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POSTED 7:35 p.m. EDT; UPDATED 7:57 p.m. EDT, August 14, 2007
LEMON AIDING HIS CAUSE
Something might be happening on the way to Trent Green's coronation as the Dolphins' starter in 2007.
Green might not win the job.
More specifically, he might lose it to Cleo Lemon, who arguably is outperforming Green in camp -- and who definitely outplayed Green in the preseason opener. Green completed only six of 15 passes for 60 yards in a full half of action on Saturday night, and was booed by a sellout crowd. Lemon, in contrast, completed five of six throws for 56 yards.
An important factor to keep in mind with Lemon is that he was traded to the Dolphins in 2005 without the knowledge of the Chargers' coaching staff in one of the many moves that widened the rift between G.M. A.J. Smith and former head coach Marty Schottenheimer.
Assuming that former San Diego offensive coordinator Cam Cameron felt the same way about Lemon as Schottenheimer did, then Lemon has a better chance to be the starter than anyone realizes, given that Cameron is now the head coach of the Dolphins.
But why, then, did the Fins continue to pursue Green? Our guess is that the team hoped that Green would be even better than Lemon, but that (for whatever reason) Lemon is potentially getting the better of it for now.
The more compelling angle to this story is that Lemon is playing for a shot to be the starter elsewhere, since he's due to become an unrestricted free agent in March. We're told that Lemon has turned down a multi-year offer from the Dolphins, opting instead to take his chances.
And he doesn't need to start every game and lead the Dolphins to the playoffs to become an attractive option for teams looking to improve the position in 2008. There have been plenty of quarterbacks over the years who have gotten paid a lot of money based on a handful of solid appearances -- since that proven (albeit limited) performance at the NFL level is more of a track record than any draft pick can ever claim.
The ultimate irony here could be that Lemon develops into one of the only really good quarterbacks the Dolphins have had since Dan Marino retires . . . only to watch Lemon walk away.
LEMON AIDING HIS CAUSE
Something might be happening on the way to Trent Green's coronation as the Dolphins' starter in 2007.
Green might not win the job.
More specifically, he might lose it to Cleo Lemon, who arguably is outperforming Green in camp -- and who definitely outplayed Green in the preseason opener. Green completed only six of 15 passes for 60 yards in a full half of action on Saturday night, and was booed by a sellout crowd. Lemon, in contrast, completed five of six throws for 56 yards.
An important factor to keep in mind with Lemon is that he was traded to the Dolphins in 2005 without the knowledge of the Chargers' coaching staff in one of the many moves that widened the rift between G.M. A.J. Smith and former head coach Marty Schottenheimer.
Assuming that former San Diego offensive coordinator Cam Cameron felt the same way about Lemon as Schottenheimer did, then Lemon has a better chance to be the starter than anyone realizes, given that Cameron is now the head coach of the Dolphins.
But why, then, did the Fins continue to pursue Green? Our guess is that the team hoped that Green would be even better than Lemon, but that (for whatever reason) Lemon is potentially getting the better of it for now.
The more compelling angle to this story is that Lemon is playing for a shot to be the starter elsewhere, since he's due to become an unrestricted free agent in March. We're told that Lemon has turned down a multi-year offer from the Dolphins, opting instead to take his chances.
And he doesn't need to start every game and lead the Dolphins to the playoffs to become an attractive option for teams looking to improve the position in 2008. There have been plenty of quarterbacks over the years who have gotten paid a lot of money based on a handful of solid appearances -- since that proven (albeit limited) performance at the NFL level is more of a track record than any draft pick can ever claim.
The ultimate irony here could be that Lemon develops into one of the only really good quarterbacks the Dolphins have had since Dan Marino retires . . . only to watch Lemon walk away.
