SB Nation - Brandon London

Final Roster Predictions

Matty I — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 23:30:35 -0000

After a long, grueling training camp and preseason, some players will no longer be Miami Dolphins as of 4 pm eastern on Saturday. The Dolphins went into Thursday's preseason finale with 66 players on their roster. They must be down to 53 players by the 4 pm deadline.

Below is my final roster prediction. I've included some explanations after my prediction. Check it out and then tell us your final predictions.

	1st Team	2nd Team	3rd Team
QB	Chad Pennington	Chad Henne	Pat White
RB	Ronnie Brown	Ricky Williams	Patrick Cobbs
FB	Lousaka Polite
WR	Ted Ginn	Greg Camarillo	Brandon London
WR	Davone Bess	Brian Hartline	Patrick Turner
TE	Anthony Fasano	David Martin	John Nalbone
LT	Jake Long	Andrew Gardner
LG	Justin Smiley	Brandon Frye
C	Jake Grove	Joe Berger
RG	Donald Thomas	Shawn Murphy
RT	Vernon Carey
	1st Team	2nd Team	3rd Team
DE	Kendall Langford	Tony McDaniel
NT	Jason Ferguson	Paul Soliai
DE	Randy Starks	Phillip Merling	Lionel Dotson
SOLB	Jason Taylor	Charlie Anderson	Quentin Moses
ILB	Channing Crowder	Reggie Torbor
ILB	Akin Ayodele
WOLB	Joey Porter	Cameron Wake	Erik Walden
CB	Will Allen	Vontae Davis	Jason Allen
CB	Sean Smith	Nathan Jones
S	Yeremiah Bell	Chris Clemons
S	Gibril Wilson	Tyrone Culver
	1st Team	2nd Team	3rd Team
K	Dan Carpenter
P	Brandon Fields
LS	John Denney

PUP: Matt Roth
Last 5 On: Brandon London, Erik Walden, John Nalbone, Brandon Frye, Quentin Moses
First 5 Off: Lex Hilliard, William Kershaw, Joey Haynos, Courtney Bryan, Nate Garner

Quick explanations:

The final roster spot, for me, came down to Brandon London, Lex Hilliard, and William Kershaw. But I think Kershaw could still make the team if the Dolphins decide to only keep five outside linebackers as opposed to six - possibly in place of Erik Walden or Quentin Moses. I think they'll try to sneak Hilliard onto the practice squad. The bottom line is that London is more valuable in terms of the number of plays he sees on gameday because of special teams. Although, truth be told, regardless of if it's London or Hilliard, I'm not sure either is a lock to be active on gameday.
I'm confident that the Dolphins will keep three tight ends. Some think David Martin could be a surprise cut, but he's still head and shoulders better than either John Nalbone or Joey Haynos. With the number of two TE sets Dan Henning uses, I don't see why the Dolphins would need to cut Martin. You could see the Dolphins keep Haynos over Nalbone, though - which would mean Nalbone is a prime practice squad candidate. But I also wouldn't be shocked to see another team (Kansas City or Cincinnati, for example) poach Nalbone off wiavers. Both teams have a need at tight end. I wouldn't even take the risk, if I were the Dolphins - which is why Nalbone is on my final 53.
I think Dotson has shown enough to earn a roster spot. But barring injury, he's likely going to be inactive on most gamedays.
I wouldn't be shocked if the Dolphins decided to waive Andrew Gardner in favor of Nate Garner. If that's the case, the Dolphins would obviously hope to get Gardner on the practice squad.
If I had to come up with a list of possible practice squad candidates based on my 53-man roster prediction above, I'd say J.D. Folsom and Lex Hilliard would be locks. Mark Lewis and James Robinson would be other possibilities. And I'd expect the Dolphins to go outside the organization for other potential guys.

Dolphins at Saints: What to watch for

Matty I — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 04:15:08 -0000

A lot of casual football fans feel that the preseason is meaningless. These same fans probably feel like the fourth preseason game is a total waste of time and not worth watching. But these fans aren't the kind of diehard football fans that we all are. And they are certainly not Dolphin fans. Why? Because Dolphin fans know that this fourth preseason is indeed worth watching. There are a number of things to focus on tonight when the Dolphins head to New Orleans to face the Saints to close out their preseason.

Below are just some of the storylines to watch.

THE ROSTER BATTLES
One of the things I love about the fourth preseason game is how those "roster bubble players" get a lot of playing time. These are the guys fighting not just for the win but for their own jobs. And nothing will motivate you more in life than the risk of being out of work. Sure, football is just a game. But to these "bubble" guys, it's their livelihood. Therefore, I've always enjoyed watching the final preseason games - and I'm not just talking about the Dolphins' final game. There's nothing like watching players compete with their own teammates to be the 52nd or 53rd player on the roster.

Since I posted a longer article focusing in on the key battles that remain yesterday - and you can view it by clicking here - I won't get into it too deep here. I will say, though, that I'm most interested in two battles. Being the Jersey guy I am, I'm very much pulling for John Nalbone to make the team over Joey Haynos. To his advantage, Nalbone is a very good blocker and is also a special teams contributor. He has two special teams tackles in three preseason games. Haynos, on the other hand, is a massive guy (6'8, 270). But I think that hinders him on special teams. I'm not so sure a guy his size can run down the field and cover a kick as well as others can - and that could hurt him.

The other battle I'm interested in is between Lex Hilliard and Brandon London. I'm fully confident that both will not make the team but am fairly certain that one will. The contract extension handed out to Ricky Williams could be a factor here. With Ricky and Patrick Cobbs signed for 2010, Hilliard would again be, at best, a fourth running back in 2010 if he was to stick around that long. He is practice squad eligible, but if the Dolphins like Lex enough, it would be a risky move to try and sneak him through waivers. Meanwhile, London is not eligible for the practice squad and is probably the better special teamer of the two. But he hasn't impressed as a receiver as much as he should have thus far.

CAN HENNE BOUNCE BACK?
If you have at least one good eye, then you can't argue that Chad Henne's performance last week against Tampa Bay was pretty bad. And I was one of the most critical of Henne - that I'm aware of. But that doesn't mean I'm rooting against him - which is why I'm very interested in seeing how Henne performs tonight. It's expected that Henne will play the second and third quarters. Yes, that means he'll face backup defenders pretty much exclusively. But that doesn't change anything to me. If anything, it actually adds more pressure on Henne. A bad performance against New Orleans' backups would make Henne get scrutinized even more. What I hope to see are more accurate throws, quicker reads, and better decision making. I'm not looking for some big performance, just an improvement - just something that shows he can bounce back off of a very poor outing.

Henne knows he has to improve and is putting pressure on himself to have a much better game against New Orleans as well. "It wasn't me out there, says Henne. "I don't want to have a game like that again." I can't wait to find out how he responds.

STARTERS WILL PLAY
While most NFL teams will rest their starters in their final preseason game, Tony Sparano is taking a different approach. Chad Pennington is expected to play the first quarter and the starting offensive line will probably play at least the first half. Why? Simple - to get better.

This is where Sparano and most other head coaches differ. Coming off of a sub-par offensive performance last week, Sparano is sending out his starting offense tonight so they can at least get in some work and build some confidence for their season opener against Atlanta. I hope to see the starting offense get into a rhythm out there and make some plays. We can't have two or three 3-and-outs to start the game like we did last week.

Meanwhile, Sparano - a former OL coach - has always been a believer in getting your starting offensive line extensive playing time in the preseason to help them gel. This unit is no different. It has a lot of talent - but has to work together and become a cohesive unit. Last preseason, the starting offensive line played the entire first half of the finale. I expect to see the same thing tonight. After all, the more this unit works together in real game situations, the better off they will be in the long run.

QUICK HITS
Here are some more things to look for tonight:

A lot of attention will be paid to the battle for the starting WR spot. But the reason I didn't bring it up above is because I'm fairly confident that whoever actually wins the starting job isn't necessarily going to be more important to the offense than the other two. The Dolphins did a great job of rotating their receivers based on the situation last season and I foresee that happening again in 2009.
The outside linebacker position is an interesting one to keep an eye on. Matt Roth will likely land on the PUP list, so he has no relevance to this discussion. Joey Porter, Jason Taylor, and Cameron Wake are obviously locks. But then you got guys like Charlie Anderson, Quentin Moses, and Erik Walden all hoping to stick on the 53-man roster. Will the Dolphins keep 6 outside linebackers? Those three are probably hoping. But if the Dolphins only keep five, which one turns out to be the odd man out? Moses has been the most impressive of the three. But Anderson and Walden are the better special teams players.

The remaining roster battles in Miami

Matty I — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 04:15:10 -0000

The Dolphins must get their roster down to 53 players by Saturday afternoon. In between now and then, the players have just one final opportunity to make their own particular cases - their preseason finale in New Orleans on Thursday night. For some, it will be a final chance to prove they should be starting. For others, it will be one last opportunity to prove to the coaches and front office that they deserve roster spots.

Here are some of the final battles to keep in the back of your minds as you watch Thursday's finale:

Greg Camarillo vs Davone Bess vs Brian Hartline
Barring something unforeseen, all three of these receivers will make the team. However, only one can start opposite of Ted Ginn on September 13 when the Dolphins travel to Atlanta. Bess worked with the first-team offense for much of the early parts of camp and started to open the preseason. But Brian Hartline has spent much of his time working with the starters since the week before the second preseason game and hasn't looked back - starting both of the last two preseason games. Hartline right now leads the Dolphins in receiving yards and yards per reception during the preseason. He also most closely fits the mold of what Tony Sparano wants out of the starting receiver opposite of Teddy - a guy who can pick up chunks of yardage at a time. Meanwhile, Camarillo continues to linger in the background as he gets closer and closer to being 100%. It was clear to me that he's still not physically back to where he was at before his knee injury when we saw him chugging down field last game for his 50+ yard catch and run. However, Camarillo did get some first-team reps on Tuesday.

I still think that Hartline is probably the favorite right now to start with Bess working as the team's primary slot receiver - his ideal position, to be honest. But a big game from Camarillo on Thursday night and/or a rough game for Hartline could change how the starting lineup looks in Atlanta in less than two weeks.

Lex Hilliard vs Brandon London
I've looked at the roster a number of ways and just don't see how it's possible that the Dolphins can keep both of these guys on the 53-man roster. A fourth halfback and a sixth receiver are both luxuries and there's no room on this team for two luxury players like that. I think it'll be either one or the other (if any) and the deciding factor could be special teams.

Hilliard leads all Miami backs with 126 yards rushing and a 4.3 ypc average. He opened a lot of eyes in the team's second preseason game when he showed a very nice burst through the hole on his 39 yard TD run against Carolina. It's rare you see a 240 pound power back with that kind of acceleration. But he has put the ball on the ground two times in just 29 carries, which is unacceptable. Meanwhile, London has just 2 catches for 22 yards in the preseason. However, the 6'4 receiver has a lot of physical talent and has at least proven he can make a big play in a regular season game (yes, I'm talking about his huge 3rd down catch against the Jets in the regular season finale last year). That's more than you can say about Hilliard. But is one big reception and a ton of upside enough to stick on the roster? And at what point does potential turn into disappointment?

Like I said, though, this battle could come down to special teams. London was excellent on the coverage unit last season. Hilliard, though, has put together a solid preseason special teams performance. Tony Sparano even admitted so last week when speaking to the media.

Another thing to keep in mind is the practice squad. Lex Hilliard is eligible to go on Miami's practice squad. But he'd first have to make it through waivers without any other team signing him - which is no safe bet. On the other hand, London is not eligible for the practice squad because he dressed for 14 games last season with the Dolphins. So the Dolphins would have to cut their ties with Brandon if they choose not to keep him on the final 53-man roster. Because of that, I'd leaning more towards the Dolphins keeping Brandon around and attempting to sneak Hilliard through to the practice squad. But I'm far from confident in that prediction right now.

John Nalbone vs Joey Haynos
I'm fairly confident that the Dolphins will indeed keep three tight ends on their roster. Dan Henning loves using two tight end sets and wouldn't be able to if one of the two went down to injury in the middle of the game. While neither of these two players have set themselves apart from the other, I've been impressed with how well John Nalbone has blocked. He also has shown improved hands in camp following a very poor showing at OTAs and minicamps earlier in the summer. However, he's still raw and Joey Haynos has been in the system longer. You also can't duplicate Joey's size (6'8, 270). It was believed that this regime really liked Haynos. But why then did the Dolphins spend a fifth round pick on the rookie TE from Monmouth?

A possible solution here could be to keep Haynos on the team and try slipping Nalbone through waivers. After all, he's only a tight end and nobody poaches tight ends. Wrong - the Dolphins did that very thing to Green Bay last year by poaching Haynos off of their practice squad. And about a third of the league worked out Nalbone prior to the draft. If the Dolphins waive him and try to slip him by, they could lose him. On the other hand, Haynos is not eligible for Miami's practice squad. So keeping Nalbone would mean saying goodbye to Haynos.

I expect both of these guys to get a lot of playing time on Thursday night to give the coaches some good film to review on Friday as they make their decision. But you all know me - I'm taking Nalbone here.

QUICK HITS
Now for some quick hits on different roster possibilities:

Play who was once a long shot and is now a virtual lock: Quentin Moses
Did anybody see this coming? Sure, Jason Taylor benefited a lot from Matt Roth's injury because he's now entrenched as the starter. But Moses was expected by many to be out of a job in a few days when camp began. But with solid play both in practice and in games, he's secured his roster spot as the primary backup strong-side linebacker. He's done an excellent job of creating pressure as well as setting the edge. If I'm Matt Roth, I'm expecting a huge "thank you" card from Moses in the coming week.

Possible surprise cut: Charlie Anderson
With Cameron Wake taking over the role of primary reserve pass-rusher, Anderson will see less playing time. And his dumb mistake last week against Tampa on special teams isn't going to help his cause, either. He's got a hefty 2009 price tag and is yet to live up to his contract. While I don't think Anderson will definitely be cut, I also wouldn't be surprised to see him receive a pink slip - especially if he makes any more bonehead plays on Thursday night.

Possible sleeper to make the team: Courtney Bryan
Keeping five safeties is rare. But Bryan is a solid special teams contributor who isn't a total liability in coverage like other teams' backup safeties usually are. He's got good instincts and is a hard worker - the kind of player this regime loves. And you never know...

Dolphins Depth Chart Bubble Watch, V. 6

Matty I — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 04:15:08 -0000

We're now less than one week away from the final round of cuts that will finalize, for the time being, the Dolphins' 53-man roster. That means a number of those "roster bubble players" have less than a week and just one preseason game to prove they belong on the roster come next week. Therefore, it's time to update the "bubble watch" for the final time this preseason.

While in past versions I've made it a point to talk about how this exercise wasn't a prediction of the 53-man roster, but rather a snapshot of just how the roster might look if cuts were to be made right now, this version is as close to a prediction as you can get. I plan on doing a predictions post following the final preseason game. But I'm not sure anything will even change between this version and my final predictions.

Below is the depth chart. Be sure to leave your thoughts on this as well...

	1st Team	2nd Team	3rd Team
QB	Chad Pennington	Chad Henne	Pat White
RB	Ronnie Brown	Ricky Williams	Patrick Cobbs/Lex Hilliard
FB	Lousaka Polite
WR	Ted Ginn	Greg Camarillo
WR	Brian Hartline	Davone Bess	Patrick Turner
TE	Anthony Fasano	David Martin	John Nalbone
LT	Jake Long	Andrew Gardner
LG	Justin Smiley	Brandon Frye
C	Jake Grove	Joe Berger
RG	Donald Thomas	Shawn Murphy
RT	Vernon Carey
	1st Team	2nd Team	3rd Team
DE	Kendall Langford	Tony McDaniel
NT	Jason Ferguson	Paul Soliai
DE	Randy Starks	Phillip Merling	Lionel Dotson
SOLB	Jason Taylor	Quentin Moses	Erik Walden
ILB	Channing Crowder	Reggie Torbor
ILB	Akin Ayodele
WOLB	Joey Porter	Cameron Wake	Charlie Anderson
CB	Will Allen	Vontae Davis	Jason Allen
CB	Sean Smith	Nathan Jones
S	Yeremiah Bell	Chris Clemons
S	Gibril Wilson	Tyrone Culver
	1st Team	2nd Team	3rd Team
K	Dan Carpenter
P	Brandon Fields
LS	John Denney

PUP: Matt Roth
Last 5 On: Lex Hilliard, Andrew Gardner, John Nalbone, Erik Walden, Charlie Anderson
First 5 Off: Brandon London, Nate Garner, William Kershaw, Courtney Bryan, Joey Haynos
Next 5 Off: Joey Thomas, J.D. Folsom, Rod Wright, James Robinson, Ryan Baker

Some thoughts:

At this point, I don't see any way Matt Roth starts the season on the active roster. He seems destined for the PUP, which will keep him out for the first six weeks. Depending on his progress, he could then be placed on Injured Reserve, ending his season.
Truth be told, I'm fairly confident in the above chart. The only real decision I went back and forth on was the battle between Lex Hilliard and Brandon London. I don't think Hilliard would sneak through waivers, either, to make it onto Miami's practice squad. And even if he did, he could be poached at any time (a la Jalen Parmele last season). I think that there's no way both make the team and that this final week will play a major role in which one sticks and which one doesn't. I'm leaning towards Hilliard right now, but that could easily change between now and the conclusion of Thursday night's preseason finale.
While you all know by now that I'm squarely on the John Nalbone bandwagon, I'm not 100% confident he beats out Joey Haynos. But I've been very impressed with Nalbone's blocking ability. However, he is certainly a practice squad candidate.
J.D. Folsom had shown enough to be practice squad worthy - at least in my book. One year of practice and training could really go a long way towards Folsom becoming a capable reserve inside linebacker and solid special teams contributor.

Dolphins release four more

Matty I — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 18:32:43 -0000

With just two weeks to go before the regular season begins, the Dolphins continue to trim their roster. On Saturday, they announced the release of four more players.

The four who were waived are Anthony Armstrong, Connor Barth, Louis Ellis, and Joe Kowalewski.

Armstrong was a popular player entering camp. A number of Dolphin fans were hoping for big things out of the former Arena League player after impressive performances at OTAs and minicamp. But he was disappointing in training camp and invisible during the preseason - outside of a couple drops, of course.

But this doesn't necessarily mean Brandon London is now guaranteed a roster spot. If the Dolphins are to keep six receivers, then London is on the team. But we have no idea if the Dolphins plan to keep six receivers - which is not common around the league. The Dolphins could decide to keep a fourth running back - Lex Hilliard - instead of a sixth receiver. They could also decide to keep an extra linebacker rather than a sixth receiver. Lots of options here and by no means is London a safe bet at this point.

But Dan Carpenter - or DC$ - is a lock. Barth's release should come as no surprise following Carpenter's solid preseason. He hasn't missed a FG through three preseason games and is 2/2 from 40+ yards. But it will be interesting to see how this regime handles DC$ if he gets off to a shaky start in the regular season.

Be sure to vote on our latest Chad Henne poll.

Dolphins Depth Chart Bubble Watch, V. 5

Matty I — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 04:15:10 -0000

So we're now halfway through the preseason. And we've already seen the ax drop down for several players. With the recent roster moves by the Dolphins, it seems like a good time to update our "depth chart bubble watch."

The idea behind this is simple - to put together a projected 53-man roster and to highlight which players I feel are on pace to just barely make the team and which just miss the cut. And it's important to note that this is not how I predict the roster will look once the preseason comes to a close. Instead, it's simply a snapshot that examines how Miami's 53-man roster might look if the cuts were to be done at this very moment.

The depth chart and some notes can be found below right after the jump...

	1st Team	2nd Team	3rd Team
QB	Chad Pennington	Chad Henne	Pat White
RB	Ronnie Brown	Ricky Williams	Patrick Cobbs/Lex Hilliard
FB	Lousaka Polite
WR	Ted Ginn	Patrick Turner
WR	Davone Bess	Greg Camarillo	Brian Hartline
TE	Anthony Fasano	David Martin	John Nalbone
LT	Jake Long	Andrew Gardner
LG	Justin Smiley	Brandon Frye
C	Jake Grove	Joe Berger
RG	Donald Thomas	Shawn Murphy
RT	Vernon Carey
	1st Team	2nd Team	3rd Team
DE	Kendall Langford	Tony McDaniel
NT	Jason Ferguson	Paul Soliai
DE	Randy Starks	Phillip Merling	Lionel Dotson
SOLB	Jason Taylor	Quentin Moses	Erik Walden
ILB	Channing Crowder	Reggie Torbor
ILB	Akin Ayodele
WOLB	Joey Porter	Cameron Wake	Charlie Anderson
CB	Will Allen	Vontae Davis	Jason Allen
CB	Sean Smith	Nathan Jones
S	Yeremiah Bell	Chris Clemons
S	Gibril Wilson	Tyrone Culver
	1st Team	2nd Team	3rd Team
K	Dan Carpenter
P	Brandon Fields
LS	John Denney

PUP: Matt Roth
Last 5 On: Jason Allen, Andrew Gardner, John Nalbone, Erik Walden, Lex Hilliard
First 5 Off: Brandon London, Nate Garner, Anthony Armstrong, Courtney Bryan, Joey Thomas
Next 5 Off: Joey Haynos, William Kershaw, Connor Barth, Rod Wright, Louis Ellis

Some quick thoughts:

While I don't think that Lex Hilliard has assured himself a roster spot, things are looking good for the kid. But I think for the Dolphins to keep a fourth halfback, he'll have to prove he can play on special teams. Can he? I'm not too sure. It's hard to tell from the television broadcast. But he's certainly big enough (240 pounds) and I think he'll get every opportunity now to prove he can contribute on special teams.
I know everybody wants to keep six receivers. But I don't know if the "numbers game" will allow for it. The way I see it, the Dolphins will keep 12 players total at the halfback, receiver, and tight end positions. If Hilliard is going to be on this team, then the Dolphins will have to keep either five receivers and three tight ends OR six receivers and two tight ends. But I think that the versatility of Ronnie Brown, Ricky Williams, and Patrick Cobbs will be a possible reason the Dolphins keep five receivers. Any of those three could line up split out wide as a receiver. Because of that, keeping six receivers at the expense of a tight end or at the expense of Hilliard seems like an unlikely move.
John Nalbone is an excellent blocking tight end - at least from what I could tell from the first two preseason games. And I think since the Dolphins and Dan Henning like using two tight end sets, I don't see the Dolphins keeping only two tight ends. Right now, Nalbone has outplayed Joey Haynos. He's consistently caught the ball in camp (and in the team scrimmage a few weeks back) and, like I said, has really impressed me with his blocking ability. I'm officially the founder of the John Nalbone bandwagon - hop on while there's still room.
Right now I have the Dolphins keeping six outside linebackers on the active roster. But I could see them keeping only five - making room for either another corner, another inside linebacker, or another defensive linemen. If that's the case, I think the battle for the last roster spot at OLB will come down to Quentin Moses - who has looked surprisingly good - or Erik Walden - the special teams standout who has been quiet on the field in the base defense. As much as I like Walden's contributions on special teams, I think Moses has the leg up - if it comes to that, of course.
Just say "no" to Connor Barth. Dan Carpenter - I trust you! After all, nobody just gets the nickname of DC$ by accident.

Defense leads the way as Dolphins win preseason opener

Matty I — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 04:59:46 -0000

More photos » by J Pat Carter - AP

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I know it's only the preseason, but it's always good to get a win. On Monday night, that's just what the Dolphins did, knocking off the Jaguars 12-9. And before I get into all of my initial thoughts on the game, I just got to point out that Jack Del Rio did a very classy move by not kicking the field goal on fourth and goal late in the 4th quarter. Nobody wants to see a player get hurt in overtime of a preseason game. So I'm very glad he decided to go for it - and nice job by Courtney Bryan to break up the pass in the corner of the endzone.

Now then, onto some thoughts from Miami's win - both good and bad. But keep in mind that the first preseason game is essentially just a glorified scrimmage.

THE DEFENSE SHINES
Here's a key stat. The first-team defense played together for the entire first quarter of Monday's game. The Jaguars ran 11 plays against Miami's first-team defense. The Dolphins surrendered just 28 yards of offense on those 11 plays and only one first down - forcing two three-and-outs. Now that is impressive.

During those three series, they tallied one sack and pressured Jaguars QB David Garrard a couple of other times. On one play, Channing Crowder blitzed and basically drove the running back picking up the blitz into Garrard's face, forcing an incomplete pass. But a major reason for the defense's success - including Jason Ferguson's sack (which was more or less a coverage sack) was rookie Sean Smith's performance. On the particular play that resulted in the sack, Smith did an excellent job keeping Torry Holt - Garrard's primary target on that play - inside of him when Torry was trying to get to the outside. That's a veteran move by a rookie against a veteran receiver.

Speaking of Smith, he also made a terrific interception in the third quarter of a Todd Bouman pass in the endzone. The big question scouts had about Sean entering the draft was how he would be tackling players at the next level. Some said he was scared of contact. But Smith did not shy away from contact on the only tackle opportunity he had, making the tackle. All in all, Smith was probably the player of the game for the Dolphins.

Getting back to the first-team defense, there's a lot of concern about how the defensive line would shape up. Would they be able to effectively limit the opponent's ground game? Keeping in mind that Jacksonville's offensive line is probably an average unit at best, the Dolphins answered that question with a resounding "yes" on Monday night. They held the Jaguars to 10 yards on 3 rushes. A small sample size, of course - but a good sign, nonetheless.

Nate Jones also deserves a mention, too. He was very good at blitzing from the nickel corner spot last year. On Monday, Jones showed he still has a knack for getting to the QB as a blitzer, forcing an incomplete pass on 3rd down to end a drive when he got to Garrard.

OFFENSE PRODUCES MIXED RESULTS
The offense on Monday night was really a mixed bag. There were good moments. There were bad moments. And all in all, I don't think it was really a positive night for the offense.

Heading the list of issues was the offensive line. In pass protection, the first-team line performed very well. But we all have been expecting that the Dolphins would be able to run the ball between the tackles in 2009 thanks to the acquisition of Jake Grove and the return of Justin Smiley and Donald Thomas to the field after season-ending injuries in 2008. But this unit failed to produce on Monday against the formidable Jaguars defensive front.

Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams combined for just 41 yards rushing on 14 carries - a measly 2.9 yards per carry average. Brown and Williams rarely had any kind of lane ot run through. On one play, Jake Long even got beat badly - resulting in a loss for Williams. I also noticed Vernon Carey getting beat a couple of times on rushing attempts. This was not the kind of effort I was hoping to see out of this unit and I'll be anxiously awaiting Saturday night for the next preseason game to see if the unit improves over yesterday's performance.

As far as the battle for the starting right guard job goes, neither Shawn Murphy nor Donald Thomas (who rotated in and out) really stood out. Just from watching the broadcast, I may have been slightly more impressed by Thomas because he seemed to get more push. But the competition is probably still wide open and likely far from over.

On the plus side, Ted Ginn Jr. looked very good out there on Monday. He ran some crisp routes - especially on a third-and-one play against Pro Bowl corner Rashean Mathis, running a terrific post and making an exceptional catch. All told, Ginn looked confident and produced - tallying 2 receptions for 26 yards, one rush for 14 yards on an end-around, and drawing a 30+ yard pass interference call on a long pass attempt down the left sideline from Chad Pennington. He also had a 15 yard reception called back due to holding - meaning the Dolphins called Ginn's number five times in one quarter. Not bad for a guy many fans wanted to write off. Hopefully this early success translates to the regular season.

As for the quarterbacks, neither Chad Pennington nor Chad Henne played very well. But neither played bad, either. Pennington made a couple of nice passes, especially his pass to Ginn on 3rd-and-one for 15 yards. But he was far from classic CP. Meanwhile, Henne made a couple of notable plays. His 20 yard strike to Brian Hartline comes to mind right away. On that same drive, he made a beautiful pass to Ricky Williams on a wheel route in the endzone that hit Ricky in the hands. But he was unable to haul it in - which doesn't happen often to Williams. He also connected with Ernest Wilford for a 33 yard touchdown. It wasn't the throw, though, that impressed me on that play. You or I could have made the throw. It's the fact that Henne was under immense pressure and had three defenders bearing down on him. He stood in the pocket, kept his eyes down the field, and found an open man. Good stuff.

Of course, Henne was also intercepted on a pass that he had no business making. But it's the preseason and he's young - so let's not get crazy.

QUICK HITS
Some quick thoughts on Monday's preseason opener:

Cameron Wake can rush the passer. We don't know what else he can do at this point, but he showed great burst and strength when rushing off the edge.
Patrick Turner led the team in receptions, catching three balls. He showed good hands but failed to bring in a pass in which he was surrounded by Jacksonville defenders. And that's what I'm hoping to see from Turner - the ability to make tough catches in traffic.
Eric Green really struggled. He was targeted numerous times and actually allowed three straight completions at one point. He's losing ground in the battle at cornerback right now.
Vontae Davis didn't perform much better. He was called for three penalties in the game - two were on special teams and the other was a pass interference call. You can bet the coaches will rip into him a bit for those. He also allowed himself to be blocked by a receiver on that screen pass that the Jaguars ran that would have been a TD if not for a holding call. Davis was being manhandled in the endzone by Tiquan Underwood, a 178 pound rookie from Rutgers. Vontae has to learn to shed that block and make a play.
Brandon London and Anthony Armstrong had quiet nights while Chris Williams made some plays as the return man. Could Williams actually make the roster as the team's 6th receiver? Possibly. He averaged 31 yards on 4 kickoff returns but wasn't as comfortable handling punt returns.
We got our first taste of Pat White and it was a solid debut. He made a few plays with his legs. He completed only 2 of 7 passes - but was a victim of some drops, including one that resulted in an interception. But I'm not quite sure why so many are raving over White's debut. I didn't see anything spectacular yet.
Seven penalties are too many - especially when some of them are committed in the redzone.
Here are the numbers for the kicking competition. Dan Carpenter drilled a 48 yard field goal. However, he slipped on an extra point attempt off the wet infield dirt. Connor Barth connected on his field goal attempt from 27. On kickoffs, Carp averaged 67 yards per kick on three kicks. Barth kicked one for 65 yards. Just for point of reference, a 65 yard kick is fielded at the 5 yard line; a 67 yard kick is fielded at the 3. Carpenter was the only one to reach the endzone, with his opening kick going 4 yards deep in the endzone.

So that's all for my initial reaction to Miami's preseason opener. We'll definitely talk more about this game as the week goes on. All told, though, it was football - and we can all agree that that's a positive.

Dolphins Training Camp, Day Four: Pennington struggles, the line gets shuffled & the WR battle heats up

Matty I — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 01:28:46 -0000

More photos » by Wilfredo Lee - AP

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There was only one practice down in Davie on Wednesday. But there's still plenty to talk about. And it must have been a tough practice physically, as the heat index in South Florida rose to over 100 degrees on Wednesday afternoon. Below are some talking points.

Oh - and don't forget to check back later for an updated version of my "depth chart bubble watch."

CHAD PENNINGTON HAS A ROUGH DAY
Every quarterback goes through days like this. The only reason this is really headline news in Miami is because of how well - and how efficient - Chad Pennington performed in 2008. But Pennington was "un-CP10" like today. Perhaps Omar Kelly described it best, writing, "For the first time since he's been a Dolphin Chad Pennington played as good as three-day-old fish smells, and tastes."

Pennington was overthrowing open receivers. He had some issues taking the snap from center. He took sacks. And depending on who you talk to, Chad threw either one (according to Palm Beach Post) or two (according to Sun-Sentinel) interceptions. Now that is very uncharacteristic of CP10.

Of course, it wasn't all bad for Pennington. He made a few good throws, too - including a 40+ yard touchdown to Anthony Armstrong (more on him in a minute). But overall, this was probably his worst training camp practice as a Dolphin. With that said, I'm not worried at all about Pennington.

BATTLE FOR FINAL WR SPOT HEATING UP
For the past few days, we've been hearing very good things about Brandon London. On the other hand, his top competitor for the final receiver spot, Anthony Armstrong, was relatively quiet. Well that changed on Wednesday.

Armstrong finally made a big play, catching a 40 yard touchdown pass from Chad Pennington - beating Eric Green (who is currently working as a starter). And Omar Kelly wrote that both Pennington and Chad Henne are finding Armstrong more often now following the release of Brennan Marion. Armstrong was open a lot more often on Wednesday - but was overthrown a couple of times by Miami's quarterbacks.

Meanwhile, Brandon London is still playing well. London beat Will Billingsley on one play - but the pass was incomplete as Pat White's throw was a little behind Brandon. Brandon also continues to make plays during the one-on-one receiver vs. cornerback drills.

Look for this battle to go down to the wire. And what's interesting is that there seems to be a divide between Dolphin fans as to who they are pulling for. But in the end, I get the feeling Armstrong is really going to have to impress simply because he isn't much of a special teams contributor while London is one of the team's best coverage guys.

THE LINES GET SHUFFLED
Last year, the coaching staff didn't start "experimenting" with different players on different units until the second week of camp. But Tony Sparano and company started early this year. Shawn Murphy, who had been working as the starting right guard, worked with the 2nd team on Wednesday. Joe Berger, who is the team's primary backup center, spent most of Wednesday replacing Murphy at RG. But Murphy did get some reps with the 1st unit just before the end of practice.

On the defensive side, offseason acquisition Tony McDaniel worked with the first team at defensive end for the second consecutive day replacing Phillip Merling. What's always interesting to note, though, is how the "demoted" player reacts when he's sent down. And according to Omar Kelly, Merling has been making plays as part of the second unit.

Look for more of this "experimenting" to continue between now and the first preseason game on August 17.

ODDS & ENDS

Vontae Davis picked off a long Chad Pennington pass intended for Brandon London - showcasing his closing speed.
Donald Thomas was back at practice - but didn't work too much as he eases back into things.
Brian Hartline - a very criticized pick around these parts - has put together back-to-back great days of practice. He followed up a good day yesterday by making the catch of the day today - a diving TD catch from Chad Henne. He also made a lunging catch from Chad Pennington and caught a deep pass down the middle of the field from Pat White. Right now, Hartline is hot and it doesn't matter which of the three quarterbacks are throwing to him. He's making plays consistently right now.

UP NEXT
The Dolphins have two practices tomorrow - one at 9 am and one at 5 pm. Both are open to the public - weather permitting.

Dolphins Training Camp, Day Three: Things getting a little chippy

Matty I — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 04:15:08 -0000

The Dolphins are now three days (and five practices) into their 2009 training camp - and tempers finally flared up. It's only a matter of time until these minor incidents happen. And that time came on Tuesday.

There were two practices today and most of the day's key information is below. One thing I won't bring up again is the Matt Roth situation. That's because there's nothing new to discuss at this point. You can click here for the latest on his saga - which will now be dubbed as "Groin-Gate."

THINGS ARE GETTING CHIPPY
For the first time during the '09 training camp, tempers flared a bit on Tuesday and some players got into minor scuffles. The most notable of the scuffles was between two starters - Channing Crowder and Shawn Murphy. All they did was exchange some words and a few shoves. But that's still something, I suppose.

Later in practice, Tearrius George and Nate Garner got involved with each other. This one seems like it was a little more violent, with George actually shoving Garner hard enough to nearly knock the big man off his feet.

But there was also some physical play involving football as well. Jason Allen hammered Patrick Cobbs and caused a fumble, knocking Cobbs to the ground. Will Billingsley took out receiver Chris Williams as he attempted to run an out. And Akin Ayodele laid out Ricky Williams.

Vontae Davis also committed an obvious facemask on Ted Ginn during a punt return drill and, according to the Palm Beach Post, "acted as if he didn't want to let go."

Afterwards, Crowder spoke about the "chippiness" that took place on Wednesday:

"Just goofier people. Training camp is training camp. I don’t know why they’re falling down. Usually the same guys fall down because they’re sloppy and they didn’t maintain their weight their whole life. ... Overweight guys - their legs get tired and they start grabbing you and pulling you to the ground and laying on your legs and taking little leg pushes because they’re mad I’m sexy. I don’t care. They get upset and start pushing. You’ll get a little slap, a little extra shove, but it's no big deal. We all love each other."

You got to love Channing and his explanation, right?

In all seriousness, though, this is no big deal. If anything, it's nice to see on occasion. Many of these guys on the field are playing for their starting jobs or their roster spots. Things are going to get heated every once in a while. In fact, I'd say it's a good sign - assuming these things don't occur regularly. I just think it's already getting to that point where these guys want to play "real" football and hit somebody. For them, just like us, August 17 cannot get here soon enough.

PASSING GAME GETTING IN SYNC
Generally, when camp begins, the defense is always ahead of the offense. Some will say that's because of the "chemistry" that has to develop on offense. I think it's more accurate to say the timing between the quarterbacks and receivers has to materialize. Five practices in and it's starting to look like that is beginning to happen.

The morning practice was highlighted by two catches. One saw Ted Ginn make a fingertip catch in the back of the endzone on a ball thrown by Chad Pennington. The other was courtesy of Brian Hartline, who made a leaping catch over fellow rookie Sean Smith - also on a ball thrown by CP.

But that was just the tip of the iceberg. Brandon London had another solid day, making a number of catches. He also got by Eric Green by "several steps" - according to one report - but the pass from Pat White was underthrown.

Ted Ginn also continues to impress onlookers with his route running. The Sun-Sentinel's Omar Kelly said Ginn "was running really crisp routes and getting open." He even beat Will Allen, who has been outstanding so far, on a 40 yard post - but just couldn't make the catch. However, hands were never Ginn's problem. Getting open consistently has been - and Ginn seems to have improved in that area.

Meanwhile Greg Camarillo and Davone Bess continue to be their steady selves. Camarillo showed how crisp route-running can be enough to beat a faster cornerback when he beat Vontae Davis on a crisp out route. The best compliement for Camarillo on Tuesday came from Armando Salguero, who wrote:

Brian Hartline had a drop during team drills while Greg Camarillo (old faithful) continues to make himself available for Pennington whenever the QB is in trouble. If Pennington is out of the pocket, he's looking for Camarillo. I would not be surprised -- and neither should you -- if after all the talk of Ted Ginn and Patrick Turner this offseason, it is Camarillo that leads the team in receptions.

Bess has seen most of his work as the slot receiver with Ginn and Camarillo on the outside. I suspect that's how he'll be used most. People like to group Camarillo in with Bess by referring to both as good slot receivers. But Camarillo is 6'1 and much more versatile than Bess. His lack of great height is made up for by his quickness and reliable hands - making him ideal for the slot. Greg, on the other hand, has the route-running ability to work the middle of the field - but also possesses the height and play-making ability to work the outside.

And just on a side note, Anthony Armstrong remains rather quiet now after five practices. I know many of you were on his bandwagon. But in another week or so, if he doesn't flash at all, you might want to find another wagon to ride.

QUICK HITS
Lots of other tidbits from camp on Tuesday:

Ronnie Brown has looked "fast and powerful" while Ricky Williams might be in the best shape of his career. While I love Ricky and all, I must say I hope Brown gets more touches than last season.
There's hasn't been too much on the play of Chad Pennington and Chad Henne - at least compared to the play-by-play we've received in years past about the QBs. I'd imagine that's because we know what we're going t o get from CP and we'll get to see a lot of Henne in the preseason.
Will Allen has been getting praised by the media since camp began and he already has three interceptions. And Tony Sparano on Tuesday confirmed that Allen has been impressive, saying "he's looked very sharp."
Sean Smith and Vontae Davis both seem to have their positive moments every practice session. But Eric Green is still keeping his hold on the starting job - for now. Look for the rookies to get a shot to work with the starters by next week. I'm not saying they'll stick with the starters - but they'll get their chance.
Haven't heard Anthony Fasano's name much until today. The PBP said "Fasano has looked good all week."
Tony McDaniel got some work today with the first team defense at defensive end. Meanwhile, Randy Starks remains working with the second team. But I'd imagine it's only a matter of time until he gets rotated in with the starters for a practice.
Shawn Murphy continues to hold down the starting RG spot. That's now five practices in a row for the youngster.
Lionel Dotson got "excellent push up the middle a number of times" according to the PBP.
Pat White looks better than he did during OTAs - but still has a long way to go according to most reports.
Jason Allen had a nice pass breakup on a throw intended for Anthony Armstrong. But a few plays later, according to the Sun-Sentinel, Allen was beat deep by Chris Williams.

UP NEXT
Just one practice tomorrow, scheduled for 2 pm. Tony Sparano also announced that Saturday's practice would feature a "stand-up scrimmage" that will last between 90 and 115 plays. He hopes to see the stands filled like last weekend. So get out there if you can this weekend.

Dolphins Training Camp, Day Two: Receivers and corners take center stage

Matty I — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 04:15:10 -0000

More photos » by Wilfredo Lee - AP

He's always watching. Always...

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The first two-a-day of the '09 training camp has come and gone down in Davie for the Dolphins. And two storylines took center stage. One centered around Matt Roth - and we'll touch on that in a minute. But first, let's talk about the battle between the receivers and cornerbacks.

COMPETITION BETWEEN RECEIVERS AND CORNERS HEATING UP
If I was in South Florida and attending camp, these battles are the ones I'd be watching closest. There's nothing like watching a receiver and a corner go at it one-on-one when their fighting for their depth chart position - or even their roster spot. On Monday, the receivers and corners got after one another - both in one-on-one drills and in team drills. So let's digest some of the developments.

In the battle between Brandon London and Anthony Armstrong, it seems like London has the early leg up. He had the highlight catch of the day yesterday. And after an early drop today, he reportedly looked very good catching the football - both over the middle and along the sidelines. He's 11 pounds slimmer and, according to the Sun-Sentinel's Mike Berardino, "less of London seems to be more." Armstrong, on the other hand, is yet to really stand out like he did during OTAs. It's early but Armstrong needs to flash at some point during the first week to keep up with London - especially considering Brandon is a major contributor on special teams as well.

Ted Ginn also reportedly had a good day on Monday. The Palm Beach Post says Ginn had beat Gibril Wilson deep for a touchdown pass from Chad Pennington. He also made an adjustment to catch a pass that was underthrown by Chad Henne, beating Tyrone Culver. And he also beat Will Allen for a 20-yard pass. But Ginn was unable to beat rookie Sean Smith during one-on-ones. Smith impressed by showing the ability to stay with Ginn step-for-step. And keep in mind the man is over 6'3. That's ridiculous when you think about it.

Davone Bess and Greg Camarillo also continued to be their steady selves. Bess got Mike Berardino to wonder if he ever drops a pass. Camarillo, meanwhile, participated fully in both practices - without a knee brace. He reportedly looks very good and it doesn't seem like the knee is hindering him at all. He beat Jason Allen deep (which is becoming a theme) and beat Will Allen on a square in. He also got by Joey Thomas for a long touchdown on Monday.

But I just brought up both "Allens" - so let's touch on them. Omar Kelly said Will Allen "dominated" during one-on-one drills. Edgar Thompson also raved about Will, referring to some "blanket coverage" on Camarillo's slant pattern. Allen also had an interception in the morning session - which prompted some to wonder why quarterbacks even throw to Will's side in practice. He's looked that good.

On the other hand, Jason Allen has struggled. Jas was beaten badly twice - once by Camarillo (who was reportedly five yards beyond Allen) and once by Bess on a comeback route. Bess also beat Allen for a long TD on a double-move during one-on-ones by Bess. But it's not just that Allen was getting beat. On one play, Allen was lined up wrong, causing Will Allen to stop the play and get Jason in the right position. Once he did that, though, it didn't help. Ernest Wilford badly beat Jason but was overthrown by Chad Henne. And to top it off, Patrick Turner actually blocked Jason Allen so badly he actually "lifted Allen's feet off the ground" - according to the team's official site.

I know all of you Jason Allen lovers will continue to defend him. But let's face the facts - he just doesn't seem to have what it takes to cut it at this level. Jason is officially "on notice" - don't be surprised to see him given the ax when cuts come around if he doesn't drastically improve.

THE MATT ROTH CONTROVERSY
We touched on this yesterday for a moment, but this saga is getting interesting. Here's what we know. We know that Roth failed the conditioning test given to every player over the weekend - resulting in Matt getting placed on the PUP list. Roth then met with Tony Sparano to discuss what happened. Roth claimed he was feeling "ill" in two separate meeting with Sparano. Then on Sunday night, Drew Rosenhaus said on TV that Roth was actually suffering from a groin injury - something that has plagued him for a lot of his career it seems.

Blood tests came back negative on Monday for any kind of illness. So now it's very possible that Roth does have a groin injury. According to Armando Salguero, Sparano is "upset" with Roth and thinks Matt might have lied to him two different times about this situation. Sparano and Roth were also scheduled to sit down and talk for a third time on Monday evening. So we should expect this situation to come to a head on Tuesday when Tony meets with the media. It's unknown at this point if Roth will also talk to the media on Tuesday.

But Sparano, in between Monday's two practices, told the media the following:

"I believe Matt Roth when Matt Roth is telling me that he is sick. This groin thing ... it is the first time I have heard of it. We are going to investigate it, but I have been told on two different occasions that it is an illness. [A groin injury] is not what I was told was the reason for the performance [in the conditioning test] that I saw [Sunday]."

With Sparano having publicly come out and declare his trust in Roth, things could get ugly for Matt if it turns out he did lie. We know Tony will be very angry if a player of his lied twice to his face. Now making him look like a bit of a fool in the media by providing what might turn out to be false info is only going to get Roth deeper in Sparano's dog house.

Meanwhile, Jason Taylor has been stepping up his game as he gets accustomed to playing the strongside in Miami's 3-4 defense. Some reports raved about Jason beginning to look like the Jason of old. And if that's the case, Roth is really going to want to clear this up as soon as possible and then get back on that field. Every opportunity he gives Taylor is just another opportunity for JT to make a case to either start at Roth's spot or severely cut into Matt's playing time.

But let's not down play this and just think Taylor could come in and replace Roth with ease. Roth was very good at stopping the run last year. By late in the year, teams wouldn't even run at Roth's side because of how effective he was at setting the edge and making plays on the ball carrier. Taylor was never great at defending the run and, at his age, likely is nowhere near as effective as Roth is at it. So having Roth and Sparano work this out - and getting Matt back on the field - is very important.

UP NEXT
The Dolphins have two practices again tomorrow - at 9 am and 5 pm.