Weekend Wrap: Dolphins Rookies To New CEO
By Brian Miller
UPDATE: File this one under the “I obviously didn’t have enough coffee when I wrote this blog this morning” The Dolphins released John Beck shortly after the draft and over the weekend, he rejoined Cam Cameron in Baltimore. Beck signed a one year deal with the team, presumably so that Cameron can let him run the scout team for a year…joke.
The Miami Dolphins finished their first rookie camp and while some of these rooks showed a flash here or a flash there, the reality remains that this is the first taste of NFL life for these guys. This is not the appetizer, this isn’t even a taste test. This is more like sneaking a bite of your girlfriends dinner while she is in the bathroom.
After the weekend concluded and the rookies boarded their busses and eventually their planes, one thing seemed to stand out to the media guys who watched the practices. The secondary looked to have the attitude and swagger that good DB’s need to have.
Day 1 saw Vontae’ Davis working the field and coming away with his first pick. Sean Smith received accolades for if nothing else his size and presence. Day 3 concluded that 5th round pick Chris Clemons showed more than just an ability to direct others on the field, but was seen as a quick learner in the classroom.
Attitude aside, these 3 could easily be the face of the franchise’s secondary for years to come. Not since the Dolphins employed the duo of Sam Madison and Patrick Surtain have the Dolphins had the degree of confidence, not to be confused with arrogance (according to Davis). Practice squad WR Anthony Armstrong said he calls Sean Smith, AT&T, because he can reach out and touch someone. His tall body frame and long arms allows him to get into positions to knock down balls.
The young trio of secondary rookies will have a far way to go before they can match up with Randy Moss and Terrell Owens, but they will learn opposite two of the best, which should…make them that much better.
The Phins also neglected to address the defensive NT spot but signed Louis Ellis a 320 pound tackle after the draft. Ellis said at the conclusion of the mini-camp that he chose Miami because he wants to play and with the Dolphins roster situation (Jason Ferguson and Paul Soliai), his chances might not be that bad. Ellis said he told his agent to turn down more “money” contracts with other teams including the NY Jets, to join Miami.
The Phins have found a new CEO over the weekend hiring Boston Red Sox executive Michael Dee. Dee will oversee the marketing arm of the Dolphins and the stadium as well. They are working towards a more interactive fan friendly experience around what will soon be called “Landshark Stadium”.
Dee spent 14 years in the MLB spending the last 5 with the Red Sox. In the time that Dee was the COO and in charge of Fenway Park, the Red Sox saw large improvements in attendance and revenue growth according to ESPN.
"“I’m thrilled to be able to add someone of Mike’s background and expertise to our organization,” Ross said. “His accomplishments with the Red Sox greatly expanded their business footprint and amplified the team’s standing as one of the premier franchises in professional sports.”"
In other news the collapse of the Dallas Cowboys practice “bubble” yesterday that left one scout paralyzed and another coach injured could bring up safety concerns with the Dolphins own practice facility. Initial reports are blaming a freak “Micro-Burst”, similar to that of a tornado, may have been the cause of the collapse.
A video on ESPN shows the incident from the inside and talks about the injured personnel. No players were hurt. The Cowboys were wrapping up their weekend rookie mini-camp.
Finally, we did a series of interviews last year about the life of Marlin Briscoe and the movie being made about his life. In our interview with Marlin himself, he spoke of his time in Buffalo as being pivotal to his successes in the NFL. He attributed much of that success to QB Jack Kemp. Kemp, a long time congressman who also ran as a vice-presidential candidate with Bob Dole died on Sunday at the age of 73. Kemp was diagnosed back in January with an un-specified type of cancer.