*** DOLPHINS TRAINING CAMP ***
Aug 31, 1999: -- Day 35 - Aug 30th --
TODAY'S REPORT:
The biggest news of training camp on Monday was not about who
was there, but rather, about who wasn't. DE Dimitrius Underwood, who
was scheduled to report to the Dolphins on Sunday afternoon, did not
arrive in Miami and was not there as of the practice on Monday
afternoon.
According to reports, Underwood missed the plane and remained
in Michigan to "straighten out a few things". He is supposedly still
committed to playing for the Dolphins this year and, as of this
writing, has arrived in Miami. But his absence from practice on Monday
raised more than a few eyebrows.
The team held one practice on Monday and Oronde Gadsden, Lamar
Thomas and Nate Jacquet all returned from injury to practice. As of
right now, it appears as if Gadsden and Jacquet will probably play
against Green Bay on Thursday, but it's unlikely at this point that
Lamar Thomas will get any action.
Thomas is trying a brace on his shoulder to see if he can play
without having an operation. However, after getting hit a couple of
times in practice on Monday, Thomas put on a red jersey, which
signifies that that player is not to be hit.
Yatil Green did work on Monday, despite having incurred a minor
ankle sprain against the Lions on Saturday night. He had a notable
catch from Dan Marino during practice and his knees are fine.
John Avery also had a nice deep catch from Marino and has
gotten the nod to start at running back on Thursday night against the
Packers, because Karim Abdul-Jabbar is experiencing some pain in his
knee and they don't want to risk him in a pre-season game. Karim sat
out part of practice on Monday to rest his knee.
Also, James Brown and Grey Ruegamer had good practices on
Monday, which will increase the possibility that Ruegamer can find
himself a roster spot. And Sam Madison had an interception for the
third practice in a row.
At this point, practice is about finalizing the roster for the
regular season and starting to prepare for the Denver game on Monday
night. The team will work to get Marino as much time as possible with
his wide receivers and to figure out which offensive line combination
is the best.
For that goal, JJ has moved Kevin Donnalley back ahead of Kevin
Gogan at right guard - at least, for the Packers game on Thursday. The
reports are that that is because Gogan missed a key block on the goal
line play where Karim failed to get over from the 1 inch line against
the Lions.
Related to that, there is no news on the Richmond Webb holdout.
It appears that neither side is budging from it's position and that an
agreement is not close. It looks like Brent Smith will start at left
tackle this fall. If he plays well enough, Webb may sit out the year
or be traded. If Brent Smith doesn't play well, Dixon may be moved to
left tackle or Webb may signed in a real hurry.
JJ'S COMMENTS:
Most of the questions to JJ on Monday were about injuries. JJ
said that there were a lot of players with minor injuries that were not
going to practice this week and wouldn't play against Green Bay on
Thursday so that they could heal before the opener against Denver.
JJ specifically mentioned Karim Abdul-Jabbar as one player who
would not be playing on Thursday and said that John Avery would get the
start in Karim's place.
Also, JJ said that he wasn't concerned about Underwood's
no-show in practice on Monday. He considers Underwood a project anyway
and doesn't care about Underwood being able to play this year at all.
ROSTER MOVES:
There were no roster moves on Monday, but the team will be
required to make cuts to 70 players on Tuesday.
FUTURE EVENTS:
The team will practice Tuesday and Wednesday this week and then
will face the Packers in Green Bay on Thursday night in their final
pre-season game. The team will take Friday off and then will begin
practice again on Saturday, getting ready for the season opener.
INJURY REPORT:
Karim Abdul-Jabbar sat out part of practice while resting an
irritated knee. LB Robert Jones (ankle) and CB Terrell Buckley (foot)
did not practice, but both of their injuries are minor and while they
may sit out the Green Bay game, they will be healthy for the following
week.
RB Cecil Collins (ankle) is recovering and is listed as
day-to-day. He won't work against the Packers, but the goal is to get
him ready to play against the Broncos. RB JJ Johnson (hamstring) is
expected to start practice on Saturday.
WR OJ McDuffie (thumb) probably won't play against the Packers
either, but will be ready for the opener. FB Stanley Pritchett (knee)
also won't play in Green Bay, but should also be ready for Denver.
S Brian Walker (knee), DT Walter Scott (sore knee), LB Anthony
Harris (groin) and LB Sammie Burroughs (back) did not practice.
Harris is expected to miss another 6-8 weeks and Burroughs was placed
on the physically-unable-to-perform list.
My Comments:
As I've said, I have no qualms with Underwood not showing up. I
would really rather have Underwood not show up and not take up a roster
spot that JJ seems determined to give him. In fact, I think maybe JJ
would rather have Underwood sit out this season also. After all, JJ
keeps talking about the future with Underwood and not what Underwood can
do this year.
Usually, I think it's a good thing that JJ prizes his defensive
linemen so much, but this time I think he's gone too far.
As of this minute, Underwood has found his way to Miami and
reported to the team. Whether or not he remains there after being
hammered into the ground a couple of times by James Brown, Kevin Gogan
and Mark Dixon remains to be seen.
I can just imagine him having a religious experience when he's
buried under 300 pounds of offensive lineman. I know I would start
praying if I saw Kevin Gogan running full bore at me.
The bottom line, I guess, is that I just don't think that
Underwood will stay in football, no matter who he plays for. This is
not to make fun of him or demean him in any way, but the kid clearly
has some personal issues to work out before he can put in the kind of
dedication that he needs to play in the NFL.
On the whole, giving up a roster spot for Underwood just isn't
worth his potential.
Related Info:
[Return to Training Camp]
Curt Fennell,
curt@phins.com, DOLFAN in New Rochelle (almost)
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