ckparrothead
Premium Member
I will hand Omar Kelly of the Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel one thing. Whether he's biased against someone in particular on the quarterback front or not, or whether his explanation that he hates all quaterbacks equally was a weapon of mass distraction or not, he was right about something: he and the other journalists are unfairly forced to talk about the quarterback situation at least 40% of the time, because that's what the fans want.
However, I think there are some very interesting non-quarterback developments going on and I was hoping to talk about some of them. Here are the ones I see, in no particular order:
1. Vonnie Holliday and Matt Roth are starting DEs, and both being worked at OLB? Many consider Roth's work at OLB to be a desperation move but I see it as a privilege, considering they've yet to even hint that he could be bumped off first string LDE duties. Maybe this is oversimplification, but when my bosses give me a new task to try my hand at, I consider it a new opportunity to make myself more valuable to the company. And, both Vonnie Holliday and Matt Roth are being given that opportunity. The idea is: the more jobs you can do, the more snaps you can take during a game, the more valuable you are. If Holliday and Roth prove capable enough to do spot OLB duty, then the Dolphins don't have to keep as many LBs active for game days. Perhaps it lets them keep more DLs active, so that they can keep everyone fresh and ready to bust up the quarterback. Who knows? I do know that added flexibility disappears if you suddely got rid of Holliday or Roth, and so that's why I say the coaches have given them the privilege becoming more valuable on the roster.
2. Boomer Grigsby is not playing Special Teams. This was noticed by the poster named Boomer, not the player himself, and it might be something to keep an eye on. We can speculate as to the reasons, but either way it is an interesting development. It could be a negative, since part of the reason you bring a Boomer Grigsby to Miami is because of his value on special teams. So, if they don't trust him to play special teams, what does that say about his chances of making the team? On the other hand, it could be a positive. If they are not working him on special teams simply because they already know what he can do there, and they'd rather get him focusing on his lead blocking duties, it could give him the edge he needs to make the team.
3. Jake Long is consistently strong against strength, and weak against speed. You'd rather he not show weakness at all, but from what I am reading, his problem isn't consistency. That is important, because I believe the worst problem you can have as a left tackle is to be inconsistent. If you are inconsistent, the quarterback never knows when you are going to fail to do your job. Subsequently, he'll get jittery. If your weaknesses are more predictable, that takes away from the unknowns and helps keep the quarterback comfortable. As an offense, you can cover up predictable weaknesses. I could be wrong about this, but so far the impression I get is that Jake Long is having far less trouble going up against guys like Phil Merling, Kendall Langford and Vonnie Holliday, than guys like Charlie Anderson and Quentin Moses. Many could have predicted that profile before he was drafted, and if it persists it might not be the end of the world, especially for a rookie.
4. Is Charlie Anderson a diamond in the rough? In listening to Miami Herald's Armando Salguero conduct an interview on 790 The Ticket yesterday, they got to talking about Charlie Anderson a bit and Armando was skeptical of Anderson, for good reason. I mean, immediately you have to say: where has Anderson been the last four years? However, knowing about his background, he has been an OLB in a 4-3 defense in Houston. He has talked about it in interview. He sayss that he is trying to get use to rushing the passer again, because all his time in the NFL has been spent mostly in coverage and not pass rush. If that is truly the case, and he's already this good at rushing the passer even though it has been years since he did it last, then wow. The Dolphins just might have themselves a linebacker here. It is understandable if his valuable as an outside linebacker in a 3-4 alignment has been hidden until now. Pass rushers are indeed coveted, but at 6'4" and 243 pounds, not many coaches would be itching to see Anderson play as a down defensive end in a 4-3 alignment, and so they would not necessarily get to see him rush the passer. Top caliber 3-4 outside linebackers are not automatically attractive as down defensive ends. Does anyone think Mike Vrabel would be a top tier DE? I do not. Rosevelt Colvin? Doubtful. Joey Porter, for that matter? Heck no. These guys are linebackers. It is possible the Dolphins just found themselves another linebacker. Of course, this is the time of year when the Akbar Gbaja-Biamilas of the world look like valid NFL players, too.
5. Donald Thomas is now working with the first string. This is significant, because he is working at first string Right Guard, even before Shawn "Dropkick" Murphy. But, even that is not quite as significant to me as what Tony Sparano said about Thomas today. He said that he talked to some of the defensive players after practicing against Donald with the first string, and the defensive players said he was "heavy". Sparano went on to explain that when a player says that, he doesn't mean size or weight, "he means he’s heavy when he hits on you and when he leans on you." That's about as significant a compliment as you'll find at this juncture. Before the draft, I would have thought Donald Thomas would be drafted before Murphy. I liked them both, I just thought Thomas was better, even if less experienced. He is now developing a pattern for practice excellence, one that was first established way back in January at Hula Bowl practices. A week after impressing at those practices, he was invited to the Shrine Game practices, where he stood out once again. Now, in his first opportunity to don the pads again and hit some people, he is impressing once again. He is definitely a player to keep an eye on.
6. Is it me, or is the secondary doing a great job out there? Perhaps this is just a function of the quarterback and receiver problems, but...we're hearing about an awful lot of interceptions! Will Allen, Jason Allen, Andre Goodman, Nate Jones, Chris Crocker have all gotten picks. We are also hearing about a lot of blanket coverage out there. Again, this could be more about the receivers and quarterbacks, but either way the defensive backs are actually getting their hands on footballs and hanging onto them. That right there seems like a big improvement, compared with a year ago. I bring it up because one could have predicted, based on his history, that Secondary Coach Todd Bowles would coach these guys up on being able to snatch the ball for more interceptions. So far, we may be seeing that play out.
7. Jason Ferguson is a bonafied NFL nose tackle. That makes me breathe a sigh of relief, I don't know about you. I figured he would be solid, but you never really know, especially when all the guy cost was a future sixth round pick. The biggest question now will be: will he stay healthy? He is out there beating the snot out of Samson Satele in one-on-one's. That should not necessarily concern you about Satele, beating a Center one-on-one is Ferguson's job. If you're going to start as an NFL nose guard, beating a Center one-on-one has to be as easy as breathing. Any time the offensive line makes the mistake of leaving you one-on-one with a Center, a nose tackle is expected to beat him up and have his way with him. If your starting middle guard can't do that consistently, your 3-4 defense is pretty much dead in the water: the two guards will be free to release on the inside linebackers, and the runner will have an easy 5 to 10 yards right up the gut before a safety or scraping linebacker can even get to him.
8. Paul Soliai is getting mad props. I know that Harvey Fialkov and Omar Kelly have gone out of their way to note that Samson Satele is handling Paul Soliai, but other people are definitely going out of their way to give Soliai some props, including Channing Crowder and Tony Sparano. Also our own FinHeaven camp reporter Ozzy gave Soliai some props from Sunday's practice. The great part about what was said about him was, all three comments were relatively unbidden. Channing Crowder was asked about two completely different guys, and went out of his way to say the biggest surprise has been Soliai, who lost like 30 pounds and has been "beating the hell out of guys". Sparano went out of his way compliment Soliai's weight loss, his overall play, and use of hands. I can tell you one thing, just getting that big Samoan mother to lose the weight you want him to, and to check into training camp and pass his conditioning test, where others like Julius Wilson and Dan Gore failed? That's an accomplishment.
9. Wide receiver medley. I personally believe, based on what I'm seeing so far, that Derek Hagan is continuing his good work from spring OTAs and mini-camps, and looking the best among the receivers. He has been noted for his unusually consistent hands. He is probably the most crisp route runner out there, and size/speed ratio has never been an issue for him. Meanwhile, I think Greg Camarillo is quietly winning the #4 spot on the depth chart. Two of four days now (counting today), we have heard something nice about a good Camarillo catch. We also hear that in 4-WR sets, Camarillo is that fourth guy. Davone Bess continues to show nice hands and route running skills. Jayson Foster packs a wallop as a blocker for a little guy. Ozzy specifically noted how good Foster looked in blocking drills, and now today Edgar Thompson of the Palm Beach Post noted a play where Foster blocked Jason Allen into tomorrow. These guys obviously have a long way to go as a unit but they're doing some things right. Of course, things can and will change when/if Terry Glenn joins the team, but that is a different story.
10. Running backs are the strongest unit on the team. Ricky Williams is damn near bringing tears to the eyes of some people watching him, including his biggest detractors. Ronnie Brown is mystifying folks with how well he's moving so soon after tearing an ACL...and he's not really taking any breaks from the practice schedule. Meanwhile, Jalen Parmele continues to look like the real deal Holyfield out there. Even Patrick Cobbs is getting into the action and doing well. The line may clearly have issues in pass protection, but by all reports they can run block extremely well, especially on that left side. If the Dolphins are going to be a core running team, that is certainly where you have to start. If Donald Thomas ends up starting at right guard, that left side running game could end up quite the spectacle as Thomas flashes his athleticism in pulling duties.
11. Injuries. Knock on wood. But, so far, things really seem to be playing out well on the injury front. I don't know why Joey Porter missed the first two and a half days, but it doesn't appear to be significant because by that third day he was already passing his conditioning test and working back at his position. Ronnie Brown isn't even wearing a knee brace, let alone lightening up his work load. Vonnie Holliday's knee feels so good, he's working at outside linebacker. No hint of those old shoulder problems we remember for Ricky Williams; he's seeking contact, stiff-arming people, and loving every minute of it. We heard a lot of people swear by the Parcells strength and conditioning program, telling us how healthy and strong they feel because of it. Not quite a week into camp but, it certainly appears the Dolphins are doing ok. At last year's pace, the team would have taken three major injuries by now. The only current injuries are to Michael Lehan and Steve McKinney. Steve came to the Dolphins injured, and he is currently rehabbing his way out of it.
12. The locker room atmosphere is tense. In speaking to Armando Salguero about John Beck, asking what the players in the locker room thought of him, he really just emphasized how the entire locker room is way too busy fighting for their own survival to even care. Others close to the situation have noticed this as well. The atmosphere is absolutely just as it was intended to be: one where players are intensely focused on doing their job, making the squad, and impressing the coaches. There are no distractions. There is no Jason Taylor situation looming. They do not seem to even care about the quarterback controversy. The guys are wound up pretty damn tight, and that is impressive. What a striking difference from a year ago!
13. Is Anthony Fasano emerging? The guy has been steady thus far as the first string tight end. I notice today that even Sean Ryan is getting a crack at first string 2-TE packages, over David Martin and Justin Peelle. Still, the constant on the first string has been Fasano. That wasn't unpredictable, especially after we heard that the fourth rounder traded for Fasano was indeed mostly a trade for Fasano and that Akin Ayodele was a last minute tack-on. But, what is nice to hear, is that Anthony is actually earning his place. We've heard about a couple of nice grabs from him in the passing game. A week or two ago, Terrell Owens went on record about Anthony saying he really came along in the passing game and he's going to be very good down here. We know he can block. Did we get a complete tight end? I ask, because having Sean Ryan in on the 2-TE sets suggests to me that the coaches are even more confident in Fasano's pass catching ability than they are David Martin. If that is the case, that is a significant development.
However, I think there are some very interesting non-quarterback developments going on and I was hoping to talk about some of them. Here are the ones I see, in no particular order:
1. Vonnie Holliday and Matt Roth are starting DEs, and both being worked at OLB? Many consider Roth's work at OLB to be a desperation move but I see it as a privilege, considering they've yet to even hint that he could be bumped off first string LDE duties. Maybe this is oversimplification, but when my bosses give me a new task to try my hand at, I consider it a new opportunity to make myself more valuable to the company. And, both Vonnie Holliday and Matt Roth are being given that opportunity. The idea is: the more jobs you can do, the more snaps you can take during a game, the more valuable you are. If Holliday and Roth prove capable enough to do spot OLB duty, then the Dolphins don't have to keep as many LBs active for game days. Perhaps it lets them keep more DLs active, so that they can keep everyone fresh and ready to bust up the quarterback. Who knows? I do know that added flexibility disappears if you suddely got rid of Holliday or Roth, and so that's why I say the coaches have given them the privilege becoming more valuable on the roster.
2. Boomer Grigsby is not playing Special Teams. This was noticed by the poster named Boomer, not the player himself, and it might be something to keep an eye on. We can speculate as to the reasons, but either way it is an interesting development. It could be a negative, since part of the reason you bring a Boomer Grigsby to Miami is because of his value on special teams. So, if they don't trust him to play special teams, what does that say about his chances of making the team? On the other hand, it could be a positive. If they are not working him on special teams simply because they already know what he can do there, and they'd rather get him focusing on his lead blocking duties, it could give him the edge he needs to make the team.
3. Jake Long is consistently strong against strength, and weak against speed. You'd rather he not show weakness at all, but from what I am reading, his problem isn't consistency. That is important, because I believe the worst problem you can have as a left tackle is to be inconsistent. If you are inconsistent, the quarterback never knows when you are going to fail to do your job. Subsequently, he'll get jittery. If your weaknesses are more predictable, that takes away from the unknowns and helps keep the quarterback comfortable. As an offense, you can cover up predictable weaknesses. I could be wrong about this, but so far the impression I get is that Jake Long is having far less trouble going up against guys like Phil Merling, Kendall Langford and Vonnie Holliday, than guys like Charlie Anderson and Quentin Moses. Many could have predicted that profile before he was drafted, and if it persists it might not be the end of the world, especially for a rookie.
4. Is Charlie Anderson a diamond in the rough? In listening to Miami Herald's Armando Salguero conduct an interview on 790 The Ticket yesterday, they got to talking about Charlie Anderson a bit and Armando was skeptical of Anderson, for good reason. I mean, immediately you have to say: where has Anderson been the last four years? However, knowing about his background, he has been an OLB in a 4-3 defense in Houston. He has talked about it in interview. He sayss that he is trying to get use to rushing the passer again, because all his time in the NFL has been spent mostly in coverage and not pass rush. If that is truly the case, and he's already this good at rushing the passer even though it has been years since he did it last, then wow. The Dolphins just might have themselves a linebacker here. It is understandable if his valuable as an outside linebacker in a 3-4 alignment has been hidden until now. Pass rushers are indeed coveted, but at 6'4" and 243 pounds, not many coaches would be itching to see Anderson play as a down defensive end in a 4-3 alignment, and so they would not necessarily get to see him rush the passer. Top caliber 3-4 outside linebackers are not automatically attractive as down defensive ends. Does anyone think Mike Vrabel would be a top tier DE? I do not. Rosevelt Colvin? Doubtful. Joey Porter, for that matter? Heck no. These guys are linebackers. It is possible the Dolphins just found themselves another linebacker. Of course, this is the time of year when the Akbar Gbaja-Biamilas of the world look like valid NFL players, too.
5. Donald Thomas is now working with the first string. This is significant, because he is working at first string Right Guard, even before Shawn "Dropkick" Murphy. But, even that is not quite as significant to me as what Tony Sparano said about Thomas today. He said that he talked to some of the defensive players after practicing against Donald with the first string, and the defensive players said he was "heavy". Sparano went on to explain that when a player says that, he doesn't mean size or weight, "he means he’s heavy when he hits on you and when he leans on you." That's about as significant a compliment as you'll find at this juncture. Before the draft, I would have thought Donald Thomas would be drafted before Murphy. I liked them both, I just thought Thomas was better, even if less experienced. He is now developing a pattern for practice excellence, one that was first established way back in January at Hula Bowl practices. A week after impressing at those practices, he was invited to the Shrine Game practices, where he stood out once again. Now, in his first opportunity to don the pads again and hit some people, he is impressing once again. He is definitely a player to keep an eye on.
6. Is it me, or is the secondary doing a great job out there? Perhaps this is just a function of the quarterback and receiver problems, but...we're hearing about an awful lot of interceptions! Will Allen, Jason Allen, Andre Goodman, Nate Jones, Chris Crocker have all gotten picks. We are also hearing about a lot of blanket coverage out there. Again, this could be more about the receivers and quarterbacks, but either way the defensive backs are actually getting their hands on footballs and hanging onto them. That right there seems like a big improvement, compared with a year ago. I bring it up because one could have predicted, based on his history, that Secondary Coach Todd Bowles would coach these guys up on being able to snatch the ball for more interceptions. So far, we may be seeing that play out.
7. Jason Ferguson is a bonafied NFL nose tackle. That makes me breathe a sigh of relief, I don't know about you. I figured he would be solid, but you never really know, especially when all the guy cost was a future sixth round pick. The biggest question now will be: will he stay healthy? He is out there beating the snot out of Samson Satele in one-on-one's. That should not necessarily concern you about Satele, beating a Center one-on-one is Ferguson's job. If you're going to start as an NFL nose guard, beating a Center one-on-one has to be as easy as breathing. Any time the offensive line makes the mistake of leaving you one-on-one with a Center, a nose tackle is expected to beat him up and have his way with him. If your starting middle guard can't do that consistently, your 3-4 defense is pretty much dead in the water: the two guards will be free to release on the inside linebackers, and the runner will have an easy 5 to 10 yards right up the gut before a safety or scraping linebacker can even get to him.
8. Paul Soliai is getting mad props. I know that Harvey Fialkov and Omar Kelly have gone out of their way to note that Samson Satele is handling Paul Soliai, but other people are definitely going out of their way to give Soliai some props, including Channing Crowder and Tony Sparano. Also our own FinHeaven camp reporter Ozzy gave Soliai some props from Sunday's practice. The great part about what was said about him was, all three comments were relatively unbidden. Channing Crowder was asked about two completely different guys, and went out of his way to say the biggest surprise has been Soliai, who lost like 30 pounds and has been "beating the hell out of guys". Sparano went out of his way compliment Soliai's weight loss, his overall play, and use of hands. I can tell you one thing, just getting that big Samoan mother to lose the weight you want him to, and to check into training camp and pass his conditioning test, where others like Julius Wilson and Dan Gore failed? That's an accomplishment.
9. Wide receiver medley. I personally believe, based on what I'm seeing so far, that Derek Hagan is continuing his good work from spring OTAs and mini-camps, and looking the best among the receivers. He has been noted for his unusually consistent hands. He is probably the most crisp route runner out there, and size/speed ratio has never been an issue for him. Meanwhile, I think Greg Camarillo is quietly winning the #4 spot on the depth chart. Two of four days now (counting today), we have heard something nice about a good Camarillo catch. We also hear that in 4-WR sets, Camarillo is that fourth guy. Davone Bess continues to show nice hands and route running skills. Jayson Foster packs a wallop as a blocker for a little guy. Ozzy specifically noted how good Foster looked in blocking drills, and now today Edgar Thompson of the Palm Beach Post noted a play where Foster blocked Jason Allen into tomorrow. These guys obviously have a long way to go as a unit but they're doing some things right. Of course, things can and will change when/if Terry Glenn joins the team, but that is a different story.
10. Running backs are the strongest unit on the team. Ricky Williams is damn near bringing tears to the eyes of some people watching him, including his biggest detractors. Ronnie Brown is mystifying folks with how well he's moving so soon after tearing an ACL...and he's not really taking any breaks from the practice schedule. Meanwhile, Jalen Parmele continues to look like the real deal Holyfield out there. Even Patrick Cobbs is getting into the action and doing well. The line may clearly have issues in pass protection, but by all reports they can run block extremely well, especially on that left side. If the Dolphins are going to be a core running team, that is certainly where you have to start. If Donald Thomas ends up starting at right guard, that left side running game could end up quite the spectacle as Thomas flashes his athleticism in pulling duties.
11. Injuries. Knock on wood. But, so far, things really seem to be playing out well on the injury front. I don't know why Joey Porter missed the first two and a half days, but it doesn't appear to be significant because by that third day he was already passing his conditioning test and working back at his position. Ronnie Brown isn't even wearing a knee brace, let alone lightening up his work load. Vonnie Holliday's knee feels so good, he's working at outside linebacker. No hint of those old shoulder problems we remember for Ricky Williams; he's seeking contact, stiff-arming people, and loving every minute of it. We heard a lot of people swear by the Parcells strength and conditioning program, telling us how healthy and strong they feel because of it. Not quite a week into camp but, it certainly appears the Dolphins are doing ok. At last year's pace, the team would have taken three major injuries by now. The only current injuries are to Michael Lehan and Steve McKinney. Steve came to the Dolphins injured, and he is currently rehabbing his way out of it.
12. The locker room atmosphere is tense. In speaking to Armando Salguero about John Beck, asking what the players in the locker room thought of him, he really just emphasized how the entire locker room is way too busy fighting for their own survival to even care. Others close to the situation have noticed this as well. The atmosphere is absolutely just as it was intended to be: one where players are intensely focused on doing their job, making the squad, and impressing the coaches. There are no distractions. There is no Jason Taylor situation looming. They do not seem to even care about the quarterback controversy. The guys are wound up pretty damn tight, and that is impressive. What a striking difference from a year ago!
13. Is Anthony Fasano emerging? The guy has been steady thus far as the first string tight end. I notice today that even Sean Ryan is getting a crack at first string 2-TE packages, over David Martin and Justin Peelle. Still, the constant on the first string has been Fasano. That wasn't unpredictable, especially after we heard that the fourth rounder traded for Fasano was indeed mostly a trade for Fasano and that Akin Ayodele was a last minute tack-on. But, what is nice to hear, is that Anthony is actually earning his place. We've heard about a couple of nice grabs from him in the passing game. A week or two ago, Terrell Owens went on record about Anthony saying he really came along in the passing game and he's going to be very good down here. We know he can block. Did we get a complete tight end? I ask, because having Sean Ryan in on the 2-TE sets suggests to me that the coaches are even more confident in Fasano's pass catching ability than they are David Martin. If that is the case, that is a significant development.
