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| Bubba Franks had a solid first practice hauling in a handful of passes during 7-on-7 drills with Chris Baker unavailable because he is unhappy with his contract, according to the New York Daily News. |
Our View: Just as the article says, Baker is clearly the better player at this point and it would take a heck of a lot going right for Franks to have any value whatsoever this season.
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| Chad Pennington worked out with the Jets first team on Thursday though he and Kellen Clemens figure to alternate working with the starting unit every other day, according to the New York Daily News. |
Our View: It looks like the starting spot is truly up for grabs here and will be determined by who performs better, which in our minds is that way that all position battles should be determined.
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| Michael Huff has officially been moved from strong safety to free safety, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. The move was necessitated by the teams addition of Gibril Wilson. |
Our View: Huff will lose some value with this move while Gibril Wilson's should remain as strong as previously expected.
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| Ronald Curry, bothered by leg issues for years, is once again injured and in fact he had foot surgery two weeks ago to correct the problem, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. As a result of the surgery, he will miss at least two weeks of action. |
Our View: Curry continues to be a talented receiver when healthy enough to find the field, but all the injures have sapped his once game breaking speed rendering him mostly as a possession receiver at this point.
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| David Garrard , according to the teams Official Website. “We’d like to improve Dave as a deep-ball thrower. Dave is a good seam thrower but, the over-the-top routes, we’re trying to get better in those,” offense coordinator Dirk Koetter said. |
Our View: Garrard's game will continue to be the short and intermediate passes that he excels on as he did complete 64.0% of his passes last year for a 102.2 QB Rating. He may not be a breakout candidate, but another solid season surely seems to be in the cards, especially if they choose to open up the passing game a bit.
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| Matt Ryan has begun talking contract with the Atlanta Falcons, according to NFL.com. Talks are amicable and proceeding in the proper direction so as to avoid a holdout. |
Our View: Both sides hope to resolve this quickly, and there is little reason to think that it will drag on since Ryan knows he needs to be involved with the team at every step if he wants to start at any point this season.
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| Daunte Culpepper is apparently on a few teams radars but he is taking his time in making a decision as to which team he will sign with, according to NFL.com. |
Our View: Culpepper would be wise to sign with any team willing to give him a QB2 job after last seasons uneven performance. He can still chuck it, but whether or not his knee will ever recover to the point to allow him to approximate his former greatness is a huge question mark.
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| JaMarcus Russell is ready to make his mark in 2008, and that starts by being in good physical shape, according to NFL.com. "It was funny to me," Russell said. "But most of my family, like my grandmother, she kind of took it hard. But at the same time I think it's all fun and jokes, just a reason to get myself better and just keep myself in shape." |
Our View: Russell weighs 269 pounds and appears to look a little leaner than he did last season according to the report. Russell will always be on a short leash when it comes to his weight, but some big offensive production would likely lesson the calls for him to hit a treadmill.
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| Rookie Thomas Brown (Georgia) could be used as a kick returner this season, if he doesn't turn the ball over in the preseason, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. |
Our View: Brown is a great athlete with break-away speed and displays solid hands as a receiver out of the backfield. He could also emerge as a third-down back as a rookie as well.
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| Harry Douglas has reportedly made the most noise so far at the Falcons' post-draft minicamp, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. |
Our View: Douglas is only 5-11 170, but he has good speed and consistent hands, as he impressively caught 91% of the passes thrown his way at Louisville. He could make an impact as a rookie, as he will have a chance to beat out Michael Jenkins for the slot role alongside starters Roddy White and Laurent Robinson.
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| The Browns have signed free agent defensive back Jereme Perry to a 1-year contract on Thursday, according to the AP. |
Our View: Perry played 12 games for the Browns in 2006 after winning a roster spot as an undrafted free agent out of Eastern Michigan. He made 12 tackles and recovered one fumble. He will provide depth for a thin Browns' secondary, but not much else.
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| Torry Holt has reportedly been shouting at rookie Donnie Avery (Houston), according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Holt said, "Right now, I don't have any impressions of Donnie Avery. Hopefully, during training camp he'll show me something." Holt is simply trying to push him to succeed and quarterback Marc Bulger is pleased with Avery's speed and what he can bring to the Rams' aerial attack. Bulger said, "We can put him inside against some nickel defensive backs or some linebackers. But at the same time, he's going to have to, do some other things, because if they know every time he comes in that we're going deep, they have answers for that."
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Our View: Avery is only 5-11 190 pounds, but can sprint 40 yards in 4.29 seconds. The team has lacked a deep threat since Kevin Curtis departed for Philadelphia, and Avery could be the guy that fills that role, as their third receiver, possibily as soon as a rookie. He had 17 catches of 20 yards or more at Houston last season.
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| Kevin Kasper has reportedly been the most "eye catching" player during the team's voluntary OTA, according to the Akron Beacon Journal. He displayed solid quickness and made impressive catches over the middle. |
Our View: The 30-year old veteran was previously a member of the Lions, and only has one reception since 2003. He seems a long-shot to make an impact this season, but is off to a solid start with his new club, and will be given a fair shot to compete for a favorable role.
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| Rookie Keith Rivers could start at weak-side linebacker this season, according to the Dayton Daily News, who are already projecting him for the job. |
Our View: Rivers is a great athlete who flies around the field to make plays. He excels at defending the run and will also provide a presence as a blitzer on passing downs. If he holds on to start as a rookie, he would make a solid impact as an IDP.
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| Quarterback Carson Palmer praised running back Chris Perry, according to the Dayton Daily News. Palmer said, "He’s such a threat out of the backfield. I compare him to LaDainian Tomlinson or Larry Johnson running the screen routes."
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Our View: Perry is reportedly healthy again, and he will battle Kenny Watson for the top backup role. Kenny Irons should be in the mix as well. Perry could hold favorable value, namely for PPR leagues, evidenced by Palmer's comments, and the fact that Rudi Johnson has had trouble staying healthy as of late.
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| Odell Thurman is projected to start at middle linebacker for the Bengals this season, according to the Dayton Daily News. |
Our View: Thurman was a rookie standout in 2005 before falling on the wrong side of the law, as he racked up 98 tackles (64 solo) over 16 games, with 1.5 sacks and five interceptions. If he can stay out of trouble and starts in the middle this season, he could potentially make a solid fantasy impact in 2008.
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| Manager Eric Mangini has said that there will be an open competition at quarterback between Kellen Clemens and Chad Pennington, but the team is really pulling for Clemens to win the job, according to the NY Daily News. The team drafted Clemens in the second round of the draft two years ago, and has high expectations for him, and also want to prove their assessment of his talent was right. |
Our View: Clemens has five touchdown passes and 10 interceptions over 251 NFL snaps over his two seasons, but has better scrambling ability and a stronger arm than Chad Pennington. The team will ultimately have to weigh Pennington's experience against the third year pro's upside when deciding on their starter.
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| Ricky Williams is reportedly in top shape right now and Bill Parcells wants him to be a part of the Dolphins this season, but Williams said Parcells told him he will share carries with Ronnie Brown, according to the Palm Beach Post. |
Our View: Williams should consider himself lucky to share carries this season. He was limited to one game last season before getting hurt and has only played in that one game over the past two seasons. Brown was enjoying a (fantasy) MVP-type season before being taken down by an injury, and will be the starter, assuming he can bounce back (from his torn ACL) and stay healthy.
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| Michael Strahan has reportedly made up his mind whether to return this season or retire, but is not ready to release that decision to the media, according to the NY Daily News. He wants to be 100% sure of the choice he has made. Strahan said, "I think a lot of them want me to retire because they’re always on the radio talking about it. They’re getting more radio and TV time than I get all of a sudden. No, you know, I think the guys want me to come back. I think we had a great time together. Osi called me out of the blue two days ago and said ‘Do you remember 2005? We had so much fun. It was slightly more fun than last year. I think we can do it again. He’s trying to drop these subtle hints. I was like, ‘Well, we probably could, but I don’t know Osi.’ But there are times I want to and times that I don’t." He added, "I’ll be honest with you, I pretty much know what I’m going to do right now. But you know what the thing is? If I say it, I can’t change my mind. So I would rather wait until I know I’m 100 percent sure that when I say what I’m going to do, I’m going to do it. Because if I say I’m retired, then I’m not going to come back the next day. If I’ve graduated from football, I won’t come back the same day in the Masters’ program. And if I say I’m going to play again then I know I’m committed to playing. So I know what I want to do. I just want to make sure that its 100 percent what I want to do, because either way it’s a heck of a commitment."
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Our View: Strahan is reportedly leaning toward retirement, but could be talked into returning if the Giants pay him a $3 million raise for the 2008 season. If he hangs up his cleats, the IDP value of Justin Tuck would go up, as he would serve more time as the starter opposite Osi Umenyiora.
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| Samkon Gado reportedly has a tryout scheduled with the Patriots, according to the Palm Beach Post. He was a restricted free agent that the Dolphins decided not to bring back. |
Our View: The 25-year old Gado has produced good numbers when given a chance to play, and he memorably racked up three 100+ yard performances in 2005 while a member of the Packers, with 171 yards (on 29 carries) coming in Week 14 of that season. He would provide solid depth to the Patriots' RB stable, and could push Sammy Morris for playing time as the top backup.
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| Brandon Jones has big-play ability, but just needs to concentrate, according to the Tennessean. Mike Heimerdinger said, "Brandon makes a big play every day, but he has to block in the run and he has to be consistent catching the ball. He can’t make a mental mistake every day. He has to keep concentrating. He has a good feel for things, but he can’t space out and has to catch the ball and not make mental mistakes."
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Our View: Jones could be the Titans most talented receiver, but injuries and lack of focus have hindered his potential. He will be entering his fourth pro season, and could earn a solid role with the team through training camp.
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| Mike Williams looks better after losing 20 pounds in the off-season, but still needs to get in shape, according to the Tennessean. Mike Heimerdinger said, "He has great ability. It’s a new scheme to him, a new thing, so he has to stay on top of what we are doing. And he has to keep working to stay in shape so he can run more than two routes in a row."
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Our View: He failed to make an impact in Detroit and Oakland and Tennessee could be his last stop if he doesn't get his career on track this season. He lacks speed, and his hands weren't as good as they were at USC so far in the NFL.
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| As promised when signed to a rather large new contract in Jacksonville as a free agent, Drayton Florence found himself starting at right cornerback as Brian Williams has been moved to safety, according to the Florida Times-Union. |
Our View: The move speaks volumes, for Williams is making $4 million this season and Florence was signed to a six-year, $36 million contract. You can't have either on the bench for that kind of money, and it appears this is the fix to that worry. We'll see how it plays out moving towards training camp.
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| New Orleans tight end Eric Johnson has experienced a minor setback in his off-season preparations due to having his right ankle scoped, according to the Biloxi Sun Herald. |
Our View: Many have wondered just how much that concern has been driving efforts to trade for the Giants' Jeremy Shockey. Johnson wasn't as helpful on offense last season as coach Sean Payton had hoped. It is clear he wants his QB throwing to the short range, so news like this may carry more weight than you may realize.
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