Injury Reports for Week 1, Patriots at Miami Dolphins

[Mack Herron]

God I hope not. He's the Ryan Wendell of DTs (worse, because at least Wendell is an excellent run blocker).

On the other hand, Vellano did make the roster over the likes of Kelly, Quarles, Gaston, etc.

 

[mayoclinic]

On the other hand, Vellano did make the roster over the likes of Kelly, Quarles, Gaston, etc.

Obviously. That doesn't mean that I want him on the field. Same applies to Wendell and Chung.

My impression of Vellano so far is that he's not quick enough to penetrate or disrupt, and not strong enough to not get pushed around by opposing linemen. That doesn't work for me. He's a high effort guy who gives his all, but his all usually isn't good enough, IMO. BB obviously feels differently.

There could be a number of reasons why Vellano stuck. BB loves high effort scrappy underdogs, and seems to value their work ethic and everyman mentality, which may rub off on other players. As far as Kelly goes, BB obviously seemed to want younger legs this year. As far as Quarles goes, Quarles was a last-minute pickup who hasn't had nearly as much time to get familiar with the system. It's quite possible that he could stick on the roster once he gets settled in.

Then again, it's obviously possible that I'm way off in all of this and BB sees something in Vellano that I don't.

 

[Kontradiction]

Here is Miami's final injury report from Friday afternoon:

OUT:
C Mike Pouncey (hip)
LB Jordan Tripp (chest)
DE Terrence Fede (knee)
LB Philip Wheeler (thumb)

DOUBTFUL:
G Billy Turner (foot)

PROBABLE:
S Walt Aikens (hand)
LB Koa Misi (shoulder)
CB Jamar Taylor (hip)
LB Chris McCain (hip)



Pouncey is two months removed from hip surgery. It's no surprise that he won't play; what is a surprise to me is that he didn't start the season on PUP, with Miami using the roster spot for someone else.

Pouncey's replacement at center is Samson Satele. Satele is the trivia answer on who Miami got when they traded Wes Welker to the Patriots seven years ago. Last year he was the weak link on a below-average line in Indianapolis, although to be fair he was dealing with multiple injuries. Still, he's just average at best. An interior line of LG Darryn Colledge, Satele and RG Shelley Smith is ripe for exploitation.

Tripp and Fede are backups, but Wheeler is the Dolphins' starting strong side linebacker. I'm guessing that could mean that Jonathan Freeny gets his first NFL start in Wheeler's place; that's another position to keep our eyes on in Sunday's game.

Not on the injury report, but also worth noting is Miami's situation at the safety position. The starters are former Detroit Lion Louis Delmas, and former backup corner Jimmy Wilson. That's a somewhat underwhelming pair, which again could be worth watching - and an area that the Patriots should be able to take advantage of.

If Wilfork is even somewhat back to his old self, he should abuse Satele like the wife of a mobster in mafia movies. Tripp was a favorite of mine going into the draft. Shame to hear he's starting his career out with an injury. If I had to guess, though, I would think it's only a matter of time before he gets his shot as a starter.