motife
08-01-2008, 05:15 PM
Predictions :
GB : Rookie QB Brian Brohm ends up starting at least 2 games in place of an injured Aaron Rodgers.
Det : Teams top 5 draft picks if not starting by end of camp will see considerable action in rotation. 2 5th rounders should start on special teams.
Chi : Devin Hester will be starting at WR by no later than midseason.
Minn : QB Tavaris Jackson will leave camp as a competent starter, earning praise and respect of teammates.
Key sportswriter in Wisconsin tells PFW many long time Favre loyalists have had their fill of Favre's obviously conflicted mind games. "The negative emails that keep growing daily don't lie. There has always been nothing but unconditional love for Favre, through the bouts with Vicodin, the alcoholism, the 29 interception season. For the first time, people are bringing back up old Favre quotes, calling him a traitor. And that isn't likely to change any time soon."
Bears' offensive line not looking very good
With the Bears managing to take care of their primary business on the contract front with new long-term deals for Brian Urlacher and Devin Hester, the focus in Bourbonnais, Ill., has switched to an offensive line that has looked rather offensive, to say the least. A key factor behind the line’s early ineptitude has been injuries to six-time Pro Bowl C Olin Kreutz and first-round OT Chris Williams. Kreutz had been on the physically-unable-to-perform list with an Achilles ailment since the start of camp until Tuesday, when he passed a physical and returned to the practice field. Williams has been sidelined since suffering an untimely back injury early in the team’s second training-camp practice. Williams was getting closer to returning to practice at this writing, but the consensus among team insiders is that he has already lost valuable development time at left tackle, the position he was expected to man as the starter in Week One. “The more practices he misses, the harder it will be for him to start,” a longtime team insider told PFW. “They really need to get him out there.” Williams’ absence is increasing the likelihood daily that versatile John St. Clair will start the season at left tackle. In the meantime, the D-line has been steadily winning the battle in the trenches since the opening of camp, which doesn’t bode particularly well for an O-line that regressed significantly last season.
Lions have lots of questions at linebacker
Ernie Sims is one of the Lions’ few sure things. Otherwise, linebacker represents a position that could look a lot different at the end of the preseason than it does right now. With LB Jordon Dizon missing the first few practices of training camp while waiting to sign a contract and the team looking at free agent Takeo Spikes possibly to add to the mix, there are some faces who could be added to the starting lineup. As it stands now, Sims starts on the weak side, Paris Lenon is in the middle and possibly Alex Lewis on the strong side. But Dizon’s arrival and emergence could mean Lenon — or Spikes, if he’s offered a contract — may end up occupying the “Sam” position. Lewis is considered more of a special-teamer than a two-down linebacker. The “Sam” ’backer typically comes off the field in the Lions’ nickel defense, so finding a more sturdy, run-stopping player would appear to be the coaches’ biggest aim.
Holdout by Packers RB Grant could last awhile
Although even the most seemingly bitter contract impasses have a way of turning on a dime in the NFL, the word out of Green Bay is that the increasingly adversarial contract deadlock between the Packers and RB Ryan Grant just might last well into the summer. Such is the case in the wake of what Grant’s agent. Alan Herman, deemed an “insulting” contract proposal from the Packers that included a mere $1.75 million signing bonus on a six-year contract extension. “I can’t believe after 5½ months … that we could get in a situation as unreasonable as this,” Herman recently told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “I’ve never seen anything like that in my 24 years in the business.” Herman went on to say that his client “was as mad as I’ve ever heard him. He’s really angry.” Before the Packers issued the proposal, Grant couldn’t have been more conciliatory regarding his situation, as he went out of his way to stay close to the team during OTAs and minicamps despite being unable to practice with the team. Now, however, we hear it’s quite possible that Grant may continue to harbor a sense of resentment toward the team, and that might not bode well for his long-term future in Green Bay.
Vikings’ punting game stands to improve
The Vikings largely were successful on special teams last season, but the punting game is an area of concern on both sides. P Chris Kluwe had a high gross average (44.7 yards) but sometimes outkicked his coverage and suffered from poor coverage other times, resulting in the Vikings’ 23rd ranking in opponents’ punt-return average. But the other side of the coin stands as a more interesting training-camp battle. There are several candidates for the punt-return job who stand to improve the team mark of 8.3 yards per return, which was nearly a yard below the league average, especially with Mewelde Moore having departed to Pittsburgh via free agency. Among those competing for the job: WR Bobby Wade, who returned 17 punts for a 6.9-yard average in 2007; WR Bernard Berrian, who has returned 12 punts in his four-year career for a 7.2-yard average; WR Aundrae Allison, who was a standout on kickoff returns as a rookie but hasn’t returned a punt since college, where he did it sparingly; CB Charles Gordon, who has one punt return for one yard in two pro seasons but was a standout returner in college; and rookie WR Jaymar Johnson.
With WR Devin Hester yet to practice due to a tweaked hamstring, easily the most impressive receiver in the first few days of the Bears’ training camp was Rashied Davis. Davis hauled in two deep passes on Thursday, and daily team observers are starting to think he could be much more of a factor in the passing game than initially expected.
Four key Bears players were sidelined at the start of camp, but sources on the scene in Bourbonnais, Ill., tell us none of the injuries afflicting WR Devin Hester (hamstring), OLT Chris Williams (back spasms), C Olin Kreutz (Achilles) and DT Dusty Dvoracek (calf) was considered serious.
Although the Packers’ plan at left guard heading into training camp is to give incumbent Daryn Colledge and promising sophomore Allen Barbre an equal number of reps, team insiders tell us they think the job is Barbre’s to lose. Regarding the Packers’ backup situation at tackle, we hear fifth-round draft pick Breno Giacomini will remain at right tackle while Tony Moll and Orrin Thompson will see action at both OT spots.
Michael Hoffman, the agent for Packers SLB Brady Poppinga, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that his client’s new four-year contract extension is comparable to those signed by free agents Boss Bailey and Kawika Mitchell in the offseason. Both of those contracts were worth $17.5 million over five years and included about $3.5 million in signing bonuses.
One underrated element of the Lions’ new approach offensively will be featuring the bootleg pass more. QB Jon Kitna is a pretty good athlete, and he has shown an ability to throw on the move outside the pocket, but most of those plays the past two seasons have come on broken-down pass protections. Expect Kitna to be allowed to play-action fake more and throw on the move outside the pocket.
GB : Rookie QB Brian Brohm ends up starting at least 2 games in place of an injured Aaron Rodgers.
Det : Teams top 5 draft picks if not starting by end of camp will see considerable action in rotation. 2 5th rounders should start on special teams.
Chi : Devin Hester will be starting at WR by no later than midseason.
Minn : QB Tavaris Jackson will leave camp as a competent starter, earning praise and respect of teammates.
Key sportswriter in Wisconsin tells PFW many long time Favre loyalists have had their fill of Favre's obviously conflicted mind games. "The negative emails that keep growing daily don't lie. There has always been nothing but unconditional love for Favre, through the bouts with Vicodin, the alcoholism, the 29 interception season. For the first time, people are bringing back up old Favre quotes, calling him a traitor. And that isn't likely to change any time soon."
Bears' offensive line not looking very good
With the Bears managing to take care of their primary business on the contract front with new long-term deals for Brian Urlacher and Devin Hester, the focus in Bourbonnais, Ill., has switched to an offensive line that has looked rather offensive, to say the least. A key factor behind the line’s early ineptitude has been injuries to six-time Pro Bowl C Olin Kreutz and first-round OT Chris Williams. Kreutz had been on the physically-unable-to-perform list with an Achilles ailment since the start of camp until Tuesday, when he passed a physical and returned to the practice field. Williams has been sidelined since suffering an untimely back injury early in the team’s second training-camp practice. Williams was getting closer to returning to practice at this writing, but the consensus among team insiders is that he has already lost valuable development time at left tackle, the position he was expected to man as the starter in Week One. “The more practices he misses, the harder it will be for him to start,” a longtime team insider told PFW. “They really need to get him out there.” Williams’ absence is increasing the likelihood daily that versatile John St. Clair will start the season at left tackle. In the meantime, the D-line has been steadily winning the battle in the trenches since the opening of camp, which doesn’t bode particularly well for an O-line that regressed significantly last season.
Lions have lots of questions at linebacker
Ernie Sims is one of the Lions’ few sure things. Otherwise, linebacker represents a position that could look a lot different at the end of the preseason than it does right now. With LB Jordon Dizon missing the first few practices of training camp while waiting to sign a contract and the team looking at free agent Takeo Spikes possibly to add to the mix, there are some faces who could be added to the starting lineup. As it stands now, Sims starts on the weak side, Paris Lenon is in the middle and possibly Alex Lewis on the strong side. But Dizon’s arrival and emergence could mean Lenon — or Spikes, if he’s offered a contract — may end up occupying the “Sam” position. Lewis is considered more of a special-teamer than a two-down linebacker. The “Sam” ’backer typically comes off the field in the Lions’ nickel defense, so finding a more sturdy, run-stopping player would appear to be the coaches’ biggest aim.
Holdout by Packers RB Grant could last awhile
Although even the most seemingly bitter contract impasses have a way of turning on a dime in the NFL, the word out of Green Bay is that the increasingly adversarial contract deadlock between the Packers and RB Ryan Grant just might last well into the summer. Such is the case in the wake of what Grant’s agent. Alan Herman, deemed an “insulting” contract proposal from the Packers that included a mere $1.75 million signing bonus on a six-year contract extension. “I can’t believe after 5½ months … that we could get in a situation as unreasonable as this,” Herman recently told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “I’ve never seen anything like that in my 24 years in the business.” Herman went on to say that his client “was as mad as I’ve ever heard him. He’s really angry.” Before the Packers issued the proposal, Grant couldn’t have been more conciliatory regarding his situation, as he went out of his way to stay close to the team during OTAs and minicamps despite being unable to practice with the team. Now, however, we hear it’s quite possible that Grant may continue to harbor a sense of resentment toward the team, and that might not bode well for his long-term future in Green Bay.
Vikings’ punting game stands to improve
The Vikings largely were successful on special teams last season, but the punting game is an area of concern on both sides. P Chris Kluwe had a high gross average (44.7 yards) but sometimes outkicked his coverage and suffered from poor coverage other times, resulting in the Vikings’ 23rd ranking in opponents’ punt-return average. But the other side of the coin stands as a more interesting training-camp battle. There are several candidates for the punt-return job who stand to improve the team mark of 8.3 yards per return, which was nearly a yard below the league average, especially with Mewelde Moore having departed to Pittsburgh via free agency. Among those competing for the job: WR Bobby Wade, who returned 17 punts for a 6.9-yard average in 2007; WR Bernard Berrian, who has returned 12 punts in his four-year career for a 7.2-yard average; WR Aundrae Allison, who was a standout on kickoff returns as a rookie but hasn’t returned a punt since college, where he did it sparingly; CB Charles Gordon, who has one punt return for one yard in two pro seasons but was a standout returner in college; and rookie WR Jaymar Johnson.
With WR Devin Hester yet to practice due to a tweaked hamstring, easily the most impressive receiver in the first few days of the Bears’ training camp was Rashied Davis. Davis hauled in two deep passes on Thursday, and daily team observers are starting to think he could be much more of a factor in the passing game than initially expected.
Four key Bears players were sidelined at the start of camp, but sources on the scene in Bourbonnais, Ill., tell us none of the injuries afflicting WR Devin Hester (hamstring), OLT Chris Williams (back spasms), C Olin Kreutz (Achilles) and DT Dusty Dvoracek (calf) was considered serious.
Although the Packers’ plan at left guard heading into training camp is to give incumbent Daryn Colledge and promising sophomore Allen Barbre an equal number of reps, team insiders tell us they think the job is Barbre’s to lose. Regarding the Packers’ backup situation at tackle, we hear fifth-round draft pick Breno Giacomini will remain at right tackle while Tony Moll and Orrin Thompson will see action at both OT spots.
Michael Hoffman, the agent for Packers SLB Brady Poppinga, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that his client’s new four-year contract extension is comparable to those signed by free agents Boss Bailey and Kawika Mitchell in the offseason. Both of those contracts were worth $17.5 million over five years and included about $3.5 million in signing bonuses.
One underrated element of the Lions’ new approach offensively will be featuring the bootleg pass more. QB Jon Kitna is a pretty good athlete, and he has shown an ability to throw on the move outside the pocket, but most of those plays the past two seasons have come on broken-down pass protections. Expect Kitna to be allowed to play-action fake more and throw on the move outside the pocket.