Hi Guys. This report is late, because we were too tired yesterday to file it. My son, motioncity, and I went to the Saturday practice and had a great time. I wish you all could be there. It's so fantastic to be around 2000 Dolfans and be able to see our favorite players up close and personal.
Let me set the stage for you. It was an overcast day (thank God), one of the coolest practices I've been around in years. The Nicktator is no doubt a major control freak and it was evident from the moment you arrive at camp. Everything was so much more organized and controlled than I've ever seen in the 10 years I've been going to camp.
Unfortunately, the players are on the far field, so you can't see them very well. If you go, be sure to bring your binoculars. It was very crowded. Every seat was taken and everyone behaved, unlike past years. Saban even has the crowd under control!
Some general impressions:
QB - Feeley had the slight edge due to some beautiful catches by Chambers, Thompson, and Maurice Mann - a guy who is quickly becoming a training camp favorite. The battle between Gus and AJ is very close, which makes me think AJ has the lead because he is not yet familiar with the system and is not known as a good practice player.
RB - One of our strongest areas on the team. Everyone looks very good, even behind a depleted O-line. Ricky is always amazing to watch, he's such a natural. Like everyone said, he needs to bulk up about 10-15 lbs. Sammy Morris was the star this day....looking outstanding. Travis was his usual, reliable self, and KJ was a load in the middle. An impressive group.
WR - Also a real strength. Chambers is having his best camp and looks like a pro bowler. Thompson, who has always been a great practice player, looks very good. I think both Boston and Booker will get better as camp goes on. Both seemed just a bit off their game, which is understandable given that it is early. Josh Davis looked super and I think might make the team. Maurice Mann has been the big surprise, catching everything thrown his way. Keep an eye on him.
TE - What can I say. Randy looks great and Donald Lee is....well Donald Lee. He is not an NFL caliber TE, at least in terms of catching the ball.
OL - A very respectable day considering James didn't play and Stockar was surely thinking about his brother. Carey continues to impress and did an excellent job with JT. The usual culprits, McKinney and Whitley, continue to not live up to the long Texas A&M heritage of good linemen. I really thought McKinney would play much better and he was handled all day long. I hope Hud makes a change soon. I really feel we are 1 player away from having a very good O-line. Until our center situation improves though, we will struggle. NFL teams will take advantage of our soft middle area.
DL - Wow what a thrill to see this group. Man are we strong in this area. Carter and JT are outstanding. Shaw and Vickerson had impressive days. Wright showed flashes of brilliance. David Bowens is very solid and Matt Roth will get there. He came through the line a few times and was frustrated a few other times. Just what you would expect from a rookie. Holliday looked great running today. He looks in outstanding physical shape and I'm sure will help the line. Chester, however, looks like a fat slob - no other way to describe him. He's got to be 380 lbs. Very disappointing. A lot of young talent in this group and very deep.
LB - A very solid group that doesn't seem to make mistakes. Everyone looked good today and I think we will be happy with our LB's this year. Most of us were very impressed with Crowder - he is a huge kid that is totally ripped. Zach continues to be Zach - a true pro bowler. Spragan was also very solid. No problems with this group.
DB - Now I know why everyone is excited about Travis Daniels. Tall, fast, smart, and football savy. Probably the steal of the draft. We don't have a lot of depth in this area, but as long as the starters stay healthy this is a much better group than I thought. They are talented and play hard. I'm sure when Tebucky and Lance get up to speed this will be a solid group. Just thin as far as depth goes though.
ST - Very solid area. Welker looked fantastic on kickoffs. Mare had a perfect day and Turk was also solid today. Turk is getting some good competition from Jones, a strong left-footed kicker who kicks a little further than Matt, but isn't as consistent. In the scrimmage though, Matt was very solid.
Summary - Overall, I like the 2005 Dolphins. We badly need a center on this team to make the offense work. I'm not real worried about the QB spot, if we have a good center to seal up the middle. Except for center, the offense looks very positive and with Linehan and Houck leading this group, they could be special this year. The defense looks terrific, just very thin in terms of depth at DB. If the injury bug hits, we could be in trouble. If we stay healthy, this could be a top 10 defense. The coaching is just phenomenal. You'd have to go back to Shula's heyday to match the coaching we have right now. It is very obvious that Saban is light years beyond Wanny or JJ. He has done a great job of bringing in the right personnel without sacrificing good players. He hired the right coaches and has brought some discipline and structure to this team which has been sorely missing for a long time. Shula had the discipline, but lacked the personnel savvy (in the 80's and 90's) that Saban has. This team is moving in the right direction and it feels like an 8-8 or 9-7 year to me, with each year from now on getting better.
Let me set the stage for you. It was an overcast day (thank God), one of the coolest practices I've been around in years. The Nicktator is no doubt a major control freak and it was evident from the moment you arrive at camp. Everything was so much more organized and controlled than I've ever seen in the 10 years I've been going to camp.
Unfortunately, the players are on the far field, so you can't see them very well. If you go, be sure to bring your binoculars. It was very crowded. Every seat was taken and everyone behaved, unlike past years. Saban even has the crowd under control!
Some general impressions:
QB - Feeley had the slight edge due to some beautiful catches by Chambers, Thompson, and Maurice Mann - a guy who is quickly becoming a training camp favorite. The battle between Gus and AJ is very close, which makes me think AJ has the lead because he is not yet familiar with the system and is not known as a good practice player.
RB - One of our strongest areas on the team. Everyone looks very good, even behind a depleted O-line. Ricky is always amazing to watch, he's such a natural. Like everyone said, he needs to bulk up about 10-15 lbs. Sammy Morris was the star this day....looking outstanding. Travis was his usual, reliable self, and KJ was a load in the middle. An impressive group.
WR - Also a real strength. Chambers is having his best camp and looks like a pro bowler. Thompson, who has always been a great practice player, looks very good. I think both Boston and Booker will get better as camp goes on. Both seemed just a bit off their game, which is understandable given that it is early. Josh Davis looked super and I think might make the team. Maurice Mann has been the big surprise, catching everything thrown his way. Keep an eye on him.
TE - What can I say. Randy looks great and Donald Lee is....well Donald Lee. He is not an NFL caliber TE, at least in terms of catching the ball.
OL - A very respectable day considering James didn't play and Stockar was surely thinking about his brother. Carey continues to impress and did an excellent job with JT. The usual culprits, McKinney and Whitley, continue to not live up to the long Texas A&M heritage of good linemen. I really thought McKinney would play much better and he was handled all day long. I hope Hud makes a change soon. I really feel we are 1 player away from having a very good O-line. Until our center situation improves though, we will struggle. NFL teams will take advantage of our soft middle area.
DL - Wow what a thrill to see this group. Man are we strong in this area. Carter and JT are outstanding. Shaw and Vickerson had impressive days. Wright showed flashes of brilliance. David Bowens is very solid and Matt Roth will get there. He came through the line a few times and was frustrated a few other times. Just what you would expect from a rookie. Holliday looked great running today. He looks in outstanding physical shape and I'm sure will help the line. Chester, however, looks like a fat slob - no other way to describe him. He's got to be 380 lbs. Very disappointing. A lot of young talent in this group and very deep.
LB - A very solid group that doesn't seem to make mistakes. Everyone looked good today and I think we will be happy with our LB's this year. Most of us were very impressed with Crowder - he is a huge kid that is totally ripped. Zach continues to be Zach - a true pro bowler. Spragan was also very solid. No problems with this group.
DB - Now I know why everyone is excited about Travis Daniels. Tall, fast, smart, and football savy. Probably the steal of the draft. We don't have a lot of depth in this area, but as long as the starters stay healthy this is a much better group than I thought. They are talented and play hard. I'm sure when Tebucky and Lance get up to speed this will be a solid group. Just thin as far as depth goes though.
ST - Very solid area. Welker looked fantastic on kickoffs. Mare had a perfect day and Turk was also solid today. Turk is getting some good competition from Jones, a strong left-footed kicker who kicks a little further than Matt, but isn't as consistent. In the scrimmage though, Matt was very solid.
Summary - Overall, I like the 2005 Dolphins. We badly need a center on this team to make the offense work. I'm not real worried about the QB spot, if we have a good center to seal up the middle. Except for center, the offense looks very positive and with Linehan and Houck leading this group, they could be special this year. The defense looks terrific, just very thin in terms of depth at DB. If the injury bug hits, we could be in trouble. If we stay healthy, this could be a top 10 defense. The coaching is just phenomenal. You'd have to go back to Shula's heyday to match the coaching we have right now. It is very obvious that Saban is light years beyond Wanny or JJ. He has done a great job of bringing in the right personnel without sacrificing good players. He hired the right coaches and has brought some discipline and structure to this team which has been sorely missing for a long time. Shula had the discipline, but lacked the personnel savvy (in the 80's and 90's) that Saban has. This team is moving in the right direction and it feels like an 8-8 or 9-7 year to me, with each year from now on getting better.
