Camp confidential

Take a tour through the wildly popular world of NFL training camp

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DETROIT -- Eerie sight. I'm at Ford Field high above the 50-yard line watching the Barry Sanders induction speech on the big screens in each end zone. The Lions opened the stadium Sunday for a public practice and 41,020 fans came. That's not all. When the Packers held an intra-squad scrimmage at Lambeau Field on Saturday night 58,000 people paid $8 apiece to watch, and 60,217 were present. The Patriots and Eagles set training-camp attendance records over the weekend. I am mind-boggled by the sport that used to get 150 people to watch an afternoon practice when I covered the Bengals 21 summers ago. It is monstrous and getting bigger.

It's August and you can't get enough. Come with me, then, on this quick tour of where I've been so far.

Denver (Englewood, Colo.), July 28

There is much to like about Jake Plummer as a player and a person. I found one more thing as we sat on a bench outside the Denver locker room after practice. I mentioned it in my training-camp postcard. He wrote "P.T. 40" in black marker near the ankle of both shoes. Pat Tillman, his old Arizona State and Cardinal buddy killed in the Afghanistan conflict, was number 40.

"Every day when I'm out there, he's an inspiration to me," Plummer said. "I think about him every day. When we complain about something at practice, something little, I think about Pat. He'd die to ..."

Then he paused.

"I mean, he'd do anything to be out here playing football right now."

Oakland (Napa, Calif.), July 30

Tim Brown was three people in front of me at the Hertz No. 1 Gold counter at the Oakland airport. I guess he'd just flown in from somewhere, Dallas probably. All I could think of when I saw him was: dead man walking.

A few days after he got whacked, I saw Woody Paige -- the ESPN Around the Horn guy, Denver columnist and fellow Hall of Fame voter --  talking about Brown on TV. He said he didn't think there was any way Brown would make the Hall of Fame. I thought, wow. A guy catches 1,070 balls, the second-most in NFL history, and the ink's not even dry on the newspaper that reported his whacking and already he's not a Hall of Famer. I'm not sure if he is or not. I just don't get how he gets consigned to Art Monk-ville without his day in court.

San Diego (Carson, Calif.), July 31

I want to have an open mind, and I want to think every team in July deserves to have its optimism, and then I see the Chargers. I don't see a way for them to compete in what I fear could be the last season of Marty Schottenheimer (speaking of dead man walking) coaching in the NFL. What a way for him to go out, with LaDainian Tomlinson surrounded by the equivalent of the Columbus Clippers. For Schottenheimer's sake, I hope Philip Rivers gets to camp soon. And I hope he's the second coming of Dan Fouts.

Dallas (Oxnard, Calif.), Aug. 1

"Me and Vinny are coming up from the underground," Keyshawn Johnson told me after the Cowboys' morning practice, just as Vinny Testaverde walked behind him and heard his name.

"You tell him," Testaverde said.

"We're both players a lot of people have forgotten," Johnson said. "Last year, the game was taken from me. I've been asked if I think I can get back to Pro Bowl form. As far as I'm concerned, I never got away from it. The coach in Tampa took it away."

A couple of days later, when the Cowboys fired Quincy Carter, the 1998 Jets were reinvented. Vinny to Keyshawn. I've heard much guffawing at the prospect of Testaverde, who was born nearly 41 years ago -- two weeks before President Kennedy was shot -- playing the season as the Cowboys' No. 1 guy. Why? Since he got to the Jets in '98, he is plus-24 in touchdown-to-interception ratio (76-52). Though he is a statue back there, and the Dallas offensive line is not a great one, Bill Parcells will mandate that Testaverde be protected, and it will happen. Not pristinely, I'm sure. But he'll survive. The tight ends will just have to block a lot more than they'll catch.

I have said it a few times this summer, and I will say it again: Watch the balls Testaverde throws. He still has the prettiest pass in the NFL. I wouldn't go to Vegas with this one, but I bet he lasts 16 games.

Kansas City (River Falls, Wis.), Aug. 2

Do we realize how good Trent Green is? I don't think so. And so consistent. 2002: .611 completion percentage, 26-13 TD-to-interception ratio, 92.6 rating. 2003: .631, 24-12, and the exact same 92.6 rating. Watching him throw the ball this morning in the Wisconsin-River Falls indoor track (bad thunderstorm outside), I thought back to the time then-Washington coach Norv Turner let me sit in on a quarterback meeting to hear how complex and involved the teaching was. Mike Martz was the quarterback coach. Green was the third-string quarterback. My recollection was that Gus Frerotte and Jeff Hostetler were 1-2. The third-string quarterback blends into the woodwork. The less said, the better. And here he was, six years ago, just trying to hang onto his NFL job after a so-so college career at Indiana and two or three invisible years hanging onto a spot on the Washington roster. But what Turner always said about him has come true: very smart, very accurate and always finds the right guy in his progression of reads.

The most impressive thing about him is how abnormally normal he is. This morning, his massage person is late for their 10:30 appointment. In his Royals T-shirt and shorts, he waits, chatting with me and the PR guy, Pete Moris and backup Todd Collins. He waits. Sometimes people are late, and you have to roll with it. I'm thinking: This guy can't even spell prima donna.

Green Bay (Green Bay, Wis.), Aug. 3

Tattoos are everywhere in the NFL, as you well know. Standing on the sidelines of Packers practice with visiting unemployed former Cardinal quarterback coach Geep Chryst, I spot the oddest one I have ever seen. Standing in front of us is a backup cornerback from Louisville, Chris Johnson, facing the field. On the back of his spindly left calf is a five-inch "4." On the back of the right calf, "18" is tattooed.

Try as I might, I cannot figure out 4.18.

"Maybe it's a Bible verse," Chryst says. "You know, John, 4.18."

Then he laughs and says maybe it's his time in the 40-yard dash. Can't be, I thought. No one runs a 4.18, especially an unknown guy like Chris Johnson.

"Yup," Johnson says later. "It's my 40 time. I was really proud of it. I ran it at the University of Louisville. I think like 18 scouts had me at 4.18, and the Packers had me a little slower, maybe 4.23."

But why the tattoo? Isn't it enough to just know you ran it? Now everyone's going to ask you about the weird calf tattoos for the rest of your life.

"Whatever happens in my career, I want people to know I ran a 4.18. It's something to be proud of."

Once, when I was playing high school baseball back in Connecticut, I got two triples off a tough pitcher from East Hartford High. Silly me. All these years I've missed the chance to brag about it. When I get home, I'm going to get a "2 3B" tattoo.

Indianapolis (Terre Haute, Ind.), Aug. 4

Strip away the signing bonuses, the fame and the yellow Hummers and there is an 8:30 a.m. practice in the middle of a forest (at one point in history, that's what the football fields at Rose-Hulman Institute in southwestern Indiana must have been, because there are acres of trees everywhere ). The dark gray clouds rolled in from the west, the skies opened up and the players ignored the 18-minute downpour while they continued to practice. They looked like a bunch of wet dogs. The few media people at the practice moved inside to a storage garage near the sideline, peering out to watch the practice. Afterward, I walked through the Colts locker room, and the smell was precisely the same one I remember from every locker room, high school through pro, after a rainy practice. Ever take off a pair of sneakers after a workout in the rain? Smelly. Really smelly.

Philadelphia (Bethlehem, Pa.), Aug. 5

I saw Eagles right guard Shawn Andrews pulling this morning, and I was amazed at the kid. How can a guard be this fast? He pulls with the speed of a linebacker. And the ridiculous thing is he weighs 330 pounds. I was critical of the Eagles for dealing their second-round pick to move up to grab Andrews last April, but  -- and I'm sure this will be the first time -- I may be wrong.

One other guy who's having a great training camp: Donovan McNabb. Let's see what happens when the bullets fly, but his deep balls look better than I ever remember in terms of accuracy and form. "Donovan's trusting his receivers this camp," Andy Reid told me. "Not that he hasn't in the past, but he has a real good feel for where they're going to be." The other difference may be that the receivers are open. I can report exclusively that Terrell Owens is a little better than James Thrash.

Buffalo-Cleveland scrimmage (Pittsford, N.Y.), Aug. 7

Butch Davis just can't win.

Every eye in the place this morning was on Willis McGahee, playing football against another team for the first time since suffering that horrid knee injury 19 months ago. He did pretty well -- a bit tentative, but strong on the goal line -- but another back stole the show. With the first Cleveland offense playing the first Buffalo defense, Browns back Lee Suggs broke through the line of scrimmage near midfield, then sprinted down to the three-yard line. Power, speed, endurance. On the next two plays, William Green, the troubled back that Davis picked over Clinton Portis in the draft two years ago, lost one yard, then three. Davis has opened the job between Green and Suggs, but obviously the best thing for the team would be to have Green win it, with Suggs nipping at his heels. Not just because Green is the back Davis picked in the first round and the Browns don't want Green to join a growing legacy of disappointing top picks (Tim Couch, Gerard Warren, Courtney Brown), but because Green's multiple off-the-field problems and substance abuse surely won't be helped by a September demotion.

Detroit (Allen Park, Mich.), Aug. 8.

Stupid me. Lost my rental-car keys at the Lions' facility, and I had to cab it to the airport to get a spare. My cabbie hates Joey Harrington. "He's had his chance!" the cabbie snarled this afternoon. "They gotta let somebody else play."

"But it's only been two years," I said. "Give the guy time."

"You think he's any good?" the cabbie asked.

And I couldn't answer with any authority. "I don't know," I said. "But I do know you can't pick a guy high in the first round and dump him after two years."

"The guy can't play," the cabbie said.

Harrington is 8-20 as a starter over two years, a 53.3-percent passer with 29 TDs and 38 picks. In his first two years, in basically the same offense, Brett Favre was 17-12, a 62.5-percent passer with 37 TDs and 37 picks. The point is not to say he pales in comparison to Favre -- most quarterbacks do. But this is a good offense for a quarterback, and now, particularly with new weapons Kevin Jones in the backfield and Roy Williams at receiver, he should be better. Or exposed.

So I asked Steve Mariucci: Is Harrington your no-doubt, long-term quarterback?

He paused. "I say yeah. We've got to stay healthy, and we've got to help him. But we've built a good offense around him now. I think he's got the makings of a fine quarterback."

The cabbie will be happy to know I sensed a little "prove it" in Mariucci's voice.

Green Bay has a linebacker named Paris Lenon. Lenon's father is named Paris Lenon. Paris Lenon's grandfather is named Paris Lenon.

Well, I guess there's some opposition to my Jake Plummer-for-MVP stand. And some support, too. Let's hear it.

UH, HAVE YOU BEEN DRINKING? From Chris of Milwaukee: "Peter, there you go again. Jake Plummer for MVP again? In case you thought we forgot, you said this last year too! Seriously, how do you expect an average QB like Plummer to pull off a Peyton without any stellar wideouts? The best example of a decent quarterback on a successful team was Tom Brady last year, and he didn't win the MVP." Chris, let me refresh your memory, and let me compare Plummer's season to co-MVP Steve McNair's. Jake Plummer missed five games, three with a freak broken foot; McNair missed two. Plummer was 9-2 as a starter, McNair 10-4. Each man threw seven interceptions. McNair threw for nine more touchdowns, which is significant and 14 more yards per game, which is not. Each completed just over 61 percent of his passes. This year, the Denver offense will rely more on Plummer than it did last year, when it had the shifty legs of Clinton Portis as a 5.5-yards-per-carry alternative. And yes, the receivers on Denver are a collective question mark. In the Mike Shanahan offense, an accurate passer who can move in the pocket and be a threat with his legs has a chance every year to be the best player in the league. Here's the other issue: The MVP is often selected from a very good team. And I think Denver's going to be very good.

MAILBAG MAILBAG Peter King will answer your questions each week in Monday Morning Quarterback: Tuesday Edition. Your name: Your e-mail address: Your home town: Enter your question:

HE HAS NO HOPE. From Chris Geddes of Denver: "The only way Jake Plummer is MVP this year is if Ashley Lelie and Darius Watts each have 60-plus catches." Excellent point. You forgot to add, "and if Byron Chamberlain gives a consistent effort for 16 games and has 60 catches of his own."

ONE MORE LETTER FOR THE HORSES. From David Staples of Orlando, Fla.: "The same Broncos team who sent John Mobley packing because of a bad neck signed John Lynch, who was cut by the Bucs because of a bad neck. Both were leaders and representatives for their former teams. And both were sent packing at the first sign of a 'problem.' Kind of hard to be supportive of a team long-term when they get rid of the face of the program."

I asked Shanahan about the Lynch neck problem, and he told me the Broncos team medics -- the same ones who flunked Howard Griffith and Mobley because of neck problem -- gave Lynch "a 100 percent clean bill of health."

I CONQUERED HIM AT MONOPOLY, AND HE HAS EXCUSES. From Ben Norman (Mary Beth King's boyfriend, who you met in the Monopoly game note of last week), of Montclair, N.J.: "While I enjoy the spirit of competitiveness whether it be on the field or in your kitchen playing a 'fun' game of Monopoly, I must say something in my defense. I believe I did something wrong in my past Monopoly life, because I landed on one of your four railroads, I kid you not, 30 times. At least. Since you had all four, that's $6,000. With all this divine intervention on your side, I might as well smite myself."

Well, Ben, now you know my secret. Get the railroads, and fix the dice.

TELL CARMEN TO GO SELL INSURANCE POLICIES. From Daniel Lubin of Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.: "I like your idea that, finally, the NFL will realize L.A. fans don't want a team from another city, but our own, new team. That said, Carmen Policy as a point man won't fly here. He's a 49ers guy to us, always will be, and has no ties to or real clue about L.A. We need solid local ownership and administration."

Daniel, I understand your hesitancy about Policy, but remember two things: He could sell freezers to Eskimos, and he can get a lot of unfriendly parties into a room and make them get along. Now, he couldn't get the Browns to win, but his job in Los Angeles (if he ever does become the point man, and I'm not saying it'll happen, just that it has a chance) would not be to run the football end of things. It would be to get the franchise grounded and the stadium built.

VINNY'S A FRAUD, KING. From Ulysses McHargue of Cincinnati: "Enough with the Vinny Testaverde glorification, OK? I am sick of these old QBs hanging around looking for that last shot at a ring. All guys like Testaverde, Flutie, Peete, Detmer, etc. are doing is taking a spot from someone else, probably the next Kurt Warner trying to get into the league. So Vinny Testaverde has a ton of ability and throws a good ball. That wasn't enough for Tampa Bay, Cleveland or New York when he was in his prime, and it certainly isn't going to be enough for Dallas with their bad line, mediocre receivers and uncertain running game."

This is a great e-mail, Ulysses. I see your point, about young quarterbacks being held down by the grizzled ones. And with many of the old guys, I'd agree. But let me ask you this question: If Parcells thinks Tony Romo, currently the third-stringer in Dallas, is the best guy, don't you think he'd play him? And let's say Testaverde isn't the man. If you watched, say, Tony Romo struggle mightily without a cool veteran to come in and put out the fire occasionally, wouldn't you consider that irresponsible? The bottom line is quarterbacking is a pretty hard thing to do, and it's pretty natural for coaches to want a security blanket.

"Jerry consults with me daily. He over-consults with me, OK? And that's the truth."

-- Dallas coach Bill Parcells, on his relationship with owner Jerry Jones.

I would like to report on the various rules about taking off shoes at security checkpoints around the country. I am reporting this because, if you travel, you must be as confused as I am about the rules for wearing shoes or not wearing them through security.

NEWARK: Woman in white TSA shirt says shoes must be removed and sent through the X-ray machine.

DENVER: "Remove all shoes," the TSA woman said. "Including sandals."

SAN FRANCISCO: "It is strongly recommended that you remove your shoes," a security woman said. I did.

LOS ANGELES: No one said a word about removing shoes. I left my New Balance sneakers on.

MINNEAPOLIS: "Do I take my shoes off?" I asked the TSA security man. He said he would advise I do. I did.

GREEN BAY: Not a word about the shoes.

INDIANAPOLIS: Not a word about the shoes, though after I set the alarm off and got wanded on the side by a security guy, we found out that my foil-wrapped wet-nap from Auntie Anne's Pretzels was the offending metal object, and I am not kidding.

NEWARK (for a second time): I say: "Should I take my shoes off?" And the guy on the other side of the X-ray machine hand-waves me through. One airport, two rules.

ROCHESTER, N.Y.: Me to security gal: "Should I take my shoes off?" Security gal: "What have you got?" Me, showing my feet: "Sneakers." Gal: "You don't have to."

And so I am left to ask this question of the Transportation Safety Administration: Do you have any idea why some airports want passengers shoeless, some recommend it, some don't give a hoot and one airport has two different standards?

Not trying to be a shoe nerd, but could you please make a rule? I'd feel safer about flying if all TSA employees treated all passengers the same.

1. I think from what I know of the Quincy Carter case, he should shut up, take his medicine and sign with the best team he can. Minnesota is where I'd go if I were him.

2. I think Freddie Mitchell is one heck of a football player. You talk about having a great training camp, fearless and sure-handed. He's catching everything, even the impossible balls. He might be having the best camp of any player I've seen this summer.

3. I think, now that the Hall of Fame induction ceremonies are fresh in everyone's mind, that the best eligible player not in the Hall right now is Vikings center Mick Tinglehoff. More All-Pro selections (seven) than any center in history, and he played every Vikings pre-, regular- and postseason game for 14 years. Mind-boggling that we haven't put him in Canton.

4. I think no player in football handles mega-success better than Tom Brady.

5. I think these are my non-football thoughts of the week:

a. Memo to Terry Francona: Johnny Damon hitting third? Sheesh.

b. One more Sox note: Please give Orlando Cabrera a chance. Heck of a shortstop, and until this year, a terrific hitter. He's just having an off year.

c. Someone explain to me how it is Aug. 9, and Carlos Guillen is on pace to drive in 118 runs.

d. You may know I am a bobblehead-collecting nerd. I am interested only in fairly unfamous people, or odd bobbleheads. This week, I got one of the all-time gems: a bobblehead of the outgoing president at Rose-Hulman Institute. Bought it for $10 at the school store.

e. Coffeenerdness: Fellow Starbucks nerd Julia Payne, new communications chief for the Browns, actually MapQuests Starbucks when she goes on the road, which is why she (and I) had our coffee on the field Saturday in the little town of Pittsford, N.Y., south of Rochester. We sniff 'em out.

6. I think the cutest training-camp scene I've seen is Edgerrin James playing Tony Dungy's son one-on-one in basketball in the Rose-Hulman gym.

7. I think the Lions would be a lot happier with the priciest offensive lineman in their history, Damien Woody, if he weren't 20 pounds overweight.

8. I think the one thing no one is talking about regarding the looming strict enforcement of the five-yard bump zone for receivers and defenders is that the wideouts are going to have to modify their games too. It's not just the corners who have to watch the jersey holding and the bumping six, eight and 10 yards downfield. If the offensive guy runs into a defender, he's eligible to be called too.

9. I think, speaking of the bump rule, that at least eight flags will fly tonight in the first game of the year, the Denver-Washington Hall of Fame game, to emphasize to the players that the officials aren't fooling around about the calls.

10. I think it'll be great to see Joe Gibbs back on the sidelines -- tonight and all season.

Sports Illustrated senior writer Peter King covers the NFL beat for the magazine and is a regular contributor to SI.com. Monday Morning Quarterback appears in this space every week.