More Rookie Notes

Shay Hodge's determination was the subject of a Jason Reid article in the Washington Post last week. Here are some more training camp tidbits from the last few days on some of our ex-Rebels trying to break into the NFL.

CatScratchReader.com (Panthers): (Greg) Hardy is already showing signs of promise in camp according to the tweets by sportswriters who have been in attendance to some of the practices. Now, I know that performing in training camp and performing on gameday are two completely different things, but some of the comments I've seen about Hardy thus far tell me that he's set his heart on getting on the field and proving to everyone that they made a huge mistake by not picking him. I've even heard comparisons to (dare I say his name) Julius Peppers, which is an added bonus.

AZRedReport.com (Cardinals): The battle for kick returning duties looks like it is boiling down to rookie wideout Andre Roberts and rookie CB Marshay Green. Both looked sharp Wednesday morning, catching everything that came their way and breaking up field with noticeable speed. Against an oncoming special teams unit, Roberts rolled left than sliced right, straight through the coverage, and broke up field. A dangerous return man, which both Roberts and Green have the potential to become, will provide Arizona’s offense with an advantage in field position.

CBSSports.com (Falcons): Emmanuel Stephens batted down one pass while dropping back into short coverage. He had an interception in practice earlier this week, so the undrafted DE is doing quite well and making a strong case for at least a practice squad job. This play was one of those overload/rotation jobs. Linebacker Bear Woods rushed on the defensive left/offensive right side, and Stephens dropped back into short coverage on the defensive right side.

Cincinnati.com (Bengals): With running back Cedric Peerman probably not playing, this could be undrafted rookie Cordera Eason’s chance to get a lot of carries. Earlier in the week, Lewis said he was pleased with what Eason was doing.

DenverBroncos.com: During the special teams period of practice, kickoff return was the focus. Through most of camp, Eddie Royal, Alphonso Smith, Perrish Cox and Matthew Willis have taken all the reps. Today, Cassius Vaughn took several reps returning kicks and drew the praise of his teammates on his first return.