"(Henne’s) been throwing the ball pretty well in practice, but I think that in the last two practices having the ability to get all the weapons out there and give him a chance to some things that way has helped," Miami Dolphins Head Coach Tony Sparano stated after Friday's practice. "He threw a swing pass to Reggie today and Reggie turned it into a big hitter, so I think those are the reasons why it’s coming along.
"You saw some things in the run game last night in practice with that group up front and maybe some of the possibilities there. Getting Sheets out there I thought added another punch with his speed, and then the power of Lex (Hilliard), so it was good to have all of those weapons."
For the second time in 2011, the Dolphins were able to field a full team during practice. And, with a full team, the weapons that could make the offense dangerous were starting to come together. Even with wide receiver Brandon Marshall getting a rest day, the Dolphins offense started to find the chemistry that has eluded them during the first week of practices.
Joining Marshall on the sidelines for the rest day were safety Yeremiah Bell, cornerback Will Allen, defensive end Randy Starks and guard Richie Incognito.
Quarterback Chad Henne had his second good practice in a row, routinely finding his receivers, hitting them in stride and carving up the Dolphins defense.
Meanwhile, his competition at the quarterback position, newcomer Matt Moore, demonstrated the rust that acquires when the NFL's collective bargaining agreement prevents players form practicing. Several of Moore's passes were badly off target.
Kory Sheets, who has stated that he personally expects to be the starting running back this year, had several nice runs during the day, including one of note in which he cut back to find a hole on the back side and break a long run. Newly acquired Reggie Bush, however, may want to avoid defensive end Kendall Langford from now on. On his first carry of the day, Bush ran straight into a Langford clothesline tackle.
The offensive line began to establish itself during the day, with tackle Lydon Murtha standing out. Filling in for the injured Jake Long, Murtha constantly won the battle at left tackle, including pancaking linebacker Jason Taylor.
But, when asked about how it felt to be on the practice field after waiting for the CBA ratification, Taylor replied, "Hot, long, but it's good to get the whole squad out there and have a chance to practice a little bit and run around. We got to see Reggie do his thing, see some of the guys and, after meeting them in the locker room, get a chance to play with them. It was a good day working with Cam [Wake] and I had a good time."
The Dolphins look to keep those good times happening on Saturday with a return to the practice field at 11am. Practice will again be open to the public, and will be held at the Dolphins' training facility on the campus of Nova Southeastern University.