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| Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic is reporting that Matt Leinart is the starter in name, but his hold on the job is tenuous. The report notes that in the Cardinals voluntary practice last Thursday Kurt Warner took most of the snaps with the first-team offense while Leinart guided the second unit.
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Our View: Somers obviously has nothing to write about. According to Rototimes sources head coach Ken Whisenhunt said that Leinart remains the starter and that if OTA's determined depth chart status then rookies and first year players would dominate the veterans that rarely attend, voluntary or not. Warner has durability issues, his arm strength is not what it once was, and he isn't the future in Arizona... he's the backup.
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| Ruben Brown, who missed the final eight games of the 2007 season after undergoing shoulder surgery, is contemplating retirement, this according to Rototimes sources. |
Our View: Brown started the first seven games of the season so even at 36 years old, this news is a bit surprising.
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| Starting free safety Mark Roman, who underwent minor shoulder surgery in mid-May, is expected to miss the first week of organized team activities, this according to Rototimes sources. |
Our View: The 49ers have 12 organized team activities scheduled. The final practice on June 20 before reporting for training camp in late July. Roman is expected to take part in the final stages of the June activities.
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| Adrian Awasom, a non-tendered free agent, was on injured reserve when he found trouble during February's Super Bowl. Awasom fractured a traverse process in his neck in Week 2. |
Our View: The defensive end was sent home before the Super Bowl game and was not tendered an offer this offseason.
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| Long-snapper Ryan Kuehl missed the entire 2007 season wiht a torn calf muscle. According to Rototimes sources the 11-year veteran is expected to make a decision about his 2008 status before training camp begins. |
Our View: Staff sources expect Kuehl to retire, but nothing official has been announced.
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| How good will the Giants defense be after their Super Bowl winning season, and losing DT William Joseph, LB Kawika Mitchell and FS Gibril Wilson? They Giants will be as good as their pass rush carries them. The unit has three Pro Bowl players on the defensive line. Osi Umenyiora is the new Michael Strahan and Justin Tuck would start for any other team in the league. |
Our View: Even as a reserve in the defensive line rotation, Tuck is an IDP option, especially for those who roster Strahan or Umenyiora.
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| Redskins' Randy Thomas is considered the starting right guard as the team heads into summer camp, but whether he's healthy enough to work twice a day in July is still in question. Thomas suffered a biceps injury in September of last year that caused him to miss the final 14 games of the season. |
Our View: Thomas is considered more of a run blocking guard then that of a pass protector, and after being injured two of the past three seasons his job security is in question.
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| After four years of operating in Joe Gibbs' run-first power running attack, the Redskins are shifting to Jim Zorn's horizontal West Coast scheme. The question is whether the Redskins have the personnel to be successful in this attack? Quarterback Jason Campbell will have to learn a new offense and how does Clinton Portis and the running game fit in? |
Our View: Sherman Smith has the title of offensive coordinator, but Zorn will be calling the plays. Portis should no longer be considered a starting option in traditional formats. Zorn will use backup Ladell Betts' skill as a receiver out of the backfield.
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| Head coach Jon Gruden is pleased with Cadillac Williams' work ethic and progress. "He's doing great," Gruden informs the St. Petersburg Times. "I look out my (office) window every morning; I see him, right at the crack of dawn. I swear to that. Every morning I open up my window, and I look out there. As soon as the crack of dawn comes around, he's out there with a couple of trainers. He's way ahead of schedule, but we don't know how close he is to being ready to go." Williams tore the patella tendon in his right knee on September 30, 2007. |
Our View: These reports are nice, but there's still a lot of hurdles for Cadillac to cross before he returns to the playing field. Even then, we don't know if he'll approach his former level of play. Our guess at this point is that he'll open the season on the PUP and miss at least half the year.
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| Running back Reggie Bush could return punts on a more regular basis in 2008, the Baton Rouge Advocate reports. He fielded only three punts in 2007 after returning the ball 28 times as a rookie. |
Our View: If your league awards points for return touchdowns, Bush might be able to add one or two to his total. The Saints could scrap this idea if Deuce McAllister isn't able to recover from his knee injury, though.
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| Teammates and coaches are expecting a lot out of defensive end Gaines Adams in 2008. "Gaines is going to beat a lot of people this year," fellow lineman Kevin Carter informs the Tampa Tribune. "He's going to make some big plays; he's going to unleash his skill on everybody." Adams had six sacks as a rookie in 2007, and he should bump that number up in year two. "Gaines has got some quickness, and now he knows the system," defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin explains. "When you learn the system, then you can play fast. You can't play fast if you're thinking." |
Our View: Adams improved as his rookie year went on, which jives with Kiffin's comments about knowing the system. The young end will have decent IDP value, but he has the talent to bust beyond his preseason ranking and be a quality fantasy players.
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| Linebacker Lance Briggs and cornerback Charles Tillman were both excused from minicamp practice on Sunday to deal with personal issues, the Chicago Tribune reports. |
Our View: The Bears offseason has mostly been filled with chaos and bad news, but it sounds like there's really nothing to read into their absences.
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| Marshal Yanda has shifted to right guard after playing right tackle in his rookie year, the Baltimore Sun notes. Mike Kracilik is getting a look at right tackle. |
Our View: Adam Terry, David Hale, and Oniel Cousins could all factor in at right tackle this summer. Basically, Cam Cameron is trying to figure out what he's working with, but he's trying to lock in a base with Yanda at guard.
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| Selvin Young sits atop the Broncos depth chart at running back, and he has added necessary weight this offseason. "Some guys can't handle more than 10 carries a game, but Selvin can," head coach Mike Shanahan informs the Denver Post. "He's going to have to get himself in excellent shape, but I'd like to see him handle it and get it done. When you're averaging over 5 yards a carry, we'd be crazy to take him out." Young is up to 212 pounds and able to lift a lot more in the weight room. Shanahan did add these cautious words, "We've got first-, second- and third-teamers, but just because you're first team doesn't mean you're going to stay first team." |
Our View: Fantasy owners all know how Shanahan operates, and it's way too early to think Young is clear of Travis Henry, Andre Hall, and Ryan Torain. We may, however, think about moving Selvin up our cheatsheets and dropping Henry a bit.
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| Jason Taylor said in his press conference on Sunday that he hasn't demanded a trade, and he may be open to staying with the Dolphins. "I told the Dolphins from Day One that if it was best for the organization I would be open to a trade," Taylor informs the Palm Beach Post. "I’m playing ball in '08. If (a trade) doesn’t work out then I’m a Miami Dolphin. I love this place." |
Our View: Taylor had more to say beyond the quotes we provided. It sounds like he's not terribly pleased with Bill Parcells and Tony Sparano, although Taylor tried to take the high road. Anyway, a trade seems like the best option for all involved.
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| The Bears may not name a starting quarterback until late in the preseason. Rex Grossman and Kyle Orton are fighting for the job. "Ideally, you would like to have someone in place going into that last week of the preseason, but we’ll just let it play out," head coach Lovie Smith tells the team's official web site. "If it’s not clear by then, we’ll go right up until [the start of the season]." |
Our View: The fantasy football world shrugs. On paper, the Bears have arguably the worst-looking pass offense heading into training camp. Grossman feels like the favorite, but the winner of this battle will end up in the 25-30 range amongst fantasy quarterbacks.
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| Mike Vanderjagt has signed a deal with the Toronto Argonauts, ESPN.com reports. The kicker formerly worked for the Argonauts in 1996 and 1997, and the club won the Grey Cup in both seasons. |
Our View: NFL teams haven't shown much interest in this 38-year-old kicker since his rough 2006 season in Dallas. We thought Vandy might show up in a training camp this summer, but we guess that's not the case.
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| Jason Taylor has scheduled a news conference for 11:30 a.m. EST on Sunday, the Miami Herald reports. The six-time Pro Bowl defensive end is expected to inform the media that he wishes to be traded to a contender. |
Our View: Rumors of Taylor deals have been swirling for months, so we're not sure why he needs a press conference. Oh...that's right, he wants more face time.
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