NFL Capsules - NFC: Giants report to training camp; Phillips watches
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Kenny Phillips stood out on the opening day of the New York Giants' training camp.
On a day when players and coaches invariably talk about the excitement, anticipation and hope for an upcoming season, Phillips could not hide his disappointment.
For almost a year, the 23-year-old safety who was starting to show Pro Bowl potential has battled back from major surgery on his left knee. His target day for getting back on the field has been the first day of camp.
When the Giants ran their conditioning drills at the University at Albany on Sunday morning, all Phillips could do was watch.
The Giants have placed him on the physically unable to perform list, and no one is saying when he will be ready to go.
"I haven't played football in a long time and I was looking forward to the start of training camp," Phillips said Sunday during a lunch break. "I am still looking forward to getting out there."
When? He just doesn't know.
Phillips ran and did some football drills for the Giants' medical staff about two weeks ago. He felt he did everything asked.
When asked why he was on the PUP list, Phillips meekly said that maybe the staff didn't want to rush him. He insisted that since he had microfracture surgery, he has progressed to the point where he has run, cut and done football drills.
"So I am not worried about that, being in any pain once I do start," he said. "I just have to get used to playing football again."
Phillips got off to a great start last season, making 16 tackles and intercepting two passes in the Giants' first two games.
However, doctors found patella femoral arthritis in his left knee after the second game and performed the microfracture surgery. Jason Kidd of the Dallas Mavericks had the same surgery and has returned at a high level.
New defensive coordinator Perry Fewell and most of the veterans on the team have told Phillips to be patient.
"We understand the nature of his injury," Fewell said. "We are all disappointed, but we understand that we must take it slow so we don't hurt Kenny and Kenny doesn't hurt himself. As soon as he can join us, that's great. We've got to look after Kenny and he has to look after himself."
While remaining patient can be tough, Phillips insists he won't push it. He noted that the Giants are in good hands at safety with veteran free agents Antrel Rolle and Deon Grant on the roster. And he also believes once he returns he is confident he will win his job back.
Phillips was bold when asked if he had any doubts about playing this season.
"No doubt. No doubt at all," he said. "I feel good. I worked hard to get where I am at now. Just watching myself on film in drills, I feel good and I am not worried about it."
Rolle has been checking up on Phillips and he said that the former Miami star has been following the advice of the medical staff.
"The last thing you want is a recurring injury or pushing it too fast and prolonging the process," Rolle said. "I told him to make sure he was 150 percent when he came back and take however long you need."
Captain Chaos returns: Cooley healthy for Redskins
ASHBURN, Va. (AP) — Injury, age and competition from an up-and-comer haven't tempered the Captain Chaos side of Chris Cooley. His teammates, fans — and wife — should expect no less.
Take one of his recent vacations. The Washington Redskins tight end took Christy, a petite ex-cheerleader whose modeling credits include Maxim magazine, to Deep Lake in Wyoming and decided to ad-lib his way up the Beartooth Mountains.
"I dragged my wife there. It's a 9-mile hike up 3,500 feet," Cooley said Sunday. "It's insane. I felt so bad by the time I got to the top. We cut our legs all up. It's not even a trail. It was unreal. She made it, though."
Makes sense. Cooley doesn't follow trails, doesn't confine his life to the norm. Last week, when a fan requested a player to assist in a surprise marriage proposal on the sideline at training camp, Cooley was the natural choice, pretending to discover the ring while signing autographs.
And, on the field, Cooley's talent will help the Redskins tweak a few norms. With the emergence of third-year player Fred Davis, the offense has two top-notch pass-catching tight ends. Surely they're competing against each other for playing time, right?
Uh, nope.
"We're kind of both competing together — against the receivers," Cooley said.
Expect plenty of two tight end sets from the Redskins this season, with Cooley and Davis stealing playing time from a group of wideouts that is far from sorting itself out. There wasn't an NFL team that had two tight ends with 40 catches apiece last season; Cooley and Davis should each reach that threshold with room to spare.
"The receiving groups, they're still trying to see who's going to be the 1s, the 2s," Davis said. "(Chris and I) are just trying to make sure we're on the field together — because we both can be deep threats."
Santana Moss remains the team's No. 1 receiver, but he's topped the 1,000-yard mark only once since 2005. Third-year wideouts Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly are still trying to prove themselves as reliable starters, with Thomas getting the edge so far at camp because Kelly is sidelined with a hamstring injury. Both were ranked behind well-past-his-prime Joey Galloway on the depth chart at the start of camp.
Besides, offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan's play book makes no distinction between tight end and receiver.
"They're all the same position," Shanahan said. "They're all interchangeable. It's 'What's the best matchups?' And what helps us move the chains."
Sure enough, Cooley had one practice that featured him in an alphabet soup worth of positions, lining up all over the field.
"So far in this offense I've played the Z, I've played the F, I've played the Y, I've played the E," he said. "I'm looking to play quarterback soon."
Davis finished strong last season to finish with 48 receptions after Cooley was lost for the season with a broken ankle after seven games. Cooley had prided himself on never missing a game — and barely a practice — over his NFL career before the injury, so he's overjoyed to be healthy again.
"I love being out here and I love being with the guys," Cooley said. "It's so much fun to compete. It's something that I've dreamed of doing and it's still something that I want to be the best at. It was very hard for me to sit out and watch last year."
Cooley played in back-to-back Pro Bowls before the injury. At age 28, he could have many more all-star appearances in front of him, assuming the offense is as productive as promised — and assuming he and Davis don't cancel each other out in the minds of voters.
Growing up a Denver Broncos fan in Utah, Cooley recalls childhood memories of watching eight-time Pro Bowl tight end Shannon Sharpe prosper under new Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan.
"To be a part of this offense is really neat for me. To sit down and just talk to Mike Shanahan for the first time was kind of cool," Cooley said. "I was in awe a little bit."
A feeling of awe? It can even happen to Captain Chaos.
Note: Mike Shanahan said he expects Kelly to return to practice in a couple of days. "He looked better today, much improved," the coach said. ... DT Albert Haynesworth's failure to pass the conditioning test remains the No. 1 topic at camp. When a reporter joked that he did the conditioning test in his sleep, Mike Shanahan looked at the reporter and said with a smile: "You did it in your sleep? That's the only way you're going to do it."
-- Joseph White
Sore knee again keeps Haynesworth from taking test
ASHBURN, Va. (AP) — Albert Haynesworth's sore left knee kept him from taking the Washington Redskins conditioning test once again Sunday, forcing him to sit out practice for the fourth straight day.
"There's no change from yesterday," coach Mike Shanahan said. "He's still sore, irritated, getting treatment, working out, and we'll see if he's ready to go tomorrow."
The two-time All-Pro defensive tackle won't be allowed to practice until he passes the test. He failed it on the first day of training camp Thursday and again on Friday. He didn't take it Saturday because he had a small amount of swelling in his knee.
After Sunday's practice was over, Haynesworth emerged for what has become a daily ritual. He spent about 15 minutes walking through plays with defensive coordinator Jim Haslett and defensive line coach Jacob Burney, learning the nuances of the team's new 3-4 defense.
Haynesworth is the only Redskins player required to take the test because he skipped the team's offseason conditioning program, partly because he wanted to work out on his own and mostly because he didn't want to play nose tackle in the 3-4 scheme and was hoping for a trade. Everyone else on the roster had a grade of at least 50 percent participation.
Haynesworth, who received a $21 million bonus on April 1, is also attending team meetings, but his teammates say there's no substitute for practice.
"He's missed a lot," defensive end Phillip Daniels said. "This defense, I don't say it's hard to learn, but it's just a lot of terminology."
-- Joseph White
Greenway opening eyes on defense, too
MANKATO, Minn. (AP) — The star players are so recognizable on the Minnesota Vikings defense.
Jared Allen, Kevin Williams, Antoine Winfield, and the NFC's Pro Bowl team has featured several Vikings over the past couple of seasons. But none of those guys led the team in tackles the past two seasons. Quietly, that has been linebacker Chad Greenway.
"It's great for me to play in the shadows of great players," Greenway said. "We expect a lot out of ourselves."
In just a few days of training camp, Greenway has been noticeable. At the opening practice Friday, the offense was trying to get the tight end open across the middle during 7-on-7 drills, but twice, Greenway jumped the route and broke up the pass.
On Saturday, he made a nifty interception during a passing drill, then busted through the line to stuff Adrian Peterson in the backfield. He also put a big hit on Percy Harvin that caught the crowd's attention.
Sunday's big play came as he broke up a pass to tight end Jim Kleinsasser during a goal-line drill.
"I'm just looking for improvement," he said. "In game situations, you can always have fewer breakdowns. We fell to the No. 2 defense last season, and we want to get back to No. 1. We have the talent to do that."
Greenway was a first-round draft pick in 2006, but spent his rookie season on injured reserve after a preseason knee injury. In the three seasons since, he's totaled 319 tackles, leading the team with 115 in 2008 and 99 in 2009.
Last season, Greenway had three games with 10 or more tackles, and he was the NFC defensive player of the week after intercepting two passes, recovering a fumble and recovering an onside kick against Detroit in September.
But the season ended with a disappointing loss in the NFC championship game.
"The stuff you do as a team you remember more than the stuff you do individually," he said.
Coach Brad Childress said he remembers when Greenway was a rookie. Before the first practice of training camp, Greenway was among the first players on the field, catching punts from Chris Kluwe.
"He's a guy who loves what he does," Childress said.
Notes: Childress said that Harvin missed Sunday's practice to deal with a death in the family. He's not sure if Harvin will leave camp. ... Center John Sullivan (foot) and cornerback Benny Sapp (cramps) both sat out practice, and Childress said he thought they'd be back in a couple of days.
Packers call on Pickett, others to replace Jolly
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — The Green Bay Packers had a plan in place to replace defensive lineman Johnny Jolly even before he was suspended for at least a season under the NFL's substance abuse policy.
Perhaps anticipating that Jolly was in line to miss a significant amount of time, the Packers moved former nose tackle Ryan Pickett to defensive end in the offseason. He is expected to pair with Cullen Jenkins at end in Dom Capers' 3-4 scheme while one of last year's first-round picks, B.J. Raji, takes over as the primary nose tackle.
Jenkins said Jolly will be missed, but the defensive line still can be a source of strength for a team that was No. 1 against the run last season.
"We're still confident," Jenkins said. "Johnny is going to be tough to replace this year. Everybody across the board is going to have to step up and do a little extra. We have good guys on the team, it's just going to be a matter of everybody trying to get better."
Packers coach Mike McCarthy said he was surprised that Jolly, who can apply for reinstatement after the Super Bowl, will miss the whole season.
"It is something that the league has judged on," McCarthy said. "I'm more concerned for Johnny on a personal note because he has got (a) battle in front of him here with his legal situation."
Jolly is facing drug charges in Houston after his July 2008 arrest outside a club for possession of at least 200 grams of codeine. If convicted, Jolly faces up to 20 years in prison.
The Packers also drafted a pair of defensive lineman, second-rounder Mike Neal and seventh-rounder C.J. Wilson. Jarius Wynn, a sixth-rounder last year, could be in the mix. And former first-round pick Justin Harrell might finally be healthy after a disheartening series of injuries.
But Pickett remains Plan A. What will be the toughest part about his transition?
"Probably not being able to eat as much," Jenkins quipped.
Kidding aside, Jenkins said Pickett will need to get used to new techniques and responsibilities.
"It's a lot different," Jenkins said. "On the inside at nose, everything is quick. Contact is quick, you're getting into stuff right now. At end, it's usually a step or two reading before you get to do stuff. Sometimes the lateral schemes are a lot faster, you have a lot more space for people to get an advantage on you."
Pickett, a close friend of Jolly's, said he will be tough to replace.
"It's going to be a tough job," Pickett said. "But we have the guys, and we should be all right."
Pickett said he dropped weight in the offseason and is in better shape than he ever has been in coming into camp.
"I took the switch seriously," Pickett said. "I wanted to be a little lighter and move a little better at end."
The most intriguing end behind Jenkins and Pickett is Harrell, the team's first-round pick in 2007.
He has played in only 13 regular season games in three seasons because of injuries, spending last season on injured reserve because of a back injury that dates back to before the 2008 season.
"It's an important camp for Justin," McCarthy said. "He knows that. We all know that. We're excited that he's finally healthy. That's a frustrating place to be as a player when you have back-to-back injuries and things that keep you out, especially with the expectations of being a first-round pick. I'm just happy for him to be healthy and just want to see him stack some practices together, have some success."
Harrell said he's doing everything he can to prevent his back from flaring up. But he isn't looking too far down the road, because he knows there's no way to be sure he'll stay injury-free.
"It's one of those things with the back that I've learned over the past is I'm feeling good when I go to bed at night then wake up and can't even walk," Harrell said.
Jolly's absence has created an opportunity for everyone on the defensive line — but that's most true for Harrell, who might not stick around unless he can put his injury problems behind him.
"You've just got to take advantage of every opportunity you get," Harrell said.
-- Chris Jenkins
Lions ready to go
ALLEN PARK, Mich. (AP) — The Detroit Lions are ready for a new beginning.
Even though Sunday afternoon's practice was the third of training camp for the Lions. To the veterans and coaches, though, it was the unofficial beginning. After light workouts on Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning, the team put on shoulder pads for the first time in Sunday's second workout.
"It was good to have guys out there moving around, and we got some good things done," Lions coach Jim Schwartz said after the morning practice. "But it isn't going to feel real until we've gotten guys out there in shoulder pads like we will this afternoon."
The team is scheduled to work out twice more Monday before taking another step forward with their first full-padded practice on Tuesday.
"You can see some improvements from yesterday to today, but there will be things you can't see from our defense until we start hitting a little," Schwartz said. "You get some of that in shoulder pads and a little more in full pads, but there are some levels of live hitting that we won't see until the first preseason game."
For most players, the opening sessions of training camp were mostly a chance to get back into the flow of things after taking a month off from offseason workouts.
"There was a lot of rust to knock off in the first couple days," defensive end Cliff Avril said. "Now we can really get going."
One player, though, was working at midseason speed. Defensive tackle Kyle Vanden Bosch startled several offensive teammates by chasing them 30 yards downfield during non-contact drills.
"There were a couple plays where the backs had stopped running and turned back to go to the huddle, and then saw me still coming," he said. "I'm going to do that, and I'm going to try to strip the ball away from them. That helps my conditioning, and it helps them remember to finish off plays."
Schwartz, who coached Vanden Bosch in Tennessee, said that the veteran's high pace isn't an act.
"That's just how he is, and his teammates know it," he said. "Anyone who didn't know that about him learned it by the end of his first day with us in March. It is in his DNA to go hard all of the time."
Schwartz expects that the attitude will be contagious.
"That's the type of thing that rubs off on the other defensive players, and on the offensive guys too," he said. "By the end of practice, there were wide receivers blocking him down the field."
Vanden Bosch, though, still hasn't gotten a chance to work with Detroit's other new defensive tackle, Ndamukong Suh. Suh, the second overall pick in April's draft, still hasn't signed a contract.
"Obviously, you'd love to have him here," Vanden Bosch said. "We know how talented he is, and we know how much he can help us. The sooner the better, but as players, we also understand the position he is in."
The only public development in Suh's holdout came on his Twitter account. During Detroit's afternoon practice, it was updated with a reference to a Biblical verse: John 7-24.
"Judge not by with appearances, but judge with the right judgement," the tweet read in a possible reference to criticism he has received for holding out.
Notes: TE Brandon Pettigrew was activated from the physically unable to perform list and took part in the morning practice. Neither he nor RB Kevin Smith, both recovering from knee injuries, took part in the afternoon session, and Schwartz said both would be limited to one practice per day for the next few days. ... WR Michael Moore left the afternoon practice with a sore shoulder, shortly after having a brief scuffle with CB Eric King. ... S Louis Delmas, who missed Saturday's practice due to a personal issue, was back on Sunday, but remained on the PUP list while recovering from a groin injury sustained in minicamp.
Defense, not Leinart biggest question for Arizona
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — Matt Leinart and Derek Anderson are getting the most public attention in training camp. They are quarterbacks, after all, on a team that has lost Kurt Warner.
A bigger question mark for the Arizona Cardinals, though, is the defense, where departures and arrivals have led to a personnel shakeup in a unit that surrendered 90 points in two playoff games last season.
Bill Davis, entering his second season as defensive coordinator, says the challenge is blending those players into a cohesive unit that's an improvement from a year ago.
"We have to get this group playing together as quick as we can, as efficiently and mistake-free as we can," he said. "So there's a communication and over-communicating to make sure that we've got 11 guys playing the same defense. We've got a lot of strong, veteran personalities. A big emphasis has been tackling every day so we can get that better than it was in the playoffs."
Some of the big names on the defense, notably Pro Bowlers Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Darnell Dockett, made their presence felt on Sunday when the players donned pads for a practice forced indoors by wet weather.
Rodgers-Cromartie, still nursing a surgically repaired knee, made several spectacular plays against Larry Fitzgerald and others. Dockett knocked Leinart on his backside and bonked running back Tim Hightower in the head on another.
They, along with safety Adrian Wilson, are the defensive leaders. The problems loom elsewhere for a team that could have as many as five new starters.
Improvements were made during the regular season last year, Davis said, but all that anyone will remember were those awful final performances.
"At the end of the day, we made strides in the season," he said, "but when it mattered most, we didn't. That's on me and us and we'll get it fixed."
The first day of free agency was a tough one, when inside linebacker Karlos Dansby and safety Antrel Rolle signed with other teams. Defensive end Bertrand Berry retired and outside linebacker Chike Okeafor was not re-signed.
Arizona made moves to fill the holes. Outside linebacker Joey Porter signed as a free agent and safety Kerry Rhodes came in a trade with the New York Jets. Porter and his former Pittsburgh Steelers teammate Clark Haggans man the outside linebacker spots.
The big battles in training camp are at cornerback and inside linebacker. Last year's starting corner Bryant McFadden was traded to Pittsburgh. The fight for his job mainly is between free agent signee Trumaine McBride, who played two full seasons with Chicago but was released after one game a year ago, and second-year pro Greg Toler.
McBride, a nine-game starter as a rookie, stands just 5-foot-9 but brings experience that Toler lacks. Toler, a fourth-round pick out of little St. Paul's of Virginia, has the raw talent but needs to be more consistent.
At inside linebacker, the situation is even more unsettled. Dansby was the team's big-play defender and the one who called the plays. Fellow starter Gerald Hayes is recovering from back surgery with no timetable for his return.
"It is an absolute dogfight inside," Davis said. "It is up in the air, up for grabs. These guys, by their play and the way they handle themselves through the preseason, they'll determine who the best two are and the best backups are. It is 100 percent wide open."
The candidates include free agent signee Paris Lenon, a starter the last five seasons with Green Bay, Detroit and St. Louis. Then there's Monty Beisel, rarely a starter in his 10 NFL seasons and in his second stint with the Cardinals.
The Cardinals want to move rookie Daryl Washington, a second-round pick who was a standout at TCU, to eventually fill one of the inside linebacker spots. Ali Highsmith is back with the team after being released Dec. 22 and re-signed to the practice squad. Highsmith made two starts in place of the injured Hayes a year ago. Also back is Reggie Walker, the only undrafted rookie free agent to make the team a year ago.The defensive line, for now, is the same as a year ago, with Dockett, who fell one vote shy of first-team All Pro, at tackle and 6-foot-8 Calais Campbell at end. Bryant Robinson returns at nose tackle but could be pushed once Arizona signs first-round pick Dan Williams.
Porter knows how bad his new team's defense was.
"That's the beautiful thing about training camp," he said. "Everybody starts out 0-0. Last year was last year. We're not the same team."
-- Bob Baum
From devastation to 'dream' for Seahawks' Thomas
RENTON, Wash. (AP) — From devastation to living a "dream."
Earl Thomas doesn't need a financial adviser to tell him what he should do with the $21.1 million, five-year contract — including $12.32 million guaranteed — that the Seattle Seahawks gave the 14th overall draft choice late Saturday night.
He doesn't need to be reminded why, as Seahawks coach Pete Carroll says of Thomas, "he's really serious about his football."
The 21-year-old safety already has a large chunk destined for a new house for his parents, to replace the one destroyed in 2005 when Hurricane Rita ripped through Orange, Texas.
Moving his parents out of a tiny bedroom in his grandparents' place in Orange is the reason Thomas left the University of Texas two years early.
"It's just a dream come true. I'm happy for my family and for the whole Orange, Texas, back home," he said Sunday after his first practice of training camp.
Since the hurricane, his parents have lived cramped inside a tiny bedroom that Thomas says should be the living space for a small child. It's inside Thomas' grandparents house in Orange, a border town with Louisiana off Interstate 10 between Lake Charles and Beaumont. His grandfather is a pastor at the Sixth Street Community Church there.
Now, after years of his folks taking care of him, Thomas can begin taking care of them. His parents have already browsed the housing market in and around Orange. But now that their son's deal is done, Thomas says shopping can turn into buying.
"We're going to be on that pretty soon," he said.
"It took a while, but at least I beat Russell in here," Thomas added wryly.
"Russell" is Russell Okung. The sixth overall pick remains unsigned in what is becoming an increasingly frustrating situation for Seattle. The team drafted the brick wall from Oklahoma State to replace retired All-Pro Walter Jones at left tackle, yet perennial backup Ray Willis is there.
And Okung is nowhere in sight.
Carroll said the Seahawks' offer is a strong one, and he hinted that it fits appropriately between the $34 million guaranteed safety Eric Berry just got from Kansas City as the fifth overall pick and the $26 million guaranteed cornerback Joe Haden received from Cleveland as the No. 7 choice.
"I mean, it's pretty clear how this should go," said Carroll, who also has executive vice president and personnel power in Seattle. "We're absolutely ready to get it done right away. They've got to pick up the phone."
Carroll sounded far more pleasant talking about Thomas.
The coach said that because Thomas is such a serious, conscientious kid "he doesn't let you know how happy he is, but you know."
Thomas missed the first two practices with the Seahawks, who plan to have the second of their two first-round picks starting at safety this season alongside Lawyer Milloy.
The 36-year-old Milloy was a freshman playing baseball at Lincoln High School in Tacoma, Wash., when Thomas was born in May 1989.
"I've always dreamed big," Thomas said quietly, "but I never thought it'd come this early."
Though he arrived late to camp, Thomas showed up in a big way immediately after taking the field. In one of his first scrimmage plays, he showed his 4.3 speed in the 40-yard dash by zooming across the back of the secondary. He lowered his head and violently separated starting tight end John Carlson from the ball on a well-thrown pass from Matt Hasselbeck down the hashmarks.
While Carlson looked around to figure out what happened, Thomas shook his head and then let out a screeching "Whooo!" Teammates and the 2,500-plus fans in attendance — an environment similar to what Thomas enjoyed during coach Mack Brown's practices in Austin — roared over the hit.
"I got thrown into the fire, with full pads and everything," Thomas said. "I kind of got into a collision, just to get back into it. I felt good just to get my feet wet again."
-- Gregg Bell
49ers take the field for first time
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Mike Singletary gave his players a day to ease into the intense grind of training camp.
The San Francisco 49ers took the field in shells only Sunday afternoon for their first practice, a day before two-a-day workouts in full pads begin in earnest.
"I'm ready to put the pads on," linebacker Patrick Willis said with a grin. "We all know training camp is a brutal time in this sport, but also the time that gets us ready."
The Niners originally weren't set to start camp until Monday, then Singletary decided late last week to instead get going a day earlier and add Sunday's workout to the schedule. With the Niners installing schemes Saturday night and again Sunday night, the coaches decided to put Saturday's efforts to work on the field Sunday.
This is Singletary's second training camp as head coach and he is determined to take this team to the playoffs after a seven-year absence. San Francisco finished 8-8 last season in his first full season, ending a franchise-worst streak of six straight losing campaigns.
That wasn't anywhere close to good enough for the perfectionist Hall of Fame linebacker turned coach. In many ways, this should be a less stressful camp for Singletary. There's continuity and experience on both sides of the ball.
The players understand Singletary's demanding style, so even the coach acknowledges this camp might not be quite as hard as his first one in charge.
"I don't know that it's going to be grueling," Singletary said. "The first few days, yes, but there is a point that we have to get to, to kind of take a look at these first few days and look at what we've accomplished, where we are and take that next step. But right now, I'm sure they're going to say, 'This is a really tough camp.'"
This year, there's not the daily drama of 2009 when everybody waited for rookie receiver Michael Crabtree to finally turn up and sign his contract — which he eventually did in early October after the 10th overall draft pick missed the first 71 days.
Crabtree, in his No. 15 jersey, sprinted down the sideline with ease under the afternoon sun to run a route Sunday. Last year at this time, he was working out in Tampa, Fla., with whoever he could recruit to practice with him each day.
So, this is his first camp. Yet no rookie hazing now that he's a second-year pro.
"I did enough of that last year, man," he said, noting he brought his share of buckets of fried chicken to his teammates.
The team's two first-round selections this year, offensive linemen Anthony Davis and Mike Iupati, taken 11th and 17th, respectively, both were in uniform for the start of camp. They signed five-year contracts Friday.
One of the first drills they did was pound their large bodies into the blocking sleds. Singletary expects both players to compete for starting jobs out of camp and become starters at some point as rookies. They lined up with the second-team offense Sunday.
"I don't want to throw a couple of rookies in and risk that they can't swim," Singletary said.
Sunday was just the start for these two in what will be one of the most physically demanding months they've had so far in their young football careers. Veteran offensive stars Frank Gore and Vernon Davis, and several defensive starters, too, called last year's camp among the toughest they'd ever experienced.
And Singletary is committed to another rigorous preseason to get his team ready.
The 49ers haven't advanced to the postseason since the 2002 season and made two many costly mistakes — most notably late in the game on the road — last season to earn the franchise a trip.
Quarterback Alex Smith begins this year's camp as the starter after entering as Shaun Hill's backup last year then eventually earning the job in late October. With all of Smith's work at team headquarters this past spring, the offense should be ahead of schedule at this stage.
While the team looks largely the same this summer, it will be interesting to see what happens with Trent Baalke leading the way for football operations in the front office. He was promoted to vice president of player personnel in May after leading San Francisco through the draft, stepping in following the abrupt departure of former general manager Scot McCloughan.
The 49ers and McCloughan had what Jed York called a "mutual parting" in March. York would only say it was a "private personnel matter."
Baalke has been a regular fixture on the sideline during offseason practices and certainly will be eager to see how his recent moves work out this season.
Aubrayo Franklin, San Francisco's starting nose tackle who is seeking a new contract, was the only no-show Sunday. The 49ers designated Franklin their franchise player earlier this year, but he's yet to sign a one-year tender of $7.003 million. It's unclear how long he plans to hold out.
"I don't really have a lot of concern," Singletary said. "It's very important for us as a football team to understand that Aubrayo has to do what he thinks is best for him. I'm not going to try and dictate one thing or another. I'm going to let him do what he has to do."
-- Janie McCauley
Rams' Jackson watches sharks, soccer over summer
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Steven Jackson knows all about fear now, and it has nothing to do with a linebacker's punishing hit. He watched a shark slide through the water and devour a seal.
The St. Louis Rams' Pro Bowl running back spent his offseason rehabbing from back surgery, watching World Cup soccer games in South Africa — and diving with sharks.
"It's not even like running out of the tunnel or anything," Jackson said. "You can actually go into panic mode down there. Anytime I tell this story I think the scariest thing is not seeing the shark when he disappears into the murky water."
Watching from an underwater cage, Jackson saw one 18-foot-long shark that "you could have mistaken for a whale."
"I actually witnessed one hunting and devouring a seal," he said. "That was pretty nerve-racking. It makes you forget about the cold, icy water, I'll tell you that.
"You kind of get the blood going."
Watching Shark Week on TV the week before the trip wasn't enough to prepare him for that.
He turned 27 just last month, but Jackson already has a list of things he wants to do before he dies.
He'll see more soccer games. He's had enough up-close time viewing great whites, thank you.
"It was a neat experience. It was one of those things on the bucket list that I always wanted to do," Jackson said. "I did it; I won't do it again. But you know, I lived to tell about it."
One of Jackson's teammates thought it would have been the sharks that were relieved when the 235-pound running back surfaced.
"He probably scared the sharks away," linebacker James Laurinaitis said Sunday. "Swimming with sharks. I'd be in the boat probably pointing them out."
Out of the water, Jackson watched three World Cup games, including United States vs. Slovenia. Among his take-home souvenirs: three of those annoying vuvuzela horns.
"Those things," Jackson said, "are hard to blow."
Jackson carried a 1-15 team that earned the No. 1 pick of the draft on his aching back last season, and his total of 1,416 yards rushing was the second-best of his career. This despite playing the last third of the season with a herniated disk that required surgery in April.
"That last five or six weeks was pretty painful," Jackson said. "Going through it I think I proved a lot to myself, being able to fight through the pain and still be somewhat productive."
When training camp opened Saturday, he was enthusiastic about the success of the rehab. No problems taking hits in full contact drills Sunday, either.
"Everything's up; everything's going good," Jackson said. "We really worked to make sure the durability will still be there and I can still run the natural way I'm used to running."
Coach Steve Spagnuolo figured Jackson would slowly work up to speed, but Jackson is already there.
"I think it's more so just getting my feet underneath me again, making the cuts I'm able to make and working on the field of vision," Jackson said. "The football, the hitting, I'm not worried about it. I'll be ready to go."
Notes: The defense appeared well ahead of an offense that'll eventually be led by No. 1 overall pick Sam Bradford but for now has journeyman A.J. Feeley at starting quarterback. Among the big hits: Linebacker Larry Grant knocked fullback Mike Karney's helmet off. ... Some players appeared surprised there wasn't hitting on opening day again, considering the change evidence of Spagnuolo's growth as coach. The Rams are holding two-a-days every other day, too, instead of every day. ... Offensive tackle Jason Smith, the second overall pick last year, remained restricted to individual duty while rehabbing a fractured big toe.
-- R.B. Fallstrom
Falcons LB Lofton has seen enough penalties on 'D'
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — Middle linebacker Curtis Lofton takes it personally when the Atlanta Falcons make mental mistakes.
Those 110 defensive penalties last season, fourth-most in the NFL?
Lofton is still disgusted. As he sees it, the miscues were unacceptable.
"Yes, they were," Lofton said Sunday night. "As the middle linebacker and the leader, you get everybody in place and you get everybody lined up. We want to be an elite defense. Getting those penalties is what's hurting us."
Lofton, who's entering his third season, has been the undisputed heart of the Atlanta defense since Keith Brooking signed as a free agent with Dallas in March 2009.
A second-round draft pick from Oklahoma in '08, Lofton ranked sixth in the NFL last season with 105 solo tackles and 113 combined stops, but he took little satisfaction.
After all, the longer your defense stays on the field, the more chances you have to pad your statistics.
"I mean it's all right, but that's not what I want," Lofton said. "I feel like I can do a lot better than that. I feel like I left a lot of plays out there last year. Right now, I'm just trying to get better."
Foremost in the Falcons' collective mindset is limiting unforced mistakes. Like all NFL teams, Atlanta will soon host league officials for a couple of days in training camp, but coach Mike Smith doesn't want to wait.
Smith is putting renewed emphasis on eliminating penalties in each session on the field and in the film room. To make that happen, he needs Lofton and other leading veterans to be vigilant, particularly in coverage.
"The hand play that takes place in the secondary, sometimes it's difficult to practice because we don't have officials out here," Smith said, "But you'll hear me, you'll hear other coaches say, 'Don't grab! Don't grab! Watch your hand play!' "
As a head coach and a former defensive coordinator, Smith wants to focus on personnel, play-calling, shifts and alignments. Worrying about penalties only makes his job harder.
"Some of the young guys still believe they're in college and they can contact receivers down the field, but in the NFL you have an opportunity to get one shot in the first five yards," Smith said. "So it's something we're going to continue to stress and something we stress all the time."
Lofton doesn't hesitate to speak up.
With Brooking gone, Lofton takes charge of the huddle and stays on the field for most third-down plays. He's also responsible for making sure the front seven is correctly positioned before the snap.
Several problems, however, made his job difficult last year. Knee injuries ended the season early for tackle Peria Jerry, a first-round pick, and starting cornerback Brian Williams.
The pass rush suffered as right end John Abraham faced more chips and max protections, and left end Jamaal Anderson failed to solve a career-long problem with finishing plays.
Not surprisingly, the Falcons ranked last with a third-down efficiency of 45.3 percent. They allowed 55 pass plays of 20 or more yards, including 11 of 40 or more, and no NFC team allowed a higher percentage of completions (58.8) that went for first downs.
"We didn't do so well on third-and-short or third-and-long, so we're putting a lot of emphasis on that in training camp," outside linebacker Mike Peterson said. "All the mistakes were correctable mistakes. That's the good thing about it. "
The free-agent signing of cornerback Dunta Robinson gave the Falcons a proven perimeter presence that should take less pressure off young cornerbacks Brent Grimes, Christopher Owens, Chevis Jackson and rookie Dominique Franks, a fifth-round pick.
Strong safety Thomas DeCoud emerged as a physical 16-game starter in his second season, taking some responsibility of stopping the run off Erik Coleman, the free safety who led the 2008 team in tackles.
Though Abraham finished with 5½ sacks, the lowest in the six seasons he's made 16 starts, defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux and reserve end Kroy Biermann combined for 11 sacks.
Three days into camp, the defense appears relatively healthy. Though Robinson missed Sunday with a sore hamstring, Smith expects him to return early in the week when the team is in full pads.
Jerry and Williams have reported no major difficulties recently with their knees. Strong safety William Moore, a second-round pick last year, seems to be moving well after missing all of '09 with ankle and hamstring injuries.
None of this is lost on Lofton, who has joined Peterson in working closely to mentor first-round pick Sean Weatherspoon, an outside linebacker the Falcons believe can become an NFL star.
"We've got the pieces here, but it's my job and everyone else's job to make sure we work as a unit and accomplish our goals as one," Lofton said. "Just by eliminating those mental mistakes, the odds of success increase dramatically."
-- George Henry
Search on in Carolina to find Peppers' replacement
SPARTANBURG, S.C. (AP) — When the remaining individual game tickets for the Carolina Panthers went on sale Saturday, the return of Julius Peppers with the Chicago Bears was the only one to immediately sell out.
Finding a replacement for Peppers and retooling the defensive line are going to take much longer.
Not only did the five-time Pro Bowl pick and franchise sacks leader walk away in free agency in the offseason, the Panthers released three defensive tackles who have started over the past two seasons.
Tyler Brayton is the only starter back, and at age 30, he's the oldest defensive lineman on the roster by four years.
"It's like been overnight. I've gone from being normal-aged to now I'm the old vet," Brayton said Sunday. "Coaches are looking to me for a little more leadership out there, being the oldest guy. I'm looking to embrace that role. I haven't figured out quite how I'm going to do it yet."
Defensive line coach Brian Baker is experimenting with numerous combinations without the freakishly athletic Peppers to demand double teams and line up in different spots on the line.
The messy way Peppers left town after being forced to stick around in 2009 because of the franchise tag remains a touchy subject.
"I'm going to cut your question off. No reaction," Baker said when asked how players have responded to being without Peppers. "The guys that knew Pep, including me, miss him as a man because he was kind of, believe it or not, fun to be around and you enjoyed his presence."
Despite dogged criticism that he took plays off, Peppers had 10½ sacks last season and 81 in his eight years in Carolina.
"It's just going to mean each one of the four of us is going to have to step it up a little bit more," Brayton said. "When you don't have that one so-called superstar out there, it just takes more of a group effort. I loved playing with Pep. He was a hardworking, down-to-earth guy and he just loved to get after it, so he's going to be missed. But at the same time we've got to move on."
While Brayton appears secure at left defensive end, Charles Johnson and Everette Brown are competing for Peppers' old spot along with surprising rookie Greg Hardy and Hilee Taylor.
After Damione Lewis and Maake Kemoeatu were released and Hollis Thomas wasn't re-signed, there's a logjam of defensive tackles jockeying for jobs led by Tank Tyler, Ed Johnson, Louis Leonard, Nick Hayden and Corvey Irvin.
"If you wanted to make me name who the starting tackles are going to be, I truly couldn't do it right now," Baker said. "I don't know who's going to be on the 53 (regular-season roster) at this point.
"That's good and bad. You like to know how your guys are going to be, but the good thing is there are a lot of guys who are good enough to start."
Injuries have further complicated things. Johnson started training camp with the first team at end, strained his hamstring in the first practice and was sidelined until returning Sunday. Brown, who figures to be used on passing downs, had taken over there.
"I was really excited about Charles Johnson coming into training camp because of what he showed in minicamp and OTAs and the way he's worked all summer," Baker said. "Just his mentality, rather than slumping back in the meeting, he's on the edge of his seat now, ready to answer questions. He's a different guy. Then, hamstring tweak."
Hardy, the Mississippi product once considered a first-round talent who fell to the sixth round, has been the most explosive in practice. He physically resembles Peppers the most of anybody on the roster.
"I could have been paid a whole lot more but, hey, I'm in a great position right now," Hardy said of his decision to stay in school for his senior year. "I'm almost happy that I'm here now and thankful that Julius Peppers is gone. I'm in the spotlight to produce or not produce."
The remaining 13 defensive linemen on the roster have a combined 36½ career sacks, not even half of Peppers' production. So the Panthers can only guarantee having a capacity crowd when Peppers returns to Carolina on Oct. 10, not a competent line.
"I think we're going to surprise some people," Brayton insisted. "I think we're a very talented bunch. Maybe not a lot of people have heard of all of us, but I think if we can play well as a group together, I feel like the sky is the limit."
-- Mike Cranston
