It’s Saturday afternoon out at the Miami Dolphins Training Camp and we are going to see the team scrimmage before next weeks pre-season match up against the visiting Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I have mentioned in previous articles that our defense should be fine but the real concern on this team has been for the last few years and continues to be the offensive side of things. The offense is not completely jacked up but the most important position on the field is in flux. John Beck doesn’t seem to be making any progress and Josh McCown is really just Josh McCown. I can tell you Josh had the better afternoon in the scrimmage yesterday but I’m not comfortable with the quarterback play on this team. I don’t expect any great progress before next weeks pre-season game either.

You may be wondering what happened with Chad Henne out at the scrimmage. I can tell you much of the same which was described above and nothing to write home about. I must admit we really can’t expect too much from Chad Henne because this year he is the rookie learning the new system and adjusting to the speed of the pro game. There was some talk about the possibility of acquiring the services of wide receiver Terry Glenn. I don’t know what’s going to happen but Terry Glenn could be a nice addition to a receiver core which is still really unproven. I’ll be out at the stadium next Saturday night and hope to see something encouraging from our team on both sides of the ball. I want to see the toughness and speed that I’ve seen in practice.

The one bright spot on this team to me appears to be the runningback position, Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown seem to be ready to punish opposing linebackers attempting to stop the run. Ricky Williams is in incredible shape and Ronnie Brown seems to have fully recovered from last year’s injury. If you were out at Training Camp you would have had the opportunity to see Miami Dolphins Hall of Fame player Dan Marino along with other Dolphins alumni like; Mark Higgs, Bobby Harden, Troy Drayton, Shawn Wooden, and O.J. McDuffie. I really appreciate the opportunity to see our team out at Training Camp and from the cheers in the crowd, all the fans were appreciative of the opportunity to see their team out at Training Camp.

Staff Columnist, The Dolfanatic

  The 2008 Miami Dolphins Training Camp officially opened today and marked the first practice the fans have been able to attend this off season. I for one couldn’t wait for this day to come. I saw the players in full gear and was surprised but then again, I was used to seeing the team the week after the NFL draft which was not the case this year. It was a beautiful day out at training camp and the fans came in full force, not an empty seat in the house. The practice drills were scattered all over the field for all the fans to see. The Miami Dolphins Pro Shop was open and merchandise was flying off the shelves. I guess that 1-15 season officially has been forgotten, well… maybe not totally. There was a sale on Zach Thomas and Jason Taylor merchandise. The roster has a few sprinkles of players from the old regime but you can see that change has occurred by all the new faces.

The real question for Miami Dolphin football fans is, are you ready for some football? We will have our first pre-season game in two weeks against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on August 9th here at home. I really liked the energy out at training camp because all the players were going almost full speed. New Head Coach Tony Sparano pacing the field on one side and Vice President of Football Operations Bill Parcells, pacing on the other. It’s very early but here is some thoughts on today’s first practice. The quarterbacks need a lot of work, they just looked aweful. Josh and John were over throwing receivers and going to the dump off a little too much. Chad Henne did not practice in the morning session. Our backs are studs, Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams looked really sharp and got a few cheers from the crowd today.

The new coaching staff is putting this team through it’s paces and you can expect this team to be competitive and have plenty of gas in the tank late in the fourth quarter. This team will be stronger and faster but can these guys get it together. I don’t have any crazy predictions because I know it’s going to take a few years to right the ship. It’s going to look a lot better than last year but don’t get your head twisted. This rebuilding era is going to need a couple of more drafts to really get the pieces in place to make a run at a championship. We will surprise a few teams because no one knows what to expect from the Miami Dolphins but after a couple of weeks the training tapes will get circulated around the league and then it’s up to the coaching staff to insert there wrinkles and make this team competitive.

Staff Columnist, The Dolfanatic

  Just another week before training camp opens and football is back. I was checking some local sports pages for some Miami Dolphins news and came across a blog by the Maimi Heralds Armando Salguro. The blog title read; “Ricky could be best player on Fins’ roster”. I am a big Ricky Williams fan when he’s playing football and not quiting or going on some life quest in search of the soul inside myself. I can tell you from the training camp sessions and OTA’s including quarterback camps and other drills, Ricky Williams is the hardest working guy on the field. Ricky finishes runs even in practice so if you’re a defender who likes to take a few plays off and relax in the hot South Florida sun. You could be the next victim with an imprint of Rickys’ helmet on your chest. I really wish we didn’t have all the drama associated with Ricky because he is just one incredible athlete.

You don’t have to believe me, Armando Salguro wrote; “Ricky Williams looked every bit the best player on the field the last time the Dolphins were together for one of their offseason practices. He ran with authority, he showed quickness, and he never let himself shift out of top gear, even in drills that didn't mean much.” Ricky, with cartoon superhero muscles bulging out of his jersey sleeves, caught the eyes of anyone paying attention. No wonder he was the only player Dolphins football czar Bill Parcells congratulated with a fist bump as he was coming to the sideline after one workout. That practice came in June, in shorts, in the middle of what the NFL mistakenly calls the offseason. But when the Dolphins gather again next week for the start of training camp, the first leg of their regular-season marathon, there is nothing that suggests Williams won't again be one of the team's better players.

He might even be the most talented player the Dolphins roster has to offer and that is great news for Ricky Williams, But not so great for the Dolphins. It has been six years since Williams rewrote the Miami record book with those stirring 1,853 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns in 2002. His encore 1,372-yard-season in 2003 still merits appreciation mostly because it came behind a broken offensive line that delivered neither holes nor hope. For any running back about to embark on this new season, those long-passed days should seem like a career ago. For Williams, they should seem like a lifetime ago because those years came before the retirement, the first NFL-mandated drug suspension, the second NFL-mandated drug suspension and the season-ending injury last year. AFC East watch your back because Ricky Williams is back.

Staff Columnist, The Dolfanatic