I flew into Miami two days ago to see some family and luckily I got a chance to go see our Dolphins in Training Camp. I went to camp with a note pad and a pen and jotted down some notes of what I saw. I'll start with the play-by-play notes that I took and then go into deeper positional analysis. Enjoy.
-Davone Bess, Reggie Bush, Clyde Gates, and another receiver whose number I didn't see were out a half-hour before practice catching punts.
-It had to be 1,000,000,000,000 degrees today - I've never sweat so much in my entire life
-Will Allen did practice, and I heard that it was a hamstring that was hampering him
11 on 11
Henne:
-pass tipped at line of scrimmage
-pass to Hartline incomplete, was intended 10 yards up the sideline
-pass to Bess overthrown
-Pass to Roberto Wallace. Wallace initially caught the pass but Henne led him straight into Sean Smith, who popped him pretty good. Wallace proceeded to drop the ball.
-Screen pass to Gates, goes for a minimal gain
Moore:
-Pass to Marlon Moore, complete for a short gain.
-Matt Moore did some hand offs and then he came out
Henne again:
-Pass deep middle completed to Brandon Marshall. Good ball location and Henne effectively sold the play action
-Henne sacked as a result of good coverage
-Henne's pass complete to Davone Bess, short left. Good pass
Moore again:
-Moore hands off to Daniel Thomas who gets a nice welcoming from Paul Soliai. Thomas' helmet flies
-fumbled exchange from the center
O'Connell:
-Pass short right to unknown receiver in the flat
-Pass down the middle of the field between three defenders to #17. Nice pass that split the D
Devlin
-Pass to #17. The receiver did most of the work on that throw
Henne:
-15 yard pass to Marshall. Holding on the play - coming back.
-Pass to Bess short middle, gain of 10
-Henne pass to Gates deep, incomplete, defensive holding on the play.
-Henne sacked. Columbo was the victim.
-Henne to Bess short middle.
Moore:
-Incomplete pass short middle. D is bringing it today.
-Columbo is getting absolutely MANHANDLED
Misc. - Guy next to me is giving commentary after every play, talking to himself. I don't know what was more bothersome, him or the heat.
Devlin:
-Sacked on the play
-Pass short middle off of Clay's hands
Henne:
Pass complete to Gates for 15 yards on right sideline
Thoughts
Offensive line
The line got manhandled today. The defense always seemed one step ahead, no matter if it was first, second or third team defense. Our line looks slow, unathletic, timid, uninspiring, soft, weak, etc. Maybe our defensive line is that good but I certainly don't see any improvement in the line. The offensive line might be worse than last year.
Daniel Thomas
He isn't impressing me so far. He isn't getting help from blocking but he seems eager to run full speed straight to the line rather than letting a play develop. He doesn't break many tackles and on the few plays that he was in pass protecting, he wasn't impressive in that regard either. We really need to get our line fixed so this guy can get some confidence before the season starts.
Receivers
Our receiving corps is going to be better than last season. Hartline gets consistent separation, Marshall constantly finds the soft spots in coverage, Bess looks quicker and stronger than last year, Gates looks like he is adapting well and Roberto Wallace is putting together a pretty nice camp as well.
Tight Ends
Not sure why we didn't upgrade this group. I haven't seen any production in camp out of these guys. We might catch a break once cuts are made, but it would really benefit this offense to have a seam threat that could open up the short and middle parts of the field.
Defensive Line
The rotation looks strong. When guys like McDaniel and Merling are seen on second and third team, you know this is a deep rotation. They look strong and poised. They were giving the offensive line of every unit fits today. D line is lightyears ahead of the offensive line.
Vontae Davis and Sean Smith
I think this is going to be a pretty good duo this year. Smith seems more physical while Vontae covers every receiver like a glove
Reggie Bush
It gets me excited to watch this guy play. He really does have the ability to take every play to the house. He looked great today. I can't wait to see him in real game action.
Mike Nolan
He is very involved with the defense. You'll see him throwing passes in defensive drills and really instructing guys hands on. This guy doesn't get enough credit as a defensive mastermind.
Overall
Decent day of camp. I was going to go again tomorrow but it was just too hot out there. I drank seven bottles of water in under two hours. Pretty simple day of camp. There weren't really any tremendous offensive or defensive plays. The most that happened today was breakdowns along the offensive line. I would expect to see Sparano working more with the offensive line but he seems to be showing every position equal time (besides quarterbacks, which he gives double time). Games two and three of the preseason should give us a better feel of where our offense is. As far as the defense is concerned, I wouldn't worry about them. What you see this preseason is very vanilla compared to what Nolan unleashes in the regular season. They seem to be backing Henne still, but don't be surprised if Moore gets some reps with the first team if Henne struggles against Carolina during this week's game.
-Davone Bess, Reggie Bush, Clyde Gates, and another receiver whose number I didn't see were out a half-hour before practice catching punts.
-It had to be 1,000,000,000,000 degrees today - I've never sweat so much in my entire life
-Will Allen did practice, and I heard that it was a hamstring that was hampering him
11 on 11
Henne:
-pass tipped at line of scrimmage
-pass to Hartline incomplete, was intended 10 yards up the sideline
-pass to Bess overthrown
-Pass to Roberto Wallace. Wallace initially caught the pass but Henne led him straight into Sean Smith, who popped him pretty good. Wallace proceeded to drop the ball.
-Screen pass to Gates, goes for a minimal gain
Moore:
-Pass to Marlon Moore, complete for a short gain.
-Matt Moore did some hand offs and then he came out
Henne again:
-Pass deep middle completed to Brandon Marshall. Good ball location and Henne effectively sold the play action
-Henne sacked as a result of good coverage
-Henne's pass complete to Davone Bess, short left. Good pass
Moore again:
-Moore hands off to Daniel Thomas who gets a nice welcoming from Paul Soliai. Thomas' helmet flies
-fumbled exchange from the center
O'Connell:
-Pass short right to unknown receiver in the flat
-Pass down the middle of the field between three defenders to #17. Nice pass that split the D
Devlin
-Pass to #17. The receiver did most of the work on that throw
Henne:
-15 yard pass to Marshall. Holding on the play - coming back.
-Pass to Bess short middle, gain of 10
-Henne pass to Gates deep, incomplete, defensive holding on the play.
-Henne sacked. Columbo was the victim.
-Henne to Bess short middle.
Moore:
-Incomplete pass short middle. D is bringing it today.
-Columbo is getting absolutely MANHANDLED
Misc. - Guy next to me is giving commentary after every play, talking to himself. I don't know what was more bothersome, him or the heat.
Devlin:
-Sacked on the play
-Pass short middle off of Clay's hands
Henne:
Pass complete to Gates for 15 yards on right sideline
Thoughts
Offensive line
The line got manhandled today. The defense always seemed one step ahead, no matter if it was first, second or third team defense. Our line looks slow, unathletic, timid, uninspiring, soft, weak, etc. Maybe our defensive line is that good but I certainly don't see any improvement in the line. The offensive line might be worse than last year.
Daniel Thomas
He isn't impressing me so far. He isn't getting help from blocking but he seems eager to run full speed straight to the line rather than letting a play develop. He doesn't break many tackles and on the few plays that he was in pass protecting, he wasn't impressive in that regard either. We really need to get our line fixed so this guy can get some confidence before the season starts.
Receivers
Our receiving corps is going to be better than last season. Hartline gets consistent separation, Marshall constantly finds the soft spots in coverage, Bess looks quicker and stronger than last year, Gates looks like he is adapting well and Roberto Wallace is putting together a pretty nice camp as well.
Tight Ends
Not sure why we didn't upgrade this group. I haven't seen any production in camp out of these guys. We might catch a break once cuts are made, but it would really benefit this offense to have a seam threat that could open up the short and middle parts of the field.
Defensive Line
The rotation looks strong. When guys like McDaniel and Merling are seen on second and third team, you know this is a deep rotation. They look strong and poised. They were giving the offensive line of every unit fits today. D line is lightyears ahead of the offensive line.
Vontae Davis and Sean Smith
I think this is going to be a pretty good duo this year. Smith seems more physical while Vontae covers every receiver like a glove
Reggie Bush
It gets me excited to watch this guy play. He really does have the ability to take every play to the house. He looked great today. I can't wait to see him in real game action.
Mike Nolan
He is very involved with the defense. You'll see him throwing passes in defensive drills and really instructing guys hands on. This guy doesn't get enough credit as a defensive mastermind.
Overall
Decent day of camp. I was going to go again tomorrow but it was just too hot out there. I drank seven bottles of water in under two hours. Pretty simple day of camp. There weren't really any tremendous offensive or defensive plays. The most that happened today was breakdowns along the offensive line. I would expect to see Sparano working more with the offensive line but he seems to be showing every position equal time (besides quarterbacks, which he gives double time). Games two and three of the preseason should give us a better feel of where our offense is. As far as the defense is concerned, I wouldn't worry about them. What you see this preseason is very vanilla compared to what Nolan unleashes in the regular season. They seem to be backing Henne still, but don't be surprised if Moore gets some reps with the first team if Henne struggles against Carolina during this week's game.
