Live Blog -- August 5

[fyo]

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/palmbeach/miamidolphins/entries/2008/08/05/live_blog_august_5_training_ca.html

Goooood afternoon Dolfans, and welcome back to the live practice blog!

We’re heading out to the field shortly on a beautiful day in Davie.

Tony Sparano said Matt Roth will continue to work at outside linebacker today. Kendall Langford looked good stepping in for Roth yesterday, and I’m interested to see who plays in that spot today.

Also updates on the quarterbacks, offensive line, and if we have any new additions to the roster.

Enjoy practice!

2:30

OK guys, a few quick hits:

    * Full pads today. No Michael Lehan (ankle). All 77 other players are accounted for.
    * It looks like Jay Feely is not practicing today. He’s not in pads, and he’s riding the bike during individual drills. Remember, he had a strained oblique at the end of OTAs two months ago.
    * Donald Thomas once again opens up as the First Team right guard.
    * The QBs work on quick outs to the tight ends. The running backs are going through the gauntlet, linebackers working on fumble drills.

That’s it for now. Back in a few.

2:58

Hey guys, back for some more. Let’s get to it.

    * They do individual drills and the like for the first 40 minutes or so. Quarterbacks throwing to receivers, but with no defense. Chad Henne throws a really nice deep ball.
    * They break out into 11-on-11 drills on the far field. Looks like Beck and McCown are practicing short-yardage situations, and handing the ball off to the running backs.
    * On the other half of the field, Henne and two receivers are going up against three DBs.
    * A perfect deep ball to Ted Ginn for a touchdown, about a 45-yard strike. Led Ginn perfectly past Andre Goodman, and the ball fell right into his hands as he crossed the goal line.
    * Another deep ball to Selwyn Lymon is placed on the money, but Lymon drops it.
    * He throws a deep square-in to Hagan, who out-sprints Travis Daniels and Chris Roberson for the TD. This drill definitely favors the offense.
    * Henne ends the drill with a drop by Jayson Foster for an easy interception for Chris Crocker.
    * Henne jumps into the rotation for the 11-on-11 short-yardage drills.
    * On a pitch left to Ricky Williams, Joey Porter makes a great pursuit and stops Ricky in the backfield.
    * Ernest Wilford is working primarily with the second team, though Sparano said he will continue to mix and match throughout camp.
    * Beck hops in there, and he throws a few passes.
    * His first one is a nice square-in to Jayson Foster. Good job by Beck getting the throw off early.
    * The next snap is a fumbled exchange between Beck and Samson Satele.
    * Beck throws a screen to Jalen Parmele, and then is sacked by Joey Porter.

That’s it for now. Probably one more update before we talk to players.

3:25

They’re doing 11-on-11 drills, and once again, it’s not the best day for the passing unit.

    * Henne finds Davone Bess over the middle, but it goes off his hands and right to Nate Jones for the INT.
    * Anthony Armstrong has another drop, on a deep ball from Henne. Second drop today for Armstrong.
    * To prove the receivers are equal opportunity, Ernest Wilford drops an easy reception from John Beck. The ball was right in his hands.
    * Beck seems to be tapping the ball right before he throws it, when it is cocked by his ear. Wonder if that has anything to do with his wobbly throws.
    * McCown throws a pass right to Travis Daniels, but he drops the INT and pops down for 10 push-ups.
    * Pass interference on Will Allen for steamrolling Davone Bess three steps before the ball arrives.

That’s it for now. I’ll have one last update for you, after we talk to players.

    * Punt drills. Ginn, Bess and Armstrong are returning punts. Fields is pinning them inside the 20. A few balls get caught up in the wind, but he’s doing a nice job getting hang time and pinning the offense.

5:17

Hey guys, sorry about the delay. Had to talk to some players, and then Edgar and I did a spot on Evan Cohen’s show on 760. Clearly, Evan was desperate for guests.

Looooong practice today, about 2 hours, 15 minutes. The practices had been pretty light since the middle of last week, so it was interesting to see Sparano push the players today.

Some more updates from the end of practice.

    * Chris Crocker flattens Sean Ryan. Second time today Crocker hits someone hard. You can tell he’s ready for preseason to start.
    * In 11-on-11 drills, Nate Jones jumps a route and nearly picks off Chad Henne. That would’ve been Jones’ second pick of the day.
    * In Red Zone drills, John Beck hit Lex Hilliard over the middle for a touchdown, and Josh McCown throws a nice fade to Ted Ginn, who out-races Will Billingsley, for a touchdown.
    * McCown throws incomplete on a slant pass, but I see Jake Long doing a nice job on Quentin Moses coming around the edge.
    * McCown overthrows Foster, and Joey Thomas comes away with the interception.
    * Great catch by Wilford on a tipped pass.
    * Matt Roth was playing OLB on both sides, and getting 1-on-1 instruction with Paul Pasqualoni.
    * And look at this — Phillip Merling playing some nose tackle.
    * Uh oh, Ernest Wilford is walking off the field. Didn’t get a chance to talk to him to see if he’s injured.
    * Carpenter hits field goals from 30, 32, 36 and 40. Doesn’t miss any.
    * They’re practicing gunner drills, and Patrick Cobbs once again is standing out. Brandon Fields continues to boom them 60-plus yards in the air.

They practice the 2-minute drill, with 1:25 on the clock from their own 30.

    * Henne finds Fasano over the middle, runs a draw to Ronnie, throws incomplete to Ginn deep down the sideline and finds Ronnie on a check down. Clock is ticking.
    * He throws incomplete on his last two throws, sailing one over Ginn’s head, with Andre Goodman covering. The drive peters out at midfield.
    * McCown in, he is sacked by Joey Porter on the first play. Second team O-Line is in.
    * Second pass is picked off by Keith Davis. Jayson Foster was intended, but didn’t come close to making the catch.
    * McCown stays in, and on the next play goes back to the same spot, hitting Foster on a 12-yard out pattern.
    * Kendall Langford gets a coverage sack, McCown sails a throw to Selwyn Lymon on a cornerback blitz, and then misses Ricky Williams on a dump-off with Randy Starks providing pressure. Not the best drive for McCown.
    * Now Beck’s turn. First pass is a screen to Patrick Cobbs, with a nice backside block by Donald Thomas.
    * Beck throws incomplete on the next two passes, low to Davone Bess and high to Cobbs with the blitz coming.
    * Nice pass to Foster over the middle, threading it between three defenders. Then he finds Davone Bess on the right side, taking the offense down to the 23 yard line. Move those chains.
    * Spike, stop the clock.
    * Beck finds John Dunlap over the middle on a tipped pass with 14 seconds left.
    * Beck completes and out pattern to Anthony Armstrong, but Armstrong falls down in bounds, leaving the clock running. Tick tick tick …
    * Beck spikes the ball with 1 second left.
    * They don’t try the field goal, but it would’ve been about a 37-yarder. So score one for Beck.

And that’s how practice ended. Wish we could talk to Sparano after practice, so we could find out about Feely and Wilford. Guess we’ll have to wait until tomorrow.

Thanks for checking in today, and sorry about the delay.

Tomorrow will go smoother. First practice starts at 9, and the second practice at 5. You know the drill.

[fyo]

From the looks of it, Beck had a pretty good day (although many of his throws apparently have some wobble), while McCown and Henne threw some picks.

I wouldn't mind a day or two of strong showings from ALL our quarterbacks right about now.

[doctord56]

I wouldn't mind a day or two of strong showings from ALL our quarterbacks right about now.

I'd like to see a consistently strong showing from ANY of the three guys.

Of course, I'd also like to win the lottery and have all the Victoria Secret models stop by the house, about an equally likely proposition.

[DolFan619]

http://blogs.sun-sentinel.com/sports_football_dolphins/2008/08/dolphins-repo-1.html

Dolphins report: Tuesday (Week 2)

"Don't call it a comeback. I been here for years." - LL Cool J.

That's a classic line from LL Cool J's historic song Momma Said Knock You Out, and I think it perfectly illustrates John Beck's follow up performance to Monday's strong showing.

The BYU product admitted he's feeling a little more at ease, and that's allowing him to attack the defense more as opposed to checking down over 50 percent of his passes.

Tuesday's performance showed he's getting better with the buzzer, and he is moving the offense a little more than last week, and is minimizing his mistakes.

I'd still say he's the third best QB, but the way Josh McCown played today it's possible those two can flip flop for the No. 3 spot.

For the record, I'm putting Chad Henne at No. 1 because he's been with the first-team for three straight practices, which is unprecedented during the Tony Sparano era. Sparano hasn't addressed Henne's prolonged tryout as a starter, but I'm guessing the coaches are trying to see what the rookie has since he's been on par with the two veterans so far.

McCown should be distancing himself from the two youngsters this week, but on Tuesday he threw THREE interceptions. Two of them came in the same series when Joey Thomas got him on a bad throw. A play later Chris Crocker picked off a ball intended for Justin Peelle that was a little bit long. That series also ended with McCown getting sacked by Rodrique Wright.

During the final 11-on-11 session Keith Davis got McCown on a pass intended for Jayson Foster. The Dolphins were in a zone and McCown though he could squeeze it in, but discovered he was wrong. On that same six play series McCown got sacked three times. Joey Porter was stealing Ikechuku Ndukwe's lunch money blitzing from the right side. He's looking good as Jason Taylor's fill-in over there.

There were FIVE interceptions on the day. FIVE. Will Allen again had a good day, earning a Gold Star on the pick he got of Chad Henne. Nathan Jones is also balling out there, pulling in his fourth or fifth interception of camp. By my count, Jones and Will Allen are in the lead when it comes to picks. I could be wrong because I've missed two practices (a brother does need some days off you know, and I hate to disappoint you but tomorrow will be one of them).

As for Beck, his best drive came on the last 11-on-11. While working with the third teamers he leaned on John Dunlap, who caught three of his six completions on that seven play drive that got the third unit into scoring territory. The coaches wanted to see which quarterback could move the offense with the worst talent around him and it appears that Beck is getting the job done.

Here are the rest of my observations and thoughts from Tuesday....

Porter had FOUR would-be sacks today. While that's a testament to his talent level, the tackle spot is really weak right now.

Kicker Jay Feely did not practice, and said he's fine, but wouldn't disclose his issue. Dan Carpenter took advantage of his opportunity to show what he's got by booting field goals from 35, 40 and 45, splitting the uprights. I expect the rookie to get most of the exhibition work early as the Trifecta gives him a test run.

Davone Bess made some nice catches, but he also had some HUGE drops. I'm starting to wonder if he really does have the best hands of all the receivers.

Reggie Torbor worked with the nickel package in place of Channing Crowder today. Maybe this is experimentation. Maybe it's not.

Jake Long is handling those speed rushers with ease now. Early last week they were giving him fits. But now his feet are moving real well. I haven't noticed Charlie Anderson or Quentin Moses giving him the business in a long time. It'll be interesting to see how Long does against Tampa. He's going to be playing A LOT considering the Dolphins have NO QUALITY TACKLES behind him and Vernon Carey. The Dolphins better hope he stays healthy....

Foster has a great deal of potential as a returner. He's got that Devin Hester like quickness that allows him to go from 0-to-60 real fast. His footwork is excellent, but I'm positive the Dolphins won't keep him AND Davone Bess on the 53-man roster. It'll be one or the other for those small guys. But Foster will need to outperform Selwyn Lymon and Dunlap for that practice squad spot....

Remember you heard it here first, Brandon Fields will have a punt or two blocked during the exhibition season if he doesn't speed up that get off. It takes him FOORRRRREEEVVVER to get his punts off. When he does it's usually a pretty long one. But I see a lot of potential for blocks here. Titus Brown could have had one during special teams work if he were really trying to get at it, but that wasn't the drill the Dolphins were doing.

Not a demotion my you know what, Matt Roth is clearly working with the second team defensive line when he's not being worked as a linebacker. I see Kendall Langford starting on Saturday if he keeps this up.

No need to put out that APB on Ted Ginn Jr. He beat Will Billingsley for a touchdown pass thrown by McCown late in Tuesday's practice. It was the first time he's gotten into the endzone during team drill according to my account. But Ginn gets no Gold star for that. Beat Will Allen or Andre' Goodman, who abused him for most of practice, then holla at me.

You know the routine. Any questions I didn't get to from the Q&A please put them here and I'll tackle them just like Crowder did, leveling Ronnie Brown yesterday.

Deuces.

> Posted by Omar Kelly at 4:15:20 PM

[DolFan619]

http://miamiherald.typepad.com/dolphins_in_depth/2008/08/the-highlights.html

The highlights from Sparano's TUES. presser

Many of you may remember (although you'd like to forget) that many Dolphins veteran players were held out most of last preseason. Zach Thomas and Jason Taylor played six total preseason snaps. Joey Porter hardly played. Keith Traylor made only a cameo appearance as well.

And when the regular-season began the team, at least significant parts of it, were not in football shape. The Dolphins wore down against Washington in the season-opener and soon a glut of injuries hit the team.

This year coach Tony Sparano is a lot less likely to give veterans preseason games off.

"I believe we were 1-15 and we're trying to change the culture," Sparano said. "In my mind, that being said, we do need to go out as a team, be in the game environment, get as many guys in uniform as we can get in uniform, be in that locker room together, come out of that tunnel together, be on the sideline together. Whatever it is we're going to go through in a game together, we need to see all the reactions and get these guys involved as much as we can.

I've been with Bill [Parcells] for a long enough time, I'm not much on saving guys and doing those things. We'll be smart. We'll be smart with some players. But our players know they need to play."

Matt Roth will work at OLB again today. Eventually, both he and Vonnie Holliday may see some preseason plays at OLB. It doesn't mean they are being converted to LBs. It means the team is trying to maximize its pass rush while also maximize roster spots.

"We want to see either one of these guys or both of these in the games," Sparano said. "It's important they get game reps. Just to take a look and help us with some roster flexibility down the road."

In case you do not remember, I wrote this offseason that Ricky Williams was perhaps the best player in practices and might be one of the team's best players.

Well, he hasn't been dominant in pads as he was in shorts. But he's still darn impressive to Sparano.

"When you're out here in helmets in T-shirts everybody kind of looks good," Sparano said. "When you see them in pads and what he's doing here, I've been impressed with him getting to the second level and his burst. I've been impressed with what I see when he hits the line. He's still able to move people when he's carrying the ball leaning forward. So it's good he can make yards that way. I'm kind of anxious to watch him in a game and see him knock some of that kind of rust off."

[DolFan619]

http://miamiherald.typepad.com/dolphins_in_depth/2008/08/the-post-practi.html

The post-practice report for TUESDAY

TUESDAY's practice is over here in Davie, FL. and here are some highlights and lowlights:

Ernest Wilford left the field before the end of practice and did not return. He was limping somewhat as he was walking off the field, but curiously started jogging as he got closer to the locker room. The report is the injury was cramps.

Kicker Jay Feely was on the bike and did not practice. He was asked by two reporters what his injury is but declined to answer. He did have an oblique issue in the offseason.

Josh McCown had a tough day. He threw three interceptions during practice including interceptions on consecutive plays. John Beck and Chad Henne seemed to be pretty good today.

Jayson Foster and Selwyn Lymon and Justin Peelle had drops during practice. No biggie, I'm just saying ...

Former special teams coach Mike Westhoff watched practice from the sideline. He left the Jets after last season for health issues and he underwent surgery in the offseason. I am told he would like to get back into coaching next season.

Sat with Sports Illustrated columnist Paul Zimmerman during practice. He's visiting to write his story on the Dolphins. The man most of you may know as Dr. Z is a Hall of Fame voter so I asked him what he thought of Zach Thomas and Jason Taylor's chances of getting into the Hall someday.

Zimmerman said he would vote for Thomas, no doubt, and would even speak on his behalf in the meeting with other voters. Zimmerman said Thomas along with Ray Lewis were the premier linebackers of their time and that is why he is worthy of induction.

Dr. Z was lukewarm on Taylor's chances, reasoning that it will depend on who else is up for election on any given year whether Taylor's body of work will compare favorably or not.

Finally, the NFL today released a Fan Code of Conduct that YOU, the fans, must follow if you hope to keep your seats at Dolphin Stadium or anywhere you watch your team play. When you are attending a game you are required to refrain from the following behavior:

Behavior that is unruly disruptive or illegal in nature.

Intoxication or other signs of alcoholic impairment that results in irresponsible behavior.

Foul or abusive language or obscene gestures.

Failing to follow the directions of stadium personnel.

Interference with the progress of the game (including throwing objects onto the field.)

Verbal or physical harassment of opposing team fans.

[DolFan619]

http://www.miamidolphins.com/newsite/news/top_story.asp?contentID=5934

Camp Dolphins Report Day 10: Bell Rings True; McKinney Getting Better; Other Notes

August 5, 2008
   
By Andy Kent
Special for MiamiDolphins.com

So much attention has been paid to Ronnie Brown's knee that safety Yeremiah Bell's Achilles tendon has all but become a forgotten issue, and that's just fine by Bell.

The 30-year-old former walk-on at Eastern Kentucky has enjoyed running around in the secondary a little less than two weeks into training camp and giving the receivers and quarterbacks fits. Bell would rather be showing off his prowess to the new regime with tape of a stellar season serving as backup, but since he went down in the 2007 season opener at Washington, he has to let his play do the talking now.

"No setbacks or anything, I feel great and I'm just taking it day by day and I'm still doing a little exercise on it but for the most part it feels great," Bell said. "I've been champing at the bit ever since I got hurt last year. I couldn't wait for training camp to start so when we strap it up Saturday night against Tampa Bay I'm going to be real excited."

Bell's role in the secondary is a crucial one as he is responsible for getting everybody in the right position before the snap of the ball. In essence, Bell is the quarterback of the secondary and first-year Head Coach Tony Sparano has taken notice of how well Bell is coming along.

"He's looked very good back there. We're very pleased with where Yeremiah is right now," He's done a nice job back there as the quarterback and I think he's critical to what's going on back there. His communication and understanding of the system on defense is very important for us. That guy kind of gets us lined up a bunch, and from the back end when you're getting lined up, we don't get lined up there one time, it's going to end up costing us a big play. So he knows the importance of it. He takes it serious. He's a real pro in the classroom, out here on the field, in the weight room. The guy's a real good pro."

Third-year safety Jason Allen, who began his professional career as a cornerback in 2006, considers Bell a valuable resource not only as a teammate and as the guy occupying the other side of the field from him at strong safety, but also as someone to lean on for knowledge and experience. Bell also is a leader on the defense and someone the other defensive backs look up to.

"He's the type of guy with a motor and something that we've been talking about is being the best and holding each other accountable," said Allen, who had 53 tackles (46 solo) and three interceptions last year. "Seeing where he's come from since he's been here, having a role as a special teams player and then coming in as a starter is inspiring. Seeing how hard he works, for a guy like myself and all the younger guys, and even the older guys, it's good to see that. We can push each other and hold each other accountable."

The art of communication among the defensive backs and the entire defense is key in this defensive system, and Bell, along with middle linebacker Channing Crowder, is going to be a central component in the communication process. Once everybody is where they are supposed to be on every play, the instincts and athleticism take over.

Throughout mini-camp and training camp, players from all three levels of the defense have described it as being player-friendly and it allows for the freedom of reacting to what's happening on the field.

"It's great because now we're deep into camp and pretty much everybody knows what they're doing," Bell said. "That makes my job a lot easier. I just sit back there and if somebody's unsure then I just kind of call it out and help them out, but there are cases when they help me out, so we're all talking, communicating back there and getting everybody on the same page."

Bell credited safeties Chris Crocker and Keith Davis along with cornerback Nate Jones for being very helpful having played in the system under assistant head coach/secondary Todd Bowles by pointing out how to adjust to different routes and how to alter the coverage when necessary. Bell also has been impressed with how far Allen has come in learning the defense and his ability to break on the ball.

The bottom line is a healthy and focused Bell spells trouble for opposing receivers.

MCKINNEY CLOSER TO FULL DUTY?: Offensive lineman Steve McKinney is getting closer to being able to do everything that is asked of him as he recovers from a torn ACL in his right knee suffered early last season. Prior to Monday, McKinney had been practicing in the morning and then sitting out the afternoon to rehab, but he was on the field for both practices Monday and again today.

"Yeah, that was his first full day yesterday and that was the plan, you know maybe to get him through a week and see how he did going one-a-day and then progressing to the two-a-day," Sparano said. "Yesterday was his first day of two-a-days so we'll see how it responds. Right now it sounds good but he's going out there for one today so that'll be three in a row. We'll see how the thing goes tomorrow."

As for the reason McKinney is listed as backup center?

"Yeah, I think Steve (McKinney), one of the intriguing things with Steve is that he does provide some position flexibility in there," said Sparano, who also views Trey Darilek as a guy that can play more than one position. "He has played guard and he's played center. I think right now, because he's been limited in reps, getting him his center work with the line and getting all of the calls down and doing all of those things has been the most important thing. But, we'll take a look as we get on in this, and maybe move him to guard."

INJURY UPDATE: Kicker Jay Feely did not practice and worked with the trainers on the side due to an undisclosed injury ... Cornerback Michael Lehan (ankle) remains out of action and on the Active/Physically Unable to Perform list.

TO REST OR NOT TO REST: Some teams are adamant about not playing their star players in the preseason other than for maybe one series in order to protect against injury, but Sparano and Executive Vice President of Football Operations Bill Parcells don't necessarily prescribe to that theory.

"Honestly I believe we were 1-15 and we're trying to change a culture and in my mind we do need to go out and as a team we do need to be in the game environment," Sparano said. "We need to get as many guys into uniform as we can get in uniform, being in that locker room together, coming out of that tunnel together, be on the sideline together, go through whatever we're going to go through in that game together. We need to see all the reactions that way and get these guys involved as much as we can.

"I've been with Bill a long enough time. I'm not much on saving guys or doing any of those things. We'll be smart if we have to be smart with some players. Our players know they need to play. We need to get better."

When Sparano was asked specifically about running back Ronnie Brown his answer was succinct.

"You'll have to buy a ticket," he said.

HAIR TODAY, GONE TOMORROW?: Veteran defensive end Vonnie Holliday is not a fan of dreadlocks, especially the ones being sported by some of his teammates like wide receivers Ernest Wilford and Davone Bess and cornerback Travis Daniels.

"Hey man, it's all preference. Some of these guys need to get rid of those dreads," Holliday said. "They don't do a good job of taking care of them, especially in training camp. So there's a lot of smell going on in there; some of those guys, you don't know what's growing underneath that stuff. But I don't see how they do it; as hot as it is down here, the clean look is the way to go."

SCANNING THE CROWD: In addition to the site of former Dolphins special teams coach Mike Westhoff watching practice from the sidelines, former All-Star baseball player Dale Murphy of the Atlanta Braves was watching his son, rookie guard Shawn Murphy, for the first time in a Dolphins uniform. The elder Murphy arrived in South Florida last night and plans to stay through the weekend to watch his son play the Bucs at Dolphins Stadium. Father and son got to discuss the heat among other things after practice.

"It was good to see him," Shawn Murphy said. "We got to go out to dinner last night and it's great to have family out here. No matter who you are it's nice to have family members in the stands and he and I had a good talk last night. He's been really helpful and been giving me a lot of advice and it's been good having him out here."

DOLPHINS TIDBITS: The defensive backs had a big afternoon, picking off five passes on the afternoon. Three of the interceptions were thrown by Josh McCown, who was picked off by Crocker, Davis and cornerback Joey Thomas. Jones held onto an interception thrown by rookie Chad Henne that deflected off the hands of Bess right to him, and cornerback Will Allen intercepted John Beck ... The quarterbacks, each did complete a touchdown pass, with Henne finding rookie Jayson Foster in the right corner of the end zone from about 25 yards, Beck hit tight end Justin Peelle for a 20-yard score and McCown found Ted Ginn, Jr. from 15 yards in the left corner ... Sparano said he'd like to see Holliday and Matt Roth at outside linebacker Saturday night against Tampa Bay, either one of them or both at some point ... Dolphins tight end Anthony Fasano changed his number from 81 to 80.

[fyo]

As for Beck, his best drive came on the last 11-on-11. While working with the third teamers

Going by memory, and I've thought this before today, the third string matchup really seems to favor the offense. It seems like the qb matched up with them always does pretty well, whereas the #1 and #2 guys struggle. I've been pulling for Beck, and still very much hope he gets the final nod, but I wouldn't put much stock in this performance. If it helps boost his confidence, great, but in and of itself... pretty worthless.

That the third string defense does so poorly would seem to come down to two matchups: Trenches and cornerbacks. They're just not getting the kind of pressure on the quarterback that the first two teams are - and the cornerbacks are struggling to keep up with the receivers. Beyond the first  3-4 players, we have basically NO depth at corner. That's the case all over the field, I know, but the dropoff in performance seems a lot worse at corner.