Now that training camps are opening around the league, intrigue is starting to pick up.
In an effort to stay on top of the developments, I'll be visiting 14 teams, head to Canton, Ohio, for the Pro Football Hall of Fame inductions, and take in a few preseason games as part of my training camp tour.
Here are 10 of the most important storylines at the camps I'll be visiting.
1. IMPACT OF NEW COACHES
A new coach means changes from top to bottom in an organization. It doesn't necessarily lead to winning right away, unless the coach inherits a talented roster, which rarely happens. The Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Kansas City Chiefs, St. Louis Rams, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers all had a new coach in place and each finished last in their respective divisions a year ago.
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| Pat Kirwan's camp tour | ||||
| Date | Team | |||
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| July 31 | ||||
| Aug. 2 | ||||
| Aug. 4 | ||||
| Aug. 5 | Cleveland Browns | |||
| Aug. 6 | ||||
| Aug. 7-8 | Hall of Fame weekend | |||
| Aug. 9 | ||||
| Aug. 10 | Falcons/Jaguars scrimmage | |||
| Aug. 11 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | |||
| Aug. 12 | ||||
| Aug. 16 | Detroit Lions | |||
| Aug. 17 | ||||
| Aug. 18 | ||||
| Aug. 19 | ||||
| » Camp dates, locations | Previews | ||||
Is there a New York Jets situation in 2010? This year the Buffalo Bills, Seattle Seahawks and Washington Redskins have a new regime in place. At this point, the Redskins appear to have the best chance to turn things around quickly. Conversely, the Bills look like they could struggle with the transition. Where does that leave the Seahawks in a winnable division? All three new coaches -- Chan Gailey (Buffalo), Pete Carroll (Seattle) and Mike Shanahan (Washington) -- are going to try and change the culture in the locker room and around the organization. That usually means the preseason will be taken very seriously and will provide an idea of what a team is capable of.
2. WHO MAKES THE BIGGEST LEAP?
There are a number of players poised to take a big step in their careers, and it starts with an excellent training camp and preseason. Here are five guys I will be watching to see if they are ready to emerge.
» 49ers QB Alex Smith: He finished last season strong, and all indications coming out of the locker room are that he's the real leader of the team and is ready to go to the 25-touchdown level.
» Jaguars QB David Garrard: He had a very solid offseason for Jacksonville after making the Pro Bowl a year ago. His rookie offensive tackles are now veterans, and his receivers are maturing.
» Packers TE Jermichael Finley: He is ready to explode. After talking to A.J. Hawk and Aaron Rodgers this summer, it sounds like Finley's time is now.
» Redskins TE Fred Davis: He came on strong to close last season and now gets to work with Donovan McNabb. Davis could be moving up into the 60-reception range or even higher considering Mike Shanahan loves the tight end in the passing game.
» Cardinals RB Beanie Wells: He is another player ready to make a quantum leap. Arizona moved more toward the run before Warner retired and now will lean on the ground game even more to give Matt Leinart a better chance to succeed. Wells averaged 4.5 yards on 176 carries with seven touchdowns as a rookie. This year it could easily be 225 carries, 1,100 yards and 12 touchdowns.
3. ROOKIES WHO SHOULD MAKE AN IMPACT
Rookies who miss time trying to get a contract fall so far behind that they really can't catch up and make an immediate impact. Beyond that, if opening day holds true to form, we should see between 20-25 rookies starting. With 704 total starters on offense and defense that means three to four percent will be rookies.
Here are the first-round rookies I think have the best chance to make a difference right away. Detroit's Ndamukong Suh and Jahvid Best, Kansas City's Eric Berry, San Diego's Ryan Mathews, and Seattle's Earl Thomas.
The second-round picks also have talent, but a lot less pressure, meaning there might even be a few more players who can quickly emerge. Philadelphia's Nate Allen, Miami's Koa Misi and Cleveland's Montario Hardesty are guys to watch.
4. QUARTERBACK BATTLES
Whether there's a rookie prospect ready to show his skills, or a crowded situation featuring veteran passers, there are five QB competitions to watch, says Bucky Brooks. More ... It's never good to have questions at quarterback heading into the preseason. Training camp should be a time for the QB to earn the respect of his teammates and become a natural leader. Battles at the position usually lead to players taking sides, an almost impossible situation to make the competition fair. Trying to split reps evenly leads to the eventual starter not getting enough work.
The Cardinals, Bills, Browns, Panthers, Broncos, Steelers, Rams and Seahawks could all have issues at the position. That doesn't mean all of these teams will have full-blown controversies, as most clubs want to suppress possible issues, but it wasn't too long ago there was talk coming out of Jacksonville that Byron Leftwich was the leader of the Jaguars going into training camp -- then he was gone before the season started.
5. HANDLING SUSPENDED PLAYERS AND HOLD OUTS
The more reps Ben Roethlisberger takes now, the less time the eventual starter while Roethlisberger is suspended gets to prepare. It is a tough balancing act, and it will be interesting to watch how coach Mike Tomlin handles practice and preseason games.
The same could be said for Texans linebacker Brian Cushing, who is suspended for four games. Replacement Xavier Adibi needs all the work he can get, especially with the Week 1 matchup against the Colts.
In San Diego, how will the Chargers deal with Marcus McNeill and Vincent Jackson if they actually decide not to show for camp? Keep in mind, Jackson has already been suspended by the league to start the season. One injury at wide receiver or tackle, and general manager A.J. Smith might have to hit the open market or look for trade opportunities.
6. JOINING THE 3-4 CLUB
Not one team dropped the 3-4 for the 4-3 scheme in the offseason. However, two clubs did switch to the 3-4, bringing up the total of teams running the package to 10 in the AFC and five in the NFC, with the Seahawks employing a hybrid defense.
In a copycat league, it seems funny that the two Super Bowl participants (Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints) used a 4-3, but no teams decided to implement the scheme.
There will be growing pains in Buffalo and Washington as each team converts to the 3-4 this summer. Green Bay made a smooth transition a year ago, finishing as the league's second-ranked defense. Training camp will serve as a good indicator if either the Bills or Redskins will be able to make a similar jump. On paper, it looks like the Redskins have a better chance to hit the ground running.
7. LOOKING FOR A RUSH
NFL Network analysts Solomon Wilcots and Rod Woodson unveil their top defensive players at each position. Here's a hint ... the Jaguars added one of the top pass rushers. More ... It is no secret the NFL is a passing league. After 84 passes were thrown in the Super Bowl, it is also no secret you have to be able to get after the quarterback, or a defense just can't hold up against the aggressive passing attacks.
My tour will include seven of the 10 defenses with the lowest sack totals: Jacksonville, Detroit, Tampa Bay, Seattle, Atlanta, New England and Carolina.
I will miss Kansas City, St. Louis and Houston, but will watch the people being asked to improve each situation.
8. WHICH NEW COORDINATOR MAKES A DIFFERENCE?
Jim Haslett might have been criticized by some observers when he was a head coach, but as a defensive coordinator he is in his element. The former linebacker is well-versed in the 4-3 as well as the 3-4. In Washington, Haslett will build an attacking 3-4 that features Andre Carter and Brian Orakpo as the pass rushers. They had 22 sacks between them last year, and the influences of the Steelers' 3-4 will be visible as Haslett molds this defense.
Mike Nolan has to be a lot more creative taking over the Miami defense, which saw its nose tackle retire and two veteran outside linebackers (Joey Porter and Jason Taylor) get shown the door.
Charlie Weis takes over an offensive system in Kansas City that he knows inside out. He also has a quarterback in Matt Cassel who speaks the same language. We should see some early results from that combination.
As for opponents, it can be very challenging to get a feel for the new play-caller. As one NFL advance scout said, "You can throw away all of your computer scouting reports on tendencies of those teams; it's a whole new ball game."
My second stop on my camp tour is at the New York Giants. It will be very interesting to see what kind of defense Perry Fewell will bring to the G-Men.
9. DID THE JETS FILL OR CREATE HOLES?
The Jets had one of the more interesting offseasons. They got all the way to the AFC title game with a rookie QB, a great running game to compliment a top-flight defense and a deadly kicker. Some teams would stand pat and take another shot with the same roster. Not the Jets. They had turnover like a new regime came to town.
» Gone is Thomas Jones, who ranked third in the league in rushing yards and tied for third in rushing touchdowns. LaDainian Tomlinson was brought in despite having half the output on the ground and a long run of 36 yards. Leon Washington, a game-changer if healthy, was also dealt.
» Guard Alan Faneca was shown the door. Although the future Hall of Famer has lost a step, he will be replaced by someone with no career starts.
» Jay Feely finished seventh in NFL scoring last season. He has been replaced by Nick Folk, who missed 10 field goals a year ago.
» Gone is cornerback Lito Sheppard, who struggled late in the season. Antonio Cromartie should be an upgrade, especially in the man-blitz calls Rex Ryan loves.
» Brodney Pool takes over for Kerry Rhodes at safety.
» Veterans Jason Taylor and Santonio Holmes should be immediate upgrades without the team losing players at their respective positions. However, Holmes will miss the first four games due to a suspension.
I don't doubt the decisions, but it will be interesting to watch it all come together for the Jets.
10. DETROIT'S DEFENSE
Coach Jim Schwartz watched a plain old four-man rush excel when he was the defensive coordinator of the Titans. Now, he wants to see if the Lions are ready to do the same. Suh is eventually going to be his Albert Haynesworth on the inside. Schwartz brought in Kyle Vanden Bosch to play next to Suh, be a coach on the field and manage the stunt calls to set the rookie up to succeed.
Corey Williams will be on the other side of Suh. Williams last played in a 4-3 defense in Green Bay and had consecutive seven sack seasons. On the opposite end, it could be Cliff Avril, who has had 10.5 sacks over his first two seasons.
If Schwartz can rush the passer effectively with his front four, that leaves seven players in coverage and the defense will start to rise from its last-place standing from last season.
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