Mon. evening practice in the books

On the day cornerback Sean Smith was given the opportunity to practice with the first-team secondary, ahead of Eric Green, it was fellow rookie Chris Clemons that made me take notice with his evening practice performance.

Clemons, working with the second-team as a safety, had two interceptions during this practice and it would have been three had he not dropped a seemingly sure interception when he jumped a route by Ricky Williams along the sideline. Yeah, the would-be pick would have resulted in an touchdown return.

Clemons made all his highlight plays while Chad Henne was at quarterback.

Look, we all know Clemons is not going to displace either Gibril Wilson or Yeremiah Bell in the base defense. But ....

If he continues to be around the football in practice after practice, as he has been, and he shows the coaching staff that it translates to preseason games, do not be surprised if Clemons begins to push for playing time in Miami's starting dime package.

In that dime package, Nathan Jones can be had while Tyrone Culver is solid but not spectacular. Clemons has simply been a revelation because there hasn't been a practice he hasn't been around the football.

The rest of the Miami secondary?

Smith, promoted to first team earlier in the day, had a pretty uneventful practice save the little pushing he got into with Ronnie Brown when he brought Brown to the ground on one team drill play.

Fellow rookie Vontae Davis continues to puzzle me. Coach Tony Sparano refuses to say it, but Davis is clearly the least impressive of Miami's rookie DBs. Don't get me wrong, he's never burned in an ugly-got-no-talent sort of way. But neither does he actually make the big play.

He almost ripped the ball out of Patrick Cobbs' hands after a catch ... but didn't. He almost had good coverage on Greg Camarillo in the seven-on-seven drills, but Camarillo still got the reception. Then Brandon London put a nasty double-move on Davis and got easily behind him for a 20 yard reception.

This just in: Vontae Davis needs much work.

The Dolphins defense was stout up front this afternoon in the manner it chased quarterbacks. There must have been half a dozen sacks out there. Channing Crowder had two sacks. Quentin Moses had two sacks.  Erik Walden had a sack. Lionel Dotson had a sack. Jason Taylor had a sack.

There were a couple of offensive highlights today. Rookie Brian Hartline had a gorgeous one-hand catch on the move on a post pattern. But for every nice play, the offense offered a disappointment.

Anthony Armstrong dropped a pass on the same pattern Hartline caught his pass. And Ted Ginn dropped a sideline throw from Chad Pennington.

A couple of special teams notes: Newly signed kicker Connor Barth connected on 3 of 4 FGs, missing from 46 yards. Dan Carpenter connected on 4 of 4.

The Dolphins also worked on having their wedge blockers catch kickoffs. Aside from it looking awkward, it showed me something about this coaching staff. I've covered hundreds of Miami practices and never seen this drill. It tells you this staff prepares for every eventuality -- including the chance a kickoff is short and comes down to a wedge blocker.

The Dolphins have released their first depth chart of the season. Nothing major but here are the higlights:

Offense -- Davone Bess is listed as a starter ahead of Greg Camarillo at WR. Donald Thomas is listed as a third-string RG. Shawn Murphy is listed as the starter at RG.

Defense -- Phillip Merling is listed as the starter at RE with Tony McDaniel at second team. Randy Starks is listed second team at LE. Eric Green is listed as the starting RCB. Jason Taylor is obviously the starter at SOLB.

Having said all that, this depth chart means nothing. It's changing by the practice. And it has little bearing on what the lineups will look like come the regular-season opener. A lot can change between now and then.

[BLOG NOTE: I'll add the Classic Training Camp Moment and the entire depth chart later tonight. Check back.]

Comments

[MJZ]

"This just in: Vontae Davis needs much work."

Don't worry Armando, Davis will get it together as he is penciled in to be the NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

I heard that from a trusted source, Vonte Davis, soon after he was picked by the Fins.

[C]

Trusted source my az, who was that ? the rest room guy

[Gian]

Alright!! Donald Thomas will start ahead of Murphy at some point.

[Glenn in New Hampshire]

Vontae Davis won't even be rookie of the year on the Dolphins... he needs to step it up!

[cuban menace]

OK guys the menace only has a few more minutes so shoot a "Q" to the cuban....

[6bucks7games]

I hope Smith continues to shine as he has so far.A CB with his ball skills can be a game changer.[Are you listening Jason Allen?]

[Jaison]

Glen in New Hampshire & C, you both may need some reading comprehension classes!!

MJZ's post was a joke. the trusted source was vontae davis. he said he would be nfl defensive player of the year after the draft. reread MJZ's post and you'll maybe understand it when reading slowly.

[Ace]

6bucks, agree with you. Smith shining is good news. Though I hope Vontae can turn it up more.

[Fake GM]

I am not worried about Vontae Davis. He is one of the best athletes in the NFL RIGHT NOW. Not one of the best players, but one of the best athletes. His size/speed/agility package is prototypical for an NFL corner. He just needs some coaching on his technique and he'll be a great (not just good) corner for a long time.

[FB]

Mando,
I went to the 1st practice on august 2nd and the scrimmage this past saturday. Here are my observations: I saw some spectacular plays by Hartline and Smith. Hartline is a speed burner and can get a good 5 yards behind defenders! That catch he made over Davis was amazing!
Sean Smith's interception was a beauty too. He seems to have a knack for the ball.
Having said that, I didn't see much out of Vontae Davis...other than getting burned by Hartline. Which leads me to believe that we might have made a mistake by not selecting Hakeem Nicks in the first round. We could have still taken Smith in the 2nd round. I think that in Nicks, we would have had a true number 1 receiver a la Boldin in Arizona. From what I hear, he looks great in Giants' camp.
What do you think???

[Fake GM]

The interesting thing with Chris Clemons is that he is a very physical safety. So while he has had a very good camp so far, I dont think the coaching staff has seen everything he's got to offer yet b/c the Dolphins arent having a full contact camp.

[Booger]

Hey Mando! Tell everyone how they used to sell blood sausage at old St. Thomas! Now THAT'S classic!

[Know It All]

bust city on the draft picks, fellas ---forget the games & sit-out 'til next season---keep the vets rested & re-tool for the 2010 draft.

[NJ PHIN FAN]

FB. You have to be kidding me right ? One week into training camp and you're starting in with the V.Davis is a bust and they should've took H.Nicks talk. LOL! Also Last i heard, Miami's rookie Wr's P turner and by your own admission hartline are doing just fine thank you. So far miami is doing pretty good in the wr department.

[NJ PHIN FAN]

forgot to sign in .

[Aqua1]

Mando. (CC: fellow bloggers)

Why does this paper periodically make you reregister for its online sight. Then when I enter my info it keeps giving me error messages. Now I can't read the articles (although I can get into yours). I've been reading the Herald's articles for quite some time now. Why do they do this?! Please advise.

[Justin Credible]

HI HATERS

ROSES ARE RED
VIOLETS ARE BLUE
DOLPHINS WIN SUPERBOWL THIS YEAR
DOPLHINS 27 GIANTS 22

MVP CHAD P
TWO LONG BOMBS IN GAME
WAKE DIDNT DO NOTHING

[Justin Credible]

SOME SHT+,

SOME FOOLS NEED TO BACK IT UP,

[justin's friend]

yes justin the best man around not like the boy from nj or ace the 007 agent .

[odinseye]

NJ Phin Fan

My bad on that political comment the other day. I mistakenly attributed "True American's" comments to you.
You called me a liar. I'm not. I was however, slightly confused, my apologies.

PS- Clemmons will be a starter SOON!

[Ace]

Odinseye,

What's up? Why are they calling me 007 now???
I dont get some of these bozos

[odinseye]

Aqua 1

I had the same problems. When you try to sign in the error message appears. Scroll down to E-mail them about your problem. They will send you an E-mail with a link. When you open the link you will be able to straighten out the problem.

[odinseye]

First I've heard of the 007 tag. Take it as a compliment, Bond was DA SH%T!

[FB]

NJ Phin Fan, I'm not saying that V. Davis is a bust by any means. All I'm saying is that we NEED a #1 receiver on this team. I don't see one right now. Did we need 2 corners in the first 2 rounds? If you ask me, not really. But if I had to guess, I'd say that they didn't think that Smith would last this long and when they saw him there in the middle of the second, they couldn't pass up. In other words, if they knew that they could get a guy like Nicks in the 1st, knowing that a quality corner like Smith would be there in the second round, they would have gone for him. Hindsight is 20/20; I still think that both Vontae and Sean will start opposite each other in the near future.

[NJ PHIN FAN]

Odinseye. . No Problem . Apology accepted. The fact that you came on here saying you made a mistake about something that happened a couple of days ago , just shows what a class act you are and a what gentleman is all about. Unlike some idiot ( justin fool) that comes on here. I have a deal for you, from now on we talk about the dolphins and leave political crooks out of it. LOL !

[odinseye]

FB

With Penny's lack of arm strength, and Henne being groomed for next year, I think they decided to look for an acorn. Until next year anyway.
I think both CB picks and the Clemmons pick were excellent. The AFC East will be on LOCK DOWN for years. Defense wins championships.

[Gian]

Sean Smith will start opposite to W. Allen. D. Thomas will be on the 3rd team until he gets about 3 pre-season games under his belt. He'll start at RG. Murphy is serious competition, though. Vontae Davis will be the starter as soon as W. Allen fades..... who knows when. He is not a bust. Chris Clemons will be great in the near future. D. Bess is the Dolphins best WR, hands down, up to this point. Hartline is looking solid. Turner will make an impact this year and for years to come. So long to the 4 quitters of the team. Don't need ya'. Cameron Wake will start next year. Hope Merling wakes up soon. Henne IS the franchise. Actual games will talk.

[fsudolphins13]

i cant wait to see our phins in action!
sean smith is a beast just like ive been saying and i cant wait to see him in action

[odinseye]

NJ Phin Fan

It's a deal.

Go Phins!

[jaksin]

ENOUGH ALREADY, we have receivers, builds, speeds, positions. all covered. i'm so tired of the doubt. the steelers have 2 recent rings and with who? 2 receivers hines #1 and holmes #2. well then burress early on, however, where hines is great he is no randy moss, owens or the other big name wideouts fin fans keep repeating we need so desperatly. also holmes, please, we have guys that match his style of size, speed & play all day. keep chad safe and the assault of wideouts we have will come to life. we do not need big name flash. ok look at favre's last year in green bay when he had that last big year, there was no one on that team, he had one go to receiver i cant remember his name, oh wait ya that super star greg jennings, now theres a house hold name. so now be pleased we have who we have, or shut the f up but stop the second guessing negativity. we could have the sweet receiving corps of the mighty jets. time to recognize it could really suck. HATERS.

[Rev Wright]

Now nj is GOD, ask and ye shall be forgiven. Oh mighty GOD(nj) please forgive me for I have sinned against you. You O mighty are always correct becuase you are god.

[NJ PHIN FAN]

FB. OK !. It's just that with the type of offense miami runs , spreading the ball to a bunch of different wr depending on the play, miami doen't really need a true #1 wr. Lets see what Turner can do and how much ginn steps up before we can say anything. As far as the cb's go , miami definitely NEEDED 2 CB'S ( big ones at that , especially with all the great wr's miami is going to face.

[fsudolphins13]

rev wright,

i hate ppl like u
we dont need ur smart a** remarks on here
just talk football

[Rev Wright]

whach yo mean by peeples? You no like black peeples?

[NJ PHIN FAN]

OH GOD , not rev wright ! Listen you bigot , america hater, despicable human being . Don't be jealous. LMAO !

[Rahm deadfish Emmanuel]

NJ becareful I now where you are. You know why they call me deadfish?

[jam]

nj talks like he lived in the south between 1945-1978

[NJ PHIN FAN]

RAHM, you skinny twerp. You know where i live so bring it on. You'll be spitting chicklets out of your mouth.

[Barney Frank]

NJ now now shut your mouth suffering succotash..spit you said spitting that is down my alley...spit spit, housing crisis bushs fault

[NJ PHIN FAN]

Odinseye. With Y . Bell's injury history , you might see Clemons starting this year.

[odinseye]

Our improving O-line and power run game will make the recieving corps shine.
Jaksin said it pretty well. I think our recievers are underated. It's OK with me though, let the other teams try and overlook our WR's. I hope they do!

[jam]

THE PLUMBER'S BLOG .

[odinseye]

I hope Bell and Wilson stay healthy. I think they'll both be great. Either way, I predict Clemmons will replace one of them this year, injuries or not.

[NJ PHIN FAN]

Barney frank . IF it's not The GAY ( not that there's anything wrong with that) congressman who almost singlehandedly brought down fannie mae and freddie mac and his one of inept people responsible for the housing crises. You're wanted on christopher st in the viilage. THE VILLAGE PEOPLE are performing and are down a man.

[Bill Ayers]

NJ forget Rahm, I know where you are and will go back to my old ways......C-4, its not a chess move either.

[odinseye]

Armando posted the "depth chart".

[jaksin]

i as well hope for a no injury start of course, and well season obviously. but i agree with odinseye, i smell clemmons in the not to distant future. this dude, staying consistant of course,could be hands down "the steal" not to mention a lot "big play" fun to watch. god, please let this be!

[NJ PHIN FAN]

Bill. I'll wipe the streets with you and then strap you with C-4 plastic and blow your azzzz up.

[odinseye]

Bill

Be careful!!!!
I've never had my azzzz blown up, but it can't be good!

[be cool, chill]

dudes, too much hate and violence here

[Ealvarez]

I agree!

[Ronnie Brown MVP]

i think vontae would make a very good safety, just my opinion, but i think he has a nose for the football and is better at playing down in the box and using his athletic skills to sniff out screens and blow up running plays and short passes like a brian dawkins type. it's not going to be overnight for him to learn the footwork and technique to be in the right position at corner, but i think he'll get there for sure, he's asking a lot of Q's and is doing everything he can to get better day by day and wants it. As far as Smith, he looks like he's going to be a star right out of the box esp. with his size and speed, i still can't believe we got both these guys in the same draft. I hope clemons gets the dime spot, just concerned about having 3 rookies on the field at one time, if they are communicating and learning to play off each other it should work out.

[Bobaloo]

Vontae is really struggling and his stock is falling as a starting CB, too bad for a 1st rounder. He is however a physical specimen, very athletic and in outstanding shape, so, any chance on trying him out on the offensive side of the ball?

[rjs]

V. Davis will be moved to safety in 2 years to salvage the pick. However,he is already being packaged with a first and second round pick for Percy Harvin. I wish!! D*mn Vikings!!!

[Digger Derrick]

people are so nice in this post :)