August 6th Morning Practice

No, “UPDATE” notification today, the practice is over and here is the morning info on that practice.

Shorts and shells this morning. All 78 players are accounted for.

• Jay Feely is not wearing pads, and is riding the bike during individual drills.
• Ernest Wilford is back at practice. Yesterday must have been a cramping/hydration thing.
• Ronnie Brown is going with the one high sock, one low sock look. The high sock is pulled over his surgically repaired right knee, by the way.
• Still no Michael Lehan (ankle). Justin Peelle and Steve McKinney are out there.
• Donald Thomas opens up once again with the first team OL. John Beck is behind center.
• A little trickery to start practice. First it’s an end-around to Derek Hagan, and then a trick play that has been used for years throughout the league, but I won’t describe it because it’s not worth getting yelled at by the team’s PR staff.
• I see a No. 80 out there, and it isn’t Aaron Halterman because he got cut on Saturday. I’m all geeked up to report on a new player but Andy Kent of miamidolphins.com points out that it’s just Anthony Fasano, who changed his number from 81 to 80.

That’s it for now. Be back soon.

9:53

Already had one brief rainstorm, and some ominous looking clouds are rolling in. Let’s see if we get this entire practice in.

A few quick updates:

• Not too much going on right now. Lots of special teams drills — mostly punt situations — and individual drills for the OLs and DLs.
• Before breaking out into drills, special teams coach John Bonamego leads a Remember the Titans type of team chant, with lots of clapping and chanting.
• BREAKING NEWS Harvey Greene, the Dolphins PR chief, says that Dan Marino absolutely will NOT be appearing on Dancing With the Stars, despite rampant speculation yesterday on the internet. “Chipping and putting with them, maybe, but not dancing with them,” Greene says.
• Vonnie Holliday continues to get 1-on-1 instruction from Paul Pasqualoni. Matt Roth doesn’t.
• Jayson Foster muffs a kickoff, picks it up and still runs it back 40 yards.
• Punt block drills. But they’re using those red dodgeballs, not real footballs. Edmond Miles breaks through the middle of the line for a clean block.

That’s about as exciting as it gets. Back for more soon.

10:36

Yup, it’s pouring. I’m soaking wet. Practice moved into the bubble right as I got back from the last update, and ended around 10:30. Short day, mostly special teams stuff.

• The first 20 minutes or so in the bubble is spent on special situations. Safety drills, throw-it-away drills, turtle drills (where the QB falls to the ground after the snap. He looks like a turtle), punter-step-out-of-the-back-of-the-end-zone drills, spike drills.
• They do brief 11-on-11 drills. Kendall Langford continues to line up at LDE, and Matt Roth is at LOLB.
• Beck hits Wilford on a sideline roll-out. Led him well.
• Henne finds Hagan deep down the left sideline.
• They move to the Red Zone. Beck finds Hagan in the back of the end zone, but Will Allen makes a nice play to swat the ball out of Hagan’s hands.
• McCown throws an interception to Kelvin Smith. Not sure if the pass was tipped or if it was a wobbly throw.
• Real nice catch from Davone Bess from McCown for a touchdown, over Joey Thomas.
• Chuck Fairbanks, the former Oklahoma and New England coach, is chilling on the sidelines with Bill Parcells.
• Chad Henne fumbled his first snap.
• And then Will Allen intercepts Henne, stealing the ball away from Davone Bess. Real nice play from Allen. Gets a chest-bump from Andre Goodman.