Jamaal Charles ready to "punish everybody in his way"

Posted by Evan Silva on June 13, 2012, 7:05 PM EDT

Getty Images

Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles has sounded like the most motivated player in football this offseason. Like he has something to prove. “I’m hungry,” Charles said in May. “I want it this year.”

Charles hasn’t lost his edge as the spring winds down and turns into summer. Recovering from a torn left ACL, Charles guaranteed to the Kansas City Star Wednesday that he’ll be medically cleared for training camp.

“When they let that cape off me, I’m ready to go,” said Charles, who’s roughly nine months removed from the ligament tear. “I’m ready to put my cleats back on and punish everybody in my way.” Charles went so far as to suggest that he’s already game-ready.

Along with teammates Tony Moeaki and Eric Berry, Charles will seek medical clearance from team doctors next Monday. The trio of ACL victims has been absent from all pre-training camp activities.

Charles is the best player of the three, and the Chiefs’ 2012 outlook very much hinges on his return to effectiveness. When healthy, Charles is arguably the NFL’s most dynamic rusher south of the Twin Cities.

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Mikel LeShoure getting healthy, but will serve 2 game suspension

Today the Detroit Lions found out that one of their 2nd round picks from last year, running back Mikel LeShoure, will serve a two game suspension for violation of the league's substance abuse policy.  Well publicized are the arrests that occurred during the offseason which lead to the 2 game ban.  LeShoure will also be stripped of an additional two game checks, so his mistakes will cost him roughly 1/4 of his 2012 salary.

This may seem like bad news to LeShoure and the Lions, but I think this is actually a good development.  LeShoure is working hard to rehab the achilles injury he suffered last year in training camp.  I asked him how he was feeling on twitter today, and he said it was "feeling wonderful".  So this, hopefully, just prevents him from rushing back too quickly by giving him a few extra weeks.  Hopefully the league's discipline that was handed down also helps him put all of this behind him.  He seems like a genuine and down to earth guy, so I think he will let this serve as a learning experience.

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Rams expect a lot from Brian Quick, now

Posted by Josh Alper on June 13, 2012, 3:04 PM EDT

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If Rams running back Steven Jackson has his way, the team’s second-round pick from Appalachian State will live up to his last name when it comes to making the transition to the NFL.

That’s because wide receiver Brian Quick is going to have a lot on his plate this season. Quick just signed his contract on Tuesday, but Jackson wasted no time making sure that the rookie understood there would be no time for passing out cigars at the good news. Jackson wants him working and working hard before reporting to training camp.

“I’m sure (receivers coach Ray) Sherman will get him right,” Jackson said to Bryan Burwell of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “But over the next six weeks, he’s going to have to work real hard to be prepared for a long season, because we’re going to lean on him, lean heavily on him. He’s a high draft pick and we’re going to need someone on the outside to make plays and I’m challenging him right now because we’re going to need him to prepare himself over the next six weeks to be a standout on this team.”

Jackson and the Rams have seen Quick’s physical gifts in his short time with the team, but they’ve also seen him struggle to get the playbook down. Jackson also acknowledged worry about the leap from Appalachian State to the NFL for the player drafted with the first pick of the second round in April.Even with those struggles, it is clear that Quick offers the most upside of any Rams receiver this season.

Quick said that he understood what was expected of him this. His ability to meet the challenge will go a long way toward determining the quality of the Rams’ passing attack this season.

This is a huge need for the Rams, that he has the physical tools to fill.  If he can step into this role and become the outside threat that St. Louis has been missing for years, then my predictions will certainly come true.  - Tiger

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Gates wants to drop weight and play longer

Posted by Josh Alper on June 13, 2012, 10:13 AM EDT

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Even NFL players aren’t immune to the ravages time takes on the human body.

Any of us who have reached our fourth decade on the planet are aware that the body doesn’t react quite the same way it did when we were 19 or 20. You don’t bounce back from nights at the bar as well, you can’t eat anything under the sun without finding unsightly bulges around your body and parts of your body hurt even though you don’t remember doing anything to injure them. Managing these realities becomes an outsized part of life.

It's almost decision time for Mike Wallace

Posted by Mike Florio on June 13, 2012, 9:03 AM EDT

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The guy who shares a name with the late star of 60 Minutes has roughly 48 hours to make a fairly important decision.

Steelers receiver Mike Wallace, a restricted free agent with a $2.7 million one-year tender offer, has two days to sign the deal or risk seeing his compensation plunge by more than $2 million.

The CBA gives the Steelers the right, on June 15 and June 15 only, to withdraw the tender and replace it with a 10-percent raise over Wallace’s 2011 pay.  The end result would be a new tender of $577,500.

Ravens second-rounder Kelechi Osemele out with quad injury

Posted by Josh Alper on June 13, 2012, 11:34 AM EDT

AP

Bobbie Williams‘ chances at the starting left guard spot in Baltimore are looking better.

Second-round pick Kelechi Osemele will be out until training camp because of a quadriceps injury. Aaron Wilson of the Carroll County Times reports that he’s expected to be fine once camp rolls around, but his absence means he’s missing a chance to impress Ravens coaches now. That could seriously hinder his chances of winning a competition with Williams and Jah Reid.

Williams ran with the first team during Tuesday’s practice and his experience would seem to give him an edge in the ultimate battle for the spot. The Ravens have never minded playing with older linemen, including Willie Anderson who also made a late-career jump from Cincinnati to the Ravens. The aspirations that the Ravens have for this season also point in the direction of going with age over two players with no experience as a starting guard in the NFL.

With veteran Tony Wragge also on board as an interior line option, Reid might wind up back at tackle once the season rolls around.

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TTR's Players to Watch: QB Edition

by Tiger Hebert


As the 2012 season approaches optimism is in the air no matter what team you are pulling for, heck even the Dolphins said they should win the AFC this year!  So as we look forward to this season, I am going to share a short list of players that will be better in 2012.

We will start off with the Quarterbacks!

1. Sam Bradford, St Louis Rams - After the season that Cam Newton had last year, we can quickly forget just how special Sam Bradford was as a rookie in 2010.  Last year was a different story for Bradford and the Rams though.  Spagnuola was already on the hot seat going into the season last year, so they brought in Josh McDaniels to help spark the offense and it just didn't work.  Between the injuries to the team and the transition to the new system, the offense was out of sync all year.  To compound matters, Bradford got pounded and seemed to lose his confidence.  This year Bradford is healthy and the Rams have new direction under Jeff Fisher.  We can expect the Rams will get back to a more conventional offense, which should help their running game.  Ultimately forcing the defenses to respect the whole field.  I am still not certain that the Rams have given Sam a legitimate number one receiver yet, but with Salas, Pettis, Quick, Givens and Alexander you have a solid group of young and healthy receivers that can contribute.  If Amendola and Smith can show that their injuries are behind them, they too could be big time difference makers in that group.  Add to the mix rookie running back Isaiah Pead out of Cincinnati and you could be looking at a wide assortment of weapons.  They still need one of those receivers to emerge as a go to guy and the offensive line needs to play better, but until that happens they will struggle.  I still feel Bradford shows progress this year.  Expect around 3,500 yards and 22 touchdowns.


2. Jay Cutler, Chicago Bears - Cutler is such a polarizing figure because his personality doesn't seem to fit the mold.  People will also look at the Bears struggles and use it as an opportunity to bash Cutler, but it isn't warranted.  Cutler has spent three miserable years in the place where receivers go to die.  Yet all he has done is throw for 225 yards and 1.5 touchdowns per game.  Not bad for a guy that has almost zero help outside of Matt Forte.  This year the Bears have added Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery to their receiving core and I believe it will pay immediate dividends.  Even if Marshall has a slow start or a down year, he will still be a massive upgrade.  Last year in Miami he had his worst season since his rookie year, and he still pulled in 81 grabs for 1,214 yards, 6 TDs and 53 first downs.  That is more than double what Chicago's best receiver posted in 2010.  Additionally this should allow new offensive coordinator Mike Tice to use Devin Hester in a more natural role in the offense, moving him around the formations and putting him in the slot where he can become a match-up nightmare.  Cutler will play well, and put up numbers that will remind people how  stupid it was for Denver to trade him.  Look for around 4,000 yards and 25+ touchdowns this season.


3. Michael Vick, Philadelphia Eagles - Vick threw for more yards, was sacked less, and ran for more yards per carry last year than he did during his special 2010 season, but it wasn't enough.  You can't place all the blame on Vick because that team under-performed in so many areas last year, especially on offense.  Jason Peters injury is terrible, but if they can find someone that can handle playing LT then this offense becomes elite.  Fortunately the LT is not the premium that it is for most teams, since Vick is a lefty.  This offense returns stud running back LeSean McCoy who should only build upon what he did last year, and they should have a healthy pair of receivers this year (minus the off-the-field drama).  I still don't expect Vick to play a full 16 game season, but if he plays 12 or 13 games again he should put up 300 total yards and almost 2 touchdowns per game.  If that holds true Vick could easily have 3,600+ all purpose yards and 24 touchdowns.  


4. Matt Schaub, Houston Texans - Schaub only gets on this list because of injury, but I also feel that he is still very underrated.  When the Texans traded with the Falcons to get him in 2007, I thought it was a hasty and bad move for an unproven backup.  I was wrong.  When healthy Matt has done very well in Gary Kubiak's system.  Andre Johnson and Kevin Walter both appear healthy right now, and if Mike Sims-Walker does indeed make the team, he could add a dangerous element to their passing attack if he can return to form.  The only thing other than injury that can holdback Schaub is their right tackle.  As long as they find a suitable replacement to fill the void at RT left by Eric Winston, then I trust Schaub to have 3,800+ yards with 25+ touchdowns and a 90+ passer rating.


5. Josh Freeman, Tampa Bay Bucs - It is funny how quickly things change in the NFL.  Josh Freeman entered the league in 2009 as a talented but raw prospect.  In many corners people felt Tampa Bay moving up two spots to select Freeman at 17 was a bit of a reach.  But Raheem Morris who knew Josh from his time at Kansas State loved the kid.  His first year was rough as are most rookie seasons.  The Bucs, however, surprised many in 2010 and Freeman put up impressive numbers as a sophomore.  Last year though, was largely a disappointment.  Enter Greg Schiano.  He has come in and aggressively moved to acquire talent, landing two of the top free agents in Carl Nicks and Vincent Jackson as well as Dallas Clark.  Then they moved up to draft Doug Martin to bring more versatility to their backfield.  Suddenly this Bucs offense has a lot of weapons.  Now I expect this to still be a run first team, but Freeman should be able to put up another 3,500 yard season.  Additionally he should easily have a better TD to Int ratio, especially if Mike Williams learns out to catch the ball again.  Something like 24 TDs to 13 picks doesn't seem unrealistic.  I think the Bucs only win 7 or 8 games, but Freeman's play is improved.


6. Matt Cassel, Kansas City Chiefs - Chiefs fans have been clamoring for a new quarterback, and I don't think that will change this year either.  What I do expect though, is for Matt to rebound from a forgettable 2011 season.  Cassel is healthy and the good news is that Moeaki and Charles should be fully recovered as well.  Add to that, the fact that Breaston and Baldwin are entering their second year with the team.  They are also experiencing their first full off season as Chiefs.  Additionally they have added Peyton Hillis and Kevin Boss to help resurrect the 31st ranked scoring offense in the league.  I expect Cassel to produce in the range of 3,400 yards and 25 touchdowns and a passer rating in the high 80s low 90s.  He won't be leading the league in MVP votes, but the Chiefs could certainly do worse.

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Luck doing things rookies just don't do

Albert Breer - NFL.com

INDIANAPOLIS -- Tuesday was Day 1 for Andrew Luck in working with his veteran Indianapolis Coltsteammates, but if you didn't know that beforehand, you'd probably have missed it.

Yes, he threw one up for grabs down the middle of the field during 11-on-11 drills. He had a couple balls batted down at the line, too.

Still, it wasn't hard for anyone to see what they were looking at here: a rookie in official designation only. Luck came as advertised. When I asked his Stanford-turned-Colts teammate Coby Fleener how he, who was allowed to attend organized team activities because he had already graduated from The Farm, would describe Luck to teammates, he said simply, "The best I've ever played with. The best I've ever seen in person."

The older guys now have that perspective -- having seen Luck in person themselves. The best they've seen? For those who've shared a field with guys named Brady and Rodgers, or the guy Luck happens to be replacing, the answer would be no.

Wednesday morning one-liners

Posted by Michael David Smith on June 13, 2012, 7:27 AM EDT

Reuters

Said coach Chan Gailey of TE Scott Chandler, “He’s made some plays down the field, he’s a big target. I see nothing but more positive things for him happening in the future.”

Dolphins owner Stephen Ross says he doesn’t like the team’s 1970s-era fight song, but he’ll keep it to placate the fans who enjoy it.

Patriots RB Stevan Ridley is hoping to prove he can get the bulk of the carries in New England’s offense.

Jets LB Bart Scott appears to have his passion back after a down year in 2011.

Ravens coach John Harbaugh held LT Bryant McKinnie out of minicamp practices for “conditioning purposes.”

Graduation rule affects Steelers offensive line plans

Posted by Darin Gantt on June 13, 2012, 7:00 AM EDT

AP

For all the attention paid to Andrew Luck missing time in Indianapolis, perhaps no team lost more to the league’s quarter-system rule than the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Their top two picks, first-round guard David DeCastro (Stanford) and second-round tackle Michael Adams (Ohio State) had on-field debuts delayed until Tuesday because of the rule that prevents rookies from joining teams until their college class graduates. And perhaps because of that rule, they started working with the second team.

He isn't 100%, but Manning still wowing teammates

Terry McCormick - National Football Post

Peyton Manning emphasized that he is not 100 percent, but he has his Denver Broncos teammates convinced that whatever percent he is physically, that that could be plenty good enough.

"I can't emphasize enough that I still have rehab to do," Manning told USA Today. "That's still part of the process."

Jarius Wynn diagnosed with Bell's Palsy

Posted by Darin Gantt on June 13, 2012, 7:21 AM EDT

AP

Defensive end Jarius Wynn’s doing everything he can to secure a spot in Green Bay’s defensive line rotation.

It might help if he could close his left eye.

Wynn was recently diagnosed with what he called a  Bell’s Palsy, according to Paul Imig of FoxSportsWisconsin.com.

“It was kind of scary at first,” Wynn said. “I’m just glad it didn’t get bad.”

Chris Clemons wants new deal, skips minicamp

Posted by Michael David Smith on June 12, 2012, 10:28 PM EDT

AP

After back-to-back 11-sack seasons, it’s not surprising that Seahawks defensive end Chris Clemons thinks he’s earned a raise. But it is surprising that he has gone about getting that raise by skipping a mandatory minicamp.

At least, it was surprising to Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, who said he had no idea Clemons wouldn’t be there today.

“This was kind of a late development that he’s not [here],” Carroll said, via the Seattle Times. “So I’m a little bit surprised that he’s not here. We’ve had open communications with the agent, and with Chris, and feel like everything is on the up-and-up and very amicable and all that.”

Clemons is due $4 million in 2012, the final season of his current contract. Carroll says the Seahawks are open to giving the 30-year-old Clemons a contract extension that gives him more money this year.

“It continues to be one of our priorities,” Carroll said. “We’d love to get him back, but it doesn’t look like he’s going to show up for the rest of the camp.”

As a result of Clemons holding out for more money, the Seahawks are planning to pay Clemons less money — Seattle will fine Clemons $60,000 for missing the full three-day minicamp.

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