July 4
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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It turns out Vontae Davis did have an airtight alibi. The Dolphins' top draft pick was reported to have been arrested in Champaign, Ill., on June 9 on a traffic violation. But when report of the arrest surfaced two weeks later, Davis insisted it could not have been him behind the wheel since he was participating in team workouts with the Dolphins in Davie, a fact backed up by the team. "There was no way he could have been in Illinois," said Harvey Greene, Dolphins senior vice president of media relations, at the time. Davis, a cornerback who attended the University of Illinois in Champaign, said his wallet was stolen, with his driver's license in it, before he left school in the spring, ..."
June 27
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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The Dolphins appeared to be closing in on a deal with rookie safety Chris Clemons, their fifth-round pick out of Clemson. According to Kevin Conner, the agent for Clemons, talks between the two sides are "progressing well." "We don't anticipate any issues," Conner wrote Friday night in a text message. "There are a couple of minor details that need to be finalized." Any deal figures to be similar to the one signed by former Monmouth tight end John Nalbone, taken four picks ahead of Clemons with the Dolphins' earlier fifth-round pick. Nalbone signed a four-year deal worth $1.75 million with a signing bonus of $173,000. Clemons spent much of the recently concluded organized team activities ..."
June 26
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Dolphins owner Stephen M. Ross added some Latin flavor to his team Thursday, officially introducing singer Gloria Estefan and her producer husband Emilio Estefan as minority partners. The Grammy Award-winning couple become the first Cuban-American owners of an NFL team and will help continue Ross' theme of boosting the entertainment experience at Land Shark Stadium. They were introduced with a video that included Gloria Estefan recording a new version of the Monday Night Football song with Hank Williams Jr. to be shown before the Dolphins-New York Jets game Oct. 12. "I'm thrilled and Emilio is thrilled to be a part of our hometown team," Gloria Estefan said. "Don't worry, we will not be ..."
June 25
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Akin Ayodele knows better than most what Brandon London is dealing with these days. It's the internal tug-of-war between the primary vocation of professional football player and the outside opportunities that often come along with it. "I'm a brand," Ayodele says. "Every player in the NFL is a brand. It's a matter of trying to maximize and make money outside." As a young player in Dallas, the photogenic linebacker took the opportunity to do some magazine modeling on the side. As expected, Ayodele took plenty of ribbing inside the Cowboys' locker room, and eventually he stopped dabbling in the fashion world to concentrate on football. For London, the Dolphins' still-developing wide receiver, ..."
June 24
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Whether it was a case of mistaken identity or identity fraud or both, no one can say for sure. Dolphins rookie Vontae Davis just wants people to know he was not arrested on June 9 in Champaign, Ill., where he starred at the University of Illinois. A report to that effect surfaced Tuesday morning in The Daily Illini, the campus newspaper. Citing a report filed by Champaign police officer Michael A. Talbott, the newspaper reported Davis had been arrested at 6:47 p.m. and charged with unnecessary vehicular noise and driving without a valid license. The arrest summary, a copy of which is available online at the City of Champaign Web site, lists a Vontae Ottis Davis and a home address of 920 ..."
June 22
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Over and over. Year after year. He kept hearing the same thing. From his mother, Johnnie Mae. From his sister's godfather, the great Billy Sims. That they looked alike, sounded alike, acted alike, even ran alike. Others didn't know the story. So they stared. Like the time he ran at the Nike Invitational Camp. "You got a good name," he was told. "That's a good football name." Did he know David Overstreet? Yes. Sort of. After all, he was only 13 months old on the morning of June 25, 1984. That's when a driver fell asleep. When a Mercedes struck a row of gas pumps, then exploded. When a man, just 25, was identified by the teeth he flashed in so many photos. When a wife took a call about ..."
June 20
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Over and over. Year after year. He kept hearing the same thing. From his mother Johnnie Mae. From his sister's godfather, the great Billy Sims. That they looked alike, sounded alike, acted alike, even ran alike. Others didn't know the story. So they stared. Like the time he ran at the Nike Invitational Camp. "You got a good name," he was told. "That's a good football name." Did he know David Overstreet? Yes. Sort of. After all, he was only 13 months old on the morning of June 25, 1984. That's when a driver fell asleep. When a Mercedes struck a row of gas pumps, then exploded. When a man, just 25, was identified by the teeth he flashed in so many photos. When a wife took a call about her ..."
June 19
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Andrew Gardner, the Dolphins' sixth-round pick out of Georgia Tech, agreed to terms late Wednesday evening and is expected to sign this afternoon. "All parties are pleased to have the deal done in a timely manner," said former NFL defensive lineman Lester Archambeau, one of Gardner's agents. "Andrew is pleased to have that part of the business taken care of and looks forward to continuing his hard work at getting himself ready to compete in training camp." The deal covers four years and is believed to total approximately $1.65 million, including a signing bonus of about $75,000. The deal includes escalator clauses that would reward Gardner should he become a starter. Gardner, a 6-foot-6, ..."
June 18
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
columnist Dave Hyde
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He has been getting up in the morning and going to football fields for a living since 1966, when he shuffled between playing quarterback for Sid Gillman's San Diego Chargers of the old AFL and teaching at a nearby high school. There was no road map for what happened next to Dan Henning, no matter how often you hear about some magical road to the Super Bowl. Florida State called in 1968, and the kid from the Bronx went South to see a football field take on a new dimension when the Klan burned a cross outside the home of a black player. It was there that he also met a staff starting on its journey, young guys such as Joe Gibbs and Bill Parcells. He even made a Stand by Me pact with Gibbs: ..."
June 17
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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So much for competition among the kicking specialists. Already left without anyone to push incumbent placekicker Dan Carpenter, the Dolphins on Monday cut Australian project Jy Bond in a show of faith in returning punter Brandon Fields. The team also cut cornerback Scorpio Babers to shave the roster to 82 players (including unsigned draft picks). That number must be at 80 in advance of the Aug. 1 start of training camp. "I'm really grateful to be here and have the opportunity," Bond, a former Australian Rules Football standout, said during the weekend minicamp. "[General Manager] Jeff Ireland and Coach [Tony] Sparano have been awesome. They are really fantastic blokes who have been willing ..."
June 16
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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The most famous — or at least Google-friendly — Anthony Armstrong is a respected black painter. Anthony Armstrong, the football player who's fighting to remain on the Dolphins' roster, hopes to change that soon. Based on his performance during last weekend's minicamp, the former Arena Football League receiver might be on his way. Even after spending all of 2008 on the Dolphins' practice squad, Armstrong is the first to admit he's still a relative unknown. Unlike his teammates, he can go to the mall without getting noticed. On the field it's starting to become a different story. Vontae Davis and Sean Smith, the team's two cornerback draftees, came into their NFL tenure primarily knowing ..."
June 15
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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There would be no more headline material from Channing Crowder. Not Sunday, at least. "I made y'all's job easy last week, huh?" the Dolphins linebacker said with a mischievous smile as minicamp wrapped up. "I can't give you the weekend, too." Crowder caused quite a stir with his celebrated back and forth with Jets coach Rex Ryan, which dominated the news cycles for several days last week. Crowder crowned the Jets "OTA champions" and Ryan mentioned how he'd "walked over tougher guys" than Crowder on his way to fights. It was all very amusing everywhere except inside the Dolphins' offices. General Manager Jeff Ireland said on Wednesday he would "deal with that myself," while coach Tony ..."
June 15
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Fighting in a phone booth. That's the analogy Jared Tomich uses when the former NFL lineman tries to explain the hand-to-hand combat football requires on every single play. It also was one of the ways he managed to get the Dolphins' attention during a recent series of consulting sessions regarding martial arts and how they can improve a football player's ability to shed blocks and hold them as well. "In a sense, you've got a couple square yards of real estate you either have to take over or stop someone from taking over," says Tomich, a former defensive end who played five seasons in the NFL and starred on two national championship teams at Nebraska in the mid-1990s. "It's all about ..."
June 15
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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How good was the guy they call Googs? "Well, considering I'm 5-foot-8, and at the time 270 pounds," says Dave DeGuglielmo, the Dolphins' new offensive line coach. "What are you going to get out of a 5-foot-8 center?" Plenty, apparently. Back in 1990, Boston University got All-New England play. DeGuglielmo was the Terriers' captain. Tony Sparano was his third offensive line coach, the one from whom he learned the most. DeGuglielmo credits himself for his natural leverage and comprehension of the game, but otherwise says he'll "defer to Tony" about whether he was a good player. "You know what, though, I seem to have gotten better over the years," he says. Like Friday night. Sparano was ..."
June 15
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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After conducting 44 workouts and practice sessions the Miami Dolphins are closing up shop earlier than scheduled. Sunday's morning session was the last day of this weekend's minicamp, but coach Tony Sparano said the team's offseason work has been so productive he's canceled two of the final three OTA sessions next week. As for the action on the field, here's what Dolphins beat writer Omar Kelly tweeted on Sunday.... QB Chad Pennington is back at work after attending his sister's wedding in Knoxville. What, no hangover? Pennington said he left at 1 a.m. to get back to Davie for the 10 a.m. practice. Talk about leadership. Pennington labeled Anthony Armstrong, last year's practice squad WR, ..."
June 14
Miami Herald
columnist Armando Salguero
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The Dolphins are a better team today than they were in June 2008, and anyone who doesn't share that opinion is wrong. Don't argue with me if you don't agree. Argue with tough-guy coach Tony Sparano, whose word is gospel in South Florida after the turnaround he engineered last season. ''It's like night and day,'' Sparano said during a break in this weekend's mandatory minicamp. ``I mean it really is. Last year at this time -- in minicamp, in OTAs -- you were watching the film and it sometimes didn't really look much like football out there.'' Sparano smiles, but it had to be more than a little worrisome for him last year when, as a rookie coach, he watched his team's practices on tape and ..."
June 14
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
columnist Dave Hyde
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There can come a moment if you're living the dream, a hard moment, when you realize it's only a dream. It's not what you thought. That moment came for Ronnie Brown after he asked the Dolphins' video team to assemble his 2008 plays on a disc so he could self-evaluate himself. That tells you something about Brown right there. It tells you he wants to improve. He wants to be a great running back. That's why he sat in his home watching his 2008 season flash by, play after play, game after game, with no announcers talking over the action. No crowd noise. No one else in the room. It was just Brown and the voice in his head that wouldn't go away. "You weren't explosive to the hole on that play …" ..."
June 14
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Here is a summary of what happened during Saturday's two minicamp sessions, which featured Chad Henne running the first-team offense, and plenty of give-and-take from the offense and defense. Overall, the offense, which scored five touchdowns in the two sessions, had a productive day. RB Ronnie Brown torched CB Eric Green for a deep touchdown pass on a fly pattern. Is Brown really that fast lined up out wide? Appears so. CB Eric Green isn't having a great week of practice. He's the one cornerbacks all the quarterbacks are picking on no matter the WR he's got. Patrick Turner and Brandon London scored touchdowns during the Dolphins' 11-on-11 simulation. Chad Henne connected with Turner, Pat ..."
June 14
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Chad Henne finally got the chance to test drive the family's car without good old dad looking over his shoulder. With Dolphins starter Chad Pennington missing Saturday's practices to attend his sister's wedding, Henne, the veteran quarterback's understudy, orchestrated the first-team offense during Saturday morning's two-hour minicamp session. The practice didn't feature many highlights or low points. But watching Henne make checks at the line of scrimmage, routinely calling audibles into better plays, showed the coaches and his teammates exactly how far the 2008 second-round pick has come in one full year. Henne admitted his ability to recognize what the defense is doing is the area he's ..."
June 13
Miami Herald
columnist Armando Salguero
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The NFL is now a year-round adventure, which is the reason 40 million people watched the April draft, 32 teams are overshadowing the NBA Finals with minicamps and the loudest of the local sports headlines this month shouted how the AFC East championship goes through Miami. The NFL doesn't sleep. And that is perhaps why some people, including players, have fallen into the trap of believing one season bleeds into the next. It does not. Last season is over. Last season will have no bearing on this season. And if the Dolphins didn't know that, coach Tony Sparano made the point quite clear to his players Friday. ''I think you have to put it out of your mind,'' Sparano said of the thought ..."
June 13
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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By Pat White's own admission, the last time he picked up a baseball was five years ago, right around the time he was spurning a fourth-round draft offer from the Anaheim Angels to pursue a football scholarship at West Virginia. So you can imagine his surprise when he heard the New York Yankees, of all teams, spent a 48th-round pick -- yes, the baseball draft lasts 50 rounds; used to go until everybody passed -- on him Thursday. "I haven't talked to them," White, drafted as an outfielder, said after the Friday morning session of the opening day of Dolphins minicamp. "I'm thankful and grateful, but my focus is as a Miami Dolphin football player." Would he even entertain the possibility of ..."
June 13
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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The biggest cheers on the first day of Dolphins minicamp were reserved for a touchdown catch on a deep square in. That it was Greg Camarillo leaping to make the reception from Chad Pennington with Eric Green in close pursuit had everything to do with the yelps coming from the Dolphins' sideline. Barely six months after major surgery on his left knee, Camarillo suddenly appears ahead of schedule as he returned to work opposite Ted Ginn Jr. as a first-team receiver. "It was real [trusting] of Chad to throw that in there," Camarillo said after Friday's morning session. "It was tight coverage. I'm happy he threw it in there. I just have to come up with the play for him." Camarillo had largely ..."
June 13
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Watching this year's Dolphins team compared to last year's is "like night and day," Dolphins coach Tony Sparano said between sessions of Friday's minicamp opening. "Last year at this time ? watching the film at some times it didn't really look much like football out there," Sparano said. "A little bit of rugby, a little bit of other things going on in there, not a whole lot like football all the time." Sparano cited greater efficiency and not having to explain rules and regulations as one reason for improved practice play. However, Sparano is not about to predict Super Bowl championships like Jets coach Rex Ryan and is keeping the team from being overconfident through a study where he ..."
June 12
Miami Herald
columnist Linda Robertson
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It was more like a skirmish. Or a bit of pre-preseason one-upmanship, accompanied by lots of smiling. Ryan said the AFC East goes through New England. Crowder, feeling disrespected as the defending AFC East champion, retorted that the Jets are nothing but ''OTA champions,'' referring to meaningless practice sessions. Ryan shot back that he doesn't even know who Crowder is but that ``If I was younger, I'd probably handle him myself.'' Crowder's response: ``Oh, Lord have mercy. If he wants to be prepared, shouldn't he know the starting middle linebackers of his division rivals? ``I'd have beat the hell out of that big old joker. Or if he really wants to get retro, my daddy or my uncle could ..."
June 12
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Brendan Ryan is used to seeing high-profile visitors around the St. Louis Cardinals clubhouse. He quizzes Bob Knight about March Madness each spring training, and he has seen Danica Patrick and Billy Bob Thornton pass through to pay their respects to legendary manager Tony La Russa. But when it comes to Bill Parcells, the Cardinals' infielder tenses up. "You're kind of intimidated, to be honest with you," Ryan said. "I'd like to wrack his brain about football and stuff, but I'd probably annoy him, you know?" Then again, judging from the big smile Parcells wore Wednesday evening at Land Shark Stadium, probably not. Here was the Dolphins' executive vice president of football operations, two ..."
June 12
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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It's too bad that classic AFC East rivalry games took place before the Twitter age. DanTheMan: @AaronGlenn. Hey, pal, get a dog named Spike. (Hint, hint.) http://tinyurl.com/Mark Ingram6 KGunKelly: You think if I tell @TomOlivadotti a screen pass is coming, he'll stop it? Nah. Time for @Thurminator. MarkHenderson: Out on work release. Good to be free! Off to Foxboro. Hearing it may snow. Better get that plow ready! Sorry @Shula! Unfortunately, those intradivisional encounters occurred in prior, prehistoric decades. So this will have to suffice as the first official tweet heard 'round the AFC East: "we will b the best defense in the league this year!!! i feel for the offenses we are gonna ..."
June 11
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Rex Ryan and Channing Crowder seem to be enjoying their very public war of words, but the Miami Dolphins' front office is another story. Asked Wednesday night about the back and forth between the Jets' first-year head coach and the Dolphins' equally outspoken linebacker, Miami Dolphins General Manager Jeff Ireland was succinct and serious. "It's about playing football, that's what I know," Ireland said after watching batting practice before the Florida Marlins Get your Marlins Tickets now!- St. Louis Cardinals game. "It's about playing football." Has he or the team talked with Crowder yet about calming things down? "That's a clubhouse thing," Ireland said. "I'll deal with that myself." The ..."