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Webb, Donnalley and Bock are playing for other teams, and Brent Smith has a torn anterior cruciate ligament.
By MICHAEL SNYDER
© St. Petersburg Times, published August 6, 2001
DAVIE -- A good test -- and a great opportunity.
That's what tonight's Hall of Fame Game against the Rams represents for the Dolphins' new-look offensive line.
The Dolphins knew going into training camp their line was going to have a different makeup. Richmond Webb, who had manned the left tackle position since his rookie season of 1990, signed with Cincinnati.
Kevin Donnalley, who started every game last season at right guard, and reserve guard/center John Bock left for new homes in Carolina and Oakland.
What Miami couldn't have known was after only one practice, things would get worse.
That's all it took for Brent Smith, who started 13 games during the past three seasons and was slated to be Webb's replacement, to go down with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and be lost for the season. Smith, originally a defensive end at Mississippi State, went down without being hit.
"It was just one of those freak things that happen," he said.
Now, the Dolphins are left with all sorts of possibilities. Possibilities that may determine how successful they are this season.
Before camp opened coach Dave Wannstedt said, "The offensive line is an area of concern ... continuity and playing together probably means more than any one area of your team."
Despite the loss of Smith, the Dolphins' linemen will have plenty of time to meld. In addition to the extra preseason game, Miami will hold joint practices with the Bucs and Chargers. Those may prove crucial toward developing a cohesive unit.
With Smith out, former Buffalo Bill Marcus Spriggs gets the first crack at replacing Webb. He started 11 games at tackle last season, but only two on the left side. At 6-foot-3, 315 pounds, Spriggs has the size, but he has been labeled inconsistent.
"He's got the athletic ability to do it," Wannstedt said. "We'll see whether he'll make the commitment and see this as an opportunity and jump on it."
Depth is also a major concern, especially at guard and center. Heath Irwin, who was a disappointment last season after coming from New England, was the only backup on the line to start in an NFL game before the team recently signed Baltimore castoff Spencer Folau. Folau, a tackle who started eight games in five years with the Ravens, is no lock to make the team.
"Hopefully we can keep a group healthy and together the whole season because that's the way you win," Irwin said.
Mark Dixon and former Chicago Bear Todd Perry, who signed a five-year free-agent contract in March, give Miami a solid tandem of starters at guard. Tim Ruddy is solid but unspectacular at center and right tackle Todd Wade, Miami's top draft pick a year ago, had a standout first season. Irwin has received extra work with Dixon recovering from a back ailment.
Wannstedt has steadfastly said he won't move Wade from the right side to the left:
"We definitely will not move Todd Wade to the left side. We're happy right now with how Marcus is progressing. It's early yet. If we had a problem today I'd be more inclined to move Mark Dixon from left guard to left tackle."
But if Miami suffers another injury like Smith's, someone will have to step up. Someone who's cloaked in a cover of anonymity.
If Ben Adams, Jason Andersen, Troy Andrew, Anthony Cesario, Brandon Winey and Folau don't ring a bell, well ... they probably shouldn't except for the most die-hard of fans. The players in that group realize now is the time to shed the cloak of anonymity, while shedding light on their own talents.
New offensive line coach Tony Wise has praised Cesario, who's backing up Wade, the most of the second-teamers. A former third-round draft pick of the Jaguars, Cesario has dropped 15 pounds. "He's giving effort, he's showing football sense and he's showing quickness," Wise said. "That's all we expect of him."
Winey was a sixth-round pick in April's draft. He moved up from the third team when Smith was injured, but the LSU product has done nothing to show he's ready to compete for playing time.
Andersen (6-6, 315 pounds), like Irwin an ex-Patriot, started in place of Ruddy during Miami's intrasquad scrimmage last week. Andrew is a center, but appears to be more of a candidate for the practice squad than a roster spot. That's where Adams has been the past 11/2 years.
Adams, who is backing up Perry, understands the opportunities are there for the no-name players who make up the backup line. He also understands that even in the era of free agency, when players like Webb, Donnalley and Bock are allowed to walk because of salary cap issues, young players can't stand out for the wrong reasons.
"A lot of it is not making mental mistakes," Adams said. "You can't make any, especially if you're in a backup situation because they're looking for anything to get you out of here -- anything."
Dolphins vs. Rams, 8 tonight, Canton, Ohio. TV: Ch. 28.