Notes and Quotes From Dolphin Camp (Wednesday)
Comments from Dolphins head coach Tony Sparano 2 days before the Dolphins first pre-season game with Atlanta.
(On if he sees Reggie Bush returning punts this season)
"I think that he may do it at some point down the road, but right now it's not something that we're concentrating on. It might be situational down the road."
(On if Reggie Bush's home run speed is something he takes a look at for returning punts)
"Yes."
(What do you see out of Jose Perez and the fact that he is a two sport athlete (baseball/football)
"I really have liked what I've seen so far out of him, he is really an eager guy, smart guy. He seems to have done well out here right now, moving his feet, he catches my eye every once in awhile out there. Really curious, he stays here late, so I like what he's done so far. It will be interesting to get him in the game. I was kidding with him today and told him it could be worse, you could be chasing fungos around right now.
(On if Jose Perez's outfield skills translate to his cornerback skills)
"I mean I think you see his range a little bit. I mean the guy can run a little bit out there so you do see his range."
(On what he likes out of his young wide receivers)
"Well I mean what I've seen out of them so far is that I think that they all know that they're competing right now so I've seen good competitiveness out there. I think that I've noticed each one of them at different points in times like today I think Marlon (Moore) had a pretty good day out here, (Roberto Wallace) yesterday makes a big play, (Julius) Pruitt made a couple plays in the scrimmage, so you know you see that group of guys competing pretty good. I think they all know they're competing and that's one of the small piles of people right now that I need, to you know, kind of work myself through here as we get going and work through it quickly so that we can start to get some of these guys in positions to play. But I've like what they've done, they all got a little bit different skill set to them but they seem to be catching on well."
(On if he looks as Friday's game a prime opportunity to see the young wide receivers)
"Yeah, I mean I am, I don't know that I am going to go out there and we're going to throw it 60 times but I think that at the end of this, the opportunities will be there for plenty of 'em to have a chance to make a play. I do want to get a chance to see those players, that group of players and you know a couple other guys that are in that mix there so that might mean some other guys don't play as much."
(On if this first preseason game is different from those of previous years)
"Yeah I think so. I think when you look at the first preseason game from other years you have a pretty good idea of how far down the road you were from an install standpoint. Going into this game it's hard to be much more, I don't want to use the term vanilla, but it's kind of where you're gonna be. You got to let these guys have a chance to play and I mean to put 'em out there and to ask them to do something that maybe they've only done once out here on the practice field right now doesn't really give 'em a chance. You know and I think we're talking about a (Jose) Perez or some of these receivers or some of these people so I think you really got to just ask these guys to do minimal in this ball game and that's where I think it gets graded a little bit differently where going into this game you know a year ago you might have had 20 practices prior to this game. I mean we're going to go into this game and we're going have really 11 practices so that's going to dictate it."
(On if he has noticed a more professional approach out of Sean Smith)
"I have actually, yes. I mean I really have noticed it. I think that it's interesting because the other night I left here and he was kind of still hanging around the film room doing some work there; that was good to see. I think Sean has matured an awful lot, I really do. I think his demeanor in the weight room and what he's done that way, you know the way he is carrying himself out here on the field. I mean last year at this time this guy was the starter then too but wasn't a starter or maybe wasn't the starter in another couple weeks. Sometimes that has to happen for the light to go one for some of these guys and I think Sean is one of these guys that has figured out that…he's figured it out a little bit."
(On if he is behind in practices because of the change from two-a-days)
"Yeah well last year you started training camp at the same time that you start now but on every other day you'd have two practices so you would have went one, two. If we went one, two..that's three. Right now we only get two in one, two."
(On addition to the practices that they have lost)
"Absolutely. OTAs, mini-camp so when you break it all down and you start looking at offseason, OTAs, mini-camp I mean you're talking somewhere around 60 right there, just opportunities for them to be in house and to be better at something. Lifting weights, the 14 practice opportunities and then the mini-camps and all those things so that's all missed time, time that you don't get back you know but just training camp alone we're sitting here at number…I think today was 11 or 10…whichever one it was and right now if you take half of those and say they were two a days we'd have 15 practices in before we played this game so that's completely different. You know now you got the short yardage and goal line a couple two, three times maybe. You got the different blitz periods, you've gotten into some situational stuff…we haven't even gotten to that yet. I am scripting that stuff now for next week, ok, as we sit here now."
(On how many series he envisions the first team playing)
"Not many. I mean we'll get them out there, they'll play, there's a few guys that may not play, but for the most part most guys will play but just not many. I can't afford it. I have no gauge on how many plays we're going to play. So in other words I don't know that our offense isn't going to be out there for 40 plays and our defense out there for 70 or vice versa. So with that in mind I can't afford to keep a group out there too long without getting some of these young players evaluated. I need to make sure these players get evaluated because as we get going here into the next couple weeks I really can't waste that kind of time.
(On if playing time in preseason games is a product of the lock out)
"Oh sure. I mean yeah, absolutely because right now you'd have a lot more evidence out here on the practice field than you would any other time. In other words if I had 15 or 16 practices I would know a lot more about some of these guys than I know right now."
(On which undrafted and second year players have flashed for him)
"I would tell you that there is a few guys that have flashed at me. I am not going get into any details there with who those people might be but there's a couple different positions right now, and I am curious to watch them play in the game but our undrafted class is obviously something that's important to us over the last few years because there are quite a few of those guys that have made the team and we would hope that happens again here."
(On if he got a sense on Channing Crowder's mindset change)
"No never. I heard about it yesterday and obviously I care a lot about Channing and I wish him a lot of luck but I didn't sense that at all."
(On if he is curious to see what Kevin Burnett has to bring to the table Friday night)
"Yeah I mean I have been able to see that a little bit out here on the practice field right now. He's done some really good things particularly from a coverage standpoint and some of the blitz stuff as well. This guys got great range and he can run really well. But I'm more curious to see he and Karlos (Dansby) together even if it's for a handful of plays and that's why it's important and that's why you got to do it. They need to get out there and they need to start communicating a little bit together and seeing some of these different formations, come out of the huddle and make their adjustments and kind of get to the sideline and go through that deal with each other even though it'll be brief. The whole thing even leading up to the game I think is important so there's an awful lot of communication that goes on in that hotel and those meetings prior to the game that both those guys can get an awful lot from. I'm looking forward to it yeah and I think as I said to you before you're starting to see it a little bit on the practice field with them you know today in two minute, the third down pass stuff that we did today was a big period for those two guys."
