NFL Capsules - NFC Team News: Haynesworth fails conditioning test, no practice
Comments 0ASHBURN, Va. (AP) — A slimmed-down Albert Haynesworth was deemed unfit to practice, even though the players were wearing shorts, contact was sparse, and the whole thing last only 70 minutes.
In the latest test of wills between Haynesworth and coach Mike Shanahan, the two-time All-Pro defensive lineman was kept off the field for the opening session of Washington Redskins training camp Thursday after failing a conditioning test.
"The bottom line," Shanahan said, "is we're going to get him in shape."
Haynesworth's only appearance came after the practice was over, when he spent about 20 minutes walking through some plays with two assistant coaches. Looking perhaps 30 pounds leaner than he did a year ago, Haynesworth hovered around large upside-down trash bins — representing offensive linemen — as he learned the defense's terminology. He didn't speak to reporters.
Shanahan said Haynesworth will take the test once a day until he passes. If Haynesworth fails, he'll have to spend extra time on the treadmill — as he did Thursday — and will continue to be absent from practice.
Haynesworth boycotted the team's offseason workouts and minicamps because he is unhappy with the Redskins' switch to a 3-4 defense and wanted a trade. When he finally returned to Redskins Park on Wednesday, he was told he would have to pass the conditioning test to take part in training camp and would start off practicing with the reserves.
Haynesworth was the only player required to take the test. Everyone else on the team attended a certain percentage of offseason workouts required by Shanahan. The test involves two series of demanding back-and-forth sprints that must be completed in a certain time.
"The conditioning test, I don't even think a lot of us guys that were even here 100 percent could have passed that thing," cornerback DeAngelo Hall. "But that's what conditioning tests are, that's what they're supposed to be, they're supposed to be some of them unattainable. Some we've had in the past were definitely unattainable."
But Shanahan maintained that Haynesworth was not set up to fail. He said all the other linemen essentially passed the test by taking part in the offseason workouts.
"It's a very fair test," Shanahan said. "But more importantly, it keeps a guy from getting hurt. I don't want to put a guy out there that's not ready to go, and all of a sudden there's a setback for two weeks."
Shanahan's reasoning carried less weight on a day when practice was not particularly demanding, and on a day when receiver Malcolm Kelly was allowed to practice on a wet field despite nursing a sore hamstring. Also, while conditioning tests are routine among NFL teams, failure to pass hasn't necessarily excluded a player from participation. The Redskins had three players fail the test in 2008, but all three took part as usual in training camp practices.
When told he had failed the test, Haynesworth was "first-class all the way" in accepting the news, according to Shanahan. The coach indicated there were no harsh words exchanged.
Haynesworth doesn't want to play nose tackle in a 3-4 defense and would rather be in a scheme that gives him the freedom that helped make him a dominant player for many years with the Tennessee Titans. But he also declined Shanahan's offer to find another team and accepted a $21 million bonus on April 1, part of the seven-year, $100 million deal signed as a free agent a year ago.
The saga overshadowed the team's start of a new chapter with new coach Shanahan and new quarterback Donovan McNabb. Players have tried to ignore the distraction, but several called Haynesworth "selfish" when he skipped the mandatory minicamp last month.
"The sooner all this gets behind us," center Casey Rabach said, "it'll be better for this team."
Notes: CB Carlos Rogers signed his $1.54 million restricted free agent tender and took part in practice. He waited until the last possible moment because he was unhappy not to get a long-term contract. ... OL Mike Williams, who is being treated for blood clots, was placed on the reserved non-football illness list. ... No. 4 overall draft pick Trent Williams is officially a holdout, missing the first day of camp while contract negotiations continue. "I'd be surprised if he's not in here quickly," Shanahan said.
Late-season collapse has Coughlin ready for camp
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Tom Coughlin has been ready to start training camp with the New York Giants for about eight months.
Listening to his voice in a telephone interview Thursday, one could sense his anticipation, readiness and desire to get going again, as well as the tinge of anger and frustration left over from last season.
What Giants player or fan can forget 2009? The team won its first five games, then lost eight of the final 11, including the last two in which the players basically quit.
That's the past and Coughlin is ready to start anew when the Giants report to training camp at the University at Albany on Sunday.
"Let's go. Let's do it," Coughlin said. "I am excited this year as much as I have ever been excited, I'll tell you that right now," Coughlin said. "I am looking forward to it and have been since the end of the season last year.
"There is nothing to be said," Coughlin added about last season. "All you can do is plan and be ready to go on the field as soon as they let you and try to do something about it."
The Giants have made several changes since the end of last season.
Former Buffalo Bills interim coach Perry Fewell has replaced Bill Sheridan as the coordinator of a defense that gave up 427 points last season.
The safety position was strengthened with the free-agent signings of Antrel Rolle and Deon Grant. Former Tennessee Titans player Keith Bulluck was signed to replaced the now-retired Antonio Pierce at middle linebacker.
There also is the hope that safety Kenny Phillips can return from major knee surgery and that defensive linemen Justin Tuck, Osi Umenyiora, Chris Canty and Jay Alford can return from injuries that either sidelined them or limited their effectiveness last season.
While Eli Manning and the Giants showed they could score last season, their once-vaunted running game was not as effective, a fact that left the defense on the field way too much.
Coughlin wants his offense to grind things out again and control the clock.
Special teams also has a big question mark with the retirement of punter Jeff Feagles. Rookie Matt Dodge, a seventh-round draft pick, has the job to lose.
"Let me tell you this, the only reason we do this is to win and to be in position to compete for the championship," Coughlin said. "That's the only thing we are in this for. Every thought we have is geared toward that.
"We feel we have the makings of a very good football team," said the 63-year-old coach who led the Giants to a Super Bowl championship in February 2008. "We like the position that we are in. We are motivated, but we have to go on the field and fight our way through it and prove it."
Coughlin said that Phillips probably would sit out the first week of training camp, while Umenyiora (hip) and Bulluck (knee) would only practice once a day to start.
Bulluck is coming off major surgery on his left knee and needs to improve his conditioning, strength and to add some weight.
"He is a veteran player who is very smart, a no-nonsense guy who is a physical player," Coughlin said. "He fits a nice piece of the puzzle for our team."
Defensively, Coughlin hopes that Fewell can restore the aggressiveness that the unit exhibited in 2007 and '08. He also wants some of his veterans to take bigger leadership roles with the departure of Pierce.
While there have been rumors that the team is trying to find second-year pro Will Beatty a job on the offensive line, Coughlin said that David Diehl, Rich Seubert, Shaun O'Hara, Chris Snee and Kareem McKenzie will come to camp as the No. 1 unit.
However, the coach wants to see the line produce more on the ground, while noting the defense has to be much better against the run.
"This is how we play, and we need to play the game the way we are designed to play," he said.
Coughlin said that third-round draft pick Chad Jones, who was seriously injured in an automobile accident in late June in New Orleans and needs more surgery, will miss the season.
"It's really hurts not to have Chad," Coughlin said. "The important thing is that he regain his total health. He's not going to be far from our thoughts in training camp."
The Giants waived Jones on Thursday. If he clears waivers, the Giants will place him on the reserve-non-football injury.
New York also was awarded defensive end Alex Hall on waivers from Philadelphia.
-- Tom Canavan
Vikings arrive at camp without Favre
MANKATO, Minn. (AP) — If Brett Favre returns to Minnesota for a 20th NFL season, it almost certainly won't be before the Vikings' 12-day stay in this college town comes to an end.
That seems to be just fine with the rest of the team.
The Vikings started reporting for training camp Thursday evening to begin what is the scourge of life in the NFL — sweating through two-a-day practices in the stifling August heat and humidity. Yet nearly every veteran who was available to the media said they had no problem with Favre skipping training camp like he did last season.
While much of the rest of the country seems to have tired of Favre's annual waffling, the guys who matter most — his teammates — don't seem to mind a bit.
"There's been a lot of talk about players being treated differently," center John Sullivan said. "Well, guys aren't the same. Brett's been playing for 20 years. He's earned some leeway. We know that if he comes back he'll be 100 percent committed to the team. We'd love to have him. Everybody knows that.
"I think I speak for most of the guys when I say nobody's upset Brett is in the situation that he's in."
Favre is working out at his home in Hattiesburg, Miss., still rehabbing a surgically repaired ankle that was injured in Minnesota's overtime loss to the New Orleans Saints in the NFC title game. He has yet to inform the team if he will honor the second year of his contract and come back for another run at the Super Bowl.
"What year is it for him? Like 20?" defensive tackle Kevin Williams said. "So I think he's done his share of these things and either way, if he comes back, when he does, as long as he's ready to go that will be fine with us."
If Favre returns, all 22 starters will be back for a team that came achingly close to its first Super Bowl appearance since the 1976 season. The Vikings dominated most of the statistical categories in the game. But they committed five turnovers, including an interception by Favre in New Orleans territory at the end of regulation, and left the Superdome feeling like they gave the game away.
The Saints went on to win in overtime before defeating the Colts in the Super Bowl.
"It's a hell of a group of guys, and always the challenge is that last year will have nothing to do with this year," coach Brad Childress said.
The Vikings head back to New Orleans to open the NFL regular season on Sept. 6 in a rematch of their January thriller.
"We've put the NFC Championship game behind us," Sullivan said. "I know we have some preseason games but I'm pretty sure everybody's very aware that's who we are playing Week 1. But there's a lot of work to do before we get to that point."
Even though they are starting training camp without arguably their most important player, they do take comfort in the familiarity of it all. Last year Favre told the Vikings he was not going to play shortly before camp opened. But he changed his mind a few weeks later, and went on to record one of the best seasons of his career despite having less than three weeks to prepare.
Favre threw for over 4,200 yards with 33 touchdowns and just seven interceptions to lead the Vikings (12-4) to the NFC North title and their first NFC title game since 2001.
"We all know the situation and there's going to be some time before we know the outcome of whether or not Brett's coming back," Sullivan said. "We'll go out there and work with the guys we have and for right now those are the guys that we'll focus on and proceed if one of them is going to be your starting quarterback. Because they're the ones that are here.
"If that situation changes, we'll deal with it when the time comes."
For now, Tarvaris Jackson will take most of the snaps with the starting offense, while Sage Rosenfels and rookie Joe Webb round out the quarterback depth chart. But most expect Favre to show up eventually.
"Nobody cares. ... He's pretty rare that he can miss all of training camp and do all that and come in and light it up," guard Steve Hutchinson said. "Hopefully if he decides to come back he can do that all over again."
-- Jon Krawczynski
Bears' Smith optimistic heading into camp
BOURBONNAIS, Ill. (AP) — Chicago Bears coach Lovie Smith kept mentioning the Super Bowl. He couldn't resist invoking the Monsters of the Midway, either.
Whether it's unbridled optimism or the pure delusion of someone whose job is on the line, Smith sounded more like the coach of a reigning champion than the guy with a win-or-else mandate as his team reported for training camp on Thursday.
Smith said the Bears "know what a Super Bowl team looks like," but they've hardly resembled one in the three seasons since they played for the championship.
Now, they're looking for more. And there's no shortage of storylines as camp begins.
There's the arrival of prized free agent Julius Peppers. There's the relationship between new offensive coordinator Mike Martz and Jay Cutler. And there's that win-now mandate president Ted Phillips gave Smith and general manager Jerry Angelo.
"I feel the same pressure every year — the pressure to win the Super Bowl, that's what we feel right now," said Smith, who mentioned the Super Bowl four times during his chat with the media. "The pressure to put the best team we can on the field the first game. Pressure to have a good practice every day, no more than that. But that's enough right now."
The question is: Will it be enough in the end? If nothing else, the Bears certainly have something to prove.
"It think everyone's got a little chip on their shoulder, which I think is great," Cutler said. "There's a sense of urgency to go out there and play well, which is what you want to have as a football team."
Running back Matt Forte said: "Everybody's job is in jeopardy. The last couple of years, we haven't made the playoffs."
The Bears' last postseason appearance was the 2006 team's Super Bowl run. They're coming off a 7-9 season that began with soaring expectations after acquiring Cutler in the blockbuster trade with Denver that they never met, thanks to injuries and poor execution.
And now, they have a different look.
The coaching staff got a makeover, particularly on offense, and now has two new coordinators with the hiring of Martz and Rod Marinelli's promotion from defensive line coach. And Angelo went on a spending spree.
Besides luring Peppers from Carolina with a six-year deal potentially worth $91.5 million, the Bears signed running back Chester Taylor away from Minnesota and blocking tight end Brandon Manumaleuna from San Diego on the same day.
With all the changes, it's not hard to envision the Bears making the playoffs. Yet, it's also easy to envision them getting knocked down like an unprotected quarterback given the questions surrounding them, a blitz that could leave Smith and Angelo out of jobs.
"I feel like I know what's going to happen in the future," Smith said. "We have a good football team right now. I'm not going to look to the past an awful lot. Gonna talk about what we can do. All those things I mentioned before, that's why there's a lot of excitement around here."
Peppers, who had 81.0 sacks in eight seasons with Carolina, figures to boost a defense that ranked 17th overall and tied for 13th in sacks.
The Bears are counting on him to take the load off the oft-injured Tommie Harris, resulting in fewer double teams and, they hope, more pressure on the quarterback.
That, in turn, should make things easier for a secondary that struggled last season.
It helps that six-time Pro Bowl middle linebacker Brian Urlacher is healthy after suffering a season-ending wrist injury in last year's opener, setting a bad tone. Harris is healthier, too, after being limited by knee and hamstring problems and won't have any limits on his practice participation, Smith said.
"He's healthy, we're not talking about his injuries anymore," Smith said. "It's all in the past."
He's focused more on the future ... a future with a defense that dominates up front and in the secondary. It's a future in which Cutler cuts down on his interceptions after throwing 26, the most by a Bears quarterback since Sid Luckman's club record 31 in 1947. It's a future in which the offensive line holds its ground after being pushed around and a No. 1 receiver emerges from a young group that includes Devin Hester, Johnny Knox, Earl Bennett and Juaquin Iglesias.
Mostly, it's a future in which the Bears prove their doubters wrong. And, maybe, save their coach's job.
"Lovie's one of the best coaches I've been around," Cutler said. "Everyone on this team has a great amount of respect for him. He treats us well. ... You want to go out there and play well."
-- Andrew Seligman
Lions' Backus optimistic entering training camp
ALLEN PARK, Mich. (AP) — Jeff Backus has experienced a lot of misery on the football field since leaving Michigan and getting drafted by the Detroit Lions in 2001, losing 111 games and winning just 33 times.
This season, he insisted, will be different.
"There are a lot of reasons to be optimistic," Backus said during the team's last minicamp. "I think we finally have the players to turn things around."
Backus and his teammates are due to report to training camp Friday, but there's a chance first-round picks Ndamukong Suh and Jahvid Best won't show up because they're unsigned.
Detroit coach Jim Schwartz told reporters Thursday he hopes both players are signed in time to practice Saturday.
"Obviously, we hope they're there," Schwartz said. "But it's the old cliche, we're going to coach whoever we got."
Fans will get a chance to see the new-look Lions practice for the first time on Wednesday morning at team headquarters in Allen Park.
The Lions were very active in the offseason, acquiring much-needed talent on both sides of the ball.
They aggressively targeted defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch and receiver Nate Burleson as priorities on Day 1 of free agency and signed both veteran standouts.
Detroit also bolstered its starting lineup and depth chart with the additions of defensive tackle Corey Williams, offensive guard Rob Sims, tight end Tony Scheffler, cornerback Chris Houston and cornerback Dre' Bly.
The Lions will have to replace a pair of relatively productive linebackers — Larry Foote and Ernie Sims — but didn't lose any other significant players from last year's two-win team.
"We didn't spend a whole lot of money to make a big splash with a big name, but we got guys we know we can count on to fill some of the holes we had," offensive lineman Jon Jansen said. "In the draft, we got some talent. I give Suh high marks so far. He'll have to work on some of his techniques, but he's going to be tremendous because he has a lot of physical ability. He's not a fat, sloppy guy."
Detroit drafted the 6-foot-4, 300-pound defensive tackle with the No. 2 overall pick, hoping to bolster a defense that has ranked among the all-time worst in points allowed the past two seasons. That led to being the NFL's first winless team in 2008 and a 2-14 record last year.
The Lions moved back into the first round to draft Best, whose speed gives them a playmaker in the backfield that they've lacked.
Best and Scheffler provide the team with talented options at running back and tight end as it slowly works Kevin Smith and Brandon Pettigrew back onto the field following major knee surgeries. The newcomers along with Burleson should complement star receiver Calvin Johnson, who has 3,000-plus yards receiving and has caught 21 touchdown passes in three seasons.
"We made a lot of good moves to get some talent here," said quarterback Matthew Stafford, the No. 1 pick in last year's draft. "We went out and got some guys and we'll have a chance to spread it out more."
Unlike Backus, Julian Peterson has been on successful teams in his decade in the league. He played in seven playoff games with San Francisco and Seattle and is confident the Lions can contend for a postseason berth because of the veterans they've added to lead the way for a talented, young group of players.
"Some of the key guys we got on both sides of the ball have been in our schemes before," said Peterson, referring to Vanden Bosch and Burleson. "The guys that are still here from last year have a year of experience in this system. That's just going to help us hit the ground running in training camp so that we can win a lot more games this season."
-- Larry Lage
After festive offseason, Saints report to camp
METAIRIE, La. (AP) — The Saints embraced all the offseason fanfare until it was literally time for the Super Bowl champs to go back to work.
Even New Orleans coach and now best-selling author Sean Payton held his latest book signing less than 24 hours before players reported on Thursday.
The coach said the book endeavor required more time than he initially thought.
"Back in the playoffs, when you are approached ... with the suggestion, 'Hey, if you guys win the Super Bowl, would you have an interest in writing a book?' It's easy to get the guy out of your room and say, 'Sure, if we win the Super Bowl, let's revisit that,'" said the best-selling author. "And sure enough, a week after we won the Super Bowl, this guy shows up in my office.
"Quickly, you realize if you are putting your name on it, you want it to be good, and it takes a lot of time," the coach continued. "There's a part of me that says if I knew then what I know now, it may have never gotten written."
Well, the parades, parties, talk show appearances and book tours have come to end and the next few weeks of training camp could reveal if all the fanfare has taken a toll.
Payton and general manager Mickey Loomis said reporting day went smoothly.
Rookies Patrick Robinson and Matt Tennant were the only no-shows. Robinson, a cornerback drafted in the first round out of Florida state, remains unsigned, although Loomis sounded optimistic that his contract would be done in days, not weeks.
Tennant, already has signed but was excused for the death of his mother.
Four players will miss the first week or two of practice and be placed on the team's physically unable to perform (PUP) list: safety Darren Sharper, linebacker Clint Ingram and receivers Marques Colston and Robert Meachem.
Loomis said Colston recently had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee, the same knee on which he had microfracture surgery about 18 months ago. Sharper and Ingram also had offseason surgery on their left knees, while Meachem had toe surgery.
However, neither Payton nor Loomis anticipated long absences for any of those players.
"What it really means is they weren't able to pass their physical today," Loomis said. "They have a little time left in their rehab before they can be full-go at practice. ... We expect all these guys to be participating in practice full go prior to the first preseason game" on Aug. 12.
All of the players who went into the offseason as restricted free agents showed up, even those unhappy with their current one-year contracts, such as running back Pierre Thomas.
Loomis said the Saints still hope to reach a long-term extension with Thomas, but that did not seem imminent.
"All I can say is that we've had discussions and we have a difference of opinion, but we're still talking," Loomis said.
Thomas had missed several offseason practices while negotiations were ongoing. But Payton noted that attendance at offseason training sessions was close to 100 percent, and it did not appear any players had gotten fat and happy in the aftermath of their championship.
"I was encouraged with the shape these guys are in," he said.
Payton said he'd also thought a lot about the challenges that come with defending a title and talked about it with a number of coaches or players in various sports who'd tried to defend championships before. He declined to say whom he spoke with because some are still competing, but did share a little of what they discussed.
"You hear some of the recurring themes that it starts from within, the challenge of staying hungry, of not assuming that you're going to be back in the postseason," Payton said. "You try to outline and identify and really look closely at some of those topics, having that same taste of hunger and attention to detail, and not allowing your mind to think that everything will take care of itself by the time of the first game of the season starts. The process has to begin again and it doesn't pick up where you left off.
"I think identifying those challenges is one thing and that attacking them is another. That's where we start" Friday.
-- Brett Martel
Falcons aiming high in Year 3 of Matt Ryan era
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — The Atlanta Falcons are aiming high in Year 3 of the Matt Ryan era.
Ryan helped the franchise shed a 44-year-old burden by leading the Falcons to their first back-to-back winning seasons, including three straight wins to finish 9-7 last year.
Falcons owner Arthur Blank says it's time for bigger goals in Ryan's third season as the starting quarterback.
"We're all kind of shooting higher than we did last year," Blank said as he stood on the practice fields at the team's recent minicamp. "I've been pretty public that I was excited about back-to-back winning seasons, but now I'm excited about rings."
The Falcons, who open training camp on Friday, are basing their postseason hopes on a potent and balanced offense. Running back Michael Turner has lost weight and appears poised for a bounce-back season after he was slowed by an ankle injury in 2009. Tight end Tony Gonzalez returns for at least one more season before his Hall of Fame countdown. Receiver Roddy White, who has become a Pro Bowl regular, is in the prime of his career.
Ryan will be protected by a offensive line that returns all five starters.
There's enough talent on offense to aim high.
"Yeah, the Super Bowl," Turner said. "We've got the Saints in our division. We play them twice. They've been fortunate enough to put an unbelievable season together and win the Super Bowl and they came out of nowhere with nobody expecting them to do that. We have a good chance here. We have a lot of good players. We just need to stay intact, stay healthy, and we have a good chance."
The biggest questions are on defense, but that also was the area of the biggest offseason additions. First-round pick Sean Weatherspoon, who reached an agreement on a five-year deal and reported on Thursday, may start at outside linebacker. Free-agent addition Dunta Robinson is expected to stabilize the cornerback position.
The Falcons open training camp with encouraging injury news. Defensive tackle Peria Jerry, the 2009 first-round pick who missed most of his rookie season with a knee injury, will be ready for the start of camp, though he will work in only session in the two-a-day schedule at the start.
Cornerback Brian Williams and receiver Harry Douglas also are returning from knee injuries and expected to open practice on a limited schedule. Safety William Moore, another 2009 draft pick, is returning from a hamstring injury.
This also is Year 3 for the Falcons with coach Mike Smith and general manager Thomas Dimitroff. One of the first moves for the new management team was making Ryan the No. 3 overall pick in 2008. Ryan started from his first game and was named NFL offensive rookie of the year as the Falcons were a surprise playoff team.
"There were a lot of things that needed to get put in place a couple years back," Ryan said. "But at this point I really feel like we've got the right pieces in the right places — and we're young, too. ... I feel like we've got a very young, very talented team that's capable of playing well."
The Falcons will hold combined practices with the Jacksonville Jaguars and New England Patriots during camp. Jacksonville will visit the Falcons' complex on Aug. 9-10. The Patriots travel to Flowery Branch for practice on Aug. 17, two days before the teams meet in an exhibition game at the Georgia Dome.
Smith is Jacksonville's former defensive coordinator. Dimitroff is New England's former director of college scouting.
-- Charles Odum
A humble start to camp for Panthers QB Clausen
SPARTANBURG, S.C. (AP) — If Jimmy Clausen indeed becomes Carolina's franchise quarterback, it'll be after overcoming a humble beginning to his professional career.
Three months after his draft weekend snub, a nervous Clausen fumbled a couple of snaps early in his first workout of training camp with the Panthers on Thursday, before laboring in the intense heat in his new role: third-stringer.
It was a long way from all the high school hype, the brashness at Notre Dame and the declaration after the Panthers finally ended his two-day draft wait with the 48th selection that his goal was to be the starter from day one.
"That's how you have to think. When you go out to practice you want to do as much as you can to be the starting quarterback," Clausen said. "At the end of the day, I can control only what I can control and the coaches are going to make the decisions, who's going to play and who's not going to play."
It was the typical measured response Clausen has made routine since his first NFL minicamp in April. He's impressed coaches with his lengthy film sessions and won over many of his teammates with his work ethic.
"He's quiet. He's kept his mouth shut and has just been working hard," said left tackle Jordan Gross, who added Clausen sent him a couple of text messages over the summer. "I think that's the right way to do it as a quarterback or any player.
"I think he's got great potential. I know Matt (Moore) is our starter right now and that's who I support. But anybody that's got a Panthers helmet on, I want them to do their best. I'd love for him to succeed beyond anybody's expectations. That would just make us better."
A day after signing a four-year contract that could be worth up to $6.3 million, Clausen blamed "a little pre-practice jitters" for bobbling a couple of snaps in a walkthrough before Thursday's first practice.
He then settled in mostly as the third-string QB behind Moore and Hunter Cantwell, although Clausen did take some snaps with the second unit and appeared to be sharp with his throws.
The Californian acknowledged that despite being warned about the South Carolina humidity, it "caught me off guard a little bit."
"I feel like I'm in a good position right now playing in an offense that I did at Notre Dame for three years," Clausen said. "At the same time you've got to get used of the speed. You've got to get used to different guys running routes. There's a lot of timing that goes into everything, so that's a big thing that I'm going to be working on in camp."
The 6-foot-2 Clausen threw 60 touchdown passes and 27 interceptions with the Fighting Irish, but was just 16-18 as a starter, hardly what fans expected after the high school phenom arrived in a limousine to announce his college choice. Questions about his attitude caused him to tumble in the draft after he left school a year early.
"I really don't think about it too often, but I'm sure it'll be in the back of my head," Clausen said. "That's one of the things that makes me strive to be the best quarterback I can be. Go out each and every day and work as hard as I can and try to be perfect."
While the Panthers believe Clausen could eventually becoming their entrenched starter, Moore is clearly No. 1 at the start of camp after Jake Delhomme's release. Clausen's immediate goal is to pass Cantwell, who spent most of his rookie season on the practice squad as Moore's backup.
"Him and I had a great conversation today talking about some little things with the offense," said Moore, who has started only eight NFL games. "I guess I'm kind of a mentor. I don't see myself as one but I guess I play that role."
Coach John Fox provided little insight when asked what Clausen needs to work on, saying only that he needs practice time to get more comfortable. Clausen is expected to see considerable playing time in the preseason. The exhibition opener is Aug. 12 at Baltimore.
Until then, Clausen plans to stay quiet, learn and say nothing inflammatory.
"Whenever you get your reps, you have to go out there and make plays," Clausen said. "I think that's the biggest thing. When your name gets called, whether it's one play or five plays, it doesn't really matter. You have to produce."
-- Mike Cranston
Seahawks begin 1st camp under Carroll
SEATTLE (AP) — Pete Carroll has spent the last few weeks touting his new book to everyone from ESPN to shoppers inside a neighborhood grocery in Seattle.
It's title: Win Forever.
Yet Coach Carroll isn't at Southern California anymore. For his new Seahawks, forever is going to have to wait at least five weeks, through a Seahawks training camp that begins Saturday with what seems like more issues than Carroll has pages in his book.
"We're making progress," Carroll says of his first NFL team since the 1999 New England Patriots. "And it's really not time to make any sort of judgment."
That's because there's so much still to judge.
There's a new offense plus new blocking schemes to install under coordinator Jeremy Bates. There's replacing franchise cornerstone Walter Jones at left tackle with top rookie draft choice Russell Okung, whenever the sixth-overall pick finally signs.
That's part of a bigger concern fundamental to Seattle's season: finding five offensive linemen who can consistently protect battered three-time Pro Bowl quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, who is entering the final year of his contract.
The Seahawks also have to find a running game, a pass rush, new defensive schemes — and perhaps a fountain of youth for 36-year-old safety Lawyer Milloy, in case he starts next to first-round draft pick Earl Thomas.
But none of that will happen until they accomplish their No. 1 camp task: getting used to the energy emanating from their new coach.
Months before his first game, Carroll has already brought in surprise guests to team meetings to entertain, motivate and invigorate a team that has gone 9-23 in the last two seasons and is on its third coach in two years.
Recent All-Pro kick returner Leon Washington arrived from the New York Jets in a trade in April. On one of his first days inside Seahawks headquarters, the running back stopped Carroll in a hallway and almost jumped into his arms.
"I'm stoked! I'm so excited!" Washington told his new coach. "You can feel the energy in the building, in the meetings."
On the field, that energy is a byproduct of fear. Carroll overturned half the roster in the offseason. He says he's not done, that the personnel churn could continue through August.
He keeps declaring no job is safe, not even Hasselbeck's.
"Nobody really wants it that way. They would rather have, 'OK I know what I am doing, I'm the lead the guy.' But that doesn't mean that's what's best," Carroll said.
In March, he traded for former Chargers backup Charlie Whitehurst. He gave Whitehurst an $8 million contract, even though he has yet to throw a pass during a regular NFL season, to push for Hasselbeck's job.
Carroll's not the only one with energy. The constant, R-rated rants of new offensive line coach Alex Gibbs and new linebackers coach Ken Norton Jr. will bounce off Lake Washington next to the practice field.
Gibbs and Norton have reason to yell. They are trying to develop the keys to Seattle's season.
Gibbs arrived from the Texans to install his zone-blocking scheme that made rushing stars out of nearly anybody Denver put in its backfield during the 1990s. Gibbs has former Broncos starting guard Ben Hamilton in Seattle to tutor Okung as his neighbor on the left side of the line. Thursday he welcomed former Texans starting guard Chester Pitts on a $2 million, free-agent deal.
The question remains: Can this line keep Hasselbeck, who turns 35 in September, healthy enough to play in all 16 regular-season games for the first time since 2007, Seattle's last playoff season?
Norton is trying to transform Aaron Curry, last year's fourth-overall pick, into a think-less, run-more pass rusher. He's trying to restore the excellence of former Pro Bowl middle linebacker Lofa Tatupu, who is healthy again and back in the defense in which he starred at USC.
Norton is also welcoming back Leroy Hill from legal troubles that kept him from the team for most of the spring. The start of Hill's trial on a domestic-violence charge was delayed Thursday until Aug. 20. The league suspended him for the opener.
-- Gregg Bell
Bradford no-show for first rookie workout
ST. LOUIS (AP) — The most prominent St. Louis Rams newcomer missed the first day of rookie workouts. Teammates expected to see quarterback Sam Bradford soon enough.
Veteran A.J. Feeley, who'll be the starter until Bradford's ready, said Thursday that missing one day of practice is no big deal.
"It's not the end of the world," Feeley said. "You'd like to have him out here to work these guys, but he's been through the whole offseason program.
"Sam's a smart guy, he's bright. I don't see him lagging, I don't see him sitting at home on the couch not doing anything."
Offensive tackle Jason Smith's experience last year might be a blueprint for the timetable on Bradford, given he and Bradford have the same agents, Tom Condon and Ben Dogra of St. Louis. Smith was the second overall pick last year and signed a five-year contract worth as much as $62 million with $33 million in guaranteed money in time for the first full-squad workout.
This year, the first workout is Saturday.
Quarterbacks and players coming off injuries also are participating in the early drills. Smith missed the second half of his rookie season with a concussion and fractured a toe in June.
"I've never been the No. 1 pick, so I don't know what he's going through," Smith said. "If I would have missed days I would have missed a lot. I'm sure he'll get here in a timely fashion, he has great agents working for him."
Coach Steve Spagnuolo said Kevin Demoff, VP of football operations, had reported nothing new in negotiations. The coach remained optimistic while also already seeming weary of discussing the topic.
"Like every other head coach you want your players here, but I understand the process," Spagnuolo said. "Can I take that line and put it on a tape recorder?"
Second-round pick Rodger Saffold signed a four-year contract worth as much as $6.8 million with $3.9 million in guaranteed money. He spent most of the first workout at left tackle with Smith on the right side.
It had been assumed that Smith would start at left tackle to replace Alex Barron, who was traded to the Cowboys, with Saffold plugged in on the right side.
"Both those guys in my mind right now are interchangeable," Spagnuolo said. "At this point right now we're just looking for versatile guys."
Saffold is wearing Orlando Pace's No. 76 with the blessing of the seven-time Pro Bowler, although he's yet to speak with Pace.
"He is a hard guy to reach, I'm finding out," Saffold said. "He's definitely let me know and there's going to be a point where I get a hold of him and I'll probably have nothing to say."
Cornerback Bradley Fletcher, who missed most of his rookie season with two torn ligaments in his right knee, was among the pleasant surprises for the first workout. Fletcher's injury required two operations and the team had feared last year's third-round pick might not be ready in time for the opener.
"There isn't a guy that worked any harder than Bradley," Spagnuolo said.
Cornerback Jerome Murphy, a third-rounder this year, was on the field after a minor scrape with the law. He was arrested in Tampa last weekend for driving with an expired license in his 1996 Impala.
"They say it was loud music, but my music wasn't even up," Murphy said. "It was a nice car. That's what I figure it was."
Spagnuolo said he told Murphy "I was glad he was here. I think it's smoothed out and taken care of."
-- R.B. Fallstrom
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