Training Camp Roundup: Aug. 5

Updated: August 5, 2009, 10:54 PM ET

Training Camp Roundup: Aug. 5

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RAIDERS' BARNES FRACTURES ANKLE (10:54 p.m. ET)
Oakland Raiders offensive lineman Khalif Barnes is expected to miss the start of the regular season after an MRI revealed a fractured left ankle.

Barnes, who signed a one-year contract with the Raiders in March, was injured when offensive lineman James Marten blocked defensive end Ryan Boschetti into the back of Barnes' left leg during a team scrimmage Tuesday. Barnes collapsed in a heap and lay prone for several moments as trainers checked his knee and ankle.

He eventually limped off the field and was taken to a hospital for the MRI that revealed a fracture. He is expected to be out six to eight weeks.

SMITH WANTS TO START (9:51 p.m. ET)
Former Pro Bowl offensive tackle Marvel Smith hasn't had to compete for a starting job since his rookie season with the Pittsburgh Steelers almost a decade ago.

But in his first training camp with the San Francisco 49ers, the 10-year veteran finds himself engaged in a tight competition with Adam Snyder to become the team's starting right tackle.

The two linemen have combined for 146 NFL starts.

"I'm ready to become a full-time starter," said Snyder, who has started at every line position except center during his first four NFL seasons. "Having a guy like Marvel push me is real motivation. We both want to be the starter and we're both working hard to get that job done."

Snyder began last season as San Francisco's starting left guard but was moved to right tackle during a midseason shake up. He started six games at right tackle over the season's final two months and has been with the first-unit offense throughout the spring and into training camp.

Snyder was one of three veterans to start at right tackle last year for the 49ers, following Jonas Jennings and Barry Sims, so the team looked to upgrade the position during the offseason by signing Smith to a two-year deal that could pay him as much as $10.5 million.

After sitting out spring drills to rest a back injury that required offseason surgery, Smith is gradually working into the lineup and making his bid to start.

FALCONS WRs DOUGLAS HURT, WHITE OUT (6:39 p.m. ET)
An injury to Harry Douglas and the continued contract holdout by Roddy White have combined to make wide receiver a position of rising concern for the Atlanta Falcons.

Douglas left Wednesday's practice with an apparent left knee injury. The team had no immediate report on the severity of the injury. He was carted off the practice field after he was unable to walk without assistance.

Douglas has received more work with the first-team offense in training camp while White is holding out for a new contract.

General manager Thomas Dimitroff, who had been upbeat about the talks with White, said Wednesday his optimism has waned.

Dimitroff told The Associated Press that negotiations with White and his agent, Jonathan Feinsod, may have to wait until after the season.

"I'm a little bit disappointed with how things have slowed down," Dimitroff said. "I feel like Roddy needs to be here and he should be here with his teammates to continue to develop and grow.

"We want him to be here and with the way the negotiations are going to this point, this may be something we need to readdress at the end of the season. As we all know, Roddy is under contract and he would have to play at his current contract."

White's contract, signed before his 2005 rookie season, calls for him to earn $2.5 million this season. He earned his first Pro Bowl selection in 2008, when he had 88 receptions for a team-record 1,382 yards and seven touchdowns. -- The Associated Press

ROMO, WILLIAMS CONNECT (4:30 p.m. ET)
Tony Romo and Roy Williams are starting to get their timing down.

Romo and Williams had easily their best day of training camp Wednesday, a week after the Dallas Cowboys starting practicing at the Alamodome in San Antonio.

Coach Wade Phillips says it takes time for a quarterback and receiver to get in sync. Although the star quarterback and his new No. 1 receiver threw together during the summer, Phillips said it's different now that they're wearing pads and facing a defense.

Williams caught only 19 passes in 10 games last year after being acquired from Detroit. He's replacing Terrell Owens as Dallas' top target.

SPAGNUOLO: JACKSON OK AFTER HIT (4:08 p.m. ET)
New Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo wanted an intense training camp and he's got one -- almost too intense. On Wednesday, second-year linebacker Chris Chamberlain hit running back Steven Jackson's knee while making a tackle. Fortunately for the Rams, Jackson was OK.

The West Coast offense being installed by new offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur focuses on short passes and the run, aiming to take advantage of Jackson, who has topped 1,000 rushing yards four straight years.

Jackson is "right on target," Spagnuolo said. "He did a great job in the offseason. He's in great shape. So far, so good."

-- The Associated Press

INJURY BUG HITS LIONS CAMP (3:57 p.m. ET)
The Detroit Lions have some walking wounded less than a week into training camp.

Lions coach Jim Schwartz said Wednesday that tight end Casey Fitzsimmons is out "longer than day to day" with an ankle injury, and rookie safety Louis Delmas was held out of morning practice with a sore knee.

Schwartz says he's not concerned about Delmas' injury, listing him as day to day. He did not set a timetable on Fitzsimmons' possible return.

-- The Associated Press

TEXANS O-COORDINATOR SHANAHAN TO CALL PLAYS (3:17 p.m. ET)
Houston Texans coach Gary Kubiak has decided to have offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan call the plays during games, the Houston Chronicle reported.

Kubiak's rationale for the decision? Shanahan has more time to concentrate on the offense and the opposing defense, according to the report.

"He's the head coach, and he has a lot more to do than be the offensive coordinator," Shanahan said, according to the Chronicle. "He has other stuff on his plate that pulls him away. He has to look at the defense, special teams, everything. I'm in my little hole studying the defense all day every day. I'm with our offense all day every day. If he can have the trust in me to do it, I can help him out a lot more."

The groundwork for the decision was laid in last season's final game, when Shanahan called every play in a 31-24 win over the Bears that saw the Texans -- who had been one of the league's worst red zone teams -- go 5-for-5 and come back from a 10-0 deficit.

"We've worked together, we've been over this together," Kubiak said, according to the report. "I may have some different ideas in certain situations, but it's a comfort zone for me as we prepare for games to know that he's ready to go do it. If I've got to help, I help."

REDSKINS SIGN HACKETT TO BOLSTER RECEIVER DEPTH (9:31 a.m. ET)
Receiver D.J. Hackett has signed with the Washington Redskins, giving the team another option for the No. 5 receiver spot after an injury to Roydell Williams.

Mike and Mike in the Morning

ESPN NFL analyst Chris Mortensen talks about his time at Packers camp. He says the team is very happy with QB Aaron Rodgers.

Hackett was at practice Wednesday. He had been looking for work since the Carolina Panthers released him in February.

Hackett played three years with the Seattle Seahawks, where current Redskins head coach Jim Zorn was an assistant. He then signed a free-agent deal with the Panthers but caught just 13 passes for 181 yards in his only season in Carolina.

Williams was waived-injured after breaking his left pinkie in practice on Sunday. The Redskins also signed first-year defensive lineman Michael Marquardt.

-- The Associated Press

SEAHAWKS' REDDING HAPPY FOR NEW START (8:15 a.m. ET)
It's no wonder Seattle Seahawks defensive lineman Cory Redding has a smile as wide as his mammoth shoulders. The 6-foot-4, 292-pound defensive lineman escaped the Detroit Lions in a trade following the only 0-16 season in NFL history, leaving behind criticism that he wasn't worth his seven-year, nearly $50 million contract.

"The day I got traded felt like I got drafted all over again," he said, smiling again.

In a pass-rush drill Tuesday, Redding bowled over rookie offensive lineman Max Unger, a second-round pick who could start at guard this season. Then Redding ran around Sean Locklear before he flicked the starting tackle to the ground seemingly with just a flick of the wrist.

Was Tuesday the full display of what he can bring to a defense that desperately needs a pass rush if it wants to improve from last season's 4-12 debacle? "Just a little bit," he said coyly. "A little flash here, a little flash there."

Redding's been so impressive already. Five days into camp, he has moved Patrick Kerney, a two-time Pro Bowler, to the other side of the defensive line and Darryl Tapp out of a starting job. The versatile Redding will play left end, a position he hasn't played regularly in four years, on first and second downs and inside pass-rusher on third-down passing situations as a defensive tackle, where he played in Detroit.

-- The Associated Press

LIONS HOPE FOR BREAKOUT YEAR FROM JOHNSON (8:11 a.m. ET)
Calvin Johnson was one of the very few bright spots during the Detroit Lions' 0-16 season a year ago. The 6-foot-5 Johnson started all 16 games and finished with 78 catches for 1,331 yards and 12 touchdowns.

He matched Arizona's Larry Fitzgerald for the most scoring catches in the league and was second in yards per catch (17.1) before being chosen as a Pro Bowl alternate. Entering his third season, he's already piled up 126 catches and 2,087 yards despite making just 48 receptions his rookie season.

Johnson, praised by coaches and teammates as much for his humility as his talent, said the numbers aren't important this fall. "I really don't set numbers for myself," he said. "I just want to do better in every category than I did before."

Running back Kevin Smith showed promise as a rookie last season and the Lions brought in veteran wideouts Bryant Johnson and Dennis Northcutt. Still, it's clear they'll have to get the ball to Johnson consistently to be successful on offense.

-- The Associated Press

JAGS' WALKER LOOKS FORWARD TO BETTER DAYS (7:56 a.m. ET)
Receiver Mike Walker has endured a career's worth of issues in just two seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars: A nagging knee injury. A staph infection that required hospitalization. The deaths of a close friend and his father.

Walker is ready for change. He's already swapped jersey numbers (from No. 81 to No. 11) and has plans to change his last name to Sims-Walker, in honor of his late father. He's also healthy for the first time in years.

"I feel like where I'm at it's do or die," Walker said. "I have all the potential. I'm in a state of mind where it's just time to do it. No more excuses, no more injury problems."

The Jaguars are counting on him more than ever, too. After the team parted ways with Matt Jones, Reggie Williams, Jerry Porter and Dennis Northcutt during the offseason, Walker suddenly had more tenure in Jacksonville than any receiver on the roster. And when training camp began Monday, Walker found himself trotting out with the first team alongside seven-time Pro Bowler Torry Holt.

"If I don't [start], it's all my fault," said Walker, a third-round draft pick from Central Florida in 2007. "I've been here the longest. I know all the plays. I expect to be a starter in this game, on this team, in this league and just make plays."

-- The Associated Press