Nfc west preseason reports

49ERS

On S Taylor Mays' progress:

"He is making good progress. The thing that we are trying to do is get him as much exposure as we can and see how he responds to it, and I think so far so good as a team and as individuals."

http://www.ninersnation.com/2010/8/1/1600409/49ers-training-camp-coach

 

SEAHWAKS

# could talk particulars, but let's get to the meat of the matter: Matt Hasselbeck executes plays in a manner Whitehurst and Losman are just not yet capable of. He sees the field. Whitehurst and Losman seem to lock onto one route and then look to check down. That's the progression: 1. Primary receiver 2. Outlet. Losman looked particularly hasty with his check-downs. He would toss underneath even if the targeted receiver seemed well-covered. I expect to see some receivers getting blown up in the near future.
# Whitehurst did two things I am preparing myself to see a lot of: panicked under pressure (imagined pressure, in this case, as he was red-shirted) and lock onto one receiver.
# Does reading a defense make a quarterback? No, not entirely. It's more like this. Take the segment of humanity that is athletically capable of playing quarterback. That eliminates most of the human population. Then, take from that only the players with enough height, arm strength and accuracy to play in the NFL. Our pool is reduced further. Now, among those players, which is capable of reading a defense and knowing where to pass? That's why, within this already rarefied pool, the mental aspect is so amazingly precious. It may not be that rare that a human being could learn the patterns of a defense, its tendencies and also memorize dozens of plays, and be able to time and execute them, but it is extremely rare among those physically capable of doing the job. I think Losman and Whitehurst might be physically capable, but little else.

* John Carlson is good.
* He made a nice rolling catch on a low pass away from his body and towards the left sideline.
* He made a good open field move to increase his run after catch. Despite his limited straight-line speed, Carlson has excellent feet and good agility.
* As promised, Carlson was moved all over, including a look from fullback. From fullback, he ran a similar play to the one I described Golden Tate running. Misdirection is a major part of this offense.
* Cameron Morrah made a nice catch and upfield move in traffic.

http://www.fieldgulls.com/2010/8/2/1601387/seahawks-august-1st-practice-page

* When you see guys square up in individual drills, leverage really stands out. Defensive lineman versus defensive lineman, Red Bryant looks like an offensive lineman: able to steer and withstand, but often stood up and pushed back.
* Which showed itself when little* Jonathan Lewis was giving it to Bryant, but also when Bryant was able to steer Mebane. Bryant is better able to control than drive.
* In 11-on-11 drills, this produced a defining moment for Bryant. He was playing right defensive end, but on the strong side. He attacked and set an easy edge for pass rush. While Pete Carroll might not acknowledge Seattle's defense as a 3-4, it is instructive to think of the line like a 3-4 line. Bryant is shooting a gap, but he will be best appreciated through how opens plays for other players.
* Ricky Foley looks small -- Nick Reed small. He looks a little taller and a little leaner than Reed. Reed looks to be in very good shape, more cut than I remember.
* Reed flew around the blindside and "sacked" Charlie Whitehurst.
* The first and only no-name that really popped for me is rookie Rob Rose. Rose is tall, rangy and slim, but not so thin as to be slight. He showed good acceleration and balance in drills. The former Buckeye is battling odds to even make a roster, but from the undifferentiated mass of camp bodies, he is one that stood out.

http://www.fieldgulls.com/2010/8/2/1601171/seahawks-august-1-practice-report

There's been a lot of talk about Mike Williams, but I only noticed him on one play.

* He ran a deep cross and it was a nice, clean looking route. It's good to see Williams in shape and making some plays, but he's 26. I'm not going to make much of him flashing in training camp.
* Branch is Branch and Housh is Housh, and neither showed more or less than should be expected of them. Housh looks consummate but not flashy. Branch is agile and elusive in the open field.
* I only noticed Ruvell Martin once. He dropped a pass.
* Deon Butler started slow but had a few nice plays to end practice.
* He was badly bullied off his route going over the middle. In his defense, it was borderline pass interference.
* Lofa Tatupu blanketed him on another short pass. This seems to be the Butler dilemma: He doesn't have great deep route-running skills, but he doesn't seem capable of excelling over the middle either.
* Then, towards the end of practice, Butler twice found a soft spot in a deep zone and made a couple nice receptions. I didn't see it terribly well, but it looked like he scored a touchdown to cap one 11-on-11 drill.
* Isaiah Stanback might be the successor to Sean Morey. He isn't plus fast and his athleticism is little too talked up, but he is a very good athlete and is thick and powerfully built. He didn't show much as a receiver, but I noticed Stanback and John Carlson grouped on down-field punt coverage.

http://www.fieldgulls.com/2010/8/1/1600207/seahawks-august-1-practice-report

* Earl Thomas and Lawyer Milloy look to be the starters. No surprises there. Milloy, at least on the field, just looks like one of the guys. He was doing push-ups by himself before practice and it made me think of Rickey Henderson and his famous 120 push-ups a day routine.
* Babineaux worked at strong safety. He looked alright. On one play, Babs was playing in the box on the offensive right. The run went left. Kole Heckendorf engulfed Babs and neutralized him. Practice though. Practice.
* Kam Chancellor is indeed huge. He's built like a tight end: tall, broad-square shoulders and lean. I didn't notice him too much, but he seems a little lost. You know when someone just kind of stands there because they're not sure what to do? I saw Chancellor doing that.
* Marcus Trufant looks healthy, and that's about all that matters for him. I saw him bite deep on one pass and stop his route and intercept another. Both plays were during 7-on-7 drills.
* Jennings looks very fluid in coverage -- very sticky. I only saw one pass directed his way and it was way behind him and the receiver.
* Kennard Cox was picking Milloy and Babineaux's brains. Kind of funny, and I'm not sure if it was appreciated.
* Thurmond avoided or broke through a block (couldn't see for sure) and scored an open field tackle in 11-on-11 drills.
* Kevin Ellison played free safety paired with Chancellor at strong safety. That is a lot of slow on the field.
* Josh Wilson nearly tracked down a badly overthrown pass but couldn't catch up. Yes, it was that overthrown.
http://www.fieldgulls.com/2010/8/1/1600172/seahawks-august-1-practice-report

 

CARDINALS

We were in the Skydome because of the rain. When I got in there around 2:30 the only person I saw was Ben Graham who was booming some punts through the dome [I was hoping he would hit the roof] and there were a couple of people on the Bench. I think it was Jorrick Calvin, Daryl Washington, and Derek Anderson.

The Quarterbacks looked good. Matt Leinart and Derek Anderson had some good plays, the best one I saw from Leinart was when he eluded a blitzer during the 11 on 11 drills and bought enough time to get the pass off to a wide open Nehemiah Broughton. He also looked pretty accurate for most of the day. Anderson also looked pretty good, he had a nice 35 yard pass that was caught with one hand by Stephen Spach in the Endzone. They also did the garbage can drill, Max Hall made it first from around 40 yards, Anderson made it twice from 20/25 yards [he did a little airplane celebration after one of them], Leinart made it from the same range on the final throw they did which got the crowd going. John Skelton hit the rim from the 20/25 yard range but I never saw him get one in the bucket. Anderson was also the only QB who was able to throw the ball into the net with the holes the ball is supposed to go into, although a bunch of passes were close from the others. The rookies looked alright in the practice too but I saw Skelton miss a quick pass to a receiver on the Sideline which was way off and flew into the turf. All of them did have a few misses and dropped passes though. But it is only the second day of training camp, the kinks still need to be worked out.

The receivers looked good too, although there were a few drops. The most memorable one was Steve Breaston dropping what would have been a 60 yard TD from Anderson although he did catch a 35 yard pass from Leinart. I don't have much else of note since I was more focused on the QBs. Ed Gant caught a short pass from Leinart where he evaded some defenders and ran it in for a long touchdown during the 7 on 7 drills.

Beanie Wells looked explosive, he had a few runs that would have been huge gains, and LaRod Stephens-Howling also had a long run. Tim Hightower looked good too, although he had a fumble after a nice run. There was also an amusing play when Darnell Dockett [who looked really good by the way] grabbed the back of his jersey and Hightower tried to keep running for a couple of seconds.

Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie looks like his pro bowl self after the surgery, he made a couple of nice deflections and he looked good in coverage. McBride is still the #2 corner. Greg Toler and Michael Adams made a few nice plays on the ball. Like Darren Urban said, Rashad Johnson also looked pretty good. He had a few good shots on the receivers and he helped break up a catch on a receiver who was wide open.

I didn't notice much about the Offensive and Defensive lines, but from what I saw the new RT Brandon Keith looked good.

http://www.revengeofthebirds.com/2010/8/1/1600522/notes-from-my-day-in-flagstaff-for

 

RAMS

Hello Everyone: Several interesting developments are taking place at camp. After the completion of day two practices and after all the hype about Sammie and his big bucks contract, Keith Null has emerged as the best QB of the four QBs in camp. His passes are crisp, accurate, and with good touch when needed and his huddle presence has been characterized as outstanding by Shurmur. Would that not be the biggest guffaw to beat all if Null beats out both Feely and Bradford to lead the Rams into the pre and then the season? Sammie may eventually get up to speed, but I have said all along giving Sammie all that money was a mistake when the Rams' QB for now and perhaps the immediate future may very well already be here. That two thirds of a year experience last year has really propelled Null and Sammie has hitched his wagon to Null more than Feely in a mentor/mentee fashion. When will clubs learn?

In the same vein, Jason Smith's toe problems are coming along slowly. Although he does well in single drills, he is being cautioned by the Rams to take it easy in team drills and is sitting out significant practice time. Apparently, the toe is not healing as fast as was expected and he is beginning to be an injury-prone player much in the vein of several of the so-called draft picks we selected in previous years now gone from the club (Klopenstein, Carriker, etc). The "b" word is beginning to emerge.

So Billy has reached into his Atlanta days and has signed a very big left tackle-Renardo Foster from Atlanta. At 6-7, 333lbs and coming off a knee injury that took a year on the PUP list to heal, he is getting some significant reps and has caught the eye of Spagnuolo. Would that not be a real laugher if an undrafted rookie from Atlanta and Phil Trautwein, another undrafted rookie two years for us would be our opening day tackles. Apparently, Roger Saffold who is slated to fill Alex Barron's spot at left tackle has the same false start problem as Mr Barron. He false started twice in a four down sequence to the consternation of Spagnuolo who almost went ballistic as he did on the bevy of young WRs a short time ago.

Speaking of, it looks as though our two big receivers, Jordan Kent (6-4, 225lbs) and Dominique Curry (6-2, 224lbs) have pushed the WR corp to the point that Mardy Gilyard has been buried in the roster and is not getting significant reps. He is involved in a more fierce competition at kick and punt returner with Danny Amendola than with anything to do with the duties of WR. Spagnuolo has commented that he wants to keep Gilyard in the mix but these other guys including Brooks Foster and Laurent Robinson are having an early great camp along with several other WRs. Donny Avery is holding his own enough to push Gilyard further down the depth chart. Who needs T.O. when we have yet another set of undrafted players out performing the big hyped players. I think Gilyard is a talented player and was a good draft pick but we shall see what transpires in the coming weeks as he may be more relegated to special teams duties until either injuries or competition changes the landscape. Stay tuned, retroram.

http://www.cbssports.com/mcc/messages/chrono/23606146?tag=pageRow;pageContainer

 

49ERS


On WR Ted Ginn's ability to limit the defense and his ability to stretch the field:

"You know, I hope so. I think the threat of that, the perception of that, is maybe even greater than the actual occurrence of that. His presence on the field demands that you have to make a decision about how many you want to commit to the run, from a coverage standpoint. So, there are some packages of things that he's involved in that give freedom to #85 [TE Vernon Davis] and #46 [TE Delanie Walker], and #15 [WR Michael Crabtree], so the threat of that as we try to find out a level ground of where his comfort is and where [QB] Alex [Smith] is comfortable with the packages that he is in. We certainly think, not only from a perception standpoint, but from an actuality standpoint, that he gives us something defensively that you have to figure out when he's on the field - how you want to defend that particular package in terms of the run/pass mix.

On how much Ginn has done and his progression from his trade to now:

"I had nothing to pre-judge him on because I wasn't there in Miami. Since he's been here, my vantage point, offensively, we're excited about him. Then he hit a plateau a little bit as a learning thing bogged him down with the new formations and the new systems, and then he's come into this training camp and today he has been outstanding. And if it continues to go, and continues to improve the way he is, I think we will be very pleased with him."

On QB Alex Smith's growth from last year to this year and his expectations for him this year:

"Well, the first part of that question, 365 days ago to now is night and day. The expectation, I've been around long enough to know that each year, no year bleeds into the next. So, how you manage the start of the next year is very important, and the fact that he is more comfortable coming into this year from a language standpoint and a play standpoint, gives us all reason to be excited."

On where WR Brandon Jones stands right now and his optimism for him this year:

"Brandon is in competition. Brandon's situation has changed from this time a year ago because obviously the people in the lines are different. So, the competition for position and the competition for time is different, but he's had a good camp. He's working hard. He's done the things we've asked him to do. Hopefully, that will spill over into his play and he will perform at a consistent level and do the things that we thought he was capable of doing a year ago prior to the injury."

On his impression of G Mike Iupati and T Anthony Davis now that they are in pads:

"They've been impressive early on from a physical standpoint. From a physical and athletic standpoint, particularly Davis, and I think as his condition has improved, I've seen some things that I didn't see early on in the OTA's when he was just out of college in the draft and hadn't played football since the later part of November or early December. They both have a physical presence about them. They're athletic with big bodies. I don't see any reason why they won't continue to ascend as they get more familiar with the language and the system of football that we're playing. Then the other part of that is the continuity of playing with the other three guys or four guys. As they do that, as they integrate themselves in to that, I think we will be very pleased with them going forward."

On his early impression of RB Anthony Dixon and what he expects out of him:

"I like him, though there are times I want to strangle him. He's young, and you know how they say youth is wasted on the young. He's young and he's learning. He's running over the quarterback and the lines. He's just having fun, and he's learning what to do. He's a big body man with quick feet, and we anticipate he will give us an inside, physically dominant presence in the later part of the season. It takes some of the load off of [RB] Frank [Gore] and [RB] Glen [Coffee], and keeps Frank fresh for a purpose."

On whether Dixon has a chance to be the number two guy this year:

"Well he's in competition. He's got a big hill to climb. The number two guy here isn't too shabby, so if he steps up to that point where he is knocking that guy out, then we will really be pleased."

On how G David Baas is doing today:

"I don't know, you would have to check with the medical staff and the training people about that."

On whether he is prepared to not have Baas available for the next several days or more:

"I don't know until the morning of the practice when I get the injury report. Hopefully he'll be back soon but, it's really good for the young guys because, all of a sudden, they get more reps. I really don't have an idea on that other than what the medical staff gives me prior when we start the plan for practice."

On whether he pays attention to the camaraderie in his offense:

"That's the number one thing I watch. Particularly as Alex is integrated into the group. You have to remember a year ago this time, there was a cloud of uncertainty about him - his ability to play, and in the locker room, and his constituents. There wasn't that ‘me/you thing' 365 days ago, and there was a competition that was taking place. And now that we've gone through a nine game slate with him and the off-season, he's familiarized with the team and the team is more familiarized with him and his leadership qualities. It's his team, that atmosphere that is created tells you a lot about what you want to do and what you can do with the group and what the belief factor is. That is where the arduous days of competing and training camp tries to get you to the point where, from an offensive standpoint, you can make the wrong calls and he can make it right or you can make the right call and he can make it better. So, that camaraderie, that cohesiveness, is what you're trying to get and the quicker we can get that part with the offensive mind, the better it will be with him."

On FB Brit Miller's toughness and his improvement in the past year:

"Some. He showed flashes as you remember last summer in the preseason games. He's a conversion, so it's a little bit longer because he was a linebacker in college, he played defense. His conversion has been good, and the fact that he played and was around all of last year has helped him going into this training camp and I've been pleased with his performance to this point. He brings an element of physicality and he has speed and athleticism for that position, for the fullback, which usually leaves you short on one side of that from that position because you're usually an in-line box player."

On the benefits of the nutcracker drill for the offensive line:

"Well, you have to understand that is a teaching tool. It's not a courage drill or who's tougher than who. We're trying to teach stance, angles, and leverage. The benefit of it is that you have a chance in a controlled environment to fundamentally teach flat back and hat speed, knee bend, and keeping your knee bent in advance of your angle and leverage points. That is the design for both offense and defense. It really isn't about what the perception is outside, if somebody is tougher, or about knocking them back. We're trying to teach the fundamentals angles of blocking and the fundamental angles of playing off the block, and then in a controlled environment where they aren't around people. So, you get hands on teaching and it's been very good."

On how much the offense was altered to accommodate TE Delanie Walker:

"I don't know if altered is the right word. We have personnel packages which involve two backs, two wide receivers, and a tight end or two tight ends, two wide receivers, and a back or three tight ends, a running back, and a wide receiver. They are all different and he fits into the packages and he allows us more flexibility when we are two tight ends, two wide receivers, and a single back because he has wide receiver ability and you can formation him so that he's in a position to create matchups, or create matchups with Vernon. So, he's an integral part of what we do from a personnel standpoint because you have to treat him as a tight end, but he has wide receiver ability so you have to make a decision defensively. If you want to play him with a sub-package like Atlanta did and play Nickel defense when he's in the game and take one of your backers out or you want to stay face and expose him to your safety's or linebackers, so it's a plus for us. If he continues to develop, it allows use Vernon in an interchangeable position and that will be a huge plus for the quarterback."

On whether he has a number in mind of how many wide receivers will be on the final roster:

"At this point that's too far ahead for me. No, I don't have a number right now. As that group works itself in with a commonality with the quarterback, I just want to make sure we keep our pulse on #21 [RB Frank Gore] and the running game. That's what's going to make all of those people that you're talking about better."

On WR Jason Hill and what he needs to do to be integrated into the offense:

"He needs to, and I told Jason that in the spring, he needs a level of consistency of performance. Running fast doesn't necessarily equate to playing football. He needs to inherit all of the traits for the position and do them in a consistent level and utilize his speed more to his advantage. I think Jason's been around here for three or four years, maybe four going on five and that's a long time to play. Now, he is a good special teams player which has kept him viable, but he needs to step up and compete in this training camp and prove his ability to play a position so the he gets time and quality time in games."

http://www.ninersnation.com/2010/8/3/1603658/49ers-training-camp-jimmy-raye-on

 

RAMS

Ron Bartell, the St. Louis Rams’ top cornerback, suffered what appeared to be a significant right ankle injury in tonight’s practice. With aid, Bartell limped to the sideline, then was taken off on a cart.

A team spokesman said Bartell was taken for X-rays and that no more information was available yet on the extent of the injury.


http://stlouis.sbnation.com/2010/8/2/1601029/st-louis-rams-training-camp-rams

 

49ers

here's a video of ted ginn in practice. go to 2:20 and for the next minute you will see him running some good routes

http://www.49ers.com/media-gallery/...-At-Camp/790f0974-1504-4a39-8230-a76b49952f45



t didn’t take long for Ted Ginn Jr. to demonstrate what the 49ers saw out of him when he was acquired via trade earlier in the offseason.

Throughout OTAs and minicamps, teammates and coaches were encouraged at the sight of the speedster running past defensive backs and creating passing lanes for other players. Ginn’s big-play potential left everyone wanting to see more.

Those wishes were granted at the first of two training camp practices at 49ers headquarters on Tuesday, as the 5-foot-11, 180-pound wideout made several impressive catches. None being more spectacular than Ginn’s 59-yard touchdown catch from quarterback Alex Smith during the final team period.

Ginn’s speedy presence figures to bode well for the development of the entire 49ers offense. In particular, Tuesday’s aerial display was proof that bigger and better things are on the horizon for the passing game.

“You always want to go out and hit your shots. That’s for every team,” Ginn pointed out after the two-hour workout. “Our goal here is when we get an opportunity to make big plays – let’s make them. You can only get that done through practicing.”

Ginn has already demonstrated tremendous speed when he gets behind defenders like he did with Tuesday’s first of two lengthy touchdown receptions. Afterwards, offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye called Ginn’s morning practice, “outstanding.”

“His presence on the field demands that you have to make a decision about how many you want to commit to the run, from a coverage standpoint,” Raye noted. “We certainly think that he gives us something defensively that you have to figure out when he’s on the field.”

For Ginn, playing fast has never been a problem. It’s a matter of learning Raye’s system which will allow his natural speed to show itself.

In order to get better acquainted with the offense, specifically the route tree of Raye’s offense, Ginn ran routes with Smith throughout the offseason. The two would play catch for an hour at team headquarters and then lift weights routinely as they prepared for camp.

“We did a lot of work,” Ginn said. “Just everything, whatever we didn’t do (the day before), we tried to do (that day).”

Ginn said he wasn’t only running deep routes with Smith, but the entire route tree. On Tuesday, Ginn showcased his understanding of those routes by catching several intermediate and deep passes.

But even with early success, Ginn isn’t ready to pat himself on the back.

“We had a great day, made some great passes, but we’re not there yet. We’re going to continue to keep playing and it should come together.”

Another aspect of Ginn’s progress can be traced back to his willingness to compete against the 49ers defensive backs. Only when he’s facing a fellow former Ohio State Buckeye like Nate Clements, Ginn is even more up for the challenge.

“With Nate, we’re from Ohio so it’s a little different. But we’ve got some older (cornerbacks) who’ve been in the league for a bit and have played the position, so going against them from time-to-time has been great.”

Likewise, Clements and the other defensive backs see plenty of value in their matchups against Ginn.

“He can stretch opposing defenses out there on the field and open a lot of windows for other guys as well as make plays for himself,” Clements said. “Just to have that speed can open up a lot of things.

“It’s definitely good work to go up against a guy with that type of speed. It challenges you as a defensive back to stay technique-sound.”

Notes and Quotes

Second-year fullback Brit Miller has opened many eyes in camp with solid blocking and pass-catching. The undrafted college linebacker said he owes a lot of his development to starting fullback Moran Norris. “He’s teaching me every day,” Miller said. “He’s the definition of a pro.”

NaVorro Bowman said on Monday that the Nutcracker was a great chance for players to compete. On Tuesday, the rookie linebacker did a great job of competing in the drill and fared well against opposing offensive linemen.

But as Raye explained, there’s more to the drill than pure desire. “You have to understand that it is a teaching tool. It’s not a courage drill or who’s tougher than who. We’re trying to teach stance, angles and leverage. The benefit of it is that you have a chance in a controlled environment to fundamentally teach flat back and hat speed, knee bend, and keeping your knee bent in advance of your angle and leverage points.”

With David Baas out of action due to a concussion, rookie first-round pick Mike Iupati joined the first-team offense for a second consecutive practice. Raye was pleased with what he saw from Iupati as well as fellow first rounder Anthony Davis. “They both have a physical presence about them. They’re athletic with big bodies. I don’t see any reason why they won’t continue to ascend as they get more familiar with the language and the system of football that we’re playing.”

In typical training camp fashion, secondary coach Johnnie Lynn lost his voice four practices in. But that didn’t stop the boisterous coach from shouting out instructions in the morning.

Curtis Taylor earned play-of-the-practice honors with an impressive leaping interception on Smith’s deep post intended for Michael Crabtree.

Patrick Willis got the best of Vernon Davis in 7-on-7 work when the Pro Bowl linebacker forced a fumble out of the Pro Bowl tight end’s hands.

Shawntae Spencer picked up his first interception of camp, when he stepped in front of David Carr’s pass intended for Dominique Zeigler, who ran a skinny post.

The veteran courtesy was once again given to safety Michael Lewis, linebacker Takeo Spikes and outside linebacker Travis LaBoy. Tackle Joe Staley missed the workout due to illness and guard Baas remains out of action due to a concussion.


http://www.49ers.com/news-and-event...oes-Deep/05465b24-738d-41f2-b319-6fd54cf8d0d6

 

CARDINALS

1st Round - Dan Williams - Missed the first couple days of practice because he hadn't yet signed, but signed I believe Monday and has been working well. He came in under his goal weight and passed his physical. His first practice left him noticeably tired, but that should happen at your first practice over 7000 feet. Kent Somers of azcentral.com said he would be surprised if he isn't starting at the beginning of the year.

2nd Round - Daryl Washington - All of the coaches comments and writers have been positive. It is still early to get a great read on him, but the main thing they can tell about him is that he is smart and fast. He has a 4.5 speed and, according to Kent Somers, should start out the season in certain packages during passing situations. He has done a good job so far.

3rd round - Andre Roberts - Struggled in his first day of camp dropping several passes, but Fitzgerald gave him a talking to. Since then, over the last couple days, he has actually looked pretty good, which includes some very nice catches. One of those catches I believe I read about was a low catch that the writer called the hardest kind to make. So, first day bad, since then, fine or good.

4th Round - O'Brien Schofield - He is on PUP, he is physically unable to perform because of his knee injury. Could prove to be a steal later.

5th Round - John Skelton - I haven't heard a lot on him specifically, but Whisenhunt did say that all of the quarterbacks are making some good throws and making some not so good throws. I'm paraphrasing, but I have heard that Max Hall has looked better. He looks like he is a little more comfortable in the offense, and he is more accurate. The main thing they like about Skelton is his arm strength.

6th Round - Jorrick Calvin - I really don't have a lot to say about him, as I haven't heard much. McBride is getting the 2nd spot CB snaps to start, and Toler is behind him. Which means Jorrick Calvin is even further behind. I read someone say how he doesn't look like he has been out of football for a year, which sounds like good news to me. I haven't read bad things about him so I'd assume he is doing alright, but there isn't much written on him just yet. There should be a lot more as camp progresses and the Preseason comes around.

7th Round - Jim Dray - PUP, physically unable to perform. He has a quad injury and hasn't really gotten in much practice.

http://forums.azcardinals.com/showthread.php?t=50473

 

49ERS

Defensive Coordinator Greg Manusky
Post Practice - August 6, 2010
San Francisco 49ers

On how LB Scott McKillop's injury affects the guys playing behind him:

"Well, I think it's good for them. Things happen in this league that you have to adjust to, and that's what we have to do as a coaching staff and I think it gives those opportunities for those younger players, a great opportunity. But, they have to compete and they have to keep doing what they're doing out there every day."

On LB NaVorro Bowman adjusting to the physicality of his position:

"He's doing well. Across the board, I think everybody is doing well. He's picking up the calls, he understands it. He knows his role right now is to pick up those calls and get it done. From a physical standpoint, he's been pretty physical upfront. He can strike, he can bend, and he's got good movement skills inside. So, I'm excited about the young gentleman."

On McKillop's development before his injury:

"It's not always nice to have a player be lost, but he was making strides. I think as a second year linebacker, it kind of felt like he was going into his third year. I always say those third years are usually when guys get it and he was almost at that point where he got it. He's going to be back though, when he gets his opportunity. He'll be back pretty soon hopefully."

On whether Bowman is playing both MIKE and TED linebacker:

"Mostly TED linebacker inside. For young guys like that, you want them to just learn one position, and then after he's been in the league for a little bit, he can learn both."

On whether the learning curve is steeper now for Bowman:

"I wouldn't say so. You'd like him to learn as much as he can in the short amount of time that he has. For the most part, I wouldn't say all our defense is in, but a majority of it is in that he's had in OTAs and in mini-camp, and then back into the training camps. So, he's heard it three different times and he understands it."

On CB Nate Clements:

"He's playing very good. I think from a DB standpoint, it takes a couple of days to get your feet back into order because of the double days and things of that nature. Then all the sudden, you start feeling a little bit better and moving a little bit better. I think they have to get through the soreness, just like the wide receivers, and then once they come back, they start coming to their old form again and that's what he's doing."

On whether he sees a difference in Clements' running form:

"Well, like I said, it usually takes a week for the DBs and wide receivers to try to get out of that phase as long as I've been around. We'll be seeing from next week probably, we'll want to see how his footwork is. I think you give him a little bit of time to get everything, to get the calls, and then working his fundamentals and footwork and then all of the sudden, it usually starts to pick up in the second week."

On DT Ricky Jean Francois:

"He's doing a good job. Ricky, across the board, playing nose, is doing the right things. He's still got a lot to learn, but we're happy with his progress that he's making."

On the rule changes in the NFL:

"You could ***** and complain all you want, but it's not going to change anything. So, we just have to adjust to it and be happy. What they're doing, there's a reason for it, and we'll just go with what they've got."

On what he saw in Bowman pre-draft:

"Movement skills. I think the hardest position to scout is inside linebacker nowadays. With the calls just going so much veer stuff and option stuff off the edge, and guys pulling and doing different things, it's hard to see a guy come downhill and strike somebody. You can watch a lot of film on individuals and not see that from inside linebackers, even outside linebackers. So, it's a hard process, but as long as you can see that explosion and the movement skills that a guy has, and that's what he's got, which we're excited about."

On LB Matt Wilhelm:

"He's a veteran player that's been around a little bit, understands the system. It's similar to what San Diego was, so he understands it. He may be an asset being a guy that's a little bit lighter on his feet that has little bit more coverage skills than all the other guys that we have."

On whether the starters have been already determined:

"I think everybody is up for a starting job, even [LB] Patrick [Willis]. I always tell him all the time, he's always, ‘Am I doing good?' I said, ‘Yeah Pat, you're doing well.' It's too early in camp right now, and we're going through with it. We're still grading them every day. Coach Sing wants us to grade them and we grade them every day and see their potential, what they have each and every day."

On whether there is concern with the number of injuries so far:

"No, you're going to have some bumps and bruises across the board. That's the National Football League. You try to protect yourself as much as you can, coach the guys that are out there. Marty Schottenheimer used to tell me that all the time, coach the guys you got, and that's what we got. So, if they're out there, they're going to perform and hopefully perform at a high level."

On getting reps for all the safeties:

"I think - and it's very important, because I always tell the young guys, ‘Hey guys, trust me, you might not get all the reps you want to get, but you have to be studying it from the sideline.' If you're a free agent guy, yes, there is a pecking order in the National Football League. Is the first-rounder going to get more reps? Of course, because that's why he went where he went. So, from a free agent standpoint, or a seventh round draft choice, there is a pecking order in the National Football League, and that means you're going to be on the sideline watching it, and you have to do it. And when you get in the games you have to perform at a high level. That's what you have to do."

On S Reggie Smith:

"He's doing a good job right now. I think that he's matured into the role. And usually, for safeties, sometimes it's their second year, and this year, it's his - I think for him it's going on his third year. So he's matured a lot. He understands what the calls in, he's been in the system for two years, and he should. And he's starting to make plays, doing his job."

On if confidence was an issue for Reggie Smith:

"Well, originally when he came out he was a corner, and moving him to safety - he played a little bit of safety in college, just a little bit. When he came here, we put him at corner, to see if he could play corner, and then we moved him to safety his second year. So, it's actually his second year, but in a player there's no more messing around. I think the first year when you're in the NFL, you're just glad to be there and maybe that was his point, I don't know. But for him, I just see a maturity factor. He's taken his business, he knows his calls, he's making the calls, and he feels comfortable in his calls."

http://www.ninersnation.com/2010/8/6/1610161/49ers-training-camp-a-defensive

First-round picks Anthony Davis and Mike Iupati have been seeing plenty of action with the first-team offensive line in recent days, but with several linemen injured, it was hard to tell whether the rookies officially had moved up in the pecking order. All of the linemen were back in action during the morning session Saturday, and Davis and Iupati were both still running with the first unit. No official word yet from the coaching staff on whether there's been a changing of the, ahem, guard along the offensive line.

With David Baas out the last five days with a concussion, Iupati has seen quite a bit of action at left guard. Fatigue might be starting to set in for the big Samoan. During one-on-one blocking drills, he was soundly beaten by veterans Justin Smith (he used a bull rush) and Demetric Evans (he got inside Iupati) on consecutive plays. Davis handled himself better in the drill. He battled Parys Haralson to a draw the first time they matched up, then stonewalled him in Round 2.

****************
There was a Jarrett Brown sighting today! The former West Virginia quarterback hadn't received a single snap in team drills this offseason until today. Working with the third-team offense at the very end of practice, Brown's first pass attempt was thwarted by a strong pass rush (or bad pass protection, a common theme Saturday) and his pass was deflected at the line. His second pass was a dart in the near flat that fellow rookie Kyle Williams snagged out of the air. Brown throws perhaps the prettiest ball of any of the team's quarterbacks and his arm strength rivals Nate Davis'. But he is very much behind in learning the offense, and with coaches trying to give Davis as many snaps as possible, it's difficult to get Brown up to speed.

***************
The pass-protection drill run by the running backs and tight ends against the linebackers was perhaps the most interesting of the day. The fullbacks were the stars of training camp early on because they seemed to dominate the nutcracker drill. Today, however, the linebackers got some revenge. (The tight ends fared much better). NaVorro Bowman proved unblockable rushing from the inside, and two running backs actually whiffed - badly - when trying to block him. On the other side, rookie Anthony Dixon really struggled. Pass protection is vital to a rookie runner's playing time, and it's something Dixon will have to master before Jimmy Raye gives him any action.

Here is the literal blow by blow from the drill:

Brit Miller has a hard time containing Parys Haralson to the outside. Verdict: Haralson
Michael Robinson sticks and stands up Diyral Briggs. Verdict: Robinson.
Tight end Tony Curtis handles Manny Lawson. Verdict: Curtis
Jehuu Caulcrick puts a big block on Mike Balogun. Verdict: Caulcrick
Dixon gets mowed down by Bowman. Verdict: Bowman
Rematch: Dixon tries to deliver a knockout blow but misses and Bowman is untouched. Verdict: Bowman
Nate Byham handles Martail Burnett. Verdict: Byham
Robinson whiffs against Bowman. Verdict: Bowman
Robinson stuffs Keaton Kristick. Verdict: Robinson
Joe John Finley rides Burnett out of the play. Verdict: Finley
Miller handles Balogun. Verdict: Miller
Glen Coffee can't stop Bowman. Verdict: Bowman
Rematch: Bowman absolutely bowls over Coffee. Verdict: Bowman.
Curtis stands up Burnett. Verdict: Curtis
Moran Norris shed by Kristick. Verdict: Kristick
Rematch: Kristick beats Norris again. Verdict: Kristick

Odds & Ends

Linebacker Ahmad Brooks (rib contusion), linebacker Travis LaBoy (concussion) and WR Scott Long (hamstring) did not practice. Tight end Delanie Walker (concussion) was held out of contact drills.

With Walker out, rookie Nate Byham seemed to get the most first-team snaps. However, that battle to be the No. 3 tight end is a tight one.

Receiver Brandon Jones pulled a hamstring. There's no word yet on whether Jones will miss any time. Jones, who turned an ankle in spring drills, cannot afford another ticky tacky injury. He's been having a good camp thus far.

Ricky Jean-Francois continues to be impressive. Today, he hustled down the line of scrimmage to blow up a screen pass. He's been running sideline to sideline to get in on tackles all camp. Energizer Bunny, that guy.

David Carr had the nicest throw of the day in team drills when he hit Jason Hill on a deep crossing pattern. Reggie Smith had tight coverage on the play, but Carr squeezed the pass into the only spot he could for the reception.

Read more: http://blogs.sacbee.com/49ers/archives/2010/08/davis-iupati-ge.html#ixzz0vyTRLoMQ

 

SEAHAWKS

Wide Receivers

* Deon Butler continues to show his ability to get behind the safeties, this time roaring behind Marcus Trufant and Earl Thomas for a pretty, Jerry Rice-esque over the shoulder grab into the end zone. Now, about finding a quarterback that can reach him.
* Deion Branch started up and towards the center of the field and then stuck his plant and cut out towards the sideline. Or he would have, had Roy Lewis not mugged him on an obvious, uncalled pass interference penalty.
* Mike Williams showed a little of the tech that's gone get him paid, sinking a shoulder into Trufant and using leverage to separate into his cut on a dig route.
* Branch flashed underneath on a curl. He knows how to come back for the ball and then resume towards the end zone. Best part: Actual good timing between Branch and Matt Hasselbeck.
* Butler fell attempting a cut.
* Branch shed Matt McCoy on a crossing pattern. He should shed Matt McCoy, but, nevertheless.
* Williams settled into a soft spot in the middle on what looked like a china route (a cross that stops short and curls back towards the quarterback). Zone awareness and route running are the key skills to look for from Williams this preseason.
* Butler was bullied over the middle fighting for position; fighting for the reception.

Defensive Backs

* Walter Thurmond was in pads. Kam Chancellor and Josh Pinkard were not.
* Not to be unduly critical, but I don't think Seattle's second string defensive backs are very good. That is something to consider when reading glowing reports about Seattle's first string receivers.
* Branch in particular was having his way with the camp fodder.
* Trufant ended the unblemished run of Kole Heckendorf. He read Heckendorf's curl, beat him to the spot and picked the pass -- as evidenced above.
* Earl Thomas's blitz was truly something to behold. I wish I could have recorded it. So much speed. Watch to see if that play is featured in the preseason or saved for some rainy snap come fall. The surprise element makes it deadly.

http://www.fieldgulls.com/2010/8/6/1610230/seahawks-august-6-practice-report

No matter how positive a spin the eternally optimistic Pete Carroll puts on the situation, there is no denying the Seahawks' concern at defensive end.

Truth be told, we hear Carroll can't help but be a bit edgy about his defense's uncertainty on the edges, where the pass rush was a huge shortcoming last season even before losing three of its top four D-ends (Patrick Kerney, Darryl Tapp and Cory Redding).

That arguably the Seahawks' best-looking defensive end early in training camp has been converted DT Red Bryant — a very pleasant surprise since the coaching staff decided he might be worth taking a look at on the outside — tells you all you need to know about the fragile state of the position.

Bryant has been impressive enough to apparently overtake former first-round draft pick Lawrence Jackson, who played for Carroll at USC, as the starting five-technique end on the strong side.

"It's amazing how much speed he has for a 330-pounder," one daily observer said of Bryant. "He consistently seems to get to the ballcarrier first."

At the other starting end spot, veteran Chris Clemons is a more proven commodity than Bryant, but he hardly set the world on fire with the Eagles before his trade to Seattle in exchange for Tapp.

"They've been pretty happy with him at the 'Leo' position," the observer said of Clemons. "He appears to have a real chip on his shoulder and is making a point of trying to show that he's a lot better player than he looked in Philly."

But it seems nobody knows where the pass rush is going to come from in nickel situations.

The big hope was, and still is, that starting SLB Aaron Curry, who started off strong as a first-round rookie in '09 but tailed off, could flourish in a three-point stance as a pass-rushing defensive end.

"One of the first things Carroll did after he became the head coach was to tell Curry that they needed a lot more from him," the observer said.

Early in training camp, though, Curry has been a nonfactor with a lingering concussion.

Jackson, we're told, also has been a relative nonfactor, in part due to health issues.

"He appears to be struggling to just get enough playing time," the observer said of Jackson.

http://www.profootballweekly.com/2010/08/07/seahawks-de-situation-looks-suspect

 

RAMS

Tough break for the Rams DL depth, defensive tackle Chris Hovan was moved to IR yesterday with a back injury. Hovan probably wasn't much more than depth, experienced depth at a position of need. The last time he missed more than one game in a season was 2004. This is one of those losses that doesn't seem like a big deal right now, but could come back to bite the Rams should one of their starters go down with injury. Fred Robbins, Clifton Ryan, Darrell Scott and Gary Gibson comprise the top of the depth chart at DT, and Flajole will often use some of his DEs in the middle too.

In a situation that we hope won't turn into a death by a thousand cuts, the Rams roster is plagued with small-time injuries, not usual this time of year as players get back into the grind of day-to-day football. I suspect many of these bumps and bruises are the kinds of things that wouldn't keep players on the bench in the regular season. There are a couple of situations to keep an eye on.

* James Butler has a knee injury. No word on the severity yet. If Butler is lost for any amount of time, Craig Dahl can easily step in, and may be a better bet as the starting SS anyway. But it's all about the depth, and secondary is a place where the Rams need all the able bodied players they can get.
* Keith Totson has a long way to go before he earns a roster spot, much less a job backing up Steven Jackson. He's out with a concussion. Nevertheless, the Rams need to see everything they can from their stable of backup runners.

The big news yesterday was Sam Bradford. His performance has positively lit the internets on fire! The rookie QB dominated practice yesterday, displaying exactly the kind of ability that got him drafted first overall. All eyes will be on King Sam tonight at the scrimmage. Carneros has a recap of Brian Stull's ESPN 101 report:



Sam Bradford had his best day since he became a Ram. He really looked good. He was throwing some lasers, and threading the needle. Sam in his own admission did not look especially strong in recent practices since more advanced blitz packages were thrown at him, having passes batted down. Today he had no such problems. He also started to take more first team reps today. Sam looked a lot more comfortable today and looked very sharp.

http://www.turfshowtimes.com/2010/8/7/1610640/can-bradford-light-it-up-tonight

 

RAMS

In making his “live” debut in front of the largest contingent of Rams fans he’s seen since he was drafted in April, Rams rookie quarterback Sam Bradford didn’t know what to expect.

While the Rams coaching staff had let the team know what the general plan was for Saturday night’s scrimmage at Lindenwood University, it wasn’t until about 30 minutes before the team left for it that Bradford was informed he would be getting the lion’s share of the repetitions at quarterback.

If nothing else, Bradford was simply excited to be back playing football in real time, in front of a decent sized crowd (estimated at more than 6,000) for the first time since his last game at Oklahoma.

“It felt great,” Bradford said. “This was the first time I’ve got to do this in a long time. This is what I love to do. I thought we got a lot of good work, got a lot of good situations in today. It was really fun out there tonight, that’s for sure.”

Bradford and the entire Rams offense appeared to be having plenty of fun during the nearly two hour workout Saturday night.

It has been said in the past week that generally the defense is ahead of the offense in the early days of training camp and coach Steve Spagnuolo acknowledged as much earlier in the week.

But starting with Friday’s practice, the offense seemed to be gaining ground quickly and it carried over into Saturday night.

From the first drive, the offense seemed to take command of the “live” portion of the scrimmage. Veteran quarterback A.J. Feeley’s workload was limited but he made the most of the chances he received.

Starting from its 30, Feeley quickly directed a scoring drive against the second team defense, completing all four of his pass attempts for 66 yards capped by a 30-yard touchdown toss to receiver Danny Amendola.

Feeley impressed his teammates and coach Steve Spagnuolo with his performance.

“I thought he looked pretty crisp,” Spagnuolo said. “Earlier he drove them right down the field.”

Feeley then gave way to Bradford, who got the bulk of the repetitions at quarterback. And seemingly, with every repetition, Bradford gets better.

In the middle of last week, Bradford acknowledged that he was still learning and having some difficulties picking up blitzes and reading things. That began to calm some on Friday when he had what Spagnuolo called his best practice.

Any confidence gained from that practice remained evident Saturday night as Bradford stood tall in the pocket and delivered strike after strike (though it’s important to remember quarterbacks were off limits to defenders as usual).

Bradford followed Feeley’s example and took the Rams right down the field, completing all four of his passes for 65 yards and an 11-yard touchdown to receiver Keenan Burton.

It was the throw before the touchdown that stood out to Bradford in looking back at his performance. Facing a second-and-11, Bradford zipped a back shoulder bullet to Burton for a gain of 22 on a deep hitch route.

“The back shoulder throw to Keenan early in the scrimmage on the hitch route (stood out),” Bradford said. “That was something that just kind of happened in the flow of the scrimmage, and it’s nice when things like that happen. You kind of break away from plan.”

The plan for Bradford included more than 30 reps and perhaps his most extensive work with the top unit to date. By the time his night was over – in unofficial statistics – he was nine-of-12 for two touchdowns and 116 yards during the live tackling period.

If you include the other situational drills played at “thud” tempo where live tackling isn’t allowed, Bradford added another pair of touchdown passes and a scintillating completion to Amendola on a deep corner pattern for a gain of 53 yards.

Even the reserved Spagnuolo couldn’t help but praise Bradford for his performance but added that in real game action there would be some things to work on.

“He was zipping the ball around pretty good,” Spagnuolo said. “He was finding receivers; he was hitting second receivers and not necessarily the first one. I thought there were one or two in there that I thought he might not have gotten away. I don’t know if we blew them as sacks or not or whistled them as sacks because that’s something he’s going to have to learn because that’s something in a real game – that’s a shot.”

The offensive success wasn’t limited to Feeley and Bradford, either as Keith Null came on and threw a 60-yard touchdown pass on a go route to receiver Brandon McRae.

Of course, the news wasn’t all bad for the defense as it has its share of bright spots as well. Perhaps none brighter than rookie defensive end George Selvie, the seventh-round choice out of South Florida.

Selvie had what would have been at least two sacks and a safety in a regular game and became the first of the Rams’ three drafted ends to shine on a bigger stage.
“He’s been doing a pretty good job,” Spagnuolo said. “The thing with the young guys, especially those young defensive guys is it’s all about becoming consistent.”

Of course, in any scrimmage situation the optimism engendered has to be tempered, especially when you are missing a dozen players because of injury. Included in that group was a top trio of cornerbacks in Ron Bartell, Bradley Fletcher and Justin King.

As for injuries within the scrimmage, Spagnuolo said receiver Mardy Gilyard took a shot to his forearm on the same arm in which his wrist is already ailing. He’s set to have an X ray today.

Running back Kenneth Darby also injured a hamstring that he had already been fighting off pain.

All things considered, Spagnuolo was pleased with some of what he saw but also expressed that there was plenty of things, like pre-snap penalties, he wanted to see improve and soon.

“I think we got some good things done,” Spagnuolo said. “I think we’ve got a lot of work to do, a lot of work to do on all the little things and I’ll leave it at that.”

One thing Spagnuolo and the rest of the Rams were pleased with was the capacity crowd which again was enthusiastic and came out in droves to support the Rams in what is fast becoming a hallmark event on the training camp schedule.

“I’ll tell you, I don’t know how many people were here, but it was…I’d like to thank them first for coming on a Saturday night,” Spagnuolo said. “I’m glad that they decided that this was something better to do than a lot of other things you can do in the beautiful city of St. Louis. But we do appreciate that and they were great.”

http://www.stlouisrams.com/article/81680/

 

49ERS

Wednesday, Aug. 11
Afternoon (practice No. 18)
Summary: The 49ers worked for a little less than two hours in shells. The 49ers' offense was not sharp, as the practice was held in a stiff breeze on the Santa Clara practice field. The team concluded practice with a two-minute drill. During that time, quarterback Alex Smith completed 5 of 12 passes for 40 yards. The practice ended with a 9-yard Smith-to-Josh Morgan pass in the back of the end zone. Morgan got only one foot inbounds, but everyone on the field chose to believe it was a practice-ending touchdown.

Offensive Play of the day: Receiver Dominique Zeigler continues to impress. He made an outstanding leaping catch of a David Carr pass in the back of the end zone against good coverage from rookie cornerback Tramaine Brock.

Defensive Play of the day: Safety Reggie Smith closed fast to break up a pass along the left sideline intended for Ted Ginn during the first 11-on-11 session of practice.

Scare of the day: It was a rough practice for Michael Crabtree, who dropped the first two passes thrown his way during 7-on-7. Then, that period of practice ended when Crabtree jumped for a high Smith pass, and landed hard. He sat out the remainder of practice with a neck strain.

Injury report: Linebacker Diyral Briggs (sick) sat out the practice. . . . Linebacker NaVorro Bowman (shoulder), out since Aug. 9; receiver Brandon Jones (hamstring), out since Aug. 7; linebacker Travis LaBoy (concussion), out since Aug. 5, did some running; linebacker Ahmad Brooks (lacerated kidney), out since Aug. 7, to be re-evaluated after two weeks; center Eric Heitmann (broken left fibula), out since Aug. 9, expected to miss 6 to 8 weeks.

Taking it easy: Safety Michael Lewis, linebacker Takeo Spikes and defensive end Justin Smith were rested.

Returning to work: Linebacker NaVorro Bowman, who has been out since Aug. 9 with a shoulder injury, took part in the practice.

Personnel report: The 49ers waived/injured linebacker Scott McKillop, who underwent season-ending knee surgery last week. If McKillop goes unclaimed, he will remain with the 49ers and spent the season on injured reserve. . . . The 49ers signed undrafted free agent receiver Bobby Guillory (Central Missouri State) and waived receiver Scott Long (Louisville). . . . The 49ers placed outside linebacker Martail Burnett on injured reserve after he cleared waivers.

Stock rising: Backup center Tony Wragge has been steady during his practice snaps with the second team. He has not experienced the problems with his shot-gun snaps that seem to plague David Baas, who is trying to make the conversion from guard after the injury to Heitmann.
Coaching moment: While his teammates were taking part in a mid-practice water break, rookie safety Taylor Mays spent time with assistant coach Johnnie Lynn going over aspects of the 49ers' defense.

Rookie report: Tight end Nate Byham caught a 5-yard touchdown from Smith against the coverage of safety Curtis Taylor. . . . Receiver Kyle Williams showed his quickness when he caught a Carr pass, took a sidestep, and made Bowman and Bruce Davis grasping at air.

Notable: There is no meeting set between defensive end Kentwan Balmer and coach Mike Singletary, said a 49ers spokesman. Balmer was an unexcused absence from practice Wednesday.

Read more: 49ers Camp Report: Practice 18
Tune to SportsNet Central at 6, 10:30 and midnight on Comcast SportsNet Bay Area for more on this story

http://www.csnbayarea.com/08/11/10/...ng_maiocco_v3.html?blockID=288479&feedID=2539

 

SEAHAWKS

Now that I have identified the 26 players on offense that are most likely to make the 53 man roster, which among the most likely are also the most vulnerable? Let's see if I can describe how 26 could become 24 or 23, if need be.
J.P. Losman

Losman was not showing poorly in camp. Losman was hard to find. He might be vulnerable for a couple reasons. He played last season in the UFL, indicating there is not a strong demand for his services. Mike Shanahan typically retains two quarterbacks on his final roster, and Jeremy Bates learned his craft under Shanahan. And so Losman might be the latest player that the Seahawks sign, teach the system and cut, assuming he can be recalled if necessary.

I support the Seahawks retaining only two quarterbacks. Teams do not win behind their third string quarterback. If Seattle had the makings of a defensive juggernaut, maybe we could hope otherwise, but it doesn't. And unless Losman proves otherwise, I do not think he is enough of an upgrade over a street free agent to sacrifice future talent at another position. Losman is replacement level. He might slightly improve the Seahawks chances to win, but the hard truth is if Losman is starting, the season is probably lost.
Anthony McCoy

This is an interesting story, and one that is retold every season.

Why did Brian Brohm fall? Duke Robinson?

I don't know.

The draft process is by no means perfect, but neither is it the crap shoot some cast it as. The missing element, the one that fans don't see but dramatically impacts every class, is drills and individual workouts. Drills and Individual workouts allow coaches to separate a player from the success or failure of their team and somewhat standardize the level of competition. They can be revealing.

I do not think McCoy dropped so far down boards because he maybe tested positive for marijuana. I do think it speaks poorly of his decision making if he did. I've known these heads. People that matter of factly claim to have not gone a day without smoking since they were 14. And they're not an organized, driven bunch. The problem would not be that McCoy smokes, it's that he didn't stop. Nevertheless, I think that is the tip of the iceberg.

I think McCoy dropped because, at least from what I saw, he is very unpolished and may not be able to contribute right away. He is a big bag of tools that played for a very talented USC offense. Opposing defenses treated him as a fourth or fifth weapon. He succeeded through the talent of his teammates and that doesn't cut it in the pros.

Cutting McCoy and placing him on the practice squad is a risk, but maybe not a deadly one. He isn't irreplaceable. If he truly is too unpolished to contribute right away, he will be too unpolished to contribute to another team as well. That means he wouldn't be targeted by other teams until those teams fell out of contention, and by then, Seattle could have freed a space for him.

Simply put, I think we are overvaluing his ability and attractiveness to other teams.
Deon Butler / Deion Branch

Ah yes, the Deons. Six wide receivers is a lot to retain. T.J. Houshmandzadeh is not playing special teams. Neither is Branch. If Butler sticks, he could play special teams, but he is not built for the job. He would be a perfunctory contributor at best. Housh isn't going anywhere. That means Seattle might keep only one of Branch or Butler. If Carroll is committed to putting the best team on the field in 2010, that very well could mean Branch. And if Butler wants to stick, he must prove he can contribute against unfriendly competition.

Teams are reluctant to give up on young talent. Without indulging in a tired subject, one can point to Brandon Morrow as a obvious example why. Young talent is volatile and what might seem like a mortal weakness one year could be overcome the next. Butler has that in his court. He's cheap and his speed excites and if he isn't yet a great receiver, he is fundamentally capable of becoming one.

Branch has his contract and health working against him. Working for Branch is skill, talent and accomplishment. It's no slight against Butler to say he would be very lucky to ever achieve what Branch already has. Branch has disappointed Seahawks fans, but relative to the average third-round pick, he has been a smash success.

We shall see. This is not a direct competition, but it may very well be two players competing for one spot.

http://www.fieldgulls.com/2010/8/9/1614399/seahawks-on-the-bubble-offense

 

CARDINALS

Aug 11, 2010 - On Saturday, the Arizona Cardinals will kick off another season of long-awaited desert football. Since head coach Ken Whisenhunt's arrival, the NFL addiction in the Valley has started running rampant and every August, the Red Sea begins to churn in support of the state's now-legit franchise.

This year, the Cards will be facing the Houston Texans at University of Phoenix Stadium. To help ring in the new season, the team announced that the game has sold out and will be shown on local television. For those fans who endured years of black-outs at Sun Devil Stadium, the 44-game streak of sellouts at UoP (which, coincidentally, is every game played there) is a sign of pride.

On paper, Saturday's game is a marquee match-up between arguably the two best wide receivers in the game: Arizona's Larry Fitzgerald and Houston's Andre Johnson. However, given that it's preseason, anxious fans likely won't see a whole lot of those two.

The trade-off between young running backs Beanie Wells and Steve Slaton is also likely to be limited, particularly since Wells may not play after bruising his ribs during Monday's practice.

But the preseason isn't about seeing the team's stars; this time of year is mainly about organizations evaluating their draftees and free agents, implementing some of their basic offensive and defensive schemes, and developing cohesion and camaraderie after an offseason of change.

The Cardinals endured heavy (and well-documented) change, losing core defenders Karlos Dansby and Antrel Rolle, in addition to the trade of long-time Cardinal Anquan Boldin. As the team tries to integrate a number of veteran additions (Joey Porter, Alan Faneca, Kerry Rhodes) and rookies (Dan Williams, Daryl Washington, Andre Roberts), they'll need this time before the regular season to gel.

So far in camp, the defense has looked significantly improved from last year's squad that was shredded by Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees in the playoffs.

Big questions remain, however, particularly at inside linebacker and cornerback. Daryl Washington has looked sharp so far at ILB, but is competing against veteran Paris Lenon for minutes. At the corner, Greg Toler hopes to step into the starting position across from Pro Bowler Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. After a one-year affair with Steelers corner Bryant McFadden didn't pan out, the Cardinals are hoping Toler will improve his game and strengthen the secondary.

First-round draft pick Dan Williams will be competing with Bryan Robinson at nose tackle, but many fans have high hopes that Williams' combination of brute strength and agility will win out and, along with ends Darnell Dockett and Calais Campbell, will make the defensive line one of the best in the league.

Of course, the biggest question the Cardinals face remains at quarterback, after lock-in Hall of Famer Kurt Warner retired, leaving long-time starter-in-waiting Matt Leinart to take over the reins. Coach Whisenhunt has said that, despite Leinart's desire for increased reps in the preseason, he likely won't be given any extra in-game time, leaving much of Saturday's focus on back-up Derek Anderson, and rookie QBs Max Hall and John Skelton.

Undrafted rookie wideout Stephen Williams has been making noise so far in training camp and will make the most of the preseason in hopes of landing a roster spot.

The Texans will also be looking to create some synergy, but they'll be doing it without their top draft pick, cornerback Kareem Jackson, who will be home attending to a death in the family.

Oft-discussed second-year player (and last year's defensive rookie of the year) Brian Cushing may see some significant playing time to make up for his four-game PED-related suspension to start the regular season.

One of the biggest battles in Houston features, oddly enough, ex-Cardinals kicker Neil Rackers, who was picked up this summer to compete with long-time Texan Kris Brown. Brown struggled a lot last year, going 21-for-32 on field goal attempts.

http://arizona.sbnation.com/2010/8/11/1618726/cards-open-up-pre-season-against

 

RAMS

ST. LOUIS — I opened my car door after driving down from Chicago this morning and my sunglasses instantly fogged up.

And as if that didn't worry me about the heat, then there was this: three bolts of lightning from the suddenly ominous sky.

That was enough for Steve Spagnuolo, who started practice outside but had to bring the troops indoors.

"We had a little adjustment we had to make," Spags said. "But the guys responded and had a good practice."

Among those guys — drumroll please — was Sam Bradford. He's the subject of my feature story, which you can read tomorrow elsewhere on this site.

Yes, Sam was impressive again. (Though I am guessing this was not one of his two or three best practices of camp.)

But what interested me today was the rest of this team. Last year's 1-15 season is in the past, but the memory is fresh. And though the roster has seen a good share of turnover, there remain a lot of players from that squad here.

That said, I was impressed with a few things I saw and still have questions about others. Some of it I'll cover in the Bradford story.

But here were a few noticeable plays from practice:

* OT Rodger Saffold is a big kid, but he is a bit squatty and doesn't look like he's built like a left tackle. That is, until you watch him move out there. He comes out of his stance effortlessly and kicks and slides well. He's a natural lefthander, and he has impressed the staff to the point where he's settling on the left side and keeping Jason Smith on the right for now. Safford hasn't been told differently about where he'll play this year, but he'd be happy just getting the chance to play anywhere, he said. Saffold also said he's feeling a little physically drained, but he knows that it's part of training camp. When he has a good practice (and the folks around here who I have talked to were impressed), he has heard encouraging words. He knows that learning the playbook so quickly gave him a huge leg up when it came time to report to camp. "The better that you know the plays, the more you can slow things down," he said. "I am able to understand the basic concepts, but once the concepts start merging into each other, you start knowing what you have to do. It becomes second nature."
* The tight end battle has been "thick" according to Spagnuolo, and I can see why. The Rams have five players vying at that position, and none are established players with a guaranteed roster spot. But there are a few intriguing players, including undrafted rookie Fendi Onobun. Although Onobun was too high in his pass-blocking technique in drills early in practice, allowing fellow rookie, LB Josh Hull get past him, Onobun responded with a nice block on James Laurinaitis the next time he got the chance. Late in practice, Darcy Johnson, whom Spagnuolo was with in New York, made a good catch from Bradford, surprising the Rams' players with his athleticism. On the next series, QB A.J. Feeley hit Daniel Fells, a carryover from last season, with a dart on an in-cut, splitting the safeties for a would-be touchdown.
* DE George Selvie could work himself into a third-down pass-rush role. He shows good technique rushing the passer, but it's clear that the Rams are force-feeding him (and the fellow rookie defensive ends, especially Eugene Sims) work against the run. Selvie could learn to use better leverage, but he might be too good a pass rusher to keep off the field at some point.
* OLB Larry Grant is working with the first team ahead of Bobby Carpenter, but he was stood up by rookie FB Jamie McCoy in pass-blocking drills. But I have heard from people here that Grant typically has shown off his strength well in camp.
* DE Chris Long might be ready for a really nice season. Fans have been down on him because he hasn't sacked the quarterback as much as they had hoped, but that's not really his game. It has been easy for people to point at Long and say that the Rams should have taken Matt Ryan, but I believe that argument will become extinct when they see how good Bradford can be. And it won't hurt if, as I think will happen, Long has a really strong season. He's great against the run and could be a very good anchor on the left side. Remember, this division could be a run-based operation now with Kurt Warner retiring, the Seahawks wanting some more balance and the 49ers getting back to smashmouth football. I expect Long to do well. He had a good practice today from what I saw.
* Hull, who was a bit overshadowed at Penn State, showed up a few times in pass-rush drills. I want to see him in a game.
* DT Fred Robbins is a good football player. He's one of those guys whom I predicted the end for several times in New York, but he might be a nice addition for this team. Robbins ... I don't want to call him an overachiever, but that's what he is in my mind. He actually has a lot of ability, but for some dumb reason I am always late to recognize it. Good player. He took down backup RB Chris Ogbonnaya behind the line of scrimmage in team drills. If practice had been held outside, it would have been live, and Robbins would have buried him.
* Ah yes, Bradford. He's the future star of this team, but right now he's just trying to earn a starting job. He's pretty humble, but you need to watch the way this kid hums the ball in practice. He can really throw it well. It comes out cleanly, he throws with confidence and can change arm angles and get rid of the ball off balance well. He still has some things to clean up, of course. But there's a lot to like, even after what I would call a good but not great practice for him today.

http://www.profootballweekly.com/blogs/2010/08/10/bradford-takes-center-stage-at-rams-camp-but-other

 

CARDINALS

What I Liked
1. No Injuries - Always #1 positive outcome of a preseason game.. always.

2. Daryl Washington - 13 tackles and a fumble recovery in first NFL action... enough said.

3. John Skelton -Thinking we shouldn't get ahead of ourselves with this guy, but he was mighty impressive.

4. Entertaining game -Above all else, outside of no injuries, I just want there to be entertaining games in the preseason. A win is nice, but doesn't really matter, just glad we got some excitement out of the game after a slow start.

5. Greg Toler -He's got to prove it this preseason.. so far, so good.

6. Adrian Wilson - Could easily just shut this guy down until week 1.. he's ready!

7. Beanie Wells - Excited to see him this preseason and if a full preseason helps him start the year strong. He looked better and better as game went on.

8. Matt Leinart - Minor hit for me.. no big mistakes and 6/7 throwing the ball. Him having a horrible game would have been very, very bad - so I'll take that performance as the starting point.

9. Stephen Williams - My initial thoughts on him were 'red zone threat', so excited to see Whiz thinking the same way with the 2-point conversion attempts, and Williams made a couple of plays.

10. Cody Brown & Pago Togafau -Brown made a few plays in his first game back, and heard Togafau's name called a lot much like last preseason - hope he sticks on the roster.

11. Tight Ends -Considering how non-existent the position has been the past two years, it was nice to see Spach and Dray make a couple of plays. Hope to see even more once Patrick gets healthy.

12. Marshay Green -His special teams play caught my eye, as we are going to need people to step up for Morey being gone. Don't recall anything too bad out of him in coverage either.

Things I Didn't Like
1. Trumaine McBride & Justin Miller -Wasn't a fan of either signing, and neither guy did much to change my mind. If we have to rely on either of these guys, I don't like our chances. Miller could stick from a special teams perspective (he had a good KO return), but was happy that Toler outplayed these guys and still wouldn't mind these guys ending up gone in favor of the younger guys or a cut veteran.

2. Starting O-Line -No need to panic yet with so much change from last year, but was not pretty. Hopefully Keith getting taken behind the woodshed by Williams is nothing more than a short-term learning experience.

3. Derek Anderson -Still don't think there's any way he doesn't end up the #2 QB, but he didn't play well and Skelton did.

4. Andre Roberts -Just don't see this guy as a weapon in the passing game until he works on his catching. His impact will come as a punt returner, and he didn't even attempt a punt return. Hope to see improvement through the preseason.

5. Tim Hightower -Minor miss from me, but considering he is being pushed by Beanie (who had a good game), I don't recall much production out of him.

6. DD/DW/CC -This is very nit picky, but was hoping to see at least one highlight reel play from one of these guys (like we saw from Super Mario)... especially Dockett, after the camp he's had so far. Hoping as the preseason progresses we see some flashes that these guys will be as dominant as we hope they will be.

7. Boo'ing Rackers -Personal opinion, but even though he missed a few big kicks, he was always one of my favorites and is as tough as they come at that position. Didn't think he deserved to get boo'd out of the building. I know others disagree.

8. Stephon Johnson of Titans injured -Not even in our game, but I am very bummed that he had a serious leg injury tonight in his first preseason game after coming back from that freak weight lifting injury at USC. Hope he gets a chance next preseason! Also makes me all the more thankful of the #1 good thing on my list above!!

http://forums.azcardinals.com/showthread.php?t=50627

 

RAMS

Our Rams looked horrible. It hurt to see Sam Bradford go down as many times as he did against the Vikings 2nd team defense. Jason Smith needs to get his a** in gear and play like a 2nd overall draft pick. He needs to get over that toe injury and man the LT position for years to come on this team. He is suppose to be a force. Roger Saffold wasn't so bad and i say that because he is a rookie but he needs to get put at RT for good because Jason Smith can't handle the job at RT. Seems like Sam and Laurent Robinson have some chemistry already but thoseWR's still needs to learn how to get separation from the opposing CB's. I can see this team trying to move Jason Brown to RG and starting Hank Fraley at C this season because of the injuries along the OL and especially if John Greco can't man the RG position. Losing Mark Setterstorm really hurts. He mos def would have been starter at RG and Jacob Bell at LG. I really wish Jacob Bell will stop being injury prone and the team go ahead and sign Arron Sears, Shawn Andrews, or at least add a veteran that can contribute as a starter or first off the bench for depth through a trade or roster cuts. Too many young players on the team along the OL w/o game experience and no one to show them how to get better at the position they play. It's just not enough talent along the OL as far as depth goes. Chris Ogbonnaya is really a #3 RB. He doesn't seem to have good vision. The WR's need to start separating themselves asap. I can't blame the WR's too much for anything because the OL didn't play well. I like Thaddeus Lewis though. He has a nice skill set for the position. He has a nice touch and very nimble feet.

The defense, well, needs one more player along the DL to play DT and add to the rotation and I like James Hall but this team needs another who can bring it as a pass rusher. The run defense was lovely eventhough Adrian Peterson didn't play. George Selvie still has shown me he can contribute early as the 3rd DE on passing downs but he needs to toughen up against the run a lil more. Hall Davis looked lost. I will say that Victor Adeyanju looks stout against the run but doesn't show alot of pass rushing skills. Clifton Ryan looks faster and made some nice plays. Jermelle Cudjo, this kid was in on alot of plays but he is still an unknown player to me because I seen him in on alot of the tail end of plays too as well as getting pressure on the QB a couple times. He may be a nice find for depth. I'm a td bit pissed that the Rams didn't get with the 49ers to ask what they wanted for Kentwan Balmer. He would have been a nice guy to add at DT because he can also bring some pass rush skills and is pretty decent against the run. Spags could coach him up to play better than he has with the 49ers. Larry Grant has really impressed me guys. This guy was everywhere, tipping passes, stopping the run, and most definitely was a standout on ST. He put a huge hit on the PR for the Vikings. I didn't hear Bobby Carpenter name much at all but he needs to step it up and at least be the first guy off the bench for depth or at least keep pushing for a starting spot with Grant. The secondary, I can't really complain about those guys at all because the main players who will mos def make the team and get the playing time were hurt. Ronald Bartell, Bradley Fletcher, Justin King, and James Butler. The backup safeties need to play better though. Carig Dahl played ok and Kevin Payne needed to be at SS and not FS because he has a knack for making the big hit and bringing the pain against the run. I see alot of the reserves on the team getting cut real soon because the played poorly. With Kevin Dockery, Jerome Murphy, and Justin King...the CB depth should be ok eventhough it can be better if the right guy becomes available after roster cuts.

The ST is the strength of this team. Those guys were outstanding. Danny Amendola is a special type of player. He reminds me of Tony Horne with his ability to break through and finds holes in the return game. He should be a lock on the team.

http://www.cbssports.com/mcc/messages/chrono/23898097

 

49ERS

The 49ers answered some questions Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts. Some things were left open, too. On top of that, more questions were thought up as well. The least of which isn't "Glen Coffee who?" If you missed it, 49ers rookie running back Anthony Dixon ran hard for a good portion of the game.

The rookie showed good patience, reliable hands and a very tough running style and against the rest of the back-ups, he looked like a starter. With Glen Coffee retiring, Michael Robinson was the primary backup to Frank Gore - but Dixon stepped it up big time with 100 yards rushing with the bulk of the carries. He'll surely get plenty of looks next week as well.

Quarterback Alex Smith struggled against the Colts' starting defense. He only threw for 37 yards, with no touchdowns and an interception. One could say that the interception wasn't his fault - but then again, one could argue that he shouldn't have thrown into that coverage, regardless of whether or not it hit the receiver in the hands.

When asked how it felt to play again, Smith said, "To tell you the truth, I felt really good. I felt like I saw things well, was moving well, just a matter of putting things together, I think that showed, finishing plays."

When asked about things he can improve upon, "Ball security is number one, the fumble on the first play and then having a pick. Then just moving the chains. I don't think you need to set any standards as far as things to go, but I think you want to look sharp out here. You want to be crisp, you want to make good decisions, see things well. As a team, as a whole, I think everybody needs to do that and move the ball a little bit."

David Carr fared better against second stringers, and Nate Davis was almost perfect in his throws. On the other side of that, Peyton Manning for the Colts was solid as always, but couldn't score any points on the 49ers starting defense, which was pulled after one series. He did march the team down the field against the second team on the Colts next possession, however.

Backup Curtis Painter was something else, though. Colts fans have to be wondering where to go from here because if Manning goes down in the regular season, it will be hard to hand the keys to that offense over to a guy as mistake-prone as him.

Taking over first team reps for injured center Eric Heitmann was David Baas, who didn't seem to have a bad snap and blocked well enough. When asked how it felt to play a game again he said: "It felt pretty good. I thought I was making the calls well and we were on the same page for the most part..."

On the defensive side of the ball, the 49ers gave up some plays. Nate Clements didn't look as sharp out there, but he did show good recovery and got back to the ball once positive yardage was being worked towards. Ricky Jean Francois got the majority of snaps at nose and defensive tackle and seemed to play well. Dashon Goldson deserves an honorable mention for starting strong.

Shining on defense was CB Reggie Smith, who had a 90+ yard pick six early on in the game, and two clutch tackles beyond that. He also broke up what would have been a touchdown reception. When asked which one excited him more, the touchdown breakup or the pick six, he responded, "Probably the return for a touchdown. I've never scored in the NFL, so it felt good to get that first one under my belt."

The other bright spot on the 49ers was Diyral Briggs, the second year undrafted linebacker out of Bowling Green. Briggs looked a lot bigger, clearly having packed on muscle. He was in on some key tackles and had an interception - which was then fumbled, but a good effort nonetheless. He's making a big push to make the final roster.

Moving on to the 49ers offensive line. Rookie Mike Iupati rarely had his name called except while making a key block to pave the way for RB Michael Robinson to get a score, and that's fine with most fans. His name not being mentioned meant that he was doing his job right. Unfortunately, the other rookie offensive lineman, Anthony Davis, showed some significant growing pains.

Davis excelled in the run game but was beaten more than once in pass protection. It's something the 49ers have to have expected though, he's very young and was viewed as a raw player from the get-go. Still, nothing game-changing was given up, so he retains his role for now.

The 49ers starting defense stopped the colts starting offense, and vice versa. Once the backups starting coming in, it was the Niners dominating on defense and offense alike. The team even boasted a credible return game, with rookie WR Kyle Williams looking poised to explode for big returns each time he was there returning them.

The receivers battling for the potential final wide receiver position didn't do a ton to distinguish themselves, but with Dominique Zeigler and Jason Hill both making good special teams tackles, it came down to who was more consistent - and that was Zeigler, with Hill dropping a potential big gainer.

Next the 49ers go back to Candlestick to host the Vikings for their second preseason game

http://bayarea.sbnation.com/2010/8/14/1623377/nfl-preseason-49ers-at-colts-san-francisco-preview

 

SEAHAWKS

Big Winners

Charlie Whitehurst: Wins on two fronts: poise in the pocket, confident reads and confidence in the system. Loses his tail: Losman looks terrible.

Kevin Vickerson: Big man, big power and flashed Mebane-quick first step.

Quinton Ganther: Chewed carries and proved versatility. Hard to see him excluded from the final 53.


Winners

Josh Wilson: Big picture: a pick in the preseason means little. Game specific: pretty pick achieved through great coverage and better timing; big plays will help him win starting left cornerback position.

Cameron Morrah: Wasn't great, but for a toolsy tight end, showing ability during game action is an achievement.

Mike Williams: Loved the block. Loved the redirect on the touchdown run.


Undetermined

Matt Hasselbeck: Bates regular use of slants is a boon, but Hasselbeck looked as shaky as ever. Mid-range zip may be gone.

Kam Chancellor: Pick was a gimme. Fill fill fill -- as a run stuffer, but that's not surprising. Still must prove coverage ability.

Chris Clemons: Nice sack. Active. Question wasn't whether a situational pass rusher turned starter can rush the passer, but whether he can survive the run game and stay healthy while doing it. It still is.


Losers

Seahawks interior offensive line: I can't pick it apart yet, but pressure was streaming from the interior and with regularity.

Julius Jones: No proof that he can succeed in base offense.

Golden Tate: Jitters, yes, but a bad game is a bad game.


Big Losers

Sean Locklear: Abused and regularly.

Ricky Foley: Can't be a fringe player and disappeared so easily. Saw Foley attempt the edge and get swallowed up multiple times.

J.P. Losman: Throwing off back foot. No read. Kill the receiver shots underneath. Too old and too experienced to show this poorly.

http://www.fieldgulls.com/2010/8/14/1623817/postgame-seahawks-20-titans-18

 

49ERS

The 49ers first-team offense seemed to struggle in a blitz-pickup period near the start of Wednesday morning’s training camp session. Alex Smith grew tired of it and made sure to do something about it.

At the conclusion of the period, the 49ers starting quarterback signaled to the entire offense to huddle up and take heed to his instructions.

“We were definitely flat to start the day. We weren’t competitive enough and we weren’t getting it done,” Smith said. “I just brought them all up and said we have to have pride in what we’re doing.”

Smith wasn’t placing all the blame on his teammates though, he held himself accountable as well. His interception to Patrick Willis on the opening play of the period wasn’t up to his standards. The turnover led off a sluggish period which saw many blitzing defenders find their way to Smith in the backfield.

And while Smith wasn’t sure if the monotony of camp had gotten to him and his teammates, he made sure to passionately voice his concerns to the entire group.

“I told them you have to have some pride in what you’re doing out here. You can’t just try to endure this; you have to take advantage of every single day.”

Smith and the offense responded on the very first play of the ensuing 7-on-7 period, by way of a 20-yard completion to Ted Ginn Jr. Two plays later, Smith found tight end Delanie Walker running open down the right hash-marks for a deep touchdown pass.

Smith’s momentum from the successful 7-on-7 work carried over into the remaining team and red zone periods, with Smith completing passes all over the field. His teammates also responded favorably to the plea from their quarterback and practiced with greater tempo for the rest of the morning session.

“I like the way he did that,” Pro Bowl tight end Vernon Davis said of Smith’s motivational speech. “He told us we needed to pick things up and after that I definitely think guys picked it up more.”

However, Davis personally was not able to respond to Smith’s challenge. He was held out of practice for the second consecutive day due to a knee injury suffered against the Colts last Sunday.

Not being able to work with his teammates has been difficult for Davis, but he’s doing anything and everything to stay in the game. Whether it’s catching passes during special teams periods, riding a stationary bike on the side or taking mental reps in team periods, Davis is staying prepared and he’s itching to get back on the field soon.

“It’s frustrating. I hate when I’m not on the field, but I’ll get back out there as soon as I can,” he said. “I’m doing what I can on the side, just doing everything I can, being a professional."

Davis’ absence coupled with wide receiver Michael Crabtree missing the last week with a neck injury has been tough on the 49ers offensive growth.

“It’s always a constant changing deal for the quarterback and at some point; the unit needs to be together and practicing together,” offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye said. “It’s been hit or miss with the injuries, but you kind of expect that in training camp.”

With injury comes opportunity and perhaps no player has taken advantage of more practice snaps than 6-foot-3, 186-pound wide receiver Dominique Zeigler, who Raye described as having an “outstanding” camp so far.

Raye said he saw the same play-making ability from Zeigler last year at this time, but an ankle injury suffered against the Chargers in the preseason finale hampered his chances of making the 53-man roster. Smith added praise too, citing Zeigler’s strong hands giving the quarterback’s confidence to throw the ball his way.

Zeigler was appreciative of the kind words from his coordinator and quarterback, but he won’t let it derail his focus, which is purely on making the final 53-man roster. Since Zeigler joined the 49ers as an undrafted rookie in 2007, he’s worked hard to climb up the 49ers depth chart.

Since then, Zeigler’s mindset hasn’t change. He still approaches each practice the way he did in 2007.

“I came in as a free agent and if you don’t take pride in what you’re doing, you won’t be around here for a long time,” he said. “I don’t have any opportunities to mess up. I just try and make the plays, if the ball comes my way; I need to come down with it.”

Notes and Quotes

New 49ers running back Brian Westbrook took part in team drills for the first time with the 49ers and saw minimal action on the day, including a handful of carries during 9-on-7 work and a couple of receptions during the 7-on-7 and team periods. Asked how he would tailor his offense to Westbrook, Raye responded, “I can’t get so enamored with trying to get something done for Brian Westbrook that it doesn’t allow us, to allow the offensive line guys, to develop so that we can stand up and play upright.” Raye added that it’s not determined if Westbrook will play this Sunday in the 49ers preseason home opener against Minnesota.

The best play of the morning practice was the final play of the first 7-on-7 period in which Nate Davis fired a 40-yard deep ball down the left sideline to wide receiver Ginn who out-jumped rookie safety Chris Maragos for the ball.

In the final period of the day, 11-on-11 red zone work, Smith was intercepted after his pass was tipped at the line of scrimmage and wound up in the arms of cornerback Nate Clements. It was Clements’ third interception of camp tying him with safety Dashon Goldson for the most on the team.

Linebacker Matt Wilhelm picked off a deep crossing route of Carr’s intended for wide receiver Jason Hill in the back of the end zone. The eight-year pro showed great awareness on the play by falling to a knee in the end zone to give the defense a touchback. It was Wilhelm’s second interception of training camp, the most by any linebacker on the roster.

http://www.49ers.com/news-and-event...hallenge/45a94980-1c6a-4405-b809-0ce3107d914a

 

RAMS

Fortune smiled on the St. Louis Rams yesterday, as injured players returned to practice. Spanguolo's crew rewarded the fates with a spirited practice. Let's jump in...

All eyes might have been on the offensive line, but the receivers put on their own show yesterday. Lots of highlight reel catches, and not just because of highlight reel throws from Sam Bradford. The tight ends, including Daniel Fells, who was hardly noticeable in Saturday's game, and rookie Fendi Onobun got in on the action too.

Receiver Jordan Kent worked on his kicking skills as well as his receiving skills in what is turning into a tough position for the coaches to make final roster decisions as they cut down from 10 to 5 or 6 players.

S David Roach was cut in favor of rookie S Brett Johnson. Johnson might make an impact on special teams this year, where he spent significant time at Cal before getting more starting work as a junior and senior. He's pure raw athleticism at this point, per this report at Buffalo Rumblings:

Despite his uphill climb, Johnson's tremendous athleticism - we're talking 4.3-second 40-yard dash, 42.5-inch vertical jump and 10'9" broad jump athleticism - makes him one of the team's most intriguing UDFA signings this year. But he's definitely more athlete than football player at this point in time.

Larry Grant gets some much deserved ink for his inspired play. With David Vobora as the Rams 4th LB, the Rams look like they have a pretty strong crew at that position.

Finally, check out Fred Robbins official website. His first blog post talks about the impression the young guys like DE George Selvie are making.

http://www.turfshowtimes.com/2010/8/18/1629316/random-ramsdom-8-18-receivers

Written by Fred Robbins | August 17, 2010

I’m definitely starting to get in the swing of things here. It’s much quieter than New York, a lot more laid back like when I was in Minnesota. There’s a lot less media and a lot less city life. I love it. New York was cool, I had some good times there, but this is a nice change of pace and I feel good where I am right now.

Being in New York, you get used to the media attention after a while. You come to expect more hype around everything. Anything that happens, positive or negative, gets blown up because of the media attention. Around here, something real drastic has to go on for the media to jump on it.

We had our first preseason game and it shows we have a long way to go. We did some good things, we did some bad things but they are easily correctible. We have three more preseason games to clean up a few wrinkles and we should be good to go.

The Rams are definitely going to win games, that’s why I came here. The first goal is to go out there and compete and play hard each and every week, develop consistency as a team. Right now we’re not where we want to be and we have to work on it every day. This is a good young team with solid players, but sometimes young guys need to learn how important it is to work consistently.

The young guys on the D-line ask me a lot of questions and I try to help them with answers from my perspective. These guys have worked hard all off-season, they’ve put in the work and everyone is dedicated to improving on where we finished last year. As long as guys are willing to come in and do the work week after week, things are going to get better and we’re going to have fun.

George Selvie is a guy we drafted and he’s really stood out on the D-line. He has a few wrinkles to iron out but he gets better every day. He has a great work ethic and asks questions when we’re watching film or out on the field during practice. A lot of times young guys come in with raw talent and raw ability but I can point them in the right direction technique wise, running the defense and things of that nature.

http://www.fredrobbins98.com/blog.html

 

SEAHAWKS

The Seahawks traded defensive end Lawrence Jackson to Detroit, the team announced.

That is a very surprising turn of events for a player who was a first-round draft choice in 2008.
Jackson had returned to practice on Tuesday after missing the more than a week because of a hamstring injury. Coach Pete Carroll said Monday Jackson would be playing the Leo position, which is the right defensive end and a pass-rushing specialist.

Jackson was asked after practice Tuesday if that was a role that suited him.

"I can play it," Jackson said. "It's not a problem, but obviously you see the size difference between me and the other guys that are in there. I can do some things differently than they can. I just have to put all my tools together and make it work for me."

It was apparent that Jackson may not fit in the team's plans, and now that's obvious. He has been traded by his college coach to Detroit for an undisclosed draft pick.
Reached by phone, Jackson said he was told of the trade earlier this morning after attending meetings.

"Professionally, I think it's pretty exciting considering what the opportunities could be to play in a traditional 4-3 scheme and utilize the strengths that I have as a football player," he said.

Asked if there was any disappointment.

"No, I love Seattle. I'm going to keep my home here," he said. "This is a place where I wanted to be after football if I didn't get drafted. It just sucks to kind of temporarily be uprooted. I love the city, I love the food, the fans, the people, but professionally, I feel like [this is] a better opportunity."

Jackson said that he spoke with Carroll earlier in training camp when the coach outlined plans to move Jackson to the Leo position, which is the right end pass-rush specialist. That was the spot Jackson played his first year at USC before moving to the strongside.

Jackson said he told Carroll he didn't really see it and thought he was caught in between positions. Jackson said when Carroll spoke to him today, the coach conceded that Jackson may have saw that lack of a good fit better than he did.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/seahawksblog/2012657924_lawrence_jackso_3.html

The Seahawks added a familiar face to the roster to replace Lawrence Jackson, who was traded to Detroit for a sixth-round pick (yes, it was a sixth-round pick).

Seattle signed Amon Gordon, who played at Mariner High School before transferring away for his senior year of high school. He left in 1999, and said that no, in fact, he hasn't lived up in the Northwest since then.

Gordon weighs more than 300 pounds, and while he didn't specify which position, he's going to play, it's going to be a defensive lineman and a big one.

Gordon has appeared in regular-season games with four different NFL teams from 2004 to 2008. Most recently, he was with the New England Patriots, who signed him in April 2010 and released him in June.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/seahawksblog/2012662517_camp_carroll_we_1.html

Three things we learned

1. The Seahawks had more than just a hope Charlie Whitehurst would be a successful quarterback. Seattle believed it, which is why the Seahawks moved down 20 spots in the second round of last April's draft and give up next year's third-round pick for the privilege of paying. So did Whitehurst's 214-yard, two-touchdown performance constituted a huge step forward?

"I think it is for you guys," coach Pete Carroll said, motioning to the room of reporters. "We really thought we saw enough of Charlie to make a really good evaluation ... Charlie's going to really help us. Nothing he's done has told us anything but that."

2. There is something to that optimism over Red Bryant's moved from defensive tackle to defensive end, and it might not be one of those offseason storylines promptly forgotten once games begin to count. Largely an afterthought his first two years at defensive tackle, Bryant is now playing the run-stopping defensive end in Seattle's scheme -- referred to as the five-technique -- and he showed an ability to penetrate the backfield and disrupt Tennessee's ground game. It looks like Seattle really may have found something with Bryant's move.

3. Cornerback Josh Wilson isn't ready to relinquish a starting job. He became a backup last season after the Seahawks signed Ken Lucas only to earn it back. And when training camp opened, Kelly Jennings was working with the first-unit defense. Well, Wilson not only started Saturday's game, but he made a heck of a play to drive on a ball and pick off Vince Young in the first quarter.

Three things we don't know

1. Was that an actual sack we saw Saturday? There were two of them actually, but you're forgiven if you didn't quite recognize what happened when defensive end Chris Clemons beat two blockers and tackled Chris Simms for a 13-yard loss on Tennessee's third possession. That's a sack, and Seattle only had two of them over the final five games combined. Well, Clemons had one sack, rookie Dexter Davis had another. Was it an exhibition mirage or is Seattle getting traction in its attempt to chase the quarterback?

2) Where are the Seahawks going to find the depth for their offensive line? The back-up center is Ben Hamilton, better known as the starting left guard. The back-up left tackle was Mansfield Wrotto, who was a guard until this season. The back-up right tackle to Sean Locklear was Joe Toledo because Ray Willis did not play. With Chester Pitts still not cleared to practice, the Seahawks have some work to do to fill out the roster.

3. Is Seattle's pass defense improved? Sure, the Seahawks intercepted two passes, but they also allowed Young to complete all four passes he attempted on Tennessee's first possession, accounting for 70 of the 79 yards on the touchdown drive.

III Three things Seattle has to figure out

1. How to put Golden Tate in position to make a difference. He has been a tantalizing talent throughout training camp, but he was pretty close to invisible Saturday night. He dropped one pass on a quick slant, caught two more for a grand total of 5 yards and returned one punt for 8 yards. Seattle needs to find ways of getting Tate the ball in space, and Tate must focus on improving his route running.

2. How exactly to jumpstart a running game that operates at more of a crawl. Julius Jones carried five times in the first quarter, gaining 13yards, and for all those yelling for Justin Forsett, well, he came in and gained all of 17 yards on seven carries though he also had a 30-yard reception.

3. Is linebacker Aaron Curry going to make a great leap forward? Granted, he missed more than a week with a concussion, but the linebacker as many penalties as tackles with one of each. Curry is an agitator, but his 15-yard personal-foul penalty on a first-quarter point-after try was his most noteworthy play Saturday night.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/ht...tlelearnedsaturdaynight.html?prmid=obinsource

 

CARDINALS

First off, I'd like to thank Andrew for promoting me so I could help out here. Now, as for this article, since we haven't posted one of these in a while I'll go over what is going on this week, and I'll also include some stuff from the last week and a half for everyone who doesn't go around looking up all the updates from Camp.

- Updates from this week.

After his injury in the first Preseason game against the Texans, Larry Fitzgerald has been sidelined and he is wearing a brace on his knee. He should be fine, this is just a precaution. He was able to play Basketball with Kurt Warner a couple of days ago, so I'm not too worried.

Safety's Aaron Rouse and Rashad Johnson were both injured in a car accident on the way to Flagstaff. One of the cars in front of them blew a tire causing the accident. Johnson is fine, but Rouse sat out from the accident.

The rehab of Gerald Hayes is going well, there is a chance that he could be back in time for the first Regular Season game.

Coach Whiz said that Alan Faneca is improving in pass protection in response to people who are saying that he has lost a step.

Matt Leinart has been throwing some nice deep passes in camp. During the last two days he threw a beautiful 45 yard pass to Steve Breaston for a Touchdown, he also had a 42 yard pass to our favorite UDFA Steve Williams that was caught in the endzone but Trumaine McBride said he had a foot out of bounds. He did get picked off a couple of times, and there have also been some nice pass breakups by people like Greg Toler and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.

According to Urban, there have been some fumbles in practice. Gotta get that fixed.

Leinart apologized for not showing up to the press conference. I don't think this is such a big deal, and now he knows that he has to be there. I believe Leinart when he said that he thought someone was going to tell him to come if he had to be there, and now he knows he does need to be there. Its been a while since he has done that, I don't see a problem with it.

Injury List: Ed Gant [foot], Early Doucet [abdominal], Ben Patrick [knee], Reggie Walker [hamstring, although Urban said Walker looked good jogging around on the sideline], Gerald Hayes [back, PUP], O'Brien Schofield [knee, PUP], Aaron Rouse [neck].

Star-divide

- August 9th - 13th, August 7th [Red White Scrimmage]. August 6th..

Beanie Wells had a rib injury after being hit by Safety Hamza Abdullah, but as we all know he is fine now. He practiced a couple days after it happened.

Trumanine McBride has been impressing the coaches.

Joey Porter tried out the garbage can drill with Leinart, and he got one of his 20 passes into the can.

Cody Brown has been stepping up in practice.

Gabe Watson has been the biggest surprise in camp according to Coach Whiz, he has gotten into better shape and he has been playing well. 1st round draft pick Dan Williams has also been having a hard time dealing with the altitude but Whiz likes his work ethic a lot.

Leinart described Stephen Williams as a "Playmaker". He also described backup QB Derek Anderson's personality as "ADD".

Ben Patrick's knee is healing up well.

Paris Lenon has played well, and he has shown some veteran leadership skills.

John Skelton threw two consecutive picks in Practice. There was some sarcastic cheering when he completed a pass after that. Most people also believe that Max Hall has outplayed Skelton in camp, and if he can play as well as Skelton did last Saturday the Cardinals might be keeping 4 Quarterbacks.

The offense struggled in the scrimmage, and Anderson was the only QB to lead the offense to a Touchdown. Leinart did run the ball for a Touchdown but a holding penalty took the score away. There were also several interceptions, and the backs were stuffed on the goal line.

One of the ball boys Dustin Stover was hit in the crotch by a pass from Skelton where he was trying to hit the crossbars. Stover was okay, everything is good between him and Skelton.

Coach Whiz is happy with how physical practice has been. Everyone is getting a little chippy, and as long as the little fights between players don't result in injuries he is okay with it.

http://www.revengeofthebirds.com/2010/8/17/1628767/arizona-cardinals-training-camp#storyjump

 

RAMS

Have the St. Louis Rams made an offer to former Missouri WR Danario Alexander?

UPDATE: The answer is yes, the Rams have signed Danario Alexander. Essentially swapping him out for last year's 5th round pick Brooks Foster. As I said earlier, it's a good move for the Rams to add some real potential to a group of young receivers, few of whom played well against the Browns this week. The only risk here is his health. Now, about that running back...

As reported here last night by Tevin, Alexander said he was "STL bound." The question remains as to whether or not he's headed to the Gateway City to join the Rams or maybe just to have some toasted ravioli. Given the nature of his tweets, I suspect he'll join the Rams.

That's good news for a team whose wide receiver competition hasn't been much to talk about beyond the first few roster spots. Alexander, who couldn't pass a physical at draft time thanks to another knee surgery (he's had four), has been back up to speed, running a 4.4 at his "pro day" last month.

What does Alexander bring that the Rams need? He has a real ability to separate himself, both physically and with his speed, which can turn a catch into a big play. That's something the Rams really lack in their receivers, beyond the first few guys on the depth chart. He's good on a screen pass too, according to scouting reports, which would be a huge help for the Rams.

He'll have to add some bulk to his frame with the goal being to help prevent injury, a la Donnie Avery this year. He plays a physical style and can block, which is an asset, but as we've seen with other physical receivers the injury risk goes up with those guys, see Burton, Keenan.

If the Rams do sign him/have signed him, he's still not a sure thing to make the final cut. However, he does make the picture at wide receiver much more interesting. I hope that the Rams have added him to the mix.

For more on why the Rams should sign Alexander, check out this post from Rams Herd.

http://www.turfshowtimes.com/2010/8/22/1636065/have-the-rams-added-wr-danario


Quarterback A.J. Feeley and the first-team offense made it look easy - very easy - on the opening drive Saturday night in Cleveland.

But moving the football was a big-time struggle the rest of the night for St. Louis, particularly for No. 1 overall draft pick Sam Bradford. Aided by a couple of Cleveland turnovers, the Rams jumped to a 13-0 first-quarter lead but then needed a couple of late field goals by Josh Brown to rally for a 19-17 exhibition victory.

Bolstered by the preseason debut of Steven Jackson in the backfield, Feeley was sharp before leaving with thumb and elbow injuries on his throwing arm after the first series. Feeley completed five of six passes for 45 yards, including a 9-yard TD pass to tight end Daniel Fells.

"On the first drive, I liked the tempo," Feeley said. "I wanted to finish the first quarter, but with the injury, I couldn't. I think we're getting better, which is what you want to do in the preseason. We hope to build on that and continue to improve."

Feeley was injured on the fifth play of the drive, on a play in which he was hit by inside linebacker Chris Gocong. Nonetheless, Feeley completed a 7-yard pass to Danny Amendola on the play, converting a third-and-2 situation in the process. Feeley finished the drive before giving way to Bradford.

X-rays of the elbow and the arm were negative, but both areas were wrapped after the game when Feeley spoke to reporters.

"A guy came through free in the middle," Feeley said. "I just took a helmet in the elbow as I was extending to throw the football."

Even though the Rams have a quick turnaround - they play their third preseason game Thursday at New England - Feeley sounded optimistic about his chances of playing.

"There's a little soreness, but I'm good," Feeley said. "Get a little treatment and should be ready to go by next week. Definitely."

Once Feeley left the game, the Rams got nothing generated offensively for the rest of the half, and much of the second. In six series before halftime with Bradford at quarterback, the Rams managed only one first down. And that came as a result of a pass interference penalty against Browns cornerback Eric Wright on third and 8. All told, the Rams gained 28 yards on 20 plays the rest of the half with Bradford at QB.

Bradford completed six of 12 passes in the opening half for 24 yards. Although hurried occasionally, at least he wasn't sacked and was hit only once as the pass protection showed major improvement from a week ago.

Bradford's first pass, intended for Donnie Avery, was almost intercepted by Wright. Playing in a steady rain at the outset, Bradford threw a couple of wobblers. One came on a fade pattern to Laurent Robinson in the end zone that was knocked away by Sheldon Brown. Later in the quarter, Bradford threw another floater to tight end Fendi Onobun in the end zone. That one was close to being a pass interference call on safety T.J. Ward, but was ruled incomplete.

The Rams had great field position on both of those drives thanks to takeaways. New Rams defensive tackle Fred Robbins fell on a botched center exchange by Cleveland quarterback Jake Delhomme on the Browns' 23. That led to the first of Brown's two field goals in the opening quarter.

Later in the opening quarter, Cleveland's Joshua Cribbs fumbled on a punt return. Larry Grant forced the fumble for St. Louis, with long snapper Chris Massey recovering on the Cleveland 21. That set up the next Brown field goal, giving the Rams a 13-0 lead with 1:35 left in the first quarter.

It was more of the same for Bradford to open the second half. The Rams went three-and-out, with Bradford's first-down pass getting deflected off target. After a 2-yard run by Kenneth Darby, Bradford threw incomplete to rookie Mardy Gilyard on third down. That made it a six-for-14 passing night for Bradford, who then gave way to Keith Null.

Although he came close to connecting on a couple of TDs and had a couple passes dropped, Bradford wasn't pleased.

"It's not good enough in this league to be in the right place," Bradford said. "You've got to be able to get completions, and that's something I have to get better at."

Null didn't fare much better, at least not initially. But he did finally give the Rams their first first down since the opening quarter when he completed a 25-yard pass to rookie tight end Michael Hoomanawaui early in the fourth quarter. That set up another Brown field goal, narrowing Cleveland's lead to 17-16. Next came Brown's fourth field goal of the night, with 3:33 to play, which provided the winning points for St. Louis.

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_19e9bb50-1ec4-5e52-9f5b-bcff86eec7d8.html

CLEVELAND • There were a little more than 30 minutes to go before the start of Saturday evening's football game, and over in the far corner of the eastern end zone of Cleveland Browns Stadium, the Rams' offensive linemen were already engaged in brutal hand-to-hand combat.

It wasn't quite top speed, but make no mistake, this was serious business. One by one, every one of the starting O-linemen were getting two and three consecutive one-on-one confrontations against their starting defensive line teammates. It was nothing but pure mano-a-mano, smash-mouth duels. Lots of violent bull rushing and head banging, just the sort of pregame ritual needed to get the mind and the body into a frothing, high-energy rush.

After a week of hearing just how badly out of sorts they looked in last weekend's preseason disaster against the Minnesota Vikings, in which the starting unit allowed starting quarterback A.J. Feeley and high-priced, first-round draft pick Sam Bradford to be rag-dolled all over the Edward Jones Dome, the starting offensive linemen understood the urgency of the moment in Saturday night's second preseason contest with the Cleveland Browns.

A week ago, they looked like total strangers as they experienced one pass protection breakdown after another, then spent the last six days hearing about it.

Saturday night — even in the steadily pouring rain — there was a marked difference in both attitude and production out of the O-line. For the better part of the first half, they did a credible job of keeping unreasonable pressure off Feeley (one series) and Bradford (six series). And while the offense pretty much stalled when the rookie came in (two field goals on a short field), it had as much to do with the absence of Steven Jackson in the backfield as any glaring rookie miscues.

So consider this the first sign of progress for the woebegone Rams as they begin their daunting climb out of the NFL basement.

You don't spend much time looking at the final score in a preseason game, particularly since the starting offense and defense are long gone after the first half. But the Rams' first units on offense and defense pretty much won their first-half battles against the Browns' first units, scoring a touchdown on Feeley's only drive, and getting two field goals on Bradford's first two possessions, while the defense pitched a shutout for an early 13-0 lead.

Better yet, that one opening drive with Jackson in the game showed how critical he is to whatever success this offense will have. With the hard-running Pro Bowl star in the backfield, the Browns defense was forced to constantly consider his presence. On first down, when they loaded up the box to contain Jackson, Feeley calmly threw the ball to tight end Billy Bajema for a 16-yard gain. On the next play, with the defense spread out, Jackson banged through the line for an 11-yard gain. In fact, whenever the Browns were stacking the box, Feeley found a receiver open. Whenever he spread the formation, he was able to get the ball in Jackson's hands for positive yardage as the Rams easily marched downfield for a 10-play, 65-yard touchdown drive to open the game.

So coach Steve Spagnuolo can surely come away from this game feeling a little more comfortable with his O-line and his intact first-unit offense.

But now he can move to another concern that is not new but seems to be more glaring than ever.

What in the world will this team do if it can't find a competent backup to Jackson?

Everything hinges on Jackson right now. He makes the offensive line look better. He makes Feeley look better. He makes the receivers look better, and you can only imagine how much better he will make Bradford perform whenever the rookie gets a chance to have Jackson line up behind him, too. Unfortunately for Bradford, for the second straight game, he was saddled with second-year tailback Chris Ogbonnaya most of the night.

The trouble with Ogbonnaya is that he just isn't a stout presence in the backfield. At just a hair over 6 feet and maybe 215 pounds, he isn't the kind of third-down back who can stick his nose in there and pick up a blitzing linebacker or a stunting defensive lineman. He is a small back whose only apparent use is as a third-down receiver, but he looks almost embarrassingly timid when asked to run the ball.

While Jackson runs with a rage and Cleveland's backup fullback Peyton Hillis is a bulky bull of a runner who refuses to go down even on third or fourth contact, Ogbonnaya repeatedly seems to be looking for a soft place to land the moment he finds the ball stuffed in his midsection by Bradford.

On one drive after another, Ogbonnaya (seven carries, six yards in the first half) would get the ball and immediately turn it into a drive-killing negative play. In two preseason games, he has gained 14 yards on 13 carries.

While it remains to be seen how serious Feeley's thumb injury is and how long — if at all — it keeps him out of the starting lineup, there's little doubt that Bradford will do something more productive than Saturday night's pedestrian (6 of 14 for 24 yards, 0 TDs, 0 INTs) pass performance if he's called upon to move into the starter's role, even if that promotion might be temporarily ahead of schedule.

If Feeley can't go Thursday at New England, it will be a huge benefit to Bradford, because it will finally get him on the field with one of the most dangerous running backs and all-around offensive weapons in the NFL.

But I don't even want to imagine what this offense would look like if anything happens to Jackson this season.

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_0ea8d1a7-100f-5cf3-8121-59cfe481e007.html

 

SEAHAWKS

Big Winners

Matt Hasselbeck: The results speak for themselves, but the foundation of those results: stepping into throws, mid-range zip, comfort within the system, are what Seahawks fans have waited to see.

Jon Ryan: I have no idea how repeatable pinning a punt within the 20 is, but that's three for Ryan. Also, same old boom and so far no big returns.

Marcus Trufant: Trufant is a great cover corner and he's developed ability as a run stuffer as he's aged. He looked agile, tough and, more than anything, himself.

Mike Williams: Williams received for fewer total yards than in week one, but he did it through regular separation. Four receptions is encouraging. Continued good work as a route runner is encouraging. Catching it along the sideline is flashing the concentration and athleticism that once made him special.
Winners

Leon Washington: Four rushes do not typically mean a whole heap of a lot, but Washington is undoubtedly the fastest Seahawks rusher through the hole and that is why Gibbs zone-blocking system seems to work when he gets the ball.

Roy Lewis: Steady, sound and playing his way onto someone's roster.

Dexter Davis: Davis should see snaps with the first team defense. He might already be the team's best or second best Leo.

T.J. Houshmandzadeh: We know Housh can do this stuff, but it's good to see the guy looking fast, explosive and powerful after off-season surgery.

Ben Obomanu: Continued strong special teams play earns him a spot, but end around shows he's capable of more.
Undetermined

Charlie Whitehurst: Second pick was an unlucky bounce on an accurate pass that ate up Anthony McCoy. He was out of rhythm all game, not dropping and passing, but milling and throwing off his back foot and against his momentum.

Golden Tate: It was another mostly quiet game for Tate. He is raw. Super raw. But it's good to see some fire after taking a shot.

Mansfield Wrotto: Wrotto was pretty solid, that's undeniable, but was he solid because he has improved or was he solid because he was a change of pace? It will be interesting to see what he does if Okung is forced to miss any time.

Deon Butler: Butler can give you a little extra in space, but he really needs to show some consistent production for it to mean much of anything.

Tyjuan Hagler: Commentators got it into their head after Hagler's gimme interception that Hagler was all over the place. Minus the interception, Hagler was one somersaulting tackle from being Joe Pawelek.
Losers

Russell Okung: Hope the ankle injury is minor and Okung was rushed back as a precaution. He didn't play poorly, but injury is injury.

Kentwan Balmer: Ankle injury. Too bad too, because he looked like he had his fight on.

John Carlson: Struggled finding separation. Consistently covered tight and that led to drops.
Big Losers

Julius Jones: His speed through the hole is still mismatched for this system. He would make a good third down back, but I'm not sure Seattle will use him in that capacity.

Aaron Curry: Bull. China Shop. Curry is a smart kid. He showed awareness at Wake Forest. I'm not sure if he's a slow learner or just tuned out.

J.P. Losman: Two quarterbacks.

http://www.fieldgulls.com/2010/8/21/1635855/postgame-seahawks-24-packers-27

 

49ERS



A big part of yesterday's game was meant to see if the offense could get things going behind Alex Smith. His preseason debut the previous week against the Colts was less than stellar, so he definitely needed to show some improvement this week. And of course we did see improvement this week. The team managed a nice touchdown drive on the opening drive in which Smtih was huge on 3rd downs. It would have been nice to get some more points from Smith, but we'll take the positives as they come.

However, for many of us, the preseason is the opportunity to see what our favorite bubble player can do to make the roster. It's where we truly can enjoy our guilty pleasure players, along with guys who have a legitimate shot at making the roster if they can only prove themselves in game action.

Yesterday morning I put together a post asking which bubble player would make the biggest impact in last night's game. In a game that was filled with all sorts of action, several bubble players seemed to really step up and give the coaches a reason to keep them around. My prediction was Travis LaBoy, and while he may not have made the biggest impact, he definitely stood out with a few other players.

Travis LaBoy: He finished with a single sack, but he was all over the field and always seemed to be getting a hand on the quarterback as he finished with 3 QB hits. The 49ers find themselves in a bit of a pickle because of Ahmad Brooks' injury and the potential of LaBoy and Diyral Briggs. Last season the 49ers only kept four outside linebackers after the final cuts. How do they handle that this year? Briggs has been solid to date, and LaBoy looked right at home in the pass rush yesterday.

Phillip Adams: Seventh round picks often find themselves in a battle to stay off the practice squad. At this point, Adams may have done enough to earn a roster spot. Adams showed his special teams and cornerback versatility, finishing with a team-leading four tackles and three pass deflections. Like LaBoy he really seemed to be all over the field whenever he was given playing time. The 49ers brought in some veterans corners in Will James and Karl Paymah, but if they think Adams can be an all-around contributor, he will likely nudge one of those two out of the picture.

Nate Byham: The 49ers have a battle going on for their third tight end position that is made all the more intense because the team elected to go with only two tight ends in 2009. At this point, if the team elected to keep a third tight end, Nate Byham would seem to be the guy emerging from the pack. He had another solid game this week, as he's found himself to be a favorite target of Nate Davis and David Carr (last week). However, he's also proven his versatility on special teams and in an H-back/fullback sort of role. If you're not one of the first 30 or so guys on the roster, versatility is the key to sticking around. Byham is showing versatility each week, which could be huge for his roster chances.

Jason Hill: Consider this the anti-impact guy who seems to be rolling with some serious negative momentum. While some folks have stepped up, Jason Hill really seems to be shrinking from the spotlight at this point in time. I really thought at some point he'd step up, but with Crabtree getting healthy and Zeigler stepping up, the reps will not really be there in next week's game against the Raiders. At this point, I'd be fairly surprised if Jason Hill was on the 53-man roster come week 1.

Some folks I didn't pay close enough attention to were the backup offensive linemen. It's a bit difficult because we see the starting offensive line play a huge chunk of the game. Do we have any opinions on Alex Boone's performance in particular?

http://www.ninersnation.com/2010/8/23/1637147/49ers-15-vikings-10-bubble-players

 

CARDINALS

Well, after two pre-season games we still don’t know who will be in the foreground and background at quarterback for the Cardinals. Neither Matt Leinart nor Derek Anderson were very impressive last night against the Titans with a national T.V. audience looking on.

Leinart wasn’t only unimpressive, he appeared down right troubled. The slated starter completed 4 of 6 passes for 28 yards, without moving the sticks once. Leinart also missed badly on a deep pass to rookie Stephen Williams down the right side; Matt severely under threw Williams, with his throw flailing off the receiver’s outside shoulder. That didn’t stop Leinart from yelling at Williams for failing to look for the ball, but Matt has to put it much closer to even give the receiver a chance to make a play, especially with one-on-one coverage. Leinart did only get 9 plays, but he clearly wasn’t getting the job done.

Anderson got his shot to run the first team offense against the Titans’ first team defense. Business for the Cards picked up with Anderson calling the signals at first. He hit Stephen Williams in stride for a long gain down the left side of the field. Anderson, however, choked on the goal line. He missed a wide open Steve Breaston in the endzone for an easy 6 points when he sailed the ball too high for Breaston to reel in. Anderson followed up that miscue with another when he threw behind Stephen Williams on a quick in-slant in the endzone. The Cardinals had to settle for a field goal. Anderson finished 11/19 for 105 yards, 0 TDs, and 0 INTs.

Rookie quarterback Max Hall got his first taste of the NFL against the Titans. The BYU product looked pretty sharp, displaying polished footwork and poise. He did make a rookie mistake by throwing an ill-advised interception into double zone coverage after facing pressure from the Titan’s pass rush. Despite that indiscretion, Hall moved great in the pocket and stepped up to throw a strike to wide receiver Ed Gant, which was dropped in the endzone. Hall got his first TD throw, though, when he hooked up with Max Komar on the same drive. Hall finished 7/15 for 101 yards with 1 TD, and 1 INT.

It’s probably Skelton’s turn to re-raise Hall because Hall definitely showed up when he was given his chance to show his potential. It’s unclear, however, how much playing time either rookie quarterback will get because the Cardinals are embroiled in a quarterback controversy for the top spot, for which neither of these rookies are in contention.

On the defensive side of the ball, the first team looked solid enough for the second straight week. A little hiccup came on the Titans’ third offensive possession when Tennessee drove down the field, with a touchdown coming off a Chris Johnson TD run. Unfortunately, the secondary has some lingering issues. Trumaine McBride was picked on all night by Vince Young in a variety of ways. It’s time for Whisenhunt and the Cardinals to simply sink or swim with the much more talented Greg Toler. In addition, Kerry Rhodes broke down on a long pass during the Titans’ scoring drive. Even Adrian Wilson was beat in coverage by Titans’ tight end Bo Scaife. In the end, however, the Cardinals first-team did only give up seven points to a reportedly explosive offense with the number one rusher in the NFL last year.

Individually, Calais Campbell and Joey Porter both looked pretty sharp. Porter stuck his nose in there a few times and Campbell made a nice stop on 3-1 to force a Titans punt. If Campbell starts playing the way I think he will, he should have a monster season this year. Rookie LB Daryl Washington made a nice tackle for a loss, but he appears to have some trouble getting off blocks at times.

Well, there’s certainly plenty talk about this week regarding the Cardinals’ quarterback situation. We’re heading into the third week of the pre-season and neither QB really seems to want to take control of this team. Hopefully, someone steps up. I still believe that will be Leinart, but his time is running out.

http://www.cardinalsgab.com/2010/08...m_campaign=Feed:+CardinalsGab+(Cardinals+Gab)

Obviously, the storyline coming out of Monday night’s game is the quarterbacks. It’s always the quarterbacks.

There’s nothing I can write to convince people who already believe Leinart is an epic fail that’s it could be otherwise. He connects with Stephen Williams on that bomb down the field – and Williams was easily open – everything is different. Leinart has his one bomb, the Cards move the ball a little, etc. But that didn’t happen, and it’s fair to argue it was on Leinart to get the ball there (coach Ken Whisenhunt did note Williams didn’t run the greatest route).

So where does that leave the Cards – and by extension, us?

Probably right where we were before. My guess is the Cards will break down the tape, see the Titans bringing the house (and Leinart under heavy pressure nearly every play), see the running game providing no support, and figure with a better game plan, Leinart would have been OK. Had Derek Anderson been awesome perhaps that’d change the dynamic, but aside from Anderson’s 37-yard pass to Williams – which was a nice pass – Anderson had a lot of the same issues and Leinart.

All I know is that I’m happy there is another game relatively quickly. Nothing been decided yet, and it takes games to push that progress.

Among the other things here late in Nashville:

– The defense looked solid early, forcing two three-and-outs to start the game. They just want to continue that. “It was decent, the thing is, the coaching staff was expecting us to sustain that passion we were playing with,” safety Adrian Wilson said. “I thought we did pretty well, but we have to do it every series.”

On the next drive, safety Kerry Rhodes took a bad angle on the Titans’ first big pass play (30 yards) and CB Trumaine McBride was beat on the next play for 28 yards, setting up the first TD. Still, the Cards are probably generally happy with where the defense is right now, especially when – again – game-planning is at a minimum.

– Linebacker Daryl Washington didn’t flash as much as the first preseason game. Who did? LaRod Stephens-Howling had some nice runs and he continues to look like a Pro Bowl special teamer. I thought linebacker Stevie Baggs made some plays, and the fact he afterward was lamenting the few assignments he missed is a good sign of focusing on getting better.

– I am interested in seeing what the analysis is on the offensive line. Very difficult to see what was happening since the Titans were bringing the kitchen sink early on. I don’t know what the assignments were or who was supposed to block who, but Tim Hightower lost four yards on his first three carries. One replay showed tackle Levi Brown looking to block someone but, given the circumstances, he couldn’t get his hands on anyone. Again, as Whisenhunt said, there were opportunities but the Cards couldn’t execute.

“This is the time of year where (coaches) are going to look to see who will win the one-on-one battles,” center Lyle Sendlein said. “When they are blitzing people, us up front, everyone has a man they have to block. Outside, you have to win routes and the running backs have to pick up players and the quarterback has to get the ball out.”

– Finally, the leap of Lavelle Hawkins over cornerback Marshay Green was ESPN’s top play of the night, but man, it’s hard to get on Green. It’s not like Marshay dove at the guy’s ankles and Hawkins went over. Green actually came almost all the way up on his 5-foot-10-ish frame and Hawkins still cleared him (Sure, Green could have extended his arms for the trip, but I’m trying to stay positive here). It was just a great individual effort. And made for a nice picture

http://blog.azcardinals.com/2010/08/23/titans-aftermath-2/

1

Are we supposed to be concerned, or not? - All eyes are on Matt Leinart this preseason, and well, he’s not exactly instilling confidence. Leinart has been at the controls of the offense for six series in the preseason, and while he’s been on the field, we’ve seen a total of three first downs (all in the Houston game), 63 yards, and zero points. On Monday, he completed 4 of his 6 passes for 28 yards. He didn’t turn the ball over. But he also averaged 4.7 yards per attempt. Michelle Tafoya conducted a sideline interview with Leinart during the game, and he said all the right things, like “preseason is preseason” and “I’m fine”. And then maybe you start feeling “you know what? He’s right. It’s a meaningless game and once the bullets are live, he’ll be better.” But if you listened to the broadcast, and counted how many times Jon Gruden made reference to how bad the Cardinals’ offense, you start panicking again. My unofficial count on the “Chucky Meter”, by the way, was 63.
2

Anderson’s kinda in the same boat - So Matt Leinart left the game and Derek Anderson came in. D.A. completed his first pass to Steve Breaston for 13 yards. Nice throw. His second pass was even better, a 37-yarder to Stephen Williams that gave the Cards a first-and-goal at the Tennessee 6-yard line. Then, apparently, the evil twin brother of Derek Anderson showed up. He overthrew Breaston first down on a play that was perfectly executed save for the throw. On third down, he threw behind Williams on a slant in the end zone and the Cardinals had to settle for a 19-yard field goal by Jay Feely.
It’s that kind of inconsistency that has followed Anderson around all the way back to his days as a college player at Oregon State. In his career in Corvallis, Anderson threw 79 touchdown passes, the fourth-most in Pac-10 conference history. But he also threw 57 interceptions, only four off the conference record in that category as well.
Anderson had decent numbers on Monday, going 11 for 19 for 105 yards, but most people will remember the two missed throws in the end zone more than anything he did complete against the Titans.
3

Is there a battle for the third-string spot? Last week we saw rookie quarterback John Skelton engineer a 4th quarter comeback that led the Cardinals to a victory over Houston. On Monday, Skelton gave way to fellow rookie Max Hall for duty in the second half, and Hall did some nice things during his time on the field.
The BYU product went 7-for-15 for 101 yards and a touchdown strike to Max Komar (in what may have been the first Max-to-Max touchdown pass in NFL history) in the fourth quarter. Hall looked pretty comfortable for the most part, outside of throwing a pick on the last play of the third quarter.
It’ll be interesting to see what happens with the third quarterback spot this season. By all accounts, Hall has looked more consistent and comfortable during camp, while Skelton has better size and physical tools to to along with his moments of greatness.
Hall could end up being the odd man out mostly because the Cardinals invested a fifth round pick on Skelton, and putting him on the practice squad would leave him open to be gobbled up by other NFL teams, who could put him on their 53-man roster. It’ll likely take a Herculean effort in the last two weeks of preseason by Hall to convince coaches that he should be the third string signal caller.
4

The receiver position - Monday was interesting for the wide receiver corps because of the absence of Larry Fitzgerald, who’s out with a knee injury, and Early Doucet, who sat with an abdominal strain. It opened the door for some of the young guys, like Stephen Williams and Andre Roberts, who started alongside Steve Breaston in a three wide receiver set. Both played pretty well, although Williams excelled, catching 3 passes for 59 yards, including the 37-yarder from Anderson, which was the longest play from scrimmage by either team in the game. Roberts, as a third round pick, should be safe when the final rosters are announced. But a guy to keep an eye on is Max Komar, who played well again, and scored his second touchdown of the preseason in the fourth quarter.
Ed Gant didn’t help himself on Monday, dropping a couple of passes. Coaches will remember those more than the two he caught for 28 yards.
5

Defense not up to speed - The defense, as a whole didn’t play great against the Titans. Tennessee rolled up 366 yards of offense, including 142 on the ground, and converted on 7 of 15 third down conversions. Arizona managed little pressure against the Titans, sacking the quarterback just once.
A position battle that everyone is watching is at the cornerback spot, where Trumaine McBride and Greg Toler are competing to start opposite of Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. Neither asserted themself. McBride got beat early by Nate Washington for a 28-yard gain where not only did he appear to give too much cushion, but then failed to make the tackle on the play. The Titans scored two plays later on a Chris Johnson touchdown run.
6

Odds and ends - Some standouts for the Cardinals through my eyes…LaRod Stephens-Howling did some nice things from the running back spot in the second half, gaining 30 yards on 5 carries…Marshay Green made a nice special teams play in the 2nd quarter on Ben Graham’s 51-yard punt, saving it from going into the end zone and allowing Mike Leach to down it on the Titans’ 5-yard line…

Other odds and ends…ABC showed a guy dressed as Howard Cosell in the crowd for about two seconds before heading to a commercial break. It really looked like Howard, right down to the pastel yellow ABC sports blazer the guy had on…after last week, it sure was nice listening to an ESPN crew do the game on television…Vince Young has now beaten Matt Leinart on the college level and on the NFL level in both the regular season and preseason. I wonder who’d win if they played Madden ‘11 on the PS3?…Watching Larry Fitzgerald’s Sports Science piece during halftime was astounding. The dude was catching balls one handed while being suspended upside-down. Get well soon Larry. Please.

http://phoenix.fanster.com/2010/08/...nster-cardinals+(Fanster+-+Arizona+Cardinals)

 

SEAHAWKS

The third exhibition game is as close as NFL teams come to a dress rehearsal, but Seattle's 24-13 loss in Minnesota on Saturday night produced more questions than conclusions about the Seahawks' readiness for this season.

And while Earl Thomas was the runaway success of the evening, it wasn't exactly a revelation that Seattle's rookie safety is a playmaker. He was the 14th overall pick in the draft for a reason.

So what are the other lessons to be drawn from Saturday's game, and what still must be figured out as Seattle prepares to cut its roster to 75 players by Tuesday and down to 53 on Saturday?

I. Three things

we learned

1. This running game is going nowhere fast. Julius Jones started the exhibition opener and gained 13 yards on five carries in the first quarter. Justin Forsett started the second game and ran for 4 yards on four carries in the opening period. Leon Washington began the game at running back Saturday and gained 16 yards on six carries in the first quarter.

What's that tell you? Doesn't matter who's running the ball for Seattle, it's going to be slow going.

2. Of the three running backs who have started for Seattle, Jones has been the least impressive. Through three exhibition games, he hasn't gained more than 6 yards on any rush. And outside of a 10-yard reception in which he hurdled a defender in the red zone against Green Bay, he hasn't made a memorable play.

3. Mike Williams might be this team's most dangerous split end. In three exhibition games, Seattle has four receptions that gained more than 40 yards. Williams has been responsible for two of them. His 42-yard reception in the third quarter in Minnesota showed what a threat he is to run after the catch, and his size and strength make him a unique threat among Seattle's wide receivers.

II. Three things we don't know

1. Is tight end John Carlson becoming the invisible man, or is Seattle just playing possum? He caught one pass for 6 yards Saturday, bringing his exhibition totals to two catches in three games for 12 yards. Not exactly what everyone expected after all the talk about how often Seattle would use a two-tight-end set.

Chris Baker — Seattle's big-bodied blocking tight end — hasn't played the past two games because of a sore hamstring. Also, the Seahawks could be preventing regular-season opponents from getting a sneak peek at their plans for Carlson. If not, the early projections for Carlson's productivity were greatly overblown.

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2. Will Seattle's offense carry its big-play penchant into the regular season? Seattle had three passes gain more than 40 yards in Minnesota. The Seahawks only had six passes of 40 or more yards in 16 regular-season games last season, and one of those was a 42-yard completion Jon Ryan pulled off on a fake punt.

3. Are Seattle's takeaways masking a real problem for its defense? The Seahawks have faced 10 possessions against an opponent's starting quarterback so far this month. They have forced a punt just once, and that was Saturday in Brett Favre's final series for Minnesota. Before that, Seattle had allowed four touchdowns to starting quarterbacks, intercepted two passes, recovered one fumble and forced a turnover on downs. It's possible those turnovers have helped cover up some of the real defensive deficiencies in Seattle.

III. Three things we're trying to figure out

1. Will Charlie Whitehurst correct a downward spiral in which his three exhibition performances have gotten successively worse? Yes, he made a nice pass to Golden Tate for a 41-yard gain in the fourth quarter at Minnesota, but he followed that up with three passes that were increasingly awful, culminating in his fourth interception of this August that was such a poor decision that two Vikings were vying to pick it off.

2. Are Seattle's early-game struggles a sign of things to come for the offense? Seattle has had eight first-quarter possessions this month and gone three-and-out three times. The Seahawks have gained a total of eight first downs in the opening period and scored just once in the opening period.

3. How exactly did Seattle defensive tackle Brandon Mebane manage to move Bryant McKinnie — the Vikings' Pro Bowl tackle — 3 yards backward on a fourth-and-two play in the first half? It was a seriously impressive feat of strength, and it was the biggest reason Adrian Peterson was stuffed for no gain, finishing off an impressive goal-line stand by the Seahawks.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/seahawks/2012758517_hawk30.html

Big Winners

Chris Clemons: Clemons will provide pressure in spurts and go cold. Tonight he was hot. He has a wicked inside move. Seattle hasn't executed a stunt like that since Patrick Kerney's arms fell off. Let's see how he handles Joe Staley and a more coherent offensive line.

Mansfield Wrotto: Survived.

Jeremy Bates: Designed an attack that allowed Wrotto to survive.

Alex Gibbs: Coached em up*.
Winners

Earl Thomas: Now that he's taken one to the house, we can think about all those other moments he was so, so close, remember he just turned 21 and smile.

Walter Thurmond: Thurmond was burned. Thurmond attempted to bury a shoulder instead of wrap and allowed a touchdown. Thurmond was playing fearless bump-and-run coverage less than 11 months after surgery to repair his ACL, MCL and PCL. Walter wins.

Tyjuan Hagler: Hagler was indeed very active last game, something I recognized after reviewing the tape. He popped a fullback and contained and did nuts and bolts linebacker stuff you do not see enough of from David Hawthorne or Will Herring. He had another active game tonight and may have earned a spot over a starter from last season.

Lofa Tatupu: Tats loves football. Football is better with Tatupu. Seattle's defense is better with Tatupu. Tats was out there banging helmets, coordinating the front seven, filling lanes and cleaning up coverage.

Cord Parks: Parks is a very smooth athlete and when you can prove that on the football field, coaches start looking at you different. He will sign somewhere. He may stick.
Undetermined

Mike Williams: I am a homer. To an extent. I am a homer. Williams has long since proven everything he can prove in the preseason. Sometime last week, I started thinking what is a realistic estimate for receptions and receiving yards. Can Mike surpass a thousand?

Leon Washington: No one looked good. Washington looked less damaging.

Aaron Curry: Does indeed look different with Tatupu on the field. Like he doesn't have to be a leader.
Losers

Will Herring: Herring saw a ton of action. This might have been an audition. His showing last season not withstanding, Herring is by no means entrenched. He just didn't look good. He just hasn't looked good. And Hagler has.

Jordan Babineaux: See: "Will Herring." Replace "Parks and Roy Lewis" for "Hagler."

Charlie Whitehurst: Nervous in the pocket and wild. Wild is new. Wild is bad. Overall, I still think Whitehurst looks much improved from the Charger Seattle traded for.

Cameron Morrah: Another quiet night. He has lost footing every week.

http://www.fieldgulls.com/2010/8/28/1656410/postgame-seahawks-13-vikings-24

Kevin Williams discarded Mike Gibson with an inside move and tackled Matt Hasselbeck on the first play from scrimmage of the game. I do not know that it was indicative, and let's not ignore just how good Kevin Williams is, but it certainly wasn't heartening. A three-step drop should not endanger the quarterback.

1-10-SEA 25 (14:55) 8-M.Hasselbeck pass short middle to 84-T.Houshmandzadeh to SEA 38 for 13 yards (26-A.Winfield).

Hasselbeck zinged a slant to T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Housh was off for 13 before being wrestled down.

1-10-SEA 38 (14:29) 33-L.Washington right tackle to SEA 42 for 4 yards (94-P.Williams, 20-M.Williams).

Gibson redeemed himself somewhat with a solid double teamed with Chris Spencer. Leon Washington sprinted for four. It was quick, efficient and productive, and that's the goal. The two doubled up on Pat Williams, moved him out and Gibson's strength allowed for Spencer to pull without Seattle losing the block. In fact, Gibson reach-blocked and did so well that Pat was caught reeling and fell over a pile of bodies.

2-6-SEA 42 (13:58) 8-M.Hasselbeck pass incomplete short left to 84-T.Houshmandzadeh (51-B.Leber).

The next attempt at a quick slant was nearly picked. Seattle left Mansfield Wrotto alone on the left and Ben Leber keyed the three-step drop and broke on the slant. That's a good play by the Vikings weakside linebacker, but also speaks to how quickly a limited playbook can become predictable.

3-6-SEA 42 (13:55) (Shotgun) 8-M.Hasselbeck pass incomplete deep right to 1-M.Williams.

The drive was ended with a little route confusion (maybe) and some definite pressure. Ray Edwards drove Sean Locklear back and almost into Hasselbeck and Hasselbeck thought wisely and threw it (away). John Carlson chipped Jared Allen on the left and the combined effort led to a competent block by Mansfield Wrotto. Allen couldn't edge rush and that leveled the playing field.

http://www.fieldgulls.com/2010/8/30/1659642/mike-gibsons-uneven-start-against

 

49ERS

We all know if there's one thing Ninjames likes, it's his wide receivers. We also know that if there's two things Ninjames likes, it's positive affirmation from the many readers of Niners Nation. Well, it's true that these two facts are partially why this post is one that I've chosen. It's also because, well, it's a legitimate battle and I really am interested to know just how many people still feel that Dominique Zeigler shouldn't make the roster.

I didn't watch as much of the game yesterday as I'd have liked to, and in fact, I mostly followed in the game thread after the first half (that's right, folks, you were reporting news to me!). If I'm correct, though, Jason Hill didn't get a catch. I'm not sure if he played or was out there, but I see nothing on the statline, and to be honest, it's a little bittersweet for me.

I think we can all say that at one point or another, we had high hopes for Jason Hill. When he didn't get his reps, people complained — myself included. When he seemed to get on fire at times and have some good games, he would, for some reason, not even be in uniform the next day. A lot of people said this was because he was in the coach's doghouse, but I'm wondering if maybe they were just seeing — or not seeing — something in practice that lead them to believe they had better options.

Star-divide

I'm getting all over the place here, like I said: it's bittersweet for me. While I love me some "Ziggy," I also don't like to see a guy like Jason Hill go to another team. He grew up in the Bay Area and to my knowledge was pretty big on the 49ers. There are many things holding him down, though. His "speed," doesn't seem to translate that much to on-the-field speed. He doesn't look terribly fast as a receiver, and it's only shone on the odd punt coverage unit here and there. He's also had a few bad drops this preseason in the limited time he played.

So enter Dominique Zeigler; a guy who might have made the roster last season if not for a preseason injury. The oft-injured and ridiculously overpaid Brandon Jones (Smileyman made a good point: giving Jones the sixteen million and change that we did was akin to another team paying that kind of scrilla for our own Josh Morgan if he hit free agency at the end of last season) is already out of the mix, which of course means Seattle scrambled to get him under contract so he could divulge such 49ers secrets such as: "Their benches are pretty worn out, it may be a point of weakness," as well as "I dunno, I was hurt all the time." So the way is open for Zeigler, it seems.

Is he the favorite in your minds? I sort of jumped around a bit on this post, but in my defense it's 5:00 a.m. and I'm about to turn in for my customary hour of sleep. My point is that, my obvious fanboyism aside, Zeigler has to be the favorite to be that 4th or 5th wide receiver on the roster and I'm interested to know if there are still any Jason Hill supporters out there who think he deserves to be on. So let's hear it.

http://www.ninersnation.com/2010/8/29/1656705/49ers-position-battles-wide



OAKLAND, Calif. — The 49ers may have found a solution to their punt return issues. Rookie cornerback Phillip Adams' 83-yard punt return for a touchdown in the second quarter not only gave the 49ers an early 10-7 lead, but could have helped rookie secure a roster spot.

After struggling with punt returns in the first two preseason games, the 49ers turned to the cornerback out of South Carolina State. Adams said he was not new to returning punts; that he did some during his junior and senior year in college.

"This is another dimension of my game," Adams said of his return skills after the game. "My main goal is to help this team out and I'm very determined to help the team out because we're going in the right direction. If I can do that, I'm very happy."

Adams said that he had always wanted to return punts and was glad that he had the opportunity to do it on Saturday.

Adams' touchdown came after three drives that only produced 3 points. Running back Frank Gore made his preseason debut on Saturday and on his first carry, broke open for a 49-yard run to the Raiders' 31-yard line. However, Gore would fumble a toss two plays later and the drive would stall. Kicker Joe Nedney would miss the a 37-yard field goal attempt wide right.

Gore said that he looked ahead before he caught the ball, which caused the fumble.

"I didn’t look the ball all the way in, I was looking up the field because I saw a touchdown and the ball slipped," Gore said after the game. "It’s something that won’t happen in the regular season."

The Pro Bowl running back was excited to finally get into a game after sitting out the first two preseason games.

"I was hyped up from the start, to finally go up against another team," said Gore. "Being in camp for a whole month without playing the other guys, I was a little kid out there. My number was called, I went out there and took advantage of it."

Gore played for only one series in the game, but his presence meant a lot of quarterback Alex Smith.

"It was definitely different, you can feel the difference," said Smith on having Gore in the backfield for the first time in the preseason. "He sets up his blocks so well, he complements the offensive line so well. You can definitely feel the difference in there with him."

Smith played well the entire first half and finished the game 9-15 for 113 yards and a touchdown for a 105.7 rating. After only throwing for 12 yards in the first quarter, Smith connected with wide receiver Josh Morgan for a 16-yard touchdown late in the second quarter to give the 49ers a 17-7 lead. In that drive, running back Brian Westbrook had two carries for 17 yards in his first preseason action with the 49ers.

The 49ers defense struggled early as the Raiders attacked backup cornerback Tarell Brown. With starting cornerback Shawntae Spencer out with a hanstring injury, Brown was the target for the Raiders' first drive. The Raiders connected on back to back passes on Brown for a total of 56 yards en route to a touchdown later on the drive.

After the drive, the 49ers defense stiffened and took out quarterback Jason Campbell early. Linebacker Travis LaBoy sacked Campbell on the blindside that knocked Campbell out the game. Campbell was down for a few minutes before leaving the field on a cart. He was reported to have a stinger.

In the fourth quarter, with the Raiders up 24-20, backup quarterback David Carr led a 16-play, 80-yard drive that up 8:31 off the clock. Wide receiver Dominique Zeigler and running back Anthony Dixon were key in the final drive, capped off by a 1-yard touchdown run by Dixon.

Carr went 7-17 for 46 yards in the entire second half, but he said that he felt good and that it was nice to lead a fourth quarter comeback.

The 49ers next and final preseason game will be Thursday night in San Francisco against San Diego.


Other notes from the game:

- TE Vernon Davis (knee) did not play. WR Michael Crabtree was expected to play but his neck started to stiffen and Singletary decided to keep him out. LT Joe Staley suffered a knee sprain and RB Brian Westbrook has a hamstring cramp -- both day to day.

- WRs Bobby Guillory and Kevin Jurovich both received opportunities to return punts and kicks, but it was clear that Phillip Adams was the best out of the three.

- Starting NT Rickey Jean Francois played into the third quarter and was relieved by Will Tukuafu. Jean Francois has improved in his play serving as the starting nose tackle in Aubrayo Franklin's absence.

- K Joe Nedney handled kickoffs and field goals for the majority of the game and looks like he is healthy.

- The 49ers had 10 penalties for 82 yards during the game and some of them were false starts in key situation during drives.

- QB Jarrett Brown saw his first action in the preseason with a tackle on special teams coverage. Singletary said that he wanted to see what Brown could bring to the team other than quarterback.

http://www.examiner.com/san-francis...to-life-late-each-half-28-24-win-over-raiders

 

CARDINALS



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Matt Leinart was arguably the best quarterback to ever suit up for USC. He won a Heisman, threw a bunch of touchdown passes, and won consecutive national championships. In turn, his #11 jersey is prominently displayed in the Heritage Hall lobby, and unlike his backfield mate Reggie Bush, it hasn't been removed from the vicinity yet.

But in what is largely old news, Leinart isn't a particularly good NFL quarterback. He's slow footed, has a weak arm, and seemingly lacks the "it" factor that made him a perennial all-american while at USC. Despite being drafted 10th overall by the Arizona Cardinals in 2006, he has essentially served as the clipboard holder for Kurt Warner for the past four years, while also prompting one of the greatest post-game rants in NFL history.

Nonetheless, he's still Matt Leinart, and in all likelihood, he probably should be able to beat Derek Anderson in a quarterback competition. But, it's apparently more challenging than you think, as he was relegated to the backup role for the team's third preseason game last Saturday. Accordingly, Leinart blamed the coach.

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Matt Leinart exercised some diplomacy last week when talking about being demoted to backing up Derek Anderson. On Monday, however, Leinart didn't hold back, saying he must have lost his job for reasons other than performance.

"I feel like I've outplayed the competition, training camp, preseason," he said. "I think my plays speaks about that. For me, this goes beyond the football field.

"The philosophy is you want the best 11 guys to play. I feel like I've proved that with my performance. I don't really know what else I could possibly do, so it probably goes beyond football. For me, I just really want an explanation and I haven't been given one."

But Leinart acknowledged he had not asked coach Ken Whisenhunt for an explanation.

"No, it is what it is," Leinart said. "Like I said, I think I've done enough. I need to get better, like I said last week. But I don't know if there have been equal opportunities. Obviously, I haven't played as much as I'd like."

Grow up, Matt. Buckle your chinstrap, play hard, and stop venting to the media. In the long run, you'll be better off for it.

http://www.conquestchronicles.com/2010/8/30/1659419/matt-leinart-plays-poorly-and-gets

Both Derek Anderson and Matt Leinart made decent cases to be the named the starter for the first regular-season game. After the game, Coach Ken Whisenhunt wouldn't pick one, nor would he provide a timeline for doing so.

"It's a good problem to have," Whisenhunt said. "(Saturday) it worked. Not necessarily because we made the change at quarterback. It was good to see us move the football, get some first downs, make some plays."

Whisenhunt said he would have to look at tape of the game before making an evaluation.

"I don't have to make any decisions right now," he said.

How about before the final preseason game Thursday night against the Redskins?

"I couldn't tell you right now," he said. "This evaluation covers more things than just the games. We've had a lot of practices; there are a lot of things involved in this decision."

In his first start of the preseason, Anderson gave the Cardinals a spark, leading them on a touchdown drive in the second quarter. The Cardinals converted on three third-and-long situations, not including Anderson's 27-yard touchdown pass to rookie Stephen Williams.

Just as Whisenhunt planned, Leinart entered late in the second half and managed a two-minute drill. He completed 6 of 7 passes and took the Cardinals to the 6-yard line, but the drive ended when running back Beanie Wells fumbled after gaining 9 yards on a screen pass.

The Bears recovered with 39 seconds left and ran out the clock.

Leinart stayed in the game to open the second half and helped the Cardinals to a touchdown and 14-0 lead. Running back Tim Hightower did most of the damage, breaking a 29-yard run on the first play.

On third down from the Bears 13, Leinart hit Steve Breaston in the middle of the field. He sprinted to the end zone and then dove over a defender for the score.

Leinart completed 9 of 10 for 84 yards and the touchdown. He has completed 82 percent of his passes in the preseason and has not committed a turnover.

Anderson completed 7 of 12 for 94 yards and a touchdown. Neither quarterback had an interception, but Anderson had a possible one bounce off the chest of a defender.

slideshow Profiles: Derek Anderson | Matt Leinart

Whisenhunt will look at more than statistics in making the decision, he said.

"(Matt) continued to be efficient with the football," he said, "but once again, it's not as much about stats as it is about chemistry with the team, how you handle everything that's thrown at you. Obviously, I was very pleased with his performance (Saturday)."

After the game, Leinart greeted a group of reporters with a big smile and greeting.

"What's up guys?" he said. "I felt great in there. That's just been my attitude ever since this decision was made (Thursday). I can only control what I can control."

Anderson thought he improved as the game progressed.

"I just took a little while to get warmed up," he said. "I was happy with the way we moved. I thought we were pretty efficient. I think the difference between this week and last week is we didn't put ourselves in third and 25 a lot."

The Cardinals offense provided most of the drama leading up to this game, but it was the defense that was most impressive Saturday night.

Bears quarterback Jay Cutler rarely had time to throw, and when he did, he struggled with accuracy. Starting cornerbacks Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Greg Toler each had an interception.

Cutler was sacked four times and completed only 10 of 20 for 129 yards in just more than two quarters.

The Bears moved the ball a couple of times in the first half. But defensive end Calais Campbell blocked one field-goal attempt, and Robbie Gould missed on another 48-yard attempt.

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/car...a-cardinals-beat-chicago-bears-preseason.html

Overall not a bad performance. Weren't going to score a whole lot on this defense but the first teams did well. That said:


The Good

Stephen Williams-An undrafted free agent who is making a name for himself and probably played himself right on to the roaster last night. Made some nice catches and his catch and run for TD was impressive.

Max Komar-Another undrafted FA who looked good albeit against the Bears 3rd team defense. He won't make this roster but perhaps he may make it on the practice squad.

Max Hall-My hope is that Hall and Komar make this team together at some point and become Max Power. Nice name for the duo, no?(My thanks to Homer Simpson's hair dryer for that name). He's not going to make the regular roster either but I believe the past 2 games he's played himself onto the practice squad.

Derek Anderson-Looked shaky on the first couple of drives but he eventually drove the team to a TD with some nice throws. Real nice considering he had defenders in his face or breathing down his neck all night. Did he play himself into the starting role? Dunno but he made a case for himself last night. I still don't think he's the answer but we really have no other alternative if Leinart falters.

THT-Look horrible at first but broke off some really nice runs at the end of the half against the Bears 1st team. Bounced outside on one real nice gainer.

Team Defense-They were bend-don't-break last night which is OK. Had some lapses like on screens and on allowing the Bears to convert a 2nd and 20 on the ground but all and all a good job. With the exception of that one big run, they allowed near nothing on the ground and they got some decent pressure on Cutler, sacking him 3 times. Tackling still needs to tighten up. They also need to learn to read screen. They better because the rest of the league saw that over pursuit and will exploit it.

Ben Graham-Is this guy not the best punter in the league?


The Bad

Offensive Line-They need to get better and fast. Horrible run blocking. And poor pass blocking. Again, not going to classify them as ugly until week 1 due to gelling issues. Even Fanaca looked shaky at times last night.

John Skelton-Timing was off. I wonder if this is because he didn't play last week?


No ugly today as it's still pre-season and there wasn't any real ugly moments save for when Peppers blew past Brown and almost decapitated Leinart. Next week's game is a nothing game. Don't expect much but a lot of Skelton and Hall.

http://forums.azcardinals.com/showthread.php?t=50979

 

RAMS

It's another football-less Sunday <sigh>. I know, I know, SOON we'll all be basking in Rams football on Sundays and all these empty Sundays will be forgotten like Incognito, Barron and Bulger.

Well, we won another game. Isn't this two in a row? OK so it is preseason and it means nothing right? I beg to differ. For all those telling us, "Don't get too excited, snap back to reality." I say unto you.. listen closely.. you listening?

"RASPBERRY".. no wait, "DOUBLE RASPBERRY" (if anyone can tell me where to find a picture of someone sticking their tongue out with thumbs in their ears, please tell me because i'll be damned if I can find one!)

I REFUSE to not get excited. Totally refuse. Yes it was a preseason game, but no Rams fan in their right mind could NOT be excited right now after seeing what Bradford is capable of. This was HUGE and we definitely need to be excited!

So PLEASE, let me have my week. Just this one, OK?

Now onto the links.. there's not a ton, but here's what I have:

* We all know the "sweet of the week" so I won't post too many links on that, but here's the sour. We've lost Donnie Avery for the season with a torn ACL. I really feel bad for Donnie. He bulked up and really prepared himself to prevent injuries this year. This has to be deflating. Hang in their Donnie, Rams nation is with you brother.
* Is it me, or does Spags sound a bit stressed here concerning the Avery situation? No doubt, even with a great showing against the Pats, this has to really hurt the overall system that was in place. Bottom line, someone has to fill Donnie's shoes, internal, or someone else. Spags made that clear.
* Not to make this "all Avery" but here's an interesting take by bleacherreport.com on why we should make a move for Vincent Jackson.
* Our own Jigzsaw went to college with Saffold and Saffold guaranteed he'd be a pro-bowler. Awesome to hear! Looks like my "Breakdown" last week was justified.
* The Sam Bradford era appears to be in full swing. Sam Bradford gets the nod in our finale' of preseason action (Ravens) and Spags said, "We would like to see Sam put back-to-back games together, and we'll make a decision shortly after that game which direction we're going to go with the quarterback,".

What's interesting here is Spags also said Feeley most likely wouldn't have been able to play anyway... This would have been a perfect segway for Spags to downplay the start, but he didn't.

His decision to start Bradford was NOT because Feeley wasn't going to be ready. Surprising since Spags and Devaney are well known for not showing their cards so they must really be excited about Bradford; so much so that Spags "woody" is there for everyone to see.

I think all signs point to Bradford starting in game 1 as long as Sam doesn't have a complete mental meltdown. It's incredible what the kid has done so far. To win the starting QB job already, is nothing short of amazing.

What's more is, imagine a year or two of experience under his belt. I better stop now before someone tells me to snap back to reality again. I'd hate to start another rant.

That's about it folks.. enjoy your Sunday, and GO RAMS

http://www.turfshowtimes.com/2010/8/29/1656354/random-ramsdom-8-28-sweet-sour

You know by now the Rams broke out their new Offense against the Patriots, and if you saw the game you're probably still pretty euphoric over it. There were a lot of things in this game to see: Bradford starts, Bradford tears the Patriots apart, Donnie Avery emerges with 2 big catches, Donnie Avery tears his knee apart, and the Tight End that I wanted so badly in the draft showed us he actually was drafted in one Mike Hoomanawanui. Uh oh, indeed.

Those are the obvious things that the ball-following camera showed you, but there are other things away from the ball that maybe you didn't see. I took a good look at the "tape" and I'll cover a few of the players for you: just find a name you're interested in and check his game.

Star-divide

Jason Smith is a beast run blocker. Say what you will about him getting injured and losing the the starting LT job, this guy is still a run blocking beast. He finishes blocks as well as anyone the Rams have on the O-line. I watched him last year and it was the same thing: he will run his man out, and play to the whistle on every play. If his guy goes to the ground, he finds someone else to pound. He will mostly follow the play as it moves downfield, too. I really like this pick, even though...

Rodger Saffold looks like a better pass blocking LT than Jason Smith. His footwork is really slick, and it only takes watching him on a few plays to see he's a natural LT. The guy moves so well and shifts his wieght so smoothly for someone his size, I think they really got a good one here in the 2nd round. He looks like a more natural pass blocker than Jason Smith, although both of them look to me like they are going to be very good.

Let's take a minute to remember that different teams have different grades on players in the draft. Saffold was the 5th LT taken (R'Skins T.Williams, S'hawks R.Okung, 49ers A.Davs, Packers B.Bulaga). Its entirely possibly the difference between Saffold, who was an outstanding LT in college, and those other 4 guys turns out to be negligible. Getting an Okung would have meant not getting a Bradford. All in all, I am extremely pleased with Devaney's strategic choices in where he drafted key positions like OT, QB, MLB, etc..

Jacob Bell looked quick on his pulls, showed good footwork in space. His blocking still lacks the aggression needed out of a starting Guard, though. On one play inside the 5 yard line, with the Rams threatening to punch the ball in for a TD, Bell ran 5 feet to his right and simply fell on the ground. Usually linemen like run blocking because they can take the fight to their opponent instead of backing up to defend, and in this case he really had a chance -- if he wanted it -- to crush his man. The guy he was supposed to block got caught in the traffic and the play ended up coming play back because of holding by Adam Goldberg, but that really doesn't have anything to do with how Bell played. I've seen enough isolated gametape on him over the last 2 years to know his game very well, and it is what it is: good enough to get by for now, but ultimately he is eating much more salary than he should.

Michael Hoomanawanui looks like an exceptional player, and I'm not talking about his ability to catch. His hands were never in question, going back to high school. What the ball-following camera didn't focus on last night was that he is a very willing blocker and was fighting hard on every blocking assignment. Please don't underestimate how important it is for the TE to be able to block. This could very well be the difference between who starts on this team. Having one guy that can stay on the field for every play is extremely valuable, and I can't even tell you how important it would be for Bradford to have a reliable young TE to check down to. Well, sure I can...you saw a lot of it for yourself last night. Hoomawanui showed the ability to get open and make plays, which was something that he didn't show in college (simply because they didn't use him like that) and so those questions are now answered. He clearly made the most of his opportunities. I made the comment last night that we may be seeing Uh Oh passing Fells on the depth chart. No hate for Daniel Fells, but I hope that turns out to be the case.

Kenneth Darby showed a nice ability to run through holes but lacked patience and failed to follow his blocks on occasion, which considerably shortened a couple of plays. Darby made a strong case to be Jackson's backup but the lack of patience is a little worrisome because he should have the ability ingrained by now -- it's not a scheme thing, it's an instinct thing. His blew one long run by running past the linemen that had gotten out in front of him to block, and he ran right into the defender. Simply following the block would have meant many more yards on that play. In the end, his longest run was just 8 yards and the O-line can't be blamed for that.

Chris Ogbonnaya looked just ok. His blitz pickups were holding him back last year (and so far this year) and he semeed to do just fine blocking last night. Unfortunately, his running was very average and he has yet to put it all together. I don't think he did anything to make a case for passing Darby on the depth chart, which surprised me. I thought he would be the guy who really had a chance to make something happen last night but it was just another game for Chris. We will definitely see more of him in game 4, so that fight aint over.

Keith Toston-- hold the phone on Keith Toston. We haven't seen nearly enough to think he can play at the level of Darby and Ogbonnaya. I know 12 rushes for 41 yards and a TD has some of you wondering why he isn't RB2 or RB3 but this guy has a long way to go before he's a trustworthy blocker and runner. If you're licking your chops thinking they have a budding start on the bench, I would urge you to have patience here. You may see the undrafted FA in game 4 of the preseason and never again.

Sam Bradford looked crisp on his passes, but so what? You already knew he had a reputation for putting the ball on target. Here's where Bradford really shined: his footwork, his ability to feel pressure and move away from it in the pocket was first rate. That bought him a little more time and made it possible for him to go through his checkdowns, which he did very well. His decision making was also very good, showing a nice feel for when to throw a bullet into a receiver, when to dump off to his TE or slot WR, and when to throw it away. This kid knew exactly where his recievers were going to be and showed the ability to calmly go through his progressions until he found someone to throw to. Its these things that separate him from any other recent Rams QB not named Kurt Warner. I noted in the scrimmage game his footwork looked very impressive and it was on full display last night. While the depth chart at TE and RB2 still needs to be decided, you saw the change at QB1 happen right before your eyes last night. No way he doesn't start, and he earned it outright with a strong performance in virtually every aspect of the game.

Sam also looked to have a very strong arm and quick delivery. He was given a lot of underneath choices, and was blitzed frequently. When the rush was on, he was able to get rid of the ball with a quick but smooth throwing motion. He was also firing the ball nice and hard into his target, whether it was the middle of the field or the tougher out routes. When he was able to step into his throws, he could get it downfield with relative ease. Being able to step into the pass is something else that his footwork allowed him to do while being blitzed and is a very big deal. If a QB can't step into the pass, bad things happen, and not just incompletions but INT's and injuries too. He looked very good getting the ball out.

I say Bradford looked good in virtually every aspect because he does have some work to do. His handoffs -- no, this is not a joke -- need work. His fakes needs work. Running out after the handoff to keep the LB's attention needs work. I know you think this is nitpicking, but it's not. The greatest I've ever seen in this particular part of the QB job is Peyton Manning, who looks like he still has the ball on the run out, 2 seconds after he's gotten rid out if. This fakery serves to keep the LB from jumping the RB like a CB jumps a route, and helps the running game succeed. This skill will come, you wouldn't expect a spread Offense QB to be real good at that, and truthfully most QBs are not that believable when they run out after a handoff. But to be elite he will need to keep the LBs attention for a little longer. He's very obviously a smart, well schooled QB and I have no doubt he'll get this down by next year.

A quick note about Chris Long: He is unquestionably stronger than he was last year. I watched his play very closely last year and in this game, and there is no doubt he is much stronger now. At times last year he was run out of the box by a TE. Last night I saw him throw an OT out of his way on more than one occasion. He may never be a sack machine without plenty of support in the middle of the D line, but he is going to have a much faster start and much better season this time around, that much is clear.

Just a word about the Patriots keeping their starters in. I don't mean to be a buzz kill, but it was obvious they took the game way too lightly. It was very clear by the interviews with Belichick that he left them in there to punish them more than to beat the Rams. This was supposed to be their dress rehearsal and he was rightly pissed that they came out flat because they thought they had a walkover. His mindset was "We were supposed to play like we wanted to win. Since you haven't done that, we will continue throughout this game as if it was real....all the way through." This very thing has happened to every team from pee-wee's to pro's, and every coach has done the same thing to a team that came out uninspired against an opponent they didn't take seriously. This attitude is very, very hard to turn around once you've started a game that way and the result is it made them look worse than they are, and the Rams look better than they are. Look, this is still just the preseason folks. Every play is important in it's own right but the game as a whole, and "beating" them means absolutely nothing in real life.

Be happy! Be relieved. Be inspired. Be hopeful. I am all those things. But please, be realistic and keep the context in mind.

http://www.turfshowtimes.com/2010/8/27/1653925/upon-further-review-notes-on-st