How Do You Build A Trench, Exactly?

The Trifecta came into South Florida in early 2008 and said, you know what, we've gotta turn this team around, and we've got to start in the middle and work our way outward. They sacked a lot of has-beens, no-beens, and never-willl-beens, and replaced them with a high-priced Guard, a number one draft pick Tackle, and a darkhorse with the strength of a horse.

In 2009, they have so far continued the alterations by switching Centers with the Raiders, and hanging on to the lone bright spot from the previous regime, in their starting Right Tackle.

Very few questions remain among the starting line. I think most fans are anxious to see these guys gel and get nasty 'int the trenches'.

But there are a few other guys who want a chance at proving themselves as well. And some of them might make it. Let's take a look at who's in the competition.

Joe Berger, # 67.
Berger has the strange honor of being both a Saban guy and a Trifecta guy all rolled into one. Saban brought him in in 2005, where he played in 3 games but was injured in camp the following year and waived. The Trifecta then picked him off of waivers in Dallas. Once he became an unrestricted free agent, the Trifecta signed him for his second stint with the Dolphins. He has played all positions but right now seems penciled in as the back-up Center.


Jake Long, # 77.
I heard he's the favorite to start at Left Tackle. My source is good, so let's stick with that.

Andrew Gardner, #63.
He just signed a 4 year, $1.65 Million contract with a $75,000 bonus.
Some people are saying he's the 2nd string LT right now. Others are saying Nate Garner is. I think based on physicality, Garner beats out Gardner, and that is likely what we'll see in training camp.


Brandon Frye, #76.
Frye got work with the first teamers after Donald Thomas hurt his man-boob. Frye definitely has size and seems to be athletic, but does he have what it takes skills-wise?


Andy Alleman, # 57.
Alleman was impressive last year to me because he sort of got thrown to the wolves and he didn't embarass himself. He played FOUR positions in 2008, I mean actual game reps. If he could take that experience and couple it with a mighty off-season training regimen, he would be right there with that 6th man lapel sticker. But alas, he has a back injury. If he doesn't get on the field on August 1st, he's done.


Ike Ndukwe, # 68.
Ike took over for the downed Donald Thomas in 2008 and has the most experience of any of the backups. It was funny when a reporter asked him about being a rookie, and Ndukwe, got angry and blasted back, I'm not a rookie, it's my third year! The man gets no respect at all. At this point he should be able to blow the competition away and it looks like he isn't so far. Waiting for the pads though.


Donald Thomas, # 66.
I'll admit, the only thing I know about this guy as far as the NFL goes is what I've heard about him. I saw him play in College and he was very good on that level. As far as the NFL goes, I only know that he's an 82 on Madden '08. an 82 rating for a rookie means he's pro-bowl caliber. At least thats what EA sports thinks! He seems on pace to be ready fro training camp. Bottom line is, despite his injury issues, Sparano still considers him the incumbent starter. That's saying a lot.


Sir Vincent Rogers and m'lord Mark Lewis. These guys are camp fodder. They will not make it past the first cuts.


Vernon Carey, #72.
He really needs that RG position to be locked up, because he needs to be able to focus on what he needs to do. I have to say I was extremely disappointed in Carey for 75% of the 2008 season. But with that experience under his belt, his cash in the bank, and an overal improved O-line, things are looking up for this gentle giant.

Jake Grove, # 64.
It's going to take some time to get used to seeing #64 at Center for the Dolphins....ok, maybe not, but it will take some time to get used to a 6'4", 300lb....oh nevermind. Truth is, you're not going to notice any difference on the field at center between 2008 and 2009, until Ronnie Brown gets his hands on the ball and runs it up the middle. Then you will see the difference. Remember Justin Fargas running all over us? Remember all thos other Raider backs easily running over us up the middle? That all started with Grove getting his blocks to the second level immediately. He flattens guys. Anyway, with the money he's getting, he's the starter.

Shawn Murphy, # 61.
A lot has been made of Murphy's rise to first-team reps from the disappointment of the previous year. But I've read that Murphy didn't do well when he had those reps. The Dolphins simply won't have the luxury of keeping a project o-lineman this year. If he doesn't show up in TC, he will be stashed on the PS, where he may be poached.



Nate Garner, #75.
If there's one guy who's appeared to take a step to the next level, it's Garner. He has definitely put in the work during the offseason, and has impressed coaches with his improved athleticism. I want to see him get some reps with that first team in pads to see if he's really ready to be trusted should Long or Carey go down during the season.



Justin Smiley, #65.
Smiley is back. At last count he had 3 surgeries during the off-season, dating back to December. His shoulder injury should be behind him now, and the only question is will his legs be balanced and strong enough for the season.


JD Quinn, #69.
Definitely got the best jersey number in camp, but does this party-boy have what it takes to play in the NFL? My guess is no, and the fact no ones heard a peep about this kid since OTAs started does not bode well. Still, with others like Lewis, Rogers, and Ndukwe failing to impress, he might still have practice squad in his future.



So there you have it, fifteen guys. 5 are safe. 10 of them are fighting for likely 3 more roster spots.

Who do you think has shown enough to be a favorite? Who do you think makes it and who goes back to school?

The Contest is Over!

Well the Dolphins have reportedly agreed to terms with drafted Tackle, Andrew Gardner. The terms have not yet been disclosed, but I believe it was for 'free use of the weight room and 5 meals a week'.

More importantly than what he's getting paid, is that we can now finally officially end contest # 2!

Very good timing since contest # 3 is coming up in the not too distant future!

So, without further ado, let's do this:

CONTEST # 2 - "THE SPRING FLING"

1. Let's start with an easy one. Jake Long wears the number 77 for the Dolphins. He also wore this number at Michigan. But in OTAs in 2008, he started with a different number. What was it? (2 points) Answer: #79. The number 77 was originally worn by Drew Mormino who was waived after the start of OTAs in 2008 after he failed his physical.

2. Let's see if you've been following/reading with a keen eye. Ted Ginn, Jr was drafted in 2007 to bring 'family' values and special teams prowess to the Dolphins. How many special teams touchdowns has Tedd Ginn had called back by officials in his NFL career, and how many special teams TDs has he had stand? We are looking for two numbers here, so make sure you type them in the right order or label them. (4 points) Answer: For this question I accepted two different answers. If you put 4/1 or 5/1 you got the points. That's right, this guy is an elite return specialist, as long as he doesn't have any blockers drawing penalties.

3. Who will be the next rookie signed by the Dolphins? (6 points) Answer: Andrew Gardner. Quite a few people got this one right.

4. The Dolphins have another OTA open to the media next week. This means another Tony Sparano press conference. Sparano is known for using 3 or 4 phrases several times in his 20 minute sessions. Multiple choice question: Which phrase will Sparano use the most? (4 points) Choose one:
a. "one way or another"
b. "at the end of the day"
c. "starting to feel"
d. "with that being said"
Answer: D. "with that being said" Sparano was impressively cliche-free for most of the interview, but he did say this one 3 times.

5. The Dolphins tied 2 NFL records in 2008. Name them. (4 points) Answer: 1. Least turnovers in a 16 game season. They tied the Giants, but then in the playoffs it all came undone. 2. Best turnaround in NFL history, ten games. tied the Colts.

6. There are 3 current Miami Dolphins that were Wildcats in College. Name them. (6 points)
Answer: This was a trick question. There were actually FIVE Wildcats: Tearrius George, Lionel Dotson, JD Folsom, Ike Ndukwe, and Jared Bronson.

7. The dude below is a Miami Dolphin. Name him. (5 points)
Answer: Well I feel bad because I think I jinxed him, but this was the now former Dolphin, Todd Lowber. I was shocked only 3 people got this one right. But don't worry, he was cut days after becoming question # 7, so you don't need to recognize him anyway.

8. "We're in the air, We're on the ground, we're always in control, and when you say Miami, you're talking Super Bowl, cause we're the Miami Dolphins, Miami Dolphins, Miami Dolphins number one!" This fight song came into being before the 1972 season. How many games did the Dolphins win in the first two years of its use? (2 points) Answer: This was also a slightly tricky question. The Dolphins won the SuperBowl in both years and more than a few of you tripped up on that assuming that the records did not include the playoffs. Though these days we never say the Bears went 17-1, or the Dolphins went 11-6, back then they counted all the games. 17-0 and 15-2 were the final records, including playoffs/super bowl. So the answer was 32.

As an extra tribute to the song that Jimmy Buffet recently called 'god-awful' while singing the 89th verse of Daquiri-ville, one of our contestants actually owns the original record and was kind enough to send in a couple of photos. He bought it in 1972. Looks like he played it once, thought it was god awful, then put it away for the last 27 years.

9. Bryan Clay is the reigning Olympic Champion in the Decathlon. Great job, Bryan! But there's a Miami Dolphin who can jump higher than him. In fact, he registered the second highest vertical jump ever recorded at a pro-football test (i.e combine/pro day). Name this player. (3 points) Answer: The answer is Cameron Wake. He posted a 45.5" vertical, which was more than Chris Chambers

10. Which member of the Miami Dolphins Staff has not used his real name in over 50 years? (6 points)
Answer: I was worried this was too easy of a question but I was shocked by how many people don't know this one.
Bill Parcells' real name is Duane Charles. He was mistakenly called Bill by a teacher repeatedly, and he decided he liked the sound of it and has used it ever since.

TIE-BREAKER QUESTION

11. Tin's Fins is nearing 5 months on the 'net. I like to think of myself as having created almost all of the pre-draft buzz about Connor Barwin in Miami Dolphins'land. I did such a good job that Houston drafted him. The most visits ever recorded in one day was when I posted video of Connor Barwin's pro day workout. I can say with near-complete confidence I was the only Dolphin blogger to do so, and as a result, the article was linked to by a couple of much more well-known blogs. For the tie-breaker, without going over, guess how many hits that one article received on that one day.
Answer: 816 unique visitors in the first day. It's no longer the most-visited article all-time, but it still holds the record for most-visited in one day.


And the winner is...drumroll...UKFINFAN!! (37)

Once he converts his prize money into pounds it's about 75 pence, but good job anyway!

Second was C-Holmes! (34)

Third was a tie, but with the tie-breaker the prize goes to Gina_C! (30 + tie-breaker guess of 577)

Honorable mention to Canamdolphin. (30 - tiebreaker guess of 1500).

I will have the prizes out by the end of the day. Thanks to everyone who participated and a warning to all of you, the next one is going to be a DOOZY!

Battling for the Ball

The following receivers all play the same position, more or less, but each brings something to the game that makes it less black and white than just picking the 5 best guys for the final roster.

Chris Williams, #87.

This guy is TINY. Unbelievably small, especially for the trifecta. I can tell you he had 18 games with over 100 yds in receiving, including 7 with 150 or more during the last 3 years of his time at New Mexico State. I can tell you he averaged over 21 yards per punt return. Those are INSANE stats especially considering he missed 5 games due to injury in his Junior year and two in his freshman year but still managed to average 62 catches a year. But what does he bring to the NFL. At 5'7", 170lbs, he seems limited to the return game, howver he has been ballin with the dig dogs and actually making catches and scoring a TD here and there. Sparano may not be 'feeling' him yet, but Williams seems ready to put in the work.

Brian Hartline, # 82. Hartline ended his OSU career with at least one catch in 30 straight games. Similar streak to another Miami/OSU receiver we know. At first glance he may seem like a carbon copy of Camarillo, but let's face it, you can never have too many Camarillos. We could've used an extra one last season. There is one major difference between Hartline and Camarillo however. Hartline is a special teams ace. He can return punts as well as knock someone's lights out on kick returns.


Anthony Armstrong, #11. This dude's so good he can read a magazine in the end zone after scoring before the defense catches up to him!
Seriously though, he has now impressed in two straight off seasons. He was an easy choice for the practice squad last year, he did enough in TC and pre-season to warrant keeping around. This year he seems determined to make the 53-man roster. He would provide a good reserve for Ted Ginn's speed, but his toughness was questionable last year. Has he improved this apect of his game?

Davone Bess, #15. Bess is the newly-appointed fan favorite in Miami, and for good reason. Camarillo may have won that award in 2007 for one play, but Bess won it for coming out of UDFA oblivion to starting line-up and Dolphin rookie receiving records. I really don't see anything Bess could do to fall out of favour in TC, he does everything the Dolphins ask of him. If I were to say anything negative about him it's that he's a Rainbow Warrior. That's all I've got. Oh wait, no, I got one. If he were 4 or 5 inches taller and 20lbs heavier he would be an unstoppable BEAST. So, work on that, Davone.

Brennan Marion, #14. This guy averaged 100 yards or something like that everytime he caught the ball. Every you tube video of this guy is a 90 yard bomb play. So we know he can outrun everyone and get open on fade routes. I want to see him matched up on Jason Allen to see if he can really outrun NFL caliber speed. One thing I will say is that no one in the media noticed when he came off of his injury and joined the team in OTAs. Sparano mentioned him once, but only in reference to Camarillo's injury rehab, so it's not looking all shiny for Marion.

Ted Ginn, Jr, #19. Sparano is impressed with Ginn's OTA presence, saying he's improved in just about every aspect of the game. His confidence is better, his routes are better, and his body is stronger. The big question: Is Chad Pennington's arm better? Fact: If Pennington gets a bit more under the final throw of 2008's Game 1, Ginn catches that for a TD instead of it being a Jet interception. Fact: there were several times in the Arizona game that Ginn had blown up the defense and Pennington didn't throw to him, opting to dink and dunk. I don't think Pennington's arm hurts the team, but I do think it hurts Ginn's career. Back to that Arizona game, Ginn went without a catch until Chad Henne came in to replace Pennington.

Greg Camarillo, #83.
To some fans, his heroics (or is it heroic, with no 's') in 2007 and his first half of 2008 would seem to be enough to guarantee Camarillo's return to grace. The truth is, that Hartline guy is similar and adds ST abilities, and Armstrong will make a real push. Still, even if he does not start in Game 1, Camarillo is one of the top 5 WRs on the team, and his rehab may bring him back into the starting line-up before long.

Brandon London, #17. I'll admit I didn't see it in the guy then, and I still don't see it now. He is athletic, has good size, and can play special teams on the cover team. However, I saw him miss a lot of tackles, and his inability to get more playing time last year on a weak WR corps worries me. That and the fact he keeps twittering 'finna take a nap'. He should be really worried about complacency with all the competition in camp.

Patrick Turner, #84.
Turner really impresses me for two reasons. First, he has a combination of size, speed and athleticism that no other receiver on the roster has. A lot of people are slating him up against London in the WR competition. If that is the case, we might as well say goodbye to London. Turner is faster, stronger, and has an ability that has Sparano's eyes-a-popping: he lays himself out for catches. No one else really does this except for our tight ends. You can't teach physical toughness and Turner's got it. I fully expect Turner to press for a starting WR position, if not in 2009 then definitely in 2010. He may not be as polished as Britt or Nicks, but he might be better for the Dolphins in the long run as they won't have to shape their offense around that one receiver.

So those are the guys heading into camp. I was originally going to include Ernest Wilford in here because I don't buy the conversion to TE thing. A part of me thinks its just because they needed an extra body for reps in two TE sets. In any case, since he is working with the TEs I'll keep him there for now.

So who do you see being the top 5 who will survive? Or do you think there'll be six?

Mise En Plus

Welcome to the dog days of summer. The times when normally football fans either go on vacation, go into hibernation, or go into withdrawal equivalent to a former heroin addict. The fact is that nothing of interest happens between now and training camp unless you're interested in rookie contracts. Most fans aren't. I'm interested in veteran's contracts because the salary cap and age have a lot to do with how a football team shape up, but for the rookies, their contracts mean nothing to me from a fan standpoint, and since I'm not paying their salaries, they really don't have any impact. So the next six weeks could be a hell of a time.

Well, there's good news. No, I'm not going to be hand-drawing the entire Dolphins playbook! I've already been accused of selling secrets to the enemy! We do however, have some things in place to talk about. It may not seem that important right now, but the depth chart and roster in general starts mutating day by day. It is a gradual process, not a slice and dice operation that it may seem as teams usually wait until deadline days to execute their waivers.

Yet with six weeks to go, the Dolphins cut a punter and a cornerback. They now have until August 1st to cut two more players but will they wait that long? What made Jy Bond and Scorpio Babers such wastes of time that they didn't make it to the end of OTAs? Are there any other wastes of space and time on the roster? That would make the next two easy pickings. I doubt there are.

So, over the next week or so, I will focus on one positional group and we'll get into how each player can make the roster, and how they will work themselves out of the Trifecta's good standing.

Don't worry, I won't make you wait for the good stuff. First up, the Wide Receivers!

Ronnie Brown discusses the Wild-Cat

Ronnie Brown didn't play quarterback in college. In fact, he only threw one pass his senior year at Auburn. So when Brown lined up in the quarterback position to run the Wildcat for the Dolphins last season, he could see the confused faces from across the line of scrimmage.

"When I was first introduced to the Wildcat and they told me I'd line up at quarterback, I wasn't sure if it would work in the NFL. Fortunately for us, everything worked out. The thing about the Wildcat is you're able to get all of your playmakers on the field at the same time. It puts you in a position where the defense can't key on one individual, and as you get the ball to different people, it throws the defense off."

The Jet Sweep

"This is a quick sweep where we're sending Ricky Williams in motion then trying to get a quick hitting play where you hand him the ball," says Brown. "You fake the Counter in order to try and hold the defensive end and hope Ricky can get that edge."

The Counter

"This is a play where you want everyone to flow one direction, then you come out the backside," says Brown. To do this, Brown fakes the handoff to Ricky Williams to make the defense bite on the Jet Sweep, then Brown takes the ball to the left behind a pulling guard.

Power

"This is our quick hitting play that is more downhill. We use this when we need to pick up a key yard," explains Brown. To run the play, Brown once again fakes the handoff to Williams, only this time he follows his pulling guard to the right.

Play-Action Jet Sweep

This is to throw the defense off a little bit. You don't want them to key in on the run," says Brown. "If you can keep the defense guessing, then you can run a few different plays out of the same formation and they really won't know what's coming." To run the play {Brown} fakes the handoff to Williams on the Jet Sweep, then looks for tight end Anthony Fassano to run a corner route.

Speaking of playing quarterback, Brown says he is getting better and better at reading defenses from his Wildcat position.

"You can sit back there as a quarterback and you see the entire defense. When we send a guy in motion, you can see if they shift or if they're playing man-to-man. And when we're running the counter or the power, we need to know what the defensive end is doing, and we need to contain him," he says. "First time I lined up at quarterback, I remember looking at the defense and they were all looking at each other and yelling back and forth. We sent our guy in motion and they didn't know who to move where. They were definitely thrown off a little bit."

But just because the Dolphins caught defenses off guard early in the season doesn't mean there isn't room for improvement. "We've got some advancements to it, some new wrinkles (think White, Pat)," admits Brown. "But at the same time, the goal is to be able to run your basic offense and get good at that. What the Wildcat helps us do is switch things up and get some different guys on the field.

"I want to work on my throwing to help add even more wrinkles. I need to work on being more accurate," he says. "I think everybody's goal growing up is to be a quarterback, so to be able to do it at this part of my career, it's different, but at the same time it has been exciting and I enjoy it."

First Cuts

The Dolphins have made their first post-minicamp cuts: Punter Jy Bond, and Cornerback Scorpio Babers are the first casualties. The roster count stands at 82 players. This means at least two more players must be cut in the next 6 weeks before training camp begins.

Making The Roster Work For You

Hey everyone, sorry for the lack of posts lately but the truth is I have a mild case of the rabid jungle cat possum flu and have been unable to string any sentences together. My entire house-hold is sick all at once, and I spent the weekend taking care of my wife who was bed-ridden and my son, who's nose was leaking like a faucet, but still had the energy of a tornado. My wife said she owed me big time, but she made up for it because by Sunday night/Monday morning, I was sicker than the two of them combined. I called in sick for work - the first time I've done that since 2001. I'm back at work now but not 100%. Thankfully, The Knight Who Says Ni! has compiled some info on the Dolphins roster and discusses the 3rd QB rule below. Thanks again for reading and contributing to the blog, everyone. ~Tinshaker.

This is taken from an NFL rules column.

"Seventeen years ago (1991) the third-quarterback rule was instituted to enable teams to have an emergency quarterback available who was not on the 45-man game-day active roster, since many teams, for strategic purposes, only carried two quarterbacks on their game-day roster.

Everybody thinks they understand the NFL's "third-quarterback" rule. But do they?

The rule states that if a third quarterback is inserted before the fourth quarter, a team's first two quarterbacks cannot be used in the game at any position.

Another aspect of the rule is sometimes misunderstood. It is a coach's decision as to whether a third quarterback will be used.

The active quarterbacks do not have to be injured for a team to use its third quarterback."

My comment:
Okay... we can activate 45 players and an emergency QB as a 46th player under certain conditions.

Let's take a look.

Offense:
OL - 7 (2 ST)
TE - 2 (1 ST)
QB - 3 (White)
HB - 3 (1 ST)
FB - 1 (1 ST)
WR - 4 (2 ST)
21

Defense:
DL - 6 (2 ST)
LB - 8 (4 ST)
DB - 8 (4 ST)
21

Specialists:
K - 1
P - 1
LS - 1
3

That's 45 players and 20 special teams players.

Our emergency QB? It can be someone who played QB at some point in his football career. If we get down to 3rd and 4th QBs we're screwed anyway. Ronnie and White will take snaps in the Wildcat and spread offense if Penne and Henne went down. That's an extreme situation. But we can still run an offense. We'd see a lot more running though.

We can make the emergency QB a last resort. I'd make all three of our QBs active if I could. It's the most important position and there is the Pat White factor. If we can find enough guys who can do a lot of things on game day like play special teams we can pull it off.

As for the overall roster we currently have 82 players. We need to get down to 80 by training camp and another 27 players will be cut when the season starts.

My early pre-season predictions are:

Defense:
NT Ferguson 6-3 315 13th
NT Soliai 6-4 345 3rd
DL Starks 6-3 305 6th
DE Langford 6-6 290 2nd
DE Merling 6-5 290 2nd
DE McDaniel 6-7 300 4th
DE Dotson 6-4 290 2nd
7

OLB Porter 6-3 250 11th
OLB Taylor 6-6 250 13th
OLB Roth 6-4 275 5th
OLB Wake 6-3 255 1st
OLB Walden 6-3 245 2nd
ILB Crowder 6-2 245 5th
ILB Ayodele 6-2 250 8th
ILB Torbor 6-2 250 6th
8

CB W. Allen 5-10 195 9th
CB Green 5-11 205 5th
CB J. Allen 6-1 205 4th
CB Davis 5-11 200 rookie
CB Smith 6-4 215 rookie
FS Wilson 6-1 205 6th
SS Bell 6-0 205 7th
S Culver 6-1 210 4th
S Clemons 6-0 210 rookie
9

Offense:
C Grove 6-4 310 6th
C/G/T Berger 6-5 310 5th
LG Smiley 6-3 310 6th
RG Thomas 6-4 310 2nd
LT Long 6-7 315 2nd
RT Carey 6-5 345 6th
OT Garner 6-7 320 2nd
7

TE Fasano 6-4 255 4th
1

QB Pennington 6-3 225 10th
QB Henne 6-3 230 2nd
QB White 6-0 195 rookie
3

RB Brown 6-0 230 5th
RB Williams 5-10 225 9th
RB Cobbs 5-8 205 4th
FB Polite 6-0 245 5th
4

WR Ginn 5-11 185 3rd
WR Bess 5-9 190 2nd
WR Camarillo 6-1 190 4th
WR Turner 6-5 225 rookie
WR Hartline 6-2 195 rookie
5

Specialists:
K Carpenter 6-2 220 2nd
P Fields 6-5 235 3rd
LS Denney 6-5 255 5th
3

That leaves 6 other spots available. At least one more OL and TE. A 3rd TE is very possible but I don't think it's a lock. I'm not sure how deep we really are there. Haynos, Nalbone and Bronson? Martin can make plays but he's injured at the moment (sports hernia) and he's been inconsistent in his career. Wilford as a WR/H-Back might be a 3rd TE and 6th WR. Maybe WR London or Armstrong, special teams is important for both of them. An additional OL, DL, LB or DB to fill out the remaining spots is also possible.

The backup TE and WR positions will be interesting to watch. Lot's of unknowns.

Sparano Says It All

Coach Sparano's Friday press conference, courtesy of Aquavision/miamidolphins.com:

I love me some Coach Sparano. He's everything I like about a coach - tough, decisive, and doesn't discuss things that don't need to be discussed.

On the flipside, Rex Ryan (I'm taking suggestions for a nick-name) said that besides every player on the Jets being "AMAZING! WOW! UNBELIEVABLE!! AS GOOD AS ED REED!!" he only had one regret about recently finished mini-camp, and that was 'maybe' talking trash about Crowder a little too much. He didn't regret STARTING the trash-talking, just the last 6 to 8 words of the total trash-talk conversation.

Sparano wouldn't trash-talk anyone. He doesn't believe in the mantra it's us against the other guy and we have to bully our way to the top. His mentality is that we have the bodies, we have the talent, if we prepare for the season and execute in the games, we will be successful. That means no turnovers, or costly penalties. it means running the right routes and running them crisply. It means keeping your body conditioned to avoid injury. It means preparing yourself as if you were the starter, because if there IS an injury, you must be ready.

It's not a mantra of let's go crack some heads. His is a mantra of 'we have a job to do, let's do that job effectively, efficiently, and consistently." He's not looking for flash and razzle-dazzle. He's looking for football players.

Friday Mini-Camp Interviews

It's nice, after a week or so of nothing new, to have access to the Dolphins once again. Below are the latest player interviews. Can't help but notice how each individual player is taking care of individual issues in order to make the team better. There's no bravado or gang mentality, it's more a case of, I can only control what I do, and I'm going to take control of that. If everyone does their own job, the team will excel. It's all about improving and never stopping to say, 'Ok, I'm done, let's get this thing over with'. Ya hear that, Jets and Pats?

Greg Camarillo



Shawn Murphy



Ronnie Brown



Akin Ayodele

Friday Morning Mini-Camp Highlights

While I was watching the video above I saw a wide receiver doing drills, lined up in front of Brandon London. I actually thought to myself, "Whoa, who's that? Who's number 19?"

It only took a good 3-mississippi count before I went "Duh!" and then another 3-mississippi count before I thought, "whoa!"

Ted Ginn looks like he's changed his body-frame overnight. Or is it just me? I'm not saying he's huge but he looks thicker, especially in the legs. He just looks stronger.

Some of the inside linebackers look like they need a kick in the pants. Orion Martin was the only back-up who seemed to have any energy. Torbor, Folsom, etc look defeated.