Rookie Camp 2009

Rookie Camp 09: “The future is so bright, I got to wear shades”

Hey guys just thought I tell you what I think about this past weekends Rookie Camp. I would have to say we’ve got a lot of talent on the roster right now. If these guys workout on the field like they read on paper then we could see some competition for the 53 man roster. I think we had a pretty successful draft as well as picking up some un-drafted free agents.

So the cornerback position was a glaring problem coming into the off season. We lost Andre Goodman who had a great 08 season, and we had Yeremiah Bell going into free agency. Lucky we were able to keep Bell around, and also add Eric Green from the Arizona Cardinals. We also added former Raider and NY Giant Gibril Wilson, who has had several solid seasons at safety. So that brings us to the 09 draft, were we picked 2 cornerbacks in the first two rounds. After the Rookie mini camp Sean Smith (31) and Vontae Davis (24) are solid defensive backs with a bright future. Both of these guys have size and speed, and are aggressive at the cornerback position. They also came away with a few picks this weekend, and Vontae had his first lecture from Sparano because he put 2 guys down on the field with contact. Keep in mind this was a no contact and no pads camp. I also just seen where Vontae has a tattoo on his forearm that reads,” Greatness”, which is not to be seen as arrogance, but as confidence. The cornerback position is going to need all the confidence we can get this year, with the AFC east teams having receivers like Randy Moss, Terrell Owens, Lee Evans, Wes Welker, as well as 09 opponents receivers like Andre Johnson, Hines Ward, Reggie Wayne, and Steve Smith.  WOW, that’s worst then I thought.

Also another area where we need depth and possibly a big player was our own wide receiver position. We added Patrick Turner (84), Brian Hartline (82), and a few un-drafted free agents Brennan Marion (14), and Chris Williams (87). Patrick Turner who is listed as 6’5 looked like a beast out there on the field showed some very nice skills as well as nice hands. When he was asked how he looked to help the team this coming year, he said he would love to be the go-to red zone play maker. I know that’s what all the Dolphins have been looking for. Brian Hartline looks to be more of a slot receiver to give Devone Bess some competition.

Free agent Brennan Marion is a very interesting story. Most of you may have heard the story about this kid, but if not I want to tell you about him. So this guy came from having no home during his first 3 months of his sophomore season in college to now playing on a NFL practice field. He actually spent nights in the De Anza Junior college locker room, bathroom floor, team bus, as well as the press box. Also didn’t have a pillow to sleep on so he used his arms or paper towels. This wasn’t the first obstacle in his life either; he was raised by a single mother and was in a different school every year since sixth grade. During junior college he had to work construction, wash cars, cleaning classrooms to pay rent. The food he lived on was also challenging and consisted of Gatorade pills, and free chips and cookies from the local 7-11 store. After his offensive coordinator found out about this he allowed Brennan to stay with him and his family rent free with the only circumstance being he had to get his college degree and give someone else a opportunity when he could.  Now here’s what’s interesting about this kid. He is 5’11, ran a 4.3 40, had 3 consecutive 1,000 yd season, and also averaged 31.9 yards per catch. Now that’s just crazy considering the things he’s dealt with in his life. Recently he suffered a tear in his right ACL, which hurt the possibility of being a high draft pick. So I consider this guy a very strong and determined player. I look forward to seeing what Brennan can bring to the Miami Dolphins.

Another position we all want to know about is quarterback. Where 2nd round draft pick Pat White was seen taking snaps this weekend. After day one Pat admitted he had a rough day and that he would catch on. During day 2 he completed 2 long passes down field, one of them to Patrick Turner. So I’m curious to see what the future of the Miami Dolphins play book will look like this year. So how much Wildcat can we expect to see, and will we see more of a spread offense? On a side note, yes Pat does wear gloves on both hands, and he said Kurt Warner did it so can he. He said he has smaller hands and the gloves give him more grip on the ball. I’m counting the days till our first preseason game, so I can see Mr. White under center.

Other good news out of camp is LB Cameron Wake had a very impressive camp. Coach Sparano said he was very excited to see Wake on the field and that he showed some good quickness on the edge. This guy also looks like a beast out there. On another note I’ve heard a lot of people lately talking about how crazy the Dolphins are because we didn’t go after a defensive tackle in this years draft. Well I think the Dolphins had a plan coming out of the draft and that plans name was possibly Lewis Ellis. This guy is out of university of Shaw. He’s listed as 6’2 and 320. Coach Sparano said he had a good camp and shows very quick feet and very strong. Coach also pointed out that he does need some work with technique because at Shaw he was able to muscle people around and of course in the NFL you’re not always going to be able to do that. Ellis said he had at least 6 teams calling him after the draft and he did a little research and decided on Miami because of our DT needs.

So finally after 3 days and 4 workouts I’m excited to see what the future is for our 09 draft picks.

Chad Pennington Nominated for Player of the Week Award

The NFL announced today that Chad Pennington has been nominated for this week’s FedEx Air Player of the Week Award. Fans can vote for Pennington here until Friday at 11:00 a.m. EST at NFL.com/FedEx. This marks Pennington second nomination for the FedEx Air Player of the week, Pennington has yet to win.

If Pennington wins, a $1,000 donation will go to the local Safe Kids coalition in Miami. In particular, the donation could go towards painting crosswalks, installing signs, landscaping near sidewalks and playgrounds, installing bike racks, and developing educational programs and events to teach kids about pedestrian safety.

Official NFL Release…
DOLPHINS QB CHAD PENNINGTON, PACKERS QB AARON RODGERS & TEXANS QB MATT SCHAUB; RAIDERS RB MICHAEL BUSH, CHARGERS RB
LA DAINIAN TOMLINSON & FALCONS RB MICHAEL TURNER CANDIDATES FOR
FEDEX AIR & GROUND® NFL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK HONORS

Fans To Vote For Winners On NFL.com
FedEx To Deliver Funding For Safe Kids Organizations On Behalf of Winning Players In Their Teams’ Markets

Quarterbacks CHAD PENNINGTON of the Miami Dolphins, AARON RODGERS of the Green Bay Packers and MATT SCHAUB of the Houston Texans are the finalists for the FedEx Air NFL Player of the Week honors for games played on December 28, while running backs MICHAEL BUSH of the Oakland Raiders, LA DAINIAN TOMLINSON of the San Diego Chargers and MICHAEL TURNER of the Atlanta Falcons are the finalists for the FedEx Ground NFL Player of the Week honors, the NFL announced today.

Fans can vote for one player in each category on NFL.com/FedEx from Monday morning through 6:00 pm ET on Wednesday to determine the FedEx Air & Ground NFL Players of the Week. The winners will be announced Wednesday evening on NFL.com.

Fans will be voting for more than their favorite player. As part of the Air & Ground program for the first time, FedEx is teaming up with Safe Kids USA – a national non-profit organization that works to prevent accidental injury among children – to deliver safer kids by making weekly $1,000 donations in the winning players’ names. The funding directly benefits local Safe Kids coalitions in that team’s city, to fund pedestrian safety improvements throughout the year. This year, FedEx celebrates its fifth year of the program and will surpass the $1 million mark in funding to create safer communities for children.

New this season, fans can tune into the “FedEx Air & Ground Lowdown” posted only on NFL.com/FedEx starting Wednesday mornings. The show examines the nominees in the Air & Ground categories through exclusive video highlights and expert analysis. NFL Network’s MARSHALL FAULK and TERRELL DAVIS host the weekly five-minute show.

A closer look at the FedEx Air NFL Player of the Week finalists:

• Miami’s CHAD PENNINGTON completed 22 of 30 passes for 200 yards and two touchdowns and threw no interceptions to lead Miami into the playoffs in the Dolphins’ 24 – 17 win over the New York Jets.

• Green Bay’s AARON RODGERS completed 21 of 31 passes for 308 yards and three touchdowns in the Packers’ 31 – 21 win over the NFC North rival Detroit Lions.

• Houston’s MATT SCHAUB completed 27 of 36 passes for 328 yards and two touchdowns in the Texans’ 31 – 24 win over the Chicago Bears.

A closer look at the FedEx Ground NFL Player of the Week finalists:

• Oakland’s MICHAEL BUSH rushed for 177 yards and two touchdowns over 27 carries in the Raiders’ 31 – 24 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

• San Diego’s LA DAINIAN TOMLINSON scored three touchdowns and rushed for 96 yards over 14 carries as the Chargers beat the division rival Denver Broncos 52 – 21 to win the AFC West.

• Atlanta’s MICHAEL TURNER totaled 208 yards and one touchdown over 25 carries in the Falcons’ 31 – 27 win over the St. Louis Rams.

FedEx, the premier global provider of transportation, e-commerce and supply-chain management services, is the Official Delivery Service Sponsor of the NFL, Super Bowl and Pro Bowl. Through the weekly FedEx Air & Ground Awards, FedEx recognizes those NFL players who represent the same speed, precision and teamwork that their customers have come to expect from the full range of FedEx air, ground, freight and international shipping services, delivering safer kids in the process. With thousands of trucks out on the roads each day, FedEx is committed to improving pedestrian safety for children, by funding education programs and environmental improvements, from signage and crosswalks to pedestrian walkways near schools and playgrounds.

(Submitted by Shannon M.)

Dolphins in Top Pro Bowl Fan Voting

The NFL’s unique structure of Pro Bowl voting has always seemed interesting.  The players receive one-third of their votes from the fans, one-third from NFL players and one-third from NFL coaches.  As of Tuesday evening the fan voting portion has officially ended.  Fortunately, the fans have voted three Dolphins at the top (number one) of their positions in total votes.  Those three are linebacker Joey Porter, offensive tackle Jake Long and kicker Dan Carpenter (rookie).  Several other Dolphins were also in the top four voted by fans.  Those were running back Ronnie Brown (second), special teams Patrick Cobb (third) and strong safety Yeremiah Bell (fourth).  The teams will be announced at 4 p.m. ET, Tuesday, Dec. 16 on a special NFL Total Access 2009 NFL Pro Bowl Selection Show on NFL Network. The 2009 NFL Pro Bowl presented by State Farm will be played at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii on Sunday, Feb. 8 and televised by NBC.

Ricky Talks

Thoughts on going back to Toronto Well I’m looking forward to it. I really enjoyed my time in Toronto and it will be nice to meet up with some old friends.

Should make for an interesting game.

Read more at the Sun-Sentinel

Porter Apologizes

Joey Porter apologized to his teammates and coach Tony Sparano during team meetings on Monday.

Read more at Sun Sentinel