On September 1st, NFL teams must cut their rosters down to 75 players, a number the Dolphins have been under for over a week already. But that didn't stop them from reducing the numbers even more today as they waived 4 players, WR Anthony Armstrong, NT Louis Ellis, FB Joe Kowalewski, and K Connor Barth.
Barth came in to give incumbent, Dan Carpenter, a run for his money, to which Carpenter replied, 'Hey, for minimum wage, I kick pretty good!'
Anthony Armstrong, who I interviewed after spring OTAs, just couldn't replicate the OTA performance level during Training Camp and couldn't pull down the ball during the pre-season.
Louis Ellis flashed a bit in the pre-season games, but never really stood out in practices, and the combination of performances by the other defensive linemen, in conjunction with the increased use of the dime package that includes a 4-man front line, reminds me of my original theory regarding the D-line. I expect the 6'5" 310lb lineman to be the future for the Dolphins. A stable of 7 or 8 players that can play anywhere on the line in a pinch. At this point, Ferguson and Soliai become 'specialists' depending on situation, i.e. first down/run stopper, and big package/goal-line.
I feel bad for Joe Kowalewski, getting a chance to practice and play for the Dolphins and doing pretty well at both, including scoring a pre-season touchdown, but despite the spark Joe provided to the fullback competition, there was one thing that was on par on Thursday night and that was Lousaka Polite's ability to get a first down on short yardage. He only carried the ball once, but this is how it looked:
So the Dolphins are now down to 66 players, meaning 13 more are to be released before the 5th (next Saturday). And the season starts a mere week later in Atlanta.
...Ellis is the only one that surprised me ...I thought he would be a practice squad candidate ...Kowalewski showed enough that someone ought to give him another shot, the numbers just were not in his favor here.
ReplyDeleteLemmus' 53 as of 29 August
ReplyDeleteQuarterback (3): Pennington, Henne, White
Running back (3): Brown, Williams, Cobbs
Fullback (1): Polite
Receiver (5): Ginn, Bess, Camarillo, Hartline, Turner
Tight End (3): Fasano, Martin, Nalbone
OL (10): Long, Carey, Gardner, Smiley, Thomas, Murphy, Frye, Grove, Berger, Garner
DL (7): Ferguson, Soliai, Langford, Starks, Merling, McDaniel, Dotson
ILB (3): Crowder, Ayodele, Torbor
OLB (6): Porter, Taylor, Wake, Anderson, Walden, Moses.
Cornerbacks (5): W.Allen, Smith, Jones, Davis, J.Allen
Safeties (4): Bell, Wilson, Clemons, Culver
ST (3): Fields, Carpenter, Denney
Notes: Roth to PUP ...the tough cuts are Bryan and Kershaw imnsho.
I also think they keep 10 OL for rotation/injury and only 5 WR.
It hurts me to keep JA over CB because I think Bryan has an upside and JA doesn't,
but this is one of those cases where ST prowess counts ...shame that.
Lemmus' 53 as of 29 August
ReplyDeleteQuarterback (3): Pennington, Henne, White
Running back (3): Brown, Williams, Cobbs
Fullback (1): Polite
Receiver (5): Ginn, Bess, Camarillo, Hartline, Turner
Tight End (3): Fasano, Martin, Nalbone
OL (10): Long, Carey, Gardner, Smiley, Thomas, Murphy, Frye, Grove, Berger, Garner
DL (7): Ferguson, Soliai, Langford, Starks, Merling, McDaniel, Dotson
ILB (3): Crowder, Ayodele, Torbor
OLB (6): Porter, Taylor, Wake, Anderson, Walden, Moses.
Cornerbacks (5): W.Allen, Smith, Jones, Davis, J.Allen
Safeties (4): Bell, Wilson, Clemons, Culver
ST (3): Fields, Carpenter, Denney
Notes: Roth to PUP ...the tough cuts are Bryan and Kershaw imnsho.
Lemmus, I have London,and Haynos rather than Garner,and Nalbone,
ReplyDelete(though I can see the possibility of Garner instead of BL)...
I just want a towering 3headed RZ threat, PT,JH,and (BL,who's NOT one of MY favs),
I'd guess BH could be the 3rd head!!
But,I'd hate to see London land w'in the division,(for a looksy into"OUR"playbook),
and our division needs WR's,(well TWO organization's do)..
I've had HAYNOS as a lock since 08,for the reason's above,
and(like TIN and I have mentioned in the past),
b/c he's like an xtra OLineman in short yrdg situations!!
I see Nalbone as a farrr easier prospect to sneak back onto the PS!!
I've definately been noticing(McDanial,and Moses),
but their NOT YET locked for me,but the key's been inserted FERSURE..
GO BPHINS !!
SOOOO,we're not that different afterall,(GOOD JOB)!!
According to O's most recent depth chart,( I ONLY count 13 new players,though NOT YET official),
ReplyDeleteand we've been replacing nearly half the team every yr since Wanny left,(that's 20somethin or so every yr)..
SOOOO,APPARENTLY we're getting closer to"OUR"destination,WOOOOOHOOOOO!!
HOPEFULLY in o10,and beyond we only let single digit's through the filter!!
...I think its 50/50 Haynos/Nalbone ...one is a better receiver, the other a better blocker ...but we've seen all that Haynos has and he'll never be a starter ...Nalbone has potential to be a starter ...thus Nalbone for me.
ReplyDelete...same thing with BL ...hes a 3rd string receiver and a marginal ST contributor ...the only thing he does consistently well is drop balls ...red zone or not, a dropped ball is a dropped ball ...if we keep him we have to waive an OL ...I think Garner has shown he can play relief and hold his own ...thus him over BL.
...we can play the numbers all day and the bottom line is we'll get who Sparano thinks brings the most to the game ...so far, hes been pretty damn good,
...I think there is at least one more trade before the 5th ...BL, JA, and maybe an OLB are bait as could be others ...someone who needs a DB or WR and is too far down the waiver wire to risk waiting for us to waive someone ...possible if not probable ...but that way we get some control in where they go.
ReplyDeleteMy next 13 cuts are as follows:
ReplyDeleteDE Wright
DE Baker (PS)
OLB Roth (PUP)
OLB Anderson
ILB Folsom (PS)
S Bryan
CB J. Allen (may be traded)
CB Billingsley (PS)
OT Garner (PS)
OG Lewis (PS)
TE Nalbone (PS)
WR London
WR Robinson
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<div>I'm sure some of you might be surprised that I kept Thomas over J. Allen. But I've been down on Jason since he was surpassed right away by both rookies Smith and Davis. You would of thought he would have grabbed that opportunity and ran with it and he didn't. So when exactly does Jason become a starting corner?</div>
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<div>I've heard Jeff Ireland say he likes Thomas' skill set and we don't here much about Jason. When Eric Green was released it was Thomas who stepped it up and not Jason. We're not going to keep Jason just because he's a solid special teams player. He's not going to play safety because he doesn't seem to handle the mental part of that position very well and that's why he was moved to corner so he can use his instincts. We also have 4 other guys who are a lock at safety.</div>
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<div>We could also bring Louis Ellis back if he clears waivers and put him on the practice squad. He's another guy that they may want to change his body. I know when he got here Sparano said he needs to lose some weight and get in better shape.</div>
My next 13 cuts are as follows:
ReplyDeleteDE Wright
DE Baker (PS)
OLB Roth (PUP)
OLB Anderson
ILB Folsom (PS)
S Bryan
CB J. Allen (may be traded)
CB Billingsley (PS)
OT Garner (PS)
OG Lewis (PS)
TE Nalbone (PS)
WR London
WR Robinson
I'm sure some of you might be surprised that I kept Thomas over J. Allen. But I've been down on Jason since he was surpassed right away by both rookies Smith and Davis. You would of thought he would have grabbed that opportunity and ran with it and he didn't. So when exactly does Jason become a starting corner?
I've heard Jeff Ireland say he likes Thomas' skill set and we don't here much about Jason. When Eric Green was released it was Thomas who stepped it up and not Jason. We're not going to keep Jason just because he's a solid special teams player. He's not going to play safety because he doesn't seem to handle the mental part of that position very well and that's why he was moved to corner so he can use his instincts. We also have 4 other guys who are a lock at safety.
We could also bring Louis Ellis back if he clears waivers and put him on the practice squad. He's another guy that they may want to change his body. I know when he got here Sparano said he needs to lose some weight and get in better shape.
13kvFINS, I have a different breakdown of the makeup of our roster.
ReplyDeleteThere are just 19 players left from the 2007 season. 21 new players from this year 09 are still here. That means 27 players were acquired and added in 08 are still here. JT throws a monkey wrench into the mix because he was here in 07 but we brought him back this year so he's technically a new addition. If we don't count JT as a new addition and act as if he was on some kind of hiatus last year, then it's 20 new additions this year.
07 - 19
08 - 27
09 - 20
That equals 66.
Oh yeah, the reason I have Anderson being cut is because he makes too many mistakes on special teams. How many kick and punt returns were called back in 08 because of penalties on #56? Then in the Bucs game he couldn't handle the ball on the blocked punt. When he plays OLB he rarely makes an impact. He shows some burst off the corner but it doesn't translate into plays made.
ReplyDeleteWhy do we keep 6 OLBs and 3 ILB? That seems like a log jam at OLB when we could use more depth at ILB and Kershaw has shown he's always around the ball this preseason. #58 stood out to me quite a bit this preseason. If Roth is on the PUP that's another OLB. Moses has been the most impressive at SOLB behind JT and Wake is backing up Porter on the weak side. Walden has shown some pass rush, a sack against the Bucs the other night and he's a more sound special teams player than Anderson. That's just my opinion. Obviously it has nothing to do with what the trifecta will do. LOL
Porter
JT
Wake
Walden
Moses (inactive on game day)
Crowder
Ayodele
Torbor
Kershaw (inactive on game day)
Moses and Kershaw will only be activated if we lose one of the other LBs for a period of time. When Roth comes back one of them will be released, most likely Moses.
...lol ...I have no quarrel with waiving or trading JA ...welcome to the darkside :)
ReplyDelete...I agree re Anderson but I think they will keep 6 OLB because JP/JT are aging and may wear down as the season goes on ...if they do release Anderson then certainly Kershaw would likely make the roster.
ReplyDelete...I think they keep 10 OL ...we have three starters with injury history and so far Carey isn't earning his money ...that leaves 5 WR slots but I just can't see them keeping six just for BL vs keeping an extra OL.
...the thing that makes the last cuts so difficult to predict is ST play ...they lost games early last year because of ST and I'm sure Sparano will put some emphasis on ensuring ST gets off to a better start this year ...that's why I think JA is still 50/50 because he's our #1 ST tackler.
I don't see us keeping 10 OL. I think it will be 9.
ReplyDeleteWhy do we need 6 OLBs? Only two play at a time so I think 5 is more than enough. If we only keep 3 ILB and one goes down we have no depth there anymore down to 2.
OL 9
TE 3
QB 3
RB 5
WR 5
DL 7
LB 9
DB 9
K 1
P 1
LS 1
Agreed. It may not happen but I'm sure we'll try to make a trade and add another mid to late round pick or two. It's good to stockpile those kinds of picks because it gives you more options on draft day. You can use them to add more bodies that fit the makeup of your team or use them to trade up and target specific players. Teams that don't have a lot of picks might want to trade down to acquire more picks.
ReplyDeleteRow now I think we have:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6. (from WAS)
6.
7. (from KC in draft day trade)
7.
That's not counting the pick or picks we get for trading Alleman and Ndukewe to KC. So we already have some ammo to make those kinds of draft day trades and there is definitely at least one more coming. Maybe more if we make more trades as we get down to 53.
Agreed. It may not happen but I'm sure we'll try to make a trade and add another mid to late round pick or two. It's good to stockpile those kinds of picks because it gives you more options on draft day. You can use them to add more bodies that fit the makeup of your team or use them to trade up and target specific players. Teams that don't have a lot of picks might want to trade down to acquire more picks.
ReplyDeleteRight now we have:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6. (from WAS)
6.
7. (from KC in draft day trade)
7.
That's not counting the pick or picks we get for trading Alleman and Ndukewe to KC. So we already have some ammo to make those kinds of draft day trades and there is definitely at least one more coming. Maybe more if we make more trades as we get down to 53.
Another ILB over an OLB,WR,or OL wouldn't surprise me @ all !!!
ReplyDeleteI had 10 OL b/4 the IKE/Allaman trade,(I figured ONE would make the 53),
but now I only have 9 OL(Garner/10??), I filled that spot w'Moses,(ROTH??)!!
I've gone back and fourth w'London,(don't care for his on/off-field)personality all that much,
but IF PT goes down,that would leave only BH as a SEMI-LARGE WR RZ threat!!
AGAIN,I PERSONALLY would really like that TOWERIN 3headed RZ threat(PT,JH,BL)!!
NO REASON for reasoning,you GYZ filled all the gaps!!
Same w'the POSSIBLE trade scenario's,and LEllis!!!
I was just doing a ROUGH count of O's most recent depth chart/MY new employees count,
(NOT YET official)!!!
I wasn't including the more obvious cut's,but I was including JT !!
And I was commending Lemmus on his 53,cuz I was surprised that he and I only had 2 different thought's !!
LEMMUS,haven't you been DOWN,(for the most part) on (MY 08 rough diamonds),WALDEN,and CULVER,
or was that someone-else??
Eventual starter or not, I believe EVERY team in the league want's a 6-8,270 TE,
ESPECIALLY a BP type team,and IMHO 6-8,270 can't be hidden,I believe Nalbone is easily comoflauged!!
MAYBE your right about Nalbone,(I haven't seen enough)...
MY heart is w'Haynos,and IMHO,Nalbone was a huge reach pk from TS' heart,
sooo MAYBE you are right,IF TS is as stubborn as me,LOL!!!
I'd IMAGINE that those of us that are paying attention,
WILL ALL be in the ballpark,it's all(MOSTLY)pretty obvious to DIEHARDS!!
But I'm sure that TS has a SURPRISE or TWO for us,(THOMAS??)..
I think we may be trying to get several spots under the actual specified numbers,
so that we'll have(more option's/minus additional FIN releases)when other teams cut's are made,(ILB/RB/NT???)...
THANX for the input GYZ !! GO B PHINS !!
Knight:
ReplyDeletefirst, to respond to your comment, I see you have Nalbone on the PS, so you must have decided that Haynos is going to make the team. Whew! That's a relief!!
OK, to the real reason I am posting, I believe you and I had discussed the longshot SB bet with the dolphins. I see our friend tinshaker has kindly provided a link to some sports betting sites. I have clicked through, and I have to admit, I am still baffled by this. Have you looked at it at all? I seriously would do this, and it pains me to say I can't figure out how, even with a link to the sites. So far I can't even find the place to see what the odds currently are, much less how to place the bet. I know I have to deposit the funds first, but after that, ????????????? Do you have any insight for a wagering challenged girl like me?
...the blog is acting up for me ...I was getting long ajax type wait icons when trying to post earlier ...and is the comments count on the main post working for anyone else?
ReplyDeleteNi ...10 OL because 3 starters are off recent injuries and it provides better rotation ...I sure don't think we keep 4 RB, Hilliard just isn't worth an extra OL.
...I prefer 6 OLB for 2 reasons ...JP/JL are both long in the tooth and will wear down if they play every down ...plus their age makes them injury prone ...and 2nd, we saw more than 2 OLBs used in several defensive sets, especially in OTAs ...JT and Wake played DE in multiple defensive sets ...not so often in preseason but I expect to see more than 2 OLBs several times per game.
...I grant you that 5 is more likely and definitely like keeping Kershaw.
13kv ...not guilty ...I've been a Walden fan since he almost single handedly turned ST around last year.
...I know I'm swimming upstream with Nalbone but like I said, we know what Haynos brings and its not starter goods ...Nalbone has starter potential imnsho ...so I'm sticking with him ...probably have to eat the pick but what the hell fun would it be to take the safe pick every time, eh?
MY INITIAL POST(new playr count) was in reference to O's" ROSTER PROJECTION 8-29",
ReplyDeleteNOT his depth-chart!! MYYYY BADDDD !!!
In-case there was confusion, I MEANT schrubberry, NOT scrubberry, LOL!!!
WASSSUPPP BUNGLE,long-time no talk(stuck-up beyotch),JUSPLAY'N,LOL!!!
I'm going to go looking around for you here for a sports book on line. I don't think it should be that hard to find. But I will warn you about one thing, be carefull in who you use if you find a location to place a bet. Many are being ivestigated by the Feds and they are freezing any money placed in those accounts. So you could lose your money. I'm not clear on any of the attorney talk, to be honest. I do follow what is happening in our state on the legalized gambling issues. In those reports sports betting is sometimes touched on but little duscussed. Yet I have seen where the Feds released money that they confiscated back to the onlinne accounts of some sites. That could have been for the poker games on line though I'm not sure I didn't read any of it. But it shows the Feds are keeping an eye on things. :(
ReplyDeleteJust use your head when and if you decide to place a bet. I'll do some checking on this, I hope others here can help you also.
OK Herdfan did some checking around here is a good site for the leagal end of things.
ReplyDeleteYou may want to sign up with these guys it's a good site with no spam or passing on of your information.
http://www.wisegeek.com/s/online+sports++betting
Fang:
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info. I thought about the possiblility of losing my money, truth be told, I probably be will no matter! lol But I like to be optimistic!
A former coworker of mine, one of my facebook friends, now lives in DE, and he mentioned they now have sports betting establishments, and he has volunteered to place a bet for me so I could always do that. Only slightly more riskier than doing it myself!! I've obviously never done this before, so I like to educate myself ahead of time, but if I'm going to 'git er done' before the season starts, I've got to get my act together and do it.
I certainly don't want any legal issues. I already have an attorney on speed dial, and don't need to send them anymore business.
Here is another sports book I know this site is safe also but I know nothing about them. http://sports.bodog.com http://sports.bodog.com/ Here is small comment I was thinking. Tin must know something about the site he has posted on his home page, or he wouldn't have put them on it.
ReplyDeleteLike Sparano In Tin I trust.
Speaking of Attorneys.� Do you know what's a crying shame ?�� A bus load of Attorneys going over a cliff with one seat empty. :)� That came from my attorney years ago.� He has more grey hair than I do !!!
ReplyDeleteNot sure about that. He has said before, when the subject came up, he knows nothing about it and doesn't gamble. I assumed he was facilitating for those of us who were discussing it. I don't gamble either, except among friends, office pools, March madness, etc. And powerball, when the jackpot gets up really high. I guess a mere 25 million isn't enough for me!
ReplyDeleteI updated firefox earlier today, and now I can't use the emoticons. :~(
And I love a good lawyer joke! I can never remember good jokes and am horrible at telling them, but here is my all time favorite one, but not a lawyer one:
What is long and black and hangs from an a**hole?
A stethoscope!
Got to give the docs equal time!
...speaking of trades, etc. ...is ANYONE happy with our WR set? yak, yak, yak about Ginn but WHEN, if ever, will he show up? ...Camarillo is a good possession receiver but he's not ever going to pull double coverage and his ACL is still in question ...Bess is Bess, a good slot receiver but he's never going to be a real threat ...the WR set is soooooo weak that Brian Hartline looks to be starting opposite Ginn as a rookie ...not knocking Hartline at all but come on, Moss he's not ...and then there is Turner who appears to be making the roster simply because of his draft position ...I can't say I've seen him actually earn the slot by any means.
ReplyDelete...so lets get real here ...we have a pretty damn good QB in Penne and his top receivers are TEs and RBs ...jump on me all you want but that isn't going to stop defenses from stacking the run ...and we have to run because we have no real wr threat.
...so maybe its time to bite the bullet here and go get a bad boy WR that can actually make teams double cover him and STILL catch the ball ...and put some really nasty behavior clauses in his contract that cover our ass in case the trifecta can't keep him in line ...Boldin is still available but expensive ...Marshal is more than available and would bring instant respect to our passing game ...and he's going to be relatively cheap right now ...I know, I know, he's a prima donna and a locker room disaster in waiting ...but he's also got Moss potential and we have Sparano and Parcels ...and right now I think Denver would wash their hands of him for Dotson, London, and a 4th round pick.
...go ahead, flame away ...its a flame bait post ...but I'm really not happy with our current WR set and ...there's Marshal, just begging to play for us ...someone is going to take him, why not us?
...lol ...trust no one who takes moola to post an ad and I'm pretty damn sure tin is getting a couple pennies for that link ...if not, I'm sure he'll cut me into little moral chunks soon enough ...but it would be interesting to hear from him re that link, ie does he have any personal experience with them ...cause I'm like herdfan in that I'd like to place some bets on-line but want to be as safe as possible in doing so ...I'm not worried about losing a bet (I expect to) or the feds seizing any deposits ...but I am worried about losing the personal information necessary to conduct such a transaction.
ReplyDeletelemmus, my kindred spirit!
ReplyDeleteDo you have any idea what the odds are on a pre-season bet for the Dolphins to win the Superbowl? I remember Jahndoh saying if he cashed in on the bet he made last year, he had promised his wife a boob job, and this was a $100. bet. Now being totally familiar with the cost of boob jobs, I'm just wondering the odds now. They can't be as much as a long shot from the year before with only one win.
I'm thinking I'll get my friend in DE to do my bet for me. I trust him. Don't know if you were around last year when this was getting discussed, you probably were but have changed your name. Everyone does it these days, I'm still old school! lol
I've been having alot of problems here too !!
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm getting extensive delay's wherever I go here,NOT alway's but lately more times than not !!
I've had minimal problems here until the multiple issues I'm having now!!
I also confer w'Lemmus,I have zero on all thread comment count's,
AND the ""ALL COMMENTS"" section (MY FAV) doesn't work anymore,hasn't for about a week!!
40 - 1 to win the SB.� 8 - 1 to win the division.� I sent you a site that gives the odds did you get it ?
ReplyDeleteAny time you send your CC info across the net you are at risk.� Yet I truly believe that you can just as easily have your identity stolen at a restaurant or gas station.
ReplyDeleteIt all depends on the honesty of people that have your credit card in their hands no matter where you are.
Teddy B of NE retiring, announcement tomorrow.
Sparano trusts Tin? OMG!
ReplyDeleteherd, I haven't made the bet yet either. I'll look into the same site that Fang recommends.
ReplyDelete13kvFins, I've addressed you a few times on here. WTF? LOL
ReplyDeleteMark Bradley, of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, reports Atlanta Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff said following the team's preseason game Saturday, Aug. 29, that he expects to bolster the team's defense prior to Week 1. The team will likely keep an eye on the waiver wire for potential additions to the defense. "It's going to be a very busy two weeks," Dimitroff said. The team must determine whether CB Chris Houston is capable of being a No. 1 cornerback.
ReplyDeleteIt's always nice to hear that our first opponent is looking to bolster their defense through the waiver wire. LOL
I'm not sure they're going to find a capable starting CB from the waiver wire. If they do, maybe every other team has been going about it the wrong way.
...lets offer them JA ...that way Penne will know before the snap which receiver will be open :)
ReplyDeleteLOL @ lemmus
ReplyDeletelemmus, if JT and Porter can't play a full season because their age is that much of an issue they wouldn't be here. I can't buy that argument for 6 OLBs.
ReplyDeleteI would not be surprised if Nalbone makes it over Haynos.
I just can't buy the 10 OL because I don't think we're 10 deep. Hilliard is a better player than Garner. Hilliard can do more as far as special teams and maybe even play FB in a pinch. Garner is just a tackle and he's not a LT.