• Marques Douglas said the Dolphins assured him he will get significant playing time in a rotation at defensive end, and Douglas said he's expecting to start. But his competition, first-rounder Jared Odrick, opened camp with the first team. ``I led the NFL in tackles for defensive ends [with the Jets] last year,'' Douglas said. ``I think I'm the best.'' The Dolphins believe recent pickups Douglas and Charles Grant can help against the run, but Pro Football Focus rated Grant's 2009 play as second-worst among 73 defensive ends in a 4-3 defense. • Chad Pennington said his accuracy on deep balls isn't yet what it was before last September's shoulder injury, but there's little doubt he will be ready to step in if Chad Henne is injured . . . Biggest change with Henne? ``He's finding ways to soften'' his velocity ``when needed,'' Davone Bess said. . . . After past issues with conditioning, Paul Soliai lost 12 pounds, reported in shape (345) and has looked good. Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/07/...n-battles-are-taking-shape.html#ixzz0vMaeOlYS He may have been the best on the Jets but he will have to fight to get a job on the Dolphins. Its good to hear that Solai came into camp this year in shape and dedicated.
I'm all for confidence, but if Douglas wants to be a Dolphin, we're gonna have to beat some of that JETS out of him.
I think that Marques Douglas is a winning football player. He started on defenses that went to the AFC Championship Game two years in a row. I think he does things that go under-appreciated that help you win ball games, things that help his teammates do a better job in addition to the plays that he makes himself. One way or another I've now watched a lot of his 2009 season. First it was because I was specifically trying to key on him, and watch both his games against the Miami Dolphins so that I could view he and Phil Merling head-to-head and see what Douglas brings to the table versus what Merling brings to the table. Then I watched more because I was finding games of Charles Grant, including his game against the Jets since Grant is now in the AFC East, and I decided that I would watch the two (Marques Douglas and Charles Grant) head-to-head to see how they shake out against each other. Somewhere along the way a guy by the name of Marques Murrell caught my eye on the Jets and so I decided to take 15 minutes and watch his snaps against other teams, especially the Patriots where he got a fair number of reps. In all of these ventures, Marques Douglas stood out. He wasn't just a guy. He stood out. He gets off blocks and he makes plays. He reads the football as well as any defensive lineman could and should in a 3-4 defense, and he gets off the blocks and makes plays. He uses his low pad level to his advantage to hold up to power blocks whether from a single blocker or even from a double team, and it's really tough to make your blocks stick on him because he's excellent at finding the leverage and using his hands to get off the block. His biggest weakness is his frame. Even in pass rush, where he's definitely just a guy, he does little things that help teammates in their pass rush. He'll intentionally draw a double team, and try and lure them out to stretch the spacing and give other guys a chance at penetrating. He'll keep reading the play, and start steering toward a back that looks poised to leak out and be an outlet for a QB in trouble. When a QB gets in trouble and tries to escape the pocket in his direction, he can get off the block and get the QB down for a sack (which he did to Chad Henne once while being blocked by Jake Long). Unless Jared Odrick is a really gifted rookie, I can't help but think that Marques Douglas SHOULD start in the base 3-4 sets, where the run is as likely as the screen, which is as likely as the play-action pass, etc. You want his eyes on the field in situations where the playbook is open. And I think he would be a good player to have next to Cameron Wake because the worry on Wake is that he won't have the eyes to recognize plays and not get himself out of position, and so Marques Douglas can help make up for that a little bit. He can also do some little things that help Wake be a more effective pass rusher on some of those 3-4 downs.
Thanks CK. Good Info on Douglas but what did you think about Grant? Some of the best news I've heard so far in camp is that Soliai might be turning the corner. I'm anxiously awaiting more news on his progress.
