Buffalo Bills
Stud: Sammy Watkins
Watkins has made some highlight reel plays in camp, even though he has yet to get his first NFL reception. This catch, captured by WGR’s 550 Sal Capaccio, showed the rookie’s excellent balance.
https://vine.co/v/M2x62ilE9Up
Though Watkins doing well in camp may not be completely out of the blue, the fact that he has played well against the best the Bills secondary has to offer is impressive, Roling writes:
Shocker, right?
The No. 4 overall pick, who blazed his way to stardom at Clemson and a 4.43 40-yard-dash time at the combine, has had little issue riding his extreme athleticism in camp and leaving most onlookers in awe.
“If there’s one league-wide conclusion to be made about Week 1 of all camps, it might just be this: Sammy Watkins is going to be a superstar,” tweeted NFL.com’s Jeff Darlington.
Do not expect such praise for Watkins to evaporate anytime soon.WGR 550′s Joe Buscaglia named him the MVP of early practices too:
By now, everyone has seen the catch in the early portion of practice. Watkins continued to dazzle through the day, even burning top cornerback Stephon Gilmore quite easily on a few occasions. So far, so good for the rookie and fourth overall selection.
Though there were concerns before camp about E.J. Manuel and Watkins not connecting consistently, those have appeared to have gone out the window early on in camp. But the fact that Manuel was 0-2 in the Hall of Fame game when going for Watkins is going to have to change in the final four preseason games in order to build confidence in the relationship before the regular season starts.
New York Jets
Duds: Michael Vick, Jace Amaro
Any chance of Vick challenging Geno Smith for the starting quarterback job this season appears to be gone, as a player who was once the most entertaining performer in the league has not done anything worthy of making a push to be New York’s opening-day signal-caller.
Vick appears to have acknowledged that he is the backup for the Jets, according to the New York Daily News’ Manish Mehta:
Vick has done a masterful job handling his new role with the Jets, mentoring the man with the job that he would love to have, rising each day believing that his time will come again … here or someplace else down the road. He is a changed man, a humbled man and a man who knows exactly how to defuse a potentially combustible situation.
Vick has made it so easy for everyone around him. This is Geno Smith’s team, he says. He is here to help, he says, but don’t get it twisted. He can still play.
“You never envision yourself being in this role (when you’re younger),” Vick said. “But as you grow older, you start to (realize) it’s inevitable. You know it’s going to happen. At the same time, I just try to keep myself in shape and keep trying to be the best that I can be, because you never know what can happen.”
There had to be some semblance of hope that Vick could at least push for the starting gig in New York. Rex Ryaneventually noted in May that there was certainly a competition set to unfold this summer.
Then Vick imploded. Dom Cosentino of NJ.com listed Vick as a “dud” of organized team activities, but hey, he could have just been adjusting to the new scenery, right?
Fast forward a month and Vick got just four first-team reps, per Brian Costello of the New York Post. Jump ahead another week and Vick has already thrown in the towel and been cited by offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg as “all-in” as the backup, per Cimini.
While the plan from the onset may never have been to give Vick a real shot, this is not the fierce competitor we are accustomed to seeing. His roster spot is not exactly in danger with Matt Simms and Tajh Boyd behind him, but Vick is going to have to show something in the coming weeks.
Roling also put a player who could be counted on as a safety valve target, second-roung pick Jace Amaro, as someone who has struggled in camp. The tight end from Texas Tech has had issues both catching the ball and understanding the offense, referencing ESPN New York’s Rich Cimini:
July 30—Cimini, Pt. II:
After dropping a pass Wednesday, the New York Jets’ rookie tight end was razzed by a defensive player, who barked, “Can’t catch a cold!” A couple of plays later, Amaro ran the wrong route and got an earful from offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg, who chided him for not studying his playbook. Even mild-mannered quarterback Geno Smith seemed frustrated with the second-round pick.
When practice was over, Amaro and general manager John Idzik had a long talk. Actually, Idzik did the talking, Amaro did the listening. It was a pep talk, not a scolding.
Eventually Amaro will turn things around. He’s 6’5″ and 265 pounds and caught darn near anything thrown his way at the collegiate level. He is far from the first successful college player to struggle when tasked with digesting pro concepts in tandem with the speed of the pro level and the fact he is no longer one of the lone elite athletes on the field.
For now, though, Amaro has earned the “dud” label.
While Geno Smith looks to be the quarterback, he will need as many weapons as possible to be successful. Amaro not appearing to be ready for the big moment is a big detriment to those hoping that Smith’s job will be a lot easier in his second year.
New England Patriots
Stud: James White
The Patriots always seemed to find unheralded running backs that make an impact, players like Kevin Faulk, Danny Woodhead, Brandon Bolden, Stevan Ridley, and Shane Vereen.
James White was a bit of a surprise as a fourth-round pick for New England, as Bleacher Report’s scouting report on the Wisconsin tailback had him as a seventh-round pick or undrafted free agent. But Roling puts together a compelling case as to why White could get a lot of playing time despite competing for reps in a deep running back group:
Fans can be forgiven if James White happened to slip their mind.
He rumbled for 1,444 yards and 13 touchdowns last year with Wisconsin, but that was behind an offensive line at a school that consistently churns out quality players in the offensive trenches.
He then fell to the fourth round and was the No. 130 overall pick by the New England Patriots, meaning he was doomed to get lost on the depth chart behind Shane Vereen, Stevan Ridley and maybe even Brandon Bolden.
Yet here we are just a few weeks into camp, and White is the name coming out of New England. First, and most important of all, was a ringing endorsement from coach Bill Belichick, via ESPNBoston.com’s Mike Reiss:
It’s been good working with James White. He’s a very interesting and versatile player. He does a good job in the passing game and in the running game — both inside and outside. Blitz pickup — we have a pretty extensive offense for him to learn, but he’s working hard at it. We’ll just let him go and see how it goes, but I think he has the ability to compete on all three downs, in both the running game and the passing game.
Rookie running backs rarely are trusted to be three-down players, so White impressing Belichick enough to consider him for crucial third-down pass protection plays and absorbing the playbook could make him an anamoly. The Patriots could finally have a consistent back to count on this season, impressive when you consider that White never was seen as good enough to be the lead back at Wisconsin.
Miami Dolphins
Roling did not have any studs or duds listed for the Dolphins, but ESPN Miami Dolphins reporter James Walker had three observations of players who have performed well in the early portion of camp:
The biggest rookie standout so far has been second-round pick Jarvis Landry. The rookie wide receiver has displayed strong hands, solid routes and toughness. Landry is best in the slot where he can use his savvy and strong hands in traffic. He’s made several of the most impressive catches so far of training camp. Landry is currently behind veteran slot receiver Brandon Gibson. Landry’s also competing with Marcus Thigpen on punt returns.
Dolphins incumbent starting running back Lamar Miller added about five pounds of muscle and hasn’t lost any explosiveness. Miller had a strong offseason to take the lead ahead of Knowshon Moreno. With Moreno injured (knee), Miller likely will be the starting tailback in Week 1 for the second year in row. The reason Miller added a few pounds was to help with strength running the ball and with pass protection, which was a weakness last season.
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Keep an eye out for rookie free-agent running back Damien Williams. With Moreno missing the first week of camp, Williams is getting quality reps and making plays in practice. Williams is quick with a nice burst to the line of scrimmage. He appears to fit in well in Miami’s spread-offensive sets. Williams may have a tough time making the 53-man roster behind Miller, Moreno and Daniel Thomas. But Williams should at least be a strong candidate for the practice squad.
Though the offense does need players that make solid plays like Gibson and Moreno, explosive young players like Miller, Landry, and Williams bring a new dimension to an offense that is in the first year of offensive coordinator Bill Lazor’s up-tempo, spread scheme. Head coach Joe Philbin was the offensive coordinator for a Green Bay Packers squad that had great depth at receiver with Greg Jennings, Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb, Donald Driver, and James Jones, and having Landry adding to an already great core should make him feel much more comfortable with the offense.
Moreno’s injury issues have given Miller and Williams great opportunities to contribute in the backfield, and both have ran with him. The true results of their performances in camp, along with that of the rest of the new-look offense, won’t be apparent until Miami’s first game action on Friday night against the Atlanta Falcons.
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