Football is back. Or football practices are back, at least. There’s not a real exhibition game until next Sunday and no actual regular season games for 32 days after that, but training camps officially open this week. They are a welcome sight to NFL diehards and all those wistfully pining for the fall when temperatures may just plunge below 90F in our northernmost states.
We won’t know the story of the 2016 season until real games are played. Recall that a year ago at this time we thought the Panthers were a deeply-flawed team and that Peyton Manning could still throw an offense to glory. But for now, for the start of training camps, these are the five storylines to watch.
1) Quarterback battles usually produce the biggest training camp drama, but the battle has already ended in New England: Tom Brady lost. To Roger Goodell, of all people. That means the job is all Jimmy Garoppolo’s to start the season. The former Eastern Illinois Panther doesn’t have to win the job, but the focus on him and pressure to perform will be greater than any other quarterback this summer.
The Patriots open the preseason in 16 days and every pass Garoppolo throws, every audible he calls and timeout he uses on that Thursday night against the Saints will be analyzed and dissected by the media and Patriots fans looking to determine if he has what it takes to carry New England through the early part of their schedule to the promise land of Brady’s return from suspension. Preseason action isn’t usually wildly entertaining, but Bill Belichick getting grilled after an exhibition game about his quarterback’s performance? Those are must-see television events.
2) While the Patriots evaluate how good their sole quarterback option is, the team that beat them in the conference finals – and then went on to win the Super Bowl – will hold an open competition to find the heir apparent to Manning (and also Brock Osweiler). Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak insists Mark Sanchez, Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch all have equal shots at opening the season as the starting quarterback of the defending champions, which – if true – has to leave Denver fans bouncing between the conflicting thoughts of “They must really love the upsides of Siemian and Lynch!” and “Oh, no, this means they think Sanchez is as incapable as I feared he his.”
No Super Bowl champion has been forced to defend the title with a new quarterback since the Broncos did it 17 years ago following John Elway’s retirement. Which reminds me: the Broncos should see if Brian Griese wants to play again. He’s only 41. Denver have proved they can win with an old QB.
3.) The QB issues facing two of the top AFC contenders will get the most headlines, but what would training camp season be without bad teams trying to settle on starting quarterbacks, too? There is no greater sign that the dog days of summer are upon us than retreads wearing Browns practice jerseys throwing incompletions in the midday sun.
Impressive turnout as former Browns quarterbacks gather in downtown Cleveland. pic.twitter.com/0vQPWbPcqb
— Souf Oaklin fo' Life (@Souf_Oaklin) June 22, 2016
The options for Cleveland this year are 37-year old Josh McCown, who was actually somewhat effective in the few games he completed in good health last season, and former future NFL Hall of Famer Robert Griffin III. Maybe the best evidence of how disastrous Johnny Manziel was in Cleveland is that RGIII is seen as a far less dramatic locker room presence.
The Jets best hope to contend for a playoff spot again is to re-sign Ryan Fitzpatrick. If that doesn’t happen, the job is likely Geno Smith’s. But if a team-mate breaks Smith’s jaw again, then the options are Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenberg. Bleak, bleaker, bleakest. As always with the Jets.
The Los Angeles Rams believe they at least have their quarterback of the future in No1 overall pick Jared Goff, but don’t be surprised if Case Keenum wins the job out of camp. Goff legitimately may not be ready to handle the top job Week 1, but keeping him on the bench also allows Jeff Fisher to buy himself more time on the job while continuing to lose. It’s what he does best. It’s what he does better than any coach in the history of the NFL.
The last QB camp battles are brought to us by Chip Kelly’s once and future carnage. Kelly’s old team will have to choose between Sam Bradford, Chase Daniel and Carson Wentz, while his current team will try out Blaine Gabbert and Colin Kaepernick. All indications out of San Francisco point to Gabbert being Kelly’s preferred choice entering camp. That would be a bold choice. But if Kelly can win with Gabbert under center, no one will ever be able to question if he is a football genius.
4) The Steelers don’t have a quarterback battle. Ben Roethlisberger is their long-time franchise QB, but even if he wasn’t, the Pittsburgh locker room is far too chill for battles. Pittsburgh are already without dynamic deep threat Martavis Bryant for the season due to a year-long suspension for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy and now running back Le’Veon Bell is facing a four-game suspension for missing drug tests. Pittsburgh’s offense had a chance to be as explosive as any we’ve seen in the NFL, but Bryant’s absence coupled with Bell’s possible suspension (and continued injury problems) mean Pittsburgh can’t reach their potential. Training camp will be spent prepping the first-string offense with 33-year old backup running back DeAngelo Williams as the feature back and Markus Wheaton and Sammie Coates as the top wide receiver options after Antonio Brown. It may not be as high-flying as Pittsburgh had hoped, but the team would be well-served by being a little less high.
5) While the Steelers face life without Bell again, the Texans may be without JJ Watt for the first time in his six-year NFL career. The three-time defensive player of the year underwent back surgery last week and has been placed on the team’s physically unable to perform list. It’s unclear if he’ll be able to open the regular season on the field.
If you’re a positive person – and how can you not be if you’re familiar with Watt’s motivational stylings on social media – you can argue that the Texans being without their best player for a spell could help them. Maybe Watt not doing everything on the field will compel former No1 overall pick and vaping entrepreneur Jadeveon Clowney to do something on the field for the first time in the NFL. Maybe not having Watt to run out on the field for goalline situations will force the Texans offense to be productive on their own. Maybe Watt will return healthy to a team that is much better than the one he left with an injured groin during a 30-0 wildcard thrashing to the Chiefs back in January.
Just maybe. Training camp season is the time for positivity. Garoppolo will be great, the Broncos will find a suitable QB, RGIII will be the answer in Cleveland, the Steelers will pass every drug test and the Texans will finally take the leap. Most of those, maybe even all of them are unlikely, but every team is currently undefeated. Let’s be positive for now. Week 1 and the anger, panic and tumult it brings will be here soon enough.
