My final training camp visit, to the Carolina Panthers in Charlotte, N.C., capped a month of travel, delays, weather issues, coach-speak, practices, sweat-soaked shirts, memorable moments and hours of transcribed tape. Oh, and the 1 Man, 1 Fan videos.
I love training camp. Hope is everywhere. There isn't a player or coach in the NFL who doesn't think they are on a playoff team right now. Just ask them. I did. They all think it.
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| Kerry Collins could be the key to the AFC's best team. (US Presswire) |
Things like Twitter and blogging and our own CBSSports.com RapidReports have NFL teams scratching their heads. This is the new media, and some teams haven't adjusted. They're stuck back in the Single Wing days in terms of media policies.
That's why notebooks weren't allowed on the field for Colts practices the day I was there. It's why few locker rooms are open. It's why coaches grumble when parts of practices are taped, even though practices are open to the public.
That's the only gripe about my NFL camp tours these days -- lighten up. It's only football.
Three weeks, 19 nights in hotels, plenty of crappy food eaten alone in the room later, it's time look back at my tour. It was a lot of fun, especially when you love the game the way I do.
The downside is I came home with a nasty sinus infection that required a doctor visit and some antibiotics.
I sure hope those Miami Dolphins players really didn't have the swine flu. I was there. They didn't, did they?
Five best teams I saw
1. Tennessee Titans: I was wrong about this team. They are deep and talented. If Kerry Collins can play as he did in 2008, they could be a Super Bowl team.
2. Indianapolis Colts: The concern I have is the injuries. When does it stop? The offensive line is also a worry. Peyton Manning is not.
3. Atlanta Falcons: Some think they will fade this season. I don't buy it. Matt Ryan will be even better. So will this team.
4. Dallas Cowboys: They play in a tough division, but there is talent there. If Roy Williams can emerge as the No. 1 receiver, they could push for the division title.
5. Cincinnati Bengals: Yes, the Bengals. They will be good. I'm telling you. Carson Palmer looked great in the work I saw.
Five worst teams I saw
1. St. Louis Rams: New coach Steve Spagnuolo faces a tough rebuilding job. There are a lot of holes to fill. He will need two years at least.
2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: They are in the middle of a big transition. New coach Raheem Morris has a lot of work to do.
3. Jacksonville Jaguars: Rebuild is the word. Just look at how young that roster is this season.
4. Miami Dolphins: They will take the step back this season. Watch out in 2010.
5. Chicago Bears: They're not bad, but I had to put somebody in the fifth spot. I saw a lot of good teams.
Five players I enjoyed interviewing
1. Bengals receiver Chad Ochocinco: At lunch, he was engaging and I found him to be a big fan of the game. That's a good combination.
2. Rams cornerback Ronald Bartell: He's a GM in waiting. He knows other teams. Those kinds of players are hard to find.
3. Colts quarterback Peyton Manning: Talking to him is always insightful. He loves the game and loves to talk about it.
4. Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan: In his second season, he gets it. He's a pro's pro. Plus, I always ask him if he has any pit bulls, which is good for a laugh.
5. (tie) Bucs quarterback Byron Leftwich, Jags receiver Torry Holt: Leftwich and Holt are both class acts. They understand the business of the media.
Loosest camps for a writer
1. Jacksonville Jaguars: Hard to believe this is the same team that Tom Coughlin ruled with an iron fist. Jack Del Rio is very open, and there isn't much paranoia. Of course, they need to sell tickets.
2. Atlanta Falcons: Mike Smith is the most easy going coach in the NFL. And GM Thomas Dimitroff is just like him. That makes for a relaxed environment.
3. Tennessee Titans: What's not to like? Their locker room is open -- the only one on my tour -- and Jeff Fisher is accessible. One more thing: The players always seem to be in the locker room. That's rare.
4. Dallas Cowboys: They've been through a ton, so they don't have a lot of restrictions. Jerry Jones knows what he's doing when it comes to marketing his team.
5. Cincinnati Bengals: There are no restrictions on the things you can do during practice, and coach Marvin Lewis is accommodating. It's a good environment. Plus, Ochocinco is good for a quote or two.
Five breakout players based on what I saw
1. Sam Baker, T, Falcons: He missed time as a rookie last season, but he has all the tools to be a Pro Bowl tackle.
2. Leon Hall, CB, Bengals: Now in his third season, he has a chance to join the top-tier corners in the league.
3. Greg Olsen, TE, Bears: You can already tell Olsen and new quarterback Jay Cutler have a bond. He had a good season in 2008. He might be great in 2009.
4. Robert Meachem, WR, Saints: Now in his third season, this former first-round pick looks poised to be a real threat down the field. He will also return kicks.
5. Troy Williamson, WR, Jags: He has had a great start to the preseason after a good offseason. Now comes the tough part, which is making it carry over to the regular season.
Five favorite spots
1. Nashville, Tenn.: The Titans are a good group, have that open locker room -- which means you can work a room -- and Fisher's office isn't off limits. Plus, they have Jack's Barbecue there. I can eat that three times a week.
2. San Antonio: The Cowboys practice inside the Alamodome, where it's cool and the players are accessible. And they have great Mexican food in San Antonio.
3. Terre Haute, Ind.: The Colts are a bit paranoid, but the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology is as nice as it gets. Plus you see a lot of corn getting there.
4. South Florida: I get to see my dad and put flowers on my mother's grave. They're the reason I'm doing what I am doing.
5. Jacksonville, Fla.: It's home. There's nothing better. Actually, it's No. 1.
Five things I won't forget
1. Watching the security guard at Bengals camp in Kentucky ask Ochocinco for ID to get back into the team's facility. "Are you for real?" Ochocinco said. Just then, a kid came running up to wave him through. I told him I wouldn't let him live that down. So this is another reminder. Take that, Chad.
2. Seeing paralyzed high-school football players in the end zone meeting with Dallas Cowboys players after a practice. Talk about humbling. And Tony Romo signed and took pictures with all of them. Class act.
3. Running on the Bolingbrook High School football field and meeting the mother of a player on his way to college to play football. Now I will follow the career of Alex McNulty at Eastern Illinois. He's a defensive back.
4. Hearing stories about the show The Bachelorette from my cameraman on my first three stops. Mike Steinberg was a contestant on last season's edition, and was with me for three camps. I told him he didn't win on the show because he played the "nice guy card." He needed more of an edge, but the stories he told were interesting, even if he did get annoyed when I told everyone around he was on The Bachelorette.
5. Throwing the football on the Alamodome field between practices with two Cowboys assistants and realizing how old I am -- and then feeling the pain in my shoulder the next day.
Five travel annoyances
1. Full flights. Are the airlines hurting that bad? Every seat is full.
2. Idiots who put their seats back. The room we have is small enough, you arrogant fool. That's why I kick the back of the seat for an hour. It isn't turbulence.
3. Car rental companies who charge you for gas, even if the tank is full. Avis did that to me because I didn't drive 75 miles. But I couldn't put anything in. How dumb?
4. People who rush to the front of the plane as soon as it lands. Where the hell are you going? Don't we all want to get off? Rude.
5. Those $4 bottles of water at the airport are absurd. Are there flecks of gold in there?
Five tired things about the NFL reinforced on my tour
1. Paranoia. The CIA has nothing on these guys.
2. Coach-speak. One-game-at-a-time talk is boring. Loosen up.
3. Coaches or front-office personnel who bully their PR directors. We're all just doing our jobs.
4. The I-invented-the-game coaches and general managers. You know who you are.
5. Players who don't follow the rest of the league are annoying to me. How do you not know things about your opponents? They're more than just names on that Madden 2010 game.
