Jones (KR), Keith McGill, Travis Carrie, Chance Casey, Neiko Thorpe S: Charles Woodson (FS), Tyvon Branch (SS), Brandian Ross (SS/CB),Usama Young (FS), Jonathan Dowling, Shelton Johnson, Larry Asante Philadelphia Eagles QB: Fantasy owners expecting last year’s legendary start to be indicative of Nick Foles’ future value are in for a rude awakening. Friday’s game against the Bears could not have gone worse for the third year passer; Foles completed 6-of-9 passes for 44 yards along with two interceptions (38.4 passer rating). Although one of the interceptions wasn’t Foles’ fault per se, there was a third errant throw that could have been intercepted. Any way you slice it, the film didn’t look good for the young passer. Not surprisingly, Foles owned up to his mistakes and isn’t going to dwell on the performance: "I didn't play well tonight," said Foles. "As an offense, we can't hurt ourselves. I threw two passes that weren't good decisions that were picked off. There was a lot of good - seeing the young guys go in ... it was one of those things that I'm going to learn from it, I'm going to get better. It's correctable. It's not like it's not correctable. I knew exactly when I did the mishaps what I should have done and I'll learn from it and move forward." Mark Sanchez played well (7-of-10 for 79 yards) and has fit in well with the Eagles locker room; he’s been a quick study of Chip Kelly’s offense. Matt Barkley was outplayed by G.J. Kinne against the Bears’ backup defenders, but Barkley has done enough throughout preseason practices to hold onto the #3 job. RB: The Eagles only attempted 18 rushes against the Bears, with starter LeSean McCoy (1 carry) and backup Darren Sproles (3 carries) seeing minimal snaps. Chris Polk missed the game as he continues rehabbing from offseason shoulder surgery. 2nd year Matthew Tucker made the most of his opportunity, rushing 8 times for 40 yards including two touchdowns. He also caught a 15-yard reception. WR: Jeremy Maclin only caught one pass for 15 yards against the Bears, but the mere fact he is healthy enough to get onto the field is a major step on the right direction. Maclin has shown no signs of last year’s torn ACL throughout camp and appears set to lead the team in targets as long as he can stay out of the trainer’s room. After the game, Maclin said, “I felt great out there. I will continue to push myself and next week we'll get more reps, so we'll go from there. It was good to get a catch and it was good to be back out on the field.” Riley Cooper missed the game nursing his foot injury, but returned to practice on Sunday. The story of Friday night’s game was the abysmal showing by rookie Jordan Matthews. Expectations are high for Matthews, particularly as the Eagles look to fill the void left by DeSean Jackson’s departure. Matthews was targeted a team-high seven times, but dropped three (yes, THREE!) passes and managed just 14 yards on four receptions. Head coach Chip Kelly, perhaps understating things, called Matthews inconsistent. Fellow rookie Josh Huff only had one 4-yard catch versus the Bears, but it was a key play that set up one of Matthew Tucker’s touchdowns. Huff made his real mark on special teams, taking a 1st half kickoff back 102 yards for the Eagles third touchdown. TE: Zach Ertz has been dominant throughout training camp and put on a display against the Bears. Ertz led the team with four catches for 60 yards, and made opposing defenders look bad multiple times. Offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur recently explained how Ertz’ versatility makes him a mismatch against opposing defenses. "I think Ertz is a guy defenses (watch) - now you start adding the down and distance to it. You put Ertz in the game with (Brent) Celek, and we tighten him down. I think he's improved as a blocker on first down," said Shurmur. "But if you put Ertz in the game on second and third down maybe where it's more of a pass-first type scenario to the defense for whatever reason, then we can spread out Ertz. Now you have to decide are you going to cover him with a linebacker or are you going to commit to putting maybe a third defensive back in the game?" Defense: The Eagles defense has to play better than they did against the Bears or a return to the playoffs could prove elusive. A quartet of Bears quarterbacks completed a combined 29-for-44 (66%) for 399 yards and 4 touchdowns (2 interceptions) on route to a 34-28 loss. Most discouraging is the fact backup tight end Zach Miller caught two first half touchdowns running the same play in the same spot – showing an inability of the defense to adjust. Defensive coordinator Billy Davis tried to highlight the positives after the game: “The run-game defense really was solid. I know they threw a lot more than they ran, but when they ran the guys were really playing some nice two-gap in there, we were fitting well in the run game, and that was encouraging. We have to fix some stuff in the back half of the passing game, and most of it came in the second half.” K/P: Kicker Alex Henery noted: “I’m more worried about how I perform day to day. Whether you’re here by yourself or you’re here with someone else, there’s always someone out there who could come in and take your job.” So far he’s secured his job. Rookie Carey Spear was active for the Bears game but did not see any kicks. Henery kicked four extra points and handled all the kickoffs, logging two touchbacks on five kickoffs. Punter Donnie Jones averaged 46 yards on five punts and placing two inside the 20-yard line. OL: The Eagles’ offensive line struggled with penalties in the team’s preseason game against the Bears. Left tackle Jason Peters and left guard Evan Mathis (both Pro Bowlers last year) were called for holding penalties early in the contest. Mathis’ penalty called back a 20-yard reception, and Mathis went on to be called for holding again in a future series. While not great news, overall this is not a cause for concern, as this particular set of referees were calling the game exceptionally tight (17 flags in the first half). Backup center Julian Vandervelde recently had back surgery, and he could miss more than a month. In his place, David Molk hopes to make a good impression as the backup to Jason Kelce. Eagles Depth Chart QB: Nick Foles, Mark Sanchez, Matt Barkley, GJ Kinne RB: LeSean McCoy, Darren Sproles (3RB/KR/PR), Chris Polk, Matthew Tucker, Henry Josey, David Fluellen WR: Jeremy Maclin, Riley Cooper, Jordan Matthews, Josh Huff, Brad Smith (KR), Ifeanyi Momah, Arrelious Benn, Jeff Maehl, Damaris Johnson (KR/PR), B.J. Cunningham, Quron Pratt, Kadron Boone, Trey Burton, Will Murphy TE: Zach Ertz, Brent Celek, James Casey, Emil Igwenagu (FB), Blake Annen LT: Jason Peters, Andrew Gardner, Matt Tobin LG: Evan Mathis C: Jason Kelce, Julian Vandervelde, David Molk RG: Todd Herremans, Karim Barton RT: Allen Barbre, Lane Johnson (SUSP), Dennis Kelly, Michael Bamiro K: Alex Henery, Carey Spear NT: Bennie Logan, Damion Square, Beau Allen DE: Fletcher Cox, Cedric Thornton (RFA), Vinny Curry, Brandon Bair, Taylor Hart, Joe Kruger, Alejandro Villanueva ILB: Mychal Kendricks, DeMeco Ryans, Jason Phillips (RFA), Jake Knott (susp), Emmanuel Acho, Casey Matthews, Najee Goode OLB: Trent Cole, Connor Barwin, Brandon Graham, Marcus Smith, Bryan Braman, Travis Long, Josh Kaddu CB: Bradley Fletcher, Cary Williams, Brandon Boykin (KR), Nolan Carroll, Jaylen Watkins, Roc Carmichael, Curtis Marsh S: Malcolm Jenkins (FS), Earl Wolff (SS), Nate Allen (SS), Chris Maragos (FS), Keelan Johnson (FS), Ed Reynolds (SS), Daytawion Lowe (FS) Pittsburgh Steelers QB: Ben Roethlisberger continues to discuss his leadership role with a team of players as young as he’s ever had around him. The veteran quarterback is the most important player to this team, and he was given that kind of treatment in the preseason opener on Saturday. He only played one series, throwing two passes. His lone completion was a tunnel screen to lightning-fast rookie Dri Archer, who went for 46 yards. Bruce Gradkowski relieved Roethlisberger and got snaps with the first team. He was underwhelming but didn’t make any big mistakes. The conservative play calling was probably the reason his performance was adequate but far from impressive. Second-year player Landry Jones is the man the team is really trying to evaluate. He struggled in camp and preseason as a rookie and hasn’t been shining in this camp either. His 11-for-21 performance yielded just 74 yards. RB: LeVeon Bell ran well in his limited stint on Saturday. He had 18 yards on his three carries and a reception for six yards. Bell showed what is becoming a bit of a trademark for him as he takes the handoff and pauses ever so briefly to assess his line and where his hole might be. It’s a stutter-step type of move that allows him to quickly evaluate his course of action. Bell’s ability to re-accelerate after this move is fantastic for any running back – let alone a man his size. Bell’s first carry saw him break a tackle at the line, burst for five yards, meet a safety, lower his shoulder, and get four more yards on the nine-yard tote. Bell’s backup, LeGarrette Blount, brought the hard running style for which he is known on his three carries. He had a hard-earned 10 yards on the night. Rookie speedster Dri Archer made his biggest impression when set as a slot receiver. He took a tunnel screen, accelerated into the open field, and then cut back across the field. He was finally caught – but only because the defensive back had a nice pursuit angle. Archer’s 46-yard catch and run was the biggest play of the night for Pittsburgh. Directory: 2014 2014 -> For want of a nail 2014 -> The Global Warming that Wasn’t 2014 -> Assembly, No. 3901 state of new jersey 216th legislature 2014 -> Stop Militarizing Law Enforcement Act of 2014 2014 -> Ihbb asian Championships 2014 middle school bowl Round 4 First Quarter 2014 -> Unit: Automotive and Auto Body 2014 -> Ihbb european Championships 2014 Bowl Round 4 First Quarter 2014 -> International History Bee and Bowl 2013-14 Asian Division Question Set Bowl Round Six 2014 -> United states patent and trademark office 2014 -> Walnut creek, ca branch executive committee meeting minutes Download 1.05 Mb. Share with your friends:
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