"It's not really about what plays we're running. We're just trying to go out there and effectively run the plays that are called."
Ravens jersey coach John Harbaugh said Monday that the Ravens will play their starters for at least the first half against the Giants this weekend, so the first-team offense will get a decent chunk of time to work any kinks out. Expect the Ravens' gameplan to again be pretty vanilla. Maybe French vanilla if they're feeling frisky.
"We're running our base offense," Flacco said. "Obviously, it's the preseason, so you don't want to show some things. And some things you're going to show because everybody knows you do them anyway.
A reporter, pointing out that the Ravens had executed a bunch of swing passes and screen plays to running backs, asked Flacco how much of the playbook the Ravens have busted out in preseason play.
"I think the feel is pretty good," Flacco said Tuesday. (I think wholesale Flacco jersey shrugged his shoulders as he started his answer, but he does that so often, I might just be imagining it.)
You, your Aunt Paula and Terry from Dundalk -- longtime listener, first-time caller -- might be panicking after the Ravens' first-team offense struggled to get in a rhythm in Saturday night's 23-3 win over the cheap Redskins jersey . But, predictably, quarterback Joe Flacco isn't freaking out about it.This is why people who think that the offense is "underperforming" in the pre-season should just start taking the short bus to work. Do they really think that the Ravens are taking the same offensive approach in the preseason that they will in the regular season? They haven't used Ray Rice at all, and they've clearly just been trying the same sorts of plays over again. That's what preseason is for: trying things. In the opener, we ran the same screen to McGahee three plays in a row. Think that will happen in the regular season? People need to get a life.
2010年8月25日星期三
2010年8月19日星期四
San Diego Chargers defensive coordinator Ron Rivera's
The Chargers re-signed Bakhtiari in January 2009 only to waive him at the end of the pre-season. He spent two weeks with Tampa Bay's practice squad before the Titans signed him to their practice squad in November. When tackle Jason Jones was put on injured reserve, Bakhtiari got the promotion and had six special teams tackles in his first three career games.
Now he's busy sweating during a Tennessee training camp with a heat index regularly hovering at or above 35 degrees Celsius. The humidity curls up his hair that now measures 12 inches — long enough that pulling a brush all the way through is nearly impossible with muscled biceps and shoulders.
"I'm not flexible enough to get it all the way through there," Bakhtiari said with a grin. "It's difficult now in training camp. It's under a helmet most times but mostly it's always in a ponytail."
Actually, he's using the double ponytail because it's a little harder to fit all that hair under the helmet with the added bonus of stability.
"It kind of keeps my helmet there, kind of like keeps it more in place," he said.
Bakhtiari's mother gave him a big assist to help him care for all that hair so his donation would be in good shape when the time comes to lop it off.
"When she came out, she saw I was using some like crappy two-in-one shampoo and conditioner. She said, 'Uh-uh.' She went to a salon and got me nice shampoo and some real nice conditioner, some leave-in (conditioner), some reconditioning mess. All that stuff," Bakhtiari said.
Wholesale San Diego Chargers jerseys defensive coordinator Ron Rivera's decision to dial up the pressure last weekend against the cheap Chicago Bears jerseys caused a minor stir, especially after Mike Martz admitted San Diego's aggressive game plan limited Jay Cutler to only eight snaps.
Meanwhile, the wholesale Bears jerseys stayed true to their belief of never showing the opponent too much in a preseason contest.
"If you over scheme it, sometimes the offense is not ready for it and you're winning by a scheme right now, in the regular season they [the offense] will be ready," Bears defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli said Thursday. "What you want to make sure is that we're ready in our base stuff, so when we do put something in, it adds to what we do. But if you don't have that concrete base on pursuit, tackling, gap control and generating pressure on a four-man front, [you're in trouble].
"I don't mind this time of the year, if when you blitz, you blitz into the side of protection because you want to see who can beat a block. The worst thing right now is you get a blitzer and he's free. In the regular season you like that, but right now, you want to see which blitzers can beat a block."
One player who grabbed Marinelli's attention last weekend was rookie safety Major Wright. Echoing the sentiments of cheap Bears jerseys head coach Lovie Smith, Marinelli feels Wright help his caused in the competition at safety, despite the rookie suffering a left index fracture that required surgery.
Now he's busy sweating during a Tennessee training camp with a heat index regularly hovering at or above 35 degrees Celsius. The humidity curls up his hair that now measures 12 inches — long enough that pulling a brush all the way through is nearly impossible with muscled biceps and shoulders.
"I'm not flexible enough to get it all the way through there," Bakhtiari said with a grin. "It's difficult now in training camp. It's under a helmet most times but mostly it's always in a ponytail."
Actually, he's using the double ponytail because it's a little harder to fit all that hair under the helmet with the added bonus of stability.
"It kind of keeps my helmet there, kind of like keeps it more in place," he said.
Bakhtiari's mother gave him a big assist to help him care for all that hair so his donation would be in good shape when the time comes to lop it off.
"When she came out, she saw I was using some like crappy two-in-one shampoo and conditioner. She said, 'Uh-uh.' She went to a salon and got me nice shampoo and some real nice conditioner, some leave-in (conditioner), some reconditioning mess. All that stuff," Bakhtiari said.
Wholesale San Diego Chargers jerseys defensive coordinator Ron Rivera's decision to dial up the pressure last weekend against the cheap Chicago Bears jerseys caused a minor stir, especially after Mike Martz admitted San Diego's aggressive game plan limited Jay Cutler to only eight snaps.
Meanwhile, the wholesale Bears jerseys stayed true to their belief of never showing the opponent too much in a preseason contest.
"If you over scheme it, sometimes the offense is not ready for it and you're winning by a scheme right now, in the regular season they [the offense] will be ready," Bears defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli said Thursday. "What you want to make sure is that we're ready in our base stuff, so when we do put something in, it adds to what we do. But if you don't have that concrete base on pursuit, tackling, gap control and generating pressure on a four-man front, [you're in trouble].
"I don't mind this time of the year, if when you blitz, you blitz into the side of protection because you want to see who can beat a block. The worst thing right now is you get a blitzer and he's free. In the regular season you like that, but right now, you want to see which blitzers can beat a block."
One player who grabbed Marinelli's attention last weekend was rookie safety Major Wright. Echoing the sentiments of cheap Bears jerseys head coach Lovie Smith, Marinelli feels Wright help his caused in the competition at safety, despite the rookie suffering a left index fracture that required surgery.
2010年8月15日星期日
The Ravens canceled both of today's practices
The Ravens canceled both of today's practices and will give the players a day off, which is fantastic, because I'm not a huge fan of standing outside trying to take notes in the pouring rain.
I was planning on getting in 18 holes today with the "day off", but mother nature apparently didn't like that plan too much. Fantastic.
Immediately following Thursday's preseason opener against the Panthers, head coach John Harbaugh made note of a few aspects that he wasn't too pleased with in the Ravens' 17-12 win.
One of the main areas that Harbaugh singled out was the Ravens' pass protection, as the offensive line allowed six sacks and had a hard time containing the Carolina front-seven.
So how did the Ravens end their first practice back in Westminster after the win over the Panthers?
They ran one-on-one offensive line vs. defensive line drills for upwards of 25 minutes
In an ego-testing, pad-smacking battle, Haloti Ngata squared off against Ben Grubbs, Terrell Suggs battled Michael Oher, and Paul Kruger went up against Oniel Cousins as the linemen made an attempt to get to/protect the quarterback.
"That's a great drill," Harbaugh said yesterday. "[Offensive line coach] John Matsko does a great job with our guys, and he makes the point, 'How do you really learn how to pass block?' Well, you pass block in a situation like that, one-on-one, which is the toughest possible situation for the offensive line.
"And our guys can rush. Our guys really challenge those guys. Our defense's job right now is to get better rushing the passer, but also to make our offensive line a better pass-protection unit. That was a big emphasis today, as you saw."
At first, the drill involved just the O-line and D-line, and the rest of the team Todd Heap continued to work on position-specific drills on a side field. After about 10 minutes, the entire squad walked over to the linemen, and circled around them to watch the action.
It made for a pressure-packed 15 minutes for the big guys, who had their teammates there shouting encouragement, and also doing a little ridiculing when someone would get burned.
A few highlights included Jarret Johnson celebrating his 29th birthday by dominating Cousins, and getting a few "Happy Birthday, Double" shouts from his defensive teammates, Suggs and Oher going back and forth, and Antwan Barnes blowing by anyone that was in his way.
Harbaugh scheduling this drill for the first session back on the practice fields after the Carolina game was no accident. He saw an area that needed improvement, and immediately got to work on fixing it.
"You always take what you think you need to work on and you emphasize it the next practice," Harbaugh said. "You're always chasing the thing that you need to get better at. Obviously, we feel like we need to get better at [pass protecting] right now, so it was a big emphasis and it will be a big emphasis."
I was planning on getting in 18 holes today with the "day off", but mother nature apparently didn't like that plan too much. Fantastic.
Immediately following Thursday's preseason opener against the Panthers, head coach John Harbaugh made note of a few aspects that he wasn't too pleased with in the Ravens' 17-12 win.
One of the main areas that Harbaugh singled out was the Ravens' pass protection, as the offensive line allowed six sacks and had a hard time containing the Carolina front-seven.
So how did the Ravens end their first practice back in Westminster after the win over the Panthers?
They ran one-on-one offensive line vs. defensive line drills for upwards of 25 minutes
In an ego-testing, pad-smacking battle, Haloti Ngata squared off against Ben Grubbs, Terrell Suggs battled Michael Oher, and Paul Kruger went up against Oniel Cousins as the linemen made an attempt to get to/protect the quarterback.
"That's a great drill," Harbaugh said yesterday. "[Offensive line coach] John Matsko does a great job with our guys, and he makes the point, 'How do you really learn how to pass block?' Well, you pass block in a situation like that, one-on-one, which is the toughest possible situation for the offensive line.
"And our guys can rush. Our guys really challenge those guys. Our defense's job right now is to get better rushing the passer, but also to make our offensive line a better pass-protection unit. That was a big emphasis today, as you saw."
At first, the drill involved just the O-line and D-line, and the rest of the team Todd Heap continued to work on position-specific drills on a side field. After about 10 minutes, the entire squad walked over to the linemen, and circled around them to watch the action.
It made for a pressure-packed 15 minutes for the big guys, who had their teammates there shouting encouragement, and also doing a little ridiculing when someone would get burned.
A few highlights included Jarret Johnson celebrating his 29th birthday by dominating Cousins, and getting a few "Happy Birthday, Double" shouts from his defensive teammates, Suggs and Oher going back and forth, and Antwan Barnes blowing by anyone that was in his way.
Harbaugh scheduling this drill for the first session back on the practice fields after the Carolina game was no accident. He saw an area that needed improvement, and immediately got to work on fixing it.
"You always take what you think you need to work on and you emphasize it the next practice," Harbaugh said. "You're always chasing the thing that you need to get better at. Obviously, we feel like we need to get better at [pass protecting] right now, so it was a big emphasis and it will be a big emphasis."
2010年8月10日星期二
Bears' Devin Hester returns to practice
After sitting out several days with a sore groin, Chicago Bears starting wide receiver Devin Hester fully participated in the team's Tuesday morning walk-through practice.
"I'm feeling pretty good," Hester said. "You know, I came out and ran around a little today and broke a sweat."
According to Hester, the groin injury didn't occur on a single play. The soreness accumulated during the first week of camp until the wideout required rest for a few days.
"It just kind of built up," Hester said. "When you're working hard, things like that tend to happen. Coach always says if you don't get hurt in training camp you're not working hard enough. I guess I'm working hard."
Hester was medically cleared and dressed in full-pads for practice Tuesday night.
Also, Danieal Manning (hamstring) and Nick Roach (knee) both returned for the evening session.
Those sitting it out included Johnny Knox, Greg Olsen, Brandon Manumaleuna,Chris Williams , Hunter Hillenmeyer, Jay Cutler, Brian Iwuh and Pisa Tinoisamoa.
"I'm feeling pretty good," Hester said. "You know, I came out and ran around a little today and broke a sweat."
According to Hester, the groin injury didn't occur on a single play. The soreness accumulated during the first week of camp until the wideout required rest for a few days.
"It just kind of built up," Hester said. "When you're working hard, things like that tend to happen. Coach always says if you don't get hurt in training camp you're not working hard enough. I guess I'm working hard."
Hester was medically cleared and dressed in full-pads for practice Tuesday night.
Also, Danieal Manning (hamstring) and Nick Roach (knee) both returned for the evening session.
Those sitting it out included Johnny Knox, Greg Olsen, Brandon Manumaleuna,Chris Williams , Hunter Hillenmeyer, Jay Cutler, Brian Iwuh and Pisa Tinoisamoa.
2010年8月8日星期日
Joe Flacco is my starting quarterback
I admit it folks; Joe Flacco is my starting quarterback not because I am a risk taker but because I genuinely believe in his talents.
In 2008, he made his mark as the 8th rookie quarterback in history to start a playoff game.
Let's add to that amazing stat; in that same playoff run he rallied his team to take two road wins and etched the history books again as the only rookie QB to win two playoff games.
This was Flacco after 16 regular season games in his rookie year back in 2008.
While you can find articles expressing the same sentiment as myself elsewhere, it seems that newcomers Tim Tebow and Sam Bradford have dominated the headlines along with the usual suspects Tom Brady and Peyton Manning.
Rightfully so, Brady and Manning deserve the type of attention they receive because of their sheer talent.
Meanwhile, our friend Joe Flacco quietly builds himself into the face of the NFL in the next five to 10 years.
One of Joe Flacco's biggest limitations in his first two seasons in Baltimore was his ability to make difficult throws over the middle.
The man has a cannon on his right shoulder, and throws the comeback and out routes better than most NFL quarterbacks. But he has struggled cramming the ball into tight spaces between the hash marks (as we saw in the playoff loss to the Colts). For Flacco to take the next step and become a top-10 quarterback this season, he will have to effectively work the middle of the field.
So far in training camp, Flacco has impressed me with his ability to do just that. He's getting through his progressions quicker and showing more courage and accuracy when throwing over the middle. Of course, having Anquan Boldin and two big-bodied, pass-catching tight ends around probably helps, too.
Flacco still has work to do, but Ravens coach John Harbaugh said Friday morning that he's seeing progress from his quarterback. Harbaugh was pleased with the chemistry Flacco is developing with his receivers.
In 2008, he made his mark as the 8th rookie quarterback in history to start a playoff game.
Let's add to that amazing stat; in that same playoff run he rallied his team to take two road wins and etched the history books again as the only rookie QB to win two playoff games.
This was Flacco after 16 regular season games in his rookie year back in 2008.
While you can find articles expressing the same sentiment as myself elsewhere, it seems that newcomers Tim Tebow and Sam Bradford have dominated the headlines along with the usual suspects Tom Brady and Peyton Manning.
Rightfully so, Brady and Manning deserve the type of attention they receive because of their sheer talent.
Meanwhile, our friend Joe Flacco quietly builds himself into the face of the NFL in the next five to 10 years.
One of Joe Flacco's biggest limitations in his first two seasons in Baltimore was his ability to make difficult throws over the middle.
The man has a cannon on his right shoulder, and throws the comeback and out routes better than most NFL quarterbacks. But he has struggled cramming the ball into tight spaces between the hash marks (as we saw in the playoff loss to the Colts). For Flacco to take the next step and become a top-10 quarterback this season, he will have to effectively work the middle of the field.
So far in training camp, Flacco has impressed me with his ability to do just that. He's getting through his progressions quicker and showing more courage and accuracy when throwing over the middle. Of course, having Anquan Boldin and two big-bodied, pass-catching tight ends around probably helps, too.
Flacco still has work to do, but Ravens coach John Harbaugh said Friday morning that he's seeing progress from his quarterback. Harbaugh was pleased with the chemistry Flacco is developing with his receivers.
2010年8月4日星期三
Indianapolis Colts safety Bob Sanders
In Larry Coyer's first season as defensive coordinator, the defense ranked eighth in points allowed (19.2) and played a major part in helping the Colts win their second AFC title in four years.
There's also plenty of room for improvement after yielding 126.5 yards rushing, 24th in the NFL; finishing in the middle of the league in sacks (34); and 15th in interceptions (16). Indy also had 92 defensive penalties, the most since 2005, and couldn't stop the Saints in the second half of the Super Bowl.
With one full season -- and a second full offseason -- to learn Coyer's aggressive system, the Colts have confidence and continuity.
"When you're on the field, just being comfortable with everyone goes a long way," defensive captain Gary Brackett said. "It goes right to the success of your team. I think we should develop a little more in the system, and it's like coach (Tony) Dungy always said, the second year is when you increase your football IQ."
It's not just smoke and mirrors.
Indy, long known as an offensive powerhouse, has made a huge investment in its defense recently.
Six players -- Brackett, Antoine Bethea, Dwight Freeney, Kelvin Hayden, Robert Mathis and Sanders -- have signed contracts worth a combined $242.5 million since 2006. The deals for Sanders and Freeney also were the most lucrative at their position at the time.
Now the Colts are hoping it will pay off, though the tough part will be finding a spot for everyone.
Cornerbacks Jerraud Powers and Jacob Lacey combined to make 21 regular-season starts in 2009 and were impressive as rookies, but they'll vie for the starting job opposite Hayden. Whoever winds up as the backup may also have to contend with Townsend, a 12-year veteran, for playing time.
Bethea is coming off his second Pro Bowl season and just signed a $27 million contract, and former undrafted free agent Melvin Bullitt has established himself as a legitimate play-maker in Indy's secondary.
Coyer's job is devising ways to use Sanders and keep the big-hitting safety healthy. Sanders has started only eight regular-season games since being named the 2007 NFL defensive player of the year, but has practiced all week. It's the first time Sanders hasn't opened training camp on the physically unable to perform list since 2007.
"He's our leader back there, and you could say he's the most battle-tested Peyton Manning guy in the secondary," Hayden said. "He doesn't do a lot of talking, but when he leads, he leads by example and we need that."
The secondary isn't the only area making adjustments.
Indy's booked end pass rushers, Freeney and Mathis, both went to the Pro Bowl the last two seasons, rank first and second in sacks in franchise history and are No. 1 and No. 2 among all NFL players in forced fumbles since 2002.
If healthy, they won't lose any playing time.
But after taking another speedy pass rusher, Jerry Hughes, in the first round of this year's draft, the Colts are working on some new options.
Coach Jim Caldwell has said the Colts are experimenting with packages that would put all three on the field together. One possibility would make Hughes a standing rusher, a role the departed Raheem Brock played last season. Or Hughes could line up as a 3-4 linebacker, allowing the Colts to dial up more blitzes. Some teams actually projected Hughes as a linebacker.
Who wants to be called that? But it certainly fits for Indianapolis Colts safety Bob Sanders, who has missed more games in his career than he has started, a variety of injuries limiting the 2007 NFL Defensive Player of the Year for most of his six years in the league.
You know things are bad on the injury front when a summer report hit NFL.com that said Sanders might be forced to retire, which was big news to Sanders.
"That was like something from the tabloids," Sanders said. "It was all laughable. It was kind of funny. I just shrugged it off and kept going."
That report sure looked erroneous Monday when Sanders took part in the Colts' first practice of training camp. For Sanders, getting out on the field for the first day of camp was something he hasn't done since 2007, making the reports of his demise all the more wrong. Sanders had opened on the PUP (physically unable to perform) list three of the past four years.
The truth is, Sanders said he barely paid attention to the report, but said he got calls from friends, family and teammates wondering if it was true, all with the same question: Was his career really over after six years?
"You can come up with any type of stuff, speculation about how guys are doing," Sanders said. "The only thing that is important is that I was here today and I'm ready. I'm as healthy as I've been in a long time. It's kind of weird they said my career was over."
When Bob Sanders has been on the field during his six seasons, he has been one of the best safeties in the NFL, and some say the heart of the Indianapolis defense. But it's hard to make plays from outside the lines.
That has led him to become the new "but" man on the Colts roster. Peyton Manning used to be that guy, but he won a Super Bowl to erase that.
There's also plenty of room for improvement after yielding 126.5 yards rushing, 24th in the NFL; finishing in the middle of the league in sacks (34); and 15th in interceptions (16). Indy also had 92 defensive penalties, the most since 2005, and couldn't stop the Saints in the second half of the Super Bowl.
With one full season -- and a second full offseason -- to learn Coyer's aggressive system, the Colts have confidence and continuity.
"When you're on the field, just being comfortable with everyone goes a long way," defensive captain Gary Brackett said. "It goes right to the success of your team. I think we should develop a little more in the system, and it's like coach (Tony) Dungy always said, the second year is when you increase your football IQ."
It's not just smoke and mirrors.
Indy, long known as an offensive powerhouse, has made a huge investment in its defense recently.
Six players -- Brackett, Antoine Bethea, Dwight Freeney, Kelvin Hayden, Robert Mathis and Sanders -- have signed contracts worth a combined $242.5 million since 2006. The deals for Sanders and Freeney also were the most lucrative at their position at the time.
Now the Colts are hoping it will pay off, though the tough part will be finding a spot for everyone.
Cornerbacks Jerraud Powers and Jacob Lacey combined to make 21 regular-season starts in 2009 and were impressive as rookies, but they'll vie for the starting job opposite Hayden. Whoever winds up as the backup may also have to contend with Townsend, a 12-year veteran, for playing time.
Bethea is coming off his second Pro Bowl season and just signed a $27 million contract, and former undrafted free agent Melvin Bullitt has established himself as a legitimate play-maker in Indy's secondary.
Coyer's job is devising ways to use Sanders and keep the big-hitting safety healthy. Sanders has started only eight regular-season games since being named the 2007 NFL defensive player of the year, but has practiced all week. It's the first time Sanders hasn't opened training camp on the physically unable to perform list since 2007.
"He's our leader back there, and you could say he's the most battle-tested Peyton Manning guy in the secondary," Hayden said. "He doesn't do a lot of talking, but when he leads, he leads by example and we need that."
The secondary isn't the only area making adjustments.
Indy's booked end pass rushers, Freeney and Mathis, both went to the Pro Bowl the last two seasons, rank first and second in sacks in franchise history and are No. 1 and No. 2 among all NFL players in forced fumbles since 2002.
If healthy, they won't lose any playing time.
But after taking another speedy pass rusher, Jerry Hughes, in the first round of this year's draft, the Colts are working on some new options.
Coach Jim Caldwell has said the Colts are experimenting with packages that would put all three on the field together. One possibility would make Hughes a standing rusher, a role the departed Raheem Brock played last season. Or Hughes could line up as a 3-4 linebacker, allowing the Colts to dial up more blitzes. Some teams actually projected Hughes as a linebacker.
Who wants to be called that? But it certainly fits for Indianapolis Colts safety Bob Sanders, who has missed more games in his career than he has started, a variety of injuries limiting the 2007 NFL Defensive Player of the Year for most of his six years in the league.
You know things are bad on the injury front when a summer report hit NFL.com that said Sanders might be forced to retire, which was big news to Sanders.
"That was like something from the tabloids," Sanders said. "It was all laughable. It was kind of funny. I just shrugged it off and kept going."
That report sure looked erroneous Monday when Sanders took part in the Colts' first practice of training camp. For Sanders, getting out on the field for the first day of camp was something he hasn't done since 2007, making the reports of his demise all the more wrong. Sanders had opened on the PUP (physically unable to perform) list three of the past four years.
The truth is, Sanders said he barely paid attention to the report, but said he got calls from friends, family and teammates wondering if it was true, all with the same question: Was his career really over after six years?
"You can come up with any type of stuff, speculation about how guys are doing," Sanders said. "The only thing that is important is that I was here today and I'm ready. I'm as healthy as I've been in a long time. It's kind of weird they said my career was over."
When Bob Sanders has been on the field during his six seasons, he has been one of the best safeties in the NFL, and some say the heart of the Indianapolis defense. But it's hard to make plays from outside the lines.
That has led him to become the new "but" man on the Colts roster. Peyton Manning used to be that guy, but he won a Super Bowl to erase that.
2010年8月3日星期二
Ray Rice as one player who genuinely enjoys camp
Count running back Ray Rice as one player who genuinely enjoys camp.
"Camp is a time where you build on your team," he said Monday. "There's no one else around but our fans, our people, and we get to be around these guys. I'm roommates with [fullback] Le'Ron McClain. He comes in the room bothering me at night. … Last night, I tried to go to bed. He came in plucking with me. That's time you never forget. These are times that you embrace, you never forget. Just having dinner with a rookie, meetings. We see funny things on film, we get to laugh. Even at camp, some people cry, but it's just a moment that you have to embrace."
If there is one regret Rice has, it's that he missed his mother's birthday on Monday.
"There's only one sorrow I feel today: it's my mother's birthday, and I couldn't be with her," Rice said of his mother Janet. "But I bet she's more proud that I'm here having fun at camp, and she's enjoying her birthday."
I've been working on a feature story on consensus top-five fantasy pick Ray Rice over the past couple of days for my fantasy football preview in tomorrow's b (you can find it online here, of course).
I chatted with Rice about a lot of things, most of which pertained to fantasy football and his individual statistics. But when I asked him about the one thing he tried to improve on the most during the offseason, the 5-foot-8 running back said he wanted to become a better pass blocker to make sure Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco is still around to chuck him those dump-off passes.
"One thing I always think I need improvement on is pass blocking," Ray Rice said. "When guys see me in a game, their first initial move is to try to bull-rush me over, which, if I'm staying stout, and I can cut a few times to slow them up.
"Camp is a time where you build on your team," he said Monday. "There's no one else around but our fans, our people, and we get to be around these guys. I'm roommates with [fullback] Le'Ron McClain. He comes in the room bothering me at night. … Last night, I tried to go to bed. He came in plucking with me. That's time you never forget. These are times that you embrace, you never forget. Just having dinner with a rookie, meetings. We see funny things on film, we get to laugh. Even at camp, some people cry, but it's just a moment that you have to embrace."
If there is one regret Rice has, it's that he missed his mother's birthday on Monday.
"There's only one sorrow I feel today: it's my mother's birthday, and I couldn't be with her," Rice said of his mother Janet. "But I bet she's more proud that I'm here having fun at camp, and she's enjoying her birthday."
I've been working on a feature story on consensus top-five fantasy pick Ray Rice over the past couple of days for my fantasy football preview in tomorrow's b (you can find it online here, of course).
I chatted with Rice about a lot of things, most of which pertained to fantasy football and his individual statistics. But when I asked him about the one thing he tried to improve on the most during the offseason, the 5-foot-8 running back said he wanted to become a better pass blocker to make sure Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco is still around to chuck him those dump-off passes.
"One thing I always think I need improvement on is pass blocking," Ray Rice said. "When guys see me in a game, their first initial move is to try to bull-rush me over, which, if I'm staying stout, and I can cut a few times to slow them up.
2010年8月2日星期一
San Diego Chargers 2010 Fantasy Football Draft Targets
Norv Turner and his offensive unit need to establish a running game. With the departure of LT there will be a lot of pressure on the rookie shoulders of Ryan Mathews. Over the years it is pretty obvious that Turner prefers to use Sproles sparingly and allow him to continue to be the big play threat that he is, so Mathews will be the every down back come opening day. He will get his touches and will have some success with a decent offensive line in front of him, but if he struggles it could spell trouble for San Diego because of their depleted receiving corps. Outside of Antonio Gates the Chargers really lack a true number one guy. Floyd has potential to be a big downfield threat and the addition of Josh Reed from Buffalo gives them some depth but they are going to need more than just him to be successful and that could come in the form of Legedu Naanee. Although he only caught 24 balls last year, he will be a major player in the Chargers offense this year. He may not have the best speed in the league but he has solid hands and is a great physical presence down the middle of the field. Without Jackson in the lineup he will get more attention from Rivers and could be a solid back up in the early weeks while Jackson watches from home.
The Chargers will again be in the drivers seat in the AFC West division this year with their only true competition being the Denver Broncos, but with the loss of Brandon Marshall and questions at QB could struggle mightily on offense. Their overall schedule does not seem too daunting and could be a major asset as they try to get their revamped offense on track, with their only major challenges being New England, Indianapolis, and Houston, the rest of their opposition is on par with them talent-wise and if they can get over those minor speed bumps are poised to have an 11-5 year and will rest atop the AFC West once again.
Antonio Gates: TE is one position in the Charger lineup where there are no questions. Gates is one of Rivers favorite targets on third down and in the red zone and consistently produces when called upon. Besides his rookie campaign, Gates has scored a minimum of 8 touchdowns and had at least 700 receiving yards. The trickle down effect of possibly missing Vincent Jackson for most of the season could affect Gates the most. Gates will become Rivers' primary target, especially in the Red Zone, and his numbers will increase accordingly. There is potential for this to be one of Gates' biggest years to date and I see him going for 1,200 yds and 10-13 touchdowns.
Vincent Jackson: With his suspension fresh in everyone's mind it is going to be hard to see Jackson and the Chargers entering the season on amiable terms and even when, and if, he comes back it is uncertain what sort of role he will continue to play. If things look promising he could be a good player to pick up in later rounds of your draft and keep hidden on the bench til the time comes, but until then the Chargers organization need someone, anyone, to step up on the outside, which leads us to this guy…
Malcolm Floyd: The number two WR in San Diego last year, if Jackson is absent Phillip Rivers he will be the go to guy in 2010. Floyd has great size at the position but had limited productivity as a third option for Rivers with only 45 catches for 776 yds last season. Those aren't pedestrian numbers, but his fantasy impact is in a little bit of doubt because he was rarely ever a target in the red zone with only 1 touchdown. He needs to become a bigger impact player in Jackson's absence and is certainly poised to do so. Look for all of his numbers, including red zone targets, to jump this year as he will become a 1,000+ yd, 6 TD guy this season.
Even though they had a losing record and things just weren't going their way, the Chargers were able to turn it around by winning 11 straight games in a row and heading into the playoffs as arguably the hottest team in the league.
Despite being able to turn their season around they still couldn't avoid losing to the New York Jets in the playoffs and ultimately being knocked out of the playoffs much earlier than anticipated.
The Chargers may have been unable to live up to expectations last season, but coming into the 2010-2011 NFL season they will be a serious force to be reckoned with once again as they have gone through a drastic change in their backfield after releasing superstar running back LaDainian Tomlinson during the offseason.
Without LT in the backfield, the Chargers will look to Darren Sproles and rookie running back Ryan Matthews out of Fresno State.
Obviously, LT has left some pretty big shoes to fill in San Diego, but the Chargers believe they have found their running back of the future in Matthews and in order to avoid a holdout by the rookie they have agreed to terms with their new feature back.
The Chargers will again be in the drivers seat in the AFC West division this year with their only true competition being the Denver Broncos, but with the loss of Brandon Marshall and questions at QB could struggle mightily on offense. Their overall schedule does not seem too daunting and could be a major asset as they try to get their revamped offense on track, with their only major challenges being New England, Indianapolis, and Houston, the rest of their opposition is on par with them talent-wise and if they can get over those minor speed bumps are poised to have an 11-5 year and will rest atop the AFC West once again.
Antonio Gates: TE is one position in the Charger lineup where there are no questions. Gates is one of Rivers favorite targets on third down and in the red zone and consistently produces when called upon. Besides his rookie campaign, Gates has scored a minimum of 8 touchdowns and had at least 700 receiving yards. The trickle down effect of possibly missing Vincent Jackson for most of the season could affect Gates the most. Gates will become Rivers' primary target, especially in the Red Zone, and his numbers will increase accordingly. There is potential for this to be one of Gates' biggest years to date and I see him going for 1,200 yds and 10-13 touchdowns.
Vincent Jackson: With his suspension fresh in everyone's mind it is going to be hard to see Jackson and the Chargers entering the season on amiable terms and even when, and if, he comes back it is uncertain what sort of role he will continue to play. If things look promising he could be a good player to pick up in later rounds of your draft and keep hidden on the bench til the time comes, but until then the Chargers organization need someone, anyone, to step up on the outside, which leads us to this guy…
Malcolm Floyd: The number two WR in San Diego last year, if Jackson is absent Phillip Rivers he will be the go to guy in 2010. Floyd has great size at the position but had limited productivity as a third option for Rivers with only 45 catches for 776 yds last season. Those aren't pedestrian numbers, but his fantasy impact is in a little bit of doubt because he was rarely ever a target in the red zone with only 1 touchdown. He needs to become a bigger impact player in Jackson's absence and is certainly poised to do so. Look for all of his numbers, including red zone targets, to jump this year as he will become a 1,000+ yd, 6 TD guy this season.
Even though they had a losing record and things just weren't going their way, the Chargers were able to turn it around by winning 11 straight games in a row and heading into the playoffs as arguably the hottest team in the league.
Despite being able to turn their season around they still couldn't avoid losing to the New York Jets in the playoffs and ultimately being knocked out of the playoffs much earlier than anticipated.
The Chargers may have been unable to live up to expectations last season, but coming into the 2010-2011 NFL season they will be a serious force to be reckoned with once again as they have gone through a drastic change in their backfield after releasing superstar running back LaDainian Tomlinson during the offseason.
Without LT in the backfield, the Chargers will look to Darren Sproles and rookie running back Ryan Matthews out of Fresno State.
Obviously, LT has left some pretty big shoes to fill in San Diego, but the Chargers believe they have found their running back of the future in Matthews and in order to avoid a holdout by the rookie they have agreed to terms with their new feature back.
2010年8月1日星期日
The Ravens offense went through changes in the off-season
Last week's loss of Domonique Foxworth for the entire season (torn ACL) only brought negativity from the media to this team.
Questions began to rise like whether or not the Ravens can be a Super Bowl contender with a weakened passing defense. Many feel the offense will have to carry this team to their first ring in over a decade, which doesn't seem likely to some writers.
However, the Ravens offense has begun showing its potential as one of the more balanced in the league. In the first few days of camp, we are seeing the hype this unit is receiving.
Joe Flacco Is Working Well With New Teammates
The chemistry that Flacco has built up with his new teammates isn't becoming a surprise to many. He has been working out with the new weapons since mini-camp. It is fair to say Flacco is ahead of schedule.
Anquan Boldin has been the talk of the Ravens offense. His acquisition gives Flacco a number one threat that not only improves Flacco's game, but the talent around him as well.
He has avoided the injury bug thus far, and it has showed. From his deadly slant attacks, to getting a few long balls from Flacco, Cam Cameron and Jim Zorn are finding out the strengths and weaknesses of this offense pretty quickly.
Stallworth, Dickson Are Biggest Surprises At Camp Thus Far
The bigger story, though, are Donte Stallworth and Ed Dickson.
Stallworth has been quite a surprise. Not only is the work ethic there, but he is much faster than expected. Stallworth is a great third option on this offense. He is a perfect fit for the slot.
Projected to be facing third string corners, Cam Cameron is confident in having him as an advantage in the passing game. They are confident he will succeed against single coverage.
As for the rookies, it was tight end Dennis Pitta getting the attention on the offensive side of the ball.
But for now, tight end Ed Dickson is fitting right in as his athleticism has opened a lot of eyes over the past few days.
Quite a few times we have seen Flacco throw to Dickson. He then spins around the defender, and the rest is history.
Whether you are a fan, or a follower of the team, there has to be love for Dickson. He fell to day two of the NFL Draft, but is off to a good start in camp.
The Ravens offense went through changes in the off-season, as plenty of new faces joined the club.
This unit seems to be coming together pretty quickly in the few days camp has been opened.
Though they weren't the biggest points of the article, we can't forget Ray Rice, Derrick Mason, Leron McClain, and Willis McGahee, who are adjusting to the new players in the offense, and most importantly, the new and improved playbook.
There is history to the system Cam Cameron brought to Baltimore two years ago that indicates this is the season Joe Flacco becomes a true franchise quarterback and the Ravens' offense goes from promising to prolific.
It's there in the record books. It's Dan Fouts' 33 touchdown passes in 1981. It's Kurt Warner's 4,830-yard passing season in 2001. It's Philip Rivers' 65.3 percent completion rate in 2008.
Questions began to rise like whether or not the Ravens can be a Super Bowl contender with a weakened passing defense. Many feel the offense will have to carry this team to their first ring in over a decade, which doesn't seem likely to some writers.
However, the Ravens offense has begun showing its potential as one of the more balanced in the league. In the first few days of camp, we are seeing the hype this unit is receiving.
Joe Flacco Is Working Well With New Teammates
The chemistry that Flacco has built up with his new teammates isn't becoming a surprise to many. He has been working out with the new weapons since mini-camp. It is fair to say Flacco is ahead of schedule.
Anquan Boldin has been the talk of the Ravens offense. His acquisition gives Flacco a number one threat that not only improves Flacco's game, but the talent around him as well.
He has avoided the injury bug thus far, and it has showed. From his deadly slant attacks, to getting a few long balls from Flacco, Cam Cameron and Jim Zorn are finding out the strengths and weaknesses of this offense pretty quickly.
Stallworth, Dickson Are Biggest Surprises At Camp Thus Far
The bigger story, though, are Donte Stallworth and Ed Dickson.
Stallworth has been quite a surprise. Not only is the work ethic there, but he is much faster than expected. Stallworth is a great third option on this offense. He is a perfect fit for the slot.
Projected to be facing third string corners, Cam Cameron is confident in having him as an advantage in the passing game. They are confident he will succeed against single coverage.
As for the rookies, it was tight end Dennis Pitta getting the attention on the offensive side of the ball.
But for now, tight end Ed Dickson is fitting right in as his athleticism has opened a lot of eyes over the past few days.
Quite a few times we have seen Flacco throw to Dickson. He then spins around the defender, and the rest is history.
Whether you are a fan, or a follower of the team, there has to be love for Dickson. He fell to day two of the NFL Draft, but is off to a good start in camp.
The Ravens offense went through changes in the off-season, as plenty of new faces joined the club.
This unit seems to be coming together pretty quickly in the few days camp has been opened.
Though they weren't the biggest points of the article, we can't forget Ray Rice, Derrick Mason, Leron McClain, and Willis McGahee, who are adjusting to the new players in the offense, and most importantly, the new and improved playbook.
There is history to the system Cam Cameron brought to Baltimore two years ago that indicates this is the season Joe Flacco becomes a true franchise quarterback and the Ravens' offense goes from promising to prolific.
It's there in the record books. It's Dan Fouts' 33 touchdown passes in 1981. It's Kurt Warner's 4,830-yard passing season in 2001. It's Philip Rivers' 65.3 percent completion rate in 2008.
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