Jason Wood - Keys to Training Camp

Link: http://www.buffalobills.com/team/camp.jsp
Location: St. John Fisher College (Rochester, NY)
Dates: August 1 - August 26
Open to the public? - YES (free of charge)

Implementing a new offensive system - Mike Mularkey, the Bills new head coach, will install his offensive system in camp. The Bills are a team in desperate need of an offensive overhaul after finishing 28th in yards and 31st in scoring last season. Mularkey will preach balance, something the Bills have failed to attain despite having a solid running game the last few years. With Travis Henry and Willis McGahee in the backfield, this team should approach 500 carries this season, versus the 427 from a year ago. We currently project the Bills to run the ball 450 times; an improvement but not to the level of where they should be given the team's personnel.

How will the carries be divided between McGahee and Henry? - Willis McGahee is a year removed from his knee injury and has been cleared to go 100% in training camp. Travis Henry is coming off a second consecutive 1,300+ yard, 10+ TD season and is playing with a chip on his shoulder. How will the new coaches split carries? History suggests that as long as Henry is healthy, McGahee isn't going to see a ton of work but this situation bears close scrutiny in camp.

Can Lee Evans supplant Josh Reed? - When Peerless Price signed with Atlanta, the team needed to fill a void and hoped Josh Reed was the answer. However, Reed struggled in the starter's role catching just 2 touchdowns and averaging just 10 yards per catch; he even lost his starting job to journeyman Bobby Shaw. Enter Lee Evans, who is arguably the most polished receiver among this elite draft class. How quickly Evans signs, and learns the Bills offense will go a long way to determining if Drew Bledsoe can rebound from his abysmal 2003 campaign.

How is Eric Moulds groin? - Eric Moulds is the key to the Bills passing attack. With or without a capable 2nd receiver, a healthy Moulds can make plays like few other receivers. Unfortunately for Bills' fans, Moulds wasn't healthy last year. He played with a groin injury that made it impossible to change direction easily and make sharp cuts in his routes. The result was a 64 catch, 780 yard, 1 touchdown season. We are projecting a return to form for Moulds with one caveat, his yards-per-reception have declined five straight years, and we no longer see Moulds as a player who will stretch the field with regularity.

The battle at left guard - According to the Bills website, Ross Tucker, Mike Pucillo and Marques Sullivan are in an open competition for the left guard spot. The LG spot is the only unsettled position on the line; which should improve under new OL coach Jim McNally. The team must do a better job of protecting Drew Bledsoe, who is neither mobile nor prone to a quick release these days and open holes for what should be an explosive RB tandem of Travis Henry and Willis McGahee.

(IDP) Will the Bills create turnovers? - The Bills finished last season ranked 2nd in yards allowed but failed to make a fantasy impact because of a lack of turnovers. This year, the team is resplendent with projected impact IDP players including young pass rushing end, Aaron Schobel (10th ranked DL), London Fletcher and Takeo Spikes (14th and 22nd ranked LBs), and Laywer Milloy (12th ranked DB), but it's the addition of CB Troy Vincent and his 42 career interceptions who may add the missing piece of the puzzle.

Miami Dolphins

Link: http://www.miamidolphins.com/pressbox/pressreleases/pressreleases.asp?contentID=3308
Location: Dolphins Training Center (Davie, FL)
Dates: July 31 - August 19
Open to the public? - YES (free of charge)

Filling the void at running back - Ricky Williams' retirement has left a massive void at running back. The Dolphins enter camp with Travis Minor atop the depth chart, but few observers expect Minor to break camp as the primary ball carrier. Minor, while maintaining a respectable 4.5 career YPC, is 5'10", 205 pounds and not likely equipped to take the pounding Ricky Williams absorbed the last two years. The Dolphins don't yet themselves know exactly what they have beyond Minor, and you can bet that Sammy Morris and Leonard Henry will get long looks, too. But more likely, the team will bring a veteran aboard via free agency or a trade.

Fiedler or Feeley? - When the team traded a 2nd round pick for A.J. Feeley, many assumed Jay Fiedler had seen his last days as a Dolphin, yet Fiedler agreed to a restructured contract and now stands on equal footing entering camp. Just about every pundit has weighed in on whether Feeley or Fiedler will win the job, but the truth is, even the team won't know the answer until camp gets underway. Our official projections expect Feeley to play more than 70% of the snaps, but that could change quickly as camp progresses.

Which David Boston will show up? - Will the Dolphins get treated to the talented receiver who when focused is able to create mismatches against any cornerback and who, when last paired with WR coach Jerry Sullivan, had 1,598 yards receiving OR the mercurial, too-heavy-for-words, purple-contact-lens-wearing monstrosity who burned bridges at not one, but two previous NFL stops? We see Boston as a viable WR3 or WR4 this year, ranking 27th in our latest preseason projections.

Rebuilding the offensive line - The Dolphins said goodbye to three linemen by choice (Ruddy, Perry & Dixon) and one they would rather have kept (Todd Wade) and must find replacements, get them to jell and get better production collectively. The team signed G Jeno James to play left guard, and the team seems confident in Wade Smith and Seth McKinney at LT and C, respectively; but the right side will be determined in training camp from the likes of John St. Clair, Greg Jerman, Taylor Whitley, and Vernon Carey.

(IDP) Ogunleye's contract situation - DE Adewale Ogunleye's contract situation remains a concern, as he and the team are far apart. Ogunleye emerged last year as a pass rushing force, and also plays the run well enough that he would be difficult if not impossible to replace; yet the team doesn't have the cap flexibility to necessarily meet his market rate. We expect Ogunleye to be on the field opening day, and he is one of the top fantasy linemen available.

New England Patriots

Link: http://www.patriots.com/trainingcamp/
Location: Gillette Stadium (Foxboro, MA)
Dates: July 29 - August 20
Open to the public? - YES (free of charge)

Is Corey Dillon ready to play the good soldier? - The Patriots won the Super Bowl last year despite finishing 27th in rushing. Although some might embrace the "if it ain't broke don't fix it" mantra, Bill Belichick moved decisively this offseason to acquire Corey Dillon from the Bengals. Dillon, who had at least 1,100 yards rushing in each of his first six seasons but fell out of favor last season under new head coach Marvin Lewis and proceeded to alienate fans and teammates at season's end. Now he's got no more excuses as he's on a team that is one of the favorites to win the Super Bowl. Will Dillon fit into the "team first" mentality in New England? Will Dillon get 300+ carries for a team built around a balanced short passing game typically?

Is there a go-to receiver in the house? - Nine players caught at least 15 receptions last year, yet no one had more than 57 catches. With youngsters Deion Branch and David Givens projected to start, will a WR emerge from the pack the way Troy Brown used to be the team's go-to receiver? We don't see any reason why OC Charlie Weis would change what has made the passing game successful, and thus project another season of spreading the ball around.

(IDP) Is there a better defensive lineman than Richard Seymour? - In a recent poll of NFL personnel in Sports Weekly, Richard Seymour was atop the list of best defensive lineman in the league, yet from an IDP perspective, he's no great shakes. What makes Seymour such a force, his versatility against the run and the pass, is what limits him from a fantasy perspective. We project Seymour as the 23rd best DL.

(IDP) Who is going to plug the middle? - Ted Washington will line up in Oakland this year, opening the door for a new run stuffer. Camp will determine whether veteran Keith Traylor, rookie Vince Wilfork or both will step into Washington's huge shoes.

New York Jets

Link: http://www.newyorkjets.com/news/view_feature_main.php?id=1240
Location: Hofstra University (Hempstead, NY)
Dates: July 30 - August 26
Open to the public? - YES (free of charge)

Defining WR Justin McCareins' role - Justin McCareins is a big (6'3", 215 lbs.) complimentary receiver that will step into the Jets starting lineup alongside Santana Moss. While it won't take much for McCareins to improve on Curtis Conway's production from a season ago, questions remains about whether he is a complete enough receiver to play in OC Paul Hackett's West Coast style offense. McCareins was primarily a deep threat for the Titans, but the Jets have discussed openly the idea of using him in the red zone; is he capable? Camp hopefully will shine some light onto the matter. We expect McCareins to be adequate, but not superlative in his first season in New York.

Working Curtis Martin more in camp - Last season, in an effort to keep Curtis Martin fresh for the season, the team limited his workload in training camp; yet that led to a slow start and, at his urging, the team has promised to give Martin a heavier workload in camp. Once again we'll need to watch Lamont Jordan's role develop.

Can the Jets survive a lack of depth at guard? - Casual Jets fans may not recognize the names Brent Smith and Brandon Moore right now, but they are the team's lone options at guard this year. Were either Moore or Smith to disappoint or worse, fall prey to injury, the team has absolutely no depth in the interior line. Watch their development in training camp and don't be surprised to see the team make a pickup off the waivers.

Is Donnie Henderson a difference maker? - New defensive coordinator Donnie Henderson is tasked with turning around a Jets defense that allowed 2,294 rushing yards last season. Henderson, a former Bucs assistant, is more aligned with HC Herm Edwards own defensive tendencies than former DC Ted Cottrell, and he'll look to build off a young, fast linebacking corps including Victor Hobson and Jon Vilma.

(IDP) Can John Abraham make the conversion to LB? - John Abraham, the team's best pass rusher, is being asked to play some linebacker this year as Donnie Henderson implements a 3-4 defensive look a points this year. Abraham was a linebacker in college, and was converted to rush end because he wasn't very good in space playing the pass; can he make the move? And if not, will the Jets be forced to stick with a 4-3 the majority of the time?