Sports Memorabilia at Hollywood Collectibles

You'll remember that last week I began a new weekly segment that would look at the Dolphins' depth chart in the same way analysts examined the NCAA Tournament leading up to the announcement of the field of 65.  It's kind of a fun way to look at the roster and guess who might make the final 53-man roster based on whose stock might be rising/falling in camp, as well as a great conversation/debate starter.

You can see the first edition of this segment by clicking here.

The latest version of it is below after the jump, as well as some explanations regarding why I chose who I chose.

PUP: Michael Lehan
Last 5 On: Renaldo Hill, Patrick Cobbs, Edmond Miles, Joey Thomas, Junior Glymph
First 5 Off: Jayson Foster, Justin Peelle, Rob Ninkovich, Dan Carpenter, Reagan Mauia
Next 5 Off: Lex Hilliard, Lionel Dotson, Daren Heerspink, Rod Wright, David Kircus

First thing to note is that for the 2nd week in a row, I have Lehan listed on the PUP list.  Until he shows that he can practice and play, that's where I'll keep him.  Once he does return, the two that should be worried are Renaldo Hill and Joey Thomas, as it's likely that one of them will lose their roster spot to Lehan.  Special teams could be the deciding factor there.

Also, you'll notice I have both Parmele and Cobbs making the team.  I just listed them both as 3rd teamers because I didn't want to make a column for just one player listed as a 4th teamer.  In reality, I think Parmele will be the actual #3 RB while Cobbs makes the team because of his effort and special teams play.

Next, I'm sure many will disagree with me leaving Jayson Foster off of the roster and keeping Davone Bess on it.  But the bottom line is that Bess is a better overall receiver than Foster is.  And if the Dolphins leave Bess unprotected and attempt to place him on the practice squad, a WR-hungry team like Kansas City, Chicago, or Minnesota could snatch him up onto their 53-man roster.  Foster is probably a little less likely to be placed on an active roster.

But if you insist on Foster making the team, I think the Dolphins could create a roster spot to keep both he and Bess.  Keeping 6 receivers is rare, but it could potentially happen if this staff is that enamored with Foster's speed and quickness.  Potential positions to create an extra roster spot would be cutting a safety and only keeping 4 (likely Renaldo Hill right now).  Another option, if this staff likes what they see out of the Vonnie Holliday/Matt Roth outside linebacker experiment, would be to take away an OLB roster spot (Junior Glymph: beware).

One other thing to keep an eye on is the kicker battle.  Feely's roster spot is not as safe as I originally thought.  I have Carpenter listed as one of the final cuts, but if he impresses in the preseason, he could unseat Feely as Miami's kicker.  The only thing I'd worry about is how risky it is to have a rookie as your kicker in this league, especially playing in cities like Foxboro, East Rutherford, and Buffalo each year.

So that's all for now.  Thoughts?

For what seems like the first time since the Cleveland Browns returned to the NFL in 1999, the quarterback position is not up for grabs (or in question) heading into the team's Week 1 preseason game. Heck, not a single one of the starting offensive positions are up for grabs.

This week's position battles detail the guys that are competing to be the first guy to spell a starter -- or the guy who represents depth even though he'll be inactive regularly on gameday.

(Pokorny's Projected Winner in Red)

1. Travis Wilson vs. Joshua Cribbs - No. 3 Receiver

At least for this week, Cribbs is involved in the competition for the third receiver. With Kevin Kasper (hamstring) scheduled to be sidelined, it's really Travis Wilson's chance to shine. The first-string offense will see one quarter, the second-string offense will see two quarters, and the third-string offense will receive the final quarter (if you're counting, that adds up to a dollar, or one complete football game).

Ideally, you have to imagine that while Wilson is trying to lock down the job, Derek Anderson would rather test his chemistry with Braylon Edwards and Donte Stallworth against a non-Browns secondary. I expect those two guys to be the only targets for Anderson (excluding tight ends) for at least the first series. If the starters receive a second series and end up down near the red zone, I'd like to see how Wilson matches up one-on-one on the right side of the field, just like he did at family fun night when catching a touchdown.

On the same note, I wouldn't be surprised if it's Cribbs, who is listed ahead of Wilson on the "official" (though arguably meaningless) depth chart released in advance to the game.

2. James Lee vs. Isaac Sowells - Backup Left Tackle

For the record, Cliff Louis could be included here as well, but I'll keep things simpler. Sowells is the underachieving fourth-round draft choice who has consistently looked bad in training camp and bad at the family fun night. On the other side, you have James Lee -- a guy that absolutely nobody in the media paid attention to until the Sirius NFL Radio crew kept bringing his name up during their training camp tour.

Since then, Lee has been at the forefront of discussion amongst many fans as a consideration for backup left tackle. Now, I'm dying to see what he really has to offer. When it boils down to the competition, I'm still projecting Sowells to win the roster spot. Why?

Sowells: Still considered a project and former investment (fourth rounder), I do not believe he is practice squad eligible anymore. He's also had several years, reliable or not, to get familiar with the Browns system at both guard and tackle.

Lee: He was a left guard for two years at South Carolina State before becoming a right tackle in his senior season. He has shown enough athleticism to stick around, but he has the option of going on the practice squad.

We're thin at tackle behind Joe Thomas and Kevin Shaffer, so if one of them goes down, you need two people ready, not just one. We thought Nat Dorsey had no shot to make the club last season, but he did -- and the same should hold true for Sowells this year. And, when Ryan Tucker comes back, our options will expand and we can consider other alternatives.

It'll be an intense three-way fight at LOLB for the only starting position still available on either side of the ball.

3. David McMillan vs. Shantee Orr vs. Alex Hall - Temporary Starting LOLB

When Antwan Peek went down, the flood gates opened as three individuals will receive a shot at the starting role (note: Willie McGinest would split time with them). Getting the first crack is David McMillan, who has stuck around every year despite not being given much of an opportunity to play during the regular season.

Shantee Orr is definitely capable of leaping over McMillan when it's all said and done though. He was initially brought in as a replacement of Chaun Thompson, but has the advantage, like Peek did when he was with Houston, of receiving regular gameday reps the past several seasons. Experience is all that matters sometimes. And, that's what hurts (or limits) Alex Hall's chances of winning the competition -- however, as we all know, he has by far sounded like the most intriguing rookie on our entire roster. I can't see Romeo Crennel placing the burden of a starting role on a seventh-round rookie though, at least not yet.

4. Darnell Dinkins vs. Brad Cieslak - No. 4 Tight End

This battle falls under the "if applicable" category. However, with the nagging injuries that Steve Heiden has been suffering, one of these players needs to be ready in case Heiden ends up on the injured reserve suddenly.

Dinkins is a veteran known for blocking and special teams play, but not too reliable of a pass-catcher (and he fumbles way too often for the few touches he receives). Brad Cieslak is a guy the team added to the practice squad late last year, and he's had a very solid camp, especially with the chemistry he's built with backup quarterback Brady Quinn. Cieslak's blocking abilities are pretty good as well; at least further ahead than rookie Martin Rucker's at the moment.

It may shake down to Heiden's status, depending on who gets chosen. If Heiden goes down, Cieslak is a comparable replacement that can be inserted into the offense. With a healthy Heiden though, Dinkins' familiarity on special teams may be too valuable. We already lost Thompson last year, and Joshua Cribbs covets a unit that he gels with.

5. Terry Cousin vs. Mike Adams - Nickel Back

Cousin has been around the league a lot longer than Mike Adams has been, but we didn't bring Cousin in just to give him outright veteran respect by handing him the nickel back job. If nobody else stepped up, he would be an insurance policy.

In camp, Adams, a backup safety, has reportedly played better at nickel back. Since Adams is our primary safety after Sean Jones and Brodney Pool too, the team has already shown enough faith in him to get the job done, meaning there shouldn't be an issue of "can he handle it". The move also soothes the depth chart a little: you can still keep a Jereme Perry, but now you have an older and veteran Terry Cousin anchoring a position against lesser-known receivers. That could remove some of the nuisances that might have been visible with Perry in there.

End of Previews - In Closing

There are definitely other battles and players to watch for, but sticking to the top five in detail seemed appropriate. For the record: I do not consider Jason Wright vs. Jerome Harrison to be a position battle. I fully believe that the team already has a mindset on what roles those two individuals will play this year -- they just haven't told us yet.

Another guy to scout is rookie kicker Jason Reda. I was quite impressed with his kicks at family fun night, but there wasn't a trace of wind that day. Thursday's forecast calls for thunderstorms with a mix of rain.

Well then.  J.T. O'Sullivan will be getting the reps this Friday with the first team offense.  According to Mike Nolan he'll play between a quarter and a quarter and a half.  Alex Smith will then play into the beginning of the third quarter and Shaun Hill will close out the game.  Nolan emphasized this does not mean O'Sullivan is the starting quarterback.

Based on his past comments about splitting up the starts I'm not so surprised. Originally it was going to be Hill and Smith starting the first two games, but since O'Sullivan reasserted his spot in the QB competition, that idea is out the window.  It seems like O'Sullivan is in the perfect position where his extra knowledge of the offense is allowing him to put some pressure on Smith and Hill.  At the same time, the extra knowledge could hurt his chances.  The coaches figure he knows the most and thus expect more out of him.

Speaking of starters, the top of the wide receiver depth chart is a bit injury riddled and so it looks like Jason Hill and Josh Morgan will see plenty of first-team action on Friday.  According to Barrows, the top 3 receivers in terms of training camp receptions are Bryant Johnson, Josh Morgan and Jason Hill, in that order.  Since Isaac Bruce and Arnaz Battle have sat out a fair number of practices that is not exactly a stunning statistic.  At the same time, when you're meant to be a first string guy, like Johnson, it's good that he's making plays, even if it is just training camp.

EDITOR'S NOTE 7:50PM: I was poking around Sando's NFC West blog and saw something interesting.  Prior to the announcement of O'Sullivan as a starter, Sando said:

Based on what we've seen, I would expect Nolan to maintain the current order based (to some degree) on which quarterbacks are scheduled to work more with the starters late in the week. That type of allotment could favor J.T. O'Sullivan and Alex Smith in this first exhibition game. The 49ers are anxious to look at each quarterback, so the assumption is that all three will play. But the logical move would be to give O'Sullivan and Smith the longest looks against the Raiders.

So maybe that gives us a little more insight into the decision.

(On the first two practices with the Rams)

I think that both sessions were very, very good for both clubs. What you saw today was probably the hardest day of training camp particularly because where we are in camp, how they feel physically, how close we are to playing a ballgame and then when you bring two teams together like that they forget about everything and just go. So this was quite a challenge for them, for both clubs today, and I thought that both clubs did well. They ended up helping each other up off the ground, which is what you like to see, because there is a lot of respect for what people go through at this time in camp.

(On how Vince Young has been progressing)

He has been doing great. I'm very pleased with his production today and his improvement. He was decisive and made plays. For a young quarterback, when you're in a relatively new system and you step on the field and you're up against a completely different defense and you're completing passes, it means that you're improving. It was good to see that.  He had no preparation whatsoever in as far as their defense is concerned and that means he is going through his reads and going through the progression and pulling the trigger and making big plays.

(On how helpful practicing against the Rams is for Vince Young)

Yeah, it's helpful for everybody. Specifically for a young quarterback it's beneficial and it just shows. What he did today on the field shows that he's been improving throughout camp. He just has to keep going and stay with the pace.

(On if he thought that Justin Gage would have a season like he had last year)

Well we saw it when we brought him in, and we saw it through the OTAs, and we saw it through training camp. He remained healthy throughout the season and we lost, of course, we lost Brandon [Jones] and then we lost Roydell [Williams] and Justin [Gage] ended up being the guy and became a favorite target of Vince [Young]. And that's why we were very excited about getting him back under contract.

(What he likes in particular about Justin Gage)

One thing that Justin [Gage] does very well is that he is very good out of frame. He can adjust and make a tough catch. When you're running routes for a young quarterback sometimes the ball's going to be a little off target, and he can adjust, and make a tough catch and he did that most of the year.  

(On his first impressions of the morning and afternoon practices)

Well, I'm very pleased. The intensity level was there, the emotion. It looks like both teams executed. It's just great work, great work. Tomorrow we have a slightly different schedule. Tomorrow will be special teams only in the morning just for about an hour. Those guys that are not involved in the special teams practice will be inside the bubble taking a yoga class of which you will not permitted to watch. So it should be interesting to see both sets of offensive and defensive linemen in there. Then we will come back on the field tomorrow and repeat what we did this afternoon.

(On what the team is trying to accomplish during the first couple of preseason games)

Well, you're trying to accomplish a number of things. One, you're preparing your starters and your special teams corps for the regular season. You're also evaluating some younger players to see if they can in fact help in a role on the team. And then you play to win games. You have to teach the teams all over again how to win games.

(On how much has Coach Mike Heimerdinger's presence has helped in the development of Vince Young)

We'll have to measure that at the end of the season. Thus far I think it has been significant. I think that everything about Vince's game and playing the position has improved. As we improve around him he will get better but Mike's had a lot to do with that. Their relationship started early in the spring and it didn't start on the chalkboard it started inside with the footwork. I can see it and those of us that have seen it since back in the spring can see the improvement.

(On if he expected the morning practice to have as many scuffles as it did)

The first practice out of the blocks anytime you're working against another team has the tendency to be like that. Guys want to earn respect real quick. We got that foot behind us and we'll have no more issues.

(On the teams interest in resigning Jacob Bell)

We were very much interested in resigning him. We made a concerted effort to try to get him back under contract but he advised to wait and get on the market and it just didn't work out. We're happy for Jacob. We're also happy to have been able to get Jake Scott under contract. So, this is a good situation for Jacob, for the Rams, for us and for Jake Scott.

(On what he thinks Alge Crumpler is going to bring to Vince Young)

It's the experience. It's the ability to get open. He's a big target. Especially effective in the plus territory. The more I think about Alge [Crumpler], I think it needs to be pointed out that he's an exceptional blocker on the line of scrimmage. So if he can help us in the run game, the run game's effective, then that helps our passing game. But Alge in particular he's a very experienced tight end that knows how to sit down in zones and get open in man and gets at the right place and has excellent hands.

(On the fact that Alge has been talking to Vince everyday)

I would think that would be a good thing for a receiver to become good friends with the quarterback.

(On what the Colts' and Patriots' programs have that makes them so consistently good)

Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. It's pretty simple. And they are very well coached and they have excellent personnel departments. And when you've got quarterbacks like both those clubs have and then you surround them year after year with good people you're going to be successful.

A few little tidbits from various sources around the Interweb:

-Brian Robison had a procedure done to repair a varicose vein in his leg.  He's expected to be out for a few weeks.  In this interview, he mentions that the vein had been a problem "since he was in high school."  This leads me to the obvious question. . .why in the heck did he not get it seen to during the off-season?  Otis Grigsby (and the Knights) took Robison's place as second-team RDE.

-In less than 48 hours, we'll be watching (or, in my case, listening to) the Vikings' first pre-season game of 2008.  Is it wrong to be this geeked for pre-season football?  Because if it is. . .well, I'm wrong, and I've got no desire to be right.

-CNN-SI has taken a break from talking about that other NFL story long enough to give us a camp postcard on the Beloved Purple.  One of the more encouraging passages from the article:

Cornerback Cedric Griffin might be the most improved starter. The third-year pro struggled to finish pass plays last year in his first season as a fulltime starter. He would be in position or around the ball, but finished the year with only 14 pass breakups and no interceptions. In camp this season he looks a lot more comfortable and is making plays on the ball. That's a good thing, because with standout Antoine Winfield on the other side at cornerback, the former second-round pick is going to see a lot of footballs.

I love to hear this.  Out of all of our defensive starters last year, our weakest links (in my opinion) were Dwight Smith, our defensive ends in general, and Cedric Griffin.  Smith is, presumably, nailing hookers in stairwells in Detroit right now, we signed that Jared Allen fellow to shore up the DE spot, and now Griffin appears to be making strides.  This defense might just be on the way to being something truly special, if everyone can stay relatively healthy.

-The Ragnarok has a nice little feature up using the Pro Football Prospectus (something that I'll hopefully have a review of on here this weekend) to answer questions about certain teams.  His first version looks at the AFC South, where 4 of the Vikings' 2008 opponents hail from.

(The year 2008. . .not 2008 different opponents.  That would be some kind of record.)

They've got one up for the AFC North, too, but the Vikings don't play any of those guys this year.

-Still no word yet on the random spots for the fantasy football league, or anything on how many other leagues will be opened up.  Hopefully that info will come down before the weekend. . .I know I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Sorry for being a bit brief tonight.  I'll attempt to make it up to everyone tomorrow.  How?  I don't know yet. . .but hopefully I can come up with something.  Until then, have a good one, ladies and gentlemen!

Just wanted to give you guys a couple of programming notes:

NFL Network will show the 1990 Giants highlights at 5:30 AM Saturday.

If you are like me, and live outside the tri-state area, and won't get to see the Giants-Lions game, NFL Network will show it Saturday afternoon at 4 PM.

Which leads me to a gripe:

You would think that since I am paying almost $300 a year for the NFL Sunday Ticket, the preseason games could be included

I'll be listening on Sirius tomorrow night.

Watch it, love it, discuss it.

Oh yeah!

Chris at HoustonDiehards.com has upped the ante for all of us hacks in the Texans blogosphere.  Over the past month or so, he's been tinkering with some new gadgetry  and it looks like all his hard work has paid off.

Today. Chris unveiled the first ever Houston Diehards Podcast!  For his "maiden voyage", he spoke with Matt Campbell (a/k/a MDC) of DGDB&D: ATexansBlog.com. Its an excellent start to what should become a staple of every Texans fan's favorites folder.  I know I am looking forward to it.

Click the icon for a direct link to Chris' site.

Congratulations Chris, and best of luck to the Houston Diehards Podcast!

The 2nd practice of the day is over.  Below are some reports of what took place.

PALM BEACH POST PRACTICE REPORT
Highlights include:

-Michael Lehan still isn't practicing, but is "making progress"
-McCown working with 1st team while Henne is with the 2nd team
-Receivers catching the ball more consistently during this practice
-Ginn does have a bad drop during team drills
-McCown throws an INT during team drills
-Redzone drills were "sloppy"
-Vonnie Holliday "tweaked" a hamstring, but says he'll be OK

SUN-SENTINEL REPORT
Highlights include:

-Matt Roth "looking more comfy" at OLB
-Davone Bess continues to find seems downfield
-Joey Porter could be on the verge of regaining that pro-bowl form
-Jay Feely likely won't play on Saturday to ensure his groin is fully healthy - he could lose ground to rookie Dan Carpenter in the kicking competition