*** DOLPHINS NEWS ***
Apr 28, 1997: -- Day 2 of April Mini-Camp --
On Saturday, April 26th, there occurred an event that may turn
out to be one of the most significant in Dolphins history. For the
first time ever, Yatil Green caught a Dan Marino pass.
Of course, this event could also end up being one of the most
over-hyped in the history of the team - only time will tell. But
Green showed some of the talent on Saturday that made him the 15th
pick in this years draft. On one play, Green was asked to run a fly
pattern down the left side of the field. He was covered by Clayton
Holmes, who is one of the fastest men in the NFL.
According to the Miami Herald, Green was a step behind Holmes
when Marino threw the ball, but sprinted past Holmes to make the
catch. If Green can outrun Holmes, there will be very few cornerbacks
in the league who can keep up with him.
Other rookies making good impressions on Saturday included
Derrick Rodgers, who is apparently impressing coaches by learning very
quickly how to cover backs out of the backfield. Even though he was
drafted as a linebacker, he spent most of his short college career as
a pass rusher. But the Dolphins want him to play linebacker and for
that he'll have to learn how to cover backs out of the backfield.
Rookie cornerback Sam Madison was asked to cover wide receiver
Charles Jordan on Saturday - and, by all reports, blanketed him for
the entire practice.
Also singled out for praise on Saturday were rookie
linebackers Mike Crawford, John Fiala, and Ronnie Ward. In fact, all
4 linebackers impressed JJ enough for him to take special notice of
them.
At kicker, apparently free agent Olindo Mare has impressed JJ
with his leg and will be providing some difficult competition for Joe
Nedney throughout the summer. Nedney, for his part, has changed his
kicking style slightly, going from a 3 step approach to a 2 step
approach on field goals in an effort to become more consistent this
year.
Veteran linebackers zach Thomas and Anthony Harris both used
the off-season conditioning program to bulk up some, with Thomas
picking up 9 pounds to weigh in at 240 and Harris adding 16 pounds to
go from 224 to 240.
In the bad news department, wide receiver OJ McDuffie suffered
a groin injury in practice on Saturday and sat out the rest of the
weekend. Also, cornerback AJ Johnson, who fell ill during practice on
Friday, could not return to practice on Saturday.
Two rookies are missing the mini-camp entirely for injuries.
Defensive tackle Mike Mohring is recovering from off-season surgery on
his knee and wide receiver James Dye is recovering from thumb
surgery. Apparently, both are expected in the june mini-camp.
My Comments:
The news about Green is very exciting. Not everything that
I've heard about him has been good, but the fact that he outran
Clayton Holmes is very impressive.
As far as the other rookies are concerned, the news about
Madison, Rodgers and the other linebackers is also encouraging. It's
always good to hear that the rookies are impressing the coaches with
their drive and energy.
In the kicking duel that's beginning to develop, I would have
to say that Nedney still has the inside edge, especially if the
changes in his kicking approach help with his consistency. Still, it
is always good to challenge the players at their positions.
Unfortunately for AJ Johnson, while his career as a Dolphin is
not over yet, he has taken a giant step backwards because of his
collapse on Friday. He was already a long shot to make the team, but
this certainly won't help his chances.
Related Info:
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Curt Fennell,
curt@phins.com, DOLFAN in New England
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