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Report Done..Hope You Enjoy..

JBrownTCReports

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Here is my report..If you have any questions ask. Also tomorrow. You will find out about all the players at their position when I do an analysis report on every player at each position.

Dolfans, its finally amongst us. The days when are precious Dolphins are out there busting their butts in the hot sunny Florida weather to get ready to put together a great season for us Dolfans. The Dolphins began their first full squad workout today with all veterans and rookies in attendance, even Seth McKinney, who was signed late last night. With these two-a-days now in full swing, practices will only be getting more important as players on the bubble try and impress the coaches, hoping that they will have impressed enough to make the 53 man roster.

Contract Information:
In yesterdays report, I reported that 3rd rd Draft Pick Guard Seth McKinney, from Texas A&M, signed a three year deal. Since the financial terms were not yet released, I could not tell you the information on it. However I know have the financial terms and they are as follows, a three year deal worth about $1.28 million dollars, and a signing bonus of $376,000. However there are a series of bonuses with increasing amounts depending on playing time, and a guarantee, to make up for him taking a smaller signing bonus than the players taken above and behind him.
The Miami Dolphins today signed free agent safety Jason Moore to a two-year contract, the team announced.

Moore, 26, played with the Barcelona Dragons of the NFL Europe League this past spring, where he started at free safety. He tied for the team lead with two interceptions, which he returned a club-best 81 yards. He also recorded 39 tackles, five passes defensed and added four tackles on special teams.
The 5-10, 195-pound Moore originally signed with Cincinnati as an undrafted college free agent in 1998 before being waived prior to the regular season. In 1999, he split the season on the Denver Broncos’ practice squad and active roster, and saw action in six games. He was released by Denver prior to the 2000 regular season. He subsequently spent time with both Green Bay and San Francisco in 2000, and played in a total of eight games, including two with the Packers and six with the 49ers. He was released by San Francisco on March 21, 2001, and was out of football last year.

Pre-Camp News:
Coach Dave Wannstedt, pleased to see several veterans hanging around Saturday, a day before they had to report, planned to deliver this message at the first meeting:
``We have seven two-a-days before we go play Tampa, which isn't very many. We've got to make every one count, that includes work against Tennessee [Aug. 2-3]. . . . Training camp is where we develop our physical toughness, our mental toughness, and get in shape. We don't worry about anything else except these next two weeks.''

McKinney's absence had benefited someone: center Troy Andrew, who made the roster last year as an undrafted free agent from Duke. Only five offensive linemen have been in camp, focusing on technique before the real hitting starts. ''You can catch somebody's eye right now,'' Andrew said. ``[Monday] the line's going to get a little long.''

Today, Miami will sign safety Jason Moore, who played at San Diego State and in Barcelona of NFL Europe.

The Dolphins are hoping to get tight end Alonzo Mayes back at practice pretty soon, with Wannstedt saying Mayes was making good progress when he was sidelined by a sprained ankle. Mayes, meanwhile, came up with an interesting take on his well-publicized conditioning problems. "They say it's 365," referring to the team's preference he be in shape every day of the year. "I say 265, 16 hours of work, eight of sleep ... Those other 100 days are mine."

Wide receiver Robert Baker impressed Dolphins coaches in two previous training camps only to be sidelined by injuries. Well, he's off to another good start. "I've always been a Robert Baker fan because he works so hard," Wannstedt said. "He's been around here so many years and he's overcome some adversity."

Top Play From Practice:
The play was a reverse executed by running back Travis Minor and receiver Dedric Ward in the morning. On the play, Minor went left from the backfield and handed off to Ward, who took the ball right.

Practice Quotes:
(Morning Practice)
(Wannstedt On First Full Squad Practice)
"There was as much enthusiasm out here today as what I've been around for a first practice," Wannstedt said. "It was exciting and our guys worked hard. It was positive work. I like our guys. I like this team. I like the way that we are approaching things. I think we have better leadership than we have ever had."

(On QB Jay Fiedler)
Head Coach Dave Wannstedt - “Jay is on schedule. Nothing has changed with him. We’re hoping to get him throwing on Wednesday (July 31) and than get him back full speed next week.â€Â
Head Coach Dave Wannstedt
(On Monday morning’s practice) - “It was a very, very good start, to say the least. We came out and did our normal first-day-in-pads routine, with the full speed inside runs. There was as much enthusiasm out here today as what I’ve been around for a first practice. I think a lot has to do with everybody working. The guys who were banged up and hurt in the offseason all were out here participating. It was exciting. The guys worked hard. It was positive work.â€Â

(On T Brent Smith) - “About a month ago, he strained his calf a little bit. He was going through the drills and it was a little bit tight, so we decided just to limit what he did. We brought Alonzo Mayes back out. He worked today. He didn’t do everything, but he did most of the work. We took him off the PUP status, so he’s back at it. Other than that, I thought the guys were good.â€Â

(On the performance of the offensive line Monday morning) - “There’s nothing like competition. Today the guys were coming off the football and competing. That was encouraging.â€Â

(On other bright spots Monday morning) - “I thought Larry Chester showed up today. Ricky (Williams) obviously made some plays, which was real encouraging. Robert Edwards held up good. This was his first time having contact since the injury. I’m very, very pleased with the way the thing started.â€Â

(On DE David Bowens) - “We’ll rotate between him and Jay Williams. We’re going to rotate those guys and just see what happens. It’s healthy. Wallay (Adewale Ogunleye) made a few plays and you have Rob Burnett mixing in there. We’ve got some guys who are really excited about an opportunity to play and help us win. That’s encouraging.â€Â

(On if QB Jay Fiedler might be able to return next week) - “Jay is on schedule. Nothing has changed with him. We’re hoping to get him throwing Wednesday of this week. That’s the hope, to get him out here in throwing drills on Wednesday and get him back full speed next week.â€Â

(On if there’s a difference between the offseason program and training camp) - “Yeah, because of the contact. The offseason is more throwing and catching. Now, it’s blocking and tackling. You know my mentality and my personality. You win games by blocking and tackling. This is what it’s all about. This is training camp and this is what we’ve got to get done these next couple of weeks.â€Â

(On if he likes being picked to win the AFC East by a lot of publications) - “I’ve got two thoughts on that. First, the Super Bowl champ is in our division. So they’re the team we have to beat. Secondly, as far as all the predictions, I’ve never been one for predictions. We’re not going to hide from predictions. We’re not going to run away from predictions. We’ll deal with them at the right time. This isn’t the time to deal with them. This is the time to work and get ready for that opener.â€Â

(On how important it is now to instill a winning attitude) - “We have that. We’ve got a winning football team and our guys expect to win. That’s something you don’t assume. You have to come out here and prove it every day. And our guys do that.â€Â

(On how he would compare his level of optimism this year to his first two years with the Dolphins) - “This time of year, I think every head coach is very optimistic. I like this team. I like our guys. I like the way we’re approaching things, maybe not necessarily anything different from a physical standpoint, but maybe a little bit different from a mental standpoint. I think we’ve got better leadership now than what we’ve ever had.â€Â

(On the combination of Ricky Williams and Robert Edwards in the backfield) - “Travis Minor is our second tailback, and he had a nice day today. I don’t know how it’s going to unfold. It’s to early to say. There’s a good chance we could keep six running backs. It could be four tailbacks and two fullbacks or it could be three and three. We’ll wait. We’ve got a lot of practices left. Things will separate themselves.â€Â

Running Back Ricky Williams
(On his first training camp practice as a Dolphin) - “It’s been a while since we had pads on. The whole first day you just have to get used to having the pads back on and the pace of practice with pads on. Overall, it was a good day. We got some good work in. We got some good tempo and some good banging. I think it was a good start.â€Â

(On how he feels in Norv Turner’s offense) - “The offense is going to take care of itself. Norv has done a great job installing it. His track record has showed that we’re going to score a lot of touchdowns and we’re going to win a lot of games because of his offense. I felt good. I felt like I have a pretty good grasp on the offense. It’s tough getting back in football shape, but that’s probably the hardest thing.â€Â

(On if he’s lighter, if he wants to play lighter and what that will allow him to do) - “I just want to be in the best shape that I can be. A lot of times, that usually takes care of the whole weight thing.â€Â

(On how he sees the offensive line) - “Everywhere I go, people talk to me about the line. They say, ‘The line wasn’t very good last year, and this and that.’ From day one, they’ve worked extremely hard. They’re really smart and they have great technique. I think they are great. They’re one of the best lines I’ve been around.â€Â

(On if there is still something special about the first day of training camp) - “For me, it’s kind of a different story, because I was in college and went through four years of camp there, and then three years in New Orleans. For me, coming to a different team, the first couple of days is just learning how they do things around here. I was a little lost out there. I didn’t know where to go and what drills to go to. I think right now, I’m just trying to get adjusted to the way they do things here.â€Â

(On if he’s used to being the center of attention) - “I think when you’re a kid growing up and you want to be a superstar, this is all part of it. Being a star player isn’t just on the field, it goes off the field. And the media is the best way to achieve that.â€Â

(On the fact that he has the fans excited) - “They’re fanatics, they’re fans. They’re supposed to be excited. If they’re doing that, that means we’re doing our job.â€Â

(On if he heard them and if it gets him excited) - “Yeah. It does. But when you’re on the field, you’re trying to focus on running your plays, getting back and there are so many things going on. We have so much focus on getting ready for the season that it’s hard while we’re at practice to get to the fans. But it’s great during breaks and after practice to go over there, talk to them and sign some autographs.â€Â

(On how it feels to finally have some contact on the field) - “It feels good, but it probably won’t feel as good when I wake up in the morning.â€Â

(On if it hurt him last year when he played at a heavier weight) - “I don’t think so. I thought I had a good year last year.â€Â

Defensive End Jason Taylor
(On the start of training camp) - “It is definitely nice to get back to work and have it be pretty meaningful. We have a whole lot of expectations this year with a good football team. We are looking forward to get going.â€Â

(On the expectations this year) - “I know we have a good football team. If we stay healthy, we can do a lot of things, but I’m not going to sit here and say we are on our way to the Super Bowl. We have to beat Detroit in the first week of September.â€Â

(On the time frame to win a championship) -- “We only have a year or two to do this (win a championship). We are going to be “has-beens†and we are going to be looking back and saying in 2002 that we had a good team, but such and such happened. That is one thing we have to avoid. We have talked about it and now we have to go out there and make it happen.â€Â

Linebacker Zach Thomas
(On winning a championship) - “We have everything intact, but I’m just tired of having excuses at the end of the year. We just have to prove ourselves, but we have to earn our respect first. The biggest key is no excuses. I don’t care about injuries or anything. We have depth this year.â€Â

(On Being Negative Last Year)
''I think I got a little negative last year,'' he said. ``Even when I was down with Jimmy, he told me I was a little negative toward the media. Jimmy told me to be a little more positive this year, so I'm going to try.''

Linebacker Derrick Rodgers
(On high expectations entering the year) - “In order for us to get to where we want to get, we are going to have to be hungry. We can’t sit on the paperwork and say, ‘Look at all the talent we have … we are supposed to win it.’ It doesn’t happen like that. We have to go out there on Sundays, and some occasions Mondays, and prove what we can do.â€Â

Camp Notes:
Miami signed Jason Moore to a two-year contract.

Also on Monday, tight end Alonzo Mayes, who had missed the first three days of training camp with an ankle injury, passed his physical and was activated off the Physically Unable to Perform list.
Former NFL player James 'Hollywood' Henderson attended today's morning practice session.
My Morning Practice Take:
Today's morning practice was much more exciting than the past five practices. Not only because they were wearing pads, but we could finally see Running Back Ricky Williams, who we traded for in March, as well as seeing the other great Miami veterans. First off lets start with QB, Ray Lucas looked pretty decent today, as he has everyday since Training Camp started. He looks good in the pocket, as well as out and scrambling, but he does lack alittle bit of accuracy on the run that Fiedler doesn't. As for Fiedler, he was there going through some small drills, but none of the contact drills. He is expected to be back throwing on Wednesday of this week. Then there is the Running Back position, Ricky Williams, looked great. He looks faster than he did in New Orleans last year and he is just as strong. His first handoff of the practice, he gained 5 yards, which was good considering Miami's usual running game. In the middle, he only carried twice and I think he picked 4 yards once and 5 on the other, but picking up anything in that drill is something to be excited about. Overall his day wasn't spectacular, but I must say he is definitely an upgrade from Lamar Smith. Then there was Robert Edwards and Travis Minor, they both ran pretty decent, as well as making pretty good cuts. Nevertheless both are still neck and neck for that 2nd string job, in which I think will fall in the hands of Travis Minor, but we will have to see how these things unfold. Then there was the Fullback position, Ayanbadejo, Deon Dyer, and Rob Konrad all looked good today. I honestly think the Fins will keep all three of them. Ayanbadejo will be basically a Special Team standout, while Dyer blocks for Ricky on running plays and Konrad will come in on passing plays. The only bad part of keeping them three, will be that they will have to cut either Edwards or Henry at Running Back. Next there is the Tight End position, in which you know I'm going to talk about Randy McMichaels, who had another solid and is gaining closer to Jed Weaver for that starting spot. I think McMichael, really impressed the coaches during the first three days of camp, and thats what has gotten him extra attention. If the coaches would have held off on naming a starter till after seeing McMichael, I think there would have been a different person starting at Tight End. Next there was the Wide Receiver position, Chris Chambers did it all today, catching everything in sight and even everything that wasn't. There will be no Cornerback in the league that will be able to contain him, which should give Oronde Gadsden and Dedric Ward, who both had solid days today, more receptions. I must say after seeing Chambers potential last season and this camp so far, I really don't know how he slipped down to the 2nd round in the 2001 Draft, but I'm glad he did. Then there is the Offensive Line, who did a fantastic job today pushing the Defensive Line back, which you haven't seen much of lately. There really is no one over powering in the Offensive Line. Today they just seemed to work well together and they got the job done nicely. Although it is a blessing to see Brent back out there, eventhough he was limited, but I still think he can compete for a starting job. I will have more individual information on the Offensive Line in a few days once I get a look at them for more than one day with pads on. Next the Defensive Line position, the line got kind of pushed around yesterday, especially up the middle, so I was anxious to see how they would respond today and as I expected they responded by clogging up the middle today. Larry Chester, Tim Bowens, and Jermain Haley all did there part in making the middle hard for Ricky to run through. I know Chester is the starter right now, but I think Haley will give him a push for the start opposite of Bowens. As for the Ends, they looked as good as always especially Taylor and Ogunleye. However neither Williams, nor Burnett made a strong impression to clearly win the starting job opposite of Jason Taylor, so I still think that position is wide open. As for our Linebacking corp and Secondary, they played fairly decent except for against Chambers, but what can you expect against him. The Secondary and Linebackers did do a lot more blitzing this practice, so it will be interesting to see if they continue this in the coming practices or were just trying it out this morning. Overall I think the team played pretty good for there first full squad practice.

My Afternoon Practice Take:
Well after having a great morning session, the Fins could only could better from there and they did. Lets start with QB, Tim Levcik and Zak Kustok both looked pretty decent for being new to this system. Eventhough I still think Kustok looks more comfortable in the pocket, while Levcik looks timid for some reason. However Levcik seems more accurate and has a stronger arm , so that may win him the job. As I said in the morning session, Lucas looked decent, nothing spectacular, but efficient enough to make the Fins look good. Then there was the Running Backs, who did excellent in the afternoon, especially Ricky Williams, who broke a few runs in the middle drills. He has looked really impressive, eventhough its only been two practices. Outside of Ricky Williams, Robert Edwards and Minor looked good again. They aren't really doing anything spectacular, but are getting the job done out of the backfield. However I would like to see Robert Edwards make a few more catches out of the backfield than usual. Next the Fullbacks are playing stellar. As I said in the morning take, I feel all three of these guys will make the team. Rob Konrad is by far going to be the starter if he plays like he has been. I really think that Norv will utilize Rob's talents more this year, than Gailey did last year. As for Dyer, I think they will utilize his blocking skills more than anything, but he will need to become some type of Offensive threat. I mean if they just put Dyer in there to block for Ricky than teams will know they are running, and basically when Konrad's in there, they will know they are passing unless Konrad develops some blocking skills. Next is the Receivers, who are led by Chris Chambers, who had another spectacular practice, and Oronde Gadsden, who makes catches people don't even think are possible. Both these guys will be stars for this team this year. As for Dedric Ward, he looked great in 3 Wide Receiver sets. I honestly think he has passed McKnight on the Depth Chart. It's funny how McKnight was a starter last year and is now moving down teh charts. Hope he starts practicing well, because it would be a shame to waste all that speed, because he has bad hands. Then there is Tight End, Randy McMichael looked well again and continues to wow coaches, as well as fans. If this guy doesn't win the starting job, there must be some bias coaches in the organization. As for Weaver, he did fairly decent, especially in blocking, as you may see from that one picture where he was blocking for Ricky Williams. As for Mayes, he did most work, but doesn't look very good, although I think he's gone anyway. I don't know why the coaches think he is so great, after all, he has been injured for two years. Now we move to the Offensive Line, who really did a good job today on some occasions against Chester and Bowens in the middle, but they still need to improve and open up more holes in the middle for Ricky. One guy who really looks good is Leon Searcy. People around camp are saying this guy looks like a Pro Bowler again. I sure hope so. As for the defense, they were back to their usual self, looking great as ever. DT Larry Chester was playing great. I really think the duo of Bowens and Chester will stop the middle running game completely, after all what human can possibly fit through there. As for the ends, Ogunleye continues to impress coaches, as well as being a fan favorite for autographs. Last thing to note was that the Secondary looked great, especially Auturo Freeman. He will be a great starter opposite of Brock Marion. Although Freeman was good, Fletcher stole the show. Fletcher had 2 interceptions in the afternoon practice. Looks as though some of you Fletcher doubters, may have spoke too soon. Well overall the Fins closed out a day of full contact with no injuries, which is always a good thing.

Upcoming Events:
CLOTHING DRIVE TO BE HELD AT DOLPHINS TRAINING CAMP
The Miami Dolphins, in conjunction with the Broward Partnership for the Homeless, will be collecting clothing donations during all of the team’s Training Camp practice sessions. A clothes drop off bin will be set up at the Community Relations Table, located at the south end of the bleachers. The first 25 people to donate men’s suits or men’s dress shoes on July 27, August 6 (Pro Player Stadium), August 17 or August 19 will receive a Dolphins pennant autographed by quarterback Jay Fiedler.

Next Training Camp:
The Miami Dolphins will have two practices on Tuesday, July 30. The first one will be from 9-10:45 a.m. and the second one with run from 7-9 p.m.

Tomorrow I will have a position-by-position analysis on all players at there respective positions, so you know how each player is playing as of now. I will probably do a player by position analysis atleast once a week, so you know how they are doing.

Don't forget to check out the pictures page located at http://tcreports.finheaven.com/fincamppics02.php. I have added 22 pictures from todays sessions.

Sorry for the delay, just got back from the hospital. My mom was in there for some tests to see if she had some blood clots, so I was pretty caught in that.
 
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First off thank you for the reports bro. One question, I don't wanna seem like an asshole or anything but what about the interview with the dude from the Sun Sentinel? I'm anxious to see that one for some reason
 
Thanks. Excellent job. You have to realize how much we out of town folks appreciate these reports. Hope your mom is ok.
 
Thanx alot dude, and sorry to hear about ur mom...hope all is well
 
Thanks JB. Great Report. No Injuries. Hopefully Wanny realizes that the wear and tear of two a days will increase their chance of injury each day. Work on blocking and tackling technique and for go the heavey hitting especially in late camp.
 
JB....I don't want to seem unappreciative either but, you could save your self a little work by forgetting about all the news and stuff that we can get off the net all day long.
I really like your camp observations. I want to know what is happening on the practice field and you do a good job of that. Keep up the good work.
 
Yeah excellent work JBrown I hope your mother is ok. We appreciate what you're doing trust me. I think if you want to throw in some pre-notes in there like the articles and stuff thats fine as long as you keep it all separated and stuff so that the people that have been keepin track of the news all day long can scroll down with their eyes and not miss something like "The Dolphins have made calls to DT Sam Adams and are apparently really interested in signing him."

Keep up the good work.
 
camp............

gotta agree with inFINSible. what about the evening practice monday?

thanx for giving us the cool info jb. we all owe you a beer [or your beverage of choice]!!

dude, whats up with your mom? hope all is well.
 
Nice report. McMichael sounds like the real McCoy. I hope your mom gets well.
 
Originally posted by Agua
Thanks. Excellent job. You have to realize how much we out of town folks appreciate these reports. Hope your mom is ok.

Amen,,

One thing...you talked about minor and edwards, but didn't say anything about Leonard..what's up with him?
 
We all want camp info, but your family come 1st so don't worry about when you get it posted. I pray you Mom is doing well and everything turns out well for her.

Oh and you are doing a great job with the reports.
 
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