Dolphins In Depth

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As one of my followers on twitter wrote earlier today, July is going to be a "loooong month," until the Dolphins report for the opening of training camp Aug. 1.

The first day in pads will be Aug. 2 and the Dolphins will hit the field with two practices that day. But coach Tony Sparano obviously is not intent on seeing his players wilt, as the team will practice twice a day only two times the first eight days of camp, with the eighth day a time for rest.

Don Shula worked his team in three-a-day practices his first year. Not saying that's what Sparano should do but that should give you some historical perspective.

So below is the schedule. The pratices are open to the public with capacity for 2,000 folks to watch. There is no admission charge, meaning it is free. Practices will be closed after Aug. 22.

 

 Date                           Morning                                                         Afternoon

 Aug.    1   Sat.                                    PLAYERS REPORT TO CAMP

Aug.    2   Sun.           9:00 a.m.                                                         5:00 p.m.

Aug.    3   Mon.                                                                                 2:00 p.m.

Aug.    4   Tues.          9:00 a.m.                                

Aug.    5   Wed.                                                                               2:00 p.m.                                            

Aug.    6   Thurs.        9:00 a.m.                                                         5:00 p.m.

Aug.    7   Fri  .                                                                                   2:00 p.m.                                

Aug.    8   Sat .                                                                                   2:00 p.m.                    

Aug.    9   Sun.                                               PLAYERS OFF

 Aug. 10   Mon.          9:00 a.m.                                                         5:00 p.m.

Aug. 11   Tues.                                                                                  2:00 p.m.

Aug. 12   Wed.         9:00 a.m.                                                                    

Aug. 13   Thurs.                                                                                2:00 p.m.        

Aug.  14   Fri.             9:00 a.m.                                                         5:00 p.m.                                

Aug. 15   Sat.            10:15 a.m.                                                                      

Aug. 17   Mon.          DOLPHINS VS. JAGUARS AT LAND SHARK STADIUM, 7:30 P.M. (EDT), WFOR-TV         

Aug. 18   Tues.          PLAYERS OFF

 Aug. 19   Wed.         9:00 a.m.                                                         5:00 p.m.

Aug. 20   Thurs.        9:00 a.m.                                                         5:00 p.m.

Aug. 22   Sat.            DOLPHINS VS. PANTHERS AT LAND SHARK STADIUM, 7:30 P.M. (EDT), WFOR-TV      

Searching for diverse ownership [Updated]

On April 16th, hours before Dolphins owner Stephen Ross declined to answer a direct question from me regarding the possible inclusion of Jimmy Buffett and Emilio Estefan in his team's plans for 2009, I posted a blog item that included the following sentence:

"Singer Jimmy Buffett, a Key West resident, and Miami Sound Machine founder Emilio Estefan are among the entertainment people Ross has discussed including in his ownership group."

Today we know that Ross has indeed invited Buffett to join the Dolphins as a minority stakes owner and, although no concrete deal has come of that invitation, the men have forged a relationship that includes a temporary naming rights deal for Land Shark Stadium.

And on Thursday morning Ross is expected to announce Estefan and his wife, Gloria Estefan -- founding members of Miami Sound Machine and respected music moguls -- are joining the team, so to speak, as minority stake owners.

So what's the point of this aside from me tooting my own horn? To give you perspective for what now follows.

Ross continues to search for more so-called stars that might join his group and might add to the diverse nature of the Dolphins' appeal to fans. Ross has also reached out to musician and member of the songwriter Hall of Fame John Francis Bongiovi Jr, more commonly known to fans of rock music as Jon Bon Jovi.

Aside from having sold 120 million albums worldwide, Bon Jovi is known for his love of football. He is owner of an Arena League team in Philadelphia and is quite friendly with New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick.

Ross has not been able to convince Bon Jovi to invest in the Dolphins, according to a source. But that can always change and one shouldn't discount Ross continuing his efforts. Also do not be surprised when, not if, Ross finds a black partner to join his ownership group.

I'm told Ross has reached out to at least one "rap artist of considerable wealth," as he's trying to round out the diverse nature of his group and team's appeal. It also wouldn't surprise if Ross approaches some black former athlete such as Alonzo Mourning about buying a stake in the Dolphins. 

South Florida is a melting pot consisting primarily of Anglo, Hispanic, and black non-Hispanic people. Dolphins fans may all bleed aqua and orange, but their faces span the rainbow of colors and their ethnicities, religions and backgrounds cover much of the spectrum of humanity.

[Update: At the press conference that ended around 11:05 a.m., Ross said, "I want to bring ownership to this team that represents the community."]

And today's expected announcement with the Estefans is, in part, just one step in that attempt.

[Twitter update: I appreciate the 500 or so of you who are now following me on Twitter over there on the left hand column of this blog. My updates post there and you can get them on your phone. If you have not signed up to follow me yet, please do so. This will be extremely valuable during training camp when I give you real time updates of what's happening throughout the day. Yes, it's extreme, but most Dolphins fans are pretty extreme. So follow me at twitter.com/armandosalguero]

Vontae Davis story smells of identity theft

The Dolphins are conducting an investigation into the fake Vontae Davis arrest now as the team tries to get to the bottom of what actually happened in this bizarre episode that smells of mistaken or stolen identity.

For the record, Davis contends he was absolutely, positively not arrested in Champaign, Ill., on June 9 despite police reports that someone with that name and giving the address of Davis's grandmother was arrested for vehicular noise and not having a valid license.

Davis has sworn to the team it wasn't him. And the club, which keeps attendence of OTA and weight lifting attendance by players, believes Davis was in South Florida for that work that day. Secondary coach Todd Bowles knows Davis worked at camp that day and the weight lifting coaches also have vouched that he was present.

Davis left the facility around 3:30 p.m. (EDT) and the only way he might have been in Illinois at the time of 6:40 p.m. arrest, the team believes, is if he had chartered a jet to get there ...

... and back, because he was at work at 7 a.m. on June 10.

Davis, meanwhile, has spoken with the team and asked point-blank to tell the truth. Some folks in Miami still remember that Alfred Oglesby once claimed to be kidnapped and taken out to the Everglades when he failed to show up for practice one day. Oglesby had actually been at a strip club the night before and had overslept the next morning so he fabricated the entire tale, which of course, fell apart when he was informed authorities look unkindly on false police reports.

Davis's story has been consistent that he was not arrested. He also is giving that version on his blog.

"The only explanation I have is that my wallet was stolen while I was still in school and someone might be impersonating me," Davis said.

"During the time I was "supposedly arrested," I was actually here in Florida at OTA's. I am fully dedicated to my football career and learning the playbook so that I can be affective this season. As I said before, I am very thankful to be a part of the Miami Dolphins and I do not want to do anything that would bring any negative publicity to me or the team."

So I think it's fair to believe Davis.

[Twitter update: I appreciate the 500 or so of you who are now following me on Twitter.com and over there on the left hand column of this blog. My updates post there and you can get them on your phone. If you have not signed up to follow me yet, please do so. This will be extremely valuable during training camp when I give you real time updates of what's happening throughout the day. Yes, it's extreme, but most Dolphins fans are pretty extreme. So follow me at twitter.com/armandosalguero]

 

The Dolphins' most competitive positions

One sure mark of a good team is its record. Another sign of a good team before the wins and losses start getting hung in the standings is the level of competition for jobs.

The Dolphins coaching staff will have some tough decisions picking starters and filling roster spots when training camp begins. And that's a really good thing.

Three positions in particular stand out as offering coach Tony Sparano some difficult choices based on an abundance of good players vying for spots: Cornerback. Outside linebacker. Wide Receiver.

At the cornerback spot the Dolphins must find a starter opposite Will Allen. The candidates are Eric Green, whom you read about in a previous post, and rookies Sean Smith and Vontae Davis. One of these three guys should be the starter.

But none of these three guys has distinguished himself enough in the offseason to be called the favorite for the job. It is wide open.

“None of them have really stood out to me as consistent or inconsistent at this time," Sparano said during the team's minicamp. "Watching the three of them, they have all had opportunities to make plays. They have not made all the plays that were presented. They made some of them. They have gotten beat in some situations. I guess that is probably a good problem. A little give and take that way. Nobody has really jumped out to me as of yet.”

Frankly, that's bad news for Green. He is the veteran and the most experienced of the group. But if he is running about even with rookies in the race for the starting job at this point, it tells me he's going to fall behind once the rookies start getting comfortable with the speed of the game and the new techniques they're learning.

A tie also should probably go to the younger player because he's got more upside potential, in my opinion. Also interesting in the competition is that Davis has not been appreciably better than Smith even though he was taken one round ahead of his rookie teammate. In fact, in many practices, Smith has flashed more than Davis.

The wide receiver position will offer a certain amount of drama because the Dolphins have a lot of bodies competing for five job, perhaps six if one of those players is a extraordinary special teams contributor.

It is clear Ted Ginn Jr. is on the team. The OTAs and minicamp also proved Greg Camarillo continues to be the most technically sound receiver on the roster. So those two are safe. Davone Bess is likely on the roster, also.

And it seems unlikely the Dolphins will simply give up on draft picks Patrick Turner and Brian Hartline after one training camp looksee. I predict the youngsters will get the benefit of the doubt unless they totally collapse by dropping passes or becoming problem children. And neither has given even a hint of that being a possibility.

So those two guys probably have spots on the roster. That's five guys, people.

And we haven't even discussed Anthony Armstrong and Brandon London and Ernest Wilford. My take? Wilford isn't making this team. I know it would cost a bundle to cut him. I know he's not easy to trade. But unless he steps up his game a couple of notches, he's simply not one of the best five guys.

His hands still aren't reliable. He doesn't have explosion off the line of scrimmage.

Armstrong offers intriguing speed. He has made plays in the offseason. He's got to show it in pads and in games. London is a better special teams player than anything else. He's working to get open quicker and get his head around quicker, but it's a process and time for him is short.

 “One of the challenges for any of the receivers, Brandon included, is that it is a position right now where some hard decisions are going to have to be made," Sparano said. "I think that reps and opportunities are really the biggest challenge, meaning the opportunities that you have, you have to make plays, you need to really make these plays. Not every ball goes to you every time you are out there. That’s just the way it works. Especially at that position. The number of opportunities that he gets when his number is called…He needs to make those plays."

The Dolphins expect more plays out of the outside linebacker spot this year because Matt Roth isn't hurt and has one year's experience at the postion. Jason Taylor has also been added to the mix, as has Cameron Wake to improve the pass-rush.

The club will carry either five or six OLBs. Roth is on the team as is Joey Porter. Taylor seems to be on the team, assuming he shows some of the old skills in preseason. Wake is going to have to play special teams but he seems like a project that makes the team. Charlie Anderson was on the team last year and is a special teams staple.

That's five right there. It'll be a great uphill battle for all those guys. It'll be a Mount Everest climb for everyone else.

"Bottom line is if that position doesn’t get to the quarterback or doesn’t set the edge of the defense to stop the run, then they aren’t doing their job," Sparano said. "If the ball is getting outside on us, it is usually a result of not setting the edge on defense and if you are not getting pressure on the passer with those people as your pass rushers, you got a little bit of a problem. When you put pads on, you will have a pretty good idea, but as of right now, I like the possibilities. There are a lot of combinations out there in several of our packages that can be used to help us get better rushers on the field.”

Competition -- it's a wonderful thing.

[BLOG NOTE: I keep telling you I'm on vacation but as you've seen, I'm still updating the blog. Don't lose the habit of coming here. And if you want even more frequent updates while I'm away, follow me on Twitter. The way to do that is by clicking over there on the left of the screen under Twitter or simply go to twitter.com and search for Armando Salguero. I appreciate you guys following and it will be very much worth your while once training camp opens.] 

Salguero on radio 9 a.m. to noon Saturday

My first week of vacation has come and gone so I guess it's a good time to work ... on the radio, at least.

I will be on the box Saturday morning so if you want to torture your ears, feel free to listen. If you want to torture me, you can actually take part in the show.

I should warn you, the early part of the show will center on the Yankees vs. Marlins baseball series here in South Florida. But you know the Dolphins are always on my mind, so I'll be more than glad to talk to you about your favorite NFL team.

You can listen if you're in South Florida as 790 The Ticket is on 790-AM on your dial. You can also listen if you're nowhere near South Florida. Just click on 790theticket.com. And as always, you can call in toll free from anywhere in the United States at 1-888-790-3776.

Man to man coverage of Eric Green

I had the opportunity to speak with Dolphins cornerback Eric Green in a manner any cornerback would welcome -- one on one -- during a break in last weekend's mandatory minicamp.

I came away impressed that this guy has a solid head on his shoulders and isn't much for sugarcoating truth. He has struggled at times this offseason, particularly on deep sideline passes, but he has nonetheless been the guy running with the first-team most of the offseason.

Here's our cornerback to dorky reporter man to man:

Q. How do you think you're doing so far?

A. "It's been a little shaky. Up and down. But for the most part I think I'm doing pretty well. I have to be a little more consistent from one practice to the next. But as far as scheme and learning the system, I have that down pretty pat."

Q. What happened in Arizona?

A. "The past is behind me but the thing that happened there is I had an injury, against the Dolphins actually, in Week 2. And I tried to play through it but I was playing at 70 percent -- 65 to 70 percent -- and I hurt myself more than helped myself going through that. It got to the point where it was so bad I had to sit out and a young guy came in. He had a lot of talent and, being a great athlete, he made plays. And once that happened, I don't care who you are, you can't bring the old guy back in. And he helped us make it to the Super Bowl."

Q. Did you hurt your reputation by playing injured?

A. "I know I did. I know I hurt myself. In this league it's too hard to not play at 100 percent when you're at corner. You got guys who can run and are blazers out there and can make plays and corner is tough enough a position to play as it is. Doing it at 70 percent is almost impossible to do."

Q. How much of your struggles on the field were due to your injury?

A. "Besides one game, 100 percent of it. And that was the Jets. That was more of a mental breakdown. We came out from the west coast and stayed out in D.C. when we were playing the Jets and Redskins. And I think everybody, not only myself, we all got out of our daily routine as far as film study, taking care of your body, doing that. It was just way out of routine for everybody and it was more of a team mental breakdown, so that's what happened."

Q. So what do you take away from the Arizona experience?

A. "To be part of an organization out in Arizona, it was great, they helped me and my family tremendously. But to put in so much work and be thrown aside ... especially in the playoffs where I didn't dress for one playoff game ... I was really upset about that. It hurt and I kind of lost respect for certain people. That's behind me but I have something to prove because we made it to the playoffs and Super Bowl -- an NFL player's dream -- and I wasn't part of it. On paper I was part of it, but in my heart, deep down inside I felt I wasn't part of it. I really feel like I have something to prove because a lot of people, even here, question, 'What happened to Eric Green? What happened to the Eric that played in the '07 season and then what happened in '08?' To not make excuses, I have to go back out and show people what I can do. Point blank."

Q. So do you feel comfortable here?

A. "Trust me, even if I wanted to relax here, I doubt I could, otherwise I'd probably be out of here if I did. There's nothing [sewn] up. Everybody's saying the young guys are coming in and starting or that I'm starting ahead of the young guys. Trust me, there are no starting positions just yet. Until that first game against Atlanta, that will tell who the starter is."

Q. But you're starting now ...

A. "I'm a veteran guy who has experience in this league and does know what to expect in this league. I think that's why I'm lined up as a starter right now. But I still have to come out here and compete and make plays and if I don't do that, I won't be."

Q. What do you think of your new team?

A. "I look at the roster, I look at practice, I look at the way guys work and coaches coach and, I'm not saying this because I'm part of this team, but we have if not more, just as much talent as we had with the Cardinals."

[BLOG NOTE: I will be updating the blog even while on vacation. I can't stay away from you, darnit! But for more frequent updates, you should begin to follow me on Twitter. Go to twitter.com/armandosalguero and join the legions (40 or so folks) already getting the latest news, insights, news, analysis, news, and opinion, on the Dolphins available anywhere. Yeah, I said it.]

Armando Salguero is now on Twitter

Yeah, I'm officially on vacation as of Monday. Didn't think that would keep me from posting to the blog did you?

Actually, this is not an actual Dolphins post. I will have one of those coming Tuesday or Wednesday about a conversation I had with one of the defense's newsest starters -- assuming he can keep his job coming out of training camp.

This post is to simply tell you that I am now on Twitter. You can follow me by heading over to twitter.com and looking for me. My username is ArmandoSalguero. Pretty innovative, huh? Took me a long time to come up with that username.

Anyway, as we speak I have four (4) whole followers. The goal is to get every single Dolphins fans with a computer following me, and thereby the team. I promise not to bore you with stupid "tweets" such as "I'm driving to training camp now."

That's ridiculous. You want news. Analysis. Opinion. And more news.

And that's what I aim to give you. So that's it's for now. And I'll tweet you when the post I promised you is up.

Minicamp over, next up ... August training camp

The Dolphins have completed what coach Tony Sparano called an "excellent minicamp" with a morning practice Sunday.

During this camp the team covered repetitions in the red area, inside the tight red area (10-yard line), third-down packages on offense, sub packages on defense, and coming-out work from the two-yard line. Out of all that work, the only work Sparano wasn't happy with was the red area work.

"Didn't feel tremendous about that,"  Sparano said. The team has one more OTA session on Wednesday (closed to the media) and will address the red area issues again then.

I asked Sparano if any of the three guys who missed the minicamp with injuries -- G Andy Alleman, TE David Martin and G Donald Thomas -- would not be ready for the start of training camp. "I have no timetable on it at this time," he responded.

Sounds like guarded coachspeak to me. I get the feeling if all three were expected back for the start of training camp Aug. 1, Sparano would have probably just said that. So don't be surprised if one or more of these guys is not ready to go for the first day in pads.

The rookies will remain around the training facility through July, lifting and getting in some film work on their own, according to cornerback Vontae Davis.

Speaking of work on their own, you probably know quarterback Chad Pennington worked with his receivers twice a week this Spring inside the Nick Saban Memorial Bubble (NSMB) to help get everyone on the same page. Pennington, brilliant on the field and off, gave excellent insight into the areas some of his receivers are trying to improve upon.

On Anthony Armstrong: "I think his offseason work that he put in from March 30 until May 18, with the bubble work that we did two days a week, you can really tell the difference in his route-running from a year ago until now. He understands his speed is his weapon but only when he uses it appropriately. He can't just outrun everybody. He has to have proper technique getting off the jam and getting good, clean releases and he's done a really good job this spring of working on his releases so now he can use his speed. Otherwise the cornerbacks are good enough to wall him to the outside and not let him use his speed and now he's ineffective."

On Ted Ginn Jr.: "He's on a similar track as Anthony Armstrong is on. Because of his offseason work he's done in the weight room and the work we've done in the bubble, his confidence level is really up right now. He's another guy that's understanding how to use his spped effectively. He's understanding his body position is really important and then his speed comes next because no one can run with him."

And then came this insight that should help you understand why Pennington and Ginn weren't a good match last year but might become one. Pennington is not a strong-armed guy while Ginn has been the type of receiver who gets open, but usually it happens waaaay downfield.

So this Spring Ginn has been working on getting open earlier.

"He'll outrun every quarterback's arm, it doesn't matter who it is. If you're getting open 50 yards down the field, John Elway can't get it to you. But if he's getting open 15-20 yards down the field, then we can put the ball up early and let you go run and get it."

On Brandon London: "What I think he's worked on and is doing a good job is getting in and out of his breaks faster. As a a taller guy, it's harder for the taller guys to get in and out of breaks as opposed to the Davone Bess types, who are shorter in stature and have the quicks and agility. He's worked hard this offseason to get in and out of his breaks and get his head around and making plays. Anytime you can have a guy that's that physical and can get in and out of breaks and get open ... you have a very valuable asset."

So what has Pennington worked on for himself?

"Number one, I got to stay healthy. When I stay healthy, I give my team a pretty good chance to win. History has proven things go pretty well when I stay healthy. Number two, is putting two consistent years back to back. And building on this offense, it's my tenth year, but it's my tenth month in the offense so every day I'm learning something new and everyday I'm figuring something out.

"It's not just knowing what we're doing now. It's knowing why we're doing it and how to do it better and how to do my job better."

Some observations from today's practice:

*Joe Berger, who is expected to be the team's second-team center, took some snaps at right guard with the starting unit. The right guard spot continues to be a hole on the offensive line. The club has used no less than four players in the spot with the starting unit this offseason. And that's with prospective starter Donald Thomas not being one of them. I know Sparano has said he's not concerned about the position. Didn't he also say he was happy with the OLBs and pass-rushers on the roster before the team signed Jason Taylor?

*TE John Nalbone needs to get in front of a jugs gun and catch 100 passes a day between now and training camp because I've seen him drop too many routine passes this offseason. He whiffed on another one in the end zone Sunday.

*The base first-team secondary during the final minicamp practice: CB Eric Green, CB Will Allen, SS Yeremiah Bell, FS Gibril Wilson.

*The base second-team secondary during the final minicamp practice: CB Vontae Davis, CB Sean Smith, FS Chris Clemons, SS Tyrone Culver.

*Salguero prediction: All eight guys make the roster along with Jason Allen and Nathan Jones.

*Sparano continues to include WR as a "position where hard decisions will have to be made." Not looking too difficult to me. I see Ted Ginn Jr., Greg Camarillo, Davone Bess, Brian Hartline, and Patrick Turner on the team. That leaves room for maybe one more guy. Today that guy would be Armstrong, but we'll see what happens when the pads come on.

*Pat White returned to third-string QB duties today and didn't seem as wild high as he's been the previous two days.

*Pennington on his sister's wedding, which he attended Saturday before returning to practice Sunday: "She's on her own now. Can't help her."

*Football Czar Bill Parcells, who rarely misses a practice, was not present at practice Sunday. Word is he's back at his summer home in Saratoga, N.Y.

[RADIO NOTE: I'll be on the air between 4:30 and 7 p.m. today on 790 The Ticket. That's 790theticket.com in case you want to listen to the streaming live broadcast. If you want to call in with a question or comment the toll free number from anywhere in the universe is 1-888-790-3776.]

Saturday's second practice in the NSMB

Inside the Nick Saban Memorial Bubble (NSMB) for the second consecutive afternoon workout, the Dolphins offense once again made the bomb down the left sideline seem like it's a staple of the offense.

Except that rather than Anthony Armstrong or Ted Ginn Jr. getting by (usually) cornerback Eric Green, this time it was running back Ronnie Brown running behind the cornerback. That's great for Brown. And not so great for Green.

Brown had lined up wide and just streaked down the sideline before making the finger-tip grab just as he crossed the goal line. Touchdown Dolphins!

And for those of you familiar with Dolphins radio calls, "Touchdown Dolphins, against them!"

Other notable observations from the afternoon practice:

The team worked kick coverage again this afternoon and I was just blown away by how fast Cameron Wake can run. He got down that field as quickly as a couple of defensive backs. No exaggeration here. He was flying! And he'll have to play special teams to earn his keep, at least initially, if Jason Taylor is playing ahead of him in passing downs.

Chris Clemons, by the way, also looks like a special teams beast in the making, assuming he's a hitter (which is his reputation) once the pads go on.

Will Allen has been impressive in the manner he's taken some of the young corners -- particularly Vontae Davis -- under his wings. With Allen on the sideline and Davis in the game, you could hear Allen telling Davis what to do.

"Press, press, press, Vontae," Allen implored.

And then, "Now, come off."

Davis followed orders and showed good coverage.

Joey Thomas had a highlight interception and started high-stepping as he returned the pick, but I looked over to Bill Parcells, who was watching the action, and he didn't seem too pleased with the showboating. Note to Thomas: Intercept the ball, score the ball, don't celebrate on the way to scoring until you know you're definitely on the team.

Jason Allen also had a good afternoon in the NSMB. The more I think about it, the more I think this kid will make the team. Won't be a starter as you've read from other outlets. But he should be on the team unless his game collapses in the preseason or training camp.

Finally, my column for The Herald Sunday is right here. In it, I make the point that the Dolphins are much better today than they were a year ago at this point. I give you reasons why that is true. But I'm not so sure that will translate to a better W-L record in 2009.

Read the column (please) and tell me what you think. Agree? Think I'm crazy?  

[BLOG AND RADIO NOTE: We'll finish up minicamp with a Sunday morning practice. I'll update following the practice and then be on the radio 4:30-7 p.m. on 790 The Ticket here in So. Fla. If you're not in paradise, you can listen live at 790theticket.com. You can also call in toll free from anywhere in the country at 1-888-790-3776. And yeah, I'll be talking Dolphins.]

Saturday morning minicamp practice review

Chad Pennington missed today's practice because he is attending his sister's wedding, according to a team spokesman.

So Chad Henne took the first-team snaps while Pat White took the second-team snaps.

Henne was alright during his work -- not spectacular but not terrible. White was bad for the second consecutive morning practice. His throws sailed and were seldom accurate. As 790 The Ticket program director and afternoon show host Steve White said, "He's giving a new meaning to WildPat."

White was wild high most of the practice. On one throw, he hit the golf cart carry Dolphins football czar Bill Parcells. The cart was parked five yards behind the end zone. Parcells realized he was in the line of fire and moved the cart.

As he was coming off the field Parcells looked at the media gathered on the edge of the field and said to everyone, "Piranha swimming freely, I see."

Chomp!

One thing I've been saying and will continue repeating until somebody listens: These OTAs and minicamps are learning tools. This is not football. This is no time to judge White one way or another. It's not great he's struggling, but it's not the end of the world. We'll see what this kid is really about when training camp opens and scrimmages and preseason games are played.

Not until then.

Anyway, the Dolphins worked in a handful of Wildcat plays into the practice, with Ronnie Brown as triggerman. Pat White was in the package. Patrick Cobbs scored twice from 20 yards out. Not telling you how, specifically, the plays unfolded because that is breaking a team trust, but it was good stuff.

The Dolphins worked on a lot of red zone,  tight red zone and minus-2-yard line situations. That means the offense started drives at the 2 yard line for the minus-2 situations. Coach Tony Sparano said the fact Pennington missed the day worked out perfectly because Henne has not had much experience getting out of such bad field position.

On the red zone work, the quarterbacks must follow some very simple rules: No sacks. No turnovers. No penalties. No "exotic snap counts," Sparano said.

The Dolphins had a period in which they ran the offense in check-with-me drills. In those drills, the quarterback has two plays in the huddle and must pick the right one based on what he sees at the line of scrimmage.

"They did a great job," Sparano said, adding, "There were no bad decisions."

But the coach was honest, saying that although the decisions were good, the execution of the play was not always good. 

Paul Soliai continues to get lots of work as a first-team nose tackle even though Jason Ferguson is not injured. The kid can use the work so this is a good time for him to get it.

Receiver Anthony Armstrong continues to impress. Nearly as fast as Ted Ginn, Armstrong has been wearing out some corners with the 9 route. He caught a long pass on one today over Eric Green. I asked Sparano if my observation was carrying over to practices when the media is not present.

"That has been the case," he said. "It's to the point where cornerbacks are trying to fin him a little bit now. I need to see that in a game. I need to see him take that from the practice field to the game."

Jason Allen flashed with an interception. It was a bad throw along the sideline by White.

The injured players -- David Martin, Andy Alleman and Donald Thomas -- continue to miss time.

The Dolphins worked on some kickoff returns. Ted Ginn Jr. and Anthony Armstrong were used as returners.

I talked to rookie cornerback Sean Smith and he is a very confident kid. I asked him what he's had most trouble picking up and he talked about recognizing formations and relaying information back and forth with the rest of the secondary.

I asked him physically what his biggest issue was and he seemed stumped. "Physically?"

So I asked him if he ever has felt like he doesn't belong on the field with the veterans. "No. Never. I feel like I belong. I'm ready to go. I better feel that way. The team feels like I belong because they took me the first day [of the draft] And I feel I belong, too."

Speaking of the cornerback battle, Sparano said none of the players trying to win the starting job opposite Will Allen has "stood out as consistent or inconsistent." It's a wide open battle for the starting job right now, folks.