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Golden Nuggets: Checking in On Bears in the Pros

Fall camp opened for Cal yesterday afternoon, but some former Bears have already been working hard at various NFL training camps.  He's a look at how some of the recent draft picks have fared on their respective NFL teams.

The Good:

Detroit Lions beat writer Jamie Samuelson calls Jahvid Best the most important player for the Lions (besides QB Matthew Stafford).

He is the fastest running back the Lions have ever had. If Scott Linehan and Matthew Stafford can combine to get him into the open field, this could really be fun. The Lions ran a flea-flicker at practice where Best threw the ball, and the reason the play worked so well was because the would-be tacklers were trying to converge on him so quickly. Defense will have to respect his speed, and that alone should open things up for Stafford and the passing game.

Zack Follett is a likely starter for the Lions defense this season.  It's a remarkable turn of events after he was barely hanging onto the practice squad last year.

"If we hadn't seen any signs," coach Jim Schwartz said, "he wouldn't be in the position that he is. He's done nothing to disappoint us there. He's still got a long way to go and all of those clichés. But the signs are there."

The Bad:

Woody Paige thinks the Denver Broncos are on their way to cutting Syd'Quan Thompson.  Paige says Syd "doesn't have the size, speed, or attitude for the Broncos."

The Ugly:

The Dallas Cowboys subjected their rookies to a hazing ritual involving ridiculous haircuts.  Mike Tepper lost half his hair, an eyebrow, and some chest hair.  It's about as bad as Tim Tebow's monk haircut.

After the jump, everyone and their mothers report from the first day of fall camp, providing a wealth of information on everything from injuries to impressive freshman to who has been running with the first team.

Football