Miami Dolphins 2010 Training Camp Report: Week in Review 8/5

Well, another week of training camp is almost in the books for the 2010 Miami Dolphins.

Some of the natural excitement that comes with the start of camp has died down and has been replaced with reality in terms of injuries, fights to make the team, and some areas in which the team is strong and others where improvement needs to be made.

Once again, thanks and citation is given to the Florida Sun-Sentinel and writers Omary Kelly and Mike Berardino for their instant updates via twitter. The same applies to the Miami Herald and Armando Salguero and the Palm Beach Post and Brian Biggane.

Here are the storylines so far this week at camp.

Injuries, Injuries

Fourth-round draft pick A.J. Edds suffered an ACL tear Monday night while practicing in the "Nick Saban Memorial" practice bubble.

Then, on Wednesday morning, reserve running back and possible kick return candidate Kory Sheets tore an Achilles tendon in a non-contact drill. Both injuries ended the young players' seasons.

Neither player was a guarantee to make the team or make an impact but the attrition factor is something to monitor as the NFL pushes for an 18-game regular season (even though the preseason would thankfully be cut down to two games).

Certainly, every NFL team faces injuries but it would be naive to assume that some teams aren't hitter harder than others. Keep your fingers crossed that Miami doesn't continue to get bit hard by the injury bug.

Moves and Transactions

To compensate for the loss of Edds, Miami signed undrafted free agent linebacker Micah Johnson from Kentucky.

Originally signed by the New York Giants following the 2010 NFL Draft, Johnson was released by the G-men on June 21st.

He brings a different skill set than Edds despite playing the same position. Johnson is known as more of a run-stuffer and inside blitzer while somewhat limited in pass coverage, a skill that was considered Edds strong suit.

Other moves included placing Edds on IR, Sheets on the Waived/Injured List, cornerback A.J. Wallace leaving the team, and cornerback Evan Ogelsby being released and then re-signed.

Patrick Turner Update

Well, for the second year in a row, Patrick Turner is flashing big time talent in a preseason camp.

On Wednesday night, he made a diving catch on a slant pass from Chad Henne after getting away from Vontae Davis on the route. He also made a few nice catches in other practices since Sunday.

Can he do it in games? That question must be answered in the preseason and Miami needs to trot him out there enough to find out for sure. If Turner can finally reach his vast potential, Miami could have abundance of riches at the wide receiver position.

After last year's regular season, don't get excited quite yet.

Secondary Rookies

The two men Miami drafted in the fifth round of this year's draft have a legitimate shot to stick as Dolphins.

Cornerback Nolan Carroll clearly has an abundance of athletic ability and a nose for the ball. Don't pencil his name in the opening day roster just yet though.

Coach Sparano said of Carroll, "He's physical, but he lacks some fundamental work."

Carroll's best shot to make the team might be on special teams where Sparano indicated he will get a ton of preseason work.

Rashad Jones had a nice pass deflection early in the week and drew some praise from Sparano for his ability (and I'm paraphrasing) to play a little quicker now that he is processing information better. I believe Jones is also working on the first team kick coverage unit.

Special teams and the fact that NFL teams typically carry 9-10 defensive backs count in Carroll and Jones favor to making the Dolphins squad.

Hoop Drill

I am surprised to be writing about an individual drill, but chalk it up to my coaching days. Kacy Rodgers, the Miami Dolphins defensive line coach, reportedly conducted one of my favorite drills earlier this week.

In this drill, the lineman, especially your defensive ends, run around a big hoop placed on the ground and then get pushed out and away as they try to rush the passer.

The drill teaches pass rushers how to maintain leverage and balance because their feet feel as though they are going out even before they get blasted by a dummy bag or actually a blocker (either works). This drill often exposes taller players who don't have a low center of gravity. Actually, this drill exposes a lot of players, period.

Chad Pennington

Chad Pennington hasn't gone through a ton of training camp action, but he has been pretty solid by all accounts, although one recent report had him losing some zip.

Still, there is no denying that Pennington is a veteran commodity which has spurred some conversation of what to do with him.

One argument is to trade him and get a reasonable to high draft pick back for a guy who could be your third quarterback behind Chad Henne and Tyler (I almost typed Yancey for all you diehards out there) Thigpen.

The Minnesota Vikings would seem to be a logical destination as the team is in a sort of purgatory while waiting to see if Brett Favre's ankle will let him play this season.

Pennington would be an instant upgrade over Tavaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels and still would be nice insurance in case the soon to be 41-year old gray beard returns.

On the other hand, when has Miami ever had this kind of depth at quarterback? The NFL season is tough and there is no guarantee that Pennington isn't a better back-up option than Thigpen.

Check back on this dilemma in a few weeks.

Stock Up, Stock Down

Stock up:

Brandon Marshall - He hasn't been good. He has been dominant. He has consistently beaten the Dolphins cornerbacks on a variety of routes and catches virtually everything.

Cameron Wake - Still, the Dolphin who is most consistently delivering pressure to the quarterback.

The Rookies - In addition to Jared Odrick, Koa Misi, John Jerry, who continue to start, progress has clearly been made by the aforementioned Caroll and Jones, as well as seventh round pick Chris McCoy.

Stock Down:

Ryan Grice-Mullen - His absence for a few days helped open the door for Turner to shine.

Pat White - He has looked, according to different perspectives, anywhere from decent to awful. Even if he is decent, it’s hard to see how he can make the roster unless Pennington or Thigpen is traded.

Jake Grove and Joe Berger - Neither one has separated himself from the other player in the battle for starting center. Sparano has hinted that "he might throw a fly into the ointment". Could another player be in the running for the spot soon?

My next training report will be on Monday, August 9th or Tuesday, August 10th. The Dolphins are scheduled to scrimmage heavily this Saturday and then have a light scrimmage at Sun Life Stadium on Monday night. So, I should have juicy tidbits from that action (full pads on Saturday!).

Please check my archive for any updates or other articles during the interim.