First ... And 10: Training camp
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By John Clayton
ESPN.com
Editor's note: ESPN senior NFL writer John Clayton's weekly "First And 10" column takes you around the league with a look at the best games of the week. Here's a look at his most compelling observations during training camp.
Two-thirds of the NFL got out of the training camp mode last week, with the final group following this week.
Training camps are less strenuous than in the past. There are fewer two-a-day sessions, more water breaks, less hitting and shorter sessions. Fewer players have to condition themselves during training camp, and that's a positive for the NFL.
This week's preseason games will feature more starters going longer into games. Because most coaches refuse to expose starters to injury in the final tuneup next week, the 16 games that begin Thursday night when Dallas visits Pittsburgh will give coaches a barometer of where their starters are in relation to others.
Offenses will have a half to get down timing. Defenses may not scheme, but they will be able to test timing and tackling. It's been an interesting summer. Rookie holdouts increased, but the length of those first-round holdouts weren't as bad as expected. The Rams and Seahawks still have concerns about unsigned left tackles -- Orlando Pace and Walter Jones -- but both should sign one-year contracts before the first week of the regular season.
Duce Staley's holdout is the most bizarre. The Eagles weren't going to give him a contract extension, but his holdout allowed Correll Buckhalter time to give coaches and teammates confidence that he could be the featured back. Staley may patch up his relationship with the Eagles and stay, but he might be shipped out once he reports.
Next week's cut to 65 won't be as dramatic because so many team's rosters are bloated by NFL Europe exemptions, so let's take a pause to review a few observations as the final camps conclude.
McNair looks more crisp this summer than he has in previous seasons.
First … From the tour of camp and three weeks of exhibition games, no player looks more valuable than Titans quarterback Steve McNair. Sure, Brett Favre looks better than ever. Kurt Warner is back to being his MVP self in St. Louis. Rich Gannon should pass for 300 yards a game once the Raiders starting offense stays on the field more than a quarter. Michael Vick can still carry the Falcons, but he may only have between 10 and 12 starts to do that. But McNair looks the best. For the first time since 1998, McNair didn't have an offseason surgery. Seeing how well he used his offseason time with teammates rather than trainers has been impressive. Watching him scramble through a talented Bills defense to set up sharp completions was impressive. His arm strength is among the best. The Titans offense has transformed from a run-to-set-up-the-pass team to one in which McNair passes to set up the run.
2. The unit that concerns me the most is the Green Bay Packers defense. The Falcons and Vick outscored the first team Packers defense 21-3, and Browns quarterbacks Kelly Holcomb and Tim Couch chewed up the pass defense in the first half last week. Sure, it's hard to evaluate a defense that doesn't scheme for preseason games, and the Packers indeed have a complex defense that succeeds on blitzes and good coaching. But the Packers aren't tackling well and that's not scheme. They have injuries galore along the defensive line and the linebackers don't seem to be in sync. The Packers should still win the NFC North, but the gap over the Vikings may not be as big as they think.
3. The best teams I've seen during the preseason are the Buccaneers, Eagles, Raiders, Chiefs, Titans and Colts. From that group, the Chiefs are the most interesting, Their offense is good enough to be among the best in football. Priest Holmes doesn't have too many carryover problems from offseason hip surgery. Trent Green is a legitimate Pro Bowl quarterback running a dangerous offense. And the improvements on the defense should allow them to compete with the Raiders for the AFC West title. The Titans and Colts create an interesting debate. The Titans are the better team today. Their front four looks almost as destructive as the Bucs. Despite a tight salary cap, the Titans have enough young depth that their second unit made mince meat of the Bills second team last Saturday. But the Colts are so close and one injury swings the AFC South into their favor. If the Titans can keep all of their starters healthy, they could hold off the Colts. But Jevon Kearse is still fighting lower leg injuries. Defensive end Carlos Hall had arthroscopic knee surgery. Offensive left tackle Brad Hopkins has issues with a knee. And say what you would about the Eagles, they may have lost some pass rush with Hugh Douglas' departure to Jacksonville, but the Eagles still are solid at the key areas -- quarterback, running back, receiver, offensive line, defensive line and secondary.
4. It's easy to put the Buffalo Bills among the surprise teams. The additions of defensive tackle Sam Adams and linebackers Takeo Spikes and Jeff Posey have made their front seven formidable. That's a no brainer. Here are two potential surprise teams -- the Vikings and the Ravens. Quarterback Daunte Culpepper is on a mission to not throw many interceptions this year even though he' throwing longer, lower percentage passes. But it can be argued that the Vikings now have the best defensive line in the division. With Kenny Mixon and Kevin Williams at ends, Chris Hovan and Fred Robbins at tackle and Lance Johnstone coming off the bench as a pass-rusher, the Vikings have the nice balance of playmaking ability that could be a little better than the Packers, Bears and Lions along the defensive line. The Ravens showed against the Falcons that they can be as punishing as they were a couple of years ago. This is a physical defense that loves to beat up opponents. If they can get any kind of offense, they could be the second best team in the AFC North behind Pittsbrugh.
5. The cornerback situation around the NFL is scary. Consider that there was only one starter available in free agency -- Dré Bly -- who had 16 games of starting experience last season. Teams paid good money to take other teams' third and fourth best cornerbacks to move them into starting job. Other teams are going with rookies. The Chargers may have done the best job of restocking their secondary, but they ended up with three top young corners -- Quentin Jammer, Drayton Florence and Sammy Davis -- and only one experienced safety, Kwamie Lassiter. There will be growing pains -- particularly if the Chargers can't mount a pass rush -- but this should be a pretty good unit by the end of the season. The Rams are a little scary starting Travis Fisher and Jerametrius Butler and being backed up by rookies. The Dolphins, Eagles, Cowboys and Seahawks have some of the deeper cornerback units I've seen. Still, most teams aren't deep at corner and that should lead to a lot of scoring this season.
6. The most interesting race still is in the AFC East between the Dolphins and Patriots. Too bad hard work in the front office may not translate into a higher seed in the playoff for these teams. Both teams are doing it right and in many ways are doing it the same way. The Dolphins loaded up with veterans on defense -- linebacker Junior Seau, defensive tackle Jeff Zgonina, safety Sammy Knight and cornerback Terrell Buckley. The Patriots followed the same model on a different scheme -- their 3-4 -- by adding nose tackle Ted Washington, linebacker Rosevelt Colvin, strong safety Rodney Harrison and cornerback Tyrone Poole. Each team's biggest concern could be their offensive line. The Patriots already are trying to patch holes with their depth by signing veterans near the ends of their careers for key backup spots. The Dolphins are trying to groom four young rookies for playing time and may have to put those players on the field this year. Unfortunately for both teams, their division and their schedules are so tough, it may be hard for the AFC East winner to finish better than the third seed in the playoffs.
Kelly Holcomb threw for 790 yards and eight TDs in just five games (two starts) last season.
7. Of the four teams that had quarterback controversies, the Browns may have the best impact by promoting Holcomb over Couch. This isn't a knock at Couch. He's a legitimate NFL starter and he probably will get to play in the Browns offense this year. Holcomb does to the Browns offense what Tommy Maddox did for the Steelers last year: He gives them a better ability to move the football through the air. Couch is the least mobile quarterback of the two, and the Browns offensive line is suspect. Compare that to the Broncos situation. Jake Plummer was better suited to run the Broncos offense than Brian Griese because the line isn't as effective as it was a couple years ago blocking for quarterbacks who can't move. Here's the downside for the Browns. Holcomb will have to put points on the scoreboard because the defense looks bad. It doesn't matter who wins the Cowboys quarterback battle because the offense doesn't look talented enough to win. Chris Redman should win the Ravens opening day starting job, but eventually lose out to Kyle Boller. Rodney Peete will win the Panthers job because he doesn't make mistakes that will cost them games, but Chris Weinke might be their best quarterback.
8. The best running backs look even better because of great offseason conditioning. Ricky Williams and LaDainian Tomlinson were the best I've seen. Each has the potential to go for 1,800 yards or more. Edgerrin James is ready to reclaim his spot among the league's elite backs. I'm interested to see how Clinton Portis holds up weighing 210 pounds -- 18 more than last season. He will be carrying the bulk of the load for the Broncos. Emmitt Smith should gain 1,100 yards or more as the Cardinals main back. Shaun Alexander is ready to take the next step toward being a Pro Bowl back in Seattle. Priest Holmes may not gain 1,500 yards rushing, but that's only because the Chiefs have more talent to make plays on offense.
9. In the category of overrated injuries is Jeff Garcia's back problems. Remember how everyone fretted about Priest Holmes's hip. He reports to camp, doesn't miss a practice, busts off 8-yard runs without trouble and people still think he's suffering from a Bo Jackson career-threatening injury. Garcia does have a bulging disc and that is a concern now that he's in his 30s. But he can handle it. He's tough. He's getting good treatment. What will be interesting to see is whether the 49ers limit his ability to move from the pocket to make plays.
10. The most impressive rookies noticed during the training camp tour were cornerbacks Terence Newman (Dallas), Marcus Trufant (Seattle) and Drayton Florence (San Diego); defensive ends Ty Warren (New England) and Tyler Brayton (Oakland); tight ends Dallas Clark (Indianapolis) and Teyo Johnson (Oakland); safety Ken Hamlin (Seattle); and wide receivers Andre Johnson (Houston) and Anquan Boldin (Arizona). Right tackle Jordan Gross solidified the right side of Carolina's offensive line. Jeff Faine looks like a stud at center for the Browns. Justin Fargas of the Raiders is the most impressive among a questionable, banged up class of running backs. Rookies are hard to gauge because they often have ups and downs as they adjust to the long, grueling NFL schedule.
John Clayton is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com. |
