The Dolphins have a couple of remaining OTA days this week before heading out on a six week vacation. But those practices are closed to the media, meaning we'll have very little new information between now and the start of training camp at the end of July.
Of course, that won't stop us here. We'll find things to discuss as we kill time between now and camp.
For now, though, let's just get on with the usual roundup of weekend news from the 'net.
Veterans give high praise to some rookies
In Barry Jackson' latest "buzz" article, he shares with us some of the things a few incumbent Dolphin veterans are saying about the rookies. In a survey of 15 incumbent Dolphins in which they were asked which rookies have impressed them the most, Koa Misi and Nolan Carroll were mentioned most often:
Jake Long said Misi "is quick off the line, very strong for his size.'' Channing Crowder added, "He's still getting a rush even when he goes against Jake and Vernon Carey." Quentin Moses said "college to the NFL was night and day for me, but Misi has made the transition easily. He looks so smooth; his motor stands out.''
These are some of the first really positive observations about Misi. The local media hasn't really said much about Misi's performance on the days they were allowed to attend. It says a lot that the rookie has been working mostly with the first team so quickly. But it's nice to hear the praise from his teammates.
As far as the fifth round pick Nolan Carroll goes, Yeremiah Bell was one who has been impressed by him, saying "Nolan is real athletic and quick -- he will play a lot of years in the league."
Athletic and quick? Perhaps the makings of a nickel corner?
Don't think, though, that this survey was just a case of veterans throwing endless amounts of praise on these kids. Jackson is quick to point out that some rookies were never mentioned. And what about the team's other fifth round pick, safety Reshad Jones?
One veteran issued a "no comment'' when asked about safety Reshad Jones, who hasn't seriously challenged Chris Clemons.
Ouch.
Of course, it's still very early. Let's see what happens with all of these guys once the pads go on late next month.
Marino a fan of Henne
What's one of the best endorsements the quarterback of the Miami Dolphins can get? It's an endorsement from the greatest pure passer in franchise and league history, of course.
That's what Chad Henne recently got. Dan Marino, speaking with Omar Kelly of the Sun-Sentinel, said that he likes what he has seen from Henne in his young career:
"He gave them a chance to win a lot [in 2009], which for a young quarterback is the most important thing. He's got a strong arm from what I've seen on film. ... Very strong arm. I think he's going to do nothing but get better."
Marino also acknowledged that the arrival of Brandon Marshall to Miami should greatly help Henne's development and production. Marino told Omar that, "if you have talent, and you have talent around you, you're going to get better. They are doing that with adding Brandon Marshall to some of the guys they already have. [Henne] will continue to improve."
That's what we're hoping. And that's why I changed my opinion on acquiring Marshall. You'll probably remember earlier this offseason that I wasn't the biggest fan of potentially trading for the Bronco receiver because of his off-field issues. But I'll admit that I quickly changed my opinion when it started becoming clear that the Dolphins were squarely in the thick of the B-Marsh sweepstakes. The big reason for that was because of his potential impact on the development of our young signal caller.
And it's great to hear similar thoughts from Marino.
Quick Hits
- There are more Dolphin nuggets in Barry Jackson's latest article that are worth checking out.
- Omar Kelly's full video of the interview with Dan Marino is worth a few minutes of your time.
- The debate that just won't go away. On Sunday night, this blog post from ESPN's Tim Graham talking more about the "Henne vs Sanchez" discussion made the front page of ESPN's NFL page. And for the record, let me just make this clear: Henne is better now and that's never going to change. I'm not even being a "homer" here, in my opinion. This season will likely prove my previous comment.