Welcome to the 2014 NFL Training Camp Report!! Loyal readers of Fantasy Alarm know that every summer I like to keep a finger on the pulse of NFL training camps. I am so excited this year as for the first time I will have a lot of help. The Fantasy Alarm news department who are always on top of every breaking and developing story will be aiding the cause of keeping our readers informed.
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Well That Was Fast
It feels like it was just yesterday that I was reporting to you that JaMaal Charles was intending on holding out from Chiefs camp until he got a contract extension. Damn…that WAS just yesterday that I reported that wasn’t it? Well anyway, Charles and the Chiefs quickly reached an agreement on a two year contract extension that includes a sizeable raise for this season as well. All told Charles will make $18.1 million over the next four seasons and will report to Chiefs camp tonight.
Even though the brief holdout is over, I cannot stress enough how important it is to scoop up Knile Davis if you are a JaMaal Charles owner or plan to be this season. There is just so much fantasy value at the RB spot in Kansas City that you cannot afford to not handcuff your RB1 with his primary backup.
Early Retirement
It happens every year. Training camp begins and players who have been sitting around all summer just up and decide they don’t want to climb that hill once again. Seattle Seahawks WR Sidney Rice has informed the team that he is retiring from the NFL at 27 years of age. The confusing part of this story is that Rice declared that concussions are the cause of his retirement and not the torn ACL he suffered during the 2013 season. The only known concussions Rice has suffered in his career were back in 2011 when he suffered two in a month and was subsequently placed in injured reserve. Rice sounds like a guy who was just done with playing football to me.
Sidney Rice represents a “miss” in the Jeff Mans scouting program. I was super high on him coming out of South Carolina in 2007. At 6’4” and 205 lbs he was the prototype franchise WR. Rice had great leaping ability and hand-eye coordination allowing him to jump up and compete for the football while in coverage. When he finally broke out in 2009 I sent a lot of “I told ya” messages around to detractors but moving to Seattle completely crushed his fantasy value. It’s something to think about how a guy with all of the skill in the world can go from a below average player with Gus Frerotte as his QB, then rise to stardom when Brett Favre comes to town only to fall off the map upon going to Seattle. Rice was the same player the entire time. Hell, he is still just 27 years old and by all accounts in his prime. But we need to realize that you can put great athletes and players in subpar conditions and they will more often than not fail.
Not Your Ordinary Draft
Today was the 5th annual SiriusXM Celebrity Fantasy Football Draft broadcast live on Fantasy Sports Radio Sirius 210/XM 87. I have had the pleasure of taking part in this league the past couple of years and must say that it is always very enjoyable. Unfortunately this year they didn’t do a live in person draft so I wasn’t able to hob knob with the celebs. I did work a little behind the scenes in advising my girl Pilar Lastra about some late round sleepers. The draft featured adult film star Lisa Ann, actor/comedian Robert Wuhl, Oakland Raiders RB Maurice Jones-Drew and Fantasy Alarm Show regular Scott Porter also from the CW show Hart Of Dixie (and my all time favorite show Friday Night Lights!). Check out the complete draft recap and be sure to comment on how you think the celebs did over on the SiriusXM Facebook Page or on Twitter.
What A Pussy
Vernon Davis indeed didn’t hold out after all as he reported to 49ers camp this afternoon. Davis talked awful tough this offseason and didn’t show up for mandatory mini-camp back in June. But he knew better than to mess with Jim Harbaugh who most certainly would have held it against Davis had he indeed held out for any length of time.
No Big Deal
The Browns have placed rookie RB Terrence West on the “non-football injury” list to open up camp. There is no word on what is wrong with West but all accounts are that he will be in camp and ready to go by this weekend. West was taken in the third round of the draft and fits Kyle Shanahan’s cut back running system very well. He’ll challenge Ben Tate for the RB1 job but is at this point considered one of the better handcuffs to get this season.