Training Camp

[mdbw]

Hey Dolfans, football season has finally started!

Training camp is under way and twitter is going crazy along with all the blogs and newspapers.

Here are some talking points and interesting headlines out of training camp that we should discuss:

- Koa Misi will most likely start with Cam Wake as a rookie
- Chris Clemons will most likely be the starter at Free Safety and the coaching staff seems confident.
- Pat White will most likely not make the final 53-man Roster
- My three picks for players who will be big contributors in 2010 who weren't in 2009 are Anthony Fasano, Patrick Turner, and Charlie Anderson.
- Mike Nolan is installing his defense and it's COMPLEX
- Brandon Marshall has looked great, schooling Sean Smith on a few occasions
- To follow up on that last note, the Herald's Jeff Darlington expects Will Allen to reclaim his starting CB roll and pushing Smith into the slot
- Vontae Davis has looked lights out blanketing Marshall
- Brian Hartline is most likely to start alongside Marshall with Bess in the slot

Lets get the discussion going!!!

[mdbw]

WR Ryan Grice-Mullen has not yet practiced during training camp because of an apparent leg injury.

This matters because we don't have a return man since Ginn was traded to SF. Grice-Mullen looked very good in the return game during mini-camps and has a Bess-like quickness in the receiving game (they were teammates at Hawaii after all).

I kinda think Kory Sheets would make a good return guy. He's really fast, and he's buried down the depth chart beneath Ronnie, Ricky, Cobbs, and Lousaka. Might be a way to keep him on the roster?

[fishface]

I'm pretty sure that Ryan Grice Mullen started camp but sustained an injury. He was amongst the kick returners to start with. What I find interesting is that Cobbs is apparently back to full speed and looking very quick. But I've heard no mention of either Ronnie or Ricky.

[mdbw]

I've seen some tweets that Ronnie looks very very good. Nothing about Ricky though. It's hard to tell who looks "good" and who doesn't at this point because the coaching staff is cycling through players to get them all enough reps to be able to judge the tape and cut the roster down.

[mdbw]

Excited for another day of training camp!! Getting closer to pre-season game #1. Go Dolphins!!

[fishface]

Seems to me that the O line battles are heating up at guard and maybe even center. I'm expecting a very sound O line this year which, with the acquisition of Marshall, makes the offense a much stronger unit than last year. I just hope that Henne continues to develop and cuts out the 4th qtr mistakes.

[mdbw]

Well we know (or seem to have been told) that Henne has been putting the work in during the off season, and has the mind set of a starter going into training camp. So, assuming that all this is true, he really should progress and be a better player. He knows the mistakes he made, and he probably knows how to correct them and get better. He just has to do it.

[mdbw]

Marshall, Cobbs, and Will Allen aren't practicing. Team spokesman says Sparano is giving them some rest.

[mdbw]

Here are a list on interesting tweets from Omar Kelly:

Sparano said Chris Clemons has made one mental error in 238 plays. He's had most snaps. There will come a point where team need to back off.

Sparano said the return job is wide open. Said he wants to see Patrick Cobbs and Tristan Davis do it. Still no mention of Taurus Johnson.

Sparano hinted that early in the preseason the Dolphins will be using Tyler Thigpen and Pat White more. No need to see Pennington.

Sparano said TE Anthony Fasano is looking good. Team is making more of an emphasis to get him into the mix, especially working with Marshall

Sparano said Davone Bess is crafty and draws attention in the slot,but he isn't going to exclusively work in there.His work ethic is stellar

Sparano said he could fall a asleep watching Andrew Hartline go against 3rd team defense, so he shook it up and moved him to 1st team yest.

Sparano said Sean Smith has done a good job, but Jason Allen has had his hands on the ball more than any other cornerback.


I find that last point very interesting about Jason Allen. What a nice surprise it would be if he finally lived up to his first round status?!

[fishface]

I have to say that Omar Kelly is far and away the best football reporter out there covering the Miami Dolphins. He really seems to know his stuff, and I always find him interesting and informative. That said, his comment with reference to Jason Allen is certainly worth noting. It's actually refreshing to read something written in positive fashion about Jason Allen who seems to attract more than his fair share of negative comments from Miami's beat writers. There's a reason he has hung around this long, and maybe he is reacting well to Mike Nolan's coaching style. It would certainly be an unexpected bonus if he came into his own this year.

[mdbw]

I think Omar Kelly's secret is how normal he is actually. All of the other beat writers--Salguero, Le Batard etc are morons in real life. Have you listened to Armando's radio show? He's an absolute gas-bag! He sounds EXACTLY like Le Batard. Kelly is a nice guy who has a certain relationship with the players. They tell him things that they might not tell other people, and I also think during press conferences that means coaches and players are more likely to give straight answers to his questions as opposed to others.