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Thinking Ahead: Will Pat White return kicks for us?

Discussion in 'Miami Dolphins Forum' started by padre31, Jul 1, 2009.

Will Pat White return kicks for us this season?

Poll closed Jul 6, 2009.
  1. No, he's too valuable to risk injury returning kicks

    22 vote(s)
    52.4%
  2. Yes, we need a boost on Special Teams

    1 vote(s)
    2.4%
  3. Too early to tell,

    12 vote(s)
    28.6%
  4. Yes, and he may play some Wr as well.

    7 vote(s)
    16.7%
  1. padre31

    padre31 Premium Member Luxury Box

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    When Pat White was first drafted ST coach Bonamigo (Bono to HC Sparano) said "Now we have someone to return kicks" (paraphrased) so with Ginn showing a distaste for Kick Returns and Bess being unspectacular at punt returns, will P White be our kick returner in order to increase his value to the team?

    I think he might be simply because I cannot see Sparano and Ireland keeping him as only a 3rd Qb/Wildcat Qb.

    What say you?

    BTW, his interview is up on Aquavision, White is really soft spoken..
     
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  2. NolePhin

    NolePhin Look out for D-Bess

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    Im not sure, cause if he starts running the Wild Cat really well, I don't see them taking a risk and putting him back to return kicks. When you have a 3rd QB/Wild Cat QB back there, I can see teams wanting to take shots at him.
     
  3. TiP54

    TiP54 Bad Reputation

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    Why in the world?
    No.
    He is learning the QB system right now. The entire system. + the WC playbook, AND he has lined up at reciever. I am 100% that he will not be reutrning kicks or punts. He is fast and agile...but we got some fast and agile dudes who jobs are to do exactly that.
     
  4. padre31

    padre31 Premium Member Luxury Box

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    Because the way Sparano looks at the roster is we have no room for sole role specialists, if a player is not starting they are expected to play in other roles, specifically on special teams.

    Recall that is the reason why the left Wilford inactive for most of the season.

    That rule is so strict that even Wake had better be able to cover kicks and do a good job of it.

    Your keyobaord says "No" but you were thinking "yes"...:tongue2:


    I can see him returning kicks simply because he will be on the active roster for game days, he's not John Beck that is just declared inacitve for games and White will have to produce something worthwhile.

    P White is a fast dude, I doubt HC Sparano will allow him to sit on the sidelines and sip Gatoraid and chat with Chad Henne during the game..
     
  5. Stringer Bell

    Stringer Bell Post Hard, Post Often Club Member

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    Not sure you can have a rookie QB returning kicks. I think learning the playbook and such will not afford him the time he would need to put in practicing returns.
     
  6. the 23rd

    the 23rd a.k.a. Rio

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    Pat White is the starting QB for WildCat
    GinnJr is the kick return specialist
     
  7. padre31

    padre31 Premium Member Luxury Box

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    Last season, once Penny was the #1, and Henne the #2, Beck was relegated to NFL antartica, he got few if any snaps in practice and was deactivated for games as the #3 Qb, once the season begins the Qb's are sort of frozen in place.

    I can't see then having P White on the active roster and only running maybe 8 WC plays a game, even the kicker would see the field more.
     
  8. NolePhin

    NolePhin Look out for D-Bess

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    I still think Ginn would be the best returner we have. As far as Ginn showing a "distaste" for returning kicks, I don't think he has much say in that. If Sparano wants him returning kicks, that's what he will do. No one has to remind each other of how ridiculously fast Ginn is, he has the potential to break one every time he touches the ball.
     
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  9. Stringer Bell

    Stringer Bell Post Hard, Post Often Club Member

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    They had Henne on the active roster running 0 plays a game :tongue2:

    But if you recall, last year they took Ginn off return duties so he could focus on playing WR. So obviously they view the returner as someone who needs to put in the time working on it.

    I would think that White is in the same situation. He is a rookie QB in the NFL, I doubt they would have him working on returns at this stage of his career.
     
  10. late again

    late again Senior Member

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    At this point, I'm the sole cop out vote with "too early to tell".
    That said, it wouldn't surprise me at all.
    I know he was focusing on QB during the OTAs and I would expect him to get a lot more reps in under center during TC and preseason, but I can see him being asked to contribute elsewhere, as well. I don't think anyone really believes White is going to be a QB only, do they?
    Back ups are expected to contribute on special teams. White is much better suited to line up as KR/PR than anything else on STs so I could see it happening.
     
  11. anlgp

    anlgp ↑ ↑ ↓ ↓ ← → ← → B A

    The reason I think they will not have Pat White returning kicks is because kick returner is a dangerous job. You've basically got full grown men in pads running full speed trying to know the **** out of you at the other end.

    They've taken away the wedge this year IIRC and that makes it even more dangerous.

    I can see White at WR just not as a KR/PR.

    Also, if you do project White at WR at any point we've drafted 3 WRers...
     
  12. Stringer Bell

    Stringer Bell Post Hard, Post Often Club Member

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    I'm not sure where else he would line up. I would hope that if they planned on lining up at WR, they would have actually have him practicing as a WR instead of a QB.
     
  13. padre31

    padre31 Premium Member Luxury Box

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    Which is the point SB, does anyone really believe that Sparano and Ireland will have two gameday roster slots that won't play or play very few snaps?


    Plus, he was not very good at returning kicks last season, as in..P Cobbs was much much better then Mr. 4.2 "long speed" Ginn...


    I don't, something about how Sparano and Ireland love to squeeze performance out of players causes me to think he will see the field in all sorts of situations.

    Keep in mind, once the season starts, there are only so many reps to go around, Penny will receive the bulk of snaps, Henne enough reps to come into the game in an emergency, leaving P White to learn WildCat plays, and there will be only soo much time spent on those.
     
  14. padre31

    padre31 Premium Member Luxury Box

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    So far SB, right now they are correctly trying to train PW as a NFL Qb, sooner or later though, he will start showing up fielding punts and kick offs and running routes and even toss plays.
     
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  15. Stringer Bell

    Stringer Bell Post Hard, Post Often Club Member

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    I think its too early to assume Henne will be getting more reps than White.

    I still think that if White is going to be a returner, he will have to spend a good amount of practice. There haven't been any reports of White practicing as anything other than a QB thus far, so I have a hard time projecting it.
     
  16. Stringer Bell

    Stringer Bell Post Hard, Post Often Club Member

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    I'm not so sure about that...
     
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  17. MonstBlitz

    MonstBlitz Nobody's Fart Catcher

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    There are only bad scenarios, IMHO, that would result in Pat White returning kicks. If he demonstrates no ability whatsoever to be a backup QB, a wildcat QB, or a QB of any type in the NFL, then maybe they would throw him in as a kick returner just to recoup some value.

    So, I guess maybe it could happen, but only under scenarios that would mean Pat White was a bust for the reasons we drafted him.

    I don't like the sounds of that scenario.
     
  18. padre31

    padre31 Premium Member Luxury Box

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    Disagree MB, if there is one thing this regime does it is squeezing performance out of players, like Roth moving to OLB or Wilford moving to HBack, White fielding kicks does not mean he has failed at anything, that would be like saying T Ginn failed as KR so they made a Wr out of him.

    The alternative is we drafted P White to run the WC, he is not talented enough to do anything else and I don't believe that for a minute.
     
  19. padre31

    padre31 Premium Member Luxury Box

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    I like P White, Chad Henne is the #2 Qb, like Henne got the reps last TC over McCown and Beck, that is just how they do things.

    We don't know who did what behind closed doors at the OTA's though, we only saw what Sparano wanted to show us, in TC we will know soon enough.
     
  20. Stringer Bell

    Stringer Bell Post Hard, Post Often Club Member

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    Why did they take Ginn off returns? Because they wanted him to focus on being a WR.

    I don't think you have a rookie practice as a QB and have him work as a returner. Just my opinion though.
     
  21. Stringer Bell

    Stringer Bell Post Hard, Post Often Club Member

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    I think the better player is the one who will be the #2 QB. Too early to say who that is though. Henne has an advantage with a years experience, but so did John Beck last year. I don't believe for a second that this organization has just anointed Henne the QB of the future like many here have.
     
  22. padre31

    padre31 Premium Member Luxury Box

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    Not to burst the "Pat White is an NFL Qb bubble" but even Omar K said Beck looked better during last Yr's OTA's then White did during this year's OTA's.

    I'm certain they've done exactly that with Chad Henne SB, even Pennington knows it and has said as much during an interview...:sad:

    And I don't particularly care for Chad Henne, IMO he strikes me as an arrogant jerk.
     
  23. padre31

    padre31 Premium Member Luxury Box

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    Err...if you say so...could have been his affinity for running out of bounds as well..:lol:

    And it wasn't that the KR blocking unit was terrible Cobbs did well as the KR.


    As the season draws closer, Pennington and Henne will get the vast majority of the reps in the base offense, at least that is what happened last Training Camp, White will have the WC to run, and my theory is he also will return kicks because he is an explosive athlete.

    It would be tough to see Sparano concerning himself with White's psyche being injured because he is returing kicks instead of sitting on the sidelines sipping Gatoraid and being the 3rd string Qb, that just doesn't sound like Tony Sparano's way of doing things.
     
  24. Stringer Bell

    Stringer Bell Post Hard, Post Often Club Member

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    I don't think White will be a QB that can run an offense under center. He is going to operate out of the shotgun, most likely in a spread formation. So I think it may be too early to go off OTA reports, as they probably are running things don't fit his skill set.

    I don't have any issues with Henne, but once you start anointing players as the future, thats when you lose the team. Henne needs to earn it.
     
  25. Stringer Bell

    Stringer Bell Post Hard, Post Often Club Member

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    Its not about psyche, its about having enough time to work on what you need to work on. Trying to learn how to be a QB in the NFL takes up too much time to throw in learning to be an NFL returner. I doubt White is the 3rd string QB regardless, I foresee him taking 10-15 snaps per game as a QB.
     
  26. MonstBlitz

    MonstBlitz Nobody's Fart Catcher

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    I'll give you this regime is great at getting it's players to perform, but that doesn't necessarily have anything to do with having a valuable player perform multiple roles when there are others on the roster who can probably do it better.

    A QB returning kicks is a bit different than a defensive lineman moving to linebacker, IMO. And Wilford is a poor example since he is only trying Hback and only because he has completely and utterly failed as a WR (in Miami at least).
     
  27. TiP54

    TiP54 Bad Reputation

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    No.
    nonono.
    No.
     
  28. late again

    late again Senior Member

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    I know what you mean, bro.
    IMO, it's a big enigma.
    Paraphrasing some of the other things you mention in this thread:
    White needs time to learn the playbook in order to be effective at QB.
    He's probably not going to line up under center
    He would need time to learn routes etc in order to be effective at WR.
    I agree with all of this 100%. and that's why it's such a mystery to me what we're going to see out of this guy.
    I guess myself, I just have a hard time wrapping my head around seeing us draft someone in the 2nd round and then him only getting on the field for 10 or 12 plays.
    Maybe the plan is more long reaching. It may well be that we see him focus predominantly on learning WC QB this season and maybe in the future he learns to contribute at WR or RB or KR. Or..maybe I'm totally off base and he never does anything else. It might be that his contribution for those dozen or so plays is significant enough to justify his position as WC QB only.
     
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  29. NolePhin

    NolePhin Look out for D-Bess

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    Maybe they saw an athlete that can contribute to the team. They said they drafted him as a QB, whether thats completely true or not, just because they used a 2nd round pic on someone doesn't mean it was for him to make an impact immediately. Look at Chad Henne, he was a 2nd round pick, and he hasn't made an immediate impact.

    Just because we think Henne is DEFINITELY the future QB of the Dolphins doesn't mean thats what the FO is thinking. Thats why we're the fans and they're the coaches. We all trust this regime to get the job done, so lets just sit back and enjoy it.
     
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  30. Stringer Bell

    Stringer Bell Post Hard, Post Often Club Member

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    It certainly is somewhat of a mystery. Honestly wouldn't surprise me if we see White running a spread offense full-time in some games.
     
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  31. late again

    late again Senior Member

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    That's kind of an intriguing thought. It would sure keep defenses off balance.
    The whole idea of two QBs with significant playing time could screw with team unity, though. I think that's where a really strong coaching philosophy would come to bear. Y'know?
    I guess my thinking is it's one thing to view White as the "WC QB" and Henne (or Pennington) as the "starting QB"
    No prima donnas
    No stars
    We're in it to win it and do it as a team.
     
  32. padre31

    padre31 Premium Member Luxury Box

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    Hmm...maybe we will see a sort of WoodStrock situation?

    To me, "if" P white can Qb the spread/WildCat for a series, say the first series of the 2nd half, and if he does a good job of it he would be worth keeping under glass as it were.

    But my gut tells me Sparano doesn't role like that, "if" P White is a good enough Qb for that role and that much playing time, then why have Henne?
     
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  33. Stringer Bell

    Stringer Bell Post Hard, Post Often Club Member

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    Because nothing is guaranteed, especially with QBs.

    The chances of White or Henne becoming Pro Bowl caliber QBs is still a bit of a long-shot. When it comes to the QB position, you always have to be looking for talent, and hope that talent pans out.
     
  34. Agua

    Agua Reality: Try It!

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    I follow your rationale, but I find the likelihood of him becoming a returner only slightly less likely than him becoming the punter.
     
  35. padre31

    padre31 Premium Member Luxury Box

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    Don't laugh Aqua, but the quick kick is a play in the aresnal of the WildCat.
     
  36. Agua

    Agua Reality: Try It!

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    I've seen the quick kick, though not run out of a "wildcat". When pulled off, it can cause terrible confusion and, not infrequently, turnovers or, put another way, a fresh set of downs further down the field.
     
  37. padre31

    padre31 Premium Member Luxury Box

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    Well, if our coverage units are not good again this season, we could see the quick on some 3rd and 25 or something.
     
  38. 124

    124 Banned

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    How many positions is Pat White going to play?

    Can he play Right Guard too?
     
  39. NolePhin

    NolePhin Look out for D-Bess

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    The Dolphins should run the GT triple option with Pat, Ronnie, Ricky, Cobbs. There are multiple times on this high light video that I end up following the wrong guy.

    P.S. As a Seminole fan, I hate playing GT =(

    [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MliKm502Yyg"]YouTube - Salute to Georgia Tech Football 2008[/ame]
     
  40. FinsAreLife

    FinsAreLife Well-Known Member

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    They MIGHT try him out there but i honestly do not think he will end up returning kicks for us.
     

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