Countdown to Miami Dolphins Training Camp 2008: 25 Topics, 25 Days

[StL FinFan]

I'd have to go with Davone Bess, only because WR is a thin position, and he's got a shot at making the roster and surprising some people.

Philly beat me to it! 

[Sunstroke]

Davone Bess seems like a pretty solid choice, given our WR situation, but I'll go a different route and say that CB Scorpio Babers makes the biggest impact among this year's UDFA signings.

[Rick]

  Davone Bess makes the biggest impact among this years UDFA signings. 

[YoFuggedaboutit]

Here's the question.  Which Miami Dolphin UDFA will be the biggest surprise in 2008? 

Davonne Bess for offense, Kelly Poppinga for defense.

[DolFan619]

  Davone Bess is a solid choice, and will probably have a huge impact on the WR corps.  However, I'm going to select somebody different and say that rookie K Dan Carpenter will unseat Jay Feely, and will be the starting kicker for the 2008 Miami Dolphins.

[YoFuggedaboutit]

  Davone Bess is a solid choice, and will probably have a huge impact on the WR corps.  However, I'm going to select somebody different and say that rookie K Dan Carpenter will unseat Jay Feely, and will be the starting kicker for the 2008 Miami Dolphins.

Good pick there.  Carpenter will be way cheaper than Feely, and has a much more powerful leg.  If he can prove to be as accurate, Feely might as well pack his bags.

Reminds me of the 1996 training camp with Joe Nedney and Pete Stoyanovich.  I watched Nedney boom kickoff after kickoff into the endzone, one of which went over 82 yards.  It was a competition Stoyo couldn't win so he didn't even try.  He sat there twirling a football.  I jumped up and yelled, "Peeeeeete!!!  Pack it up babyyyyyyyy!!!!!"

[fyo]

Good pick there.  Carpenter will be way cheaper than Feely, and has a much more powerful leg.  If he can prove to be as accurate, Feely might as well pack his bags.

Cameron had Feely squib kick all season, despite Feely complaining about the tactic.

We'll see what happens in camp, but I think the competition was brought in because a) "all positions should have competition" and b) someone looking at Feely's stats without their context.

Feely is still a kicker on top of his game. His accuracy is amazing, among the very best in the league.

Ask the Falcons what happens when you bring in a young power kicker to replace your accurate veteran. Lots of kicker have both leg and precision in practice and camp, but when game time rolls around, the psychology starts to play a huge roll - and that wall of opposing players trying to block your kick doesn't help. Hint: Morten Andersen, 2 years in a row.

[DolFan619]

Good pick there.  Carpenter will be way cheaper than Feely, and has a much more powerful leg.  If he can prove to be as accurate, Feely might as well pack his bags.

Reminds me of the 1996 training camp with Joe Nedney and Pete Stoyanovich.  I watched Nedney boom kickoff after kickoff into the endzone, one of which went over 82 yards.  It was a competition Stoyo couldn't win so he didn't even try.  He sat there twirling a football.  I jumped up and yelled, "Peeeeeete!!!  Pack it up babyyyyyyyy!!!!!"

  If Carpenter does wind up being the Dolphins starting kicker, I hope his Dolphins career last longer than Nedney's did.

[DolFan619]

Cameron had Feely squib kick all season, despite Feely complaining about the tactic.

We'll see what happens in camp, but I think the competition was brought in because a) "all positions should have competition" and b) someone looking at Feely's stats without their context.

Feely is still a kicker on top of his game. His accuracy is amazing, among the very best in the league.

Ask the Falcons what happens when you bring in a young power kicker to replace your accurate veteran. Lots of kicker have both leg and precision in practice and camp, but when game time rolls around, the psychology starts to play a huge roll - and that wall of opposing players trying to block your kick doesn't help. Hint: Morten Andersen, 2 years in a row.

  Feely is still on top of his game, without question.  However, with the heavy emphasis this new regime has put on Special Teams, my feeling is that this regime is looking for a kicker that can boom it down the field on kickoffs consistently.  Feely has never been known for his strong kickoffs during his career.  If Feely can prove otherwise, that's fine with me.  But, he's going to have a battle on his hands in Training Camp and the Preseason.

[fyo]

Feely has never been known for his strong kickoffs during his career.

He dropped 7 yards in avg kickoff length and his touchbacks dropped by a third (although he did kick off less) compared to 2005 and 2006 when he was with the Giants.

Those numbers with the Giants are better than what Nate Kaeding has been doing for the Chargers and about the same as Gostkowski for Patsies. They're also about the same as Sebastian Janikowski, possibly the most powerful kicker in the league, except for Janikowski's last season (which was phenomenal).

Feeley's career average for long field goals (40-49) is a bit on the low side, but if you look at the years, his past 3 have been excellent.

Of course, he is getting older and it is going to be harder for him to maintain his strength, so we'll see. If he can just stay at the same level, I really believe he's a lock as our kicker.

The annoying thing about the kicker position is that the difference between a really good kicker and an average kicker is very small. The difference between an average kicker and a really bad one, though, is huge.

Again, I'll use the Falcons as the text-book example: Koenen in 2006 and Prater in 2007. Both were so miserable that Atlanta brought in Morten Andersen at the ripe old age of 47 (in 2007).

No offense to Morten, but I don't want to be in a position where we have to bring him to Miami.

(Side note: Andersen looks to be starting yet another season without a contract and by all rights, he should have been out of the league 10 years ago or something... but look at his stats... 100% of his kicks below 40 yards last season. Only 1 kick below 40 missed in the past 2 years - better than anyone else in the league... don't tell me someone's not going to give him a call if their young power-kicker turns into a pumpkin come September).

[DolFan619]

  I hope everybody had a great 4th of July!  Anyways, welcome to Day 5 of "25 Topics, 25 Days."  Today we're talking rookies.  Basically, which Dolphins rookie do you think will be the Miami Dolphins Rookie of the Year?

  Also, here's a little trivia for you.  Only three Miami Dolphins have been an "NFL Rookie of the Year."  Name those three Miami Dolphins, and the year they won the award.

[TonyB0D]

i can't really see anyone but jake long winning it.

1977 - AJ Duhe
1987 - Troy Stradford
1994 - Tim Bowens

[DolFan619]

i can't really see anyone but jake long winning it.

1977 - AJ Duhe
1987 - Troy Stradford
1994 - Tim Bowens

  Ding, Ding, Ding!!!  We have a winner!  Anyways, Jake is a good choice, and probably will wind up being our best rookie player, but I could also see Phillip Merling enter the conversation as well.

[Rick]

  Jake Long will most likely be Miami's most outstanding rookie.....Phillip Merling is also a good pick to have a very good rookie season.   
  I am going pick someone other then these 2 and say Kendall Langford will be Miami's rookie of the year.  Langford will have an immediate impact on defense slowing down the opponents running game!!! 

[Philly Fin Fan]

Its most likely going to be Jake Long, but I'll take a shot and say the same thing I said for the previous question- Davone Bess.

I know he's got to make the roster first, but if he does, he has a shot to surprise a lot of people. Most opposing defenses will focus on Ginn, Wilford, the RB's and whoever ends up starting at TE (most likely Fasano). This will allow the other receivers (Hagan and possibly Bess) to find a lot of open field. I think Bess may be able to wind up with a big season.

BTW- This is a great thread 619!