NFL Capsules - NFC: Pro Bowl center Shaun O'Hara out again with ankle
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Pro Bowl center Shaun O'Hara's swollen left ankle is causing concern for the New York Giants.
The 33-year-old O'Hara was sent from training camp at the University at Albany to the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City on Tuesday for an MRI.
The examination revealed no new injury to the ankle. The swelling, however, is the result of a chronic condition in the joint.
Doctors and trainers will try to reduce the swelling so O'Hara can regain mobility, the Giants said.
The Giants also disclosed on Tuesday that receiver Hakeem Nicks, their first-round draft choice last season, hyperextended his right knee at the end of practice. He will undergo an MRI and be examined on Wednesday.
The Giants do not expect to update his status until Thursday.
O'Hara took part in conditioning drills Sunday morning and a light workout that afternoon. He did not appear to hurt the ankle at any time.
Swelling developed in the ankle late Sunday and he has missed four practices over the past two days at the University at Albany.
"I definitely think there is some uncertainty," said guard Chris Snee, who also has played in the last two Pro Bowls. "We can't worry about that. Shaun is going to do whatever he can to get back on the field. Right now, we will go with who we have out there and just really work on that continuity."
O'Hara has started all but five regular-season games at center since joining the Giants as a free agent in 2004. Four of the games he missed came in that first season with the other coming in 2006.
The former Rutgers player who has been selected to the Pro Bowl the past two years has started every regular season game since 2007. He only game he missed in the past three seasons was the NFC Wild Card game in 2007 in New York's run to a Super Bowl title.
Adam Koets, who has played in has three regular season games in his first three years in the league, has taken over at center in O'Hara's absence.
"Everyone wants to play," Koets said between practices on Tuesday. "It is an opportunity for me and I just have to make the most of it."
Drafted as a tackle out of Oregon State in sixth round in 2007, Koets has never started an NFL game. He appears to have put on muscle in the offseason and seemingly has not made the blatant errors that had coaches all over him earlier in his career.
"I kind of realized I have been here three years and it's time for me to step up and play," said Koets, who can play any position on the line. "It's an opportunity for me I have to show what I can do."
Veteran Rich Seubert, who is fighting for his job at left guard, also has gotten more work at center the past two days.
He downplayed the ankle injury on Monday, saying O'Hara will be fine.
"We all like to take a couple of days off from practice," Seubert said. "I did last year for a couple of weeks. It's O-Line humor. He'll be fine. One thing you don't have to worry about, unless we're at the hospital laying down and they are tying you down, you're going to try to get out there as soon as you can. We all know Shaun would rather be out there practicing."
The Nicks' injury also is causing some concern. Fellow receiver Mario Manningham injured his groin in practice, leaving the team without their No. 2 and 3 receivers from last season.
Manningham had 57 catches for 822 yards and five touchdowns. Nicks had 47 receptions for 790 yards and six TDs. Steve Smith led the team with 107 catches for 1,220 yards and 7 TDs.
After McNabb, then what? Beck joins Redskins QB
ASHBURN, Va. (AP) — Donovan McNabb has played all 16 games in a regular season only once in the last six years. For all his hard work to stay fit, there always seems to be something that causes him to miss a game. Or two. Or more.
That makes the battle for the Washington Redskins' backup job more than just a curiosity. Odds are someone other than the six-time Pro Bowl quarterback will be taking more than just a few token, mop-up snaps this season.
The latest name added to the mix is John Beck, a former BYU standout and second-round draft pick by the Miami Dolphins. Beck took part in his first Redskins practice Tuesday, a day after he was acquired in a trade with the Baltimore Ravens.
"It was definitely kind of weird playing with one team in the morning and then meeting with another team at night," Beck said. "The offenses are very different, so I kind of feel like a rookie coming in. Your head's spinning a little bit."
It sure looked that way. Beck was well off target with his first two throws in a 7-on-7 drill, including an awkward flat-footed attempt that certainly won't find a place in the Beck family archives. It took an easy screen toss to running back Ryan Torain to get the new guy with the red hair somewhat on track.
Beck wasn't alone, though. It was the first 7-on-7 of training camp, and it was a rough one. McNabb's first throw was a simple pass in the flat — right into the hands of cornerback Carlos Rogers for an interception. Rex Grossman and Richard Bartel didn't exactly light up the field, either.
"Usually it's this time of year when you're installing your offense and installing your defense that there are a bunch of lulls," coach Mike Shanahan said. "You have to push through it."
Grossman. Bartel. Beck. Shanahan had a history of keeping only two quarterbacks during his long tenure with the Denver Broncos, so there could be room for only one among those three behind McNabb on the 53-man opening day roster.
Gone from the competition is Colt Brennan, the Redskins' 2008 sixth-round pick who developed an incredibly persistent cult following — the Cult of Colt — after going 9 for 10 against backups in a preseason game as a rookie. But Brennan never appeared in a regular season game, spent last season on injured reserve after hip surgery and struggled mightily at this year's training camp. He was cut Monday after the trade for Beck.
Grossman has the decided advantage, having spent last year with the Houston Texans running this same offense under new Redskins offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan. When McNabb has a question about the offense, he'll ask Grossman if the coaches aren't around.
Grossman also took the Chicago Bears to the Super Bowl at the end of the 2006 season, but that's also the one and only season he's kept a starting job from beginning to end. He's become one of those familiar, face-on-the-sideline veteran backups, throwing just 71 passes over the last two years.
Bartel is one of those young backups piling up time on the bench. He's been released four times in his NFL career and served as the Redskins' No. 3 quarterback for the final six games of last season. The trade for Beck has put him on notice.
"Sure, absolutely — that's kind of the way I take it," Bartel said. "I feel like to stay motivated, you put yourself in the situation, 'OK, new guy coming in, is this something about me?'"
Beck got into five games with the dreadful 1-15 Dolphins as a rookie in 2007 and might be best remembered for an infamous play in which the ball slipped out of his hands and flipped into the air while he attempted a pass against Buffalo. The Bills caught it and returned it for a touchdown, and Beck hasn't started a game since.
Beck spent last year with Baltimore and became expendable when the Ravens signed Marc Bulger to be their backup.
"That was a tough spot, those years back in Miami," Beck said. "But I was able to learn a lot. I didn't look back at that with any frustration. I had the opportunity to play in five games as a rookie, and that experience can help whenever my next opportunity comes."
The No. 2 job is Grossman's to lose, and the preseason games will give an idea what kind of drop-off can be expected if McNabb is out for any extended period of time this year.
"We really don't care what you've done in the past," Mike Shanahan said. "We want to see what you do out there on the practice field, how you play in these preseason games."
Notes: WR Malcolm Kelly (hamstring) remains at least a couple of days from returning to practice, dropping him further behind in his quest for a starting job. ... Remarkably, six days of training camp have yet to produce a single injury that has caused a player to miss a practice. Kelly hurt his hamstring before camp began. ... TE Chris Cooley, suffering from a rare case of the drops during this camp, had another pass go off his hands at the end of practice. He then spiked his helmet so hard it rolled 20 yards downfield.
-- Joseph White
Haynesworth again skips Redskins conditioning test
ASHBURN, Va. (AP) — Day 6 of the Albert Haynesworth watch guaranteed only one thing: There will be a Day 7.
The Washington Redskins defensive lineman didn't take the team's conditioning test Tuesday, again because of his sore left knee. For those keeping score, there have now been three days in which Haynesworth has attempted the test and three days in which he hasn't.
"His knee's still bothering him," coach Mike Shanahan said. "And when he's ready to take that test again, he'll take it."
Haynesworth is not allowed to practice until he passes the test, although for the second day in a row he was on the field for the entire session watching his teammates. He put on his helmet from time to time but wasn't wearing pads and didn't take part in any drills.
Haynesworth failed the test the first two days, then skipped it for two days because the knee was acting up. On Monday, he started the test but had to stop before the halfway point because the knee was still irritated.
Shanahan said Haynesworth's knee problem was not serious enough to warrant an MRI exam. Haynesworth missed two days of training camp last year to have an injection to insert fluid in same knee, a procedure he said had become routine for him in recent years to fight the wear and tear of practice.
There was one twist along the defensive line Tuesday. Phillip Daniels and Vonnie Holliday moved up from the second team to work with the starters at defensive end, lining up on either side of nose tackle Ma'ake Kemoeatu. They replaced Adam Carriker and Kedric Golston, who had been working as starters since the first day of camp.
Shanahan said the switch was a routine move to give the players a chance to work against the starting offensive line.
"You can't read too much into it," the coach said.
The conditioning test consists of two 300-yard shuttle runs that have to be completed with only a 3½ minute break in between. The player runs 25 yards at a time, back and forth for a total of 12 sprints. Linemen must complete the first shuttle in 70 seconds, the second one in 73 seconds.
Haynesworth is the only player required to take the test, a result of his boycott of the team's offseason workouts.
-- Joseph White
Pack's path gets easier if Favre really stays home
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Brett Favre's former teammates greeted the latest twist in the MVP quarterback's long-running retirement saga with a collective shoulder shrug.
The Green Bay Packers have been through year after year of Favre retirement speculation — and a couple of his actual retirements — so forgive them if they don't overreact to reports that Favre has told the Minnesota Vikings he won't be back.
"If he is retired, congratulations," Packers linebacker Nick Barnett said playfully, hamming it up for the cameras and tape recorders. "If he's not, we have the same goal, and that's to hit him. It doesn't matter if he retires or not or whoever's playing quarterback over there — Norman Bates, Jeffrey Dahmer, Saddam Hussein, doesn't matter."
Except it does matter.
If Favre really stays home this time, the Packers likely become the consensus favorite to win the NFC North and perhaps make a serious run in the playoffs.
Coming off an 11-5 season and wild card playoff loss at Arizona, Packers coaches and players opened this year's training camp by talking openly about their expectations to contend for the Super Bowl.
Aaron Rodgers is developing into an elite quarterback, he's surrounded by talented offensive players and the defense improved dramatically under coordinator Dom Capers last year — although the team still has significant questions, especially on the offensive line and special teams.
Given the fact that Favre beat his former team twice last year, not having No. 4 in purple would go a long way toward smoothing out the Packers' road back to the playoffs — although nobody in Green Bay was saying that Tuesday.
"I don't think so," safety Nick Collins said. "Minnesota, Chicago, they have great teams. Detroit (is) on the rise. Everybody has upgraded in some areas on their roster. This is going to be a great division this year."
And given Favre's history of waffling over retirement, Packers players suspect the story might not be over.
"You know what? I still wouldn't count him out," tight end Donald Lee said. "I don't think he's retiring until the season starts. When the season starts and he's not there, then I'll say he's officially retired."
Other players seemed to have the same level of skepticism.
"If he's going to retire, he's going to retire," offensive lineman Daryn Colledge said. "If not, he'll be back for, what, his 17th season, is it? I don't know, 20th season, 50th? It's one of those things, if he can play, he's going to play, and I would expect if he's (able to be) back, he's going to do it because he thinks he can help his team."
Just Brett being Brett, right?
"You know, that's Brett," Collins said. "He's his own man, he's going to make the decision."
Perhaps not surprisingly, the Packers' front office wasn't interested in addressing one of its least favorite story lines.
"I really don't have any reaction," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said.
Packers general manager Ted Thompson said somebody told him about the Favre reports on the practice field Tuesday morning, but said he hasn't been thinking about it — even about how it might change the dynamics within the division.
"This time of year I think you are more focused on your own team because your team is in the process, it's in the kitchen being cooked," Thompson said. "We've got three or four weeks to kind of decide how our team is going to look, so I think you focus more on your own concerns."
That said, Barnett said he wouldn't mind getting another shot at Favre after he dealt the Packers two tough losses last year.
"I mean, I would love to hit him," Barnett said. "I didn't get my chance last year. I was disappointed in that. But it doesn't make or break my season if Favre comes back or not. I think he's a great quarterback and had a great career, spent a lot of years doing some great things here in this community as well. Like I said, if he does retire, congratulations. It's a well-deserved retirement. But if he does come back, we'll be gunning for him the same way."
-- Chris Jenkins
Lions try to fix their weakest link
ALLEN PARK, Mich. (AP) — Detroit Lions coach Jim Schwartz started training camp knowing that piecing together a secondary was going to be one of his biggest challenges.
So far, he hasn't even been able to get the contenders on the field.
The Lions held their sixth training camp practice Tuesday — their first in full pads — but three defensive backs remain sidelined by injury. Safety Louis Delmas is out with a groin injury sustained in mini-camp, while cornerback Jack Williams and safety Ko Simpson are still recovering from knee injuries that ended their 2009 seasons.
Schwartz isn't worried about Delmas, who is coming off a sensational rookie season and is only dealing with a mild injury, but the other two are major question marks.
"To get a good evaluation on guys, you have to be able to see them on the field," Schwartz said. "We haven't been able to do that. Louis is a known quantity, but Ko and Jack aren't seven-year veterans that have been to the Pro Bowl and have great health records. We need to see their abilities on the field, and we need to see that they can stay healthy for us."
Because of the injuries to Delmas and Simpson, the Lions have already switched veteran cornerback Dante Wesley to safety.
"It's tough, because I was already trying to learn a new system on a new team," said Wesley, who signed with the Lions as a free agent in April. "Now I'm trying to pick up a new position and play safety."
The Lions have lost an NFL-record 30 games the last two seasons, and terrible secondary play has been a significant reason. While Delmas provided a rare bright spot with his play as a rookie, Detroit has been unable to find consistent players at the other positions.
"I think that it is certainly fair to say that our secondary is quite unsettled," Schwartz said. "At this point, we have to focus on finding the group of five players that will give us the best chance to win games, and get them on the field together."
This year, they are starting over at the cornerback positions, having gotten rid of the three players who shared the starting jobs — Will Peterson, Phillip Buchanon and Anthony Henry.
The Lions traded for Chris Houston, signed Jonathan Wade and Wesley as free agents and, in a surprising move, brought back Dre' Bly. Bly played for the Lions from 2003-2006, but was traded after blaming starting quarterback Joey Harrington for the firing of head coach Steve Mariucci.
All the injuries and new faces mean that finding Detroit's first stable secondary in years might still be a long way off.
"It's always tough to get ready for the season when guys are hurt, and we're trying to figure out where everyone is going to play," said Eric King, who started one game at cornerback for Detroit last year. "I think we've got some good talent here and we've got guys with experience in the league who can teach the young guys like me, but we need to get everyone on the field."
NOTES: DT Ndamukong Suh's holdout caused him to miss his fourth day of camp and a rare chance to work out in full pads. A day after Schwartz expressed his frustration at Suh's absence, it was the turn of veteran center Dominic Raiola. "I understand the business aspects of all this, but at some point, you've got to just tell your agents to make a deal and let you get on the field," Raiola said. "When you are talking about $40 million or $42 million (in guaranteed money), I don't know what the big difference is. After taxes, you are going to have $20 million either way. You have to put your name on the contract. He's missing some good stuff here." Suh and the Lions agreed terms for a five-year contract a few hours later. ... For the second year in a row, K Jason Hanson will miss much of camp after minor knee surgery. Last season, Hanson had surgery on Aug. 18 and still played in the season opener, so Schwartz is optimistic after he had a similar operation Tuesday. "You can never put a 100 percent timetable on anything that involves surgery, but this is the same basic thing he had last year, but two weeks earlier, so we feel good that he'll be back pretty soon," Schwartz said.
Saints WR Moore expects to return to 2008 form
METAIRIE, La. (AP) — Lance Moore is healthy and at full strength, and the Saints wide receiver is eager to erase the frustration of New Orleans' bittersweet Super Bowl season.
After a breakout 2008 season, Moore sat out nine games last year with hamstring and ankle injuries. And while New Orleans won the Super Bowl, his number of catches plummeted from a team-high 79 in 2008 to 14.
"It would have to be" bittersweet," he said Tuesday at training camp. "I'm a competitor. Obviously I wanted to be out there, but I'm back now and definitely planning to contribute a lot."
Last year, offseason shoulder surgery limited Moore's conditioning entering training camp, and, in his mind, led to his leg injuries.
But he has been wearing out defensive backs since practice started last Friday.
"Going against somebody who is just as hot as he is right now just makes you that much better," seven-year veteran cornerback Randall Gay said. "You get frustrated. You're covering him, you feel like you're doing a great job and he's coming up with play after play."
It is reminiscent of 2008, when Moore morphed from a part-time player to Drew Brees' go-to target after wideout Marques Colston was injured. Moore's 79 receptions were 27 more than the Saints' No. 2 receiver, Reggie Bush. He had 928 receiving yards, 135 more than any teammate. His 10 touchdown catches were twice as many as anyone else.
Although the offense was dominant while he sat out last year, his absence had an effect. The Saints converted 43.7 percent of their third downs, a drop from 48.5 in 2008, when Brees usually looked his way because of his reliability.
"He'll go six weeks in the season before he makes a mental error," New Orleans coach Sean Payton said. "He has very good quick feet in transition. He's a big part of what we do."
Moore proved he could stick in the NFL despite his small stature (5-9) by catching 32 passes in 2007 after spending two years on the Saints practice squad. He showed he could be a star with his breakout performance in 2008.
Now he is just happy to be healthy.
"It feels amazing," he said. "I haven't really felt this good for probably over a year now."
Even hobbling, Moore made an impact in the Saints' Super Bowl victory over Indianapolis. The Saints gambled by activating him for the playoffs even though he did not play in the last eight regular season games, and he rewarded their trust with a diving grab for a 2-point conversion to give them a 24-17 lead in the fourth quarter.
The play, initially ruled incomplete when an official ruled Moore was juggling the ball, was overturned by replay.
He attributes his hands to the discipline and hand-eye coordination he learned taking karate as a kid. His father owned a karate studio in Columbus, Ohio, and Moore became a black belt by age 10.
"I don't want to just play as well as I did in 2008," he said. "I want to be as good as I can possibly be, and I can definitely play better than I did that year."
Notes: Running back Pierre Thomas hurt his left wrist on the first live-tackling play of training camp and headed to the locker room for observation. It was the same wrist that required offseason surgery following the 2008 season. "I think it's fine, but we'll get an X-ray on it," Payton said. ... Wide receiver Marques Colston, who had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee in the offseason, practiced for the first time but did not get many reps in contact drills. ... Tight end Jeremy Shockey missed his third consecutive day with a sore left knee. ... Linebacker Scott Shanle missed his second consecutive practice with a strained left knee. ... Safety Darren Sharper, who has missed all of training camp while recovering from surgery on his left knee, said he expected to return before the end of the preseason but had no set timetable.
Douglas gaining momentum in comeback with Falcons
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — Harry Douglas is on the verge of reclaiming his status as a potential breakout receiver for the Atlanta Falcons.
One year after a devastating knee injury ended his 2009 season, Douglas is gaining momentum in his comeback. He had his most work of training camp in Tuesday's practice, and as early as Wednesday he may be cleared for all drills.
"We will continue to ramp him up as the week goes on," coach Mike Smith said after Tuesday's session. "We are anticipating (Wednesday) he will be able to participate in all periods, barring any unforeseen things that arise."
Douglas took a few hits in the practice, another first in his comeback.
"I got a little contact on some of the routes and that's always good to have," Douglas said. "Once again, I trust my knee, I trust my trainers and I trust my coaches and everyone in the program here. They do a great job of taking care of me and I've got to take care of myself also."
Douglas was in position to win the job as the Falcons' No. 3 receiver and top punt return specialist before he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in last year's training camp. He suffered the injury after catching a pass from Matt Ryan.
He has another opportunity to win a spot behind Roddy White and Michael Jenkins, the starters in a two-receiver formation.
Brian Finneran, Eric Weems, rookie Kerry Meier and a group of undrafted free agents are competing with Douglas.
Smith said Douglas won't participate in the team's scrimmage on Friday night at nearby North Gwinnett High School. Running back Jerious Norwood (hip) and cornerback Dunta Robinson (hamstring) also will miss the scrimmage.
Smith said Jerry is ahead of two possible starters — defensive tackle Peria Jerry and cornerback Brian Williams — who are also returning from knee injuries.
"It's a lot of hard work, but I knew that as soon as I got hurt," Douglas said. "As soon as I had my surgery, one thing I wanted to do was to dedicate my time and effort into coming back. I didn't want to feel sorry for myself. I didn't want to take days off. I wanted to make sure I did what I had to do to hurry up and get back out here."
Douglas, from Jonesboro, Ga., has been fielding punts, but he said his emphasis is on offense.
"I think first you have to crawl before you can walk," he said. "Be patient, do all the little things right and focus on all the little things of being a receiver and then let the other things come that come."
Douglas, a third-round pick from Louisville in 2008, had 23 catches for 320 yards and a touchdown as a rookie. He showed his big-play potential when he also scored touchdowns on a run and on a punt return.
Following the injury to Douglas, Weems emerged last season as the team's top return specialist. Douglas and Weems are training camp roommates for the second straight year.
"I'm very happy for him to get healthy," Weems said. "He's on schedule. He's taking it slowly, one day at a time. He'll be back soon."
Smith said it's too early to know if Douglas will compete with Weems on returns.
"Harry I think is beginning to get back into it," Smith said. "Whether he's going to be a guy that's going to be in the mix in terms of returning punts and kickoffs this year, I think it's way too early to tell."
NOTES: Rookie linebacker Sean Weatherspoon and third-year offensive tackle Sam Baker were involved in a brief fight during the morning practice in pads. The two were quickly separated. "I don't like to see the altercations on the field," Smith said. "I thought it was a very spirited practice. We've got to stop on the whistle." ... The team practiced in its indoor facility following rain and lightning Tuesday morning. The afternoon special-teams practice was held outside. ... The Falcons will have one practice on Wednesday in a break from their two-a-days schedule.
-- Charles Odum
New Panthers FB Fiammetta has big shoes to fill
SPARTANBURG, S.C. (AP) — When DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart would discuss the NFL rushing duo record they set last season, it wouldn't take them long to praise their fullback.
Brad Hoover was the bruising, tough blocker the Panthers relied on for 10 seasons — until he was the victim of Carolina's offseason purge of veterans.
Now Williams and Stewart — the first set of teammates since the 1970 merger to each rush for over 1,100 yards — must rely on inexperienced second-year pro Tony Fiammetta to duplicate their success this year.
"Still a little bit different in the back because Hoover thought as a tailback because he played tailback in college," Williams said. "He had that mindset and he had the mindset of being a bruiser. He knew what was going on, the ins and outs of the offense.
"Not saying that Tony Fiammetta doesn't know that, it's just that it's kind of hard to teach that."
Fullback has long been a position in which it takes some time to get comfortable. The Panthers' old-style running game depends on the fullback to not only be the lead blocker on running plays, but serve a key role in pass protection.
"We lean on the running game quite a bit and there are some nuances of the fullback position with the type of running game that we have that takes a pretty instinctive guy to figure out," coach John Fox said. "It is a mental position as well as a physical position."
Hoover thrived in that role for years. He's third in franchise history with 153 games played and was a fan favorite known as "Hoooov" at Bank of America Stadium.
But the pounding seemed to take a toll last season. Hoover missed five games with a lingering back injury, and at 33, was deemed too old in the offseason for Carolina's youth movement.
"It was probably one of the best things that could have happened to me," Fiammetta said of playing behind Hoover last season. "He's just a professional and the mental side, he was all over it. He helped me grow as a football player. I hope he catches on somewhere else because I think he's still got a lot of good football in him."
But now Fiammetta, a fourth round pick in 2009 out of Syracuse, must take over after a shaky rookie season. He dropped the first pass thrown his way last season, and struggled with pass protection at times, acknowledging it was tough to know the right blocking style to use on speedy and bigger players.
"I think it's a challenge for anybody coming into a new offense to feel completely comfortable from the start," Fiammetta said. "After a year and a half of being in the NFL, I feel great and I feel like I'm ready to do big things out there."
The biggest obstacle is to think like a running back. He played the position in high school in Maryland, but was strictly a fullback at Syracuse with only 16 carries. Hoover was a tailback in college and at the beginning of his pro career.
"Pretty much on any given running play, both the tailback and the fullback have the same read," Fiammetta said. "Just the fullback is about two and a half yards ahead, so it's very important for the fullback to have good vision and see the hole that's going to be there when the running back gets there. You want to be that lead blocker."
The 6-foot, 242-pound Fiammetta has a similar build to Hoover and it was inevitable when they spent a draft pick on him that Hoover's days were numbered.
"I knew they brought me in for a reason," Fiammetta said. "My reaction was that it was a great opportunity for me and this is the position I want to be in."
Williams and Stewart will be depending on him. With Matt Moore set to begin his first season as a full-time starting quarterback, the Panthers are expected to rely even more on their potent ground game.
Stewart rushed for a 1,133 yards and 10 touchdowns last season and Williams had 1,117 yards and seven scores as the Panthers ranked third in the NFL in rushing.
While much of that had to do with Carolina's elite offensive line, the fullback opened a lot of holes, too.
"Just trying to take something that's been so good and try and make it a little bit better," Fiammetta said.
Fiammetta hasn't had any major gaffes in training camp, and even filling in for a few snaps at running back because of a rash of injuries. But it will be in the games when the quiet Syracuse product will try to win over fans used to seeing the Thomasville, N.C., native Hoover play an unsung yet important role for the local team.
"He's a lot more comfortable," Fox said. "He sat behind maybe one of the better guys as far as knowing what to do in Brad Hoover. He's gotten to watch him operate for a year and we actually saw him grow last year throughout practices."
-- Mike Cranston
Buccaneers excited about rookie WR Mike Williams
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Rookie receiver Mike Williams is resisting any temptation he may have to gloat after quickly establishing himself as a potential starter with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The team won't have a real depth chart for another month, but the fourth round draft pick out of Syracuse — talented yet viewed by some NFL scouts as a risky pick because of off-the-field issues in college — is already working with the first team offense in training camp.
"I'm not really satisfied. I still have a lot to prove," the 23-year-old said. "But people see the direction I'm going, and that's the direction I'm going to keep going. Basically if I keep it up and keep it up, people are going to see the real Mike Williams, and not what they've been hearing."
Williams was the 101st player selected in the draft. He may well have been picked earlier if not for an academic suspension in 2008 and another off-field situation that led to him leaving Syracuse with three games remaining in the 2009 season.
The Bucs researched the player's background, speaking to Syracuse coach Doug Marrone and others.
Coach Raheem Morris and general manager Mark Dominik also spent time with the 6-foot-4, 214-pound receiver at the scouting combine and during a predraft visit to Tampa before concluding they would not be inheriting a problem by drafting Williams, who grew up in Buffalo, N.Y.
Williams caught 10 touchdown passes as a sophomore in 2007, when he set a school record by catching a TD pass in nine consecutive games. He sat out the entire 2008 season after being caught cheating on an exam, but re-enrolled at Syracuse in January 2009 and had 49 receptions for 746 yards and six TDs last season before Marrone — without elaborating — announced his star receiver "voluntarily took himself off the team."
"There's no secret you had to do a proper evaluation," Morris said. "The thing is he was receptive to everything that we asked him to do in order for us to help us help him.
"He has had no problem. He's worked hard. He's on the right path. ... He could be special. I talk about it with him all the time. He found out how hard it is when you're not on a football team, and you're not playing and doing things you love to do. I don't think he wants to mess that up again."
Williams knows questions about his character hurt his stock in the draft. He wasn't even the first receiver selected by Tampa Bay, which picked Arrelious Benn in the second round.
Still, the rookie insists things couldn't have worked out better for him.
"I knew it affected me, but if it didn't I wouldn't be here," Williams said. "I wouldn't rather be any other place. I'm glad I'm here."
The rookie's bid to earn a starting job began with what Morris said was a "dynamic offseason," in which Williams stood out during minicamp and voluntary workouts.
Benn, the 39th overall pick out of Illinois, hasn't stood out as much in his bid for the other starting receiver job.
Morris stressed it's early.
"It's kind of hard to compare the two guys. Two different athletes, two different people. Who's to say Mike Williams — if not for the background — wouldn't have been a first- or second-round pick as well," the coach said.
"You don't want to get down on a guy because one guy's excelling a little bit more, one guy's excelling a little bit faster. He'll catch up. We've got no problem waiting for him to catch up. He's shown flashes of everything that we thought he could do. ... Now, it's a matter of getting him to where he's comfortable and he's able to just go out there and play."
-- Fred Goodall
St. Louis DE Long looking for breakout season
ST. LOUIS (AP) — As the St. Louis Rams struggled to a 1-15 finish last year on their way to the No. 1 pick in the draft, one bright spot was the improved play of defensive end Chris Long.
In his second season, the former No. 1 pick struggled along with his team in the first half of the season. But after not recording a sack in the first seven games, Long had five of them in the last nine games and was noticeably more active from his defensive end spot.
He's hoping to pick right up where he left off in 2010.
"I was just kind of letting things go; not worrying about it so much and just playing," Long said of his play in the second half of 2009. "I think that's just me getting better. I don't think it's a flash in the pan thing. I hope not."
Long, who starred at Virginia, was the Rams' first round pick in 2008 and the second overall selection. As if that weren't enough pressure, Long is the son of Hall of Fame defensive lineman Howie Long, who played 13 seasons in the NFL with the Oakland Raiders.
He admits that the expectations can be a burden, but also refuses to use that as an excuse.
"I can't lie; you think about that stuff all the time," Long said. "Everybody puts pressure on themselves in different ways. It's just how you handle it.
"But I don't think I'm any different than anybody else. A guy signed as a free agent might have the same amount of pressure as the guy who was drafted second. We're football players. We all have to deal with it."
One thing that should help is after learning three different defensive schemes in three years, Long will be in the same system for the second straight year under head coach Steve Spagnuolo and defensive coordinator Ken Flajole. Spagnuolo believes that the 6-foot-3, 276 pound Long should be even more of a factor this season.
"He did come on toward the end of the year," Spagnuolo said. "We talked to him a lot. He's talked a lot about his first two years being in new systems. That's not the case this year. Now, it's not so much the mind as it is the body and he just goes because he should know what he's doing. Hopefully, he'll be more productive."
Long agrees with that assessment.
"It helps a lot," he said. "It's the first year I've been able to repeat schemes. I'm not the only one going through that; there's a couple of guys in my class who have been through a couple coaches. It's a great scheme, and the more we have time to learn it and master it, the better."
However, Long will be in a new spot on the defensive line, as he moves over from right end to the left. He is looking forward to the switch.
"There's a lot more looks, with tight ends and it's a little more complicated," Long said. "I do like it. I think there's some stuff I can do over there I couldn't do on the right."
As a defensive end, Long plays in a position that usually takes a few years to master. Now heading into his third season, he's hoping for the break out year.
"A lot of things have to come together," Long said. "You need to work hard, you need to get better technically and be in the right situations and things got to come together. God willing, that will all happen this year.
"But individual stats are not my No. 1 goal; I want to win. If I can get that stuff done along with it, that would be great."
NOTES: Defensive tackle Chris Hovan returned to practice after tweaking his back. ... Former general manager and CBS Sports and NFL Network commentator Charlie Casserly attended practice Tuesday morning. ... The Rams had plenty of motivational speakers in the last 24 hours. Former head coach Dick Vermeil, who led the team to the Super Bowl title in the 1999 campaign, addressed the team at a special meeting Monday evening. Tuesday, boxing promoter Don King was on hand at practice along with St. Louis native Devon Alexander, who will defend his WBC and IBF 140-pound titles in St. Louis against Andriy Kotelnik.
Coach Ken Norton Jr. still an enforcer
RENTON, Wash. (AP) — Even as a coach, Ken Norton Jr. is still an enforcer.
The former All-Pro and Super Bowl champion linebacker with Dallas and San Francisco in the 1990s was warning the Seahawks the night before training camp began. Norton told them that to reinforce curfew the team hotel's phones would be turned off at 11 o'clock each night.
"I didn't think much of it, but all these young guys are like, 'There's a phone in the hotel room? I didn't even know!'" 34-year-old quarterback Matt Hasselbeck said.
"I heard one guy say, 'He's going to turn my cell phone off?'"
It reminded 43-year-old Norton how long he's been out of the NFL, how young these pros are today.
He just chuckled after practice when reminded of the players' incredulous reaction to his phone-off edict.
Yet the Seahawks' new linebackers coach, who followed Pete Carroll from Southern California back into the NFL for his first time since retiring from the 49ers following the 2000 season, says he is "really surprised" with the younger generation of pros he's now coaching. He's got multimillionaires such as middle linebacker Lofa Tatupu, fellow 27-year-old Leroy Hill and 24-year-old pup Aaron Curry.
"Sometimes when you get away from the game you hear how spoiled and disrespectful everybody is, and that's not the case at all," Norton said. "They still love what they do. They still have the passion. They are very respectful. The only thing is, they make a lot more money.
"You wish you were born 10 years later."
That's not to say the player persona is gone from Norton, who was known for hammering ball carriers and shadowboxing the bases of goal posts — both to honor the legacy of his father, the former heavyweight champion boxer.
Norton looks as fit as when he played in the NFL from 1988-2000 at a listed 6-feet-2 and 254 pounds. He has been running and jumping barking throughout camp at his defenders. He's even taunting Seattle's offense — all in a bellowing voice that is louder than the rap and dance music that blares through each of Carroll's practices.
"Let's GO!!!" Norton kept yelling Tuesday as he slapped defenders on their backsides. The players were chopping their legs over blocking pads in Carroll's rousing daily "bags" drill that is a fan favorite in camp.
"Hurt his (rear) when you hit!" Norton commanded to his linebackers during a form-tackling drill.
Running back Louis Rankin juked linebacker David Hawthorne with three head fakes during a pass coverage drill, something Rankin likely wouldn't have time to try in a game with a pass rush coming. So Norton semiseriously got in Rankin's face for being too cute.
"Oh, man, always full of energy," Hawthorne said after the latest set of roars from Norton. "I think he takes the approach that, shoot, he can't play no more so he's just going to live through us. He's so jacked and fired up every day."
Yet Norton was speaking softly and slowly minutes after practice.
"I'm a quiet guy," he said, with wry smile.
Hawthorne calls Norton the defense's "spark." The 25-year-old says Norton's jolt is all the more effective because he and his contemporaries remember watching Norton pummel ball carriers on TV while winning those Super Bowls with the Cowboys and 49ers.
"He tries to impose his style on us, that linebackers should be different," Hawthorne said. "That we should be the leaders of the team in every instance, we should take control, that the defense's success or downfall is all on the linebackers."
That would good if it proves true for the Seahawks, who are 9-23 over the last two seasons. Their dynamic linebackers are considered the strength of a defense that has huge questions on the line, with a recently anemic pass rush and in a young, smallish secondary.
Norton said it took him some time at USC, where he coached Tatupu, to learn how to clearly convey what he knew from 13 seasons in the NFL to the modern player.
Yet Hawthorne says Norton doesn't have to try too hard to get his message across. His reputation precedes him in Seattle.
"Everything he says, man, is from a players' perspective, because he's been there," Hawthorne said of Norton's coaching style. "He's not just blowing smoke and reading a manual."
-- Gregg Bell
Williams passes test, Robinson ready to help him
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — Dan Williams passed the conditioning test, gasping his way through the drills at the 7,000-foot elevation of the Arizona Cardinals' training camp on Tuesday.
Now the first-round draft pick will try to beat out 36-year-old Bryan Robinson for the nose tackle position. Robinson, Arizona's starter the past two seasons, has vowed to help the youngster all he can.
No one helped him when he broke in, Robinson said, and he promised that would not be the case if the roles were reversed.
"I just remembered that if I ever got in that position, I would never not try to help a rookie succeed," Robinson said. "In the case of Dan, he's going to be here regardless of whether I help him or not. ... The more he knows, if he knows what I know, it gives us a better chance to win. I'm a team player."
Williams, the 26th draft pick overall out of Tennessee, said Robinson's help since minicamp "is a huge advantage for myself."
"The guy has been in uniform for a long time and has done his job well for a long time," Williams said at a news conference. "I really think it's big toward my development. He's been very willing, showing me the playbook, showing me different techniques. For everything he's been showing me, I've been very thankful. But he also tells me 'I'm not giving you nothing.'"
Williams said he stayed in shape working out at local fitness club, doing the workouts that Arizona strength and conditioning coach John Lott had provided.
"I was just waiting for that call telling me to come back out here to Arizona," he said. "I just watched what I ate and didn't eat anything after six o'clock. My biggest thing was eating late at night. So I just stayed away from the table. If I felt hungry, I just went to sleep."
Coach Ken Whisenhunt said the stocky Williams weighed in at 325 pounds, a few pounds under what he had been in the summer workouts.
Williams played in a 4-3 defensive system in college. He will be between Darnell Dockett and Calais Campbell in a 3-4 set with the Cardinals. The nose tackle gets little glory but fills a significant role in freeing linebackers to make the big plays.
"I know this," Whisenhunt said, "those linebackers love it when they have a big nose tackle in front of them because it makes their job easier to not only see the play but it usually causes the offense to use up two blockers, which allows them more freedom to make plays."
Players to fill that role are "few and far between," Whisenhunt said.
"That's why I was surprised that Dan was there at our pick, because in my opinion he is one of the classic body types of a nose tackle," the coach said.
Robinson thought he was signing on as a backup to Dockett and defensive end Antonio Smith when he first joined the Cardinals in 2008. But he quickly moved to nose tackle and has started 36 of 38 games Arizona has played since then, including all six playoff games.
He had not re-signed when Arizona drafted Williams. But the Cardinals wanted Robinson back for a 14th NFL season, not only because he was needed, but because he could help Williams along.
"That's one of the things B-Rob and I specifically talked about when we were trying to get him back here," Whisenhunt said. "I've said this before about Jerome Bettis and what he did with Willie Parker, I'm a strong believer in vets and their affinity in working with the younger guys and helping them be better players."
Robinson has no problem with that role. In fact, Robinson has told Williams that if he is playing a lot more than the rookie is this season, then "there's a problem."
"'You are the future here,'" Robinson said he told him. "They drafted their baby Casey Hampton. That's what they want you to be. I'm here to help along the way but there's no redshirt years here. You're the guy. They want you to be the guy. And quite frankly I want you to be the guy.' If I can extend my career by doing less reps and helping out and teaching, then I don't have a problem with that. I really don't."
-- Bob Baum
Davis eager to get regular season under way
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Vernon Davis is sporting a new mohawk 'do and he's even threatening to dye that remaining strip of hair gold.
"Something to laugh about, keep guys laughing around here at training camp," the Pro Bowl tight end joked.
No gold hair yet. But there was plenty of good-natured trash talking from Davis toward the defense at training camp Tuesday, and vice versa. Keeping things light, all right.
Aside from his appearance, San Francisco's typically outspoken offensive star insists he doesn't want to draw any negative attention to himself by speaking out on his unsettled contract situation. In early May, linebacker Patrick Willis received a five-year contract extension from the 49ers — leaving many to wonder whether Davis would be next.
Last Wednesday, Chargers tight end Antonio Gates was rewarded with a $36.175 million, five-year contract extension, with $20.4 million guaranteed.
Davis saw those numbers. He reiterated at the start of camp this week that his time will come to get paid. For now, he's all about focusing on football.
And yapping at guys like cornerback Nate Clements along the way.
"It's just not something that's on my mind at the moment," Davis said of the business side. "My main focus is concentrating on football. That's what I'm here to do. I don't want to discuss the contract with anybody. I just don't want to deal with it at the moment."
The 26-year-old Davis finished his fourth NFL season in 2009 with career highs of 78 catches and 965 yards and tied Gates' NFL record for touchdowns by a tight end with 13.
He plans to be even more productive in 2010 as long as he gets the opportunities, his regular mantra.
If he continues to make big plays, he understands everything should take care of itself.
"What it all boils down to is it really is not my concern," Davis said of the contract. "I'm not really worried about that. My focus right now going into training camp, as well as through the season, is to play as best I can to help this team win games. That's my only focus."
Coach Mike Singletary doesn't doubt it. He named Davis a captain last season after seeing the tight end mature into a leader on the field and off it.
Davis used to be a guy known for scuffling with teammates in camp. This year, he doesn't plan on any altercations — saying there's no time for such nonsense.
The 49ers have an offensive continuity this training camp with Davis, quarterback Alex Smith, running back Frank Gore and others like second-year pro Michael Crabtree, who missed all of training camp last year.
Davis has high hopes for the offense.
"I definitely expect it to be different than last year because we have a lot of guys who are willing to step up to the table this year," Davis said. "There will definitely be a lot more playmaking."
Davis would like nothing more than for that to start with him.
He is determined to help get the 49ers back to the playoffs for the first time in eight years. At 8-8 last season, San Francisco ended a franchise-worst stretch of six straight losing seasons — but that wasn't enough for Singletary or his players.
"Vernon is a guy that understands that you have to come out here and just do the best you can. Vernon loves the game, he's focused, he's making the plays he is supposed to make, and at some point in time, he'll take that next level," Singletary said. "But he's just really having fun. He really is."
If Smith had to guess now, he would predict Davis would at least equal his production from last season and perhaps even top it.
"I don't see why not," Smith said. "Obviously, statistics are statistics, but I think he continues to get better and better. I think last year was great for him and he'll continue to gain in confidence. He has that mentality that he wants the ball and he wants to be a difference-maker and that's a good thing. So, yes, I expect even more out of him. I expect him to take that next step."
Notes: LT Joe Staley was ill and missed the morning practice. He stood on the field and watched. ... LBs Travis LaBoy and Takeo Spikes and S Michael Lewis were given the morning session off by Singletary as a veteran's courtesy. ... LG David Baas, who sustained a mild concussion in Monday's first full-pads practice, was still undergoing a series of tests before the team determined a possible timetable for his return to the field.
-- Janie McCauley
