Camp battles: AFC East | NFC East | AFC North | NFC North | AFC South | NFC South | AFC West
Arizona Cardinals
Tim Hightower vs. Beanie Wells, running back
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| Rams rookie James Laurinaitis recorded 376 career tackles at Ohio State. (US Presswire) |
No question, Wells offers the big-play potential the Cards want from this position, but Hightower has a year of experience and knows how to find the end zone.
No matter who wins the job, both should carry the ball plenty. The Cards made it to the Super Bowl last season despite ranking last in the league in rushing, with an average of 73.6 yards per game. That must change.
Edge: Wells. When a club uses a first-round draft pick on a running back, it usually means it plans for him to produce immediate results. I say Hightower sits and comes in off the bench.
Opening day starter: Wells.
St. Louis Rams
Chris Draft vs. James Laurinaitis, middle linebacker
Earlier this month, Draft revealed it is he, and not Laurinaitis, that is first on the team's depth chart -- with Draft returning to the starting job he held at the end of last year.
But there are few around the Rams who expect him to hold off Laurinaitis, the team's second-round draft pick. In fact, most think Draft is more apt to challenge for the SAM position than he is here. There he would battle Larry Grant and David Vobora, and it makes too much sense not to happen. Neither represents an upgrade at a position manned by Quintin Culberson a year ago, but Draft could.
For the moment, however, it's Draft vs. Laurinaitis, a tackling machine who could fit Steve Spagnuolo's aggressive scheme perfectly.
Edge: Draft because he has been a starter at the position.
Opening day starter: Laurinaitis.
San Francisco 49ers
Shaun Hill vs. Alex Smith, quarterback
Smith is the first pick of the 2005 draft who was supposed to be San Francisco's quarterback for the next decade. Now he might not be their quarterback for September. Smith is battling for a starter's job that, frankly, most believe Hill wins. One reason is Hill's play -- the guy is 7-3 as a starter. The second is the play of his competition: Smith has been nothing short of a bust.
Granted, the poor guy hasn't had an offensive coordinator stick around more than one season and has struggled through injuries -- with three shoulder surgeries the past two seasons. But it's time he starts earning the megabucks the club invested in him, and the time is now.
Smith is more talented than Hill, who struggles with the deep ball, but quarterbacking isn't all about talent. It's about leadership, too, and Hill has it. He's also accurate with the short ball, scrambles effectively and is tough. Smith looked more confident and more accurate in spring workouts, and that's a plus, but Hill has a history of success.
Edge: Hill. He won for Mike Singletary when he took over last season, and that won't be forgotten.
Opening day starter: Hill
Seattle Seahawks
Owen Schmitt vs. Justin Griffith, fullback
Griffith seems to have the early edge because he played in offensive coordinator Greg Knapp's systems in Oakland and Atlanta, but I wouldn't count out Schmitt. He picked up the offense in spring workouts and has the ability to excel at this position. Plus, Griffith is recovering from a knee injury that sidelined him the second half of last season.
Griffith is a pure blocking fullback, and he was in Atlanta with Jim Mora and Knapp when the Falcons led the league in rushing -- and that counts. But Schmitt is bigger than Griffith, outweighing him by 20 pounds, and is also regarded as a solid blocker. One problem: While Scmitt started a game last season, the former fifth-round draft pick doesn't have experience with the new coaching staff.
Edge: Griffith. He knows Knapp's system and followed his former coordinator to Seattle. That wasn't a coincidence.
Opening day starter: Griffith.
