Vontae Davis

In the first half, Vontae was really the only Dolphins that came to play. In the first 30 minutes, the 2nd year CB  had 6 tackles, 2 pass break-ups, and a forced fumble. He continues to show great break on the ball, magnficent open-field tackling ability, and overall guts. Davis is quickly ascending to the role of #1 CB on the roster, and tonight further strengthened that argument. I maintain that he'll have a double-digit interception year.

Yeremiah Bell

Had an easy interception of a horrific Matt Ryan pass to Roddy White. YB lurks as well as anyone at the strong safety position in the NFL. With holes popping up all over the place on this defense, Bell has become that much more important as one of the leaders not only in the secondary, but in the entire defensive unit. Bell's pick tonight reminded everyone of why he was a Pro Bowler last year.

Chad Henne

Some of you are probably thinking: "What the hell?". Henne finished 10 for 22, 123 yards, and an INT. Not awe-inspiring, but Henne also didn't get much help from his receivers. Brandon Marshall, Davone Bess, Ricky Williams, and Brian Hartline all had drops that would have been for fairly sizable gains. Henne also didn't get much support from his offensive line, which was very porous. Despite all of this, Henne continued to look poised and comfortable in the pocket, and continued to show improvement on touch passes.

Karlos Dansby

I continue to be amazed by Dansby's ability to get back in coverage. Tony Gonzalez got his yards tonight for the Falcons offense, but Dansby spent most of the evening doing a nice job blanketing the All-Pro tight end. Dansby's presence is certainly much more prominent compared to his predecesor, Akin Ayodele, and his nose for the football is undeniable. That was proven once again as he fell on and recovered a Michael Turner fumble forced by Vontae Davis.

Dan Carpenter

Continues to kick very consistently in the preseason, knocking home field goals from 53 and 35 respctively. Even if the Dolphins preseason broadcast team doesn't know his name (even though he was a Pro Bowler), Carpenter has had one of the most reliable toes in all of the NFL over the past two seasons. While everything else is still shoddy with this team, at least you know that Carpenter will give you 3 points when given the chance.

In a surprising move, the Dolphins have traded WR Greg Camarillo to the Minnesota Vikings. The Dolphins have received CB Benny Sapp back in return according to his agent. Sapp is a native of Fort Lauderdale. The trade was first reported by the Miami Herald.

Camarillo, in his fourth year with the Dolphins, was tabbed to be the Fins 4th receiver. Camarillo was an undrafted rookie out of Stanford, signed by San Diego in 2005. He gained prominence following his dramatic overtime touchdown catch against the Ravens in 2007, a play that kept Miami from the NFL's first 0-16 season.

"Yeah, it's crazy," said Camarillo in a phone conversation. "I hate to be rude, but I don't have time for interviews. I have to move my whole life."

Camarillo had 113 catches, 1,325 receiving yards, and 4 touchdowns in three full seasons with the Dolphins. His finest year came in 2008 when he gathered in 55 balls for 613 yards, 2 TD's before going down with a torn ACL in week 12.

Top 5 Dolphins in beast-mode:

Paul Soliai

The back-up nose tackle impressed, much like he has all training camp to this point. 2 tackles, 1 TFL, and forced fumble all part of his night. Tony Sparano constantly talks about the work Soliai has put in to become a better professional, but it's finally showing on the field. Could be a sign of good things to come.

Patrick Turner

The youngster is showing signs. He's been much more visible in practice and had one of the biggest offensive plays of the preseason game, catching and running with a pass from Tyler Thigpen for 34 yards. If he can continue to show improvement he'll hold on to the 5^th WR spot that I still believe is his.

Marlon Moore

He's emerged as Turner's biggest challenger. Moore had an ugly early drop on a screen pass from Thigpen, but shined after that. Like Turner, Moore had some outstanding yards after the catch on a 34-yard reception of his own from Thigpen. He has good speed and vision, and if he can continue to work on his sometimes suspect hands, it is sure to be knock-down, drag-out battle between him and Turner for the next three weeks.

Nate Ness

One of the most intriguing wild-cards in the secondary is a guy no one had even really heard of before training camp. Ness is a converted safety now playing corner and he has excelled with the 2^nd and 3^rd team. He's versatile, physical, smart, and has a nose for the ball. His four pass break-ups, two of them in the end zone in the 4^th quarter, more than made up for a mental mistake allowing a big completion on a broken play in the 3^rd. Stay aware of this kid...depending on the severity of Will Allen's knee problem, Ness could get a real shot.

Koa Misi

He's taken a lot of fairly undeserved flack over the past week and a half so it was good to see him active and effective against the Bucs. Misi recorded two tackles, one of them nicely done in the open field, and had nice pressure on the quarterback. In a relatively weak showing by both first-team units, Misi's aggressive play stood out.

Honorable mention: Sean Smith, Jared Odrick

There are many times where covering the Miami Dolphins is an absolute bore. I say that with the utmost respect to Bill Parcells, Jeff Ireland, and Tony Sparano. I'm serious.

We're a week into almost every NFL training camp and the major story-lines aren't position battles and breakout rookies, it's hold-outs and spoiled giants failing condition tests. The headline-clogging, twitter-feed dominating exploits of Darrelle Revis and Albert Haynesworth, not to mention rookies trying to take advantage of their last gasp at huge money (Sam Bradford), have placed a choke-hold on mainstream league discussion at almost every turn. One of the few places where no drama exists in preparation for the 2010 football season is in South Florida. The 'Phins are all business, and for that, Dolfans should be grateful.

It was a tumultuous offseason for the Dolphins. There's no denying that. First, Joey Porter and his useless, gaping oral cavity couldn't stay closed during Super Bowl week. The spoiled, bratty, blustery, overly-sensitive child-man decided that Sparano was his enemy and took to the tube to inform America of his anger. He was finally released, but not before an embarrassing salary cap snafu that had observers snickering from coast-to-coast.

After that, it appeared the team turned it's back on Jason Taylor, who will one day have his name on the Dolphins “Ring of Honor”. That was a major PR hit for the 'Phins, who then followed that up with the Dez Bryant scandal.

Ireland's apparent inquiry into whether or not Bryant's mother was once “a prostitute” didn't sit well with a majority of football-following America, and in all fairness, it was a tad-bit insane. All of this following a letdown 7-9 season. Public opinion of the “Big Three” had never been lower since the trio arrived in Davie.

What's so frustrating about the Parcells/Ireland/Sparano partnership is what makes it so impressive, however. Those three truly, honestly, undoubtedly don't care what anyone thinks or says about them. At all. Period. It is always business as usual. A constant focus is put on the Miami Dolphins and how they can be made better and more effective.

Despite the stormy, ego-bruising stretch of bad press in the off-months, the 'Phins brass rolled up their sleeves, brushed off the debris of damaged image, and got to work. The efficiency in which these guys work and get things finalized is impressive. Following a lackluster free agency period that was saved with the acquisition of Karlos Dansby, the Dolphins proceeded to acquire Brandon Marshall, pay him, then one-by-one knock out every rookie contract before training camp started.

The Dolphins were always eyeing Jared Odrick, make no mistake, but the trio, particularly Ireland, had the foresight to know that signing at selection #28 would be infinitely easier than trying to lock down the 12^th overall pick. Hence the decision to drop down 16 spots in the first round, settle for Odrick, and also get back the 2^nd round pick lost in the Marshall trade. That's pretty savvy.

Dolfans must be appreciative of the fact that in three years, only one 'Phins rookie has held out, and that was for two hours. Chad Henne was not at the first training camp practice of the new regime, but after Sparano made a subtle but strong condemnation of Henne's absence following that practice, the youngster out of Michigan was in full pads and throwing just hours later. Not bad.

The Dolphins front office often comes off as arrogant, stubborn, and elitist. It can be frustrating and annoying, but I'll take that over the alternative of a team that needlessly spends, forces personnel together, and can't close on contracts. In every year since '08, the 'Phins have become more cohesive, more explosive, more multi-dimensional, and have obtained greater depth. Don't let last year's failure to make the playoffs fool you. That was still a team that had a chance going into Week 17 despite losing it's starting running back (Ronnie Brown), best all-purpose athlete (Patrick Cobbs), #1 cornerback (Will Allen), nose tackle (Jason Ferguson), and, oh yeah, starting quarterback (Chad Pennington) to injury.

In a world where Revis is absent, Haynesworth is an unmotivated square peg trying to fit into a round hole, and an injury-prone rookie quarterback is commanding $50 million in guaranteed money, the Dolphins quietly go about their business. Whether you agree with everything they do or not, the fact that the 'Phins don't allow themselves to be deterred by forces from the outside, and within, should make you appreciate how the organization is governed.

Well, well, well, this wasn't the jaw-dropping Day 1 of training camp that we expected.

The opening Friday of Dolphins camp was supposed to be a nice, laid-back, analytical type of day. Not anymore. The unexpected absence of much-maligned back-up QB Pat White has suddenly changed the entire dynamic of the next four weeks.

Where is he? Is he hurt? Is he cut? Is he on the trading block? This evening, no one seems to know. It's the question hanging over the team facility in Davie, and perhaps the most perplexing quandry the Dolphins have faced with Bill Parcells in charge.

Last year it was linebacker Matt Roth who mysteriously missed the first day, then the second, then all of training camp en route to the Non-Football Injury List which sidelined him for the first six weeks of the season. He was then traded to the paradise known as Cleveland. This year, the magnitude of the current Day 1 absence looms larger with it being a quarterback, not to mention a second round pick from just a single season ago.

In White's first year we were told over and over again that he was being groomed to become an NFL quarterback. Jeff Ireland was adamant that White would be playing football under center, not spread out wide or in some tweaked running feature. White was erratic, ill-prepared, unsure of himself, and eventually injured in his 2009 campaign. As expected, and rightfully so, red flags popped up everywhere.

In offseason workouts we were all told about how much weight White had put on, how improved his throwing motion was, and how much more knowledgeable he was running the offense. Unfortunately, at first glance, it didn't show. He was still off-target, still twitchy in the pocket, and still took way too long in his decision-making. So what's the deal today?

Have the Dolphins decided to cut their losses and release him? Doubtful. You don't just waive a second round draft pick after only one year. It's bad business, it's unintelligent business, it just doesn't make sense.

Are you Dolphins looking to deal White? This is a possibility, but why wouldn't you wait for injuries to shake themselves out through the league during the preseason to make White more attractive? Let's be honest, not many teams are going to be keeping a straight face if the 'Phins go to them trying to shop White.

Is White hurt? This is the most logical explanation. Earlier in the day Tony Sparano had hinted that a few players may not be at practice, and basic deduction seems to suggest that White is one of those guys. If he is injured, White would be headed to the PUP list while the team did a further examination of his health. Again, this seems to be the most likely scenario.

Finally, there's this insane possibility. Is there any chance that White has retired and decided to play baseball? Before you start laughing, just hear me out. This is a former draft pick of the Yankees who has never seemed very confident in himself as a professional football player. I wouldn't destroy the notion that he decided to cut his losses and try a sport that many believe he's better at anyways. OK, you can start laughing now.

Whatever is keeping White out of training camp, it's certainly a surprise. Sparano will inform us of the situation tomorrow and it's sure to be the possible headline of Dolphins offseason.

As it stands right now the Dolphins quarterbacks are Chad Henne, Tyler Thigpen, and Chad Pennington, in that order. Pat White was supposed to be in that group. Now, he's not even at training camp. Regardless of whether you're discussing White's desire, ability, or NFL durability, it's starting to look like “The Pat White Experiment” just wasn't meant to be.

You can call it blown out of proportion if you'd like, and I suspect that many Heat "fans" will do so, but Dwyane Wade's comments from the Sunday portion of "Zo's Summer Groove" are asanine and insensitive at best. Referencing the collapse of the World Trade Center when referring to how the media will treat consectuive Heater losses in 2010-2011 is absolutely unnecessary.

The point is fair. Media like myself will be frothing at the mouth at the first sign of possible weakness with this Heat team. That said, insinuating that that coverage will be anything close to the deserved, obsessive, heart-wrenching focus that the news media placed on arguably the worst moment in our country's history is arrogant, off-base, and completely ignorant. Wade's nonchalant reference to the horrific events of 9/11 is extremely disappointing as someone that I felt was not only more intelligent than that, but was also much more professional than his comments would suggest.

Click the link below the hear the real audio of Dwyane Wade's WTC comment. I'd suggest this considering that the print quote has been changed and is technically still wrong, at least in Fanhouse.

Dwyane Wade World Trade Center