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BOURBONNAIS — The common view from national media and fans in cities outside Chicago is quarterback Jay Cutler has no one at wide receiver for targets.
A national lice infestation might not have resulted in the amount of head scratching caused when the Bears failed to sign free agent Torry Holt, quickly opted out of the trade talk for Anquan Boldin and Brandon Marshall, and never gave a second thought to Terrell Owens.
All this occurred in a year without a salary cap. After giving up everything except the George Halas fedora in Halas Hall’s display case to sign defensive end Julius Peppers, the Bears had no excuse for turning their nose at available wide receivers except that they simply think they’re already set.
General manager Jerry Angelo, coach Lovie Smith and staff have full confidence in Devin Hester, Earl Bennett, Devin Aromashodu, Johnny Knox and Juaquin Iglesias.
“I feel like on the offensive side of the football we’re going to move the ball,” coach Lovie Smith said. “It’s about scoring. We feel like we have the guys in place to do that.
“I’m excited about Jay Cutler’s second year here. Of course, he’s the leader of our offense. We like what he’s done adjusting to a new offense, just leading some of our young receivers: Hester, Knox, Aromashodu. They should have outstanding seasons.”
The Bears signed Devin Hester a few years ago to a $40 million deal and paid him like a No. 1 receiver. Now they aren’t too happy when someone points out that Hester catches about as many passes as a No. 2 receiver.
On Saturday, receivers coach Darryl Drake was getting a bit irked when questioned why Hester isn’t an elite receiver.
“It bothers me that you even ask me that,” he said. “It really does. It bothers me that you even ask me that again because it’s the same thing I’ve been hearing for years.”
Drake finds nothing wrong with Hester’s route running.
“Who says that he’s not really a route runner?” Drake demanded. “I guess it’s people who haven’t been out there watching, or watch him run a route or watch his body control. If somebody says that, that tells me how really non-visual football that they are. That really does.
“When people say he’s not really a good route runner, boy, that is ignorance at its highest level.”
No one questions Hester’s speed, so coordinator Mike Martz’s offense should suit him. It’s designed with deep routes in mind.
Just to make sure he has the proper route running skills, Hester worked on his own in the off-season with former Martz receiver Isaac Bruce in Florida.
Drake went beyond Hester in defense of his wide receivers. He called it the best group he’s had since coming here in 2004. This includes the Bernard Berrian-Muhsin Muhammad duo of the Super Bowl XLI season.
“Because we’ve got a lot of guys who can do a lot of different things,” Drake said. “We’ve got guys who can be possession guys, we’ve got guys who can run, we’ve got guys who have got run after catch.
“Usually in the past we were lacking something. It may have been run after catch, they may have had straight-line speed but we may have lacked run after catch. We may have had a possession guy, we may not have had the straight-line speed. Now I think we’ve got a combination of all of them.”
No one questions the tight ends. In fact, when the Bears opened practices Friday, Cutler targeted tight ends repeatedly and did nothing to disprove the old football adage that “the quarterback’s best friend is the tight end.”
Desmond Clark, Greg Olsen, Kellen Davis and Richard Angulo made one difficult catch after another all over the field — in stride, leaping, diving, and Angulo even made a one-hander going out of bounds.
Weary of talk that Martz doesn’t use his tight ends as receivers, Clark quickly turned the tables on the media afterward.
“We’re not going to catch any balls in the offense; let’s keep that going,” he said facetiously. “We’re not going to catch any balls. We’ll just be blocking tight ends and that’s how we’ll contribute to the offense.
“That’s what we’re going to do this year.”
While it might be good to know the tight ends can catch passes, they’re certainly not fast enough to spread a defense out all the way down field like Martz wants. Martz says his goal is to make the opponent defend the entire field on every play.
Aromashodu, Knox, Hester and Bennett made big strides as last season wore on, but now they’ve got a new offense to learn and there have been some who questioned whether Hester — in particular — is up for such a task based on the fact he never even played the position in college or his first season in Chicago.
“Just working with those guys for a year, you just see the dramatic growth that they’ve made,” Cutler said. “With Johnny and even with D.A. and even with Devin Hester and we’ve got Earl in there — he’s coming off a little bit of an injury — just coming together as a group. And then you add Rashied (Davis).
“That whole group, I expect them to look totally different this year.”
They looked totally different late last season than at the beginning. They’re going to have to look completely different again in this offense or the failure of Angelo to acquire an established top receiving threat will hang around his neck like a big, lead anchor.
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The news of Steve Smith’s broken arm, as bizarre as the circumstances were, has already started a cascade of dominoes falling as we approach training camp in scorching Spartanburg, SC. With every injury in football, more so for those that happen to a team’s franchise player, beat writers and fans alike raise the question of who the replacement will be.
Admittedly, wide receiver is a position at which the Carolina Panthers are not blessed with a great deal of experience. After the departure of the great Muhsin Muhammad, the young receivers on the team knew they had to raise their game in order to secure the #2 spot.
Smith’s injury opens the door for these young men to impress the coaches at training camp and go a long way to securing their spot as a reliable target on a team devoid of a true playmaker behind Steve Smith in the passing game.
The venue: Spartanburg, SC., where the heat is so intense it is almost tangible to the dry-mouthed players who have to suffer it.
The prize: The chance to show your skills and reliability to earn the much-coveted Panthers’ #2 wide receiver job.
Let’s meet the contenders for the crown…
Dwayne Jarrett a.k.a. “Mr. Next Year I’ll Be Better”
Standing 6’4’’ and 219 lbs, this New Jersey native attended the University of Southern California where he thrived under the tutelage of Pete Carroll. Now entering his fourth season, Jarrett has been harshly criticised by fans and sports writers alike for his lack of progress.
Jarrett is stepping into what I like to call “last chance saloon”, and he better have his weapon drawn when training camp begins, or he could be leaving with his tail between his legs.
Brandon LaFell a.k.a. “The New Kid On The Block”
Like Jarrett, Brandon LaFell is an impressive physical specimen who many have compared to Muhsin Muhammad in terms of his precise route running and sure hands. LaFell is also a terrific blocker, a prerequisite for being a Panthers wideout.
The Houston native knows how to set up defensive backs and is smooth in and out of his breaks, but the transition from college to pro wide receiver is perhaps the most difficult transition of any position, and LaFell has quite a task on his hands.
However, if he can approach camp with the mindset that he has nothing to lose and just go out and perform, we could be seeing LaFell strut his stuff on opening day against the Giants.
David Gettis a.k.a “The Baby Face”
Gettis, a sixth round draft pick out of Baylor, is unknown in his battle to be the #2 receiver. A raw prospect with a high ceiling and a low floor, Gettis is the horse to back in this race if you are feeling lucky.
The former Baylor standout is likely to make a few eye-catching plays in training camp, but his primary focus should be on making improvements in his overall game and not be shooting as high as the #2 job.
Armanti Edwards a.k.a “The Wildcard”
The Panthers traded a future second round pick to acquire Edwards’ services, a move that may end up paying dividends when it is all said and done. In this battle royal of wide receivers, Edwards is the outsider, but perhaps as a weapon he has the most potential of any of the contenders.
If the Panthers use him correctly – and we’ll see glimpses of how exactly they will use him in Spartanburg – we could be looking at Devin Hester 2.0. Edwards could be that kind of talent for the Panthers offense.
These contenders know what they have to do, and hard work, perseverance and practice will have to be their allies during this battle.
They’ll get it on in Spartanburg from July 29th .
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Steve Smith broke his arm on Sunday while playing flag football. Now, he will miss some time during training camp. Does that open the door for Terrell Owens?
The Panthers need more than Steve Smith at wideout. Without Smith, they would have Muhsin Muhammad as their number one receiver.
Terrell Owens would obviously help out at wideout with Smith’s injury.
Owens can still be a breakout player at any point. When you add in him with a healthy Steve Smith to start the season, I would expect great things from the Panthers’ passing game.
The Panthers should sign Owens anyway because they don’t have that much depth after Steve Smith.
Terrell Owens would not be a big part of the Panthers’ offense though due to their powerful running game of Deangelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart. Also, Steve Smith would still be the number one receiver.
I think he could handle it though. The Panthers could be a surprise team in 2010, so why not go to Carolina if you’re Terrell Owens?
Terrell Owens could make the Panthers a possible playoff contender if he goes there. It could help Steve Smith a lot too.
Owens still gets double teamed on defense, so does Steve Smith. If it works out like that one would be open every time.
If Terrell Owens went to Carolina, it would help out both Steve Smith and Matt Moore. They would finally have a respected pass offense.
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The Carolina Panthers’ star wide receiver Steve Smith has suffered another broken arm. Reports surfaced Monday that Smith broke his arm during his annual flag football camp with the local youth of Charlotte. Smith’s agent Derrick Fox released a statement Monday, stating that Smith slipped and injured his arm while playing with children at the camp. Later that same day, head coach John Fox was quoted saying he, “ wasn’t sure if it was a flag football game with kids or adults”
Steve Smith’s NFL contract limits him from playing football outside of team activities. Matt Hurney also released a statement late Monday stating that “Smith talked to me and feels terrible about it”.
This caught the eye of many people, and it was quickly assumed that Smith’s agent’s statement wasn’t entirely truthful. Other reports have surfaced that the injury occurred during a championship flag football game in which Steve Smith was playing.
Smith was playing in the championship game, in a YMCA league that he is known to participate in. According to sources, the game, which took place at the Siskey YMCA in south Charlotte on Sunday, was where the injury occurred. Steve Smith, who is known to play quarterback on offense and defensive back while on defense, was on the defensive side of the ball when the injury took place. While diving for a thrown ball, Smith landed awkwardly on his arm, and walked off the field and didn’t return to the game.
After the game, Smith called everyone around him and stated that no one should talk about him being present at the football game. Smith underwent surgery later Sunday night to have a small plate and screws inserted into him arm, according to coach Fox. The injury occurred on the same arm that Smith broke during the last game of the season this past year; though not in the same spot.
Fox has stated that he has no knowledge of Smith playing in any flag football leagues. Josh McCown, on the other hand, has told The Charlotte Observer that he has played with Steve Smith in a few adult flag football games around Charlotte. Josh McCown was the back-up quarterback for the Carolina Panthers during the 2008-2010 seasons.
It remains unknown if the Panthers will seek anything from Smith for his apparent violation of contract. Smith is scheduled to be ready for the first game of the season on September 12th , to open the Giants’ new stadium.
Smith will likely miss all of the Panthers training camp, which is scheduled to start July 28th , and will likely give newly-drafted players Brandon LaFell, Armanti Edwards, and David Gettis more reps during camp. The Panthers are still searching for a second receiver to compliment Smith, after the retirement of Mushin Muhammad.
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According to ESPN.com, Marvin Harrison was surrendered to take over his 9mm handgun to the Philadelphia police.
The police will now test the gun, if it has anything to do with the 2008 Philadelphia shooting scene.
Harrison was stopped by a traffic light after making a wrong turn. The place where he surrendered his gun was three blocks away from the 2008 shooting scene.
The 37-year-old Pro-Bowler was released by the Colts a year ago. He was part of the famous 1996 NFL Draft class that included Ray Lewis, Keyshawn Johnson, Terrell Owens, Muhsin Muhammad, and a bunch of others. He has 1,102 receptions for 14,580 yards and 128 touchdowns for his 13-year-career.
He surrendered his gun in his Cadillac Escalade, according to the source. The police saw that he may have a gun in the seat console of the vehicle. The police searched and found the gun. Harrison said he had registration and everything for it.
He was then with the Philadelphia police, but then later released.
Harrison is now currently labeled a person of interest from the April 2008 shooting incident. It happened with ex-con, Dwight Dixon. He said he was shot by a second firearm owned by Harrison but the police couldn’t track the weapon. Then a bystander was shot and a little boy was injured in a car from glass being shattered.
Now the police will test Harrison’s 9mm handgun that he surrendered. The police want to see if it had anything to do with the 2008 shooting. They said the results will come soon.
This may end the unsolved mystery case.
I wish all the best for Harrison and I hope nothing bad happens. But Harrison may in fact have participated in the shooting.
Now the 1996 NFL Draft class is falling apart. Muhsin Muhammad retired, Terrell Owens can’t find a team, and now Marvin Harrison may get busted.
Wow.
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