NFC

Sporting News, The, August 18, 2003

ARIZONA CARDINALS

LOADED AT LINEBACKER: The team is deeper at linebacker than it has been in years, and a couple of players have started to separate themselves. OLB Raynoch Thompson was the team's best defender last season and has looked good in camp. LeVar Woods is pushing Levar Fisher for the other outside spot, and rookie Gerald Hayes also has looked good. Ronald McKinnon is holding off a challenge from James Darling in the middle.... Lorenzo Diamond, an undrafted rookie, is pushing Mike Banks for the third tight end spot. Diamond didn't catch many passes in college but has decent hands.

BETTER THAN EVER: Coaches expect DE Kyle Vanden Bosch to be better this year. Last year, he was coming off knee surgery and rarely made big plays. Now, he looks more explosive and smoother. Vanden Bosch still needs to develop better pass-rushing moves, and it's likely he'll move from the right side to the left to make room for rookie Calvin Pace.... It seems doubtful that K Tim Duncan will beat out Bill Gramatica. Gramatica's kickoffs must improve, but he has made several clutch field goals in the past two years. That track record won't be easy for Duncan to overcome.--Kent Somers

ATLANTA FALCONS

MR. VERSATILITY: RB Warrick Dunn can play split end, flanker and H-back; he even took a snap at quarterback last year and helped the club beat Baltimore. Maybe the coaches finally will deploy Dunn in ways they envisioned when he was signed. Even more intriguing is the scaling back of the fullback position. Getting Dunn and RB T.J. Duckett on the field at the same time is one reason for the de-emphasis. Another is the retirement of Bob Christian and the inexperience of his replacements.... Todd McClure has beaten out Roberto Garza as the starting center for the second straight year. Though McClure lacks size, he recognizes alignments and calls the right protections.

SETTLE DOWN: The coaches like WR LaTarence Dunbar, a sixth-round pick. But he has a tendency to get overly excited, leading to mistakes as a receiver and drops as a backup punt returner.... The emergence of NT Demetrin Veal, a seventh-round pick, and the play of free-agent FS Travaris Robinson have been two surprises in camp. Robinson's lack of bulk is a drawback, but he's faster than Kevin McCadam, a special teams assassin who moved from strong to free safety in the offseason.--George Henry

CAROLINA PANTHERS

MAKING PROGRESS: RB DeShaun Foster, who is being brought along slowly as he recovers from knee surgery, continues to look sharp in limited practice opportunities. If Foster is healthy enough to play on a spot basis, it will be a big plus for a team that doesn't want to overuse Stephen Davis. A combination of Davis' power and Foster's speed could cause matchup problems for defenses.... Rookie RT Jordan Gross has taken his lumps when working against LE Julius Peppers. But the coaching staff believes the experience should help Gross, who isn't likely to face many players as gifted as Peppers.

ARMS RACE: QBs Jake Delhomme and Rodney Peete haven't been particularly good in camp. Chris Weinke has looked better at times, but he or Delhomme needs to impress the coaches in preseason games to jump ahead of Peete.... Ks John Kasay and Shayne Graham are in a heated battle. Kasay has shown he's healthy after missing most of last year and is displaying good leg strength. But he is facing a big challenge from Graham, who has been kicking with the first team. The decision could come down to finances. Graham's salary-cap cost is almost $700,000 less than Kasay's.--Pat Yasinskas

CHICAGO BEARS

NEEDS WORK: The coaches say there's no quarterback controversy. Kordell Stewart is No. 1, Chris Chandler No. 2 and Rex Grossman No. 3. The only issue is deciding what to do with Chandler. He threw only 18 passes in the preseason last year, and offensive coordinator John Shoop says that wasn't enough. Chandler was rusty and struggled in his first two regular-season starts and was much more successful in his final five. The preseason problem this year is the same as last year: The offensive line is banged up, raising concerns that Chandler, 37, could get hurt before the season starts.

COMING ON: One rookie drawing raves is LB Lance Briggs. He's getting a look on the strong side, where Bryan Knight is having a quiet camp. The book on Briggs in college was that he didn't make enough explosive plays and wasn't physical, but he's quickly changing those opinions.... G Rex Tucker looks healthy after suffering a gruesome broken leg and torn ankle ligaments last year. He's an excellent run blocker with good feet and great athletic ability. Along with C Olin Kreutz and G Chris Villarrial, Tucker solidifies the interior of the line, the strength of the unit.--Mike Mulligan

DALLAS COWBOYS

CORNERBACK BATTLE: Derek Ross and Mario Edwards are waging a fierce competition for the starting spot opposite CB Terence Newman. Ross is more athletic and talented, but he plays with poor technique and often is in poor position because of it. Edwards has good technique, but he doesn't make many big plays.... The coaches want DE Ebenezer Ekuban to use more counter and inside moves to get to the quarterback. Ekuban often tries to use his speed to run around the left tackle.