The Battles That Weren’t

The Dolphins entered their 2010 training camp with no less than nine starting jobs seemingly up for grabs.

By and large, said competitions have failed to materialize.  But that’s not necessarily a bad thing.  In fact, it’s downright fantastic in some cases.

Here’s a look at some of the Battles That Weren’t.

• At guard, the team shipped veteran Justin Smiley to Jacksonville and brought in big Richie Incognito , who head coach Tony Sparano all but named the starting right guard upon acquisition, and fellow vet Cory Proctor.  Some combination of Incognito, Proctor and 2009 starters Nate Garner and Donald Thomas was expected to shake out in the starting lineup.

Fast-forward three weeks and third round pick John Jerry has been your #1 right guard from the word ‘Go’.  Jerry was expected to perhaps ‘redshirt’ his rookie season, but the job is essentially his at this point.

For his part, Incognito appears to be taking the lead on the left side, though it is worth noting that Garner — who’d been working at tackle — was ordered back to left guard to shore up the position before re-injuring his surgically repaired foot, forcing the third-year lineman back onto the operating table and on the shelf for 8 weeks.

• Second round pick Koa Misi has so far gone unchallenged at strongside linebacker in Mike Nolan‘s 3-4 defense, as has second-year convert Cameron Wake (weakside).  Both players were poised to start at some point, but expectations for immediate impact were muted, as Misi is learning a new position (he played defensive line at Utah) and Wake has spent the majority of his CFL and NFL career as a 4-3 pass rushing left end and is deficient in pass coverage.

But veterans Quentin Moses and Charlie Anderson have remained behind them, with Moses, who the Dolphins tendered at $1.101 million this past March as insurance, currently running third team behind another converted lineman, Ikaika Alama-Francis.

• First round pick Jared Odrick appears to have a stranglehold on the right end spot vacated by Randy Starks.  It certainly didn’t hurt that his competition, third-year vet Phillip Merling, tore an Achilles tendon prior to training camp.  But Odrick has acclimated quickly to the position after a successful college career as a a 4-3 defensive tackle.

Consider his predecessor (Starks) had five NFL seasons under his belt and still took a year to truly make the transition and you gain a certain level of appreciation for the feat.

The Dolphins signed 11-year veteran and 3-4 stalwart Marques Douglas, a 12-game starter for Rex Ryan’s #1 defense in 2009, to replace Merling.  And while impressive, he has remained on the second team.

Odrick came to Davie with a reputation as a sound run defender, but the Penn State grad has flashed a serious ability to penetrate.  So much so that he’s staying on the field in Miami’s nickel defense.

There aren’t a lot of Richard Seymour’s in this league.  The Dolphins already have a three-down lineman in Starks.  Adding a second makes Miami’s front line that that much more fearsome.  Together, these two players could quickly remedy another ill that has plagued the Dolphins for a long time — interior pass rush.

It’s early, but the Dolphins appear to have hit a home run with this pick.

• Tim Dobbins came to Miami as part of the draft-day trade with San Diego that netted Odrick and Misi.  General manager Jeff Ireland noted that Dobbins was a guy they liked in free agency and targeted as a core special teams player.

An inside linebacker with 10 career starts, Dolphin fans immediately recognized the threat he posed to incumbent Channing Crowder, who has underwhelmed some people.  Fans noted how Dobbins stats were slightly better in only two starts last season than Crowder had in 13.

Cut to mid-August and we now realize there was never a competition to begin with.  Not only has Crowder stuck with the first team, he’s also remained on the field on passing downs, showing improvement in coverage.  Teammates point to the acquisition of star inside ‘backer Karlos Dansby, which has given Crowder the freedom to do more.

As for Dobbins, #51 missed the preseason opener against Tampa Bay with a sprained ankle. But his job as the #3 inside linebacker is secure.

• Though not one of the more talked about battles, it appears second-year man Brian Hartline will indeed be the man who lines up opposite Brandon Marshall.  Not really a surprise, but noteworthy nonetheless.

• Whether it was Eric Berry, Earl Thomas or O.J. Atogwe, the Dolphins had to bring somebody in to fix their troublesome free safety position.  If not them, the job would probably fall on veteran backup Tyrone Culver, who saw a lot of time in Miami’s nickel defense last season.

But alas, it’s been a battle between second-year man Chris Clemons and…..Chris Clemons.  A size/speed guy whose coaches wished was more vocal and Dolphins fans had little confidence in.

Through two weeks, the former Clemson Tiger had made only one mental error in over 400 practice reps, according to Sparano.  All we needed to see was a decent showing in last Saturday’s preseason opener vs. Tampa Bay and the job was his, said the head coach.

But a missed tackle and a errant deep pass (‘errant’ or ‘good play by Clemons’ has been a hot topic of debate on the forums), both courtesy of Bucs backup Josh Johnson, had Sparano holding his proverbial horses Monday morning.

So while it’s been a non-battle, it ain’t over yet.

• Second-year cornerbacks Vontae Davis and Sean Smith remain the starters, thanks to arthroscopic surgery for veteran Will Allen, who is coming back after tearing the ACL/MCL in his left knee last season.  The greybeard and mentor of the group, Allen has started 54 games for Miami and hoped to challenge for once again for a starting position.  But his body appears to be breaking down.

Though the Dolphins have some promising young talent behind him in Nolan Carroll and Nate Ness, Allen’s experience makes him a virtual lock for the 53-man roster.

But alas, it hasn’t been all disappointment and letdown!

Centers Jake Grove and Joe Berger have battled throughout camp, just like Sparano said they would.  Grove came to Miami in 2009 with much fanfare and a big contract.  He also carried a penchant for being injury prone, going the distance just once in five NFL seasons.

Grove lived up to the hype and contract, anchoring the league’s #1 rushing attack through 10 games.

And then he suffered a calf injury.

Enter Berger.

Back for his second tour with the Dolphins, Berger relieved Grove and played so well that he remained the starter even after Grove recovered.  And after three weeks of training camp, he continues to lead Grove, who…..and you’re not going to believe this….is battling a leg injury.

Let me say that Jake Grove is just a little bit tougher than me.  He plays a man’s game while I criticize from a comfortable leather chair.  The Dolphins would really prefer that Grove be the point man, as he’s proven strong enough to handle the league’s stoutest nose tackles 1-on-1.

But it’s a performance-based business that is cruel more often than it is kind.  And all things being equal, the Dolphins are going to go with Berger’s minimal salary over his $30 million deal.

Tagged as: brandon marshall, brian hartline, cameron wake, channing crowder, charlie anderson, Chris Clemons, Cory Proctor, donald thomas, Earl Thomas, Eric Berry, ikaika alama-francis, jake grove, Jared Odrick, joe berger, John Jerry, Josh Johnson, justin smiley, karlos dansby, Marques Douglas, mike nolan, nate garner, phillip merling, quentin moses, randy starks, rex ryan, Richard Seymour, Richie Incognito, sean smith, Tim Dobbins, tony sparano, tyrone culver, vontae davis, will allen