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Dolphins 2009 Training Camp: Day 5 - Thu, Aug 6th |  | ||||||||
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Injury Reports | Future Schedule | My Comments | Related Links TODAY'S SUMMARY: The Dolphins conducted 2 practices on Thursday, a full pads practice in the morning and a practice in "uppers" (helmets, shoulder pads and shorts) in the afternoon. The first thing noticed about the morning practice was that Channing Crowder and Jason Ferguson were riding stationary bicycles instead of being on the field. In Ferguson's case, the time off was almost certainly just letting him rest. Channing Crowder has some lingering issues with his knee from last year, so they're giving him some time off as well. Joe Berger started at right guard for the Dolphins in the morning, but reports say that Donald Thomas also got his turn in the starting lineup. I'm not sure what that says about Shawn Murphy, but it seems like a young guy like Murphy needs the reps with the starters if he's going to be the starter. That's a position to keep an eye on. Over on defense, Paul Soliai started in place of Jason Ferguson and continues to draw praise for his work. Reggie Torbor took over for Channing Crowder and Tony McDaniel is still working with the first team defensive line ahead of Phillip Merling. It remains to be seen if that continues. After about 30 minutes of practice, thunder and lightning forced the practice into the bubble. There was one serious injury scare when Anthony Armstrong collided with Sean Smith, but neither was seriously injured, although Smith did end up with a bruised knee. Rookies Patrick Turner and Brian Hartline reportedly stood out in the practice and the offense had one of their better days, making a number of big plays against the defense. Both Turner and Hartline had multiple long completions from all three quarterbacks. The Dolphins worked on a one-back set with 3 wide receivers and a tight end, with Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams rotating in as the one back. The tight end was Fasano in this case, along with Ginn and Camarillo as the wideouts and Bess in the slot. Backups working with the starting special teams units included Erik Walden, Charlie Anderson, Jason Allen, Cameron Wake, Courtney Bryan. This is important because players that can start on special teams help their chances to make the regular season roster. In the evening session, the team worked hard on short yardage and goal-line situations with the defense winning most of the battles. The Chads got most of the work at quarterback and did not find much success against the starting defense. However, when Pat White did get in the lineup, he had one of his better days, not looking as confused and lost as he has. Still, White continues to work best from the shotgun and is not comfortable working from under center. NT Jason Ferguson also sat out the evening practice, but Channing Crowder returned to the starting lineup. Paul Soliai once again worked with the starters on defense in place of Ferguson. Joe Berger continues to work with the starters on offense and Tony McDaniel continues to get reps with the starters on defense, but on defense, McDaniel rotates with Phillip Merling and Lionel Dotson as the starter. Ernest Wilford was notable for his mistakes more than for his achievements. He couldn't keep his keep inbounds on a fade route to the endzone and he slipped and fell after making a catch. So far, I have heard nothing good about Wilford. Chris Clemons finally was noticed in breaking up a pass on Thursday. Patrick Turner continues to get universal praise from everyone who watches practice. While not quite ready to break the starting lineup, Turner has been improving throughout camp and torched Will Allen - the Dolphins' best cornerback - on Thursday. Coach Sparano said that Turner was quicker than he thought and that, along with his size, smooth route-running and good hands, have made him a favorite target and a standout on the field. Pat White continues to struggle, although he is improving. Clearly, the transition to having to play under center at least some of the time is proving difficult for him to adjust to. The Coaches have said that they are putting in a "Pat Package" for White, which will limit plays they will call for him to things that they know he does well. Like Ernest Wilford, Eric Green continues to get noticed more for his mistakes than for his successes. He was burned by several different receivers on Thursday. Davone Bess has not been getting a lot of press, but what he has been getting is very positive. He has reportedly bulked up and is much stronger, improving his already considerable skills. Cameron Wake is starting to come on and be noticed for good things, as well. Omar Kelly over at the Sun-Sentinel (one of the most reliable beat reports) says that Wake is the only player who is applying consistent quarterback pressure from the right side.
Right now, it appears that the right guard position is up for grabs with Joe Berger getting the majority of the work as the starter and Donald Thomas returning from injury. Shawn Murphy seems to have seen his stock decline over the past few days. The battle for the wide receiver spots has essentially settled into a 2-way race for the 6th spot between Anthony Armstrong and Brandon London with London seemingly holding the edge right now. Hartline and Turner have been practicing very well and given their draft status, are pretty much locks to make the roster. Armstrong had an excellent off-season, but has been mostly quiet during training camp. While Eric Green continues to underwhelm at the starting cornerback spot, it appears that inexperience and the need to learn the pro game will hold Sean Smith and Vontae Davis back for the time being. Sean Smith, in particular, seems to be slowing down a little with the 2-a-day practices and has not been as competitive over the last few days. And it looks like there may be a roster battle developing at right defensive end, with Tony McDaniel getting more work with the starters, although that could still be just a test to see if McDaniel would work out better there than at nose tackle.
The Dolphins cut FB Chris Williams and signed FB Matt Quillen, who was on the practice squad last year, while OT SirVincent Rogers left the team.
Matt Roth has started conditioning work with the team, but is not back on the field yet. They're bringing him along slowly.
Friday the Dolphins held a single practice and Saturday, they're holding a shortened morning workout, followed by an afternoon scrimmage.
It appears that, only a week into training camp, the wide receiver competition is nearly over. Last year's trio of Ginn, Camarillo and Bess have all returned, better than last year, while Patrick Turner and Brian Hartline have staked their claims to roster spots. The only question left is whether it will be Brandon London or Anthony Armstrong is the sixth wide receiver on the roster and the smart money is on London. If the Dolphins even keep six. There is no law saying they have to and they might chose to keep only five. They did start last year with six wide receivers, but ended the year with just four. On the other hand, less than a week after Coach Sparano said that the starting right guard job was "Shawn Murphy's to lose", OL Joe Berger has run with the starters at that spot for 3 practices in a row. Now, that could just be letting Berger work at another spot to develop additional depth, but if that were true, then why not have him work at left guard? And don't forget Donald Thomas, last year's starter. Thomas is getting back into football shape and there's no reason he couldn't challenge to start at that spot as well.
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