Article by Gordon Dedman
OTAs as this period in
the NFL schedule is known fills the gap between the rookies mini-camp in May and
the preseason training camp proper that starts for all teams in July.
The Bengals good news
is their defensive tackle Geno Atkins, who suffered an injury in 2013 that
appeared to have caused a loss of form last season, is now back to his best.
Bengals defensive line coach Jay Hayes told the Bengals web site that Atkins
looked “scary” in OTAs, meaning he was playing great.
As usual the interest
in the Cleveland camp revolves around "Johnny Football". Although the Browns’
head coach has already named Josh McCown as their starter, Cleveland has a new
quarterback coach in Kevin O’Connell. The coach has
just as much to prove in pro football as Johnny Manziel does. O’Connell has not
coached in the NFL, having previously been part of a Quarterback Academy run in
partnership with George Whitfield Jr.
O’Connell is a big fan of Manziel and spent
some time tutoring the player before he was drafted. Last year, O’Connell enthused
when interviewed for a radio station. “All the things that make Brady and
Manning special, Johnny Manziel is capable of doing those things.” It’ll be
interesting to see if Manziel can now focus on football and reward the Browns
for their patience and presumably their belief in him finally delivering for
the franchise.
With any draft selections it’s a lottery
whether that player will able to successfully make the transition from the
college into the professional ranks. The higher the pick, the more chance the
player has of making it… allegedly.
We all know that’s not true. The Ravens’
final selection in this year’s draft was wide receiver Darren Waller and he has
already made an impression during the team’s OTAs and appears to catch
everything thrown his way. Waller is one for Baltimore fans to keep an eye on
when preseason begins.
He will have to compete with veteran Kamar
Aiken, who arrived in Baltimore via the Bears and the Patriots. Last year Aiken
caught 24 passes for 267 yards with three touchdowns, but he always took a back
seat to Torrey Smith, who has now moved to San Francisco. Let the battle
commence.
With all their draft picks signed, the Steelers focused on football during their OTAs
and attempted to improve their lowly rated goal line offense. Last season they
were ranked second in total offense, but only seventh in total scoring points. Too
many time during 2014 the Steelers had to revert to kicking field goals as the
team failed to find the final punch into the end zone, despite their offensive dominance.
The inevitable loss of their hammer LeGarrette Blount didn’t help the power attack so Todd Haley is looking for
improvement.
The Steelers also used
OTAs to look at their secondary options. With Ike Taylor and Troy Polamalu
gone, and with a new defensive coordinator, the Steelers need to commit to a
new scheme with a different blend of players. OTAs have provided that chance
and CB Antwon Blake appears to have made an impression.
For the AFC North there is everything to
look forward to in July as the teams’ training camps come together. Bring it
on.
