Our sources in Oakland say Raiders coaches are encouraging their defenders to go after the ball when RB
Darren McFadden is carrying it in camp to test the rookie’s ability to avoid fumbles. We hear McFadden needs to do a better job of locking his elbow down in order to erase some of the concerns the team has about his tendency to cough up the pigskin.
We hear the Broncos’
Chris Kuper, considered a front-runner for the No. 1 OLT spot before
Ryan Clady was drafted, is now penciled in as the starter at right tackle, with
Ryan Harris fighting to edge him out. Sources in Denver say Kuper, an 11-game starter at guard last season, seems to be a favorite of head coach
Mike Shanahan, who was particularly impressed with how the third-year veteran played against Vikings DT
Pat Williams in the last game of ’07.
Chiefs MLB
Napoleon Harris, whose starting job is in jeopardy, had an interesting exchange with the
Kansas City Star. After admitting that written reports about his tenuous job status contradicted what he’d gleaned from the coaches, Harris was asked if he was a “happy” employee. “I am an employee of the Kansas City Chiefs,” he deadpanned.
Bills Pro Bowl OLT
Jason Peters has been absent from the team’s voluntary offseason program as he seeks a renegotiated contract. But unlike the situation with teammate
Lee Evans, who will likely receive a raise before the start of training camp, the chance of Peters being granted his wish is not nearly as strong — at least not this offseason. With three years remaining on a deal he signed in 2006, the Bills are willing to wait at least another year before extending their star offensive lineman. Peters is due to earn a sum that’s below market value but still respectable at $4 million per year, if he reaches all incentives, so there’s little chance that Peters will hold out if the Bills balk at his request.
An Achilles tear by recently acquired WR-RS
Tab Perry is a considerable blow to a dangerously thin Dolphins receiving corps. Miami was counting on Perry to push
Derek Hagan for the No. 3 WR job. The starting tandem of
Ted Ginn Jr. and
Ernest Wilford has yet to prove its worth.
The book on the Patriots’ LB corps last year was that the starters formed a potent unit but their age and the lack of depth were constant concerns. While the age of stalwarts
Mike Vrabel,
Adalius Thomas and
Tedy Bruschi (and possibly
Junior Seau, if he and the Pats agree to spend another year together) is obviously a more significant issue in ’08, the depth is considerably better now. Rookie
Jerod Mayo and free-agent acquisition
Victor Hobson are expected to seriously contend for starting ILB duties, while rookie OLB
Shawn Crable has the coaches excited about his value as a pass-rush specialist.
With the league opting to allow a defensive player to wear an audio headset in his helmet, a majority of teams will designate a middle or inside linebacker to wear it. But the Jets are seriously considering SS
Kerry Rhodes for the role, according to coach
Eric Mangini. ILB
David Harris is the other candidate.
Jets OLB
Bryan Thomas, coming off a disappointing season after a breakout campaign in ’06, figures to face stiff competition for his starting job from rookie
Vernon Gholston. So, considering his health was fine and the system was the same in ’07 as it had been in ’06, why the drop-off in performance? “I felt like I slacked off a lot,” a candid Thomas said. “There were a lot of things I didn’t do that I was supposed to do as far as the pass rush (and) the running game. In both of those areas I slacked.”
Good news for those seeking more out of the Titans’ passing game: A source close to the club notes TE
Alge Crumpler and QB
Vince Young are building good chemistry.
Titans QB
Vince Young’s leadership ability could become a hot-button topic this season, the way we hear it, after he told NFL.com he contemplated quitting after his rookie season before changing his mind. “I really thought long and hard about it. There was so much going on with my family. It was crazy being an NFL quarterback,” Young told the Web site. “It wasn't fun anymore. All of the fun was out of it. All of the excitement was gone. All I was doing was worrying about things. My teammates helped lift me out of it. I prayed really hard. And I began to focus on God's calling for me. Play football. Be a role model.” Those familiar with Young’s contract couldn’t be blamed for expressing disbelief at Young’s consideration of retirement after only one year; after all, he collected a $12.3 million option bonus before his second NFL season. Late in the week, Young downplayed the NFL.com report, telling
The Tennessean, “I was never going to quit football.”
Colts DT
Quinn Pitcock made minimal impact in his rookie season of ’07, but we hear that was mostly because he never fully recovered from a hamstring ailment he had suffered early on. He should be a fixture in the DT rotation this season.
Just as he was starting to form good chemistry with QB
David Garrard, new Jaguars WR
Jerry Porter suffered a pulled hamstring in OTAs that could keep him out until training camp. But the way we hear it, the injury will allow the rest of a nondescript WR corps more opportunities to showcase their games.
Word from Texans camp is that ORG
Mike Brisiel has been impressive in offseason workouts and will be very tough to keep out of the lineup.
Steelers LOLB
LaMarr Woodley appears poised to build off a strong finish to last season, the way we hear it. Woodley has stood out in organized team activities.
The way we hear it, don’t be surprised if
Dan Santucci pushes
Eric Ghiaciuc for the Bengals’ starting center job. Ghiaciuc has been a somewhat inconsistent performer throughout his Cincinnati career.
Browns rookie LB
Beau Bell could force his way onto the field as a rookie, the way we hear it, if his early form with the club is any indication. Bell has good size (6-1, 244) for the position and has flashed some impressive ability.
Word from Browns camp is that rookie
Paul Hubbard looks the part of a pro wide receiver, but his hands will tell the tale as to whether he can contribute.
After skipping the Saints’ voluntary workouts and the first few weeks of OTAs, DE
Will Smith will participate in this weekend’s mandatory minicamp, which is exactly what team officials had expected, according to sources in New Orleans. Smith is unhappy with his current contract, which will pay him just over $1 million in 2008 depending on which incentives he reaches, and he’s still jockeying for a new deal. The contract negotiations will continue, but there is no indication that Smith will resume his protest and sit out training camp if an agreement is not reached.
The Falcons have not had an easy time sorting out their options on the offensive line. Sources say Atlanta is considering moving
Justin Blalock from left guard to right tackle but will likely be unable to settle that situation until coaches see what last year’s starter at right tackle,
Todd Weiner, is able to do after he recovers from major knee surgery. “That’s probably the process that we’re still dealing with more than any other position,” new Falcons offensive coordinator
Mike Mularkey recently told PFW. “Some of that is because of injuries, some of that is because of finding out how guys can handle certain positions, so we’re still … it’s trial and error.”
Panthers rookie ORT
Jeff Otah is still hampered by an ankle injury, which has kept him out of all offseason practices thus far. Word is Otah has been able to go through individual workouts to build strength, and there has been no indication that the injury is serious. In the meantime,
Jeremy Bridges has taken snaps with the first team at right tackle.
Injury-prone Bears WR
Mark Bradley, who is recovering from early-May arthroscopic surgery on his right knee to clean up scar tissue, is telling team sources that he should be ready for the start of training camp, but word is the team isn’t nearly that optimistic.
During the Bears’ first batch of OTAs, the consensus among observers was that beleaguered starting RB
Cedric Benson did indeed look quicker after having dropped 10 pounds, the result of a healthier diet.
Although DTs
Justin Harrell (back) and
Johnny Jolly (shoulder), DE
Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila (knee) and CB
Will Blackmon (foot) are expected to miss the Packers’ entire four-week workout session, we hear all of them are expected to be cleared for the start of training camp. Harrell, the team’s 2007 first-round pick, is missing the team’s offseason practices for the second straight year.
Word is the Packers are cautiously encouraged by the condition of third-year LB
Abdul Hodge, who has been severely hindered by patellar tendinitis in both knees the past two seasons. When he was healthy enough to play over an eight-game period in 2006, Hodge showed some impressive flashes.
Free-agent RB
Kevin Jones, late of the Lions, has received interest from several teams, including the Patriots and Titans, despite being only five months removed from ACL surgery. With two media members present, Jones incredibly ran up an incline at full speed and then pivoted and changed direction with little trouble. Jones says he thinks he’ll miraculously be ready to play by Week One.
The Cowboys are treating NT Tank Johnson as somewhat of a free-agent addition this offseason, even though he joined the team last year. The coaches feel he’s finally starting to learn the NT spot in the defense, using his hands much better, and they laud his good behavior since coming to Dallas.
The Giants think they may have a keeper in rookie LB
Bryan Kehl. It’s not clear if Kehl will be able to crack the starting lineup early in his first season, but the team thinks his athleticism and smarts are enough to make him a starter at some point.
The Giants plan on giving RS-WR
Domenik Hixon more of a chance at receiver, and he’ll get every shot to continue as the Giants’ primary kick returner. That signals potentially bad news for WR
Sinorice Moss, who might have to win the job as the punt returner to make the team.
Cardinals WR
Anquan Boldin was a no-show at the team’s voluntary workouts. But team sources tell us Boldin has indicated to those close to him that he will definitely attend training camp, despite his dissatisfaction over his current contract.
Don’t expect much of anything from Cardinals C
Al Johnson until training camp. After experiencing some pain and swelling in his left knee during offseason team workouts, the team’s starting center decided to have surgery to clean the knee out well in advance of the coming season.
We hear the Cardinals have put first-round CB
Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie on a special diet in the hope of getting his weight up to the 195-pound range. Cromartie initially tipped the Cardinals’ scales at 182 pounds.
After a shaky start in the Rams’ May minicamp, we hear
Mark Setterstrom is beginning to make some tangible progress at the unfamiliar center position and may be gaining on incumbent
Brett Romberg for the starting job. Setterstrom, the team’s starting left guard last season before suffering a season-ending knee injury in Week Three, has a substantial edge in size over Romberg.
After having cleanup surgery on both shoulder joints in early January, Rams RB
Brian Leonard has told team insiders that he’s never felt stronger. Leonard has reportedly bulked up to 234 pounds, about 10 pounds heavier than last year.
After suffering a torn Achilles tendon during the Rams’ offseason program, backup OT
Rob Petitti will probably have to wait about six months or so before he will be cleared to do any running.
Would the Niners consider trading for Dolphins DE-OLB
Jason Taylor, who wouldn’t be a bad fit at all in their defense? According to team insiders, neither head coach
Mike Nolan nor GM
Scot McCloughan is likely to be willing to take the risk that Taylor might not work out in the Bay Area.
The consensus among our Niners sources is that fourth-round rookie C
Cody Wallace has been consistently displaying textbook knee bend and hand placement and is looking more and more as though he could push starter
Eric Heitmann for playing time sooner than later.
We hear rookie free-agent LB
Ezra Butler, who was cut by the Niners recently after his arrest for driving under the influence and misdemeanor possession of marijuana, was considered to have genuine pro potential by more than a few team staffers. One NFL scout told a team insider that he thought Butler, who was a tackling machine at Nevada, possessed second-round talent.
Our Seahawks sources tell us star MLB
Lofa Tatupu couldn’t have been more apologetic and embarrassed over his ill-timed arrest May 10 on suspicion of drunken driving, and that he made a point of spreading the word to his teammates about the arrest before it became public knowledge. As for Seahawks DT
Rocky Bernard, we hear the team is a lot more worried about the condition of his injured toe than his April arrest on misdemeanor assault charges following a run-in with an ex-girlfriend at a downtown Seattle nightclub. A pretrial hearing for Bernard was scheduled for June 2.
Don’t underestimate the value of Seahawks backup DL
Chris Cooper, who is back for his second go-around in Seattle. Our sources tell us the team really appreciates his ability to make plays at either end or tackle.