A.F.C. East
Buffalo Bills
The Bills opened up camp on Thursday
the 26th from St John Fisher College in Pittsford, New York. Buffalo had a really solid draft this year with Cal RB Marshawn Lynch in the first round, and LB Paul Posluszny in the 2nd. The interesting battle to watch in camp is whether Lynch will get the starting job right away, or if veteran Anthony Thomas will begin the season. With Willis McGahee now in Baltimore, the focus of the offense will likely be their passing game. That means that QB JP Losman will have to step up to the plate and prove himself this year. Can the Tulane product finally handle a starting role? The recievers Roscoe Parrish, Lee Evans, Josh Reed, and Peerless price will really have to step up in order for Buffalo to really thrive. The D is getting younger, and the less experienced players will have to replace Takeo Spikes, London Fletcher-Baker, and Nate Clements. Ball control will be the major focus on offense, and Buffalo will try to employ the wildly popular Tampa 2 defense. Check out Bills camp to see how it all comes together.Miami Dolphins
The 'Phins opened up camp on Saturday from
their training facility in Davie, Florida. Miami took a gamble in drafting Ted Ginn Jr over Brady Quinn, and it'll be interesting to see how he does as a reciever in addition to his return skills. Will Cam Cameron use Ginn like a Reggie Bush? Also, who will throw to Ginn for the majority of the season? Miami did everything in their power to acquire Trent Green from the Chiefs, but emerging youngster Cleo Lemon and rookie John Beck are in the fold and anxious to take snaps from Green in camp. How will that situation work out? The entire offense was generally disappointing last year, with the line under-performing, Ronnie Brown didn't play as well as he could have, and Chris Chambers had an awful year. I've heard scouts say that he can't be relied on anymore, and people have said that he'll have an amazing comeback campaign. Which will occur? The Dolphin front seven looks quite imposing, with the addition of Joey Porter to go alongside Jason Taylor and the rest of the D line. But the cornerback spot could be a huge weak spot, with Jason Allen and Will Allen starting. Can they handle the opposition's top wideouts? With a new power running scheme on offense, and Dom Capers' zone blitz defense on full display, Miami camp will be one to watch.New England Patriots
Camp started on Saturday from Gillette stadium in
Foxboro. The Pats have emerged as the favorites to hoist the Lombardi Trophy with a new set of recievers in Randy Moss, Donte Stallworth, Kelley Washington, and Wes Welker, and the addition of do it all defender Adalius Thomas. Tom Brady will have all the weapons he needs on offense, but will Laurence Maroney be able to carry the load as the feature back with Corey Dillon not returning? Maroney has all the tools to get it done, but the pressure will be all over the RB. The defense should be quite good at stopping the run, but the pass defense may be at risk, especially given the holdout of Asante Samuel. The battle at Safety should be very intriguing with Eugene Wilson, vet Rodney Harrison, and talented rookie Brandon Meriweather competing for two spots. The New England O will spread the ball and exploit the weakness of the opposition, while the defense will use the 4-3 and 3-4 and blitz from a variety of angles. Will Moss become a Patriot, or will his ego take command of the locker room? Find out at camp.New York Jets
The J-E-T-S
opened up their camp on Saturday from Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. The Jets used a soft schedule and a stout defense to make an improbable run to the playoffs, and they acquired Thomas Jones to shore up their running game. But will Chad Pennington be able to endure the wear and tear of yet another full season, and will the recievers play up to their level of last season? In addition, the Jets ranked 24th in the league in run defense, and will have to improve in order to sustain their successes. Will the Jets do even better this year in the 3-4 system, or will they fall on a hard sophomore slump under head coach Eric Mangini? With veteran David Barrett competing with youngsters Justin Miller and Darrelle Revis, the battle at CB will be one to watch. New York remains a mystery, and camp will definitely be an indicator of how the team will fare.N.F.L. Preseason TV Schedule
8/5- Hall of Fame Game- Saints vs Steelers (NFL)
8/9- Colts @ Cowboys (FOX)
8/10- Bills @ Saints (CBS)
8/11- Redskins @ Titans (NFL)
8/12- Seahawks @ Chargers (NBC)
8/13- Broncos @ 49ers (ESPN)
8/16- Dolphins @ Chiefs (ESPN)
8/17- Vikings @ Jets (FOX)
8/18- Chargers @ Rams (CBS)
8/19- Giants @ Ravens (NBC)
8/20- Bears @ Colts (ESPN)
8/23- Jaguars @ Packers (FOX)
8/24- Patriots @ Panthers (CBS)
8/26- Eagles @ Steelers (NBC)
8/27- Bengals @ Falcons (ESPN)
A.F.C. North
Baltimore Ravens
The
Ravens will open their camp next Monday from McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland. The addition of Willis McGahee is huge for this team because it takes the pressue off of QB Steve McNair. McNair used his leadership skills to guide the club to the postseason, but the same success may not be guaranteed. Demetrius Wilson may turn into a go-to guy at WR behind Mark Clayton, and Derek Mason may be getting too old for a #1 target. That bein said, the rapport that Mason and McNair have can't be replicated, and Todd Heap remains a very steady target at Tight End. The big question is how the defense will cope with the loss of Adalius Thomas. He was everywhere and did everything last year, that the depth of the club will be tested. How will the players perform while taking up Thomas' many positions? A healthy Ray Lewis and Ed Reed might be able to overshadow the weaknesses elsewhere. The offensive line is very young, and rookie Ben Grubbs may have to take up a leadership role very early. Trial by fire, anyone? Come to Ravens camp and see how it all unfolds.Cincinnati Bengals
The
Bengals opened up shop from Georgetown College in Georgetown, Kentucky on Friday. As the defense improves for the Bengals, players keep getting in trouble. The CB position will be a good battle to watch, with Johnathan Joseph, Deltha O'Neal, and rookie Leon Hall competing for the starting roles. Carson Palmer continues to recover from knee surgery, and he is this franchise. They still have Chad Johnson and TJ Houshmanzadah at WR, but the depth could suffer with the Chris Henry suspension and the loss of Kelley Washington. The team can also power the ball with Rudi Johnson and rookie Kenny Irons. The offensive line didn't protect Palmer well enough last year, and will have to in order to have a shot at the playoffs. Will Justin Smith emerge as the teams' leader of defense, and will the secondary be able to step it up? They may have to if the stripes want to make the playoffs.Cleveland Browns
Cleveland
began their training camp on Friday from their training facility in Barea, Ohio. The camp may have a flavor of urgency, with head coach Romeo Crennel firmly on the hot seat. Also, any QB race in camp is always exciting, with Charlie Frye, Derek Anderson, and Brady Quinn competing for the starting job. They'll have weapons to throw to in Kellen Winslow and Braylon Edwards, but the Browns are taking a risk by entrusting the running game with oft injured former Raven Jamal Lewis. Will he hold up, or will the QB's be handing off to a bunch of stiffs if Lewis gets hurt? The O-line was awful last year, but the personnel is there to succeed. If Quinn ends up the starter, the line MUST perform unless the team wants Quinn to turn into the next David Carr. The safety spot looks promising with Sean Jones and Brodney Pool possibly being a dynamic duo for years to come. OC Rob Chudzinksi will use the TE as a major weapon, and the 3-4 D under Crennel needs to perform to save him his job. Will the potential of this club be realized? Come to camp and find out.Pittsburgh Steelers
Go
out to Saint Vincent College in LaTrobe, The Steelers started camp last Tuesday. The Steelers have a new coach, and lots of questions surrounding Mike Tomlin. O-line leader Alan Faneca isn't happy, and that could be a major problem for Ben Roethliesberger, who's still trying to reach full strength after his various injuries. Joey Porter was a force on and off the field, and a new leader of the defense will have to be found. Maybe newly resigned S Troy Polamalu will fill that role. Rookie Lawrence Timmons will be tabbed with replacing Porter, and will be the key to the teams' LB corps. The power running game will not be the staple of the offense for the first time in years. How will Willie Parker adjust to being the focus of a single back set? Hines Ward is getting old and Santonio Holmes will have to play a big role in the receiving alongside TE Heath Miller. Will the 3-4 continue to work for the Steelers under Dick LeBeau even though Tomlin loves the Tampa 2? Will a dispute emerge regarding defensive philosophy? Find out in Steelers camp.NFL Discussion With Scouts INC's Matt Williamson
What coaches find themselves on the hot seat as camp opens?
Matt Williamson: In Cleveland for sure, maybe Tampa Bay and Carolina. Washington possibly as well.
Cleveland is pretty obvious because of the team's failures. Romeo Crennel has this season to reach at least 8-8 or will probably be canned. Jon Gruden can't rest on the laurels of his championship forever, and the woes of the Bucs must stop this year, or Gruden will take his ring elsewhere. I don't know if John Fox would be fired, but the team is always hyped as favorites, only to disappoint. I think he had more time than just one year, but Williamson said that this year may be make or break. The Redskins have struggled under Joe Gibbs, but I can't see how he's ever fired. Sort of like Penn State when Joe Paterno was really struggling. I'm surprised that Williamson left Tom Coughlin off of his list. The Giants definitely must do well, or the disciplinary major will be gone for sure.
A.F.C. South
Houston Texans
The
Texans opened up on Friday from their practice facility in Houston. New QB Matt Schaub will be the new franchise guy and the offensive line will have to do better in order to protect Schaub, or the Texans will never have good QB play. Ahman Green comes over from Green Bay to stabilize the running attack, but depth at WR isn't that great behind Andre Johnson. Kevin Walter and Jerome Mathis will compete for the starting job opposite Johnson. Mario Williams and DeMeco Ryans will continue to flourish in an improving defense, but will it have enough talent to succeed? Watch Texans camp to see what goes down.Indianapolis Colts
The
defending champs will open up next Monday from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Indiana. Peyton Manning has been brilliant over his career because of a dominant offensive line. With the retirement of Tarik Glenn, can the line pull it together, or will Manning find himself in his butt a little too often? Also, will Joseph Addai be able to carry the load for a full season? He'll be relied on a lot more to get the lion's share of the carries, and will have to step up and be the feature back. The defense finished really strong last season, but was that just a fluke or will the defense retain their top notch form that they had in the postseason? The front 7 looks good, but Kelvin Hayden and Freddy Keiaho will play big roles in Tony Dungy's Tampa 2 secondary. Check out Colts camp to find out the answers to these questions.Jacksonville Jaguars
The
Jags will conduct camp from their home Alltell Stadium in Jacksonville. They started on Saturday. Lots of questions surround the Jaguars before camp. The QB situation hasn't been resolved, with Byron Leftwich and David Garrard both gunning for the starting job. Will Maurice Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew be able to coexist for another season at Running Back? The team really lacks a number one receiver, and Jones, Williams, and Wilford don't make for a great trio of wideouts. The defense could be great if the players stay healthy, and Mike Peterson and Reggie Heyward can give the Jags a huge boost in the front 7. Williams and Mathis are two fabulous corners, but they're going to have 2 new starting safeties after they dropped Donovan Darius. Find out more story lines at Jags camp.Tennessee Titans
The
Titans started camp yesterday from the Baptist Facility in Nashville. Can Vince Young escape the Madden Jynx? Pacman Jones has been the major focus of the offseason, but they have to move on now that he's out of the picture. Young had a magical rookie season, but he has a very limited number of weapons to work with, with the losses of Travis Henry and Drew Bennett. They have David Givens as their top wideout, and they need him to have a major comeback season in order for the offense to be successful. Eric Moulds was signed as the 2nd reciever, and Tennessee needs him to be a solid possession guy and someone that the rest of the offesne could look for when they need leadership. The running back job will be completely wide open, with LenDale White, Chris Brown, and rookie Chris Henry all going out for the starting gig. One of these 3 guys needs to step up. The defense is one of the more underrated units in the game. and their 4-3 scheme may need to carry them at times. The Titans drafted Michael Griffin to start at one of the corner spots, and he may turn into a liability if he falters early. Chris Hope will be solid against the number ones, but Griffin may need help if he's isolated in the first few weeks. Find out how it goes down in Titans camp.A.F.C. West
Denver Broncos
Broncos 
camp starts today from Dove Valley in Englewood, Colorado. Jay Cutler will be the obvious focus of camp. How will he fair after a rocky rookie campaign that showed a lot of promise, but just as many mistakes. Mike Shanahan is a very good coach of QB's and Cutler has the tools to become a franchise starter. Will his play elevate this offense into the league's upper echelon? He'll have the tools around him to do it with Travis Henry coming in from Tennessee and super talented TE Daniel Graham coming from New England. Rod Smith's career is in question right now because of a bad hip, and Brandon Marshall will have to step up as the 2nd reciever opposite Javon Walker. The defense could be downright frightening this year especially with Champ Bailey and Dre Bly shutting down recievers this year, and John Lynch still reaking havoc in the box. The D-Line could cause a nice battle with all the former Browns competing with free agent signee Sam Adams and trade acquistion Jimmy Kennedy, not to mention draftees Jarvis Moss and Tim Crowder. Denver wants to compete for the West crown, and camp should definitely be exciting.
camp starts today from Dove Valley in Englewood, Colorado. Jay Cutler will be the obvious focus of camp. How will he fair after a rocky rookie campaign that showed a lot of promise, but just as many mistakes. Mike Shanahan is a very good coach of QB's and Cutler has the tools to become a franchise starter. Will his play elevate this offense into the league's upper echelon? He'll have the tools around him to do it with Travis Henry coming in from Tennessee and super talented TE Daniel Graham coming from New England. Rod Smith's career is in question right now because of a bad hip, and Brandon Marshall will have to step up as the 2nd reciever opposite Javon Walker. The defense could be downright frightening this year especially with Champ Bailey and Dre Bly shutting down recievers this year, and John Lynch still reaking havoc in the box. The D-Line could cause a nice battle with all the former Browns competing with free agent signee Sam Adams and trade acquistion Jimmy Kennedy, not to mention draftees Jarvis Moss and Tim Crowder. Denver wants to compete for the West crown, and camp should definitely be exciting.Kansas City Chiefs
Herm 
Edwards and company started their camp on Friday from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls in River Falls. Larry Johnson has no contract. That needs to be resolved or this team will be on the clock for sure in April. And when he does sign, he'll realize that the O-Line is makeshift at best, and that the QB situation is very uncertain. Management apparently thought that Brodie Croyle was ready to go when they dealt Trent Green to Miami. Damon Huard will compete with Croyle for the opening day job. Besides for Tony Gonzalez, the team may not have many weapons. Eddie Kennison and Samie Parker are getting old fast, and Dwayne Bowe shows a lot of promise, but is still unproven. The defense will be average, and with an awful offense, we'll see if the Chiefs have any magic.
Edwards and company started their camp on Friday from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls in River Falls. Larry Johnson has no contract. That needs to be resolved or this team will be on the clock for sure in April. And when he does sign, he'll realize that the O-Line is makeshift at best, and that the QB situation is very uncertain. Management apparently thought that Brodie Croyle was ready to go when they dealt Trent Green to Miami. Damon Huard will compete with Croyle for the opening day job. Besides for Tony Gonzalez, the team may not have many weapons. Eddie Kennison and Samie Parker are getting old fast, and Dwayne Bowe shows a lot of promise, but is still unproven. The defense will be average, and with an awful offense, we'll see if the Chiefs have any magic.Oakland Raiders
The c
ircus known as Raider camp began on Friday from the Napa Valley Marriot in Cali. Randy Moss has finally been traded and now the JaMarcus Era can finally begin by the bay, right? Not so fast, he'll be in a big camp battle with Josh McCown for the starting job. Will either be ready for the start of the season? The O-Line is young and inexperienced, and Jake Grove, Robert Gallery, and Paul McQuistan will need to be steady starters for the QB's to even have a chance. 32 year old head coach Lane Kiffin could be in over his head. LaMont Jordan will need a big comeback season for this offense to even look respectable. After a 4 game suspension, Dominic Rhodes can push Jordan for carries. The outlook is bleak, but anything could happen in Oakland.
The c
ircus known as Raider camp began on Friday from the Napa Valley Marriot in Cali. Randy Moss has finally been traded and now the JaMarcus Era can finally begin by the bay, right? Not so fast, he'll be in a big camp battle with Josh McCown for the starting job. Will either be ready for the start of the season? The O-Line is young and inexperienced, and Jake Grove, Robert Gallery, and Paul McQuistan will need to be steady starters for the QB's to even have a chance. 32 year old head coach Lane Kiffin could be in over his head. LaMont Jordan will need a big comeback season for this offense to even look respectable. After a 4 game suspension, Dominic Rhodes can push Jordan for carries. The outlook is bleak, but anything could happen in Oakland.San Diego Chargers
The 
Bolts started camp yesterday from Chargers Park in San Diego. The roster is still top notch, but the coaching will have to be up to the task to get the most out of the talent it has. Norv Turner and 2 new coordinators will be taking over this year, and it'll have a lot of work to do. The new colors are sweet, and LT will be too. Antonio Gates will once again be the focal point of the passing attack, but Phil Rivers will need the wideouts to step up if the Chargers want to contend for a title. Eric Parker isn't a number one, but maybe Vincent Jackson and rookie Craig Davis could emerge into viable targets. Can Rivers take the next step and be an elite QB in this league? The front 7 is still strong from the Wade Phillips days, but the secondary might leave something to desire. Florence and Cromartie will battle for a starting job opposite Jammer, but the safety spot will have to be lead by Marlon McCree, because they'll probably have to start a rookie at the strong spot. So much talent, so many questions. Gear up for Chargers camp.
Bolts started camp yesterday from Chargers Park in San Diego. The roster is still top notch, but the coaching will have to be up to the task to get the most out of the talent it has. Norv Turner and 2 new coordinators will be taking over this year, and it'll have a lot of work to do. The new colors are sweet, and LT will be too. Antonio Gates will once again be the focal point of the passing attack, but Phil Rivers will need the wideouts to step up if the Chargers want to contend for a title. Eric Parker isn't a number one, but maybe Vincent Jackson and rookie Craig Davis could emerge into viable targets. Can Rivers take the next step and be an elite QB in this league? The front 7 is still strong from the Wade Phillips days, but the secondary might leave something to desire. Florence and Cromartie will battle for a starting job opposite Jammer, but the safety spot will have to be lead by Marlon McCree, because they'll probably have to start a rookie at the strong spot. So much talent, so many questions. Gear up for Chargers camp. 
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