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Title: Live Blog — August 14 Training Camp, Morning Practice Post by: DolFan619 on August 14, 2008, 09:50:02 am http://www.palmbeachpost.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/palmbeach/miamidolphins/entries/2008/08/14/live_blog_august_14_training_c.html
Live Blog — August 14 Training Camp, Morning Practice By Ben Volin | Thursday, August 14, 2008, 08:59 AM Good morning Dolfans, and welcome to the final day of live blogging from training camp! Yes, it’s true. After Saturday’s game at Jacksonville, Training Camp is officially over with, and practices will no longer be open to fans and media. It’s been a wild three weeks, and we thank you for checking out our blog and coming along for the ride. But we still have two practices to go! It is a mild 79 degrees right now in Davie, but it will heat up soon. The players are trickling out to the field now, and they will take the field again at 5 p.m., though the practice is closed to the public. This is an important bounce-back day for the Chads. Pennington was 6-for-21 in team drills yesterday, while Henne was 7-for-15. Updates will start around 9:25. Feel free to post any comments or questions. Enjoy the show! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9:34 a.m. Nothing big to report yet. A few quick hits to get us started: Shorts and shells today. Charlie Anderson is back at the field, but still isn’t practicing. He injured his hamstring in Saturday’s game and hasn’t played since then. He was riding the bike at Tuesday morning’s practice, but wasn’t in attendance for the evening practice or yesterday’s session. Now he’s back and riding the bike. Joey Porter (back, ankle) is practicing. Michael Lehan (ankle) and Vonnie Holliday (hamstring) are riding the bike. The DBs are doing like a backwards crab walk kind of drill. Doesn’t look fun, especially in this heat. All four quarterbacks are warming up with the receivers. But I doubt Josh McCown and John Beck will take many reps today. Pennington and Henne likely will receive most of the snaps in Saturday’s game at Jacksonville, and should receive most, if not all, of the practice reps today. That’s pretty much it for now. Practice should pick up soon. 10:03 Fairly light practice so far. Probably taking it easy, with a game two days away. They split out into 11-on-11 drills, but it’s all running plays. And they’re going half speed, so it’s hard to say who is doing well and whatnot. All four quarterbacks are taking snaps, though it’s not exactly split equitably. Pennington and Henne take maybe 5-8 snaps, while Beck and McCown take 2-4. After about 10 minutes they break out into special teams drills. Brandon Fields is once again practicing onside kicks, along with Dan Carpenter. The most entertaining drill of the spring is happening on the other field. The defensive linemen are catching punts from the Juggs machine. Watching these guys try to catch the ball is high comedy. I assume they’re doing this to prepare for pooch kicks this season. Matt Roth has the best hands of the bunch. These are 45-yard punts, and he’s catching them with his fingertips. Randy Starks and Kendall Langford? Not so much. Starks has one go right through the bread basket, while Langford takes one in the facemask. Phillip Merling has great hands, too. But his throws back to the coaches reveal why he plays defensive line, and not quarterback. Vonnie Holliday, meanwhile, is running side to side and doing quick cuts while catching passes from a coach. I doubt we’ll see him much Saturday, but he’s moving well. Rod Wright: Doink. Right off his chest. And then they break out into more kickoff drills. More in a bit. 10:32 Finally, some action. But not the kind you would expect. A BIG fight breaks out during 11-on-11 drills. I don’t see how it starts, but then all of a sudden I see Will Allen on top of David Kircus, wildly throwing punches. The entire team rushes over and a big scrum ensues. Guys pulling guys out of the fray, bodies flying. It’s over within a minute, and they quickly return to practice. Minutes later, Tony Sparano has a little private conversation with Will Allen. Wish I could read lips. OK, team drills. Before the fight: Pennington goes first, and his first pass is a quick out to Ernest Wilford that is intercepted by Mr. Allen himself. But Pennington comes back nicely on the next pass, hitting Ginn on a deep fade. Henne also throws an interception on his first pass. Renaldo Hill picks off a pass intended for Greg Camarillo. Hill likely needs to keep coming up with big plays to make the roster. And like Pennington, Henne comes back on his next throw with a nice pass to Davone Bess on a deep out. McCown gets in, and throws two quick outs to Sean Ryan, a slant to Anthony Armstrong and a deep touchdown to Selwyn Lymon over Jason Allen. McCown throws another quick out to Sean Ryan, but Joey Thomas forgets that it’s training camp and lays a hurtin’ on Ryan, knocking him to the ground and knocking the ball loose. The next snap is the big scrum. Eventually, they break out into 7-on-7 drills. Pennington takes most of the snaps. He hits Wilford on a quick out, and then Kircus makes a nice catch on a throw that was a little high and outside. Ted Ginn sees one go right through his hands on a square in. Henne ‘s up, and hits Wilford on a quick out. And then I came inside. Probably one more update today. It’s definitely getting testy out there. 11:06 Last update. They finished with 11-on-11 drills, but everyone in the media is still buzzing about that brawl. I missed the beginning of the Team Drills, but Edgar said Pennington and Henne were mostly working on short throws and running plays. McCown takes a few more snaps. Throws a playaction incomplete to Jayson Foster, and then another incompletion on a playaction bomb to Kircus. Covering on the play: Will Allen. Don’t see any conversing between the players. McCown misses his first three passes, and finally hits Justin Peelle on a crossing pattern. Beck takes a few snaps. A couple of short throws, and then he ends the day with an incompletion to Anthony Armstrong over the middle, thrown into triple coverage. The team huddles up at midfield, and gets an extra long speech from Sparano. As the team breaks up and heads to the locker room, Sparano keeps the veterans on the field for another speech — Channing, Matt Roth, Ricky, Ronnie, Will Allen, pretty much anyone who was on the team last year. Will Allen and David Kircus don’t go near each other as they walk off the field. In fact, Kircus is the very last player to leave the field. And that just about wraps ‘er up. Talk about some unexpected fireworks. Between the fight, and Joey Thomas taking several shots at some offensive players, these guys look like they’re getting restless. Sparano talks at 12:30. Should be fun. Check in later today for some updates. The final live blog starts at 5 p.m. Cheers, BV Title: Re: Live Blog — August 14 Training Camp, Morning Practice Post by: DolFan619 on August 14, 2008, 11:10:29 am http://miamiherald.typepad.com/dolphins_in_depth/2008/08/a-rumble-in-the.html
A rumble in the Dolphins jungle Tempers have flared in the Dolphins practice this morning. On an otherwise routine deep pass down the right sideline, cornerback Will Allen and receiver David Kircus got into a scuffle after the play was over. Actually, it was more like after the pass fell incomplete, Allen began punching on Kircus who fell to the turf and basically went into a fetal position as Allen stood over him. The distribution of punches from Allen lasted for about five seconds then he apparently realized Kircus wasn't fighting back. So Allen stopped and as he was walking back to the line of scrimmage an unidentified offensive player (some reporters believe it was Reagan Mauia) tackled Allen and started hitting him. And then it got crazy. Defensive players came to Allen's defense. Offensive players then joined in. And the melee that ensued lasted about 10 seconds as coaches frantically blew their whistles and carefully tried to re-establish order. With 45 seconds the order was indeed restored and the Dolphins ran another play. Coach Tony Sparano was seen remonstrating with Allen afterward. In all my years of covering football, I've seen a lot of practice fights but normally it is an offensive lineman versus a defensive lineman. I have never seen a cornerback attack a receiver. Today is the last day of training camp. Can't come a moment too soon apparently. Title: Re: Live Blog — August 14 Training Camp, Morning Practice Post by: DolFan619 on August 14, 2008, 12:21:15 pm http://blogs.sun-sentinel.com/sports_football_dolphins/2008/08/rumble-at-dolph.html
Rumble at Dolphins camp Dolphins fans watching the last practice open to the public Thursday morning were treated to a rumble, instigated by feisty CB Will Allen. Allen was covering WR David Kircus on a sideline pattern when suddenly the wise-cracking New Yawker threw an elbow in Kircus' chin. The pass sailed out of bounds and it seemed as if the play was over. WRONG! Allen jumped on a prone Kircus and started throwing a flurry of punches. A stunned Kircus didn't seem to fight back. Then all heck broke loose as offensive players came to Kircus' rescue. Penalty flags were being thrown and coach's whistles were tweeting but to no avail as a 40-second brawl ensued. It appeared as if the player who jumped in was TE Sean Ryan, but that's not definite because there were too many players on top of the pile. This was not your typical training camp fight when boys will be boys. There was anger and cheap shots being thrown. Fortunately, practice continued and Allen and Kircus were matched up against each other several more times without incident. While coach Tony Sparano loves tough guys, I'm sure he will address the team about saving the dirty stuff for the opposition. > Posted by hfialkov at 10:56:04 AM Title: Re: Live Blog — August 14 Training Camp, Morning Practice Post by: YoFuggedaboutit on August 14, 2008, 12:51:44 pm This is exactly what we need. Last year, this team showed no fight whatsoever.
Title: Re: Live Blog — August 14 Training Camp, Morning Practice Post by: DolFan619 on August 14, 2008, 07:28:40 pm http://www.palmbeachpost.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/palmbeach/miamidolphins/entries/2008/08/14/final_practice_blog.html
Final practice blog... By Edgar Thompson | Thursday, August 14, 2008, 04:26 PM Not trying to steal Ben’s thunder here, considering the effort he’s expended to give fans a peek into practice each day. But Ben is monitoring the John Beck situation, if in fact there is one. I expect he’ll be at practice, doesn’t make much sense to make the decision now. Will let let you know if he’s not. Otherwise, I’ll let you know if Chad Pennington bounces back from a couple of so-so practices and all things Dolphin. This is it for the practice blogs. Next week, the team will open only the first 30 minutes for the media to watch individual drills and stretching, basically a chance to take a head count. Heading out to the bubble here, will be back in a bit … 5:35 p.m. Team’s warming up for practice, with the usual suspects on the sideline nursing injuries: CB Michael Lehan (ankle), DE Vonnie Holliday (hamstring) and LB Charlie Anderson (hamstring). Coach Tony Sparano said earlier today he’d evaluate Holliday following the evening practice. Based on that, Holliday won’t be playing at Jacksonville this weekend. Also, QB John Beck is at practice and taking snaps in individual drills. It’s pouring rain and we’re inside, but Sparano continues to wear his sunglasses. If I was a player, it’d make me a little nervous seeing the head coach looming in dark glasses, not sure if he’s watching me on not. It actually makes me a little nervous as a reporter on the sideline. Sparano is checking out the DBs working on pass drops, while the LBs do the same off to the side. All four QBs are taking snaps in individual drills. Afterward, coaches are working with them on screen passes to the RBs in the flats and in the middle of the field. Expect to see a lot of those this season, especially given how well Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown catch the ball. Ronnie might have the best hands on the team, other than Davone Bess, who doesn’t drop anything. Bess and the other receivers are across the field from the RBs working on fade routes, a pass QB Chad Pennington seems to throw well. Football czar Bill Parcells and GM Jeff Ireland share a laugh at midfield. Parcells seems to have a pretty good sense of humor, based on the reaction of the people who speak to him. It’s unfortunate the South Florida media isn’t among those people. OK, not much to say there, but we’ll hopefully have some action to report in a bit. 6:05 p.m. Beck and McCown are getting a lot of work today during passing drills. Not much to report from short yardage 11-on-11, other than an incompletion from Beck to rookie WR Anthony Armstrong that ended with LB Reggie Torbor and DB Travis Daniels running into each other full speed. Torbor and Daniels laid on the ground for about 10 seconds to shake out the cobwebs before popping up. In 7-on-7, McCown hooked up with David Kircus on a skinny post to beat CB Andre Goodman, but S Jason Allen had Kircus in his crosshairs and let him go. McCown was 4-of-5 in 11-on-11, his only incompletion when rookie WR Jayson Foster dropped a pass. The highlight was a perfect touch pass on a deep out between two defenders to WR Ernest Wilford. A beautiful throw there. Beck completed a series of short passes in 7-on-7, but on his final throw found rookie WR Selwyn Lymon behind rookie CB Will Billingsley down the sideline for a long gain. Beck relies too much on checkdowns and short passes, but can really throw the deep ball with accuracy. He showed it again in 11-on-11 when he hooked up with Kircus on the play of the day, a long TD over CB Joey Thomas. Beck was 3-of-5 in the drill. Pennington and rookie Chad Henne haven’t done much yet. Pennington was 0-for-2 on one drill, including a slant when WR Derek Hagan didn’t look for the ball. Still working out the kinks with a new receiving corps. Henne was 0-of-1 and suffered a coverage sack in four snaps in team drills. Heading back out, will be back with more … 6:35 p.m. LB Joey Porter is sitting out with an ice pack on his back. After the morning practice, coach Tony Sparano said he felt Porter was beginning to make a few plays after missing some recent practices. But Porter has had two injuries in a month. If this keeps up, he could have a few nagging injuries to deal with by the middle of the season. Pennington bounces back in 7-on-7, going 4-for-4, higlighted by a nice shoestring catch by WR Ted Ginn Jr. grab on an out pattern along the sideline. Pennington is not nearly as impressive in 11-on-11. He hit two short throws, but tossed an interception to CB Nate Jones, who returns it for a touchdown, and took a coverage sack. Henne is 4-of-5 in 7-on-7 hooking up on two really nice plays - a fade to Wilford, who’s having a good day, and a sideline pass to Hagan, who makes a gorgeous leaping catch. In 11-on-11, Henne sticks to throws underneath the coverage and looks sharp. McCown is 3-of-6 during 11-on-11, but none of the completions are for more than short gains. In his shot in 11-on-11, Beck goes 2-of-5, but telegraphs a pass in the end zone to WR Greg Camarillo, allowing S Renaldo Hill to jump the route and come up with his second pick of the day. OK, one more update to come, but not until we catch players heading into the locker room … Title: Re: Live Blog — August 14 Training Camp, Morning Practice Post by: DolFan619 on August 14, 2008, 07:31:35 pm http://blogs.sun-sentinel.com/sports_football_dolphins/2008/08/othan-than-figh.html
Othan than fight and Beck rumors On the field, both QBs Chad Pennington and Chad Henne struggled again today. After working on the running game for the first portion of 11 on 11s, Pennington's first pass was dropped by Derek Hagan. Then there was a miscommunication on a handoff and Pennington was P'od. He came back to hit Hagan on a slant. He then was picked off by Will Allen, who stepped in front of a non-aggressive Ernest Wilford. Pennington lofted a strike down the sideline to Ted Ginn Jr. and then hit TE Justin Peelle on a slant. Henne came in and hit Ginn with a dart, but then was under pressure when he threw it behind Greg Camarillo into S Renaldo Hill's arm for a bobbled interception. Henne then hit Davone Bess in motion, before being sacked by Hill on a safety blitz. Josh McCown worked the scout team and hit WR Selwyn Lymon deep for a long TD. He later scrambled and hit TE Matthew Mulligan on the run. John Beck took over and had hit arm hit just as he was set to throw for an INC. He recovered and hit Camarillo in stride for a nice TD. Moments later the Will Allen brawl ensued and took the reporters' focus away from charting every snap. > Posted by hfialkov at 2:36:08 PM |