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SATURDAY'S GAMES 8/13/05 Baltimore Ravens - QB Rotation: Kyle Boller, Anthony Wright, rookie Derek Anderson (exact amount of playing time still to be determined). RB Jamal Lewis is expected to report after meeting with a probation officer in Baltimore this week. It will be determined after his physical whether he will be placed on the physically-unable-to-perform list. He had ankle surgery this offseason. QBs Boller and Wright threw 6 interceptions in Tuesday's practice. Said coach Brian Billick, "The good news is my team intercepted the passes. The bad news is my team threw them." New defensive coordinator Rex Ryan has done a great job of disguising his fourth pass rusher. With both Terrell Suggs and Adalius Thomas both able to play defensive end and outside linebacker, it's hard to tell which one is dropping into coverage and who is pressuring the quarterback. Atlanta Falcons - QB Rotation: Michael Vick (1-2 series), Ty Detmer (2 Q+), Matt Schaub (3rd Q+), Bryan Randall. Rookie free agent QB Bryan Randall didn't play in Tokyo, but may play Saturday against the Ravens depending on circumstances. The Falcons played in Japan a week ago in their preseason opener. This is the first preseason game for the Ravens. Michael Vick won't see much playing time again. Mora gave no indication how much he plans on using Vick in the preseason, but Vick may have already taken the most snaps he will take over the four remaining exhibitions. Vick has said he feels far more comfortable entering his second season in offensive coordinator Greg Knapp's West Coast offense and Mora said the fluidity and familiarity in the way the first-team offense performed against the Colts Saturday was a good sign. Miami Dolphins - QB Rotation: Gus Frerotte (1st Q), A.J. Feeley, (2nd Q), Sage Rosenfels, Brock Berlin. Frerotte will start and A.J. Feeley will follow by the second quarter. This is the second preseason game for Miami, the first for Jacksonville. The offensive line was weak in the opener. It couldn't protect Feeley and didn't generate much of a running game. Offensive line thin: The Dolphins, in search of help along their battered offensive line, signed free agent Frank Middleton. Backup center Wade Smith fractured his forearm Monday and is out. Joining Smith on the list of injured Dolphins centers was third-stringer Jason Thomas (arthroscopic knee surgery). With both players out, the Dolphins signed center Alonzo Ephraim. Saban also said right guard Rex Hadnot would get plenty of reps at center. Backup guard John St. Clair also has practiced at center. Secondary issues: In the wake of missed tackles and missed assignments in the opener, the Dolphins continued to look for ways to tweak their secondary by bringing in veteran safety Eric Brown for a visit. CB Reggie Howard had a rough night as wide receivers got behind him on at least two occasions. With Pro Bowl CB Patrick Surtain traded to Kansas City, the Dolphins have struggled to find a successor between Howard and rookie Travis Daniels. Scott O'Brien will run Miami's offense, after serving as Vikings' offensive coordinator. Defensively, Miami changed from a 4-3 to a 3-4. Jacksonville Jaguars - QB Rotation: Byron Leftwich, David Garrard, Quinn Gray, Nate Hybl. The Jaguars' starting offense will get more work against Miami than the first-team defense. "For obvious reasons, with the new system and all," coach Jack Del Rio said, referring to the playbook being installed by new offensive coordinator Carl Smith. The Jaguars' No.1 offense played until early in the second quarter in last year's exhibition opener at Miami. Byron Leftwich, who was held out of last Thursday's passing drills to rest a tired arm, threw just six passes in Friday's scrimmage and took just a handful of snaps in the mock game Saturday morning. Nate Hybl is competing with Quinn Gray for the Jaguars' No.3 QB job behind starter Byron Leftwich and No. 2 David Garrard. RB Fred Taylor is recovering from surgery to repair two knee ligaments. He won't play Saturday. Secondary thin: Starting right CB David Richardson was carted off the field Monday with an ankle injury. Carl Smith is the new offensive coordinator. He is a proponent of play action, something you will see a lot with his QBs in preseason. Smith said, "We're going to use the whole field this season." Buffalo Bills - QB Rotation: J.P. Losman (1 Q+), Kelly Holcomb (2nd-3rd Qs), Shane Matthews (4th Q), Tory Woodbury, Kevin Thompson. QB J.P. Losman will start, veteran QB Kelly Holcomb is expected to bridge the second and third quarters of Saturday's preseason opener at Indianapolis. Offensive line thin: Guards Lawrence Smith and Ben Sobieski were ruled out for the year. Defensive Coordinator Jerry Gray let loose with an array of blitzes in a scrimmage last week, many basic in design but very effective, while backup nose tackle Justin Bannan had a big scrimmage with three would-be takedowns. Indianapolis Colts - QB Rotation: Peyton Manning, Jim Sorgi, Travis Brown (exact playing time still to be determined). The Colts played in Japan a week ago in their preseason opener. This is the opener for Buffalo. The unofficial count of the Colts' walking wounded hit 22 players, nearly one-quarter of the team's 90-player roster. The list includes several front-line players: DE Dwight Freeney (shoulder), C Jeff Saturday (hamstring), WR Brandon Stokley (shoulder), DTs Montae Reagor (groin) and Josh Williams (groin), TE Dallas Clark (hamstring), S Mike Doss (groin) and CBs Nick Harper (foot), Donald Strickland (hamstring) and Von Hutchins (foot). Coach Tony Dungy and his staff will closely monitor the players during the next several days to ensure they are sufficiently recovered from the long trip overseas. He noted that discussions with experts on the topic revealed it takes some players up to two weeks to return "absolutely normal" from a physical standpoint. "We'll try to take it as easy as we can on them," Dungy said. "But it will probably be another week before they're back to fully 100 percent." Secondary is thin, and young. Joe Jefferson has moved from cornerback to safety to replace Mike Doss, who will sit out the first two games of the regular season (suspension). Second-year man Bob Sanders is the other safety, and rookie Marlin Jackson played well. Jackson started for Nick Harper (foot). With Donald Strickland (hamstring) also out, CB Kevin Hayden was the Colts' third corner. Denver Broncos - QB Rotation: Jake Plummer (10 plays), Brad Van Pelt, Danny Kanell, Matt Mauck. The starters likely will go about 10 plays Saturday in the preseason opener. QB Jake Plummer is fine after suffering a slightly hyperextended left knee, the knee he had arthroscopic surgery on in May. If Plummer is still sore, he could be limited or held out of practice. The Broncos will practice with the Texans in Houston on Wednesday and Thursday. If Plummer sits, former Colorado State star Brad Van Pelt likely will work with the No. 1 offense. Plummer ran the starting offense in both workouts Monday. QB Van Pelt improved his abilities throwing the ball and is in the No. 2 role to see if he can handle being the first option behind Jake Plummer. Danny Kanell had filled that role previously and still took some snaps behind the second-team offensive line. It's clear Van Pelt was the first choice in most drills. RB Mike Anderson is getting most of the carries with the starting offense. Defense not 100%: CB Champ Bailey (left hamstring), defensive tackle Mario Fatafehi (left knee) and DE Courtney Brown (left elbow) were held out of both workouts Monday. Houston Texans - QB Rotation: David Carr, Tony Banks, Dave Ragone, B.J. Symons (exact amount of playing time still to be determined). Houston wants to improve its running game. In preseason games, they want to see RBs rookie Vernand Morency and Tony Hollings as much as possible. The Texans made moves on defense to improve the pass rush. Dom Capers and DC Vic Fangio said they want to improve quickness and speed, so players were added through the draft (lineman Travis Johnson), free agency (LB Morlon Greenwood) and a trade (CB Phillip Buchanon). They will be looking for more sacks this preseason. If Buchanon and CB Dunta Robinson can provide the kind of man-to-man coverage Fangio wants, he can commit more players to the pass rush. NY Giants - QB Rotation: Eli Manning (1st Q), Jesse Palmer (2nd Q), Tim Hasselbeck (3rd Q), Jared Lorenzen (4th Q). Eli Manning will start, Jesse Palmer and Tim Hasselbeck will follow and show their wares, while Jared Lorenzon will see some time in the fourth quarter. Hasselbeck get about a quarter-and-a-half of action leading the third string. Jesse Palmer will get the first shot in the battle to be the Giants' backup quarterback, playing the second quarter with the second team. Much of Tom Coughlin's energy this camp has been devoted to keeping his team healthier and fresher. There have been far fewer days with two practices, more time to heal between sessions with the addition of night workouts, the slicing of 10 or more minutes off a practice on more than one occasion, and less time in full pads, which means not as much hitting and physical contact. Receivers thin: TE Jeremy Shockey (mild hamstring strain) missed a practice this week, while WR Tim Carter (hamstring) and WR Jamaar Taylor have not been 100%. Cleveland Browns - QB Rotation: Trent Dilfer (1st Q), Doug Johnson (2nd Q), rookie Charlie Frye, Josh Harris, rookie Lang Campbell. Trent Dilfer will start and play about a quarter, and Doug Johnson will come in after him. Next is Frye and then Josh Harris. RB Reuben Droughns said he'll most likely sit out Saturday night's game against the NY Giants with a sore hamstring muscle, and knows it could hurt his chances to win the starting job. Droughns is currently listed at No. 2 on the depth chart, behind Lee Suggs and ahead of William Green and rookie Sultan McCullough. In Droughns' absence, Suggs and Green will play the bulk of the first half and McCullough will see plenty of action in the second half. Cleveland has a new head coach in Romeo Crennel, who ran Bill Belichick's defense in New England the past five years. Crennel is switching Cleveland's defensive scheme to a 3-4. RBs Lee Suggs and Reuben Droughns have been used at the same time, both in the backfield and split out wide. "If they make the team, there might be a possibility that we'll use that," said Crennel. "It does put a little pressure on the defense. They have to defend you differently with two halfbacks in the game." Washington Redskins - QB Rotation: Patrick Ramsey, Mark Brunell, rookie Jason Campbell (see below). Campbell is the No. 3 quarterback behind starter Patrick Ramsey and backup Mark Brunell. Campbell figures to play extensively this Saturday. The Redskins are short on cornerbacks with Walt Harris and Artrell Hawkins out with minor injuries and Carlos Rogers (ankle) ailing. "We're definitely thin at corner," Joe Gibbs said. Carolina Panthers - QB Rotation: Jake Delhomme (1st Q), Chris Weinke (2-3 Qs), Rod Rutherford (4th Q), rookie Stephan LeFlors (4th Q). Said coach John Fox, "Typically we've gone with our first team the first quarter, the second in the second and third and the third group in the fourth quarter." The Panthers like what they see in 6-foot-1, 246-pound rookie RB Eric Shelton. While DeShaun Foster is the acknowledged starter in Stephen Davis' absence, expect Shelton to see plenty of time in preseason. Dallas Cowboys - QB Rotation: Drew Bledsoe (1st Q+), Tony Romo (2nd Q+), Drew Henson (late 3rd Q+). For Saturday's preseason opener at Arizona, Bill Parcells said he will split the work among the quarterbacks in thirds. Henson and Romo have alternated each day working with the second-team offense. Parcells is having every pass the quarterbacks throw in team and 7-on-7 drills charted, so he has a feel for how they are performing. Romo has looked sharper than Henson thus far, but neither has been as consistent as Parcells would like. Drew Bledsoe has looked sharp at Cowboys camp, teaming up with Terry Glenn on a number of deep passes and with TE Jason Witten on shorter throws. He also is in the best physical condition he's been in in four or five years. Issues in the secondary: Parcells said he's not even close to deciding who will start at free safety. For now, Lynn Scott and Keith Davis are rotating at the position. CB Lance Frazier (sprained left ankle) is also ailing. Cowboys nose tackle Jason Ferguson has played well in their new 3-4 defense. Arizona Cardinals - QB Rotation: Kurt Warner, Josh McCown, John Navarre, Chris Lewis (exact amount of playing time still to be determined). Dennis Green is working on offense. Kurt Warner will work to find comfort level with WRs Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald. Oakland Raiders - QB Rotation: Kerry Collins, Marques Tuiasosopo, David Rivers, rookie Andrew Walter (exact amount of playing time still to be determined).
WRs thin with hamstring injuries to Jerry Porter and Carlos Francis. San Fran 49ers - QB Rotation: Rookie Alex Smith (20-25 snaps), Tim Rattay (20-25 snaps), Ken Dorsey (will play the rest of the game). QB Alex Smith will start and play about 20-25 snaps. Rattay will follow with the same number of reps, and Ken Dorsey will play the remainder of the exhibition. Offensive line thin: G David Baas (pulled hamstring) might miss training camp. C Jeremy Newberry (knee) is recovering from offseason surgery and is hoping to begin practice next week. LT Jonas Jennings (finger) will miss a week after undergoing surgery Friday to attach muscle to bone. Justin Smiley has a bruised left calf. Baas' injury has the most impact. The second-rounder was expected to compete for a starting spot. Right tackle Kwame Harris could be the unit's only regular in the game this weekend that also marks the debut of quarterback Alex Smith, the NFL's No. 1 draft pick. Secondary thin: CB Randee Drew has a stress fracture in his foot and is out indefinitely, CB Shawntae Spencer (hamstring) is ailing. Mike Nolan is the new 49ers head coach (former defensive coordinator with the Baltimore Ravens). Billy Davis is the new defensive coordinator, Mike McCarthy is the new offensive coordinator. MONDAY'S GAME 8/15/05 Pittsburgh Steelers - QB Rotation: Ben Roethlisberger, Tommy Maddox, Charlie Batch, Brian St. Pierre (exact amount of playing time still to be determined). RB Duce Staley underwent surgery yesterday to repair a lateral meniscus tear in his right knee. Pittsburgh coach Bill Cowher expects him to miss a month. Bill Cowher was asked about the depth of the offensive line. "It's hard to say at this point," he said. "Chris Kemoeatu has had a good camp, as has Trai Essex. Barrett (Brooks) has a lot of experience. Chukky Okobi has been fine. Jim Jones we felt good about last year, and that's why he's on the roster. There are still some young guys." Defense banged up: Pro Bowl LB Joey Porter (hyperextended knee) and CB Deshea Townsend (Achilles' tendon) were injured in practice Wednesday and didn't return. Cowher said Ike Taylor probably will replace Townsend at right cornerback. Porter is out a minimum of four weeks. Philadelphia Eagles - QB Rotation: Donovan McNabb, Mike McMahon, Koy Detmer, Andy Hall. Pro Bowl running back Brian Westbrook ended his week-long holdout and practiced this week. But All-Pro WR Terrell Owens was sidelined after reinjuring his left groin Sunday and then being dismissed from camp by Andy Reid until next Wednesday. Tune in for updates.
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