NFL Team Capsules: Top draft pick DE Morgan practices to wrap camp
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Tennessee Titans are breaking training camp with a bit of good news. Their top pick actually practiced with the team for the first time since being drafted.
Defensive end Derrick Morgan missed most of the offseason, first with a strained hamstring, then a pulled left calf. The 16th pick overall then pulled that same calf early in his first practice of training camp on Aug. 1. He went out a little early for a few snaps against offensive linemen, then went through a session that was more a walkthrough Thursday.
"It felt good just to get some actual real football work in as opposed to just kind of running and conditioning," Morgan said. "It felt real good to be out there with teammates and in the swing of things."
Morgan had gone through individual work Wednesday when the Titans practiced against the Arizona Cardinals, then watched with his helmet perched on his head. This isn't what the former Georgia Tech standout wanted for his first NFL season.
"It's not the ideal way to start off, but it's a little adversity. I've had adversity all through my life. I took it with a positive attitude, got better from it and learned a lot. It's going to be a quick turnaround. I feel confident I'm going to be able to adjust," he said.
The end is being counted on to boost the Titans' pass rush and help a defense that ranked next to last in the NFL in 2009 against the pass. He doesn't have much time to translate what he's been watching into action. He should get a few snaps Saturday night with the Titans (1-1) visit Carolina (0-2).
The Titans then wrap up the preseason Sept. 2 against New Orleans before the season opens Sept. 12 with a visit from Oakland.
"He's going to have to work into it, and he's going to have to do it on the field," coach Jeff Fisher said of Morgan. "It's one thing to pay attention and watch tape and then to do things and go through walkthroughs. It's another to go through full speed. We're just fortunate he's going to have some opportunities for some full speed reps before the season starts."
The Titans aren't back at full strength just yet on defense, the unit with the most pressure to improve over 2009.
Defensive tackle Tony Brown (right knee) and linebacker David Thornton (shoulder/pectoral muscle) remain on the physically unable to perform list. Fisher said he's hoping both are getting closer.
"Now if I were to pick, I'd say Tony has probably a better chance than D.T.," the coach said.
Starting defensive end William Hayes is recovering from a sprained right knee and is targeting the season opener for his return. Cornerback Cortland Finnegan hasn't played in a preseason game yet as he heals up a groin injury.
And Tennessee has yet to decide on who will start opposite Finnegan, though a three-man competition seems to be down to Jason McCourty, going into his second season, and rookie Alterraun Verner.
Defensive tackle Jovan Haye still thinks the defense has taken a step forward.
"But it'll be very crucial and exciting when those guys come back. I think those guys are going to have big years this year. We need them. We need everybody on that line and looking forward to see those guys come back and get rolling," he said.
Notes: OT Mike Otto had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee Thursday morning. ... Training camp ended with the traditional dizzy bat race for rookies. Veterans doused them with ice water and Gatorade, wrapped them with tape as each rookie took his turn going in circles with the bat. Vince Young and Chris Johnson upped the challenge by snapping rookies with wet towels. But RB LeGarrette Blount got the worst of it. Most of the Titans gathered around him and helped dump three coolers of ice water over his head. He showed impressive feet, breaking loose of the tape wrapped from his waist down below his knees.
Rex Ryan's made-for-TV Jets a big, bleepin' hit
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — Here's a four-letter word everyone's using these days: J-E-T-S.
When it comes to juicy story lines and colorful personalities, the big-talking, foul-mouthed New York Jets have the perfect cast of characters.
Made for TV? No bleepin' doubt about it.
"This is who we are," said Rex Ryan, the Jets' brash and unabashed coach. "Some people are going to like us and some people are not. At the end of the day, we want to paint an accurate picture of who we are."
Once considered the second NFL team in New York, the Jets are suddenly the most entertaining club in the league — thanks to a surprisingly good 2009, a bunch of off-season moves and, most of all, their turn as TV's newest reality stars.
Millions of viewers have been getting an eyeful and earful of the Jets this summer on HBO's "Hard Knocks." The series covers preseason with the team, cuss words and all — and there are a lot of them. Snooki and the gang from "Jersey Shore?" They've got nuthin' on Gang Green.
"There's certainly a lot of different things going on around here," says veteran quarterback Mark Brunell, who joined the Jets last month.
Among those things: There's Ryan and his players saying whatever's on their minds. A heartthrob quarterback in Mark Sanchez, who's trying to take the next step to stardom in his second year. Aging veterans LaDainian Tomlinson and Jason Taylor looking for one last chance at a Super Bowl. Darrelle Revis' bitter contract dispute. Braylon Edwards' bushy beard that became a trending topic on Twitter. Antonio Cromartie's eight children. A brand-new stadium. A handful of popular players jettisoned. And, of course, all that championship chatter.
Love 'em or hate 'em, people can't help but talk about 'em, all around the league.
"They're the team for it right now," Tennessee fullback Ahmard Hall says. "They have a lot of great personalities over there. They have Mark Sanchez, the Hollywood guy, you know the pretty boy. But he's a great quarterback. You have Rex Ryan, probably the most outspoken coach in the NFL. Great for TV. It's great TV."
New England's Tom Brady says he can't stand the Jets so he won't watch, but hey — what do you expect from a guy who used to be the face of the league and plays New York twice a year?
"Yeah, we can definitely turn some people off, especially people from some other teams," fullback Tony Richardson says with a grin. "That's what happens anytime somebody's getting hype."
And that's something the Jets certainly lead the NFL in right now.
"You look around the league and 31 other teams don't like it a little bit," says Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Namath, who led the franchise to its only Super Bowl win in 1969 and appeared in the season's first "Hard Knocks" episode.
"They're asking for trouble, in a sense," Namath says. "You better go out there and put up because they're going to have to shut up big-time if they don't keep putting up."
Whatever happens once the games count, the Jets will start the season with maybe the most interesting collection of personalities since the Dallas Cowboys of the 1990s, when Jerry Jones, Jimmy Johnson, Deion Sanders, Emmitt Smith, Michael Irvin, Troy Aikman, Leon Lett and Nate Newton were making headlines.
"I love Rex Ryan," said Newton, a former six-time Pro Bowl offensive lineman. "Deion Sanders talks highly of Rex Ryan. I love everything that they're about, man, but one thing you have to do first is win something."
Those Cowboys were dominant and disliked, but they also did plenty of winning — taking home three Super Bowl trophies in four years.
"I truly don't want to be disrespectful — all these are good people, I've researched them — and they're playing to the cameras, and that's fine," Newton said. "But every team that's been compared to our '92 Cowboys and our '93 Cowboys, they haven't won anything. So if they come out this year and do what they say they're going to do on 'Hard Knocks,' and be who they say they're going to be, great. ... But right now, they're just another team trying to come up."
Just a team who'll tell you they don't like you, then give you an extra shove for emphasis.
"They've just got that little killer instinct in them," Green Bay tight end Jermichael Finley said, "and everybody's hungry around there."
It all starts with Ryan. He's the central character — a husky, fun-loving guy and the ultimate everyman, a dude who looks and acts more like someone in your fantasy football league than the man in charge of team that finished a win away from the Super Bowl a year ago.
"The guy's made for TV," Richardson said. "But he's the same with or without cameras."
Whether it's telling the world his guys are going to meet the president after winning the Super Bowl, sparring with opposing coaches and players, or talking about his offseason lap-band surgery, what you see is what you get with Ryan.
"My parents, they told me they love 'Hard Knocks,'" Richardson said. "Even my buddies have told me, 'Man, Rex seems like a guy you'd just love to sit down and have a beer with.' I think now people kind of feel like, if you had the top five people in the world you'd want to have a chance to sit down and talk to, Rex is in that category."
While Ryan's personality is a hit, his penchant for cursing every time he opens his mouth isn't.
He was criticized by some fans, media, former Colts coach Tony Dungy — even his mom — for excessive Rex-pletives in the premiere episode two weeks ago.
"They said he dropped, like, eight? That was a great day," wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery said with a big laugh. "I was sitting in there like, 'Man, he's holding back right now.' Some might say he doesn't need all of that to get his players motivated, but this is his team. You don't tell someone how to run their team. He's going to run it the way he's going to run it, and I respect that."
Ryan doesn't censor his players, either.
The guys in green and white fill reporters' notebooks with their thoughts on everything from the AFC East to defensive tackle Kris Jenkins' weight-loss contest with Ryan and right tackle Damien Woody (Jenkins won).
"People say we love to talk," Cotchery said. "And, they say we talk a lot."
That's just fine with the Jets. They at least have an identity, something the franchise lacked for years.
"That's awesome, man," Cotchery said. "They're taking notice of us, and know we're for real — and they don't like it, and want to shut us up."
The Jets will be able to start backing it all up when they face another playoff team from last season, Baltimore, in their opener on Sept. 13 — a Monday night game. And just as they are now, everyone will be watching.
"The environment that we have, I think, works," Ryan said. "This is who we are. We're maybe not traditional, the way you see other teams, but don't make that mistake in thinking that we're less disciplined than another team or anything else. It's just the opposite."
-- Dennis Waszak Jr.
T.O., Ochocinco getting along great for now
CINCINNATI (AP) — Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco are getting along great as teammates. No grousing, no sulking, no one-upmanship.
The Cincinnati Bengals see no reason why this pairing of diva receivers shouldn't stay that way.
When the Bengals signed Owens to a one-year deal at the start of training camp, the overriding question was how he would get along with Ochocinco, who is a close friend but craves the spotlight. So far, Ochocinco has gone out of his way to share it.
Ochocinco has dubbed the two of them Batman and Robin, embracing the subservient role of Boy Wonder. When the two of them took the field together for the first time, Ochocinco let the newcomer make a grand entrance, following several steps behind.
These cable reality show hosts seem to be hitting it off.
"We push each other without even saying it," Owens said. "Us having super powers, being super friends — Batman and Robin — it's that quiet confidence we have in each other, that quiet push we have for each other to get better."
In the locker room and on the field, it's noticeable.
The Bengals signed Owens looking as another deep threat to complement Ochocinco, who saw blanket coverages last season. After three preseason games, Owens is their leading receiver with nine catches for 108 yards. His 43-yard catch against Philadelphia last week was an example of what they'd been missing.
The Bengals finished 26th in passing last season, unable to throw the ball deep very often.
"That's an example of what we hope to keep pressing for and get," coach Marvin Lewis said. "We've got to get some vertical plays in, and we'll keep pushing to try to get some."
Ochocinco has only three catches for 33 yards, but doesn't seem to mind. His most notable moment was getting his helmet knocked off on a hard hit, resulting in an interception. He also changed his route during the 22-9 win over Philadelphia, resulting in another interception.
In the past, he might have been itching to get the ball more. Instead, he's been more interested in talking about this self-styled dynamic duo. He and Owens have adjacent lockers and dress the same for practice.
Quarterback Carson Palmer thinks that having T.O. is good for Ocho, who seems re-energized.
"Chad's really stepped up his game," Palmer said. "He looks as good now as he did all those years he was leading the AFC. And it makes sense. Chad's an extremely competitive guy and he doesn't want to be outshone. He doesn't want to be second fiddle to anybody. So he's worked his butt off. Bringing Terrell in has really catapulted his game to another level that not too many receivers can get to."
Ochocinco is still numero uno in the locker room, picking the music and mixing it up with teammates.
"He still comes in here, turns his music up loud and talks trash to the offensive line, talks trash to the defense," Palmer said. "Then he slaps a high-five or does a chest bump with the same guy he's been talking trash to. That hasn't changed.
"Chad's been Chad, the same Chad that guys on this team get annoyed with, but love at the same time. I like the Chad we're seeing now."
Owens is quieter. Much of his time has been spent trying to catch onto the new play book so that he and Ochocinco could be equals in the offense. His three-game receiving numbers suggest he's gotten it quickly.
"I was shocked he had it really day three or four of camp and has been very diligent in learning it and asking questions and watching film and wanting to be perfect every time," Palmer said. "I've never seen a guy learn an offense as fast as he has, any position."
Offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski recalled one day when Owens was held out of practice to rest, and the receiver went out to the field with his play book and studied.
"We were commenting as coaches that we're not sure any of us has ever seen that," Bratkowski said. "I don't think I have, and this will be my 19th year in the league."
Both receivers think their friendship and their longing for a championship will prevent any hard feelings from forming during the inevitable bad moments during the season — those moments that have brought out their worst sides in the past.
"A lot of people are worried about the attitude and are we going to be able to coexist," Ochocinco said. "People have to understand: He and I are close friends off the field, with the same goal in mind. The ego thing and all that is set aside. We want to win, period. That window of opportunity for myself, that window of opportunity for him is closing.
"And if it's going to happen, this is the year for it to happen."
-- Joe Kay
Broncos out to replace Marshall by committee
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Jabar Gaffney is making a strong case for being the No. 1 receiver for the first time in his career. And yet, it's a title he doesn't really want.
Gaffney figures a platoon of wide receivers will share the load of replacing Brandon Marshall and his three 100-catch seasons in Denver this season.
The Broncos traded the big Pro Bowler to Miami in the offseason and drafted two similarly sized receivers, although first-rounder Demaryius Thomas and third-rounder Eric Decker have been in and out of the training room this summer with foot ailments.
Thomas, who could be a go-to guy in the red zone, has practiced just once since Aug. 7.
That's left most of the workload to Brandon Lloyd, Eddie Royal, Matthew Willis and especially Gaffney.
"We're just all out there and whoever happens to catch the ball that day will catch it. We're one group. We're getting out of that whole No. 1 guy mindset," Gaffney said. "We're a group. We're trying to be the No. 1 receiving group, not No. 1 receiver."
Gaffney, a ninth-year pro who followed coach Josh McDaniels over from New England last year, is the most experienced of the bunch, save for 12-year pro Brandon Stokley, who's dealing with a strained groin and looks to be on the bubble to make the 53-man roster.
With Marshall suspended for the final game last season, Gaffney caught 14 passes for 213 yards in a loss to Kansas City.
"That was a good confidence boost," Gaffney said. "It would have been better with a win. But it definitely helped and showed a lot of guys that I could step up and take that role."
If not that title.
Gaffney's rapport and rhythm with quarterback Kyle Orton has only gotten better in the offseason. The two hooked up six times for 98 yards in the first half against Detroit last weekend.
"I've always had confidence in my ability and knew that I could make plays if given a chance, and that's all it is," Gaffney said. "The ball's coming my way and I'm just making plays."
The share-the-wealth mentality might be the best approach to replacing Marshall because this receiving corps isn't known for scoring a lot of touchdowns.
Gaffney has had just one season with more than two TD catches, and that came in 2007, when he caught five as the Patriots set a league scoring record.
Lloyd, an eighth-year pro, hasn't had more than two touchdown grabs in a season since 2005, when he was in San Francisco. In three of the four seasons since then, he hasn't scored a single touchdown.
Royal has gone 20 games without catching a scoring pass and Willis hasn't reached the end zone in his six career games spread over three NFL seasons.
Stokley has 34 career scores, including a dozen in his three years in Denver, but he could be gone by the time the Broncos open their season at Jacksonville on Sept. 12 because Royal, Decker and Gaffney can all play the slot.
Gaffney isn't worried about where the scoring will come from because he's expecting a quantum leap from Orton in his second season in McDaniels' system.
"It's like night and day for him," Gaffney said. "He's getting us in the right play, getting us to the line fast, seeing what the defense is doing and getting us in situations that will result in a successful play."
The flexibility that comes with familiarity might just be the ticket to more touchdowns.
"We have a lot more freedom this year than we had in last year's offense," said Lloyd. "We are able to do a lot of things at the line of scrimmage that we weren't doing last year. We are not pigeonholed or being stuck in the play that we are in. We can make an audible and get out of it."
Despite a revolving door of wide receivers, a turnstile of tailbacks and a patchwork offensive line, Orton, who signed an extension through 2011 this month, has thrown four TD passes to four different receivers in seven drives this preseason.
That's the type of balance Gaffney envisions will replace Marshall's stellar statistics, which included 10 TD catches last season.
"I want to have a great group," Gaffney said. "One guy can't make a great group."
What the Broncos are going to need is for Thomas and Decker to stay healthy. Both are 6-foot-3, Decker weighs 220 pounds and Thomas packs on 229. None of the other smaller, speedier receivers can provide the red-zone matchup issues that this pair of rookies can.
Thomas was starting to show flashes of that ability when he re-injured his left foot in a scrimmage Aug. 7, the same one he broke in pre-draft workouts. Decker, too, got hurt during that scrimmage but has worked his way back into action, catching five passes for 66 yards in his pro debut against the Lions.
-- Arnie Stapleton
New OC makes big impact on Raiders
NAPA, Calif. (AP) — There's no missing new offensive coordinator Hue Jackson and his loud voice at Oakland Raiders practice.
Whether it's scolding his offense, trash-talking the defense or offering instructions, Jackson provides the soundtrack to the daily grind of training camp practices.
"Everybody talks about my style. I'm kind of an in-your face guy," Jackson said Thursday. "I coach with a lot of energy. The most important thing is I'm looking for a result."
Whether that intensity and enthusiasm will lead to positive results on the field is one of the biggest questions for the Raiders this season.
Jackson spoke to the media on Thursday for the first time since being hired in January. He said he is looking to run a balanced offense with Oakland's "prime-time" players, he wants to create a "bully" of an offense, and that he plans to turn the Raiders back into the winning franchise they are supposed to be.
The move to hire Jackson and give him the play-calling duties that head coach Tom Cable had last year was one of many this offseason aimed at turning around a struggling unit. Perhaps the only one more important was the trade for Jason Campbell to take over as starting quarterback from former No. 1 overall pick JaMarcus Russell.
"He's brought so much to this team, especially offensively," Campbell said. "His mindset. His attitude. He pushes everybody each and every play. There's not a day off, there's not a play off. In order to be a champion in life, you've got to work like one. That's what he preaches every day, to work like a champion."
Jackson pushed the defense as well as the offense, as his trash-talking serves as motivation for the defenders who take great pleasure in stopping Jackson's group during practice.
After intercepting one pass early in training camp, Pro Bowl cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha handed the ball back to Jackson while running it back.
"His impact has been great," Asomugha said. "It's been great thus far. The offense has really taken a liking to him as a leader. What he's done with Jason and the offense has been great because what he does is he plays to the player's strengths. It's not just let's throw anything out there and let's get it done, he's going to put guys in position to make the most out of their talent."
Jackson spent the past two seasons as quarterbacks coach in Baltimore, helping Joe Flacco develop into an NFL starter. He also has been offensive coordinator in Atlanta and Washington and coached receivers in Cincinnati during a long career as an NFL assistant.
The players in Oakland welcomed him immediately, offering praise all offseason for his energy and the way he holds them accountable for their mistakes.
"Sometimes you can go places and people put up a stop sign until they get to know you," Jackson said. "Our guys have really embraced my attitude and the things that I'm looking for because the bottom line is we want to win, and we expect to win here. And that's the difference. There is an expectation here. The Raiders are supposed to win. And that is our expectation and that's what we are going to do."
That has not happened in recent years as the Raiders have gone an NFL-worst seven seasons with at least 11 losses. They had one of the worst offenses in the league during a 5-11 campaign last season. They were second-to-last in the league in scoring with 197 points and gained the second-fewest yards.
The team showed some improvement after Cable benched Russell midway through the season, scoring 5.8 more points and gaining more than 100 additional yards of offense per game in the final seven contests started by Bruce Gradkowski and Charlie Frye.
But the team acquired Campbell from Washington during the draft to take over the offense that Jackson believes has plenty of talent with running backs Michael Bush and Darren McFadden, tight end Zach Miller and receivers Darrius Heyward-Bey, Louis Murphy an Chaz Schilens.
The first-team offense sputtered a bit in the exhibition opener, failing to score any points. But Campbell led a strong opening drive for a touchdown last week in Dallas as the Raiders showed signs of clicking.
Jackson is looking to see more improvement this week against San Francisco.
"We're trying to build a bully here," Jackson said. "We want to go back and take our football team and understand what the Raiders tradition is. I think every player that wears that helmet understands what we're trying to build here each and every day, and it's about competing. It's about going out there every day and being the best at what you do, and I think our guys are taking that challenge."
Notes: CB Chris Johnson (hamstring) was limited at practice and will not play Saturday against the 49ers. ... Coach Tom Cable said Campbell and the starting offense will likely play into the third quarter Saturday. Bruce Gradkowski, who missed the first two preseason games with a groin injury, will get plenty of time after that as the team is deciding whether Gradkowski or Kyle Boller will be the backup to Campbell once the season starts.
-- Josh Dubow
NFC
WR Camarillo caught off guard by trade to Vikings
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Just two days ago, the only time Greg Camarillo figured to be spending in Minnesota was when his Miami Dolphins play here in September.
Now he lives here.
The Vikings acquired Camarillo in a trade on Wednesday for cornerback Benny Sapp. Minnesota is hoping the shifty slot receiver can help add depth to a group that is depleted with Sidney Rice's hip injury and Percy Harvin's migraines.
"It's hard," Camarillo said after a practice at the Metrodome on Thursday. "It's incredibly difficult because South Florida was home. I've moved. I've left that behind. I'm just excited to be out here playing football."
Camarillo was an unknown coming out of Stanford in 2006. He spent one season with San Diego before going to the Dolphins. Despite tearing an ACL in 2008, Camarillo has rebounded to catch 105 passes for 1,165 yards and two touchdowns in the past two seasons.
He was targeted 73 times last season and did not drop a pass, an impressive level of consistency that made him attractive to the Vikings, who have a dearth of proven producers at receiver.
"I've said it about a thousand times, a receiver by definition should receive," coach Brad Childress said. "He's got A-plus hands. If you put a ball around him, he's got great 'pluck' characteristics."
The Vikings sure need all the pluck they can get. Rice, who led the team in receiving and earned a Pro Bowl berth last season, will likely miss the first half of the season after having hip surgery on Monday.
Harvin, the reigning offensive rookie of the year, has only participated in six practices this preseason while struggling with migraines. He missed practice again on Thursday while having some more tests done and Childress said he will not play until doctors have cleared him.
The Vikings signed free agent Javon Walker on Tuesday, hoping the veteran can regain the form that made him a feared deep threat in his early days with Green Bay and Denver. Then they added Camarillo on Wednesday as insurance in case Harvin continues to miss time with his headaches.
Camarillo goes from catching passes from youngster Chad Henne to being on the receiving end of throws from Brett Favre in Minnesota.
"Been a fan of his since I was a little kid," said Camarillo, who was 9 years old when Favre was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons. "One of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game. What more as a receiver could you ask for than to come play with that type of quarterback? You have to elevate your game to match his game and he'll bring you along with him. It's a great opportunity."
The Vikings have two more preseason games before opening the regular season on Sept. 9 in New Orleans. That doesn't leave a whole lot of time for Camarillo to learn a new offense and a new quarterback. So he doesn't expect to see much of the Twin Cities during the next month or so.
His head will be buried in a playbook cramming like he did for final exams at Stanford.
"It's going to take a while to figure that out, to see exactly where I fit in," he said. "It's a powerful offense. I'm just trying to run my routes, catch the ball and find a spot."
-- Jon Krawczynski
Lions know what to expect from DE Vanden Bosch
ALLEN PARK, Mich. (AP) — Detroit Lions coach Jim Schwartz has many questions to answer before the regular-season opener in two weeks.
None of them involve defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch.
Schwartz knows Vanden Bosch from their days together in Tennessee, and hasn't had any surprises from the defensive end in his first training camp with the Lions.
"He is what he is," Schwartz said Thursday. "Kyle Vanden Bosch is a name brand, so you know exactly what you are going to get. You are going to get consistency, and you'll never have to worry about what he is going to do."
Vanden Bosch is a skilled defensive lineman — he has been to multiple Pro Bowls — and one of the best-conditioned players in the league, known for his work ethic. On the first day of training camp, in a non-contact drill, he was chasing running backs and receivers 30 yards downfield, trying to strip the ball out of their hands.
"Part of that is making sure that our guys learn to finish plays without losing focus," he said. "But part of it is just pushing the tempo and trying to get the whole team to work harder and faster. I want to get things going every day."
Vanden Bosch knows that his effort level has become known, and wants to keep that reputation intact.
"I take a tremendous amount of pride in the fact that people think of me as the hardest-working player in football," he said. "That means I can't take a day off and I can't slack off for a single drill. I have to keep working that hard and showing people what it can accomplish."
While some of Vanden Bosch's new teammates might initially think that his all-out performances are nothing more than an act, Schwartz says the misconception doesn't last long.
"Kyle is like that 24 hours a day, seven days a week," he said. "By the end of the first day of minicamp, I think everyone knew that he was for real. He just doesn't know any other way to go."
Of course, Vanden Bosch can work as hard as he wants, but the Lions brought him in to improve a defense that has been a major reason for the league-record 30 losses over the past two seasons. After two preseason games, he thinks he's making an impact.
"I think the defensive line is ahead of where I thought it might be at this point," he said. "There's still a long way to go, but there is really a drive here to make things better. The guys that have been here will do anything to turn this around, and the new guys want to play for a winner."
Bucs backup QB Johnson understands his role
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Josh Johnson doesn't have any misconceptions about his chances of winning Tampa Bay's starting quarterback job in the final two preseason games.
The Buccaneers are Josh Freeman's team.
No matter how well Johnson fills in while the second-year pro is sidelined with a broken thumb, the depth chart will not change unless Freeman is unable to play in the regular season opener on Sept. 12.
What Johnson can do, though, is bolster the club's confidence in his ability to lead the offense if Freeman does not heal as quickly as expected to face the Cleveland Browns in the season-opener Sept. 12.
"It's always that chance. In this league as a backup, you're one snap away. That's the mindset. ... I'm just playing it by ear," Johnson said. "But I'll be ready for Week 1 if I'm called upon, just as the case is right now. We'll see what happens."
The third-year pro, a fifth-round draft pick in 2008 out of San Diego, is confident in his ability. He made the first four starts of his career last season, replacing an ineffective and banged-up Byron Leftwich while the Bucs were stumbling to an 0-7 start that hastened the timetable to play Freeman as a rookie.
Despite going 0-4, completing just 54 percent of his passes and throwing for twice as many interceptions (eight) as touchdowns (four), Johnson showed enough in losses to Washington, Philadelphia, Carolina and New England that the Bucs don't feel it's necessary to have a seasoned veteran on the bench behind their 22-year-old starter.
Third-stringer Rudy Carpenter spent 11 weeks on the Dallas Cowboys practice squad last season and has yet to take a snap in a regular season game.
When Freeman, 3-6 as a starter in 2009, fractured the tip of the thumb on his throwing hand during last week's preseason game against Kansas City, coach Raheem Morris and general manager Mark Dominik responded by re-signing undrafted free agent Jevan Snead — in part because the rookie was already familiar with the Bucs offense.
"Quarterbacks are hard to find in this league," Dominik explained. "We have a young one no matter who they are."
Johnson, who will start Saturday night's exhibition against Jacksonville, is much more comfortable taking over this time.
The Bucs had hoped Leftwich's experience would buy time to develop Freeman, but benched the lumbering veteran him in favor of the much much quicker, more mobile Johnson a day after Tampa Bay was limited to 86 yards total offense in a 24-0 home loss to the New York Giants.
"I'm just a lot more prepared for it. When it happened last year, there was a lot of turmoil going on. It happened at a different time of the season. We were 0-3," the 24-year-old Johnson said, adding that this time he's clearly just filling in until the starter returns.
"With Byron, his whole situation wasn't necessarily his fault that he got benched. There was a lot more going on than what happened. But in this case, expectations are a lot different."
Morris remains confident that Freeman, injured when his right hand struck the helmet of a pass rusher, will be able to practice the week of the season opener and face the Browns.
The coach also was encouraged by the way Johnson played after Freeman went down against the Chiefs, completing 6 of 10 passes for 113 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions in just under two quarters.
Johnson felt one of the keys was relaxing and not feeling as though he had to prove himself.
"That's a lesson learned from last year. ... Last year, just the situation I was put in, I was going out thinking more about trying to prove something instead of just playing the game. Now I'm out there trying to play the quarterback position the right way," he said. "If you do that, with the talent we've got on this team, we'll be all right."
-- Fred Goodall
Derek Anderson to start for Cardinals at Chicago
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Matt Leinart has been benched after just two preseason games, this after the Arizona Cardinals gave him the starting job following Kurt Warner's retirement.
It could be just a temporary move — or maybe not.
"Well, I don't think we've played really well enough offensively to make any determination other than we need to get better," Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt said Thursday. "We're looking at different combinations of people."
What Leinart will be looking at is Derek Anderson, signed to be his backup, starting Saturday night in Chicago against the Bears.
Whisenhunt's expectations aren't that high, he would just like to see a few first downs.
"I'd like to see us operate a little better early in the game," Whisenhunt said. "That's not necessarily the first quarter, that's the first quarter, the second quarter. Seems like last week we went three three-and-outs, and then we had a drive going.
"I'd like to see us perform a little better earlier in the game."
Leinart hasn't be able to get it done.
The 10th overall pick in the 2006 draft started for Arizona in a 24-10 loss to Tennessee on Monday night and lasted all of nine plays. He couldn't produce a first down or any points. Leinart was a pedestrian 4 of 6 for 28 yards against the Titans, and is 10 of 13 for 77 yards in Arizona's first two preseason games.
His longest pass of the preseason has been 16 yards, and he has been sacked twice.
Whisenhunt was asked if he explained the change to Leinart on why Anderson worked with the first-team offense Thursday in the team's lone chance to prep for Chicago.
"I'm sure that nobody on this team wants to be in that situation. Once again, I think it's not anything against Matt or the quarterback position. It's we're looking at different people and trying to find out what's the best combination for our team right now," Whisenhunt said.
Anderson, who spent his first five NFL seasons in Cleveland, is the quarterback with the most completions (24), throws (41) and yards (193) on the roster. His longest completion went for 37 yards.
He came in on the Cardinals' first drive of the second quarter and moved them 62 yards in eight plays, giving Arizona a first-and-goal at the Tennessee 6 before misfiring on two passes into the end zone.
Whisenhunt said Anderson will play approximately the first quarter in a flip of how they played the quarterbacks against Tennessee. The coach said it was an opportunity to see players in different roles as they also switch up at linebacker, cornerback and on the offensive line to evaluate personnel.
Anderson was told on Thursday morning that he would be working with the first-team offense.
"I don't know where we'll go from here, but continue to work and get better every single day and see what happens," Anderson said after the Cardinals finished practicing at Vanderbilt University.
This already had been an unusual week for the Cardinals (1-1). They broke camp last Saturday and have been in Nashville since flying into town Sunday. They played the Titans and stuck around Nashville to avoid the long flight back to Arizona before hitting the road again to play Chicago (0-2).
Anderson said he thought practice Thursday was good after the Cardinals practiced with the Titans on Wednesday.
"Threw it well and just continue to try to get the ball in the right spots," he said.
No matter who's been at quarterback, it hasn't been easy with all the injuries at receiver. Larry Fitzgerald sprained his right knee in the 19-16 preseason opening loss to Houston, and Early Doucet missed the Tennessee game with an abdominal strain. Now Darren Mougey broke his hand Wednesday, and Andre Roberts hurt his shoulder Monday night.
Fitzgerald increased his work Thursday, but the Cardinals' goal is having the Pro Bowl receiver ready for the season opener Sept. 12 at St. Louis. Doucet returned to practice Thursday and may play at Chicago.
NOTES: The Cardinals had plenty of visitors as several of the Vanderbilt Commodores came out to watch the NFL visitors work out on their practice fields. The Cardinals have been working out at the university's weight room this week before the team flies to Chicago on Friday.
-- Teresa M. Walker
49ers defense pushing for results
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — For the past three seasons, the San Francisco 49ers defense has been all about potential. Now it's about production and results.
The emerging unit that carried the team to an 8-8 record last season is trying to take it a step further this summer, and it appears the best is yet to come.
"Man, we're at the starting line waiting for the gun," linebacker Takeo Spikes said Thursday. "That's the anxiousness we have right now. That's the excitement we have about playing this game with each other. We really don't see a limit to what we can do."
The excitement has shown throughout training camp and two preseason games.
The San Francisco defense, with established veteran starters at every position and quality young depth behind them, has allowed just 214 yards per game. The 49ers rank fourth in the league in total defense and are second in passing defense.
Even fourth-year defensive coordinator Greg Manusky, never one for hyperbole, admits that he's feeling pretty good about his unit heading into Saturday's exhibition game against the cross-bay rival Oakland Raiders.
Since switching to a 3-4 system in 2005, the 49ers have been gradually building their defense to the point they now feel it's ready to push the team back into the playoffs for the first time since 2002.
"I feel comfortable that these guys know exactly what I want now," Manusky said. "They understand the system. Now we're just getting into the details of the way offenses are going to attack and how we should attack them."
San Francisco now has the defensive personnel to attack from all angles. Though coaches are keeping the game plan mostly vanilla during the preseason, the 49ers still have shown glimpses of the speed and aggression opponents can expect to face this season.
Four different San Francisco linebackers have preseason sacks, and that unit as a whole — led by All-Pro Patrick Willis — promises to be one of the NFL's best this year.
The defensive tone was punctuated on the third play from scrimmage during last week's 15-10 victory over Minnesota, when Willis blitzed up the middle, bowled over a would-be blocker and sacked quarterback Brett Favre for a 10-yard loss.
"We've really changed up our whole scheme," Spikes said. "When I first got here, teams didn't have to worry about having a blitz pickup until third down. Now you never know when it may be coming. We can go three straight downs of blitzes. We've got the guys and schemes to do it. (Opponents) are going to have to play it honest and be aware of who's coming at all times. That's the beauty of the 3-4 system."
Lining up next to Willis at inside linebacker, Spikes has been an integral part of that system since joining the 49ers as a free agent in 2008. As the oldest member of the defense at age 33, the two-time Pro Bowler has seen a promising unit grow up around him.
After four consecutive years of finishing 24th or lower in the NFL in total defense, the 49ers have ranked 13th and 15th the past two seasons and are poised for a climb this year.
The talent is there to make it happen. Five defensive starters have been to the Pro Bowl at some point in their careers. Willis and defensive end Justin Smith both made it last year.
"Everybody dropped their egos at the door and we all have a better idea of what's expected of us," Spikes said. "Everybody's playing together and everybody's understanding. It's to the point we know what to do, and we've learned now why we have to do it. We've had a little success, so now we know what's at stake."
Preserving Hasselbeck 1 of many Seahawks concerns
RENTON, Wash. (AP) — Matt Hasselbeck has been marveling at Brett Favre like he is Yoda.
And not just before yet another reunion of quarterback mentor and protege Saturday night in Minnesota. It's been this way since Hasselbeck was a cocky rookie with a chip on his shoulder in Green Bay and Favre was a sage 29 in his seventh year as the Packers' starter.
That was 13 seasons ago.
"It's amazing what he has done and what he's continuing to do. It really is," Hasselbeck said, looking ahead to his Seahawks meeting Favre's Vikings in the third preseason game. "The streak that he has going (309 consecutive starts, including playoffs) is just ridiculous."
This is the ninth time — including three exhibition games and two playoff games — that Hasselbeck has opposed his friend and teacher since Hasselbeck was traded from Green Bay to Seattle in 2001. Favre was 32 then.
Now he's 40, beginning his 20th season and making his 2010 home debut for Minnesota weeks after staving off retirement one more time.
"And good for him," Hasselbeck said. "Good for them. They had a great year last year. It makes it a lot tougher in the NFC. All the teams in the NFC, it's not good for us.
"Yeah, it's all right. I don't have to play against him. I'll let (Seahawks rookie safety) Earl Thomas worry about that."
Hasselbeck has enough to worry about.
Coach Pete Carroll said he is preparing to have his quarterback, who has had a bad back and broken ribs in the last two seasons, join fellow starters in playing three quarters against Minnesota's formidable pass rush.
"Matt's going to play into the second half. That's what the plan is," Carroll said.
That's despite injuries that have ransacked the left side of the offensive line. The last time he played an exhibition in Minnesota, two summers ago, Hasselbeck grabbed his back in pain while chased by sack master Jared Allen.
Hasselbeck stayed in for a few more plays, then missed the rest of the preseason and nine of the 16 games in 2008. That began Seattle's plummet to 9-23 since their last playoff appearance.
Saturday, backup guard Mansfield Wrotto will start for injured, sixth-overall pick Russell Okung at left tackle. And 2009 Eagles practice player Mike Gibson will be at guard for the banged-up Ben Hamilton.
"The Vikings are really, really good on defense. Probably have the best D-line in the league in terms of getting sacks," Hasselbeck said. "They rush four guys and are able to get tremendous pressure that way."
Yet Carroll said after Thursday's practice he will not curtail the 34-year-old's playing time in the name of preservation.
Asked if he needs to provide Hasselbeck added protection, such as keeping tight ends and backs in to pass block, Carroll said with a chuckle, "We have to do a number of things, yeah."
Seattle has other issues to settle Saturday in the final full rehearsal before the season begins Sept. 12 — the Seahawks have a throwaway exhibition finale at Oakland.
It's Leon Washington's turn to start as the carousel to find a starting running back rotates among the former Jets All-Pro, returning starter Julius Jones and versatile Justin Forsett.
Gibson is challenging Hamilton for the starting job on the line. Chester Pitts was trying to practice this week for the first time since microfracture surgery last summer, to challenge for the fill-in job at left tackle while Okung is out into next month. But Pitts watched Thursday's practice with a huge ice pack on his right knee.
The horde of wide receivers needs sorting out, with exciting but mistake-prone second-round draft choice Golden Tate still trying to carve out a role.
On defense, the Seahawks still need to find pass rushers beyond end Chris Clemons, so they don't have to rely as much on blitzes that have exposed the iffy secondary the last two seasons. Linebacker Leroy Hill is weeks away from returning from a sprained knee, and may be facing a second suspension from the league following a plea deal in a domestic-violence case. And the Packers repeatedly burned Thomas for big plays last weekend.
At least Lofa Tatupu will play Saturday for the first time since last Oct. 18. The three-time Pro Bowl linebacker has been resting a sore hamstring during exhibition games. He played in just five games last year because of a torn pectoral muscle.
"I just want to go out there and play football," Tatupu said. "It's been a while for me since I did that."
-- Gregg Bell
