The good & bad of Jacksonville

[DolFan619]

http://blogs.sun-sentinel.com/sports_football_dolphins/2008/08/the-good-bad-of.html

The good & bad of Jacksonville

It's possible the Dolphins could have lost two potential starters for a couple of weeks against the Jaguars.

Ronnie Brown said ex-rays on his strained right thumb were negative, but a running back without a thumb is a running back who fumbles. He'll likely be doing plenty of conditioning work for a week or two while his thumb heals.

Rookie Kendall Langford also left the locker room with his left elbow wrapped in ice. Langford said he's hopeful the injury he suffered in the game isn't serious, but he wasn't 100 percent certain. But injuries will happen in this game. It is a physical sport.

Can you believe Josh McCown and John Beck didn't touch the field? Not a snap. Not even the kneel down. Apparently the coaches wanted to give Chad Henne the opportunity to run every type of offense, from a two-minute drill, to the popular eat the clock up. I say the Dolphins are trying to do damage control, preventing McCown and Beck from possibly damaging their trade value.

Kicker Dan Carpenter handled the early pressure, converting four field goals with the ghost of Jay Feely hanging over his head. Carpenter seems real composed, and that should help the rookie handle the pressures of the NFL. Maybe the Trifecta was onto something.

I guess this Matt Roth to linebacker experiment has legs. Roth registered he Dolphins lone sack, blindsiding David Garrard in the fourth-quarter. But could you believe all of Roth's girth couldn't bring that damn mack truck of a quarterback down. What the hecks he been eating, and give Chad Pennington and Chad Henne some of it.

Speaking of beefing up, Patrick Cobbs and Lex Hilliard are going to have to do better than the 2.5 yards a carry they both averaged on their eight carries apiece. I'm a fan of Cobbs because of how hard he works, but to make this roster he needs to start running hard. Jalen Parmele wasn't much better, but at least he has an excuse. He was in the game when passing really wasn't an option.

Did you see cornerback Joey Thomas hawk that interception out of the air, prematurely ending Cleo Lemon's first offensive series? I've been pleasantly surprised how solid Thomas has performed, but he's a long-shot to make the 53-man roster. However, one solid week of practice, followed up by a nice showing against Kansas City, might have me rethinking my projections. Good cornerbacks are hard to find.

Paul Soliai made his biggest play as an NFL player on Saturday night, and I doubt many people noticed. But I saw you force Maurice Jones-Drew to fumble on the goalline. Soliai, who is one of the many draft picks on the bubble, finished the game with four tackles, one of which was for a loss. At times he was on the field with Jason Ferguson and Randy Starks during Saturday's game. That must have been the Dolphins super jumbo front line.

It hurt just a little to see Courtney Bryan get beat on that 53-yard pass to Ryan Hoag (WHO?). I've ridden Bryan going back to last season, but he's earned my respect the past few weeks with decent practices. Damn Cam Cameron for playing him in too many games last season. Now he can't be stashed on the practice squad.

It's been a long night, and I've got a long commute to South Florida ahead of me, but I want to know what stood out to you most about Saturday night's 19-14 win over Jacksonville?

Deuces.

> Posted by Omar Kelly at 10:43:41 PM