Well in one week, the Dolphins will be holding their 2nd mini-camp.  Though it is "voluntary," it's expected that most of the veterans will be in Davie for the camp.  After all, with Bill Parcells in town, "voluntary" means "you better be there."  This will be our 2nd chance to see the rookies and our first opportunity to see the other new players that this regime has brought in. 

So what I wanted to do was just talk about some of the players I'm most excited/anxious to see in a Dolphins uniform as we head towards training camp in July.  Today we'll look at the offensive side of the ball and then we'll talk about the defensive side of the ball some time next week.  The list isn't in any particular order and I'm sure everyone's list would be different, which is why I encourage you all to tell us who you are most excited to see.  My offensive list is below:

Chad Henne - Just because I'm a very vocal John Beck fan doesn't mean I hope Henne fails.  It's just the opposite.  I'd love to see both become very good players.  After all, it's only fair that after so many years of not having a really good quarterback, we can now have two.  It's been widely reported that Henne struggled at the final practice of the rookie camp a few weeks back, with the coaching staff even making Chad run a lap.  But his first 2 days were reportedly solid and I'm very anxious to see him progress from day to day once camp rolls around.

Jayson Foster - If watching the many highlight videos of Foster's college career doesn't excite you, then you might not even have a pulse.  Sure, he's pretty damn small, but it tells you something that Foster was one of the few players that Bill Parcells said a word to at rookie camp.  I'm curious to see how his speed and quickness translate to this next level once the pads go on.

Davone Bess - Bess opened some eyes at rookie camp, catching everything that was thrown his way.  He lacks ideal speed and is on the short side, but his route running and feel for the game really translate into potentially big upside as an NFL slot receiver.  I'm looking forward to hearing the camp reports on how he does getting open once the veterans arrive.

Ernest Wilford - Wilford comes to Miami from Jacksonville and will likely have the inside track to winning the starting receiver job opposite of Ted Ginn.  And he's really the ideal complimentary receiver to a player like Ginn.  As I discussed right here, Wilford is going to be a major upgrade over Marty Booker.  He's got reliable hands, moves the chains, and is a great red-zone target.  I'm looking forward to seeing how he works with the Dolphin quarterbacks in camp.

Jake Long - For obvious reasons, all Dolphin fans will be closely keeping watch on Long and how he does transitioning from the college game to the pros.  I cannot wait to hear the camp reports on how Long is doing in pass protection against some of the speed rushers off the edge (Jason Taylor, Quentin Moses, Joey Porter, etc...).  He's going to learn very early on in camp that dealing with NFL pass-rushers is quite different than dealing with those in the Big 10.

Justin Smiley - There are many reasons why I'm anxious to see Smiley take the field.  One, the Dolphins did pay a decent amount of money to him.  Two, he's coming off of a torn labrum.  And three, Smiley seems to be a very intense player who is also not afraid to speak his mind.  He plays with a nasty streak and that's the kind of play this team needs.

Just missed the list:  Boomer Brigsby, Shawn Murphy, Tab Perry

So those are my top 6 new Dolphin players that I'm most excited/anxious to see on the offensive side of the ball.  We'll get into the defensive side next week. 

Be sure to tell us all which new offensive players you are most excited to see in aqua and orange.

Thoughts below...

Incase you've been living under a rock for the past 48 hours, you know that the main story of this weekend for the Dolphins was their rookie mini-camp, the first one of 2008.  And with it's conclusion on Sunday, there's really only one thing that Dolphin fans (and football fans in general) are thinking:  Football season can't get here soon enough.  All this weekend's mini-camp really did was wet my appetite for, of course, more football.  But we'll have to wait a little bit for that.

Here are some of the storylines that came out of this weekend's mini-camp:

A NEW ERA HAS BEGUN
For Tony Sparano, this weekend really marked the beginning of what will hopefully be a successful head coaching career.  And he was just as excited as anyone to get on the practice field for the first time.  On Friday, Sparano shared with the media:

"It was great. I was excited; didn’t sleep much last night. All of the administrative stuff for me, from that standpoint, was put behind me last evening and I was excited to get out here and get on the field."

And with that, a brand new era kicked off in Miami for the 2nd time in as many years.  But as Dolphin fans, we're all hoping this one is different.  And we're hoping it's long-term.

The good news is that it does seem different right now.  In all of Sparano's press briefings the past few days, he's shown us all that he is indeed a "football guy."  He's not going to put spin on anything like Cam Cameron did.  And he doesn't seem like a blatant liar like Nick Saban.  Instead, he comes off as a person who is just excited to be on the field again and who will tell it like it is.  How refreshing is that?

Take the following as a good example of this.  On Saturday, Sparano was asked what jumped out the most after watching the tape of Friday's practice.  Sparano could have said something like "great effort."  But he didn't.  He said:

"I think what I saw last night after viewing the film is I saw, clearly in my mind, we had some guys who lacked some stamina, some conditioning and some of those things. As we got on in practice, you could see that show up. And the point I just tried to make to them in the meeting this morning is that this is just a small sample of what’s going to happen and what lies ahead."

Then to further make a point about conditioning, Sparano had this to say about the signing of UDFA Anthony Toribio:

"Honestly, I think one of the things, and to his credit certainly not to ours, he came in here and he was in outstanding shape."

That's right.  It seems we got a no-nonsense, straight-shooter in Miami.  It's about damn time if you ask me.  Let's just hope things turn out differently under this head coach than they have under the team's previous 3 or 4.

DAVONE BESS IMPRESSES
One of the hot topics entering this mini-camp was which of the undrafted free agents that the Dolphins brought in would take this opportunity to stand out from everyone else.  The answer?  Hawaii WR Davone Bess.  And this doesn't come as a shock to me because, like many, I thought the signing of Bess following the draft was an outstanding move.

The Pam Beach Post writes that the Dolphins new offensive coordinator, Dan Henning, is really taken a liking to Bess:

Offensive coordinator Dan Henning, a veteran of 28 NFL seasons, likes what he has seen from rookie wideout Davone Bess. Sure hands. Sharp routes. Nice dreads.

Henning, 65, looked to narrow the generational gap when he complimented Bess' signature blond-tipped dreadlocks during Saturday's practice.

Henning, who even asked Bess for the name of his hairdresser, may have been joking. But for Bess, it was nice to be noticed again.

Even Sparano has taken notice of this former Hawaii standout:

"I see a player that has pretty good ball skills right now. He certainly needs to do some things from a conditioning standpoint. But the one thing with him is, he has been in an offense where they are running a bunch of routes every game. I think that is a positive."

I said this once and I'll say it again because I really believe it:  Davone Bess is going to be a Miami Dolphin in 2008.  Call me crazy, but I really like the idea of lining up Ernest Wilford and Derek Hagan on the outside and Teddy Ginn and Bess in the slots when Miami goes with 4 wide receivers.  I think that Bess' quick-twitch ability will really allow him to effectively work the middle of the field to get open.  Many NFL corners will have some issues with how quick Bess can get in and out of his breaks.  Just watch his Hawaii highlights and you can see a player who runs good routes and who knows how to get open.  And I don't care who it's against.  The ability to effectively get open is something that you really can't teach.  Bess just has a great feel for the game.

QUICK HITS
Here are a few other things that came out of camp:

-Chad Henne had a tough day on Sunday but that's to be expected.

-Jake Long is showing why he was a number 1 pick.   Many reports all claim that he looked so much lighter on his feet than anyone else despite being the largest of all the offensive linemen participating in camp.  It's early, but that's good news.

-Early reports are that Phillip Merling looked a little sluggish at times.  But that's too be expected when you consider he's coming off surgery and isn't in football shape yet.  He did show great strength, though, when he was taking part in drills and such.

Thoughts below...

GINN BEING REPLACED AT KR?

There's an interesting little piece of information buried deep in a Sun-Sentinel article about the recent signings of a couple of undrafted free agent: Hawaii WR Davone Bess and Georgia Southern QB Jayson Foster.  The quote from the paper says:

Foster and Bess have been told they will compete for kick return roles, an indication the Dolphins are intent on lessening the workload of second-year receiver Ted Ginn Jr.

Foster is an electrifying runner (see here ) who is being brought in as a wide receiver and return man.  I'm a little surprised to see Bess was told he'll also compete for kick return duties, as he isn't as fast.  But he is quick, reminding me of a Wes Welker kind of return man. 

The good news here is that this new regime does seem to want to lessen Ginn's workload, allowing him to focus on being the team's #1 receiver.  I just wonder if we are losing some value in Ginn because of how dynamic of a return man he can be.  I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens.

As long as Ronnie Brown isn't back returning kicks in the preseason (ouch, bad memory there).

DOLPHINS CUT TWO

As W NY Fins Fan points out, the Dolphins have released two players.  Quarterback Matt Baker was shown the door, which isn't a big shock.

A little more surprising is DT Steve Fifita.  Fifita saw action in 13 games last year for the Dolphins and seemed like he could make a decent project as a backup nose tackle.  But following the signing of numerous undrafted free agents, I suppose Fifita's services aren't necessary anymore.

Well this was quite a weekend for all of us Dolphin fans.  There's a lot to get to and we will get to it all over the next few days and weeks.  Below are just my early thoughts about what the Dolphins did this past weekend.

FINS SIGN UNDRAFTED WR
The Honolulu Advertiser reports that the Dolphins, who didn't draft a receiver in any of the 7 rounds of the draft, have signed Hawaii WR Davone Bess.  And I think this has the potential to be a very solid signing for the Dolphins.

Bess, coming out as a junior, was a very productive wide receiver in Hawaii's wide open passing attack.  His 3 year career at Hawaii includes 293 receptions for 3,610 yards and 41 touchdowns.  But it's hard to base his potential on numbers when you consider the teams he played against and the offensive system he played in.

However, when you watch this guy play, you see that he's got some serious potential.  At 5'9, 194, he doesn't have good height.  And he ran just a 4.6 40, so he doesn't have great speed.  But he's very quick and possesses great hands.  In any highlight you see, you'll notice he's catching the ball out in front of him with his hands, not with his body.  He's also very quick out of his breaks, allowing him to make solid cuts, catch the ball, and then turn and run after the catch.  He's also got the ability o break arm tackles, further adding to his elusiveness after the catch.

Make no mistake about it, Bess isn't just a "camp body."  Mark my words:  Davone Bess will be a Miami Dolphin in 2008.  It might only be as the team's 5th wide receiver, but he'll be here in Miami.

THOUGHTS ON OFFENSIVE LINE
The Dolphins drafted 3 offensive lineman in this weekend's draft.  But since we've addressed Jake Long enough (for now), I want to turn your attention to the two guards that the Dolphins drafted.

At 6'4, 320, Shawn Murphy is a massive man.  He's got terrific strength and is surprisingly quick.  Some say he's still raw, but I look at that as a good thing.  A coach like Tony Sparano will be able to get the most out of him and his potential.  Coincidentally, NFL.com compares Murphy to new Dolphin Justin Smiley.

And speaking of which, in his post-draft news conference, GM Jeff Ireland said that Murphy would be placed a right guard initially and they would see what he can do there.  Ireland also went on to say that Murphy will battle for the starting spot right from the beginning.  What does this mean for Smiley?  Ireland said that this would likely mean that he moves to left guard, but said the decision is Tony Sparano's to make.  In my view, this makes the most sense, as I'd rather not have two rookies starting on the left side of the offensive line (Long being the other at LT).

As for the other guard taken, UConn's Donald Thomas, he's more of a project since he was only a one-year starter in college.  But he's got good size (6'4, 303) and good athleticism.  For now, he seems like a player destined to provide depth and eventually grow into a potentially larger role down the road.

TALKING DEFENSIVE LINE
I wanted to really talk about two of Miami's picks here because there's been a lot of debate about these two guys.

First up is Hampton's Kendall Langford.  This is a player who the Dolphins have been rumored to like for about a month now.  And other 3-4 teams also reportedly liked his ability and his potential.  He really is an ideal fit as a defensive end in a 3-4 defense.  Kendall measures in at 6'6 and, depending where you look, between 287-295 pounds.  He's big, strong, and powerful and gets a great initial push.  He also possesses top-flight intangibles.  There was a stat in one of the draft threads that I posted which reads that reads Langford had the ball run in his direction 293 times, with opposing teams only gaining 64 yards (I believe that's the exact number, but could be wrong).  Some will say that stat is misleading because it was against weaker competition.  The only way I can argue that is to say that the only reason he didn't get into a bigger school is because of some academic issues.  He was recruited, though, by at least Virginia and Virginia Tech.

Miami's pick at #32, Phillip Merling, was really a steal.  He was a projected first round pick who might have slipped because of hernia surgery.  But he's already said he'll be ready to go for the rookie mini-camp.  He's a ferocious defender who has a lot of quickness for his size.  He's stout against the run, can get to the quarterback, and plays well in pursuit.

The big question, though, is where Merling will initially play.  In his post-draft conference call, he said he thinks he's an end, but isn't against playing as an outside linebacker in a 3-4.  At 6'5, 272, I personally think he would make a better defensive end because of his lack of speed off the edge.  And his size tends to lend himself to the DE spot in a 3-4, as he can certainly stand to gain another 10 pounds, getting up in the 280 range, without taking away from his abilities. 

However, at 272, he potentially could be an outside linebacker, especially if Jason Taylor somehow ends up someplace else by the time the season rolls around.  Remember, Greg Ellis, in Dallas' 3-4 defense, plays the OLB spot at 265 pounds.  So I don't think it is set in stone yet exactly where Merling will be playing once the season rolls around.  It's a good pick, nonetheless.

Matt Roth and Vonnie Holliday are officially on notice.  Their starting jobs are certainly in jeopardy.

Continue reading this post »