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Dolphins 2009 Training Camp: Day 1 - Sun, Aug 2nd |  | ||||||||
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Future Schedule | My Comments | Related Links TODAY'S SUMMARY: The Dolphins held their first practice of the 2009 season at 2 o'clock on Sunday and all of their players were present. The last of the Dolphins' unsigned draftees were inked on Saturday and all the rookies practiced on Sunday. The only player who didn't practice was LB Matt Roth because he has an illness that caused him to fail his conditioning test on Saturday. The first practice was held in shorts, shoulder pads, and helmets so there was limited contact today, but there was enough hitting to get a look at some of the newer players in head-to-head battles. The first team offense was much the same as it was most of last year, with the exception of second year player Shawn Murphy starting at right guard. Donald Thomas was originally thought to have the inside track at right guard, but the injury to his pectoral muscle has dropped him down the depth chart. Head Coach Tony Sparano said that the starting right guard position was "Murphy's to loose". Both Greg Camarillo and Justin Smiley were back on the field today with the first team today and both seem to be recovering well from their injuries. Smiley, in fact, said he felt better today than he did at any time last year. The offensive play of the day was made by WR Brandon London, who tipped a Chad Henne pass in the air and then came down with it in the endzone, beating double coverage. London has shed about 10 pounds since last year and says he feels quicker off the line of scrimmage. WR Patrick Turner also impressed onlookers when he beat CB Eric Green with a quick move. QB Pat White reportedly looked much better today than he did during the off-season workouts. He was much more accurate and made some good throws, although he also made a few rookie mistakes. On defense, the starting lineup was as expected, with the exception of Jason Taylor filling in for Matt Roth at strong side linebacker. CB Eric Green was the starting cornerback opposite Will Allen, but Tony Sparano said that that position is "wide open" and that a starter has not been determined. Eric Green was roasted by WR Pat Turner on one play, while Vontae Davis ran stride-for-stride with Ted Ginn down the sidelines on another. Former CFL standout Cameron Wake did not live up to his reputation as he was easily handled by rookie tackle Andrew Gardner, who was the Dolphins' 6th round draft pick this year. Overall, it was an excellent first day of practice for the team and the fans turned out in droves to watch them. Over 3000 fans showed up at the practice facility to cheer on the team.
Coach Sparano said that the right guard spot was Shawn Murphy's to lose, but Donald Thomas is still being held out, so Murphy has not been compared to his biggest competition yet. The only other major competition on offense is for wide receivers to complement Ginn, Camarillo and Bess. Today, both Brandon London and Patrick Turner had some impressive moments and the competition between them will be fierce. On defense, the competition for the cornerback position opposite Will Allen will be equally as tough, with Eric Green, Sean Smith and Vontae Davis all in the running. Today, Green did not look impressive, while Vontae Davis did impress onlookers. There was no mention of Sean Smith, either good or bad, in any reports.
The Dolphins cut OL J.D. Quinn and put TE Jared Bronson on the "Reserve - Did Not Report" list to make room for rookies Chris Clemons and Pat White.
LB Matt Roth starts camp on the Physically Unable to Perform list after he felt "under the weather" according to Sparano and failed his conditioning test Saturday. However, he should be back in the lineup in a few days. OG Donald Thomas did participate in some individual drills, but did not take the field in team drills. WR Greg Camarillo and OG Justin Smiley were not limited in practice at all after last year's injuries.
The Dolphins will practice Monday and Tuesday at 9 AM and again on Wednesday at 2 PM.
Opening days at training camp don't get much better than today's. All the rookies were signed and practicing, there were no major injuries and they got some good work in. While it is too soon to draw any conclusions about how the position battles are going or who is poised to surprise us all, there were some good signs today. The impressive catch by London and the moves put on Eric Green by Pat Turner seem to indicate that the Dolphins will find at least one and possibly two very big, strong receivers this year. The fact that Vontae Davis was able to run with Ted Ginn in passing drills is very impressive, as is the return from injury of Greg Camarillo and Justin Smiley. But perhaps most surprising is the promotion of Shawn Murphy to the starting guard spot and Tony Sparano's statement that he can be the starter and Donald Thomas was the starter last year. Coach Sparano said that he thought Murphy was one of the most improved players on the team this summer and he'd have to be to go from a guy who didn't see the field during a game last year to a starter this year. On a separate note, Phins.com hopes to have a new feature debuting in the next day or two - keep your eye on Phins.com for more information.
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