Many teams have had at least one day of official training camp and associated practices by now. Already, big events that have real lasting impact into the season have gone down. Here are some early thoughts on the first weekend of training camp.
-- The Philadelphia Eagles closed their camp to the media, becoming the first NFL team to ever close practice to reporters. This is a direct function of Chip Kelly putting his stamp on the team as their new head coach. It’s not a good way to build confidence or generate goodwill with a notoriously truculent, impassioned fan base. It’s also not a good way to establish positive relations with the very folks who do much to shape the opinions of those fans. Kelly is going to learn quickly that Philadelphia is not Eugene, and the NFL media is not so easy to manipulate and control. The ravenous sports media will learn what Kelly is trying to conceal one way or another, and Kelly’s inexperience and ignorance about how to handle things is not a good sign. It might work, quite well in fact, in the very short term, but at some point Kelly is going to need the media he is not allowing to do their jobs. Perhaps Kelly needs a reminder that the NFL survives on All Access and the multi-billion dollar media contracts that pay everyone’s salaries. That’s a very different world from being funded far above and beyond competitors thanks to Nike benefactors like he was at Oregon.
-- The Philly media got to report some terrible news right away. Leading receiver Jeremy Maclin was lost for the season with a torn ACL on a non-contact injury early in the first practice. This is a huge loss for Kelly’s Eagles. Their offense is based on speed, and Maclin has that at a world-class level. He’s also become a pretty reliable and well-rounded receiver in his four years in Philadelphia despite a rotating cast of largely inaccurate QBs. The Eagles now need Riley Cooper, best known as Tim Tebow’s hirsute favorite target at Florida, to step up far beyond anything he’s shown so far. Maclin had good size on the outside to go with his jets. Cooper has the size but not the ability to separate or blow past corners. Damaris Johnson brings some young promise but he’s nothing like Maclin, more of a smallish Desean Jackson. If Kelly’s Oregon offenses are the template for his Eagles team, they try to beat you with volume and freshness. Losing Maclin puts a big crimp in the depth chart at outside wideout and their ability to attack with waves of options. What makes this even worse is that Maclin will be a free agent at the end of the year and this will certainly water down his potential open market value.
-- Maclin wasn’t the only significant receiving loss in the Mid-Atlantic region. Ravens TE Dennis Pitta dislocated his hip and is lost for the season. Like Maclin, Pitta was entering a contract year with the potential for a serious payday at the end. As I highlighted in the Ravens season preview, Baltimore was planning on Pitta picking up a lot of the contribution that went out the door with Anquan Boldin. He was Joe Flacco’s de facto second option on just about every passing play. Losing Pitta sent the Ravens scrambling for any TE that might be able to run down the field and catch the ball. They settled on Visanthe Shiancoe, who was a decent target…five years and two teams ago. Last season in New England he barely saw the field and didn’t catch a pass. Ed Dickson has the ability to step up and replace Pitta, but there is nobody that can provide what Dickson did in his more all-around TE role. This is one of those injuries that fundamentally alters an offense. It’s also an injury that could fundamentally alter Pitta’s career; recovery from a broken hip is not a sure thing.
-- The injury bug also bit hard in Denver, where center Dan Koppen was lost for the year with a torn ACL. What makes this harder for Denver is that Koppen himself was an injury replacement for JD Walton, who is out for at least the first half of the year following two ankle surgeries. With such an emphasis on Peyton Manning and his surgically repaired neck throwing the ball all over the field, losing security up the middle is a real problem. Now that task falls to Walton’s successor at Baylor, Philip Blake, the team’s fourth round pick in 2012. I liked Blake as a prospect and I think he has the potential to handle the role, but you can bet teams will test him with complex blitzes and up-the-gut pressure. There is nothing behind Blake at all. Keep in mind that star LT Ryan Clady is still recovering from offseason shoulder surgery as well. One absolute requisite for Manning’s success is reliable, consistent protection up front. Right now that is a serious question in Denver.
-- Bill Belichick draws a lot of criticism from a lot of loud voices, but I truly admire the way he handled the initial press conference and the Aaron Hernandez situation. Belichick was candid, honest, and reflective in talking about how the Hernandez situation impacted him personally as well as the Patriots as a whole. It’s been a rough offseason for the Patriots, one that would try the patience of anyone. Belichick as the ultimate control freak would seem a prime candidate to snap or lose his composure. Yet here he was, measured but open, showing a real human side that many doubted he had in him. I have no idea how the Patriots are going to manage this season with what might be the worst (on paper) TE and WR group that I can recall any team entering camp with in years; lightly regarded undrafted rookie Kenbrell Thompkins ran with the first team on Saturday’s practice and could wind up playing a significant role. Yet if I were a Patriots fan I would still feel some confidence knowing that Bill Belichick is running the show.
-- The Arizona Cardinals scored a couple of prudent signings on the eve of camp, scooping up veteran tackle Eric Winston and pass rusher John Abraham. Both expected a lot more interest and compensation for their services, and a lot earlier in the offseason than the day before camp starts. Winston represents a significant upgrade to an offensive line that badly needs help, although exactly where he fits is open for debate. He has been a right tackle his entire career, but here Winston might have to play left tackle or even guard. Bobby Massie played quite well at right tackle late in the season after being an abomination early in his rookie year, and the coaches would be wise to not rock the apple cart there. Winston was listed as a guard on the NFL’s official transaction wire, which is an indication he could very well be sliding to right guard. First round rookie Jonathan Cooper figures to have left guard locked down, but Winston could handily beat out Lyle Sendlein on the right side. Or the team could view Winston simply as a valuable swing tackle and mentor for both Massie and fellow second year tackle Nate Potter, who was in way over his head on the left side. Winston’s range and effectiveness have definitely declined over the past couple of seasons, but not that steeply.
Abraham comes will a more defined role. He will rush the passer from both an outside linebacker and defensive end role, likely in limited reps to keep his aging legs fresh. His 10 sacks a year ago indicate he still has considerable juice left in the tank. Abraham lasted on the open market a lot longer than expected because he apparently overestimated how much teams would be willing to pay for a 35-year old with a somewhat streaky track record. He will help the Cardinals, who have a very effective 3-man front but don’t have a lot of sizzle in the outside linebacking corps. If he can chip in 7.5 sacks and help teach youngsters Alex Okafor and Sam Acho some of the ropes, Abraham will be well worth the 2 yr/$6M contract. It’s also worth noting that Abraham is the active career leader in both sacks and forced fumbles, invaluable experience and accomplishment for a young team that doesn’t have a great leadership presence.