NFL OTAs

Courtesy of Inner-City Newspaper

The NFL OTAs are underway, and many players are dazzling in the early stages of camp. Here I will examine some the biggest stories going on at the moment.

New York Giants: The biggest story out of Giants camp is the absence of their two top wide receivers: Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz. Both are not present due to contract issues. Nicks is entering the last year of his deal and wants an extension. Cruz made very little money over the last 2 years due to being undrafted, and he has not signed the $2.879 million one-year tender. The Giants are in a bad spot because it is unclear when both contracts will be resolved, and they need the two guys at camp. Eli Manning is currently developing chemistry with receivers like Ramses Barden and Rueben Randle. Luckily the new acquisition of Louis Murphy might pay off because he has looked good in camp, but the team still wants its stars there. Apparently the Giants have offered Cruz about 8 million a year, but he wants around 10-11 mil. This might not be a huge issue because it is only OTA's, but this is an issue that must be resolved by training camp.

Washington Redskins: Last year the Redskins took the lead by storm, and no one impressed than 2012 Offensive Rookie of the Year Robert Griffin III. However, he suffered a gruesome knee injury in the playoffs against Seattle, and he had reconstructive surgery on it. This is a very significant injury for someone to suffer in his first year, and there was much concern about how he would look moving forward. So far, so good. He looks almost 100 percent healthy, and show very little indication that the knee is bothering him. He is not completely healed, but he is on pace to start week 1. The question moving forward is whether or not we see a difference in RG3's game. He likes to make big plays outside of the pocket, which leads to more opportunities to get hurt. It is up to Griffin to be more careful, but Coach Mike Shanahan needs to create schemes to protect him too. Another reason for optimism in Washington is the return of linebacker Brian Orakpo. He suffered a season ending pectoral tear in week 2 last year, but he looks like he will be fine this year. He has been running at full speed, and shows no signs of any setback. The defense took big strides last year despite a bad start without him. The defense should only improve this year.

Green Bay Packers: The Packers have one of the most potent passing offenses in the league, and much of this is due to QB Aaron Rodgers. Two of his best receivers from last year, however, are gone. Greg Jennings signed with Minnesota, and Donald Driver retired. This means the top 3 receiver for the team will be Greg Jones, Jordy Nelson, and Randall Cobb. Jennings and Driver were not superstars anymore, but the receiver core was a unit that needed to improve. Jermichael Finley has looked like a very effective tight end, and I would expect that position to be more of a factor this year. Unfortunately they lost Tom Crabtree to the Buccaneers. Due to having a lackluster defense as well, this is becoming an average team with a superstar quarterback. One wonders how long Aaron Rodgers will put up with it. It is only a matter of time before he turns into Jay Cutler. Another noteworthy point about this team is their second round selection of Alabama RB Eddie Lacy. There are injury and conditioning concerns about him, but his upside is tremendous. If he lives up to his potential, he can add power and quickness to a position that has been nonexistent for the Packers.

San Francisco 49ers: Clearly the biggest story surrounding the defending NFC champs is the potentially season ending injury of WR Michael Crabtree. He tore his achilles, and this comes after his breakout 2012 season. The running game has been the core of the offense, but first year starting QB Colin Kaepernick took to Crabtree as his safety valve. Crabtree is not the fastest receiver in the league, but his superior hands and route running makes him a deadly possession guy. A move which already seemed pretty good just became far more important; acquiring WR Anquan Boldin from the champion Ravens for a 6th round pick. He has emerged as the new #1, which bodes well for the team. Boldin is no longer the deep threat he was years ago in Arizona, but he can still use his size to make great short yardage plays. He can basically fill the same role as Crabtree. Second year man A.J. Jenkins will need to step up, and former super bowl hero Mario Manningham was effective until a season ending injury. Fortunately Kaepernick is developing his chemistry with TE Vernon Davis, a former who was phased out due to the QB switch from Alex Smith. The team still has weapons, but it is up to Coach Jim Harbaugh to adjust his scheme. He has shown an ability to do so. The Smith brothers (Justin and Aldon) need to be the force that carries the defense. Aldon greatly benefits from Justin sucking up double teams, but Justin is old and finally suffered a significant injury last year. The defensive line might look a little thin this year, although they did try to resolve this in the draft.

New England Patriots: Losing Wes Welker to Denver is a significant loss, but Danny Amendola has been looking very sharp early on. The Patriots offense is very reliant on the slot, and Amendola has looked very explosive at times in St. Louis. He has 196 catches for 1,726 yards in his four year career, along with seven touchdowns. He has been decimated by injuries the last two seasons, playing only 12 games total. He has impressed coaches and teammates in the receiver drills, but it is far too early to know if his health will hold up. The team drafted WR Josh Boyce in the 4th round, and he might fill the role if needed. The Rob Gronkowski woes continue in New England, as he is scheduled to undergo back surgery mid-June. This has nothing to do with his left forearm, which has previously been injured and operated on. He had backs surgery back in 2009 as well when he played at Arizona. He is still on pace to play week 1, but he is beginning to garner the dreaded injury-prone label. Last year showed that they struggled to find a second tight end when Gronk did not play. Aaron Hernandez is a fantastic player, but he needs help in a two tight end system. New England fans better cross their fingers.