Badgers in the NFL: training camp edition No. 2
August 17, 2009 | Football
Travis Beckum of the New York Giants recently sat down for a Q&A with InsideFootball.com . He talks about his adjustment to the NFL, plays designed for him and his relationship with Wisconsin offensive coordinator Paul Chryst. Vinny Yeager of BleacherReport.com thinks that Beckum and fellow tight end Kevin Boss could become one of the best tight ends duos in the league . Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News has a few notes to pass along about Beckum. Beckum has been able to get open quickly underneath , and head coach Tom Coughlin is impressed with his blocking skills . Beckum is part of a good corps of young Giant receivers , according to Ed Valentine of BigBlueView.com. Beckum did have an unfortunate incident take place last week as he accidentally broke the wrist of a 14-year-old ball boy during a drill.
Rene Nadeau of NewOrleans.com writes that Saints rookie linebacker Jonathan Casillas has been ' option=com_content&view=article&id=184844&Itemid=90"> --> one of the most pleasant surprises of the camp ,' while Mike Triplett of The Times-Picayune says that Casillas ' has turned heads with his athleticism .' Kristian Garic of WWL.com asks if Casillas is the Saints' contentType=4&contentId=4510780"> --> dark horse to make the roster . During a recent linebacker-safety QB rush drill, Casillas ' absolutely obliterated Reggie Bush ,' according to Bradley Handwerger of WWLTV.com.
Fellow Saints rookie P.J. Hill rushed eight times for 22 yards and a touchdown in the Saints' Black and Gold Scrimmage. He is one of four running backs /base/sports-68/1249598630217090.xml&storylist=louisiana"> --> fighting for one or two spots .
With the Cleveland Browns playing at Green Bay last week in a preseason game, Joe Thomas returned to his home state .
Casey Pearce of Chargers.com has written two stories about Chris Chambers over the last week. In the first, Chambers talks about being willing to sacrifice his reception total if it helps the team win, while the second story focuses on the strong training camp that Chambers has had.
The New York Jets have released their depth chart, and Jim Leonhard is listed as the starting strong safety . With the addition of Leonhard, among others, Jets head coach Rex Ryan thinks he has one of the best secondaries in the league . Also, NewYorkJets.com recently ran some quotes from Leonhard after a practice.
Quarterback Jim Sorgi is out 2-3 weeks with a strained hamstring . Prior to the injury, Sorgi had seen his repetition total decrease , according to Tom James of the Tribune-Star.
DeAndre Levy, a third-round pick by Detroit in this year's draft, was interviewed by Michael Niziolek of InPlayMagazine.com. Levy has not been as good in training camp as he was in OTAs, s=93&p=9&c=2&cid=885486&nid=4315110&fhn=1"> --> says defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham (subscription required).
Scott Brown of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review profiled the Pittsburgh Steelers' cast of characters. Playing the role of The Rookie was Kraig Urbik. Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has an update on Urbik's progress in training camp .
Luke Hagen of The Daily Republic in Mitchell, S.D., has an update on Taylor Mehlhaff's training camp with the Minnesota Vikings.
In other Vikings' news, undrafted rookie offensive lineman Andy Kemp is listed as the p=3153"> --> third right guard on the team's depth chart.
Chris Pressley, a rookie trying to catch on as fullback for the Cincinnati Bengals, has not gotten many repetitions in practice, but the team recently went to full pads, so Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com thinks this will be Pressley's time to showcase himself . The HBO documentary 'Hard Knocks' is chronicling the Bengals' training camp and Pressley is one of the players it is following. NJ.com recently profiled Pressley's path to being /base/sports-6/125005560836770.xml&coll=9"> --> featured on the show .
Bob Cunningham of BleacherReport.com wonders if defensive back Jack Ikegwuonu is in danger of losing his spot on the Philadelphia Eagles' roster.
SilverandBlackPride.com thinks that Matt Shaughnessy could become the Oakland Raiders ' starting right defensive end . Right now, he's listed as a second-string defensive end .
Second-year defensive lineman Nick Hayden is taking advantage of his opportunity to become a starter for the Carolina Panthers, writes Steve Reed of the Gaston Gazette. Andrew Mason of Panthers.com notes that Hayden was particularly disruptive during a recent practice.
Scott Starks tore his ACL last season, so he is only practicing once a day for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Chicago Bears offensive lineman Dan Buenning is one of four players fighting for the team's final slot along the line, according to Vaughn McClure of the Chicago Tribune.
Buenning will be reunited with a former teammate as Donovan Raiola has signed with the Bears .
After being released by Arizona earlier this offseason, offensive lineman Al Johnson has now been p=3211&srvc=sports&position=recent"> --> released by the New England Patriots .
