*** DOLPHINS TRAINING CAMP ***
Aug 25, 1999: -- Day 29 - Aug 24th --
TODAY'S REPORT:
The Dolphins had one practice on Tuesday and it evidently
rained very hard during practice, but JJ wasn't disappointed at all
with the rain. In fact, he complimented the team on it's focus and
intensity during practice, because rain will normally cause a team to
practice poorly.
The big news of the day was the announcement that DE Dimitrius
Underwood, released by Vikings a couple of weeks ago and picked up by
the Dolphins off the waiver wire, has decided to play football this
year. He will arrive in Miami on Sunday and begin preparation to
start practicing on Monday.
Underwood is reportedly not in football shape and is
under-weight, but he will be working closely with strength coach John
Gamble. This association is important not only because Underwood will
need all the work he can get, but because Gamble is a very religious
man and that could provide a strong basis for their relationship.
The rumors are that the team has told Underwood's agent that
Underwood will probably make the regular roster this year, even if he
doesn't perform all that well in training camp. That will mean that
the Dolphins will have to let another player go, although it can be
any player on the team. It does not have to be a defensive lineman.
In other news, Larry Shannon has tried to advantage of the
fact that he's one of the few receivers who can practice this week and
has been working extra hard to get ready for the Detroit game. He is
also banged up, but not so much that he can't work on the field.
Also, fullback Roosevelt Potts is back at full speed, trying
to earn a place on the team. He should see a lot of action on
Saturday night against the Lions.
JJ'S COMMENTS:
JJ started by complimenting the team as a whole about their
performance in the rain during practice. He said that the team was
protecting the ball very well and working hard. He went on to single
out Tim Ruddy and James Brown for improving their play over the last
couple of weeks.
Most of the rest of the questions and answers concerned
Dimitrius Underwood, but JJ gave nothing away. All he said was that
he was happy to have Underwood and that the best 53 players at the end
of training camp would be on the roster, regardless of position.
ROSTER MOVES:
Dimitrius Underwood is now officially on the roster.
FUTURE EVENTS:
The team will have one practice each day this week until
Saturday, when they will host the Detroit Lions in Miami at 7:00 PM
local time.
INJURY REPORT:
WR Oronde Gadsden (back) and RB JJ Johnson (left hamstring)
were limited in practice. WR Nate Jacquet (sprained right big toe), WR
O.J. McDuffie (left thumb), DE Walter Scott (right knee), S Rayna
Stewart (sore ribs), WR Lamar Thomas (left shoulder) and S Brian
Walker (left knee sprain) did not practice today.
LB Sammie Burroughs (back) and LB OJ Brigance (back) remain
on the club's Active/Physically Unable to Perform List. OJ Brigance,
however, may get clearance from his doctor as early as today to begin
practice again.
EYEWITNESS REPORTS:
Unfortunately, there will be no more eyewitness reports this
summer because the Dolphins have closed training camp to outside
visitors.
My Comments:
As I said yesterday, I don't think that bringing Underwood in
at this point accomplishes anything this year. It may turn out to be
better for the team next year and beyond, but right now it just upsets
the apple cart - so to speak - right when the team should be getting
settled for the upcoming season.
Moving right along, it appears that I owe Chris Mortenson an
apology. I implied the other day that Mortenson (and ESPN) had not
corrected their error when they said that Cecil Collins was in danger
of being released.
It turns out that I was wrong. Mortenson and ESPN did correct
their mistake the following day, when they announced that JJ had been
talking about Tyrone Wheatley all along and not about Cecil Collins.
They admitted they had made a mistake with that report.
On to other matters - as I was told about 2 months ago, but
didn't believe, it turns out that it is the teams themselves that
control the black out of pre-season games on a national level. When
the San Diego game this weekend was blacked out nationally, it was
because the Dolphins and Chargers refused to give permission for it to
be broadcast nationally.
The NFL just passes along the wishes of the teams to DirecTV
and any other effected broadcasters.
The reason behind the policy is that if a pre-season game is
broadcast nationally, even by tape-delay, the team must split all the
profits from that broadcast with the 30 other NFL teams. If it's only
broadcast in Florida, the Dolphins can keep all the revenue instead of
splitting it with 30 other teams.
So, in order to get this policy changed, we're going to have
to address the issue directly to the team. I'm looking into the best
way to do that and suggestions would be welcome. But until Wayne
Huizenga and the Dolphins decide to change the policy, Dolphins'
pre-season games will not be shown nationally.
Related Info:
[Return to Training Camp]
Curt Fennell,
curt@phins.com, DOLFAN in New Rochelle (almost)
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