Dolphins Sign OL McKinney

That headline might sound a little familiar, but Miami didn't sign former Dolphin Seth McKinney, instead they acquired his brother Steve McKinney. This came just days after Drew Mormino was unexpectedly cut. Mormino was an intriguing prospect who was very versatile on the offensive line. He was a center in college but was transitioning into a guard at the next level. His problem was a shoulder injury that cut short his 2007 season and was probably responsible for the failed physical which led to his release.

Steve McKinney is 33 and was most recently a member of the Houston Texans. He was cut in March because he is coming off an ACL injury and was due $1.35 million. Due to Miami's uncertainty at one of the guard spots, he will be given every opportunity to get healthy and be the starter. Most likely the team would want him to start at LG for several reasons. First, it would ensure there would only be one rookie on the unit (Jake Long, LT). Also, it would allow Justin Smiley to stay at his natural position of RG. Finally, it would allow the rookies competing for the spot to watch and learn with minimal playing time. While that all sounds great, we must remember he is in his 30's and coming off a knee injury. The more likely scenario is that he splits time with the rookies Shawn Murphy and Donald Thomas to ensure that trio stays healthy.

Wide Receiver Outlook

The wide receivers unit is one of the most unproven units on the team right now. Our roster is loaded with several players who are young and lack experience at the NFL level. This area may prove to be one of the more interesting battles for roster spots and playing time, not just during training camp but throughout the regular season as well. Let's take a look at the players.


Ted Ginn: We all obvioulsy know the story with Ginn. He is the focus of much of the fan base because of what happened in the 2007 draft (actually what didn't happen). He showed good flashes in his rookie season but still poses a big question mark. Can he improve his route running? Can he be a legit starting wideout in the league? Can he be the go-to guy for whoever our quarterback is? It will be an important year for him. It appears the team may limit or completely take away his kick return duties, so he must produce on the offense to show his worth.

Ernest Wilford: This is an offseason acquisition that has sort of flown under the radar. We made a lot of free agent signings and focused mainly on defense so Wilford seems to be the forgotten man. He isn't too flashy on the field but he is very productive. He doesn't get wide open or burn people on deep routes but he is big, physical and makes tough catches. His qualities seems to be a great compliment to Ginn's. He also should provide much value in the red zone because he can run fade routes. Miami didn't have anyone who can run and catch the fade route last season.

Tab Perry: He is another offseason addition that isn't talked about much. He saw very limited action in Cincinatti and is more likely to make an impact as a return man rather than a receiver. I'll admit I don't know much about him so I offer this nugget from Rotoworld. "Perry flashed in practice as a Bengal and can return kicks but never stayed healthy. If he can get his hip issues worked out, Perry could be an asset on special teams. Otherwise, he will likely struggle to make an impact."

Derek Hagan: Hearing that name probably makes Dolphins Fans cringe. He was drafted a couple years ago and was a promising prospect but hasn't made it yet. In college he broke numerous records at Arizona State and in the Pac-10, but in the NFL he hasn't proved that he can catch the ball, literally. It seems he is failing to get good separation but when he does has a knack for dropped passes. He will probably get one more year in Miami to sort things out, but like Ginn there are a lot of questions that must be answered this year.

Greg Camarillo: Hearing his name always make me sigh in relief. Thank you Greg. That was huge last year catching a rare accurate pass by Cleo Lemon and being able to score. We will never forget it. Sadly though, your biggest supporter Cam Cameron is not the coach anymore and you may not be afforded the same opportunities from now on. I hope he gets a fair shot because he can be a good slot receiver in the mold of Wes Welker. The problem is, special teams is going to play a key role in determining all the bench spots. Camarillo must show he can be an asset on the coverage teams to assure making the club.

David Kircus: Like Tab Perry, he was signed in the offseason and will fight to make the team. He hasn't produced at the NFL level and also has some character concerns. Again, I don't know too much about him either.

The rest of the players competing for roles are the players signed as undrafted free agents which I talk about here. The two names that keep getting talked about are Davone Bess and Jayson Foster. Bess was extremely productive at Hawaii and just seems to be able to catch whatever is thrown near him. What hurts his cause is that he doesn't seem to be a special teams contributor and he's not that dynamic on offense. One who is dynamic is Jayson Foster. He would most likely make the team in a Brad Davis-like role (listed as WR but really is a WR/RB/QB/just get the ball in his hands). Both of these guys and the others listed have legitimate chances to win the job but they must clearly outperform everyone else.

My Overall Assessment

Ted Ginn and Ernest Wilford are roster locks and will be the starters barring something drastic. Derek Hagan should stick but he shouldn't feel to comfortable. He is a bad training camp away from being unemployed. Tab Perry, David Kircus, Greg Camarillo, and Davone Bess are the four most likely to win the last two spots (three if you believe Hagan will be cut). If i had to speculate, I'd say Perry and Bess win out. The others listed would have to play out of there mind and also hope that everyone else underperforms. I don't see that happening. Foster is a possibility, but most likely it would be if the club chose to carry six receivers.

TG&T Inaugural Dolphins' QB Power Rankings

Taking a page out of my cousin Dewey's playbook, I've decided to give you my power rankings for the quarterback position. Dewey of course ranked the current QB's on the Baltimore's roster, and I will rank the players on the Miami's squad.

1. John Beck: He is at the top for several reasons. First he is the incumbent. Barely, but he is the only player on the roster to have started at QB for the Dolphins (including the last game we played). Also, he has the slight nod in terms of experience to be positioned above rookie Chad Henne, yet he hasn't failed as much as Josh McCown. He is in some sort of middle ground where he is a young and unproven but still worthy of more chances. Finally, the new regime will be afforded some luxury if he fails, because he wasn't hand picked by them, he was inherited. The fans would pass judgment and just blame Cam Cameron more if Beck never pans out. In my opinion, he will be given every opportunity to start. He won't have to beat out the other two in training camp and the preseason. If he just performs on par with them, he should be the one taking the first snap against the Jets.

2. Josh McCown: You have already heard a little bit of what I think about McCown. He has had several chances to show he can be a consistent starter and improve to being an average quarterback. he has never reached that level. This will be his seventh season and this is his fourth team. He never caught on in Arizona or Detroit. In his most recent stop, he lost the job to Daunte Culpepper in Oakland. The organization showed us where they think McCown stands by his free agent signing details. he is making money that is about level with most second string QB's. For now he is the backup, if he gives us any more than that in the future, that's a plus.

3. Chad Henne: A lot of people are really excited about him. I would say I'm mildly excited. I think he has a lot of upside and he does have the quailties that Parcells and Co. like in a quarterback. My brother said he looks like a poor man's Drew Bledsoe. If he is anything like the young Bledsoe, then I'm fine with that. He took the worst team in the league and made it a playoff team in a couple years and made a Super Bowl within four. The problem is, rookies almost never start from day one at this position. he will really have to prove himself in all of the training camps and preseason games to get his shot. The more likely scenario is if the team struggles, he could be handed the keys in second half of the season like Beck was last year.

Notes: The numbers by definition must be 1, 2, 3, etc. but if I were allowed some room for interpretation I would say the three players are really 2a, 2b, and 2c. Right now I would say they are all second string quarterbacks until week one of the regular season, when someone will be promoted to starter (#1) and someone will be demoted to the third string.

Opinion: My thoughts will most likely fluctuate daily but as of right now my feelings are as follows. Chad Henne should start from day one. It is clear that the organization really likes him and he is viewed as the QB of the future. Let him get his feet wet, go through the growing pains, and if he is the big tough player you thought he was, he will improve in year two and so on.

2008 Mini-Camp Over

As discussed earlier, this weekend the Dolphins held their first workouts of the 2008 season. It was only for rookies and included the nine draft picks and thirty undrafted free agents. Instead of trying to pass off as if I know how the camp went, I'd rather suggest you check the local media outlets who actually had sports writers in attendance. In short, it sounds like Jake Long looked worthy of being a #1 pick (I'd hope so against other rookies), Davone Bess looked like a great candidate for a wide receiver spot, and Chad Henne had his ups and downs but overall had a good camp.

In case you were wondering my opinion on Jason Taylor, I don't have one. I believe the media is largely responsible for the circus around him and the team and I will not contribute to it. As long as he is on the roster, I look forward to him having another great season for us and hopefully he leads our defense and team to a big improvement in 2008.

First Mini-Camp of the 2008 Season

Today is the start of the first training camp for the Miami Dolphins. You shouldn't get too excited though. It is only a few days long and is only for the rookies. Also, it's closed to the public. So we will have to rely on information from real reporters to know how everyone did. At this point I guess it would be a good time to list all of our draft picks along with a couple of thoughts on each player. In addition, I'll list the fourteen players signed as undrafted free agents and four players invited to camp for a tryout.

Draft Picks

• Jake Long, OT: I've talked about him before. He solidifies the line and it should be a decent unit.
• Phillip Merling, DE: This was a steal. There is a bit of risk because of his injury and because he is a tweener in the 3-4, but I think he will develop nicely into a 3-4 DE.
• Chad Henne, QB: Ask me how this turns out in four years. I like the pick, especially considering he fell to #57 and we didn't draft him earlier. He could play right away, I wouldn't be surprised.
• Kendall Langford, DE: I was surprised when i heard his name but after studying up, it might be a great pick. He will have to transition to being a two-gapper but this is a good investment because he is a great athlete.
• Shawn Murphy, OG: He immediately is the favorite to start at RG, because Jeff Ireland said so. If he is like the pro athlete his father was, then we are in good shape.
• Jalen Parmele, RB: He is a nice looking back who had great production in the MAC. Even though RB wasn't really a "need," it's nice to have some insurance for Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams
• Donald Thomas, OG: We have another candidate for the starting RG spot. He and his coaches at UConn have connections with Sparano and they really like him. This is a good value pick for a team with no depth at the offensive line.
• Lex Hilliard, RB: A lot of people seem to have a problem with another RB, but I don't. This guy was great at Montana and may project as a FB or goal line and short yardage specialist. Also look for him on special teams.
• Lionel Dotson, DE: We beef up our defensive line yet again. For a team that was the worst defending the run, you can't have enough big players trying to earn their spot on the field.

Undrafted Free Agent Signings

• Davone Bess, WR: He is the most recognizeable name on this list for college football fans and probably has the best chance of making the team. He had huge production in that Hawaii offense but does possess all the skills needed for the NFL. He may need to prove he can be a special teams player though if he wants to make it
  
• Dan Carpenter, K: He has a big leg and is good from 50+ yards. He could compete for the kickoff duties since it doesn't appear the team wants Jay Feely handling those.
  
• Jayson Foster, WR: He did it all in I-AA and his agent says he is more dangerous with a football than Darren McFadden! He will compete for kick return duties and perhaps be a nice weapon for the offense every now and then.
  
• Titus Brown LB
  
• Mike Byrne OL
• Dan Gore, OL
  
• Daren Heerspink, OL
• Aaron Lane, CB
• Selwyn Lymon, WR
  
• Matt Mulligan, TE
  
• Kelly Poppinga, LB
  
• Kory Robertson, D
  
• Marcel Reese, WR
  
• Justin Wynn, WR

Good Old Fashioned Tryouts

• Willie Copeland, QB
• Kris Kasparek, TE
• Rolly Lumbala, FB
• Scorpio Babers, CB