Miami Dolphins vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Random Observations

I haven’t had the time or energy to do my observation videos from the Miami Dolphins’ 25-23 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

That being the case, I’ve compiled these observations from the game in text, which some of you might even prefer.

Offense

• Outside of his horrendous, nearly game-losing interception late, Chad Henne played pretty well against Tampa Bay. He didn’t hold onto the ball too long as much as he had lately, and moved around a little better.
• Also, as bad as that interception was, Henne was that much better on the final drive to get the Dolphins in field goal range. It’s good for his psyche that he was able to rebound.
• The Dolphins need to abandon the option they’re trying to run with Pat White . That kind of offense will never succeed in the NFL.
• Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams both ran the ball hard and well. Ricky can handle the load moving forward as long as Ronnie is out, but the Dolphins sure are going to miss Brown.
• Davone Bess had the biggest day of all the Dolphins receivers, and Greg Camarillo had a few good grabs as well. Ted Ginn, Jr. also had another tough drop, and this mental problem keeps getting worse and worse for him.
• Kory Sperry came out of nowhere in his first NFL game and had a great day. With Sperry and Joey Haynos looking promising and Anthony Fasano struggling in a contract year, the young guys could get longer looks in the second half of the season.
• The offensive line did a much better job protecting Henne, keeping him off the ground and unsacked all game. The run blocking was also strong, as the Dolphins’ two tailbacks and fullback Lousaka Polite combined for over 200 yards on the ground.

Defense & Special Teams

• Buccaneers quarterback Josh Freeman did a great job moving around and avoiding pressure, but I liked the rush provided by the Dolphins’ defensive line and linebackers. Jason Ferguson and Kendall Langford stood out to move in positive ways.
• The Dolphins didn’t miss Joey Porter at all, and not just because his production hasn’t been consistent this year. Cameron Wake , Charlie Anderson , and Matt Roth all played very well in Porter’s absence.
• It sounds like Porter will in fact resume playing this week, but I feel somewhat indifferent. I don’t think Porter will be in Miami in 2010, and at 4-5 I wouldn’t mind if he gave way to guys like Wake when it came to playing time in the second half.
• The Dolphins’ consistent pressure and Freeman’s inexperience certainly helped, but I was pleased with Vontae Davis and Sean Smith at cornerback against the Bucs. They’ll have their ups and downs, but everything I’ve seen from them thus far tells me they are both going to be good corners.
• Gibril Wilson and Yeremiah Bell both had better days than usual, with Bell making a fantastic deflection of a Freeman pass on a big third down. A lot of that had to do with their opponent, but it was nice to see.
• Dan Carpenter continued to excel on field goals, going 4-for-4 to raise his season percentage to 93.8. He did have an extra point blocked, but that was more the fault of long snapper John Denney getting dominated by Buccaneers offensive tackle Donald Penn .
• Brandon Fields had another good day, with a long punt of 62 yards and half of his six boots downed inside the Tampa Bay 20-yard line.
• Ted Ginn, Jr. was pretty pedestrian on kickoff returns, but I don’t think he had much to work with in terms of blocking. As usual, Davone Bess was mediocre approaching bad on punts.

 

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Chris J. Nelson is a journalism major at Georgia State University. He operates his own Miami Dolphins web site, The Miami Dolphins Spotlight , and can be followed on Twitter here .

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Miami Dolphins Re-Sign LB J. D. Folsom to Practice Squad

The Miami Dolphins re-signed J. D. Folsom to their eight-man practice squad Saturday, one day after waiving the rookie linebacker.

The Dolphins waived Folsom in order to promote practice squad tight end Kory Sperry, as starter Anthony Fasano was expected to miss the team’s Week 10 against Tampa Bay with a hip injury.

A seventh-round pick out of Weber State in 2009, Folsom spent the first seven weeks of the 2009 season on the Dolphins’ practice squad before earning a promotion on Nov. 8 after tight end John Nalbone was waived.

Folsom made his NFL debut that day, recording one tackle on special teams in a 27-17 loss to the New England Patriots.

Folsom will resume his duties as a practice squad player, earning $5,200 per week and working on special teams and the scout team defense in practice.

He could earn another promotion to the active roster for special teams purposes later in the season, and will almost certainly be brought back for training camp in 2010.

 

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Chris J. Nelson is a journalism major at Georgia State University. He operates his own Miami Dolphins web site, The Miami Dolphins Spotlight , and can be followed on Twitter here .

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Chris J. Nelson’s 2009 NFL Midseason All-Pro Team and Awards

Every NFL team has played at least eight regular season games, meaning we’re halfway though the 2009 regular season.

This seemed like a natural time to announce my Midseason All-Pro Team, as well as hand out some individual midseason awards.

Individual Awards

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Chris J. Nelson is a journalism major at Georgia State University. He operates his own Miami Dolphins web site, The Miami Dolphins Spotlight , and can be followed on Twitter here .

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Chris J. Nelson’s 2009 NFL Midseason All-Pro Team and Awards

Every NFL team has played at least eight regular season games, meaning we’re halfway though the 2009 regular season.

This seemed like a natural time to announce my Midseason All-Pro Team, as well as hand out some individual midseason awards.

Individual Awards

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Chris J. Nelson is a journalism major at Georgia State University. He operates his own Miami Dolphins web site, The Miami Dolphins Spotlight , and can be followed on Twitter here .

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Miami Dolphins Promote TE Kory Sperry to Active Roster

With starting tight end Anthony Fasano questionable for this week’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers tomorrow, the Miami Dolphins have promoted tight end Kory Sperry from the practice squad to the active roster.

Sperry takes the roster spot of linebacker J. D. Folsom, who was waived yesterday.

An undrafted rookie out of Colorado State, Sperry will likely be active as the No. 2 tight end behind Joey Haynos if Fasano cannot go against Tampa Bay.

For more information on Sperry’s background, see my Sept. 10 article on his signing to the practice squad.

Analysis

Sperry’s promotion to the active roster doesn’t bode well for Fasano’s prospects of playing this weekend, as the Dolphins’ third tight end would likely be inactive if Fasano could play.

Should Sperry dress tomorrow, he will likely serve as the No. 2 tight end and play special teams.

The loss of Fasano tomorrow isn’t a huge one in the passing game, as he’d taken a major step backward in that department this season. He has however been a key blocker in the running game, which has struggled recently.

It will be interesting to see how No. 2 tight end Joey Haynos does in a starting role, as he has played well of late with a touchdown in each of the past two games.

Sperry’s tenure on the active roster could be short-lived, as there is a good chance he’ll be waived once Fasano is healthy. In that case, a special teamer like J.D. Folsom could be brought back up.

The most concerning aspect of this move is that it’s Sperry earning the promotion in Fasano’s absence, and not John Nalbone.

Sperry arrived in Miami in September after spending training camp with the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted free agent.

Meanwhile, Nalbone has been with the team since being drafted in the fifth round out of Monmouth in April. He also spent the first seven weeks of the season on the team’s active roster before being waived last week to make room for Folsom.

Nalbone’s progression is certainly not where it should be at this point, and there’s no excuse for not earning the promotion over Sperry with Fasano injured. It’s still early, but it’s beginning to look like the Dolphins small-school fifth-rounder isn’t going to pan out.

 

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Chris J. Nelson is a journalism major at Georgia State University. He operates his own Miami Dolphins web site, The Miami Dolphins Spotlight , and can be followed on Twitter here .

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Miami Dolphins Sign RB Tristan Davis to Practice Squad

With an opening on the practice squad after last week’s promotion of linebacker J. D. Folsom, the Miami Dolphins have signed rookie running back Tristan Davis to fill the vacancy.

Undrafted out of Auburn in 2009, Davis signed with the Detroit Lions in late August and spent the first seven weeks of the regular season on the team’s practice squad.

Background

An Atlanta native, Davis redshirted at Auburn University in 2004 before appearing in 12 games for the Tigers as a running back and safety in 2005. He rushed for 209 yards and two touchdowns on just 11 carries as a redshirt freshman.

Davis did not have a carry during his sophomore and junior seasons as a reserve tailback behind Kenny Irons, Ben Tate and Brad Lester.

However, he did set an Auburn single-season record with 756 kickoff return yards in 2006, while also recording 13 tackles as a safety and special teams player.

Davis contributed in all facets as a senior in 2008, rushing for 44 yards and a touchdown, adding 42 yards as a receiver, racking up 657 yards and two touchdowns as a kick returner, and recording two tackles and a forced fumble on special teams.

Despite running a 4.38-second 40-yard dash in March, Davis (5-10, 212) was not selected in the 2009 NFL Draft and remained unsigned during NFL training camp.

He eventually signed with the Detroit Lions on Aug. 24, appearing in the team’s final two preseason games and rushing for 114 yards and a touchdown, including a 79-yard score against the Buffalo Bills in the preseason finale.

After being waived during final cuts on Sept. 5, Davis was re-signed to the Lions’ practice squad, where he remained until his release on Oct. 29.

As a practice squad player, Davis will make $5,200 per week and will not count toward the 53-man active roster or be eligible to play in games. He can be signed to another team’s active roster at any point, so long as the signing team keeps him for at least three weeks.

Analysis

A borderline NFL prospect, Davis is one of those running backs that doesn’t do any one thing supremely well and doesn’t have any measurables that jump out at you. He’s just a solid all-around back with a good build, good speed and the ability to play special teams.

It seems a bit curious the Dolphins replaced Folsom on their practice squad with a tailback, as the team already has four on the active roster and there doesn’t seem to be much need for another for practice purposes.

It’s possible that Ronnie Brown or Ricky Williams is more banged up than we know, and Davis will help rest the big boys in practice. It could mean the team isn’t all that impressed with Lex Hilliard and Kory Sheets, and wanted to take a look at someone else. Or, it could just mean that the Dolphins are doing their due diligence and taking a look at another NFL prospect.

One thing that is certain is that Davis is likely very far from being activated and seeing playing time on Sundays. His potential as a return man and special teams tackler helps his chances of sticking around, but he’s really just auditioning to stay with the team on a day-to-day basis.

 

 

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Chris J. Nelson is a journalism major at Georgia State University. He operates his own Miami Dolphins web site, The Miami Dolphins Spotlight , and can be followed on Twitter here .

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Miami Dolphins Promote LB J. D. Folsom; Waive LB William Kershaw

The Miami Dolphins have made a minor move a day before their Week Nine game against the New England Patriots, promoting rookie linebacker J. D. Folsom from the practice squad while waiving linebacker William Kershaw.

The move, which was first reported Saturday evening on the twitter account of the Miami Herald’s Armando Salguero, comes less than two weeks after Kershaw was re-signed by the Dolphins.

Waived in September during final cuts, Kershaw was re-signed by the Dolphins on Oct. 27 after cornerback Will Allen was placed on season-ending injured reserve with a torn ACL.

Kershaw, who appeared in one game for the Dolphins last season, played in the team’s 30-25 victory over the New York Jets in Week Eight, but did not record any statistics.

The Miami’s Dolphins’ seventh-round pick in 2009, Folsom joins the active roster after spending the first eight weeks of the season on the team’s practice squad.

A Gardner-Webb alum, Folsom was a two-time All-Big Sky selection at the collegiate level.

Analysis

This move isn’t too surprising, as Kershaw doesn’t offer much upside and is pretty limited to special teams. He’s played in five games in three pro seasons and had eight stints with six pro teams since going undrafted in 2006.

Though he’s a solid special teams player, Kershaw obviously didn’t showcase himself enough to stick around, and the Dolphins likely felt they should see if Folsom could at least perform at Kershaw’s level.

Folsom will almost certainly be active against New England this weekend, with Dolphins starting inside linebacker Channing Crowder already ruled out with a shoulder injury. The rookie will serve as the team’s No. 3 inside linebacker behind starters Akin Ayodele and Reggie Torbor against the Patriots, but will primarily be limited to special teams.

I personally am interested to see if Folsom gets any snaps on defense. He seems like a pure special teams prospect and certainly is this early in his career, though based on the depth chart he’ll be one injury away from serving as an inside linebacker in the team’s base 3-4 scheme.

That being the case, it’s always possible the Dolphins could opt to use any one of their outside linebackers, such as Charlie Anderson, if a replacement was needed. More than likely we’ll see Folsom play kickoffs and punts tomorrow, but nothing more.

 

 

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Chris J. Nelson is a journalism major at Georgia State University. He operates his own Miami Dolphins web site, The Miami Dolphins Spotlight , and can be followed on Twitter here .

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Miami Dolphins Alumni Update (October 2009)

In a new feature which I plan to roll out at the end of every month, I’ll be sharing brief updates on all the transactions around the NFL (and possibly other leagues as well) involving players that used to be under contract with the Dolphins.

As someone that follows the league as a whole, I’m always interested in the day-to-day transactions, and always keep an eye out for Dolphins alumni.

This monthly feature should allow you to do a bit of the same, without being anywhere near the nerd I am. Enjoy!

• 10/2 – The Toronto Argonauts (CFL) activated wide receiver P. K. Sam from the injured list. Sam was on the Dolphins’ practice squad for part of 2006 and played for the team during the 2007 preseason.
• 10/2 – The Calgary Stampeders (CFL) activated defensive end Mike Labinjo from the injured list. Labinjo was a linebacker for the Dolphins in 2005 and 2006, but did not appear in a game.
• 10/6 – The Baltimore Ravens placed linebacker Brendan Ayanbadejo on injured reserve with a ton quadriceps. Ayanbadejo played 32 games for the Dolphins from 2003 to 2004.
• 10/8 – The Cincinnati Bengals waived cornerback Geoffrey Pope and re-signed him to the practice squad. Pope spent the 2007 preseason with the Dolphins after signing with the team as an undrafted rookie out of Howard, and went on to earn a Super Bowl ring with the New York Giants.
• 10/11 – The California Redwoods (UFL) released wide receiver Bobby Sippio. Sippio spent part of the 2004 season with the Dolphins on injured reserve.
• 10/12 – The St. Louis Rams re-signed linebacker K. C. Asiodu to their practice squad. Asiodu spent part of October on the Dolphins’ practice squad.
• 10/13 – The Seattle Seahawks placed offensive tackle Brandon Frye on injured reserve with a neck injury. Frye spent part of last season with the Dolphins as a reserve offensive lineman, but was waived during final cuts on Sept. 5.
• 10/14 – The New England Patriots re-signed linebacker Junior Seau. The future Hall of Famer played three seasons with the Dolphins from 2003 to 2005, recording 189 tackles and five sacks.
• 10/14 – The Seattle Seahawks signed offensive tackle Damion McIntosh to their active roster, and signed guard Mark Lewis to their practice squad. McIntosh started 43 games for the Dolphins from 2004 to 2006, while Lewis attended 2009 training camp with the Dolphins as an undrafted rookie.
• 10/14 – The BC Lions (CFL) signed wide receiver Kerry Reed and defensive end Abraham Wright to the practice roster. Reed played in one game with the Dolphins in 2007 as an undrafted rookie, while Wright spent his only season with the Dolphins on injured reserve after being drafted in the seventh round of the 2007 NFL Draft.
• 10/17 – The New York Jets released defensive tackle Howard Green, only to re-sign him to three days later on Oct. 20. Green spent 2006 training camp with the Dolphins but did not make the team.
• 10/19 – The Calgary Stampedes (CFL) placed wide receiver Teyo Johnson on the injured list. Johnson attended training camp with the Dolphin in 2006 as a tight end, but did not make the team.
• 10/19 – The California Redwoods (UFL) placed safety Norman LeJeune on injured reserve. LeJeune spent part of the 2004 and 2005 seasons with the Dolphins, recording two tackles in seven games.
• 10/20 – The Seattle Seahawks released guard Mark Lewis from the practice squad.
• 10/20 – The Hamilton Tiger-Cats (CFL) signed offensive lineman Matt Spanos to the practice squad. Spanos attended 2008 training camp with the Dolphins as an undrafted free agent, but did not make the team.
• 10/21 – The Detroit Lions signed defensive tackle Joe Cohen to the practice squad. Cohen spent part of the 2008 season on the Dolphins’ practice squad and attended training camp with the team in 2009.
• 10/21 – The St. Louis Rams promoted linebacker K. C. Asiodu to the active roster.
• 10/21 – The Tampa Bay Buccaneers claimed guard Shawn Murphy off waivers from the Dolphins. Murphy was the Dolphins’ fourth-round pick in 2008, but did not play a game with the team.
• 10/21 – The Washington Redskins signed wide receiver Anthony Armstrong to the practice squad. Armstrong spent the 2008 and 2009 preseasons with the Dolphins and also spent the entire 2008 regular season on the team’s practice squad.
• 10/26 – The California Redwoods (UFL) signed offensive tackle Cory Lekkerkerker. Lekkerkerker played on 11 games (two starts) for the Dolphins in 2007.
• 10/27 – The San Diego Chargers signed offensive lineman Joe Toledo to the practice squad. The Dolphins’ fourth-round pick in 2006, but did not play a game in two seasons with the team.
• 10/29 – The New Orleans Saints placed fullback Heath Evans on injured reserve with a knee injury and signed fullback Kyle Eckel. Evans played six games (two starts) for the Dolphins in 2005, while Eckel spent Sept. 2005 to Sept. 2007 but was never active.
• 10/29 – The Montreal Alouettes (CFL) placed defensive tackle Eric Wilson on the injured list. Wilson spent 2004 and 2005 with the Dolphins as an offensive lineman, but did not appear in a game.
• 10/29 – The Edmonton Eskimos (CFL) placed wide receiver Maurice Mann on the injured list. Mann spent part of the 2004 season on the Dolphins’ active roster, but did not appear in a game.

 

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Chris J. Nelson is a journalism major at Georgia State University. He operates his own Miami Dolphins web site, The Miami Dolphins Spotlight, and can be followed on Twitter here.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Miami Dolphins Active OLB Matt Roth; Waive TE John Nalbone

The Matt Roth saga seems to have come to a happy conclusion, as the Miami Dolphins activate the outside linebacker from the non-football injury list, where he’d been inactive since the beginning of training camp.

To make room for Roth on the 53-man roster, the Dolphins waived rookie tight end John Nalbone. The fifth-round pick out of Monmouth made the team following the preseason, but had been inactive for the Dolphins’ first six games of the 2009 season.

Matt Roth analysis

The Roth situation during training camp was one of the strangest things I’ve ever seen in all my time as a Dolphins fan.

It involved seemingly phantom injuries, made-up illnesses, rumored contract displeasure and flat-out lying to head coach Tony Sparano.

That being the case, whatever was the problem then is apparently gone now, as Roth is back practicing and appears ready to contribute this season

Though the Dolphins have certainly survived without their best run-stopping outside linebacker, ranking third in the NFL in rushing defense, Roth’s addition can’t do anything but help.

Joey Porter has stepped up his game and become a more complete player, and Jason Taylor has been a solid all-around performer as always, but Roth still trumps both of them when it comes to run defense.

Roth will likely rotate with Jason Taylor at strong-side linebacker, with Taylor playing obvious pass situations and Roth playing some early downs.

Like two platooning baseball players who each hit one type of pitcher well, this is a great fit for both and should maximize their production by letting them do what they do best and keeping both fresher during games—especially the 35-year-old Taylor.

During a week in which the Dolphins lost their best veteran corner and will be forced to start two rookies in the secondary, this is good news for the front seven and should help lessen the impact of Will Allen’s loss.

Roth should be active in Week Eight against the New York Jets and will likely serve a situational role. His arrival could eventually spell the end of Quentin Moses’ tenure in Miami, who has been inactive for the team’s last two games and isn’t as good a special teams player as fellow backup Erik Walden.

John Nalbone analysis

Like Brian Hartline or J. D. Folsom, the selection of Nalbone in the 2009 NFL Draft was curious not because of his prospects as a pro, but because of the timing. Hartline was projected to be a seventh-rounder and was grabbed in the fourth-round, while Nalbone, like Folsom, was probably not going to be drafted.

Yet the Dolphins chose Nalbone in the fifth round. Despite the injury and release of David Martin, Nalbone was unable to see playing time during the Dolphins’ first six games of 2009 and has not dressed for a game as a pro.

In Nalbone’s defense, Joey Haynos has been a solid No. 2 tight end, catching the passes thrown to him and contributing as a blocker to one of the league’s best rushing attacks.

If Nalbone clears waivers on Monday at 4 p.m. ET (and I expect he will), he will likely be re-signed to the team’s practice squad. Such a move would likely spell the end for current practice squad tight end Kory Sperry.

 

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Chris J. Nelson is a journalism major at Georgia State University. He operates his own Miami Dolphins website, The Miami Dolphins Spotlight , and can be followed on Twitter here .

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Chris J. Nelson’s 2009 Week Eight NFL Game Predictions

After sweeping the 1 o’clock games (admittedly, most were gimmes), I pretty much bombed the later games, including a switched pick from New Orleans to Miami that didn’t pay off in the end.

Last week’s record: 9-4
Season record: 71-32 (69 percent)

Texans over Bills—Houston’s offense is firing on all cylinders, while the Bills are a mess despite a win against an equally disappointing Panthers team last week. The Texans have to be the pick.

Bears over Browns—Chicago has been horribly inconsistent and forgot to show up against the Bengals last week, but the Browns are the worst team in the league and shouldn’t be picked against anyone.

Cowboys over Seahawks—I’m inclined to believe Seattle’s route of the Jaguars a few weeks ago was an aberration, and I expect a hot Dallas offense to put up way too many points for Matt Hasselbeck and Co. to manage.


Rams over Lions—What an ugly game this should be. It’s hard to pick a winner here, but I like the potential offense of Marc Bulger and Steven Jackson better than the alternative.

Colts over 49ers—It’s hard to imagine anyone going undefeated, but it’s also hard to pick against Indy right now. Alex Smith had an impressive game last week, but he’s no match for Peyton Manning.

Dolphins over Jets—Miami lost a heartbreaker against New Orleans last week, but did certainly play a good half of football. I think the running game gets going again against the Jets.

Giants over Eagles—This is a very tough matchup that could completely go either way, but I’ve been more impressed with the Giants this season and think they’ll prevail.

Ravens over Broncos—Baltimore presents one of the best opportunities for Denver to lost a game this season, and I like their chance this week.

Jaguars over Titans—Tennessee probably won’t go 0-16, but it’s hard to pick them on any given week, especially when they are starting Rhodes Scholar Vince Young.

Chargers over Raiders—There is just no reason to ever pick the Raiders, ever. JaMarcus Russell will lead his team to defeat yet again.

Packers over Vikings—Minnesota got the best of Green Bay in their first meeting due to the Packers’ lack of a line, but that unit is playing better and they’ll have homefield advantage. If there is any justice in this world, Brett Favre will get demolished this week.

Cardinals over Panthers—Carolina just can’t seem to get things going, even with their running game, so I don’t expect them to be able to match the amount of points Arizona will put up.

Falcons over Saints—The Saints have to lose sometime (don’t they?) and I’m picking the big upset from the Falcons on the road.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

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