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Intriguing NFC Training Camp Storylines
| By Jeff Gordon | about 2 months ago | NFL | | 0 | Comments | |
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This story is from the World Championship of Fantasy Sports site.
As NFC teams get to work this week, there are plenty of offensive storylines to follow.
For instance, is Eagles QB Kevin Kolb for real? We’re about to find out.
Kolb is leading the Philadelphia offense through training camp as the starter, in place of franchise fixture Donovan McNabb. The preseason spotlight will be very intense.
"Since I was a kid, my dad always taught me, ‘All eyes are on you, so just live every day like that. Do what you would do in front of everybody,'" Kolb told reporters after a morning practice. "That's the way I've always lived. That's why it doesn't affect me."
The team also has QB Michael Vick back on the field after his eventful off-season.
"I've realized from the moment that I stepped onto the field, that it was a blessing to be here, with this team, with the guys, with my teammates, and my coaches," said Vick, who is trying to keep NFL commissioner Roger Goodell from booting him to the UFL. "And just enjoy the moment, and enjoy my life, and appreciate what I've been given, and the opportunity that I've been given. I just have to keep that in perspective and understand that."
RB Brian Westbook is gone, still looking for his next team. Younger skill players like RB LeSean McCoy (40 catches, 4.1 yards per carry as a rookie), WR DeSean Jackson and WR Jeremy Maclin have moved to the forefront, along with Kolb. Each offers considerable breakout potential.
The Philly defense is suspect this season, so the offense will have to ring up points. Most experts seem optimistic about these guys, but will they actually perform when the real games start? Eagles fans and fantasy football GMs can’t wait to find out, because this team is loaded with potential mid- to late-round producers. Here are some other compelling NFC storylines on the offensive side of the ball:
Will Mike Martz and Jay Cutler enjoy matrimonial bliss? Now they are getting to work for real. Mad Mike is notoriously hard on his charges during training camp. The Bears are betting that the innovative offensive coordinator can polish this talented but stubborn QB.
Cutler has plenty of weapons at his disposal. For instance, WR Devin Aromashodu caught 22 catches for 282 yards in the final four games – adding to a solid receiving corps that also includes Devin Hester, Earl Bennett and Johnny Knox.
"If you talk to all our receivers, most of them have a smile on their face, most of the tight ends and running backs," Bears coach Lovie Smith said. "It's going to be a lot of fun."
But Cutler hasn’t led a team to a winning season since high school. If he throws 26 interceptions again, next January’s divorce could get ugly for all parties involved.
Offensive line coach Mike Tice could do his part by coaxing better run blocking and pass protection from his group. Martz’s scheme puts a LOT of pressure on the front wall.
Can Mike Shanahan revive the Redskins offense? During the second half of last season, Washington never scored more than 17 points. This explains the coaching change.
Shanahan installed QB Donovan McNabb as the unit’s new leader. Now the former Broncos coach has to sort through a RB pile that includes incumbent Clinton Portis, Willie Parker, Larry Johnson and Ryan Torain – one of his favorites from his Denver days.
Expect the unexpected as Shanahan casts and recasts his ground game. This is why fantasy GMs hate him so.
Will Brett Favre’s quit jacking around and get back to work? Nobody really expects him to retire. How could this egomaniac pass on the opportunity to lead one of the NFL’s deepest and most explosive offenses?
End the suspense already. WR Percy Harvin isn’t the only one who gets headaches thinking about Favre.
Can QB Alex Smith help the 49ers finally make their NFC West move? He has come back from two shoulder injuries, survived wholesale organizational turnover and somehow climbed back atop the depth chart. Smith has demonstrated superhuman persistence.
"There are definitely times I thought about leaving, especially when I got injured that second year in a row," Smith said during a recent interview. "It was just a frustrating time for me. I really felt like part of me could walk away and make a fresh start. But there was unfinished business. I guess it all came down to that feeling that I wasn’t ready to go down that road."
Now he is running an offense loaded with weapons, led by RB Frank Gore, TE Vernon Davis and WR Michael Crabtree (48 catches, 625 yards and two TDs after finally arriving in the middle of his season).
Can Pete Carroll finally prove himself as the NFL level? He fled USC while the getting out was good. His previous NFL stints weren’t great, so this opportunity with Seahawks will define his coaching legacy.
Carroll is giving the offense an aggressive makeover. At QB he paid a premium to bring Charlie Whitehurst in as Matt Hasselbeck’s heir apparent. He issued a cattle call at WR and RB, finding a keeper (WR Mike Williams) and discarding losers (RB LenDale White, WR Reggie Williams).
Highly touted rookie WR Golden Tate could quickly work into the rotation, too. But can this team block well enough to make it all work for Carroll?
Can Dez Bryant break out? Owner Jerry Jones loves this explosive WR, so he will get every chance to start. So what if he balked at carrying veteran WR Roy Williams’ pads, as per football tradition? The kid is a playmaker. He could be dangerous on special teams, too.
QB Tony Romo has weapons everywhere he looks. The Dallas offense should be loads of fun, unless RB Felix Jones’ notable weight gain is a sign of bad things to come. He ballooned up like Jessica Simpson.
Will Matthew Stafford become the Next New Thing? He threw just 13 TD passes against 20 interceptions as a rookie. He completed just 53 percent of his passes. But he demonstrated his toughness -- playing hurt when he shouldn’t have – and never lost his swagger.
WR Calvin Johnson may be the most talented player at his position and the Lions upgraded their offense, adding big WR Nate Burleson, speedy RB Jahvid Best and TE Tony Scheffler.
Stafford will have a fighting chance this season. Let’s see what he does with it.
Category: NFL
Tags:
NFC West, Devin Aromashodu, Kevin Kolb, Donovan McNabb, Matt Hasselbeck, LenDale White, Larry Johnson, Devin Hester, Charlie Whitehurst, Willie Parker, Calvin Johnson, Roy Williams, Jay Cutler, Tony Scheffler, Reggie Williams, Tony Romo, Alex Smith, Clinton Portis, Vernon Davis, Frank Gore, Earl Bennett, Felix Jones, Ryan Torain, DeSean Jackson, Nate Burleson, Brett Favre, Michael Vick, Dez Bryant, Mike Williams, LeSean McCoy, Jahvid Best, Percy Harvin, Matthew Stafford, Michael Crabtree, Golden Tate, Johnny Knox, Jeremy Maclin
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