Training camp tour: Dolphins
Fantasy thoughts: Once upon a time, ESPN football analyst (and former NFL linebacker) Tom Jackson said that Reggie Bush(notes) would be the next Gale Sayers.
That didn't pan out so much. But as Bush begins his sixth season with his second team, he is looking to change the perception of him from fantasy dud to stud. Bush picked Miami in large part because he was essentially promised the starting job. Don't confuse starting with who will actually get the carries. He and rookie Daniel Thomas(notes) are battling for the job, although the two are very different players. Thomas is much more of a grinder, which the Dolphins like.
Backup Lex Hilliard(notes) is a good pounder, so keep him on your radar. But back to Bush. On Friday, he put on a bit of a show against Carolina by rushing eight times for 48 yards and catching two passes for 33 yards. He ran well between the tackles and the 81 yards total is nice.
It's still hard to imagine that Bush can ever become what so many thought back in his days at USC. In five years, the only time he has surpassed 1,000 total yards from scrimmage was his rookie season. Over the past four seasons, he has missed 20 games with a variety of injuries. Even though Bush figures to get more attention with the Dolphins after sharing so much time with the other weapons in New Orleans, don't buy the hype.
Bush is still a great tool for any offensive coordinator to use to create matchup problems. He's just limited. Also, because of lingering damage to his left knee, he does most of his work on the right side of the offense.
Lots of stat geeks will point out that the overall production of QB Chad Henne(notes) over the past two years is not that much different than New York Jets QB Mark Sanchez(notes). In 32 games, Henne has a QB rating of 75.3, 27 TDs and 33 interceptions. In 31 games, Sanchez has a 70.2 rating, 29 TDs and 33 interceptions. So who do you pick?
Until Henne proves otherwise (and he has the talent to prove it), Sanchez is the pick because his numbers are ascending and he's surrounded by a better overall team. That said, the wise move in the search for a backup quarterback (if either of these guys are starting for you, your team is in trouble) is to wait for one to be picked and then take the other.
WR Brandon Marshall(notes) made news this offseason by first getting stabbed by his wife and then opening up about his personality disorder. What does that mean to fantasy players? Not much. What is important is that Marshall remained pretty productive last season, catching 86 passes for 1,014 yards and three TDs. Considering he missed two games, his numbers are on track with his usual standards. Marshall is never going to be a deep threat, but he's still talented.
Aside from Marshall, Davone Bess(notes) is a good possession receiver and TE Anthony Fasano(notes) is OK. The guys to keep on eye on with the Dolphins for development are WR Roberto Wallace(notes) (great size), Clyde Gates(notes) (speed) and Brian Hartline(notes) (decent combo of size and speed). Don't draft them, but watch them throughout the season.
Right side problems: How desperate are the offensive line issues with the Dolphins? The team signed RT Marc Colombo(notes) after he was cut by Dallas.
Coach Tony Sparano knows Colombo well from their days together with the Cowboys, but this is still not a pretty situation. Colombo has a hard time moving these days because of knee injuries and could be a huge liability in pass protection. It says a lot that the team thought so little of former RT Vernon Carey(notes) that they moved him to right guard to make room for Colombo.
Carey, a former first-round pick, has had a mediocre career despite having talent (when he's in shape). As things stand now, the Dolphins have real problems over there and changes could be coming.
On the bright side, the Dolphins got a good player in C Mike Pouncey(notes), who looks terrific so far and will be a fixture for years to come.
Tidbits from the road: If you can't find something fun to do in South Florida, even on short notice, you don't have much of a clue about life. If you're here with a couple of hours to kill, hitting any of the beaches is great. Even if you're just walking around for a quick lunch (Nick's Bar & Grill, Capone's Flicker Lite or Le Tub are your best bets), Hollywood Beach is easy to handle without planning. Outside of that, if you want something quiet, there are a bunch of beachside parks, from Hugh Taylor to John Lloyd to all the way down to Key Biscayne that are great for an outing.
