Training Camp - Thursday Wrap Up

The Carolina Panthers held only one practice session on Thursday.  There was bad news, however as Ryne Robinson was carted off the field.

Panthers kick returner and backup receiver Ryne Robinson injured his left knee in practice Thursday and was carted off field.  He went up high to make a catch while being double covered by safety Nate Salley and cornerback Richard Marshall. After he landed, he was holding his left knee. He was helped off the field and trainer Ryan Vermillion tested Robinson’s knee for stability. Robinson got up and walked gingerly, then was carried to a tent where he sat for about 15 minutes with his leg extended before being carted off.

 

With Robinson out, rookie running back Jonathan Stewart got his first opportunity to return kicks during practice.

 

Also, the Panthers added to their defensive tackle depth by signing Michael Marquardt, a rookie from Arizona State.  To make room on the roster, Carolina cut center Pat Ross.

 

If the team really wanted to keep J-Stew fresh by keeping him away from kick returns, the injury to Robinson is terrible news.  A change was coming eventually if the team was looking to improve on special teams but you never want change to come like this.

 

The other day Jordan Gross spoke up about how Julius Peppers was looking in camp.  Finally, Julius spoke up.

 

“It is a new beginning,” Peppers said Thursday in his first interview with the media since the end of last season. “It’s a new season. I’m excited about it. I’m looking forward to getting started.”

Peppers seems genuinely excited about the change to the right side, which the since-retired Mike Rucker had occupied since Peppers came into the league as the No. 2 overall pick in 2002.

“I’m comfortable over there,” Peppers said. “I’m comfortable on the right side. I played it in college. I played it in high school, the times I did play defense in high school. The left-handed stance is my natural stance. The left hand is my strong hand. There are a lot more moves and power available on that side. I’m excited about being back on the right side.”

Think back a little.  All that talk about Peppers heading to the Broncos just because he was seen at a Nuggets game was bunk, crap!  One good thing happened to the big guy out in Arizona - he found football again.  WHEW!  Glad he isn’t ready to go join the NBA!

“I put a lot of time and effort into getting in shape and being ready to come to camp, getting ready for the season,” said Peppers, who is listed as 6-foot-7 and 283 pounds.

He feels like the hard work paid off.

“I feel better this year. I feel a little stronger. I feel a little more powerful, faster and quicker. I’ve really focused on being better in all areas, not one particular thing. I want to be better everywhere overall.”

Thanks for talking, J-Pepp!  We all needed to hear that you’re ready to bring it this season!

NOTABLE: The Panthers planned to run live goal line drills during Thursday’s practice, but were forced to alter their schedule when they ran out of defensive tackles.

Instead, they worked on “thud” drills, where players can hit, but aren’t allowed to tackle.  (Gaston Gazette)

The injury to Ian Scott had a major impact already.

ON THE RISE: For the fourth straight day Keydrick Vincent worked with the first team at right guard, so you have to wonder if the Panthers have finally settled on him as their starter. Offensive coordinator Jeff Davidson likes to decide on a lineup early and then stick with it so the starting five can develop some cohesiveness.

Four straight days!  Move over, Toniu Fonoti!  Vincent could have this spot in the bag.

WHAT WE LEARNED: D.J. Hackett is proving to be a reliable weapon in the red zone. Mostly working from the slot, Hackett continues to find a way to get open and catch touchdowns. “He’s been around,” Fox said. “He’s played the game. He’s started in this League. He does have a feel for it and he’s a good possession receiver and he has a good feel for coverage.”

Don’t let this fool you.  Moose may still win the starting job while Hackett is used on third downs and in the red zone from the slot.  This we can be sure of, though - the battle for that number two WR spot isn’t settled yet.

INJURY UPDATE: The Panthers got good news on defensive tackle Ian Scott, who only has a sprained MCL. Fox said Scott is “week-to-week,” and added no surgery is planned right now.

“It’s better than what it could have been, so that’s good,” Scott said.

Other than the four defensive tackles sitting out, linebacker Adam Seward (abdomen), offensive tackle Charles Spencer (knee) and running back LaBrandon Toefield (shoulder) were the only players who sat out.

Davis Takes One For The Team

Browns LB Andra Davis recently re-worked his contract, but not in the the way most athletes are doing now a days, he took a pay cut of nearly $1.5 Million and gave up two years on his contract to boot. Davis did have a down year last season, and was sat in favor of Leon Williams at times as well this past season. However, Davis spent his summer in Atlanta with Browns RB Jamal Lewis, who has a crazy off-season workout program, and came into camp stronger and 5 lbs bigger too. Davis is a good player, and honestly I felt he suffered the most along with Kamerion Whimbley from the poor play at D-line last season, I look for both to improve back to their 2006 forms.

St. Louis Rams Single Game Tickets

St. Louis Rams single game tickets will go on sale at 10AM CST Friday August 1st. You can buy the single game tickets from Ticketmaster, Ticketmaster outlets, and from the St. Louis Rams website.

*****NOTE***** Tickets for the Dallas and Chicago games require the purchase of a predetermined second game. Dallas’ second game is the Buffalo Bills; and Chicago’s second game is the New York Giants. The selection is automatic during the purchase process and there are no exceptions.

I would like to point out that Rams single game tickets for several games are still available on the net for UNDER face value. As of tonight Rams single game ticket to the Buffalo Bills, Arizona Cardinals, Miami Dolphins, Seattle Seahawks, and San Francisco 49ers can all be purchased under face value from Stubhub. Thats right you can get St. Louis Rams single game tickets for as low as $19 to see the Arizona Cardinals our division rivals. There are well over 100 tickets remaining to the Cardinals game for under $40. Why buy two tickets when you can just bye single tickets from Stubhub?

Peek Lost For Rest of Camp

Browns LB Antwan Peek, will most likely be out the rest of the team’s training camp after having arthroscopic knee surgery  earlier  Thursday.

Peek is currently listed as a second teamer, behind Willie McGinest at OLB, but still plays a big part as a pass rushing specialist.  Peek was brought in last season to help with the team’s pass rush and contributed 4 sacks, tied for second on the team last season, but missed time last season with an ankle injury.

Peek should be ready for the Week 1 showdown with the Dallas Cowboys, but in the meantime look for players such as Alex Hall, David McMillan, and Shantee Orr to get more reps in.

Terrell Owens Says Two Cornerbacks Shine

Terrell Owens has a Q&A at the Dallas Cowboys main Web site you can find here.

Unfortunately, the questions are a bit weak, but there are some interesting parts I wanted to show here.

Which defensive backs have impressed you?

Owens: Well, obviously the ones we drafted. [Mike] Jenkins looks good and the guy really standing out is Evan Oglesby. He’s been making plays throughout camp. It just shows you the film-work he has put in - obviously not playing a lot (last year), but really learning from the other guys. When guys aren’t on the field due to injuries, those are the opportunities he’s taken advantage of. For me, he shows up on the film.

Evan Oglesby has apparently made strides this year. He has impressed a few people watching the camps this year. That’s terrific news for the Cowboys.

What have you seen out of Danny Amendola?

Owens: He reminds me of (Wes Welker) over in New England. He’s short, quick feet, gets in and out of breaks real fast like a waterbug. He’s shown that he can stretch the field and can obviously make some plays. It’s all about who makes the most plays during these training camp days, so he’s definitely shown that he can play at this level.

Several football gurus have already compared Danny Amendola to Wes Walker. But one issue will be how many wide receivers the Cowboys end up keeping. If anyone is going to get dropped, I think it should be Isaiah Stanback, who remains quiet in practices this year. I believe Amendola is a player the Cowboys need to hold onto and see if the kid is truly the next Wes Walker.

Browns Nemisis Too Fat To Play

If any of you been to training camp or seen them play else where in person, then I’m sure you know that Shaun Rogers, Corey Williams, Robaire Smith, and Shaun Smith are all pretty big guys, well you may change your mind in a moment.

Seems as though Pittsburgh Steelers D-lineman Casey Hampton, is too fat to participate in the team’s training camp and has been placed on the PUP list, after Hampton failed the team’s annual run test. He won’t be allowed to practice with the team until he sheds the extra pounds either.

This cracks me up, and as a Browns fan I couldn’t be happier to have this to a team such as the Steelers. Maybe more of these kinds of events can take place in that unmentionable city 2 hours east.

Go and party it up all you want Casey, go and party it up!

Since It’s The Hall of Fame Game On Sunday

There is no better time to look at the Indianapolis Colts current Hall of Famer.  This guy started off the trend of great Colts running backs.  It’s been a while since the Colts haven’t had a perennial Pro Bowler at running back, and this back out of Southern Methodist was the first to run for 1,000 yards with the Indianapolis Colts.

Eric Dickerson

Eric Dickerson was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams with the second pick of the 1983 NFL Draft.  Dickerson didn’t wait long to become a star.

In his first two seasons, he ran for a combined 3913 yards and scored 32 rushing touchdowns.  His sophomore season was the first 2,000 yard season since OJ Simpson in 1973.  Dickerson still holds the record at 2,105 yards.

After his phenomenal year, contract disputes began with the Rams.  He still topped 1200 yards in 1985 and 1986, but the two sides never came to a full agreement.  Eric Dickerson went on the trading block.

Dickerson played three games with the Rams in 1987 before one of the biggest trades in NFL history went down.  The three way trade between the Rams, Colts, and Buffalo Bills ended up with the Rams getting running back Greg Bell, 3 first round draft picks, the Bills getting Cornelius Bennett, and the Colts getting Dickerson.  For the first time since Alan Ameche was on the Baltimore squad in the 50s, the Colts had a Pro Bowl-caliber running back.

Dickerson ended up playing 9 games with the Colts in 1987, and he reached 1000 yards, keeping his career-long streak going.  Dickerson led the Colts to the playoffs for the first time in Indianapolis, where they lost to the Cleveland Browns in the first round.  Even though they had an early bounce from the playoffs, the Colts found their running back of the future.

The next season, Dickerson did not miss a step in his first full year with the Colts.  Dickerson ran for 1659 yards, which was good enough to get the league-wide rushing title.  The Colts went 9-7 and missed the playoffs, but Dickerson was not to blame.  Jack Trudeau was the quarterback, so that’s a good reason why the Colts missed the playoffs.

In 1989, Eric Dickerson passed the highly regarded milestone of 10,000 rushing yards.  Dickerson rushed for 1311 yards, which put him at 11,226 yards for his career.  Dickerson again could not put the Colts in the playoffs, as they went 8-8.  However, this was their third straight year of being .500 or better, so the team was flourishing under Dickerson.

1990 is infamous for the Colts making the worst draft pick in the history of their team.  They took the moustached nightmare named Jeff George number one overall.  George is a perfect example on why taking a player because of where he went to high school is a terrible, terrible idea.  Jeff George went to Warren Central, a high school on the west side of Indianapolis.  Although Warren Central has been great recently, George was an awful quarterback.  The Colts gave up Andre Rison to get the bust, and this hurt the entire game.  George had a fine rookie year, but that didn’t continue.  Eric Dickerson was the problem with this team.  Dickerson held out of training camp because of contract disputes, and the Colts suspended him for four games.  I wish teams today still had the balls to suspend their stars for acting like whiny little girls.  Now they get cut only when being arrested around 7 times in a four hour period.  Dickerson only rushed for 677 yards, and his career went downward.

In 1991, the Colts completely collapsed.  Eric Dickerson was once again suspended for three games and only rushed for 536 yards.  The Colts only won one game, which was against the Jets in the Meadowlands.  Dickerson had a terrible year and was being a jerk about his contract, which was worth 1.4 million dollars a year, which was very high at that time.

The Colts finally got fed up with Dickerson and traded him to the Los Angeles Raiders for their fourth and eighth round draft picks in the 1992 NFL Draft.  Dickerson ran for 729 yards in 1992 with the Raiders and ran for 91 yards with the Falcons a year later.  Dickerson retired with 13,259 yards, placing him second all-time.  For the Colts, he had 5194 rushing yards and 32 touchdowns in five contraversial yet productive seasons.

Dickerson was elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1999, and he is still the only member of the Indianapolis Colts to be enshrined in Canton.  So when you are in Canton for the Colts first preseason game, remember to go see the plaque of the Colts’ first true superstar of the Indianapolis era.

Rookie Is Impressing

The Miami Dolphins have a rookie who is starting to impress some people.  He is big, mean, and not named Jake Long.  He is Donald Thomas and the 6th round rookie offensive lineman has been practicing at the starting RG spot for the last 4 practices.

While on the surface that might look to mean something, but a cautionary warning, Trey Darilek spent the first 3 practices at RG.  It appears the Dolphins may be rotating the position to find the right fit.

While it is too early to tell how he will work out or if he will even make the team, his defensive counterparts are feeling his power.  Walking off the practice field saying he is ”heavy”.  A term used to describe a player who hard to move off the line and hits hard.

Thomas has a long way to go, but in a field of question marks and unknowns, sometimes there is a bright spot that shines through.  Maybe the Dolphins got lucky and Thomas may turn into something special….if of course he makes the team. 

Lions tales: No Lynch, a pair of centers and how many D-linemen are too many?

There will be no Marinelli - Lynch reunion:

You knew the beat guys would ask Rod Marinelli about John Lynch when it was announced he was leaving the Broncos. Turns out he Lions have no need for a 37 year old safety, former Buc or not. It might have been a good story, but it wouldn’t have been a good football decision.

A pair of centers are signed:

As there is no legitimate backup to center Dominic Raiola in camp, the Lions signed 15 year veteran and long time Ram, Andy McCollum, along with undrafted free agent Nick Jones, to compete for the job. To make room on the roster, training camp fodder, guard/tackle Chris Patrick and guard Matt Butler, were released. As much grief as Raiola has taken over the years, he’s become one of the stalwarts of the offensive line. No matter who becomes his backup, Raiola gowing down would be one of the Lions’ worst nightmares.

Will the Lions open the season with 10 defensive linemen on the roster?

Killer Kowalski thinks so, even if Marinelli says he’s only keeping 9. Well, let’s see what they have, and decide for ourselves…

Dewayne White: Without question, their best DE. Hell yes.

Jared DeVries: Long time Lion who can play both end and tackle. His versatility means he’s a yes.

Cliff Avril: He’s a 3rd round pick, he BETTER make the team. Yes.

Corey Smith: If he makes the team, it’ll be due to his playing on special teams. On the bubble.

Cory Redding: Grossly overpaid, but still their best overall interior lineman now that Shaun Rogers is gone. Yes.

Chuck Darby: A Marinelli guy through and through. Yes.

Shaun Cody: Too much is invested in the former 2nd round pick to give up now. In his walk year, the Lions seem to think Cody is due for a big season. Yes.

Langston Moore: Very underrated backup at both end and tackle, a guy I personally really like. Makes plays, something few Lions have the ability to do. Yes.

Andre Fluellen: Another 3rd round pick who best make the team. If you are cutting 3rd round picks, you have major scouting issues. Yes.

So I see 9 who definitely make the team, and 1 bubble guy. If Smith makes the team, the question then becomes, which position do you short? Running back? Safety? Wide receiver? This is a position battle that bears close watch as camp goes on.

Pooch kicks:

No changes on the PUP list as of yet. The status of S Daniel Bullocks, TE Dan Campbell, WR Shaun McDonald and G Edwin Mulitalo remains unchanged.

The 2nd best WR to come out of GVSU, Eric Fowler, was a Lion for all of 3 days. He was waived earlier today.

Killer loves him some Kevin Smith. Will the 3rd round pick be the starting RB coming out of camp? This blogger hopes so. Smith has the most upside of any of the backs in camp. Smith is also one of the rookies keeping a camp diary on DetroitLions.com.

Jet Landing Is A Fav’r To Pack

The Miami Dolphins secondary better get ready, the toss it up for grabs Brett Favre is closing in on a landing zone.  The GB Gazette is reporting that the plane arriving with Brett Favre has been cancelled and that Brett and his agent Bus Cook appear to be headed to the NY area, figuratively speaking.  The Gazette says that the Packers and CropDusters are in “serious” negotiations.

The arrival of Favre in NY, should that happen would be a blessing for the Green Bay Packers who are embroiled in a serious PR issue with the ageless one.  While the rumor flies that Favre only wants to play for the Vikings, the reality is that he will play whenever they send him packing.

Favre has been non-committal on how many more years he wants to play, of course Brett Favre has been pretty much doing this back and forth for the better part of 3 years.  While the Packers could usher the QB to the other green team in the NFL, they still face a serious problem should Aaron Rodgers not take the Pack back to the playoffs.

In NY, Favre will not be the King of Mulberry street nor will he be welcomed with open arms and accolades.  He will be cheered for right up until the Jets start losing and then he will be booed out of NY just like the rest of the staff as well when this mult-million dollar high price free agent season comes to a close. 

 

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