Ready for a restart

"The mentality is you've got to go full force," he says. "It's not first gear, it's sixth gear. You have to put in the time, put in the extra work. All the things that have gotten you to the point that you are at, you have to do that and more."

But with  Colt Brennan and Charlie Frye also battling for a roster spot, Boller knows he can't let up.

The Raiders jersey won both games.

Boller appeared in both of the Raiders' preseason games this August, going 12-of-21 for 148 yards and a touchdown against Dallas on Aug. 12 and 7-of-9 for 55 yards and a rushing score Saturday against Chicago.

"It was just an opportunity to be on the West Coast and be with a great organization that's headed in the right direction," he says.

Aside from working with Jackson, Boller says he was just excited for the new start.

"I have a history with Kyle, but Mr. (Al) Davis, when he was able to watch the tape, too, along with me, says, 'Hey, this guy can play.' And I know he can," says Jackson, now the Raiders' offensive coordinator, of a conversation with the team's owner. "He's come in and done a good job. Kyle is a tremendous competitor, likes to play and is a good young man, and I'm glad he's here with us."

In Oakland, Boller reunited with former Baltimore quarterbacks coach Hue Jackson, which he says was a factor in his decision to sign with the franchise.

After a lackluster year in St. Louis, where Boller started four games, he now finds himself in Oakland where he is currently third on the Raiders' depth chart behind projected starter Jason Campbell and Bruce Gradkowski.

On April 4, 2009, the Rams signed Boller to back up then-starter Marc Bulger.

The transition was underway.

Flacco found success in 2008, while Boller landed on injured reserve following a preseason shoulder injury.

"I don't know that Kyle ever had that guy to sit behind and learn from," says Billick, who coached Boller from 2003-2007. "I put Kyle into the fire a little early, but people forget, we went to the playoffs that year and won the division with him as the staring quarterback as a rookie. Maybe it would have been better to have a player to mentor him along the way."

In retrospect, Billick says it might have been better to give Boller a chance to learn behind a veteran, like Aaron Rodgers did with Brett Favre in Green Bay or even  Carson Palmer jersey did as a rookie behind Jon Kitna in Cincinnati.

Boller was in and out of the starting position in 2007, but in 2008, the Ravens drafted quarterback-of-the future Joe Flacco out of Delaware State.

Injuries stunted 2005, and in 2006, the Ravens brought in veteran Steve McNair to lead the offense.

The next season, Boller started all 16 games. Baltimore finished 9-7 and missed the playoffs.

With Boller out, Anthony Wright stepped in at quarterback.

The Ravens finished the regular season 10-6 in 2003, losing to the Tennessee Titans in the wild-card round.

"I've felt that when I get going in a rhythm an injury comes up, at least it has in the past," he says. "But I've been able to overcome that. And I've taken a lot of criticism from the media. I've felt like I've stayed strong and kept battling my butt off to be the player I know I can be."

Battling injures is a trend that Boller says has been his biggest obstacle.

As a rookie, the 1999 Hart grad started the first nine games of the season before suffering a knee injury in week 10 against the Rams.

"He was with a championship-caliber team from the get-go and the mentality was, 'Don't screw it up,'" Billick says of Boller. "That is a tough learning curve for a young quarterback."

Unlike Bradford's St. Louis Rams, however, Baltimore was ready to compete.

Former Ravens head coach and current NFL analyst Brian Billick points to 2010 No. 1 overall selection Sam Bradford, who signed a six-year, $78 million deal on July 30, $50 million of which is guaranteed.

How much?

Once again, the pressure was on.

When Boller was drafted 19th overall in the 2003 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens, expectations were high for the team that had won the Super Bowl three years earlier.

The transition to the NFL wasn't an easy one.

"I've dealt with it ever since I was in high school," he says of the pressure. "When you're the guy, you just have to handle your business and be a professional. You are a role model, and do everything that the job entails being a quarterback - not only as a professional, but in high school and college as well."

As a senior with the Indians, he passed for 4,838 yards and 59 touchdowns, the second- and third-best marks in state history, respectively. He garnered player of the year awards and top-recruit recognition from multiple publications.

Pressure has never frightened Boller, who led the Hart Indians to a 12-2 record and CIF-Southern Section division title in 1998 before becoming a consistent starter at the University of California, Berkeley.

"Obviously I wish I've had a couple cheap Super Bowls jersey and stuff like that, but it's been good and I've learned a lot," he says of his seven years in the NFL. "I've met a lot of great people along the way, and I know that I have a lot of football left in me and that my career will end better than it started."

Now he is in training camp with the Oakland Raiders - his third team in three years - and is not only looking to silence his critics, he's looking to restart his career.

He's been battered and bruised by opponents and skeptics.

Hart High graduate Kyle Boller is used to being under the microscope.

The 49ers have had their share of solid preseason running backs

Westbrook was released by the Philadelphia Eagles in March, and, over the past couple of months, Washington was considered a likely landing spot. Redskins Coach Mike Shanahan made no secret that he coveted Westbrook, who would have given the team a solid option on third down. The team offered Westbrook a contract.

Westbrook's brother, Byron, is a Washington cornerback, and Brian Westbrook counts Redskins' quarterback Donovan McNabb among his good friends.

Without Westbrook in the fold, Redskins coaches will be paying close Nate Davis attention to both Ryan Torain and Keiland Williams during the next three preseason games to see who emerges as the best third-down option.

Free agent running back Brian Westbrook will not be joining the Washington Redskins. The San Francisco 49ers announced Monday evening that they have signed the former Philadelphia Eagle running back to a one-year contract.

The deal was first reported by the Sacramento Bee.

Is there really any doubt about this choice? Anthony Dixon was a monster out there for the 49ers. His longest rush was 23 yards and while he was stood up at times after short gains, he provided a decent amount of consistency, which is all you can ask for, particularly from a backup running back.

The 49ers have had their share of solid preseason running backs that are no longer with the team in large part because they struggled when it came to blocking. I honestly need to go back and review the tape as far as Dixon's pass protection is concerned. For those who paid particular attention to this facet of his game, could you give us your thoughts in the comments?

There were several players potentially worthy of this honor (and a prestigious one it is!). Safety Alex Smith had the big interception return for a TD that was a game-changer (even if it was after Manning left the game). LB Bruce Davis looked very solid netting 6 total tackles and a sack. Newly acquired defensive end Will Tukuafu  had a sack right off the bat, which was nice. And even though the first string defense had some issues, nose tackle Ricky Jean Francois look solid in his time on the field.

However, given the expectations of some fans, the performance of Michael Crabtree has to inspire some excitement and confidence in 49ers fans. Briggs has generally been impressive in the preseason but has not yet had the opportunity to make a big impact once the regular season starts. With Ahmad Brooks likely out for the very beginning of the regular season, Briggs might get a crack at some regular season playing time. And considering Manny Lawson may not be a member of the 49ers past 2010, it would be nice to see what the team really has in Briggs.

Michael Robinson: Considering Frank Gore  is the primary running back, that backup job only has so much value to it. And yet, Michael Robinson may have coughed up the job in a matter of seconds. That's not to say Anthony Dixon is a lock to now be the #2 running back. However, Robinson's performance combined with Anthony Dixon's performance certainly can't have Robinson feeling all that comfortable heading into week 2 of the preseason.

Alex Smith: I include Smith here in a similar fashion to including Carr in the good. Whereas Carr's numbers appear solid, Smith's were not even pedestrian. Smith was 3 of 9 for 37 yards and an interception. More importantly, you could see some of the rust that appears early in the preseason. The best example of that came when Smith and Vernon Davis apparently miscommunicated on one of their patented seam routes that would have been the biggest offensive play of the day. Personally I'm not yet concerned about that. There's a drastic difference between running that play in practice and running it in front of 70,000 fans in your first game of the season. That play will be there when the season gets going.

Jason Hill: I include him here solely for that ball that bounced right off his hands midway through the game. Dominique Zeigler was outperforming him in practice, and while Zeigler didn't outperform him yesterday, drops like that one will not help Hill.

A pass across the middle for Johnny Knox that safety Craig Steltz picked off to end a two-minute offense drill

We need to do a better job of covering kicks," coach Jim Schwartz said Sunday. "All you have to do is point to that Chicago game last year and how that game changed because of kick coverage."

After the game changed, so did the team. The Lions signed Vinny Ciurciu shortly afterward, and coordinator Stan Kwan was fired after a season in which his unit finished 25th in the league.

The Lions hired energetic special-teams coordinator Danny Crossman and added more special-teams aces.

"We've got some guys that have had some success around this league …," Crossman said. "Now it's a matter of trying to blend those guys with some other new guys from different systems."
Lions' Danny Crossman is working to improve special teams

When he was in his second year in the NFL, linebacker Isaiah Ekejiuba Johnny Knox received a dubious honor. He made it into the "Madden" football video game, but he was one of the lowest-rated players in the game.

"I made it in the game," Ekejiuba said. "A couple people that were playing the league that year didn't make it into the game on our roster. It was bittersweet. A lot of people ask me about that. But it's 'Madden.' It's not real life."

It sure isn't. The demand for Ekejiuba's skill would attest to that. The Lions signed Johnny Knox the veteran last month as part of an ongoing effort to bolster the special-teams roster and improve a unit that ranked 25th among 32 teams last year.

Ciurciu and Zack Follett brought life to the struggling coverage units last season, and this year Ekejiuba and Dante Wesley have been acquired to further improve the special teams.

The Bears are banking on Jay Cutler taking better care of the football this season and if his recent run of activity in training camp is an indication, he's on his way to doing just that.

Yes, Cutler was intercepted Sunday night on his final throw, a pass across the middle for Johnny Knox that safety Craig Steltz picked off to end a two-minute offense drill. But it was the first pick Cutler has thrown in 7-on-7 or 11-on-11 drills since last Wednesday.

He was particularly sharp in the red zone again, using tight end Greg Olsen as his preferred target. Olsen caught five touchdown passes on 12 throws in 7-on-7 near the goalline.

"Our red-zone package is pretty impressive," Olsen said. "When we first installed it in OTA's, I think guys came away like, 'Wow, we're really put in good positions here to find gaps and get the ball.' The last couple days we have done red zone I think it has been pretty evident."

Bill Belichick Expecting Gary Guyton to Make Plenty of Noise in Crowded Linebacking Corps

Before training camp, we threw around the idea of shifting Gary Guyton to outside linebacker in a way to get the Patriots' most talented linebackers on the field at one time.
However, Guyton has done a sound job with Jerod Mayo on the inside, and Guyton got off to a blazing start at camp before suffering a knee injury during Sunday afternoon's practice.

Since Guyton has taken up residence on the inside, we figured it would be best to put the speculation to rest and just ask head coach Bill Belichick: Could Guyton play outside linebacker, or is he simply too valuable on the inside to move him?

"Gary is a pretty versatile player," Belichick said Wednesday. "I think he can do a lot of different things. He's smart. He's big. He's athletic and runs very well, so he's had a variety of roles for us on regular defense and our sub defenses. I wouldn't rule it out, but he's done well inside. He's made a lot of progress over the last two years.

"I think, this camp, he started at a higher level than he finished last year -- good offseason, more confidence, a better understanding of the defense and offensive play recognition, those kind of things," he added. "I think he's in pretty good shape where he is, but could he play out there? I think he would be competitive out there."

Clearly, Belichick had some high praise for Guyton, but it sounds like he'll Jerod Mayo remain on the inside of the 3-4 defense unless things (here's that speculation again) just go haywire on the outside. Or, of course, if Brandon Spikes or Tyrone McKenzie become too valuable to take off the field.

Originally, we suggested moving Guyton to the outside because the Patriots are loaded with talented inside linebackers, and they're a work in progress on the outside. For now, Belichick is giving rookie Jermaine Cunningham a lot of reps at outside linebacker, and it's probably going to take a few preseason games before we see where Cunningham really stands. After all, contact is somewhat limited at practice, and it's tough to judge an outside linebacker if they can't go full bore against the tight ends and tackles.

Guyton's speed is what truly makes him an intriguing option on the outside, so that was also brought to Belichick's attention.

Would it be fair to call Guyton the Patriots' fastest linebacker? Well, Belichick had another interesting answer.
"There are probably other linebackers that would not be willing to just concede that, so I don't know," Belichick said. "We've never put them out there in a race. I mean, he runs well. I think there are other guys at the linebacker position that also run well, and they probably feel like they're the fastest. I don't know. Speed can be measured in a lot of different ways, and for linebackers, there are not a lot of 40-yard dashes like there are for corners and receivers. A lot of it is probably more 20 yards, and a lot of it is five yards. And a lot of it is sideways, not forward. No doubt about it, Gary runs well. He's certainly one of the fastest linebackers on our team. I think we've got other guys that are in that same range. If he's faster, they're close. If they're faster than him, he's close."

Forte flashing old quickness

One of the welcome sights so far at training camp is of running back Matt Forte exploding through a hole.

''We're hoping and praying everything goes well,'' running backs coach Tim Spencer said Tuesday. ''But right now, he's pretty quick.''

After topping 1,200 rushing yards as a rookie, Forte managed just 929 last season, scoring only four total touchdowns. But Forte was slowed by injuries, didn't talk about them and endured them to play all 16 games.

''He tried to work through the injuries,'' Spencer said. ''We knew he wasn't 100 percent. I'm sure that's really frustrating.''

During the offseason, the Bears brought in veteran Chester Taylor, who topped 1,200 rushing yards in Minnesota during the 2006 season. Taylor and Matt Forte have been splitting reps in practices, and both have insisted they get along.

''What I say is, competition breeds success,'' Forte said. ''We're out there every day, doing our best to make each other better, for the team.''

His goal, he said, is to ''make something happen with [the ball], no matter how many times you get it.''

Spencer said it's a ''coach's dream'' to have two players like Matt Forte and Taylor.

''It's a good, healthy competition,'' he said. ''They both get along very well; that helps out, so there's no animosity between any of them. I'm liking it. I'm loving it.''

Because they're both so versatile, Spencer even hinted at something special: lining them up together in the backfield.

''We might even be able to get them in at the same time,'' Spencer said. ''You never know.''
Defense gets to Cutler

Jay Cutler is strictly off limits during practice, wearing a bright red jersey like all the quarterbacks.

But the defense seemed to annoy him on Tuesday.

Cutler had a solid day, completing seven passes in a row, including two to Johnny Knox and one to tight end Greg Olsen. But that was in seven-on-seven drills that don't include the defensive line.

When the defensive line was on the field, it got after him several times. At one point, defensive tackle Tommie Harris swatted the ball out of Cutler's hands as he ran by in front of him. Cutler picked up the ball and tossed it at Harris' feet.

Cutler made his share of plays, with his offensive line protecting him. But there was a stretch when Cutler would have been sacked on consecutive plays. Julius Peppers blew by Frank Omiyale on one play; then the entire defensive line collapsed the pocket, and Mark Anderson appeared to be in position to sack Cutler.

Cutler responded by chucking the ball toward the right sideline at the top of a large, white tent.

Asked if his quarterback was frustrated, coach Lovie Smith said, ''I don't know about frustrated. We have scholarship players on the other side of the ball, too. Jay's a good player. I'm really pleased with what he's done. But it's good competition.''

Peppers downplayed any frustration the quarterback should have. ''I don't know if we frustrated him because he's not getting hit, so he can't really feel it,'' Peppers said.
Iwuh injured

Brian Iwuh, a linebacker who signed as a free agent during the offseason, injured his knee during practice Tuesday. He was tended to by the training staff for several minutes before being carted off the field.

Smith confirmed Iwuh's injury, but he didn't provide an update.

''He's been active,'' Smith said of Iwuh, who showed potential as a special teamer. ''He's got instincts for a linebacker. He's not the biggest guy around, but he fits the mold of what we look for.''

Panthers add depth to backfield

Gruden has really studied the Panthers. He knows some of them well already, having played Carolina twice a season for years. He is catching up on the new players in preparation for Carolina's Aug.12 exhibition against Baltimore, which Gruden will work as color analyst for ESPN.

So he is a good guy to hear from on the Panthers.

"I just don't know about their defense," he said by phone. "I've got some real questions on that side of the ball."

Gruden said some positive things, too, especially about the running backs, and was adamant that the Panthers should keep coach John Fox. But before we get to Gruden in his entirety, let's survey a few others about the Panthers.

NFL.com's Steve Wyche? He had the Panthers 30th out of 32 teams in his July "power rankings," proclaiming: "There is bad karma in Carolina."

The preseason magazines? Most pick the Panthers to miss the playoffs and finish third out of four teams in the NFC South, behind New Orleans and Atlanta.

Peter King? Sports Illustrated's respected writer generally has been high on the Panthers. So has his employer. SI is the magazine that famously picked the Panthers to win the Super Bowl before the 2005 and 2006 seasons. Oops.

King swung through Panthers training camp last week and wasn't terribly impressed. He wrote Monday: "The Panthers rarely have a really down season, but I'm not sure that streak is going to continue (suffice to say I'm wavering on my May pick of Carolina for the playoffs)."

All this is understandable. The Panthers have bade goodbye to a number of veterans this Kenneth Moore offseason. In Las Vegas, the oddsmakers believe the Panthers likely will go 7-9 and have set their Super Bowl odds at about 40-1.

I'd wager that few outsiders have studied the Panthers more than Gruden, who can riff on the team's nickel cornerback situation or anything else with ease. Let's listen:

"I really compliment the way Carolina finished last season," Gruden said. "To beat the New York Giants and Minnesota with authority?! That was something.

"I don't know how they're going to replace Julius Peppers, Chris Harris and Damione Lewis, though, and the Thomas Davis injury really hurts them. They were always a handful on defense - Kris Jenkins, Mike Rucker, Peppers, Dan Morgan - just formidable.

"Now I question that defense some. But I think they still have two very good corners in Chris Gamble and Richard Marshall, and I like Captain Munnerlyn at the nickel. He's going to be a fine player."

"On offense," Gruden continued, "Panther fans may not realize how good they have it. I have never seen a one-two running back combination like DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart. And I mean never. And Steve Smith is one of my three favorite players in all of football. I still have scars from all the times he burned me while I was coaching.

"Now who will be the No.2 and No.3 receivers? That's a big question. Dwayne Jarrett - is he ever going to come on? The time for him has to be now, if there is going to be a time. Muhsin Muhammad will be tough to replace - he was a tough, underrated player. As for Matt Moore, I don't underestimate him. He could be good."

Then Gruden got to Fox, his former coaching rival, and you could almost hear him bristling over the phone. The unspoken undercurrent: How could the Panthers possibly be thinking of letting this guy walk away when his contract expires at the end of 2010?

The Carolina Panthers have added depth to their banged-up backfield by signing running back Dantrell Savage.

The Panthers waived injured cornerback Marcus Walker on Monday to make room on the 80-man roster.

DeAngelo Williams and Josh Vaughan had been Carolina's only two healthy running backs. Jonathan Stewart hasn't been cleared to practice following offseason Achilles' tendon surgery, while Mike Goodson and Tyrell Sutton are sidelined with injuries suffered in training camp.

The undrafted Savage played mostly special teams in 13 games over two seasons with Kansas City, rushing just 25 times for 98 yards. He was released in March.

The first matchup belonged to Eddie Royal and Champ Bailey

It often seemed like the ratio of coaches and staff members to players was almost 1-to-1 during the four practices from Wednesday to Friday.

For rookie cornerback Perrish Cox, a fifth- round draft pick from Oklahoma State, that meant plenty of extra time with defensive backs coach Ed Donatell and special-teams coordinator Mike Priefer.

As the Broncos' full camp opens today at team headquarters, Cox will be competing for playing time at the nickel cornerback position, and coaches are hoping he also can contribute as a punt and kickoff returner.

"I'm competing for everything, wherever they need me," Cox said. "If I'm a big special-teams player, I'd be happy to do that.

"Returning, or I'll even be a deep snapper. Nah, just joking. But seriously, returning kicks is my thing, and I'd like to be able to help Eddie (Royal) out because I know he has to take a lot of snaps on offense (at wide receiver)."

Time for conditioning test.

The Broncos' conditioning test is pretty simple: three 300-yard runs. Players are divided by position, and each position must beat certain time standards for each run.

During 11 on 11 drills, the first unit defense had Ronald Fields in the middle of the defensive line, flanked by Ryan McBean and Justin Bannan. Elvis Dumervil, D.J. Williams, Mario Haggan and Robert Ayers lined up at linebacker, and Champ Bailey, Andre' Goodman, Brian Dawkins and Renaldo Hill made up the secondary.

On offense, Tyler Polumbus was at left tackle, with Zane Beadles at left guard, J.D. Walton at center, Chris Kuper at right guard and Ryan Harris a welcome sight back at right tackle. Kyle Orton was at quarterback and Daniel Graham was at tight end, with Kolby Smith at running back with Moreno and Buckhalter out of practice. The receivers switched in and out, but Eddie Royal, Brandon Lloyd and Jabar Gaffney got the most work. Marquez Branson also subbed in as a second tight end on several plays.

DRILLS

Throughout individual drills for tight ends, Daniel Graham reiterated why he's the leader of the pack. In one drill, the tight ends were supposed to lift a blocking sled in the air before pushing it forward. Graham pushed it so hard that at the end of his rep, the sled flipped upside down. After seeing that display, Branson took his turn, flipping the sled at the end before letting loose a "Woooo!"

The running backs practiced getting physical during their drills, attacking blocking dummies Knowshon Moreno to work on initiating contact.

Typically players run through drills the exact same way, one after the other, to make sure they get the technique just right. The defensive linemen ran a drill where the only goal was to get past the blocking dummy — no matter the technique. Each lineman used a move they've been successful with in the past, whether it was a swim move, spin or bull rush.

PLAYMAKERS

During wide receiver versus defensive back 1-on-1s, the first matchup belonged to Eddie Royal and Champ Bailey. Bailey tipped Orton's throw, which Royal nearly caught, but the pass fell incomplete. Later in the drill, the two faced off again. This time Royal cut his route in front of Bailey, hauling in the sharp pass from Orton. That drew a "Nice, Eddie Royal!" from the quarterback.

On the first play of 7-on-7s, Brian Dawkins tipped a pass and nearly hauled it in before it hit the ground. Immediately he dropped to the ground for 10 pushups, as he didn't snare the interception. Afterward he jumped up with a huge fist pump to the sky, drawing a reaction from the already amped-up crowd.

Toward the end of the final offense versus defense drill, Eric Decker ran deep down the sideline with Perrish Cox in tight coverage. As the ball came toward the receiver, Cox seemed to grab a little jersey to ensure the ball fell incomplete. On the adjacent field, special teams players and coaches signaled for a flag as the two jogged back toward the huddle.

QUICK HITS

The defensive backs sported a new look — personalized towels tucked in their waist. Two of the more notable towels belonged to Dawkins — inscribed with "Weapon X," of course — and Nate Jones, or as his towel says, "Nasty Nate."

To say fans were excited to see the team's newest first-round picks would be an understatement. Every catch Demaryius Thomas made and every throw Tebow made were met with raucus applause throughout practice. So when Tebow took off running during a couple offense versus defense drills, you can imagine the crowd lost it a little.

After a deep Tebow completion to a leaping Matthew Willis, the crowd gave a long ovation marked by the waving of a couple University of Florida flags. When the noise died down, however, a lone "Roll Tide!" echoed from an apparent Alabama fan in the end zone. It seems even as a Bronco his Florida fans — and rivals — will follow.

Early in practice, the three quarterbacks threw to four receivers — Gaffney, Lloyd, Royal and Brandon Knowshon Moreno Stokley — while the rest of the group worked on special teams drills.