Clearing The Air - the things that aren't bothering your subconscious

You may have forgotten about these issues because you're so excited for training camp battles to commence. You're ready to see how Pat White gains control of his passes, and you're ready to see Cam Wake hit the sh** out of someone. You're ready to hear Sparano's words of brutal honesty again, and you're ready to touch up the 'C.H.U.R.N.' tattoo you got on your left buttock this time last year. It's time to add a touch of aqua to it. But let's not forget that the following issues will have an impact, and for the most part it's a positive one, and we should go into camp on a wave of positivity.

All felony charges dropped against Randy Starks. First the court date was pushed back several months, and now, according to Edgar Thompson/PBP, the felony charges have been completely dropped. It wasn't that long ago, when hearing of the 'run-in' on South Beach, that speculation surfaced over whether Starks would get released by the team. Within a week or two we had moved on from that speculation and penciled Starks in as pushing Philip Merling for playing time/starts. Well, this latest news means that the story is over, and will no longer be a distraction to Starks, or to the team. Most importantly, it means that the newspapers will not be writing about it in the middle of the season, when the court date was to be.

Greg Camarillo, Donald Thomas, David Martin, Andy Alleman, Brennan Marion. With the exception of Camarillo and Marion in limited drills, we went through OTAs without these guys, and at some point during the auditions for the 53-man roster, they should all be back in the fold. If Marion survives the next 2 or 3 days, he could end up showing enough to get onto the practice squad, or he could blow everyone away enough to start pushing Armstrong and London for a roster spot. Camarillo's health doesn't just affect himself. If he isn't ready to go and is relegated to the PUP list, that leaves the door wide open for Armstrong/London/Marion, etc. After Jahndoh explained the severity of Thomas' injury to me yesterday, I think Thomas will be ready to start doing limited drills earlier than previously thought, and will be ready for Game 1. That doesn't mean he will start, but will be ready to play. Martin's health is HUGE. Ernest Wilford doesn't stand a chance if Martin recovers to full form. John Nalbone, Jared Bronson, and Joey Haynos all would benefit by having Martin out of the picture. With Martin back, the picture at TE becomes almost too clear - Fasano, Martin and Haynos - would seem like locks. A lot of people question why I have Haynos as a lock, it's because of his blocking, he's essentially an extra o-lineman.

The Dolphins said no to Vick. While the media is so in love with the Vick story, the reality is that most NFL fans don't really care. Let's not forget that Vick was never exactly Warren Moon or that there are several Vick-like players out there who are younger, faster, smarter, tougher, and have squeaky clean rap sheets. Pat White, anyone? Tim Tebow? Also Vick has been in prison for 2 years. Do you think he's been practicing against NFL-caliber talent while he was in there? Do you think hanging around with other crooks and low-lifes has made him a nicer person? Do you really think adding Vick to a team would produce instant sell-outs? In my opinion, FEWER people would show up to games, not more. By saying 'NO THANKS' to Vick, the Dolphins have taken this question off the table. Sure, some dickwad will still ask it at the next press conference (I will post a poll on this later, just for fun), but the first time will be the last time.

Boomer Grigsby. I know, I know, what does Grigsby have to do with the Dolphins? Well, it's more of what effect he doesn't have on the Dolphins. At least not anymore. You see, Grigsby is one of 5 players being featured on NFL.com's 'On the Fringe' series which follows players fighting for a roster spot on 5 different teams. Basically it's like 'Hard Knocks' but only following one player on the team. Grigsby has been featured in spots, dressed as either a gay cowboy or a Chippendale's dancer, talking about his efforts to make the Houston Texans. We all know that Miami cut both Reagan Mauia and Grigsby last year and replaced them with Casey Cramer and then Lousaka Polite. The difference is obvious, looking back on it. Mauia and Grigsby are lime-lighters. They both like to be on TV, and they both dress themselves as if they're going to be on Star Search at any minute. Cramer, on the other hand, was a pretty decent blocker and pass target out of the backfield, but very quiet, team-first kind of guy. Polite is also one of the more humble guys to come out of 2008. Don't get me wrong, the Trifecta will allow a Joey Porter some lee-way, but for the most part they want guys who are humble, and think as a team. Even Porter sounds like a homer these days. You would think he grew up a dolfan and is living his childhood dream right now, of playing for the Dolphins. So, Grigsby can fight all he wants for that Houston spot, and maybe at some point he'll realize his NFL chances will get better if he stops fighting and starts contributing.

Heading into training camp, take a look at all the 'locks' on the team. You'd have to be an obsessive fan (as most of us here are) to know this, but those guys are all committed to being a TEAM. When you listen to them talk in interviews, they sound so passionate about helping each other out, rather than being stars. You know Joey Porter, who had his career year in 2008, yet gave all the team's success-credit to other players, would rather take the team to the Super-Bowl, than himself to the Pro-Bowl.

And then you look at the guys who aren't locks, who are 'bubble' players, and there are only 2 or 3 guys that don't come across the same way. They know who they are. The guys who stand around thinking they want to be stars, and the Dolphins are just a step on the red carpet. These guys will not be here come September.