No need for overanalysis about the Dolphins' OTAs
DAVIE
In his responses to four questions about the interior offensive line following Tuesday's OTA practice,
Dolphins coach Tony Sparano mentioned nearly every guard but
John Hannah,
Dwyane Wade and those stiffs who protect Buckingham Palace.
John Jerry.
Nate Garner.
Cory Procter.
Donald Thomas.
Hey, wait, what happened to Shawn Murphy?
You remember Shawn Murphy, right? Son of Dale? Former fourth-round pick? The talk of this sports town just one year ago? The guy who had improved so much, after a lost rookie year, that he was working with the first team? The guy who according to Sparano, was "much stronger now physically, without a doubt and I think in a lot better shape, so I think we are going to see him take some steps forward here?"
That guy never stepped foot on the field for the Dolphins during a regular-season game.
They cut him in October. He has been claimed and cut by two teams since.
And so let's be careful not to make any claims based on what's happening during Organized Team Activities. Let's not make the mistake of assuming that players' apparent roles in May or June will have any bearing on what occurs in the fall and winter.
It's an eternity between now and the opener.
So most of what you hear now is inanity. We're just feeding the beast, but it's not necessarily nourishing.
Such is the local
appetite for Dolphins coverage that any position battle will generate more
website traffic than a
Phillies perfect game against the
Marlins
Get your Marlins Tickets now!, unless that perfect game coverage is accompanied by plenty of photos of Mermaids posing in provocative positions. That's why we overreact to everything that happens in the practices to which we have access, even though the
NFL mandates that these practices proceed without the one thing that makes football what it is — the contact. This exercise is akin to evaluating hockey players who are squeaking in sneakers in a nearby cul-de-sac, without seeing them skate.
(Hey, maybe that's been
the Panthers' approach.)
In the year-round, round-the-clock search for story lines, we jump to conclusions that look silly in hindsight. And we ask questions of Sparano about specific players, knowing that he will provide positive answers that can serve as proof of a player's potential impact, and fill another day.
Let's look back at his news conferences in late May and early June of last year. He was asked a lot about linemen Brandon Frye, Ikechuku Ndukwe, Andy Alleman and Murphy. He was not asked about the forgotten Garner, who would eventually emerge as Thomas' true competition.
In those sessions, he praised Ernest Wilford's conversion to tight end, noted that Eric Green was often around the ball, spoke highly of Matt Roth's upside, called Gibril Wilson "a pretty cool customer back there," and said Ted Ginn Jr. was playing stronger: "I have seen him be, in some situations, pretty dominant."
Some of those players were let go. Others were letdowns.
So was Sparano lying? No. He was observing, projecting, hoping and, through his positive comments, attempting to reassure fans while inspiring the referenced players.
The truth is, Sparano couldn't know what training camp and the season would bring, and neither could we. In May and June, we assumed either Brandon London or the impressive
Patrick Turner would be a factor. But it was
Brian Hartline who emerged. In May and June, we focused on
Jason Taylor and
Joey Porter, with Randy Starks only getting publicity for his Freightliner activity. Starks, who didn't start working regularly with the first team until August, proved to be the team's primary defensive force.
So, yes, it is hard to ignore Charlie Anderson getting more first-team reps than Cameron Wake, or
Chris Clemons looking like the free safety favorite.
Still, it's best to look away for a while.
Sparano explained Tuesday that, with 80 players to evaluate, he's experimenting, tinkering. There's a method to the madness. For instance, "I really don't want, in the first group, a lot of down-the-liners with Chad [Henne]." He wants to make sure that certain people get work against the better people, so he can make the best evaluations possible. But that doesn't mean they're best bets to start when the season does. He'll likely learn more from the first training camp practice in pads than all previous practices put together.
"Right now, reading an awful lot into it is just going to frustrate you guys," Sparano said.
And the guys and gals reading us.
Ethan J. Skolnick can be reached at
eskolnick@SunSentinel.com
