Dolphins in need of a superstar

[DolFan619]

http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/football/story/619350.html

Dolphins in need of a superstar

By GREG COTE
Miami Herald

New Dolphins head coach Tony Sparano was driving with his wife recently from a brief holiday in Hilton Head, S.C., back to Miami when he saw for the first time one of those new South Florida billboards promoting his team.

''I almost ran off the road,'' he said Saturday.

The advertisements tout the club's 2008 marketing theme, ''A New Beginning,'' by showing, larger than life, the new management triumvirate of Sparano, vice president of football operations Bill Parcells and general manager Jeff Ireland.

Conspicuously absent from the billboards:

A player. Any player.

No players on the cover of the team's newly minted media guide, either. Only Sparano and Ireland.

A coach normally does not anticipate being the focus of such attention, let alone a first-year NFL head coach last in charge of a team in 1998 at the University of New Haven. But the spotlight on the men shaping the Dolphins' new direction underlines what was apparent Saturday as the franchise opened its 43rd preseason training camp.

There wasn't much choice.

The Dolphins are as anonymous as most any team in the league right now.

FACELESS FRANCHISE

They are as faceless as they have been since the expansion 1960s in terms of the men behind the facemasks.

There was not a superstar to be found on the field as work began at the team's Davie practice facility before about 1,500 fans packed onto bleachers in withering heat.

Don Shula and Dan Marino are long gone, and, now so, too, are the team's most popular defenders since the '90s: stalwarts Zach Thomas (in Dallas now) and Jason Taylor (traded to Washington last week).

No signature star remains. Running backs Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams probably are the two biggest-name players left, but one (Brown) is coming off major knee surgery and isn't yet fully healthy, and the other -- though appearing in great shape in his latest comeback -- has an earned reputation for being someone you'd take a chance on trusting too much.

Obviously no player remains who is accomplished enough, or can be trusted enough, to build a marketing campaign around.

Now, Sparano has only a few weeks to find out which players he can build a team around.

The first preseason game is Aug. 9. The real games begin Sept. 7. The new season of South Florida's most popular (by far) sports team rushes at us like a brakeless locomotive, portending equal parts dread and excitement over the notion none of us can truly know what to expect.

THE LONG VIEW

''We need to believe,'' is the fundamental message Sparano told his team at a meeting Friday night.

He didn't mean belief that this reconstruction project would be instant, or easy.

''We have a long way to go, no doubt about it,'' said the coach.

He meant belief that the rebuilding was needed. Belief in the builders, and in the ultimate goal. Sparano showed his assembled team that goal Friday night: a tape of Dolphins franchise highlights, including the 1972 and '73 Super Bowl triumphs.

''It gave me chills,'' said new receiver Ernest Wilford.

Forty-seven players on the current 80-man roster are new, imported in a massive makeover that that follows six consecutive seasons out of the playoffs, bottomed out by the embarrassing nadir of last year's 1-15 record.

Most starting players will be different, and that will include the most important position of them all -- quarterback.

The competitors are Josh McCown, the seven-year veteran journeyman acquired in the offseason; John Beck, selected in the second round of last year's draft; and Chad Henne, the rookie drafted also in the second-round this past April.

Any of them might emerge from a close battle to win the starting job, with the early thinking that McCown and Beck are front-runners as Henne faces a developmental year.

Henne missed Saturday morning's first practice because he hadn't yet signed a contract, a situation Sparano called a ''concern,'' but was signed in time to make the late afternoon work and wasn't conceding the job to his more experienced rivals.

''I think it'll be equal competition,'' Henne said. ``It's a great opportunity.''

McCown called the three-way fight ``not the desired situation. But when you have a goal you go after it.''

Said Beck: ``I want to be the guy here.''

The real question, of course, isn't who'll start the 2008 season.

The real question is whether any of Miami's QBs -- especially either of the younger guys, Beck or Henne -- will emerge as the elusive star and long-sought leader capable of steering this once-proud franchise back to championship contention.

In other words, are any of them special? Will anybody dare raise his throwing hand and volunteer himself as The Next Marino or at least the best facsimile we've seen since No. 13 retired to the Hall of Fame and local immortality after the 1999 season?

McCown, Beck and Henne all threw between 230 and 260 passes during the 20 offseason practices that preceded Saturday's opening of full training camp. Between that and the weeks ahead, ''I do think there's enough time for one of them to [emerge],'' Sparano said. ``At the end of the process, everybody will have the same amount of work.''

WATCHING, WAITING

Sparano said ''in a perfect world'' he'd like to name a starting quarterback by the second preseason game -- a mere 20 days from now.

But how good a quarterback will he have? We have seen a long series of caretakers and temps in the role, post-Marino. McCown's checkered career résumé suggests he might be another one.

The real intrigue these next few weeks will be watching to see whether Beck or Henne is the kind of present you unwrap like a gift. The kind of present that becomes a successful future.

Sparano ran the Dallas Cowboys' offensive line before being put in charge here, and was a part of one of the NFL's supreme offenses led by an emerging, ascending star QB in Tony Romo. Sparano said Parcells keeps telling him -- reminding him, warning him -- that this Miami offense ``is not going to look as good to you as [the one] down there in Texas.''

The thing is, one quarterback -- just the right one -- can make such a difference. Fast and huge.

Now, with a new season looming and a faded franchise in the balance, we begin to see if the Dolphins finally have themselves another one of those.

The search began under the kind of sun that sent sweat rolling down your face.

''The heat grabs you,'' Sparano said.

It has just begun.

[Dave Gray]

I don't agree with his assessment, right now.  Ask yourselves why you're excited about this team.  It's because of Parcells.  There's no reason to hide it.

Besides, we've had enough superstars on this team in the past, and couldn't do squat with them.  Maybe a little "no name" mentality will be good around here.

[DolFan619]

I don't agree with his assessment, right now.  Ask yourselves why you're excited about this team.  It's because of Parcells.  There's no reason to hide it.

Besides, we've had enough superstars on this team in the past, and couldn't do squat with them.  Maybe a little "no name" mentality will be good around here.

  Good point.  Besides, there will be superstars on this team again.  There will be young guys that step up and fill the void, and gives the team face that the national media and the rest of the American public recognizes.  It happens all the time in the NFL.  Too much is being made about this "faceless" team.

[YoFuggedaboutit]

Good points, both Dave and 619.  I know it's only day 3 of training camp, but here's some of the new faces that I can see stepping up and possibly being the next superstar

Jake Long-  Needs to spend this season developing the skills for pass blocking against speedy edge rushers.  His run blocking is already top notch.  With the Dolphins being a run-oriented team (at least this season), I can see Jake Long making the Pro Bowl as a rookie.  Last O-Lineman to do that for the Dolphins?  Richmond Webb
 
Phillip Merling-  More of a run stuffer than a pass rusher, which should suit him fine in a 3-4 defense.  You gotta like this guy's nastiness.  Anyone who goes after a bigger guy because he's hot under the collar is welcome on my team.

Kendall Langford-  Just the opposite of Merling, which is exact complement this team could use on the defensive line.  His only knock is that he came from smaller school competition.   It wouldn't surprise me if he and Merling rotate or switch off on obvious passing/running downs.   

Davonne Bess-  It seems this guy's got crazy glue on his hands.  I mean, he catches everything thrown his way and then some.  If you want to see another Steve Smith type, look no further than him. 

Chad Henne- He's got the tools, he's got the smarts, he's got the toughness, will he develop into a capable NFL QB?

[fyo]

Davonne Bess-  It seems this guy's got crazy glue on his hands.  I mean, he catches everything thrown his way and then some.  If you want to see another Steve Smith type, look no further than him. 

It'll be interesting to see if Bess can make an impression this year. I think the rule changes of the past decade or so have benefited small receivers even more than big receivers. At least we're seeing a lot of smallish receivers putting up very good numbers.

Bess still needs to prove he can stay focused on running his route and catching the ball when he's being pressured "for real" and after being hit hard a few times.

[YoFuggedaboutit]

It'll be interesting to see if Bess can make an impression this year. I think the rule changes of the past decade or so have benefited small receivers even more than big receivers. At least we're seeing a lot of smallish receivers putting up very good numbers.

Bess still needs to prove he can stay focused on running his route and catching the ball when he's being pressured "for real" and after being hit hard a few times.

Agreed.  I know I'm going out on a limb by saying he could be a superstar in this league, but I've seen him play at Hawaii, and was shocked that he did not get drafted. 

His size and playing in the WAC Conference hurt him, as did his off-field problems which we hope are now a thing of the past.

[Tenshot13]

Jayson Foster anyone?  If anyone has big play potential on the team it's this guy.  He could be our own Devin Hester.  That is if he can avoid that big hit because if that happens I see the little guy exploding into a million pieces.

[DolFan619]

Jayson Foster anyone?

  It's certainly possible.  If he can take a few to the house on returns, it's very possible.