49ers Lose 5th round Draft Pick to ACL Tear
Gayle Saunders
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Bad news for 49ers nation as they have lost their fifth-round draft pick OLB Darius Fleming for the season as he has tore his ACL.
The injury occurred during Fleming’s first minicamp practice with the 49ers. It happened during a non-contact drill where his knee bent in a weird position. At first, the team doctor’s believed it to be a hamstring injury, after the MRI it was confirmed it was a torn ACL. Fleming will spend the first year of his NFL career on the injured reserve list.
The Skinny: The good news is (if there is any in this particular situation) Fleming had just signed a four-year deal worth $2.264 million one day before injury.
Hester’s Role On Offense Could Be Limited
Gayle Saunders
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Even though the Chicago Bears have put in special plays and packages for Hester this season, look for Chicago to use Devin Hester in a limited role on offense.
Wide receivers coach Darryl Drake believes that it will be best to use Hester as a situational guy on offense.
“It’s just a matter of not having him play 70 plays and throw to him twice,” said WRs coach Darryl Drake. “Play him 15 plays, let him touch it 13
The Skinny: The reality is Hester could see more touches underneath but nothing too crazy. With Brandon Marshall in the mix I could see Hester getting work over the middle and underneath with the occasional deep ball. I think utilizing Hester’s skills on special teams will still be the Bears mindset. Lets just hope teams still plan to kick it to him.
Cutler has concerns over O-Line
Jay Cutler has a worry, that perhaps his Offensive Line won’t be all that great when the team needs them the most. Specifically speaking, 3rd and long! In a recent interview, Cutler voiced his concerns when the Bears face 3rd and long and a 7 step drop is needed. He said
“You know, the offensive line is definitely going to be a concern and seeing where those guys are going to fit in and seeing what five we go with,” Cutler said to the Chicago Sun Times. “If Gabe [Carimi] comes back, if J’Marcus [Webb] pans out. Where are we going to put Chris Williams? There are some question marks there. Until we really get that resolved and get our front five settled in, we’ve got some work to do on offense.”
When asked about Mike Martz’s departure and Mike Tice’s addition (Tice is now the Offensive Coordinator and has worked an Offensive Lineman coach in his past) Cutler responded:
“It helps some, but it’s not a cure all by any means,” Cutler said. “They’re still going to be asked to protect. There are going to be times it’s third-and-eight, third-and-10 and we’re going to have to take seven-step drops and we’re going to have the longer route and they’re going to have to protect.”
THE SKINNY: Cutler never has been one to shy away from his feelings and in this case we think he has a point. The Bears, if they are going to live up to their Super Bowl aspirations, have to protect the Quarterback, not only keeping him from injury but also due to the fact that the deeper you get in the playoffs the better the Defenses tend to get. If the Bears have to face the New York Giants dynamic Front 7 for example, then protection is going to paramount. They still have time to jell and figure it all out but there is obvious concern on the mind of Chicago’s Franchise QB!
Tebow improving mechanics?
The biggest knock on Tim Tebow has been narrowed down to one thing, his throwing mechanics. His elongated motion and inaccurate footwork has led him to be erratic when throwing the ball. Proof of this lies no deeper than his 46% completion percentage and the 38 Minutes without a completion in the Broncos vs Dolphins game last season.
Tebow is a proven winner however, shown in his late 4th Quarter heroics otherwise known as “Tebow Time”. The Broncos went and acquired Peyton Manning and then traded Tebow to the Jets for a 4th Round pick. Tebow has been said to have been working extremely hard on his mechanics this offseason and perhaps his efforts are working.
Jets QB Coach, Matt Cavanaugh told the New York press -
“I think he can be very good,” Cavanaugh said “I was pleasantly surprised when I saw him over an extended period of time . . . not just watching him play on film. I think he’s certainly got the arm strength. He has good mechanics. They’re getting better every day.”
THE SKINNY: If Tebow can in fact become a comfortable pocket passer and learn to make all the throws with proper technique and footwork, he could be a very dangerous QB. Big and strong armed, as well as being a powerful runner that you wouldn’t expect from a QB, Tebow might just be making strides to becoming one of the most complete QB’s in the League. If in fact he can learn to throw with accuracy, there won’t be anything he can’t do.
Kenny Britt to have 2nd Knee Surgery?
The Titans are hoping that their star WR doesn’t need to have an additional surgery on his right knee but there is a possibility. Britt, who had his right knee surgically repaired after tearing his ACL and MCL may be facing a scope and possible “clean up” surgery.
Head Coach Mike Munchak told the press in Tennessee,
“I think it always is (possible),” Munchak said. “I don’t know if he will at some point, but I think that’s something that’s common with that injury. Derrick went through it last year. The good thing is that even if you do have it, it’s not a huge setback. It’s not something that sets you way back. But that is obviously part of the process, or could be, if that arises down the road.”
THE SKINNY: While the knee hasn’t required surgery yet and no date has been set to have it scoped or cleaned up, it’s still something the team and Kenny would more than likely hope to avoid. As the Coach said, it is very common for major knee surgeries to have follow up procedures, but the more times you’re under the knife the more likely you will be delayed getting back on the field.
McFadden back to 100%
Oakland Raiders Running Back, Darren McFadden appears to be 100% back from Lisfranc surgery. Raiders running back Coach, Kelly Skipper says that McFadden is out there looking great,
“He didn’t have any major surgeries, so he’s able to come back healthy and he’s playing at a high level right now and it’s offseason … He’s out here. You would never know he got hurt. He’s making cuts at full speed, everything.”
THE SKINNY: McFadden is a huge piece to the Raiders offense and the former 7th overall pick in the NFL is really starting to make strides as being one of the best Running Backs in the NFL. Raiders fans can expect him to be out there and ready to go.
Peters re-injures Achilles!
Philadelphia Eagles Left Tackle, Jason Peters, has re-injured his Achilles and had to have the tendon reattached. The first injury to his Right Achilles tendon occurred during a workout in Texas, he then had surgery and was given a 10 to 12 month recovery time. While using a vehicle to be mobile broke in his kitchen, our guess is a Segway-like machine, Peters fell face first in his kitchen and the right Achilles tore again.
The time table for his return has now been extended by 3 weeks to a month as the new injury required surgery, essentially starting the process over.
THE SKINNY: Peters has made the Pro Bowl every year since 2007, the same season the Eagles acquired him from Buffalo. The setback is obviously not a good thing but at the same time, it’s to believe the Eagles planned on him returning in 2012 anyway.
Chase Blackburn Named Starting Middle LB
Gayle Saunders
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Last season there was no better cinderella story than Chase Blackburn’s as he went from being on the couch watching the game to playing linebacker for the World Champion New York Giants during their Super bowl Run.
This season things are still on the up and up for Blackburn, as Defensive coordinator Perry Fewell said Blackburn is slated to be the starting middle linebacker for the Giants this season. That’s good news for Blackburn as the position was rumored to be a weak spot for the team.
Earlier this off season GM Jerry Reese said that Michael Boley could also be an option to play the middle linebacker spot, but Fewell has made it know Blackburn is his guy for now.
“(Mark) Herzlich will have an opportunity to compete for that role. Greg Jones will have an opportunity to compete for that role,” Fewell said, via the New York Daily News. “And we’re not opposed to putting Keith Rivers, giving him an opportunity to compete for that role. So there’s going to be competition.”
The Skinny: Blackburn will have his hands full hanging onto the starting role as he’ll have some serious competition with Keith Rivers and Greg Jones breathing down his neck to start. Blackburn has a lot of heart and he’s also in his 8th season, he’s come a long way to get this kind of recognition and I don’t think he’ll be ready to give that away too soon. Giants fans will have a nice training camp story to follow during the off season.
Cutler Finally Gets the Luxury to Audible
Gayle Saunders
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Great news for Chicago Bears fans and most importantly Jay Cutler this season, as he will now have the luxury and ability to change plays at the line of scrimmage.
With Mike Tice calling the shots as offensive coordinator, it could be a whole different tune for Cutler this season. Under Mike Martz, Cutler was quite often displeased with some of the play calls, and felt he was limited with his control over the offense.
This season they have also brought in Jeremy Bates as the quarterbacks coach. Bates and Cutler are now reunited as they were together in Denver in 2008. While under Bates tutelage Cutler went to his only pro bowl.
While Cutler played under Mike Martz for two seasons, he threw for over 5,500 yards and 36 touchdowns in 25 games, the only problem with his game was his production and his accuracy dipped while he spent more time dealing with injuries and being sacked while the media questioned his toughness.
The Skinny: With the Bears bringing in old teammate Brandon Marshall, they’re giving him a system he’s familiar with. They believe that with Coach Bates calling the plays and some of the techniques from his Broncos days in place, Cutler has a great opportunity to flourish. They plan to limit the backpedal from center under Martz, while not allowing their franchise QB to be a sitting duck. They said to expect Cutler to be more of a moving, mobile QB this year.
Terrelle Pryor Getting Good Reviews in Rookie Camp
Gayle Saunders
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Not to long ago Terrelle Pryor wasn’t receiving praise for certain off field drama, however things have changed over the last year and Pryor’s coaches definitely see a future for last years third round supplemental draft pick.
Position coach John DeFilippo has given Pryor great reviews as of late after his performance in rookie minicamp.
“The first thing is, everybody knows how hard he’s working, He’s going to give himself a chance to be a good player in this league, because of his work ethic. He and I are in communication every day. He’s a gym rat here in this building. He loves being here, loves talking football, loves being around, playing the game. He’s getting better everyday.
“The fact is, his strides he’s made from his first day here in this offense to where he is now have been good. We’ve just got to keep doing that every day. We’ve got to keep moving him forward and he’ll do that with his work ethic.”
Right now the Raiders have Carson Palmer at number one and recently signed Matt Leinart at number two. Pryor is sitting at third on the depth chart and working on getting better each day.
The Skinny: In order for Pryor to make his presence known he’s going to have to make plays when given the opportunity. Whether it be in training camp or pre season, time is now for him to prove all the naysayers wrong.
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