O.K. Morning Report
By Brian Miller
The Miami Dolphins have wrapped their morning practice and will be in the classroom until around 2 today. On the next page, you will find the morning Omar “O.K.” Kelly report. (I get tired of typing his name in every title).
Before we click over I thought you would like to know some knowledge on how the training camps work.
Players are actually bussed in by the team from the team hotel. Usually it’s up the road from the practice facility…about a mile. I know the name that is usually used but I don’t think the team would appreciate me broadcasting that across the Internet. So let’s just say they board a bus for a quick trip across a highway. 5 minutes later they are at the facility. (I know it’s 5 minutes because I have made this trek several times).
During training camp the players are housed in that hotel. They arrive for team and individual meetings before heading out for the AM practices at 9. I can’t tell you what time the players actually arrive but I believe it is around 7. I also believe they eat breakfast a couple of hours before they begin practice.
1st practice over, the team showers and hits the meeting rooms. First individual position rooms, then expanding to offense and defense and then team. Lunch of course, more meetings that find the coaches implementing the afternoon practice plays and schemes.
Afternoon practices, more meetings, dinner, and then more meetings. After that the team is bussed back to the hotel where they study their play-books and get ready to do it all over again. I know that during the season, the team will eat dinner and have team meetings in the various hotel conference rooms. Not sure if they use these for training camp or actually have dinner at the hotel instead of the team practice facility.
Anyways, thats a quick look into the daily routine as best as I can recall. Here are the morning “O.K.” tidbits.
— Joe Berger had issues handing Randy Starks and Paul Soliai one-on-one. Soliai did well no matter who he was against.
— Ryan Grice-Mullen, Brian Hartline, Taurus Johnson and Davone Bess are working as the punt return guys.
— Rookie FS Reshad Jones nearly pulled in an interception but dropped it at the last second.
— Rookie DE Jared Odrick has a much better second day of practice working with the starting D-line.
— A small shoving match between Tony McDaniel and Richie Incognito was the most heated the action got Saturday morning.
— The Dolphins Oline gave up too much pressure today. The quarterbacks were regularly dodging would-be sacks.
— Brian Hartline is spending day 2 as the wide receiver paired with Brandon Marshall. Davone Bess and Greg Camarillo paired together on 2nd
— Andrew Gardner has exclusively worked behind Jake Long as the backup left tackle for the Dolphins.
— Lydon Murtha and Nate Garner are rotating as the second team right tackle. Garner said coaches want him to learn that spot.
— Dolphins D-lineman Ryan Baker is working as a NT today. He’s the only guy crosstraining, learning both positions.
— It appears Pat White & Chad Pennington are sharing reps as the third team QB, playing behind Chad Henne and Tyler Thigpen.
— Dolphins CB Evan Oglesby was placed on active/non-football illness yesterday. Yes, that’s illness, not injury.
— Ikaika Alama Francis is even doing position drills with the outside linebackers. Looks like this position switch is legit.
— No sign of CB Evan Oglesby at Dolphins practice for the second straight day.
— Newly signed D-lineman Montavious Stanley is being used as the third team NT, not rookie Travis Ivey.
— Charles Grant is working as the Dolphins third team LDE, playing behind Kendall Langford, and Tony McDaniel.
— John Jerry and Cory Procter continue work as the Dolphins starting guards. Jerry on the right, Procter on the left.
— Joe Berger is working as the team’s starting center, replacing Jake Grove, who started on Friday.
— Ikaika Alama-Francis is still working as an OLBer and it appears he’s running with the first team, paired with Cameron Wake.
— Dolphins QB Pat White is in attendance today and participating in practice.