Greg Bedard highlights his five takeaways after taking in one day at Washington’s training camp.
As training camps across the NFL get underway, XN Sports will report the top headlines of each day.
With the preseason nearing, there is no shortage of intrigue and optimism, key injuries and potential holdouts, as well as late offseason signings.
Here are the top five headlines for this weekend:
Ballard down
For a second straight year, we will not be seeing Vick Ballard in the Colts backfield. Ballard tore his ACL during Friday’s practice, meaning season-ending surgery could very likely be in his future.
The news comes just days removed from Indianapolis coach Chuck Pagano saying he wants a bell-cow in his backfield. This now puts even more pressure on former first-rounder Trent Richardson to find a groove in 2014.
Newton still not at 100 percent
Cam Newton lost his left tackle and his top three wide receivers, plus one of his running backs is sidelined yet again. Now the Panthers quarterback is stating he, too, is not yet at full strength.
Newton underwent ankle surgery in March, and though he didn’t limp during Friday’s practice session, he did caution he is still not at full strength. When will he be at 100 percent? That remains to be seen. But it’s just another thing to worry about as the Panthers enter a very peculiar 2014 season.
Manziel admits mistakes
Days after reports surfaced that the Browns are worried about Johnny Manziel’s off-the-field behavior, the rookie quarterback admitted that he has made some mistakes. Manziel told reporters he, coach Mike Pettine and GM Ray Farmer have talked about what’s transpired in the offseason and “we’re very eager to be moving forward.”
For one, if the Browns were truly worried about Manziel’s behavior they would never have drafted him to be their quarterback of the future. This just shows that Manziel is sick of the constant public attention he’s getting and perhaps will do more to stay out of the headlines.
Manziel in a Tebow role?
Wow, yes, two Manziel headlines.
Pettine stated that Brian Hoyer will likely begin the 2014 season as the team’s starting quarterback, but suggested Manziel could be used as a package player right away.
Pettine comes from a Jets organization where Tim Tebow played certain snaps — in the red zone or on third-downs — and perhaps Manziel could be used in a similar way. Pettine referenced Colin Kaepernick‘s start with the 49ers when he gashed his Jets during 2012, when Alex Smith was the starter.
Redskins’ stock rising
Robert Griffin III was not shy when discussing his new weapons on offense, telling NFL Network that teams can’t double cover both DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon.
RGIII is entering his first season under coach Jay Gruden in what he says is a similar offense to the one he ran under the Shanahans the past two years. With Jackson, Garcon, Andre Roberts and Jordan Reed as the likely four-wide, plus Alfred Morris in the backfield and RGIII’s rushing skills, there’s a case to be made that this offense could be among the most dynamic in the NFL.
