Ah, the CBA has been settled.  It was hard for me to think or talk about football there for the longest time.  Now that's settled let's get down to business.

Last night was the first Dolphins game I have seen all year.  There's something about the glitter in the coral helmet with the Dolphins logo on the side that makes me forget about all the moaning about millions and billions of dollars.  Yes, it affected training camps and OTA's and such, and as one writer somewhere put it, the only comforting aspect of that is that it happened to every team.

I, like the rest of us, have sat back and watch this message board flop back and forth between draft strategy being right, wrong, stupid or any combination thereof or anywhere in between.  I've seen members enjoy one pick, yet not the other.  I'd like to post what I think so far.

Tomorrow is the Dolphins second pre-season game but you guys already knew that, so I don't know why I'm bringing it up. It should be an interesting one and one that should be closely monitored. We were unable to see how the Dolphins players have developed because of the downpour that took place last weekend. Hopefully it's different this time around. With that said, here's what I will be watching for. Please feel free to add your own thoughts.

• Will Chris Clemons Lose The FS Job? Sparano seems to have his mind made up on Chris Clemons starting this season at the free safety job or at least that's what the reports say. Sparano noted that Clemons and Yeremiah Bell had four total mental errors in training camp. That's great to hear but what exactly defines a mental error? Is it calling the wrong read out? Calling the wrong coverage and/or adjustment? If we go by that, then it doesn't surprise me that Clemons has few mental errors. The playbook and his reads should be ingrained into his brain. However, does a poorly taken angle qualify as a mental error? How about being late to a deep ball? If those two qualify as mental errors then Clemons had two last Saturday alone. That's something that could become an issue because he doesn't appear to be very instinctive out there. On the flip side, we have a guy by the name of Tyrone Culver. Has Sparano forgotten about him or just ignored him? Reason I ask is because Culver is not the athlete that Clemons is but he's mentally superior.  Culver did a good job in nickel and dime packages last year and I don't see why he doesn't get a fair shot at the starting spot.  In conclusion, Clemons better start doing some things right out there because free safety is a big time position and if you have troubles in the secondary, you're going to be in for a long season. Just ask the 2009 Miami Dolphins, led by the infamous Gibril Wilson. Or the 2009 Seattle Seahawks.

• How Will Randy Starks Do In Week Two? Starks played pretty well last week, in my opinion. He showed that he has the ability to collapse the pocket as a one technique nose tackle. However, Starks was seen on the ground three times in the opening couple of series. That's not something that you want from your nose tackle. The nose tackle position is an integral part of the 3-4 defense and if he struggles, he's bringing down everybody with him. Starks issues last game came as a 0 technique. He was asked to two gap or "scoop". Scooping is when you occupy multiple offensive lineman blocks in order to free up another player on your team to make the play. Starks did not scoop very well, as previously noted. I feel that he played a pretty good offensive line last week but this week it may be a step down. We'll see how Starks mans the nose tackle spot.

• Will Brandon Marshall Remain Anonymous? Yep, that Brandon Marshall. He was goose egg across the board last week against Tampa and that has to change this week. The offense needs to get some kind of rhythm going so when it comes to week one, they are a confident group and can work well together. Marshall dropped a pass last week that was suppose to be an easy catch. He ran a dig route, fifteen yards down the field and then cut inside. If he makes that catch, he's got room to make a play. However, it went right through his hands and he carefully explained that to Chad Henne on the sideline prior to halftime and then laughed it off. This week in practice, he punted a football out of frustration and then later on caught a touchdown. (Editors Note: Vontae Davis was covering Marshall and broke up a pass then punted the football in a joking manner. Hilarious stuff. Love the chemistry.) Last, I do want to give credit to EJ Biggers, Tampa's seventh round pick of a couple years ago. He did a quality job covering Marshall last weekend.

• How Much Has Henne Really Improved? Scary to think about, considering how much of the season hinges on his play but truth is, the guy didn't look so good last week. His ball placement was shaky, his decision making was not very good and the improved touch was, well, not improved. Henne will have to show more this weekend and hopefully not put so much air under the ball when throwing down the seam. He must have missed David Martin by a mile on the crossing pattern against Tampa. I think Henne's issue is that he doesn't know how to use his arm strength to his advantage. He hasn't figured out yet when to throw it hard, when to throw it soft, when to put some touch on it, when to put some velocity on it.  He also did not do a great job of working with the passing lanes against Tampa. He has zero excuse for the dump-off to Lousaka Polite.  

• Will We Cut Down On The Penalties? The box score may only show six but it seemed like they were at the worst times. Ronnie Brown finally had a nice run and then it got called back because Vernon Carey proceeded to plant Tanard Jackson six feet deep into the ground. The offensive line needs to overall do a better job of staying disciplined and creating holes for the tailbacks to run through. We averaged 2.4 yards per rushing last week. That is unacceptable considering how much money and high draft picks there is invested on this line. 

• Are Sean Smith & Vontae Davis Ready? If you go by last weeks performance, you have to be a little hesitant to say yes, don't you? Vontae Davis, who seems to have concentration issues, got burnt by Mike Williams last week and it all started at the line of scrimmage. Vontae has to keep his feet under him and his shoulders squared. On the flip side, Sean Smith looked improved but still shaky. He brought down ball carriers but brought them down by the shoulder pads. I want to see better tackling technique than that. He also was beaten by the deep ball but he got an interception, thanks to the pressure from the defensive line on Josh Johnson. These two young guys are going to be crucial this season because they are going to be on an island again this year. As long as they play well, they will free up more players for Nolan to blitz. In Denver last season, Nolan left his two cornerbacks on an island all day and they were a effective defense because the two cornerbacks allowed Nolan to blitz five, six, and even seven players at times.

• Is It Put Up or Shut Up Time for Jake Grove? Grove appears to have lost his starting job to Joe Berger but will he lose a spot on the team too? He's getting paid a nice sum of money this season and they have to find a role for him because of the investment as well as because of the talent he possesses. However, Grove needs to stop getting knocks so he can be fit and contribute. This is an uncapped season and this is the season where if a team has a bad contract, they can get rid of. When you look at Jake Grove and see that he's a backup, at the money he's making, you consider him a bad contract. He has the next couple weeks to show that he's worthy of starting spot?

• Who Will Start At The Two Guard Spots? John Jerry seems to be penciled in as a RG starter but he's got a knee injury now and who knows how long he will be able to hold up. How serious is it? Can he play through it? Will he miss any time? Important questions that need to be answered. On the other side, Richie Incognito seems to be starting at LG for now and whilst he did look good on Saturday, he can be difficult to deal with on the field because of his temper issues as well as his lack of agility. Will Donald Thomas ever live up to his (fan) hype? Should Berger be our LG instead of our Center? Important questions that...well you know the rest.

That's it for now. Add your own thoughts! I did not focus on the Jaguars this week because I don't think anyone really cares about them, honestly but I could be wrong. If so, let me know!

Cheers.