Thursday Morning Kelly Observations

Sun-Sentinel reporter Omar Kelly was working hard this morning and has some good insight into what he is seeing.  So as usual, I have what he reported for you to read.  I often get Emails asking why I simply copy and paste some dude’s work when readers could simply go over there and read it.  Well, it’s for a few reasons…so stop complaining.

Some readers can’t access the Sentinel or some of the other papers, some find it a pain to try and rifle through the intro stuff and/or even find it on site.  Others simply prefer to see it cut and dry in front of them.  I like Kelly and a few of the others so I always make sure you know who your reading.

A few notes before we begin, Sir Vincent Rogers quit the team…no big deal but he will regret it the rest of his life.  Very few people get the chance to try out for a pro-sports team and this is one opportunity that may never come again for him.  It goes to show you how mentally grueling these training camps are for players…especially the young ones.

Sean Smith has apparently injured his knee…you will read more in a minute…we will keep tabs to see how bad.

O.k. so here are the Thursday morning Kelly observations.  Of the Miami Dolphins of course!

CB Sean Smith hurt his right knee at practice during a collision with he had with Anthony Armstrong while practicing special teams.

Smith was trying to down a punt inside the 5-yard line and Armstrong ran into him.

Smith continued to practice but you could tell the knee was bothering him significantly. Eventually the team’s trainer pulled him aside to take a look at it. I’d be surprised if Smith practiced in the afternoon, but I’m sure he’s going to try to tough it out. That’s the best way to impress this coaching staff.

As previously mentioned, Channing Crowder (lingering knee issues that go back to the 2007 season) sat out Thursday’s practice. So did Jason Ferguson, who is probably just being preserved.

Paul Soliai got a chance to step up to the starting line and had a strong practice. Soliai held his ground againstJake Grove and Joe Berger, who worked as the starting right guard. And he even got to Chad Pennington on a sack.

It appears FB Chris Brown and OT SirVincent Rodgers were released because a new fullback, Matt Quillen, is in the house. Tony Sparano said Rodgers quit the team, but he’s not sure they need another lineman because ofDonald Thomas’ emergence.

Thomas, who is being eased into contact work, took some snaps with the first team offensive line early on during a team period. It appears he’s being worked into the action one more team session per day.

Here are the rest of the highlights from the morning’s practice:::::::

Ted Ginn Jr. is hot. During 1-on-1s he got behind Will Allen for a touchdown on a throw from Pennington. He’s really showing off his speed lately.

Greg Camarillo beat Nate Jones for a similar touchdown from Pennington during 1-on-1s, then Ginn smokedYeremiah Bell, which isn’t too surprising considering a safety can’t cover him deep.

When I stopped watching the ball I started paying attention to the RB-FB-TE blocking drills, where they take on the linebackers. There I saw Patrick Cobbs blasting people. He’s pretty strong for a small back. I also watched rookie ILB J.D. Folsom struggle against everyone he faced. He’s struggling.

When I went back to watching the ball I witnessed Patrick Turner smoke Eric Green and Gibril Wilson on a 30-yard sideline catch that was a work of art. Two things I’ll say about Turner, the team’s third-round pick: he’s SUPER smooth, and catches EVERYTHING. I haven’t seen one drop yet. I’m starting to buy the hype, but I’m not fully vested yet.

When team drills started I saw Wilson bring in what I believe is his first interception of training camp. Pat White,who wasn’t horrible today (which is a step in the right direction, got the ball tipped at the line of scrimmage and Wilson snatched it out the air and ran it back for a pick-6.

TE Anthony Fasano finally showed up at training camp, beating Akin Ayodele for a touchdown catch during one of the first plays of 7-on-7s. I’m starting to wonder if Channing Crowder’s really that good in pass coverage, or if Ayodele is just a notch below him. Anyway, the play would have been a beauty because Fasano outsprinted the safeties and cornerbacks to the end zone.

WR Brian Hartline’s really beginning to get warm. He smoked Joey Thomas on a 40-yard touchdown pass fromChad Henne. It was a perfect pass by “The Robot” (which happens to be a borrowed, not lifted nickname from a hilarious site called finsnation.com). It’s just that Henne is so mechanic in everything he does, especially on the field, it fits.

Finally, the defense was working on some exotic blitzes and packages I’ll keep to myself since the session went inside due to rain. They resulted in two tipped passes for Jason Taylor, a sack from Nate Jones, and plenty of pressure from Bell and Ayodele. Take from it what you will, but I suspect the Dolphins have figured out some innovative ways to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks