Sparano seeks versatile back-ups

[DolFan619]

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/palmbeach/miamidolphins/entries/2008/07/08/sparano_seeks_versatile_backup.html

Sparano seeks versatile back-ups

By Edgar Thompson | Tuesday, July 8, 2008, 01:23 PM

Tony Sparano wants to make every roster spot count every week of the season.

When the rookie head coach fills out the Dolphins’ 53-man roster, Sparano won’t necessarily make decisions based on who plays his position best, rather who can do more things better.

Sparano could decide to keep tight end Justin Peele because he’s a better tackler on coverage teams than Sean Ryan, not necessarily a superior receiver or blocker.

Offensive guard Ikechuku Ndukwe might lock up the final spot on the O-line because he can handle some snaps at tackle better than Trey Darilek. Or maybe both of them make it because they can play more positions than tackle Julius Wilson.

During an interview Monday night on WQAM-560, Sparano said he’s looking for players with the best chance to earn a spot on the 45-man game-day rosters and get on the field for 15 to 20 plays.

With the pinch of roster limitations magnified by the use of more special packages and situational substitutions, versatile back-ups isn’t a novel concept.

But hearing Sparano, he seems to be as focused on the importance of production at the tail-end of the roster as much as how carries will be distributed between Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams.

Since Day 1, Sparano has been weighing every roster spot.

Sparano said Ndukwe, signed as a guard last December, played both guard and tackle positions during mini-camps and OTAs to see if he’d fit in. Wilson, used exclusively on the left side last season, worked a good bit on the right side, where Sparano said he’s a more natural fit.

The team signed 10-year veteran Steve McKinney because he has a combined 133 NFL starts at center and both guard positions.

“They’re going to have to play multiple positions, with the way the league is going,” Sparano said. “To bring a lineman to the game that is just a one-hole player is going to hurt you in the long run.

“You never know what you’re going to take into the game.”

Sparano said the team is set with four offensive linemen, LT Jake Long, RT Vernon Carey, C Samson Satele and G Justin Smiley, whose side will be determined.

Sparano said during training camp the coaches would have “some guys bouncing around at those guard spots to find out who that fifth guy is.” Darilek, Ndukwe, McKinney likely will be duking it out for the final starting spot.

Sparano said he likes what he’s seen from rookie guards Shawn Murphy and Donald Thomas, but would prefer to pair a player with NFL experience on the left side as Long learns the ropes.

“We’d like to have a veteran guy over there with Jake if we could,” Sparano said.

Sparano has less of a feel for how the tight end battle will shake out among five players - Peele, Ryan, David Martin, Anthony Fasano and Aaron Halterman.

Sparano said tight ends and fullbacks are the toughest players to evaluate out of pads. He also said a TE can offer many of the same things as a FB, which has lead to “a constant conversation” about how many to keep at each position.

Reagan Mauia and Boomer Grigsby are battling at fullback, and Sparano likes the size and strength each player offers. But like the TEs, Sparano wants to see versatility from Mauia and Grigsby playing special teams and catching the ball out of the backfield.

Sparano, who coached tight ends for two seasons (2003-04) in Dallas under Bill Parcells, said a team could use a quality back-up TE in jumbo packages and on special teams enough to get him on the field for 25 to 30 percent of the snaps.

“If you’re getting 16, 20, 22 plays, then you have something,” Sparano said.

The final decisions on the back-ups at TE, FB and OL won’t be easy. But Sparano, who returns Monday following some time off, is eager to begin sorting things out during training camp.

“We’re excited,” he said. “I’m waiting to get back to work and see what we got when we get out on the field with pads on.”

[TonyB0D]

Carey's playing RT AND Center at the same time?  now THATS impressive!