Afc east preseason reports

PATRIOTS

With Gary Guyton out of practice, we saw the Jerod Mayo/Brandon Spikes combination get some work. It appears for now that Spikes may be ahead of Tyrone McKenzie on the depth chart for now, but McKenzie has looked quite good. Also, in a slightly unrelated note, outside linebacker Jermaine Cunningham continues to line up with the first team defense.

* Wes Welker took part in some team drills this practice. Welker took part in some skeleton drills, but seemed to avoid contact. Once contact drills began, Welker moved to the side of the field and worked with the training staff again.
* The Patriots did a lot of one on one, receiver vs. defensive back drills today. Brandon Tate and Darius Butler were the best match-up, both bringing a lot of athleticism to the table, but Butler ultimately winning the battle. Rob Gronkowski continued his solid camp performance, beating Gary Guyton a couple of times. Taylor Price beat Devin McCourty on a long ball down the sideline. Brandon Spikes performed very well in coverage during the drill.
* The coaches did some sideline work calling plays during practice. On the defensive side, Matt Patricia had the headset. On offense, as expected, Bill O'Brien was calling plays in from the radio.
* Gary Guyton had an injury scare today. He appeared to slip on the grass during a passing drill and ended up tweaking his knee. While the injury doesn't appear too serious, he didn't return to practice after testing out the knee with the training staff.
* The two minute offense got its first run of camp. Brady led his unit down into field goal position, finishing the drive on an out to Randy Moss. Brian Hoyer's group was less successful, failing to move down the field effectively.

http://www.patspulpit.com/2010/8/1/1600253/5-from-camp-patriots-training-camp

Hmm. Reggie's possibly gonna be starting for them. Either way, things not sounding so hot for a team that just couldn't stop the run last year having this many LB bodies out of action at this point in time.

JETS

Ryan said Jason Taylor's shoulder isn't bothering him.

Ryan saw some good things at the first practice. He started his press conference by congratulating himself on picking backup fullback John Conner in this year's draft. The Kentucky product knocked the wind out of three linebackers his first practice, which made Ryan smile.

Ryan admitted that having the veteran Mark Brunell to mentor Mark Sanchez was a good move. He said he resisted the idea last season with Matt Cavanaugh on staff and reluctantly said he might not have had all the answers his first year as a head coach.

http://sports.espn.go.com/new-york/nfl/news/story?id=5430950

"lmeister3 wrote:

Hmm. Reggie's possibly gonna be starting for them. Either way, things not sounding so hot for a team that just couldn't stop the run last year having this many LB bodies out of action at this point in time.

Yeah they are in for a long year. Offensive line, pass rush, linebackers maybe, QB. I'm investing in liquor stores in Buffalo. I smell money :lol:

Doesnt this belong in the AFCE forum?

BILLS

Stock Up
+Torell Troup really stood out to me today. He blew up Sean Allen in individual work, got good penetration during pass protection drills in one on one work, and had a great tackle three yards in the backfield on the goal line. He caught my eye more than anyone today, even though I didn't know what number he was wearing (for those that think I was looking out for him).

+Demetrius Bell took every snap at starting left tackle until the final full speed team work. He blocked well in pass protection.

+Paul Posluszny appears to be close to a return. He wasn't in pads and didn't do any individual drills, but he was acting as a running back during ILB drills and seemed to be moving very well.

+Trent Edwards has a stranglehold on the starting spot. Brian Brohm took every second team rep today, so I guess it's stock up for him, too.

+The starting offensive line as a whole. They looked good today and opened up some nice holes during the rushing portion of practice. Eric Wood pulled left and sealed off a backer, allowing Fred Jackson to have a nice run, and then Cornell Green sealed off the right side as Marshawn Lynch went for a big gain off tackle.

+Lots of red zone work today in full team and individual drills. Bills coaches put a garbage can face down with another garbage can face up on top, and had the QBs drop a fade literally into the bucket. The team practiced end zone fades and slants (really) down close as well. They also ended practice with a full team session on the three-yard line.

Star-divide

Stock Down
-Ryan Fitzpatrick took third team reps today. Stock down.

-Aaron Maybin. He had one good read during run fits and looked fast enough, but lacked any pass rush moves and was handled repeatedly in one on one and full team situations. On one pass rush, he went so far inside to avoid contact he lost contain and Brian Brohm took it outside for an eight-yard scramble. He also jumped offsides once. He can't rely solely on his speed.

-Andy Levitre looked good as part of the starting unit, but was put on his butt once and knocked around another time one on one with Marcus Stroud and Troup.

-The weather stunk today. It was super hot and muggy - Jon Corto sweat through his shirt just standing there - and then it rained on me as I rode my bike home. Did I mention it stopped as soon as I reached my street?

-Excitement. The fans at St. John Fisher today were very muted. A lot of that has to do with the way practice is structured. It's a lot more individual work this year, where last year saw more passing shell, 7-on-7, and 11-on-11 work.

http://www.buffalorumblings.com/2010/8/3/1603789/buffalo-bills-training-camp-recap

PATRIOTS

Absentees still abundant; Patrick Chung joins those sidelined. Not participating in the session but rehabbing on the field were defensive linemen Myron Pryor, Ron Brace, and Mike Wright, as well as defensive backs Terrence Johnson, Jonathan Wilhite, and Patrick Chung. It was Chung’s first missed practice of training camp. Not on the practice fields were offensive lineman Nick Kaczur, wide receiver Matthew Slater, defensive lineman Ty warren, linebacker Gary Guyton and safety Bret Lockett. Meanwhile, running back Thomas Clayton returned to action for the first time since Thursday’s evening practice.

Shift in practice focus. With 10 practices in the book by Tuesday, there was a clear shift in focus of the Patriots’ practice objectives beginning with Tuesday afternoon’s practice. The team spent less time in individual position drills teaching fundamentals and spent more time in 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills. The team continued its focus on two-minute and red zone situations, while also digging deeper in their playbook with more blitzing and sub packages on defense.

Passing game not crisp. As had been the case in earlier practices during camp, the team’s quarterbacks and receivers had trouble connecting at times on Tuesday afternoon. There were numerous overthrown and underthrown passes, and many of the passes that were on target were bobbled or dropped by receivers. Even Tom Brady had a rougher day than usual, overthrowing Randy Moss on multiple occasions. The problems were accentuated by a Zac Robinson pass late in practice, intended for Taylor Price but intercepted by safety Ross Ventrone five yards away.

Spikes gets nod over McKenzie. With Gary Guyton missing his second full day of practice, one thing that has stood out is rookie Brandon Spikes getting the nod with the top unit over second-year Tyrone McKenzie at inside linebacker. This would not appear to be an indictment of McKenzie, but rather the poise and development of Spikes shining through. He continued to be the most aggressive member of the defense, working through blocks on his blitzes and batting down a pass in full-team work. In one-on-one pass rush drills, Spikes steamrolled guard Rich Ohrnberger, knocking Ohrnberger on his backside.

Kyle Love impressive. Undrafted rookie defensive lineman Kyle Love has had an impressive camp so far. He is typically lined up at nose tackle, and is able to penetrate into the backfield on passes while generally holding his ground against the run. Surprisingly, he has seen more reps than the two defensive linemen the team drafted in the late rounds, Kade Weston and Brandon Deaderick. With a number of injuries along the defensive line, Love should be able see significant playing time in the preseason, but he still has an uphill climb in order to make the final roster.

http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/new-england-patriots/post/_/id/4680879/patriots-practice-12-observations

JETS

On the Jets’ first day of training camp he was active and batted down a pass. On the second day he “sacked” the quarterback and blew up plays in the backfield a number of times.

Defensive end Vernon Gholston, earning multiple “attaboys” from defensive line coach Mark Carrier and his teammates, has been showing a spark that many Jets fans have hoped to see since he was selected with the sixth overall pick in the 2008 draft.

“The biggest thing,” Gholston said, “is trying to get better and be a little bit more aggressive as you know what you’re doing and know the playbook.”

In his third year, the 6’3”, 264-pound former Ohio State standout understands that he needs to make his presence known on the field to quiet his doubters. Since the spring, Gholston has been taking some reps with the first team, and at this morning’s training camp practice he was seen in a variety of different packages and formations that allowed him to use his combination of quickness and might that was so impressive as a Buckeye and at the NFL combine.

A big factor in his success will be returning from linebacker to the end position he played with the Buckeyes.

“Reading the blocking schemes and just getting that familiarity back, that's the biggest thing when you’re talking about putting your hand back on the ground," Gholston said. "It’s something that is coming back to me and I’m going to continue to get better, and obviously the quicker it happens, the better.”

The ease that he feels at DE was evident today, and his speed and power are a difficult combination for an offensive lineman to deal with. In some of the 1-on-1 drills he made tackles miss and bulled past tight ends. The ability he has shown this offseason has impressed his teammates and coaches.

“He’s actually working the outside, inside — he’s all over,” veteran linebacker Bryan Thomas said. “Just watching him out there, he’s seems faster, seems stronger. He’s already really strong anyway. He’s looking really good out there.”

Head coach Rex Ryan has mentioned Gholston in each of his news conferences here at Cortland, saying that he has had “a couple of big days”. If those days turn into a couple of big weeks, Gholston may give himself a great chance to consistently show his mettle in the regular season.

“He’s got to step up and show what he can do,” Ryan said. “This is year three. That’s when you’re going to do it. I think the young man is going to play in the league a long time, but I want him to be a Jet. I want to see him make plays right now for us.”

Highly touted coming out of college, where he was All-Big Ten first team and the conference's Defensive Lineman of the Year as a senior, Gholston has not put up the impressive numbers that were seen when he routinely abused offensive tackles and laid out opposing quarterbacks in college. As a Buckeye he started 25 games and finished with 87 tackles, 30.5 tackles for loss and 21.5 sacks.

On the professional level, however, he’s only started three games and made 30 tackles in his two seasons as a Jet. He realizes the amount of time he spends on the field and the production he provides must increase and that the coaching staff will be keeping a weather eye on his progress.

“They told me they’re going to be on me,” Gholston said. “Obviously they expect a lot out of me. The biggest thing right now for me is to continue to take steps forward to get better. Knowing the playbook, I have a pretty solid foundation for that from experience.”

He’s two years deep into his time with the Jets, and now has a full year’s knowledge of Ryan's and Mike Pettine’s defense. The next step is regaining that status as a major threat to attack the quarterback on every pass play, and to do it when it counts.

http://www.newyorkjets.com/news/article-1/Vernons-Been-Burnin-in-the-Early-Going/6de3b7ec-74ff-49cd-869b-8a7398da74e1

"Frumundah Finnatic wrote:

Doesnt this belong in the AFCE forum.

I'm doing the whole NFL. It's just easier keeping everything together rather than putting this in another section

PATRIOTS

http://www.patsfans.com/ian/blog/2010/08/04/training-camp-what-weve-learned-jermaine-cunningham/

In a piece I wrote back on July 6th, the reports were pretty positive for rookie defensive end Jermaine Cunningham. That continues to be the case so far through week one of Patriots training camp.

Back in April when linebacker Brandon Spikes and Cunningham were drafted out of Florda, much of the talk at the time centered around Spikes and how he would fit in with the current group of linebackers. At the time very few expected much from Cunningham, and the expectations were pretty low.

Rookie LB Jermaine Cunningham has impressed everyone so far at training camp. (PHOTO: Icon/SMI)

While Spikes has played fairly well so far, it’s been Cunningham who’s been getting the attention recently. The transition from defensive end to outside linebacker in New England’s system seems to be going smoothly, and he’s made quite an impression while working with the first team defense.

By all accounts should he continue to improve, it’s looking more and more like he appears to be poised to earn a starting spot at that position with just a little over a month to go before the start of the season. When asked on Tuesday if he felt like a3-4 outside linebacker yet, Cunningham said he’s just focused on getting better.

“I feel like a football player,” Cunningham told the Boston Herald yesterday. “Out here on the football field with cleats on, just tackle the person with the football.”

“I’m just out here trying to get better. That’s what practice is for, to come out and get better every day.”

Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com followed him earlier this week, and while he struggled a bit that day, he appears to be handling things a bit better and the kinks are starting to get worked out. Reiss even said in his Tuesday mailbag that he may be the fastest guy at his position.

“I think he’s fast,” wrote Reiss. “I locked in on him Monday night in pass-rush drills and I think he’s their fastest player at that spot.”

When asked if he could fill in next to Mayo at the outside linebacker position as a rookie, Reiss said he wouldn’t be surprised if that ended up happening.

“It’s simple to me: If he’s the best option, he will be the choice, rookie or not,” said Reiss. “Based on the current personnel, I wouldn’t be surprised if that is the case.”

Clearly the person he has to impress is obviously is head coach Bill Belichick, and the good news for Cunningham is that he was indeed given some positive comments during a general question about the linebackers on Monday.

“Jermaine has picked up things very well,” Belichick said during his press conference on Monday. “I think each day you can definitely see him getting better, more confident, understanding things that happened the day before and being able to process that.”

The other great thing about Cunningham has been his work ethic, and we saw a bit of that on Tuesday when Reiss reported that Cunningham stayed on the field for some extra work, working with veteran defensive lineman Gerard Warren. Cunningham had said yesterday that the playbook was “10 times thicker than the one he had at Florida, and obviously is focused on trying to get everything down.

In Reiss’ earlier spotlight piece on him he appeared to struggle a bit and got pushed around early on, but did a solid job in coverage and appears to be getting more and more comfortable in that role. Hopefully as he continues to work hard the rest will come, and he’ll work is way into the line-up. After Monday night’s evening session where the team practiced inside Gillette on the field in front of about 20,000 – he’s looking forward to seeing what it’s like when you add another 48,000 or so to the mix.

BILLS

supposedly Brohm is getting some first team snaps and there seems to be some conflicting accounts as to how good Trent Edwards has looked

OK, I don't get it. I have been watching all the videos of practice, been reading all the reports from the media and the other posters and I admit it, I am not sure what the heck people are seeing, watching, observing....whatever.

Let me explain.

Trent Edwards - The report from everyone has been that he is "clearly the best QB in camp." That's not what I saw. Heck, there was a report TONIGHT from a guy who was there that said his confidence was back and he looked good. I disagree.

Edwards is your prototypical "pat the ball" QB who throws the safe ball only when the receiver is looking at him. 7-7 I was counting 4 seconds at least every play before he would release the ball and every time it was after the receiver broke his route off. He would take his 5 step drop and scan the field, scan the field then throw. And that ain't gonna work with this offensive line.

His best pass of the night was the Roscoe TD that I called from the stands. Why? Cause Roscoe went in motion and no one went with him.....he was WIDE OPEN the whole play. Trent saw it, and made the play. Thumbs up for him on that play.

Levi Brown - The report from most are he is playing well. I have also read he is the 2nd best QB in camp. My opinion? HE WAS BAD.

Yes, he is a rookie,....but his passes were bad and he even botched a snap. The coaches had all the QB's doing this quick release drill where they were throwing quick passes to a receiver in the end zone and Levi's mechanics broke down so much he was throwing the ball side arm. BAD.

Brian Brohm - Reports from fans are that he is not good, and the Media swings both ways. What I saw? He was the best QB on the field. He was the ONLY QB throwing with any sort of rhythm at all. In the same 7-7 drill, he was dropping 5 steps then planting and throwing. He looked like a QB....not a sitting duck. His passes were crisp he appeared confident and poised.

Fitz - BAD. Need I say more? He took all the 2nd team reps..... Throws with a little more anticipation than Trent, but not much. He will not make the roster in my opinion.

http://www.billszone.com/fanzone/showthread.php?t=194092

BILLS

I will start off with this:
It actually looked like a real training camp out there. They were actually being yelled at and hitting each other. The D didnt like the O and vice versa...Also Chan Gailey is very hands on and huddle the players a few times to talk to them as a group and you could see he was trying to be an actual leader out there

Such a contrast from the last 4 years i was at one of the night practices.

Now on to the players:

Aaron Maybin: looks to be extremely fast out there and got to the QB more than a few times with double moves looked very impressive running around out there.

Terrell Troupe: is gonna be a solid NT in this league he is a bull out there and beat his guy a few times on running plays. so did kyle williams: as well looked very stout out there

Alex Carrington looks to have several pass rush moves and is also looking to be extremely athletic out there he ripped his guy on the one on one pass rush drills...so did Dwan Edwards looked very strong in run support and pass rushing even thou that is not his strong spot.

Antinio Coleman and Chris Ellis also looked to be holding down the fort when they were in there and both looked impressie in pass rush drill's..Reggie Torber was also solid in his time out there and had a few plays made in the run game

Secondary looks sound and fast out there and blanketed WR's on all the team activity's..also they were coming up and filing holes in run support during team activity and Whitner had a nice shot on stupar to set tone or D.

Now on to the bad news...Our Offensive Line is terrible, I will say this Cornell Green should be cut right now he is a bum in pass protection.. Levitre and Hang looked good run blocking but Hang was over whelemed quite a bit in pass protection by Kyle Williams and Terrell Troupe and Lonnie Harvey was pushing him and Sean Allen straight back into the QB.

Kyle Calloway I came away most impressed with kid is a beast out there and walled off players a few times and was solid in pass protection and one on one pass drill's he may over take Green by next year unless Green get's cut good value for a 7th rounder

Our Qb's look awful especially Fitz and Edwards..man they are bad and they panic all day in the pocket..Edwards did not try and throw the ball 10yards in team work..Fitz was throwing terrible passes as well..Brohm got 2nd team reps and at least looks willing to make plays and take chances and had a few nice completions...Brown looks the most athletic of the bunch and has a real quick release...Fitz better watch out that may cost him his job he sucks that bad out there

The good news..Our running game will be sick especially after Spiller arrives...Jackson had some nice carries he has incredible vision and Chad Simpson burst thru the whole..no way we should cut chad simpson kid looks like a pin ball in there with great speed...and i will give Draftboy props Jaqoue Bell is no joke his 40 time is not reflecting how fast he looks in person...he has great vision in the whole and runs real hard..Marshawn Lynch looked good on his few oppurtunities he isn't seeing many touches thats for sure.... this will be the only strength of the team this year..

WR's Chad Jackson will make this team and looks real solid out there real fast runs good routes and plays physical..Hardy did nothing..Steve Johnson made a few plays..Roscoe did nothing..Roosevelt made a few plays in there as well..Evans had his usual few plays..David Nelson is gonna open some eye's i think kid is big and runs real well and catch's everything he is PS material in my opinion..Hardy better watch out

TE's did nothing and looks slow..Nelson is terrible at blocking bt is solid in passing game Schouman blocked well too but there is no real comptetion here Mathews I think may be cut Stupar is getting alot of reps ahead of him..

http://www.billszone.com/fanzone/showthread.php?t=194134

JETS

CORTLAND, N.Y. -- When Jets offensive line coach Bill Callahan wanted to show draft pick Vladimir Ducasse how to be a great left guard, he didn't have to go far to get the film. Callahan had tape of Alan Faneca, which he showed Ducasse to give him an idea of what the team needed in an offensive lineman.

"Alan's game consisted of being a great puller," Callahan said, "and he was phenomenal in space. You put him on a pull, you put him on a screen, he was exceptional. And he also had an uncanny ability to play when he was uncovered, getting to the second level, making the blocks on the linebackers. And he was good at the point of attack when he was uncovered. So he was complete."

Critics might point out that the Jets could have had the real Faneca in there again this season, rather than using video of him as an example for a rookie. But with Faneca in Arizona after being cut by the Jets (who are still on the hook for roughly $5 million of his salary), the Jets will have to find a replacement.

Matt Slauson, the second-year player competing with Ducasse for the spot left vacant when Faneca was cut, has said all along that he isn't in this to win second place. Callahan said the Nebraska player worked hard all offseason to get ready. He has several advantages -- he played behind Faneca for a season, he has been in the system for a year and he is more familiar with the guard position. Ducasse played tackle at Massachusetts.

"I feel like I'm in a good position right now battling for a starting position and that's it," Ducasse said.

When Joe Namath visited Cortland, N.Y., this week, he said he was "confused and upset" when he learned the Jets had cut nine-time Pro Bowler Faneca. The offensive line is a critical component, and can be the difference in dozens of rushing yards.

"I'm more worried about our left guard position than I'm worried about anything," Namath said. "The offensive line is a major factor in letting the offense produce. If our horses up front can do a job similar to what they did last year, you have a good shot offensively."

Nick Mangold said it would be difficult for either rookie to follow in the footsteps of Faneca, whom he called a future Hall of Famer, but that doesn't mean the Jets aren't trying to give the two young players the tools.

"It's a learning curve but we're trying to get them past that curve quicker than it should take," Mangold said.

Callahan is still figuring out Ducasse, the rookie who looks the part but seems a little lost in all that he is taking in right now. Slauson has been with Callahan for four full seasons now, since he's the man who recruited Slauson to Nebraska. The coach compared the two.

"We've got a young guy who's learning in Vlad and we've got a little more experienced player in Matt who has worked hard," Callahan said. "He's worked extremely hard in the offseason."

Although Ducasse and Slauson are both a step slower than Faneca, they will have capable tutors in Mangold, Damien Woody, D'Brickashaw Ferguson and Brandon Moore. Mangold agreed that Slauson has the edge right now.

"He has a little upside on the mental side and the NFL is a very mental game," Mangold said.

Slauson realizes that he's up against a player with a physical advantage. Ducasse is 6-5 and 330 pounds and looks like the prototypical left guard. Slauson is the same height but about 15 pounds lighter.

"I don't want to be in the same position I was last year because that means I'm not improving," Slauson said. "I want the job, but If Vlad beats me out because he's a freak and he's incredible so be it. So long as we win."

The truth is, this competition is far from over. In the fifth day of training camp, the tone has been set, but weeks will pass before an outcome is determined.

"Really the evaluation comes when you get into the preseason games and the bullets are flying," Woody said. "So they're both competing hard but this thing is far from being decided right now."

http://forums.theganggreen.com/showthread.php?t=58134

PATRIOTS

The Patriots just wrapped up their Friday afternoon practice session after having a walkthrough in the morning. The ESPN caravan made a stop at Gillette Stadium, meaning Adam Schefter was signing autographs before any of the players. Here are some notes:

- Not in attendance were linebackers Gary Guyton and Derrick Burgess, defensive end Ty Warren, defensive backs Brett Lockett and Leigh Bodden, and offensive linemen Logan Mankins and Nick Kaczur.

Defensive tackles Ron Brace and Mike Wright, as well as defensive back Terrence Johnson and running back Thomas Clayton, were present but exercised in shorts and t-shirts.

- Jonathan Wilhite, defensive lineman Myron Pryor and offensive tackle Mark LeVoir made their returns to the practice field. LeVoir was welcomed back by having to run a lap for jumping early on a play.

- In 1-on-1 passing drills, a few players stood out for various reasons. Sam Aiken was the first, making an impressive catch despite having Terrence Wheatley pretty much choirs to him. The best play of the drill came from Receiver Rod Owens, who downright embarrassed second-year cornerback Darius Butler. Owens took a step toward the middle of the endzone, and Butler totally took the bait, making for an easy catch once Owens changed course for the outside. Butler made up for any shame caused by breaking up a pass from Brian Hoyer that was destined for the hands of Randy Moss.

- The catch of the day happened during 11-on-11 drills, when Brandon Tate made a diving, over-the-shoulder catch to reel in a pass deep along the sidelines from Hoyer. Though Tate landed out of bounds and the play would have been ruled an incompletion in a game, there was quite the celebration from players and fans alike.

- On a drill in which rookie punter Zoltan Mesko practiced punting out of the endzone under pressure, receivers Julian Edelman, Buddy Farnham, and Tate took took turns acting as the punt returner.

- Rookie tight end Rob Gronkowski dropped a ball in traffic in the the endzone during the final two-minute drill but made up for it with a nice catch on the goal line to wrap up the session.

- Not that it’s surprising, but Brandon Spikes looks very good against the run. He may not be the fastest guy and certainly risks being exposed when in coverage, but where the runner goes, Spikes goes. It’s that simple for the hard-hitting rookie.

- Tom Brady wasn’t particularly active in the practice, with Hoyer taking far and away more snaps than either Brady or third-stringer Zac Robinson. Hoyer looks comfortable as he enters his second season, though Robinson remains very erratic with his throws. The seventh-round pick did run a two-minute drill towards the end of practice. The lack of snaps for Brady simply appeared to be a case of him getting a lighter session and nothing more. He did get to act as a pash-rusher, however, in drills to familiarize the quarterbacks with throwing the ball under pressure.

http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/sports/newengland/football/patriots/2010/08/06/training-camp-report-from-friday-afternoon-session/

BILLS

At today's practice I wanted to focus in on the wide receivers. I hadn't seen them play very much, and wanted to get a sense of how each was performing. During positional drills, the wideouts worked on quick slants. Roscoe Parrish let one get through his hands, and David Nelson made a nice adjustment to get back to the ball on a throw that was behind him.

The next route to work on was a hard curl. The coaches set up three orange discs, and that was where the wide receivers had to stop and come back to the ball. Several had excellent footwork, while others looked like they were running in cement. Once again, Nelson made a crisp cut. Lee Evans also was very good at stopping on a dime and coming back towards the ball. James Hardy had one go through his hands and off his shoulders pads. Chad Jackson slipped and fell over. In practice, the coach didn't throw it, but in the game that could be a pick-six very easily.

Star-divide

Marcus Easley was catching passes but noticeably limping. Steve Johnson had his left knee wrapped, but it wasn't affecting his routes and he wasn't limping.

Perhaps the biggest difference from the Dick Jauron offense was the heavy use of motion. Today, the receivers spent a lot of time on running routes out of motion. For instance, in goal line work they began wide, motioned in, and then ran a quick slant across the goal line. Another was a motion inside to a flag pattern, where Trent Edwards hit Nelson on a 20-yard strike against air.

As the team moved to the passing shell, where the DBs and WRs go head-to-head with a QB throwing the ball, you could start to see who was good against air and who was good, period. Evans always seemed to have a step on his defender. Jackson slipped and went down for the second time in practice, but soon ran a great out pattern and had a phenomenal shoestring grab.

In other red zone work, Parrish caught a pair of touchdowns, Shawn Nelson shielded the defender using his big body to grab a score, and Naaman Roosevelt had a touchdown on a nice high throw from Ryan Fitzpatrick. Johnson also hauled in a red zone score from Fitzpatrick.

As for the quarterbacks, Edwards is still looking the best. Brian Brohm was floating some red zone posts, and Fitzpatrick was inconsistent. Levi Brown also received his first extended action in preparation for Friday's preseason tilt, when he ran a two-minute drill. He completed five passes and scrambled for 15 yards. The last completion was a 15-yard touchdown pass to Jackson, who caught the bad throw one-handed as he crossed the goal line to end practice.

A few other notes from practice include John McCargo making his presence felt on several tackles behind the line of scrimmage and a QB would-be-sack, Fred Jackson and Marshawn Lynch doing their best pitcher impressions on the side during special teams work, and C.J. Spiller split out wide from time to time. (By the way, that guy has quick feet.)

Updating the injury situation, Hardy ended practice on the sideline, getting his foot/ankle looked at by trainers, though it did not seem serious. Paul Posluszny and Keith Ellison participated in some team work, but not 11-on-11. Corey McIntyre, Marcus Stroud, Demetrius Bell, Eric Wood, and John Destin all participated as well. Cornell Green, Jon Corto, Spencer Johnson, Andre Ramsey, Easley, Derek Schouman, Ed Wang and Danny Batten all missed practice.

http://www.buffalorumblings.com/2010/8/10/1616599/buffalo-bills-training-camp

PATRIOTS

This afternoon's session saw pretty much the same format as the morning, beginning with stretching and warm-ups for both teams. Saints on the far field and Patriots near the bleachers. That was followed by individual drills, with each team broken down by position. One twist here was watching Matt Patricia rolling a large weighted ball at the linebackers as each came off the line at the snap.

The one-on-one drills featuring receivers against defensive backs showcased Brandon Tate making an outstanding one-handed catch. Gronkowski, Edelman and Hernandez all made nice catches.

Special teams work included New England kicking off to the Saints return team. The Saints had a play where the returner caught it and promptly threw it to the other side of the field, causing the Pats to have to change direction. It was thrown back and forth a couple of times before the referee blew the whistle. Gostkowski practiced some onside kicks here as well.

Seven-on-seven drills are really fun to watch. Tom Brady and Brian Hoyer switched off with Drew Brees and Patrick Ramsey. Brady completed passes to Hernandez, Taylor and Welker. Moss dropped one and Brady wasn't too happy with his throw (but managed to throw his helmet down afterward). Hoyer completed passes to Edelman, Gronkowski and Darnell Jenkins.

Special teams work continued, this time with the Saints kicking off to Patriots returners. Julian Edelman, Devin McCourty, Brandon Tate and Taylor Price took turns returning. Tate is shifty and can turn on the burners. McCourty surprised me with his speed. Nice getting as many rookies involved on special teams as possible.

More after the break...

Star-divide

Tom Brady made a point to walk the sideline and stop to speak and pump fists with each receiver, tight end and running back after his series was finished and Hoyer was under center.

Pats_training_camp_110_medium

The team period featured the full New England offense vs. the full Saints defense, and the full Saints offense vs the full New England defense. This is clearly the best part of these practices. Brandon Spikes would have made a highlight reel with his break up of a Drew Brees pass. Brady had a pass knocked out of his hand just as he was about to throw. Laurence Maroney had a nice run too.

The two-minute drill featured Darius Butler breaking up a Brees pass. The Saints were using a hurry-up offense with Brees connecting to RB Lynell Hamilton, throwing an incomplete pass, connecting for a first down and then an overthrow into the endzone. The Saints series ended with a Terrence Wheatley interception.

Tom Brady began his series with a bomb to Hernandez that he dropped, a pass to Tate, two passes to Welker, one overthrown, and a completed pass to Hernandez. Brady overthrew Moss with two guys on him and then had a pass blocked. The field goal unit came out with Gostkowski kicking it with 4 seconds left.

The defenders for the Saints were a bit grabby in my opinion, holding onto the Pats receivers and running backs a tad longer than necessary. This was evidenced by Moss having his shirt ripped and Kevin Faulk yapping at the defenders a few times before walking away.

The practice finished up with the Zac Robinson leading the third team against the third team for the Saints and vice versa. The players for each team huddled up afterwards, and maybe a dozen players headed off to the bleachers and end zone to sign autographs. My daughter scored Vince Wilfork and Drew Brees signatures to add to her extensive collection. Being young and blond has its advantages.

http://www.patspulpit.com/2010/8/10/1616477/patriots-saints-afternoon-practice

JETS

1. QB Mark Sanchez didn't receive the usual amount of reps --some of the practice was devoted to the Wildcat with Brad Smith at QB -- but he struggled with his accuracy. Sanchez was throwing off his back foot, and easily could've been intercepted two or three times. He completed 4 of 11 passes, with one INT. Actually, that was a good throw, a well-placed deep sideline pass to WR Braylon Edwards -- in the perfect spot against a Cover-2 defense. But Edwards juggled the ball and it was picked off by S Jim Leonhard, who was covering over the top.

Earlier, Leonhard dropped a ball that should've been an easy pick. On his next pass, Sanchez put up a dangerous throw to WR Jerricho Cotchery, who muscled it away from CB Dwight Lowery, who smelled interception. Sanchez isn't having a poor camp, but he hasn't been as sharp as he could be.

2. It was a rare sight, Cotchery dropping a pass. He has the best hands on the team, and his drops are few and far between. On this play, he beat rookie Kyle Wilson on a deep route -- beat him badly -- but failed to haul in a pass from Sanchez.

3. It was a big Brad Smith day. In other words, there was a lot of work on the Wildcat. That helps the defense, too, because it gives it a good look at the Wildcat. The Jets face the Miami Dolphins in Week 3, so you know they'll see the 'Cat.

4. The coaches continue to tweak the Revis-less secondary. At one point, in a nickel package, they had Marquice Cole at right corner, with Wilson in the slot. With Mark Brunell at quarterback, Cole made a nice interception on a deep ball to WR Laveranues Coles -- a case of Cole on Coles. Lowery continues to see time as safety, especially in sub packages.

5. Here's a player who's starting to flash -- WR Aundrae Allison. The former Minnesota Viking, coming back from major knee surgery, is one of the fastest players on the team. Rex Ryan calls him ''88 out the gate." Allison usually flashes on kickoffs, but he's starting to show up at receiver. He made a nice catch in the red zone, a comeback route against tight coverage.

http://espn.go.com/blog/new-yorkjets/post/_/id/1054/am-practice-report-sanchez-off-the-mark?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

FOXBORO, Mass. -- No, the Patriots don’t have any official coordinators, but the defensive players know there is one man leading the meeting room. There's one man in charge on the practice field and one man in command on the sideline.

It's head coach Bill Belichick.

While linebackers coach Matt Patricia appears to be the guy in charge of making the play calls -- based on the fact that he wears the headset during practices to communicate with the inside linebackers who wear the communication devices within their helmets -- Belichick is viewed by the team as the defensive coordinator, the leader of the whole operation, and sources have acknowledged as much.

They believe that Belichick is the man behind the defense, and everything runs through him. Longtime assistant Pepper Johnson, who is the defensive line coach, hit on that Tuesday.

"We have an understanding, plus the head man is up there; he's making the final say," Johnson said. "For the most part, we all have experience with and have an understanding with him. I have 23 years of experience with him, so we know what he wants and what he's looking for, things like that."

Lineman Vince Wilfork, who is one of the three longest-tenured members of the Patriots' defense, said Belichick has been the same guy, but he's taken a more expansive approach with the defense.

"Bill's been Bill," Wilfork said. "Now, I see him every day in our defensive meetings. I look at him as the same Bill -- a great coach, a great defensive-minded coach. He's one of the best. To get taught by one of the best, I'll sit down and get wisdom from him any day. He knows his stuff, and he's proven. There are no ifs, ands, or buts about why he's taken over."

Belichick has still delegated responsibilities to the assistants, including Patricia, Johnson and defensive backs coaches Josh Boyer (cornerbacks) and Corwin Brown (safeties). In fact, the defensive players believe the coaching staff has done a better job of communicating this season, and the structure of the new system has had nothing but benefits.

"I think this year, we're doing a real good job of players actually getting taught the right way to do things, and how it needs to be done," Wilfork said. "It's showing up on film. At the end of the day, we need to be more consistent. Once we get the consistency where we need it, we'll be able to compete with the big guys."

http://www.nesn.com/2010/08/bill-belichick-running-patriots-defense-even-without-former-title.html

JETS

I guess the Giants and their fans take bragging rights. They can brag their third stringers are better than the Jets'. Honestly I'm glad this game is finally over. The hype over a meaningless game was a bit much. Below are my thoughts.

-Mark Sanchez's first throw was everything he should have spent the offseason learning to avoid. He decided to throw the ball to LaDainian Tomlinson the second he left the huddle. He locked onto the back and didn't go through his progressions once the primary target was covered.

-The rest of the game, he was terrific. Let's be honest. He didn't face any really confusing fronts. He also had a few series against second stringers. Even so, he looked good. He made smart decisions with the football. He went through his progressions. He put the ball into places where either his receivers would catch it or the ball would be incomplete.

-Braylon Edwards' hands looked good. It's a start.

-It looks like Matt Slauson has the inside track at left guard. He played the entire first half with the starting unit. He was somewhat uneven. The holding penalty was bad. There were a few running plays where he got a good push. He wasn't really beaten badly, but there were other plays where he didn't get a push. He held up all right as a pass blocker. He didn't make much of an impact pulling.

-The defense looked good. The Giants scored 10 points. 7 were off the Sanchez interception. The other 3 were the result of a broken play.

-The pass rush was doing its job. We didn't have a chance to see much of Antonio Cromartie in coverage, but the new addition had his man blanketed pretty much all night. He was in good coverage on the one reception he allowed. I do have to say that Darrelle Revis probably wouldn't have allowed it to be a catch.

-Sione Pouha started at nose tackle. Kris Jenkins started at end. I have been expecting the jumbo front, and it did not disappoint. It's going to be quite a task for offensive linemen to take both on at the same time.

-The hidden factor in the Revis holdout? Kyle Wilson did not return the ball tonight. Maybe the Jets don't want to expend him while he is starting. Larry Taylor looked mediocre back there. He wasn't hitting his holes. He wasn't taking good paths to the ball and allowed a few to hit the ground he probably should not have.

-Tomlinson's stats didn't look pretty, but I liked what I saw. His offensive line didn't give him a chance on most of his runs. When he had room, he showed impressive explosion.

-It can't be a good sign for Laveranues Coles' roster hopes that Brad Smith was seeing the field over him when the Jets went to multi receiver looks in the first half.

-Nick Folk was decent. He made all 3 of his kicks from inside 40. He also registered a touchback and stuck all of his other kickoffs on the goal line aside from one he left on the 2. Keep in mind it was also a hot and humid night. Can we kill Folk for the 46 yard miss? It was not an easy kick but probably one he needs to make if he wants to make the team confident.

-With the loss of key special teams contributors Wallace Wright and Marques Murrell, it is good to see a guy like Eric Smith (blocked punt and tackle) step up.

-Let's not go overboard on Kellen Clemens' good stat line. A lot of guys would look good with Santonio Holmes running against backups.

-Dwight Lowery was in good coverage twice on Victor Cruz but didn't look for the ball, showing poor recognition. I thought ball skills were his strength.

-That guy who got toasted on Cruz's second touchdown? He played prominently in the team's plans to stop Peyton Manning in the second half of the AFC Championship Game. It's no surprise to see how that turned out.

-He still looked like the best of the backup candidates. Mark Brunell looks like his arm is so weak that he cannot fit it into all but the widest windows. Kevin O'Connell's interception was strikingly off the mark. His numbers are inflated by hitting a bunch of checkdowns when the Giants went prevent.

-Bad job by ESPN cutting out of the Ring of Honor ceremony right before the Weeb Ewbank video.

-For all of the talk about a new role for Vernon Gholston, it didn't seem like there was much of a change. He lined up a lot as a pass rusher on a 4 man line and a stand up rusher when the Jets had 3 men. I noticed a pair of pressures, but the backup Giants linemen also seemed to have no trouble cutting him down on other plays.

-Vladimir Ducasse looked lost when he got action in the second half.

-I don't think Joe McKnight read his blocks well.

-The Jets have joined Brett Favre, Tim Tebow, and the Wildcat among Jon Gruden's favorite things.

-By far the most important takeway is that the Jets avoided the injury bug.

http://www.ganggreennation.com/2010/8/16/1626815/first-impressions

PATRIOTS

FOXBORO - The Patriots players present for last year’s regular-season debacle against the Saints claimed no extra motivation for last night’s preseason opener. They shrugged off talk of playing for pride even with the way they exited the Louisiana Superdome supremely humbled.

But even those same Patriots could take solace knowing their first-team offense and defense exited Gillette Stadium with a performance on the opposite end of the spectrum.

The young and untested defense flashed a rejuvenated pass-rush early, stopping the Saints offense on the game’s two opening possessions in ways it rarely did in 2009.

That was all quarterback Tom Brady and his offense needed to score 10 quick points and begin the 2010 preseason with a shot of optimism thanks to a 27-24 win against New Orleans.

Brady played the first quarter, going 5-of-8 for 67 yards with three completions longer than 20 yards. His counterpart, Saints quarterback Drew Brees, was 9-of-13 for 55 yards with one touchdown drive.

The Patriots led the defending Super Bowl champions by 10 at halftime, and by 17 after quarterback Brian Hoyer (8-of-13, 106 yards) drove the second unit for a score.

Even when the Saints came back to tie it, a 52-yard reception by Patriots receiver Darnell Jenkins led to a Stephen Gostkowski 28-yard field goal with 53 seconds left.

Still, it was the front-line players’ performance - without Wes Welker - that was impressive. Prior to the game, owner Robert Kraft had stated his goals.

“We hope tonight, when we get the ball, we just go down and (score quickly),” Kraft said. “Then we’ll see how those young defensive players do. The measure of a good team is quality depth management. We have a lot of young guys this preseason. Hopefully, they’ll make a great contribution.”

They did in all phases of the game.

Second-year receiver Julian Edelman had six catches for 90 yards, while second-year speedster Brandon Tate had a sweet 20-yard reception off a Brady pass.

On defense, rookie linebacker Brandon Spikes started alongside Jerod Mayo and held running back Pierre Thomas to a 1-yard gain early. By the second half, he was calling the defense for the reserves, finishing with eight tackles. Second-year safety Patrick Chung had seven tackles.

First-round draft pick cornerback Devin McCourty was physical on defense, playing with the first group. But he shined on special teams, with kickoff returns of 52 and 50 yards. Rookie Zoltan Mesko killed two punts inside the 15-yard line.

“We use this kind of as a measuring stick,” Mayo said.

For a defense searching for an identity and pass-rush, it received both in the first series.

On third-and-9, outside linebacker Marques Murrell sacked Brees for an 11-yard loss. The first two Saints possessions were futile.

After a down year on special teams, Edelman provided optimism, taking a short punt back 40 yards. Then came the pessimism with Saints returner Larry Beavers taking a kickoff back 97 yards for a score.

Early on, a 14-play, 93-yard drive capped by a BenJarvus Green-Ellis’ 6-yard touchdown created a 10-0 lead.

The Saints responded with a marathon 20-play drive that ended with a 2-yard touchdown run by Bush, but the Pats second-team offense picked up where the first left off. Two big Edelman catches and a Laurence Maroney 5-yard run made it 17-7 at halftime. It was 24-7 before the Saints almost clawed their way back.

http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/football/patriots/view.bg?&articleid=1274302&format=&page=2&listingType=pats#articleFull

BILLS

Fans looking for the new hierarchy of the Buffalo Bills to drastically change the course of events in this franchise’s recent history…will have to continue to wait. The Bills’ 42-17 loss at the hands of the Redskins has Bills’ fans in a familiar place this early in the preseason. A fast start was quickly undone by mistakes and even more injuries to key players. It’s only the preseason, and the games don’t count in the standings, but you’d still like to see some signs of life. Before the game, Buffalo Bills’ play-by-play announcer John Murphy quoted former Bill and current Redskin London Fletcher, who once told him, “preseason games don’t count, but they matter.” Let’s take a look at what happened in the first action for the 2010 Buffalo Bills.

The Bills did appear to show signs they are a different squad under Chan Gailey very early in the ballgame. The new 3-4 defense quickly stopped the Redskins’ first drive and forced a punt. C.J. Spiller didn’t provide any fireworks on a short return, but the Bills’ offense got off to a nice start. Trent Edwards and company went on a 60-yard drive that led to a field goal, and had the Bills up 3-0. Edwards was 5-6 for 44 yards on the drive, exuding some of the confidence that was absent in his game last season.

That’s when it got ugly for the Bills. Donovan McNabb and the Redskins’ offense appeared to be shut down again after McNabb threw an incomplete pass on third-and-long. However, Aaron Maybin was flagged on the play for roughing the passer. The yellow flag was all-too-familiar for Bills’ fans after last season’s team showed a penchant for Plaxico Burressing (shooting themselves in the foot/leg)in key moments of games. Needless to say, McNabb didn’t look back and led the Redskins to a touchdown.

Then Trent Edwards reminded everyone not to get too confident about this year’s offense by throwing an awful interception on the sideline on a 2nd and 10, leading to another Redskin touchdown a few plays later. Edwards was pressured, and forced to roll to his right. He did a nice job getting outside the pocket and buying time. Since nothing was there, he could now throw the ball away…or force it to an extremely well-covered Lee Evans leading to an interception and 33-yard return. Thanks for keeping us grounded, Trent. Next thing I knew, it was 35-3, and Frank Reich was not walking through the tunnel.

Penalties and injuries continue to impede the Bills. Penalties early in drives doomed hope of offensive production. Free agent signing LB Andra Davis’ illegal contact on a third down helped turned the Redskins’ third possession into a touchdown. I’m glad he’s fitting in early. Running backs Fred Jackson and Marshawn Lynch were both injured in the first half. Jackson, who hurt his hand, is likely out for the rest of the preseason. Lynch’s ankle kept him out of action after a few touches. Lynch did a great job running through tacklers when he had the ball. I am presently unaware of the severity of Lynch’s injury.

The tale of two Trents was sort of a microcosm of his career in Buffalo to this point. Promising start, settling for a field goal, and then imploding upon himself. Bills’ fans just have to hope that Trent’s up-and-down play was the result of a new offense that was missing three starting offensive linemen, and not a continuing trend from a season ago.

Spiller was bottled up pretty quickly on his lone punt return. He showed some burst on a nice run off right tackle for a first down, and wound up with 16 yards on 4 carries. Nothing to write home about, but in limited action, you can’t complain about what he produced.

Defensively, Maybin’s big contribution to the game was again a negative one, as his roughing-the-passer pretty much catapulted Washington to their romp of the Bills. He showed that he has an effective speed rush, and even made a nice counter spin move on one play, but he was just overmatched again by Washington’s starting offensive lineman. Unless he is able to counter starting-caliber NFL offensive lineman who take away his speed rush off the edge, he’ll continue to be better served on special teams than defense.

The Bills have given up a return touchdown in each of Bruce DeHaven’s last two games as special teams coordinator. This one was a lot less costly than the one in Tennessee 10 years ago, but not a great start for a guy replacing the most effective special teams coach in Bills’ history, Bobby April.

Note to Bills’ defensive coaches: George Wilson is a STRONG safety. We found this out a couple of seasons ago, when as a free safety, he stood idly by while Tom Brady threw touchdown passes over his head in a 56-10 win in Buffalo on national television. On Friday night, he watched a Rex Grossman pass sail by him to a wide open Devin Thomas when he was playing with Brian Scott in the defensive backfield. I think they’re both outstanding backup strong safeties. However, not a good pairing when you’re expecting one of them to play free safety.

There were some bright spots for Buffalo. Leodis McKelvin made some nice tackles and seemed stronger than I’d seen him in previous seasons. John McCargo played like a first round pick, albeit late in the game against Washington’s reserves, as he made two tackles for a loss (one sack). I thought OLB Chris Ellis made a couple of nice plays in space defending passes, showing promise in his position switch from defensive end. Shawn Nelson made a nice block on a Joique Bell run, as both reserve RBs Bell and Chad Simpson made some nice runs late in the game.

Remember Bills’ fans, it’s just preseason, and the Bills are just trying to make progress this year, not compete for championships. In case you forget, they may provide some harsh reminders.

http://buffalowdown.com/2010/08/13/the-good-the-bad-and-all-the-ugly-in-game-one-of-preseason/

I'm not going to focus on the negatives. There were a lot of them. It was a bad game. You don't have to be a rocket scientist or even watch football to realize that the Bills played a pathetic game.

So instead of repeating the negatives over and over again as so many Bills fans and media members will do leading up to Thursday, I thought I would post some positive things I saw. Not that there were many.

Our running game is going to be good this year. Despite horrific pass blocking by Chambers, the interior line wasn't awful. Wood instantly makes them better. By a huge margin. Others may disagree with me, but I felt that Meredith had one hell of a night. He played a lot of snaps and, correct me if I am wrong, didn't let up a sack or QB hit. (The hits on QB that I saw and the main pressures came from the right side of the line.) I felt that the line opened up some holes and even on some plays where there was a breakdown in blocking, the running backs got free. I think if you put our healthy starters in on the line our run blocking and pass blocking gets a little better. Specifically the run blocking. Our backs are talented too. They're going to get their yards. It's sad that we'll only be able to keep 3-4 of them. Simpson and Bell looked excellent. Particularly Simpson on a few plays. I had no idea he was that fast.

Edwards threw it deep. That's a good sign. He over threw it a bit, but I felt that had Johnson put on a burst of speed to chase it down he would have scored. Had that been Evans going after it, he probably would have caught it. Evans seems to thrive at chasing down the slightly overthrown deep ball once he has separation. Ie. Losman.

Troup had some solid plays. Especially against the run. I thought he did an excellent job of strafing the line a few times taking up two blockers. He had a few busted plays, but I liked it for a first showing.

Maybin. It's kind of hard to put him down as a positive, because even though he had some good plays he has some really bad ones. His problem is that he has one rush. The speed rush. He doesn't have any counter moves. The one time he spun inside and rip moved his guy he gets a sack. He got thrown to the ground at least twice that I saw. But, there were times that he was right on the QB. He seemed to run up field a lot, but the few plays he slowed it down a bit he was right in the QBs face. I think with some coaching (and added muscle) he could contribute as a situational rusher this year. But he has yet to show he can be an every down guy. (Although there was one run play he read perfectly. He got through the line, saw it was a run. Broke down, kept his shoulders square and moved down the line for an assisted tackle. Gain of a yard on the play.)

David Nelson. He will make this team. It's going to be hard to say no to this kid. He has great size and hands, and shows some speed. I'm not just putting him down here because of the TD. There were a few catches and routes that were nice from him. Even when he didn't get the ball I was trying to watch him. I did a lot of rewinding and fast forwarding.

All in all, it wasn't pretty. The QB play was down right awful (to say the least. Edwards had a few good plays then plenty bad ones and Fitzpatrick's first few series were a clinic on how NOT to play football), our defense was disturbingly bad (Even our secondary had breakdowns), our special teams made big time errors and our linebacker depth was disappointing.

But I think once you put players like Poz, Wood, Green and Bell into the mix you'll see a little better pass protection (if only slightly better) and Poz is much better than Mitchell or Ellison or whoever that was making some pretty big mistakes inside.

We're not going to the playoffs this year, but I don't think this game was a 100% indication of how the season will turn out.

We've got a lot of work to do though.

http://www.billszone.com/fanzone/showthread.php?t=194438

JETS

His head was pounding when he made one request to the cameraman a few feet away: "Can you please turn off the light?"

Antonio Cromartie stood in the nearly empty locker room after the Jets' preseason opener on Monday night, towel over his head, battling a migraine and speaking softly about his impressive debut with his new team. For two quarters, Cromartie flashed the skills that made him an instant star as a rookie in San Diego in 2006. He blanketed receivers and showed flashes of why the Jets traded for him in the offseason.

"It's a great defense," the cornerback said in the aftermath of the Jets' 31-16 preseason loss to the Giants. "I'm just trying to come in and help out as much as I can. I feel comfortable in this defense. Coach (Rex) Ryan and (defensive backs) Coach (Dennis) Thurman are building the confidence in me. I've accepted the role they've given me."

For now, that means filling the void left by holdout Darrelle Revis. Cromartie has embraced playing in Revis' left corner spot after spending the majority of his career on the opposite side. His transition has been seamless during training camp. Monday night, Cromartie effectively shut down Mario Manningham and Hakeem Nicks in the first half, allowing just one completion for 13 yards.

Revis Island may be closed for business these days, but Al-Cro-Traz is fast becoming a tourist attraction.

"To watch him play, you have to get excited for the regular season," safety Jim Leonhard said.

Cromartie was hardly perfect though. He missed an open-field tackle on Ahmad Bradshaw and dropped a couple sure interceptions, prompting Ryan to joke, "We're not getting our money's worth."

Despite the throbbing headache, Cromartie got an earful from his teammates. Bart Scott cracked that he was going to buy a Jugs Machine to help the fourth-year pro improve his catching skills.

"I told him he should have been out there playing with his glasses on," linebacker Calvin Pace said. "It's rare that you're going to find a rangy cornerback like that. It was a great pickup for us. He's going to make our job up front a lot easier. I love playing with him."

Cromartie appears ideally suited for Ryan's aggressive schemes. He looked right at home on Monday playing man-to-man coverage.

"It's just a fresh start for him," Pace said. "It's the environment and attitude we have about having fun. Guys buy into that. It takes your enjoyment up to another level. It's crazy. But you don't hear fun preached a lot in this league. You would think that would be said more. With Rex, we work, but it's a loose group."

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/2010/08/18/2010-08-18_cromartie_cornering_market.html#ixzz0x08Lf6so

BILLS

A performance

David Nelsons WR- His performance was extremely good for such low expectations. Coming from a team like Florida being 6-5 and goin undrafted is a hard thing to do but he looked more like a top 2 round pick out there.

John McCargo DE- He was probably the most consitent player on our team for once. Normally and extremely inconsistant player but showed up

Chris Ellis OLB- Now i have to say this is an extreme surprise for people but I DID keep a close eye on Ellis and wow he stood out. Hes not going to be our primary pass rusher but he does do alot of little things and I dont think I saw his number once when a completion was made

Chad Simpson and Joque Bell- These 2 stood out more than anyone. Both are extremely quick and I cant wait to see them taking 2nd-3rd snaps

I will show my Bs later or tomorrow

B performers

The whole OL- Every player on the OL did very well. There was 2-3 QB pressures that were at least overall noticeable which is very good for a preseason game. Merideth should start imo

Drayton Florence and McGee- Both did very well covering there man and was never really in on a play which is good, i may have to watch the game again but overall they seemed to play very well

Kyle Williams- This guy is great, not just because hes very good at football but because he can do whatever he wants. It doesnt matter if hes DT, NT, LE, RE, ILB, P, he will excell. He has so much will to win its amazing

Torrell Troup- 1st off id like to say, this guy is alot bigger than i thought. He looks like a space eater which I didnt think he would at 6-4 315. He is like a chubby stroud which is good. But about his play, he just doesnt move at all, which is great, he took on some double teams and overall did very nice.

Steve Johnson- He had 1 catch, but i have to put him here cuz if trent didnt over throw him he would be listed as an A so the seperation he got was great and I hope our QB hits him next time a shot like that comes around

Donald Jones- Now not spectacular but he does look like a decent 7th reciever to stick around. He didnt get lost in the WRs and actually had the 2nd best recieving game. Id say let him see some 4 wide action and maybe who knows

Dwan Edwards- I didnt know how much a 3-4 LE can actually be recognized but he was in on alot of plays and he made his presense felt every time he was in there. Him, Stroud, and Williams did wonders friday

Cs are just solid, no explainations just who were solid

Ryan Fitzpatrick
Corey Mac
Marshawn Lynch
Aaron Maybin
Jairus Byrd
Fred Jackson
CJ Spiller
Lee Evans
Roscoe Parrish
Andre Davis
Reggie Torbor
Kawika Mitchell
George Wilson
And others lol, who ever is not mentioned on abdf is on here basically

Ds

Leodis McKelvin- Come on man, wtf. He really does piss me off lately. He just isnt that good it seems, i understand its just preseason but hes our Losman at CB. Way inconsistant

Naaman Roosevelt- So many expectations, playing against the last string defense on washington and couldnt do jack squat. As much as people want him to succeed, i have my money on Nelson, Jackson, and Jones

Donte Whitner- Ok, your yearly big hit is over, now cover someone damn donte. Your always 2 seconds to late in a millasecond game

Ellis la la la lanks st st ster- Sorry, i usually love him but his one chance to do something usefull yesterday and he fumbles. It wouldnt of been so bad if it wasnt for the fact that our team was finally getting momentum

Levi Brown- Im pulling for him i really am but he was very average, but on a bright side i loved how his 1st play he went deep. I think he was figuring, wtf this may be my only pass today, mind as well throw one up there. The int was very bad but once again at least he threw it farther than 2 yds

F

Reggie Corner- I cant stand him, i really hate everything about how he plays and how people think hes better than he really is. I play QB, so I watch alot about how CBs react and im always looking for the player who is covering the reciever when a reception is made. I wish I kept a number cuz i can almost guarentee that at least 6/10 times i see reggie "**** how do I play" corner running his little 27 ass to make a tackle after he messed up. He gave up 2 TDs, and the one at the 2 was horrible, he had perfect coverage and it was like he wanted to INT the ball and at last second was like not bat, and missed it completely. WOW

Arthur Moats- I dont want to rag on him to much cuz he is a late round rookie in his 1st game, but he cant cover, he needs to get a 50 or 90 number cuz he looks really stupid running around with a DBs number when he cant cover

Trent Edwards- If I had an account on here at the end of the season he would of gotten a F for the year, and nothing changed about him so F it remains. How come he does so well in practice and so bad in games? It makes no sense to me, is our D really than un intiminating in practice

http://www.billszone.com/fanzone/showthread.php?t=194592

The Buffalo Bills have already lost running back Fred Jackson and wide receiver David Nelson for the remainder of the pre-season, according to reports. You can add free safety Jairus Byrd's name to that list, as well.

Bills head coach Chan Gailey revealed Wednesday that Byrd underwent surgery on a groin injury that plagued him throughout the 2009 season, which puts him out indefinitely. His status for the season opener is very much in doubt, though no exact timetable has yet been set for his return. WGR 550 has the details.

Byrd missed the early portions of 2009 training camp due to the same sports hernia injury; it bothered him throughout his record-setting rookie season, ending it prematurely. He had off-season surgery on what was diagnosed as a torn labrum in his hip, which limited his availability throughout the team's spring practices. However, the injury reportedly continued to bother him into training camp.

George Wilson will start at free safety as long as Byrd is out of the lineup.

http://www.buffalorumblings.com/2010/8/18/1630335/groin-surgery-sidelines-bills-fs

PATRIOTS

With Pro Bowler Logan Mankins holding out and the Nick Kaczur's back a potential season-long issue, the Patriots were in the market for an offensive guard.

The man they picked up, former Oklahoma standout Brian Simmons, is as surprising a choice as there could be.

You see Simmons, a 6-4, 315 pound former defensive tackle who played in 42 games for the Sooners at left and right guard, has a clubfoot. He wasn't invited to the Combine and despite plenty of hype surrounding him, wasn't drafted. As his mother explained in an sad email used by David Ubben on ESPN's Big 12 blog , her son's clubfoot had landed him on the NFL reject list.

A clubfoot, according to WebMD , is a deformity that occurs in the tendons of the foot prior to birth. The tendons force the foot to turn downward and inward towards the other foot. It may result in the foot, especially after the heel, being smaller than the other foot. To correct the issue, the foot is often broken and placed in a cast to re-shape it.

According to Brandon George's article in the Dallas Morning News, Simmons wears a size 17.5 shoe on his left foot and a size 16 on his right.

George's article, written in August of 2007, notes that Simmons has had his right foot broken and re-set a staggering 16 times during surgeries.

With thousands of prospects to grade, NFL teams rely on sharing medical information. It is one of the primary reasons for the development of the Scouting Combine as we now know it. By being placed on the reject list, Simmons had virtually no shot at getting as much as a workout from an NFL team despite the fact that other professional athletes, including Hall of Famer Troy Aikman, have beaten clubfoot to enjoy productive careers.

Simmons was an often-used backup for much of his career, but a knee injury robbed him of five games during his senior campaign -- the only year in which he started at Oklahoma. Playing next to Trent Williams for much of the time, Simmons' athleticism and balance stands out on film. He proved at his Pro Day (the official Oklahoma Pro Day March 9, not Sam Bradford's throwing session March 29) that he was a legitimate draftable athlete at guard -- especially considering the relatively weak crop of talent that was available this year. Simmons measured in at 6-4 1/4, 315 pounds and ran the 40-yard dash between 5.19-5.26. He was timed at 4.75 in the short shuttle, 7.61 in the 3-cone and posted a 28" vertical jump and a 8-10" broad jump. I was disappointed, if not surprised, when Simmons wasn't drafted or immediately signed as a high priority free agent.

Fortunately for Simmons (and potentially the Patriots), New England elected to roll the dice Sunday and gave the former Sooner a shot

http://rob-rang.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/13682485/23965805