Saturday is cut down day, the BIG cut down day, every team will jettison some 14 players per team (with 8 on the practice squad beginning that week). Who needs to shine tonight to sew up one of the last 6 roster spots? For me: Lionel Dotson..it's been 3yrs, he has been silent in the preseason.. Nate Ness..he has to flash as much as he did in the Jags game to make it. Andrew Gardner..really hurt his chances with an abysmal preseason Austin Spitler..with Crowder out one of the backup ILB's, MJ, Spitler, Folsom has an opportunity to stay on the Island. Rolly Lumbala..longshot has to open eyes to beat out the Nalbone Fish. Pat White..yep the Pat Cat..he has to hope that he plays lights out to make it The injuries to Will Allen and Channing Crowder and Nate Garner have muddied the waters considerably. And imho, the two players who can help themselves the most this evening are Ikaika Francis and Charles Grant, if they get to the passer their spot on the depth chart and rotation into the games will improve the most. Who are your 6 players who have to show something to remain?
i just don't see Lumbala getting a real shot here ... Spitler vs Johnson for sure ... only 1 will make it -- think Johnson has the inside track Gardner vs Murtha ... lilkely only 1 will make it ... though i'd like to see Gardner stick either way Thomas .... needs to shine .... Ness ... see above -- he makes it if J Allen doesn't .... Wallace vs Moore ... unless they dump Turner (which i doubt very much), only 1 will make it ... Baker vs Dotson ... at best, 1 will make it and Baker has my inside track .... I still think we will look for a TE (albeit, like Gardner - i do want Nalbone around), OLB and S .... as depth and safety nets via cut pool ....
I think the back up tackles have to show something to stick. As for Ness, I think I'd rather keep 6 DBs and just 4 WRs. I don't think we'll get much contribution from either Turner or Wallace this year (possibly ever). I'd keep Ness and take my chances that one of the WRs can make it to the PS.
I don't think it will matter for the fringe players. I think they already have their minds made up. They're essentially playing for jobs elsewhere. We'll see if this is true if someone has a lights out game and gets cut anyway.
I really think Pat White gets cut. The fact that the regime doesn't even talk about him anymore says a lot IMO.
For injury sake? You have to remember that the 47-53 are generally inactive. None of them will really contribute.
I'd like to see Roberto Wallace and Marlon Moore make the team. Add some firepower to the offense! Dump Turner unless he plays out of his head tonight. I think Ike and Grant are pretty solid, Douglas is kinda on the bubble too. I had a good feeling about Spitler, he needs to play down-hill though. Johnson has health concerns with his knees.
This yr it is difficult to tell who will stick and who won't as no one really shined in the preseason and Sparano rarely mentions any player by name except for Moore and Micah Johnson, and Ness a couple of weeks ago. Same deal with the UDFA wr's, at one time or another Sparano has said positive things about each one of them, but out on the field it is hard to say anyone has seperated from anyone else..save for Moore.
I think our backup/swing tackle is on someone else's roster. Gardner is a goner. I'd be shocked if he was not cut Friday morning. The guy has been AWFUL.
Easy keeps: Jason Allen: Excellent special teamer, offers position flexibility, uber-athletic. Precisely what you want a corner buried on the depth chart to offer. No brainer here. We have this conversation every August. Jason might be one of those 10 year Dolphins who never starts, but you just can't quite cut. IAF: Great find and a no brainer. The question isn't whether he makes the roster, but will he start? Donald Thomas: Hasn't stepped it up this preseason, but offers starter's experience and prior knowledge of the blocking system. When an injury happens to a starting guard (like it always does), you can plug Thomas in to either guard spot and not panic. Potential surprises on the 53: Jonathon Amaya: Excellent developmental prospect who would instantly be poached from a practice squad. Offers value on special teams. Besides Bell, there's nothing but uncertainty at the safety position. Worth the gamble on the 53. Micah Johnson: Instinctive run stuffer that's a liability in coverage. Crowder part 2. More impressive than Spitler or Folsom this preseason. The longer Crowder is on the sideline, the better Johnson's chances improve. Marlon Moore: What has he done NOT to deserve a spot on the 53? Good looking receiver with bonus return value. Exactly what you want to see out of a 5th receiver. Easiest call of the bunch IMO. Pat White: Hard to imagine giving up on a 2nd rounder so soon. I think you call him a wide receiver to keep him active for the WildCat stuff. If it just doesn't work out, he might wind up being cut mid-way through the season. Too close to call: Andrew Gardner: Sure, he has played poorly this preseason. But he was a draft pick, and we remain thin at backup tackle. Neck and neck with Murtha. Both are candidates to be replaced by some mysterious cut player from another team. Austin Spitler: The only reason he still has a shot is the injury to Channing and the fact that he offers special teams expertise, which we sorely need. With Micah's emergence, I'm leaning toward a cut here. Patrick Turner: If they indeed keep Moore and stash Pat White on the 53 as a receiver, Turner has got to be on the bubble. Haven't seen much which would suggest he is any better than your average camp body. He's got size, but that didn't really help London last season (who was much better on special teams). Eric Walden: Special teams value more than anything else. As linebackers go, this probably earns him the edge over Spitler. Tough Cuts: Baker: Can't see him taking a spot out from under Starks, Langford, Odrick, Douglass, Grant, McDaniel or Soliai. That's seven guys, I doubt we have room for eight. Hopefully he winds up on the PS. Dotson: Has obvious talent but is still, at best, a developmental prospect. Question is, to you keep two vets (Douglas and Grant) to cut a long-term prospect? Well, we're deep at the position and have other prospects, so yes, he's gone. Lumbala: A good name to have on speed dial if Polite gets injured, but unless he can play tight end, he loses out in the numbers game. Nalbone: Just not ready to play on Sundays yet. Try to stash him on the PS, I doubt anyone really wants him. There will be half a dozen tight ends better than Nalbone following league-wide cuts, and one of those will be our third TE. Nate Ness: Nice player and has had his moments in the preseason. Depends on what happens with Will Allen, but I can't see him about W Allen, Davis, Smith, Sapp or J. Allen. So he's really trying to outshine a possible 6th WR, an extra DE, or an extra ILB. I don't see it. Roberto Wallace: In my opinion, Moore and Pruitt have shown more to date than Wallace. Pat Turner has shown more too, and he might be cut. I don't think we keep Wallace, not even on the practice squad. Enough of this size stuff, we have Brandon Marshall for that. The practice squad spot should go to Pruitt.
I'm sure that no matter who makes the cut along the OL, that the bottom three (Lydon, Thomas, Gardner ??) should be on the lookout come the Wednesday after the final cuts... The #4 and #5 WR spot is very interesting...I don't think that either Wallace, Turner, Pruitt or even Moore have distinguished themselves above any of the others. They've all had some nice spurts and some not so nice spurts...My guess is that Moore is slightly ahead, but not by much... The guys along the DL will be tough cuts....the few that do get cut will be decent players... The LBers are so jumbled in my mind, that I can't tell who is ahead of who... I think a guy like QMoses has to really shine to make the grade...Hasn't so far. Folsom and Spitler may both miss the cut and end up on PS (Don't know about Folsoms' eligibility)...
Johnson and Moore are going to stick, both played well and there are needs for their services. Spitler hasn't shown much, not even on special teams, Gardner was a disappointment, Turner was nothing special, and White was frozen out of the last preseason game. Walden earned a slot just on ST, Nalbone made a play on the bread and butter Waggle route, Ness was mostly quiet. If it came down to Dotson or Baker, I'd take Baker 8 times out of 10, Dotson has had 3 camps to improve and just really hasn't, Baker is consistent with a decent upside. Which brings up Roberto Wallace, I have a feeling that if Irish and Sparano make a poor decision in projecting Wallace v projecting Turner that could be the first real time a player leaves the SparanoPhins and does something big in the NFL.
