According to the Wall Street Journal, today is day 121, but to my knowledge it's the tenth day of practices, and it's a double-practice day for the Dolphins. The good news is that one of them is at 8pm so they'll avoid the sun. The bad news is that I'll be stuck in rush-hour traffic at that time.
Make sure not to miss this great update of yesterday's practice, posted this morning.
Around the league:
Make sure not to miss this great update of yesterday's practice, posted this morning.
Around the league:
- Brian Cushing tripped over a man-boob and hurt his knee. Reports are it's a sprain, which I'd guesstimate would keep him out for 1 to 2 weeks.
- After finally signing first round pick, Malcolm Jenkins, the Saints practiced in 124 degree heat index. This begs the question of why an indoor team would practice outside everyday. 1o of their 16 scheduled 2009 games are indoors. They play outdoors twice before the end of October, in Philadelphia, and in Buffalo. On October 25th they play Miami.
- In Atlanta, Coach Mike Smith called the team together after the first hour of practice and told them to take their pads off. They then ran their 11-on-11 drills padless.
- Carolina practiced in a slight drizzle today, with Steve Smith riding the bike on the side whilst reading a book. Both Jon Beason and Dan Connor got into scuffles with their offensive counterparts. The Panthers have had several scuffles already in training camp and I bet if Steve Smith hadn't separated his shoulder, he'd be punching someoen in the face right now..
- The Jason Allen trade talk has started up in full-force again. Personally I don't think the rookies are ready to be given the reins just yet, and that we should keep J. Allen. I know that's not the popular opinion, it's just mine. I do understand that fans are frustrated with Allen's career thus far, but I don't see the low-light reel on youtube anywhere that proves he's as bad as some fans believe he is. I DO however believe that he is a natural safety and should never have been moved from there.
- TE John Nalbone has been mentioned a lot in the last few days. Could he actually be pushing to make the team? I'll bet he gets a lot of snaps in the Jacksonville game.
- According to Omar Kelly, Tony McDaniel fielded (unsuccessfully) two pooched kicks. I know Sparano said that the special teams unit was going to be bigger this year, but Tony McDaniel?
- Also per Omar, "FS Gibril Wilson picked of Pat White during team drill. Next play he fumbles the snap. Next play Lionel Dotson sacks him. Not a good morning". I'm starting to get a bit worried about Pat White's inability to take snaps from center. I'm not as worried about his inaccuracy throwing the ball - I believe that will be fixed over time - but this is at least the 5th time I've read about White fumbling the snap. In the meantime, Dotson needs to get some reps with the first team, he seems to be standing out against the 2s and 3s.
- Morning Practice Video:
- Terrible news, CB Will Allen is suffering from a strained groin. The upside to this is that Vontae Davis has been elevated to the one's. That means we have an all-rookie CB starting-set.
- Did you know TMZ.com is a hotspot of NFL information? Ok, not really, but they DID catch Michael Vick in Chicago at O'Hare Airport. This has led to speculation that Vick is working out for the Bears. I'm going to go one step further and suggest that Vick is actually going to be on Oprah next week.
- Omar linked to his update page. I think this is the longest one he's done so far. Wildcat = Ronnie, Spread = Pat. End of Story. Until week one when White lines up in the Wildcat...
- Great new photos from BrianL. I'm starting to think Brian has his own boom truck or something...
2nd team - Henne hands off to the fullback while the entire defensive line breaks through the o-line, led by Paul Soliai. Bet someone got yelled at after this play.
1st team - Pennington scans the defense pre-snap.
1st team - Action! Polite prepares to block for Ronnie out of 2 TE set.
1st team takes a break from football to dance.
Patrick Turner elevates for the ball with Sean Smith in coverage.
Ronnie realizes he's being watched.
Rookie cornerback, Vontae Davis, forced to carry a vet's shoulder pads.
<span style=" font-family: Arial;"><span style="">J. Allen- It’s too early to trade him. Wait and see how everyone looks when the lights come on. If he’s released, the Pat’s will pick him up and play him at safety. So you better trade and get a late draft pick instead of letting him go free to any team. He needs a new zip code.</span></span>
ReplyDelete<span style=" font-family: Arial;"><span style="">P. White- pick still has me scratching my bald head, hoping for the best</span></span>
<span style=" font-family: Arial;"><span style="">Depth Chart- We know it doesn’t mean anything at this point, just makes for good conversation</span></span>
<span style=" font-family: Arial;"><span style="">DE-</span></span> Nice to have people battling to start
<span style=" font-family: Arial;"><span style="">MLB- Still no game changer</span></span>
<span style=" font-family: Arial;"><span style="">William(friend) is flying down on Monday to watch the game and is staying all week to watch the practices. If you need or want any info from him just let me know. Remember in last years camp he kept calling talking about Donald Thomas blowing people up… if he could only stay healthy.</span></span>
I forgot to mention this above but I got an e-mail from the UFL offering me a special discount/pre-sales ticket pricing, so I clicked on the link and it said I had to wait until 1pm to purchase tickets. At the time it was 1:12pm. And that was my UFL experience. Now, back to the NFL.
ReplyDeleteI forgot to mention this above but I got an e-mail from the UFL offering me a special discount/pre-sales ticket pricing, so I clicked on the link and it said I had to wait until 1pm to purchase tickets. At the time it was 1:12pm. And that was my UFL experience. Now, back to the NFL.
ReplyDeleteFor a guy who just started taking snaps under center and getting used to handling the ball without gloves, in the last 4 years, I'm not worried about P White yet. If he gets in the game he will be in the spread formation most of the time anyways. By the end of the summer he will have the exchange down well enough.
ReplyDeleteIf we can get something for Allen now I say do it. When can always pick up and older veteran who will give us the same production, If not more, than Allen.
I hope Nalbone gets the reps in preseason to see if this kid can take his practice play to the game. Sparano would love to have three good TE on game day.
Great udates around the league......I'm looking forward to reading this blog when the real games start.....You do a nice job Thanks
Thanks jvw. Maybe if we trade J Allen we can sign Patrick Surtain ;)
ReplyDeletebtw, the Spread isn't automatically shotgun. But what I'm worried about now
is having a starter who can't take snaps from shotgun, a 3rd stringer who
can't take snaps from center, and a 2nd stringer whose likely to not get
into any games ahead of the 3rd stringer!
The problem with Jason at safety is that he never grasped the mental part of that position. That's why the trifecta moved him to corner where he could rely more on his instincts.
ReplyDeleteHey Tin,
ReplyDeleteLong time no check in - let's hope this revamped line can keep Chad Sr off his a$$ and in the pocket so we don't need to look at 2nd or 3rd stringers. Also, his release isn't as quick as Marino's, but his mind is so that should help him in keeping out of trouble.
Btw, (going off topic already) did you see Omar's free kick for Utd? Check out this link. Ronaldo who? Seriously though, Nani is taking free kicks now Ronnie has gone to Real.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ei9ESA9ZAlU
I as well am still second guessing the Pat White pick myself. A fourth straight year of using a second round pick on a QB, and our starter we got for nothing lol. I know people are excited by the Wildcat possibilities, but I am just not sold on it. I still lament not getting Percy Harvin in the first round. I know we needed CB's, but I have a feeling if they were both still available at pick 25, the Trifecta would of gone with Harvin. Especially with Penningtons weaker arm a short yardage receiver like Harvin would of been one hell of a playmaker for the Dolphins. Anyways, am looking forward to this year, and am very excited about the team. My expectations might be tempered compared to some of the other posters here because I think New England is going to be very good again this year. Still, for the first time in years I feel the Fins are in good hands and taking the right steps towards the next level, and that alone is a great feeling. Now I am ready to waste the next month of my life watching every preseason game on the NFL network. So good to have football back. Keep up the great work on this blog Tin.
ReplyDeleteBTW Tin, you are not the only guy that thinks Jason Allen is not as bad as commonly perceived. Always thought he had some good moments when he actually got to play in games, but I agree that he is probably a much better safety than cornerback. Lets not forget as well that next to Cobbs, JA might be the next best special teamer, and with as bad as the special teams have been, losing him could hurt.
ReplyDeleteThanks edswood. Let's be honest, most of us are more excited about the
ReplyDeletepre-season than we ever have been.
PS In addition to the above link I posted, Utd kick off their season this Sunday and ESPN picked up the Setanta games (46 premiership fixtures) which should be good news for you as I think you said you have the ESPN soccer coverage? Sunday's game is on Sky, but you might find links on here if you can't get it any other way? http://www.troodi.com/
ReplyDeleteI will have to do all that tonight at home. I can't youtube at work...the
ReplyDeleteIT dept has really screwed with my days.
oh, i should say that yes, if its on ESPN in the UK it's probably on espn
ReplyDelete360 here. I went there a couple of days ago and they had every which match
from the last couple of weeks....several euro clubs vs MLS? no thanks, I
don't want to watch men vs boys. But they had no United, I think I was
looking for a recent match....did they just play an exhibition match?
They played Chelsea in the Community Shield (winner of league versus cup). Its got a trophy attached to it, but it's more of a pre-season friendly these days. Chelsea didn't kick the ball into touch when Ballack body-checked Evra, though, and Chelsea scored from the move. United weren't happy and it was less than friendly after that!
ReplyDeleteSorry about your IT issues - I've been keeping a weather eye on what's been going on on your side of the pond, but my girlfriend lost her mum to cancer after a 15 month battle and it's pretty much dominated our lives recently. Kinda puts stuff into perspective huh?
Sorry to hear that, ukfinfan. I just had an aunt diagnosed with cervical
ReplyDeletecancer. It really just come out of left field at you, don't it? Maybe now
would be a good time to take a holiday, head out to South Florida and catch
a game?
And, I know this sounds corny, but in the event any readers miss out on
anything, the sidebar does contain the chronologically-organised archives so
it's easy to catch up. Yay! I managed to plug my blog during a conversation
about cancer!
Super Classy!
anyway, I hope your gf is handling things ok - and btw, the match you
mentioned above IS the one I was looking for, but they didn't have it
online. After I move later this year, I'm getting all these obscure sports
channels, even if I'd only watch them for 1/4 of the year...
<span style="color: #ff6600; "><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #000000;">"TMZ.com is a hotspot of NFL information" ... Yup!!
ReplyDelete</span></span></span>
Last night TMZ dissed & laughed at the Miami Fight Song ... then chased after the guy who wrote it with a camera & asked him "diss-snide" questions.
Well done, that song is simply The Hamster Dance v2!!
http://www.miamidolphins.com/newsite/aquavision/aquavision.asp?category=1&mediaid=44034
ReplyDeleteTS doesn't seem himself in today's PC!!
Did his dog die or something??
He didn't project his normal high-spirited persona,
he seemed depressed,or preoccupied w'something else in his head,(@least thru the 1st half of the PC),IMHO...
Kinda pk'd it up a bit w'speaking of he/BGaines fact finding mission!!
FUNNYSTUFF,TS's mission went well until the inclusion of the SB winners stats,but while Gaines was researching TS's thought's he came-up w'other fact's that assisted in TS's ultimate goal of the moment...
NO STONE LEFT UNTURNED!!
GOTTA like the"ALL DAY SUCKER"analogy of PCobbs!!
NEVERMIND on TS being preoccupied,I just watched the previous days PC,and apparently he's been a LIL ill.. @least that what I got from his opening remark of"NO night rider last nght"...
ReplyDelete(case-o-da-shit's),
Tooo much pasta??
""a 2nd stringer whose likely to not get
ReplyDeleteinto any games ahead of the 3rd stringer!""
Does that mean,we're NOT goin to use the 46th player roster exemption?? IYHO!!!
I know what you really mean,but in this case(NO 46th active plyr/EMERGENCY QB)??
I'd imagine that there may be game's(IF the EMERG QB option IS used),
that the possibility would exist of CH,and PW alternating as the(EMERG #3),
depending on the circumstance/opponent...
You know what I want,and I'd be OK w'out the 46th man too,
OTHERWISE,rather than opposing D's scratching their heads,I'LLLLL be pullin my hair-out!!
And(what'd I miss/misunderstand),WHY can't CP take snaps from the Shotgun?? (CALF)??
I'm sure ALL were aware,but just-in-case!!
ReplyDeleteThat comment of O's( RB = wildFINS, PW = spread) were TS's words ,
though I think he just wanted to move on to a different subject...
I didn't go to the link(so maybe that's old news),but that's what I heard earlier @aquavision directly from TS...
DAMMITT,WHY aren't MY replies goin under what I'm replying to...
ReplyDeleteDAMNNN you Technology!!
"WHY can't CP take snaps from the Shotgun?? (CALF)??"
ReplyDeletehe's just not done it much in his career. He's more comfortable under
center.
yeah but TS actually said SHOTGUN, not spread.
ReplyDeleteThose are some awesome photos, BrianL.
ReplyDeleteGlad to see ukfinfan's name on here. Have to admit I just looked at the pictures so far.
Tinshaker did you see my request for more recipes?
herdfan...for absinthe?
ReplyDeleteCorrect. I did have some last week, but no one else would drink it. My sister tried one with me the vampire way, she's into the current vampire craze. One sip! So I had both of them! Plus I had already tried it with the chilled glass. And a brownie! Sorry for the off topic stuff.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, great job with the blog. OH, and I just realized I have been a Dolphin fan for a whole year now! No one even sent a card.
:'(
uk, sorry to hear that about your girlfriend's mum. As I've gotten older that sort of thing has become more prominent and it sucks. Our greatest fear (my wife and I) is that it's not going to stop. It's most likely going to get worse. So we all look for things to keep us entertained and excited about life. And then you deal with it when the time comes.
ReplyDeleteMore vampire talk I see. ;)
ReplyDeleteNasty stuff that absinthe. Eeewww!
ReplyDeleteKnight:
ReplyDeleteYou sound like my sister.
herd, I'm not big on the hard alcohol anyway. I'm more of a beer guy with a shot here and there. I do like margaritas though. ;)
ReplyDeleteKnight, then you can't be all bad. Contrary to what it might seem, I'm not either, except for Fridays. I gave up shots long ago, at least in public.
ReplyDeleteMan Vonate Davis looks like he's built like Ronnie Brown. He is one stout looking corner. He might be a good one down the road. Everyone talks about Sean Smith, but he's not built thick and strong like Vontae. Not to knock Sean. He's got unique size too. You don't see too many corners like the two we brought in this year. One is 5-11 203, athletic and fast and built like a running back, and the other is 6-4 214 who is rangy, athletic and pretty fast as well. The best way to cover big, tall and athletic WRs is to put a big, tall and athletic corners on them. Vontae is going to knock some average sized WRs around once he puts it altogether.
ReplyDeleteThat was what my gf's mum had more or less, but left too late to treat. It was a shock, but at least we all had time to say our goodbyes and she was 88, so she had a good life. My gf is as OK as can be, but she won't leave her dad for a while yet (he's 85), so no holidays this year, but I may travel over to the US on business this season and it's SO much easier to stopover in S. Fla on the way there or back ;) !
ReplyDeleteDon't worry, I haven't missed any posts on the SS or here. Just not been in the right frame of mind to post.
I think that match might be on Trudi.com?
Thanks Knight. Yeah, we all think we're immortal and our parents are immortal, then when they pass away and folk from your peer group pass away (she lost her brother earlier this year too at 52 and I know a guy who used to play soccer who passed away at 52 as well - both cancer) it does make you think. Like you say, live every day and get the most out of life - you only get one chance at it.
ReplyDeleteThx herd. Glad you returned unscathed from your little "excursion" with your chums after sampling some of mother nature's more interesting combinations of pick-me-ups!
ReplyDeletePS Herd, did you see my post on SS about streaming Fins games? There are ways?!? (at least during the reg season).
ReplyDeleteI did. I signed up for it. Never tried doing that before, but I recall last season you guys were always talking about the links, etc. I think I might be able to see the one on Saturday, since I'll be in the Carolinas.
ReplyDelete