*** DOLPHINS TRAINING CAMP ***
Aug 18, 1999: -- Day 22 - Aug 17th --
TODAY'S REPORT:
The Dolphins held a single practice on Tuesday morning at 11:00
AM in preparation for their departure to San Diego on Wednesday. This
was the last practice in South Florida that will be open to the public.
From now on, practices at the Dolphins' training facility will be
closed because of construction.
The biggest news of the day was the confirmation that Kevin
Gogan has moved ahead of Kevin Donnalley on the depth chart at right
guard. This is not necessarily a permanent move, but offensive line
coach Paul Boudreau and JJ want the best five offensive linemen on the
field.
Right now, the best five are Brent Smith, Mark Dixon, Tim Ruddy,
Kevin Gogan and James Brown. However, John Bock is having an
outstanding camp and could also challenge for a starting spot. In the
game against the Chargers on Saturday, Mark Dixon will start at left
guard, but will also play some at left tackle. Bock will see time at
left guard and center and Gogan will start at right guard and play some
left guard.
The goal is to find out which combination of five players is the
best offensive line for the team this year. Regardless of who starts,
however, the Dolphins will have at least 2 starting quality backups for
the offensive line - three if Richmond Webb signs and comes to camp.
In practice on Tuesday, JJ Johnson did his first running since
he was injured during the scrimmage against Tampa Bay. [Ed Note: I
incorrectly reported yesterday that JJ Johnson started running on
Monday].
Guys who had good days in practice on Tuesday included Shane
Burton, OJ McDuffie, and Larry Shannon, who continues to excel after
having a tough time the first part of training camp. Also, Robert
Baker participated in practice and had a couple of nice catches, even
though he's not yet up to full speed while recovering from a strained
hamstring.
On the other side of the coin were Lamar Thomas and Hunter
Goodwin, who both had at least one dropped pass.
The Dimitrius Underwood story continues to unfold as JJ talked
to Underwood on Tuesday about returning to football and Underwood was
arrested for unpaid parking tickets. There is no word at this time
about whether or not Underwood will play this year.
OUTSTANDING PLAYS:
There were no reports of any plays that stood out from the
practice.
JJ'S COMMENTS:
JJ said that JJ Johnson was back and running and that the
coaches actually had to slow Johnson down to keep him from overworking
on his first day back. JJ also mentioned that punter Brent Bartholemew
had looked outstanding since the Dolphins waived Nick Gallery.
JJ further commented that the Dolphins' coaching staff would
not be doing any specific game planning against the Chargers, saying
that the Dolphins would approach the game about like they had against
the Saints.
ROSTER MOVES:
There were no cuts or additions today.
FUTURE EVENTS:
The Dolphins will travel to San Diego on Wednesday morning and
practice against the Chargers on Wednesday evening and twice on
Thursday. It now appears that the Dolphins will be practicing by
themselves on Friday as the Chargers may take the day off.
The Dolphins face the Chargers on Saturday night in San Diego
in their 2nd pre-season game.
INJURY REPORT:
WR Oronde Gadsden (lower back contusion) and Nate Jacquet
(sprained right big toe) were held out of practice and neither is
expected to play against the Chargers.
JJ Johnson (strained left hamstring) did some light running
Tuesday but will not play this Saturday against the San Diego Chargers.
His status remains day-to-day. DT Tim Bowens and CB Jerry Wilson were
both excused from practice because of personal reasons. FB Roosevelt
Potts (right calf strain) and DT Walter Scott (right knee sprain) also
missed practice and are listed as day-to-day.
LB Sammie Burroughs (back) and LB O.J. Brigance (back) remain on
the club's Active/Physically Unable to Perform List. LB Anthony Harris
(groin) is expected to be out 10-12 weeks as he recovers from surgery
performed on August 3.
EYEWITNESS REPORTS:
Sorry, there are none today.
My Comments:
I like the promotion of Gogan to starting right guard. I also
like the fact that Mark Dixon is going to get time at left tackle and
that John Bock will see time at center. Gogan is better at right
guard than at any other position. If Dixon is, in fact, the best
offensive lineman on the team right now, he should be playing left
tackle. And if John Bock is good enough, perhaps he can give the team
a little more push at center than Tim Ruddy.
In any case, I like what Paul Boudreau has done so far with the
offensive line. There are no sacred cows on this team.
Of course, all this is speculative. We've still got a long way
to go before the regular season starts and a lot can happen.
Now, if only JJ would promote Cecil Collins....
On another note, I would be surprised if Dimitrius Underwood
spent any time in Dolphins camp this summer. And I would be stunned if
he managed to get himself a roster spot. Perhaps next year, but not
this summer.
This year, the only thing Underwood is going to do is to sit
around on his butt and (fill in the blank with your favorite time
wasting activity).
Related Info:
[Return to Training Camp]
Curt Fennell,
curt@phins.com, DOLFAN in New Rochelle (almost)
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