At the same time seven men became immortals Saturday night in Canton, Ohio, a handful of teams held scrimmages in order to showcase players just hoping to make a roster or starting lineup. Here were some of the takeaways:
- Quarterback Geno Smith moved the ball well on his first drive in the New York Jets' scrimmage, but it stalled on the 3-yard line. By all accounts, his performance overall against Mark Sanchez was a draw. Smith got more time with the starting unit because it was "his day," which seems a little convenient.
- Jets fans booed Mark Sanchezafter an interception. This is life with the Jets in 2013: The home crowd is not going to have much patience.
- Running backs Chris Ivory and Joe McKnight aren't healthy. Mike Goodson might never return to the Jets. That leaves Bilal Powell in the starting role for the Jets, and he reportedly has done a nice job with it. The Jets really need Ivory to get healthy.
- The good news at the Jacksonville Jaguars' scrimmage: 19,000 fans showed up. The bad news: The quarterbacks didn't exactly shine, combining for 104 yards on 28 attempts. Most practice reports during camp give Chad Henne the slight edge over Blaine Gabbert, but Saturday night looked even. Gabbert is healthy and got the initial first-team snaps.
- More good news for the Jaguars: Rookie receiver/returner Ace Sanders continues to make a big impression.
- Mason Crosbywent 3 of 8 in field goal attempts at the Green Bay Packers' scrimmage. Another performance or two like that and coach Mike McCarthy will have to turn to Giorgio Tavecchio, who went 6 of 8. McCarthy mistakenly called Tavecchio "Sergio" earlier this week.
- James Starks "started" the Packers' scrimmage, but Eddie Lacyentered the game second and "put on a show," according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Johnathan Franklin was third in line. He's had a nice camp but didn't put up great numbers Saturday. Starks has enjoyed a nice camp and looks like a safer bet to make the team.
- The highlight of the Denver Broncos' waterlogged scrimmage: Peyton Manning doing a running belly flop on the field.
"I was telling (Wes) Welker 'that was fun,' " Manning said. "I can't remember the last time that you get to do something like that."
Manning and the other Broncos' starters dominated the second-team defense.
- The Cleveland Browns practiced in front of more than 24,000 fans, but the offense struggled. That's been a theme in Browns camp.
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