That's right, not everyone is going to make it that far. The Dolphins are currently 4 players over the limit of 80, which means by the time the OTAs are over, at least 4 of the names on the roster will be erased. My guess would be that Justin Smiley will be one of them, and probably another O-lineman, a running back (maybe two) and a WR will be axed. But that's something the coaches have plenty of time to decide on for now.
Still, there is tension in the air as the churning process officially begins today. Last year, if memory serves, one or two players didn't even make it past the first day, so anything's possible.
What are your thoughts as we start the 2010 off-season in earnest? Do you think there will be tension between Jared Odrick and Philip Merling? How about Chad Pennington's boasts that he's the #2 guy (for now) vs Tyler Thigpen's insistence that it is him? How would you feel if you were Pat White heading back to work today? What if he throws a pass and it hits a seagull that's sitting on the top of the uprights?
Not sure why Pennington would think he's the #2 when Sparano has said publicly he's the #3.
ReplyDeleteFunny stuff on Pat White. If he hits a seagull maybe he should become a hunter. I know teammates aren't going to throw each other under the bus but Pennington has said Pat White has improved his accuracy this offseason. We shall see. I'm interested to see if White looks bigger.
"<span>Pat White has improved his accuracy this offseason"</span>
ReplyDeleteIt would be pretty much impossible not to improve wouldn't it?
Pretty funny Tin! I think he should go hunting with Dick Chenney..lol I do think the Odrick/Merling battle should be interesting to watch. Merling has be a good rotation player but has yet to live upto what I was expecting.
ReplyDeleteEver here of former Cardinals pitcher Rick Ankiel? LOL
ReplyDeleteno, I don't follow baseball at all, but surely with a name like Ankiel (kinda like 'ankle') they should've known he wouldn't have a good arm. Bet he's real good at hackey-sack......
ReplyDeleteAnkiel threw in the high 90s and was a top pitching prospect about 10 years ago. One day he lost his control and not only couldn't find the plate, he couldn't find the catcher. He would hit the backstop 5 out of 10 pitches. He was moved to the outfield and became a decent player.
ReplyDeleteThats a little different, he started out good and lost power/control with age with perhaps an injury/surgery along the way - but White is 22 with no injury.
ReplyDeleteBut to be honest, I said this last year and got hundreds of comments to the contrary - White was not a good throwing QB in college - his % stats were boosted by a lot of screens, and his deep ball % was boosted by the fact that WVU would run run run screen run screen run run and then BAM go deep. It's not that hard to air the ball out and have your speedy WR run under it. But when you look at the intermediate throws - they were few and far between. That is what I saw during WVU games, but of course I'm wrong because I'm a USF fan...
Check this out:
ReplyDeletehttp://espn.go.com/blog/afceast/post/_/id/13715/ginn-still-dropping-balls-with-49ers
No Ankiel just lost it. He was still young and no injury. It was all mental like some catchers that get that weird "can't throw back to the catcher" syndrome.
ReplyDeleteAs for Pat White, that's why they changed his throwing motion. I'm sure they had him doing a lot of squats this offseason because one of Parcells' 11 QB Commandments is "you throw with your legs not your arm". Will wait for joke? LOL
Ginn didn't have the dropsies his first two seasons. I have no idea what happened to him last year and why it's continuing.
ReplyDeleteGinn needs the Jugs....
ReplyDeleteMerling has either been invisible or spectacular - there needs to be more consistency, even if it means not beign spectacular all the time - I would settle for 'pretty good' if it was on every play, and I'm sure that's why he lost the starting job - because Starks and Langford were 'pretty good' all the time, and Merling wasn't.
ReplyDeleteTin,
ReplyDeleteSo does every man. LOL!!!
Surprise, surprise... NOT!!! I still don't get it when people say Ginn was a great return guy. He had one good game and a couple of other decent returns in 3 years. Even the second return in the Jets game was a gift where Ginn got stuck in the middle of the field and after a couple mssed tackles, ran for his life. Thank God they let him go, another season of watching him drop passes would have cost me a big screen because I was ready to heave a bud light bottle, okay a sippy cup, but I would have snapped either way!
ReplyDeleteTalking about White and his accuracy, there is a lot more he needs to work than just doing what he should have been able to do in high school. He's short and he has to find throwing lanes. To do that he has to direct defenders away with his eyes and that means he has to anticipate where the guy he really wants to throw to is going to be. To do that he needs to be able to read defenses. These are some of the reasons why very few shorter QBs make it in the NFL. I hate to think we wasted the draft pick but quite honestly I don't see it happening.
Pennington not being number two? Come on, Pennington doesn't anything to prove to anyone. Pennington have won more games in one season than all the rest of our QBs combined. I cannot think of a guy I would rather have at number two than Chad Pennington. All he does is win when he is healthy. The quandry with Thigpen is that he is at a crossroads... He has shown that given the opportunity he has starter potential but the question is, can he reasonably expect to get that in Miami? With Henne clearly the future and Pennington a great veteran back-up, Thigpen figures to be the odd guy out. I still think they are looking to trade him and didn't get a good enough offer during the draft. If White comes in and shows enough improvement where they can still project him as a potential NFL QB, thigpen will be traded.
This is for all the Parcells & Co. bashers. Guess what??? Matt Roth is officially a pain in the ass & his agent certainly didn't help his cause. If he would've shown up to camp healthy, in shape & ready to play last year I believe this all could have been avoided. If he would've had another good season (is that really too much to ask since he basically only had one successful year up to that point), I believe we would've re-upped on him just like Carey & Crowder.
ReplyDelete"Browns GM Tom Heckert said Monday that the team will not trade OLB Matt Roth, despite Roth's unhappiness in Cleveland.
If Roth were smart, he would've requested a trade before the draft. He's not going anywhere now. "It's not going to happen," Heckert promised, adding that Roth has "no" leverage in the matter. The Browns are deep at outside linebacker, so they'll have no trouble withstanding Roth's offseason absence." May. 17 - 8:31 pm et
Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer
Merling had no experience in a 3-4 and Langford did, and he had less experience than Starks overall. Langford has been inconsistent too just not as much as Merling. I think they both need to take their games to another level this year. That said, they've both played quite a bit their first two seasons and they've been solid.
ReplyDeleteTim,
ReplyDeleteIf my memory serves me correctly, Ankiel also had some injury problems as a pitcher???
Patrick, Ginn had 5 returns for TDs called back because of dumb penalties.
ReplyDeleteLOL
ReplyDeleteTim,
ReplyDelete"In 2002, Ankiel sat the whole season with a left elbow sprain, and was finally cleared to pitch in December. He returned to the minors in 2003, posting a 6.20 ERA in 10 starts before undergoing season-ending ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction (Tommy John surgery) for his left elbow in July. In 54.1 innings, he walked 49 batters and threw 10 wild pitches."
So many questions raised by your comment, patrick. First of all, why are you drinking beer out of a sippy cup?
ReplyDeleteI'd bet if you added the 5 TDs thatwere called back on Ginn, he would be considered in the tope 3 kick returnes in the league of the last 3 seasons, so I think you're being unfair to his return skills above, but you are right on about the drops.
No comment on White other than it's not just about lanes, he misses guys in skeleton drills....
As for Pennington I disagree completely - I think pennignton has EVERYTHING to prove. He was playing terrible last year before getting injured, not just in the 3 reg season games but in the pre-season and even in training camp if you go back and read the reports - so 2 to 3 months of poor performance is significant. He also was never that good in NY - he had his moments but suffered from multiple injuries and his arm strngth probably was exacerbated by the Meadowlands winds.
Add a major injury/surgery on his throwing arm shoulder, and I think if pat White wasn't a QB on our roster, that Pennington wouldn't have even been brought back to begin with. I also think it's extremely arrogant the way Pennington has played with the media this off-season. When the coach says that Thigpen is the #2 guy, and you are coming off injury, why go on the record that the coach is just saying that, but really I'm the guy? Also the negotiations for all that money and special clauses indicates to me that Pennington still believes he is going to start for the Dolphins (good for competition, but not good for the locker room).
Tin,
ReplyDeleteI thought Starks was a lot better than "pretty good" last year but I agree about Merling needing to ratch up his consistency.
I think the main thing to keep in mind right now is to have perspective & patience. We are all information-starved fans who love believing that because a player makes a play, he must be great. The truth is, though, that many OTA superstars (Pat Turner, Lil' Chris Williams, etc.) end up not contributing. We naturally get excited when do well, but this is such a small piece of the overall evaluation. I'm sure some people will get cut loose over the next few days, but we won't get into significant analysis until Training Camp.
ReplyDeleteYou mean like Anthony Armstrong??? BTW--Great point Psu.
ReplyDeleteTim,
ReplyDeleteExactly. It's not as if Langford's play has been dominating. Starks play was surprisingly great last year & as the year went on I thought McDaniel started to really pick it up.
"<span> The Browns are deep at outside linebacker, so they'll have no trouble withstanding Roth's offseason absence"</span>
ReplyDeleteThis is kind of like saying, I got a raise up to $11 an hour, so sure, I'll give you a loan...
I wish fans could watch OTA's, training camp, etc. without being at the stadium... But it's probably easier to infiltrate the US Goverment than it is to get film from the Dolphins practices.
ReplyDeleteLooks like I will get my wish of seeing more C-word! <groan>
ReplyDelete<span><span>Per Adam Schefter: "Filed to ESPN: QB Daunte Culpepper is on verge of going from NFL's Detroit Lions to UFL's Sacramento Mountain Lions. A deal is near."</span></span></groan>
Tin, Henne will have to overcome Pennington if he is truly going to be the leader of this team. I wouldn't put it past Parcells to have told Pennington to press Henne. If Henne can't stand competition from a noodle arm QB how will handle the pressure during a close game with a DE charging in his face.
ReplyDeleteOkay granted, Pennington did not start the year well before the injury, but his history speaks for itself. Every year he was healthy he took his team to the playoffs and several of those came after slow starts. It's also a personal preference to have a veteran backup who has seen all things Pennington has. I'm not saying anything bad about Thigpen, I think he has true potential but in that potential I see value in the form of draft picks.
No further comment on White either... I just don't see it.
WHP, okay were his injuries before his wildness? I didn't think it was because of injuries and that's why everyone was so baffled.
ReplyDeleteTim,
ReplyDeleteI just remembered him coming back from the scrap heap when he became an outfielder. I didn't know about all the inexplicable wildness. Now that I know the full stories, I'm not sure how much his injuries really played a part in his inability to ever pitch again. A lot of guys come back from Tommy John surgery nowadays.
Tin,
ReplyDeleteLOL! The only thing that the Browns are 'deep' at or in is sh#t. When your starting QB is Jake Delhomme at this stage in his career you might as well call yourselves an expansion team.
Psu,
ReplyDeleteLMAO!!!! Sadly I have more a lot more faith is Parcells than ours or any other countries government.
That and their young QB prospect (Colt McCoy) is going to have to be an overachiever to succeed at the NFL level.
ReplyDeletePatrick, the competition is for the #2 spot, not the starting spot (although that can change in the near future). I just didn't think Pennington did anyone any favors by contradicting the front office and the coaching staff.
ReplyDeleteAt least Parcells makes sense most of the time. LOL
ReplyDelete<span><span> <span> </span> <span>Looks like Jets Bryan Thomas is holding on to No. 99... for now. Jason Taylor listed as No. 95 on team's official roster. </span></span></span>
ReplyDeletePatrick, I'm glad the sippy cup is working out for you!! Did you replace the lower jar portion with the bottom of a squeezy sports bottle to gain the extra volumn yet? LOL
ReplyDeleteTin, the sippy cup limits the amount you spill as you stumble around you house pissed. It also helps keep the water out of your drink as you have the "hair of the dog" the next morning while standing in the shower to soothe your hang over. Especially if you were drinking white russians the night before! LOL
ReplyDeleteHas anyone ever gotten a hangover off of white russians alone?
ReplyDeleteAsk Patrick. LOL
ReplyDeleteAhhh the white russians, yes that was one of those rememberable nights followed by a most forgetable morning! Fortunately I haven't had one of those in a while but I think I'm long overdue! The shower sippy has been safely stored in the back of the linen closet waiting for the day when I forget the after affects of 10 white russians preceded by 10 beers and who knows what else...
ReplyDeleteTin, I don't remember exactly what Pennington said, so I'll defer to your knowledge of the situation.
LOL!
ReplyDeleteSOOOOOOOO, What number is BM wearing today?
ReplyDeleteI asked Nolan Carroll a)how was the OTA and b) what number is Marshall wearing and here was his response:
ReplyDelete"It was good, liked the experience,I dunno what number he is wearing"
" Though Tyler Thigpen will open training camp as the No. 2 quarterback, Pennington is of the belief that he would play if Chad Henne suffers an injury." ~Miami Herald. I couldn't find it with a casual browsing, but there was a direct quote at the time.
ReplyDeleteI remember that and I agree with him if he meant, he would replace Henne the following week, but not necessarily in the game Henne gets hurt. For example, if Long went down, Berger or Garner would likely play one of the tackle positions in the game, but the next week Gardner would be starting in Long's place and Berger and Garner would go back to backups on game day.
ReplyDeleteHe was probably too caught up with what he was doing and didn't take notice.
ReplyDeleteOR...Marshall wasn't wearing any number today...OR...The players have been sworn to secrecy so that a certain Miami Herald reporter can break the news tomorrow...OR... the NFL is selling so many ZERO shirts and wants to keep selling them as long as they can.
ReplyDeleteI think number 3 is the most likely.
I see what you're saying, but I disagree a little with the Garner/Gardner
ReplyDeleteexample. I think the backup tackle is always going to be the 3rd best
tackle on the team. If Long got hurt, the 2nd best tackle would probably
start at LT the following week, or the most battle-tested of the backups.
So either Carey- LT and Garner-RT or Garner-LT and Carey stays a RT. Then
you sprinkle in Gardner for a few snaps and see how he holds up. You don't
take a guy and activate him for his first game and make him start at LT in
the first week - you're asking for disaster there.
lol, maybe BM should be given the number 2.
ReplyDeletethat way if he has a bad day, BM can stand for #2
I'm a MO Dude & Cards fan. Rick Ankiel had a MAJOR meltdown throwing Wild Pitches 20 ft OFF Target & Walking alot ... starting First game of Playoffs recently up from the Minors (Cards burned out their pitching to clinch.)
ReplyDeleteThen became a head case & wild the next year. Then got Tommy John surgery. Then decided to play outfield, & everyone scoffed.
Made the Bigs the next year hitting around .300 in Center Field for the Cardinals with excellent Defense & 20+ Homers ... played with abandon like a madman ... crowd favorite.
StL had a logjam in the outfield & he's bouncing around the Majors, think KC now.
Now if Pat White can change Positions & Do That ... Whoaaa!!
Ok this is interesting.
ReplyDeleteI asked THREE Dolphins about B Marshall's number, and the responses were:
1) 'DUNNO what number he is wearing'
2) 'NOT SURE if [he] picked a number'
3) 'UNSURE what number he got'
Not a single one of them said 'He hasn't chosen yet'. A bit of squirm going on? lol
Let's start a pool for which number Marshall will wear - I pick #11 (currently taken by Julius Pruitt)
ReplyDeleteI don't mean he'll wear #3, i meant the third scenario
ReplyDeletePut me down for #18 (after Wallace is cut)
ReplyDeleteTin, Gardner was drafted to be a backup LT. He was a 4 year starter at LT in college and he's being groomed to provide depth here. My point was based on Gardner proving he's worthy of that playing time. Not based on where he was last year. The Dolphins don't take 8 OL to the game, only 7. They don't need Gardner active because he's not as versatile as Berger and Garner. But if Long went down, that's when he would be activated and we're still at 7 on game day.
ReplyDeleteI like #88 because it's a classic WR number (Swann and Irvin) and you can call him the great 88. LOL
ReplyDeleteAnkiel is a fool, ask his girl friend from high school.
ReplyDeletegeez tin ...is Henne sponsoring your blog now? ...its one thing to "believe" despite the evidence, that Henne is the man ...everyone is entitled to their own false religions ...but then you have to try and castrate the only decent QB the fins have had since Marino ...and do it with specious ...even laughable ...reasoning.
ReplyDelete...Henne has NOT won the starting job out of camp once despite competing with Penne twice heads up for the job ...and try not to forget that the trifecta had so much faith in Henne after his first year that they went right out and spent another 2nd pick on his hoped for replacement ...you don't spend 2nd rounders on intended backup QBs ...they didn't see the future in Henne then, and you might recall now, that when last season was over, Sparano specifically refused to endorse him as the starter.
...Penne is damaged goods at the moment but he has a strong contract incentive to compete for and win the starting slot ...and if his arm comes round, he'll beat Henne in camp based on their past competitions, Penne's career stats, his game management abilities, and his well proven leadership skills.
...it all depends on Penne's throwing arm being healthy of course and that has always been his nemesis ...but the idea of you telling us how "bad" a QB he was just to pump up your new fav boy belittles you, not him ...imnsho of course.
8 + 7 = 15... 87
ReplyDeleteDraft position (119) divided by avg TD/year (6.25) = 19 as his jersey #
ReplyDeleteGood call! Marshall mentioned 87 in his press conference if it's available. It is. LOL
ReplyDelete87 and 88 are both available at classic WR numbers if not the teens. Pick one!
88 is great. 87 is heaven? Eh! I like 88. LOL
IMHO,(Injury/age) Penne is the luxury of a proven veteran winning QB that all teams persue
ReplyDeleteto mentor the obvious future of the francise !!!
I don't think that the regime will risk pushing CP's shoulder and possibly lose his contribution's to the team through the eye's of a genuine NFL QB for a season's entirety as a mentor and quality crunch time bkup!!
Now that CHenne has a respectable 12 starts under his belt w'out an intimidating cast,
and the fact that his ball arrives @ the target 3 + times faster than CPenne's from the time of release!!
I see Henne's in game arm and future taking presedence over Penne's in game mentality,and last hurrahh,
due to defenders being able to recover from a mistep by the time Penne's even more brittle shoulder is able to get the ball to where it belong's!!!
Henne can thread any needle from anywhere,(that's been proven),
and he can prolong a play b/c of his arm strength!!!
IFFF BMarshall etc, etc can get a quick step while the ball arrives NOWWW,
that equals YAC's to the house!!!
CP was never able to get the ball there NOWWW/INSTANTANEOUSLY,
though he's accurate,he's late due to ball speed, equaling minimal YACs!!
While I've also been extremly impressed w'HENNE's POISE since day-one as a FIN,
and well into his collegiant career, PENNE's going to make him better than he himself ever was!!
LUV CP, but believe he's a break glass in case of emergency luxury FIN @ this point!! GOFINS!!
PW was brought in as a gimmick-type player, NOT to be the QB of the future,
though the regime wouldn't dare say something as stupid as
""we drafted this early pk & his family"" to be a gimmick-type player!!!
He doesn't have the BP protypical QB size requirement's,(NOT EVEN CLOSE)!!!
IFF I recall correctly, you suggested he'd be the 2 last yr???
GO HENNE,PENNE,THIGPEN,& PW,GOFINS!!!
Here's the thing about Henne. There is no doubt he needs polish as a QB. But he sure has the potential to be better than last year. He has the passing skills to be very good.
ReplyDeleteHis interception to TD ratio could have better last year that's for sure. But i can't think of a game we lost because of him at the helm. If anything he gave the team and fans the hope they could pull out the win with him in there. I don't feel that way when CP is in the game.
Marshalls new number 99 it's avialible :))
...lol ...you REALLY think Parcells invested a 2nd pick on a "gimmick" QB? ...REALLY???
ReplyDelete...regardless of how that pick turns out, the idea that they deliberately spent a 2nd on such is more than a stretch, imnsho of course. Remember that, depite tin's hindsight disparagement, White looked miles better than Sanchez at the Combine (won the GM Top Combine Performance Award) and was MVP of the Senior Bowl playing against future NFL caliber players, had a 147 career passer rating at WVU, etc, etc, etc ...he was NOT a gimmick pick by any means ...which means the trifecta took him as a competitor to Henne ...case closed.
...next, despite Henne having a rifle for an arm he has serious passing problems ...he has a slow release, he lacks "touch" on the ball, and his accuracy is mediocre at best ...its not that, given time, those can't be overcome, but the history of failed QBs in the NFL says he has mountains to climb before he can even think of being the next Marino.
...Marshal, assuming he lives up to his paycheck, will make Henne look better ...he will ALSO make Penne look better ...Marshal isn't a long baller, he's a high % over the middle receiver who can get YAC ...note that makes him a perfect complement for Penne's passing strengths.
...I certainly agree that Penne will make anyone he works with a better QB ...I hope he's our future QB coach ...and he would be an ideal backup just about anywhere in the NFL ...but ...big but, Penne isn't going to just roll over and play dead for Henne or anyone else quite yet ...and he wants to WIN the starting job ...he's a competitor and if his arm is up to the job, quite capable of putting Henne back on the bench as the backup.
...now that is admittedly a big if ...but this coronation of Henne and castration of Penne is built on quick sand ...Penne didn't lose the starting QB slot to Henne, he lost it due to a serious injury ...and every time the two have competed head to head in camp there was no real contest as to who was the man.
...if Penne's arm is up to it in camp and Henne still beats him out, more power to him and we have the best man for the job ...but Henne's coronation is simply premature and one he has not yet earned ...imnsho of course.
Put me down for 15 - I think Bess will cave in. I don't think he should, but I suspect Marshall will buy the number he wants by making an offer Bess can't refuse.
ReplyDeleteI think KV has it right... 87 but I wouldn't be surprised by something like 99.
ReplyDeleteGood stuff Guest! I agree with most except the slow release by Henne... He doesn't have Marino's release but he gets it out there as quickly as just about any current NFL QB. I think what you are seeing as a release issue is his hesitation at selecting his target at times. I thought he got a little worse in the last 3 games and I know everything wrong with the Dolphins can be blamed on Ted Ginn, but I saw hesitation when Ginn was his option and rightly so because Ginn dropped some crucial passes that deflated the team when they had momentum. Parcells looked at those tapes and saw the same thing, hence exit Ginn enter Marshall.
ReplyDeleteIt would be beneficial to go back and listen to what Phil Simms had to say about the way Parcells handles QBs. Parcells basically goes out of his way to put his QBs in difficult situations, either through competition or verbal and mental abuse. His words were something to the affect that, "if he can't handle competition and he can't handle me yelling at him, he can't handle being an NFL QB." Pennington has already been through this and knows what Parcells wants to hear. Parcells wants Pennington to say, "I'm going to be the starter!" He wants Pennington and Thigpen to put pressure on Henne, out of that competition a true QB will emerge.
You are spot on about White being drafted to compete for a starting spot. His running ability and the Dolphin coaches falling in love with the wildcat only helped to fuel his draft status. They saw him as the perfect QB to run an offense that seamlessly included the wildcat. The DREAM (it seems they may be past it now) was create a new hybred offense which could use the wildcat formation without the QB being a wasted position out wide pretending to have an active role in the play. I think they may be thinking they hurried the whole process but to your point, if they had that much faith in Henne why would they go out and pick White.
The other side of that coin is that Henne may have convinced them with his play that they should give up the wildcat option since it is apparent White was not what they had hoped he would be and Henne's play was much better. I think by picking up Marshall we safely say the wildcat will continue to be an option but only that. It will not be the innovative dream they had visions of.
The bottom line is, Pennington cannot be depended upon to lead this team. Not that he is a bad QB or a bad leader, he is the best of the bunch but this is the 3rd time his shoulder has been surgically repaired and one hit will sideline him forever. Parcells knows he cannot build a team around a guy who will not be there. Pennington can say whatever he wants and even believe he can beat Henne out, but at the end of training camp Henne will be the starting QB. It doesn't matter what Pennington does, he cannot be counted on to be the future.
Henne is the starter and will be in game one if he is healthy.
Penne's arm wasn't up to snuff BEFORE this last surgery! In MNSHO Henne is the starter in name as well as fact.
ReplyDeleteRock, if you think about it, even when we went 11-5 it wasn't until they introduced the wildcat that things began to turn around. Up till that point we were easy to defend because there was no threat from the deep outs or the skinny post patterns. Not all Penne's fault because we had virtually no recievers at that point. The only horses in the stable were Ronnie, Ricky and Cobbs. A properly executed power running game is hard to stop but will only take you so far in today's NFL.
ReplyDeletePatrick, you hit the nail on the head. Penne could and can read the feild 100 times better than Henne could, but he just couldn't get the ball where it needed to be WHEN it needed to be there! If it was more than 10 yds from the line (15 - 20 yds from his release point, the ball was too slow getting to the recievers. (not too slow comming out, just too slow in the air) it would give DB's time to adjust while the ball was in the air.
ReplyDeleteMy biggest knock on Henne (other than him rocketing it in there when he should have taken some off the pass) was his recognition of the D. I'm not sure if the line didn't block long enough for our recievers to get open, or if it WAS all in Henne's head, but he seemed to be having trouble anticipating where his recievers would be and constantly jumping around "looking" for someone to be open last year.
I think with a whole off season taking the first team snaps a lot of this should take care of itself this year. It should also help the recievers adjust to the heat Henne puts on the ball. (I think his "touch" issues are actually a responsibility shared by the recievers, the ball hit them in the chest or hands may times last year, but because of the speed and power Henne put on the ball, it would bounce off the recievers and RB's because they weren't used to it.)
Also, I noticed Penne and Henne both had issues with YAC. Penne's was because by the time the ball got there the D would be swarming over to where the pass was going and Henne because he just didn't recognize where the play was opening up, and by the time he did even though he got the ball there in a hurry, the window would close and the D would see there own holes and be moving to close them, thus no YAC again.
Did any of that make sense at all? LOL I shouldn't do bong hits and blog!
Looks like they are trying D. Thomas at LG.....I don't know about that working out. He definately strikes me more as a road grading RG than a protect the QB's back LG. I remember several plays last year where I couldn't decide whether D.T. or V.C. was at fault for letting the pass rush blow up the right side, but there was a LOT of pressure coming from HIS side.
ReplyDeleteIt also looks like BM took Teddy's #. at least temporarily....I am still sticking with 18
ReplyDeleteRock, that damn bong can be a problem... Screw it, you got any cheetos?
ReplyDeleteThe YAC thing is a little overblown IMNSHO... Generally the guys with the YAC are catching 3 yard slants in stride and it is a statistic born from the west coast offense using short passes as a form of the running game. In a pro-set offense receivers will never have as much YAC as west coast team.
Agreed, however (and I'm not being snarky, I really don't know the answer) does N.E., Den., Dal., Hou., & Pitt run the west coast offense? because if you look up the WR's with the most YAC and throw out the RB's you will see that Welker -585, Marshall - 457, A. Miles - 437, A. Johnson - 427 & S. Holmes - 391 lead league in YAC's by WR's last year. I think this is more an indicator of who can make the first guy miss (Welker) and who can break the first tackle (A. Johnson, Marshall) and of the "clicking" of the QB's & WR's where the QB is throwing the ball BEFORE the WR is open but anticipates where his guy will be and can see where the DB is going so he hits his guy in stride. None of the stopping and waving of arms "I'm open, I'm open" we saw with Henne last year. The guys would come open, and THEN the ball would be released and the D could react to it and make the tackle on our smaller WR's.
ReplyDeleteIf you watch Brady & Welker, Brady throws to where he knows Welker will be and Welker kind of runs over there, catches the ball in stride and picks up 8 more yards after the catch.
I'm just hoping the Chad can form this kind of chemistry with his WR's this year.
Practice Highlights
ReplyDeletehttp://www.miamidolphins.com/aquavision/video/ota-1-practice-highlights-51910
Agreed... Hitting the receiver in stride is the key along with being either quicker or stronger than the DB trying to make the initial tackle. My point on the west coast was they didn't start keeping track of that stat until Jerry Rice came along.
ReplyDeleteBess looks like a beast! He is thick. Heartline doesn't look like he put much more muscle on than he had....maybe he's just built dif.
ReplyDelete"Look out for Ryan Baker, who has packed on more weight to become a true 300-pounder and could push his way past Paul Soliai for backup NT."
ReplyDeleteLeave it to Omar to steal one of my top four surprise predictions;
1) AJ Edds becomes a solid player
2) Ryan Baker beats out Soliai & forces his way into the mix with Starks
3) Starks falters as the starting NT & eventually moves back to DE for good
4) Misi turns out to be a bad pick
Rock,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the clip. Things I noticed;
1) Bess does look huge
2) Hartline looks thin
3) Pat White actually completed a pass!!!
4) Pennington arm is so weak & limp I'd be surprised if he ever completes another pass in an NFL game (Still don't understand why we signed him unless we gave up on White already)
eeeewwwwwww I don't like those predictions! I hope you are wrong on all counts except #1 and maybe #2
ReplyDeleteRock,
ReplyDeleteIMO, Carey is not physical enough. I think the idea is to put Dark Richie next to him & maybe light a fuse under his fat a$$.
LOL! I thought the same thing! WOW....LOOK.... PAT WHITE COMPLETED A PASS!
ReplyDeleteRock,
ReplyDeleteI don't like the last two either. Just a gut feel. You'll be glad to know my gut's not always right.
My gut told me to eat that 3rd burrito last night and this morning I new for sure it was wrong!
ReplyDelete"""you REALLY think Parcells invested a 2nd pick on a "gimmick" QB? ...REALLY???""" REOPENED!!!
ReplyDeleteNOPE!!!
On that ONE particular pk in 09,(MAYBEE w'the PTurner & Hartline pks too),
I think BP followed his own recipe in an attempt of not being a hypocrit,
by allowing the assistant chefs to do some of the grocery shopping??
Orrr, it's was an unauthorized unsuccesful coup of an attempt to ""revolutionize"" the NFL QB position??
I'd strongly doubt that BP himself would ever envision a 6-0, 190#er to be his #1 base QB of the future!!
Yes, (IRELAND,etc,etc) drafted PW to give HENNE competition,(more of attempt to keep HENNE humble) IMO,
seeing that he (the future) & (soon to be retired) PENNE were the only legit QBs on the roster @ the time
& still are, we needed a 3, and PW offered another type of option, a (""revolutionizing the NFL QB position"") GIMMICK!!!
I unsuccesfully looked through the archives for the o10 war room sign that stated the NEW rules for FIN drafts, and it emphasized that a mistake that won't be made again had been made w'the PW pk of 09!!!
ANYBODY remember that sign??
I believe BP allowed one of his protege's to do the grocery shopping w'the munchie's in ailse/rnd 2,
in an attempt to delegate authority, while teaching his journeymen an early lesson from their mistakes!!
HENCE the o10 DRAFT RULES sign for future reference!!!
WRs can't wear 99
ReplyDelete