Among outside linebackers, Koa Misi and Cameron Wake are set, and Charlie Anderson also figures to stick. Ikaika Alama-Francis has a good chance -- Sparano on Wednesday raved about a special-teams play he made in Saturday's preseason game.
Among those competing for one or two outside linebacker jobs: Erik Walden, who appeared in 11 games last season and received considerable work in the Jacksonville game, rookie seventh-rounder Chris McCoy and Quentin Moses, who has been sidelined this week with an injury.
• Richie Incognito is close to winning the starting left guard job. ``I'm not completely settled there, but I'm settling in a little bit more,'' Sparano said.
• Nolan Carroll, who handled slot cornerback duties in the Jacksonville game in Will Allen's absence, is in position to be supplanted by ex-Viking Benny Sapp, who was acquired Wednesday. Carroll was beaten on a short touchdown pass and a 24-yard reception and also was penalized for pass interference against the Jaguars.
• Sparano on Randy Starks' adjustment to nose tackle: ``In the last two weeks, I've seen Randy become much more comfortable and much more disruptive.''
• Jake Grove opened at center for the third consecutive practice. He and Joe Berger have been alternating series in their competition for the starting center job.
Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/08/25/1792530/competition-heats-up-at-miami.html#ixzz0xfyn4N9m
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Looking more and more like an opening day O-Line of:
Long - Incognito - Grove - Jerry - Carey
which I have no problems with.
I'm glad that Wake and Misi are essentially locked in at the starting spots. I'd really like to see Chris McCoy stick on the 53 man roster and get the Lionel Dotson treatment. I feel like he'd be plucked pretty quickly if he were placed on the practice squad.
Part of me wonders if we'll keep 6 CBs on the roster in Davis, Smith, Sapp, Carroll, and both Allens...guess we'll see. Thanks for sharing that; Barry Jackson's stuff is always pretty good. -
Man, Misi, Oddrick, and Jerry all holding down their spots and then some. What a draft.
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It seems they really want Grove to be the starting C. It makes sense not only b/c I think Grove is a little bit better but also b/c Berger is a better fit to fill-in anywhere along the line if needed.
I'd like McCoy for the last OLB spot. I haven't focused on him so I can't say how he's played, but I think he has the highest ceiling.
I'll guess Johnson at ILB, but I don't know what and how he's done on STs. -
the Orca Five for 2010:
Long-Incognito-Grove-Jerry-Carey
1) am pleasantly surprised that JJ is apparently making the transition to the NFL as a rookie
2) excellent depth to this Offensive Line
3) coupled w/ excellent coaching & major investments should pay big dividends this yearpadre31 likes this. -
This is helping me frame some of my expectations about how many linebacker positions we have on roster. Seems like nine is the number, five outsides and four insides.
I can't believe that IAF is a lock but he seems to be. The Dolphins will keep Misi and Wake, Anderson and IAF, and I believe the fifth should be Quentin Moses. Truthfully how I would present it would be I keep Misi and Wake, Anderson and Moses as their backups, and IAF as the fifth guy that is a project player and a STs player.
Sparano said specifically that we have a top three at the ILB positions and that the fourth guy has to be a STs player. I believe that will be Austin Spitler.
So that leaves Chris McCoy, Erik Walden, Micah Johnson and J.D. Folsom fending for practice squad positions. Well, not Walden. His time is unfortunately done.
If we're keeping 9 LBs though...wonder how many DBs and DLs. -
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I do not care what I read or hear about this 4 to 6 week crapola on his return. Yeah, maybe in 4 to 6 weeks the cast or whatever may come off or screw or whatever come out but that does not mean he is healed and ready to go. If forced to come back sooner then when he is fully healed, he has a chance to injure it a third time.
This is worse then a high ankle sprain and even with an bad high ankle sprain, 100% heal time could be two months. Too many times players are rushed back from high ankle sprains or broken foot only to be a disapointment when they actually have to play and its no fault of the player, it just was not time yet.
They may be forced to dress 8 lineman this year for games. Backup C, G and T
If they start Grove, the backup C and G is wrapped up in one player, Berger. They still have to dress a backup OT which would most likely be Murtha. Now, what happens to Donald Thomas ? Do they de activate him on game days or do they go ahead and dress 8 offensive lineman ? I believe Jake Grove is a better player then Berger. I notice on the majority of Bergers doublteams, he stands up straight in the air like a nice tall tree, thats not good if the double team was meant to drive a Dlineman into never never land.
Seen a glaring instance of this in last weeks game. Incognito and Berger had to doublteam somebody and Incognito was relatively low and Berger came high from the side and just slid off the guy. First thought it was the rain and slippery but saw it a few more times. When they brought Grove in, he stayed low with whichever guard he was doing the double team with and there was no problem.
Grove has a little bit better " swivel head " IMO also. Just an opinion of a fan here but, I honestly think they dress 8 Oline due to needing a G,C and OT as backups and I have no problem with that because Jerry, Incognito, Grove, Berger, Thomas or Proctor has not taken one snap at the OT position thru training camp. That leaves Murtha or Gardner and Murtha is the better of the two, not by much but still better slightly.gandalfin likes this. -
FWIW mommabilly, OmarK has Donald Thomas being used as trade bait.
Which makes sense, he is only a Guard, and Berger has that locked down in a backup role. -
Chris McCoy has been completely invisible in the preseason games... which is surprising to me. I wouldn't expect much from a 7th-rounder, but knowing how athletic that guy is, I'd expect to at least see something worth developing. He has shown nothing so far.
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DE - Odrick, Douglas
NT - Starks, Soliai
DE - Langford, McDaniel, Grant
WLB - Wake, Anderson
LB - Dansby, Spitler
LB - Crowder, Dobbins
SLB - Misi, Alama-Franics, Moses
CB - Smith, J. Allen
FS - Clemons, Jones
SS - Bell, Culver
CB - Davis, Sapp, Carroll, W. Allen
Gives you a total of 26. I'd almost rather keep one between IAF and Moses and let Chris McCoy get the "Lionel Dotson" treatment for 2010. Not sure what they'll do with Will Allen still on the mend, but that's my best shot at what it could look like. -
And Erik Walden will make the roster, he is a indifferent OLB but a core special teams player, to me that means Q Moses is in the pot. -
All of the rookies are performing about like I expected except for two. Those two are Jared Odrick and John Jerry. And they're surprising me with how WELL they're playing. I didn't expect Odrick to look so polished at the two-gap game so early, he's already got Phil Merling blown COMPLETELY out of the water. And soon, I believe he'll have Kendall Langford in his rearview mirror. He's set to get like 700-800 snaps which Kendall will not.
And I just expected John Jerry to take a redshirt year while he tones up his body but evidently he did that in one off season of workouts and he's looking the most advanced and technically sound of all the rookies out there.
So those two surprise me. Austin Spitler is doing about as well as I expected. He'll make the team. Chris McCoy is not standing out, nor did I expect him to, he'll not make the team and I never expected him to. Reshad Jones not doing more than I expected, or less. Well, maybe a little less because honestly I thought him a lock for the roster and not so sure now...but that has more to do with developments at other positions.
Of course should mention, A.J. Edds isn't performing at all as he's injured. -
I have a hard time letting Nate Ness and Ryan Baker just walk out the door. I'd be upset if they got poached.
On the other hand, I'm not sure why Reshad Jones really deserves a roster spot locked up when it's clear that he and Jon Amaya are about even right now, and if we were to cut both we could probably be all but guaranteed that one of them could make it to the practice squad where we could always bring them up in case of emergency.
And when you consider that Tyrone Culver can back up both safety spots, and Nate Ness and Jason Allen have safety experience...aero zeppelin likes this. -
To me it is a toss up decision and I can see merit in both courses of action. -
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Jones certainly needs work on his mental game, but he's got all the physical tools you want in a FS, hits like a truck, and is one of those guys who just makes plays. -
Jones has terrible range. And I mean terrible. On top of that he can't cover at all and takes pretty bad angles on the ball carrier.
Him and Amaya are about equal. Both should get cut and at try to be be placed on the PS. -
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I watched every snap of Spitler's against Tampa, closely, and I would vehemently disagree with the characterization that he "got engulfed". He had one major coverage miscue, that does not to me constitute "being lost in coverage". He's lightyears ahead of Cameron Wake in coverage, as a for instance. He just has some more work to do.
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I agree though he is way ahead of Wake who generally scares the crap out of me in coverage ........ just do not see much in terms of POA anchor, COD, ball awareness or much of anything out of Spitler...but we can agree to disagree.......
I am actually pretty disappointed in those picks that Parcels is "rumored" to have some personal interest in...Merling, Nalbone, Spitler, White,....not a great return on any of those guys in my hunmble opinion. -
I don't remember hearing Parcells took a personal interest in Merling.
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We can debate Spitler but still Nalbone has shown even less than White if that is possible and I do not really see any skill set in Nalbone that make you say..."oh yeah that's what he saw"...same for Spitler for me but you see something different and I respect your opinion, as for White...well KB has that one covered.................. -
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DE - Odrick, Douglas
NT - Starks, Soliai
DE - Langford, McDaniel, Grant
WLB - Wake, Anderson
LB - Dansby, Spitler
LB - Crowder, Dobbins
SLB - Misi, Alama-Franics
CB - Smith, J. Allen
FS - Clemons, Jones
SS - Bell, Culver
CB - Davis, Sapp, Carroll, W. Allen
Had to remove Moses, as i've considered him gone since last year .... and i'm still not sold on J Allen .... which leaves me at 25 -- i think J Allen is purely dependent upon W Allen's ability to play. Sapp can make up for him on STs .... -
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Seriously though, I agree with you. The guy can play corner, safety and is a core special teamer, playing on all coverage units. This regime has a chubby for position flexibility and the ability to, as Sparano puts it "do lots of jobs". Jason Allen is the prototype for a depth player.Bpk likes this.