Lets Go Dolphins

September 3, 2011


Dolphins trim roster to 53

September 3rd, 2011 @ 11:04:43 PM

Placed OT Lydon Murtha on injured reserve. Terminated the contracts of RB Larry Johnson, CB Will Allen, S Gerald Alexander, NT Ronald Fields, OT Ray Willis and FB Lousaka Polite. Waived CB Vincent Agnew, TE Brett Brackett, WR Patrick Carter, G Garrett Chisolm, TE Dedrick Epps, LB Jonathan Freeny, RB Nic Grigsby, OT D.J. Jones, OT Matt Kopa, WR Phillip Livas, WR John Matthews, CB Nate Ness, LB David Nixon, WR Julius Pruitt, S Mark Restelli, LB Robert Rose, TE Mickey Shuler, LB Quinton Spears, QB Pat Devlin and Kevin O’Connell.

September 2, 2011


How Bout them Dolphins

September 2nd, 2011 @ 4:36:08 PM

The Miami Dolphins defeated the Dallas Cowgirls I mean boys thursday night at Sun Life stadium 17-3. There were no starters on both sides but it felt good for the backups to get good work in. Larry Johnson recently signed had a 7 yard touchdown. It is bitter sweet Dolphins finishing 3-1 in preseason. We will meet the Dallas Cowgirls again on Thanksgiving Day.

August 23, 2011


Miami Signs RB Larry Johnson

August 23rd, 2011 @ 8:39:48 PM

The Miami Dolphins signed former Pro Bowler LARRY Johnson on tuesday. The former Kansas City CHief running back hasnt played much but coach Tony Sparano says he is in shape and would be a good fit for offense that he is familiar with playing in. The Dolphins waived Kory Sheets a young promising back who was injured in Friday nights game.


Dolphins Win 20-10

August 23rd, 2011 @ 8:35:45 PM

Miami Dolphins defeated the Carolina Panthers Friday night 20-10. The Defense stood up and shut the Panthers offense out in the first three quarters. Dolphins 1st team looked good thru the first half alot of starters stayed in thru the 1st and 2nd quarter. Coach Tony Sparano is getting his team in shape and looking to find his number #1′s and setting his depth chart.

August 13, 2011


Rookies step up in win vs Falcons

August 13th, 2011 @ 8:41:40 PM

The focal point for the Dolphins was the play of the offense under new offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, and after a slow start that resulted in two interceptions on the first three drives, there were some bright spots. Quarterbacks Chad Henne and Matt Moore each connected on long touchdown passes, Henne to Brian Hartline for 44 yards and Moore to Roberto Wallace for 28 yards. Wallace had a big first half, catching three passes for 60 yards.

“Yeah, Roberto’s done a nice job,” Sparano said. “I like the throw that Matt Moore just made, he hung in there and made a big throw for us, Chad made a good throw earlier on the deep ball.”

Miami recovered from those early miscues on offense and two productive scoring drives led by Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan to turn the tables a bit, especially on defense. Cornerback Benny Sapp killed one Atlanta drive with a diving interception and rookie safety Jimmy Wilson set up Moore’s touchdown pass to Wallace with a sack and strip of John Parker Wilson. Linebacker Austin Spitler recovered the fumble.

Spitler and Wilson highlighted a second team defensive unit that really stepped it up with a slew of players out to prove something. Wilson was a seventh-round draft pick in April who missed three years of football due to a legal battle and he is intent on making an impact. Linebacker A.J. Edds and defensive end Jared Odrick are returning from season-ending injuries that cost them the bulk of their rookie campaigns.

“I thought those guys came into the game and did a pretty nice job,” Sparano said. “We had a stop down there in a sudden change situation off an interception, so the second team defense did a good job.”

Moore delivered again in the third quarter after Miami’s third team defense forced the Falcons to settle for yet another short Bryant field goal. He put together a 13-play, 65-yard scoring drive, converting a pivotal 4th-and-7 to keep the drive alive. Rookie Clyde Gates was on the receiving end of that 17-yard strike and then made it count a few plays later with a 6-yard touchdown reception in the back of the end zone, giving Miami a 21-20 lead headed into the fourth quarter. He was 11-of-18 for 123 yards, two touchdowns and one interception on the night.

Gates finished with two catches for 23 yards, returned two kickoffs for 38 yards and one punt for two yards and was used quite a bit in the first half in the absence of Brandon Marshall. He fed off of that amount of playing time and tried to seize the opportunity.

“It was fun and I was amped and hyped,” Gates said. “The adrenaline was rushing and I was just trying to make a play whenever my name was called. It was a blessing to actually come out here and compete and come out and play a game. Practice is hard and fun but when you come into a game it’s a lot different. It’s fun and you want to let it all out.”

Undrafted rookie quarterback Pat Devlin took over on the Dolphins’ first drive in the fourth quarter and tried to extend the lead. Unfortunately, he got a rude welcome to the NFL when Emmanuel Stephens sacked him on a third down and Miami had to punt.

But another undrafted rookie, Phillip Livas, brought a smile to the face of Sparano and special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi moments later. The speedy but diminutive Livas broke free on a 75-yard punt return for a touchdown, keeping his balance after Falcons punter Ken Parrish tried to trip him up after he got past midfield. The 5-foot-7, 179-pound Livas dove into the end zone for the score that put Miami ahead 28-20.

“I knew that was going to be the way I get on the team and the way I’d make my mark, by making plays in the return game,” Livas said. “I knew I had to make one person miss and I knew I couldn’t let the punter get me. I broke the tackle and ran into the end zone. I probably could have run in but I just wanted to dive to make it look good. I’m happy with the result.”

Miami’s defense stiffened one more time late in the fourth quarter with the Falcons driving for the tying touchdown and forced them to settle for a 33-yard field goal by Bryant. That stop secured the win as the Dolphins will host the Carolina Panthers at Sun Life Stadium next Friday.

HENNE WEATHERS EARLY BUMPS: It certainly was not the kind of start Henne or the first team offense wanted to get off to, but it comes with the territory of a condensed offseason and a new offense. Add in the fact that Henne was minus two of his biggest offensive weapons, Marshall and running back Reggie Bush, and things are expected to get better.

By the time he took his helmet off for good following that 44-yard touchdown strike to Hartline, Henne was 4-of-8 for 77 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. His final passer rating was 83.9, while Moore’s was 95.4.

“It was definitely fun to get back out there and see some new faces rather than our own defense out there,” Henne said. “Obviously, we didn’t start how we wanted to but we put a drive together in the third series and got what we wanted out of it.

“We were moving the ball. They were dropping some people into coverage and I had to make some runs out there and avoid some defenders. But we moved the ball down on that third series like we know how to, but you wish that was the first series. You can’t take anything back and you’ve just got to move on from here.”

Sparano pointed out after the game that both of Henne’s interceptions were not directly his fault. The first one on the opening series bounced off of tight end Anthony Fasano’s hands into the arms of Falcons linebacker John Abraham at his own 44. On the second one there was a miscommunication between Henne and Davone Bess that led to the ball being picked off, but Henne still shouldered the blame for making the decision to throw the ball.

EDDS AND ODRICK SATISFY THEIR HUNGER: Both Edds and Odrick couldn’t help but be a little extra pumped for their turn on the field being that it had been so long. Odrick’s last live action came in last year’s season opener at Buffalo, while Edds hadn’t played in a game in more than 18 months when he was at Iowa.

As it turned out, Edds led the Dolphins in tackles with seven (six solo) and added a sack and a tackle for loss. Odrick had one tackle for loss but disrupted the Atlanta backfield quite a bit.

“What’s funny and me and A.J. had a conversation right before we went out there,” Odrick said. “He was like, ‘Are you a little antsy?’ I said, ‘Yeah, I’m excited to play but I’m not nearly as antsy as I was last year.’ He hadn’t played in more than a year so I was happy to see him get the sack and I got in the backfield a few times. It definitely felt good to get back into a rhythm and I felt like everything was flowing the right way and felt good about the way I was moving out there.”

August 9, 2011


Good Luck Ricky

August 9th, 2011 @ 12:00:50 AM

Ricky Williams signed with the Baltimore Ravens today. Good Luck over there thanks for the ups and downs. Don’t piss Ray Lewis off.

August 8, 2011


Unofficial Depth Chart

August 8th, 2011 @ 11:55:49 PM

2011 Unofficial Depth Chart
OFFENSE
POS STARTER 2nd 3rd 4th 5th
WR 19 Brandon Marshall 15 Davone Bess 18 Roberto Wallace 87 Brooks Foster 11 Julius Pruitt
LT 76 Lydon Murtha 73 Alan Barbre 65 D.J. Jones
LG 68 Richie Incognito 69 Ray Feinga 61 Matt Kopa
C 51 Mike Pouncey 67 Joe Berger
RG 72 Vernon Carey 74 John Jerry
RT 71 Marc Colombo 75 Nate Garner 64 Ray Willis
TE 80 Anthony Fasano 86 Mickey Shuler 88 Jeron Mastrud 81 Dedrick Epps
WR 82 Brian Hartline 10 Clyde Gates 14 Marlon Moore 85 Phillip Livas 17 Patrick Carter
QB 7 Chad Henne 8 Matt Moore 4 Kevin O’Connell 9 Pat Devlin
RB 22 Reggie Bush 33 Daniel Thomas 26 Lex Hiliard 23 Kory Sheets 42 Nic Grigsby
FB 36 Lousaka Polite 31 Charles Clay

DEFENSE
POS STARTER 2nd 3rd 4th 5th
LE 70 Kendall Langford 78 Tony McDaniel 90 Ryan Baker
NT 96 Paul Soliai 95 Ronald Fields 66 Frank Kearse 62 Johnny Jones
RE 94 Randy Starks 97 Phillip Merling 98 Jared Odrick 56 Robert Rose
SLB 55 Koa Misi 99 Jason Taylor 59 Ikaika Alama-Franc 48 Quinton Spears
ILB 58 Karlos Dansby 53 Austin Spitler 57 Mike Rivera 45 Mark Masterson
ILB 47 Kevin Burnett 50 A.J. Edds
WLB 91 Cameron Wake 46 Jason Trusnik 49 Jonathan Freeny
LCB 24 Sean Smith 25 Will Allen 27 Benny Sapp 41 Vincent Agnew
RCB 21 Vontae Davis 28 Nolan Carroll 32 Nate Ness 43 Jose Perez 35 Jimmy Wilson
SS 37 Yeremiah Bell 29 Tyrone Culver 44 Mark Restelli
FS 30 Chris Clemons 20 Reshad Jones

SPECIALISTS
POS STARTER 2nd 3rd 4th 5th
P 2 Brandon Fields
K 5 Dan Carpenter
H 2 Brandon Fields
KR 15 Davone Bess 10 Clyde Gates 85 Phillip Livas
PR 15 Davone Bess 10 Clyde Gates 85 Phillip Livas
LS 92 John Denney


Henne Finally Looks Sharp!!!

August 8th, 2011 @ 2:02:22 AM

All it took was one series in the team’s first live scrimmage of training camp for Henne and Marshall to start up the conversation again. On back-to-back plays, Henne hit Marshall with touchdown passes of 29 and 9 yards, sending the crowd in the bleachers into a frenzy.

After the first touchdown, which was placed perfectly over cornerback Sean Smith by Henne in the right corner of the end zone, Marshall ran over to the stands and threw the ball to the fans. The second one came in the back of the end zone and again as Marshall tiptoed along the back line and put on display how the two of them are communicating.

“Today was really the first day I think we connected pretty well,” said Henne, who completed 10-of-15 passes for 146 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. “I think in the previous practices we just weren’t on the same page and we talked before practice, we communicated and we got it done today.”

Henne’s lone blemish happened right after his second touchdown pass to Marshall as he had his pass picked off at the 1 by inside linebacker Karlos Dansby and returned for a touchdown. But on his next series he found Marshall again, this time in the left corner for a 20-yard touchdown. Henne also connected with Marshall on a 17-yard pass earlier on that same series.

New offensive coordinator Brian Daboll’s offensive system is getting closer to being fully installed, and that’s what Henne credits the progress to. There are some clear nuances at play, like the mixing in of the shotgun formation and some other schemes designed to take advantage of weapons like Marshall and running back Reggie Bush.

“We had some good spacing out there today and I think that’s something we’ve been working a lot on is the spacing,” Sparano said. “The timing looked a little better today than it has the last couple of days. I felt like Chad’s been throwing the ball well in the last couple of practices and today out there I thought he threw the ball well, particularly in the first two series. He made some plays today with Brandon and I thought those guys got in the same page, so I thought Brian Daboll did a really good job of mixing things up there.”

Marshall caught four passes for 74 yards, with three of them going for touchdowns. Davone Bess had a nice 9-yard reception in the Red Zone and Bush got free on Dansby over the middle for a 23-yard gain, showing the mismatches he will be able to create.

There has been a lot of excitement and anticipation over Daboll’s new offense and how much different it will be from last year, specifically when it comes to being effective on the scoring front. Henne, who has the most familiarity with it having run the offseason workouts during the lockout, likes its potential.

“We’re definitely on attack mode,” Henne said. “We’re looking to go downfield and make big plays. Our philosophy, especially in the Red Zone, is touchdown, check down. We’re trying to make the shot, we’re trying to make those tight throws and believe in it, but if it’s not there check the ball down, make the smart play and move on to the next play.”

August 6, 2011


Dolphins Sign ex Florida State star Ray Willis

August 6th, 2011 @ 2:12:53 PM

Dolphins signed Ray Willis former standout at FSU and Seattle Seahawk. Making room for the Offensive Lineman the Miami Dolphins waived Micah Kia. He should help bolster the Line as Head Coach Tony Sparano is trying to find a good balance between lineman.

August 5, 2011


Dolphins Preseason and Regular Season schedule

August 5th, 2011 @ 8:25:27 PM

Preseason

Aug. 12 at Atlanta 7:30 pm WFOR
AUG. 19 CAROLINA 7:30 PM WFOR
Aug. 27 at Tampa Bay 7:30 pm WFOR
SEPT. 1 DALLAS 7:30 PM WFOR

REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE
DATE OPPONENT TIME NETWORK
SEPT. 12 NEW ENGLAND 7:00 PM ESPN

SEPT. 18 HOUSTON 4:15 PM CBS

Sept. 25 at Cleveland 1:00 PM CBS

Oct. 2 at San Diego 4:15 PM CBS

Oct. 9 BYE

Oct. 17 at N.Y. Jets 8:30 PM ESPN

OCT. 23 DENVER 1:00 PM CBS

Oct. 30 at N.Y. Giants 1:00 PM CBS

Nov. 6 at Kansas City 1:00 PM CBS

NOV. 13 WASHINGTON* 1:00 PM FOX

NOV. 20 BUFFALO* 1:00 PM CBS

Nov. 24 at Dallas 4:15 PM CBS

DEC. 4 OAKLAND* 1:00 PM CBS

DEC. 11 PHILADELPHIA* 1:00 PM FOX

Dec. 18 at Buffalo* 1:00 PM CBS

Dec. 24 at New England* 1:00 PM CBS

JAN. 1 N.Y. JETS* 1:00 PM CBS

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