Four Dolphins rookies had major roles Sunday -- Vontae Davis, Sean Smith, Brian Hartline and Chris Clemons. But what's the deal with Pat White (13 snaps all season) and Patrick Turner (who hasn't played)?
The Dolphins were disappointed by White's erratic accuracy this summer, and though he has gotten better, White said more improvement is needed. Beyond that, the Dolphins say they want to be cautious with White after Chad Pennington's injury.
``I maybe at the beginning of the summer thought I might have a little different use for him, a little more,'' coach Tony Sparano said Monday. ``The reason why his snap count is down is because he is the next quarterback. Our quarterback got sacked six times [Sunday], so you could be the next one really fast if you keep that stuff up. We are picking and choosing closely what we want Pat to do.''
The Dolphins still believe he has a strong upside as a change-of-pace option. In practice, ``he's gotten a lot better. His ball has gotten tighter, there are fewer [overthrows], he's settling down,'' cornerback Nate Jones said.
A Dolphins executive told people that Miami has a high regard for Florida's Tim Tebow. But even if he slid to the Dolphins' first-round slot, it would be surprising if they drafted him after investing second-rounders in Chad Henne and White and trading a fifth-rounder for Tyler Thigpen.
• Several veterans raved about Turner, who stands 6-5, in minicamp. But he lost some of the staff's confidence in training camp because of drops, less-than-precise route-running and trouble separating from defensive backs.
There has been some improvement, but not enough to make the staff believe -- as of last weekend -- that he would be a better option than the other four receivers. Turner, picked 87th overall, hasn't been active in games because there are backups at other positions who are better on special teams.
http://www.miamiherald.com/614/story/1314639.html
The Dolphins were disappointed by White's erratic accuracy this summer, and though he has gotten better, White said more improvement is needed. Beyond that, the Dolphins say they want to be cautious with White after Chad Pennington's injury.
``I maybe at the beginning of the summer thought I might have a little different use for him, a little more,'' coach Tony Sparano said Monday. ``The reason why his snap count is down is because he is the next quarterback. Our quarterback got sacked six times [Sunday], so you could be the next one really fast if you keep that stuff up. We are picking and choosing closely what we want Pat to do.''
The Dolphins still believe he has a strong upside as a change-of-pace option. In practice, ``he's gotten a lot better. His ball has gotten tighter, there are fewer [overthrows], he's settling down,'' cornerback Nate Jones said.
A Dolphins executive told people that Miami has a high regard for Florida's Tim Tebow. But even if he slid to the Dolphins' first-round slot, it would be surprising if they drafted him after investing second-rounders in Chad Henne and White and trading a fifth-rounder for Tyler Thigpen.
• Several veterans raved about Turner, who stands 6-5, in minicamp. But he lost some of the staff's confidence in training camp because of drops, less-than-precise route-running and trouble separating from defensive backs.
There has been some improvement, but not enough to make the staff believe -- as of last weekend -- that he would be a better option than the other four receivers. Turner, picked 87th overall, hasn't been active in games because there are backups at other positions who are better on special teams.
http://www.miamiherald.com/614/story/1314639.html
