8 months of pressure, it was palpable, his first throw in real game action was catchable, and had a little extra velocity on it..Dropped by the receiver.. Fasano is the one that buckled under the pressure, bobbling it into the arms of the defenders says he choked in the moment, not Henne, the pass was not behind him..He had his hands right in front of his chest.. Ryan's first two throws sucked..He just didn't have to pay a price, but his 2nd pass, VD had a beat on..could of been a pick 6.. Hennes only INT...that's right 1, I don't come to conclusions based on stats.. It was his fault, the receiver beat his man at the LOS, there was good separation, and the ball needed to come out right then and there, a gap right between the beaten corner and the sideline, almost immediately the ball needed to come out for the play to happen, but for whatever reason, it didn't..If that's because he was shocked at a broken route, then so be it, at this point, there was a gap to throw the ball into and he didn't..He hesitated..Could be rust, could be innate.. I liked the way he came back..I liked the way he moved...I liked the way his body looked...I liked the way he put some arch on a deep pass..I liked the way he kept his eyes downfield while he dodged a defender that had a bee line on him, only to have the pass dropped...I liked the way he felt more pressure than any QB in football for a preseason game, overcame it, and performed, running for a first down, scrambling and throwing on an excellent move for what should of been a first down, and, throwing a deep pass for 6, on point, in 8 throws total, gives me some optimism going into the next game.. One of my weaknesses has been addressed...Phillip Livas or ''Liveass'' like Crunch says... He will make this team cause he can return kicks AND punts..That dude is what i've been waiting for since I don't know, forever..never had one of those mothers I know that.. D thomas is not 230 lb's, between 218 and 222 if I had to make a bet, I did notice a conscious effort to secure the football..That swing pass and run was no easy feat, it takes serious talent to make that play..I believe after watching the running plays they were about as basic as you can get in terms of scheme..there just was no room, no misdirection, no nothing but a brick wall, yet he still ran his *** up in there hard..That one catch and run was enough for me, his hands are as good as his coach in college said they were. Kevin Burnett talks a fantastic game..He better back it up, otherwise I'am really not gonna like that dude....That's all I'am sayin.. 1st team Defense was off the field at the 7:42 mark in the first quarter, right before the end around... If you wanna convince me that our defense can't stop the run when the bullets are flying, good luck, lol..anyone who bases their conclusions on one drive relative to last year with the same players, has alterior motives in their analysis. Jimmy Wilson had a nice game against some backups..Did some nice things.. I'am gonna tell you what player impressed me, and he's the guy that I have stood beside all offseason..Chris Clemons...Reshad Jones is competition my ***..Like I have said before, Chris Clemons has an angry disposition, and ''wants to hurt people'', well, he did...Watch the replay, watch the instincts, see his discipline, watch how he doesn't waste any motion when he tracks, and watch how he wants to hurt people, Iam tellin ya.. AJ Edds..yup, football player, I watched him sift thru traffic, drop and cover with his head on the QB, plug the gaps, and tackle with fundamentals...bigger than expected, and if Kevin Burnett's mouth doesn't match his game, then I'am all good.. Hong Kong Phuey had some nice plays, but he also was stalemated on others with a bunch of wasted movement..Conifucus once told me, to not just focus on his hands, but watch his feet..sometimes his hands are moving but his feet are not.. Nate Ness or Nolan Carroll?...You know I've been hearing from some folks that I have respect for, hypin up this cat, and I will say what I've said before, since last year, I don't see it man..The man is always in a trailing position, his back is always facing the qb, and I just don't see any flashes that make me excited...I think I'll take Nate ness...Will Allen, please get healthy.. Gates had some nice catches, I wish at 25 he would of built his body up a bit..But that man should make an impact on our team...If you listened to the Falcon broadcast Like I had to you would think Julio Jones was god...Gates a 3rd round pick, played just as well. Didn't give up, won the game on the road..who we play next? Cam ''wanda'' Newton.?
A few thoughts of my own from the game last night on some of the key units I wanted to see. QB: I thought Chad Henne was okay, and yeah, just okay. The first throw wasn't perfect, but Fasano has to make a play on that. The second Interception he threw might have been the wrong route, but I'd expect someone like Peyton Manning or Drew Brees who sees something like that either goes to the next read or throws the ball way immediately, let alone lob one in there. I won't fault Chad for the throw if the route really was wrong, but it was a dumb decision. I can't remember him throwing that nice of a deep ball since he hit Ted Ginn in the Monday Night game against the Jets in 2009. Did a nice job of dumping the ball out to Daniel Thomas on the blitz. I wish he would've played longer (more on that later). I thought Matt Moore was decent. He played better than what I remembered of him from his Carolina days. Someone (Travis I think) noted in another thread about his ball placement on the Gates TD. That was a really nice throw. So was the deep ball to Roberto Wallace. Didn't really pay much attention in the second half so I won't comment on Devlin and O'Connell. Offensive Line: Well, the 1st unit's run blocking was pretty bad. I think we all saw that so I won't sugarcoat it. I thought both Lydon Murtha and Marc Colombo were better in pass protection than I thought they would be. Granted, Ray Edwards wasn't in, and there weren't that many blitzes that I saw. Didn't notice any errant snaps from Mike Pouncey, so that's good. But still, the interior of the line got mashed pretty good. Vernon Carey a few times I saw getting knocked back pretty good, which isn't good for the Dolphins. I'll say it's pretty hard to imagine going into the New England game with the supposed starting five, but somehow, it'll happen. Defensive Front Seven: I thought Randy Starks had some nice push on the first unit. Jared Odrick looked pretty good coming back, but I'd like to see more of that on a consistent basis. Ronald Fields popped out to me a few times. Paul Soliai got mashed a few times on some big gainers for Michael Turner. I hate to say this now, but I missed Channing Crowder last night. Kevin Burnett got owned several times and had a tough time getting off blocks from what I could see. I know most Dolfans won't like reading that, but I was not impressed with him against the run. He did some nice things coverage wise, but he's going to have to bring a little more to the party as my old linebacker coach would say. A.J. Edds was impressive and did some nice things. That sack was something I don't think I'd ever seen him do while he was at Iowa, and I'd seen him play a few times living here in Big 10 country. Ikaika Alama-Francis didn't disappoint me and actually did some nice things out there instead of looking somewhat lost. That was good to see. Didn't notice much from Quinton Spears or Jonathan Freeny in what limited action I watched in the 2nd half - I'd like to see more of them. Maybe one is good enough to crack the 53 man roster. DBs: How is Tyrone Culver still on the roster? He cannot cover. Vontae Davis looked alright. I didn't notice Atlanta throw on Sean Smith at all. Was Vontae out of position on the crossing route to Julio Jones or was someone supposed to pick him up over the middle? Chris Clemons jumped out a little bit; still a good tackler. Nolan Carroll, if he does end up being the 3rd CB, needs to bring his "bigboy pants" to quote Parcells. I think he got handled a few times by Julio Jones, maybe once by Harry Douglas as well. Nate Ness had some good and some bad moments; it'll be tough for him to hold of Jimmy Wilson if Wilson keeps up his play and stays at CB. For as much as people dump on Benny Sapp, he came to play last night. I'd like to see more of that. Again, Jimmy Wilson was pretty impressive. Let's see what he can do against non-backups though. Just a hunch, but it wouldn't surprise me if Will Allen doesn't make the team. Hard for me to believe he's recovered from that injury if he keeps on missing practices and games. Returners: Didn't notice Clyde Gates all that much. The Livas guy has some impressive speed. But dude, please, stay on your own two feet! I'd like to see him get a crack against the 1st teamers on special teams to see what he can really do. Coaching: Obviously Sparano said it was going to be vanilla. And for the most part it was. I did like the new formations and the use of the shotgun for Chad Henne. However, despite it being preseason, shouldn't we have given more reps to Chad Henne? Just wondering, because, you know, that Patriots game is less than a month away now. I did like how he left him in to get some confidence with the TD to Hartline (was that against the 2nd team? I thought it was, but am not sure). Things I'd like to see more of/improve for game #2 1) Give Chad Henne more reps. 2) The run-blocking and Daniel Thomas gain positive yardage. 3) See what the offense looks like with Brandon Marshall and Reggie Bush in the game. 4) Livas get first crack at kick/punt returns. 5) Kevin Burnett against the run. 6) Nolan Carroll against top receivers - he needs to improve. 7) Someone in the secondary make some plays in the 1st team unit.
Alright Deej, Jimmy "Jules Winnfield" Wilson..Sanders...or not? Sticking to buying in? Is #35 a hit man on the field? Last play, Froman INT, my Q Spears was coming on that dude...he knew it.. All in all 3 longshot guys played well, Wilson, Livas, Wallace, and last yr's long shot had a good game Ikaika Alama Francis looks and plays like a OLB now.
no not bob sanders, but I like the kid..I saw your boy make a rip move and pressure...practice squad buddy.
Not yet..have yet to see that first step, if he has it then it will show up and I'll be sure to highlight it...
A lot of people are talking about a possible battle with Wilson, Ness, Sapp and Carroll for the other CB spots. I agree with your assessment that it might actually be Allen that is cut. Guy has barely seen the field in like 2 years now and is still apparently dinged up. He is just to much of a liability at this point I think to hang onto. I bet we stick with him for a few more weeks just to make sure none of the DBs collapse or vanish, but if they all play somewhat consistently I can see Culver and Allen being the cuts.
OT, but I remember seeing that "skinny kid" at my first Ohio State game. Grandmother took me to it when I was in middle school. Needless to say, Ohio State beat the "skinny kid's" team something like 70-7, but the "skinny kid" had like 18 tackles in that game.
I wonder the chances of Livas and Gates making the team. We desperately need a spark at KR/PR. There were 2 thoughts I had this off-season, with quality value out there in FA: With a rookie and Bush at RB, we need a solid 3rd back. Lex Hilliard and Kory Sheets is not gonna cut it during the season. I'll never know why we didn;t sign Marion Barber, or re-sign Ricky or Ronnie. We needed them. I don't know why we didn't make a play for Olsen or Miller at TE. That is a killer. Both positions suffered last night with depth here...TE just suffered in general.
If in fact Allen is cut (just something that seems plausible to me at the moment), it makes the front office continue to look a little worse as they didn't pay him that injury settlement last year. Rather, they paid him (more) to stay on IR. For those wanting to re-sign guys like Wake, Soliai, and Langford, well there's some potential money we theoretically could have had. It might be small potatoes, but it's still potatoes nonetheless. It's a small part of the many reasons I'm frustrated with the current front office.
overall Im seeing pretty good stuff. I noticed most of Julio Jones big plays came when Tyrone Culver was on coverage. I don't have an issue with Culver or anything, but I'm annoyed that Jones is getting so much good press now as if he was beating our starters like that. Im very happy to hear Clemons is a baller. He was always flying around last season and hopefully he takes another step. Livas? It's just awesome to see someone get a shot in preseason and make something happen. I hope he makes the squad. He has a history in college of doing well in the return game. Fasano can just go eat pine for all i care. I am so sick of seeing this. I feel like Hennes had more WR's literally hand defenders INTs than any other QB in our history. In fact, i know he has. Off the top of my head I know Bess, Marshall, and Fasano have all done it before. Its bad enough not to catch the pass, its 100x worse to bobble it into a defenders hands. /rant. That's dissappointing to hear about Burnett. I really hope hes not Dobbins 2.0. If so i hope the coaches make the move to Edds.
Spears made All SWAC 3 yrs in a row, but as he is from a HBCU they did not play the semi pro college teams.
I wonder how much our medical staff has changed and "improved" since the time we decided Culpepper was a better risk than Brees. We have brought in an awful lot of guys with bad injury histories, and it has bit us in the *** routinely. Then you see guys going down early and often last year (Edds, Oddrick) with Od in particular turning into a saga. And god forbid we screwed Long's shoulder playing him after the injury last year. Are we just this bad at preventing and diagnosing injuries and risk, or are we just getting unlucky?
I'll attempt to tackle these one at a time. With regard to Gates and Livas. I equate Gates to having more of the role that Mike Wallace had for the Steelers a year ago, i.e. being that 4th receiver to start out who is also our vertical threat guy. That might not happen right away or at least until he's firmly grapsed the offense, but that's what my vision for him would be. With regard to Livas, I think his only shot at the roster is to be a devastating returner. I mean, what other jobs can he do? I don't really see him taking snaps on offense (where as you could see that with guys like Roberto Wallace or Marlon Moore). Can he do the jobs Wallace did on special teams to lop him off the roster? Regardless of Livas, I think one of the two between Wallace and Moore doesn't make the team this year. Livas, if he shows really well, could potentially make it so that both Wallace and Moore both don't make it. If I were to bet on it though, I think they keep Wallace over both Moore and Livas. He does more "jobs" and that's something Tony likes, be it right or wrong. As for RB, it still kills me they didn't pay to get Ahmad Bradshaw. However, that ship has sailed so I won't harp on it any more; it's just a move I wish (and think) they should've made. Hilliard and Sheets didn't blow the doord off anyone last night; but the run blocking was pretty bad all around. I mean, Daniel Thomas didn't do anything either. I, for one, am glad they moved on from Brown and Williams as they are both on the decline; but I think they could've (and should've) handled the RB situation better than just simply adding Reggie Bush to it. At TE, well, I'm at a loss. I think it's a position they've shown they just don't value highly. Like QB, like S, like RB. It's just lumped into one of those categories where they think they can take a guy, regardless of draft round or free agency, and plug him in. They did it with Marion Barber in Dallas (who I'm glad they didn't bring in, as that's just merely taking the jersey off Ronnie's back and putting it on a guy who does less jobs IMO). They've done it with Chris Clemons and Reshad Jones here (both 5th round picks). They did it with QB post 2008. Pat White was an experiement, and they certainly didn't bring in a "big name" this year. I think TE is just one of those positions where they feel like they can get away with a guy. David Martin happened to fit in really well with Chad Pennington's skillset in 2008. Joey Haynos was...effective in 2009. I think they're banking on guys like Shuler, Mastrud, Epps, and Brackett to fill that role. I think Charles Clay will fill that role, though he seems to have the Lawrence Vickers role of the Dolphins offense Daboll has brought over.
Seth, I will go on the record and say both Gates and Livas make the team.. I will also say that Kory sheets gets cut.. I agree with your concerns..should of went after a tight end, and I think we will add a running back this preseason..
I won't speak to the other stuff, as there's no way we could really know that. That is of course if we knew someone on the staff (I don't personally). As for Jake Long's shoulder. I had the exact same injury two years ago. Playing him with it wasn't a risk, especially if the labrum was completely torn. The labrum, as my surgeon put it to me, is like a clock face/circle. My was torn from 12 noon to 9 o'clock, or 75%. The only risk is Long took by playing was tearing it the rest of the way. However, the only thing the labrum really does is help you to throw, move your arm over your head, etc. Well, Jake isn't a QB, and if a LT has his arm's up over his head, he's probably not very good and has been put in a bad position. I think his sitting out know is just totally precautionary. I mean, if there's any one player on this team we would bet on to stay in elite shape during the offseason, I'd bet on Long. Now, labrum recovery is typically 2-6 months, depending on severity and on the type of person operated on. I worked for Anthony Munoz, the Hall of Fame Bengals tackle, he had the same surgery. He was out of a sling and golfing just over 3 months after operation. But he's a former NFL player who is still in outstanding shape. I was able to golf and such about 4.5 - 5 months after my operation. Obviously I'm not an NFL athlete, but I'm in decent shape. I'd think they're just being over-cautious with Long. And, depending on when he had the operation, he could still not be at full 100% with range of motion stuff. That said, it's possible to get back to 100% after surgery, and my shoulder feels even better than it did before surgery (I'll conceded I had dislocated it a few times in football). But still, it's possible, and I think Long will be just fine.
Good point Deej. New offense----- Henne definitely needs more reps. Too much miscommunication in game 1. We need to make up for time lost.
I agree. I had a full labrum tear with subsequent surgery, and mine's ok now...... and I my surgeon probably wasn't as good as Jake's.
That pass to Fasano wasn't perfect but it was good enough. It him in the shoulder/helmet barely to his backside. That isn't on henne. It wasn't a perfect pass, but it should have been caught or incomplete. Just unlucky it went to a Defender. That TD run by Turner. Watching the slowmo replay I see him barrel straight ahead, Soliai was sliding left had to shed a blocker adn then take on a full speed ahead Turner. It appears that Turner got the best of Soliai because Soliai's back inverted and of course the TD, but a full speed Turner vs a guy who had to shed a block and then take him on, it was an impressive show of strength by Soliai. If it wasn't on the goal line it would have been an excellent stop because he dropped him right there.
Another way to look at this is, Henne is getting the reps, but Moore is getting series after series during the games, in essence they are prepping both for the Qb job.
I didn't interpret it that way Padre. I saw it as a staff trying to see what they have in Moore during his 1st game with the team. No Marshall, no Long, no Bush..... why keep Henne in for a while?
If they weren't preparing them both to be the starter then I would say they are not doing their jobs. The backup must always be prepared to come in and take over. That wasn't the case last year. They were banking on Penningtons shoulder being okay as the backup... they didn't prepare anyone behind Henne and it showed.
Fred "Mr Ugly" Robinson back when I was a furry little dolphin fan, man that dude could turn the corner on the speed rush Nick Lopez..not so much Mr C.. As for "next" JT..no Sir! My theory is I have to see his get off before I can really say what he is to my mind, now I did see some JTish stuff on his college utube vid, the way he hooked his hand to rip create a fumble, the way he just seems to be in the right place at the right time to recover a fumble. But, that is small college, not the NFL, do know CFL scout types are really high on him.
He's comparing Spears now, to JT in 1997. I'd call that wishful thinking. Every year we got a couple of guys like Freeny and Spears. Last year it was McCoy. Gotta keep turning over rocks though. Same as finding that rare speedy little man who can become a dynamic NFL returner.
Oh sure, JT is a HoF quality player, they do not come around even every decade, now I do see some JTish qualities that he exhibited against lesser opponents, anything past that is not supportable Mr C.
gates makes this team ? really ??? i mean we can still make a case for livas beeing a question mark, although it should not be after that showing last night, but gates makes this team just like jake long will, its not close
Good morning Dolfans... Well, I would like to add some numbers to this well thought out thread and by doing so, we are looking at comparing this competition of 1st teamers against each other... Some of you might remember that the Phins played the Falcons in the 3rd Pre-Season game in 2010, and some don't. Being the 3rd Pre-Season game, teams usually prepare and play their starters for at least the 1st half... and that is the amount of numbers I compiled from last year... 2010- Henne in his 7 drives, completed 7 of 19 attempts (37% comp), 109 yds (5.70 yds/avg), 0 TD, 1 INT= 44 QBR... Rushing was 8 attempts for 4 yds= -0.5 yds /avg... Dolphins scored only 3 points off a DC FG... 2011- Henne in his 3 drives (a little over 1 Quarter of play) completed 4 of 8 attempts (50% comp), 77 yds (9.6 yds/avg), 1 TD, 2 INTs= 84 QBR... Rushing was 4 attempts (not including Henne's scramble) for 5 yds= 1.2 yds/avg... Dolphins scored 7 points off a 44 yds TD pass.. Now looking at these numbers, there are positive signs against the same opponent in similar conditions (pre-season)... Discussions???
The game was pretty much a glorified scrimmage. The team had 10 practices, with new guys like Burnett, Colombo, etc only in for 7, and a new O. Cog was the only guy on the OL who was in the same spot from last year. It was VG to see some of the young guys proving that they belonged but, I didn't take a whole lot out of the overall good or bad. As to one of the most talked about plays in dolphin history, we'll call it "the Pick," it was all Marshall's fault. At first, Henne thought he was making that throw to the beast, same as in practice. He quickly realized the was Bess, pulled back to adjust, and the historic mistake was made. If Marshall was there, it would have been completed, and likely a TD. Can't believe no one caught that.
He's really bounced around this yr he is with the Stealers. I've heard Murtha did well, if colombo fails he is the RT in waiting.
