Which Teams Are Playoff-Worthy?<3>

San Francisco 49ers jersey : Alex Smith will almost certainly be the key to their season. Maybe he'll finally start to consistently play well, maybe he won't, but the 49ers' season hinges on that "maybe". There are enough playmakers on the offense for him to have a big year, with Frank Gore, Michael Crabtree, and Vernon Davis being the best ones. However, receivers Josh Morgan and Ted Ginn Jr. could do some damage as well, as Ginn hasn't shown all that much to this point in his career, but he's still explosive and a fresh start in San Fran could do him some good. In the backfield, Gore will once again be the primary back, but the 49ers just added Brian Westbrook as well. Now, Westbrook doesn't seem to have too much left in the tank, but who knows? Worst case scenario, he operates more as a receiving threat out of the backfield, giving Smith another weapon (Actually, the worst case scenario would involve him missing a ton of time to injuries… AGAIN). Also, rookies Mike Iupati and Anthony Davis both look like they could start immediately, providing a big boost to a previously mediocre line. On the defensive side of the ball, nobody really jumps out, except Patrick Willis, who has quickly become one of the best linebackers (and maybe even one of the best defensive players) in the league. After him, there aren't too many big-impact guys on this defense… Nate Clements is still a pretty solid corner, and Taylor Mays has the athleticism to make some plays in his rookie season. Basically, the Niners' defense isn't great, but it's not terrible either. It'll keep them in enough games to give Alex Smith a chance to come through. PREDICTION: 10-6, playoffs- Last year, it was Vernon Davis who broke out for the Niners. This year, it's cheap Alex Smith jersey's turn, and it may be his last chance to do so. If he can, and there's a good chance he will with the players surrounding him, then this team could win their weak division without breaking a sweat.

Arizona Cardinals: Well… Super Bowl runner-ups two years ago, the Cards will have to fight just to win one of the weakest divisions out there. Without Kurt Warner, Anquan Boldin, Karlos Dansby, and Antrel Rolle, they will have an uphill battle to make it back to the playoffs. New quarterback cheap Matt Leinart jersey needs to prove that he's not a bust, but he has not looked impressive in the preseason so far. It's already a given that he won't be as effective as Warner, but he's also lost a key target in Anquan Boldin, who was dealt to the Ravens. Running backs Beanie Wells and Tim Hightower will share the workload, but it's not hard to imagine that Wells will be getting the lion's share of the carries by the end of the year, as he could really end up being a major impact player if he can stay healthy, which he had a tough time doing at Ohio St. The receivers aren't bad, even without Boldin, as Larry Fitzgerald is still among the best in the game. However, Fitz will certainly see tougher coverages, and beyond number two man Steve Breaston, there isn't too much else, as nobody after that has much, if any, experience (number three Early Doucet could be okay, though). In addition, this is an offense that doesn't use tight ends much (Ben Patrick and Anthony Becht combined for under 20 grabs last year), so it will fall to the receiver to make the plays. The offensive line could be good as well, led by veteran guard Alan Faneca. The defensive line is good enough, with Calais Campbell being a solid young player and Darnell Dockett being a superb 3-4 end. However, the linebackers will miss Dansby sorely, and even though Joey Porter is a decent replacement, he's a bit over the hill and likely won't have a long future in Arizona. Worse yet, none of the other 3 starting backers are bigtime playmakers either. Even without Antrel Rolle, the secondary isn't bad at all, as the Cards brought in Kerry Rhodes as a replacement, and now have Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Adrian Wilson, and Rhodes holding down 3 of the spots in the starting secondary. Not too shabby. The second cornerback slot is a bit of a question mark, though. PREDICTION: 8-8, no playoffs- Matt Leinart is possibly the biggest question mark right now… if they had a true quarterback, they'd be a surefire playoff team and maybe even a Super Bowl contender.

NFC WEST- even weaker than the South is the West, with two teams fighting for a division title and having essentially no shot at a wild card berth if they don't win the division. After the Cards and Niners are the horrific Rams (you have to pity Steven Jackson, who is basically their whole team at this point, and Sam Bradford, who may well get pummeled by opposing defensive lines), and the Seahawks, who could have some potential if their quarterback wasn't aging Matt Hasselbeck (although the alternative for them is unproven Charlie Whitehurst).

New Orleans Saints jersey : Yet another high-powered offense in the NFC, the Saints have one of the true superstars of football in Drew Brees, and more than enough playmakers around Brees for him to make their offense go.  Wideouts Marques Colston and Lance Moore are both well above average, and youngster Robert Meachem could make an impact as well, with Devery Henderson still providing a nice deep threat in addition to those three. Running backs Reggie Bush, Pierre Thomas, and Ladell Betts make for a very nice running-back-by-committee setup for the Saints. Thomas should have the best season of those three, as Betts is more of a backup than a first option, and Bush hasn't shown enough of a tough running style to make him a real feature back. Tight end Jeremy Shockey, while providing a big name, has actually never been a huge producer in the passing game at any point in his career, whether in the Big Apple or the Big Easy. There aren't any huge names on the offensive line, but they do their job well enough to protect Brees. Defensively, The Saints looked porous at some times last season, while at other times, they were a turnover-creating machine. The specialty of the secondary certainly is forcing interceptions, as ageless free safety Darren Sharper is still one of the best ballhawks around (9 interceptions last year). His backup, second-year Malcolm Jenkins (a former corner), could produce some turnovers as well. The corners, Tracy Porter and Jabari Greer, are also proficient at forcing turnovers (Porter had 4 picks last year). The loss of Scott Fujita hurts their linebacking corps as the Saints didn't really have anyone to replace him, but there are plenty of other solid players in the front seven (MLB Jonathan Vilma and DE Will Smith being the best of the bunch). Another important note is that return man Courtney Roby could definitely create a few points of his own this year, and he might make an impact in the passing game as well. PREDICTION: 12-4, division champs- the Saints will certainly put together a solid season offensively, but unless their defense can step up and do more than just create turnovers, they may have some problems getting past opponents in the playoffs.

Atlanta Falcons: The Falcons went home after a somewhat disappointing 9-7 finish last year, as Matt Ryan and Michael Turner did not show the star power that guided the Falcons to an 11-5 season in 2008. They will be an interesting team to watch this year, because if Ryan can get his sophomore slump behind him, the Falcons offense will be a decent bunch this season. The backfield of Turner, Jerious Norwood, and Jason Snelling is above average, but Turner is certainly the focal point, and is a candidate for a bounce-back this year. In the passing game, the two best options for Ryan are Pro Bowler Roddy White, and Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez. However, there really isn't much after White at wideout, with number two being second-year Harry Douglas. In addition, rookie receiver Kerry Meier was placed on injured reserve, taking away another target. Defensively, there is a lack of impact players in the front seven, as star lineman John Abraham struggled through a down season a year ago, picking up just 5.5 sacks. However, if Peria Jerry and Sean Weatherspoon develop well, they could join MLB Curtis Lofton as a nice young core for this defense to build around. Even without big names, the Falcons front seven do their job well, finishing in the top ten in the NFL in rush defense last year. Their pass defense was awful as times last year, though, as they finished a dismal 28^th in pass defense. They overpaid to get Dunta Robinson (second biggest contract in the NFL for a corner) to remedy the situation, but he won't work any miracles. PREDICTION: 8-8, no playoffs- it's tough to only give them an 8-8 record, because Ryan should play some solid football (closer to his rookie year than his sophomore year). However, there aren't that many targets for him, and the defense is below average, especially in the secondary.

Titans’ Chris Johnson and Philadelphia Eagles

We're proud we had Johnson as our No. 6 running back last year. That was higher than most, but we were still five spots off. In an unbelievable sophomore campaign, Sonic the Hedgehog eclipsed 2,000 yards rushing, averaged 5.6 yards per carry, broke off seven scores longer than 50 yards, and ended the season on an 11-week streak of at least 100 yards rushing. He also rendered LenDale White's fantasy stock worthless, a season after White scored 15 rushing touchdowns. No player in the NFL is faster than Johnson, and few are as quick. Now, we have some reservations about him: He's not a big man, and he's coming off a 358-carry, 408-touch season (both marks were league highs). We're tempted to say Adrian Peterson is the safer No. 1 pick because of his size and touchdowns. But we have to admit, no player in the league has Johnson's weekly upside.

Johnson carried the ball five times for seven yards and a one-yard touchdown in the Titans' preseason opener against Seattle.

Reigning NFL rushing leader Chris Johnson hopes to make a preseason fashion statement Monday night against the Arizona Cardinals as the wholesale Tennessee Titans jerseysthird-year back debuts his high-tech bubble wrap padding protecting his franchise legs.

Chris Johnson is a very good NFL player，he is cheap Tennessee Titans jerseysrunning back. I’m love Chris Johnson very much.

 Keenan Clayton is playing WILL linebacker now after the Eagles took a look at him on the strong side. Clayton can run like the wind. He is worth watching on Friday night against the Bengals. Keenan Clayton is a very strong player in the Philadelphia Eagles. cheap Philadelphia Eagles jerseys is a very excellent football.

The Philadelphia Eagles play their second game of the preseason when they travel to Cincinnati to take on the Bengals. I’m very like Philadelphia Eagles. I hope Philadelphia Eagles has a good achievenment in the 2010.

Bears' offensive line a work in progress

Jay Cutler  is standing behind his work-in-progress offensive line — figuratively, that is. At least until the unit gets everything figured out.

Cutler took just eight snaps in Saturday night's first exhibition game before retreating to the safety of the sideline as a spectator.

Tackles Chris Williams and Frank Omiyale, guards Roberto Garza and Lance Louis and center Olin Kreutz started on the offensive line.

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"Other than the guys who have been here 10, 12, 13 years … other than that, everybody else is still working. We're still in training camp, you know," Williams said. "It's the first preseason game; we'll watch the tape Monday … right back in Bourbonnais, right back to work."

Quarterbacks Cutler, Caleb Hanie and Dan Lefevour were sacked six times in all for 48 yards in losses. And Hanie suffered a right shoulder injury.

"It's all part of football," Hanie said. "I don't know how long or whatever (the injury) is. We'll find out. I was rolling left and I saw the guy in front of me. Then I saw (wide receiver) Juaquin (Iglesias) over there along the sidelines wide open. I tried to get him the ball and I obviously didn't see the guy behind me, and he's the one who got me."

The Bears rushed for 48 yards on 21 attempts.

"Right now, we're looking at different guys," coach Greg Olsen said of the offensive line combinations. "We got some good quality reps from some of the young players. Lance Louis needs as many reps as he can get. You know, Frank Omiyale … we played him a little bit more, and we got some value reps for him."

The Bears' line received some experience working against a 3-4 defense in the Chargers.

"It's not hard. You turn lights on and you come in and you play hard," Williams said. "Whatever they throw at us, you play hard and you come back next week. You start game-planning more as the preseason progresses. Come next week, we will have more stuff in, and the third week, we will be pretty much playing the full game plan."

Champ Bailey backs Josh McDaniels

Champ Bailey has been around the Denver Broncos long enough to see stunning changes. Mike Shanahan, fired. Jay Cutler, traded. Brandon Marshall, traded.

Of those three events in the past two years, Bailey cites Shanahan's firing as the most shocking to him "because he had been here 14 years and won two Super Bowls. The other two guys [Cutler and Marshall] really hadn't done anything here."

It could be said that second-year coach Josh McDaniels hasn't done anything either, except go .500 in his first season, make headlines by kicking Cutler and Marshall out of town and stun some by drafting Tim Tebow in the first round.

It might surprise you that despite Denver blowing a 6-0 start in 2009 and suffering a slew of injuries in camp, the 34-year-old McDaniels has the two strongest believers a coach could want in the 32-year-old Bailey and 36-year-old safety Brian Dawkins.

"If we don't win with this guy … I mean, he's doing everything possible to get us ready," Bailey said. "I give this coach credit. I've learned so much from this guy and I'm in my 13th year. We know we are going to be a prepared football team the way he coaches us to be smart, tough, physical, and [McDaniels] knows everything about different game situations."

Dawkins loves that McDaniels has not allowed the distractions of trades and injuries to become an excuse in 2010. The Broncos have suffered a rash of injuries, including losing standout defensive end Elvis Dumervil (17 sacks in 2009) to a torn pectoral muscle.

"Other people talk about this rebuilding stuff, but Coach is talking about winning right now, and he is very, very passionate about winning right now," Dawkins said. "He is consistent with his message. It's team first, period. He is consistent with his preparation and what he expects of us. What you do in the meeting rooms, what you do in practice, what you do on and off the field will define what you're going to mean to this football team."

McDaniels rejected the moniker of "Bad News Broncos."

"It's not fitting, but I think it fits something we stress about adversity," McDaniels said. "OK, we have some adversity right in front of us. There's always going to be a time in your life or your surroundings that doesn't go the way you'd want. But just like in 2008 with the Patriots, Tom [Brady] went down 11 plays into the season, you have a choice. You can say, 'Well, it's over.' Or you can say, 'It's different, but we've got to win anyway.'

"Yeah, we've got eight players down [with injuries] right now, but we're getting five back today and with the exception of Elvis, we hope we'll have the rest back by the time we open the season. What we have to do better than last year is handle the highs and lows better, and this adversity we're experiencing right now is a way to build that culture of change."

More observations on the Broncos:

• Make no mistake, Kyle Orton is the starting quarterback and there has been nothing to suggest he won't remain the starter. "Kyle now knows this offense like the back of his hand," McDaniels said.

• Tebow has made a strong early impression on veteran players, including Dawkins. "Tim's a great guy. Very humble … very hard worker, always asking me questions that he's hoping can make him a better player."

• Wide receiver Demaryius Thomas, the Broncos' first No. 1 pick, has created a huge buzz with his 6-3, 229-pound frame. He did twist his foot making a great catch in Saturday's scrimmage -- the same one that kept him out of the scouting combine -- but the team insists the injury is minor.

• McDaniels and others had high praise for receiver Eddie Royal, who had a disappointing second season. He hooked up with Orton for some big plays during Tuesday's practice.

• Last year's first-round pick, 6-foot-3, 274-pound linebacker Robert Ayers, has played well in camp.

• The Broncos are optimistic Pro Bowl offensive tackle Ryan Clady (knee) will be ready for the season opener. He suffered the injury in an offseason basketball game.

• The Broncos expect running back Knowshon Moreno (hamstring) back for the opener. They recently signed LenDale White, who stunned Denver with how sharp he looked in practice last week.

Ravens' organization hosts a six-team

Each year, the Ravens' organization hosts a six-team, double-elimination softball tournament involving its own front-office and staff people, as well as those of the Jets, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins and the NFL office.

Instead of the usual uniform number, the back of the jersey Ryan was wearing said, "Number 1 Defense."

Needless to say, that didn't go over well in the land of the Ravens, who had a three-year winning streak at the tournament before the league office won it this year.

For while the Jets did have the top overall defense in the league last year, they trailed Baltimore as far as stopping opponents in the red zone is concerned.

In what should be the biggest key to the September 13 season-opening Monday-night game at the New Meadowlands Stadium, the Ravens and Jets were 1-2 in the AFC last year in red-zone defense, with Baltimore ranking first by allowing opponents to score touchdowns 41.9% of the time and the Jets right behind them at 42.4%.

Leaguewide, that placed the two teams fourth and fifth, respectively, trailing only Washington, New Orleans and San Francisco.

The Ravens have worked on red-zone plays on both sides of the ball more often Todd Heap than normal during this training camp, and there's a good reason why.

"The game has moved toward that," head coach John Harbaugh said Sunday afternoon. "Offenses are going to be able to move the ball more (proficiently) than they used to. The game is going to move into the red zone more and more, (in fact) it has, so it becomes more critical.

"It's part of a scenario that we need to be really good at."

That's probably why Harbaugh was so upset at his first-string defense during a particular series last week that saw second- and third-string offensive players move the ball way too well against it.

For the most recent memory that lingers most in the Ravens' minds is what happened during the postseason. New England and Indianapolis scored a combined four touchdowns in five red-zone trips to knock the Ravens out of the playoffs one game short of the level they achieved last year, the AFC Championship Game.

In particular, the Colts were quite tough on the Ravens in those situations, scoring touchdowns on two of three red-zone chances in the Divisional Playoff round.

On the other side of the ball, the Baltimore offense ranked fifth in the AFC and 11th leaguewide with a 52.6% touchdown pace, nine slots ahead of the Jets. But what can the Ravens do to be tougher on their opponents in those situations?

A new short-yardage possession game, featuring receivers such as Anquan Boldin and Derrick Mason, as well as tight ends Todd Heap, Dennis Pitta and Ed Dickson, might help. But whirling dervish Ray Rice has also lobbied for some time inside the 20.

"I know I could be a red-zone back, but one thing about our team… Willis McGahee's in great shape," Rice said. "We're all in great shape, so if a guy needs a spell, we'll all come out. I'm sure we'll do the series thing, because there's not one back that's taken a load.

The Ravens  made their move by acquiring WR Anquan Boldin from the Arizona Cardinals. Boldin, a product of Florida State, is annually a 1,000-yard receiver. Playing second fiddle to Mason won't be an issue for Boldin, as he has taken the undercard to WR Larry Fitzgerald for the majority of his career in the desert. Depth was also added at the tight end position for the first time, as rookies Ed Dickson from Oregon and Dennis Pitta from BYU, arguably two of the best five receiving tight ends in this year's NFL Draft, were both added to an already deep squad.

Last year, the Ravens racked up 5,619 yards of offense, an average of 351.2 YPG. That was Todd Heap good enough to finish No. 13 in the NFL. Don't be overly shocked if that number goes up by nearly 1,000 yards this year, as Flacco should only improve, especially with his new toys to throw to. The rushing game, behind Rice and RB Willis McGahee was good for 137.5 YPG last year. It shouldn't take anything but steps in the right direction as well this year.

Before the preseason has even started, a devastating injury struck the Ravens defense. Domonique Foxworth, who was tied for the team lead in picks last year with four, suffered an ACL tear and will be lost for the season. This leaves Baltimore quite thin in the secondary, particularly at cornerback. Safeties are still in great shape though, as Ed Reed, Dawan Landry and Tom Zbikowski are amongst the best in the NFL.

Still, the front seven for this squad is as good as it gets. Starting names like Haloti Ngata, Terrell Suggs, Ray Lewis and Trevor Pryce is scary. Adding LB Sergio Kindle out of Texas probably only makes the situation worse for opposing offenses. Kindle will most likely step into the middle of this 3-4 defense next to Lewis on the inside, and his ball hawking abilities should go well on a defense that loves to swarm the man with the pigskin.

The Ravens ranked in the Top 10 in all major statistical categories on defense, including coming in third in total defense (300.5 YPG) and scoring (16.3 PPG).

David Garrard was spot on most of his passes

The receivers were working on a lot of 10 and 20 yard hooks and crossing routes, and for the most part, the quarterbacks were hitting their guys with terrific accuracy.

Trevor Harris struggled early to find his guys, mostly on the deeper passes. After overthrowing Clarence Denmark on a pass down the sideline, he was intercepted by Anthony Smith on a 20 yard curl intended for Roren Thomas.

David Garrard was spot on most of his passes, but when he missed, it was usually a breakdown in communication where the receiver curled in when he should have been turning the other way. It was easy to pick up because the guys were getting hammered by Todd Monken when they ran the wrong route.

Once David was warmed up, he was money on his passes. That does not mean his receivers were always hauling them in though. On one particular play, Kassim Osgood was running a slant with Michael Coe in coverage. The ball was delivered perfectly over the shoulder to Osgood, but he bobbled the pass. He tried to recover, but Coe was hand checking him and the ball wound up hitting the turf.

Luke McCown launched a 25 yard corner pass that was out in front of his Maurice Jones intended receiver, John Matthews. Matthews made a great fingertip grab to haul in the ball for a solid gain with Scotty McGee in tight coverage.

Mike Thomas embarrassed William Middleton on a post pattern where the receiver gave a little juke move in his route. When he made the cut, Thomas got decent separation from Middleton, and the defensive back was never able to recover.

I would not normally mention these drills, but they were quite entertaining this evening as the two sides really stepped up their efforts. In the end, the offensive players came out on top, but there were a few notable exceptions.

Some of the matchups were fun to watch, including Kirk Morrison going up against Greg Jones twice. Morrison never had a chance as Maurice Jones showed why the Jaguars have coveted his services for all these years. He stymied Morrison on two attempts, never letting him get anywhere near the quarterback.

Morrison was also victimized by Marcedes Lewis who was able to prevent the veteran linebacker from reaching his target. Lewis also flattened Jacob Cutera on another attempt.

David Garrard went to work hitting Mike Sims-Walker on a 30 yard post pattern with Don Carey in tow. The ball was on the mark and Sims-Walker made it look routine pulling down the pass with Carey wrapped around his waist.

Garrard nailed Troy Williamson on a 65 yard post pattern that was probably one of his best throws of training camp. He dropped the pass over Derek Cox into Williamson's hands without breaking his stride. The pitch and catch got the crowd into the practice on that end of the field as Williamson took it to the end zone.

On the other end of the field, the fans were just as thrilled because Tyson Alualu had made his presence known by blowing up Kevin Haslam. If contact was allowed, it would have been a sack for Alualu. He was literally standing there playing spectator when Garrard launched the pass.

Garrard came back and quickly hit Mike Thomas on a dump pass to avoid Larry Hart, who had gotten into the backfield and was headed for a sack. Garrard showed good pocket presence sensing the rush and getting the ball to his outlet quickly.

Deji Karim found the running difficult as he tried to take one off the left side. He was stuffed for a loss by Freddy Keiaho.

Garrard nailed Chad Kackert for a 20 yard gain along the sideline. Kackert made a nice falling grab with Kirk Morrison standing over him. Similar to the bomb Garrard dropped on Williamson earlier, this was another instance where the play probably would have wound up a sack. Both Larry Hart and Jeremy Mincey were in the backfield and had to pull evasive maneuvers to avoid sacking the quarterback.

Garrard hit Kassim Osgood on a 20 yard slant on the next play. Again, Mincey and Hart had blown up the left side of the offensive line going right by Eugene Monroe and going hands-up to avoid actually tackling the quarterback.

Luke McCown hit Deji Karim on a dump off to avoid Julius Williams and Atiyyah Ellison roaming free in the backfield.

McCown came back and hit Troy Williamson on a cross, barely avoiding Julius Williams, who had run right by Daniel Baldridge. The play wound up a 20 yard gain, but again it could have been a sack just as easily.

David Garrard attempted to go deep down the sideline to Nate Hughes with Sean Considine in coverage. The ball was on target, but Hughes could not pull it down despite beating Considine on the play.

Luke McCown hit Mike Caussin on a little dump off that would have gone for a short gain. The impressive part of the play was how Caussin just ran right over poor William Middleton on the play, demonstrating the bug on the windshield theory for the defensive back.

Zach Potter continued to do his best Kyle Brady impersonation, taking a pass out of the backfield from Luke McCown and stone-handing it as he turned to run after the catch.

David Garrard connected with Chad Kackert on the sideline with Gerald Alexander in tight coverage. Kackert showed great concentration after initially bobbling the pass. He was able to pull it in despite the fact that Alexander was doing everything he could to shake the ball free.

The defense will no long sit back in zone and wear down as offense put together long drives, but with few playmakers the new attacking style will leave it wide open to big plays.

Coach Jack Del Rio (57-55 in seven seasons) is one of the best in the business, and last season somehow had the Jags at 6-4. But the playoffs went down the toilet amid a 1-5 finish that did absolutely nothing to help ticket sales and prevent more local TV blackouts for this season.

The offense will once again be based on the playmaking ability of RB Maurice Jones-Drew, if for no other reason than the fact that quarterback David Garrard cannot win games with his arm.

Garrard can be effective in a no-frills passing attack, but the receivers (Michael Sims-Walker is decent but can't stretch the field) are a mediocre bunch and the offensive line is a work in progress.

J-Ville's defense wasn't half bad before it ran out of gas in December, and the main concern this season is figuring out a way to get to the quarterback, which they did only 14 times last season.

The Jags are so desperate to upgrade their pass rush that they paid $26 million to free agent Aaron Kampman, who is coming off ACL surgery. The linebackers and secondary are average at best.

The Ravens 'Michael Oher to take repetitions at the left offensive tackle position

The Tuohy family, subject of the Michael Lewis book and subsequent film "The Blind Side," are the adoptive family of Michael Oher, an inner-city teenager who transformed into a professional football star.

Sean Tuohy was in Charleston on Tuesday to speak at the West Virginia Statewide Technology Conference at the Charleston Civic Center, where he told crowd members that they, too, can have a positive impact on people if they just try.

Oher was walking down a street in Memphis just before Thanksgiving when the Tuohys pulled over and invited him to stay with them. The family recognized Oher as the new boy in their daughter's class.

Tuohy said it was his no-nonsense wife who insisted the family bring Oher, then 16, into their home and off the street.

As they drove past the boy, "She said two words, two very powerful and simple words," Tuohy said. "She looked at me and said, 'Turn around.'"

After bringing Oher into their home, the Tuohys discovered he had been in and out of foster homes and was doing poorly in school. Tuohy said Oher had attended 11 schools in nine years, and for two years he didn't go to school at all.

As the son of a teacher, Tuohy understood the value of an education and worked with Oher to improve his grades.

"He learned because he knew he had to," Tuohy said.

Tuohy said both the book and the movie have the same message -- that an average family can make a difference in someone else's life. He and his wife have traveled the country to promote the movie and their new book "In a Heartbeat: The Power of Cheerful Giving," and always encounter people who have seen the movie more than once.

The Ravens have been allowing both Michael Oher and Jared Gaither to take repetitions at the left offensive tackle position, but the Ravens might want to get Yanda some reps at right tackle as well.

Because of Gaither's weight loss and time he missed in offseason camps, there isn't a lot of confidence in him right now. If he doesn't show improvement quickly, the Ravens might want to give Yanda, the current starting right guard, more time at right tackle, move Oher to the left side and insert Chris Chester at right guard.

What about backup right offensive tackle Oniel Cousins? Well, what about him?

I'm not sure he can handle the position yet, but Yanda has already performed well at right tackle. The Ravens should give Gaither a little more time, but not wait until the week before the start of the regular season. Hopefully, Gaither has nothing seriously wrong with him and recovers.

• If reserve offensive tackle Joe Reitz (6-7, 320) doesn't make the Ravens roster, he might consider a career in professional wrestling. Reitz got in a fight with defensive end-outside linebacker Paul Kruger in the early morning practice, and hip tossed Kruger to the ground without much effort. Hulk Hogan would have been proud.

New York Giants quarterback have been a constant

With the exception of a couple of games last season, the five big linemen protecting the New York Giants quarterback have been a constant. David Diehl was at left tackle, Rich Seubert at left guard, Shaun O'Hara at center, Chris Snee at right guard and Kareem McKenzie at right tackle.

Coming off an 8-8 season and their first missed playoffs since 2004, there is speculation the makeup of the line will be changing, particularly the left side.

The predominant talk has Diehl moving from left tackle to left guard, with second-year pro Will Beatty taking over at tackle. The 31-year-old Seubert would become a backup.

Diehl and Seubert have heard the rumors and they Ahmad Bradshaw  knew exactly how to respond on the second day of training camp at the University at Albany.

"I have always been a team guy," Diehl said after eating lunch. "I have always put the team first. That's the case throughout my entire career. Having said that, I think I am the best left tackle on our team and I am one of the best ones in our division, and I intend to go out there and prove it."

Whatever happens, Diehl knows he is going to have a job somewhere on the line.

The 29-year old who made his first Pro Bowl last season has started at left tackle for the past three years. He also has started at right tackle and both guard positions in his eight NFL seasons, compiling a string of 112 consecutive starts.

Entering his 10th season, Seubert admittedly didn't have a good year in 2009. He missed the final two games with a knee injury, but that wasn't his biggest problem. He played all season with a bad shoulder that needed to surgery in the offseason.

"It wasn't great," Seubert said. "In our game, everything is in our Brandon Jacobs legs and shoulders and our punching guys. I am not making excuses, but I know I can play better than I did."

The sometimes gruff Seubert also isn't about to hand over the position without a fight.

"You know we all want to play," said Seubert, one of the team's best practical jokesters. "I want to play. He (Beatty) wants to play, Shaun and Chris and David and Kareem, too. It's football and the best five guys are going to be out there playing. I know if I work hard, I will be one of those guys."

There is no doubt Beatty is pushing to break into the lineup. The second-round draft pick out of Connecticut started four games at right tackle last season and played well with McKenzie sidelined by groin and knee injuries.

"They're not going to just give me the spot because they drafted me in the second round," Beatty said. "They expect me to win the spot. The only way I can win the spot is by being mentally and physically better than the guy in front of me."

The irony of the line battle is that Beatty is really not competing with Diehl for the right tackle spot. He is just trying to show line coach Pat Flaherty that he is one of the team's best five linemen.

If he does that, it might allow the team to exploit Diehl's versatility and move him to left guard.

Diehl insists he is concentrating on being the starting left tackle.

"I am not worried about anything else," he said. "I was focused all during minicamp and during the summer at that position and I know that it's a battle between Beatty and I. I have worked extremely hard, been in battles before, know what it takes to be a football player. I know my work ethic and attitude and mentality. You are not going to move me."

Seubert, who overcame a horrible broken leg in 2003 to return to the Giants, feels the same way.

"If I didn't think I could play I would have called it quits," Seubert said. "The way I feel, I have many more good years of football in me. The shoulder feels good. My legs feel good. I'm excited to be up here and get it rolling."

O'Hara said speculation about changes has not bothered the linemen.

"It was kind of a surprise to me," said O'Hara, who has been selected to two straight Pro Bowls. "I felt good running yesterday, and the next thing you know there was some fluid and some swelling. We are taking it easy right now and trying to get some of it out."

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Adam Koets took over at center with the first-team offensive line.

Linebacker Keith Bulluck, receiver Hakeem Nicks and tight end Kevin Boss only practiced once for precautionary reasons.

Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck were the starting ends in the afternoon workout. Mathias Kiwanuka and Tuck started in the morning. The three are competing for the starting jobs.

Cornerback Corey Webster had a spectacular one-handed interception of an Eli Manning pass pass in the morning workout.

As good as the pick was, the return on the play featured new defensive coordinator Perry Fewell leading the blocking downfield.

"I think he can lead me all the way down the field," Webster quipped.

Fewell has stressed turnovers since replacing Bill Sheridan.

New York had only 24 takeaways last season, seven less than their giveaway total.

Marshawn Lynch is just doing the most with the reps he gets in the practice setting

The ball was placed on the three, on the first play Fred Jackson was stopped for no gain. On second down, Trent Edwards had TE Michael Matthews open coming across and missed him badly. On third down second round pick Torell Troup stood Marshawn Lynch up for a loss.
 
After that things got going. Joique Bell bounced one outside and beat everybody to the end zone. Chad Simpson then used two very good blocks from LG Nick Hennessey and LT Ed Wang to score again. Ryan Fitzpatrick ended it by missing Jonathan Stupar in the end zone.
 
Edwards got off to a really fast start, but wasn't good at the end where he was missing receivers and throwing an interception to Drayton Florence. Edwards also let himself get sacked by Aaron Maybin near the end and had two balls tipped. He also would've been tackled by Maybin for a safety thanks to a miscommunication with Marshawn Lynch. On the other side, he completed his first seven passes, three to runningbacks, two to the tight ends and just two to the wide receivers. Edwards was 11 of 12 when Reggie Torbor tipped a throw.
 
Ryan Fitzpatrick tossed interceptions to Andra Davis and Reggie Corner.
 
The catch of the day came from U.B.'s Naaman Roosevelt who went high to get maybe a 30 yard gain from Fitzpatrick. As he caught the ball, Lydell Sargeant flipped him, but he held on.
 
Fred Jackson got walloped again. This time by Kawika Mitchell.
 
The only one to leave early with an injury was T Cordaro Howard, a rookie out of Georgia Tech.
 
Not practicing today were Paul Posluszny, Keith Ellison, Eric Wood, Chris Kelsay and Spencer Johnson.

With a heavy contingent of competition at the running back position, and Fred Jackson the incumbent starter after a big 2009 season, Marshawn Lynch is just doing the most with the reps he gets in the practice setting.

"I'm sweating," said Lynch when asked if he was getting his fair share of carries. "I'm just getting in where I can."

Through the early days of camp Jackson has been getting the lion's share of the work with the first unit, with Lynch being sprinkled in with the first unit here and there.

Asked if he is looking for a bigger role than he played last season when he had a career low 120 carries, Lynch left it in the hands of the coaching staff.