Weekend Roundup: Talking expectations, Chad Henne & player news
The Phinsider —
... There was a bit of positive injury news to come out of this weekend. While taking part in the charity golf and fishing event this weekend, guard Donald Thomas - recovering from a torn pectoral muscle he suffered last month - believes ...
Around the AFC East, Week 4: Miami Dolphins
Buffalo Rumblings —
... ) were signed. Donald Thomas was returning from injury, but now he's back on the shelf. Have the Dolphins improved enough on the interior to the point where their play will match that of their excellent tackles, ...
Around The AFC East: Ranking the running back stables
The Phinsider —
... And it wasn't just his injury that held him back in 2008. The offensive line really took a hit when Donald Thomas went down in week one. ...
Three Up and Three Down: Talking success and failure
The Phinsider —
... looks to be at 100%, Donald Thomas has already suffered an off-season injury. Even if he's back at 100% by camp, we can't assume he'll remain healthy. Throw in a center with an injury history ( ...
Dolphins hit practice field to kickoff training camp
The Phinsider —
... But the competition for the starting job is obviously far from over. Donald Thomas continues to recover from his offseason injury and, though he isn't 100%, he did get in some work. Ike Ndukwe also figures to get some time working at right guard as well. But the recent development of Murphy being the favorite to start at right guard is certainly a surprise to everyone. ...
Dolphins Training Camp, Day Four: Pennington struggles, the line gets shuffled & the WR battle heats up
The Phinsider —
... What's always interesting to note, though, is how the "demoted" player reacts when he's sent down. And according to Omar Kelly, Merling has been making plays as part of the second unit.
Look for more of this "experimenting" to continue between now and the first preseason game on August 17.
ODDS & ENDS
Vontae Davis picked off a long Chad Pennington pass intended for Brandon London - showcasing his closing speed.
Donald Thomas was back at practice - but didn't work too much as he eases back into ...
Dolphins Training Camp: Henne's struggles top story of Monday
The Phinsider —
... getting his chance to work with the starters on the opposite side of Kendall Langford. Phillip Merling remained with the second unit after getting moved there last week despite beginning camp with the starters. Tony McDaniel dropped back to the second unit after replacing Merling on the first team last week. Look for those three to continue rotating until the coaching staff gets a better feel for those guys.
The other big riser on was Donald Thomas. While Shawn Murphy remained the starter at right ...
Dolphins Training Camp: Donald Thomas works with first team OL, Patrick Turner bounces back & more
The Phinsider —
... The second week of training camp began with Donald Thomas getting promoted to working with the second team at right guard despite missing most of the first week of camp. On Tuesday, ...
Dolphins Training Camp, Day 11: Is there a kicker competition brewing in Miami?
The Phinsider —
... According to the Herald, Donald Thomas received "significant snaps with the first team offense" during the 3rd down work. ...
Five Good Questions with Football Outsiders
The Phinsider —
... If every offensive line stayed healthy, though, everyone would look like an MVP. On the whole, the five offensive line starters for each team miss an average of eight games per season. The Dolphins had Smiley miss four games and Donald Thomas miss 15, which is 19 starts, but it's hard to say whether Thomas would really have held onto the job or played at a starting-caliber level, since he has all of one career game. Certainly, an injury to ...
Dolphins vs Jaguars: What to watch for
The Phinsider —
... will likely get the first crack at playing with the first-team offense. Remember, too, that Sparano made it a point to say the RG job is his to lose. No matter how well Donald Thomas performs, if Murphy performs equally as well, I suspect Sparano will remain true to his word. Of course, I"m not expecting Murphy to play as well as Thomas likely will as camp and the preseason wears on. But I'm also not opposed to Murphy proving me wrong. You can never have too many quality interior offensive linemen. ...
Defense leads the way as Dolphins win preseason opener
The Phinsider —
... and Donald Thomas to the field after season-ending injuries in 2008. But this unit failed to produce on Monday against the formidable Jaguars defensive front. ...
Film Review: Breaking down the offensive line
The Phinsider —
... The Jaguars rushed five. The Dolphins probably should have slid protection to the right. Jake Long and Justin Smiley ended up blocking one man while Shawn Murphy ended up on the ground. Pressure came from the right side. Grove seemed to hold up and Carey handled his man. But the Jags rushed five and two of Miami's linemen were blocking one man over on the left side, leaving the right hung out to dry.
Series #2 Same line except Donald Thomas replaces Murphy
1st & 10: Play-action pass ...
Dolphins Roundup: Wednesday Practices
The Phinsider —
... at RG on Monday night, Donald Thomas reclaimed his starting spot with the first-team offensive line at practice on Wednesday. It's not that Murphy played poorly, either. But Thomas looked very sharp in his first game action since injuring his foot in the opening game last year. And that's impressive considering Thomas has only been practicing with the team for less than two weeks in camp this year as he recovered from an offseason injury he sustained while working out. The kid is still young and very raw and he's only going to get ...
Dolphins vs Panthers: What to watch for
The Phinsider —
... Donald Thomas is also expected to start with the first-team and play more than he did on Monday. He's still working to get back in shape after missing a lot of time due to the injury he sustained while training during the offseason. His first game activity since the '08 season opener went well for Thomas. He impressed me on Monday night with his ability to sustain his blocks and drive his man out of the play. But he still had hiccups with his technique - which is to be expected for a 2008 6th round pick who spent all but one game on ...
Observations from Preseason Game 2; Carolina @ Miami
The Phinsider —
... and Donald Thomas stood out to me with their pass blocking, and Smiley looked very quick when pulling off the line to block outside. ...
Ground attack leads Dolphins over Panthers
The Phinsider —
... Donald Thomas had a very strong game getting the start at right guard. He looked as strong and powerful as ever and always made sure to finish his blocks. ...
Dolphins at Buccaneers: What to watch for
The Phinsider —
... looked much more comfortable in that second game and Donald Thomas continued to progress as he continues to make up for lost practice time. While the Bucs aren't as stout up front as Jacksonville, they have done a great job of holding opposing starting running backs to little yardage. In their preseason opener against Tennessee, Chris Johnson and ...
Dolphins vs Falcons: Three Key Matchups
The Phinsider —
... , Donald Thomas - I'm looking at you) and knock Atlanta's front line off the ball at the line of scrimmage. Ball control is a must in this game with Atlanta's talented offense. And running the football effectively is critical. But it won't matter how good our backs are if this line can't knock some defenders on their butts. ...
SI's Andrew Lawrence spends some time talking Dolphins
The Phinsider —
... I like the unit a lot. The only question mark they had going into the season was at that right guard spot, and they seem to have resolved that by plugging Donald Thomas in there. The guy I expect to take another huge leap this year (perhaps not surprisingly) is ...
Inside The Mind of Rzayo24: Bartender - make it a double
The Phinsider —
... When in doubt - hand it off to the two Pro Bowl running backs - with a $150 million dollar offensive line blocking for them. Every time I looked at Donald Thomas after a play - I actually felt bad for the guy he was blocking. Our line is mammoth - let them lead the way. So let's talk about things - it's the only way to get closure. I will start out by telling you all I love you - I'm not sure why - but I feel like you needed that. ...
Bills at Dolphins: Five Questions with The Phinsider
Buffalo Rumblings —
... and a healthy Donald Thomas is a huge upgrade over the right guards the Dolphins were trotting out there last year after Thomas went down in week one. ...
2009 Game Balls - Week 4
The Phinsider —
... sack spread over the entire offensive line. It's hard to pick someone that played badly in the team's first win of the season, but the six sacks given up by the offensive line deserves some infamy. So, here's how we are going to do it. A five point sack (would do six for the six sacks, but we're trying to stick to the rules), spread over the five offensive linemen (TE's get off easy in this one). So, Jake Long, Justin Smiley, Jake Grove, Donald Thomas, and Vernon Carey, you each have -1 yards. ...
Five Questions With The Phinsider
Gang Green Nation —
... defense is not the Ravens defense. Personnel wise, the '08 Ravens are far more talented than the '09 Jets. And two - the Dolphins have improved their offensive line dramatically, which will help. In the playoffs last year, the Dolphins had two backup guards starting because Donald Thomas and ...
Big Fish: Jake Long Leads Miami Youth Movement
Pats Pulpit —
... Miami to an 11-5 record and the AFC East title. In his first year, he started every game and played in the Pro Bowl as an alternate selection.
Long's selection was the first big move by the Sparano-Parcells partnership, and it represented a commitment to youth that paid immediate dividends.
In all, the Dolphins have 24 players on their roster with two years or fewer in the NFL. And they play:
Chad Henne, QB; Davone Bess, WR; Donald Thomas, RG; Long; Brian Hartline, WR; Vontae Davis, CB; ...
Dolphins Mid-Season Review: Shifting expectations
The Phinsider —
... and Donald Thomas, are only 24 and in just their second season. The way an offensive line gets better is by playing together for a long time, and that's what we're going to see in Miami over the next few seasons. ...
