Rookie camp Day 2 is in the rear view mirror

The Dolphins rookies looked a bit better this morning than they did Friday -- at least that was true of quarterback Pat White and some of the other players on the field.

White had one of the first passes he attempted batted back, which is something I worry we'll see considering he's a 6-foot quarterback. But he seemed to have a better feel for things thereafter.

"The first couple of throws in 7 on 7 he sees things crytal clear and that good because that was from this morning's install," coach Tony Sparano said. "I thought he threw it a little better today than he did yesterday."

Anthony Armstrong, a practice squad receiver most of last season, had a good practice overall. He beat tryout safety JC Neal on one sweet route that was one of several highlight moments for him. He also had a notable drop.

The match between 6-5 receiver Patrick Turner and 6-3 cornerback Sean Smith is something to witness. It's hard to believe the size and athletic ability on these guys. Smith got the better of the matchups today, shadowing Turner most of the time.

But Turner impressed Sparano with his ability to "drop his hips" quickly enough to get out of his initial route burst and make his cut or come back to the ball. Big receivers that can't do this give defensive backs too much recovery time to stay in coverage ,so being able to slow down and come back to the ball or change direction is key.

"I want to prove I'm a red zone target," Turner said. "I want to prove I'm a consistent receiver and I make plays."

One thing I noticed immediately about Turner and Brian Hartline is that they are indeed tall as advertised but they are quite lanky. Turner is 220 pounds but looks like he can easily add 10 more pounds of muscle. Same thing with Hartline.

Compared to older, more veteran receivers who are somewhat V-shaped, these two are built straight up and down for now. I'm certain the Dolphins weight program will do wonders for them and improve their ability to get physical with defensive backs.

I talked to J. D. Folsom, the seventh round pick, about playing special teams. This kid's ticket to a roster is largely connected to his ability to contribute on special teams. "You got to learn the new techniques we're being taught and use them," Folsom said. "Like you said, my ticket onto the team is on special teams so I'm going to do whatever I need to do to make sure I contribute and do what coaches want."

Finally, you should remember this is a non-contact camp. But free agent nose tackle Louis Ellis got my attention as he is 315 pounds and not fat. He is just seemingly country strong and that showed at times even in these drills as he showed good penetration on a couple of snaps.

In the afternoon session that ran 90 minutes White looked good again -- as did Turner, and Smith, and Anthony Armstrong.

I did notice Vontae Davis clutching his lower back a couple of times so that will bear monitoring the on Sunday.

Anyway, the highlight of the afternoon session was a beautiful 40-yard completion down the left sideline in which Turner beat Smith despite the fact Smith had excellent coverage and was draped all over him as they went to the ground.

The play showed the athletic ability of the QB, White, in that the deep throw was accurate. It showed the athletic ability of the cornerback who was in good position against a very big receiver. And it showed extraordinary ability and concentration by Turner who not only displayed good hands but the ability to run a deep route.

Tight end John Nalbone isn't getting a lot of love from coach Tony Sparano. Yes, the fifth-round pick got open and caught a 12-yard pass but he went to the ground at around 17 yards and the head coach wasn't pleased.

"Don't fall down," Sparano said. "Dammit John, nobody even touched you!"

The other fifth-rounder, safety Chris Clemons, is clearly one of the fastest players on the field. In special teams work, he's always the first guy down the field on punt coverage work. the lone exception was the play in which 295-pound tryout player Demonte Bolden jacked him up by hitting him with a big blocking pad.

Comments

[Mr Bunglito]

same here luggi . I can just see everybody reading this blog and shaking their heads in amazement. LOL

[Mr Bunglito]

Luggi. if you leave the " king" nj phin fan out of it , you got a deal.

[luggi]

bunglito, what we need is a live chat about who's the better QB Henne or Pat white ?

[luggi]

mr bunglito, NJ PHIN FAN is the soul of this blog,it's a deal.

[Marlo]

Am I the only one who thinks the Pat White pick was completely ridiculous if he is only going to be used as a QB? Let's see, WR, CB, ILB, OLB, NT, DE, OG are greater needs...

[PHINVISION]

What do you mean? NJ PHIN FAN is the @zzzz of this blog!

[Dfan]

Imposter alert. Fake Dfan posted at 10:03pm. I would never insult Mr. Bunglito.

[YOU"RE A AZZZZZVISION]

NO PHINVISION. The CUBAN MENACE is The azzzzz of this blog. So that makes you the bigger azzzzzzzzzzz of this blog.

[celtic]

Bring on the next victim the ORLANDO MAGIC to meet the best boston celtics monday night .

[Dfan]

Dfan, you are a bigger azzzz than any azzzzin this world of big aazzzzzs

[luggi]

why we as people on this blog be more civilized and more polite between ourselves then we can love each other and accept each other with the most respect.
he loves me
he doesn't
he loves me
he doesn't
he loves me
and so on

[Mr Bunglito]

Yeeeeessss celtics win .

[kevin garnet]

Orlando magic my azzzzz with their very sweaty fat coach

[jrizzle]

well magic coach ron jeremy will whip out his flesh balloon and mushroom stamp kevin garnett in the forehead.

[david]

ON YOU TUBE YOU CAN SEE A LONG CLIP OF LOUIS ELLIS. THE PICTURES ARE FROM FAR AWAY HOWEVER. HE IS STRONG.

[david]

We need to drop the "wildcat". It is the result of not having a very good running game. As a Dolphins fan, I am actually embarassed that it originated in Miami. Lets throw the ball with our QB, run the ball with our RB, and play helacious D. I assure you are coaches(and Parcells) would prefer to never run the wildcat again.

[Mr Bunglito]

david. Were you embaressed when the widcat crushed NE ? or when the wildcat helped miami to a 11-5 record and division title ? You assure us that the coaches( and parcells) would prefer not to run the wildcat again ? Then what the hell did they draft pat white for ? LMAO. I assure you that you don't know what you're talking about.

[Whisker Biscuit]

u r gay.Mr bunghol I seek u. love the holio.

[Whisker Biscuit]

Love the me bong.Hold me done hom o.Get thy bong done.Love y ti get done.

[Whisker Biscuit]

AZZZZZZZZZZZZ Mr Bunghollllio .See me. Feel me.Get me to your planet. SOOOOOn.

[Dirty Sanchez]

Do I have something on my lip?

[Hot Karl]

Naw, yer good.

[Tony T Bone]

Just a thought u are all wanna be gay boyszzz.

[Tony T Bone]

just some fuzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.Hot karl.

[Carlito]

Bunglito,

I see you are still talking like a retard with all the zzzzz in your vocabulary. Are you hispanic? What a retard you are.

[jet in love]

I hate you luggi. What a name.

[ronnie]

to much cuban coffie, run those players rookies they may moan & groan now,but there is something about south-florida,two-adays that can get under a football player's skin that he'll beat the hell outa the other team!!!(just ask don shula)

[jet in lube]

luggi i wish i was your brother or lover wario....

[Dfan]

don shula never won any thing, one more coach of many coaches who coached via long distance .

[cocoajoe]

Mando, can't you do something about these idiots who use the comment section as a chat room? I thought it's purpose was to ask halfway intelligent questions and express opinions about FOOTBALL.

Sure, we're not all going to agree and we pretty much expect to be insulted from time to time but some (a lot) of this cr@p is really juvenile. As a matter of fact, I imagine they're just that, juveniles.

Hate to say it but the posters at SS are more intelligent.

[jed]

cocoajoe, with at most respect i disagree ,this only happened when there's no football news going on and no, we are more intelligent than the 5 people posters at SS.

[david]

Hey Bunglito, I promise you I know more about pro football than you ever will. And if you think Parcells and company enjoy being forced to run the wildcat than you are mistaken. It is a gimmick, a quick fix. It led to one win against a NE team who was not ready for it. The success of it declined every week after it was introduced. Am I wrong about that? Hopefully, Pat White turns into a Randle-el type receiver. The spread offense in the NFL, give me a break. As the season moves on, it will be used less and less. Because in the long run, it will not work. And as far as drafting White, that was for character, leadership purposes, and the hopres he turns into a antwan Randle-el type player. The wildcat will soon fade away. You will see.

[Gopats]

To David, SHUT UP you fool. Go spread yourself you AZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

[miss manners]

Mr. Salguero,
You have often stated that this is a family site. I am disappointed that you have let the naughties go unfiltered on this page. Please, as you normally do, eliminate the offensive posts.

Sincerely,
Miss Manners