NFL Capsules - AFC: Clark ready to build on 100-catch season
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Dallas Clark knows there is no such thing as a perfect game or a perfect season in the NFL.
The goal is to keep improving, no matter what the record-breaking stats suggest.
So after posting the two best seasons ever by a Colts tight end, back-to-back, Clark has returned to Indy to chase perfection.
"I'm doing the same thing that I've been doing the last seven years," the Colts' tight end said during the offseason. "I come to work, and I don't want to become complacent. I'm not trying to focus on what I did last year. Each year, whether it's bad or good, you have to look at it as a fresh start."
Clark was so busy working out Monday that he didn't even have time to answer questions in the locker room.
But starting over isn't exactly what the Colts have in mind for the new dad.
Almost from the moment Indy drafted Clark with the 24th overall pick in 2003, Peyton Manning & Co. could see how valuable Clark could be in this high-scoring offense.
He's fast enough to burn defenses daring to cover him with a linebacker, agile enough to make circus catches and shifty enough to fake out anyone measuring him up for big hits. It's a rare combination for a 252-pound guy, which is also why Clark is among the NFL's best tight ends.
Since signing a six-year, $36 million contract in 2008, Clark has proven to be worth every penny.
Over the last two seasons, he has 177 receptions, produced the first 1,000-yard season of his career, become the second tight end in league history to haul in 100 catches in a season and, yes, even earned that elusive first Pro Bowl trip. His numbers even broke the franchise records John Mackey set in the '60s.
Clark played a key role in the Colts' Super Bowl run in 2006, and his versatility to split out as a receiver and create mismatches is one of the reasons Indy is so proficient in the no-huddle offense.
Not bad for a former college walk-on who needed seasons to learn all of the nuances of Indy's offense. His new job is to teach the rest of his four-man gang his old tricks.
"He's one of the best, if not the best, in the league," backup tight end Jacob Tamme said Monday. "Our offense gives the tight end a chance to do some things, and that's been really instrumental in what he's done and what we've done."
Clearly, the Colts are loaded in the passing game.
The only four-time MVP in league history will spend this season distributing the ball to perhaps the most talented receiving corps he's ever had. There's Clark and Pro Bowl receiver Reggie Wayne, emerging contributors in Austin Collie and Pierre Garcon and former first-round pick Anthony Gonzalez.
Add Tamme and rookie Brody Eldridge to the mix, and the toughest job for the Colts might be keeping everyone happy.
"All I wanted was what was promised to me," Gonzalez said Monday when asked about the competition for the No. 2 receiver's job. "Whether a job is open, whether there's a competition is something that is determined by the coaches, not by the players."
The only other real question is health.
Gonzalez lost his job as Wayne's complementary receiver after going down with a season-ending injury in the first quarter of last season's season-opener. He pulled a hamstring in the offseason but now says he's healthy heading into Sunday's opener at Houston.
Clark, however, missed the entire preseason with an undisclosed upper left leg injury. That left most of the snaps to Tamme, a three-year veteran, and Eldridge, who is considered more of a blocking tight end than a Clark clone.
Coach Jim Caldwell hasn't said whether Clark will start against the Texans, but Clark did practice Monday and has "guaranteed" he will be on the field this weekend.
So what does Clark have planned for an encore? Stay tuned.
"That's the beauty of football. There's no such thing as a perfect game," he said. "You can never relax, you're always trying to stay on top of your game."
Fast start key goal for Titans after 0-6 stumble
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Receiver Nate Washington insists all thoughts of last year's 0-6 start are in the past. Fullback Ahmard Hall sees the memory of that winless stretch as very strong motivation to win immediately.
One thing all the Tennessee Titans agree on is that a fast start is a must — beginning with Sunday's home-opener against the Oakland Raiders.
Hall said Monday the Titans cannot afford to dig an early hole as they did in 2009 if they want to compete in the AFC South against the Indianapolis Colts or Houston Texans.
"We have to start fast. You can't start slow in this league and think you're going to pick it up at the end of the season. Championship teams, they finish. They finish strong ...," Hall said. "You have to start fast and be right neck and neck with those guys."
The Titans finished 8-2 to become the first NFL team to climb back to .500. It wasn't enough as they just missed a third straight playoff berth.
A year ago, the Titans opened with four of their first six games on the road capped by that snowy 59-0 rout at New England. The 2010 schedule keeps them at home for three of their first four starting with Oakland, a team in search of its own quick start. The Raiders opened 1-4 last year but haven't had a winning record at any point since opening 2-1 in 2004.
Veteran safety Chris Hope was part of the 0-5 start in 2006 and last year's winless start. He also recalls winning the first 10 games in 2008 when Tennessee finished 13-3 and a 6-2 start in 2007 for their last two playoff berths. He counsels his teammates to focus on the cliche of one game at a time.
"A fast start is always important because you just never know from season to season how well you're going to be at the end of six games. Evidently, we didn't think we would start 0-6 last year," Hope said.
That's what makes the next two weeks so crucial for Tennessee. First come the Raiders, then Pittsburgh before the Titans visit the New York Giants. Denver visits Oct. 4 before trips to Dallas and Jacksonville.
"You lose your first two home games, then you add a few road games it can get ugly for you in an instant," Hope said.
Coach Jeff Fisher tweaked his training camp schedule as a reaction to that 0-6 start, and his coaches spent more time during the preseason preparing for the Raiders compared to opening opponents in previous seasons. How much? Well, Fisher said he didn't watch a play of the Saints last week for the preseason finale.
"Does that kind of give you an idea?" Fisher said.
He isn't looking past Sunday either, even though Pittsburgh remains one of this franchise's favorite rivals from their days back in the now defunct AFC Central. This week is all about Oakland.
"Once that's over, we'll deal with the next opponent," Fisher said. "But our focus is on the Oakland Raiders."
This opening opponent may not matter that much to the Titans. Washington said this game will help show 2010 is not going to be like 2009, even if he thinks all the talk of that 0-6 start ended with training camp. He's been listening to teammates talk about the opener since March when they didn't now who they'd play or where.
"We understand the position we have and the opportunity we have for starting off this season. We're going to come out and show our best to perform," he said.
The Titans have called a "Code Blue" promotion encouraging fans to wear powder blue for this game, something reserved for the Colts the past two years. This game is sold-out just like every other game played at LP Field since opening in 1999.
But receiver Justin Gage said the Titans have one goal.
"Nobody wants to start 0-1. We all realize how big of a game this is to start 1-0 and be in that positive column, and that's what our goal is," Gage said.
-- Teresa M. Walker
Roethlisberger out as a Steelers captain
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Ben Roethlisberger is no longer a Pittsburgh Steelers captain. Dennis Dixon is the new Steelers quarterback, at least for the time being.
Roethlisberger, suspended by the NFL for the first four games of the season, was not chosen a Steelers captain in a vote by his teammates. He has been selected the previous two seasons. Wide receiver Hines Ward and tight end Heath Miller will be the offensive captains.
In a different vote regarding the quarterbacks, Dixon got the one that counted — by coach Mike Tomlin. Dixon was selected over longtime backup Charlie Batch to start Sunday's opener against Atlanta, although he has started only one NFL game.
Dixon is an excellent runner and has a good throwing arm, but Batch is much more experienced and has an intimate knowledge of the playbook.
"It's an honor, obviously. The ultimate for a quarterback is to be the starter," Dixon said Monday. "It's every quarterback's dream to be a starter in the National Football League. My number is called now, and I'm going to have fun with it. I'm happy, but there's a lot of work to be done."
Byron Leftwich, reacquired by Pittsburgh during an April trade, was expected to start while Roethlisberger was out, but sprained his left medial collateral ligament Thursday against Carolina. Dixon, a third-year player from Oregon, threw for a touchdown and ran for another during an overtime loss in Baltimore last season when Roethlisberger was out with a concussion.
"Dennis has had a very productive preseason and training camp," Tomlin said. "He went into the training camp as a young guy, second in the pecking order behind Byron Leftwich. He did a nice job and made it extremely competitive. He waged a battle and got some first-team reps in some preseason games. Largely, we've been very impressed with how he's handled himself in game situations."
Dixon got much of the work with the starters Aug. 29 in Denver, hurting his chances of beating out Leftwich by throwing two interceptions during a 34-17 loss.
Batch has played with Pittsburgh since 2002, but has thrown only two passes since 2007 while getting injured each of the last two seasons. He was the No. 4 QB during training camp, and his lack of time with the starters during camp and in the exhibition games hurt his chances of starting.
"There was a specific pecking order in camp, and Charlie's durability or lack of durability added into it," Tomlin said. "This is a guy who's been on IR (injured reserve) a little bit the past couple years, but he also requires very few snaps to be prepared to play football at an acceptable level."
Ward, a Steelers captain for the sixth time, wouldn't say if off-field issues influenced the decision to not pick Roethlisberger.
"The captain's not just what you do on the field, it's what you do off the field," Ward said. "Heath lives here (at the training facility), he's constantly here during coaching sessions and offseason workouts. It's well deserved."
Roethlisberger missed part of the team's offseason workouts following allegations he sexually assaulted a Georgia college student in March, although he wasn't charged.
Roethlisberger initially was suspended by the NFL for six games, but Commissioner Roger Goodell reduced that to four games on Thursday because the quarterback has stayed out of trouble and kept to a program mandated by the league.
Until his suspension ends after the Steelers' Oct. 3 game against Baltimore, Roethlisberger cannot attend practice or visit the Steelers' offices and is not permitted to talk to coaches or fellow players about team-related matters. He can't play again until Oct. 17 against Cleveland.
Ward doesn't think the Steelers intentionally slighted Roethlisberger by not choosing him a captain.
"Ben's our quarterback," Ward said. "That in itself, he's the leader of this team."
Linebacker James Farrior will be the lone defensive captain, the seventh time he was selected. James Harrison was not selected after being chosen last year.
The special teams captain is linebacker Keyaron Fox, succeeding kicker Jeff Reed.
-- Alan Robinson
QB Dixon working with Steelers' starters
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Quarterback Dennis Dixon will start for the Pittsburgh Steelers in their season opener Sunday against Atlanta.
Coach Mike Tomlin chose the third-year player Monday over longtime backup Charlie Batch. Dixon and Batch are the lone two healthy quarterbacks eligible to play. Ben Roethlisberger is serving his four-game suspension for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy, while Byron Leftwich is out indefinitely with a sprained left knee ligament.
Dixon has started one NFL game, an overtime loss in Baltimore last season in which he threw for a touchdown and run for another.
Dolphins rookie has political bloodlines
DAVIE, Fla. (AP) — Since being drafted by the Miami Dolphins in April, cornerback Nolan Carroll has changed his mind and decided politics isn't in his future.
He remains interested in an NFL career, however, and it begins Sunday when the Dolphins open the season at Buffalo.
Carroll's the son of Jennifer Carroll, chosen last week as the running mate to Florida's Republican gubernatorial nominee, Rick Scott. In 2003 she became the first black female Republican elected to the Florida Legislature, and if elected with Scott, she'll become the state's first black lieutenant governor.
"I'm very proud of her," Carroll said Monday.
As recently as this spring, Carroll figured he might pursue politics himself after football. Watching Mom endure the rigors of her profession changed his mind.
"It's too much, the amount of work that goes into it," he said. "Just to see how she has traveled — in the last week she has had to go all over the state. ... I tell her, 'You need to take a break.' But I haven't seen her burn out yet. She must be on some energy drink."
The younger Carroll has been working pretty hard himself.
A former star at Clay High School in Green Cove Springs, Fla., he started only six games at Maryland, and his senior season ended in the second game when he broke his lower right leg. As a result, he slipped to the fifth round in the draft and had plenty to prove when training camp began in July.
"Every day I practiced like it was going to be my last practice, to show the coaches I belong here," he said.
He survived the final cut in part because of his versatility on special teams. He's expected to return kickoffs, and he'll also play on kick coverage teams, and even with the unit defending against field goals.
"This guy has done an awful lot of jobs out there for us," coach Tony Sparano said. "We've had him all over the place on special teams. He has been productive and gotten better. And he's starting to get more comfortable on the coverage end of things. I think he's a reliable guy."
Carroll might see action as a sixth defensive back in passing situations, but he's not lobbying for playing time. Because he started so few games in college, he figures he has lots of room for improvement in the NFL.
"Your rookie year is always going to be a learning process," he said. "My thing is to grab hold of the veterans and ask questions. I just want to soak everything in this whole season."
Carroll's first pro game will come exactly one year after a titanium rod was inserted into his broken leg. It was late January before he was able to run, but he said he rarely thinks about the injury now.
He credits his resilience to the example set by his mother, saying she overcame stereotypes to succeed. She served 20 years in the Navy, working as a jet mechanic before retiring as a lieutenant commander, and is a former executive director of the Florida Department of Veterans' Affairs.
"Her being an African-American, and she's a woman too — that's double," he said. "She had to work through all of that. Being able to see what she has overcome has rubbed off on me."
He hasn't stumped for her in the locker room, however. And with his fall schedule full, he said he won't be involved in the campaign.
Not even a yard sign, or a Jennifer Carroll T-shirt?
"Nah," he said with a smile. "I'll be wearing a Miami Dolphins shirt."
-- Steven Wine
Dolphins' Jason Allen wins starting job
DAVIE, Fla. (AP) — Former first-round pick Jason Allen has won a starting job at cornerback for the Miami Dolphins, replacing second-year pro Sean Smith.
Coach Tony Sparano confirmed the surprising shake-up Monday as his team began its final week of preparation for Sunday's opener at Buffalo.
Since being taken with the 16th pick in the 2006 draft, Allen has been shuffled between cornerback and safety and consigned mostly to a role on special teams. He started only one game last year and two in 2008.
Smith, a second-round pick last season, started all 16 games as a rookie but made no interceptions. Sparano said the lineup change had more to do with Allen playing well than with Smith struggling.
"This is a good problem. It's not a bad problem," Sparano said. "In my time here, all I've heard about is, 'When is Jason Allen is going to turn the corner?' Maybe we should be happy about this."
Allen, who started 14 games at cornerback at Tennessee, showed steady improvement in training camp, Sparano said.
"He has tackled well, and he has really done a pretty good job in the coverage," the coach said. "The game seems to have slowed down a little bit from that end for Jason."
Edwards confident in reclaiming Bills QB job
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Shortly after Bills coach Chan Gailey finished discussing how much Trent Edwards has improved this preseason, the quarterback in question walked by and took a spot on a bench outside the locker room.
"I think he's gotten better, and that's the best way I can judge somebody," Gailey had said after practice Monday, providing his first in-depth insights on Edwards since naming him the starter two days earlier. "I've seen a light at the end of the tunnel. And that's what your looking for."
However bright that glimmer is — or how much Edwards might have overheard — is not entirely apparent.
So when it came Edwards' turn to speak to reporters, the quarterback wasn't prepared to acknowledge he's accomplished anything just yet by having won a three-way offseason-long quarterback competition for the job.
"I'm fortunate to be in the position I am," Edwards said. "But I can't sit here and be proud of myself by any means."
What does mean something to Edwards is the insight he's drawn from the few ups and many downs he's endured in his three previous seasons in Buffalo. He's gone from being a fan-favorite as a rookie starter to having many of those same supporters derisively label him "Captain Checkdown" and "Trent-ative" a year ago before being benched midway through last season.
"I feel like I've been through a lot in my career here. I feel like I've seen it all," Edwards said. "I've seen the highs and lows and I'm still standing here."
With a newfound perspective, Edwards prepares to make the most of his second chance in leading the Bills as they prepare to open the season hosting Miami on Sunday.
It's a fresh start for the former third-round draft pick out of Stanford, who spent the past three seasons struggling to find his rhythm in a conservative attack employed by defensive-minded coach Dick Jauron, who was fired in November.
That's all changed under Gailey, an offensive specialist who has introduced a more aggressive approach.
Edwards refuses to linger too much on what happened in the past.
"I know we want to sit here and try to find reasons on why we're working better, and why we weren't last year," Edwards said. "For some reason, we're clicking right now."
What's evident is the increase in production the offense enjoyed this preseason when Edwards led the starters to score five touchdowns in four games. That was a switch from last year, when the Bills starting offense was limited to scoring two field goals in five preseason games.
Just as important, Edwards has begun shedding the checkdown label by showing he is, in fact, capable of hitting deep passes.
This preseason, he completed four passes of 25 yards or longer, including a 70-yard touchdown to Lee Evans. In seven regular-season starts last year, Edwards completed just 11 passes over 25 yards — and that was despite the Bills offense featuring the one-two tandem of Evans and Terrell Owens.
Evans is impressed from what he's seen from Edwards, who's proven to be more assertive on and off the field.
"You see him taking control of the quarterback position. And what I mean by that, he's understanding what defense are trying to do and making adjustments," Evans said. "From his point of view, people can't be telling him what (the adjustments) are, he has to see them. And so that's where he's grown."
Bills defenders have even seen a change in Edwards.
"He's carrying himself like a veteran quarterback," defensive end Marcus Stroud said. "Despite what everybody was saying and writing him off and everything, he still came in here like he was the leader, like he was the starting quarterback. And everybody took notice of that."
Edwards was conscious to make sure he carried himself with more confidence in a bid to lead by example.
"I'm carrying myself the way I want to see my teammates carry themselves," he said. "That's what I want out of my teammates and that's the attitude and approach I'm taking."
As impressed as Gailey's been so far, he's aware there will be challenges ahead. One key to Edwards' success is getting protection from an offensive line that hasn't been healthy this preseason. Another key is Edwards continuing to develop.
"He's got a chance to have a very good year," Gailey said. "But we've got to keep progressing."
-- John Wawrow
McClain gets tough first test for Raiders
ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP) — Welcome to the NFL, Rolando McClain.
The first assignment for Oakland's rookie middle linebacker comes Sunday against last year's rushing champion Chris Johnson and the Tennessee Titans.
"Every back in the NFL is great or they wouldn't be here, but this guy, he's extraordinary to say the least," McClain said Monday. "We're going to have our hands full but we're up to the job. We've just got to do our best containing the guy and try to stop some of those long runs."
Few defenses were able to do that last season when Johnson won the NFL Offensive Player of the Year award and was just the sixth man in league history to run for at least 2,000 yards. Along with his 2,006 yards on the ground, Johnson set the NFL record for yards from scrimmage with 2,509 yards and ended the season with 11 straight games of 100-yards rushing.
Johnson used his breakaway speed to post the three longest runs in the NFL last season, going 91 yards for a score against Houston, 89 against Jacksonville and 85 against Arizona.
McClain said practicing against Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram at Alabama, playing each week in the SEC and going against Darren McFadden in practice with the Raiders has helped prepare him for the opener. But he acknowledges Johnson is in his own class.
"He just has a different gear," McClain said. "You really can't practice for a guy like that, you just have to contain him. Try to force everything back inside, or force him to the outside where hopefully he can run out of bounds. You give him an angle, he can outrun angles. He can do anything that you don't think a running back should be able to do. He can do it, so we just have to stop the long runs. He's going to get 2 or 3, maybe 5, but we just have to be consistent in stopping that and not let him get the 81-yard runs. That's what will kill a team."
The Raiders have all sorts of problems against the run in recent years, leading to the decision to draft McClain eighth overall as part of an offseason overhaul of the front-seven.
Defensive end Richard Seymour moved inside to tackle, second-round pick Lamarr Houston earned a starting spot at one defensive end and Matt Shaughnessy and Trevor Scott will share the other side. Also, former Pro Bowl defensive tackle John Henderson was signed to provide depth up front and starting outside linebackers Kamerion Wimbley and Quentin Groves were acquired in offseason trades.
The results in the preseason were a bit uneven. Oakland did a good job in the exhibition opener against Dallas but allowed long runs to Chicago's Matt Forte and San Francisco's Frank Gore the following two weeks.
"We definitely have the players to stop the run," McClain said. "You just watch film from last year a lot of our problems was just doing the little things, even in the Chicago preseason game, we just didn't do the little things, and when they had that big run, it was just somebody out of place. Those are things that we can correct. We have corrected them, so now we've just got to go out there, take what we have and play good football."
After Forte had an 89-yard run in Oakland's game in Chicago, coach Tom Cable talked about how McClain needed to do "pull the trigger" more and make big plays.
Cable is pleased with the progress he's seen since then.
"It's happening and it's been fun to see," Cable said. "I think he understands now what's needed of him and what we're asking him to do. I look forward to him playing on Sunday."
The Raiders are hoping McClain can have the same impact on their defense that he did in college at Alabama. McClain was part of Nick Saban's first recruiting class at Alabama and helped transform the defense from mediocre to one of the toughest in the nation on the way to winning the Butkus Award and the national title last season.
The Raiders have lost at least 11 games for an NFL-record seven straight years. They are 29-83 in that span, the second-worst record in the NFL. Poor run defense has been a common theme to Oakland's struggles. The Raiders have allowed an NFL-worst 143.7 yards rushing per game since then and 146 touchdowns on the ground — 15 more than the second-worst team, St. Louis.
"They threw me right into the fire and I think I responded well," McClain said. "They know just from the way I carry myself before practice and film study they can count on me."
NOTES: RB Michael Bush returned to practice in limited fashion for the first time since breaking his left thumb against San Francisco on Aug. 28. ... DT Desmond Bryant also practiced after missing time with an elbow injury. ... The Raiders signed TE Kevin Brock to the practice squad.
-- Josh Dubow
