2012 NFL Draft

The Facts:
Since OC Darrell Bevell has experience coaching Harvin in Minnesota, it's fair to expect Seattle to line up Harvin in similar ways. Which means every way possible. "I'll be moving around -- pretty much all around," Harvin said Wednesday. "There'll be a little bit of running back coming up. But right now, we're just trying to get the foundation set, just running the base plays, and we'll see where it goes from there."  Reported by NFL.com

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As NFL.com's Gregg Rosenthal suggests, this is not a surprise. Harvin will primarily play in the slot, but the Seahawks wouldn't acquire him to just leave him in one spot. He can play well in the backfield and on the outside. "Very explosive," HC Pete Carroll said. "He took the ball and turned it up a couple of times today, and he's just lightning-fast. You can see why he's such a factor catching it and running it and in the kicking game." Russell Wilson added: "His talent level is unbelievable, off the charts. ..." Rosenthal further noted that Harvin can run with surprising power inside the tackles when asked. The team isn't going to ask Harvin to turn into Marshawn Lynch, but the threat of Harvin taking a handful of handoffs every game makes Seattle that much tougher to defend.
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Following up on a previous item. ... After his appearance at Redskins' OTA practice on Thursday, Griffin said he has "only" two hurdles left in his recovery from a torn ACL: (1) clearance for "explosive" sprinting; and (2) clearance to cut. Those are both fairly significant hurdles. As to these obstacles, perhaps the most important maneuver for an athlete with a new ACL, a source with knowledge of the situation tells PFT that there is no timetable for said clearance. "It is still a ways off," the source said. "No one is going to rush anything."  Reported by Profootballtalk.com

Diehards Line:
As PFT's Mike Florio noted, that's the most important thing for Griffin, the Redskins, the media, and the fans to remember. Griffin got into this mess because not enough attention was being paid to his health. It's safe to say the cautious approach will continue right up through Week 1. So, again: The outlook is optimistic. But nothing will be determined until much closer to September.
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Cobb set a franchise record and led the NFL with 2,342 all-purpose yards last season. If not for a late-season ankle injury, he might have become the first player in NFL history with 1,000 yards apiece receiving and returning kickoffs. The expectations are even higher this year with Greg Jennings and Donald Driver out of the picture. HC Mike McCarthy's preference is to remove Cobb from the kick-return game to increase his role on offense. Aaron Rodgers is counting on Cobb to replace Jennings as his go-to receiver. "I think Randall Cobb is a guy who could be a 100-plus catch guy every year," Rodgers said Wednesday.  Reported by NFL.com

Diehards Line:
As NFL.com's Chris Wesseling suggests, it's no surprise that Rodgers is singing Cobb's praises. After calling him a "star in the making" and a "big-time" player last October, Rodgers told WAUK-AM that Cobb would likely go down as "one of the best picks in Ted Thompson's career, if not the best." Cobb led the Packers in targets (104) and receptions (80) last season despite playing 416 fewer snaps than James Jones. This year, McCarthy will make an even more conscious effort to emphasize Cobb this season because "playmakers need the ball in their hands. ..." So as Wesseling summed up: "Fantasy leaguers take note: Cobb is not just a darkhorse candidate, but a legitimate threat to lead the NFL in receptions this season."
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Following up on a previous item. ... Garcon escaped surgery on the foot injury that bothered him throughout the 2012 NFL season, but he ended up going under the knife in January to repair a torn labrum.   Reported by NFL.com

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The injury occurred during the Washington Redskins' playoff loss to the Seattle Seahawks. HC Mike Shanahan described the surgery as a chest procedure, though Garcon clarified on ESPN's "NFL Live" on Thursday that it was to his labrum. "It was a small surgery," Garcon told ESPN. It wasn't nothing major." Garcon will miss the entirety of the offseason program, but the Redskins expect him back on the field for training camp. ... Again, we'll be following his progress closely in coming weeks. Stay tuned.
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Earlier this week, Miller said there was a "chance" he'd be able to play the entire 2013 season after tearing his ACL late last season but admitted there's no timetable yet for his return to full activity. Miller's QB has a more optimistic take on the tight end's recovery. During an appearance on WDVE on Thursday, Ben Roethlisberger said that he had "no doubt" that Miller would be on the field for the first week of the season and that his bigger concern is keeping Miller from doing too much too fast as he gets ready for the games to begin.  Reported by Profootballtalk.com

Diehards Line:
"The biggest thing is going to be trying to hold Heath back because I think he's gonna want to get out there too soon," Roethlisberger said. "I'm gonna fight to say 'Heath, don't play in any preseason games. Just get out there for the regular season. ...'" As PFT suggested, the Steelers seem to be approaching things the same way as Roethlisberger. They didn't draft a tight end in April and their only move of note at the position in free agency was bringing back Matt Spaeth, who has stuck in the NFL the last six years because of his skills as a blocker. Again, however, Miller sounds much less certain about Week 1. "Yeah, I think it's a little too early to say anything like that. It's a long time before training camp, so that's a long time to make gains positively or maybe even for something to happen negatively," Miller said, via the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "So, I'm just taking one day at a time, and I hope to get better every day. ..." Stay tuned.
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Chandler is looking good already in his recovery from major knee surgery. That's a big deal for the Buffalo Bills' offense, which needs all of the proven weapons it can get. "I feel good, and I'm excited for the season," Chandler said. "The injury is different than it used to be. The doctors are better. And I have to attribute some of this - I'm a Christian guy. God is the ultimate healer. Just put your faith in him and see how it goes." Can he be ready for the start of training camp? "I feel it's realistic," he said.  Reported by the Buffalo News

Diehards Line:
Chandler tore a knee ligament last Dec. 23 at Miami and had surgery on Jan. 9, only 4 1-2 months ago. However, he is running around well at the Bills' spring practices. Chandler started running pass routes three weeks ago. This week, he's running routes and catching the ball. According to News staffer Mark Gaughan, Chandler was running well. The 6-7 Chandler caught 43 passes last season, tied for the second most on the team. He has six touchdown catches each of the past two seasons. There was a lot of speculation about the Bills pursuing a proven tight end in free agency, but they did not. They did take a tight end in the draft, but not until the seventh round, picking Arkansas' Chris Gragg.
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A pair of Browns were held out of Thursday’s OTA session as a precaution a team spokesman said. RB Trent Richardson and TE Jordan Cameron did not participate due to minor injuries and will miss additional time HC Rob Chudzinski said after practice. “It’s precautionary, we’re holding [Richardson] out,” Chudzinski said. “We’ve got minicamp in a week and a half, he may miss that. I’m not sure we’ll just play it day by day.”  Reported by CBS Cleveland

Diehards Line:
Richardson has a lower leg strain – more specifically a pulled muscle in his shin. Cameron has a groin injury. “Same thing,” Chudzinski said of the Browns tight end. “We’re being more precautionary with these type of things and we’ll wait and see. ...” Doesn't sound especially worrisome at this point, but we'll watch for more and follow up as needed.
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Garcon had surgery after all. But it wasn’t to repair a right foot injury that hampered him during the 2012 season. Instead, the receiver is working his way back from what HC Mike Shanahan called “chest” surgery after something went wrong in the team’s only playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks.  Reported by the Washington Times

Diehards Line:
Garcon caught passes from Robert Griffin III at OTAs Thursday, apart from the rest of the group that was going through practice. Shanahan expects the 26-year-old to be ready for training camp. “I think Pierre, his rehab has been unbelievable,” Shanahan said. “Anytime you get operated on like he did and you’re able to come back as quickly as he has, I was watching him this morning in the weight room and he was lifting weights that he shouldn’t be able to lift. And he feels very comfortable, and it’s been a slow process. But he’s in excellent shape, so I’ll be surprised if he’s not full-speed, ready to go once we go to training camp. ...” Garcon wasn’t shy during the season and immediately afterward in saying he wanted to avoid foot surgery. He did not need that, but Shanahan said something “came out” in the Seahawks game requiring the chest surgery. ... We'll follow up as needed.
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The Giants brought back a familiar face as they strive to improve their depth at wide receiver. Barden, who spent the previous four seasons with the team, was re-signed and joined his teammates on the field for the latter part of Thursday’s organized team activity. “I’m happy to be back,” Barden said. “This is where I wanted to be and now I’m here. I was out there listening to the calls, getting back into the rhythm of the cadence, enjoying the camaraderie and absorbing everything. I remember everything; I’ve had four years to soak it all up. I’m happy to be back on the field. I feel great. I expect the best.”   Reported by Jaguars.com

Diehards Line:
Barden, 6-4 and 224 pounds, was a 2009 third-round draft choice from Cal-Poly. In four seasons, he played in 29 games with one start caught 29 passes for 394 yards (13.6-yard avg.) with a long reception of 31 yards and no touchdowns. In 2012, Barden played in 12 games and made his only career start in a victory at Carolina on Sept. 20. He had nine catches for 138 yards, both game and career-high totals, including a 31-yarder. Barden finished the season with 14 receptions for 221 yards (15.7-yard avg.). ... Plenty of unfulfilled promise to date and barring an injury or other issues on the depth chart above him, expect more of the same.
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Griffin III said after taking the field at Organized Team Activities that everything is positive with his surgically repaired knee. “The knee feels great,” Griffin said. “I’m able to do all the stuff out there without any hesitation, so that’s the best part about it. I’m excited about that. It’s all about having that confidence, and if you put the work in you’ll have that confidence when you get back out there on the field. It’s about playing like you were never injured.”   Reported by Profootballtalk.com

Diehards Line:
Griffin said he talked to coach Mike Shanahan prior to OTAs and said he wanted to do as much on-field work as he could, and that Shanahan allowed him to join other players who are rehabbing from injuries to do some limited on-field drills. Griffin said he expects to be able to sprint within the next couple of weeks and to cut within a couple weeks after he starts sprinting. “There’s two phases left, explosive sprinting and cutting. Those are the only two things left. Being at four and a half months out, I am a little bit ahead,” Griffin said. “My goal is to be out there for training camp. ..." As PFT's Michael David Smith notes, Griffin hastened to add that he is being smart about not pushing himself so hard that he has any setbacks. While none of this should be taken as a certain indication Griffin will be ready to go Week 1, it's yet another in a long series of positive developments in his return from reconstructive surgery. Of course, we're still three full months plus away from Week 1. So stay tuned.
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