As of July 30th, the wait is finally over as the Miami Dolphins walked onto the practice field for the beginning of training camp. This season's camp marks the third year for the Trifecta as Sparano, Ireland and Parcells hope for the "acorns" to fall into place.
In addition to mounting pressure from fans, management,coaches and the media, the Dolphins entered camp with many new faces while many of the familiar faces from past seasons have parted ways. As the Dolphins officially start training camp, the team finds itself with a few key questions going into the preseason.
1. Will Randy Starks make the adjustment to nose tackle?
Starks has six years of experience in the NFL and some familiarity with the position stemming from his days with the Tennesee Tians as Albert Haynesworth linemate. Starks has a similar build and body size to former nose tackle, Jason Ferguson, but had enjoyed much success playing defensive end in the Dolphins 3-4 defensive front.
Sparano and company envision Starks making the transition in a similar style to Dallas Cowboys' Pro Bowl defensive lineman, Jay Ratliff.
The decision to employ a hybrid 3-4 defense gives the Dolphins the same opportunity for success like the Denver Broncos had enjoyed under Nolan. Starks seemms to have been handling the transition well from the first few days of camp. If successful, he offers a combination of strength, athleticism, and size to disrupt the passer while clogging up the running lanes. In his assignments against offensive lineman such as Jake Grove, Joe Berger, and Donald Thomas, Starks quickly drew praise and recognition. Even Paul Soliai has been getting significant reptitions with the first team and has been consistently disruptive thus far. If Soliai can take some of the load from Starks, he could offer Nolan more flexibility in formations and line fronts.
2. Do the Dolphins have the pass rushers to take over for the departures of Joey Porter and Jason Taylor?
The Dolphins pass rush still features two familiar faces in camp, with both Charlie Anderson and Cameron Wake returning for another season. In 2009, Anderson and Wake both offered glimpses of their ability and potential with the limited action they were given during the season. In addition to this group, second round pick, Koa Misi looks to be a solid part of the rotation with 2008 holdover, Quentin Moses back for a third attempt to make his mark.
In training camp both Misi and Camerson Wake have taken the reps with the first team units while Charlie Anderson and special teams standout, Erik Walden started with the second team unit. However, one suprise in camp has been Ikaika Alama Francis, the Lions' former second round pick of 2007. When OTAs began Francis found himself listed as third or fourth on the depth chart as a defensive end. One day during OTAs linebackers coach, Bill Sheridan came to Sparano with the idea of experimenting with "Ike" shifting to linebacker to see if the move could offer more roster flexibility.
Four days into training camp and the former Hawaii standout and "Ike", as Tony Sparano nicknamed him, has pushed himself up the depth charts. Francis finds himself slimmed down from his 6-5 290 pound frame to a sleeker, 275 pounds at the atart of camp. In linebacker drills Francis has displayed the ability to drop back into coverage while offering more size in the linebacking corps. In just a short time, he has drawn praise from the coaching staff and may offer a stouter presence for stopping the run and coverage, should Wake not set himself apart from the pass rushing specialist label that was assigned to him.
From what I have seen, Cameron Wake and Misi have a dangerously quick first step to pair with a relentless motor that can make a offensive lineman's day a nightmare. Jake Long had even commented that Wake displayed a skill set similar to the Colts, Dwight Freeney, because of his ability to twist and bend to swim around blockers and get to the quarterback. Misi has had the task of challenging Jake Long and Vernon Carey in camp and has impressed coaches and teammates alike. He bulked up to 255 pounds and looks stronger than he did when he arrived to OTAs in the spring. If Misi, Wake , and Francis take the next step in their development, the Dolphins could have a nice group of outside linebackers to rotate and keep players fresh while offensive coordinators sweat their next move.
Charlie Anderson has not done much to stand out in camp thus far, but Erik Walden has been getting his reps ahead of Quentin Moses and 7th round pick, Chris McCoy, which threatens their chances of earning a spot on the 53 man roster.
3. Do the Dolphins have the talent at Free Safety to replace the disappointing Gibril Wilson?
From what I have seen in camp, Chris Clemons seems to still have a hold to the spot with the first team unit, but look for 5th round pick, Reshad Jones(former Georgia standout) to challenge for playing time and the opporunity to start. So far, Jones has had a pretty good camp with a couple near interceptions in the first few days, while intercepting a pass today and breaking up another play. The game seems to be slowing down for him and he looks to be getting a grasp on the intracacies of the defense as training camp moves forward. Clemons has been pretty quiet in camp both by not making any outstanding play while not getting beat deep in coverage. Clemons offers the defense more range and athletiscism for the position but he has not shown the ballhawking skills that has brought Reshad Jones all of his attention. In the end, it will come down to who offers the most upside by the conclusion of training camp.
4. Who will earn the trust of Sparano and Company for the two, open offensive guard spots in the starting lineup?
From the observattions made in training camp, the Dolphins have been mixing and matching the offensive line rotation in search of the best possible chemistry. The only apparent locks on the line seem to be tackles, Jake Long and Vernon Carey, while Jake Grove has to prove he can shake off the injury bug and the competition of backup center, Joe Berger.
Third round selection, John Jerry and free agent addition, Cory Procter have retained the first team spots as of now, but Donald Thomas and Richie Incognito are making the competition anything but easy. In all likelihood, John Jerry will probably earn his time as a rotational player unless he stuns coaches beyond their expectations. On day four of camp, Procter found himself with the second team, as the Dolphins continued to experiment with moving Donald Thomas to the open, left guard position. Richie Incognito has yet to start with the first team unit, but look for him to heat things up as camp progresses. Incognito is strictly a right guard and offers incredible strength and mean streak, which can be a bonus if he is able to avoid unnecessary penalties along the way.
With all the questions lingering as the Dolphins go through training camp, look for clarity as the exhibition games wrap up and roster cuts eliminate some of the longshots to make the team. One area of certainty has been the free agency splashes that brought Karlos Dansby and Brandon Marshall to the team. Both players have been consistent effort and a glimpse into the potential effects they could have on the team.
As the season gets closer and Madden 2011 prepares for launch, Dolphins fans have much to be excited about.
Keep posted as I will continue to update you on any moves, depth chart shifts and training camp observations from the next camp sessions.
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