The National Football Post Diner News

1.    FROM THE MIAMI HERALD… Throughout the rest of training camp … we’ll see how things go,” Sparano said. “I expect that we’ll have four quarterbacks for a while.  We may keep four quarterbacks. I mean, that’s the truth.  We might just keep four quarterbacks at the end of this thing.  I mean, the team we just played has got a bunch of them.”

 

a.    I doubt the Dolphins would keep 4 quarterbacks.  If someone called that loved John Beck coming out in the draft, I am sure they would trade him.  They could also release Josh McCown.  McCown is a vested veteran and there is no reason to commit to him for the season and save a spot on the roster for him.  When a young team is rebuilding, there is no reason to carry an older player on the inactive list every week. 

 

2.   FROM THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS… I just have to work on my tackling,” Adam Jones said.  ”I think everything else will come in hand pretty much.  With me guarding people, I did OK, being out for a little while.  It’s coming back every day.  It won’t come back over night, but hopefully I can get it back within a month.”

 

a.    Adam struggled in the game, which is expected.  The speed of the game and the timing of the game can only be stimulated “in the game.”  I did watch Hard Knocks and thought Jones struggled with speed down the field.  Owens had another gear in the one-on-ones, but Jones could not keep up.  Please don’t confuse Jones with being a shut-down corner.  He is a playmaker.  He takes chances and will get beat on double moves, much like he did on the Hard Knocks show. 

 

3.   FROM MIKE NOLAN’S PRESS CONFERENCE… Q-How do you view Alex’s game yesterday? What were you looking for from his time on the field?  “I was looking for someone to move the ball down the field, minimize their errors, make plays and utilize the guys around them.  Alex did have a few good throws and a couple that were not as good.  He had two throws that he could have done a better job with.  One was the screen and one was the pass to Jason Hill, but outside of that he had some good throws.  He was working with the second group and got flushed a couple of times.  As I look for the same in all three of them it is the command of the offense which is extremely important.  When you know the offense, you can use the players around you.  If you are not sure of the offense, you are not sure who the ball goes to.  That’s first and foremost, but outside of that, whoever moves it down the field.”

 

a.   This is a huge problem for the 49ers this year.  They don’t have the players to match their new system of offense.  And I don’t think that it’s going to improve at any point during the season.  Unless the 49ers build the offense around bootlegs, nakeds and the run game, Alex Smith won’t be effective.  The 49ers can talk all they want about their rotations and how they have three quarterbacks, but the reality is they don’t have a quarterback that fits the Mike Martz system.  The key for developing players is matching the system to the players.  And I don’t see that happening in San Francisco.  Vernon Davis seems to make too many mental mistakes and I am not sure he knows who to block, let alone where he is going in the route.  He is an athlete and not a football player right now. 

 

4.   FROM THE SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE… [Talking about Josh Morgan] “He’s got the body (6-foot, 219 pounds), the speed (4.47 in the 40) and the ability to be an NFL receiver,” 49ers receivers coach Jerry Sullivan said.  ”He’s got to learn the offense and all the little intricacies that go with it.”

 

a.    Morgan was a very talented player at Virginia Tech, but had some off-the-field problems and was in an offense that did not highlight his overall talents.  He is big, strong, and can really run after the catch.  He is similar to James Jones of the Packers, but has more speed.  Had he gone to an offense that has a quarterback, he would be very productive this year. 

 

5.   FROM THE NEW YORK DAILY NEWS… When he was an assistant coach in Philadelphia, Steve Spagnuolo had an intimidating safety in Brian Dawkins.  Now he has another in Kenny Phillips.  Or at least he might, given the way Phillips, the first-round pick out of Miami, has performed this summer.  Whenever a receiver appears to be open, he has a knack for closing the gap fast.  ”I worked with a guy like that down in Philadelphia,” said Spagnuolo, the defensive coordinator.  ”I think people feared Brian.  And that’s way down the road for Kenny.  He’s still trying to learn the defense and limit the mistakes.  I know in college he was a very active and physical guy and when we drafted him.  We anticipated he’d be the same.”

 

a.   Phillips has a pro-style game.  He can run, he has a big body, and he is not limited to just playing in the box.  This is a huge upgrade for the Giants.  Getting someone to fill in for Gabril Wilson, and add speed and quickness to their secondary will help their overall defense. 

 

6.   FROM THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER… “I want to see him first before I make any judgment there,” Reid said.  ”I know he’s been working out, but I just want to sit down and talk to him face-to-face and make sure everything is set up for him here so he can be successful.”  Andrews was examined by doctors Thursday and Friday after publicly admitting he was depressed earlier in the week.  Reid said he wants to see what kind of physical and mental condition Andrews is in.  The head coach did not sound as though he was in a hurry to get his starting left guard back on the field.  ”I think [conditioning] is important,” Reid said.  ”I’m going to gradually feed him back in.  I just want to see how he’s doing.  That’s my primary focus right now.  Then we’ll see about those other things. We’ll see where they fall in.”

 

a.   The Eagles have to get their offensive line fixed and in rhythm.  Last year quarterback Donovan McNabb was sacked the second-most times in his career and their line did not play at a high level.   What I find very interesting about the Eagles line is that they moved Todd Herremans, their normal left guard, out to left tackle instead of playing Winston Justice.  Justice has not progressed to the level the Eagles expected when they selected him in the second round in 2006.  I am not sure they can count on Andrews early in the year.  There seem to be some questions in the Eagle offensive line. 

 

7.   FROM THE ATLANTA JOURNAL CONSTITUTION… “He impressed me,” said running back Michael Turner, who played with Drew Brees and Philip Rivers in San Diego.  ”It wasn’t like he was playing against a vanilla defense with everybody just sitting back and letting him pick them apart.  They were blitzing.  They were bringing everything they could at him.  He read it well, sat in the pocket and was letting it rip.”

 

a.   I watched the Jacksonville game with special interest and thought Matt Ryan was very confident and poised.   In the game, new defensive coordinator Greg Williams called some basic blitzes and Ryan handled them with ease.  The Falcons have a ton of work to do with their offense, but getting Ryan is a huge first step.

 

8.   FROM THE BALTIMORE SUN…FROM PRACTICE QUARTERBACK DERBY The defense overwhelmed the quarterbacks and offensive line yesterday morning seemingly at the whim of defensive coordinator Rex Ryan.  Troy Smith was sacked four times, rookie Joe Flacco twice and Kyle Boller once - and those are conservative numbers.  When the quarterbacks did have time to throw, they either overthrew their receivers or had the passes knocked down by the secondary.  The best throw came from Boller, who rolled out right and lofted a pass that rookie wide receiver Marcus Smith hauled in.

 

a.   When teams are trying to learn about their quarterbacks and the offensive line is struggling, it can be very difficult for the quarterback to gain confidence.  With Chad Henne in Miami having a good night and Matt Ryan looking poised and confident, you have to wonder how Flacco is doing in camp during practice.  He was not impressive in the game, fumbling and failing to complete a pass.  He needs to make huge strides the next few weeks if he expects to see any playing time this year.  Otherwise, the Ravens may have to sign Dante Culpepper.  I expect the Ravens to go through one more game and then make a decision about where they are headed with their quarterback situation. 

 

9.   FROM NEWSDAY… The Jets coach must have realized it couldn’t possibly pass the sniff test and he acknowledged the obvious - that Chad Pennington signing with the Dolphins on Friday night created a somewhat unique situation for the Jets when they play at Miami in their season opener Sept. 7.  Said Mangini, “He’s definitely got some insight in the things that we do.”  But Mangini quickly reverted to form.  ”But we’re a very game plan-specific team,” he said.  ”And the things they present offensively are going to be, I imagine, different than what we’ve seen in the past.  And in terms of what they’re doing defensively, it’s the first game of the season.  Some of that’s touch and go, anyways, because you don’t know what to expect out of the box.”

 

a.   Chad Pennington will know a tremendous amount about the Jets defense.  And the key here is that Chad will know “how” the Jets teach their fundamentals and techniques.  Good offensive coaches attack the techniques of the defense.  That is why great offensive coaches know and completely understand the defense.  Pennington will know what a corner likes to do, he will know how they disguise the coverages and he will know “how” the Jets think.  This cannot be under stated.  He will have a huge impact on the game-planning. 

 

10. FROM THE INDY STAR… I thought their first defensive line really outplayed our first group offensively,” he said.  ”We had a chance for a touchdown pass on the third play of the game and didn’t protect it well.”  The pocket collapsed on Sorgi on his first two pass attempts.  On the game’s third play, he was hit by Julius Peppers, who forced Sorgi to fumble and recovered it.  The Panthers scored five plays later.  When the Colts got the ball back, Sorgi tried to throw a short pass, but it was tipped at the line and intercepted.  One play later, the Colts trailed 14-0.  ”Our protection wasn’t where it needed to be, especially early in the game,” Dungy said.  ”Once we got going, it was better. Jim had one nice drive when we protected for him.”

 

a.   I think the Colts and their offensive line coach Howard Mudd do an amazing job of protecting the passer as well as developing their young offensive lineman.  But this season, they need to have a huge year out of Tony Ugoh.  The Colts have a number one pick invested in Ugoh and need him to become a solid starter.  Ugoh is a player that must improve his power, his toughness, his pass protection, and his overall production.  He is the weak link in the line and if he does not step up his game, this can affect the Colts offense.