NFL Capsules - AFC Team News: T.O. practices with Bengals for first time
GEORGETOWN, Ky. (AP) — Terrell Owens arrived fashionably late, received a white jersey with his favorite number, and got a smattering of applause for doing even the simplest thing.
Every catch was an event.
A few thousand fans showed up for Owens' first practice with the Cincinnati Bengals, who signed him to a one-year deal on Thursday evening, then got a glimpse of what the 36-year-old receiver has left.
"He hasn't slowed down," said quarterback Carson Palmer, who worked out with Owens in California this month. "He's a guy that's kind of ageless and he's still got a lot left in the tank."
Owens enjoyed the reception — fans cheering every catch and screaming his name to lure him over for autographs when the two-hour workout ended.
"I think this team is special," Owens said. "I really feel that there is something around the corner for this team. With me being here, (it) has really created a buzz. I think the guys feel the energy."
The energy came a bit late.
Owens missed an overnight flight that would have brought him to town earlier in the day, allowing for a proper introduction. Instead, he caught a later flight, rolled in less than an hour before an evening practice and quickly suited up.
He and buddy Chad Ochocinco were the last two to jog onto the field, drawing loud applause. Owens occasionally waved to the fans in appreciation, but played it low-key throughout the practice.
So began the TO-and-Ocho era.
"It's a circus," Palmer said. "Him and Chad, them being them. It's funny. I was laughing."
Palmer knows that Owens has a reputation for turning on his quarterback. Owens got a chance to join the Bengals in part because Palmer lobbied to sign him after watching their workouts in California.
"I think Carson being that quarterback that can get the ball up and down the field at any given point on the field — that makes my mouth water," Owens said. "I've longed to have a quarterback like Carson."
Now he's got him. Got his favorite number, too.
Owens wore his customary No. 81 at practice, part of a deal he made with the previous owner. Receiver Antonio Bryant got the number when the Bengals chose him over Owens in the offseason, giving him a four-year deal. Bryant agreed to give up his number.
"I'm a realist," Bryant said. "I said, 'Hey, man, I'm not going to make no big spectacle about it. You've got a bigger legacy and a number than I do. I've been on several teams like you, but I've changed my number several times. You've had the same number.
"I don't need your money," Bryant said. "All I want you to do is take care of one of my little league programs in Miami. Send them a small donation and we'll go from there.'"
First, Owens had to arrive. It wasn't as easy as planned.
The Bengals expected him to show up early in the day, take his physical and sign his one-year contract while the rest of the team held its first workout. They scheduled an introductory news conference after the morning practice.
The news conference had to be rescheduled for after the evening session because Owens missed his redeye flight.
With Owens showing up late, Bryant was a focus of the Bengals' morning workout — for his knee, not his number.
He had surgery for torn cartilage in his left knee during training camp with Tampa Bay last year. He was limited to 39 catches for 600 yards and four touchdowns. The Bengals signed him to a $28 million deal, hoping he would provide another outside threat with Ochocinco.
Bryant backed off workouts last month because the muscles around the left knee didn't feel strong enough. He went through drills tentatively on Thursday, never running at full speed.
"The only thing I'm struggling with right now is just being comfortable and mentally just putting (the left foot) down and doing what I want to do without thinking, 'Oh, I might feel pain,'" Bryant said. "That's my biggest hurdle right now."
Bengals coach Marvin Lewis insisted that Bryant's knee problem had nothing to do with the decision to sign Owens. Bryant isn't so sure.
"If I owned the team, I would definitely go after the best players, if possible, especially with the situation they acquired him," Bryant said. "I definitely would have went after the guy."
Running back Cedric Benson fully participated in the workouts. Benson met last week with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell about his offseason arrest in Texas on a charge of misdemeanor assault. Benson is accused of punching a bar employee, a charge he has denied.
Benson hasn't heard anything more from Goodell, who could discipline him.
"We had a good talk, a good session," Benson said. "I guess no news is good news."
Notes: CB Leon Hall did conditioning instead of practicing. Hall said he slightly hurt his lower back during a recent workout. ... OT Andre Smith, the team's first-round pick last year, will concentrate on conditioning the first few weeks of camp. Smith broke his left foot last Sept. 1, limiting him to six games, and had offseason surgery. ... TE Jermaine Gresham, the team's top pick this year, missed the first practice in a contract dispute.
Roethlisberger not Steelers' only camp worry
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Now that the Pittsburgh Steelers have Ben Roethlisberger back, at least for training camp, they've got yet another problem with the quarterback whose offseason missteps repeatedly overshadow all that he accomplishes as a player.
What do they do with him?
Once the Steelers report to training camp Friday, does Roethlisberger run with the starters, despite his suspension that will last at least four games? Or do they drastically cut his time with the regulars so that Byron Leftwich will be better prepared to run the offense when the season begins, since Roethlisberger can't play until mid-October at the earliest?
As wide receiver Antwaan Randle El said, it's a situation that's equally tricky and delicate. For now, coach Mike Tomlin plans to improvise until the Steelers figure out what works, or what doesn't, especially since QBs Dennis Dixon and Charlie Batch also need work.
Roethlisberger isn't the Steelers' only worry as they start what promises to be one of their most hectic and eventful training camps of the 45 they've staged at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa. It's about an hour's drive east of Pittsburgh, but isn't nearly far enough away to distance them from one of the worst offseasons in franchise history.
Roethlisberger was accused in March of sexually assaulting a Georgia college student and, while he wasn't charged, his six-game suspension puts the Steelers at a significant disadvantage — even if commissioner Roger Goodell trims the suspension to four games.
Wide receiver Santonio Holmes, the Super Bowl MVP only 18 months ago, was all but given away for a fifth-round draft pick after the Steelers wearied of his behavior. Right tackle Willie Colon was lost for the season in June with an Achilles' injury.
All this occurred after a 9-7 season caused Pittsburgh to bring back four players from its Super Bowl past in Randle El, Leftwich, linebacker Larry Foote and cornerback Bryant McFadden. Perhaps not coincidentally, all are considered strong influences inside a locker room that was rattled by a five-game losing streak late last season.
"We have some unusual things to address in camp," team president Art Rooney II said.
No, this camp won't be business as usual.
A running game that traditionally is one of the NFL's strongest slipped the past two seasons. Still, the Steelers did little to upgrade it other than drafting former Georgia Tech running back Jonathan Dwyer, who might be the NFL's most-watched sixth-round pick.
The Steelers plan to lean heavily on their running game during Roethlisberger's absence, although 1,000-yard rusher Rashard Mendenhall was their only reliable runner last season and the offensive line sustained a major setback when Colon was hurt.
On Thursday, the Steelers reached an agreement with five-time Pro Bowl tackle Flozell Adams, who was cut by Dallas in April. Adams could replace Colon on the right side or return to his natural position of left tackle, with Max Starks shifting to right tackle.
The worries aren't limited to the offense, either.
A defense that was the NFL's best statistically over the last five seasons couldn't hold leads, with five losses occurring last season after the Steelers led in the fourth quarter.
Seven projected defensive starters are 30 or older, including linebacker James Farrior (35) and defensive end Aaron Smith (34), who missed most of last season with a right shoulder injury. Many teams fear that the older a defense gets, the most suspect it becomes to injuries.
One of the defense's best players, outside linebacker LaMarr Woodley, is unhappy as camp opens despite having 13½ sacks last season. Without a new NFL labor agreement, the Steelers can't sign him to a new contract that pays more than 30 percent above what he made the previous season — this season, for example, he couldn't make more than $598,000 even with a new deal.
One welcomed development: star safety Troy Polamalu returns after missing 11 games and most of two others with a pair of knee injuries. His lengthy absences proved how valuable he is; the Steelers were 3-0 when Polamalu played a full game but only 6-7 in all the rest.
"He literally can do anything," defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau said. "He just opens the playbook to anything that you want to do."
All these troubles and concerns are lowering expectations for a team that routinely reports to camp expecting to make a Super Bowl run.
Rooney doesn't know if that's necessarily a bad thing.
"We've always done well as the underdog and I'm not sure why," he said. "It seems that in the years people kind of underestimated us a little bit, sometimes that's been some of our better years. I don't mind that role if that's where we wind up."
-- Alan Robinson
Mathis in, Alualu out for start of Jaguars camp
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Rashean Mathis has reported to training camp after skipping offseason workouts in hopes of getting a new contract.
First-round draft pick Tyson Alualu, the 10th overall selection, missed the start of camp after failing to sign a contract. It's unclear how long Alualu will sit out — only one top-10 pick has been signed — but it marks the third consecutive year in which Jacksonville has endured a holdout with its top pick.
Mathis, meanwhile, was back at Jacksonville's stadium Thursday for the first time since minicamp in May. He sat out voluntary summer workouts, sending a message to team officials, but made it clear that he never planned to miss training camp.
"I want to finish my career here," Mathis said. "It has never been a secret. ... I still have great years left. To stay in Jacksonville is what I want long term."
Born and raised in Jacksonville, Mathis signed a five-year contract extension in August 2005 worth $25.5 million. The deal included $9.4 million guaranteed. He is scheduled to make $3.95 million this season and $4.45 million in 2011.
But with salaries on the rise for the league's top cornerbacks — Oakland's Nnamdi Asomugha signed a three-year contract last season worth $45.3 million, with $28.5 million guaranteed — Mathis figured it was a good time to re-negotiate.
The Jaguars, though, don't feel the same way. They know Mathis can play, but they also would like to see him stay healthy for an entire season. Mathis has missed 10 games the last three seasons, including six last year because of a groin injury.
Nonetheless, he feels he has played at the same level as he did when he made the Pro Bowl in 2006. He had eight interceptions that year. He's had eight since.
"You can't do anything when you're hurt," Mathis said. "But the games that I've played healthy I've performed. There's not too many out there that have performed like I have performed. There's some out there, but I know that when I'm out there healthy that I'm in a select group. I take pride in that. ... I know when I'm healthy that I can play football."
Mathis hopes being healthy and having a revamped defense will help him return to form — and get another long-term deal. The Jaguars used their top first draft picks on defensive linemen and traded for proven linebacker Kirk Morrison in an effort to improve the league's worst pass rush.
"It's a ton of difference," Mathis said. "Being last in that area of sacking the quarterback is never a good thing. The emphasis that we made on the defensive side of the ball, hopefully it pans out because we need it. We need it as a team to succeed."
-- Mark Long
Belichick wants Patriots to focus on present
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Ty Warren was stunned when he saw the bare spots where pictures of former Patriots stars once hung. He and his teammates wondered what was going on.
Just another motivational ploy by coach Bill Belichick.
Belichick had those pictures and those of current players removed. He wants this year's team to establish its own identity, not look at the walls inside Gillette Stadium at players who last won a Super Bowl in 2005 or got routed in the playoffs last season.
"There was a shock factor," Warren, a defensive end on two of New England's three championship teams, said Thursday. "When it was explained how we're not reflecting on the past, and we're focusing on right now, I can understand that."
Tom Brady, Matt Light and Kevin Faulk are the only players remaining from the squads that won three titles. Only 17 players remain from the team that lost the 2008 Super Bowl. When New England won its first title in 2002, wide receiver Julian Edelman was 15 years old.
"I wasn't on those teams, so I can't even say I was a part of anything like that," said Edelman, a seventh-round draft pick last year. "We're in training camp trying to build our own team and our own identity, so I can understand where coach is coming from."
The glamor of those championship teams has faded.
Hard-hitting and vocal defenders Rodney Harrison and Tedy Bruschi retired before last season. The tabloid obsession with Brady is gone now that he's married to supermodel Gisele Bundchen. Randy Moss, entering his fourth year with the Patriots after some controversial seasons with Minnesota and Oakland, has kept a low profile.
So when the Patriots opened training camp Thursday morning, the major issue was whether an offensive guard would show up. Logan Mankins, a two-time Pro Bowl player, stayed away after saying last month he wanted to be traded. A restricted free agent, he was upset with negotiations toward a new contract.
"All of the players that are here are under contract and Logan is not under contract," Belichick said.
Light, the left tackle entering his 10th season with the Patriots, was reluctant to comment on the predicament of the player he's played beside for the past five years.
"The only thing I'll say about that situation is, he's a great teammate, always been a good teammate that's never missed a game," Light said. "We definitely miss not having him out here."
But Belichick doesn't want his players to look back. There's too much work to do to get ready for the season opener on Sept. 12 against the Cincinnati Bengals with newly acquired Terrell Owens.
"We're a team that's never really relied on what we've done in the past anyway," Light said. "If anything, it's a learning experience."
While the starting offense is filled with veterans, the defense is stocked with young players. The best of them are 26-year-old safety Brandon Meriweather and 23-year-old linebacker Jerod Mayo. Gary Guyton, 24, started all 16 games last season at linebacker.
Darius Butler, a second-round pick last year, and Devin McCourty, a first-rounder this year, are leading contenders for one starting cornerback spot.
"We had nothing to do with those Super Bowl rings, none of those championships," Butler said. "It's a fresh start. We've got to make our own mark."
Nose tackle Vince Wilfork played on the Patriots last championship team but sees no reason to memorialize it on the walls he passes at work.
"We've got to start all over," he said. "Stop living in the past."
By rebuilding their defense with youth, the Patriots no longer are the popular pick to go deep into the playoffs as they were when Harrison, Bruschi, Richard Seymour and Mike Vrabel stifled opposing offenses. The New York Jets added big-name free agent veterans and the Miami Dolphins signed wide receiver Brandon Marshall, seemingly making it tougher for the Patriots to win the AFC East for the seventh time in eight years.
They won it last year with a 10-6 record but lost in the first round of the playoffs 33-14 to the Baltimore Ravens.
Then Belichick decided that hanging history on the walls wasn't working.
"I just know after last year's disappointing loss, we're just trying to start over from scratch," Mayo said. "Hopefully, when we start winning a lot more games, we'll get some more pictures up."
-- Howard Ulman
Plenty of job battles for Dolphins
DAVIE, Fla. (AP) — The Miami Dolphins finally have the go-to receiver they've long sought. They're set at quarterback with second-year starter Chad Henne, and Jake Long returns to anchor the offensive line.
But plenty of other starting positions are up for grabs as training camp begins Friday.
There's a void at free safety, three cornerbacks will battle for two jobs, and the defensive front seven is being revamped following the departures of Jason Taylor and Joey Porter. The offensive line faces a makeover, competition at the receiver spot opposite newcomer Brandon Marshall will be fierce, and even injury-prone Ronnie Brown faces a challenge for playing time at running back.
"There are going to be some hard decisions all over the football field to be made," coach Tony Sparano said. "That's when you know your team is getting where it needs to be."
Where the Dolphins want to be is the Super Bowl, and they've fallen short the past 25 seasons. Owner Stephen Ross has said he expects his team to play in the NFL title game this season, while most prognosticators figure a .500 season more likely.
Miami slipped to 7-9 in 2009, the second year of the Bill Parcells regime. It became a season of transition at quarterback, and Henne showed promise starting the final 13 games, but he threw only six touchdown passes to wide receivers.
To upgrade a lackluster pass-catching group, the Dolphins made Marshall their biggest offseason acquisition. The 6-foot-4 Pro Bowl wideout underwent hip surgery in May and was limited in offseason work, but he's expected to be close to 100 percent at the start of camp and figures he has plenty of time to get comfortable with Henne.
"We have a lot of practices starting in August," Marshall said. "We'll be fine. We will get a rhythm, and we will get a chance to get on the same page — not just with me, but the whole offense."
For the first time, Henne goes into camp as the No. 1 quarterback.
"It's a little bit different when you're walking into the huddle and you know that the eyes are all on you," Sparano said. "Chad now knows that's his huddle out there. So there's a little bit different swagger to him."
Brown's expected to be ready for the start of camp after missing the final seven games last year with a right foot injury. Ricky Williams replaced Brown and finished with 1,121 yards rushing, his highest total since 2003. He's 33 but could challenge for the starting job.
The offensive line is set only at tackle, with Long and Vernon Carey. Competing for playing time at receiver will be Greg Camarillo, Brian Hartline and Davone Bess. And there will be jockeying for the backup quarterback job, with Chad Pennington returning from a right shoulder injury to compete with Pat White and Tyler Thigpen.
Even more unsettled is the defense, where an offseason shakeup started with the hiring of coordinator Mike Nolan to replace Paul Pasqualoni. Topping Nolan's to-do list in training camp will be to fill all of the roles in his aggressive 3-4 scheme.
Sparano liked the defensive changes he saw during spring minicamp.
"There's an attitude here and a philosophy from a defensive standpoint of creating turnovers, of scoring with the football," Sparano said. "Those things, from a defensive-philosophy standpoint, I can see differently. Our kids are buying into it."
Randy Starks must learn a new position, switching to nose tackle, with top draft pick Jared Odrick likely to replace him at end. Newly acquired veteran Karlos Dansby, rookie Koa Misi and pass-rushing specialist Cameron Wake are being counted on as part of a revamped linebacking group that lost 16 sacks when Taylor and Porter departed.
At cornerback, veteran Will Allen returns from a left knee injury to compete with Sean Smith and Vontae Davis, who started as rookies last year.
"We're just going to figure out who the best two guys are going to be," Sparano said. "I've asked this team to understand that right now we're at 80 players, and we're going to compete, and you're going to have plenty of opportunities. But when we get this thing down, people are going to have roles, and whatever those roles are, know that this team comes first."
-- Steven Wine
QB Trent Edwards opens Bills camp as starter
PITTSFORD, N.Y. (AP) — Quarterback Trent Edwards has a renewed perspective on what it takes to be an NFL starter after being given the opportunity to reclaim his job with the Buffalo Bills.
For Edwards, it's one thing to open training camp as the leading candidate, as he did on Thursday. It's another to keep it after he was benched midway through last year.
"I've grown from that. I'm a year older. I'm a year stronger. I'm hopefully a year better," he said. "And I'm going to use that to my advantage, just like I'm using this competition out here to my advantage."
Edwards has the inside track for the job, as coach Chan Gailey delivered on his promise to establish a pecking order after providing his three quarterbacks equal time during the team's offseason minicamps.
Edwards enjoyed the majority of practice time throughout the two-plus hour session, and primarily worked with the first-string offense. Ryan Fitzpatrick, who finished last season as the starter, worked with the second-stringers, followed by third-stringer Brian Brohm.
Gailey said Edwards deserved the opportunity to lead the pack based on how he saw the quarterback perform in practice through spring.
"He just made a lot more plays that we thought were positive," said Gailey, who provided all three quarterbacks a clean slate since taking over as coach in January. "He did a good job of handling the team."
Gailey said Fitzpatrick and Brohm will split time working with the second-stringers over the next few weeks. And he stressed that the competition is far from over, noting he'll continue gauging the players' performance through the preseason.
Aware that the job is not his yet, Edwards isn't taking anything for granted.
"I must have been doing something right in minicamps, so it's nice that you're appreciated for what you've done in the past," Edwards said. "But that's in the past now. We need to grow off that and get ready for the Dolphins Week 1."
Edwards was referring to the Bills regular-season opener against Miami on Sept. 12.
At the very least, opening training camp as the starter marked a first step for Edwards in what's already been an up-and-down tenure in Buffalo.
Selected in the third-round of the 2007 draft out of Stanford, Edwards supplanted J.P. Losman as the starter during his rookie season. The following season, Edwards helped the Bills get off to a 5-1 start, before he and the offense struggled in contributing to the team losing eight of its final 10 games.
Last season was all too forgettable with Edwards taking the brunt of the blame for running a popgun offense that had numerous problems beyond his control. Coordinator Turk Schonert was fired two weeks before the start of the season, followed by the Bills releasing starting left tackle Langston Walker.
Edwards then lost his job in early November after Dick Jauron was fired and replaced by interim coach Perry Fewell.
Looking back, Edwards acknowledged he didn't handle the adversity very well.
"I think I probably got overwhelmed or stressed over too many little things, and paying too much attention to too many things I shouldn't have been paying attention to," he said. "I feel like that was almost good for me."
Edwards was already considered the front-runner for the job as he entered this year with the most statistical categories, including career starts (30), pass attempts (826), yards (5,498) and touchdowns (24) during his three NFL seasons. Fitzpatrick, entering his sixth season, was next with 23 starts, 4,104 yards and 21 touchdowns.
Fitzpatrick accepted Gailey's decision, but added that he intends to continue competing for the job.
"You can't be disappointed," Fitzpatrick said. "I just have to continue to get better and that's the only way I can approach it, and do whatever it takes — whether it's me in there or not — to help the team win."
Brohm is regarded as a raw talent. Selected by Green Bay in the second round of the 2008 draft out of Louisville, Brohm eventually landed in Buffalo last November when the team signed him off the Packers practice squad.
He struggled in his first career start last season, going 17 of 29 for 146 yards and two interceptions in Buffalo's 31-3 loss at Atlanta in December.
-- John Wawrow
Tebow, Broncos agree to contract
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Tim Tebow missed some practices but none that counted before agreeing to a contract with the Denver Broncos on Thursday.
The two-time national champion from Florida and 25th pick in the NFL draft missed the first three workouts for rookies and selected veterans while his agent, Jimmy Sexton, and general manager Brian Xanders hammered out a deal. It's worth $11.25 million over five years with $8.7 million of that guaranteed.
ESPN reported that Tebow could earn as much as $33 million over the course of the contract.
Tebow was in meetings Thursday night and didn't immediately return a message.
Tebow is expected to practice Friday morning, the final session before training camp begins in earnest Sunday with a full squad in full pads.
The signing of Tebow leaves top pick Demaryius Thomas, a wide receiver out of Georgia Tech, as the only unsigned member of Denver's draft class.
Thomas was selected three spots before Tebow, the most intriguing pro prospect since Michael Vick.
The Broncos announced Tebow's signing after workouts Thursday and coach Josh McDaniels wasn't available for comment.
The team is using four practices this week to give rookies, selected veterans and players coming off injuries a head-start on the playbook and practice plans — and also to get the jitters out before camp starts this weekend.
"It's just an opportunity to feel better about playing faster," McDaniels said. "And I think whether you're a rookie quarterback or an injured player, it makes sense to come in and try to start crawling before you walk and walking before you run — because certainly none of them are going to hit the ground running because they're behind.
"Every day is a great opportunity."
The Broncos' starting quarterback remains Kyle Orton, who threw for 3,800 yards last season but faltered down the stretch when he got banged up and the Broncos kept their offense conservative.
The Broncos were unwilling to commit to a long-term relationship this offseason, so Orton signed a $2.621 million tender as a restricted free agent and didn't miss any of the team's offseason program.
But he did get some better competition for his job as the Broncos jettisoned Chris Simms and Tom Brandstater and brought in Brady Quinn from Cleveland and Tebow from Florida.
Tebow might not be ready to make a big impact as a rookie because he faces a big adjustment as he morphs from combination college quarterback to prototypical pro passer. Still, many consider him the best college player ever and he's creating the kind of buzz in the Rockies that John Elway did back in 1983.
His jersey already is a best-seller, he's pitching products for Jockey, EA Sports and Nike. And he's sure to be under a microscope from the second he steps on the practice field, whenever that may be.
Tebow's teammates aren't concerned that he'll crater under all the attention.
"As successful as he's been, I'm sure he can handle it," said 10-year veteran Russ Hochstein.
Rookie tight end Riar Geer said the one thing he's learned in the four months he's known him is that Tebow prospers under pressure.
"He definitely thrives on it. He's a competitor," Geer said. "Watching him out here in all the workouts, he's always coming in first place."
-- Arnie Stapleton
Change at QB is big one for Raiders
NAPA, Calif. (AP) — The biggest change for the Oakland Raiders was evident when Jason Campbell walked out of the first huddle as the starting quarterback.
With the JaMarcus Russell era firmly in the past following his offseason release, the Raiders are preparing for a new season with a quarterback they believe can take them back to the postseason after seven years of losing.
"I feel we've got a good guy, a dependable guy, a guy who's going to work hard, who will be there for us every day," receiver Chaz Schilens said Thursday. "He's not going to shy away from anything. You know what to expect. You know where the balls are going to be. That's really all you can ask for as receivers, a dependable guy that's going to go out and work hard every day. So we have that now."
As happy as the Raiders are with their new quarterback, Campbell is looking forward to a chance to start over after five rough seasons in Washington.
He started 52 games for Washington since being a first-round pick in 2005. He has thrown for 55 touchdowns, 38 interceptions and has a passer rating of 82.3 in his career. Campbell has been sacked 102 times since the start of the 2007 season, tied for third most in the NFL in that span behind Ben Roethlisberger and David Garrard.
Campbell is coming off his best season, completing 64.5 percent of his passes with 20 touchdowns, 15 interceptions and a passer rating of 86.4. But the Redskins went 4-12 last season and new coach Mike Shanahan brought in Donovan McNabb to take over from Campbell.
"I'll tell you my first five years in Washington, we went through a lot of highs, a lot of lows," Campbell said. "I went through some different changes there. A lot, each and every year. Coming here is kind of like being drafted all over again. It's a new start. Oakland is trying to turn it around. They're trying to become a new team. They made a lot of changes, and I think they're trying to do things the right way and get it going in the right direction."
The biggest addition was Campbell. But the Raiders also bolstered their run defense by taking middle linebacker Rolando McClain and defensive end Lamarr Houston with their first two draft picks, acquired two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle John Henderson and outside linebacker Kamerion Wimbley to help even more on defense and hired high-energy offensive coordinator Hue Jackson to help inject some life into a struggling unit.
That has added some needed optimism to a franchise that has lost at least 11 games for an NFL-record seven straight seasons.
"Right now there's an uproar around the team," running back Darren McFadden said. "People are looking forward to a new quarterback, a new offensive coordinator, so he's going to bring different things to the offense. The new quarterback is a great leader. He gets back there and takes control so we're looking forward to getting out there and seeing what we can put together."
Coach Tom Cable named Campbell the starter the day before the start of training camp, wanting to make sure it was clear who would lead the offense. He said the main things he is counting on from Campbell are the ability to protect the ball and consistency.
He praised Campbell's leadership, which has been evident in meeting rooms and on the field after practice where he spends extra time with the receivers.
"We're just real hungry and passionate for that kind of leadership," Cable said. "He has been welcomed and he has taken it and run with it."
Along with stepping into a new team, Campbell has had to learn a new offense. He has plenty of experience with that having gone through change almost every season since his college days at Auburn. He had four different offenses in four years at Auburn, then three more in five years with the Redskins. Now he is learning a new system with the Raiders.
Even though he had plenty of time with it during minicamp and OTAs, Campbell said it still is a learning process to become completely comfortable with the new system.
"Sometimes it's like speaking my second language," Campbell said. "We were in a meeting the other day and coach asked me what was the protection change here and I called out one of my protections in last year's offenses when I was in Washington. But it started with the same letter. Sometimes you have to block those things out and just focus on just trying to learn these plays."
NOTES: The Raiders released DL Ryan Boschetti and WR Damola Adeniji to get to the 80-man roster limit.
-- Josh Dubow
First-round pick McClain makes it to 1st practice
NAPA, Calif. (AP) — While his Raiders teammates were at meetings to start training camp, first-round pick Rolando McClain was waiting in his house in Oakland hoping he'd be able to join them for the first practice.
After signing his contract late Wednesday night, McClain made it up to the Raiders' summer home in the wine country to be on the field for the first training camp workout.
"My whole goal was to be here for the first day of practice," McClain said Thursday. "I know I missed a few meetings but my goal was to be here for the first day of practice. We got it accomplished."
McClain, the eighth-overall pick in April's draft, was just the third first-round pick to sign a contract and the highest overall pick to do so. He reportedly got a five-year, $40 million contract that will guarantee him about $23 million.
The Dallas Cowboys signed No. 24 pick Dez Bryant last week and the New England Patriots signed No. 27 pick Devin McCourty on Wednesday morning.
With McClain's signing, Oakland has gotten all nine of its draft picks under contract. The Raiders traditionally have done a good job getting their top picks into camp on time, with the exception of JaMarcus Russell's lengthy holdout in 2007 that lasted until the start of the regular season.
Darrius Heyward-Bey missed the morning session on the first day a year ago before signing a deal that guaranteed him at least $23.5 million.
McClain was a key offseason addition the Raiders made in an attempt to upgrade their run defense, which ranked 29th last season. Oakland showed its confidence in McClain by trading incumbent starting middle linebacker Kirk Morrison to Jacksonville on the second day of the draft and quickly proclaiming McClain the starter.
"He's here," coach Tom Cable said. "That's really a tall statement from him, too. He's just going to get better and better as we go, and we just got to keep teaching him."
McClain was part of Nick Saban's first recruiting class at Alabama, spending three years learning under one of the game's most respected defensive coaches. McClain was one of the key cogs in Saban's rapid turnaround at Alabama, helping the Crimson Tide win the national championship last season.
Alabama ranked 46th in the nation in run defense before McClain arrived. The Tide improved to 28th in his freshman year and second in his final two seasons. He won the Butkus Award as the top college linebacker, recording 105 tackles, including 14.5 for losses.
Now the Raiders hope he can have the same type of impact on another storied team that has had recent struggles. Since going to the Super Bowl following the 2002 season, the Raiders have lost at least 11 games the past seven years. They are 29-83 in that span, the second-worst record in the NFL.
Stopping the run has been a common theme to Oakland's struggles the past seven seasons. The Raiders have allowed an NFL-worst 143.7 yards rushing per game since then and 146 touchdowns on the ground — 15 more than the second-worst team, St. Louis.
The Raiders also took defensive lineman Lamarr Houston in the second round and added two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle John Henderson and outside linebacker Kamerion Wimbley in the offseason to bolster the run defense.
"It's scary how good I think we could be," McClain said. "I think we may have a little stepping stone in there but if everybody comes to work and everybody does their job, we should be fine."
-- Josh Dubow
Chiefs to honor Hunt, then open camp
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A big day for the Kansas City Chiefs will start with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell at their new Founder's Plaza in Arrowhead Stadium on Friday morning and wind up with the first workout at their gleaming new practice facility in St. Joseph, Mo.
Goodell will be on hand at the Founder's Plaza when a nine-foot statue is unveiled of the late Lamar Hunt, founder of the Chiefs and the American Football League.
Coach Todd Haley will begin practice a few hours later in the team's new facility in St. Joseph. It will be the first time in 20 years the Chiefs have not camped in River Falls, Wis., and mark the beginning of what Kansas City fans hope will be a sharp upward turn following three dreary losing seasons.
As of Thursday afternoon, the Chiefs had still not announced the signing of safety Eric Berry, their first-round draft pick. But even if Berry does not come in on time, an air of optimism still surrounds the Chiefs, who have won only 10 games the past three years but made significant additions during the offseason.
"I believe we're getting better," said Haley, who was 4-12 in his first season after replacing the fired Herm Edwards.
Less than two weeks before last year's season opener, Haley fired his offensive coordinator and put himself in charge. As a result, the offense struggled for most of the season. But this year he has hired Charley Weis, who used to be his boss at the New York Jets, and turned the play-calling over to him. Or at least most of it.
"I'll still be nearby," Haley said.
Another new addition is running back Thomas Jones, one of the league's top runners last year with the New York Jets who will team with Jamaal Charles for what could be an elite one-two rushing punch. Improvements are also expected at wide receiver and on the offensive line.
One of the league's worst defenses in 2009 did not get as much attention as the offense in offseason player acquisition. But former Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel is on board as defensive coordinator and he's expected to make a big difference in the way the unit is organized and run.
The Founder's Plaza, on the north side of Arrowhead, is a tribute to the late Hunt, whose heirs now own the team and contributed $125 million to the $375 million that was spent on giving the stadium a vast makeover. Workers this week were still hurriedly applying the finishing touches.
The plaza also commemorates the history of the AFL and includes eight fountains representing the league's original franchises.
-- Doug Tucker
