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Coupon Code: 1A490 DISCOUNT EXTENDED! 5% off of FantasyHeadquarters.com fantasy football league entry fees! Click Here! Hi Folks, Camps are heating up. Our first big injury hits today (Frank Gore breaks his hand) and we lose a legend in Bill Walsh. Let's get to it. JSITE NEWS A. Mania continues as we released 27 faceoffs and spotlights, 3 staff articles and an Expert draft with commentary today. And we are just getting started here.INSIDE THIS ISSUE 1. SF - RB Gore Breaks Bone In Right Hand2. Former Super Bowl Winning Coach Bill Walsh Dies 3. CHI - TE Olsen Shines, QB Griese Falters 4. DET - QB Stanton Out One Month After Surgery 5. GB - RB Morency Out Two Weeks 6. KC - HC Edwards Sees No Separation At QB Yet 7. NYG - WR's Moss and Smith Solid Thus Far 8. DEN - Broncos Might Not Keep Both WRs Smith & Stokley 9. ATL - RB Robertson Working With Second Stringers 10. SF - OG Allen Reports To Camp 11. DEF - SEA - FS Babineaux Out 3-4 Weeks With Bone Bruise 12. DEF - BAL - DE Cody Out Indefinitely With Knee Injury 13. DEF - MIA - Miami DE Taylor Aims For Repeat Title 14. DEF - NYG - Giants DE Umenyiora Says Strahan Is Serious SF - RB Gore Breaks Bone In Right Hand Source: ESPN Frank Gore broke a bone in his right hand Monday during the first padded practice of training camp and might not play in the preseason. Gore was injured during a non-contact ball-handling drill, and coach Mike Nolan said he would not practice with the team for the remainder of the week. Gore will be re-evaluated next Monday, and Nolan expects him to return to practice then with a cast on his hand. "He'll be ready for the latter part of preseason, but his participating in the preseason, we'll wait and see on that," Nolan said.[ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] Although this is an injury that Gore is likely to be fully recovered from before the start of the season, it's hard to expect him to be in playing shape sitting on the sidelines. We expect 2nd year RB Michael Robinson to compete with Maurice Hicks for 1st team snaps in training camp. Lower Gore a tad in your projections too. Former Super Bowl Winning Coach Bill Walsh Dies Source: Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun Bill Walsh, who guided the San Francisco 49ers to three Super Bowl championships and six NFC West division titles in his 10 years as head coach, has died today at the age of 75 after a long battle with leukemia, according to Stanford University, where he served as coach and athletic director. Even a short list of Walsh's adherents is stunning. Seifert, Mike Holmgren, Dennis Green, Sam Wyche, Ray Rhodes and Bruce Coslet all became NFL head coaches after serving on Walsh's San Francisco staffs, and Tony Dungy played for him. Most of his former assistants passed on Walsh's structures and strategies to a new generation of coaches, including Mike Shanahan, Jon Gruden, Brian Billick, Andy Reid, Pete Carroll, Gary Kubiak, Steve Mariucci and Jeff Fisher. Walsh created the Minority Coaching Fellowship program in 1987, helping minority coaches to get a foothold in a previously lily-white profession. Marvin Lewis and Tyrone Willingham are among the coaches who went through the program, later adopted as a league-wide initiative.[ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] Footballguys passes along condolences to family, friends and fans of coach Walsh. He left an undeniable mark on the current game and it's a better game for him having been a part of it. CHI - TE Olsen Shines, QB Griese Falters Source: Vaughn McClure, Chicago Tribune Chicago Bears first round draft pick TE Greg Olsen continued to impress during Monday's practice with a spectacular one-handed TD catch. Backup QB Brian Griese was disappointing, however, as his passes has been off target and he continues to throw interceptions. [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] The reports keep beaming about TE Greg Olsen. Although rookie TEs rarely make a big difference in their first year, Olsen might be the rare exception. DET - QB Stanton Out One Month After Surgery Source: George Sipple, Detroit Free Press Lions president Matt Millen said this afternoon that rookie quarterback Drew Stanton will have his knee scoped to clean out cartilage. Stanton, the Lions' second-round pick, likely will be out at least a month. Stanton tweaked his right knee Saturday and missed both practice sessions Sunday and Monday in Allen Park. After Monday's morning practice -- but before the results of an MRI exam were known -- Stanton said he hoped he would not need surgery. "I'm hoping not, but we'll see," Stanton said. "It's gone down significantly, the swelling has. It's almost back to normal. I just have to kind of wait and see." Millen isn’t sure how long Stanton will be out. "Keep him on the active roster and see where it goes," Millen said. "How long it takes and how long it takes to rehab. Do it right. The knee is structurally sound. That's not a big deal. Just a little tweak."[ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] Drew was not expected to play a big role this year as he learns the complex system of a Mike Martz offense. But make no mistake about it, Stanton is being groomed to take over for Kitna eventually. This news almost ensures that Jon Kitna will hold onto the job for this year. Source: Packers News Running back Vernand Morency's knee injury is more serious than initially believed, and he likely will miss two weeks of practice, Packers coach Mike McCarthy said today. Morency hasn't practiced since Saturday. McCarthy declined to discuss specifics of the injury, which was described Sunday by General Manager Ted Thompson as a contusion. The Packers' first preseason game is 12 days away, so Morency likely will miss that game.[ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] It's hard to win the starting job when you can't practice. Although Morency is sure to get some looks later in camp, this is a pretty big setback. Rookie Brandon Jackson and Noah Herron should split snaps with the first unit while Morency heals. KC - HC Edwards Sees No Separation At QB Yet Source: KCChiefs.com When asked if he has noticed any separation between QBs Damon Huard and Brodie Croyle, HC Herman Edwards said, "Naaaah, not really. As we get into this thing even more and more we'll find out. I think you'll see separation as we go through pre-season and the start of playing games." [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] Typical coach speak from one of the Kings of coach speak. What Edwards is saying here is that he may not make a decision until well into the preseason. I still tend to think it'll be Huard starting the season with Croyle taking over by week 5 or so. NYG - WR's Moss and Smith Solid Thus Far Source: Arthur Staple, New York Newsday Both WRs Sinorice Moss and Steve Smith have looked solid thus far for the New York Giants. Moss has been running with the number one's as the third/slot WR and with the 1's when Burress and Toomer are out. He looks fit and strong and is also trying to win both return jobs. Smith made a great diving catch on Saturday, but has been moving along slowly, which is probably what the Giants want. [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] Toomer and Burress are reportedly healthy and looking good but the Giants need for Moss and Smith to produce as well. Eli Manning is headed towards a "crossroads" type season where it's time for him to finally deliver on some of the lofty expectations laid out for him. He'll need solid play from his wide receivers to do that. DEN - Broncos Might Not Keep Both WRs Smith & Stokley Source: Woody Paige, Denver Post In his rundown of the Broncos WR situation, Paige surmises that the team is already set on keeping WRs Javon Walker, Brandon Marshall and Brian Clark. Veterans Rod Smith and Brandon Stokley are thought to be fighting for one spot, and it will probably come down to who gets healthy fastest. [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] Interesting thoughts from Woody Paige. He seems to think Brian Clark will earn a roster spot based on his ability to return kicks and as a 4th WR. We'll see how Rod Smith does over the next few weeks but listening to him, it wouldn't surprise me to see him retire. He looks to be a long ways from being ready. Stay tuned. ATL - RB Robertson Working With Second Stringers Source: Steve Wyche, Atlanta Journal-Constitution With Jerious Norwood moving into the starter's role for the time being. several Atlanta Falcons RBs have seen opportunities open up for them at backup tailback, including Jamal Robertson. "Jamal understands what we're doing, so he's probably ahead of everybody else," HC Bobby Petrino said. "I like what I see of Snelling. It's going to be a question of how he does once we get into preseason games. He has good vision and makes nice cuts. He has some power when he runs the ball, and we're hoping he will be able to run through some tackles." Robertson has played mainly on special teams in five NFL seasons. [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] Warrick Dunn's injury has multiple ripples throughout the team. Jerious Norwood of course is the most obvious but guys like Jamal Robertson will benefit as well. There are plenty of questions as to whether Norwood is big enough to handle the physical demands of being a feature back. So definitely keep an eye on who's backing him up and for now, that looks to be Robertson. Source: Associated Press, ESPN Eleven-time Pro Bowl guard Larry Allen reported for training camp Monday after missing Saturday's reporting date and Sunday's first practices due to personal reasons. Allen was a stranger to the team facility during the offseason and was a no-show for the 49ers' May mini-camp and June organized team activities. Rumors circulated that he was considering retirement, but Allen said he has no intention this year to end a career that has established him as one of the greatest offensive linemen in NFL history. "I'm ready to go," Allen said. "I have a big gym at my house so I started working out there this spring. I'm finally back out here now to hit somebody and have some fun. I want to win games and go to the Super Bowl and embarrass a couple of people."[ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] He's not the player he once was, but is still a key piece to the 49'ers offensive line. I am sure QB Alex Smith and RB Frank Gore were very happy to see the eleven-time Pro Bowl guard decide to play at least one more season. DEF - SEA - FS Babineaux Out 3-4 Weeks With Bone Bruise Source: Danny O'Neil, Seattle Times Seattle Seahawks FS Jordan Babineaux had tests taken on his right leg on Sunday after suffering an injury in the first practice of training camp. The tests found no fractures, but he's out for the next three to four weeks with a bone bruise. [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] Good news for Babineaux that it wasn't any more serious than this. But it's tough to miss that much camp. DEF - BAL - DE Cody Out Indefinitely With Knee Injury Source: Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun Baltimore Ravens LB Dan Cody will miss the majority of the preseason and could be sidelined for the entire season due to a knee injury. Cody hyper-extended his right knee and tore a piece of cartilage during a non-contact pass-rush drill May 20. He said today that he had the knee scoped two weeks ago and will have to sit out four weeks before doctors can assess the knee's stability. If the knee does not improve, Cody said the next step would be microfracture surgery, a process where tiny fractures are created in adjacent bones to give room for new cartilage to grow. The recovery process for that procedure is at least four months. [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] Tough break for Cody and the Ravens here. DEF - MIA - Miami DE Taylor Aims For Repeat Title Source: Carl Kotala, Florida Today Miami Dolphins DE Jason Taylor had the best season of his ten year career in 2006, earning a Defensive Player of the Year title. Taylor is focused on repeating his performance for the 2007 season. "When you set that standard at a certain level, sometimes it's tough to reach back up there and get that in some peoples' eyes. My expectations are always higher than everybody else's, so it doesn't matter. I had a decent year and won an award. But I could sit here and give you a half-hour worth of stuff I didn't do very well last year that ticked me off all offseason." [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] Probably doesn't mean much in the big picture of things but it's good to hear Taylor looking for more. DEF - NYG - Giants DE Umenyiora Says Strahan Is Serious Source: Associated Press, Sports Illustrated New York Giants DE Osi Umenyiora said on Monday that teammate Michael Strahan is serious about the possibility of retiring. "I know what he is telling me, and it's still 50-50 whether he is going to come back," Umenyiora said. "Of course, I am going to tell him to come back. I am going to tell him to come back every day because as a person, as a human being, I like being around the guy. He is a good friend of mine." Umenyiora declined to comment about the reasons Strahan is contemplating retirement. [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] Evidently, this is more than just Strahan throwing some words around. We've heard rumblings like this before but it looks like it might be more serious this time. Stay tuned. That'll do it for today, Folks. Have a great Sunday and we'll see you tomorrow with the update. J |
