Dolphins: Post-minicamp musings

By Adam Best  |   Monday, June 11, 2007  |  Comments( 10 )

Miami Dolphins
Got something to say?

Log In above and share your thoughts on this topic with other fans!
The Miami Dolphins held a minicamp this past weekend. The big story -- the ongoing saga of half-man, half-agent Daunte Culpepper and his latest Jerry Maguire-esque manifesto.

Despite the media circus surrounding Culpepper, the other current players on Miami's roster actually did something (besides complain or type) -- they participated in the minicamp.

Wide receiver David Sutton was the media darling of the event who by all accounts performed well-above expectations. The 6-foot-6, 220-pound undrafted rookie from UTEP certainly is a tantalizing prospect, but absurdly tall WR projects -- Clarence Moore and Vincent Jackson come to mind -- are a mixed bag at best in terms of results. He does seem to have soft hands as well as exceptional size and speed; but it's just hard to believe that a player who only had six catches for 30 yards during his two-year Division I-A collegiate career will ever be a viable weapon in the NFL. Sutton could turn out to be a fine receiver, but fans should temper their expectations for now.

WR Ted Ginn's overall minicamp performance was mostly encouraging. First off, he's nearly healthy, which at this juncture of the offseason is great news for Dolphins fans. He also demonstrated his elite kick-returning ability on several occasions. As a receiver, Ginn didn't exactly make jaws drop, but he didn't disappoint either. He actually was able to get off the line of scrimmage and blow by defensive backs, showing that he indeed does possess that coveted separation ability. He's also already being called the Dolphins' fastest player, despite still not being fully recovered from his nagging foot injury. The negatives were that he dropped the ball quite a bit and shied away from contact.

WRs Chris Chambers and Derek Hagan, both coming off what disappointing seasons, played exceptionally well all weekend long. Kelly Campbell mostly impressed displaying both good hands and speed, but also a lack of gumption. If one of the three quarterbacks -- Trent Green, Cleo Lemon and John Beck -- can deliver the ball consistently, the wide receiver position should be one of the Dolphins' strengths in '07.

Speaking of Green, he didn't exactly perform like a Pro Bowler. He was intercepted quite a bit, something that he struggled with a little during his time with the Kansas City Chiefs, and wasn't all that accurate. Some of his play was likely thanks to being unfamiliar with the system (somewhat, anyway) and his receivers. One positive Green note -- he already seems to have a good rapport with tight end David Martin. Considering that tight ends were the best receivers in both head coach Cam Cameron's and Trent Green's offenses the last few seasons, that's a very encouraging sign for Miami.

As for the other quarterbacks, Lemon probably performed the best, even better than Green. Beck is having some trouble with the complicated Cameron playbook, among other things. Given recent developments, Lemon might actually end up playing quite a bit if the Green project doesn't pan out. Despite his excessively documented maturity, it just doesn't seem as if Beck is as far ahead as many had hoped he'd be.

Defensive end Jason Taylor and linebacker Zach Thomas were both excused from all activities. Cameron said that this was a preventative measure. This move makes complete sense. Why risk your best two players' health when you already know what they can do? It might be different if they were offensive players, but considering they are both members of the front seven and have been around for so long, this was a very wise move by Cameron and Co.

Cornerback Jason Allen was atrocious all weekend. It sounds as if there might as well have been an orange cone sitting out there in his place. Maybe the move from safety wasn't such a good idea after all. AFC East receivers like Lee Evans and Randy Moss must be licking their chops to face the two Allens (Jason and Will) and Travis Daniels this season.

Center Samson Satele had five root canals -- yes, five -- earlier this week and didn't miss any time. Now that's the kind of toughness you want from your starting center.

It's sort of difficult to form an opinion of the defensive and offensive lines at this point, given the lack of contact. The biggest news is that it looks as if rookie Drew Mormino might earn a starting spot at left guard. Defensive end Matt Roth also looked good and probably made the play of the weekend when he tipped and intercepted a Lemon pass, and then rumbled down the field for a decent pickup.

Rookie running back Lorenzo Booker is already making people forget about both Ricky Williams and Travis Minor. He juked defenders out of their jocks all weekend long, and even embarrassed LB Joey Porter on a nifty cutback move. Dolphins fans may see a lot of Booker this year, especially on third down.

Got a bone to pick with a newspaper columnist, talk show personality or television analyst? E-mail us at mediawatch@realfootball365.com. For more information, visit our Media Watch info page.
Got something to say?

Log In above and share your thoughts on this topic with other fans! (10)

Article Tools Share!   |  RSS  |  Bleacher Report About Bleacher Report
CommentsComments: 10  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
jax		09:18 AM
06/11/2007
Jason Allen. Another Saban guy soon to be shown the door. On Jax radio, they mentioned that the Jags offered David Garrard and...
No.2
The Boz		09:40 AM
06/11/2007
Nice article Adam. Its great to hear positive stories coming out from Dolphins camp, after the QB situation. Those WR's seem to...
No.3
20/20 Eyesight		09:49 AM
06/11/2007
I was at all the mini-camps and I didn't see Jason Allen play that bad. With no pass rush the WR have a huge advantage and Allen...
Team News  |  View All Dolphins Content
Henne takes baby steps, Wake...
In a game filled with mental mistakes and execution errors, the Miami...
1 year, 3 months ago   |   Henne takes baby steps, Wake takes giant strides in Dolphins win over Packers ( 4 )
For Dolphins, it’s not how t...
Dolphins fans are fretting because of Miami's two-game slide, and with...
1 year, 4 months ago   |   For Dolphins, it’s not how they start, it’s how they finish ( 1 )
Wait until the Dolphins’ off...
As exciting as a second straight road win is for the Miami Dolphins, w...
1 year, 4 months ago   |   Wait until the Dolphins’ offense catches up with the defense ( 2 )
Random observations from Dol...
If there's one thing I've learned over the years it's that a win is a...
1 year, 5 months ago   |   Random observations from Dolphins’ Week 1 win at Buffalo ( 11 )
Dolphins Ginn in New York
Returning a kickoff for a touchdown is a very rare thing in the NFL. W...
2 years, 3 months ago   |   Dolphins Ginn in New York ( 1 )