Photo Credit: Jeff Chiu/ Associated Press
Training camp in the NFC West features some strong teams who could all be contenders to win the division. Clearly, the Seattle Seahawks are looking to make their 3rd Superbowl appearance in a row and it’s possible that they could be on their way there again.
Arizona Cardinals: Hiring Jen Welter seems to be the best decision that the Cardinals have made especially with the players. The players cannot praise Welter enough including veterans like Kevin Minter, “She came in cool, always has great input, just a great person overall. I feel like we’re getting better because of it. I like her.”
The other big story out of the Cardinals camp is WR Michael Floyd’s three dislocated fingers, causing him to miss at least a month which would include the beginning of the season. Floyd’s injury leaves the door open for another wide receiver to take over which could be good news for Jaron Brown, J.J. Nelson or John Brown. Brown seems to be the first runner for now especially with a one-handed catch and a two-point conversion.
It looks like QB Carson Palmer is in good shape after his 2014 ACL tear and his left knee surgery. Palmer seems very confident in his health, even saying that his arm is the strongest it’s ever been which fans have to be excited to hear. The offensive line has added some depth, especially for Palmer’s benefit with G Mike Iupati and their first-round draft pick, D.J. Humphries. Head coach Bruce Arians felt confident with the offensive line but made sure to say that Humphries still has room for improvement.
Cornerback Patrick Peterson is back after his 2014 diagnosis of type II diabetes and feels healthy, “I’m moving real well, I’m much leaner, I feel much quicker. I feel that my time is now.” The Cardinals are still unsure if they’re going to have LB Daryl Washington on their roster after his violation of the NFL’s substance abuse policy but it doesn’t look Washington will be making an appearance anytime soon.
St. Louis Rams: Before even writing about this was a thought in my mind, I heard my phone buzz with a notification in all caps. At first, I was thinking what the heck? Why is an NFL mobile update in all caps? Then I finally got a good look at it and saw that Nick Foles signed a 2-year extension with the Rams, valued at around $24.5 million.
With that big news out of the way, let’s get back to camp. First-round pick RB Todd Gurley has a torn ACL which is keeping him out of training camp but HC Jeff Fisher seems confident of Gurley’s recovery. Even though Gurley is not participating right now, the offense still has plenty of depth especially with TE Jared Cook making some “freak catches” and WR Stedman Bailey, literally being “uncoverable” along with rookies OT Jamon Brown and OT Rob Havenstein. Havenstein is literally a freak athlete at 6’8” and 326 pounds which is definitely an upgrade to any offensive line.
The defense has LB Alec Ogletree who is looking to have his breakout season coupled with CB Janoris Jenkins and S Rodney McLeod, both looking to get contract extensions. If their contracts are extended, it could help solidify the defense which could be necessary if the Rams end up losing CB EJ Gaines to an unidentified foot injury.
San Francisco 49ers: With Aldon Smith no longer a 49er, all of the 49ers focus can go back to working at training camp. It looks like QB Collin Kaepernick has stepped up in light of the loss of Smith which gave TE Vernon Davis a workout since he was the target of most of Kaepernick’s throws and also the target of rookie QB Dylan Thompson.
All eyes seemed to be on WR Jerome Simpson who caught at 70-yard pass for a touchdown which was thrown by QB Blaine Gabbert. The defense were the real stars though, picking up interception after interception. If you’re tallying, Kaepernick has thrown an interception in the last five camp sessions, two of which have been picked up by CB Tramaine Brock. Brock’s skills are not going unnoticed, especially after an injury-filled 2014 season.
Linebacker Nick Moody also has two Kaepernick interceptions under his belt, his eyes on the starting job and DE Darnell Dockett singing his praises, “I’m very impressed with Nick. The sky is the limit for him. If he has a big year, I won’t be surprised. Anything less than that would be a disappointment because he has worked his tail off.” Rookie DE Arik Armstead is making an impression on Dockett too, “Arik’s got a better upside – strong, fast, athletic, played basketball. And he listens. He’s going to be a dominant force for us.” Even though Armstead missed some of the offseason, he looks ready to start for the 49ers.
Seattle Seahawks: The Seahawks have put their Superbowl loss behind them and it looks like they’re hungry for another chance if camp is any indication. Rookie WR Tyler Lockett has made a seamless transition into the NFL and veteran WR Doug Baldwin is making sure that everyone knows it, “He’s a lot more polished than I was as a rookie” which has to be a compliment after Baldwin’s stellar rookie season.
Seattle’s trade with New Orleans that brought WR Jimmy Graham to Seattle seems to have worked out for them as well. Graham has been making non-stop catches and frankly embarrassing the defensemen who were supposed to be covering him. RB Marshawn Lynch made an appearance with the Seahawks finally after not participating in OTAs or minicamp as per usual, but it looks like Lynch has not missed a beat. He’s already back in “beastmode” even playing wide receiver which impressed HC Pete Carroll.
With the loss of Byron Maxwell, the Seahawks have picked up CB Cary Williams who looks to be fitting in nicely with a broken up pass. SS Kam Chancellor is still sitting out due to contract negotiations but it looks like Seattle is prepared with SS DeShawn Shead, taking Chancellor’s reps in his absence. Chancellor’s absence is felt all throughout camp which should hopefully be the push that the Seahawks need to extend his contract. For now, Shead is looking to be the starting SS for Seattle.
