SB Nation User Blog: joel311

3rd Down Back Situation

joel311 — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 15:02:49 -0000

Ben Volin made an interesting point during the PBP live chat this morning, it went as follows:

Ben Volin: Good morning, thanks for joining us.

The third-down running back situation was another hot topic in my post-game chat on Sunday. (SHAMELESS PLUG: JOIN ME AFTER EVERY GAME FOR A LIVE CHAT!)

No question, Ricky and Ronnie are the top two backs, and have arguably the best hands on the team, among all receivers and tight ends. They were active in the passing game in the fourth quarter, when the Dolphins were throwing on every down. They combined for seven catches.

Patrick Cobbs, though, played 13 snaps on third down. He caught one pass for 9 yards. The other 12 downs? He was a blocker.

Understand, though Cobbs is only 5-foot-8, he is a BEAST. Pound for pound, the strongest guy in the locker room. He can squat three times his body weight.

He was in the game for one reason only -- to thump anyone who got close to Chad Pennington.

Who would you rather be taking those licks -- Ronnie Brown, coming off ACL surgery? Ricky Williams, who is 31 years old?

Tony Sparano knows that his offensive line is a work in progress, and uses Cobbs as a safety valve.

That said, expect to see more Ricky and Ronnie this week on third downs, because the offense needs to move the ball more than it did against the Jets.

I'm already looking forward to next week.

joel311 — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 19:34:15 -0000

I wish it were Sunday already!

The close finish against a possibly playoff bound Jets team has renewed my hope that we are going to do well this year. Once Sparano stops trying to be so predictably unpredictable, I think we're going to see a lot of Ws in the win column. Yes, our receivers aren't that great, but really it was the play calling that was our down fall. If we had thrown some short screen passes early to open the run, and then if we had run hard on them with Ricky and Ronnie (NO PATRICK), it would have opened up the secondary to allow some receivers to get open. I agree that Ginn was a huge disappointment with his invisibility and his timid attempts at punt returns, but I'm going to chalk that up to game 1 jitters. I don't think he's used to being in the #1 anticipated game of the week. Even Pennington looked nervous in his first two or three series, and he's a long time veteran. I'll reserve my harsh judgements on Ginn until at least next week.

Miami to change colors and logo?

joel311 — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 19:48:24 -0000

Please say it ain't so!!

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/palmbeach/miamidolphins/entries/2008/08/12/dolphins_of_a_different_color.html

Found an interesting nugget from the fantastic blog Uniwatch, the world’s finest blog devoted to sports uniform minutiae.

The writer, Paul Lukas, got a tip from a reader that the Dolphins are looking to make wholesale changes to their image.

Monday, he wrote:

“Word in Reebok/Adidas world is that the Miami Dolphins contacted them today to totally re-image them. We’re talking new logo, new color scheme, and new uniforms. Why? Because, according to their front office, they want to be “tough,” and unfortunately orange and teal don’t go along with tough.’”

Depth Chart #1

joel311 — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 20:54:03 -0000

From PBP: http://www.palmbeachpost.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/palmbeach/miamidolphins/entries/2008/08/index.html

Here it is (rookies are underlined):

OFFENSE

WR 1: Ted Ginn, Derek Hagan, David Kircus, Jayson Foster, Anthony Armstrong
LT: Jake Long, Ikechuku Ndukwe
LG: Justin Smiley, Shawn Murphy
C: Samson Satele, Steve McKinney, Matt Spanos
RG: Trey Darilek, Donald Thomas, Mike Byrne
RT: Vernon Carey, Daren Heerspink
TE: Anthony Fasano, David Martin, Sean Ryan, Justin Peelle, Matthew Mulligan
WR 2: Ernest Wilford, Greg Camarillo, Davone Bess, John Dunlap, Selwyn Lymon.
QB: Josh McCown, John Beck, Chad Henne
FB: Regan Mauia, Boomer Grigsby
RB: Ronnie Brown, Ricky Williams, Patrick Cobbs, Jalen Parmele, Lex Hilliard

DEFENSE

LE: Matt Roth, Randy Starks, Kendall Langford, Rodrique Wright
NT: Jason Ferguson, Paul Soliai, Anthony Toribio
RE: Vonnie Holliday, Phillip Merling, Lionel Dotson
SLB: Joey Porter, Rob Ninkovich, Junior Glymph, Titus Brown
ILB 1: Channing Crowder, Kelvin Smith, Kelly Poppinga
ILB 2: Akin Ayodele, Reggie Torbor, Edmond Miles
WLB: Charlie Anderson, Quentin Moses, Keith Saunders
LCB: Will Allen, Joey Thomas, Chris Roberson
RCB: Andre Goodman, Travis Daniels, Nathan Jones, Will Billingsley
FS: Jason Allen, Chris Crocker, Renaldo Hill
SS: Yeremiah Bell, Keith Davis, Courtney Bryan

SPECIALISTS

P: Brandon Fields
K: Jay Feely, Dan Carpenter
KO: Jay Feely, Dan Carpenter
H: Brandon Fields
KOR: Ted Ginn, Jayson Foster, Davone Bess
PR: Ted Ginn, Jayson Foster, Davone Bess
LS: John Denney

Quincy Carter story corrobarated on PBP

joel311 — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 08:52:25 -0000

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/palmbeach/miamidolphins/entries/2008/07/index.html

Excerpts:

"Hall of Fame wide receiver Michael Irvin reported today on his radio show in the Dallas-Fort Worth area that Carter will be in Davie on Friday for a workout at the Dolphins’ training facility."

“I see Ricky Williams playing again,” Carter told the Palm Beach Post before he checked into a South Florida rehab facility in December. “I only failed one test. Ricky failed about five or six.”

“I need to work on myself and I also want to get back into the NFL,” Carter said in December. “Ultimately I want to begin a new life and do the right thing.”

Which two players are you rooting for

joel311 — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 19:09:41 -0000

this offseason?

Charlie Anderson and Jayson Foster have really piqued my interest; I can't read enough about their performances in training camp. I'd love to see Foster start out returning kicks and freeing up Ginn to be a full time receiver. Anderson sounds like a diamond in the rough. The man is a beast!

August 9th cannot get here soon enough, but at the same time I love reading the PBP blog for each practice. I'm kind of upset that this afternoon's session is closed though.