Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Tuesdays Tin Bits

  • Before we go around trying to trade Jason Allen, keep this in mind - the Falcons just completed a trade with the Rams for 2006 first-round draft pick, cornerback Tye Hill.  The cost? A 2010 7th round pick.  Hill was the 15th overall pick in the 2006 draft.  Allen was the 16th.  Hill was lined up as the starting LCB in St Louis this year.
  • Despite the South Florida media's distaste for the Miami Dolphins' reserves, I will be watching the game on Thursday, and if all goes according to plan, I'll be streaming it here with live chat capabilities.  I expect we'll get to see a lot more of Pat White, Patrick Turner, Quentin Moses, and all the other players the beat writers like to 'beat' up on. 
  • Philip Merling left the practice field today with a trainer.  Matt Roth had the audacity to wear his AFC East Championship hat to the sidelines today.  
  • Greg Camarillo is lined up with the starters today and Hartline and Bess are 2nd team.  Looks like my prediction of Camarillo being the starter may come to fruition.
  • Lex Hilliard is getting reps as the 2nd string full-back.  This could give him a better shot at making the roster.
  • So, the Dolphins play their final pre-season game on Thursday.  That same night the College Football season begins with Utah hosting Utah State and Boise State hosting Oregon.  My beloved USF Bulls open at home on Saturday vs. perennial powerhouses, the Wofford Terriers.  I question any school that names their mascot after a lap-dog, but I think the Terrapins are worse, and neither compare to the Game-Cocks.   Anyway, I mention the Oregon vs B.S.U. game to warn anyone who flicks over the ESPN stations that you may get blinded or suffer a seizure at the site of Boise State's football field.
  • With that said, why don't we dye the infield at LandPig stadium green?  It will still be sticky and troublesome, but at least TV viewers wouldn't get cross-eyed everytime the camera-man scanned the field.  And it's not like it would affect the baseball game one iota. 
  • Also in College Football on Saturday, the Florida Atlantic owls are visiting Nebraska.  I don't know if the game will be aired in Florida, but if it is, check it out and see possible future Dolphin draft pick Ndamukong Suh in action.  Suh is a rare breed of player, probably better than any of the 2009 drafted defensive tackles.  I've seen him projected as low as late 1st round, but if he has a par-year he'll be fought over in April 2010.
  • But as excited as I am about the start of all things regular season football, I'm just as excited about the little rinky dink pre-season game versus the Saints on Thursday.  Why?  Because it's the last chance for those bubble players to confirm that they belong on the roster.  Sparano implied that this game will be used to take players and put them in key situations to confirm the coaches beliefs in what those players can do.  For example, they might believe that Joey Haynos can provide blocking and special teams play that makes him a good fit for the Dolphins.  So they'll put him in on blocking assignments, perhaps in the backfield, and if he makes those plays, they'll be assured he is who they think he is.  If he fails to make those plays, then they'll start thinking maybe Nalbone is a better keep or maybe Hilliard is a better choice for that roster spot, etc.  So don't expect any big surprises.  It's not like if Courtney Bryan gets 2 interceptions in the game that they're going to keep him over Gibril Wilson.  At this point, the Dolphins must know who they intend to keep, but the players still have to prove to management that they are making the right choices.
UPDATE:
  • Oooh , just noticed that Coach Sparano briefed the media today and said that Chad Pennington will play the first quarter, with Henne playing the second and third quarters, and White coming in for the fourth.  I gotta say, this is NOT a good idea.  Firstly, it leaves Pennington open to possible pre-season, 4th game garbage injury.  Secondly, it goes against previous statements that Pennington is "regular season ready".  If he was ready, there'd be no reason to play him in the game, and by playing him, you're letting everyone know that you don't really think he is ready.

30 comments:

  1. The Knight who says Ni!September 1, 2009 at 11:19 AM

    I just want to see the team get out of the Saints game healthy. If they see what they needed to see to make those final decisions, great! Just don't get anyone hurt. 

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  2. I find it more strange that USF is located in Tampa and their mascot is a bull.   Lots of Bulls in the Tampa area? 

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  3. Agreed.  A healthy team is all I want to see.

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  4. What about if the Turk is standing on the sidelines for some reason and the
    goalpost falls on top of him...

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  5. Actually there are lots of cattle (for Florida) in that area. I used to
    drive past several cattle ranches in the area. The USF mascot used to be
    the Golden Brahman but they simplified it to the Bulls in the 80s.

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  6. The Knight who says Ni!September 1, 2009 at 11:52 AM

    I believe Florida has some of the largest cattle ranches in the country believe it or not. Most of them are owned by mormons.

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  7. To comment on an older post. I like your LB projections, I would also get rid of Holderson/can't catch blocked punts, but I don't think the team goes that direction. Unfortunately I think Kershaw doesn't make the team only because of a numbers problem, I've really liked him in his preseason time (Folsom seems like a good PSer)

    You left off Hartline, surely he makes the team

    The only other thing I disagree with is Garner. I think Gardner makes the team over him. I won't mention his left tackle feet... damnit. But they drafted they like him and Frye has more position flexibility. I have noticed you always have had Garner above Frye and Gardner in your rankings, but I don't think team feels the same way

    Unless the fullback thing works (doubtful) I think your right with London over Hilliard, eventhough I would prefer Hilliard if he can contribute as much in ST

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  8. Phinatic, how can you say I left off Hartline? You scared me for a second
    there...

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  9. When they let Kowalewski go I read he had a injurey? anybody know what it was.

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  10. Tin, you did leave off hartline,I see you add him and cut Andrew Gardner.

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  11. Has anyone seen any midgets around here?   Oops, sorry, wrong blog.  Of course I will be watching Thursdays game attentively.  The fun is rooting for your bottom of the roster guys, who once the season starts will be inactive anyways.   Glad you are doing a blog again Tin.  Or at least setting it up, so the rest of us talk while you are "putting away the leftovers", or wherever you disappeared to last time.  I will be there rooting for Moses, Jason Allen, and Hilliard.  I will also be watching to see if I can actually spot Anderson, (God forbid he makes a play),  and see if model London shows up.  If he only gets one pass thrown his way, I know he is gone.  I get more excited to be honest about the fourth preseason game, than I do about college football.  I have pretty much watched parts of every single NFL preseason game this year.  Got to love the NFL Network

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  12. ...most of central Florida was once cattle rances and orange groves

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  13. Are you talking about the article or the chart? I didn't leave him out, i
    checked after I read phinatic's comment, he was always there.

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  14. I disagree, we need to be sharp coming out of the gate this year. The first month of the season is brutal and winning week 1 is huge. Injuries are part of the game.......Tom Brady didnt take one snap in pre-season last yr and was hurt week one......I say its more important to be sharp than to play and worry about injuries. I think it's important for this team to have success against NO......We need a good showing to get the bad taste out of our mouths from last week. NO is a good team that can score points, our D will be tested and our O will have to score points. I think this will be the best of the 4 preseason games. We will see how Henne bounces back and what White has learned over the last 3 weeks, throw in the two rookies at corner and I am expecting good things out there and I'm sure coach is to......Lets whoop some ass and get ready for the season opener..... and If that has to be with Chad Henne at QB so be it..........

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  15. Fair argument, but players are much more likely to get injured in the
    meaningless games or at least that's the way it seems. In any case, the
    more games you play in the more likely you are to get hurt, so why risk it?
    I do agree that this game should be the most exciting, but mostly because of
    what New Orleans will be doing. I reported weeks ago that New Orleans had
    been practicing the Wild-cat during their OTAs, and not necessarily because
    they want to run it (although apparently they're now considering it with
    Reggie Bush at QB) but because they wanted to practice defending it.

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  16. Tin , in your article he was not listed.thats what I went by.

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  17. The Knight who says Ni!September 1, 2009 at 4:13 PM

    Tin, I think Pennington playing the 1st quarter is because more chemistry still needs to be developed with the young WRs along with the starting OL together as an offense. I totally know where you're coming from with the risk of injury but some coaches don't coach scared. What's the 1st quarter about 3 series? 

    Just get out of this game healthy.

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  18. Sparano said Pennington was "regular season ready", but GI Joe changed his mind!

    The D will be sorely tested if Brees plays. (thinking how Miami had TWO bites at Brees and let him get away)

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  19. Hawk, he was, but his name was not in *bold. *He was always right there
    under Ted Ginn Jr.

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  20. One, if you do it right!

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  21. The Knight who says Ni!September 1, 2009 at 6:43 PM

    Good point! 

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  22. The Knight who says Ni!September 1, 2009 at 6:53 PM

    Hawk, I can't say I ever thought Hartline was off the list because I think I would have noticed. 

    That said, Hartline is going to be a good player. He has some of that 'it' factor you see in guys like Bryan Cox, Zach Thomas and Davone Bess. The thing with Hartline is he has some height and long arms to go get the ball. He reacts and adjusts his body to the ball very well. That's a natural gift. I don't think you can teach that. Ginn actually has that skill as well. Maybe it's an Ohio thing.

    It should be fun watching the young WRs pan out. When you think about it Camarillo is the veteran wise man in his 4th season, Ginn and London are the other seniors in their 3rd, Bess is at the ripe old age of 2 years and Hartline and Turner were just hatched. LOL

    At least we added some talent to the mix. Let's see how it pans out.

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  23. Knight:

     I was typing the very same thing, or my version of it, earlier today and was interrupted.  You said it much better than I would have anyway.  But my thought was they want to see the receivers they are still looking at one last time with CP in a game situation.  And I agree with the injury fear.  It wouldn't be the first time CP was injured in a preseason game. But that was with the idijets. 

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  24. The Knight who says Ni!September 2, 2009 at 7:11 AM

    I got this from the PBP.



    The battle for the No. 3 tight end spot behind Anthony Fasano and David Martin comes down to Nalbone or Haynos.

    Thursday’s visit to The Superdome could decide which of them makes the team’s 53-man roster. “Coach said this is a game for some guys to make the roster and some guys to not,” said Haynos, who played seven games for the Dolphins last year, catching two passes, including a touchdown. “In less than a week I could be back home or in a different part of the country or hopefully settling down here again.“It is a lot of pressure and it’s a lot to think about, but you try not to.”

    Nalbone, a fifth-round pick out of Monmouth, is treating the pressure Thursday’s game like any other day as a rookie hoping to make an NFL roster. “I pretty much feel that way the entire camp,” he said.

    The 6-foot-4, 255-pound Nalbone has more speed, but the 6-foot-7, 270-pound Haynos has more size. Nalbone has one catch for three yards in the pre-season, while Haynos has none. Nalbone also has two special teams tackles.

    Sparano said Tuesday the No. 3 tight end has to be able to play special teams and contribute in certain three-TE packages. “If he can get you 20 plays, then I think you have a little something there,” Sparano said.


    I'm not sure if Haynos is any good or not on special teams. It sounds like that is going to be the deciding factor.

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  25. Keep in mind that special teams isn't all about tackling. I've noticed
    Haynos blocking and they were both playing on the line on extra points/field
    goals. Ultimately your third tight end is going to be asked to block more
    than anything else.

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  26. or maybe he said penne will play the first quarter just to make sure he gets a few reps.  what happens if we kick off they have a 8 minute drive, we go 3 and out and they run out the clock, that gives penne 3 plays, so maybe sparano is just making sure penne gets a few drives

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  27. tin, any idea of you will be able to stream the game or not

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  28. I'm going to try my best. Since it starts at 5pm Pacific, I might be a few
    minutes late.

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  29. The Knight who says Ni!September 2, 2009 at 10:09 AM

    Understood. I'm just not sure what Haynos does or doesn't do well on special teams. Nalbone will be given every chance to beat him out being that he's a draft pick with more speed and potential as a receiver. But If Nalbone can't help the team in those 20 plays Sparano talks about it's off to the practice squad for him.

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  30. Haynos looks good blocking on those kick units, but then again, you only
    have to hold a block for about one second there.
    I'll have a new article up in a few minutes.

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