Mosley: Beast presents five major training camp issues
Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley
In case you haven't checked the calendar lately, we're a little more than two weeks away from the start of training camp. The dog days of the offseason are almost over, and we begin obsessing about important world issues, such as who will be the starting right tackle for the Redskins. In this week's column, let's take a look at five major issues that will be addressed in NFC East training camps. Then I'm taking more vacation -- if you can believe it.
How will Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell respond to an offseason of unrest?
In one of the more interesting offseason strategies in recent memory, the Washington Redskins basically played mind games with their starting quarterback for a couple of months. First, they fell in love with the disgruntled, but prolific, Jay Cutler. Then it was USC's Mark Sanchez who caught Dan Snyder's eye.
Meanwhile, head coach Jim Zorn was left behind to tend to what was left of Campbell's dignity. Campbell continued to show up for voluntary workouts even while his team tried desperately to replace him. And unlike Cutler, he handled the Redskins' awkward pursuit of a trophy QB with grace and humility. And you wonder why I defend Campbell at every turn?
Now, Campbell has to put all the offseason drama aside and try to take the next step as a quarterback, which is leading his team to the playoffs. If he played in the AFC West, that might be a snap. But Campbell plays in the rugged Beast, a place where playoff dreams can be crushed in a hurry. Just ask the Redskins, who were the darlings of the first eight games last season. They won road games in Dallas and Philly, and seemed destined for the playoffs. But it all came crumbling down in the second half, thanks in part to injuries, coaching and overall poor play.
This season, Campbell should feel more confident in Zorn's offense. If the offensive line can hold up and Clinton Portis can remain healthy, Campbell could have a strong season. He also needs second-year players such as Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly to grow up and become contributors. I think Campbell's about to surprise a lot of people with an excellent season, but then, I always think that about him.
What will the Giants' offense look like without Plaxico Burress?
This seems to be a popular theme in the Beast. How will the Cowboys and Giants perform without their top receivers from the past few years? I honestly think the Giants will be better equipped to handle the loss of Burress than the Cowboys will be without T.O. First off, this is truly Eli Manning's team now. General manager Jerry Reese pretty much said that in the offseason, and I think that's a good thing. You saw what happened in '07 when Manning didn't have Tiki Barber and Jeremy Shockey snipping at him down the stretch. He became much more confident during the Super Bowl run.
I could tell during training camp last season that Manning was annoyed with Burress missing all those practices because of injury -- and it's something we wrote about. Now he's had almost a whole offseason of knowing that Burress won't be around. I think the Giants have moved forward and realized they'll simply have to compensate for the loss of Burress in other areas, such as one of the league's best running games. But it's Manning who will be called upon to win games. In training camp, you'll see a guy excited about working with rookies Hakeem Nicks and Ramses Barden. Manning also believes in "veterans" Steve Smith and Domenik Hixon. The Eagles and Giants are really close heading into training camp, but because of Manning's presence, the G-Men have the edge -- at least in my mind.
What will the Cowboys' offense look like without -- wait for it -- Terrell Owens?
Like it or not -- and many of you guys hate it -- T.O.'s shadow will continue to hang over this offense during training camp. As the owner's son recently said, T.O.'s gone because his presence made it virtually impossible for Tony Romo to take charge of the locker room. Now we'll see if not having the most polarizing player in the league will help the Cowboys feature a more balanced approach. In a futile effort to keep T.O. happy, offensive coordinator Jason Garrett too often tailored the offense around him.
With three quality running backs and perhaps one of the top tight end tandems in the league, the Cowboys can and should do it a different way this season. There also will be a lot of pressure on Roy Williams to become the No. 1 guy that he's regarded to be. Last season, he looked completely lost at times. But with a lot of work in the weight room and bonding time with Romo (please!), he may be poised to put up solid numbers (1,100 yards, 8 TDs). I also think Miles Austin is sort of the X-factor in all this. If he can become a consistent downfield threat to complement Williams, the Cowboys' offense may not take a major step back. But go ahead and prepare yourself for the deluge of T.O. stories coming out of San Antonio. Not me, though! Promise.
Should we be worried about the fact that defensive coordinator Jim Johnson and Brian Dawkins won't be in Eagles camp?
It's a sobering thought to Eagles fans, but it's about to become a reality. I think the Eagles will miss Dawkins' passion and penchant for the big play. His leadership skills were unmatched, but I think they'll be able to replace his production on the field. Quintin Mikell has quietly (because of Dawkins) become a really solid player. He's an instinctive player who's capable of having a breakout season in terms of takeaways. Quintin Demps will be an adequate replacement as a starting safety, and players such as Trent Cole and cornerback Asante Samuel will take on larger leadership roles on defense.
Samuel's sort of mercurial guy, but he's loud on the practice field and makes plays when it counts. What he did last season in the playoffs helps give him even more credibility in the locker room. The Eagles need their young linebackers to continue to improve. That's where Jim Johnson's absence scares me a little bit because I think he's an unbelievable resource for the young guys. Fortunately for the Eagles, Sean McDermott has been a highly regarded understudy and I don't think the interim job will be too much for him. The Eagles also brought in an NFC East expert in former Cowboys defensive coordinator Brian Stewart. Andy Reid has immense respect for Stewart, so that should be a good fit. Plus, Stewart has extra incentive to prepare for the Cowboys since his good friend and mentor Wade Phillips fired him after the '08 season.
How would you rank these teams heading into training camp?
I knew you guys would love one last Beast power ranking before training camp. And of course, this is subject to change once I start watching practices -- since I have such a keen eye for that sort of thing. As I referenced earlier, the Giants have too many intangibles for me to ignore. They brought in all the reinforcements on defense, although linebacker Michael Boley's off to a slow start. Still, their pass rush has a chance to be the best in football. It's a deep rotation, and I know Justin Tuck is thrilled that he won't see so many double teams.
This team has the whole "we've been there" thing going for it and Manning's poised to have an MVP-caliber season. I mean that. For some reason, people still love to question the man's credentials. I don't get that at all -- and he's about to silence even more critics. So I have the Giants winning the division at 12-4 and the Eagles will be right behind them at 11-5. I'm anxious to see how LeSean McCoy fits in early in the season. If he's ready for prime time, that could be a lethal offense.
The Cowboys aren't buying into their own hype as much right now -- and that's a good thing. With their schedule, you can easily see them getting to 10-6 and grabbing the division's third playoff spot. Wait, am I being biased toward my division? We can't have that!
The Redskins would be challenging for the top spot in divisions such as the AFC West, NFC South and NFC West. But alas, they're stuck in the Beast. This team could be much improved -- and still go 8-8. It pains me to say it, but that's where I think they'll end up.
Thanks for your time. Enjoy my vacation.
In case you haven't checked the calendar lately, we're a little more than two weeks away from the start of training camp. The dog days of the offseason are almost over, and we begin obsessing about important world issues, such as who will be the starting right tackle for the Redskins. In this week's column, let's take a look at five major issues that will be addressed in NFC East training camps. Then I'm taking more vacation -- if you can believe it.
How will Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell respond to an offseason of unrest?
In one of the more interesting offseason strategies in recent memory, the Washington Redskins basically played mind games with their starting quarterback for a couple of months. First, they fell in love with the disgruntled, but prolific, Jay Cutler. Then it was USC's Mark Sanchez who caught Dan Snyder's eye.
Meanwhile, head coach Jim Zorn was left behind to tend to what was left of Campbell's dignity. Campbell continued to show up for voluntary workouts even while his team tried desperately to replace him. And unlike Cutler, he handled the Redskins' awkward pursuit of a trophy QB with grace and humility. And you wonder why I defend Campbell at every turn?
Now, Campbell has to put all the offseason drama aside and try to take the next step as a quarterback, which is leading his team to the playoffs. If he played in the AFC West, that might be a snap. But Campbell plays in the rugged Beast, a place where playoff dreams can be crushed in a hurry. Just ask the Redskins, who were the darlings of the first eight games last season. They won road games in Dallas and Philly, and seemed destined for the playoffs. But it all came crumbling down in the second half, thanks in part to injuries, coaching and overall poor play.
This season, Campbell should feel more confident in Zorn's offense. If the offensive line can hold up and Clinton Portis can remain healthy, Campbell could have a strong season. He also needs second-year players such as Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly to grow up and become contributors. I think Campbell's about to surprise a lot of people with an excellent season, but then, I always think that about him.
What will the Giants' offense look like without Plaxico Burress?
This seems to be a popular theme in the Beast. How will the Cowboys and Giants perform without their top receivers from the past few years? I honestly think the Giants will be better equipped to handle the loss of Burress than the Cowboys will be without T.O. First off, this is truly Eli Manning's team now. General manager Jerry Reese pretty much said that in the offseason, and I think that's a good thing. You saw what happened in '07 when Manning didn't have Tiki Barber and Jeremy Shockey snipping at him down the stretch. He became much more confident during the Super Bowl run.
I could tell during training camp last season that Manning was annoyed with Burress missing all those practices because of injury -- and it's something we wrote about. Now he's had almost a whole offseason of knowing that Burress won't be around. I think the Giants have moved forward and realized they'll simply have to compensate for the loss of Burress in other areas, such as one of the league's best running games. But it's Manning who will be called upon to win games. In training camp, you'll see a guy excited about working with rookies Hakeem Nicks and Ramses Barden. Manning also believes in "veterans" Steve Smith and Domenik Hixon. The Eagles and Giants are really close heading into training camp, but because of Manning's presence, the G-Men have the edge -- at least in my mind.
What will the Cowboys' offense look like without -- wait for it -- Terrell Owens?
Like it or not -- and many of you guys hate it -- T.O.'s shadow will continue to hang over this offense during training camp. As the owner's son recently said, T.O.'s gone because his presence made it virtually impossible for Tony Romo to take charge of the locker room. Now we'll see if not having the most polarizing player in the league will help the Cowboys feature a more balanced approach. In a futile effort to keep T.O. happy, offensive coordinator Jason Garrett too often tailored the offense around him.
With three quality running backs and perhaps one of the top tight end tandems in the league, the Cowboys can and should do it a different way this season. There also will be a lot of pressure on Roy Williams to become the No. 1 guy that he's regarded to be. Last season, he looked completely lost at times. But with a lot of work in the weight room and bonding time with Romo (please!), he may be poised to put up solid numbers (1,100 yards, 8 TDs). I also think Miles Austin is sort of the X-factor in all this. If he can become a consistent downfield threat to complement Williams, the Cowboys' offense may not take a major step back. But go ahead and prepare yourself for the deluge of T.O. stories coming out of San Antonio. Not me, though! Promise.
Should we be worried about the fact that defensive coordinator Jim Johnson and Brian Dawkins won't be in Eagles camp?
It's a sobering thought to Eagles fans, but it's about to become a reality. I think the Eagles will miss Dawkins' passion and penchant for the big play. His leadership skills were unmatched, but I think they'll be able to replace his production on the field. Quintin Mikell has quietly (because of Dawkins) become a really solid player. He's an instinctive player who's capable of having a breakout season in terms of takeaways. Quintin Demps will be an adequate replacement as a starting safety, and players such as Trent Cole and cornerback Asante Samuel will take on larger leadership roles on defense.
Samuel's sort of mercurial guy, but he's loud on the practice field and makes plays when it counts. What he did last season in the playoffs helps give him even more credibility in the locker room. The Eagles need their young linebackers to continue to improve. That's where Jim Johnson's absence scares me a little bit because I think he's an unbelievable resource for the young guys. Fortunately for the Eagles, Sean McDermott has been a highly regarded understudy and I don't think the interim job will be too much for him. The Eagles also brought in an NFC East expert in former Cowboys defensive coordinator Brian Stewart. Andy Reid has immense respect for Stewart, so that should be a good fit. Plus, Stewart has extra incentive to prepare for the Cowboys since his good friend and mentor Wade Phillips fired him after the '08 season.
How would you rank these teams heading into training camp?
I knew you guys would love one last Beast power ranking before training camp. And of course, this is subject to change once I start watching practices -- since I have such a keen eye for that sort of thing. As I referenced earlier, the Giants have too many intangibles for me to ignore. They brought in all the reinforcements on defense, although linebacker Michael Boley's off to a slow start. Still, their pass rush has a chance to be the best in football. It's a deep rotation, and I know Justin Tuck is thrilled that he won't see so many double teams.
This team has the whole "we've been there" thing going for it and Manning's poised to have an MVP-caliber season. I mean that. For some reason, people still love to question the man's credentials. I don't get that at all -- and he's about to silence even more critics. So I have the Giants winning the division at 12-4 and the Eagles will be right behind them at 11-5. I'm anxious to see how LeSean McCoy fits in early in the season. If he's ready for prime time, that could be a lethal offense.
The Cowboys aren't buying into their own hype as much right now -- and that's a good thing. With their schedule, you can easily see them getting to 10-6 and grabbing the division's third playoff spot. Wait, am I being biased toward my division? We can't have that!
The Redskins would be challenging for the top spot in divisions such as the AFC West, NFC South and NFC West. But alas, they're stuck in the Beast. This team could be much improved -- and still go 8-8. It pains me to say it, but that's where I think they'll end up.
Thanks for your time. Enjoy my vacation.
posted by The Gryphon at 5:51 PM
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