Saw someone mention Pat White not practicing today.... this seems to be the reason. From the Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/miami-dolphins/fl-pat-white-dolphins-0731-20100731,0,3590512.storyDolphins backup quarterback could miss part, if not all, of regular season
By Mike Berardino, Sun Sentinel
July 31, 2010
DAVIE — Pat White's training camp is over, his season in jeopardy.
According to a league source, the Dolphins backup quarterback could miss the entire regular season with a non-football related issue that is described as serious.
At minimum, White will be placed on the Physically Unable to Perform list after sitting out Friday's opening practice of training camp.
The Dolphins will have a chance to reassess White's situation before the season opener on Sept. 12 in Buffalo, but it's possible he will spend the first six weeks of the season on the non-football injury list.
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Dolphins coach Tony Sparano would not answer a question about White's unexplained absence after Friday's practice. It is believed White remains in South Florida.
Bo White Jr., four years older than Pat, said Friday night he was "not even sure exactly what's going on." Bo White Jr. said he had spoken to his younger brother within the past few days.
"He seemed to be doing well," Bo White Jr. said in a phone interview from Daphne, Ala. "Everything seemed to be going all right. My parents are handling it now."
Bo White Jr., while saying he believed his brother was still "excited" about playing football, suggested the issue could have something to do with motivation.
"I couldn't tell you what day he's going to be out there or when he's going to be back on the field," Bo White Jr. said. "Being a young man, he's just trying to find – I'm trying to put this in the best way -- I guess his position in life. I think that may have something to do with it. Just life, you know, in general."
Asked if his brother is happy, Bo White Jr. said he believed Pat White, 24, is "in a good place right now."
"I would say he's content," Bo White Jr. said. "He's happy with where he is. It's just life. He's just dealing with life right now."
Pat White endured a trying rookie season after the Dolphins surprisingly chose him in the second round (44th overall) of the 2009 NFL Draft out of West Virginia.
With the Mountaineers, White gained All-America status and set an NCAA record for most rushing yards (4,480) by a quarterback.
He went 34-8 as a three-year starter before signing a four-year, $4.75 million contract ($2.4 million guaranteed) with the Dolphins.
Expected to add an extra dimension to the Dolphins' Wildcat offense, White instead struggled to read defenses and failed to complete a single pass (in five attempts) all season. Despite appearing in 13 games, he rushed for just 81 yards on 21 carries .
White was knocked out of the Jan. 3 season finale against the Steelers on a vicious sideline hit to the helmet from defensive back Ike Taylor. White left Sun Life Stadium on a motorized cart and was held overnight at the hospital for observation.
That was White's second concussion in as many seasons, his brother said, including one against Rutgers as a college senior. However, White's current issue isn't believed to be directly related to those head injuries.
The diminutive left-hander was cleared to return to non-contact practice on May 19.
White drew praise this offseason from Sparano for the nine pounds of muscle he added to his slight frame. White also caught the coach's eye by improving his passing accuracy.
"This guy has really gotten himself bigger, stronger," Sparano said in late May. "You can see it in the way he's throwing the ball and the way he's carrying himself."
On the 49 snaps White took last season, the Dolphins gained just 133 combined yards (2.7 average).
"It's the NFL," White said in May. "I've got to study more, work harder and try to be a little bit wiser on the field."
The speed of the professional game seemed to be a problem for White as a rookie.
"Hopefully, as I age and get older, it starts to slow down a lot more to where it's pretty much slow motion for me," White said in May. "I'm just trying to focus on the little things I have to get done, make myself better and we'll see where it goes from there."
White also starred in baseball while in high school in Daphne, Ala. He has been drafted four times by three different organizations, most recently by the Yankees in 2009, but his older brother said he didn't believe baseball was on his mind.
With White out, fourth-year reserve Tyler Thigpen becomes the favorite to assume the No. 2 quarterback role behind starter Chad Henne. Veteran Chad Pennington, the Dolphins' starter for 20 consecutive games from 2008-09, is another strong backup option.
Thigpen didn't play until the finale against Pittsburgh after the Dolphins acquired him from the Chiefs last Sept. 29 for a fifth-round draft pick. Thigpen led a stirring fourth-quarter comeback in the wake of White's emotional exit that nearly wiped out a 27-10 deficit.
Pennington, who had a third major surgery on his throwing shoulder last October, is on schedule and taking third-string repetitions in practice.
Mike Berardino can be reached at
mberardino@SunSentinel.com. Follow him at Twitter.com/MikeBerardino.
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