*** DOLPHINS TRAINING CAMP ***
Aug 06, 1999
: -- Day 9 - Aug 4 --
TODAY'S REPORT:
The Dolphins had two practices on Wednesday, with a full pads
practice in the morning and a shorts-and-shoulder pads practice in the
afternoon. The team is preparing for two practices on Friday with the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers, followed on Saturday by a 1:30 PM scrimmage
against the Bucs at the Orange Bowl.
Cecil Collins got another chance to work with the first team
offense in the middle drill, but didn't do much with the opportunity.
He ended up with a net gain of 1 yard on three carries. Later, he
broke through the second team defense for a big gain, but apparently
he is still not hitting the holes with the kind of authority that JJ
demands of his starters.
JJ Johnson also worked in the middle drill and ended up
getting positive yardage on most of his carries, as did Karim
Abdul-Jabbar. And Stanley Pritchett, working from both the one-back
set and from the I formation behind Rob Konrad, picked up 4 yards on
his first carry in the middle drill and then broke away completely for
a TD on his next carry.
The use of Stanley Pritchett in a one-back set seems to be
becoming a viable option on 3rd down and short for the Dolphins.
Pritchett has been very successful from that position throughout
training camp. Pritchett has slimmed down somewhat in the off-season
and says that his knee feels better now than at any time since he
injured it in 1997.
Still, despite the performances of the rookies, Karim
Abdul-Jabbar seems to be the most consistent running back on the
team.
Mark Dixon and Kevin Gogan continue to battle for the starting
left guard spot while Brent Smith and Dixon are sharing time at left
tackle in the absence of Richmond Webb. Right now, Dixon is still
lining up with the first team at left guard, but it's too early to say
who will emerge as the starter.
JJ announced that LB Dixon Edwards has left the team and has
paid back his signing bonus. Edwards is worried about his heart
condition, despite assurances from 4 doctors that he can play safely.
OUTSTANDING PLAYS:
Karim Abdul-Jabbar gained 15 yards on 5 carries in the middle
drill with the first team and Cecil Collins had an outside run against
the second team for a touchdown.
On the downside, WR Robert Baker couldn't get open against
coverage by S Rayna Stewart.
JJ'S COMMENTS:
JJ talked briefly about Edwards leaving, saying that Edwards
didn't want to play for any other team, but that he wasn't expected
back. JJ spent quite a bit of time praising Mark Dixon, saying that
one of the scouting services rated Dixon as one of the highest rated
guards in the league. He went on to say "he'll (Dixon) start wherever
he lines up."
JJ further said that the Dolphins have no plans right now to
sign another linebacker to replace Edwards.
ROSTER MOVES:
LB Dixon Edwards quit the team.
FUTURE EVENTS:
The Dolphins will practice once on Thursday afternoon and
twice on Friday. The two Friday practices will be against the Tampa
Bay Buccaneers.
INJURY REPORT:
LB Anthony Harris (groin surgery), LB O.J. Brigance (back), LB
Sammie Burroughs (back), RB Juan Johnson (bruised back), TE Troy
Drayton (bruised quad), FB Roosevelt Potts (calf) and DT Antoine
Simpson (back) did not practice. OT Joe Wong is out for the year with
a torn ACL in his knee and will have surgery in a few days.
EYEWITNESS REPORTS:
Sorry, there are still no eyewitness reports today.
My Comments:
Camp continues to go well and I am happy to seen that James
Johnson, Cecil Collins and Karim Abdul-Jabbar are all practicing
well. It appears to me that the 6 running backs on the team this fall
will be Abdul-Jabbar, Collins, Johnson, Avery, Pritchett and Konrad.
Potts might also make the team if JJ keeps Avery as a special teams
player also.
While Robert Baker might also make the team as a special teams
player, I'm beginning to think that it's more likely that he'll end up
on the practice squad.
It's hard to second guess a guy like Dixon Edwards about his
medical condition. Sure, a bunch of doctors have given him clearance
to play, but doctors are just as fallible as the rest of us. And it's
his life.
My hunch is that sitting home will get boring after a few
weeks and he may want to return. Of course, by then he will have lost
whatever shot he had at starting, but at least he'll be playing.
On a related note - SportsChannel Florida is broadcasting the
Dolphins-Bucs scrimmage this weekend live from the Orange Bowl. Last
year, scrimmages were blacked out if a viewer lived outside of
Florida. However, I just got off the phone with a SportChannel
representative, and she told me that the scrimmage will be broadcast
throughout the country and will NOT be blacked out.
She is going to check further on that for me and update me on
the scrimmage and the pre-season games tomorrow, so I should have more
information for you all by tomorrow night. Everyone needs to make an
offering to the football gods tonight so that we will all be able to
see the Dolphins scrimmages and pre-season games via satellite.
Related Info:
[Return to Training Camp]
Curt Fennell,
curt@phins.com, DOLFAN in New Rochelle (almost)
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