Sunday NFL Training Camp Notes

Matt Forte (RB)-? Has right thumb examined during practice, may lose goal-line carries in 2012.
Forte did not return to practice after having his thumb examined. The thumb ailment doesn't sound too serious, but we'll keep an eye on the situation as training camps continue to heat up. As for the goal-line situation, the writing has been on the wall since Michael Bush's signing this offseason, and training camp has all but confirmed it. Bush has been lining up in goal-line drills all camp and got the coaches' seal of approval in short-yardage situations. Although Forte struggles near the goal-line, he is still one of the better all-around backs in the league and will remain a focal point of the Bears offense. When drafting in the coming weeks, however, make sure to note that the presence of Bush will hinder Forte's scoring potential.

David Garrard (QB)- Would have to perform poorly during preseason to lose the starting QB job.
The Dolphins still maintain that they won't decide on a starter until the third preseason game, but it's becoming increasingly clear to everyone that Garrard has outperformed Matt Moore in training camp. This is a bit of surprise given how good Moore looked last season and that Garrard sat out all of 2011 with a back injury but Moore is a better game than practice player so this battle is far from over.

Robert Meachem (WR)- Chemistry with Philip Rivers? is improving.
Malcom Floyd and Vincent Brown have been Rivers' favorite targets through the early stages of training camp, Most people assume that Meachem will end up starting opposite Floyd, with both well ahead of Brown on the target list, but the fact is that Meachem is the new guy in camp and definitely has some catching up to do. With Vincent Jackson gone, the wide receiver corps is undergoing a major overhaul this year, so we shall see who actually leads the pack when the games start, but Meachem's $29 million contract all but assures he will be heavily in the mix.

Kenny Britt (WR)- Has looked good while doing his rehab work of late.??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? "He is doing good. We have him on a great program...and he has responded to it," coach Mike Munchak said. "He is running hard and next week he?ll start doing more things and running. But we are happy with where he?s at."Munchak added that the plan is to increase the intensity of Britt's workouts this coming week. "He is progressing as well or better than we hoped," Munchak said of the wideout, who continues to bounce back from surgeries on both knees. "Now it is just a matter of how quickly over the next two weeks when he starts doing more cutting and changing of direction, how he?ll respond to that." That all sounds good, but Britt still has a possible suspension hanging over his head in the wake of his off-field issues.

Miles Austin (WR)-? leaves Saturday's practice with a hamstring strain, will be held out for at least a week.
On the plus side, the Cowboys do not think that Austin's current hamstring woes are as bad as the ones that kept him out of six games in 2011, but they do plan to proceed with caution. As a result, Austin's availability for the team's Aug. 13 preseason opener is in question. Kevin Ogletree worked with the Cowboys' No. 1 offense during Sunday's walk-through, but coach Jason Garrett noted that Dwayne Harris and Andre Holmes will also get added reps in Austin's absence.

Sam Bradford (QB)- As of Saturday?s practice, ankle still isn't 100 percent healthy.
Bradford isn't walking with a limp and overall appears to be getting around fine. "It's close," Bradford said. "I think it's as good as it's going to feel. It's something that we're managing right now. I've been able to take every snap so far without any setbacks and I think that's a positive sign." Bradford suffered a severe high ankle sprain in Game 5 last season, and the fact that he is still dealing with lingering effects is somewhat troubling. That said, barring an aggravation, it's the sort of issue that he should be able to manage and continue to play through going forward. Hopefully the ankle situation will not not effect Bradford's numbers too much in 2012.

A.J. Jenkins (WR)- Lack of an immediate impact can be partly attributed to the fact that he?s still getting up to speed with the offense.
On Wednesday, wide receivers coach John Morton yelled at him for running the wrong route during a press-coverage drill. On Friday, he was out of position before the snap and backup quarterback Scott Tolzien stepped back from under center to move him into the right spot. Former Illinois head coach Ron Zook offered his endorsement of Jenkins citing a difficulty in transition from high school to college, but as an intelligent and hard-working player, finally broke out in his junior year. As a result Jenkins may not see the field, or fantasy radars, much in 2012.

Felix Jones (RB)- Shoulder has looked fine in practice
He's been bouncing off defenders while maintaining his usual quickness It always seems like a matter of time until the next injury hits Jones, but for the moment he appears to be in good shape. He'll likely get 10-12 touches a game this year behind DeMarco Murray and could be quite productive in that role- though he should be no more than a late insurance RB pick in fantasy drafts for the 2012 season at this point.

Blaine Gabbert (QB)- Completes 10-of-13 passes for 91 yards and one touchdown during Friday night's team scrimmage.
Later during red zone drills, Gabbert directed five consecutive touchdown drives as well. While it's hard to get too excited about Gabbert's performance in his red no-contact jersey, the Jags can use all the good news they can get when it comes to the improvement of their sophomore quarterback. The majority of reports out of training camp are encouraging where Gabbert is concerned. It's worth noting that the passing offense looked fluid even without first-round pick Justin Blackmon. We will see if this all translates to better success in 2012 for Gabbert but after last year its nowhere but up, just probably not anything fantasy-worthy at this point.

Source: http://rotosynthesis.rotowire.com/Sunday-NFL-Training-Camp-Notes-BBD4043.htm

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