The Half-Way House is Seven Eighths Full - Part 1, The Offense

Today is August the 25th. Starting at the beginning of training camp, we have covered 23 days of the pre-season grind and the churning is in full effect. The regular season starts in 19 days. So we've passed the half-way point of the process and the Dolphins have already started trimming the fat (no that's not an Ndukwe joke).

The NFL rules state that the rosters must be down to 75 by September 1st, and then down to 53 by the 5th. That's not really that far away, and we still have tremendous uncertainty at the WR and OLB positions. With this in mind, I doubt the Dolphins will be going on a shopping spree this week to pick up additional players.

It's at this point I thought it would be a good idea to summarize and compare notes from the preview blogs with what has actually unfolded in the pre-season.

OFFENSIVE LINE
The starters are all as expected, but here are the movements:
Joe Berger - I originally said he would compete with Andy Alleman for the back-up interior job, then later said he could be penciled in as the back-up center. With Alleman now out of the way, he has new competition.
Mark Lewis - The new competition. Knight felt it unnecessary to mention Lewis by name in his write-up on the O-line and in mine I called him "camp fodder". Well he had a strong game vs Carolina and is still here after four other O-linemen have gone. With only 9 or 10 spots available, and 11 bodies still here, it's still a longshot for Lewis, but he is nipping at Berger's heels, mostly due to Berger's inability to distance himself. Still, I'd guess Lewis is currently a strong candidate for the practice squad.
Shawn Murphy - Knight said Murphy had to make significant improvements but might be a sleeper. I thought he would be practice squad material as we wouldn't have the luxury to keep a 'project' on the 53-man roster. But Murphy did make a significant improvement, at least physically, and has gotten the benefit of increased reps due to Donald Thomas' injury. I have not been impressed with Murphy at all in the games, however, so I don't think he's a lock quite yet.
Nate Garner - Knight was not impressed and I wanted to see him get reps with the 1st team to see if he's good enough to backup Long and Carey. That hasn't happened yet, And Andrew Gardner seems to be coming on strong. I think Brandon Frye is actually the determining factor here, as he has more position flexibility.
Donald Thomas - Knight thought he'd be up and running by week 5 of the regular season. I thought he'd be starting on day one. Too bad no money was put on the table, eh? D.T. has probably been the most noticeable lineman in the first two pre-season games. But I think they should sit him for the rest of the pre-season just to avoid risking another injury (yes I'm being paranoid).

WIDE RECEIVERS

Who would've thought we'd be at this point in the pre-season and the wide-reciver line-up would be so uncertain? I'm not confident I can name more than 3 receivers who I think will make the 53-man roster. And I'm really only confident in naming one starter.
Brennan Marion & Chris Williams - both were waived injured. Marion showed sure hands and Williams showed pure speed, but in the end, my prediction came true. I said his size would keep him limited to the return game, and he got lots of reps on special teams but not a one as a receiver.
Anthony Armstrong - I called Armstrong out as a good practice guy, but said he needed to show some toughness in the game. He started out hot in OTAs but once the pads came on he's shriveled. He has been given a chance to be the gunner on special teams, but I question if he has a 'hitter's mentality'.
Brian Hartline - I knew from the start that Hartline would be called upon to strengthen the core of the special teams unit. He has accepted that role as well as showing a real desire to improve upon the passing game. After every play he can be seen talking to the quarterback in an effort to improve upon his mistakes. He is the first of the rookies to be given a shot at the first team, so that means something. I did say he was a Camarillo-clone who can play special teams, and if he really does turn out to be just that, then obviously he would beat out Camarillo.
Brandon London - I'll be the first to admit I thought London would vanish into oblivion from day one of training camp, but he has shown up big-time in practices, at least to the naked eye. The coaches don't look to be as high on him as the media and fans, as he has not been given the opportunity to run with the ones. So far in the pre-season I've seen more of the same. He presents a big target but absolutely no run after the catch potential. There are 8 WRs still in camp, and I'm starting to get the feeling we will only keep 5 at the end of this thing. I suspect those five will be Ginn, Bess, Hartline, Turner and (either Camarillo, London or Armstrong).

RUNNING BACKS
While from day one we all knew Brown, Williams and Cobbs were going to repeat their 2008 line-up, I can't help but wonder if there might be space for one more. While Lex Hilliard is likely headed back to practice squad candidate, I have a feeling another team would claim him off waivers first. If we go with only 5 WRs, 9 OL, and 3 TEs, its possible to keep a 4th running back. As far as the fullback position goes, I still expect Lou Polite to be the lone fullback, but Joe Kowalewski is a practice squad candidate that wasn't even on the roster for most of training camp.

TIGHT ENDS
Is Anthony Fasano still on the team? Sometimes I think Joey Haynos is the starter based on the number of reps he gets. This race could be closer than we think, but now that Ernest Wilford has been sent packing, at least we can focus on who the best tight-ends are rather than any intangibles. Bottom line for me though remains the same as I've said all along - having Haynos in there is like having an extra lineman. And for that reason I expect him to beat out John Nalbone for the 3rd TE spot.

Have any players on the offensive side of the ball changed your mind about how the final roster will look?