Shelton slimming down; earns starting gig
I wrote yesterday that one local newspaper reported that L.J. Shelton was working with the first team offensive line while Anthony Alabi was with the "scout team." Following yesterday's practice, we got confirmation of that:
So how did Shelton, who has been with the first team only since Saturday, get his job back. As it's been rumored all along, it apparently came down to weight. Shelton, who entered camp around 345 pounds, is down to a slim 326. What does Cam think of L.J. right now:
"There's a case of open, honest communication that went way back to March. You've heard me say, 'We're all breathing the same air, so let's be open, let's be honest, let's take the good news with the bad news and play ball.' He's been super."
This is all very good news to me. Alabi seemed slow and unathletic all camp long. Shelton, who is now slimmer, will be quicker on his feet than in the past and will show much more athleticism, which is how Cam and line coach Hudson Houck like to see. The way I see it, this line as a whole is going to be at least a little improved over last year's line. And that is certainly good news.
More on the RB situation
There are some interesting quotes from an article in today's Miami Herald about the running back situation. And they come from Ronnie himself. Yesterday, Armando Salguero reported that he thinks that both Brown and Jesse Chatman will share the load this year. And though I don't think it will be an even split (maybe 70/30 split in favor of Ronnie), it does seem as though Cameron is serious about giving Chatman some considerable playing time. Here's what Ronnie says:
"You saw it the way the Saints use Reggie Bush, having Deuce [McAllister] in the back to be able to move guys around and create mismatches for Bush."
"Maybe it will work as well for us as it does for them."
Ronnie brings up an interesting point. Some have dismissed the idea of having Ronnie and Jesse in the game together, but why not? Cameron likes creating mismatches, and that's what would happen if Ronnie and Jesse shared the backfield on some plays. If nothing else, it forces the opposing team to at least spend a little time in practice on preparing for a possible Ronnie/Jesse backfield set.
Depth chart coming Wednesday
Just a quick reminder. In case you haven't heard, the Dolphins plan to release their official depth chart on Wednesday. I suspect this will be the one with Ted Ginn (and not Ronnie) listed as the team's kick returner, as well as having Shelton listed as the team's starting RT. Other than that, I wouldn't expect any other real changes.