Dolphins preseason musings, Part II: Don’t believe the hype

By Hugo Guzman  |   Monday, August 20, 2007  |  Comments( 23 )

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Do you remember the classic Public Enemy anthem Don't Believe the Hype? Man, what a terrific song. It had a great hook and was true on so many levels.

Anyway, to football.

Miami Dolphins head coach Cam Cameron is catching plenty of heat in South Florida, but it has nothing to do with the scorching August temperatures. The most glaring sore spot is Miami's lack of offensive production during the first two preseason outings. This week, one of the main focal points has been the Dolphins' running back corps.

For starters, many Dolphins fans have been asking the same question over and over again: Where in the heck is Lorenzo Booker?

The Dolphins have yet to showcase their third-round draft pick so far, using him sparingly against the Jacksonville Jaguars and shelving him completely against the Kansas City Chiefs. However, according to teammates and media reports, Booker has been one of the most explosive and elusive players on the field in training camp. The former Florida State scatback has drawn raves from defenders like Channing Crowder both during OTAs and camp and has reportedly juked pursuers out of their shoes on various occasions.

So what gives?

Has Booker somehow fallen into Cameron's doghouse? Is he simply not physical enough to endure the NFL pounding that is required of ballcarriers and kick returners? Have fellow reserves Jesse Chatman and Patrick Cobbs simply outplayed him in practice up to this point? Is he in danger of being cut?

The answer to all of those questions is no.

Cameron addressed the issue this past weekend, stating that Booker was held out both as a precautionary measure and because he has gotten plenty of reps in practice over the past few weeks. The first-year coach also added that Booker will get more looks this upcoming week against Tampa Bay.

Now to a more pressing concern: Ronnie Brown.

Brown's impressive performance on Thursday should have stymied his naysayers.

Unfortunately for him, though, that didn't happen. Despite the fact that Cameron essentially raved about Brown, pointing out some room for improvement but also referring to how young and fresh-legged the third-year back is, a certain unnamed radio host in Miami spent Sunday afternoon asserting that Brown is on the verge of losing his starting role to the aforementioned Jesse Chatman. His main rationalization for this somewhat insane stance was a wildly embellished interpretation of comments made by Sun-Sentinel beatwriter Omar Kelly. If I were Kelly, I would start declining this guy's interview requests.

The host also alluded to the fact that Brown was returning kicks on Thursday and was somehow able to determine that this likely temporary role means he's set to lose his starting status in the backfield.

Granted, Chatman has looked very solid thus far and has gotten some reps with the first team, prompting measured yet valid assertions from other more credible media pundits. Then again, Chatman has been going up against mostly backups and was unable to find the endzone when called upon on a fourth-and-goal attempt in the first quarter of Thursday's contest (to be fair, that was more David Martin's fault than Chatman's). Still, these facts, coupled with Brown's impressive performance against the Chiefs, seem to make this alleged position battle little more than a flight of fancy.

Of course, the radio host knows what he's doing, because there were plenty of inane and uninformed fans who were willing to jump on his bandwagon. Moreover, his unrealistic stance was really more about bashing Nick Saban's ability as a coach and evaluator than it was about Brown. Still, it's that kind of irresponsible coverage that helps make Miami one of the most ill-informed and unrealistic fan bases in sports.

This whole episode is reminiscent of last year's infamous media fiasco, when various outlets were reporting that wide receiver Wes Welker was in danger of being cut during the preseason. Sure enough, Welker not only made the team but was arguably its most potent receiving threat. He was deemed worthy of a second-round pick, with a seventh rounder to boot, by none other than the New England Patriots in an offseason trade.

After that, you would have thought that local media members would have learned their lesson, right?

Wrong.

Barring injury, Brown will be the Dolphins' starting running back and Booker will be a regular contributor serving in various roles. But if you want to ride an ill-informed bandwagon, do it. You'll simply serve to solidify Miami's status as one of the most brainless fan bases in all football.

If not, you can join the wiser minority of fans who understand that the preseason means little to nothing and that media innuendo is more about selling newspapers or radio advertising than it is about objective analysis.

Sadly, guys like Trent Green, Ted Ginn Jr., Joey Porter, John Beck and a few other marquee names will also fall prey to the somewhat despicable antics of certain media members in Miami in the coming months and years.

Hopefully for them, though, the vast majority of Dolphins fans will stop falling for that garbage at some point.

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.
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About Hugo Guzman

Trying to bring an objective approach to NFL analysis.
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CommentsComments: 23  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
rai		08:39 AM
08/20/2007
It's good self-motivation to play with a little fear of losing your starting job. Zach Thomas does this all the time and he...
No.2
Jim		09:30 AM
08/20/2007
Don't over-react and assume that most miami fans buy into what media writes. After all they are just media. Some are good and...
No.3
jonny		10:01 AM
08/20/2007
Ok, let's avoid all the bandwagons and try to guess what is happening in the coach's head. Is he saving the stand out rookies for...
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