*** DOLPHINS TRAINING CAMP ***
Jul 20, 1997: -- Scrimmage - July 19th --
TODAY'S REPORT:
The Dolphins conducted their second scrimmage of the season on
Saturday and despite the scrimmage being cut short by rain and
lightning, the Dolphins got some good work in and showed some
improvement in important areas as well as some surprising play by
some unexpected rookies.
The scrimmage began with the first team offense facing the
first team defense, but the offense didn't get going on the first
series and Marino looked a little rusty. The lowlights of the first
series were 3 fumbled snaps between Marino and Ruddy, due in part to
the downpour and in part due to the fact that they weren't drying the
ball off the way that they would in a game.
The Dolphin were able to run the ball fairly well and Karim
Abdul-Jabbar carried the ball 16 times for 53 yards and had a one yard
touchdown run. The reports say that Abdul-Jabbar was taking his time,
picking his holes and running very well.
Also carrying the ball a lot was Bernie Parmalee, who had 9
carries for 34 yards and a 4 yard touchdown run. In fact, both of the
offensive touchdowns during the scrimmage were on short runs.
For the offensive line, Everett McIver started in place of Chris
Gray at right guard with the first team, but opinions among observers
differ on whether or not the offensive line was doing a good job.
Other players running the ball included McPhail (1 carry for 3
yards), Spikes (4 carries for 6 yards) and Dotson (1 carry for 2
yards). The word on Spikes is that he still seems to be recovering
from his surgery.
In the passing game, Marino did not have that great a day,
completing 12 of 23 for 138 yards and an interception by Shawn Wooden.
Craig Erickson did a little better, completing 12 of 14 for 252 yards.
Marino apparently did look more mobile in the pocket than he
has in a long time, which coincides with reports that I've gotten out
of training camp. When Erickson was in, they used his mobility a
little bit more, calling designed rollouts and screens.
In the receiving department, rookie Brian Manning lead all
receivers with 3 catches for 46 yards, continuing his surprising
performance at camp. Right behind Manning, rookie tight end Ed Perry
had 3 catches for 43 yards, including a terrific catch in which he was
sandwiched between Corey Harris and Shawn Wooden, but held on to the
ball and broke free from them both, going for another 15 yards before
being dragged down from behind by Dwight Hollier.
Troy Drayton and Lawrence Dawsey didn't play on Saturday, both
nursing small injuries. They are both practicing, but were held out of
the game to prevent any further injuries to the Dolphins' receiving
corps.
Another receiver who shined on Saturday was running back Jerris
McPhail. On one play, McPhail caught a bullet from Dan Marino on a
crossing route over the middle and raced 31 yards before he was knocked
down by Shawn Wooden. McPhail said that he had a slight hamstring
pull, which prevented him from scoring the touchdown.
Following the scrimmage, JJ said that he would be lining up
McPhail as a third down back and occasionally at the wide receiver
spot. However, he denied that the Dolphin have any intention of moving
him to wide receiver permanently. McPhail finished the day with 3
catches for 44 yards.
Other receivers who played well include Fred Barnett (3 catches
for 31 yards), Bernie Parmalee (3 catches for 24 yards), Frank
Wainwright (2 catches for 16 yards) and Stanley Pritchett (1 catch for
15 yards).
On the downside of the offense, wide receiver Lamar Thomas
dropped at least 2 passes that came his way, Charles Jordan didn't
catch a pass and tight end Walter Reeves dropped the only pass that was
thrown to him.
The defense didn't seem to have quite as good a day of it as
the offense, but it's hard to know how much of that was due to the
weather. Shawn Wooden had the only interception of the day on a lame
duck pass from Dan Marino and Dwight Hollier had the only sack of the
scrimmage.
In the heated battle for the starting outside linebackers'
positions, both Dwight Hollier and Anthony Harris made their case for
staying in the starting lineup. Harris lead the defense in tackles
with 9 total (6 solo and 3 assists) and Hollier was second with 6
tackles (4 solo, 1 assist and 1 sack). Harris and Hollier are still
the starters.
Derrick Rodgers did not repeat his outstanding performance of a
week ago, but did come up with 4 tackles and had a crushing tackle on
Bernie Parmalee. The second string linebackers for the day consisted
of Rodgers, Ward and Crawford.
Terrell Buckley had a pretty good day at cornerback, batting
away a few passes and keeping tight coverage. On the other side,
Calvin Jackson is still the starter, but Sam Madison had a good day
also and is apparently pushing Jackson for the starting position.
According to reports, Madison had tight coverage for most of the time
he was in, although he was caught holding Lamar Thomas on one play.
At safety, Shawn Wooden is still starting at safety ahead of
George Teague, but Teague apparently did get a chance to play some with
the rest of the first string defense on some plays.
On the downside of the defense, some names that were notable for
their absence from the defensive stats including Daryl Gardener and Trace
Armstrong, neither of whom had a tackle.
In the pass-rushing department, Jason Taylor hustled a lot and
pursued, but didn't come up with any sacks. Derrick Rodgers also was
in about the same situation, although the word is that Rodgers was not
asked to rush the passer a lot during play.
For the special teams, Nedney made one of 2 field goals, while
Mare went 2 for 2.
Overall, it was an interesting scrimmage, with a number of
positives and some good news for those concerned about the passing
game.
SCRIMMAGE STATISTICS:
Editors Note: I have changed the receiving stats to give Jordan credit
for one catch for 10 yards. In the original stats from the Herald,
they credit Dawsey with one catch for 10 yards - after saying that
Dawsey didn't play.
Also - the Sun-Sentinel has a set of stats in their article, but they
make absolutely no sense. I'd list the Dolphins Endzone stats, but
their server appears to be down this morning.
Scoring: Abdul-Jabbar 1 run; Parmalee 4 run.
Rushing: Abdul-Jabbar 16-53; Parmalee 9-34; McPhail 1-3; Spikes 4-6;
Dotson 1-2.
Passing: Marino 23-12-0-138; Erickson 24-12-0-252.
Receiving: Barnett 3-31; Perry 3-43; Wilson 3-16; Manning 3-46; Parmalee
3-24; Jordan 1-10; Wainwright 2-16; McPhail 3-44; Pritchard 1-15; Spikes
1-6; Abdul-Jabbar 1-1.
Tackles: Harris 9 (6 solo, 3 assists, o sacks); Hollier 6 (4-1-1); Hill
4 (4-0); Ward 4 (3-1); Rodgers 4 (3-1); Jacobs 4 (3-1); Wooden 3 (2-1);
Thomas 3 (2-1); Hand 3 (2-1); Little 2 (1-1); Teague 2 (2-0); Taylor 2
(1-1); Crawford 2 (1-1); Stubbs 1 (1-0); Bowens 1 (1-0); Wilson 1 (1-0);
Madison 1 (1-0); Buckley 1 (0-1).
TODAY'S EVENTS:
The Dolphins get the day off on Sunday, but return to 2-a-day
drills on Monday at 9:00 AM and 4:15 PM.
INJURY REPORTS:
Fortunately, no one was injured during the scrimmage. TE Troy
Drayton sat out the scrimmage, saving his right ankle. The Herald also
reports that WR Lawrence Dawsey didn't play, but they also credit him
with a reception during the scrimmage, so you'll have to figure out how
he caught a pass without playing.
EYEWITNESS REPORTS:
I have received so many good eyewitness reports on the
scrimmage that I intend to post them separately.
My Comments:
You have to be pleased with the news about the effectiveness of
Jerris McPhail. As multi-talented as he is, he could help the Dolphins
stretch the defense in the absence of Yatil Green. He adds a dimension
to the offense that the Dolphin haven't had since Terry Kirby caught
all those passes out of the backfield.
On the other hand, you have to be disappointed at the lack of
catches by Charles Jordan. After having what almost everyone agrees is
a terrific training camp, Jordan didn't produce anything on Saturday.
Even if we assume that the catch attributed to Dawsey in the stats was
actually made by Jordan (Dawsey wears 86 and Jordan wears 88 - if there
was mud and rain, 88 could have been mistaken for 86), one catch for 10
yards is not what you expect from a guy whose mission will be to
stretch the defense.
For the defense, the lack of production in the pass rushing
department is also a little troublesome, but it appears that the
secondary has improved from last year, especially in the speed
department.
Of course, it's important to remember that a scrimmage really
doesn't prove a whole lot. These guys practice against each other
every day and they know all the moves and all the strengths and
weaknesses. There are very few surprises in a scrimmage.
So take the scrimmage for what it's worth, but don't read too
much into it. It's a good opportunity for rookies to shine and
demonstrate their abilities, but it isn't a real game, either.
Related Info:
[Return to Training Camp]
Curt Fennell,
curt@phins.com, DOLFAN in New England
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