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~ Click HERE to Go PRO with our Footballguys Insider PRO: only $32.95 for our remaining Training Camp Updates, our $35,000 Subscriber Contest & all our website content through the 2016 Super Bowl ~  Training Camp Update
Volume 10, Issue 4 – 9/2/15 We say it all the time because it's true: Things change fast in the NFL. And they never change faster than they do in August. And nobody covers those changes and team situations more comprehensively than Footballguys.com. Our Training Camp Updates come out once a week in August and our staff covers everything you need to know about every NFL team. This is the deep stuff that gives you an edge. We're not going to rave that Andrew Luck and Le’Veon Bell are great. You know that. Read our weekly updates to get the inside scoop on how the Jets running backs are practicing and which player is the best bet for your draft. Or the Colts WR corps. Or which Minnesota receivers are shining in practice. It's the kind of information that will put you over the edge and on the way to dominating your draft. Happy reading and let's have a great 2015 season, Joe Bryant and David Dodds Owners, Footballguys.com 
Arizona Cardinals QB: Carson Palmer was playing exceptional football in his return from his torn ACL this preseason; until this week’s game versus the Raiders. Palmer was frenetic in the pocket and erratic with his accuracy. He ended the day 8-of-22 (36% completion rate) for 103 yards (4.7 yards per attempt) and two interceptions. He overshot a pass to Larry Fitzgerald in the flat on his first drive, giving the Raiders defense a gift of an interception. On the following drive he sailed a pass down the seam that could have easily been intercepted by a safety working over the top. He ultimately finished the first half with another interception, sailing another pass over the middle of the field. His accuracy throughout the game was problematic, while his offensive line didn't help by providing unclean pockets. Logan Thomas was 3-of-5 for 65 yards in his limited time. Drew Stanton came in after half time and got an opportunity to play against the Raiders first-team defense. Stanton moved the ball well, completing 8-of-9 passes (89% completion rate) for 58 yards and a touchdown. RB: The Cardinals ground game struggled against the Raiders; amassing 73 yards on 24 carries (3.0 per rush) as a team. Andre Ellington (9 rushes for 19 yards) ran hard against the Raiders, but couldn’t gain chunks of yardage. The Raiders front was getting the better of the Cardinals offensive line, so Ellington had to fight through contact too often. Rookie David Johnson fumbled on a 3rd-and-1 early in the night and raised the ire of his coaches. The Cardinals recovered the fumble but that likely won't make Johnson feel any better about his mistake. That was Johnson's only carry with the first-team offense, but he did have two receptions for 25 yards. Marion Grice was the lone bright spot, rushing three times for 17 yards (5.7 per carry) and a touchdown. WR: Carson Palmer's struggles against the Raiders limited his wide receivers. Larry Fitzgerald (two receptions for 31 yards) caught a couple of shorter passes in the first quarter, but John Brown (1 for 39 yards) didn't make an impression until the second quarter. Brown elevated above the defensive back on an underthrown deep ball; pulling it in just before stepping out of bounds. Immediately after that reception Brown drew a pass interference penalty in the end zone, but it was waved off because Palmer's pass was uncatchable. Michael Floyd continues to miss time with his dislocated fingers, so J.J. Nelson saw time as the third receiver. Nelson was targeted once downfield, but the pass was uncatchable. Brittan Golden (5 catches for 36 yards) saw the majority of Drew Stanton's targets. He began with a drop but immediately made an impressive downfield play for a first down between two defenders. Jaron Brown didn't have a catch while Golden was the focal point of the offense, but he eventually drew a big pass interference penalty that set the offense up at the goal line on his first target. Brown should still be the favorite to make the roster as the fifth receiver. TE: The big news for the Cardinals this week was the arrival of Jermaine Gresham. Gresham was signed late in the offseason and had been sidelined through injury until the third week of the preseason. He made his debut at practice this week and got in extra work with Palmer afterwards. The tight end is the clear favorite to start in Bruce Arians' offense despite his limited exposure with the team. However, he is primarily being brought in because of his ability as a blocker. There aren't enough passes to go around to make him a viable fantasy scorer in Arians system. Defense: Tyrann Mathieu was very active early on against the Raiders. He penetrated behind the line of scrimmage to stop a run before preventing Rod Streater from getting a first down in coverage downfield. Mathieu has played consistently well through preseason and appears to be back to his best after being less than 100 percent last season. The Cardinals are looking for more pass-rushing options on the defensive line and Alex Okafor flashed some of his talent against the Raiders. On the outside, Jerraud Powers earned plaudits for covering impressive rookie Amari Cooper. Powers will be an important player for the Cardinals this year after the departure of Antonio Cromartie. Save for Patrick Peterson blowing one coverage, the Cardinals defense was largely led by its usual standouts against the Raiders. Both Calais Campbell and Kevin Minter drew praise, Minter appears to be an ascendant player who will be of huge importance for the Cardinals now that Larry Foote is working the sidelines as a coach and not a player. OL: The Arizona offensive line is struggling mightily. In the latest preseason contest, left tackle Jared Veldheer was beat badly for a sack by Khalil Mack, With Bobby Massie suspended for three games, Bradley Sowell has been doing an uninspiring job at right tackle. First round pick D.J. Humphries was also burned for two sacks against Oakland and is not considered a realistic option to start. To give the team more options, guard Earl Watford is also getting a shot at the troublesome position. Watford ran with the second team against Oakland. Although some of the pass protection issues are on the quarterback, this team misses Mike Iupati badly and the team needs him to get healthy in a hurry. The Cardinals grade out as a lower tier line at this time. Cardinals Depth Chart QB: Carson Palmer, Drew Stanton, Logan Thomas RB: Andre Ellington, David Johnson, Chris Johnson, Kerwynn Williams (KR), Stepfan Taylor, Marion Grice FB: Robert Hughes WR: Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd (inj), John Brown (KR), Jaron Brown, J.J. Nelson (PR), Brittan Golden, Travis Harvey, Jaxon Shipley, Nathan Slaughter TE: Darren Fells, Troy Niklas, Jermaine Gresham, Ifeanyi Momah,Gerald Christian, Ted Bolser LT: Jared Veldheer, Tavon Rooks, Cameron Bradfield LG: Ted Larsen, Mike Iupati (inj), Anthony Steen C: Lyle Sendlein, AQ Shipley RG: Jonathan Cooper, Antoine McClain RT: Bradley Sowell, Bobby Massie (susp), Earl Watford, DJ Humphries K: Chandler Catanzaro NT: Rodney Gunter, Alameda Ta′amu, Corey Peters (IR) DE: Calais Campbell, Frostee Rucker, Matt Shaughnessy (NT), Cory Redding, Ed Stinson ILB: Kevin Minter, Sean Weatherspoon (inj), Kenny Demens, Gabe Martin, Daryl Washington (susp) OLB: Alex Okafor, LaMarr Woodley, Markus Golden, Kareem Martin, Shaq Riddick, Zach Wagenmann (IR) CB: Patrick Peterson (PR), Jerraud Powers, Justin Bethel, Damond Smith, Jimmy Legree S: Tyrann Mathieu (FS) , Deone Bucannon (SS), Tony Jefferson (SS), Rashad Johnson (FS), Chris Clemons (FS), D.J. Campbell(SS) Atlanta Falcons QB: Matt Ryan and his teammates on the offensive line had a rough night against the Dolphins'. Ryan completed just 3-of7 passes for 49 yards; he also took three sacks. Part of Ryan's issue may have been that Julio Jones, after signing a five-year, $71.25 million contract extension earlier in the day, was allowed to take the night off. T.J. Yates was also sacked three times in relief of Ryan, posting 18/28 for 187 yards. In spite of this week’s struggles, Ryan has done well over the entirety of the preseason; he’s completed 13-of-18 (72% completion rate) for 208 yards (11.6 per attempt) and two touchdowns. The Falcons signed veteran Rex Grossman to a one-year, $1 million contract last week, likely squeezing out either Yates or Sean Renfree. Grossman has extensive experience in offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan's system. RB: Rookie Tevin Coleman didn't look against Miami's stout front line, ending the day with four rushes for two yards. He had a6-yard gain on one play, but then took a 5-yard loss on the next. Devonta Freeman didn't appear in the game due to his sore hamstring (neither did Antone Smith, for the same reason), even though Freeman has been practicing for about a week. Jerome Smith "led" the team with 6/20/0 rushing, while Terron Ward had 10/19/0 rushing and 2/13/0 receiving playing with the backups. Head coach Dan Quinn addressed the performance of the first team offense after the game, saying: "From the offensive side, it was a little bit inconsistent in terms of protections and in the run game. We had some first downs to get going to extend some (drives). Penalties threw us back one time. A TFL (tackle for loss) threw us back one time and we got into some negative situations in terms of downs and distance." Quinn made it clear last week he wasn't going to rush his running backs back from their hamstring issues: "They are back into the mix [today] at practice and we'll take it day-by-day from there. At least they are back and getting closer." WR: In Jones' and Roddy White's (elbow surgery) absence, the Falcons' backup receivers stepped in as starters in the third preseason game. Leonard Hankerson led the Falcons with 3 receptions for 50 yards on 6 targets. He appears to have locked up the #3 role, and could be a fantasy asset if Jones or White miss time. Justin Hardy had two catches for 20 yards on five targets, while Devin Hester handled caught both of his targets for 21 yards. Reserve Nick Williams garnered seven targets, catching 4 for 43 yards. TE: Levine Toilolo (8 yards) and Tony Moeaki (9 yards) each had one catch versus the Dolphins, while Jacob Tamme went without a reception. The tight end position looks like a barren desert for fantasy owners entering the regular season. Defense: The first team had trouble handling Dolphins starter Ryan Tannehill. He completed 15-of-19 passes for 145 yards and a touchdown, and didn’t take a sack. Dolphins running back Lamar Miller was equally effective. He gained 22 yards on the ground and caught five receptions for 31 yards. The Dolphins leading receiver, Jarvis Landry, hooked up with Tannehill for five catches and 84 yards. Linebacker Brooks Reed said after the contest: "We had a couple of situations where we had some adversity. I like how we responded and kept competing. That’s what our team is all around." Tackle Ra'Shede Hageman (concussion) was cleared to return to practice this past week, some much needed good news for this maligned unit. PK: Matt Bryant was praised by Coach Quinn after the game on Saturday: "Special teams, I couldn’t have been more pleased with Matt Bryant in terms of the connection that he’s had this training camp and into the preseason games. I think that’s five (made field goals) for him. Matt is really on it." OL: The Falcons’ offensive line had a rough outing on Saturday night against the Dolphins. Quarterback Matt Ryan was sacked three times and pulled from the game in the second quarter. The pressure primarily came up the middle, from Dolphins’ defensive tackles Ndamukong Suh and Earl Mitchell. The team was without center Joe Hawley who is battling knee soreness. New left guard starter James Stone looked absolutely lost. In other news, right tackle Lamar Holmes was placed on the PUP list. Overall, the Falcons look like one of the worst offensive lines in football. Falcons Depth Chart QB: Matt Ryan, T.J. Yates, Rex Grossman, Sean Renfree RB: Devonta Freeman (3RB) (inj), Tevin Coleman (inj), Antone Smith (inj), Terron Ward, Jerome Smith, Evan Royster (IR) FB: Patrick DiMarco, Colin Mooney WR: Julio Jones, Roddy White (inj), Leonard Hankerson, Justin Hardy, Devin Hester (PR), Eric Weems (KR), Bernard Reedy, Carlton Mitchell, Nick Williams TE: Jacob Tamme, Levine Toilolo, Tony Moeaki LT: Jake Matthews LG: James Stone, Jon Asamoah C: Joe Hawley, Mike Person RG: Chris Chester, Jared Smith RT: Ryan Schraeder, Tyler Polumbus, Lamar Holmes (PUP) K: Matt Bryant DT: Paul Soliai, Ra′Shede Hageman, Jonathan Babineaux, Grady Jarrett, Ricky Havili-Heimuli, Cliff Matthews DE: Tyson Jackson, Vic Beasley, Kroy Biermann, Adrian Clayborn, Malliciah Goodman, Stansly Maponga MLB: Paul Worrilow, Allen Bradford, Nathan Stupar OLB: Justin Durant (W), Brooks Reed (S), O′Brien Schofield (S), Joplo Bartu (S), Tyler Starr (S), Jacques Smith (S) CB: Desmond Trufant, Robert Alford, Phillip Adams, Jalen Collins, Dezmen Southward, Jordan Mabin, Kevin White, Travis Howard S: William Moore (SS), Ricardo Allen (FS), Kemal Ishmael (SS),Charles Godfrey (FS), Akeem King, Brandon Bishop (FS), Sean Baker (FS), Damien Parms Baltimore Ravens QB: After a poor outing in Baltimore’s second preseason game, Joe Flacco bounced back nicely with an efficient performance. He found Steve Smith Sr. early and often in the first quarter and looked to be in sync with his veteran receiver. Flacco cooled off a little bit after Smith was ejected from the game as a result of a fight between the two teams. It was an illustration of how even quality veteran quarterbacks can look inconsistent when throwing to receivers with whom they haven’t built rapport. Flacco did make a strong third-down throw to Kamar Aiken on an out route which showcased his elite arm strength. He showed that he can be effective with lesser pass-catchers, but Flacco would be most effective if Baltimore settles on a solid receiver rotation. Regardless of what happens with the receivers, one thing is certain. Baltimore can’t lose Joe Flacco, because Matt Schaub is woefully bad. RB: Justin Forsett is clearly the team’s best weapon out of the backfield. Both backups have been subpar, and Lorenzo Taliaferro once again sat out with a sprained MCL. Javorius “Buck” Allen got the call as Forsett’s primary backup and played with the starters quite a bit as Forsett was spelled throughout the first half. Allen showed versatility on his one reception, as he lined up out wide and caught a pass for five yards. He struggled running the ball, gaining just 22 yards on 10 carries (seven carries and 17 yards came with the first-team offense) and lost a fumble just before reaching the end zone. Taliaferro’s injury may keep him sidelined for a game or two into the regular season, giving Allen another couple of shots at the #2 job. If Allen is going to seize the opportunity, he MUST stop fumbling. John Harbaugh had this to say about Allen’s miscue, "you have to hold on to the football. It’s just not possible to put runners out there that fumble the football. He’s going to have other opportunities and chances going forward, and I really believe he’s going to be a very good player. But, he’s going to have to learn from that.” WR: The biggest story of the week was the injury status of first-round rookie Breshad Perriman. His recovery is taking longer than expected and there’s no timetable for his return. This is a troubling development for a team lacking experience at wide receiver. In this week’s game, Baltimore auditioned multiple receivers for spots in the rotation. Steve Smith dominated before leaving, catching four passes for 95 yards and a 63-yard touchdown. Kamar Aiken drew the start opposite Smith, with Marlon Brown as the third receiver, though Brown did get a couple of snaps in two-receiver sets too. After Smith’s ejection, Baltimore worked in a number of young receivers. Size/speed specimen Darren Waller got a few targets with the first team but wasn’t on the same page with Joe Flacco. On Waller’s first target, he was the first read, but he was jammed by DeAngelo Hall and taken completely out of the play. Someone of Waller’s size should be strong enough to avoid the jam at the line of scrimmage. He’s still learning on the job. Second-year player Jeremy Butler also received snaps with Flacco. He caught his only target from Flacco for an eight-yard gain on 3rd-and-8. TE: Crockett Gillmore once again got the start as rookie Maxx Williams continues to nurse an undisclosed injury. Fellow rookie Nick Boyle got some snaps with Joe Flacco and the first team, but he didn’t register an official target. He was targeted in the end zone but was called for offensive pass interference after a push-off. Gillmore also had a notable play called back. Unlike Boyle, though, Gillmore caught the pass, broke a tackle, and dove into the end zone. However, it was negated by offsetting penalties. Defense: The off-the-field story of the week was the contract extension signed by safety Will Hill. Hill was undrafted in 2012 despite his huge talent due to character concerns. He has also received suspensions in each of his first three NFL seasons (both for substance abuse and PEDs). Despite this, Baltimore gave Hill a one-year extension through 2016, a sign that they believe he may have turned his life around. Last week, Baltimore’s defense was ripped to shreds by an up-tempo Philadelphia attack. The first-team portion of the game was “highlighted” by Terrell Suggs being penalized three times on the same drive. This week was, encouragingly, a different story. Baltimore didn’t register any sacks, but Suggs intercepted a Kirk Cousins screen pass. It was a classic case of diagnosing a play and being a playmaker. While Baltimore did allow 31 unanswered points, most of that came after the starters left the field for the night. OL: Despite not having left tackle Eugene Monroe (arm bruise) and left guard Kelechi Osemele (ankle soreness) in the lineup, the Ravens’ offensive line did a great job against Washington. The makeshift line opened some big holes for tailback Justin Forsett, and they provided ample time for Joe Flacco to find Steve Smith Sr. for a long touchdown. Left side substitutes James Hurst and John Urschel got valuable reps but Monroe and Osemele are expected back for the opener. The Ravens’ line still grades out as the 2nd best in the league. Ravens Depth Chart QB: Joe Flacco, Matt Schaub, Bryn Renner, Jerry Lovelocke |