4. Will strong safety Yeremiah Bell have the same impact he had before injuring his Achilles' tendon? The background: Last season, the Dolphins lost their leading rusher (Ronnie Brown), leading tackler (Channing Crowder) and starting quarterback (Trent Green). But losing Bell in the opener might have set the tone for the 1-15 season, robbing the defense of its only big-time playmaker in the secondary. Bell, a former steel mill worker who got a late start in college, came into his own in 2006 with a team-high 12 passes defended, two sacks, two forced fumbles and 65 tackles). Two seasons later and at 30 years old, Bell has to prove himself again. The answer: Yes. During the spring he again looked like a strong, quick ball-hawker. He should help the Dolphins improve on their 2007 total of 22 takeaways, third-fewest in the league. 4. Left defensive end: There are plenty of candidates to line up opposite Vonnie Holliday in the new 3-4 scheme. Matt Roth, a second-round pick in 2005, and 312-pound Randy Starks, a free-agent signee from the Tennessee Titans, are the front-runners. Roth bulked up from 272 to 285 pounds and knows his time in Miami could be running out. Rookies Phillip Merling and Kendall Langford also could be worked into the rotation at end. 5. Fullback: This competition between Boomer Grigsby and Reagan "The Juggernaut" Mauia has the makings of a steel-cage match. Coaches want a player who can flatten a linebacker, bust a wedge and catch passes out of the backfield. During training camp, teammates should know where the 249-pound Grigsby and 270-pound Mauia are at all times - or else. http://www.palmbeachpost.com/dolphi...olphinscandy.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=46
Good read, thanks. I really wonder about Starks since a list posted on here yesterday had Starks as the 17th best Defensive Tackle in the league. He will probably see time at both postions.
His 5th question is who knows?!?!?!??! What a cop out after saying Ginn will not be a #1 and Bell will have an impact. Mr. All knowing doesn't know everything I guess
Nice read, thanks. I think the mauia/grigsby battle could be a good one to watch through camps. If we dont plan on keeping 2 FB's on the roster, then special teams play is probably going to decide this position. Should be interesting to watch.
Nice read bro, thanks. I found it interesting that under the key position battles, he didn't list Quarterback as one. I know that Beck is likely to win but there is still a competition going on and anything can change. This is a position that we have been looking for for about a decade. Also, on the questions, one of them was "Will Ted Ginn Jr. eventually develop into a No. 1 receiver?". His answer was based on the reason that Santana Moss and Steve Smith, who are similar to Ginn in weight/size, were more powerfully built. Ginn is a pretty big guy. He may not be bigger than Steve Smith but one thing is that this will be only Ginn's second year. Ginn can get more powerful. Will he? Not sure. Can he? Yes. The journalist's reason for Ginn not developing into a number one is weak in my opinion because Ginn is still young and can still build up his body.
Five Questions 1. I'm really getting tired of Josh McCown being labeled a game manager. Hey, if you think he's going to start the season that's cool. I mean, there's probably a 50/50 chance of it. But why the heck is Josh McCown a game manager? He's erratic, when he gets pressured he throws the ball up for grabs and he gets intercepted, or he fumbles the ball. He fumbled or threw picks more times per game last year (his 6th season) than John Beck did in his true rookie season...and fumbling/throwing picks is exactly why people are so anal about John Beck. How is that a game manager? I don't get it. He might score more, or punch the offense into the end zone more, but that doesn't make him a game manager. It makes him more potent (for now)...but not a game manager. 2. No problems here. I agree. The best line there is that Ricky Williams might be tired of disappointing himself. 3. Obviously he's never heard of Marvin Harrison. Torry Holt's not that much bigger, either at 6'0" and 190...especially if Ginn has supposedly put on some weight (he was 5'11" and 178 last year, what is he this year?). Kevin Curtis is 6'0" and 187, he was an 1100 yard WR last year. Donald Driver is 6'0" and 190. Santonio Holmes is 5'11" and 189. Everyone has a right to their opinion, but everyone doesn't necessarily have a right to their facts. In saying that the only #1 WRs out there that are as big as Ginn are Steve Smith and Santana Moss...he's really just wrong. 4. Nothing big to pick on here, but when Jason Allen is snagging 3 picks and becoming the team's 3rd leading tackler in only 9 starts, I don't think you can say that Yeremiah Bell was the only big-time playmaker. Will Allen didn't make big plays but in case ya haven't noticed, he was a big-time player by most reliable standards of grading CBs. 5. Agree with Dupree here. What a cop out. He'll go ahead and says Ted Ginn will never be a #1, declares that Yeremiah Bell (for the first time in his career) will stay healthy for the whole year as a starter, predicts that Ricky Williams (for the first time since 2003) will be a reliable football player...and he clams up when it comes to Jake Long? That's a cop out. Five Players on the Spot 1. Is Charlie really appropriate here? I don't normally think of a guy that has an opportunity to ascend as being "on the spot". I guess you can twist it any way you want but I thought that term is traditionally used for embattled players that are in danger of losing something...either their starting spot, or their roster spot. Anderson's really in position to gain something very significant. I don't think of that as being "on the spot". 2. Joey Porter's definitely "on the spot". Easy one here. 3. Is he trying to say that Derek Hagan is in danger of being cut this off season? Am I reading that wrong? I thought we were pretty much over that once the coaches revealed he's been probably the best WR through all of the camps. 4. According to Yahoo, Jason Allen ended up with 62 tackles, 3rd on the team. I don't mean to nitpick Edgar, but saying Jason "looked like a bust well into his second season"...shouldn't you at least caveat that with the fact that he just wasn't playing period? It's hard to look like a bust or not look like a bust when the coaches aren't putting you on the field. 5. Agreed, he's on the spot. He's embattled, and it's his last chance before losing his value as an NFL player. You could have put Matt Roth here too, in any one of these spots. Five Key Position Battles 1. This one's easy. 2. Not much to disagree with. But he says that Lehan had the inside track before he hurt his ankle. Forgive me if I'm wrong but every practice before Lehan got hurt, wasn't Goodman starting over him? I think Goodman appears to have an advantage with this staff thus far. He was playing really, really hurt last year and couldn't be effective at all. I think the coaches searched back to his 2006 tape and saw what he could be when he's healthy. 3. First major disagreement. This battle doesn't really matter much. Practices have been pretty clear, lot's of 2-TE sets...shuffling between the two top TEs. Both guys are going to play and I'm betting the snap counts will be about equal. They're both going to find roles. The consequences of this battle will not be heavy at all. 4. This one's also easy. 5. Of all the position battles...why in the heck is this one "key"? The FB by all means won't even be on the field much in this offense, which is probably why Grigsby is here to begin with since he offers roster value aside from his play as a FB (STs). We have position battles at ILB between Channing Crowder, Akin Ayodele and Reggie Torbor. We have a position battle at ROLB now that Taylor is gone...between Anderson, Moses, possibly Torbor. I think Wilford and Hagan could be in the midst of an important battle for playing time. Wilford is hoping to end up more than just a red zone specialist, I'm sure. There's competition between Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams, of course. That one's huge. And then...HELLO, McFly!?! Quarterback? In case ya didn't notice? Top position in football? Up for grabs between three guys?
I agree with you CK on the Channing remarks. The report said "He is a three-year starter who flashes Pro Bowl talent...", I've watched all the games and I have never seen him flash Pro Bowl talent. He always arrives to a defensive pile after other defenders have the oppisite player stopped.
