Finsflurry
☠️ Banned ☠️
- Joined
- Mar 19, 2004
- Messages
- 539
- Reaction score
- 1
- Age
- 42
Guess the word spreads quickly around the media, this guy won't be unknown for long. This is eerily similar to Ogun's situation a few years ago, if he can play on par or even close to that level we have found another huge steal.
Surprised that the unheralded Bell is in the mix after missing all of last season with a broken bone in his left foot? Don’t be. Bell is not to be taken lightly.
“I’m not really surprised. I kinda knew I could play. It was just a matter of me getting healthy and getting out there and being able to practice every day,” Bell said. “But when you’re hurting, you’re not able to do those things, so it kind of sets you back a little bit.”
His injury was significant enough that he couldn't do much last year, but his dedication to his rehab and offseason conditioning and strength regimen has seemed to pay off for him. He needs to gain a little bit more weight as his frame can fill out more than the current 191 he's holding.
But the Dolphins’ coaching staff still wasn’t sold on those options. Freeman is better in the box but struggles in coverage, and Edwards isn’t dependable due to his injury history. With the aging Knight, a ballhawk who has lost a step, entrenched at one safety position, the Dolphins decided they needed a player with young legs and speed, who can cover down the field, at the other safety spot.
That’s where Bell came into the picture.
The 6-foot-1, 191-pounder has good size, is a hard hitter, has good speed and quickness despite a reconstructed knee, possesses soft hands and is a playmaker.
With his physical gifts, it’s the mental part of the game — studying formations, learning the playbook, understanding angles and tendencies — that he has to improve most. And that has been his main focus this offseason.
“(I’m just) trying to learn the defense in and out, like the back of my hand,” Bell said. “To where when I go out there, I don’t have to think, I can just react. When I can do that, I’m a lot better player — because I’m not out there thinking, ‘Oh, I have to do this, or I have to do that.’ When they call the defense, I want to just know, ‘I’ve got this’ and play freely.”
The Dolphins’ coaching staff is very happy with Bell’s progress so far.
“The difference between this year and last year is day and night,” Dolphins secondary coach Mel Phillips said. “He had the opportunity to watch veterans play during (last) season, he's been rehabbing and he's healthy now. He's an entirely different player. He looks like a player who's been around a couple of years and knows what's going on as opposed to last year.
“So he's made tremendous progress.”
Considering where he has come from, it’s not a stretch to think he can make it all the way into a starting role in the future. But Bell says that’s not even something he’s thinking about just yet.
“My goals for this season are just to make the 53-man roster and get in some games,” Bell said. “Whatever way I can make this team, that’s what I’m looking for. This is my dream — I’ll do anything I can to stay here. If it’s special teams, then I’ll do it.”
Based on his play in the Dolphins’ minicamps thus far, Bell seems to be well on his way to reaching his goals. And the fact that the Dolphins’ coaches have taken notice of his exceptional play — head coach Dave Wannstedt raved about Bell after he intercepted a pass from QB A.J. Feeley during a camp session in late May and Phillips said his first four steps are as quick as any Dolphin — has made him even more comfortable on the field.
As we said earlier, this and QB should provide 2 of the more interesting camp battles to look forward to. Having all these players trying their hardest to get that starting slot and pushing each other will only help and our secondary will be even better than years past, which is hard to fathom but entirely possible. I'm getting real stoked about this defense and this team, everything is gonna shape up real nice. Call me a homer, but damnit I love it.
http://www.profootballweekly.com/PFW/NFL/AFC/AFC+East/Miami/Features/2004/holbrook060804.htm
Surprised that the unheralded Bell is in the mix after missing all of last season with a broken bone in his left foot? Don’t be. Bell is not to be taken lightly.
“I’m not really surprised. I kinda knew I could play. It was just a matter of me getting healthy and getting out there and being able to practice every day,” Bell said. “But when you’re hurting, you’re not able to do those things, so it kind of sets you back a little bit.”
His injury was significant enough that he couldn't do much last year, but his dedication to his rehab and offseason conditioning and strength regimen has seemed to pay off for him. He needs to gain a little bit more weight as his frame can fill out more than the current 191 he's holding.
But the Dolphins’ coaching staff still wasn’t sold on those options. Freeman is better in the box but struggles in coverage, and Edwards isn’t dependable due to his injury history. With the aging Knight, a ballhawk who has lost a step, entrenched at one safety position, the Dolphins decided they needed a player with young legs and speed, who can cover down the field, at the other safety spot.
That’s where Bell came into the picture.
The 6-foot-1, 191-pounder has good size, is a hard hitter, has good speed and quickness despite a reconstructed knee, possesses soft hands and is a playmaker.
With his physical gifts, it’s the mental part of the game — studying formations, learning the playbook, understanding angles and tendencies — that he has to improve most. And that has been his main focus this offseason.
“(I’m just) trying to learn the defense in and out, like the back of my hand,” Bell said. “To where when I go out there, I don’t have to think, I can just react. When I can do that, I’m a lot better player — because I’m not out there thinking, ‘Oh, I have to do this, or I have to do that.’ When they call the defense, I want to just know, ‘I’ve got this’ and play freely.”
The Dolphins’ coaching staff is very happy with Bell’s progress so far.
“The difference between this year and last year is day and night,” Dolphins secondary coach Mel Phillips said. “He had the opportunity to watch veterans play during (last) season, he's been rehabbing and he's healthy now. He's an entirely different player. He looks like a player who's been around a couple of years and knows what's going on as opposed to last year.
“So he's made tremendous progress.”
Considering where he has come from, it’s not a stretch to think he can make it all the way into a starting role in the future. But Bell says that’s not even something he’s thinking about just yet.
“My goals for this season are just to make the 53-man roster and get in some games,” Bell said. “Whatever way I can make this team, that’s what I’m looking for. This is my dream — I’ll do anything I can to stay here. If it’s special teams, then I’ll do it.”
Based on his play in the Dolphins’ minicamps thus far, Bell seems to be well on his way to reaching his goals. And the fact that the Dolphins’ coaches have taken notice of his exceptional play — head coach Dave Wannstedt raved about Bell after he intercepted a pass from QB A.J. Feeley during a camp session in late May and Phillips said his first four steps are as quick as any Dolphin — has made him even more comfortable on the field.
As we said earlier, this and QB should provide 2 of the more interesting camp battles to look forward to. Having all these players trying their hardest to get that starting slot and pushing each other will only help and our secondary will be even better than years past, which is hard to fathom but entirely possible. I'm getting real stoked about this defense and this team, everything is gonna shape up real nice. Call me a homer, but damnit I love it.
http://www.profootballweekly.com/PFW/NFL/AFC/AFC+East/Miami/Features/2004/holbrook060804.htm
