Kindred
July-19th-2006, 11:22 AM
Instant Expert: Your cheet sheet for training camp
What to expect when training camps open across the NFL.
Driven to succeed
Also see: Scouting the camps
Camp is fun for all It's a challenge for new coaches to direct quick turnarounds, considering most are thrust into dire situations. The few who were successful in previous stops and are taking over teams with good personnel in place have the least bumpy roads ahead of them.
Freshly paved
Herm Edwards, Chiefs
Sharp curves ahead
Brad Childress, Vikings
Dick Jauron, Bills
Scott Linehan, Rams
Under construction
Mike McCarthy, Packers
Sean Payton, Saints
Art Shell, Raiders
Closed for repairs
Gary Kubiak, Texans
Eric Mangini, Jets
Rod Marinelli, Lions
Big battles
Key competitions to watch
Bears running back. Cedric Benson proclaimed himself the starter after a disgruntled Thomas Jones was demoted in minicamp. Look for Jones to turn this into one of the summer's hottest competitions.
Bills quarterback. J.P. Losman has learned quickly under passing guru Steve Fairchild, which will help steady the shaky 2004 first-rounder as he tries to hold off Kelly Holcomb and newcomer Craig Nall.
Broncos running back. This looks like a Tatum Bell-Ron Dayne platoon, but coach Mike Shanahan has a history of picking a back to carry the load each week. Bell, a speedster, had some big games in 2005 and is the favorite -- as long as he holds on to the ball.
Colts running back. What Edgerrin James did as a rusher, receiver and blocker is hard to replace with fast rookie Joseph Addai or career backup Dominic Rhodes alone. They'll share the load.
Jaguars wide receiver. Jimmy Smith's retirement leaves an opening for a No. 1 target, and entering Year 2 Matt Jones has stood out. He has the edge over third-year players Ernest Wilford and Reggie Williams.
Jets quarterback. This might turn out to be wide-open with rookie Kellen Clemens as an intriguing third entry to the competition between Chad Pennington and Patrick Ramsey. Going in, Ramsey has the best combination of experience and health.
Lions quarterback. Passing a crash course in "Air Martz" isn't easy. Both Jon Kitna and Josh McCown have played for good passing teams in the past, but Kitna has the better resume when it comes to grasping downfield schemes.
Steelers free safety. Pittsburgh needs a playmaker -- someone who can feed off all the things strong safety Troy Polamalu does -- to replace free-agent departure Chris Hope. Free-agent addition Ryan Clark has the inside track, but don't rule out promising rookie Anthony Smith.
Backup plans
Reserves who will be thrust into prominent roles as stars rebound from injuries.
Charlie Batch, QB, Steelers. He figures to get plenty of preseason reps with Ben Roethlisberger recovering from injuries suffered in a motorcycle accident. The team is in good hands if Big Ben can't go because of Batch's familiarity with its schemes.
Angelo Crowell, OLB, Bills. Takeo Spikes has progressed well so far while recovering from a torn right Achilles', but Buffalo has terrific insurance in Crowell, a young playmaker in the making who would benefit from more playing time.
Joey Harrington, QB, Dolphins. Miami is supposed to be a fresh start for Harrington, but the team might be in trouble early if Daunte Culpepper has any setbacks with his knee. Harrington's past inspires little confidence.
Damione Lewis, DT, Panthers. Carolina didn't want to get caught without front-four depth if Kris Jenkins goes down again. Lewis and fellow newcomer Maake Kemoeatu are expected to develop into keys part of the rotation.
Marcus McNeill, OT, Chargers. With the quarterback change to inexperienced Philip Rivers, the team hopes veteran left tackle Roman Oben can come back from his foot surgeries and hold together the protection. If that doesn't happen, McNeill, a rookie, will be pressed into a key role.
Anthony Wright, QB, Bengals. Wright has shown a nice arm in the past, but Carson Palmer is an irreplaceable talent in terms of smarts and physical tools. If Palmer's knee rehab hits a snag, the playbook will have to be scaled back.
DeAngelo Williams, RB, Panthers. Considering starter DeShaun Foster (leg) and second-year back Eric Shelton (foot) are trying to return from broken bones, the team's top draft pick will need to have a great camp to prove he can handle being the feature back.
Road warriors
Many NFL teams get away from home for training camp, but none ventures farther than the Cowboys.
Team Training site Miles from home Cowboys Oxnard, Calif. 1,504 Chiefs River Falls, Wis. 464 Seahawks Cheney, Wash. 268 Saints Jackson, Miss. 186 Giants Albany, N.Y. 142 Cardinals Flagstaff, Ariz. 140 Bills Pittsford, N.Y. 82 Vikings Mankato, Minn. 81 Colts Terre Haute, Ind. 77 Bengals Georgetown, Ky. 76 Panthers Spartanburg, S.C. 76 Buccaneers Lake Buena Vista, Fla. 73 Bears Bourbonnais, Ill. 61 Eagles Bethlehem, Pa. 60 Titans Clarksville, Tenn. 49 Raiders Napa, Calif. 41 Steelers Latrobe, Pa. 40 </FONT>
The heat is on The average August high temperatures at each team's camp site. 93: Texans 84: 49ers, Bears, Lions 92: Buccaneers 83: Seahawks 91: Saints 82: Eagles, Raiders, Steelers 90: Dolphins, Panthers 81: Chiefs, Jets, Patriots, Vikings 89: Jaguars, Titans 80: Cardinals, Giants 88: Falcons, Rams 79: Bills, Browns, Packers 86: Broncos, Redskins 78: Chargers 85: Bengals, Colts, Ravens 74: Cowboys
Good stuff!
http://mobile.sportingnews.com/exclusives/20060718/757571.html
What to expect when training camps open across the NFL.
Driven to succeed
Also see: Scouting the camps
Camp is fun for all It's a challenge for new coaches to direct quick turnarounds, considering most are thrust into dire situations. The few who were successful in previous stops and are taking over teams with good personnel in place have the least bumpy roads ahead of them.
Freshly paved
Herm Edwards, Chiefs
Sharp curves ahead
Brad Childress, Vikings
Dick Jauron, Bills
Scott Linehan, Rams
Under construction
Mike McCarthy, Packers
Sean Payton, Saints
Art Shell, Raiders
Closed for repairs
Gary Kubiak, Texans
Eric Mangini, Jets
Rod Marinelli, Lions
Big battles
Key competitions to watch
Bears running back. Cedric Benson proclaimed himself the starter after a disgruntled Thomas Jones was demoted in minicamp. Look for Jones to turn this into one of the summer's hottest competitions.
Bills quarterback. J.P. Losman has learned quickly under passing guru Steve Fairchild, which will help steady the shaky 2004 first-rounder as he tries to hold off Kelly Holcomb and newcomer Craig Nall.
Broncos running back. This looks like a Tatum Bell-Ron Dayne platoon, but coach Mike Shanahan has a history of picking a back to carry the load each week. Bell, a speedster, had some big games in 2005 and is the favorite -- as long as he holds on to the ball.
Colts running back. What Edgerrin James did as a rusher, receiver and blocker is hard to replace with fast rookie Joseph Addai or career backup Dominic Rhodes alone. They'll share the load.
Jaguars wide receiver. Jimmy Smith's retirement leaves an opening for a No. 1 target, and entering Year 2 Matt Jones has stood out. He has the edge over third-year players Ernest Wilford and Reggie Williams.
Jets quarterback. This might turn out to be wide-open with rookie Kellen Clemens as an intriguing third entry to the competition between Chad Pennington and Patrick Ramsey. Going in, Ramsey has the best combination of experience and health.
Lions quarterback. Passing a crash course in "Air Martz" isn't easy. Both Jon Kitna and Josh McCown have played for good passing teams in the past, but Kitna has the better resume when it comes to grasping downfield schemes.
Steelers free safety. Pittsburgh needs a playmaker -- someone who can feed off all the things strong safety Troy Polamalu does -- to replace free-agent departure Chris Hope. Free-agent addition Ryan Clark has the inside track, but don't rule out promising rookie Anthony Smith.
Backup plans
Reserves who will be thrust into prominent roles as stars rebound from injuries.
Charlie Batch, QB, Steelers. He figures to get plenty of preseason reps with Ben Roethlisberger recovering from injuries suffered in a motorcycle accident. The team is in good hands if Big Ben can't go because of Batch's familiarity with its schemes.
Angelo Crowell, OLB, Bills. Takeo Spikes has progressed well so far while recovering from a torn right Achilles', but Buffalo has terrific insurance in Crowell, a young playmaker in the making who would benefit from more playing time.
Joey Harrington, QB, Dolphins. Miami is supposed to be a fresh start for Harrington, but the team might be in trouble early if Daunte Culpepper has any setbacks with his knee. Harrington's past inspires little confidence.
Damione Lewis, DT, Panthers. Carolina didn't want to get caught without front-four depth if Kris Jenkins goes down again. Lewis and fellow newcomer Maake Kemoeatu are expected to develop into keys part of the rotation.
Marcus McNeill, OT, Chargers. With the quarterback change to inexperienced Philip Rivers, the team hopes veteran left tackle Roman Oben can come back from his foot surgeries and hold together the protection. If that doesn't happen, McNeill, a rookie, will be pressed into a key role.
Anthony Wright, QB, Bengals. Wright has shown a nice arm in the past, but Carson Palmer is an irreplaceable talent in terms of smarts and physical tools. If Palmer's knee rehab hits a snag, the playbook will have to be scaled back.
DeAngelo Williams, RB, Panthers. Considering starter DeShaun Foster (leg) and second-year back Eric Shelton (foot) are trying to return from broken bones, the team's top draft pick will need to have a great camp to prove he can handle being the feature back.
Road warriors
Many NFL teams get away from home for training camp, but none ventures farther than the Cowboys.
Team Training site Miles from home Cowboys Oxnard, Calif. 1,504 Chiefs River Falls, Wis. 464 Seahawks Cheney, Wash. 268 Saints Jackson, Miss. 186 Giants Albany, N.Y. 142 Cardinals Flagstaff, Ariz. 140 Bills Pittsford, N.Y. 82 Vikings Mankato, Minn. 81 Colts Terre Haute, Ind. 77 Bengals Georgetown, Ky. 76 Panthers Spartanburg, S.C. 76 Buccaneers Lake Buena Vista, Fla. 73 Bears Bourbonnais, Ill. 61 Eagles Bethlehem, Pa. 60 Titans Clarksville, Tenn. 49 Raiders Napa, Calif. 41 Steelers Latrobe, Pa. 40 </FONT>
The heat is on The average August high temperatures at each team's camp site. 93: Texans 84: 49ers, Bears, Lions 92: Buccaneers 83: Seahawks 91: Saints 82: Eagles, Raiders, Steelers 90: Dolphins, Panthers 81: Chiefs, Jets, Patriots, Vikings 89: Jaguars, Titans 80: Cardinals, Giants 88: Falcons, Rams 79: Bills, Browns, Packers 86: Broncos, Redskins 78: Chargers 85: Bengals, Colts, Ravens 74: Cowboys
Good stuff!
http://mobile.sportingnews.com/exclusives/20060718/757571.html