2011 NFL Training Camp/Preseason Thread
 

Figured we could use a new thread to look ahead and put the lockout fully behind us.

Lions rookie RB Mikel Leshoure tore his achilles today and is out for the season.

Fellow rookie 1st rounder Prince Amukamara broke his foot over the weekend and is out for 8-10 weeks.

Miami completely pissed away their off-season for a ticket in the Andrew Luck sweepstakes.

Did something change with Prince, I saw he would miss 2 months.

If anybody's hanging out at home this afternoon, the entire Hard Knocks: Kansas City Chiefs series is being shown on NFL network starting at 2:00 PM EDT.

This hurts...

Maybe Doak Walker's pal Ricky Williams could be a replacement?

Ricky already signed with the Ravens.

Dammit.

Watching the Hard Knocks marathon has reminded me how far the Chiefs and their talent level has come since Pioli took over as GM. Holy moly.

No, he's still listed as 8-10 weeks.

Sorry about that, edited the post.

Technically, Leshoure was picked in the 2nd, so that would also negate your referring to Amukamara as a "fellow 1st rounder." Edit #2? :popcorn:

Insert the comma between "rookie" and "1st" if it helps you.

Good stuff about Randy Moss:



SI Link

Just catching up from a weekend at the softball field, and I don't really care much about Hall of Fame stuff to begin with, but I have to ask... who the hell did the sculptor think he was sculpting?! It looks like Troy Aikman! Holy crap is that bad.

Lions signed Jerome Harrison and Mike Bell, who were traded for each other last year.

It does look like Troy Aikman.

Really, that's supposed to be Deion?

Apparently.

It looks like him to me. With the Bronze, I think the shadows effect the way it looks from certain angles. I saw a side view of it some where and it looks like him.

The smile is not his at all, and the eyes are nothing like his. He's got Aikman's eyes, that's the major problem. His smile is ALWAYS wider than that, and his bottom lip comes down more, kinda like the Joker in a way.

Look at the eyes:

Power of suggestion -- I hadn't seen it before, and didn't know who it was supposed to be, and now I can't shake thinking that it's Troy Aikman.

Looks like vampire Deion.

All of these stories about the leadership of Tom Brady. The redemption of Albert Haynesworth. The wacky hijinks of Chad Ochocinco....

This is why I love football so much.

And the Deion sculpture looks like drunken stoned Dan Marino to me.

Too lazy to search for the Free Agency thread but the Eagles signed Steve Smith of the Gmen. Awesome signing for Philly. Smith is gonna' start the year on PUP but he's a great 3rd option there.

I'm going to the Eagles-Ravens game tomorrow night. Pretty sure the crowd's going to be insane.

Russell Okung was just carted off the field.

Did they change intentional grounding again? I thought you were allowed to throw the ball away if you were outside the 'tackle box'. Yet they flagged Jackson for it in the Seahawks-Chargers game.

Pats looking good in preseason.

Haha.

Mallet looked good actually...for a rook. Hoyer's great. Ridley looks like an actual find at RB, and Taylor Price is a stud WR.

If it's the play I remember seeing, the bell didn't make it to the line of scrimmage.

Doesn't sound like a ringing endorsement of Jackson.

That pass was tipped. I think it would have made it to the line of scrimmage if it wasn't.

Hi, jb!

That was the obvious intent of my post ;)

Lee Evans to the Ravens. He's possibly done, but it just shows how cheap the Bills are. Gotta save that 5 million bucks.

Obama was given a share of Packers stock today at their White House visit. First thing he said after that, "Now that I am owner, I think we will need to work out a trade to get Rodgers down to the Bears."

Hilarious.

He'll actually have a quarterback and a good team that wants to win. The Bills have to worst franchise in pro sports. Ralph Wilson needs to go soon.

Ringing endorsement of Cutler...

The Saints, the experts at finding small school gems the past few years, might have found another one. Joseph Morgan from small Walsh University in Ohio went undrafted, and there was absolutely no pub on him before this game. But out of nowhere he started as punt returner today, and he looks electric. Already has a punt return for a TD and has shown great speed and instincts for it. If he has halfway decent hands to be an emergency WR, he has a decent chance to make the team as Reggie's PR replacement.

Thought that was what they brought Darren Sproles for?

Sproles is the offensive replacement for Bush. Not a shoe in to be a starting returner.

Andy Dalton had a rough night, including get tackled by his head by Suh. Welcome to the NFL kid.

And of course, Henne went 1-5 for 10 yards vs. the Falcons first string defense.

:rolleyes:

Bengals are worse than I could have imagined. They have 0 depth to their team and there starter aren't all that great in most places. I stand by a statement I made earlier that there are only two chances on their schedule to win a game.

The Bucs looked good in Kansas City last night.

Josh Freeman looked pretty good, continues to play smart (doesn't rush his throws but moves in the pocket to make time), but ended up running on a couple of occassions when it looked like he had guys wide open. Since he's 6'5", it's really about getting that game-time awareness back.

2nd string QB Josh Johnson continues to improve. He's not Michael Vick, but I think when he's in his prime, he'll play a game similiar to Vick's game back in Atlanta. Good arm, great mobility, probably the wrong system though as Tampa basically works Freeman as a classic dropback QB.

The Bucs WR's are a great corp of receivers, but they lack that ball-possession guy. Insert Kellen Winslow (he didn't play last night) and suddenly we'll have that again.

The Defense looks FAST. They were all over every play. Breaking down the Chief's line at will, big hits from their secondary, swarmed to the ball-carriers....the 3rd and 4th string teams were dropping late-hits/stupid-hits at the end of the game which showcased their enthusiasm...but not their ability to play the game of football.

Barring a couple of illegal shifts and one empty backfield that left Josh Johnson (with ball outstretched to hand-off) doing a 180 into a swarm of angry Chief lineman and LB's----the Bucs looked sharp and ready to play. Very positive sign for the 1st pre-season action.

Next up, The New England Patriots...I think they will be more prepared than the Chiefs, but that's just a hunch. :) I'm taking my wife to that game...excluding the predicted 35,000 Pats fans, I can't wait.

Rex Grossman.


MVP.

I stand by the Niners are going to be the worst team in the NFL. Their OL played nearly the entire first half and gave up five sacks. Yes the Saints blitzed a lot but that is just insane. That offense is flat out awful.

Don't 'rolleyes' at me... I'm a huge Dolphins fan. And by all accounts last night was painful. :lol:

And Alex Smith still sucks...when will this franchise learn that!!!!! :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead:

Or better yet, when is Alex Smith going to start living up to his wildly amazing potential and start producing? And no, I'm not suggesting he's great simply because my 15-team FF league starts 2 QB's and I landed this schlub....or....ok, I guess maybe I am. :(

I don't know why I am watching the damn Bills game...trading Lee Evans....grr..

I do like the look of their white jerseys

I'm watching the Panthers, only b/c I am sick and just laying around anyway. Clausen with a pick 6 and he's been booed twice in the first 5 minutes. GO PANTHERS.

watching the Panthers is only going to make you feel sicker Radii as we both know sadly. :( I hope you feel better soon though-don't push yourself to do the FBCB file tomorrow if you are not feeling better :)

I'd have to say I am impressed by Cam Newton so far.. He moves really well in the pocket and has been accurate and made decent decisions. He hasn't completed a high percentage, but the blocking hasn't been great. His only bad throw so far has been that miss to Edwards that just happened. When he talks, he sounds kind of retarded, but on the field he seems to be legit so far.

Completely agree. I'm pleasantly surprised so far. When the pocket has collapsed he's handled it pretty well, he's thrown into some very very tight spaces a couple times but that's really my biggest complaint, not bad at all.

So am I the only one not outraged by the fine given to Suh? I think he's an awesome player but really, trying to twist a QB's head from his body is going to be a big fine in today's NFL and it could have been really dangerous.

Now the Cutler fine last year was completely ridiculous and unjustified. But this one, not so much IMO.

Agreed. I look at that play against Dalton and I can't understand why he's upset. The play had been over for five seconds.

Two things coming out from a GQ article with Michael Vick-

He was the victim when the whole dogfighting ring was exposed.
Vick on dogfighting in GQ: ‘People act like it’s some crazy thing they never heard of…’ - Shutdown Corner - NFL*Blog - Yahoo! Sports

...and he wanted to play somewhere like Cincinnati or Buffalo, where he could have possibly started immediately, rather than Philadelphia. Alleged that Roger Goodell pushed him towards Philadelphia.
Vick stands by decision to come to Eagles - NFL - Yahoo! Sports

Not surprising at all. I never thought Vick was reformed or he felt bad about what he did, he was only sorry he got caught. He was smart enough, probably with help from the NFL, to hire the right people to make him marketable again.

Dynamic talent on the field, but a guy I will never root for to succeed.

I've been fighting about the second issue on another board...I'm pointing to bad journalism. The interviewer put his own words about Goodell and others influencing his decision in front of a quote by Vick saying "they put me in the right situation." I highly doubt that in a whole interview with Vick, he never directly said something like "Goodell thought it was a better idea for me to go to Philly" if that was truly the case.

Pryor in the supplemental draft, BUT he's suspended for games 1-5 this year. That will show him.

Probably worth a 4th rounder for a team like Buffalo, although he probably won't touch the field this year.

He won't do it, but it would help his development to go to Canada and play for a year.

I'm not so sure about that. The CFL is already 1/3 of the way through the season up here. By the time he got up to speed on the rule differences and style of play/playbook it'd likely be too late in the season for him to get on the field unless he was on a team where the starting QB got hurt or a team was already eliminated from the playoff picture.

Yep. Dirtbag of a human being.

I know it is preseason, but Pats are looking wicked awesome.

Catching up on the game on my DVR...TB-OCHO...TD!

Total Yds (4:35 left in 1st)

Pats: 110
Bucs: 9

Dream team defense not looking so dreamy so far

vick looking good in preseason

Don't want him....I would rather keep it where we are at. To me, he isn't worth a 7th...

Yeah, it's probably too late for that. I just think he needs to play rather than sit on a bench. If he could have gotten to an NFL team early enough to have a training camp that would have helped. He's just nowhere near ready to start in the NFL IMO.

Worst play of the preseason so far was the Polamalu interception.
I am sure Tomlin and Reid loved seeing Polamalu try returning an INT in a preseason game, only to have his knees taken out....by Vick, diving head first for the tackle.

All of this Philadelphia 'Dream Team' bull shit is getting on my nerves.

You have the jackass Vince Young referencing them as the Dream Team and now no one can leave it alone.

The Eagles players, coaches, etc have said several times they don't look at it that way.

Get off it already. Fuck.

More like a "Cream" Team. That's kinda what all Eagles fans did with each signing...

Going to the Browns/Lions game tonight. Hoping that MDonkey Kong hurts someone.

:D

Colts/Redskins for me tonight. I am looking forward to the showdown between All Pro QBs John Beck and Curtis Painter. Should be a shootout!

Somebody should show him a pick of the Heat losing the NBA finals.

So Jonathan Baldwin may be out 6-8 weeks after fracturing his wrist in a locker room brawl with Thomas Jones. Awesome of Baldwin to dispel all the pre draft concerns surrounding him.

I know I am taking too much from this because the preseason doesn't really matter and the Panthers will likely be a bad team, but I dreading watching the Dolphins slightly less than I was an hour and a half ago.

Reggie Bush had some nice moments, even going up the middle and breaking some tackles. Chad Henne has not made me cringe.

Watching the Redskins game, wanted to see how John Beck did...14/17 for 140 yds and they scored on all 4 series he was....TD,FG,FG,FG

Not a Redskins fan, just interested in this QB drama in DC.

I was supposed to be at that game (with probably 40K ex-Pats) but was holed up in Baltimore with bad weather until 3AM this morning...glad I missed it.

Beck was kinda of meh. He didn't throw any passes down the field. He got good YAC because the Colts couldn't tackle for shit. Helu looked really good tonight.

Well that's irritating. I've been waiting weeks for the Dolphins training camp postcard on SI's website. It finally goes up... and it's about LAST YEAR'S team.

So annoying. :mad:

Love Chad. Still amazed how many people don't like the guy.

I am a big fan of Chad and he will figure out a way to pay it if he is fined...be it, he tosses the guy the cash under the table.

Give it time...give it time. When he starts dropping easy passes you'll start thinking about it. When he becomes a distraction through the season you'll start thinking about it. He will be the biggest test of the New England system.

Is Todd Haley ready to put on a skirt now?

Bigger than Haynesworth, or even Moss since you didn't say this year?

It's such a pain going out to the stadium. Sat in traffic for probably 50 minutes to go 4 miles in Cleveland. Then the concessions are so expensive. Experience of sitting home sprawled out on my couch is so much better than sitting 2 inches away from a stranger. I'd basically want an first row aisle seat or it's just not worth leaving the house.

Yeah, but you got to see another thrilling chapter of The Great Lakes Claasic live!

I think expectations are clearly in check, and everyone would be happy with one so-so honeymoon period season, and it's no big deal if we didn't even get that. I mean, it's not like he's going to be distracting the team by demanding trades all the time, isn't that really his biggest sin of the past? (and if he started that kind of whining, he'd be unloaded immediately ala Moss last year)

(bad joke alert)

Ok HOMES.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Cardinals are set to sign Larry Fitzgerald to an eight-year, $120 million contract extension that includes close to $50 million guaranteed.

And there was much rejoicing! well by me at least. I had heard they were getting closer and Fitz has a Sept 1 deadline. I thought given who the owners are there, they might screw this up somehow and they would be forced to trade him during the season or just let him hit free agency, but thankfully saner heads prevailed. Now if my beloved Cards had a real #2 WR for Kolb to throw to as well instead of Chansi Stuckey and a bunch of young guys who haven't proven yet they can do the job...

8yrs 120mil for a WR??

Yikes.

Averaging fifteen million dollars a year annually, I agree. The guys good, I'm just not sure he's that good.

So can we discuss how Brady Quinn is showing something of a pulse and most likely will supplant Tebow as the #2 in Denver?

Does he have a future in Denver at the QB position? If Orton has a good year, it'll be tough to let him walk as a free agent. Has anyone inside the Broncos' organization discussed moving Tebow to another position?

And of course now that the Cards have traded Hightower to Washington, rookie RB Ryan Williams ruptures a tendon and is out for the season, leaving the oft-injured Beanie Wells as the starter. Just great.

Another observation from the game last night. After a team scores, you easily have 7 or so minutes to use the restroom, refill on nachos or whatever. The kickoff play is totally dead. They may as well kill it off.

Oof.