Camp Notes: AFC East
By Brendon Rosenau
Love of Sports Correspondent
Here are some sound news items from the Training Camps of the AFC East.
This division covers the spectrum this season: one excellent team, one potential playoff team, one team that’ll be lucky to win six games and possibly the worst team in the league.
New England Patriots
The biggest story for the media is the biggest non-story to the team. Questions will abound about how the team will respond to a 18-1 record and eliminate the bitter taste of losing the final game.
Like they have each summer the Patriots will simply put the past behind them and take the old “one game at a time,” approach. It’s not fun for anyone, but do you think they really care? As Tedy Bruschi said, “We have buried the loss just like we buried the Super Bowl wins the following year.” Come up with any off-field situation you want, and it really doesn’t matter to this team.
On the field, the offense will look the same and questions about the offensive line will not be answered until the first game. They were picked apart after the Super Bowl, but they’re still one of the elite units in the game. Nick Kaczur is settling off field problems, but is expected to be a starter.
LaMont Jordan was signed to a one-year contract in hopes he’ll be the latest Bill Belichick resurrection. Jordan struggled last year in Oakland, but will join a backfield with the emerging Laurence Maroney, Sammy Morris and third-down specialist Kevin Faulk. Jordan won’t get 70 catches or 1,000 yards, but he’ll be another option on the Patriots lethal offense.
There will be a good battle for the third receiver spot between Chad Jackson and Jabar Gaffney. Jackson’s struggled with injuries in his first two years, but there’s a reason the Pats traded up to draft him. Gaffney isn’t spectacular, but is solid and you know what you’re getting with him. Wes Welker’s yet to show up at camp and may not participate in the preseason. Randy Moss was held out of camp last year and things seemed to work all right, so there’s no reason to get excited about Welker at this point.
Rookie Jerod Mayo looks like he will fit in immediately at linebacker. Both he and Shawn Crable bring youth to an aging unit. Make no mistake … Mike Vrabel, Tedy Bruschi and Adalius Thomas can still bring it, but the Pats will use a heavier rotation this year. Another rookie who’s impressed is Matthew Slater, who’s been a stud on special teams and shown good hands at receiver.
New York Jets
Man-Genius sure has his work cut out for him this year. On the heels of an atrocious 4-12 season, the Jets come into camp figuring they can only improve. We’ll see about that. Mangini, who’s shown a softer side not only in his midsection but on the field this summer, has routinely said practices were “not acceptable.” Words he’ll likely utter again and again.
The New York media’s been very impressed with Leon Washington who averaged 5.0 yards a carry last year. Thomas Jones somehow racked up 1119 yards last year, but managed one touchdown. The revamped offensive line, which has looked strong in camp, should bolster the running game and the Jets could split carries between the two.
Rookie Vernon Gholston was the team’s top pick. Mangini said he was “swimming,” in camp after getting a late start and learning a new position. Not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing, but it seems the highly regarded rookie is having trouble learning his role at linebacker. In college, he was a down lineman whose job was to get to the quarterback. He’s admitted to a sharp learning curve playing in a two-point stance.
Nose tackle Kris Jenkins is reportedly close to 360 pounds. He certainly clogs a hole – maybe two, but it’s worth watching how he responds to not getting the sack numbers he got with the Panthers.
Chris Baker, who may hold out while the team works on extending his contact, has a back injury that seems to get more serious by the day. The Jets drafted Dustin Keller and signed Bubba Franks. Franks has had several problems catching the ball in camp, but now has old friend Brett Favre throwing him the ball again, so that should end quickly. Keller’s been split out on two tight end sets and can get downfield quickly.
Buffalo Bills
The Bills are a confident bunch in camp. Donte Whitner’s expecting the team to be in the playoffs and they should be the second-best team in the division. They’ve been tabbed by some as a playoff team and could be this seasons version of the Browns.
The big development so far has been Trent Edwards being named the starting quarterback. He was 5-4 as a starter last year for the 7-9 Bills. Along with tabbing Edwards, the Bills have employed a no-huddle shotgun formation. This is the best way to utilize the number of weapons on the field with Marshawn Lynch at running back and Lee Evans, James Hardy and Josh Reed at receiver.
Tackle Jason Peters continues his holdout and the Bills have shifted Langston Walker over to left tackle. Peters was a Pro Bowl player last year, but the Bills aren’t going to get caught with their pants down if he doesn’t suit up.
The rookie, Hardy, figures to be used mostly in red zone situations. With Evans and Reed starting the rookie will use his height to provide the diminutive receiving group with a new weapon.
Rookie Leodis McKelvin missed the first two days of camp, but has made up for lost time and could be in line to start opposite kick return extraordinaire Terrence McGee. A healthy Ko Simpson and Whitner will give the Bills a good secondary.
The Bills had 17 players on IR last year, and if they can stay healthy they should be one of the AFC’s better defensive teams. Marcus Stroud and Kawika Mitchell have been welcome additions to a young group of talented players that are lacking in the experience department.
Miami Dolphins
Oh my, Miami. New head coach Tony Sparano’s looking at a roster that has over 45 new players on it. Of course, he and most of the staff are new as well. While it’s almost impossible not to improve on a 1-15 mark, the Dolphins may give it a shot.
How bad is the team’s QB situation? Quincy Carter, the former Dallas Cowboy, was in for a workout the other day. The three man battle between Josh McCown and John Beck, and even rookie Chad Henne has shockingly not resolved itself.
Speaking of old Cowboys, Terry Glenn’s rumored to hit camp for a workout and compete for a roster spot. The receiving group simply isn’t very good. Ernest Wilford’s been observed having trouble getting open, and Ted Ginn might be a weapon on returns, but right now he isn’t a starting receiver.
One item to keep an eye on is the workload of Ronnie Brown, whose ’07 season was ended prematurely with a torn ACL. At the point of his injury, he was the NFL’s leader in yards from scrimmage. He’s been at camp each day and has looked more and more comfortable.
Jake Long and Phillip Merling are the rookie hotshot,s but the play of Donald Thomas has stolen the spotlight. Thomas has started at right guard thus far, and if he continues to have good practices may demand a spot on the line with Long. Both Long and Merling should start, but the two got themselves into a little skirmish early in camp. They’ve been fun to watch.
Joey Porter, who I have in my “Training Camp Backyard Brawls Fantasy League,” has been a monster so far, hitting people at any chance. Hopefully, he’ll play like this on Sundays as well.
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Comments
Chad on 08/16 at 12:50 AM
You think the Jets would be lucky to win only six games? Interesting take. I mean, I know there’ll be some growing pains early on with Favre learning a new system, but they’re surely better than a six-win team.
Brendon on 08/16 at 08:26 AM
I think the addition of Favre could be counter productive to what this team is building toward in the future. Even this year the Jets were not a team that was a player away from the playoffs. They are several pieces away. Sure Favre could lead them to a win or two on his own but to me they are not a .500 team. The schedule is not great for them either. They are at San Diego, Seattle and Tennessee and I don’t see them winning more than two games in the division. Maybe I’m wrong but I just don’t think the addition to Favre is going to mark a major improvement.
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