Dolphins
Dolphins Roundup 8/3/04
By The Source
Aug 3, 2004

Compiled from a variety of sources.

Davie - Dolphins linebacker Corey Jenkins learned Sunday evening that his father was shot in the leg at a relative's home in Columbia, S.C., and is unsure if he will have to leave the team this week to be with his family.

Robert Jenkins Jr., who has had a series of health problems, was admitted to Richland Memorial Hospital and is on a respirator, Jenkins said Monday.

Jenkins said his father's wounds include damage to an artery in his leg and a broken bone. Robert Jenkins Jr. already was on a pacemaker and takes blood-thinning medication.

''They said he bled like a slaughtered hog,'' Jenkins said. ``My uncle said he was there, and my dad got shot over nothing. But to me, nobody gets shot over nothing.

``[The shooter is someone] we've known for basically all our lives. He's a friend of the family. We all basically grew up in that neighborhood.''

Jenkins said he got the call at 12:30 p.m. Sunday from his mother, who is divorced from Robert Jenkins Jr. The linebacker said she was ''frantic.'' Jenkins spent Sunday night at home with his fianc�e and is considering going to South Carolina.

The problem is, Jenkins' job security isn't exactly strong. The Dolphins drafted Derrick Pope and Tony Bua this season to compete with Jenkins, Eddie Moore and Brendon Ayanbadejo for backup spots.

''I'm just praying to the man upstairs,'' Jenkins said.

Jenkins said he is hoping his father is able to breathe without a respirator soon and that he might leave the team if his father's condition worsens.

Dolphins' roster is scoured for kick returner

Just about every player on the roster who has fielded a kick will get a shot at supplanting Travis Minor as the Dolphins' returner.

Minor, the primary kick returner for two seasons, could end up starting at running back, which would make him unavailable to run back kicks.

So special teams coach Keith Armstrong will take a look at a group that includes Terrence Wilkins, Sam Simmons, Kendall Newson and Fred Russell.

"I wouldn't put anybody first in line right now," Armstrong said, adding that the same group would compete to return punts. "Let's get through a few more practices. Right now everybody is on the same plane. And who knows what is going to happen at the running back position?

"Train as many guys as you can and let the thing fall where it will. Let them compete."

Wilkins is the veteran of the potential replacements. He has 171 kick returns and 123 punt returns in 57 NFL games, with averages of 22.3 yards on kicks and 9.1 on punts. He has two punt-return touchdowns and one touchdown on kickoffs.

Simmons took over from free-agent bust Charlie Rogers on punts and kicks late last season and flashed potential while averaging 21.3 yards on kickoffs and 12.5 on punts.

He had the team's longest kick return (34) and punt return (32) of the season.

Newson, by far the biggest at 6 feet 1 and 198 pounds, handled just one punt last season and faltered when he got significant playing time at wide receiver.

But Armstrong said Newson has potential as a returner.

"He is a guy who is talented, and you have got to give him a chance and see if he will settle down because if he does, he is a big and fast guy," Armstrong said.

Russell, a rookie free agent from Iowa, returned 18 kickoffs for an average 21.8 yards. He's only 5-7 but is solid at 191 pounds.

"Russell has phenomenal quickness, he's a tough runner, has good speed," Armstrong said. "He looks like a pretty good candidate for kickoff return."

SURGERY FOR WOODEN?

Reserve safety Shawn Wooden was told Monday that he is facing back surgery after medical testing revealed a bulging disc. Wooden, who aggravated an offseason back injury Friday, will receive one more medical opinion in hopes he can avoid what may be a season-ending procedure.

"We have no idea how serious it is or what we're dealing with yet," agent Drew Rosenhaus said.

Wooden, who has played with the Dolphins for every season but one since 1996, is a core special-teams player who provides depth in the secondary.

-Guard Eric Wilson suffered a knee injury in the inside-running drill in the morning and was carted off.

Coach Dave Wannstedt said initial reports indicated Wilson could miss significant time.

-Wide receiver Snoop Minnis missed the afternoon practice with what Wannstedt said are sore ribs.

-Defensive end Aaron Hunt twisted an ankle Sunday, Wannstedt said, and missed both practices Monday.

NO TRADE TALK

General Manager Rick Spielman said no teams had called to inquire about a trade for Ricky Williams before the tailback filed his retirement papers with the NFL. Spielman also said the Dolphins have no plans to sign another tailback before this weekend's joint practices against the Texans in Houston.

-General manager Rick Spielman said the team would ''take a look'' at bringing in guard/center Pete Kendall for a workout. Kendall was waived by Arizona and is considered a starting-caliber guard.

-Wide receiver David Boston reported to training camp at 228 pounds, about what he weighed when he was a Pro Bowl player with the Cardinals in 2001.


Now he dreads locks

Williams wasn't the only player to shave his dreadlocks in the offseason. First-year cornerback Korey Banks sports a clean-shaven look, radically changing the hairstyle he had worn for four years.

"Everybody does a double-take," said Banks, who attended Santaluces High in Boynton Beach. "I'm through with them now."

Banks, who spent two games on the developmental squad last season, is competing with Alphonso Roundtree as the fifth cornerback.

Asked the biggest difference in his play from his first camp in 2003, Roundtree said, "I'm basically believing in what the coaches are saying and trying to apply it. It's working. It's like being with [ex-Los Angeles Lakers coach] Phil Jackson.

"If you believe in the triangle offense, you're going to win."