Wednesday, July 12
The five camps to keep an eye on
By John Clayton
ESPN.com
As the NFL begins its long, hot summer, here's a look at the five training camps that will be feeling the most heat over the next two months:
Chicago Bears.
Last year, it was fun watching offensive coordinator Gary Crowton bring his imaginative passing attack from Louisiana Tech into the NFL. Now, he hands that system to quarterback Cade McNown, who showed promise at the end of last season. The rest of the fun is watching head coach Dick Jauron incorporate defensive end Phillip Daniels, linebacker Brian Urlacher, cornerback Thomas Smith and safety Shawn Wooden into a much improved defense.
Washington Redskins.
Of course, it costs $10 per person plus $10 per car to watch the Redskins train at their headquarters, but what a show. Can this group of all-stars get along? Will Brad Johnson look over his shoulder at Jeff George if he struggles in the preseason? Can Ray Rhodes keep all the egos on defense happy? On paper, this is the best team in football, but paper tigers are dangerous to opponents and sometimes themselves.
Oakland Raiders.
Oakland coach Jon Gruden enjoyed great bargain shopping during the offseason. His mission is to find roles and revise careers for safeties Anthony Dorsett, Marquez Pope and Je'Rod Cherry, defensive linemen Shawn Lee, Regan Upshaw and Austin Robbins, cornerbacks Tory James and Darrien Gordon. He succeeded last year in making Tyrone Wheatley a productive back. The key to the camp will be the development of second-round choice Jerry Porter, a wide receiver who might challenge starter James Jett.
New Orleans Saints.
New head coach Jim Haslett is a motivator. General manager Randy Mueller knows how to find talent. Can the Saints convert the best offseason in the NFL into wins on the field? They've added explosiveness on offense with quarterback Jeff Blake throwing to Joe Horn, Jake Reed and tight end Andrew Glover. The defense should improve by having defensive tackle Norman Hand available to stop the run, middle linebacker Charlie Clemons to chase down backs and cornerback Steve Israel covering receivers.
Seattle Seahawks.
Coach Mike Holmgren needs to create some miracles. He chased away nine starters from the AFC West's top team last year. His plan is to build young and build for the future. If he can unite a defense that lost five starters and improve a passing offense that lost two of its better receivers -- Sean Dawkins and Joey Galloway -- the city might name a street after Holmgren like what they did in Green Bay. |
