With all the uncertainty surrounding Michael Vick, movement on the Falcons’ depth chart at quarterback isn’t surprising. This time, it’s at the bottom.
Based on his erratic play in Atlanta’s preseason opener last week, D.J. Shockley has dropped to third. Shockley is trying to beat out Chris Redman for the No. 2 job behind starter Joey Harrington, but he had a mediocre debut against the New York Jets.
“I think mostly he just wasn’t in a comfort zone, was off-balance a couple of times and moved in the pocket,” Falcons coach Bobby Petrino said Tuesday. “But he settled down. He’s had some good practices here in the last couple of days, so hopefully it’ll be a different story.”
Shockley, a 2006 seventh-round draft pick from Georgia, took no snaps as a rookie behind Vick and Matt Schaub, but he hoped to impress a new coaching staff when the Falcons began training camp three weeks ago.
Instead, with Harrington entrenched as the starter and Vick out of the picture because of federal dogfighting charges in Virginia, Redman distinguished himself by performing better than Shockley in practice. Redman also benefited from knowing Petrino’s playbook after they spent the 1998 season together at Louisville.
“He’s got a reason for why he calls every play, and he knows as much as any coach in the NFL,” said Redman, a third-round draft pick for Baltimore in 2000. “He’s very knowledgeable. He’s just got a knack for calling plays, and he’s really good at it. I’ve never been around a better coordinator my entire career.”
Raiders
Coach Lane Kiffin had more tests and missed another practice while recovering from a viral infection.
Kiffin has been in the hospital since Monday morning for tests and observation. He is expected to return in time to coach Saturday’s exhibition game against the San Francisco 49ers.
Kiffin, 32, is the youngest coach in the NFL, making his health problems even more of a surprise to his players. Quarterback Andrew Walter said his coach would “have to be pretty sick not to be out here,” and the team would try to go on like nothing had changed.
Offensive coordinators Greg Knapp and defensive coordinator Rob Ryan again ran practice, but most of the drills had been planned out by Kiffin well in advance.
Vikings
Jason Glenn gave it everything he had trying to get ready for a seventh NFL season. His aching knees just wouldn’t let it happen.
The Minnesota Vikings linebacker and special teams standout, one of the most liked players on the team, officially retired Tuesday.
Glenn appeared in nine games with the Vikings last season, spent the first five years of his career with the New York Jets and also played one season in Miami.
Glenn tore an ACL last season and was still experiencing soreness through the first two weeks of training camp. He addressed the team on Monday night in what players called an emotional meeting.
“I was pretty saddened by it,” fellow linebacker Ben Leber said. “He is a great guy, a great friend and was great in the locker room. But I think retirement should be something you congratulate the person. He played seven years and played the way the game is supposed to be played.”
Titans
Rookie defensive end Jacob Ford could have surgery as soon as Wednesday to repair a torn left Achilles’ tendon.
Ford was the Titans’ sixth-round draft pick out of Central Arkansas. He was working in an individual drill Monday when he went down. He tried to hop off, but then was carted off the field.
Ford is the second rookie defensive lineman the Titans drafted to have a season-ending injury. Tackle Antonio Johnson tore up his knee and already is on injured reserve.
The Titans picked up defensive end Jason Hall off waivers from Carolina. The 6-foot-2, 253-pound Hall originally signed as an undrafted free agent with Buffalo in 2006, was cut and signed with Carolina in January.
The Panthers sent him to NFL Europa where Hall was the defensive MVP while leading the league with 12 sacks.
Bills
John McCargo hurt his left ankle and was unable to complete practice Tuesday.
Coach Dick Jauron said the backup defensive tackle was fine, but will have more tests. McCargo called the injury “nothing serious,” saying he was hurt when he fell back on his ankle during an 11-on-11 drill. He limped off and was immediately attended to by trainers and a team doctor.
It’s potentially the latest setback for the second of Buffalo’s two 2006 first-round draft picks. He missed the final 11 games last season with a broken left foot. McCargo missed practice time earlier this training camp with a strained abdomen and was held out of the team’s spring minicamps after he had a second operation to repair the broken foot earlier this year.
The injuries have hurt McCargo’s chances of competing with Kyle Williams for the starting job alongside Larry Tripplett.
Starting center Melvin Fowler also twisted his left ankle and was unable to finish practice.
Chiefs
Larry Johnson is still a holdout and Priest Holmes is still a question mark. That makes Michael Bennett the Kansas City Chiefs’ first-string running back for now.
“Michael’s had a good camp,” coach Herm Edwards said as the team wrapped up training camp on Tuesday. “He came into camp with the mind-set of wanting to be a part of the offense this year, whether Larry Johnson was here or not. And he needs to be a part of this offense. That’s why we brought him in.”
General manager Carl Peterson on Monday played down reports that the team and Johnson were close to working out a contract extension. But even if Johnson does come back soon, and even with rookie Kolby Smith having an impressive camp, Bennett figures to be a significant part of the offense this season.
Johnson set an NFL record with 416 carries last year and rushed for 1,789 yards, breaking the team’s single-season record for the second year in a row. Edwards would like to lighten that load a bit.
“Like I said before, the goal is always to run for more than 2,000 yards in a season,” Edwards said. “If you had your way and run the ball for at least 2,000 yards, you’re going to run the ball 500 times. Obviously your lead back is going to get 250 or maybe 300 carries, so that’s how you look at it.”
That would leave 200 – or more – carries for someone else.
“I’d be excited to do it, to run behind a great offensive line like this,” the 29-year-old Bennett said. “They’ve blocked for 1,000-yard rushers for I don’t know how many years in a row now. It’s a great system, a great balance on offense, and I’m going to take advantage of it.”
Jaguars
Offensive lineman Stockar McDougle ruptured his left Achilles’ tendon and will be out for the season, the team’s second significant injury along the offensive line.
Jacksonville already was playing without starting center Brad Meester, who broke his right ankle two weeks ago and will miss at least the first three games of the regular season.
McDougle, who plays guard and tackle, injured his Achilles’ tendon during practice Monday night, but the team didn’t know the severity of the injury until Tuesday.
McDougle, a first-round draft pick by Detroit in 2000, played 11 games for the Jaguars last season, primarily on special teams. He spent his first five seasons with the Lions, then the 2005 campaign in Miami.
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