Training Camp Update Volume 9, Issue 2 8/12/14
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- Buffalo Bills QB
- Cyril Richardson
- Carolina Panthers QB
- Panthers Depth Chart QB
TE: Dennis Pitta has looked great so far in camp, showing the receiving skills to be a big weapon in the Ravens’ new offense. Pitta was able to show off his run after the catch ability on a TE screen Thursday night and picked his way for a 14-yard gain. The Ravens top 4 WRs are all primarily outside guys which means Pitta should see a lot of snaps in the slot and has a chance to put up big reception totals as the primary underneath target. If there is one area Pitta has struggled, it has been as a pass blocker. He had a rough day Saturday against the 49ers as he struggled against some physical pass rushers. While Pitta’s lack of blocking acumen will have to be schemed around, it is not necessarily a negative for fantasy owners. The Ravens will likely look to get Pitta out in routes as a target for Flacco on the majority of passing downs instead of keeping him in to block. The stars could be aligning for Pitta to have a breakout season where he establishes himself as a top 6 fantasy TE in PPR leagues in Kubiak’s new offense that has allowed previous TEs like Owen Daniels to thrive. Speaking of Daniels, he has continued to look average and with past injuries taking a toll looks to be an old 31 years old; he presents little threat to Pitta’s numbers. Defense: The Ravens primary concern on the defensive side of the ball is at CB where injuries have decimated the team’s depth. Injury struck again Sunday as CB Asa Jackson left practice Sunday with the aid of a trainer after injuring his right leg on a pass defense during full-team drills against San Francisco. Jackson, who is seeing significant time at cornerback in the absence of injured veteran cornerback Lardarius Webb, told trainers after his injury that he felt something in his right Achilles, though he said he did not feel a pop. The Ravens suffered a second serious injury on Sunday’s practice as defensive end Kapron Lewis-Moore, listed as a second-string defensive end behind starter Chris Canty, suffered what appears to be a torn Achilles’ tendon. Thankfully, the Ravens have assembled a deep and talented front seven and should be able to weather the Lewis-Moore injury more easily than they would be able to cope with an extended absence by Asa Jackson at CB. Rookie LB C.J. Mosley continued his impressive start with a team leading five tackles against the 49ers in his NFL debut. He also notched his first NFL sack while displaying outstanding speed, aggressiveness and instincts. K/P: Early last week kicker Justin Tucker noted he had a 79-yarder in warm-ups last year at a certain mile-high city. He also noted: “I definitely feel stronger, and that’s a credit to our strength and conditioning staff and the offseason program and the work that I was doing back in Texas… I guess now more than ever, I feel like I’m hitting as good a ball as I’ve ever hit.” Although he didn’t get any attempts that long in the preseason win over San Francisco, he did connect from 42, 22 and 55 yards. OL: The Ravens’ offensive line looked good in the team’s preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers. Eugene Monroe is reportedly exhibiting Pro Bowl form. The entire unit’s run blocking was improved from last year with center Jeremy Zuttah looking solid and the right side of guard Marshal Yanda and tackle Ricky Wagner leading the way for a touchdown run. Wagner produced a solid performance and was hailed for it by the coaches. Seeking to replace Michael Oher, Wagner is an important player for this line, and his emergence would be a key factor in this line’s improvement over last season. Ravens Depth Chart QB: Joe Flacco, Tyrod Taylor, Keith Wenning, Nick Stephens RB: Ray Rice (susp), Bernard Pierce, Justin Forsett, Lorenzo Taliaferro, Cierre Wood, Fitzgerald Toussaint FB: Kyle Juszczyk WR: Torrey Smith, Steve Smith, Marlon Brown, Jacoby Jones (KR/PR), Deonte Thompson, Michael Campanaro, LaQuan Williams, Jeremy Butler, Kamar Aiken, Gerrard Sheppard TE: Dennis Pitta, Owen Daniels, Crockett Gillmore, Nathan Overbay LT: Eugene Monroe, David Mims LG: Kelechi Osemele, Will Rackley C: Jeremy Zuttah, Gino Gradkowski, A.Q. Shipley, Ryan Jensen RG: Marshal Yanda, John Urschel RT: Ricky Wagner, Jah Reid K: Justin Tucker DT: Brandon Williams (NT), Timmy Jernigan (NT), Terrence Cody (inj), Cody Larsen, Derrick Hopkins DE: Haloti Ngata (NT/DE), Chris Canty, DeAngelo Tyson, Pernell McPhee, Brent Urban (IR), Kapron Lewis-Moore (IR) ILB: Daryl Smith (M), C.J. Mosley (W), Arthur Brown (W), Josh Bynes (W), D.J. Bryant, Austin Spitler OLB: Terrell Suggs, Elvis Dumervil (S), Courtney Upshaw, Albert McClellan, John Simon CB: Lardarius Webb (PR) (inj), Jimmy Smith, Chykie Brown, Asa Jackson, Dominique Franks, Aaron Ross (IR) S: Matt Elam (SS), Darian Stewart (FS), Terrence Brooks, Will Hill (susp), Brynden Trawick (FS), Anthony Levine (SS), Jeromy Miles (SS), Omar Brown Buffalo Bills QB: The Bills played their 2nd preseason game in Carolina on Friday night and came out with a win over the Panthers. EJ Manuel looked impressive as he connected on his first seven attempts of the night and played into the second quarter. He spread the ball around, made quick decisions, and helped lead two good drives. “His footwork was good,” Bills coach Doug Marrone said of Manuel. “We had good targets, the receivers were open. We had really good protection against a team that’s very good up front, a very good front seven. We were able to give him some time. … EJ looked comfortable in the pocket, good completion percentage. I really thought he did a very good job. We’ve just got to keep working, but I was very happy.” The only knock on the first team offense in the game is that they couldn’t get the ball into the end zone. Thad Lewis took over in the second quarter, but didn’t do much to pull ahead of Jeff Tuel in the battle for the #2 QB job. Tuel had mop up duty late in the game and completed 4 of 5 passes with a touchdown and interception. RB: C.J. Spiller got the start against Carolina and showed off his quickness right away with a 14-yard run on the first play of the game. He was replaced by Fred Jackson once the team got into the red zone, which is probably how things will go during the regular season. Jackson picked up 9 yards on his first two carries to get the team to a 3rd and 1 situation from the 2-yard line, but he was stuffed for no gain on two straight attempts. Midway through the 2nd quarter, Bryce Brown entered with the second string offense and exploded for 25 yards on his first two carries. Anthony Dixon replaced him near the goal line and was able to convert with a 1-yard touchdown plunge. Brown was a workhorse in the second half and finished the game with 13 touches for 82 yards. It certainly appears that the Bills have a capable backup for Spiller in Brown, and Dixon can handle some of the short-yardage duties if Jackson went down with an injury. WR: Sammy Watkins got the start and caught the first three passes thrown to him for 21 yards total. The play of the game, however, was made by Mike Williams who went up and brought in a 28-yard pass despite being double covered. Robert Woods was once again the most active receiver on the team despite not getting the start. He did see some time with the first string offense this week, however, and finished the game with 4 catches on 8 targets for 31 yards. Chris Hogan had the longest catch of the night as he got behind the defense for a 32-yard gain on the first drive. He continues to make plays and push for a roster spot. T.J. Graham has been struggling a bit in camp as he recovers from offseason hip surgery, and he could be on the roster bubble. Marquise Goodwin returned to action after sitting out last week’s game and had an 18-yard catch. Chris Summers made a nice catch on a low throw for the Bills only receiving touchdown of the game. TE: Scott Chandler returned to action and got the start in the Panthers game, but was held without a catch. Lee Smith and Chris Gragg also played, but the tight ends as a group were used mainly as blockers. The tight end position hasn’t typically been a focal point of the Bills offense under Marrone, but Chandler still figures to be an important player who will provide a reliable target in the middle of the field with all the speed outside. Defense: The Bills defense was helped out by the fact that Cam Newton sat out the game with an injury. The run defense played very well, as they held Carolina to 69 yards on 24 carries with most of the damage done by the QBs. The pass defense gave up a couple of touchdowns, including a 29-yard play by rookie WR Kelvin Benjamin over Stephon Gilmore in the first half. Duke Williams started at strong safety, but split time with Da’Norris Searcy who helped his case with an interception of Matt Blanchard near the end of the first half. Backup safety Jonathan Meeks added another interception late in the fourth to preserve the win. The only regular starter to miss the game was corner Leodis McKelvin, who is still recovering from hip surgery. At linebacker, it was once again Brandon Spikes and Nigel Bradham in the nickel packages. This defense may not be as aggressive rushing the passer as they were under Mike Pettine last year, but they do look like they will be tougher to run against. K/P: Against the Panthers, kicker Dan Carpenter made field goals of 19 and 42 yards, but was wide left on an attempt from 45 yards. Dustin Hopkins, hoping to make the final roster as a kickoff specialist, had touchbacks on two of his four kickoffs. Jake Dombrowski, aiming to overtake Brian Moorman for the punter/holder job, launched a 56-yarder on his only punt in the game. Moorman had 43-yarder and placed a 33-yard punt inside the 20-yard line. OL: Left tackle Cordy Glenn passed his physical and was removed from the non-football injury list. Glenn is being brought along slowly and is not yet working in team drills. When Glenn does get back, seventh round rookie Seantrel Henderson could be thrown into the right tackle mix. Henderson has impressed coaches subbing at left tackle with the first team during Glenn’s absence. Henderson had a great game against the New York Giants in preseason action. Fellow rookie Cyril Richardson looked stout on the second team, while Cyrus Kouandijo looked ineffective against third teamers. Bills Depth Chart QB: EJ Manuel, Thaddeus Lewis, Jeff Tuel, Dennis Dixon RB: C.J. Spiller, Fred Jackson, Bryce Brown, Anthony Dixon, Ronnie Wingo FB: Frank Summers, Evan Rodriguez WR: Sammy Watkins, Mike Williams, Robert Woods, Marquise Goodwin (KR), T.J. Graham, Marcus Easley, Chris Hogan, Kevin Elliott, Tori Gurley, Chris Summers, Caleb Holley, Naaman Roosevelt TE: Scott Chandler, Tony Moeaki, Lee Smith, Chris Gragg, Dominique Jones LT: Cordy Glenn, Seantrel Henderson LG: Chris Williams, J.J. Unga C: Eric Wood, Doug Legursky RG: Kraig Urbik, Cyril Richardson RT: Erik Pears, Cyrus Kouandijo, Chris Hairston K: Dan Carpenter, Dustin Hopkins DT: Marcell Dareus (NT), Kyle Williams, Corbin Bryant, Stefan Charles(NT), Damien Jacobs, Landon Cohen DE: Mario Williams, Jerry Hughes, Manny Lawson (S/DE), Alan Branch, Jarius Wynn, Ikponmwosa Igbinosun, Bryan Johnson, Jacquies Smith MLB: Brandon Spikes, Preston Brown (S), Jimmy Gaines OLB: Keith Rivers (S), Nigel Bradham (W) (susp), Ty Powell (S),Stevenson Sylvester (W), Nathan Williams (S), Randell Johnson, Kiko Alonso (inj), Darrin Kitchens (IR) CB: Stephon Gilmore, Leodis McKelvin, Nickell Robey, Corey Graham, Ron Brooks, Mario Butler, Ross Cockrell, Kamaal McIlwain S: Aaron Williams (FS), Da′Norris Searcy (SS), Duke Williams (SS),Jonathan Meeks (SS), Jajuan Harley (FS), Kenny Ladler Carolina Panthers QB: Cam Newton hasn't been allowed to scramble or run the read-option in training camp as a precaution to protect his surgically repaired ankle. "The big thing is he's got to be able to protect himself," head coach Ron Rivera said. "...The other thing, too, is if he takes a hit on it. That's the other thing we've got to make sure of, that it's structurally sound." The Panthers held Newton out of the first preseason game on Friday, although Rivera does expect him in the lineup for the August 17th contest. Newton described the sensations in his ankle: “It’ll hurt [sharply] for that little second but it’ll go away after 2-3 minutes. It’s a reminder that, hey, you better check yourself.” Offensive coordinator Mike Shula isn't worried about Newton: "With all that there's a calmness and confidence. He's always had that cool personality on the field. Now there's some added confidence with experience." During the preseason game on Friday, Derek Anderson (5/7 for 65 yards passing, with one TD throw) scrambled for two first downs. With 10 yards on two carries he was the Panthers’ leading rusher during the first half. "We just need to be cleaner. Get out of the huddle and see things better," Anderson said. "I was seeing the defense pretty good, but we can always get better seeing coverage." Joe Webb played the entire second half, and was the team's leading passer (16/28 for 180 yards, one TD and one interception, with one sack taken for -6 yards) and rusher (4/30/0) during the contest. Matt Blanchard had a terrible outing (2/8 for 13 yards passing, zero TDs, one interception thrown and one fumble lost), taking two sacks for -20 yards, leading to a rarely-seen quarterback rating of 0.0. RB: Jonathan Stewart missed the first two weeks of camp with a hamstring injury. He looked good running straight ahead on a side field during practice Thursday, August 7. Stewart worked out before Friday’s preseason game and took part in his first practice of training camp on Sunday, August 10th. As expected, Stewart was held out of the game, as was DeAngelo Williams (coach’s decision - no injury related reason). Kenjon Barner (8/8/0 rushing) and Mike Tolbert (2/2/0) didn't impress during the game. Roster longshot Fozzy Whittaker led all running backs with two targets for 2/16/0 receiving. Barner was targeted twice but didn't reel in a reception. Darrin Reaves had eight carries for 19 yards and a touchdown – he's an undrafted free agent fighting for a role. WR: Rookie wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin reportedly had what was his worst practice of training camp on Thursday, August 7. Benjamin dropped three passes and Coach Rivera said it appeared Benjamin’s focus was lacking. Benjamin bounced back on Friday night, hauling in 1/29/1 on two targets during the preseason loss to the Bills (18-20). "I stepped on his heel and stumbled, and was able to keep my feet and just follow the ball all the way to the ground," Benjamin said after the game. "That's how you catch the ball, with your eyes." On Cam Newton was effusive this week in his praise of Benjamin: “Words can't even explain, man. I've seen so much growth, and I'll continue to see progress.” Jerricho Cotchery had a brief cameo with one target for 1/8/0 receiving. During the game, 17 Panthers were targeted at least once. Tavarres King reportedly rebounded well from his hamstring injury to catch four passes for 50 yards. King tied tight end Brandon Williams as the leading receiver for the game. Philly Brown saw five passes come his way (3/23/0) and one of his misses was Webb's fault on a bounce pass 2-point conversion attempt. Brenton Bersin didn't help his chances of making the roster with four targets for 1/19/0 during the game. Marcus Lewis saw three targets for 1/14/0 receiving. As Rivera noted earlier in the past week, nothing is "set in stone" behind Benjamin and Cotchery yet, so performance in the preseason games is going to determine several backup spots. Brown and King seem to have gained an initial boost in the jockeying after one preseason contest. TE: Brandon Williams saw extensive work in the preseason game, catching 3/50/1 on seven targets. “He’s probably come as far as anybody on this team,” said starting tight end Greg Olsen. “I’m really happy for him because he’s a great kid. He wants to learn. He works his ass off. Physically, he has a lot of gifts that are hard to coach.” Williams commented: “I say the sky's the limit. I try not to give myself a ceiling.” Olsen had two targets for 2/22/0 during a cameo appearance in the first preseason game. Mike McNeill suffered a right knee sprain in the second half during the game Friday night; he'll be evaluated further in the coming days. Defense: The Panthers sat out a pair of starters against the Bills – DE Charles Johnson (hamstring injury) and SS Roman Harper (toe injury). All told six defensive players were held out due to injuries. During the game on Friday, the Panthers' defense made a solid goal-line stand against Fred Jackson. “We had a tendency on what they were going to do on the goal line, where they were going to run the ball and they tried to bounce it,” OLB Chase Blackburn said. “When 38, the fullback (Frank Summers), came outside to try to lead him, I just hammered him back and we made a good play on it.” DE Greg Hardy turned in a sack, a tackle for a loss, and an assist in limited snaps Friday night. K/P: Kicker Graham Gano missed the Bills game with a sore back. “Graham might have overdone it a couple of days ago, so he's a little bit tender,” Coach Ron Rivera had noted earlier. In Gano’s absence, camp leg Jordan Gay handled the kicking. He missed an extra point, his only placekick of the game, and became the first player to miss a 33-yard extra point with which the NFL is experimenting this preseason. Brad Nortman averaged 46.6 yards on five punts, placing one inside the 20-yard line. OL: Given the start at left tackle against the Buffalo Bills, Byron Bell responded to the challenge. The entire line kept the quarterback clean with zero sacks recorded in the contest, and pushed for a rushing touchdown against a talented Bills defensive line. The question of who (between Bell and Nate Chandler) will start at left tackle is still unsettled, but Bell has made his case. In other news, Chris Scott took over for Amini Silatolu at left guard in the contest, and played well. Starting eight games last season, Scott could be a dark horse for real playing time. Panthers Depth Chart QB: Cam Newton (inj), Derek Anderson, Joe Webb, Matt Blanchard RB: DeAngelo Williams, Jonathan Stewart (inj), Kenjon Barner, Darrin Reaves FB: Mike Tolbert (SD), Michael Zordich 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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