Can you believe that we are less than 2 weeks away from the beginning of training camp? It seems hard to believe, but the dead of the NFL season is almost over!
And before I get to the news roundup from this weekend, I did just want to thank the nearly 600 people who voted in our "Brett Favre to Miami" poll, which by the way you can still vote in. Up to this point, 68% of you do not want the Dolphins to try and make a move for Favre. And considering how unlikely it is that he ends up in Miami, I get the feeling that most Dolphin fans will be happy when Favre either remains in Green Bay or ends up in some other NFL city.
Now onto some other news from the weekend:
RONNIE INTERVIEWED BY YAHOO! SPORTS
The Yahoo! blog entitled "The Shutdown Corner," which is run by Matt Darnell, recently posted an interview that Darnell did with Ronnie Brown. The full interview is right here. Below are a few of Ronnie's quotes:
For myself, I kind of stay away from that prediction stuff. But obviously, for yards at least over -- we have 16 games, 100 yards a game, give or take -- anything over 1400 would be great. As far as wins, you never know. I really can't even start to say that, especially coming off a season where you only win one game.
Ricky's a cool guy. And I think people only know what they see and hear, you know what I mean? So they try to make a judgment about an individual without actually being around him and being able to form an educated opinion, it's pretty tough. But for myself, I've actually been in a situation where I've been able to spend time with Ricky, and we have a good relationship not only on the field, but also off the field. I have a lot of respect for him and the success he's had on this level, and the things he's accomplished thus far. I think that's what makes our relationship so good. We respect one another as individuals, but also as football players. He's a quiet guy, laid back, just likes to relax and doesn't really bother anyone. He's a peaceful guy. I think that's the main way I could form an opinion about him. He's a peaceful guy.
1,400 yards would be great? Listen, if Ronnie rushes for 1,400 yards in 2008 coming off of a torn ACL, I'll go streaking right down Main Street with the words "Ronnie is a God" painted onto my naked body. And I mean that!
It's simply awesome to hear how Ronnie puts these high expectations on himself. And I guess that fact that he ran for over 100 yards in his last 4 full games of 2007 before the injury gives him the confidence that he can run for 100 yards every game. Is it likely? Probably not. But he has the right attitude for an athlete where he expects nothing but excellence from himself.
As far his relationship with Ricky goes, it genuinely does seem like Ricky and Ronnie get along great. And that's a big thing. I think they clearly respect each other's ability and that's why they get along so well. We heard Ricky say earlier this year that he thinks highly of Ronnie. And we wouldn't expect anything less than Ronnie giving praise right back to Williams.
TIGHT ENDS TO PLAY KEY ROLE IN OFFENSE
"OnTheGo" points talks about this in his FanPost, but I did just want to highlight it quickly because this is something interesting that will play out at training camp. Pro Football Weekly shares with us this interesting little nugget:
When the Dolphins hired former Cowboys offensive line coach Tony Sparano as head coach, it was understood that the offense was going to take on a run-first, grind-it-out-on-the-ground persona. But with pressing issues along the offensive line — specifically, at guard — our sources in Miami tell us that the team is going to rely on twin-TE alignments. In fact, one source we talked to said that two tight ends might end up being the default offensive formation. The new front office and coaching staff made targeting tight ends a key this offseason, and newcomers Anthony Fasano and Sean Ryan are two additions to a deep TE corps — joining holdovers David Martin and Justin Peelle — that will be asked to be blockers first, receivers second.
Of course, I'd love to know who "their sources" are just because it's believed that this regime is very tight-lipped about everything they do.
Regardless, though, this is going to be something to watch. We all assumed that this would be a run-first offense, possibly even as drastic as a 60/40 split - old style of football for sure. But I'm not so sure that twin tight ends will be Miami's regular formation.
But whether it is or it isn't, this little piece of information just proves what many have believed all along - that the tight ends in this offense will be asked to block first and receive second. And that means a player like David Martin, who is more of a receiving tight end and struggled often when asked to block, could be in trouble. Anthony Fasano, with his ability to run routes and catch the ball along with his ability to block effectively, will likely have every opportunity to win the starting TE spot. Sean Ryan, who is reportedly more of a blocking tight end, could see a big role as the 2nd TE in two-TE sets. So if that leaves David Martin battling with Justin Peelle, Martin's days could be numbered. Peelle has always been considered a better blocker than receiver. But last year, Peelle proved to be, at the very least, a reliable receiver. Couple that with his blocking skills and it's easy to see why he might make the team over a guy like Martin.
QUICK HITS
-The Dolphins are rumored to be one of the teams interested in free agent guard/center LeCharles Bentley as well as undrafted rookie free agent Pedro Sosa. Being a Rutgers fan, I'd love for the Fins to sign Sosa. He was a 4 year starter at Rutgers and, despite playing the bulk at left tackle, projects more as a guard in the NFL.
-Jason Taylor still won't say if he'll be in camp when it kicks off in less than two weeks. If he fails to show for camp and is a hold-out, I'll love to hear how the JT lovers can defend his actions. But for now, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and hope he'll be in camp on time with the rest of the team.
That's all for now. Be sure to leave your thoughts below...
And remember, as camp opens in less than 2 weeks, that you still have plenty of time to get your Dolphins tickets.