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These are excerpts only. To read the entire article click the link below.
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http://mmqb.si.com/2015/07/20/nfl-training-camp-primer-peter-king-schedule/
Matt Slocum/AP
Let’s Go Camping
Before training camps begin, we take a spin around the league and identify the person under the most pressure for every team and pick the 10 best storylines. Plus, a complete look at The MMQB camp tour, a HOF conversation and more
By Peter King
Time for the 2015 Training Camp Primer. Everything you need to know about the NFL’s 32 training camps, with some fun on the side. Clip and save.
First things first, though. It was a notable Saturday evening for the Favre family. Not only did the famous Favre, Brett, have his number retired and get enshrined in the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame in an emotional ceremony witnessed by most of Wisconsin. But a few hours to the southeast, in Canton, Ohio, quarterbacking nephew Dylan Favre had a perfect night in the International Federation of American Football championship game—12 of 12 for 124 yards and a touchdown—in the United States’ 59-12 rout of Japan. Congratulations to Brett Favre on an emotional night and his honors, and congrats to Dylan Favre for his play, and to coach Dan Hawkins’ team for bringing home the gold in the IFAF championship game.
Now for your 2015 camp preview.
Ten best camp stories(Notice how PK starts off with his man-crush Tom Brady)
1. The fate of Tom Brady. Will he get his four-game suspension reduced? Even if he does, he’ll probably still go to court to overturn what his side believes is a patently unfair ban. Then it’s let the best lawyers win. It’s Jeff Pash (NFL) versus the man the NFL office loves to hate, Jeffrey Kessler (Brady). Either way, second-year man Jimmy Garoppolo is probably going to have to play some for the Patriots (Week 1: versus Big Ben; Week 2: at Rex Ryan), and this camp, for Bill Belichick, will be about getting Garoppolo ready. Hey, here’s a sports quiz for you: Garoppolo is the sixth former Eastern Illinois Panther quarterback to either coach or play in the NFL. Can you name the other five? (Answer at the bottom of page 2.)
2. The reincarnation of Sam Bradford. Chip Kelly better know what he’s doing. (Somehow, I don’t think that’s the first time that’s been said this off-season.) In the 31 months since New Year’s Day 2013, Bradford, the first pick in the 2010 draft, has played seven football games. He’s lost four. His 2013 and 2014 seasons were both ended by a torn ACL. Kelly acquired Bradford from the Rams in March, then tried like crazy to trade for Marcus Mariota six weeks later. And so this is a mildly important training camp for Bradford. And for Kelly.
3. The Tomsula Era begins. A skeptical Bay Area preps for LAH—Life After Harbaugh—and waits to see how neophyte head coach Jim Tomsula handles the crafting of a struggling quarterback; how to invent a pass-rusher and new linebackers corps; and, in general, how to lead an NFL team with great expectations.
4. Winston and Mariota careen toward a Week 1 showdown. Unless one or both stinks in training camp, Jameis Winston of the Bucs and Marcus Mariota of the Titans will make their professional debuts against each other at the Pirate Ship on Sept. 13. All we’ve heard from off-season work so far is how marvelous each has played, and without question how both are headed for Hall of Fame careers. We shall see. Biggest dates for them this summer: Aug. 28 for Mariota (Week 3 preseason game at Kansas City), Aug. 29 for Winston (Week 3 preseason game versus Cleveland). Logic says each should play into the third quarter of those games, and we’ll get an indication how ready they are for prime time in Week 1.
5. The broken record that is Andy Dalton. Regular-season record in 64 NFL starts: 40-23-1 (four straight winning seasons). Post-season record in four starts: 0-4 (average margin of defeat: 15.0 points). Booed at a celebrity softball game during baseball All-Star Game festivities last week, Dalton begins again, in year five, to try to show Cincinnati, and the football world, that he’s made for prime time. Haven’t seen it yet. This is an important summer for him, but the more important time will be the cold winter that’s coming if he fails again.
6. The Saints, changing on the fly.With ungodly talent on offense, New Orleans has gone 26-24 in the past three seasons. So the Saints jettisoned soft tight end Jimmy Graham to Seattle, rebuilt their linebacking corps, re-hired Dennis Allen to help an ailing secondary (and defensive coordinator Rob Ryan) and added C.J. Spiller in hopes of giving Drew Brees a Sproles-type weapon. Brees is 36. This is his 10th year in New Orleans. The Saints drafted a potential heir in the round last spring (Garrett Grayson). Brees’ cap hit is $27.4 million in 2016. In other words, this is sort of a big year for Brees, and he’s got this summer at camp in West Virginia to bond very tightly with some new faces.
7. Mystery Theater in Seattle. Will there be a Super Bowl hangover? Will Russell Wilson sign a new deal this summer? Will Jimmy Graham block? Who from among the vast pool of unknown receivers (Paul Richardson, Tyler Lockett, Chris Matthews, Kevin Norwood, David Gilreath) will make the team, and will any contribute like Matthews did in the Super Bowl? Will Darrell Bevell overcome the last offensive call of the Super Bowl? Will ace pass-rusher Michael Bennett stage a wildcat strike if he doesn’t get paid? Will Cary Williams be good enough to replace Byron Maxwell opposite Richard Sherman? Will Frank Clark, the team’s top pick, be able to overcome the stigma of being kicked off Michigan’s team last year after a domestic-violence incident? It’s going to be an interesting summer for the back-to-back NFC champions.
8. The adaptation of a Dolphin named Suh. Ndamukong Suh will impact two franchises this summer. The Lions, who now have a huge hole with the losses of Suh and Nick Fairley in the interior of the defense, had better hope Haloti Ngata can be his classic run-stuffing and penetrating self. And the Dolphins, of course, need to see production and leadership befitting the highest paid defensive player in NFL history.
9. How teams use the new PAT rule. I doubt it’s going to be a big change, moving the line of scrimmage for the point after touchdown from the two-yard line to the 15, which the NFL voted to do in May in hopes of making the PAT a slightly more competitive play—and to encourage teams to go for two more often than the 59 times they did in 2014.
10. Jay Cutler trying to prove to yet another regime he’s worth the trouble. Now coach John Fox and GM Ryan Pace climb aboard the Cutler roller coaster. The fifth coach and fifth GM to lord over Cutler in this, his 10th year in the NFL. Nine seasons, one playoff win.
Feeling the heat
Thirty-two teams, 32 folks in the spotlight during training camp and beyond(Notice how PK starts off with his man-crushes' team the Patriots)
New England: Logan Ryan, cornerback. All the third-year man from Rutgers has to do is replace Darrelle Revis. He’s not alone in corners under pressure in New England. Brandon Browner’s gone too, and a cast of thousands has lined up (Malcolm Butler, perhaps?) to take his job.
Seattle: Tyler Lockett, wide receiver. GM John Schneider traded four picks between 95 and 181 to deal for Lockett at number 69. With how good the Seahawks have been making late picks, that’s a lot of draft capital. Lockett’s Kansas State numbers (last two years: 187 catches, 22 TDs, 14.9-yard average per catch) have Seattle conjuring thoughts of the next Golden Taint.
Green Bay: Damarious Randall, defensive back. Don’t know if he’ll play cornerback (where he’ll start camp) or safety, but I’m betting corner, after the losses of Davin House and Tramon Williams in free agency. Green Bay needs a playmaker in the secondary. That’s what Randall was drafted to be.
Indianapolis: Phillip Dorsett, wide receiver. With the Colts allowing 4.5 yards per rush in 2013, and 4.3 yards per rush last year, and with the Patriots rolling over the Colts for 177 rushing yards in the AFC title game, you’d have thought they’d have gone defensive tackle early in the draft. But no. The speedy Dorsett, who has Mike Mayock in his corner, will have to show, particularly after the departure of Reggie Wayne, that he can step in and be a factor early.
Denver: Ty Sambrailo, left tackle. The rookie second-rounder will compete with Ryan Harris and Michael Schofield, but John Elway didn’t use a second-round pick on a tackle to see a street free-agent come in to beat him out now that Ryan Clady’s out for the year and cannot protect Peyton Manning’s blind side.
Baltimore: Maxx Williams, tight end. Joe Flacco desperately needs a tight end. The Ravens popped champagne when he was available to them in the second round, and they’re trying to hide their enthusiasm for him. August is a huge month for him, what with Baltimore opening with three of four on the road—at Denver, at Oakland, Cincinnati, at Pittsburgh. Tough sledding. Flacco needs weaponry.
Dallas: Greg Hardy, defensive end. This summer, he needs to show the kind of pass-rush force he’s going to be, whether he plays 75 percent of the game for Dallas or some higher number. Dallas doesn’t have another rusher in his league.
Carolina: Devin Funchess, wide receiver. Up to him to show in Spartanburg this summer that GM Dave Gettlemen didn’t draft him a round early. Oh, and Cam Newton needs him desperately.
Cincinnati: Geno Atkins, defensive tackle. He wasn’t pure Atkins last year, and the Cincinnati defense needs to see that penetrating force back to pre-ACL surgery form this summer.
Pittsburgh: Senquez Golson, cornerback. The Steelers, with nominal starters William Gay and Cortez Allen, need at the very least nickel help, and soon. Golson, the SEC interceptions leader with 10 last year, is going to see action early and often.
Detroit: Haloti Ngata, defensive tackle. No Suh. No Fairley. It’s Ngata, and a cast of several. I hope Haloti knows what’s he’s gotten himself into.
Arizona: James Bettcher, defensive coordinator. He might be the least-known coordinator in recent NFL history. Bettcher, 36, coached the outside linebackers last year, and coach Bruce Arians, in naming Bettcher, made it clear he didn’t want a big adjustment period post-Todd Bowles. “No new language,” said Arians. “Same defense, same philosophy.” Sean Weatherspoon and LaMarr Woodley will play big roles in determining whether Bettcher succeeds.
Atlanta: Brooks Reed, outside linebacker. The new head coach, Dan Quinn, comes from Seattle with the rep of getting a pass-rush from a variety of people. Reed had a great start and middling finish to his career in Houston, and he’s an essential piece to what Quinn needs for his defense.
Buffalo: Tyrod Taylor, quarterback. I don’t know. You don’t know. It could be Matt Cassel. It probably won’t be E.J. Manuel. But I know Rex Ryan. He’s going to play the best guy, and I do think he’s going to be tempted by the run/pass combo platter of the former Ravens’ backup.
Chicago: Jay Cutler, quarterback. Sorry. With Chicago, I could throw in some fancy analysis and talk about rookie wideout Kevin White or the impact of John Fox or precocious pass-rusher Pernell McPhee. But this team, this summer, needs to feel Cutler’s on his game and is the long-term guy.
Cleveland: Danny Shelton, nose tackle. Amazing, considering the strong defensive pedigree of head coach Mike Pettine: Cleveland had the worst run defense in the league (141.6 rush yards per game surrendered) last year, and Shelton is going to have to show from the first practice that the porousness stops now.
Houston: Ryan Mallett, quarterback. The Texans will give Brian Hoyer and Mallett good chances to win the starting job. But Mallett has the higher upside, and I expect coach Bill O’Brien to give Mallett a very long look over the next six weeks.
Jacksonville: Blake Bortles, quarterback. Trying not to be cliché here. But the Jags’ defense is going to be good enough to be competitive. The only way this will be a .500 or better team is if Bortles and an all-green wide-receiver group make huge progress in training camp.
Kansas City: Jeremy Maclin, wide receiver. Not just because the Chiefs paid him an incredible sum ($11 million a year), but because Alex Smith simply has to throw the ball more, and more efficiently, downfield for the Chiefs to seriously challenge Denver for AFC West supremacy.
Miami: Ndamukong Suh, defensive tackle. Miami’s paying $2.3 million a year more than J.J. Watt. Not much to live up to there.
Minnesota: Eric Kendricks, middle linebacker. Amazing to think a second-round pick could be the most important element of Mike Zimmer’s defense. But everything around the middle seems bolstered (cornerback is a strength, and there will be enough pass-rush), and the instinctive Kendricks needs to show in training camp that he can be trusted to be at least a two-down player in the Minnesota defense.
New Orleans: Anthony Spencer, outside linebacker. He showed flashes of greatness in Dallas. Rob Ryan needs a rusher other than Cam Jordan to scare offensive coordinators. Your move, Mr. Spencer.
New York Giants: Odell Beckham, wide receiver. He missed much of the offseason last year plus four games in the season to a hamstring injury. Then he ripped the league apart for three months. More hammy issues this offseason. Beckham will be all-world—but only if he can stay on the field. Can he this summer?
New York Jets: Todd Bowles, head coach. The circus has left town. The boring Bowles is here. The Jets are ready to dial down the attention on the head coach—and to see what different ways Bowles can get to the quarterback. He made do with much less in Arizona last year, and that’s a big reason why he got the Jet job. Look for more secondary pass-rush than the Jets had under Ryan, for better or for worse.
Oakland: Amari Cooper, wide receiver. He’s gotten rave reviews in May and June. Now he’ll be tested under the challenging August practices of a coach who treats training camp very seriously, Jack Del Rio. Look for the smooth Cooper to be the weapon outside that Derek Carr has desperately needed.
Philadelphia: Sam Bradford, quarterback. Next!
St. Louis: Todd Gurley, running back. I know, I know. He’s not ready. He’s not going to be the factor in 2015 that he will eventually be in 2016, when he’s totally healed from his November 2015 ACL surgery. But here’s the thing: Jeff fisher is determined to be a running team to supplement new quarterback Nick Foles. I know Tre Mason had a nice 2014, but the only way this team wins double digits is if Gurley, the number one player on the Rams’ draft board, shows flashes in training camp that he will be a major factor for much of this year.
San Diego: Melvin Gordon, running back. The Chargers were disappointed in Ryan Mathews never being able to be a workhorse back. Now comes Gordon. “He looks like a bigger Jamaal Charles,” said the prescient Ourlads Guide after the Chargers’ offseason work. He’ll need to continue that this summer, so coach Mike McCoy doesn’t think he has to lean too much on Philip Rivers this year.
And now, for the last four teams, I hate going all cliché, but let’s be honest …
San Francisco 49ers: Colin Kaepernick, quarterback. Could have said Jim Tomsula, obviously, but that’s a bit of a cliché. The Niners aren’t positive they’ve got their quarterback of 2018 on the roster right now, and the time for Kaepernick to prove to a new coaching staff is this summer.
Tampa Bay: Jameis Winston, quarterback. I like the fact that Dirk Koetter, Winston’s offensive coordinator and quarterback-whisperer, is apparently going to be tough on his little mistakes. Winston can’t be as careless with the picks as he was last year at Florida State.
Tennessee: Marcus Mariota, quarterback. He’ll be adapting to the stylings of head coach Ken Whisenhunt, who has never been a mobile-quarterback guy. Now he is. I look for Whisenhunt to be significantly flexible with Mariota. Their jobs depend on each other.
Washington: Robert Griffin III, quarterback. Can RGIII have a second gangbusters act in DC? That’s what this summer will begin to prove. I like the idea of Sean McVay, the aggressive and thoughtful and young offensive coordinator, being a second voice besides Jay Gruden’s to help Griffin try to prove wrong his many doubters, inside and outside the Beltway.
On Aug. 18, the Rams and Cowboys will be conducting a joint practice at the Dallas training camp in Oxnard. I’ll concentrate on the Rams on the 18th, Dallas on the 19th.
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http://mmqb.si.com/2015/07/20/nfl-training-camp-primer-peter-king-schedule/
Matt Slocum/AP
Let’s Go Camping
Before training camps begin, we take a spin around the league and identify the person under the most pressure for every team and pick the 10 best storylines. Plus, a complete look at The MMQB camp tour, a HOF conversation and more
By Peter King
Time for the 2015 Training Camp Primer. Everything you need to know about the NFL’s 32 training camps, with some fun on the side. Clip and save.
First things first, though. It was a notable Saturday evening for the Favre family. Not only did the famous Favre, Brett, have his number retired and get enshrined in the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame in an emotional ceremony witnessed by most of Wisconsin. But a few hours to the southeast, in Canton, Ohio, quarterbacking nephew Dylan Favre had a perfect night in the International Federation of American Football championship game—12 of 12 for 124 yards and a touchdown—in the United States’ 59-12 rout of Japan. Congratulations to Brett Favre on an emotional night and his honors, and congrats to Dylan Favre for his play, and to coach Dan Hawkins’ team for bringing home the gold in the IFAF championship game.
Now for your 2015 camp preview.
Ten best camp stories(Notice how PK starts off with his man-crush Tom Brady)
1. The fate of Tom Brady. Will he get his four-game suspension reduced? Even if he does, he’ll probably still go to court to overturn what his side believes is a patently unfair ban. Then it’s let the best lawyers win. It’s Jeff Pash (NFL) versus the man the NFL office loves to hate, Jeffrey Kessler (Brady). Either way, second-year man Jimmy Garoppolo is probably going to have to play some for the Patriots (Week 1: versus Big Ben; Week 2: at Rex Ryan), and this camp, for Bill Belichick, will be about getting Garoppolo ready. Hey, here’s a sports quiz for you: Garoppolo is the sixth former Eastern Illinois Panther quarterback to either coach or play in the NFL. Can you name the other five? (Answer at the bottom of page 2.)
2. The reincarnation of Sam Bradford. Chip Kelly better know what he’s doing. (Somehow, I don’t think that’s the first time that’s been said this off-season.) In the 31 months since New Year’s Day 2013, Bradford, the first pick in the 2010 draft, has played seven football games. He’s lost four. His 2013 and 2014 seasons were both ended by a torn ACL. Kelly acquired Bradford from the Rams in March, then tried like crazy to trade for Marcus Mariota six weeks later. And so this is a mildly important training camp for Bradford. And for Kelly.
3. The Tomsula Era begins. A skeptical Bay Area preps for LAH—Life After Harbaugh—and waits to see how neophyte head coach Jim Tomsula handles the crafting of a struggling quarterback; how to invent a pass-rusher and new linebackers corps; and, in general, how to lead an NFL team with great expectations.
4. Winston and Mariota careen toward a Week 1 showdown. Unless one or both stinks in training camp, Jameis Winston of the Bucs and Marcus Mariota of the Titans will make their professional debuts against each other at the Pirate Ship on Sept. 13. All we’ve heard from off-season work so far is how marvelous each has played, and without question how both are headed for Hall of Fame careers. We shall see. Biggest dates for them this summer: Aug. 28 for Mariota (Week 3 preseason game at Kansas City), Aug. 29 for Winston (Week 3 preseason game versus Cleveland). Logic says each should play into the third quarter of those games, and we’ll get an indication how ready they are for prime time in Week 1.
5. The broken record that is Andy Dalton. Regular-season record in 64 NFL starts: 40-23-1 (four straight winning seasons). Post-season record in four starts: 0-4 (average margin of defeat: 15.0 points). Booed at a celebrity softball game during baseball All-Star Game festivities last week, Dalton begins again, in year five, to try to show Cincinnati, and the football world, that he’s made for prime time. Haven’t seen it yet. This is an important summer for him, but the more important time will be the cold winter that’s coming if he fails again.
6. The Saints, changing on the fly.With ungodly talent on offense, New Orleans has gone 26-24 in the past three seasons. So the Saints jettisoned soft tight end Jimmy Graham to Seattle, rebuilt their linebacking corps, re-hired Dennis Allen to help an ailing secondary (and defensive coordinator Rob Ryan) and added C.J. Spiller in hopes of giving Drew Brees a Sproles-type weapon. Brees is 36. This is his 10th year in New Orleans. The Saints drafted a potential heir in the round last spring (Garrett Grayson). Brees’ cap hit is $27.4 million in 2016. In other words, this is sort of a big year for Brees, and he’s got this summer at camp in West Virginia to bond very tightly with some new faces.
7. Mystery Theater in Seattle. Will there be a Super Bowl hangover? Will Russell Wilson sign a new deal this summer? Will Jimmy Graham block? Who from among the vast pool of unknown receivers (Paul Richardson, Tyler Lockett, Chris Matthews, Kevin Norwood, David Gilreath) will make the team, and will any contribute like Matthews did in the Super Bowl? Will Darrell Bevell overcome the last offensive call of the Super Bowl? Will ace pass-rusher Michael Bennett stage a wildcat strike if he doesn’t get paid? Will Cary Williams be good enough to replace Byron Maxwell opposite Richard Sherman? Will Frank Clark, the team’s top pick, be able to overcome the stigma of being kicked off Michigan’s team last year after a domestic-violence incident? It’s going to be an interesting summer for the back-to-back NFC champions.
8. The adaptation of a Dolphin named Suh. Ndamukong Suh will impact two franchises this summer. The Lions, who now have a huge hole with the losses of Suh and Nick Fairley in the interior of the defense, had better hope Haloti Ngata can be his classic run-stuffing and penetrating self. And the Dolphins, of course, need to see production and leadership befitting the highest paid defensive player in NFL history.
9. How teams use the new PAT rule. I doubt it’s going to be a big change, moving the line of scrimmage for the point after touchdown from the two-yard line to the 15, which the NFL voted to do in May in hopes of making the PAT a slightly more competitive play—and to encourage teams to go for two more often than the 59 times they did in 2014.
10. Jay Cutler trying to prove to yet another regime he’s worth the trouble. Now coach John Fox and GM Ryan Pace climb aboard the Cutler roller coaster. The fifth coach and fifth GM to lord over Cutler in this, his 10th year in the NFL. Nine seasons, one playoff win.
Feeling the heat
Thirty-two teams, 32 folks in the spotlight during training camp and beyond(Notice how PK starts off with his man-crushes' team the Patriots)
New England: Logan Ryan, cornerback. All the third-year man from Rutgers has to do is replace Darrelle Revis. He’s not alone in corners under pressure in New England. Brandon Browner’s gone too, and a cast of thousands has lined up (Malcolm Butler, perhaps?) to take his job.
Seattle: Tyler Lockett, wide receiver. GM John Schneider traded four picks between 95 and 181 to deal for Lockett at number 69. With how good the Seahawks have been making late picks, that’s a lot of draft capital. Lockett’s Kansas State numbers (last two years: 187 catches, 22 TDs, 14.9-yard average per catch) have Seattle conjuring thoughts of the next Golden Taint.
Green Bay: Damarious Randall, defensive back. Don’t know if he’ll play cornerback (where he’ll start camp) or safety, but I’m betting corner, after the losses of Davin House and Tramon Williams in free agency. Green Bay needs a playmaker in the secondary. That’s what Randall was drafted to be.
Indianapolis: Phillip Dorsett, wide receiver. With the Colts allowing 4.5 yards per rush in 2013, and 4.3 yards per rush last year, and with the Patriots rolling over the Colts for 177 rushing yards in the AFC title game, you’d have thought they’d have gone defensive tackle early in the draft. But no. The speedy Dorsett, who has Mike Mayock in his corner, will have to show, particularly after the departure of Reggie Wayne, that he can step in and be a factor early.
Denver: Ty Sambrailo, left tackle. The rookie second-rounder will compete with Ryan Harris and Michael Schofield, but John Elway didn’t use a second-round pick on a tackle to see a street free-agent come in to beat him out now that Ryan Clady’s out for the year and cannot protect Peyton Manning’s blind side.
Baltimore: Maxx Williams, tight end. Joe Flacco desperately needs a tight end. The Ravens popped champagne when he was available to them in the second round, and they’re trying to hide their enthusiasm for him. August is a huge month for him, what with Baltimore opening with three of four on the road—at Denver, at Oakland, Cincinnati, at Pittsburgh. Tough sledding. Flacco needs weaponry.
Dallas: Greg Hardy, defensive end. This summer, he needs to show the kind of pass-rush force he’s going to be, whether he plays 75 percent of the game for Dallas or some higher number. Dallas doesn’t have another rusher in his league.
Carolina: Devin Funchess, wide receiver. Up to him to show in Spartanburg this summer that GM Dave Gettlemen didn’t draft him a round early. Oh, and Cam Newton needs him desperately.
Cincinnati: Geno Atkins, defensive tackle. He wasn’t pure Atkins last year, and the Cincinnati defense needs to see that penetrating force back to pre-ACL surgery form this summer.
Pittsburgh: Senquez Golson, cornerback. The Steelers, with nominal starters William Gay and Cortez Allen, need at the very least nickel help, and soon. Golson, the SEC interceptions leader with 10 last year, is going to see action early and often.
Detroit: Haloti Ngata, defensive tackle. No Suh. No Fairley. It’s Ngata, and a cast of several. I hope Haloti knows what’s he’s gotten himself into.
Arizona: James Bettcher, defensive coordinator. He might be the least-known coordinator in recent NFL history. Bettcher, 36, coached the outside linebackers last year, and coach Bruce Arians, in naming Bettcher, made it clear he didn’t want a big adjustment period post-Todd Bowles. “No new language,” said Arians. “Same defense, same philosophy.” Sean Weatherspoon and LaMarr Woodley will play big roles in determining whether Bettcher succeeds.
Atlanta: Brooks Reed, outside linebacker. The new head coach, Dan Quinn, comes from Seattle with the rep of getting a pass-rush from a variety of people. Reed had a great start and middling finish to his career in Houston, and he’s an essential piece to what Quinn needs for his defense.
Buffalo: Tyrod Taylor, quarterback. I don’t know. You don’t know. It could be Matt Cassel. It probably won’t be E.J. Manuel. But I know Rex Ryan. He’s going to play the best guy, and I do think he’s going to be tempted by the run/pass combo platter of the former Ravens’ backup.
Chicago: Jay Cutler, quarterback. Sorry. With Chicago, I could throw in some fancy analysis and talk about rookie wideout Kevin White or the impact of John Fox or precocious pass-rusher Pernell McPhee. But this team, this summer, needs to feel Cutler’s on his game and is the long-term guy.
Cleveland: Danny Shelton, nose tackle. Amazing, considering the strong defensive pedigree of head coach Mike Pettine: Cleveland had the worst run defense in the league (141.6 rush yards per game surrendered) last year, and Shelton is going to have to show from the first practice that the porousness stops now.
Houston: Ryan Mallett, quarterback. The Texans will give Brian Hoyer and Mallett good chances to win the starting job. But Mallett has the higher upside, and I expect coach Bill O’Brien to give Mallett a very long look over the next six weeks.
Jacksonville: Blake Bortles, quarterback. Trying not to be cliché here. But the Jags’ defense is going to be good enough to be competitive. The only way this will be a .500 or better team is if Bortles and an all-green wide-receiver group make huge progress in training camp.
Kansas City: Jeremy Maclin, wide receiver. Not just because the Chiefs paid him an incredible sum ($11 million a year), but because Alex Smith simply has to throw the ball more, and more efficiently, downfield for the Chiefs to seriously challenge Denver for AFC West supremacy.
Miami: Ndamukong Suh, defensive tackle. Miami’s paying $2.3 million a year more than J.J. Watt. Not much to live up to there.
Minnesota: Eric Kendricks, middle linebacker. Amazing to think a second-round pick could be the most important element of Mike Zimmer’s defense. But everything around the middle seems bolstered (cornerback is a strength, and there will be enough pass-rush), and the instinctive Kendricks needs to show in training camp that he can be trusted to be at least a two-down player in the Minnesota defense.
New Orleans: Anthony Spencer, outside linebacker. He showed flashes of greatness in Dallas. Rob Ryan needs a rusher other than Cam Jordan to scare offensive coordinators. Your move, Mr. Spencer.
New York Giants: Odell Beckham, wide receiver. He missed much of the offseason last year plus four games in the season to a hamstring injury. Then he ripped the league apart for three months. More hammy issues this offseason. Beckham will be all-world—but only if he can stay on the field. Can he this summer?
New York Jets: Todd Bowles, head coach. The circus has left town. The boring Bowles is here. The Jets are ready to dial down the attention on the head coach—and to see what different ways Bowles can get to the quarterback. He made do with much less in Arizona last year, and that’s a big reason why he got the Jet job. Look for more secondary pass-rush than the Jets had under Ryan, for better or for worse.
Oakland: Amari Cooper, wide receiver. He’s gotten rave reviews in May and June. Now he’ll be tested under the challenging August practices of a coach who treats training camp very seriously, Jack Del Rio. Look for the smooth Cooper to be the weapon outside that Derek Carr has desperately needed.
Philadelphia: Sam Bradford, quarterback. Next!
St. Louis: Todd Gurley, running back. I know, I know. He’s not ready. He’s not going to be the factor in 2015 that he will eventually be in 2016, when he’s totally healed from his November 2015 ACL surgery. But here’s the thing: Jeff fisher is determined to be a running team to supplement new quarterback Nick Foles. I know Tre Mason had a nice 2014, but the only way this team wins double digits is if Gurley, the number one player on the Rams’ draft board, shows flashes in training camp that he will be a major factor for much of this year.
San Diego: Melvin Gordon, running back. The Chargers were disappointed in Ryan Mathews never being able to be a workhorse back. Now comes Gordon. “He looks like a bigger Jamaal Charles,” said the prescient Ourlads Guide after the Chargers’ offseason work. He’ll need to continue that this summer, so coach Mike McCoy doesn’t think he has to lean too much on Philip Rivers this year.
And now, for the last four teams, I hate going all cliché, but let’s be honest …
San Francisco 49ers: Colin Kaepernick, quarterback. Could have said Jim Tomsula, obviously, but that’s a bit of a cliché. The Niners aren’t positive they’ve got their quarterback of 2018 on the roster right now, and the time for Kaepernick to prove to a new coaching staff is this summer.
Tampa Bay: Jameis Winston, quarterback. I like the fact that Dirk Koetter, Winston’s offensive coordinator and quarterback-whisperer, is apparently going to be tough on his little mistakes. Winston can’t be as careless with the picks as he was last year at Florida State.
Tennessee: Marcus Mariota, quarterback. He’ll be adapting to the stylings of head coach Ken Whisenhunt, who has never been a mobile-quarterback guy. Now he is. I look for Whisenhunt to be significantly flexible with Mariota. Their jobs depend on each other.
Washington: Robert Griffin III, quarterback. Can RGIII have a second gangbusters act in DC? That’s what this summer will begin to prove. I like the idea of Sean McVay, the aggressive and thoughtful and young offensive coordinator, being a second voice besides Jay Gruden’s to help Griffin try to prove wrong his many doubters, inside and outside the Beltway.
On Aug. 18, the Rams and Cowboys will be conducting a joint practice at the Dallas training camp in Oxnard. I’ll concentrate on the Rams on the 18th, Dallas on the 19th.
