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NFC East camp preview: Pressure on Giants
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Preliminary forecasts for the next five weeks in northern New Jersey are calling for high levels of heat.
Not that New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin, his staff or his players will notice. That is because for the team, which reunites at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center for the start of training camp on Thursday, the heat is on -- really on.
They can thank the fact that they have gone three consecutive seasons without a playoff berth, a span in which their won-loss record actually deteriorated.
With last year's 6-10 mark particularly a bitter pill to swallow given how the season unfolded, team co-owner John Mara stood before the media at the end of the season and agreed with a reporter's conclusion that the 2015 campaign carried a "win-or-else" mandate.
With those words echoing weeks after being made, general manager Jerry Reese and Coughlin created perhaps the most highly competitive training camp in their respective regimes, a camp where few jobs are safe.
On offense, all eyes will be on the biggest competition of them all: the offensive line. This unit will, for the first time under Coughlin, have five new starters across the board, and for the third season in a row, a rookie is expected to be one of those starters.
The offensive line combination of rookie Ereck Flowers at left tackle, Justin Pugh at left guard, Weston Richburg at center, Geoff Schwartz at right guard and Marshall Newhouse at right tackle isn't set in stone, according to Coughlin, who is still trying to figure out how to compensate for the absence of injured left tackle Will Beatty.
"Our plans are to continue to try to figure out how this line is going to fall out, who is going to be where," he said at the start of the spring workouts. "We will probably try some different combinations to get there."
Coughlin also didn't rule out the possibility of adding another veteran currently on another team's roster who might shake free during camp cuts as a possibility.
On defense, the Giants are starting from scratch after finishing 29th overall last season. Perry Fewell was replaced by Steve Spagnuolo, who shot to stardom as a first-time NFL coordinator thanks to his 2007 and 2008 Giants defenses finishing as top-10 units both seasons.
Unfortunately for Spagnuolo, defensive ends Michael Strahan, Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora and linebackers Antonio Pierce and Kawika Mitchell didn't follow behind him into the doors of the QDTC.
Instead, Spagnuolo is facing the challenge of trying to implement his aggressive, attacking scheme with a group whose question marks include the identities of the starting defensive ends, safeties, and nickel cornerback, and the health of middle linebacker Jon Beason.
While the personnel issues sort themselves out, Spagnuolo does have an idea of the identity he wants his defense to have.
"I think we all can agree in here that if you are going to be good on defense, it needs to be aggressive," he said. "If you look around the league, I think all good defenses in this league function that way. We would like to get to that point as well. How and when and where we will get with all that, we will see as we go."
That is a lot of uncertainty for a team that has its collective feet to the fire, but if there is one thing that Giants fans can expect from the team this year is that they are not going to go down without a fight.
CAMP CALENDAR
July 30: Entire team reports
July 31: First practice
Aug. 11-12: Joint practices with Bengals at Cincinnati
Aug. 27: Camp ends
--Team strength: Running back.
For the first time since the 2007 and 2008 seasons, the Giants have perhaps their most diverse running backs corps, a unit that offers a little bit of everything and whose members can be mixed and matched to various situations. The addition of veteran Shane Vereen gives the corps its missing ingredient: a legitimate threat out of the backfield. Starter Rashad Jennings, who is expected to do the bulk of the work between the 20-yard lines, probably will see most of the between-the-tackles work. Second-year man Andre Williams' role likely will be limited to that of a short-yardage and goal-line back, and Orleans Darkwa will see spot duty. The diversity, along with a hopefully improved offensive line and the return of fullback Henry Hynoski, should go a long way toward boosting the NFL's 23rd-ranked running game from 2014 toward being a top-10 unit.
--Breakout player: Outside linebacker Devon Kennard.
Last season, the fifth-round pick showed flashes of being a pass-rushing force off the edge. Kennard, out of USC, finished third on the team in sacks (4.5) behind defensive ends Jason Pierre-Paul (12.5) and Damontre Moore (5.5). With Pierre-Paul's availability for the 2015 season a glaring question mark, it would not be surprising if defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo calls upon Kennard, the projected starting outside linebacker, to be that pass-rushing threat off the edge.
--Work in progress: Offensive line.
The pectoral injury sustained by left tackle Will Beatty once again made the offensive line a worry for the Giants' coaches.
At the start of OTAs, head coach Tom Coughlin made it clear that the team was planning to look at some different offensive line combinations in training camp, where it will have a chance to see the players with the pads on.
During OTAs, Coughlin and the Giants stuck with a combination that, from left tackle to right tackle, featured Ereck Flowers (first-round draftee), Justin Pugh, Weston Richburg, Geoff Schwartz and Marshall Newhouse.
The Giants did have a visit with Jake Long in June just to gauge the veteran's interest and to see where he was in his rehab from his second torn ACL injury.
Ideally, the Giants would like to stick with what they have, but the problem is their depth at offensive tackle is so thin that should Flowers or Newhouse get injured, it would rock the unit's foundation.
Also worth noting is offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo's response to a question concerning Flowers.
"We like him as a future left tackle, and I'm very confident in him right now," McAdoo said.
He might not have much of a choice. -
AFC North camp preview: Bengals aim to sign Green
CINCINNATI -- With the Dez Bryant and Demaryius Thomas contracts setting the wide receiver market for an A.J. Green extension, it is not a question of if the Cincinnati Bengals will get a deal done but when.
And for the Bengals, it can't come soon enough. In a training camp that doesn't have many personnel issues, wrapping up a contract with Green is one of the major issues when drills begin Friday at the team's practice fields adjacent to Paul Brown Stadium.
Contract extensions generated headlines three of the past four Bengals training camps and preseasons. In 2011, cornerback Leon Hall and tackle Andrew Whitworth agreed to extensions the day before the final preseason game. In 2013, it was defensive tackle Geno Atkins' turn, as he signed on Labor Day. Last year, quarterback Andy Dalton got his deal done midway through training camp.
As with Dalton and Atkins' deals, getting Green's done will help set the salary structure for free agency next offseason. Considering the Bengals have $16.85 million in cap room and carried over nearly $8.7 million from last season, they have the room to do it.
Another reason to get it done now is because the Bengals have a large group of key players in the final year of their contracts. Besides Green, other starters going into the final year are Hall, Whitworth, cornerback Adam Jones, tackle Andre Smith, safeties George Iloka and Reggie Nelson along with wide receivers Mohamed Sanu and Marvin Jones. All of them will not be back, meaning that this is the last shot for a current group that head coach Marvin Lewis built since 2011.
Besides Green's contract, the other focus on the offense remains the same as it was for the past three years: Can Dalton prove he is a big-game quarterback? The Bengals are the first team in NFL history to go one-and-out in the postseason four straight years, and Lewis tied Jim Mora Sr. for the most playoff games coached without a victory (six).
A big key to the offense will be balance. Jeremy Hill led the league in rushing the last nine weeks of the season, but most of that was due to injuries to Jones, tight end Tyler Eifert and Green. By the time the Bengals got to the playoffs, they were one-dimensional because of a lack of receivers.
Said Lewis during minicamp about his expectations for the offense: "Be an aggressive, attacking type of offense. Be physical at the line of scrimmage and so forth. And then we've got to go out and do it play after play after play. That's what is important. We get to do those things once the fall rolls around."
CAMP CALENDAR
July 30: Team reports
July 31: First practice
Aug. 11-12: Joint practices with Giants in Cincinnati
Aug. 19: Camp ends
--Team strength: Running back.
Jeremy Hill is a three-down back who can wear teams down and also possesses an extra bit of speed when he gets to the second level. Giovani Bernard dealt with injuries last year but is a good change-of-pace option who can also catch the ball out of the backfield. Coach Marvin Lewis said he expects both backs to get an equal amount of carries, but Hill will be the starter.
--Breakout player: Cornerback Darqueze Dennard.
Last year's first-round pick saw only 62 defensive snaps in 2014, but that was mostly by design. Cornerback is one of the hardest positions to come in and immediately contribute as a rookie because of a lack of technique, but Lewis said he was pleased with how Dennard approached things during OTAs and minicamp.
--Work in progress: Tight end.
Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson wants to run the ball, and he loves two-tight end sets. However, after third-year pro Tyler Eifert, the Bengals are looking for that second tight end from a field of five rookies or first-year players who have never taken an NFL snap. Tyler Kroft, a third-round pick from Rutgers, is the leader in the clubhouse.
Also in the mix could be second-rounder Jake Fisher, a tackle from Oregon. Not as a long-range option, but Fisher is a nimble athlete and a high school tight end who may be able to work at the spot in a pinch. He did catch some balls during the spring.Comment
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NFC East camp preview: Cowboys feel primed for title run
OXNARD, Calif. -- Nobody expected the Dallas Cowboys to be considered Super Bowl contenders a year ago.
Heck, most expected them to finish 8-8 or worse and for head coach Jason Garrett to be fired at the end of the season.
Of course, that was before the Cowboys became one of the surprising breakthrough stories of 2014, finishing with a 12-4 record, winning the NFC East and coming within a controversial non-catch by receiver Dez Bryant of reaching the NFC title game for the first time since 1995, the last time they won the Super Bowl.
It comes as no surprise that the Cowboys are considered prime Super Bowl contenders before the 2015 season. They remain the best team in the NFC East and they have ranked just behind the Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers as the cream of the conference.
The Cowboys didn't care what outsiders thought last year and they don't care this year.
They will open training camp this week with the Super Bowl as their goal, but with the primary focus of defining themselves for themselves just as they did a year ago.
"Any coach or player or staff member, if you don't have the goal of winning the Super Bowl you are in the wrong profession," Garrett said. "Everybody has that goal. We define ourselves by what we do. We did that last year. We have to do that again this year. Everybody will understand that really well.
"Don't let other people define you. We define ourselves by what we do. When I did this press conference a year ago, we were probably regarded as a bottom-five or bottom-10 team in the league. One of the best things our team did last year was that we defined ourselves. We didn't listen to any outside forces who said we weren't this or we weren't that. We just went to work every day. We have to do that again. They might think differently of us this year. It really doesn't matter. We define ourselves by what we do. That starts (Tuesday)."
Still there is no question that the Super Bowl is the Cowboys' goal after last season's coming of age campaign and an offseason in which they accomplished almost everything they wanted, save for the acquisition of Vikings running back Adrian Peterson in a trade.
But no one gets everything.
The Cowboys are still on the hunt for a starting running back but every other thing they tried came up roses.
The top priority was retaining Bryant and making him happy. He was signed to a five-year, $70 million contract two weeks ago, ending his threats to boycott the season and putting him on the field for training camp.
"To get him signed and ready to go to start camp is exciting," Garrett said in his first comments since the signing. "He is a great football player but more important he is a great teammate. He is passionate about the game. He is passionate about the team, his teammates. We are excited to see him out there."
Garrett is also happy to avoid the distracting story line of what a Bryant holdout would have brought to training camp.
"I don't think anyone wants those types of things," Garrett said. "You don't want holdouts. You don't want the business of the NFL to creep in as you get close to the season. The business is real. You have to take the emotions out of it. But it's fun to have him back. It's fun to have in him in the fold and on the practice field as we start training camp."
Quarterback Tony Romo had his first healthy offseason in three years and will head into training camp 100 percent for the first time since 2012.
The best offensive line in the NFL got even better with the addition of La'el Collins, an undrafted rookie free agent with first-round talent who could start at left guard.
The defense should be better because of the return of linebacker Sean Lee from injury and the additions of defensive ends Greg Hardy and Randy Gregory and cornerback Byron Jones in the draft and free agency.
The Cowboys got a win when Hardy's NFL suspension for violating the league's personal conduct policy was reduced from 10 games to four.
Cornerback Morris Claiborne, who has been a disappointment since coming to the team with the sixth overall pick in 2012, is also a source of optimism because of a successful return from knee surgery that might allow the Cowboys to play Jones at safety.
"It's all about the production on the field," executive vice president Stephen Jones said in affirming the team's highly productive offseason. "We obviously feel like we got a lot accomplished. We theoretically got done what we felt like we needed to do to make our team better and take the next step. Now we'll see if it happens."
CAMP CALENDAR
July 28: Team reports
July 30: First practice
Aug. 17-18: Joint practices with Rams in Oxnard
Aug. 28: Camp ends
--Team strength: Offensive line.
The Cowboys' offensive line was considered the best in the NFL last year when it placed three players in the Pro Bowl: left tackle Tyron Smith, center Travis Frederick and right guard Zack Martin. They return their entire unit from a year ago while also adding a first-round talent in undrafted rookie free agent La'el Collins, who was considered a top 15 pick before questions about the murder of an ex-girlfriend made him untouchable. Once cleared, Collins signed with the Cowboys and could replace Ron Leary at left guard.
--Breakout player: Defensive tackle Tyrone Crawford.
Crawford had a nice bounce-back season last year after missing the 2013 campaign with a torn Achilles. He replaced Henry Melton in the starting lineup at defensive tackle, recording 33 tackles and three sacks. The Cowboys expect marked improvement in 2015 as Crawford gets more comfortable at defensive tackle. He played defensive end his first two years in the league. He had 37 hurries last year so he has talent to rush up the middle. The key in 2015 is for him to finish those hurries with sacks.
--Work in progress: Running back.
The Cowboys have yet to find a replacement for the departed DeMarco Murray. Joseph Randle and Darren McFadden are the most likely starters at this point. But the team doesn't trust the speedy Randle, who has yet to carry a full load for a full season. McFadden has been injured almost every year and averaged less than four yards per carry the past three seasons with Oakland.
The Cowboys also have no one to get the tough yards in short-yardage situations. They will be looking for options throughout training camp.Comment
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AFC North camp preview: Ravens restart playoff chase
OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- When the Baltimore Ravens trudged out of the locker room at Gillette Stadium in January following a narrow AFC divisional-round playoff loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion New England Patriots, veteran wide receiver Steve Smith vowed they would be back and that the result would be different the next time.
Seven months later, the Ravens launch their training camp hoping that they had the kind of offseason that propels them to take a step forward in the playoffs instead of regressing. Baltimore has reached the playoffs in six of coach John Harbaugh's seven seasons.
That includes a Super Bowl XLVII win over the San Francisco 49ers, and they are 72-40 in the regular season during that span and 10-5 in the postseason.
Following an offseason where the roster absorbed some losses, including wide receiver Torrey Smith and outside linebacker Pernell McPhee leaving as free agents and defensive tackle Haloti Ngata being traded to the Detroit Lions after a contract dispute, the Ravens are nonetheless confident about where they stand.
"Happy with where we're at and looking forward to where we're going," Harbaugh said during the final day of the Ravens' minicamp in June.
As the Ravens launch their camp, they will have several competitions to monitor at strong safety, tight end and wide receiver. There is a strong likelihood they will have a younger, revamped depth chart with as many as five new starters this season. The goals for training camp are to identify the best possible starting lineup, continue to install the playbooks and build timing and chemistry.
"The training camp is built, so we have the reps built and all the practices built," Harbaugh said. "All the situations are built in, every football formation look that we want to work on. You learn a lot in the OTAs in terms of what you're going to be good at, you think, so you start steering in that direction a little bit more. And we'll try to keep evolving from that, because we're going to learn more as we go, and we'll adjust as we go.
"But I'm looking for the young guys to step up. Our young guys probably get more reps than I can imagine anybody else getting, so we put our young guys in positions to compete for jobs. These rookies are going to have a chance to compete for jobs."
CAMP CALENDAR
July 25: Rookies reported
July 29: Veterans report
July 30: First practice
Aug 19-21: Joint practices at the Philadelphia Eagles
Aug. 24: Camp ends
--Team strength: Linebacker.
Between outside linebackers Elvis Dumervil, Terrell Suggs and Courtney Upshaw and Pro Bowl inside linebacker C.J. Mosley and middle linebacker Daryl Smith, the position is a huge asset to the defense.
--Breakout player: Cornerback Jimmy Smith.
Smith is emerging as a shutdown cover guy. He was signed to a $48 million contract and has recovered from a Lisfranc foot sprain.
--Work in progress: Tight end.
The Ravens remain in flux at tight end where second-year pro Crockett Gillmore hasn't established himself yet as a receiver and rookie Maxx Williams is unproven in terms of durability and blocking.
The Ravens hope the two young players develop into proven pros this fall.Comment
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