Nfc east preseason reports

REDSKINS

# In general, everyone's very excited about Kyle Shanahan's new offense. Moss said one thing he loves about it is that Shanahan gives players the freedom to freelance if the play breaks down. "He runs schemes that are not always so finely stitched. Sometimes, you get an offense where a guy has something written and he says 'This is what I want you to do,' even though he knows defenses in this day and age are going to play differently. He's one of those guys that has written, but he'll also say, 'Hey, if you can make something out of it differently, let's do it, because we want to make a play out of it, we don't want to just throw it into coverage.' He's one of those guys that's very flexible on how you get open, as long as you and the quarterback are on the same page." I was also told that one reason Jason Campbell got sacked so much is that Jim Zorn's offense didn't really have hot routes. He was supposed to run the play, regardless of the pressure. Take that for what you will.
# More Kyle Shanahan - I talked to Fred Davis, and he said that the most exciting thing about Kyle's offense is that he knows he can get both Davis and Cooley plenty of opportunities. Cooley echoed that sentiment as well. So far, we've seen a lot of that, with Davis making a couple nice catches running down the seam in the middle.
# Speaking of Davis, I asked him whether some of the fan criticism he got in the first year and a half bothered him at all. He admitted that he felt people didn't understand that he was behind Cooley and just needed his opportunity to shine. "Sometimes, you have to tune out, because sometimes, they're just wrong."
# Wide receivers: There's been a lot of talk about Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly playing on the second unit. When Shanahan said Joey Galloway and Roydell Williams were ahead of them on the depth chart, I thought he misspoke, but it's true. Shanahan said those two were more impressive in OTAs, though he added the caveat that Thomas and Kelly had nagging injuries that dropped them down a bit. I actually think Thomas has played pretty well, so we'll see what happens there. Kelly is still struggling with his hamstring, so it's been tough to evaluate him.
# Clinton Portis looks very good, and I think he's rejuvenated from playing with Mike Shanahan. He seems thrilled to be reunited with Shanahan, even downplaying McNabb's impact to say so. "I wouldn't say that it was Donovan that rubbed off on guys. I think it was the organization," Portis said when asked about McNabb's impact on the vibe at training camp. "With Coach Shanahan coming in setting the rules, everybody abiding by the same rules, I think that it has players buying in."
# Larry Johnson is running really hard, finishing off runs more than 20 yards upfield. He seems thrilled to be back here in D.C., and he's admitted to us that he sees a real opportunity. However, he's also dropped three easy screen passes in the first two days, passes Brian Westbrook would gobble up. Willie Parker's played ok, but Ryan Torrain continues to impress. Don't be surprised to see Torrain leap ahead of Parker.
# The starting defensive front 7, for the most part, has been Adam Carriker, Ma'ake Kemoeatu and Kendrick Golston up front, with Lorenzo Alexander, London Fletcher, Rocky McIntosh and Brian Orakpo at linebacker. Andre Carter has been rotating in a bit for Alexander, but for the most part, he's been on the second team.
# Trent Williams looked very good in his first practice, and both Orakpo and Derrick Dockery praised his effort. Shanahan did too.
# One guy turning heads here is Terrence Austin. Austin made a couple really nice catches on Friday, and was practicing a bit as the punt returner as well. Shanahan was very happy with him, saying it's very impressive that he came in only in June (because he was still at UCLA) and picked up the offense so quickly. Austin also said he's eyeing that punt return job, because everyone has told him the way to stick on an NFL roster is to make an impact on special teams. I really think he could be a huge asset this year on special teams, and he could be a solution to the punt return woes.

http://www.hogshaven.com/2010/7/31/1598133/a-couple-quick-notes-from-covering

EAGLES

8:54 - Nice pass breakup by Nate Allen gets a rise out of the crowd.

8:55 - New WR Kelley Washington with a catch over the middle during one-on-one drills. Not sure if he's simply motivation for our other WR's or if he really has a legitimate shot of making the team, but I'll say this... He has wheels.

8:57 - Kafka with a weak ball down the sideline, easily picked by Asante Samuel.

8:58 - Trevard Lindley swats away a pass intended for Washington. Nice closing speed. Lindley had a great day today. I have some quotes from Lindley coming up soon.

9:00 - Asante Samuel tries to jam Avant at the line, but Avant jukes the crap out of him, throws Samuel aside for good measure, and gets wide open for an easy pitch and catch. Avant may not have the raw ability that DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin have, but he is by far and away the most polished WR on the team. You want to talk about "leadership?" Look no further than Jason Avant.

9:02 - Asante Samuel at Jason Avant: "Hey Jason, I'm mad about that. I'm mad about that, Jason. That's on my mind now. I'll see you again." To which Avant retorts, "You better put on some more weight." I'll repeat what I wrote in the last diary - Samuel is constantly running his mouth. I'm becoming a much bigger fan.

9:03 - Maclin runs a fly route against Lindley one-on-one. Lindley stays with Maclin all the way and has a really nice pass breakup. The other corners, all lined up on the sideline, give a collective "OOOOOH!" Lindley looks a player.

9:05 - Vick and Washington connect on a deep ball. I won't be the first to say this, nor the last, but it's really something to see the way Vick just flicks his wrist so effortlessly, and the ball just jumps out of his hand. Vick throws 50 yard bombs with the same ease as I do tossing a crumbled up piece of paper in the garbage. It's really something to see in person. Then again, I'm not sure he always knows where the ball is going, but I digress.

9:07 - On the very first play, McCoy goes for 25 yards on a run off right tackle. McCoy is easily the MVP of the day today. He looks comfortable and confident with his role as the starting RB, which is great to see.

9:08 - McCoy again for 5 more. In the 2 days I've been here, the Eagles have been running the ball a ton during the live 11 on 11 full-contact game situation sessions.

9:11 - Vick scrambles for 25. Just FYI - Vick looks fast.

9:12 - Mike Bell with a hard run for 5. The ground game trend continues.

9:13 - High comedy here. There's a kid working the clock at the far end zone (about 60 yards away), and Andy Reid is trying to yell to the kid to put 2:34 on the clock. He yells it about 4-5 times, and kid can't hear him. So an assistant starts walking closer to the kid and is yelling "Two thirty-four!" The kid puts 4:00 on the clock. "No, two thirty-four!" The kid puts 2:00 on the clock. "Two thirty-four!" The kid puts 2:04 on the clock. "TWO THIRTY-FOUR!!!" Finally, the kid puts 2:34 on the clock. Big ovation from the crowd. Great stuff.

9:14 - Juqua Parker with a "sack" to end a drive.

9:16 - Charles Scott with a hard run. Keenan Clayton on the tackle. I continue to see this guy everywhere.

9:17 - Charles Scott again. This kid is a load. I'm really looking forward to watching Scott in the preseason. Take this to the bank - The Eagles are going to give him a ton of preseason carries.

9:18 - It's the 1's (O) vs the 2's (D)

9:20 - Nice catch by Baskett along the sidelines, who then turns upfield for some additional yardage. Every time Hank touches the football, somebody yells "Kendra," which is getting annoying.

9:21 - Trevor Laws on a tackle. Laws looks good so far, and Sean McDermott had some good things to say about him. We'll get to that later.

9:22 - On a well-executed play action pass, Moise Fokou stays with Brent Celek on a pass in the flat. Celek makes the catch but is immediately planted by Fokou for a minimal gain.

9:23 - Kolb misses an open Avant a little high down the seam.

9:24 - 3's vs 3's. Too many rookies on the field to count right now.

9:27 - Nice 15 yard gain by Buckley. Buckley had a good day today, after a not-so-great day yesterday. Competition (i.e. J.J. Arrington) is a great thing.

9:28 - Daniel Te'o Nesheim breaks up a run in the backfield. Keenan Clayton is right there again as well.

9:29 - Buckley for 4. Did I mention the Eagles are running the crap out of the ball so far? Well, they still are.

9:31 - Hurry-up FG time. Akers kicks a succession of FG's, ranging from about 35 to 52 yards. Drills them all with ease.

9:34 - They also do a hurry up drill, in which they run a play in where the defense purposely allows Jason Avant to catch a ball the middle of the field, and the offense has to run down and clock the ball. The FG team then runs out as assistant coaches yell "This is for the win!" Akers drills it again. Really fun drill. On a side note, Sav Rocca walked right past me at one point. I go about 6'3, 205, and Rocca dwarfed me. Rocca is a large human being.

9:56 - 7 on 7's

9:57 - Consecutive completions to Avant, Maclin, and Baskett. Baskett's catch is another nice one over the middle from Vick. Vick seems to look for Baskett a lot.

9:42 - Vick bomb for Kelley Washington broken up by Macho. Macho looks pretty good so far as well. I've been impressed with the way Macho is jamming the bigger receivers (Baskett, Cooper) at the line. He may not have the quicks to keep up with some of the smaller, speedy guys, but he's very physical and if he can get his hands on the bigger guys at the line he can be an effective corner. I can envision Macho matching up nicely against guys like Roy Williams, Hakeem Nicks, or even a smaller TE like Fred Davis of the Redskins.

9:45 - Another Baskett catch. This time from Kolb. Baskett is making the team by the way. He just is.

QUICK OBSERVATION - I've been watching to see how Nick Cole looks snapping the ball in shotgun situations. It's not good. You don't want your center firing fastballs back to the QB, but you do want a crisp snap that the QB gets in his hands quickly so he can maximize his time to look downfield and read the defense. Every fraction of a second counts. Cole's snaps in the shotgun are not crisp. Kolb is often having to reach for them slightly, which is not ideal, and is eating up those all-important fractions of a second. I could certainly be wrong here, but it does not appear to me that this is something Cole has worked on in the offseason.

9:50 - We're live, full-contact, game action again! 1's (O) vs 2's (D)

9:51 - It's the Eagles' patented shovel play. McCoy for about 8.

9:53 - McCoy beats a blitz for a 20-yard run. Did I already mention McCoy looks great? Well, he does.

9:54 - Kolb misses a wide open Jason Avant down the seam in the endzone from about the 40. Overthrows him by a smidge, and Avant almost makes a gorgeous one-handed grab, but it's incomplete.

9:55 - Draw to McCoy for 4. The ground game continues.

9:56 - Sideline pass to Riley Cooper. I'm about 4 yards away and can clearly see that Cooper's foot is barely out of bounds, but the coaching staff disagrees. Complete catch. Cooper was a little quieter this morning, but he's still dreamy.

9:57 - Shady up the middle again. Clayton there again.

9:58 - Noticing that Winston Justice is really doing a nice job in pass protection against Brandon Graham.

9:59 - Kolb feels some pressure in his face, but makes a quick decision and unloads the ball across the middle to McCoy. McCoy scampers 25 yards for the TD. McCoy right now looks like the fastest player on the field. If you watch him, it's fairly obvious that he's ready.

10:00 - 2's (O) vs. 1's (D)

10:01 - Bell violently blows up a blitzing defender. Outstanding block.

10:02 - PLAY OF THE DAY - 4th and 1 situation - Quintin Mikell, Brodrick Bunkley, and Omar Gaither blow up Mike Bell in the backfield. The D is fired up. You'd think it was Week 14.

10:04 - Nice run again by Buckley. Again, he's having a good day.

QUICK OBSERVATION - Keenan Clayton is getting time with both the 2's and the 3's. Lots and lots of reps for this kid. The Eagles want him on the field, and I think they're trying to find the best way to use him.

10:05 - Just as I notice Clayton again, Buckley runs right through a Clayton arm tackle. C'mon Keenan! Don't make me take you off the Na Brown Award candidate list!

QUICK OBSERVATION - Daniel Te'o Nesheim has a reputation for being quiet and reserved off the field, but plays about 3 seconds past the whistle on pretty much every play. My over/under on the number of fights he'll be in during this camp - 3.5. He already has one.

10:06 - Clay Harbor nice catch and run. Harbor is clearly ahead of Martin Rucker on the depth chart. I don't see Rucker getting very many reps at all.

10:07 -Harbor again over the middle, and he drags the pile for an additional 3 yards. He's looking good.

10:08 - Kafka finds a wide open Chad Hall, who is slammed by David Pender.

10:09 - Two J.J. Arrington runs go nowhere. My first impression is that he looks slow, and that Denver's 6th round pick is in our near future.

http://www.bleedinggreennation.com/2010/8/1/1599737/a-running-diary-from-eagles-camp

COWBOYS

Offensive line coach Hudson Houck likes what he sees at left tackle.

"I think we've got two real good players," Houck said. "We've got five preseason games, so we'll find out which guy we're going to put in there. It's pretty open. Free has earned the right to get the first look, but we're certainly open to seeing what Alex can do."

Tight end John Phillips impressed offensive coordinator Jason Garrett with his hunting habits, both on and off the field:

"He hunts bobcats in the offseason, so I think that says enough about him," offensive coordinator Jason Garrett said jokingly. "He's not always the flashiest," Garrett said, "but typically, he gets the job done. We're excited about him."

Tight ends coach John Garrett joins the growing crowd of John Phillips fans.

"He sat back there when he wasn’t getting a lot of reps and watched No. 82," tight ends coach John Garrett. "He watched the model of how to do it in every aspect of the game. He’s not dumb. He knows who to watch and who to emulate, and he has picked up a lot from Jason."

Linebackers coach Reggie Herring thinks that the Cowboys have the best depth he's seen yet at linebacker.

"We have more speed and more ability depth wise than we have in the three years I've been here,'' Herring said.

Of course, with Anthony Spencer on your team, it's not that hard to get excited

"He was already very difficult to block and deal with as a rusher or a run defender," Cowboys linebackers coach Reggie Herring said. "He's building consistency, and he's really established himself as a player. He's just applying himself more day to day, and we're very pleased right now with his attitude and his work ethic. It looks like he's got a chance right now, the way he's going, to pick up from where he left off last year by the end."

Reggie Herring wants to see a little more of Sean Lee before getting too excited.

"We’re very excited about Sean. I’m not going to declare anybody anything until they line up against NFL competition and prove it. Right now, he’s done a nice job at practice. He’s doing what we asked of him. He’s shown nice ability in the run and pass game. He’s a smart, instinctive player. So far, he’s everything we thought he’d be. So far. Now, let’s go play a few games and make an evaluation."

Tim MacMahon from ESPNDallas reports that word around Valley Ranch is that there's only one linebacker the Cowboys have graded higher in the past few drafts than Sean Lee. That would be Patrick Willis, the 49ers 3-time Pro Bowler & 2-time First-Team All-Pro. No wonder Reggie Herring is trying to keep expectations in check.

But overall, Herring sounds pleased with the progress of his linebacker corp:

Even Leon Williams is having a great camp right now – a guy we didn’t expect. Jason Williams is somewhat inconsistent but he shows flashes of great ability. We’re working on the consistency, the maturity factor with him. Sean Lee is an excellent, excellent prospect to be a Cowboy here. He’s doing things very well – very talented.

Then you take a Victor Butler. Talk about turning the light on. In the last three days, all of a sudden he's starting to rush the passer better than he ever has. The reemergence of a Brandon Williams, whom we didn’t have last year, who’s an explosive pass rusher. Steve Octavien who’s probably a harder worker than anybody we have at OL's, who’s making plays and is productive.

Coach Joe DeCamillis, special teams wizard and coach, wants Dez Bryant to be The Return Man.

"He's special with the ball in his hands and we're going to try to help him as much as we can," DeCamillis said, adding, "I think he's got a chance to be exceptional at both."

And the Cowboys do need Dez to step up, because kickoff returns were not something the Cowboys excelled at last year.

"Kickoff returns is definitely something we want to improve on," DeCamillis said. "We were above average to good on almost everything last year, but kickoff returns we just weren't ever comfortable. We're emphasizing that."

Running backs coach Skip Peete has an interesting idea about how to get each back enough touches.

"But a lot of times, it's not necessarily the number of carries you get," Peete said, "it's the touches. If you get 15 carries and 10 catches, that's your 25 touches." "I love that," Peete said. "There's nothing like having a running back in open space. You get big yardage."

Secondary coach Dave Campo gives us some insight into the position battle for the 4th corner spot.

"I'd say Cletis Gordon has been in the lead, he's got the experience," Campo said following Wednesday's practice. "I like Cletis. I think he's made as much improvement as anybody out here. I feel like he's really embraced the scheme and he's working very well and he offers something the other guys don't have, he has size and uses his hands and he can be more physical than the other guys."

" is starting to make some plays and I think that's going to be his strength. Sometimes he looks a little herky-jerky out there and not real smooth. But there's been a lot of guys who played that looked real well but they don't play very well. He has playmaking ability. When it's for real, he's a physical player and some of that stuff will begin to show up."

"Bryan McCann is technically sometimes better than the veteran guys, just footwork, break-and-drive and all those kinds of things, but he's 186 pounds, is 196 and 200. What's he going to do when the pads come on? Are the big receivers going to push him and that kind of thing? He looks a little smoother than Wall, but Wall I've seen play but you have to see who is going to be a factor."

Dave Campo also wants Allan Ball to focus exclusively on Free Safety

"Right now, he's at level 101,'' secondary coach Dave Campo said. "He's working to 201. He's close to 201. If we get to 201, we're going to be pretty good. "Not many guys get to 401. I'm at 401.''

"He'll make some plays,'' Campo said. "He's still feeling his way around a little bit. "The No. 1 thing for the guy back there is to make sure we're right. We can be aggressive, but we've got to make sure we're right first. If all four guys are right, we're going to be pretty good.''

Wide receivers coach Ray Sherman thinks highly of the WR groups' talent level

"I think we've got a little more talent than we had in Minnesota, little more than I had in Green Bay and even in San Francisco," Sherman said. "Overall, talent-wise as a group. Now we had some individuals that were very talent but overall talent is probably the best."

Ray Sherman also hints at the role Dez Bryant might play in the coming season.

"He is learning to play on the outside," receivers coach Ray Sherman said. "If you throw a lot at him, you're going to confuse him and slow his growth down. You have to get him in a spot and get him comfortable, with the system and also have him understand all the other components of the route, what those entail. Then, you can branch him out to other parts."

Chris Boniol loves David Buehler’s temperament when it comes to kicking FG’s, thinks that nothing bothers him, and likes the authority with which Buehler kicks.

"David’s a unique individual with unique physical skills. It’s not my job to teach him how to kick - he knows how to kick - it’s how to kick better."

"Nothing bothers him. I don’t know if you’ve watched this in OTAs, our fields were horrible, we got wind – we did everything we could to make things tough on him. And nothing bothers him. If you have a bad kick, if you have a bad day, he rebounds. He responds and comes back positive. And that’s important."

"Yesterday he was 3 for 4 but he hit the upright from 35. Well, he came back and hit a 46 and 48. With some authority. And that’s an important thing to see in a kicker. How do you respond after a miss? He does a good job of that."

Quarterbacks coach Wade Wilson sees Tony Romo off to a better start than last year.

"He's had a fabulous camp so far," Wade Wilson said. "He plays practice as real as anybody I've ever been around. He treats it like a game. When our guys are rushing him, he has a complete understanding of where he wants to go with the ball. If he has to move to get rid of the ball, he knows where to get it out. If everything is clean, he is throwing the ball as accurate as I've seen. Better than last year." [...] "He's asserting his personality onto the offense as well. In the meetings and on the practice field, it comes in how he approaches things every day."

http://www.bloggingtheboys.com/2010/7/30/1594624/cowboys-training-camp-what-the

EAGLES

BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- Eagles wide receiver Jeremy Maclin has left practice on a cart after injuring a knee.

Maclin hyperextended his left knee during afternoon workouts Tuesday. Coach Andy Reid ended practice shortly after Maclin went down.

The team says Maclin will be further evaluated Wednesday. A first-round draft pick last year, Maclin had 55 catches for 762 yards and four touchdowns as a rookie.

He joins a long list of players already on the sideline at training camp. Wideout DeSean Jackson hurt his back and cornerback Asante Samuel injured his hamstring. Both missed practice Tuesday.

Read more: http://www.sportingnews.com/nfl/article/2010-08-03/eagles-receiver-jeremy-maclin-hurts-knee#ixzz0vaHT0HJD

GIANTS

* Center Shaun O'Hara went to New York to have an MRI on his injured ankle, and Mike Garafolo was first (at least that I saw) with the news that there is no serious damage. That's good news for the Giants, who truthfully don't have a dependable backup center.
* Second-year wide receiver Hakeem Nicks went down right at the end of practice with what the Giants are terming a "hyperextended knee." Honestly, I saw Nicks come up hobbling after an incompletion pass from Eli Manning, but I did not see him carted off the field. Gotta learn to look a little closer while I'm leaving the field.

Star-divide
Here are a few notes from action on the field during the afternoon practice.

* We got our first look at Lawrence Tynes kicking with new holder Matt Dodge, the rookie punter. Tynes went 9-for-9, beginning at 20 yards and finishing at 47 while battling a pretty severe cross-wind. I'm no expert, but the holds all appeared clean and Tynes struck each ball well.
* Maybe I'm the only one who cares, but safety John Busing, a four-year veteran who was not signed until Saturday, finally had his name on the back of his jersey during the afternoon practice. Now we know how long that takes -- about three days.
* Nice practice for Terrell Thomas. He picked off a badly underthrown deep ball from Manning intended for Nicks (Eli's worst throw of camp thus far, in my estimation), then later batted away successive passes for wide receivers Duke Calhoun and Victor Cruz.
* A nice afternoon practice for Ramses Barden, catching everything that came his way, including a leaping grab of a pass from Jim Sorgi about 20 yards downfield in between D.J. Johnson and Busing.
* Speaking of Sorgi, he really has not been terribly impressive the first few days of camp. Lots of questionable throws to heavily-covered receivers.
* Osi Umenyiora showed that he is still, well, Osi Umenyiora. Same as he ever was, both good and bad. He blew past David Diehl for what would have been a sack on one play. Great. On another play, he came charging upfield hell-bent on another sack ... except that the offense ran a draw right into his vacated spot for what looked like it could have been a significant gain. Not so good. Some day, maybe he will learn to respect his run responsibilities.
* I mentioned it this morning, but I will do so again since an obvious pattern has emerged. Ahmad Bradshaw took snaps ahead of Brandon Jacobs again this afternoon, though both guys are working with the first unit. Every time the Giants' first offensive unit has lined up since camp began, Bradshaw has been on the field before Jacobs. Read into that whatever you want.

http://www.bigblueview.com/2010/8/3/1603795/giants-training-camp-tuesday

EAGLES

This afternoon was probably the best performance Cornelius Ingram has had yet. He got separation on a mid range catch from Kolb against the speedy Keenan Clayton. He also had a nice grab over the middle over Nate Allen. He reminded me a bit of the Packers' Jermichael Finley out there. Just a big target out that lets the QB throw high passes that defenders really don't have a play on. The catch over Nate Allen was that exact kind of throw. One of the last plays of the day was a leaping, fingertip grab over the middle from Ingram. Got big cheers from the crowd. Really a solid afternoon for Ingram after being fairly anonymous in the AM session.

Mike Bell didn't practice, but was running sprints on another field and looked fine. He should be back soon.

Omar Gaither had a real nice play where he dove near the sidelines to break up a really well thrown ball intended for Clay Harbor.

If the AM session was about Kevin Kolb showing his prowess in the short passing game, the PM session was about him going deep. In one 7 on 7 he threw two perfect deep balls for TDs. The first was to Maclin from about 40 yards out which hit him perfectly in stride and just over some decent coverage from Trevard Lindley. A play or two later Kolb lofted another perfectly placed ball in the end zone to Riley Cooper again from about 40 yards out. Kolb aired out a few more times in the late session and looked really good doing it. As soon as he sees that WR get single coverage he launches it and lets them run right underneath it. Very solid day overall from Kolb.

While Kolb had the luxury of bombing TD passes all afternoon, the other two QBs mostly ran scout team offenses. the crowd kind of groaned as Mike Kafka specifically threw one pick after the other, but that's kind of the point of these scout team drills. You'll notice before the drill that a coach will show the QB a diagrammed play that the defense is going to defend. The QB just throws the ball where he's told.

That said, the defense still has to make plays... and they did. Stewart Bradley, who was solid in coverage all day, picked off a Vick pass over the middle. Ellis Hobbs, Joselio Hanson, and Nate Allen all picked off Kafka in the drills as well.

http://www.bleedinggreennation.com/2010/8/3/1603960/eagles-training-camp-afternoon

COWBOYS

-- Victor Butler got extra reps with the first-team defense in the final drills today. Butler has been backing up Anthony Spencer all camp. He continued his strong rush work with some effective dashes around the edge. He stood up Martellus Bennett on one play and rode the TE back to the quarterback. Earlier, he made Scott Sicko look like a rookie with a flying ole move which left Sicko grasping for air.

Butler has worked exclusively as the strong-side OLB with Brandon Williams getting all the snaps at WOLB behind Demarcus Ware. Butler showed some quality coverage skills early in camp and has menaced the right tackles and tight ends in more recent practices. The second-year linebackers have all taken steps forward this summer and Butler does his part.

-- Six deep at WR? The top four in the team's totem look set after two weeks. Last year's trio of Austin, Williams and Crayton retain their spots and Dez Bryant will claim his spot when he returns. I think the team has to take two more wideouts and while Kevin Ogletree and Sam Hurd look strong, I would not discount Jesse Holley's chances. He'll have to make some big plays in the pre-season games but he has made his share of grabs in the 11-on-11s. He's a long-shot, but he beat the odds to make the practice squad last year.

-- David Buehler was 5-of-6 in his drill, nailing kicks between 24 and 48 yards. His lone miss was a 56 yard attempt which hit the left upright.

-- He's got a knack: Sean Lee returned to drills today, working mostly with the third-team defense. His ballyhooed instincts returned intact; he recognized and blew up a Felix Jones screen working against the first-team defense. He's got some ground to make up but Lee appears able.

-- Welcome back, rookie: I saw some intriguing skills from rookie NT Josh Brent last week, who caught Andre Gurode flat-footed in a first-week rush drill. Brent then lost a week to a broken hand. He's back and Gurode showed the rookie that he has an elephant's memory; Brent got the worst or two duels in the 11-on-11s. Gurode rolled Brent on a Marion Barber draw, showing that he's the boss.

http://www.bloggingtheboys.com/2010/8/4/1605693/cowboys-training-camp-report-17

GIANTS

* Wide receiver Steve Smith left practice early and is headed for an MRI on his groin.
* Offensive lineman Reuben Riley strained an MCL on the final play of practice.
* Coughlin is not optimistic about an early return for Rich Seubert.
* Tight end Jake Ballard strained a hamstring reaching for a pass. Kevin Boss and Travis Beckum were already not practicing.
* Some good news. Coughlin expects center Shaun O'Hara and safety Kenny Phillips (yes, Kenny Phillips) to practice Monday.

Now, for some on-the-field news.

* With O'Hara and Seubert not practicing, and Will Beatty having struggled mightily on Thursday, I was curious how the offensive line would look. The first unit was David Diehl (LT), Guy Whimper (LG), Adam Koets (C), Chris Snee (RG) and Kareem McKenzie (RG). Beatty got some first-team reps with Diehl moving inside, and rookie fifth-round pick Mitch Petrus also got a few first-team reps at left guard. Koets, by the way, remains an adventure simply snapping the ball back to the quarterback.
* The Giants finished practice with a goal-line drill, putting the ball at the two- or three-yard line, we really couldn't see where. Good news/bad news here. Great defensive stand as the offense was unable to score in six plays. Of course, that means pretty terrible offensive play but it left the defense talking plenty of trash. Scott Chandler dropped a ball that should have been a touchdown from Eli Manning. Right now, there has to be concern about how the offensive line will shake out as the Giants could not get any running plays blocked.
* Noticeable today was that, for the first time this camp, Brandon Jacobs took a couple of snaps before Ahmad Bradshaw in 11-on-11 drills.
* Mixed bag for Ramses Barden. Great catch along the left sideline as he beat Corey Webster off the line and leaped for a high throw from Eli. He also dropped a slant pass that hit him right in the hands.
* Great interception by Aaron Ross in a red zone drill, stepping in front of Hakeem Nicks on a slant pass to pick off Manning. Bunch of dropped picks today, though. One by Keith Bulluck and one by John Busing on an awful throw by Rhett Bomar that got Perry Fewell to scream "catch the freakin' (and yes, he did say 'freakin') football." Perry must have been feeling PG in front of today's Autograph Day crowd.
* Under the watchful eye of Jeff Feagles Matt Dodge worked on dropping the ball inside the 20 today, with mixed success. A few good, high punts dropped around the 10-yard line (from the 45), but a couple of bad ones as well.
* Barry Cofield took advantage of Whimper once and Petrus once to make a pair of nice run stops in the backfield.

http://www.bigblueview.com/2010/8/6/1609812/giants-training-camp-friday

EAGLES

* Practice has hardly even begun and already Nick Cole is shuffling off the field. Not good. I would later find out that he tweaked his knee. Nothing serious, but with the offensive line the way it's been looking, every snap missed is a missed opportunity to get your rhythm down.
* Mike McGlynn replaces Cole at center. With A.Q. Shipley still not practicing fully, the center position is now down to McGlynn and Dallas Reynolds. Eagle Joe's prediction is starting to look pretty wise.
* I overhear that newly-acquired HB J.J. Arrington will be out for the day with a foot injury. Anyone want to guess at his chances of making the roster? (Hint: slim at best)
* Juqua Parker nearly bowls me over as he takes a play out of bounds and I jump into Chris McPherson. Luckily, they're both good sports about it.
* Kurt Coleman explodes into the backfield to bat down a Micheal Vick pass. A fan on the sideline mumbles "And he wants to be a starting quarterback..."
* Riley Cooper is seeing a lot of action with the first team with Jeremy Maclin still recovering from his bone bruise. His size will definitely be an advantage in the redzone. He's towering over the cornerbacks.
* The crowd here is as enthusiastic as you'd expect Philly fans to be. Every few minutes, there is an E-A-G-L-E-S chant. (And of course a scattered boo or two when Micheal Vick takes the field)
* Tiny little Chad Hall makes a juggling TD catch in the endzone during 7-on-7's. His argument for the Na Brown award is still strong.
* Later during that same drill, Quintin Mikell makes a great read and picks off Kolb for what could have been a pick-six during a live game. This wasn't the only time our young QB was picked off this morning.
* Kelley Washington makes a great diving grab off of a Vick pass. He's been having a solid morning so far. The choice of receivers to keep on the final roster is definitely going to be a tough decision.
* Jeff Owens and Trevor Laws are busting through the middle of the line on almost every play. Laws even knocks Vick down a few times. With Antonio Dixon still recovering from a concussion both of these young defensive tackles might just beat him out for roster spots.
* Special teams drills are now underway. Punter Ken Parrish gets bowled over by Simoni Lawrence on a punt blocking drill. As Parrish lies in the grass, Leonard Weaver runs over and yells "That's why you wear pads, son!"
* Practice is over and the players start filing back into the locker room. I join a cluster of media gurus in the tent for Andy Reid's press conference.
* On the way to the tent, I'm intercepted by a member of the Eagles PR team who wants to interview me about BGN. Hopefully, they'll make me sound better than I thought I sounded. I'm not used to being the interviewee (as Jimmy can tell you).
* Two players that Reid is raving about today are Trevor Laws and Dimitri Patterson - who had a great endzone pick off of Kolb late in practice. It's hard to imagine Patterson coming back for a second year with Macho Harris and Trevard Lindley all but locks to make the roster, but you never know...
* And as the last of the players trickle back into the locker room, Jimmy and I head out for a well-deserved lunch. On the way off the field, I am nearly run over by Moise Fokou, who is taking a cart ride in. I'm definitely not having any luck with defensive ends today.

http://www.bleedinggreennation.com/2010/8/7/1610862/thoughts-from-training-camp-aug

REDSKINS

Hogs Haven: How has Dennis Morris looked? (is he getting a lot of time as FB/H-Back/TE?). What team is he primarily playing with?

Can't say that I've seen him do a whole lot. Tried to focus on him a couple times and only saw him blocking from an H-back spot. He was OK, but I really need to see more. They plan to use him in various spots.

Hogs Haven: With Ma'ake only be 60%, it's clear we can't count on him to be the starter all year (he was over 380 lbs at one point last year). Who is emering as the better NT starter: Antonio Bryant or Howard Green? (ie: pushing back the OL, stuffing the middle, who's bigger in size?)

Star-divide

I think this will be an issue if Kemo gets hurt. I haven't been a big fan of Bryant, at least early in camp. He seemed to get to upright, a major problem for a nose tackle (or any lineman for that matter). Even at the snap he's too tall for my taste.

Hogs Haven: Has anyone announced what Albert's current, actual weight is?

No, but in all honesty the issue is not the weight. He actually looks good, especially compared to last season. He looks better than others on the team. But there's a difference between being thinner and being in shape. And if you hurt your knee on the second day running a test, that's not a good sign.

Hogs Haven: The last couple years the defense has always looked miles better than the defense, which unit has been better overall so far (ie: winning the daily battles)?

The defense has been more consistent, but that's fairly typical. The defense is showing a lot of looks and I think that leads to confusion, which leads to some rugged play by the offense. The secondary has looked the best overall.

Hogs Haven: I read that Artis Hicks is getting pushed into the back-field quite a bit. Should we be concerned at this point, and if so, does Rinehart have a chance to win that job? How has he looked coming off his major injury?

Yes, Hicks has looked spotty. He's getting pushed back because he stands too tall. Part of that could be a function of having switched from right tackle; at guard, you have to get a little lower inside. My problem is that 6-6 Adam Carriker is getting lower than the 6-4 Hicks. However, he looked better today and he does seem to work well with Jammal Brown. But I do think it's something to watch (I talked to someone the other day who kept shaking his head over the fact that Hicks was starting). Rinehart has actually looked solid vs. the reserves. He's been more consistent with his base and he's playing with good strength. I'm not yet getting excited over him and right now view him mainly as a guy who, if something happened to Brown then Hicks could move outside and Rinehart could go to RG.

Hogs Haven: Chris Horton seems to be a ghost these days...is he making any plays or still nursing the toe injury? The Redskins have to have the most depth at SS than any team in the league.

I've seen Horton make a play on a blitz, but that's about it. Really, outside of his first couple games in the NFL I haven't seen him make many plays. They do have good depth at SS, but I would prefer Doughty in front of him at this spot because he's a better blitzer.

http://www.hogshaven.com/2010/8/5/1606557/redskins-training-camp-updates-on

COWBOYS

The Cowboys opened the pre-season with a physical 16-7 win over the Bengals. Dallas' defense resumed where it ended the 2009 regular season. The first two defensive units kept the first two Cincinnati offenses from crossing mid-field.

Brandon Williams, Victor Butler and Jason Williams, the 2nd year trio of linebackers who saw so much of their collective '09 wiped out by injury, led the charge. Brandon Williams troubled Bengals left tackles as a rusher and intercepted a pass, setting up Dallas' third field goal of the night. Butler showed a strong overall game, blanketing backs and looping inside to sack a Cincinnati quarterback in the 2nd half.

The third stringers made their share of plays. Linebacker Brandon Sharpe closed Dallas' scoring by intercepting a Jordan Palmer pass and returning it for a touchdown. The Cowboys came within a minute of a shutout, but Jordan Shipley's long punt return set the Bengals in a goal-to-go situation which they converted.

Star-divide

The game confirmed much of what we and others have reported during the first two weeks of camp. The Cowboys possess a deep, talented defense and have strong skill position offensive players, but face a shortage of offensive line depth.

The Cowboys first offense got just one series and marched from its own 28 to the Cincinnati five in thirteen plays. The unit mixed plays from the base 21 set and the 11 package and saw Miles Austin get an early first down with a deep out on Bengals standout Leon Hall.

The offense then overcame a 1st-and-20, produced by an Andre Gurode hold, with Roy Williams converting 3rd and 12 with a 21 yard deep in. Romo was given time by F-back Jason Witten, who lined up in the backfield and knocked out a blitzing Bengals inside linebacker.

A superbly timed stop-fade to Patrick Crayton over Pacman Jones put Dallas in first-and-goal at the five. Here the team got a break when an offsides penalty negated a Felix Jones fumble into the end zone, which the Bengals recovered. Safety Roy Williams put his helmet on the ball, knocking in from Jones one yard from a score. Dallas then misfired on three straight passes, leading to a short David Buehler field goal. This was it for the starting offense.

The first-team defense also got one series and forced a Bengals punt after five plays. Cincinnati gained a quick first down on a seven yard out to Terrell Owens, but Stephen Bowen pressured Carson Palmer into an incompletion on the following 3rd and 6.

The Dallas second team offense then got a series against the Bengals starters and Jon Kitna moved his guys from the Dallas six into Cincy territory. Two long completions to backup F-back John Phillips produced two first downs. Kitna hit Phillips up the left seam for 24 yards and then converted a 3rd-and-8 with a 16 yard pass outside the right hash.

While the second team skill position guys made plays, the second team line showed by depth remains a big concern. The right side looked shaky and became even moreso when Robert Brewster moved to left tackle to spell Alex Barron, who left with an ankle sprain. Pat McQuistan and Sam Young struggled to protect Stephen McGee, who took over from Kitna after the number two completed two series.

At this point, the backup parade finished out the game.

Notes:

-- Phillips out? An early report says John Phillips may have suffered a torn ACL in his right knee. The MRI will come on Monday.

-- Gesek Watch: unless something dramatic happens with Mike Tepper's game, I think the team brass may order its scouts to look hard for a backup interior offensive lineman to acquire. Tepper looks okay for an undrafted rookie, but he's not starter ready and yet, he's the only guard who inspires even a modicum of confidence. Montrae Holland has a hamstring injury and could be out a while. Pat McQuistan is all or nothing. When he whiffs, he whiffs completely. He can move guys backwards when he's blocking straight ahead, but McQuistan cannot consistently block quick tackles or ends coming at him on stunts. Travis Bright had the same difficulties when he played some guard in the second half.

-- Early candidate for assistant of the year: Reggie Herring. He's improved the coverage half of Victor Butler's game tremendously. He's done the same for Brandon Williams, who rushes about 80% of the time. Williams picked a pass tonight and made it look easy. Jason Williams didn't make any howlers tonight and we have yet to see Sean Lee, who didn't dress. He may be the best of this bunch.

-- Why Tashard doesn't start: All the Choice partisans should look to a play in the 2nd quarter where Choice missed his man coming off the edge. The OLB hit the QB and forced an errant pass. Better consistency on passing downs will get Tashard more overall reps.

-- One position at a time. Robert Brewster looks rough, but less so on the right side. He played a lot at left tackle tonight and made some assignment errors. He completely missed his man on one play, as Choice did, and got Stephen McGee slammed.

-- Some 1st team reps? McGee showed a strong arm, and a more decisive head. He never got into a rhythm, however, because he was running for his life half the time. The right side of his line simply could not contain pressure.

-- Rookie curves: Jamar Wall looked better in the first half, facing the better Bengals receivers. Jordan Palmer picked on the 4th round pick in the second half, completing three passes to Matt Jones, whose odd stride had Wall off-balance.

We'll do this again on Thursday night, folks.

http://www.bloggingtheboys.com/2010/8/8/1612925/dallas-brings-the-d-cowboys-16

Our worst fears have been confirmed. The MRI results have come in on backup TE John Phillips' right knee and they show a torn anterior cruciate ligament.

Before last night's game, the tight end position looked to be one of strength for the Cowboys. Now they will have to adjust accordingly, whether that means keeping an extra fullback or bringing in another TE.

Either way, this is a heavy loss after just the first preseason game. Here's TE coach John Garrett on the news:

"It's disappointing because he was having such a great camp and such a great game," tight ends coach John Garrett said after Sunday night's preseason win.

"But I know one thing: He's got great resolve. He's got great perseverance. If there's anybody going to come back even stronger than he was before, it'll be John Phillips."

http://www.bloggingtheboys.com/2010/8/9/1613520/john-phillips-out-for-season

GIANTS

It seems the New York Giants offensive and defensive players are getting just a touch tired of each other as Giants Training Camp at the University at Albany has turned a corner into its second week.

This morning there was a skirmish between Chris Snee and Phillip Dillard. Tonight, the testiness continued.

Before I tell you about it, a question. Does it count as a fight when it happens between two guys who are almost certainly not going to make the team? That's because tonight's extra-cirriculars happened when third-team corrner Courtney Brown knocked wide receiver Nyan Boateng to the ground and Boateng went all Kung-Fu on Brown, kicking at him from the seat of his pants. Maybe not Boateng's finest moment. Oh, and a heckuva way to get your first real mention of camp.

A little more significant, though, was that just moments after that two of the Giants big-name players had to be separated. Brandon Jacobs was having words with, I believe, Deon Grant though I am not 100 percent sure it was Grant. Could have been a different defensive back. Anyway, someone had to intervene as an incensed Jacobs was headed after him.

I happened to walk past Jacobs as we were leaving and, though I didn't ask him, he still sounded unhappy.

In general, I think the Giants offense has had enough of the woofing and trash-talking that has been coming from Perry Fewell's defense. Monday night's workout was, to say the least spirited. There was more jawing back and forth between the two units than at any time during camp thus far.

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Ramses Barden had a tremendous practice. He has been inconsistent to this point in camp. Monday night, though, he was spectacular.

His best play of the night was a highlight reel leaping grab of a Jim Sorgi pass over an outstretched and also leaping Aaron Ross. Barden used his 6-foot-6 frame to haul in the ball, then held on while tumbling over the prone Ross.

He described the catch to Giants.com.

"The thing about Aaron, he jumps out of the gym," Barden said. "If you saw the play he had the other day when it just missed my hands, he out-jumped me. He timed it a little bit better. The wind carried it maybe, but nah - he made a great play on the ball. That just shows you the kind of athleticism he has, so it's not just a jumping game with him. You kind of have to time it. You kind of have to try to beat him to the punch because if you wait to make it an athletic matchup with Aaron, you know, he's one of the more athletic corners in the league."

Barden had several other catches, including:

* A slant in front of Corey Webster.
* A catch over the middle against Terrell Thomas.
* A nice catch down the middle in-between Thomas and Antrel Rolle.

Here are a few other highlights from the evening practice.

* This was the first practice attended by NFL referees.
* Those refs, by the way, came in handy on a great sideline interception by Ross. He batted a ball from Sorgi intended for Victor Cruz into the air, brought it down and smoothly got both feet in bounds for the pick.
* Mario Manningham and the sideline, by the way, still don't seem to get along. He actually got hollered at by one of the officials for failing to get both feet down on a sideline catch.
* Matt Dodge hit 16 punts during practice. Two were more than 60 yards and five others longer than 50 yards. There were, however, at least two very poor punts mixed in there. This young guy has a world of talent, but unless things change dramatically in the next 5-6 weeks we are going to have to live with some ugly punts on occasion.
* Lawrence Tynes went 6-of-8 on field goal attempts, with his longest being 47 yards. He missed left on kicks of 30 and 33 yards. He is 26-of-29 in camp now.
* Mathias Kiwanuka spent some time at linebacker. He dropped into coverage on one play, stepped into a passing lane and batted away an Eli Manning pass for Barden. It appears that what the Giants are doing is taking a look at a 'heavy' defense with Kiwanuka at one linebacker slot and Chris Canty at end, which would seem to be aimed at stuffing the run.
* Speaking of stuffing the run, second-round draft pick Linval Joseph had a great practice doing just that. He made three solo stops right at the line of scrimmage on runs up the middle.
* Osi Umenyiora got past David Diehl for a would-be sack on one play, and Will Beatty was quickly inserted at left tackle. How the offensive line ends up shaking out is still a work in progress.
* The Giants tried a defensive look with everyone standing, no one in a three-point stance. It featured Justin Tuck and Mathias Kiwanuka lined up inside at tackle, with Jason Pierre-Paul and Osi Umenyiora on the outside. They certainly have not been afraid to look at a variety of things thus far.

http://www.bigblueview.com/2010/8/9/1614541/giants-training-camp-monday

EAGLES

11 on 11's - Thud session - "Thud" sessions are contact, but no tackling...

8:49 - Corner blitz to start the day from Ellis Hobbs, which Jason Peters reads, giving Kolb enough time to get it out quickly to Baskett on the hot route. Baskett can't hang on.

8:50 - Quintin Mikell and Sims sack Kolb on a failed screen attempt. Sims is in there in a blink.

8:51 - Interesting idea here with Daniel Te'o Nesheim. He had lined up at DT, and just before the snap he jumped back into the joker position, the line shifted, and Te'o dropped into coverage.

Star-divide

8:52 - Nice looking TE screen to Celek - Prepare to see a lot of that this year.

8:53 - Brandon Graham 20 yards downfield in coverage.

8:54 - Clay Harbor reception on a quick slant.

8:54 - Trevard Lindley makes a nice read and jumps an out route for an easy pick 6... but he drops it. Nice play, but he's gotta make that catch.

9:02 - Notice that Omar Gaither is in shorts today. He apparently has "ankle inflammation."

9:06 - 1 on 1's - WR's vs. DB's - These are always great...

- Jackson vs. Hobbs - Jackson with a one-handed grab on an in.

- Avant vs. Samuel - Incomplete. Nice coverage.

- Baskett vs. Hanson - Baskett uses his size on a quick slant completion.

- Washington vs. Patterson - Incomplete on an out route.

- Hall vs. Lindley - Incomplete on an out.

- Norwood vs. Mikell - Nice move by Norwood leads to a completion on an in.

- Collins vs. Demps - On a fly route, Collins leaps over Demps' back and makes a really nice grab. Demps: "Nice catch boy!"

- Perry vs. Pope - Perry beats Pope soundly on a deep ball.

- Jackson vs. Allen - Nice test for Allen here, but he really has no shot (just as no other safety in the league would either). Jackson beats Allen deep.

- Cooper vs. Samuel - Cooper uses his size nicely on Samuel and catches a slant.

- Norwood vs. Coleman - Complete on an in.

- Washington vs. Mikell - Incomplete on a deep ball.

- Jackson vs. Hobbs - Complete on an out. Jackson is basically unstoppable in this drill.

- Cooper vs. Samuel - Incomplete on a fly.

9:38 - 5 on 6 - (WR's/RB's/TE's vs. LB's and DB's)

- Seeing the combo of Celek, Harbor, Cooper, and Jackson out there quite a bit. That's an intriguing mix - Jackson keeps the D honest with his threat of the homerun ball, while the 3 bigger, more physical guys create mismatches underneath.

- Harbor with a catch over the middle, takes a shot from Ernie Sims. Bit a cheapy there by Sims. He drilled a defenseless Harbor in the lower back. I hear it suggested that Sims may "just be wired that way." Relax, Big Ern - That's your teammate, bud. The "All Overly-Aggressive for Camp Team" is Ernie Sims, Tracy White, Kurt Coleman, and Daniel Te'o Nesheim."

- Dmitri Patterson picks off Kafka. Patterson is having a really good camp, and there's going to be a tough decision for the Eagles in the defensive backfield. At CB, you figure Asante Samuel, Ellis Hobbs, Joselio Hanson, and Trevard Lindley are locks. At safety, Nate Allen and Quintin Mikell are locks, with Kurt Coleman in great shape. That's 7 spots, with Quintin Demps, Macho Harris (currently out with a hammy), and Dmitri Patterson battling. Can they keep 10 DB's? Doubtful.

- Kolb fires a strike to Jackson between 3 defenders. Kolb looks sharp today.

- Jackson drops a low, McNabb-like ball over the middle. Should have been caught.

- Te'o interestingly getting reps with the linebackers in this drill. Before we jump to conclusions, I don't think this means Te'o will be playing LB. I think they just want to get him some reps in coverage for various exotic schemes they may want to try in which Te'o drops into coverage.

9:52 - Whooooaaa... Bit of a surprise here - We're going live hitting, 11 on 11!

- Kolb with a scramble. DE's have trouble running down Kolb. He has some wheels, and will be far from a statue back there. I certainly don't want to see Kolb make a habit of running, but expect to see him take off on occasion. He's a capable athlete.

- LeSean McCoy with a nice, long 20+ yard run. He continues to impress me.

- Buckley running with the 2's today with Mike Bell out. He's getting a bunch of carries.

- Sack by Akeem Jordan. He was untouched. Mistake there by RT King Dunlap. Vick throws anyway, and hits Clay Harbor for a nice gain. Harbor will contribute this year. He looks good.

- Quintin Demps plants Chad Hall into the ground after a short gain.

- Demps again. He sacks Mike Kafka on a blitz.

- Kolb finds Harbor this time on a rollout.

- Really nice play here by Michael Vick. Play action naked boot to the left. Finds a defender in his face, stops on a dime, and fires a completion over the middle on a pass that;s on the money. Really nicely done. Not too many QB's can make that play.

- Eldra Buckley with the play of the day. He bursts off the right side and gets into the secondary, where he gets a really hard pop from Asante Samuel - It's the loudest crack of the practice. But Buckley absorbs the hit and keeps going. He puts his head down and gets about 14. Nice applause from the appreciative crowd. It's a missed tackle by Samuel, but at least he showed the willingness to stick his nose in there and pop someone.

- Jordan Norwood beats pope on a bomb for a TD

http://www.bleedinggreennation.com/2010/8/8/1612062/eagles-camp-morning-session-august

REDSKINS

On Friday night, rookie left tackle Trent Williams will line up for the first time in a competitive NFL game. He thinks he's ready.

Asked to grade himself thus far, Williams on Monday gave himself a B-minus. "Just because I'm hard on myself," he said.

Others who've been watching his progress through training camp would surely grade higher. Teammates and coaches continue to rave about Williams, though Friday's preseason opener against Buffalo will be the best indicator yet as to just how ready the rookie is to hold down the Redskins' starting left tackle spot.

"I'm still learning," he said following Monday's practice. "I'm getting better."

Physically, Williams says he feels comfortable with the jump from college to pros. But when it comes to the mental transition, Williams has had to do his homework.

"The biggest challenge is probably just keeping up with all the schemes we put in every day," he said. "The offensive coordinator and D-coordinator are scheming against each other, so they're throwing all types of different looks against one another. It's a little hard in the beginning, but that's why you got to study your playbook.

"There's so many different schemes to learn," he added. "You've got to learn them just like that. They might go over them once; you've got to pick up on it."

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/redskinsinsider/

GIANTS

ALBANY, N.Y. -- Linval Joseph made a quick move inside Mitch Petrus and could see nothing but quarterback. That’s when Petrus reached out and grabbed Joseph. A few plays later, it happened again.

With the officials yet to arrive at Giants training camp, there was no flag and no indication any of the coaches had seen the holds.

But Joseph knows those plays are on film for them to see later, and that an offensive lineman won’t try grasping like that with the refs around.

“That’s just how it goes: I make a move, I’m free, I get held,” Joseph, the Giants’ second-round pick, said Monday.

“I don’t get mad because, in game situations, hopefully they won’t hold me like that. But yeah, I’m starting to make plays and (get) exposure a little bit more.”

Joseph is actually getting tons of exposure right now and is pretty hard to miss.

It began on Saturday night with two stops in the backfield and a sack. It continued Monday morning with Joseph’s shooting into the backfield on consecutive snaps: a tackle for a loss and a sack. After flying past the Giants linemen, Joseph finally was stopped -- by Petrus’ holds.

Petrus, the Giants’ fifth-round pick, has gotten off to an impressive start in camp, so the fact he was beaten a few times was an indication of how much progress Joseph has made in a short period of time.

“I feel pretty good. I’m picking up the plays and making plays,” Joseph said. “The last couple of days just getting used to the pads and getting used to the game speed. Just trying to learn how to use my hands to make more plays because D-linemen have to have great hands.”

* * *

TE Kevin Boss was limited to one practice per day early in camp while he was recovering from ankle surgery. Now, Boss is out entirely with a hamstring injury that resulted from his compensating for the ankle issue. He expects to be sidelined a few more days.

Boss said in June he was glad he opted for surgery. Despite the setbacks, he still believes it was the correct decision.

“I’m still real glad I took care of it now,” he said. “It’s going to be, in the long run, something that’s going to benefit me.”

* * *

C Shaun O’Hara returned to practice for the first time since his ankle swelled after the conditioning test on the first day of camp.

Among the barbs from his teammates was RG Chris Snee’s yelling, “Fresh legs, No. 60!” during warmups.

“Richie (Seubert) was giving me a hard time,” O’Hara said of the starting guard now out with a broken hand, “and we all see how that worked out for him. I think they’ve all backed off since then.”

http://www.nj.com/giants/index.ssf/2010/08/giants_defensive_lineman_linva.html

GIANTS

Victor Cruz. Victor Cruz. Victor Cruuuuuuuuuuz! I could probably just say 'Kudos' to Cruz this morning, leave it at that and be done. His six-catch, 145-yard, three touchdown performance last night -- including an incredible one-handed grab that turned into a 64-yard score -- was the story of the night.

There were, however, other things to like -- and dislike. so, let's go through them.

Star-divide
Kudos to ...

Gee, where to start?

* Victor Cruz: Hey, Sinorice Moss, if everyone stays healthy your roster spot is officially in serious trouble. As Jon Gruden said after Cruz's third touchdown catch Monday night "This guy's gonna make the football team."

Circus catches. Solid routes. Red zone catches. Yards after the catch. The undrafted rookie free agent from UMass did everything you could ask for last night. Except maybe sell popcorn and break up fights in the stands.

Listen to backup quarterback Jim Sorgi talking about Cruz after throwing two touchdown passes to him.

"Not a long shot no more. He's definitely an NFL player. He's a guy that's going to make plays for you. He knows what he's doing on the field. He's smart. He runs great routes, and he just gets open. You got certain guys in the NFL that just have a knack for getting open, and he's one of those guys.

"Victor has looked tremendous in practice. He's made some great catches from me in practice. He just transferred it to the game field, which is what you've got to do in this league. He's going to be a heck of a player for us."

Cruz is taking nothing for granted.

"I've got to just stay humble, stay grounded and just stay on the right path because nothing is guaranteed in this league. So I've just got to keep grinding, keep putting the work in throughout my entire career. Hopefully I can have a long career and just keep putting in the groundwork and everything will kind of take care of itself."
* Antrel Rolle: Deon Grant and Michael Boley created the tipped ball, but Rolle did what the Giants signed him for during the Giants' first defensive series. He capitalized on an opportunity and came within a yard of a pick six. Let's hope we see a lot of that this season.
* Rhett Bomar: Couple of reasons. First, he played really well during the final quarter. He went 6-for-7 for 67 yards and a touchdown (to Cruz, of course). He also had a 23-yard scramble. The second reason? I may never get to give Bomar 'kudos' again.
* Ahmad Bradshaw: Tremendous moves on the 51-yard catch and run on a shovel pass from Eli Manning. I know it was an improvised play, but the Giants have got to throw Bradshaw the ball in space more often this season.
* Jason Pierre-Paul and Linval Joseph: Good debuts for the Giants top two picks. JPP had the only sack of the night, and Joseph had four tackles and did what the Giants drafted him for -- stuffed the run up the middle.
* Gerris Wilkinson: I will give him 'kudos' since he led the team with six tackles. I will say this, though. It is what he should have done since he was probably the most veteran defensive player on the field in the fourth quarter.
* Derek Hagan: Three catches for 42 yards. The guy just continues to catch everything that comes his way.
* Lawrence Tynes: Two touchbacks on kickoffs. Nice. Even if one was a bouncer that went through the end zone. I will take it.

There are probably a few others, but those are the ones who stand out for me.
Wet Willies to ...

* Matt Dodge: The rookie punter averaged 34 yards on five kicks and had one blocked. The block was probably Andre Brown's fault since Brown did an awful job as the protector for Dodge, but it still wasn't good. Dodge did not hit one solid punt all night, and without favorable bounces his 34-yard average could have been a lot worse. He has to do better than that.
* Ramses Barden: Got the start, and a huge opportunity. Then, had the first ball thrown his way -- an easy 5-yard slant -- go right through his hands. Big fella, you have to be more reliable than that -- especially when guys like Cruz and Hagan are making plays.
* Kickoff return team: Every time the Giants had to return a kick you could see by the time the returner (D.J. Ware, Brown, it didn't matter) got to the 15-yard line that he had no chance. How is it that year after year the Giants simply cannot find a way to block for these returns?
* Run game: I was glad to see the Giants stick with the run three straight times with first-and-goal at the one. I'm not happy about Brandon Jacobs ending up with two yards on four carries or Bradshaw getting -1 on three attempts. I know the offensive line is in flux, and I know the Jets have a tremendous defense, but the Giants have to do better than that.

Other Notes

Pretty touch to judge the individual line play. Looked like Will Beatty did OK playing the first half at left tackle. Really nice block by Kareem McKenzie on Jacobs' touchdown run. You probably know by now it took 12 stitches to close the cut on Manning's forehead. Ah, well, he doesn't make his living with his looks anyway. ... Mixed results for Perry Fewell's new first-team defense. A turnover on the first series, but could not get off the field during a 14-play, 68-yard, 8:42 drive by the Jets on the next series. ... Some decent work running the ball by Brown (five carries, 26 yards), but I don't want to see him as the protector on punts again.

http://www.bigblueview.com/2010/8/17/1627204/kudos-wet-willies-victor-cruz

COWBOYS

1. Phew, it doesn't appear that Dallas suffered any additional serious injuries. After losing a key offensive player Sunday and entering the game missing about a fifth of the roster, a Mike Hamlin neck issue appeared to be the most serious injury. Tony Romo did not return to the field after halftime for most of the third quarter, and there was conjecture that he was feeling one of his four sacks, but the Cowboys denied that he had suffered an injury.

2. The Cowboys can't afford to dump Patrick Crayton. Sam Hurd and Kevin Ogletree are NFL receivers, but Dallas needs Crayton. There is no evidence that Hurd or Ogletree can constently get open or handle physical defenders, so the real depth at receiver is essentially four - and that's counting Roy Williams and a rookie. John Phillips' injury takes away a budding possession option, and Tony Romo does not appear to trust Martellus Bennett just yet. I don't consider Crayton a game breaker, but he is a playmaker in the third receiver role. With one injury to Miles Austin, Williams or Dez Bryant - and Bryant is already missing most of camp - things would get pretty scary without Crayton

3. Jerry Jones said on the radio before the game that unless something big happens (a string of misses?), David Buehler will be the team's kicker in Washington on September 12, and his performance tonight was worthy. He made all three field goals, and his 42 yard long was right down the middle. And boy can he kick off.

Star-divide

4. I'm no expert on offensive line play, but I would be terrified of a scenario that sees Robert Brewster on the field at tackle this season. He's essentially a rookie, so maybe there is development potential in him, but he would be a useless member of the 53-man roster this season. And on a similar note, I'm not sure how you can warrant Pat McQuistan making the roster once again. Give me Sam Young.

5. I will be curious to see how the Cowboys handle the nose tackle position to start the season. Josh Brent can play. His most impressive play tonight was running down Rock Cartwright on a screen 20 yards down field and making a solo tackle, and he made a few other nice plays. What I wonder, though, is whether he has enough junk in his trunk or pure skill to anchor a line this season and give Jay Ratliff some rest. The Raiders were able to turn him several times and really pushed him off of the ball on the 4th down QB sneak. Marcus Spears is an option for NT snaps, but he would have the same issue. Given what the team would like to do at some other positions, it is hard to see them keep three NTs. Siavii was pretty good tonight, himself, with a nice sack and a couple of run stops. He doesn't appear to want to go away quietly, but Brent needs to make this team one way or another. Maybe he can play some end as well?

6. Victor Butler made some plays, including getting to Kyle Boller's arm on a third down, but the young outside linebackers were largely neutralized tonight. Brandon Williams didn't have his name called all night. Leon Williams will want to forget this game. He failed to make an open field tackle in the red zone that would have resulted in a first down, except for Bryan McCann's hustle, and his dropped easy interception late in the game would have iced it.

7. I've got more to say on this later in the week, but I'm just not seeing it with Stephen McGee. If heart, guts, athleticism and care for the ball were the only key ingredients for an NFL QB, he's a great one. And he has delivered some balls this summer, which is good to see. But NFL defenses play at 500 mph, and the talent to handle that pace can't be taught. Better footwork can be, and I have to remind myself that he's still very early in the process and playing behind a line that would make anyone jumpy. But I suspect that he's missing a couple of elements - namely the type of brain that slows the game to a manageable pace and an innate feel for touch - that he will struggle to compensate for, at least on the scale of a starting or high quality backup QB.

8. I was honed in on him when he was in the game, but I did like what Chris Gronkowski did in the game, aside from a dropped pass. One can argue that he should have turned away from the sideline late in the game when the offense was looking to run out the clock on a lead, but there were about five minutes left, and his momentum was all toward the sideline. He made two nice lead blocks that I noted and showed a touch of burst on a five yard run.

http://dallas.sbnation.com/2010/8/12/1620762/some-fairly-obvious-observations-cowboys-loss

EAGLES

Well I have to say, this is he first season that I have had DVR, if you don't have it from comcast, it is my crack!

Anyway, the funny part of my evening last night was that I swore I would be watching the young guys play into the 4th qtr, however, a few drinks, some poker, and all of a sudden I didn't get to see the 3rd stringers last night, but DVR saved me by letting me soak in some eagles this morning. AAAANYWAY lets get to the roster that I think the eagles will be moving forward with.

OFFENSE

*QB* (2 Roster Spots - 1 emercency QB)

Kevin Kolb - Loved everything I saw last night, well except his tendency to lock in on one receiver (in the Red Zone in particular). He is our starter, lets move on to some more intriguing roster spots.

Mike Vick - He looked unstoppable against 2nd stringers, and then like a complete fool against 2nd stringers as well. I think this is what we can expect, high highs and low lows, it is Mike Vick after all, takes your breath away and in the next moment makes you so angry you breath fire.

Kafka - Played well, crisp passes on time, the recievers dropped some, but I think he calmed me a bit because he appears to play within his abilities. His arm isn't the strongest, but he doesn't try and overthrow his own distance, he keeps his passes crisp and about 15-20 yrds down the field, which he can do very well.

*FB* (1 roster spot - 1 practice squad)

Weaver - Roster spot locked UP! I love the weave, not gonna lie, and I think everyone knows having a weapon at FB is just silly sometimes because there is always a safety valve.

Charles Scott - I don't think he will make this squad, but as a practice squad player, it is a shame because I really liked the pick at the time, however with Weaver on the field he won't see any time. He did have a strong block on Mallett's TD, however it is a numbers game, and I think keeping another healthy RB on your practice squad is important, and his versatility makes him an ideal PS player.

*RB* (3 roster spots)

LeSean McCoy - YUP BGN fantasy players, you know you wish you drafted him, but I did, let the gloating start. He looked strong, efficient and confident last night. While some of his cuts were questionable (missed a few holes when running, and got stuck behind linemen a few times) but overall he will be a focal point of this team.

Martellus Mallett - He lookes like he can find those holes in the interior of the line, these skills are sometimes only visible in game time and not obvious during practice. The guy has a nose for open space and wriggling through the line, kind of reminds me of Tiki Barber. The HAMMER should make this squad.

Mike Bell - He didn't play, but they paid the man, so he will probably make the team.

*TE* (3 Roster Spots)

Brent Celek - C'MON MAN! CATCH THE BALL! He did seem to have a few drops, which was disconcerning, however it was just preseason, if he can wrangle in those balls during the real season our offense will be potent!

Ingram/Harbor - Please correct me if I am wrong, but I didn't see either of these guys make a play all night. I actually think they both make the team as TE is always a priority in a west coast offense.

*WR* (5 Roster spots)

DeSean Jackson - Did anyone give that Jaguar defender his shoes back after DeSean juked him out of them on the End Around?

Jeremy Maclin - People love this guy, and I think he showed why tonight, he is the total package, vertical speed, hands and good route running.

Avant - Hey, if the CB depth is so horrible, why not let Avant play CB? He saved an INT by playing defense in the redzone, Kolb has to be thankful for that.

Riley Cooper - Why did I point this guy out to my girlfriend? Sigh, sure he is dreamy, but he also has great range, good hands and seems to watch the ball into his hands. Give him a roster spot.

Chad Hall - Looked more than capable in the return game and seemed to be picking up playing WR. Also as a change of pace RB he could be effective, he did take a nice run outside for us, and caught a couple of passes.

*O Line* (9 roster spots)

Overall the line looked better than I thought, although they didn't play that long, and I would like to see more from them, I think a major concern of ours was put to rest last night.

Peters, Herremans, Cole, Andrews, and Justice all have roster spots locked down. McGlynn impressed me! I think we should stick with him at center, to just keep up some consistency and I think Cole would best fit this team as a Jack of all trades, emergency player as a guard most likely since I have questions about Herremans and Andrews.

Austin Howard looked like a man among boys, BEASTLY! I suppose we will also keep AQ Shipley because of injuries at Center, and the thin interior lineman depth. Probably keep King Dunlap and cut Max Jean Gilles.

http://www.bleedinggreennation.com/2010/8/14/1623067/hungover-offensive-roster-analysis

REDSKINS

The team's long-suffering fans, however, are eager for anything positive after last season's stunning debacle, and Shanahan and McNabb helped the new regime get off to a good start in a 42-17 rout of the Buffalo Bills. The Redskins eclipsed the previous record of 41 points in a preseason opener, and McNabb got them started.

"There's a lot of things you can take out of preseason," said McNabb, who played two series and threw a short touchdown pass late in the first quarter. "Obviously, we know wins and losses don't mean anything. But as far as confidence is concerned, in our case, obviously, with a new coach, new quarterback, new schemes, it plays a major part.

"Not to be overconfident. Obviously, we didn't look at the scoreboard and get too excited. That's not the type of team that we have. We know we made some mistakes and things we need to correct. But, obviously, winning the game and being able to score some points is big for us."

In front of an announced crowd of 69,578, the Redskins dominated the Bills in Washington's return to its home field for the first time since a major offseason makeover in Ashburn. Owner Daniel Snyder hired Shanahan and gave him control of the football operation, and also brought in General Manager Bruce Allen to work with Shanahan. But it was the arrival of the Pro Bowl quarterback, acquired in a surprising Easter trade with the NFC East rival Philadelphia Eagles, that most energized the fan base.

"It's a first step," Shanahan said. "We've got a long ways to go, but you always want to find a way to win the football game and I was happy we did that. I thought we did some good things during the game. There's some pluses and obviously some minuses and we'll grow from there."

Coming off a 4-12 season, the Redskins have turned to Shanahan and McNabb to help restore the once-successful organization to prominence. Their initial steps Friday against the Bills, who went 6-10 in the 2009 season, would seem to have stirred optimism.

Although not particularly sharp early in training camp, McNabb has improved recently while working with offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan and becoming more comfortable in the West Coast scheme. Scheduled to participate in a maximum of 18 plays, McNabb was in for 17.

McNabb, beginning his 12th season, helped the first-team offense take a 7-3 lead with 1 minute 40 seconds left in the first quarter when he teamed with wide receiver Anthony Armstrong on a four-yard touchdown pass. Television replays appeared to show that the ball did not reach the goal line, but the Bills did not challenge the call and the Redskins had their first touchdown.

"From the moment we got Donovan, I think everybody realized what he would bring to our team," said wideout Devin Thomas, who rebounded from a shaky start on special teams in a strong performance that included a 44-yard touchdown reception from backup quarterback Rex Grossman.

"Donovan is a great player and he's also a great leader. It doesn't matter if it's a preseason game, you know he's going to go out there and do the things we need him to do."

McNabb seems to be developing a good rapport with tight end Chris Cooley, who sat out the remainder of the 2009 season after fracturing his ankle in Week 7. With Cooley fully recovered, the Shanahans have big plans for the Pro Bowler and emerging third-year tight end Fred Davis, who caught a nine-yard touchdown pass from Grossman.

Cooley, as he has done throughout his impressive career with Washington, worked the middle of the field and caught three passes from McNabb for 33 yards, including a long gain of 19 yards. The play put the Redskins on the Bills 10-yard line. Three plays later, McNabb and Armstrong connected for the score. Overall, McNabb completed five of eight passes for 58 yards with the touchdown. He had a quarterback rating of 124.0.

Rookie left tackle Trent Williams impressed as well in his debut. Williams, the fourth overall pick in the draft, displayed excellent strength, footwork and technique.

"It felt good," Williams said. "I had to settle myself down. I was so nervous. I was gassed after three plays."

Grossman continued to solidify his already strong standing on the roster, completing 61 percent of his passes for a game-high 140 yards and two touchdowns. He had a 122.5 passer rating.

In third quarter, Grossman's second touchdown came on a deep pass down the middle to Thomas that covered 44 yards. A starter last season, Thomas is trying to make a long climb up the depth chart.

Thomas muffed the game's opening kickoff but the Redskins recovered the ball. Rookie wideout/return specialist Brandon Banks had a 77-yard punt return for a touchdown in the third as the Redskins broke open the game.

"I can't say it surprised me at all, just the way he's played - not necessarily as a returner, but watching him at wide receiver," Shanahan said of Banks. "He consistently makes plays. He's got great speed, which was evident today. He has cutting ability. He's got excellent hands. It's nice to see him go out there and make a play."

Young running backs Ryan Torain (17 rushes, 62 yards) and Keiland Williams (11 carries, 51 yards and two touchdowns) fared well after following top back Clinton Portis (six carries, 22 yards). Veterans Larry Johnson and Willie Parker sat out by design, Shanahan said, and will have larger roles in the next preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens.

Under the direction of defensive coordinator Jim Haslett, the new 3-4 defense showed promise. In the first, top cornerback DeAngelo Hall made a nifty play, intercepting a pass and returning the ball 33 yards down the left sideline to the Bills 1-yard line, which set up the Redskins' second touchdown.

Defensive lineman Albert Haynesworth entered the game with 8 minutes 10 seconds remaining in the second quarter. For most of his appearance, Haynesworth played nose tackle.

"We're just getting started but we did some good things out there as a defense," outside linebacker Andre Carter said. "Now, we have to look at it on film and just keep building and getting better."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/13/AR2010081306806.html

There were a lot of questions surrounding the 2010 Washington Redskins entering Friday night's exhibition opener. Would Albert Haynesworth last an entire series? Who would step up in the wide-open wide receiver race? How would Donovan McNabb perform in burgundy and gold, and most important, would he have time to show us?

It's no secret that in a 2009 season full of problems, the biggest was the offensive line. Quarterback Jason Campbell at times looked like a duck in a carnival shooting gallery, running sideways (or backwards) while desperately trying to elude defensive fire. The line was what many Redskins fans thought needed the most offseason attention, and the area that most feared would not get it. You don't make a big splash on the free agent market by signing offensive linemen.

But the Redskins instead made their seasonal splash by signing McNabb, then got busy building a wall in front of him. They resisted all the medium-rare quarterbacks available in the draft, the flashy wide receivers, all the temptations of old, and picked left tackle Trent Williams out of Oklahoma with their top pick. They also replaced the right side of the line, trading for tackle Jammal Brown and signing guard Artis Hicks as an unrestricted free agent. Only left guard Derrick Dockery and center Casey Rabach remain from last season's starting line.

And they didn't stop there. They also bolstered the pool of backups, signing Kory Lichtensteiger and Clint Oldenburg and drafting Selvish Capers and Erik Cook. With returning veterans Edwin Williams, Will Robinson, Chad Rinehart and Stephon Heyer, the line is unquestionably deeper than a year ago, when injuries meant the weekly lineups were like snowflakes: No two were alike.

"Now that we have some depth we don't have to worry about somebody getting hurt, we have somebody who can come in," fullback Mike Sellers said.

And yet Sellers and the linemen say that the more important change is not to the roster, but to the system. A new blocking scheme is the reason there were holes for running backs Clinton Portis (22 yards), Ryan Torain (62) and rookie Keiland Williams (51)on Friday night. It's the reason McNabb and backup Rex Grossman had time to check more than one receiver and spent no time on their backsides.

"We've got a whole new blocking scheme that we put in this year under Kyle Shanahan and Chris Foerster," said Rabach, who admitted that what we saw of the playbook Friday night was "vanilla."

"We really like it. There were some growing pains, obviously, with it but it's really coming along. Obviously we've got a ways to go yet. We really do."

True. The Redskins were 4-12 last season; you don't recover from that with one preseason win over a team that was 6-10 a year ago. There are still question marks after Friday's game, no doubt, and Brown has yet to play. One that seems to have been answered, however: Trent Williams was absolutely the right draft choice. He looked like a rookie at times - he was flagged for an illegal-formation penalty in the second quarter - and admitted he was "gassed" after three plays, but his mistakes were few.

"I thought he did a good job," Coach Mike Shanahan said. "It is hard to say for sure until I look at the film. He had one penalty in there, that one dump that he had called back. We had him lining up too far in the backfield, but I am very pleased for the first game."

"That's typical for a rookie," Sellers said of the errors, "but he's playing like a vet and he doesn't let anybody intimidate him and that's what we appreciate the most."

In their first series of the second quarter, with a 14-3 lead, the Redskins ran three times in 10 plays - all to Trent Williams's side of the line. The gains were not spectacular - one and 15 yards by Torain, six yards by Williams - but Grossman was able to mix the running and passing game in a way that seldom came together a year ago. The result was a nine-yard touchdown to Fred Davis that gave the Redskins a 21-3 lead and their first comfortable margin in a long, long time.

"To be a first game for a rookie . . . I think he did a great job," Hicks said. "We're all still out there chasing that perfect game but I think that was a great start for him. He's got so much potential, I think the sky's the limit for this young kid. He's going to be the future for these left tackles for the next few years."

There is much work to be done. Hicks pointed out that only Dockery and Rabach had played next to each other before Friday night's game. "Just building the chemistry is probably the biggest thing we have to do and that's going to come with repetitions and us playing together," he said.

Hicks isn't worried about overconfidence, either. It's one win in the preseason, and while it feels good, it doesn't count for much more than giving the players and fans a bit of a glow. For the players, that will last until they get back on the practice field, where they'll find out all the things they did wrong. And that's okay with Hicks.

"If you're very critical of yourself, you're harder on yourself after a win," he said. "It's easier to come in when everyone's high-fiving you and patting you on the back and say, 'I had the best game in the world.' If you're hard on yourself you'll break yourself down even moreso after a win than a loss."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/14/AR2010081402755.html?waporef=obinsite

GIANTS

Meet your new starting quarterback for the New York Giants ... Rhett Bomar. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it is Bomar Time!

Bomar is the only healthy quarterback the Giants have heading into Saturday's preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Bomar was the only quarterback practicing Wednesday afternoon for the Giants, and he may be the only one cleared to play Saturday night.

We know about Eli Manning and the famous 'Cut,' which, incidentally, Manning refused to show off on Wednesday. He wore a baseball cap which covered his stitched up forehead during a media interview early in the day and during practice later in the day. Coach Tom Coughlin said Wednesday Eli will not play Saturday. Backup Jim Sorgi apparently has a shoulder injury -- possibly the same shoulder he hurt last season. He was non-committal when asked if he could play Saturday. He did absolutely no throwing during Wednesday afternoon's workout at the University at Albany. Coughlin was uncertain about his status, according to reports.

So, Wednesday was Bomar Time during Giants Training Camp. Manning said he expects to practice Thursday, but didn't seem likely to play. Wearing a helmet is an issue as it would rub on his stitches. So, Bomar Time is likely to extend right through Saturday evening against the Steelers.

Prior to practice Wednesday, Bomar was besieged by the media, to the point where he had to climb the podium generally reserved for players the media most wants to speak with. Telling because I think it might be the first time in the entire camp anyone has spoken to Bomar.

Star-divide

"I need all the reps I can get," Bomar said. "Getting more reps this training camp than last year, but still limited. all the reps I can take I'm happy to take 'em."

Bomar went 6-for-7 Monday night against the Jets for 67 yards and one touchdown. He also had a 22-yard scramble.

"I felt comfortable out there. It was fun to get out there and play again after a year," Bomar said.

Bomar is looking forward to the additional playing time he appears likely to get Saturday.

"It's my opportunity to show the coaches what I have," Bomar said. "I have to be ready to produce when I go out there."

Bomar spent most of 2009 on the practice squad, and was active for the final regular season game. He says the year of experience and study has left him more prepared.

"I feel like I'm more comfortable in this offense this year, making smarter decisions, and I feel like I can make the throws," Bomar said. "It's night and day. When you look at this offense, it's not easy and there's a lot of stuff on the quarterback.

"I'm still learning. My second year in the system, last year your head is spinning a little bit. This year it's a lot different."
Practice Notes

* Many of the Giants' injured players were back in action. Kevin Boss, Travis Beckum, Tim Brown among them. Sitting out were Manning, Sorgi, Chris Snee, Michael Johnson, Jerome Johnson and Jake Ballard.
* The Giants did a lot of shuffling with their outside linebackers Wednesday. Rookie Phillip Dillard took several steps on the strong side with the first unit, and veteran Gerris Wilkinson also got a couple. Wilkinson even stepped up and made a nice run stop on a stretch play for Brandon Jacobs, shedding a block from Boss. This is purely speculation on my part, but you have to wonder if this is a sign that the Giants are unhappy with the progress of second-year linebacker Clint Sintim.
* Two interceptions (of Bomar, of course) by middle linebacker Jonathan Goff. One came on a deflection at the line of scrimmage. The other came on a bad throw by Bomar, who simply did not read the coverage properly and threw an underneath route for Mario Manningham right into Goff's arms. With every passing day, you have to begin to think Goff actually has a real chance to hold off Keith Bulluck for the starting middle linebacker job. Goff is playing well, no doubt about that. Personally, I figured by now Bulluck would be running with the first unit, but that has not happened yet.
* Matt Dodge hit eight punts during practice, and was all over the map. Three beautiful 50+ yard punts with good hang time, two awful punts of less than 40 yards and three punts with decent distance and no hang time whatsoever.

Back in the morning with more.

http://www.bigblueview.com/2010/8/18/1630178/giants-training-camp-its-bomar-time

REDSKINS

There would seem to be no more innocuous occurrence at Washington Redskins training camp than what happened here shortly after 8:30 a.m. Monday. Donovan McNabb, the starting quarterback wearing a yellow jersey, dropped back under a gray sky and hit Terrence Austin, then Bobby Wade, then Anthony Armstrong. No defensive backs were in sight, and such a skeleton drill is as basic a training camp endeavor as there is.

Then, there is the matter of how the head coach sees such a pursuit.

"Everything has been charted out," Mike Shanahan said. "Every drop, catch. We look at everything."

Cancel that innocuousness, then, because if you are Austin or Wade or Armstrong or any of the seven other receivers on the field for Redskins workouts this week, each of those drills is being parsed, and each one matters. With only one preseason game gone by and three more ahead, there is sorting out to do in much of Shanahan's first Redskins team. But the outcome at wide receiver, where veteran Santana Moss is in and anybody else could - potentially - be out, may be most perplexing of all.

Thus, when Roydell Williams - a veteran trying to make it back into the NFL after two years interrupted by injury - entered last week's preseason opener against Buffalo, he did so as a second-stringer, because he had performed well in training camp and throughout off-season drills. When he walked off the practice field Monday - after Armstrong caught a touchdown pass against the Bills, after Austin made two catches and fellow rookie Brandon Banks returned a punt for a touchdown - Williams was listed with the fourth team.

"I think I need to prove myself," Williams said.

That makes him no different than anyone else who shows up for work trying to catch passes in Ashburn. Moss, by virtue of his preparation and past performance - 500 career receptions in nine NFL seasons, including 349 in his five years with the Redskins - will make the team and almost certainly start. So the fact that he was the target of just one pass against Buffalo is the lone stat from that game that can be forgotten.

Everything else is important. Joey Galloway, the 38-year-old, 15-year veteran who - for now - is the starter opposite Moss, had only one opportunity for a catch, on a deep sideline route that McNabb overthrew, and enters the second preseason game still looking to impress. Bobby Wade, a seven-year veteran who said this week, "You never know if this is going to be your last year, last opportunity," was the target of seven passes, but made only two catches.

Williams caught one pass - and made a nice move afterward, picking up 21 yards - but couldn't corral the other two balls that came his way, including an outright drop on third down of the Redskins' first series.

"Look at the group we have here," Moss said earlier in camp. "There's guys pushing each other all over the place, guys with experience, younger guys. We got lots to offer."

But when final cuts are made, only five - or maybe six - will be doing the offering. Mike Furrey, a veteran signed during the offseason, has been out of practice with a concussion and appears to be the longest shot to make the team.

Third-year wide receiver Malcolm Kelly has practiced just one day of training camp because of a hamstring problem, and as Shanahan said Monday, "Obviously, if you can't practice, he can't show me anything." Devin Thomas, another third-year player, has been relegated to the third team, but he used three catches against the Bills, including a 44-yard touchdown reception, to reestablish himself to some degree.

Given the opportunity, some of the players with less-than-sexy backgrounds - those who weren't drafted (Banks, Armstrong), or were drafted late (Austin) - have stepped in and excelled, even when their thought could be, as they return to their hotel rooms after another exhausting day: "Will I make the team?" Shanahan has repeatedly praised the 5-foot-7 Banks as a receiver in practice. Armstrong caught McNabb's only touchdown pass against Buffalo, a laser-like four-yarder he juggled into his arms in traffic.

"He didn't blink," offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan said.

In such a tightly monitored evaluation process, that counts. So does attitude.

"I know there's limited spots," said Austin, a seventh-round pick out of UCLA in the 2010 draft who wears a yellow rubber bracelet that says, simply, "Play Hard." "But I just try to be optimistic about everything, and I just love the game, so I'm not going to think about the other stuff. If I make a mistake, I suck it up. I don't go home like, 'Dang, man, I dropped the ball today. I wonder what Coach is thinking.' I never think like that. You can't afford to."

Austin said this Monday as he held Galloway's pads, which the rookie had to lug off the field. The group, which ranges in age from the literally gray-bearded Galloway to the 21-year-old Austin, tries to remain close. Receivers frequently leave the field together - or with new receivers coach Keenan McCardell, who played 16 years in the NFL as a receiver himself - discussing plays and routes.

But there is an inescapable reality in the situation, too, one encapsulated in Shanahan's "we look at everything" mantra, reflected by the video cameras stationed on cranes high above the practice fields, monitoring every move. These 10 receivers - 11, counting Furrey - might be teammates today, but at least four of those 10 will be out of a job before the preseason ends. How can they handle those opposing pulls, helping a guy who might take their job?

"Some guys, even if someone's trying to beat them out, they'll help them a ton," Kyle Shanahan said. "They can't help it. That's who they are. Some guys aren't going to give everybody their secrets. But if they put it out there, even if they don't give the secrets, they show their secrets by doing what they do, and a coach just says, 'Hey, watch this guy. This is how you can get it done.' "

From Mike Shanahan's standpoint, getting it done is all that matters. The next opportunity to prove that comes Tuesday morning, when McNabb and the other quarterbacks will again drop back to zip passes to their receivers. Each will drop a ball at his own peril, because someone's always watching, and every pass counts.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/16/AR2010081604933_2.html?sub=AR

COWBOYS

The Dallas Cowboys came out in shorts and helmets for their second practice of the day, which is probably a good thing considering the recent injuries. The early part of practice was spent on punt coverage and punt returns. Catching punts during the drills were Kevin Ogletree, Jamar Wall, AOA, Patrick Crayton and Terence Newman. AOA was having issues with the sun and missed a couple. Meanwhile, Mat McBriar was having a solid day with a couple of extremely good punts. Just what you'd expect from the Cowboys stud punter.

The next part of practice was spent in position drills and these went on for an extended period. Nothing special to report from this period of practice, just your standard drills.

Star-divide

After a break, the team came together for 11-on-11. These sessions were very pass-heavy, and with no real pass rush because of no pads, the offense definitely had the advantage. In some ways these kind of sessions feel more like a 7-on-7 drill.

Tony Romo was sharp again this afternoon, although most of the plays were short to intermediate passes. In the first period before a break, Romo was 7 for 9 with two runs mixed in. Some highlights included a beautiful deep out to Ogletree, a nice out to Miles Austin and a checkdown to Marion Barber that left the running back in wide open space for a huge gain. Jon Kitna had a couple of good passes himself when he hit Ogletree and connected with Sam Hurd, both along the sidelines on out patterns.

The next go-around Romo was 6 for 9, again making use of Ogletree and and a couple to Crayton. Also, he connected with Roy Williams on a planned roll-out. Bryan McCann had a nice break-up of a pass intended for Ogletree on a deep out and AOA made a good read on a screen to Austin. Kitna made a nice throw and Crayton completed the play with a good catch over the outstretched hands of Orlando Scandrick.

After another break they placed the ball on the two-yard line and made the offense go the length of the field. They were doing down-and-distance, sort of, but they kept cheating to move the ball down the field. Romo started with a Marion Barber run, which included a nice cutback by the Barbarian. Next, he threw a pass in the flats to MB3 but Sean Lee was all over him for the tackle. Romo threw another short one to MB3, hit Bennett on a hitch pattern (Bennett was lined up wide as a receiver), then Felix Jones had an OK run. The next play was a pass in the flats to Felix who had tons of room in front of him. The next play was the play-of-the-day when Romo threw a pass, approximately 30 yards, to Hurd who made a leaping catching and hauled it in for a TD. Romo ran a few more plays including a run, a short pass to Witten with Lee right on him, then a swing pass to Felix who caught the ball, fell down, but still managed to roll into the endzone.

Kitna got his turn and had a few runs mixed in with passes to Hurd twice, who managed to lose Scandrick on both plays. On another pass Mike Jenkins got his hand on the ball to break-up the pass, and the rebound went right to Bradie James for an interception. Stephen McGee's session was highlighted by catches from Terrell Hudgins, who always seems to make plays when he's in there with McGee. AOA had a nice break-up of a pass during this session. BTW, they are playing AOA a lot as a slot corner in the week I've been here.

Not a terribly exciting practice, but Romo looked sharp again and the offense seems to be hitting it's stride.

http://www.bloggingtheboys.com/2010/8/18/1630542/cowboys-training-camp-report

EAGLES

BETHLEHEM - Little something different for Brandon Graham yesterday. The Eagles' first-round rookie defensive end took some snaps inside - as the pass-rushing tackle, the spot Darren Howard filled the past few seasons.

Not a bad fit for Graham, who is a bit of a stubby d-end. He weighs 278 pounds, and is about an inch shorter than his listed 6-2.

"We talked about it a long time ago, and we finally just did it today," Graham said afterward. He added that he thinks he'll get some snaps inside Friday night in Cincinnati , when the Eagles take the field for their second preseason game. "I like that it's always one-on-one, especially if I'm at a three-technique," lining up on the guard' shoulder.

"I don't really have a problem with it; I'm going to get closer to the quarterback, being inside."

Tight spot for Marty?

For the second week in a row, Marty Mornhinweg dampened the ardor over rookie Clay Harbor's strong camp by hinting he might want someone who's more of a veteran in the backup tight end mix with Harbor and Cornelius Ingram, someone who isn't here yet (but could be when rosters get trimmed across the league. And yeah, we know Nate Lawrie is still here).

Asked about his comfort level with Harbor as his No. 2 tight end, Mornhinweg said: "Well, I just don't feel comfortable going there quite yet. He has a long way to go. He's had a terrific camp up to date, and we just talked about him, he's a tough, physical guy that will hit you. So, he's got a chance to progress, and he's progressed very quickly. Now, there's a long way to go to be in a regular-season game and be effective. So, there's his challenge, and he's got a great opportunity right in front of him."

Ingram, by the way, was a partial participant yesterday because of that knee/calf fluid thing that has bothered him. Still some time to go before the Sept. 12 season opener, but it's really hard to envision Ingram being ready to contribute right now.

Ingram would be ineligible for the physically unable to perform list when the season starts, because he wasn't on it when camp started. Victor Abiamiri would be eligible for regular-season PUP, since he started camp on the list and has not been taken off. Todd Herremans and Jamaal Jackson have been taken off PUP, so they can't go back on. A player who started the season on PUP would have 6 weeks to rehab without counting against the 53-man roster limit. Then there would be a 3-week window where he could be activated.

Protégé LeSean McCoy said he had been communicating with Brian Westbrook and was not surprised to hear he'd signed with the 49ers. The Eagles released Westbrook this year after eight seasons.

"I can't wait" to play Westbrook and the 49ers, Oct. 10 in San Francisco, McCoy said. "I'm going to give him a big hug.

"Since Day 1, he's embraced me with open arms . . . teaching me things, treating me like a little brother. A couple times I stayed out at his house, on his couch."

Birdseed

Best illness excuse ever, from Ellis Hobbs as he exited the field house following the afternoon workout, which he skipped, along with the morning workout: "Bad cereal" . . . Hobbs' fellow starting corner, Asante Samuel , left late in the morning practice with what the Eagles said was a hamstring injury. A team source said the injury isn't considered serious. Samuel didn't seem concerned when he left for lunch; he was wearing no ice bags and wasn't visibly taped. "I'm gettin' too old for this!" he exclaimed, presumably referring to two-a-days . . . After a brief, nonpublic practice this morning, the Birds again bid farewell to Lehigh, but they will return in 2011, general manager Howie Roseman said. Of course, an NFL lockout could intercede.

http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/eagles/20100818_Eagles_Notebook__Eagles_rookie_defensive_end_Graham_goes_inside.html

GIANTS

In Albany, N.Y., on the campus of the University at Albany. (Every year I come here, and every year I say I'm going to find someone who can tell me why it's the "University at Albany'' and not the "University of Albany.'') While I'm at it, the athletic facilities are fine here, but it's one of the most depressing campuses I've been on. It looks like a high-rise office park. It's impossible to tell one tall white personality-less building from the other, and every year, I've got to ask six people directions to the same place where the media gathers and the players eat.
Three Observations

1. Regarding the change in defensive coordinators from Bill Sheridan to Perry Fewell, can you say, "breath of fresh air?'' Talked to Osi Umenyiora (I think he still has Sheridan's shoeprint on the back of his pants) and Justin Tuck, and both feel Fewell's strength will be analyzing strengths and weakness of every player and putting them in the best position to make plays. Even if that means making Umenyiora not an every-down players (I do expect him to start off playing first down, but that may change), Fewell won't be afraid to make the changes he thinks he needs to make.

2. I've always said Tom Coughlin is one of the four or five coaches I'd want to play for if I were a free-agent trying to make an NFL roster. He goes by what he sees. That's why I think Victor Cruz will break into a deep receiver group somehow -- even if it means cutting a vet with promise like Sinorice Moss. Then again, haven't we been writing about Moss as a promising player for five camps now?

3. Chris Canty, a waste last year because of injury, knows he's vital to the success of the Giants front. He's healthy, coming off a strong offseason, and I expect him to be a 70-percent-of-the-snaps player all over the front four.
New Face, New Place

I call the Antrel Rolle acquisition the "C.C. Brown Memorial Signing,'' because it's obvious the Giants were sick of injuries (Kenny Phillips especially) and marginal players (like Brown) manning the safety spot for them. Rolle, the ex-Cardinal, has had an active camp -- he picked a pass off the day I was there -- and the Giants hope to pair him with Phillips if the latter is able; Phillips is coming off knee microfracture surgery, and they don't sell insurance for that kind of injury. Rolle looks slim for a safety. Still looks like he could play corner, the position he played 'til moving as a Cardinal in 2008. He moves very well, obviously, and will be a center fielder on the back line. He'd better be, for $5.4 million a year.
Rookie Report

Defensive tackle Linval Joseph is the most impressive draft choice in camp. The Giants had good depth on the line already, but they had Joseph, the 320-pound space-eater from East Carolina, rated so high in the draft that they honored their board and added him to the mix. He's shown more quickness than some in the organization thought he had. I expect him to be a solid member of the eight-man defensive-line rotation.
Memorable Image

The sight of Vinny DiTrani of The (Bergen) Record typing away in the press room in Indian Quad. DiTrani, 65, one of the most respected football beat men in the country, is retiring at the end of the season after 43 years at the paper, 33 covering the Giants. Now, DiTrani was a veteran scribe when I joined the Giants' beat in 1985 at age 28. In those days, I surveyed the scene of the 15 or so regulars on the beat and quickly determined DiTrani was the most knowledgeable and commanded the most respect from the players and coaches. Bill Parcells called him "The Sage,'' and he made sure he read DiTrani's story in the paper as a matter of habit daily. DiTrani was one of the first beat guys I knew who watched gametape every Monday, over and over, to determine how every starter and sub on the Giants played. Of all the local NFL writers I've worked alongside, there's no one I respect more. That's why I'll be sure to bookmark The Record's site this year and read him for one last season.
On the Menu

There's a lot of good training-table food in the NFL. I didn't go to Cleveland this year, but the Browns cook nearly everything to order with four-star chefs. But in terms of the best cafeterias serving the most well-round good food, no team can touch the Giants. The choices, the quality, the depth of good food is unsurpassed in the league. Today, at the pasta bar, I had penne with marinara and barely cooked yellow squash, broccoli and zucchini mixed him. Superb. Grade: A.
Parting Shots

1. Wouldn't be surprised to see Ahmad Bradshaw (4.8 yards per carry on 163 rushes last year) exceed or come very close to the number of carries for Brandon Jacobs (3.7, 224). If Bradshaw stays healthy, they'll feed him more.

2. Defensive end Dave Tollefson had such a good offseason and is having such a good summer in camp that the Giants are going to have to find snaps for him in the line rotation.

3. The Giants want 2009 second-round pick Will Beatty to push, and perhaps replace, David Diehl at left tackle. But I don't think Beatty is ready. Diehl might not be the athlete Beatty is, but he's more reliable, and by the end of camp, my money's on Diehl to hold off Beatty -- for this year anyway.

4. Giants have been very beat up in camp. All three interior offensive linemen were hurt the day I saw them, along with every tight end but Bear Pascoe (what a great name for a tight end -- or for any NFL position, for that matter). Eli Manning was rendered nearly headless the other night against the Jets. It's been a very frustrating camp for Tom Coughlin.

5. Everyone in camp loves Ramses Barden's potential, and how the 6-6 receiver from Cal Poly goes up for the ball so physically and athletically. If you've got a slot on your fantasy team for a breakout receiver, and Barden's there in the later rounds, go for him.

Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/peter_king/08/19/giants.postcard/index.html?eref=sircrc#ixzz0x5v34C5Q