The doings for the Dolphins as NE prep begins

The Dolphins are preparing for the Patriots today and that preparation included some interesting nuggets.

Coach Tony Sparano told his team that following a fourth-quarter meltdown at Buffalo, they were going to work on a fourth-quarter period in practice today. And during that period the coach wanted to see every play run right.

And so if a play wasn't run right, practice reverted back to the play and it was run until it was done right. That, by the way, usually does not happen.

"The message was that we have lights out there," Sparano said. "Whatever it took for us to get it right, we were going to get it right. And every player in that locker room was on board for that. Those guys are anxious to get it right. They really are. But to be honest with you, practice ran over about six minutes."

The Dolphins practiced for two hours and 35 minutes, according to Sparano.

As I reported to my twitter followers, center Jake Grove didn't practice today. Sparano said he's "getting a little bit better," as he nurses his ankle injury, but still didn't work. Joe Berger worked with the first-team offensive line at center.

It's a big week for Berger. He faces New England nose tackle Vince Wilfork, one of the most dominant NTs in the NFL. If you remember, the Patriots moved Wilfork to DE throughout the game against Miami Nov. 8.

That hasn't been the case since. 

"It really hasn't shown up since our game," Sparano said. "It's hasn't shown up. Two plays since our game, that move has shown up. I don't know why they did it since our game. I don't know if it was matchup or tendency of runs, those kind of things. I have my hunches, but I'll keep my hunches to myself."

Good natured, fun-loving dude Joey Porter talked to the media gaggle for a few minutes today. He didn't really say anything interesting about the Patriots, which is probably wise considering he fired that team up before the last meeting by saying they "cheated" him out of a Super Bowl trophy and that Tom Brady could force officials to call penalties at will.

He wasn't asked about that today, but The Herald's David J. Neal asked Porter if it's tough being athlete today in the fishbowl of twitter and facebook and cell phone cameras with the Tiger Woods scandal as the obvious backdrop.

And so Porter bit at that like a Great White on a defenseless tuna.

"It is what it is. It depends how far ya'll want to dig for a story," he told the gathered reporters. "Ya'll can dig as deep as you want to. It depends on what ya'll want to put out there. The athletes haven't changed. The access to athletes has changed. So I think we made ourselves too accessible to you.

"And at the end of the day it backfires on the athletes. We don't get to write a story about ya'll. The secrets, the stuff ya'll trying to keep away from other people and stuff like that, they don't write that story about sports writers. But athletes make that mistake, everybody wants to write about it. That's how it happens. Ya'll get to put all the stuff you do bad out there. Nobody put out the stuff everybody else do bad out there. So it's a one-way street. That's how it always been. If we don't give you nothing to write about, you can't write about it. That's how it go."

I'm going to miss Porter next year.

The injury report just came out. The Patriots have 22, count 'em, 22 guys on the report. Only one of those players -- running back Fred Taylor -- did not practice. He has an ankle injury. The Dolphins listed four players on their injury report. Aside from Grove missing, DE Lionel Dotson was limited with an ankle injury, while SS Yeremiah Bell (thumb) and RB Ricky Williams (chest) were able to practice full.

Final word that might be interesting only to me: After ripping his team for looking like a "3-7" unit during the fourth quarter of Sunday's Buffalo loss, Sparano was doing a little rehabilitation of his troops today. He made the point his team is 4-1 in games decided by seven points or less. He also noted the Patriots are 2-3 in those games. 

Comments

[carlito from golfito]

Get ready for the Dolphins to play their most complete game of season, get back to .500 and within one game of the division.

All fairweather fans will be welcomed back to the bandwagon next monday, but you you have to wear a shirt with a asterisk.

[Marc]

It only took them 6 extra mins to get it all right?

[cuban menace]

He should have kept them practicing for 4 hours..

[Phintastic]

"All fairweather fans will be welcomed back to the bandwagon next monday, but you you have to wear a shirt with a asterisk."

Posted by: carlito from golfito | December 02, 2009 at 03:29 PM

Couldn't agree more..... Lots of venom been spewed lately.

[Marc]

No sh#t...At what point can the coach keep these slackers at practice until they puke? This is their job no?

[cuban menace]

No wonder they fold in the 4th quarter if all they pratice is 2 hours a day.....

[carlito from golfito]

Marc,

It is reported that Mangini practices the browns harder than any team in the league... the browns... gotta love those results

[cuban menace]

. Nobody put out the stuff everybody else do bad out there. .....Qoute from Joey(Duh) Porter, Aloco has a better education then joey and he comes from south american shiit hole...

[boulderfinfan]

I'm getting more and more tired of sparano and his excuses. I wonder how many times they practiced the stupid pat package.

[tampafin]

Practice till they puke?

Hell, they should all puke/purge before the game.

It'll make them play meaner with the taste of bile in their mouth.

[Dolphins4life]

I'm back and Sundays loss was a heartbreaker to say the least.

Armando your blogs the last few days have been on point and good. But regarding the good but not great personal dept. is a little off. Its to soon to tell regarding this years and last years draft picks as to weather they are good but not great. You have to give a draft three years before you make that type of determination. And the off season picks by the Trifecta has been some bad and some good. But due to the Wilford debacle at the wide out they are reluctant to make the same mistake at that position again. Now G-Wil is another story, you've said so your self that at times hes played good and others real bad. The truth:
Hear's the truth we just dont have the dogs to carry us into the playoffs and contend for the superbowl. And yes coaching as you mentioned has also played a big part as you we saw against Bufflao, some head scratching calls there and we probably need a new O and D cordinator along with lots and lots more talent. That said the players that where here last year the Hills and Hollidays and such have to be cleared out for reasons I understand, but not many do. Trifecta took a team that was bad in so many ways in 2007 and began to rebuild. You have to make room for the players you eventuall draft or sign as free agents to play the brand of football that is trademark for this regime.
That said if you have a top 5 rushing attack in the NFL. That eats the clock and keeps opposing offenses' on the sidelines, then you better have a top of the line defense that can stop other teams airial assualts. Because this is a passing league and I would say you need at least 3 very good corner backs and a ball hawking saftey. The Dolphins have neither and dont even say the rookies are good yet, they have flashed some and at times have been splashed upon more often than not. But these two corners are going to be very good but are not there yet. Also our middle line backers spots need a upgrade as none in my opinion are good and often lack speed to run down the Fitzpatricks of the NFL.

Now you mentioned Porter who is not having the year he had last, but of all the veterans that where let go you dont let go the guy who gave the team 17 sacks last year. Truth is he is a shadow of his former self along with Taylor who has been more steady than Porter. Now the 3-4 defense is realiant upon the nose guard more so than any other position and thats another probelm the trifecta must address again you cant let go of all the veterans especially since this is a hot and hard commodity to fill. So thats what it has been all season. The Dolphihns are one of the top teams at time of possesion, longest drives and ball control etc, but it doesnt mean anything if you dont have a top defense to compliment that type of offense so now we still have to find a defense to match. And we will we will!
Again least we forget that dredfull season two years ago. No and heres the thing there are so many teams bunched together between 5-6 and 6-5 that we can still make a run to the dare I say it playoffs. But if we continue to slide we may be in a good postion to have a top ten pick. So the glass is half full either way because the trifecta will put the Dolphins in a position to make playoff runs a regualr thing and this coming draft as many people have noted is loaded. But dont even ask for a wide reciever in the first round, not gonna happen especially after games like buffalo, Orleans, Colts we need more defensive stalwarts, as Belichikc and the Patsies can attest after being routed by a great offense.

Catch the Dolphins Nation later and hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving.

[Marc]

LOL@tampa

[cuban menace]

Mando, was that an actual quote from Joey(the brain)Porter??? what a imbecile, with joey gone next year the average I.Q for the phins should bump up to around 58 or maybe 60...

[macca]

Mando, i wish you would stop with all the porter hate !! Just because he has a problem with the local media shouldnt mean he is a constant weekly target. Doent matter if they are coverage or garbage time sacks - he still leads us in sacks ! Even at the end of last year he got criicised when he didnt get a sack in a game.
Why not look at crowder who again flatters to decieve or ayodele who looks nothing but slow, or anderson who has one half decent game a season. The list goes on. I cant say i like porter, but i hope he finshes the season strong and silences his never ending critics.

[ALoco]

this coach is a dictator as tunaa's son in law .
just look at the browns record this year and you will see that if the coach isn't liked by his players like the case nj phin to the cuban menace the player will sabatoge you to get fired .

[NJ PHIN FAN]

Dolphins4life is back with his war and peace novel like posts. :)

[ALoco]

i wonder why armando hates porter so much ?

[jaksin]

sparano's quote following sundays game "dats how it go"

[brad]

What happened with PAT TURNER? Is he waiting for our WR'S #'s to go up? That ain't going to happen with this crew..YAC no such thing. Christ he is a good fact for all of you...
Dareen Sharper has almost as many return int yards as our leading receiver has !!! LOL

[tampafin]

Any of you guys get the Deja vu all over again feeling when reading a blog? Like you read this before (or think you did).

I swear I did a double take when reading Carlito's first post here. Spooky.

[cuban menace]

Aloco WTF?????

[brad]

Here is a good ? Does our whole WR core have a total yardage more then the #1 single WR in the NFL
Bess plus Camarillo plus Hartline plus Ginn
My guess would be no..... That is freakin horrible

[cuban menace]

"It's deja-vu all over again"

[THE SHELTER LADY]

CUBAN,

I MISS YOU ???????????

[Fake GM]

I think the fans should remember that the roster this regime took over was a big joke. This is still a work in progress, people have to relax with the criticism. I think keeping Y. Bell was a big mistake (G. Wilson should have been the strong safety, with a cheap Renaldo Hill at FS), and drafting P. Turner in the 3rd round was a joke, but this regime has done a good job overall. People have to chill. Rome wasnt built in a day, and neither was Miami.

[brad]

How many TE'S have had their best #s this season against 1 single team, being Miami..

There have been times when the ball was thrown over the middle and not one Dolphin even on the screen, not one time multiple times, great D.............This team is not good and we are fooling ourselves.. the reality is they are 1 year removed from being 1-15 and somewhere in the middle .. Ownership is too cheap to spend the money on the talent to be a contender..

[Marc]

Can we hire Denzel to come in and give the "Remember the Titans" Gettysburg speach?

[brad]

Look the bottom line is we knew we needed a WR,
We knew we were 36 years old at NT. before the season started, right? So draft Pat White w/ 2nd? Draft two more possesion WR ? 3RD AND 4TH? We have 2 very good possession in WR Camarillo
and Bess.... three picks that should have gone another way, oh yeah not counting our 5th Nalboner! realeased make that 4 picks

[ALoco]

the most enjoybale post on this blog is...DOLHINS4LIFE .THE WORST IS MAROI'S POSTS.

[brad]

christmas wish list for the draft 2010
starting lb via free agency/ starting NT
via Free agency/ Starting # 1 WR via Free agency
Draft a young stud RB and a TE early along with
a Safety

[DC Finatic]

Yeah, practicing only 6 minutes over isn't a strong indicator that everyone wants to get this right to me (then again, I'm not a professional football player, maybe I'm missing something). Still, I'm slightly encouraged by the solemn looks Monday and Tuesday from Sparano. I think he was embarrassed, and won't let it happen that way again. Plus, we USUALLY play NE tough, so I'm expecting a good game. One thing that I'd like to NOT see in this game is any Wildcat/Pat play on our side of the field. That's just stupid if you ask me. Once you cross the 50 then I'm ok with it, but don't overdo it (we don't need to see it 4 times in a row). And NO REVERSES GODDAMNIT!!! If Ted Ginn can't run it back on kickoffs, then screw him, he doesn't deserve any more touches. And please let Henne get comfortable and in a rhythm before doing any trick plays Dan Henning!

[MSJ]

Gonna miss Porter next year? Why do you dislike him? He had how many sacks and tackles Sunday? Come on, lay off. He talks, amd MOST of the time he backs it up with play! Mando, me thinks you don't like black people who speak their mind.... and yes I am white.

[Napsndreds]

Lol at your gonna miss porter. He will be back definately.

[NC FIN FAN]

Look for the tuna to draft heavy for defence next year they will get a WR but not 1st round and free agency.The D will get a mojor overhaul,and it needs it. Offence needs Wr we all know that, but we also need a RB Rickys last year ronnie contract year. Tuna will not overpay ronnie when he is hurt by middle of the year.

[Rickm]

Mando is not predjudiced. Where did you get such a crazy idea? Porter is having a bad year.

[Rickm]

I have never heard Mando say a bad word about Ronnie and Ricky.

[Jpapp21]

Gotta love the numbers quote from Tony, "we're 5-2 and they're 2-3. Hey knucklehead sporano your 5-6 and the pats are 7-4. How's that for a numbers quote. You want to help the fins don't practice for an extra 6 min, fire pasqualoni and replace him with someone the team will respond to

[Jon]

There's this really neat formation a lot of teams run when they're in an obvious passing situation, it's called the shotgun? Maybe someone could educate Henning on that so Henne doesn't have to roll out from under center when it's 3rd and long and you already know they're coming with a blitz. That kills 2 seconds easy, and the average time a qb has to get rid of the ball is about 4 seconds. So you want your first year starter to read the defense and find the right guy to throw to in about 2 seconds? Wow, that's brilliant

[StratophereX]

Gotta say, Im just tired of crossing my fingers everytime the ball is thrown!!!! Getting really tired of losing! We gotta get this right!!!!

[NJ PHIN FAN]

This is NOT ricky williams last year. He signed a 1 year extension that gets him through 2010. Ronnie brown is also going nowhere if there's no new CBA nad there's no salary cap. Get your facts straight people.

[5150]

I'm still lost why all the Miami reporters bash the OLB's but not the ILB's,especially CROWDER, because HE SUCKS!

[NJ PHIN FAN]

Brad , Your christmas wish list sounds so easy. Why don't you tell us what starting LB , NT and WR miami is going to get in free agency and how are they going to pay for all them. GREAT , Another poster who lives on F'N FANTASY ISLAND !

[brad]

This team needs a small make over still
Probably 5 starters need to change from this year to next year

NT ILB WR TE SAFTEY

I think no one can argue this, am I not correct
here

[Rickm]

Yes. My dream is that Angelina Jolie will be in my bed tonite. How is that for a poster guys?

[greg z.]

porter can dish it out but can't take it. he shot his mouth off the last 2 years without making tackles or setting an edge. when the media called him out he blamed the whole thing on them. the bills qb ran outside several times! i watched every practice in camp for the past 2 years. he rode the bike harder than he practiced with a variety of injuries(like headaches). matt roth was twice the player; so is cam wake who cant get on the field.

[NJ PHIN FAN]

Jpapp21. You're the Knucklehead ! Sparano said miami was 4-1 when games are decided by 7 or less while New England is 2-3 when scores are decided by 7 points or less. Can you read ?

[Marc]

Yeah, just a NT, ILB, 2 OLB's, 2 DE's, 2 Safties, 2 DBs, a QB, 2 TE's, 4 WR's away...We're ALMOST there! (JT, JP, Ricky, Will Allen, Bell will all be gone in less than 2 years)

[Mark in Toronto]

Marc, do you prefer smooth silk or comfortable cotton in a dress?

[Jpapp21]

NJ,lookss like people were right to call you a plumber after all .

[Marc]

MarK, I'd have to go with Silk in the winter and cotton in the summer ;)

[Mark in Toronto]

And by the way, it's not Crowder that needs to be upgraded at MLB, it's Ayodele. If Crowder was joined by a Rolando McClain or Brandon Spikes, then your MLBs are as good as anyone's.

[Marc]

I agree with MarK there, and have been saying the same...Crowder isn't the problem, Ayodele and Torbor are!

[Rickm]

When we win this weekend, will you have anything good to say about the fins?

[Litos]

Kill the Patsies. Make 'em suffer. Make 'em SUFFER!!!!

[NJ PHIN FAN]

Agreed on replacing ayodele. Getting a better Ilb to compliment crowder is a must . They'll make wach other better.

[NJ PHIN FAN]

Jpapp12. WAHHHHHHH ! WAHHHHHH ! You came on here calling sparano a knucklehead when you were the the knucklehead who couldn't read. Now you're crying ? LMFAO !

[greedy13]

Crowder, to me, seems consistently out of place to make plays...of course he flashes occasionally and is adequate overall, but he's rarely in postion to make game changing plays (if ever). Question: wondering which it is:
(a) does he lack the football IQ to read/diagnose plays in good time to get himself in position to make big plays, or
(b)does he lack the physical ability to do the above (i.e., average speed/physicality = average play), or
(c) some combination of the above?

Sporana believes he has the potential to be a probowler someday...which suggests he has the ability, but just has not put it together consistently (which beggs the question...if he aint done it by now (especially shadowing ZT for a couple years)...will he ever?

In the bills game, he was consistently out of position...and this is not the first time I've noticed this. He's either overly aggressive (and over runs the play), slow to the point of attack (and chasing from behind), or missing the tackle (failing to get the runner down).
I'm not bashing...like I said, he makes his share of plays from an "average" standpoint...I mean..he was second leading tackler last year...but just sayin..
everyone agrees we need to upgrade, but what is it witih Crowder (what do we have...not have with him?)

thoughts?

[Jpmoma71]

the new england are the afc champs this year .in fact even if they lose on sunday ,nothing will change that.

[NJ PHIN FAN]

Each other

[bobbyd12]

I see Fair Weather Marc moves from blog to blog spewing his anti-Dolphin idiocy...the only thing u said in the last blog that made sense Marc is you wore a dress to work...that I believe