Contenders hope bold moves will upgrade offenses
Article By cbrown.tsn on 17th July, 2010
Despite making the playoffs last season, the San Diego Chargers were 31st in the NFL in rushing.
Exit LaDainian Tomlinson. Enter Ryan Mathews.
Mathews will be a player of intrigue in training camp -- a rookie running back replacing a San Diego icon. The Chargers have Super Bowl aspirations, but they lacked balance last season.
"I think people will be surprised how much Norv Turner may run the football this year," Hall of Fame QB and CBS analyst Dan Fouts said. "Philip Rivers really has a handle on Norv's system now, and he's a super quarterback. But if Mathews gives their running game the boost they expect him to, their offense could be even better."
Jay Cutler and Mike Martz will combine to try to get the Bears offense clicking. A look at three other teams taking a different offensive look into training camp:
Chicago Bears What's new: Mike Martz as offensive coordinator.
Under Martz's guidance, the Bears hope QB Jay Cutler will cut down on his league-high 26 interceptions. However, coach Lovie Smith loves to run the ball and Martz has a history of forgetting to call run plays. Can Martz and Smith coexist?
"Lovie Smith is a great coach," former Ravens coach and NFL Network analyst Brian Billick said. "Mike Martz is a great coach. But Lovie and Mike have vastly different perspectives on what it takes to win. I'm going to be very interested to see how their vision fits together."
Philadelphia Eagles What's new: Kevin Kolb as the QB.
For the first time since coach Andy Reid arrived in Philadelphia in '99, he will begin a training camp without Donovan McNabb.
But keep this in mind: Of the 12 starting quarterbacks in the playoffs last season, only rookie Mark Sanchez had a lower regular-season completion percentage (53.8) than McNabb (60.3). The Eagles hope Kolb is more accurate and makes the passing a...
Read Complete Article at Latest Sporting News Articles for NFL
Exit LaDainian Tomlinson. Enter Ryan Mathews.
Mathews will be a player of intrigue in training camp -- a rookie running back replacing a San Diego icon. The Chargers have Super Bowl aspirations, but they lacked balance last season.
"I think people will be surprised how much Norv Turner may run the football this year," Hall of Fame QB and CBS analyst Dan Fouts said. "Philip Rivers really has a handle on Norv's system now, and he's a super quarterback. But if Mathews gives their running game the boost they expect him to, their offense could be even better."
Jay Cutler and Mike Martz will combine to try to get the Bears offense clicking. A look at three other teams taking a different offensive look into training camp:
Chicago Bears What's new: Mike Martz as offensive coordinator.
Under Martz's guidance, the Bears hope QB Jay Cutler will cut down on his league-high 26 interceptions. However, coach Lovie Smith loves to run the ball and Martz has a history of forgetting to call run plays. Can Martz and Smith coexist?
"Lovie Smith is a great coach," former Ravens coach and NFL Network analyst Brian Billick said. "Mike Martz is a great coach. But Lovie and Mike have vastly different perspectives on what it takes to win. I'm going to be very interested to see how their vision fits together."
Philadelphia Eagles What's new: Kevin Kolb as the QB.
For the first time since coach Andy Reid arrived in Philadelphia in '99, he will begin a training camp without Donovan McNabb.
But keep this in mind: Of the 12 starting quarterbacks in the playoffs last season, only rookie Mark Sanchez had a lower regular-season completion percentage (53.8) than McNabb (60.3). The Eagles hope Kolb is more accurate and makes the passing a...
Read Complete Article at Latest Sporting News Articles for NFL
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