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...