Early standouts, disappointments at Dolphins camp

By Adam Best  |   Thursday, August 02, 2007  |  Comments( 21 )

Miami Dolphins
Got something to say?

Log In above and share your thoughts on this topic with other fans!
Within every NFL training camp there are players who make the most of their opportunity and step up and shine; on the other end of the spectrum, though, there are also those who underachieve and ultimately disappoint. More often than not, camp performances carry over into the regular season.

Even though Miami Dolphins training camp has been generally pretty sloppy so far, some players have already distinguished themselves, for better or worse. Here are some of the standouts and disappointments of Fins camp thus far.

Standouts:

Brandon Fields, punter - The 6-foot-5, 235-pound punter's leg is just as big as the rest of him. Fields and his canon leg have been the biggest surprises of camp so far. He should be the starting punter during the '07 season and help the Dolphins find better success in the battle for field position.

Cleo Lemon, quarterback - Lemon has looked pretty sharp while getting a decent share of the first-team reps. If Trent Green falters, there's a chance that Lemon could be the starting quarterback at some point during the season, thus allowing rookie second-round pick John Beck to continue learning.

Courtney Anderson, tight end - If David Martin doesn't pan out, then the 6-6, 270-pound Anderson, whom Oakland recently released, is a heck of an insurance policy. He's caught the ball well, and he should be able to assist Justin Peelle with some of the blocking duties at tight end.

Derek Hagan, wide receiver - Last season, his rookie year, Hagan was marred by inconsistency. He showed some flashes of brilliance but was ultimately a disappointment. Hagan has had a few drops and mental lapses in camp, but his play has been extremely impressive overall. There's a good chance he'll see the field often this upcoming season if he keeps up this strong play.

Rodrique Wright, defensive lineman - Wright missed the 2006 season after undergoing surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff, but he is back on the field looking lean and mean. With these improvements, along with a positional move from inside to outside, look for Wright to actually get some burn in '07.

Disappointments:

Jason Allen, defensive back - When an early first-round draft pick might end up being the fifth or sixth cornerback on the roster in Year 2, things aren't going well. At least he has been spotted getting some reps with the second-teamers, but that's not good enough for a guy with his draft pedigree.

The offensive line - This group has struggled to block anyone early on in camp. Granted, the Dolphins' defensive front seven is very strong, and the O-line is completely different from a year ago. Still, head coach Cam Cameron, Green and all the magic in the world won't be able to move the offense without solid blocking up front. This unit should get better as it has the opportunity to jell; it can't get much worse.

Ronnie Brown, running back - Brown, a third-year man and former No. 2 overall pick, has run tentatively and been largely ineffective during the early stages of camp. Then again, most backs would probably run tentatively behind the Dolphins' O-line.
Got something to say?

Log In above and share your thoughts on this topic with other fans! (21)

Article Tools Share!   |  RSS  |  Bleacher Report About Bleacher Report
CommentsComments: 21  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
Murphee		09:18 AM
08/02/2007
I'll take these comments with a grain of salt. How can you say anything about Anderson....he just got there. Ronnie Brown needs...
No.2
Mad Dolfan		09:28 AM
08/02/2007
As the week of camp winds down, it is becoming apparent that the same shortcoming we have had for the last 8-10 years is the...
No.3
Tracy H.		10:23 AM
08/02/2007
We ARE talking about the Miami Dolphin's training camp, right? I mean, are you sure that you didn't mix them up with another...
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 )