Camp Dolphins 2008: A New Beginning Brings Plenty Of Competition

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Camp Dolphins 2008: A New Beginning Brings Plenty Of Competition

July 25, 2008
   
By Andy Kent
Special for MiamiDolphins.com

Speculation now turns to realization for the Dolphins as they open training camp under yet a new regime and with a totally revamped roster.

Come Saturday morning, first-year Head Coach Tony Sparano will officially call to an end summer vacation for himself, his coaching staff and the 80 players on Miami's roster. More than half of the players on that roster (45 players) are new additions, so there are plenty of starting jobs up for grabs.

First and foremost, those players unfamiliar with how training camps were run under current Dolphins Executive Vice President of Football Operations Bill Parcells when he was a head coach are in for a rude awakening. Sparano considers Parcells his mentor, and though the team got a little taste of what to expect during OTAs and the mandatory mini-camp in June, the intensity will be turned up a few notches now.

"We want to come out of this thing a little bit battle-hardened," Sparano said Monday during his weekly appearance on WQAM's Dolphins Tonight radio show. "I mean I think we want to put our players in as many physical, competitive situations as we can during training camp. It won't be easy and I told the players that. Make no bones about it, it will not be an easy training camp. We need to bring these players into a competitive environment.

"We need to find out a lot of things and answer a bunch of questions that you can only answer when you have pads on, equipment on and you're putting them into those situations. I want it to be hard, and I've told them this, I want practices to be hard so that hopefully the games will be a little bit slower and a little bit easier for them."

Five guys who do know what to expect when they hit the field on Saturday are safety Keith Davis, cornerback Nate Jones, tight end Anthony Fasano, linebacker Akin Ayodele and nose tackle Jason Ferguson. All five played for the Dallas Cowboys last year when Sparano was the assistant head coach/offensive line coach.

Three of Sparano's assistant coaches – defensive coordinator Paul Pasqualoni, defensive line coach Kacy Rogers and assistant head coach/secondary coach Todd Bowles – were on Dallas' staff last year and quarterbacks coach David Lee was there from 2003-06, so there will be some familiarity with the drills and terminology for those five players. What will be different is the effect South Florida's heat and humidity will have compared to the conditions in Texas.

"It's a different place," said Davis, who is entering his sixth season in the NFL. "It's going to be the same grind and the same haul that I've always been used to, especially working under Bill and Tony and those guys. I know what to expect in training camp. I know what type of camp it's going to be; it's going to be long and it's going to be a grind but it's going to be a challenge and I think it's going to be a lot of fun."

Early on, all eyes – at least of the spectators on hand – will be on rookie left tackle Jake Long. The University of Michigan grad was selected by the Dolphins with the first overall pick of April's NFL Draft, and at the rookie mini-camp in May he was one of the players to make note of how hot it is out on the practice field. The temperatures in spring, when the humidity hasn't risen, are cooler than what Long and the others will face in late July and August.

"Definitely out here the heat, the weather is going to be crazy" Long said. "It's going to be two-a-days every other day and preseason games. It's going to be tough and a grind but we just have to push through it."

While Long's starting job is pretty secure, there will be stiff competition in just about every other position on the offensive and defensive side of the ball, as well as on special teams. That's the reality for a team coming off the type of season the Dolphins are coming off of, and here are seven of the key position battles expected to take place throughout camp:

Quarterback – When OTAs wrapped up in mid-June, Sparano characterized the competition among seventh-year veteran free agent Josh McCown, second-year man John Beck and rookie Chad Henne as relatively even.

Henne, the second-round pick (57th overall) out of Michigan, was given a chance to take some reps with the first team at the end of mini-camp and on the final OTA and exhibited significant improvement from how he looked in rookie mini-camp. Toughness in the pocket and natural football smarts were among the assets that stood out to Sparano, Parcells and first-year General Manager Jeff Ireland when they decided to go after him in the draft, and even though he is young, the plan is to give him every chance to compete for the starting job.

Beck was taken in the second round with the 40th overall pick of the 2007 NFL Draft out of Brigham Young University and was thrust into the starting job late last season after a season-ending injury to veteran Trent Green and some inconsistent play out of Cleo Lemon. He was supposed to be able to use that first year as a learning experience from the sidelines, and though he struggled in his four starts and five appearances, completing 60-of-107 passes for 559 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions, the soon-to-be 27-year-old didn't allow it to affect his confidence. He attacked the offseason with vigor and determination, throwing over 7,000 balls on his own and during offseason workouts, and quickly grasped the new offense during mini-camp and OTAs.

McCown has played with three other teams during his career – Arizona, Detroit and Oakland – and brings with him the experience of a veteran that is crucial to such a young team, especially at the quarterback position. At 6-4 and 215 pounds, the 29-year-old McCown also is blessed with athleticism, and has been relatively healthy as a professional, having completed 59.3 percent of his passes for 5,945 yards, 33 touchdowns and 29 interceptions in his 31 career starts. An offseason injury to the index finger on his throwing hand that required six stitches isn't expected to hold McCown back at the start of training camp, and while he is willing to help beck and Henne from a veteran's perspective, he has said he fully expects to be given a legitimate shot at the starting job.

Fullback – This should be one of the more intriguing battles over the next month as fourth-year veteran free agent Boomer Grigsby was brought in to compete with second-year fullback Reagan Mauia, who was the starting fullback as a rookie out of Hawaii last season.

Grigsby, 26, was a linebacker in high school, college and his first two years in the NFL before being converted to fullback last year with the Kansas City Chiefs. He has really excelled on special teams as the wedge buster, but during mini-camp and OTAs he showed good running ability and the knack for picking up the different blocking schemes required at his position.

Mauia, 23, began his college career on the defensive side of the ball as a 350-pound nose guard. The sixth-round draft pick has dropped almost 100 pounds since then and at 6-0, 260, had the ideal build of a fullback. He beat out 12-year veteran Cory Schlesinger for the starting job last year as a rookie and played in all 16 games, starting nine of them. He was the lead blocker for Ronnie Brown as Brown rushed for 100 yards in four consecutive games and carried the ball himself four times for five yards.

Tight end – Fasano was acquired along with Ferguson in a trade from Dallas to shore up the tight end position, and when he was originally drafted by Parcells in Dallas in the second round out of Notre Dame in 2006 he came with high expectations. But the emergence of Jason Witten for the Cowboys put the 24-year-old Fasano at a slight disadvantage. He still managed to 14 passes for 143 yards and a touchdown last year after catching 14 passes for 126 yards in 2006, and he will battle with David Martin, Justin Peele and Sean Ryan for the No. 1 spot.

Martin, 29, signed with the Dolphins as a free agent last year after spending his first six years with the Green Bay Packers catching passes from Brett Favre. The former sixth-round pick out of Tennessee showed glimpses of promise last season as he finished with 34 receptions for 303 yards and two touchdowns, both of them coming in the same game at the Cleveland Browns.

Peele, 29, stepped up his game in the latter part of the 2007 campaign and finished with 29 catches for 228 yards and two touchdowns. The 6-foot-4, 250-pounder played his college ball at Oregon and was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the sixth round of the 2002 NFL Draft.

The 28-year-old Ryan is another former Parcells prodigy who was drafted by the Cowboys in the fifth round of the 2004 NFL Draft. He was traded to the New York Jets in 2006 and caught nine passes for 90 yards in two seasons. At 6-5, 260, he fits the mold of the type of big tight end desired in Miami's offense.

Third wide receiver – With last year's first-round draft pick, Ted Ginn, Jr., and free agent acquisition Ernest Wilford the front-runners for the Nos. 1 and 2 receivers spots, returning veterans Derek Hagan and Greg Camarillo will be fighting it out with the likes of rookies Davone Bess, Jayson Foster, Justin Wynn, Selwyn Lymon and John Dunlap as well as fourth-year veteran free agent David Kircus.

Hagan, 23, is entering his third season out of Arizona State and the former third-round draft pick made a strong case for himself at the end of last season when he caught eight passes for 93 yards in his first NFL start at Buffalo on Dec. 9. He finished the season with 29 catches for 373 yards and two touchdowns.

Camarillo, 26, etched his name in Dolphins lore when he hauled in the game-winning touchdown pass from Cleo Lemon in overtime against the Baltimore Ravens on Dec. 16 and raced 64 yards into the end zone to lift Miami to a 22-16 victory, its only win of the season. Prior to that moment, Camarillo was mostly a special teams player, but he wound up catching eight passes for 160 yards and two touchdowns.

Bess and Foster were two of the speediest acquisitions during the offseason and Wynn, Lymon and Dunlap all showed promise during the spring, as did Kircus, who played three seasons with the Detroit Lions (2003-05) and one with the Denver Broncos (2006).

Offensive guard – Depending on which side veteran free agent Justin Smiley lines up, the right or left guard will be the focus of another intense battle during training camp among rookies Shawn Murphy and Donald Thomas and veterans Steve McKinney, Trey Darilek and Ikechuku Ndukwe.

Murphy, 25, has the genes, with his father Dale Murphy a former All-Star outfielder with the Atlanta Braves, and his attitude and ability to learn quickly has left a strong impression on Sparano and his staff, especially considering he didn't start playing guard until his senior year at Utah State.

Thomas, 22, didn't play organized football until his freshman year at UConn and is considered to have a big upside. His natural athleticism and size (6-4, 310) allowed him to excel for the Huskies and he was named first-team All Big East Conference in 2007.

McKinney, 32, is in his 11th season and is coming off of a knee injury so he was unable to do much during the spring. His younger brother, Seth, played for the Dolphins from 2002-06 and he also brings veteran leadership to what will be a young offensive line.

Ndukwe, 26, made the best impression during the offseason and is looking at this as his chance for him to prove he belongs as a starting offensive lineman in the NFL after bouncing between the practice squad and active roster for three different teams between 2005 and 2007 (New Orleans, Washington and Baltimore). He joined the Dolphins for the season finale against Cincinnati.

Darilek, 27, is in his fourth season and was a fourth-round draft choice of the Philadelphia Eagles in 2004. He was in Dallas' training camp last year but was released just before the season opener. At 6-5, 310, Darilek has the size to add bulk to any offensive line.

Outside linebacker – With the departure of six-time Pro Bowler and 2006 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Jason Taylor, the "Jack" position in Miami's 3-4 defense now becomes an open competition, with second-year converted defensive end Quentin Moses and free agent acquisition Charlie Anderson leading the way in the eyes of the coaching staff.

Anderson, 26, spent his first four seasons with the Houston Texans and had 24 tackles and two sacks last year in five starts for Houston. At 6-4, 250, he is two inches shorter than Taylor but a little heavier and was on Sparano's and Ireland's radar early on during the free agency.

Moses, 24, was a third-round draft choice of the Oakland Raiders last year but never caught on and was waived before the season started. The former Georgia Bulldog was picked up by Arizona and then waived by the Cardinals on Oct. 16, when the Dolphins claimed him. Moses was appeared in seven games for Miami and recorded eight tackles and 1.5 sacks, and during the spring he impressed Sparano, as did Anderson.

"This whole thing has been about competition and opportunity, and here comes Charlie Anderson, a guy that we sign as a free agent in the offseason, and he has a great opportunity in front of him and he's willing to go out there and compete, he always has been," Sparano said. "Whether Jason was here or not, Charlie Anderson was coming in here to compete. And then Quentin Moses, a young player on this team that is an up-and-coming guy that we're really excited about watching compete as well, he has an opportunity. So this gives us a chance to see some of these guys, and really it's why we brought them in here."

Defensive end – Long-time veterans Ferguson and Vonnie Holliday are expected to be the anchors up front on Miami's defense, but the other defensive end opposite Holliday is going to be the center of a very heated competition among rookies Philip Merling, Kendall Langford and Lionel Dotson and veterans Matt Roth, Randy Starks, Rodrique Wright and Paul Soliai.

Merling was projected to be a first-round draft pick out of Clemson before questions about his sports hernia injury caused his stock to drop a bit, and Langford was a hidden talent at the Division I-AA level at Hampton University. But at 6-6, 290, Langford showed enough on film and to the scouts at the Senior Bowl to be considered a steal by the Dolphins brass.

Dotson was taken in the seventh round out of Arizona and also had injury concerns, but his 6-4, 290-pound frame is deemed suitable for that pass rushing end position, while Roth has been up and down during his three-year career with the Dolphins. He is 6-4, 275 but had some difficulty with bigger offensive linemen in the past, while Starks has recorded 10.5 sacks in minimum action over four NFL seasons with Tennessee.

Wright, who turns 24 next Thursday, missed his entire rookie season after undergoing shoulder surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff after starring at Texas for the national champion Longhorns. When Holliday went down with an ankle injury against Oakland last Sept. 30, Wright filled in and wound up starting nine games. He finished the season with 37 tackles, 1.5 sacks, one pass defensed and a fumble recovery.