Safety Isn't Free

The Dolphins inked yet another rookie over the weekend.  This time it's 5th round draftee, Reshad Jones, the safety out of Georgia.  The deal is for 4 years at $1.95 million.

Jones has the physical tools, but by many accounts he's been invisible so far in the safety competition.  Still, it's early days and you don't generally expect a rookie from the later rounds to upstage the veterans early on.  While Chris Clemons seems the current favorite to win the starting Free Safety job come September, I'd expect Jones to keep pushing Clemons.  Competition is good - even if Jones doesn't supplant Clemons, the competition should only make Clemons better and more battle-hardened.

Rookie Signing - Chris Clemons

The Dolphins have gotten rookie safety, Chris Clemons under contract. FINALLY!

The contract is a reported 4 year deal worth $ 1.913 million. It breaks down as follows:

Signing Bonus $162,500.
2009: 310,000
2010: 390,000
2011: 480,000
2012: 565,000
2013: Free Agent

Tins Fins is Live, sort of.

I will be updating throughout the day. Newer updates will appear at the top of this article.

4:00pm: Since no one is reporting who got released, I'm going to do some detective work....the answer is JD Quinn and Jared Bronson.

3:30pm: Just a reminder, that NFL Network is replaying the classic 2000 game between the Jets and the Dolphins at 8pm Eastern/ 5pm Pacific.

3:00pm: The Dolphins have signed Pat White. The End!

2:30pm: Well, no updates anywhere in the media yet. One thing to note, with the Clemons signing, that meant there would be 81 players under contract. Obviously that means at least one player has already been released, but there's been no statement from the Dolphins yet.

1:30pm: Dolphins have signed Chris Clemons. Pat White deal about to be announced as well.

12:30pm: I played the Madden 2010 demo. First impression, the way the defense moves is way more natural and I actually got into a scrum for a loose football which was pretty cool, even though I lost the battle because I wasn't ready for it. It was a bit hard to get any gameplan going with only 1 minute quarters in the demo, but I did manage to win 3 - 0 using the Giants. The yardage stats were in my favor 124 to 3. I couldn't figure out how to get off blocks at the line of scrimmage, and since I usually play d-line in the game, most of my defensive success was luck. On offense, however, I found the passing game quite interesting. I had passes batted down, on target intermediate routes, and several passes that were overthrown by 10 yards or more - I was using Manning, not Pat White ;) . Since i skipped over 2009, I suppose there's a bigger learning curve, but overall I felt the gameplay was much improved and more realistic, but definitely will be harder with all the new features. My only hang up will be what the soundtrack will be. I wish you could add your own mp3s to the game.

11:30AM - PST: it kind of sucks only being able to read about the Jets practices. Kellen Clemens apparently had a great day until the last 15 minutes of practice, when he threw 2 interceptions. Jets beat writer, Rich Cimini, says neither Sanchez and Clemens is making a case for themselves as the starter.

10AM - PST: First up, woke up this morning to rumors of a Pat White hold-out. Not to piss in those people's lemonade but the Dolphins cancelled their Sunday morning practice about a week ago, which means that they don't have to have any of the last two unsigned rookies on the field until 2pm Eastern on Sunday. That means there's more than 24 hours to go. When I spoke to Justin Schulman, Pat White's agent, also over a week ago, he indicated that they had already done the whole "factoring in he's not just a back-up quarterback" and had held several discussions with the team and that Pat White was not a 'holdout' type of player. I fully expect the signing to be announced by tomorrow lunchtime.

As for Chris Clemons, expect that to be announced today. Several rumors as to why he has not yet signed, for example, that the contract length was unsatisfactory to Clemons, that is agent wanted to step outside the confines of a 5th round pick and get him a deal more in tune with a 3rd round pick, etc. Whatever it is, expect it to be sorted today.

I Wish I Had More Free Time... (!UPDATED!)

...or do I? While I wish I had enough time to get the posts that I want up (yes, believe it or not, I have loads more stuff than what I've been posting), but due to work and the time-intensive nature of these postponed posts, I've been unable to. But the Dolphins veterans have loads of free time right now, and it's starting to show, as the video below could only be posted by someone (Brandon London) with too much time on their hands.

Warning: There is some loud music at the beginning and a couple of F-bombs, so be careful at work.

You know, I consider myself the ultimate multi-tasker, with the ability to blog while my boss is giving me instructions, or the ability to eat a Krispy Creme Burger while changing my clothes in my car doing 75 down the freeway and rocking out to Boston's 'More Than A Feeling' (which, btw, is exactly what I get from the K.C. burger - more than a feeling). But the one thing I can't multi-task efficiently is editing video.

And that's exactly what I need to do to get this next wave of blog posts up. That's the bad news. The good news is that NO ONE ELSE is editing video for their blogs right now, so even if I'm behind, I'm still ahead (twisted logic, I know, but what do you expect from a guy who lives on a steady diet of Donut Burgers and Stadium Rock?).

In a surprising twist, after I wrote the blog about the rookie contract rumblings, the Palm Beach Post's, Edgar Thompson wrote this blog about, well, the rookie contracts, and gave actual updates on the status of each player. This is the most in-depth report we've gotten so far from the 'big 3' but since it comes from the mouth of Jeff Ireland at a charity event, it has to be taken with a grain of salt.

Still, it's something, and it's important to note that the fact that Chris Clemons is getting negotiated this far after Patrick Turner and John Nalbone could suggest he has more incentive bonuses in his contract which could suggest that they expect him to have more playing time. All speculation, I know, but generally the most important and the longest contracts take the most time and most attention to detail.

In any event, I will break it down here when it happens, and I will also do a blog topic suggested by lemmus, the breakdown of projected special teams contributors (for the sake of brevity, I will limit it to 11 players, but they will be from all crews of the S/T unit, i.e. kick return, coverage, field goal, etc.), but before all that I will do my best to get that first video up on the weekend.

Until then, I've got to get some work done! ;) Ciao!

UPDATE - Since I'm getting all these questions about it, I thought I'd address it here in the blog. No, Krispy Kreme doesn't serve burgers and I have never eaten such a thing. However, there does exist many places around the country where you can order one. It is a Bacon Cheeseburger, but instead of being on a traditional bun, it is served inside a krispy kreme donut that has been cut in half. It has become a sort of Tinshaker-running joke but to be honest, I have been known to try anything once when it comes to food, so while I'm not seeking out the KK BCB, I would try a sample (don't think it would taste good)

Last Line of Defense, Part 1 - The Safeties

Of all the training camp competitions, the safety position could be the most 'set' position with the fresh contracts being handed out to Yeremiah Bell, Gibril Wilson, and Tyrone Culver and the drafting of Chris Clemons, widely believed to be the top value pick of the Dolphins draft.

But still, Clemons IS a rookie, and guys like Ethan Kilmer and Courtney Bryan might just be 'hungry' enough to push for the final roster spot. There are outlying circumstances as well, depending on special teams, and the development of 'big' cornerbacks like Jason Allen and Sean Smith. It might be possible to only carry three safeties with these bigger body corners allowing for sharper coverage and more speed. So there will still be competition going on in training camp at the Safety position. Here are the bodies:

Yeremiah Bell, # 37.
Bell saved the Dolphins' backsides last year at least twice when he made two final drive stopping pass breakups by the opponent. He also led the team in tackles, and most importantly, he played in all 16 games. The only thing that can stop him now is a relapse in the health category. I'm expecting a pro-bowl-type year from Bell, as he has the confidence boost from last year to actually intercept some of those passes he usually bats down. I also expect there to be more safety blitzes this year and Bell is a likely player in that scheme.

Gibril Wilson, # 28.
I do my best not to watch any Oakland games, but I have caught glimpses of Wilson's play last year. He was a beast against Miami last year, collecting 10 tackles and a sack and had 7 games with double digits in tackles. In a 49-26 loss to New England (we held them to 48-28...we're sooo much better than Oakland), he collected 12 tackles, a sack and an interception, and he did this OFF THE BENCH. The guy has the tools. What we don't know is if he will gel with Bell, and pick up the scheme to the point he's able to not think too much back there and rely on his instincts.

Tyrone Culver, # 29.
Culver was one of our most impressive 'bench' players in 2008 along with Randy Starks. Rarely did I feel unease with him coming in to the game and he did a LOT as Miami frequently played a 3 safety-set with Bell, Hill, and Culver. Culver also rested Bell at strong safety, and played special teams. He is not flashy or a ball-hawk or even a big-hitter. What he is SOLID. Solid all-around.

Chris Clemons, # 30.
Clemons was part of what I called 'an amazing secondary' back in October 2008. In the first month of NCAA football, I had already christened the Clemson bunch as the beastliest of the safety duos, with Clemons and Michael Hamlin just NAILING people and making big plays. Hamlin, however got all the press, as a big, ball-hawking strong safety who also was a media-hound. Meanwhile, the free safety, Clemons, did not rack up huge interception numbers, but he did rack up impressive numbers despite playing next to Hamlin. Clemons also played in 55 straight games and had ZERO injuries in that time. He ran a 4.33 40 yd dash at the combine. He came into the draft ranked as the 3rd best free safety in the draft and was project to go in the 3rd round. I know I, along with a lot of other fans, am very excited to see this guy in training camp and the pre-season.

Courtney Bryan, # 47.
The odds are against Bryan making the roster this year. He is one of the few remaining cogs from the 2007 season, signed as a undrafted rookie, and relegated primarily to special teams. Since our special teams coverage has not been particularly special, and Bryan hasn't been a standout on that crew, I would suspect this is his last chance, really. I can't say I know much about his playing/practice prowess, but he has been burned by several kick returners including that 93 yard punt return against us last year vs the Raiders.

Ethan Kilmer, # 43.
Originally I didn't see any chance that Kilmer was going to make the roster, but thatwas before I found out who he is. I didn't realize at first that Kilmer was actually a wide receiver in College and that he actually played with fellow Dolphin, Cam Wake, at Penn State. He was drafted by the Bengals and he played WR, CB and S during games and practices there. He was injured (thigh) during pre-season in his sophomore year and placed on IR before being released and eventually signed by the Dolphins. So, he did show up and do all kinds of things for the Bengals in his rookie year, then didn't play at all in 2008. Last I heard he was making noise in OTAs, which is more than can be said for ALL of the other safeties in camp. So maybe...who knows?

These are the 2009 Dolphin safeties through training camp. I suspect they will all be kept until the final or at least next to final cuts following the pre-season. With Culver shoring up the 3rd spot, who do you think makes the final cut for the 4th, or do you think the Dolphins will sacrifice one spot in order to keep an extra cornerback?

(Keep in mind, Clemons would never clear waivers)

New Dolphin - Chris Clemons, FS

I make no bones about the fact that I thought Clemons was the only 'solid' pick on the second day of the draft for Miami. While I think both he and Andrew Gardner presented good value where they were chosen, Clemons is probably the only one who is a near-guarantee to make the roster (yes, that includes Turner and Hartline).

Clemons came into Clemson as a cornerback so he has cover skills, and his hit-first, ask questions later style of football is something we've been sorely missing at the free-safety spot. Last year you could see the gears turning in Renaldo Hill's helmet. With the addition of Gibril Wilson, and Vontae Davis we brought in a more physical starting secondary, but do not be surprised to hear this guy's name called a lot during 2009 as he likely comes off the bench behind Wilson and could spell Bell as well.

He amassed 270+ tackles as a 3 year starter alongside another Clemson safety you may have heard of (Hamlin), but he knew from a very young age he wanted to be an NFL player.

"The thought takes his mother, Lillie Gulledge, back to when Clemons was a 4-year-old. She scolded him one night when she found him sleeping with a dirty football in his bed.

Clemons told her he wanted to be a football player one day, and she flippantly responded he didn’t know a thing about football. After making him put away the football, she discovered in the morning he had retrieved it during the night.

“I wish now that I had kept that ball, because his childhood dream has come true,” Gulledge said."

(click here for the rest of Clemon's background story, and to better understand why he will make sure he makes the roster)