SB Nation - Shawn Murphy

Dolphins Roundup: Wednesday Practices

Matty I — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 01:02:09 -0000

The Dolphins practiced twice on Wednesday - their first time back on the field since Monday's preseason opener. But there was news off the field as well. As you know, the Dolphins cut cornerback Eric Green today. Also, it's being reported that tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams are buying a stake in the team. But I could care less about that - so let's move on to action on the field.

DONALD THOMAS BACK WITH FIRST TEAM
After splitting series with Shawn Murphy at RG on Monday night, Donald Thomas reclaimed his starting spot with the first-team offensive line at practice on Wednesday. It's not that Murphy played poorly, either. But Thomas looked very sharp in his first game action since injuring his foot in the opening game last year. And that's impressive considering Thomas has only been practicing with the team for less than two weeks in camp this year as he recovered from an offseason injury he sustained while working out. The kid is still young and very raw and he's only going to get better.

CAMARILLO WORKS WITH FIRST TEAM IN MORNING
On Monday, Greg Camarillo only got into the game for about four plays (if I counted right). That's probably because they want to take it slow as he recovers from the knee injury that ended his 2008 season early. But Camarillo worked ahead of Davone Bess for the first time in over a week, getting snaps with the first-team offense on Wednesday morning.

However, Bess was back ahead of Camarillo on Wednesday night and he was the star of the practice. The PBP reported Bess caught "several passes" during team drills on Wednesday night. But I can't help but wonder why Camarillo got to work ahead of Davone in the morning. Was it to light a fire under Davone? If so, it seemed to work. Or was it just to give Camarillo some reps after hardly playing on Monday?

Either way, I expect both to see plenty of action this season. But my question right now is - if the season started today - who is the other starter opposite of Ted Ginn?

CHAD HENNE'S PRACTICE STRUGGLES CONTINUE
In the morning session, Henne and his second-team offense struggled during redzone drills. A bobbled snap by Henne and an interception in the endzone by Will Billingsley "highlighted" the drill.

Then in the afternoon, Henne's struggles during the two-minute drill continued. Two of his first three passes were batted down and the offense was unable to get into scoring position. Now that could actually not be Henne's fault. Maybe the offensive line was giving Chad no time to throw, which resulted in passes being batted down. But it's been a recurring theme all camp long - Henne's inability to move his offense into scoring position during the two-minute drill.

Luckily, though, it's only practice. Henne didn't look bad in the preseason opener (he wasn't great, either). I'm anxious to see if he improves in Saturday's game against Carolina.

INJURY UPDATES
Matt Roth continues to sit out of practice. And this comes after agent Drew Rosenhaus said on Sunday night that he expected Roth to be back at practice at some point this week. We'll see - but the clock is ticking.

Meanwhile, left guard Justin Smiley sat out of the afternoon practice with an undisclosed injury. But it doesn't appear it's a serious concern. Smiley was dressed for the afternoon practice and participated in individual drills. But he sat out of the team drills.

Film Review: Breaking down the offensive line

Matty I — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 05:23:15 -0000

One of my biggest initial concerns immediately following the Dolphins' preseason opener on Monday was how ineffective the first-team offensive line was at opening up rushing lanes. One major problem last year, and one of the reasons the Dolphins went to the 'Wildcat' offense, was Miami's inability to run the ball between the tackles. And one of the keys to the team's success this year will establishing an effective ground game without using the 'Wildcat' as a crutch.

So I decided to take a look back at all of Miami's offensive snaps with the first team offensive line in and see who was performing and who was struggling. Below is the play-by-play breakdown. And keep in mind that I don't have any idea of what blocking schemes the team is using. So while I might single a player out for making a bad play, it might not even be completely his fault. Even so, I figured this exercise might be useful.

Series #1
Jake Long, Justin Smiley, Jake Grove, Shawn Murphy, Vernon Carey

1st & 10: Ronnie Brown up the middle for two yards. Jake Grove can't move John Henderson at all one-on-one.

2nd & 8: Chad Pennington pass incomplete. The left side holds up well but Vernon Carey decides not to block anyone as two blitzers fly by him forcing an early throw from CP.

3rd & 8: CP has to avoid some pressure and throws incomplete. The Jaguars rushed five. The Dolphins probably should have slid protection to the right. Jake Long and Justin Smiley ended up blocking one man while Shawn Murphy ended up on the ground. Pressure came from the right side. Grove seemed to hold up and Carey handled his man. But the Jags rushed five and two of Miami's linemen were blocking one man over on the left side, leaving the right hung out to dry.

Series #2
Same line except Donald Thomas replaces Murphy

1st & 10: Play-action pass completed to Davone Bess. The Jags rushed four and the line protected well.

2nd & 2: Ricky Williams for a yard up the middle. Grove takes his man to the ground. But Smiley ends up on his backside. More defenders in the area than blockers - defense expected run.

3rd & 1: CP pass to Ted Ginn for first down. Four man rush and CP has all day to throw. Solid protection.

1st & 10: CP to Ginn again. Again, good protection. Carey takes Reggie Hayward one-on-one and stands him up. Grove and Thomas double John Henderson and he gets to push up the middle. And nice blitz pick-up by Ricky Williams and Lousaka Polite. Jake Long and Justin Smiley were also matched one-on-one with their defenders and had no problems.

1st & 10: Ricky runs right side for two. Thomas pancakes his man to the ground. Grove and Smiley all have their men tied up, too. Carey handles his man at first, but fails to sustain block. However, Polite whiffs on the lead block in the hole. If he takes out the safety who came up to make the play, it's a longer run for sure.

2nd & 8: Ricky takes end-around for 11 off right side. It's actually David Martin, Anthony Fasano, and Davone Bess leading the way around the end. But Thomas did a good job keeping his man out of the play. Jake Grove completely whiffs on his block - but I don't think it made any difference anyway.

1st & 10: Holding on Ricky. No play.

1st & 20: Botched handoff between CP and Ricky for loss of five. Sad thing about that is there may have been a cut-back lane for Ricky. Long, Smiley and Thomas all have their guys blocked and Grove is down the field taking on a linebacker.

2nd & 25: Ricky loses two. Quentin Groves just badly beats Long. Jake whiffs on the block - bad foot work. Smiley, Carey, and Thomas all had their men blocked well.

3rd & 27: CP to Bess for four. Quick pass. Nothing to note.

Series #3
Murphy back in replacing Thomas.

1st & 10: Pinned at own one, Polite runs up the gut for two. Bad angle to see what happened - but everyone in the stadium was expecting a run.

2nd & 8: CP to Ginn for a pass interference. The left side got pushed back a little but still gave CP enough time.

1st & 10: CP pass incomplete. Jags rush five. Line protects well. Grove took Henderson one-on-one and held his ground.

2nd & 10: Reverse to Ginn for 14 yards around left side. Solid blocking down field by Bess again. He's definitely gotten stronger. Shawn Murphy did a good job getting out in space and taking out a defensive back. Grove takes Henderson one-on-one again.

1st & 10: Draw play for Ronnie for 2 behind left guard. Grove was unable to sustain his block and that's the man who disrupted the play. Long and Smiley each had their man taken care of. On the opposite side, Carey and Murphy kept their men blocked as well. If Grove keeps Henderson blocked, it could be a big gainer.

2nd & 8: Ronnie takes pitch from Chad Henne for 3 around right end. John Nalbone does a nice job sealing off his man on the side. But Sean Considine comes up from safety, reads the play well, and disrupts it. Brown breaks his tackle but there's not much running room. Brian Hartline could keep his man blocked, which is part of the reason the play failed.

3rd & 5: Brown goes to the left for three. Long can't sustain his block on Derrick Harvey, who makes the stop. Grove and Smiley got no push, either.

Series #4
Donald Thomas back in.

1st & 10: Ricky runs right for 10. Poor job by broadcast - got to the play late. From what I could gather, Carey and Nalbone did an excellent job sealing off the right side.

1st & 10: Ricky up the middle for two. Smiley can't sustain his block at all and it's his man making the play. Carey also ended up on his back as his man filled the hole as well. I did notice Thomas easily handing his man yet again.

2nd & 8: Henne pass incomplete to Brian Hartline. Excellent protection - good blitz pickup by Polite again.

3rd & 8: Henne to Hartline for 20. Good protection again. Ronnie makes a nice blitz pickup.

1st & 10: Ricky runs left for 4. Williams had to make a nice spin move to avoid getting taken down in the backfield. Donald Thomas was pulling and Vernon Carey just couldn't slide over in time to pick up the inside rusher. John Nalbone did a great job sealing the edge, though. The kid can block.

2nd & 6: Ricky runs left for one. Justin Smiley is pulling and he whiffs on his block - and that's who makes the stop. Carey did pancake his man and both Thomas and Nalbone did nice jobs on their defenders.

3rd & 5: Henne to David Martin for a first down. Henne had one man bearing down on him and he threw. Surprisingly, it's Long's man - Quentin Groves. He squeezes by Jake on the inside. But from what I could tell, Long lost his footing on the infield dirt. Damn Marlins.

1st & 10: Handoff right side to Polite for a loss of one. It was Jake Grove's inability to block the backup nose tackle that disrupted the play. Grove just got no push at all.

2nd & 11: Henne to Patrick Turner for 10. Three-step drop by Henne. Good protection.

3rd & 1: Ricky for one yard and a face mask penalty. Play designed to go left. Long plows his man out of the play but Smiley gets shoved back and Grove gets no push at all. Ricky, though, stays up, goes right and gets a tough yard. Carey, Thomas, and David Martin all held their ground against their defenders.

1st & G: Henne to Polite for a yard. Quick swing pass. Good protection.

2nd & G: Ricky right side for one. Solid blocking on the right side by Carey, Thomas, Nalbone, and Polite. Carey actually picked up another pancake. But the pulling Justin Smiley can't clear out the lane and Jake Grove ends up on his backside allowing his man to come in as a reinforcement.

3rd & G: (following Grove false start) Henne incomplete to Ricky on a wheel route. Solid protection again - Henne had all the time he needed to make a nice pass.

Final Thoughts

The pass protection was solid for the most part. But the line failed to consistently get the push it needs to run the ball effectively. The two biggest culprits? Justin Smiley and Jake Grove. Both had numerous issues and we'll have to hope they both improve. Smiley was playing very well last year before his injury so I expect him to bounce back. As for Grove, we all hear how he's a very good run-blocker. But we are yet to see it in a Dolphins' uniform.

As for the battle for the right guard spot, I think Thomas had the better game. It probably isn't just coincidence that the two longest drives of the half for the Dolphins came with Thomas on the field. He rarely got beat and, for the most part, handled his defenders with ease. Murphy wasn't bad, either. But he didn't have the success rate Thomas did during the first half.

It's going to be interesting to see if there are any depth chart changes when the team hits the practice field on Wednesday. I wouldn't be shocked to see Thomas getting more first-team work following his solid performance.

Dolphins vs Jaguars: What to watch for

Matty I — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 04:30:09 -0000

It feels like it's been forever since the Miami Dolphins last played a football game. But on Monday night, the Dolphins welcome the Jacksonville Jaguars to Land Shark Stadium (it's going to take a while to get used to calling the stadium that) to finally kick off the preseason. And while it's only preseason football, you are indeed still allowed to get pumped for this game. After all, these preseason games are going to go a long way towards determining who makes this team and who doesn't. There are also numerous position battles up in the air - and these preseason games will be big factors in who starts and who doesn't at numerous positions.

So here's what I'll be watching for on Monday night, in no particular order:

THE OFFENSIVE LINE
One of the hardest things to determine during training camp is how the offensive line is shaping up. Tony Sparano has a "no-ground" policy that attempts to limit the number of times players get taken down to the ground during practice. That means it's virtually impossible to get a fair gauge of the offensive line's progress and, in particular, how the players vying for the starting right guard job are performing.

Shawn Murphy will likely get the first crack at playing with the first-team offense. Remember, too, that Sparano made it a point to say the RG job is his to lose. No matter how well Donald Thomas performs, if Murphy performs equally as well, I suspect Sparano will remain true to his word. Of course, I"m not expecting Murphy to play as well as Thomas likely will as camp and the preseason wears on. But I'm also not opposed to Murphy proving me wrong. You can never have too many quality interior offensive linemen.

Speaking of interior linemen, this game represents our first chance to see Jake Grove really get at it in an actual game as a Miami Dolphin. They say he's stronger and more physical than Samson Satele and plays with a "mean streak." Jacksonville's defensive line is also big and strong and one of the more physical units in the NFL. So this will be a good test for Grove and the rest of the offensive line.

Look for the first-team offensive line to play most of the first half. Sparano likes to keep his line on the field more than most coaches do because he believes in allowing the unit a chance to gel. With a new center, an inexperienced right guard, and a left guard coming off of a season ending surgery, this unit needs time to work together and the Jaguars have a front line that is most formidable.

THE DEFENSIVE BACKS
One of the highlights of training camp thus far has been the promotion of rookie Sean Smith to the role of starting cornerback opposite of veteran Will Allen. But he's far from a sure thing to win the starting job. First round pick Vontae Davis and free acquisition Eric Green - who opened camp working with the first team - are very much in the thick of the battle to start. Monday's game will be the first time all of us fans get a chance to see what we might have in our young rookie corners.

One thing to keep in mind is that Jacksonville doesn't exactly have a great group of receivers. Outside of veteran Torry Holt, they are loaded with a bunch of players who are also looking to prove themselves to their coaches. That means two things. One - these receivers will be playing as if their careers depend on it. And two - there's no reason why Miami's young corners shouldn't have success against this crop of receivers.

Let's also not forget about our new starting safety tandem in 2009. Yeremiah Bell was re-signed and Gibril Wilson was brought in from Oakland giving the Dolphins a hard-hitting tandem on the back end of the defense. However, how will these two perform working together? Will they be liabilities in coverage? Some think Wilson and Bell are too similar to start in the same backfield. I disagree - but we'll get our first chance to find out in this game.

THE QUARTERBACKS
Obviously, many eyes will be on Miami's quarterbacks. Chad Pennington will start but will likely only see two or three drives before he is replaced by Chad Henne. All eyes will be on Henne during the preseason. Tony Sparano has made it a point to get Henne a lot of snaps during the preseason to get him prepared as fast as possible incase Pennington goes down. Of course, the coaches also need to begin learning what, if anything, they have in Henne. So getting him reps with "live bullets" flying is a priority of the preseason. And since he'll likely have a chance to play behind the first-team offensive line, this game presents Henne with his first opportunity of camp to really show this team what he can do.

Meanwhile, for those who usually only watch the first and second teams play during the preseason, there's now an intriguing reason to watch the fourth quarter. That's likely when second-round pick Pat White will take the field. While it's crazy to think we might get a peek at any 'Wildcat' plays, we will likely see elements of the "spread offense" once White comes in. He's far more comfortable working out of the shotgun and this coaching staff wants to put White in situations in which he is comfortable and can succeed - which will hopefully build his confidence.

EVEN MORE TO WATCH
There's obviously much more to watch for than the above:

Just as it's hard to gauge the offensive line during practices, it's almost as hard to judge the pass rush. While I don't expect to see any of the "exotic blitz packages" being installed, I do hope to see some quality edge rushing from those second-teamers. Guys like Cameron Wake, Charlie Anderson, Quentin Moses, and others on the "roster bubble" have to begin to separate themselves from the competition.
Jason Ferguson will likely only play a handful of series. Paul Soliai will then replace him and will begin to answer the question of whether or not the Dolphins have a future starting nose tackle on their roster. We'll also get to see Joe Cohen and Louis Ellis. Perhaps one of those two will flash at some point during the game.
Speaking of the defensive line, there's an interesting battle brewing for the starting spot opposite Kendall Langford. Phillip Merling began camp with the first-team, but is becoming notorious for being one of those players who play better than they practice. That prompted the Dolphins to also work Tony McDaniel and Randy Starks with the first-team as well. Whoever wins the job, though, all three of those guys will be key contributors to the defensive line all season.
Receivers, receivers, receivers. Has Ted Ginn really improved his route running that much? Will Davone Bess or Greg Camarillo step up and widen the gap between the two for the other starting job? Are the rookies - Patrick Turner and Brian Hartline - ready to contribute right away? And can either Brandon London or Anthiny Armstrong begin to distance himself from the other in the battle for the 6th receiver spot...if the Dolphins even keep six? Yes - questions abound at receiver.

GAME THREAD
Be sure to stop by the blog on Monday night as you watch the game or following the game. The first live game thread of the season will go up about a half hour before kickoff. But remember, do not request or give out any information on how to illegally watch this game online.

Dolphins Training Camp: Donald Thomas works with first team OL, Patrick Turner bounces back & more

Matty I — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 04:18:17 -0000

Tuesday featured just one practice down in Davie for the Dolphins. But that doesn't mean thre's nothing to talk about. With less than a week until the first preseason game, some of the position battles are beginning to heat up.

THOMAS WORKS WITH STARTERS
The second week of training camp began with Donald Thomas getting promoted to working with the second team at right guard despite missing most of the first week of camp. On Tuesday, Donald's rise continued as he spent most of the day taking the first-team reps, replacing Shawn Murphy. More importantly, he looked like he belonged there.

In his blog, Omar Kelly wrote that Thomas "looks like an absolute monster" out there and declares that "there's no competition if he's healthy." Of course, that's the million dollar question regarding Donald Thomas. Is he healthy right now and can he remain healthy throughout the course of a 16 game season?

If he can, then there's no reason why this offensive line can't become one of the NFL's best in 2009. It's made up of a bunch of maulers and should be a dominant run-blocking line. The question regarding Jake Long heading into the draft last year was if he could protect the passer (which he has answered with a resounding "yes") - not if he could run block. Nobody questioned that. Justin Smiley was having a terrific year last year before his injury. Vernon Carey proved to be one of the best right tackles in the league last year. And Jake Grove - if he can stay healthy - is a huge upgrade over Samson Satele as a run-blocker. If Thomas can get healthy and win the starting job by September - as he likely will - the Dolphins could potentially have an offensive line filled with young studs for years to come.

On Monday against the Jaguars, we should hopefully get a glimpse of that. In fact, this will be the unit I'm most interested in seeing. It's impossible to really judge an offensive line in practice. But Jacksonville's front is big and physical and will be a good test to gauge where this potentially exceptional offensive line is at right now.

PATRICK TURNER RETURNS TO FORM
Last week, everyone was raving about the performances of Patrick Turner in practice. However, in Saturday's scrimmage, Turner was held without a catch. On Monday, Turner remained relatively quiet - leaving some to wonder if he had hit the first of many "rookie walls." But Turner bounced back on Tuesday by making two 20+ yard receptions - one from Chad Pennington, the other from Chad Henne. The pass from CP to Turner was referred to by Armando Salguero as "the nicest pass play I've seen all camp" - out-jumping Sean Smith to make the catch. On the other reception, Turner beat Eric Green deep down the sideline.

The question for Turner heading into Monday's preseason game will be consistency. He has the ability to catch everything thrown his way. In fact, Omar Kelly wrote that he hasn't seen Turner drop many balls since camp began last week. But he's 6'5, 220 and will be facing smaller, but quicker, cornerbacks. Will he be able to get open consistently and provide the quarterback with some room to throw? The South Florida media has been surprised with how quickly Turner gets in and out of his breaks. But that must now translate to success in live game action.

PAT WHITE HAS ANOTHER UP AND DOWN DAY
It's been interesting to read about Pat White every day to see how he's progressing. Usually, rookies will go through good practices and bad practices. But White's been going through multiple ups and downs in single practice sessions. On Tuesday, for example, White bobbled a snap and failed to beat the buzzer during 7-on-7 drills (which results in a "sack"). However, he also made two "nice throws" to Davone Bess for completions despite good coverage from the corners (Vontae Davis on one pass, Sean Smith on the other).

The bobbled snaps shouldn't be much of a surprise, though. White spent his college years mostly in the shotgun formation. Luckily for White, he'll probably only get on the field during regular season games for certain "shotgun" situations - also known as the 'Wildcat.'

QUICK HITS
Some quick thoughts on Tuesday's activities:

There's been a lot of references in these practice reports about some "exotic blitz packages" that the Dolphins are working on. Can't wait to see what these look like. But we'll likely have to wait until at least September.
Jason Ferguson had a strong day. The PBP referred to him as "immovable" during line drills.
John Nalbone has been improving. He was a major disappointment during OTAs this offseason. But the rookie has rarely dropped any passes in camp and was the standout tight end during Saturday's scrimmage. Joey Haynos - you're officially being put on notice. Don't sleep on the kid from Monmouth!
After a solid day working with the starters on Monday, Sean Smith had some lapses on Tuesday - resulting in two long passes allowed by the rookie. On the other hand, Vontae Davis had a solid day - even intercepting a pass that would have been a pick six in a real game.

UP NEXT
Wednesday will feature two practices - both open to the public. The first is at 9 am. The second is at 8 pm under the lights. Not a bad idea as the team prepare for Monday night's preseason opener.

Dolphins Training Camp: Henne's struggles top story of Monday

Matty I — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 04:15:08 -0000

More photos » by Alan Diaz - AP

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Week two of Miami Dolphins training camp began with two practices on Monday and the release of the first "team-released" depth chart. But it was quarterback play that highlighted Monday's action.

CHAD HENNE STRUGGLES
Following a solid, if unspectacular, performance in Saturday's team scrimmage, Chad Henne began week two of training camp with a disappointing day - particularly in the afternoon session on Monday. Henne, who has struggled all camp during one of Tony Sparano's favorite drills - the two-minute offense - had some ugly moments on Monday. Chris Clemons, the rookie safety out of Clemson, picked off Henne twice during Monday afternoon's practice - and nearly intercepted Henne a third time on a pass intended for Ricky Williams in the flat that would have resulted in a pick six for Clemons.

But it was Henne's inability to lead the two-minute offense - a theme of training camp thus far - that the Palm Beach Post provides play-by-play of. Play one, screen pass that is tipped away. Play two, pass broken up by two defenders. Play three, too far outside of intended receiver. Play four, the previously mentioned near pick by Clemons. Henne connects on the next four, though. And the following pass was also reportedly a great throw that Brian Hartline just couldn't come up with as he had Vontae Davis defending him well. And it wrapped up with Vontae Davis breaking up a pass intended for Brandon London.

As the Post points out, too, Henne's performance in the two-minute offense all camp has been unimpressive - with Henne "rarely driving the team into reasonable scoring position." And just for good measure, Henne ended the practice by "missing a wide open Anthony Fasano by a mile in the endzone during goal-line offense." Yikes!

Of course, it's far too early to panic. It's really too early to even think about panicking. But why then did I bring this up? Simple. It's too illustrate the fact that we still don't know what we have in Chad Henne. However, you have to love how Tony Sparano plans to handle this situation. It's tricky. You want to get Henne experience and see what you have in him. At the same time, you can't risk losing the locker room by benching Chad Pennington - a leader on that team and a player coming off of his best career season.

That's why the Dolphins are handling this situation so well. I love the idea of Henne getting most of the playing time in the preseason. It'll give us all a chance to see Henne perform with "semi-live bullets" flying.

With that said, Henne's struggles in the two-minute offense illustrates why Pennington is the starting quarterback of this football team in 2009. CP is efficient. He doesn't have the big arm Henne has. But it's clear that Henne's arm isn't helping him move the ball in simulated two-minute drills during practice. And right now, it's Pennington - not Henne - that gives the 2009 Miami Dolphins the best chance to win. While some of you want to just throw Henne into the starting role without him earning the job just to see him play and possibly prepare him for the future, I'm not ready to give up on the present. CP is the present.

If Henne outplays Pennington at any point during training camp or the preseason, then I'm on board with making a switch ASAP. But that's not going to happen.

RISERS AND FALLERS
We talked yesterday about how week two of training camp is the time Tony Sparano likes to promote and demote players. And as expected, changes were made - headed by the promotion of rookie corner Sean Smith to the starting role opposite Eric Green. Green was sent to the second team to play opposite rookie Vontae Davis. While this is far from a permanent change, it does reward Smith for his solid play through one week of camp and it provides the coaches with a chance to see how Sean performs against better competition. I'd suspect Davis will get a shot at some point during camp as well - even if he has progressed slower than some anticipated.

Randy Starks also saw a promotion, getting his chance to work with the starters on the opposite side of Kendall Langford. Phillip Merling remained with the second unit after getting moved there last week despite beginning camp with the starters. Tony McDaniel dropped back to the second unit after replacing Merling on the first team last week. Look for those three to continue rotating until the coaching staff gets a better feel for those guys.

The other big riser on was Donald Thomas. While Shawn Murphy remained the starter at right guard, Thomas - despite missing most of the OTAs and the early part of camp - was promoted to the second unit as he inches his way back into the starter's role he won as a rookie out of camp last year. Ike Ndukwe was the loser here - and it's starting to look like his days could be numbered if Thomas remains healthy and progresses as we all think he will.

DEPTH CHART RELEASED
Yes, the Dolphins released their first depth chart on Monday. No, it doesn't mean very much. This depth chart is completely irrelevant because the depth chart basically changes day to day. For example, Donald Thomas is listed as the 3rd string RG right now. But he practiced with the second unit on Monday. Cameron Wake is listed as the fourth string weakside linebacker, but has spent most of his time on the second unit in camp.

The release of this depth chart is a reason why I do my weekly "depth chart bubble watch." At this point, it's probably more accurate as to how the coaches see the 53-man roster looking than this team-released chart is.

QUICK HITS
Some quick thoughts on Monday's action:

Chris Clemons has been around the ball a lot recently, according to various reports. Could he cut into Tyrone Culver's role as the team's top reserve safety and find his way onto the field in the team's dime package?
Channing Crowder picked up two sacks in the afternoon session. What's gotten into him? Whatever it is, I hope it says with him. He needs to be a play-maker this year.
Cameron Wake got to work with the first-team defense in the morning replacing Joey Porter (sitting out just for rest) on the weakside. Not surprisingly, Jake Long handled him. But it's good to see the coaches challenging Wake - who has surprised me so far.
Speaking of surprises, Quentin Moses has quietly been putting together a solidd camp. Moses had two sacks and a tipped pass in the afternoon session.
Interesting battle brewing between Davone Bess and Greg Camarillo for the starting job opposite Ted Ginn.
Yeremiah Bell has been reportedly looking much improved in coverage during camp.

UP NEXT
The Dolphins practice only once on Tuesday - beginning at 2 pm. Wednesday will feature two practices, though. And the late session has been moved outside and will begin at 8 pm.

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 hit practice field to kickoff training camp

Matty I — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 04:15:08 -0000

The long wait is finally over. The Miami Dolphins kicked off training camp on Sunday in front of over 3,000 fans at the team's training facility in Davie. The heat and humidity didn't prevent fans from coming out in force to get their first crack at seeing the 2009 Dolphins prepare for their upcoming division title defense.

The practice wasn't necessarily crisp - but first practices rarely are. However, there's still plenty to talk about.

SURPRISE! MURPHY EARLY FRONT-RUNNER FOR RG SPOT
I suppose the most surprising news to come out of day one of camp is that second-year guard Shawn Murphy worked with the first-team offense for most of the session at the open right guard spot. Murphy was inactive for all 16 games last season. But he has clearly improved a lot this offseason and has impressed Tony Sparano. Sparano said that the starting right guard spot "is his job to lose." Sparano added:

"If you (asked) me to name two or three players who improved most in the spring, I think Murphy was one of them. I was impressed with what he did - as impressed as you could be with what a lineman does in helmets and T-shirts."

But the competition for the starting job is obviously far from over. Donald Thomas continues to recover from his offseason injury and, though he isn't 100%, he did get in some work. Ike Ndukwe also figures to get some time working at right guard as well. But the recent development of Murphy being the favorite to start at right guard is certainly a surprise to everyone.

It'll be interesting to see how Murphy - as well as the others battling - handles the situation now that the workd knows Shawn is the early favorite to start.

PATRICK TURNER CONTINUES TO IMPRESS, CAMARILLO AND LONDON MAKING PLAYS TOO
The Dolphins were heavily criticized by the "draft experts" in the media for selecting USC WR Patrick Turner in round three. But teammates raved about Turner's ability during OTAs and minicamp. That momentum has seemed to carry over to training camp. Turner reportedly continued to catch everything that was thrown to him - including a screen pass in which the 6'5 Turner showed some agility in getting by veteran corner Eric Green.

Meanwhile, Brandon London - who is in a fight to keep his roste spot - made what many called the play of the day when he out-jumped cornerback Nate Jones to make a "juggling" 30+ yard catch from Chad Henne. Afterwards, London referred to the play as "one of the plays I have to make. Anytime a ball like that goes up in the air, I've got to be the guy that comes down with it."

Greg Camarillo seems to be back to full speed. He participated in all the drills during the session and had no visible protection on the knee he tore up last season. Camarillo lined up as the starter opposite Ted Ginn and even made one of the day's best catches - snagging a pass from Chad Henne that was thrown behind him. And Chad Pennington calls Greg's comeback from his knee injury "unbelievable."

QUOTE OF THE DAY
The quote of the day from Sunday comes courtesy of Edgar Thompson's Twitter page. Channing Crowder was asked about what has changed with Tony Sparano between last season - as a rookie head coach - to this season. Crowder responded:

"Nothing. He doesn't give a damn what happened last year. I think he forgot."

RECOMMENDED READING

Tony Sparano reiterated that Chad Pennington remains his quarterback. What's more surprising that Pennington has reportedly improved his arm strength a little bit this offseason.
Justin Smiley says he feels 100%. Then he talks about how good this offensive line can potentially be.
Jason Taylor felt the love from the 3,000+ fans in attendance on Sunday.

QUICK HITS

Matt Roth was supposedly on the PUP list right now because of an "illness" according to the Dolphins. But Drew Rosenhaus is saying that Roth actually has a strained groin and will have more tests tomorrow. Jason Taylor worked at the starting strongside linebacker position on Sunday.
Dan Carpenter was on fire today, making seven straight field goals during one drill with an oncoming rush.
Phillip Merling is lining up with the 1st team opposite Kendall Langford at DE. Lionel Dotson and Randy Starks are working with the 2nd team.
Eric Green spent the day as the starting corner on the other side of Will Allen. Vontae Davis and Sean Smith were paired on the 2nd unit.
Cameron Wake didn't flash at all. He was actually "neutralized" by rookie Andrew Gardner a couple of times, according to Omar Kelly.
Pat White looked better and more relaxed than he did during OTAs. But he still has a lot of room to improve based on the numerous practice reports.
Tony Sparano plans on getting Chad Henne a lot of work during the preseason - as we already knew. He wants to see how he handles various in-game situations. But this still remains CP's team...for now.
Chad Henne's arm may have gotten even stronger - that or he is more confident. His throws reportedly have even more zip on them.
Final play of the day was a 'Wildcat' play with Ronnie Brown taking the snap and keeping it. It's believed that most of the "new Wildcat" offense will not be practiced in front of fans and media.

UPCOMING
The Dolphins have two practices tomorrow. The first is at 9 am followed by a 5 pm practice. I'll have an open thread up for discussion of the two practice sessions.