Tag: 2022 training camp

WATCH: Bears press conferences from 13th training camp practice

The Bears returned to Halas Hall for their 13th practice of training camp, where Matt Eberflus, Braxton Jones and more met with the media.

The Chicago Bears returned to Halas Hall on Thursday for their final practice before their preseason opener against the Kansas City Chiefs.

There were plenty of storylines from Day 13 of training camp, which featured another impressive outing by the offense in what was a shorter, lighter practice leading into Saturday’s game. Quarterback Justin Fields looked very sharp, and he continues to build a nice rapport with veteran wideout Tajae Sharpe.

Here’s a look at the press conferences following Thursday’s practice, which featured head coach Matt Eberflus, offensive tackles Braxton Jones and Larry Borom, as well as defensive end Dominique Robinson.

HC Matt Eberflus

OT Braxton Jones

OT Larry Borom

DE Dominique Robinson

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Bear Necessities: Braxton Jones credits Robert Quinn for helping his development

Bears rookie OT Braxton Jones has been going against DE Robert Quinn in training camp, and it’s helped him adjust to the speed of the game.

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Bears rookie offensive tackle Braxton Jones is gearing up for his first NFL action when Chicago hosts the Chiefs for their preseason opener Saturday.

It’s certainly been an eventful journey from the NFL draft to right now, where Jones has gone to an undervalued rookie out of Southern Utah to the likely starting left tackle for the Bears.

Jones credits defensive end Robert Quinn for helping his development. Jones has been going against Quinn throughout training camp, where he’s held his own — and also learned — going against the All-Pro edge rusher.

While it’s been beneficial going against a multitude of defensive ends — including fellow rookie Dominique Robinson — Jones said it’s been valuable facing skilled veterans like Quinn, who are quicker to the point.

“I think the biggest thing for me is just the quickness of it,” Jones said. “Going against maybe a rookie — no offense to any of the rookies or anything like that — they’re just not as quick to the point. He’s really quick to the point. He’s on you like that. That’s the biggest thing for me, that might not even be win or loss. I think just getting used to that quickness and his reaction time is amazing. So, I think that’s one of the big things too.”

While Jones admits that he still has a ways to before until he gets used to the speed of the game, he said he has a better understanding of how fast it is. Going up against Quinn has certainly helped with that. Live game action should do the same.

WATCH: Ezekiel Elliott takes big shot from LB Bradley Chubb in testy Cowboys/Broncos practice

Elliott popped up afterward and had a few words with the Denver LB in a joint practice that featured several other skirmishes. | From @ToddBrock24f7

The coaches warned their players about letting things get too physical, even though both knew there would be pads a-popping when the Cowboys and Broncos scheduled a joint practice for Thursday.

It didn’t take long for the rough stuff to start. And perhaps the biggest hit of the day was absorbed by one of the Cowboys’ primary playmakers.

Running back Ezekiel Elliott was leveled by Denver linebacker Bradley Chubb as he attempted to cut back on a toss play.

In the grand scheme of football things, it wasn’t a particularly vicious hit; Chubb threw a shoulder into Elliott but didn’t launch himself or wrap him up and land on him.

Indeed, training camp brawls have started over far less. But in the heightened setting of a preseason practice, it was a harder hit than was necessary under the circumstances… and enough to get a look-at-me dance out of Chubb.

The video shows Elliott exchanging words with Chubb as the players went back to their respective huddles.

Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News reports that, according to Chubb, Elliott said to him, “You ain’t got to do that.”

The linebacker’s reply to Elliott, “My bad, bro,” before adding to reporters as he recounted the story, “You’ve got to keep ’em up.”

Finally, he added, “At the end of the day, it’s all love.”

Elliott, it should be noted, seemed unaffected by the hit and went on with practice.

Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons could have returned the favor against Broncos quarterbacks, including star Russell Wilson, after coming free on several pass rushes. Last season’s Defensive Rookie of the Year pulled up before ever delivering the boom, though.

Most of the day’s scuffles came in the second hour of practice and were between offensive and defensive linemen. All were quickly broken up before they escalated into full-blown fights.

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Cowboys lose 2 players to injury in practice vs Broncos

Rookie NT John Ridgeway appeared to suffer a leg injury; TE Ian Bunting took a hard hit on a punt return. Both left the field on their own. | From @ToddBrock24f7

Thursday’s much-anticipated joint practice between the Cowboys and Broncos featured plenty of chippiness, a few minor skirmishes, and two Cowboys players who appear to have suffered injury scares.

Tight end Ian Bunting took a hard shot while blocking on a punt return. According to Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News, a cart was driven onto the field, but the undrafted fourth-year man out of Michigan was eventually able to walk off on his own.

Reports after practice reveal that Bunting is dealing with some neck soreness, but X-rays were negative.

Rookie nose tackle John Ridgeway also took a blow during a different portion of work. He looked to sustain some sort of injury to his right leg during the defense’s 11-on-11 period with the Denver offense. He, too, left the practice field under his own power with trainers and headed for the locker room.

The Arkansas lineman came into camp with a nasty reputation and is quickly living up to it. He scuffled with his own teammates this past week in Oxnard.

Both players will reportedly remain under observation from trainers as the Cowboys prepare to play the Broncos on Saturday in the preseason opener for both teams.

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7 standouts from Thursday’s Bears training camp practice

Here’s who stood out during Thursday’s non-padded Bears training camp practice.

The Chicago Bears held their final practice of the week on Thursday morning before they play in their preseason opener against the Kansas City Chiefs this weekend. It was a lighter, non-padded practice for head coach Matt Eberflus’ squad, but plenty of players still stood out on both sides of the ball, with the offense looking sharp during the first half and the defense stepping up their play later on.

After taking in the practice from the endzone bleachers, here’s who stood out to me and made an impact on the field.

8 takeaways from 13th practice at Bears training camp

The Bears held their final practice before Saturday’s preseason opener vs. Chiefs. Here’s what we learned from Day 13:

The Chicago Bears returned to Halas Hall on Thursday for their last training camp practice before Saturday’s preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

There were plenty of updates from the media and fans in attendance. While it was a lighter, shorter practice on Thursday, the offense came out with an impressive day. Quarterback Justin Fields especially shined, once again with a depleted wide receiver room. All eyes were on linebacker Roquan Smith, who was removed from the physically unable to perform (PUP) list on Wednesday.

There was plenty to digest from practice and press conferences with head coach Matt Eberflus, offensive tackle Braxton Jones, offensive tackle Larry Borom and defensive tackle Dominique Robinson.

Following Thursday’s practice, here’s a look at what we learned from the 13th day of Bears training camp:

Cowboys’ Week 1 opponent Tom Brady steps away from Bucs training camp

Tampa Bay HC Todd Bowles has a “pretty high level” of confidence that Brady- attending to a “personal issue”- will be ready to face Dallas. | From @ToddBrock24f7

With exactly one month to go, the Cowboys-Buccaneers regular season opener just got a little more intriguing.

Tampa Bay quarterback Tom Brady will be away from the team for just over a week to “deal with some personal things,” Bucs head coach Todd Bowles announced on Thursday.

And while the Buccaneers expect their now-45-year-old field general to return after the team’s Aug. 20 preseason game versus Tennessee, there is apparently no guarantee that Brady will be under center for their Week 1 visit to Arlington.

When asked, Bowles could only tell reporters that he has a “pretty high level” of confidence that the seven-time Super Bowl champ would be back in the lineup to face the Cowboys, a team he has never lost to in six career games.

Bowles, a former Cowboys assistant coach, said that Brady’s absence was something that had been discussed well in advance of camp and classified it to media members only as “a personal issue.”

Brady had already been ruled out of playing the Bucs’ preseason opener Saturday versus Miami as well as the club’s second preseason contest. In the meantime, Blaine Gabbert, Kyle Trask, and Ryan Griffin are the team’s backup passers.

While news of Brady’s temporary hiatus will likely not alter the Cowboys’ long-term preparations for their meeting (Dallas has a joint practice with the Chargers, three preseason games, roster cutdowns, and the rest of camp to get through first), it does perhaps bear a small bit of extra attention.

Even though as the drama surrounding his short-lived retirement in February showed, nothing about Brady garners only a “small bit” of attention. So expect much to be made of his mysterious and unspecified vacation from training camp.

For what it’s worth, Vegas doesn’t seem overly worried about TB12’s prognosis, either. Most sportsbooks still have Tampa Bay a favorite over the Cowboys.

The two teams will kick off the 2022 season’s slate of Sunday night games on Sept. 11.

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Live updates from the 13th practice of Bears training camp

Here are some live updates from those in attendance at the Bears’ 13th practice of training camp.

The Chicago Bears are returning to the practice field at Halas Hall on Thursday for another open training camp practice.

With media and fans in attendance, there’s plenty to keep an eye on during Thursday practice. With linebacker Roquan Smith off the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, he’s able to participate in practice. If he doesn’t (which is expected), the Bears could start fining him. Also, the offense is coming off an encouraging outing on Wednesday, where the passing game found success despite being down four of their top six wideouts.

Here are some instant observations from those in attendance at the Bears’ 13th practice of training camp:

Practice has concluded.

Bears LB Roquan Smith not practicing on Thursday

Just one day after the Bears removed LB Roquan Smith from the PUP list, Smith was not practicing on Thursday.

UPDATE: Roquan Smith showed up to Thursday’s practice, but he’s not participating. Smith is hanging near injured players at the exercise bikes.

ORIGINAL STORY BELOW:

Just one day after the Chicago Bears removed Roquan Smith from the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, the star linebacker seems to have gotten the message from general manager Ryan Poles.

As Thursday’s training camp practice kicked off, Smith was not spotted on the field. Smith had been watching from the sidelines so far this summer. But it certainly doesn’t appear to be a coincidence that, one day after being activated off the PUP, that Smith isn’t out there.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport shared that Smith doesn’t intend to practice after formally requesting a trade on Tuesday amid his contract dispute.

The Bears can fine Smith $40,000 per day for missing practice. But if general manager Ryan Poles really wants to mend bridges, that doesn’t seem like a good option.

Poles reiterated his intentions to get a new deal in place with Smith, despite Smith declaring that he didn’t “see a path back to the organization.” It certainly appears to be a negotiation tactic on Smith’s part, one fans hope will pay off.

“Right now, my intentions are to make sure Roquan is on this team,” Poles said. “At the end of the day, we have to do what’s best for the team.”

We’ll see what happens after practice.

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McCarthy, Cowboys look to ‘push the envelope’ vs. Denver in joint practice

Thursday’s joint practice was designed to give both teams’ starters more work than a typical preseason game, but things will get heated. | From @ToddBrock24f7

Thursday’s joint practice between the Cowboys and Broncos has been designed to give both teams’ starting rosters a more gamelike workload than their regular intrasquad sessions or even a full preseason contest.

But it won’t resemble a “scrimmage” the way most fans think of that word.

For one, the two-hour practice will be spread across two different fields at UCHealth Training Center the Broncos’ complex in the Denver suburb of Englewood. The rosters and the starting quarterbacks will reportedly be split between them; Dak Prescott on one field, and Russell Wilson on the other. So fans hoping to see a head-to-head QB competition will instead have to choose which offensive/defensive matchup to watch.

As for fans, the event is expected to see heavy attendance. Mike Klis of Denver’s 9News reported that plenty of fans- mostly sporting the star, he noted- were lining up almost three hours prior to the start of practice in hopes of seeing their heroes in action.

And both the Cowboys and Broncos plan to give their starters a good day’s work, saving Saturday’s preseason game for younger players looking to claim a roster spot.

That’s quite a departure from the more traditional approach of playing starters for the opening drive of the first preseason contest and then benching them. But the Cowboys skipper hints that carefully controlled joint practices like Thursday’s with Denver (and next week’s with the Chargers) may be becoming the norm. And for good reason.

“I never liked the hey-play-the-guys-for-a-series, and I did it,” Mike McCarthy told the media this week. “It doesn’t make a lot of sense to give a group of guys one series.”

Three snaps against players wearing different jerseys doesn’t make much of a difference with a veteran like, say, Prescott.

“It’s not how much he plays, it’s who he plays with,” McCarty explained. “Training camp has injuries. You don’t practice as much [as the old days]. I think it’s harder to get the group of guys on the field at the same time to accomplish that. That’s why I like what we’re trying this year. We’re going to get a little safer environment, but we’ll get those reps.”

Broncos first-year head coach Nathaniel Hackett agrees and is looking forward to hosting the Cowboys.

“I’m lucky to, in the past, also be a part of a lot of intersquad scrimmages, and I think it’s fantastic work,” Hackett said, per Denver7’s Troy Renck. “I just think it’s great for both units, to be able to protect them and still get that work in like if it was a real game.”

Even though Thursday’s dual-practice session will be a closely monitored affair, things are sure to get heated, in more ways than one.

Temperatures in Denver are predicted to be in the upper 90s during the Cowboys’ visit, with heat indices pushing toward 100 degrees. Not quite what awaits them back in North Texas, but a far cry from what the Cowboys have been enjoying thus far in Oxnard.

The mercury won’t be the only thing rising at Thursday’s joint practice. Tempers will most certainly flare once the opposing teams square off wearing helmets and pads.

The Cowboys did plenty of pushing and shoving just amongst themselves in their Tuesday walkthrough. And while McCarthy doesn’t want to see anyone get hurt by throwing punches or brawling, he admits that he loved seeing the intensity ratchet up as the team’s date with Denver drew closer.

“Hell yeah,” the coach shot back during a Wednesday Q&A. “You can’t get to where you want to go without it. That’s football. You talk about getting on the edge and playing with that… we want to push the envelope, always, in the realm of emotion and competition. That’s what training camp’s for.”

And that’s what Thursday’s long-awaited joint practice will deliver.

Even if it looks very different from what the Cowboys have experienced up to now.

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