The media is probably guilty of reading too much into the practice reports this time of year. Some more than others. With the preseason just around the corner, though, practices are really the only way to evaluate how players and teams are coming along.

With that said it's important to take everything with a grain of salt, and realize that one negative or positive report about a player or team won't mean much by the time September rolls around. When those negative or positive reports become a pattern, though, it becomes easier to make sound judgements based on what we see and hear.

Now that we are a week into Dolphins' camp, we can start to evaluate which players have impressed and which ones have disappointed, and which prospects have improved their final roster chances and which ones appear as good as gone.

It would be difficult to condese all of that information into one post, but highlighting some of the extreme cases is a bit more manageable. Here is my take on the three players who's stocks has rose the most since the start of camp, and the three guys who's stocks have dropped the most.

UP

Ikaika Alama-Francis: This is a fairly obvious choice. Before camp, Ike was one of the more obscure players on the roster, and was a long-shot to make the team at defensive end. After moving to outside linebacker, though, he's spent most of camp with the second-team, spent one session with the starters, and is now considered a dark horse to win a starting job. It's still Koa Misi's job to lose, but in the event the rookie begins to struggle, Ike could become the most unlikely starter in recent memory.

Nolan Carroll: As a fifth-round draft choice, Carroll doesn't come into the league with many expectations. With the Dolphins' essentially trading Ted Ginn Jr. for his services, though, any contribution would be fantastic given that Ginn would have at least been a dangerous return man.

So far, Carroll hasn't dissapointed. In fact, you could probably even argue that he's had the best camp of any cornerback on the team. Of course, he likely won't move up any higher than fourth on the depth chart this season with three solid players in front of him, but he projects as a potential special-teams standout.

Patrick Turner: It was only a couple weeks ago that it was reported some of Turner's teammates were questioning his character and doubting his roster chances. Since the start of camp, though, he's reportedly been making plays on a consistent basis. If he can build on that for the rest of camp and turn in some solid showings in the preseason he shouldn't be in jeopardy of losing his roster spot as the final receiver on the team.

The next step would be pushing Greg Camarillo and Brian Hartline for playing time. We might be getting a little ahead of ourselves, especially considering Turner had a solid camp last year, but he's surely doing all he can to shake the bust label so far.

DOWN

Jake Grove: This may be the most confusing situation so far this season. It's like the coaching staff doesn't remember how much improved the running game was a year ago. And in particular the running game between the tackles. In 2008, with Samson Satele at center, the Dolphins had to rely on the wildcat to get the running game going, because they had difficulty doing so in base formations.

When Grove singed last offseason, he finally provided Ronnie and Ricky a little room to operate up the middle. The Dolphins did improve from the 11th ranked rushing attack to the 4th best, after all. With Grove thrown into a competition with Joe Berger and now apparently Andrew Hartline, Miami is compromising a sure thing. Sure, Grove may have been a bit overpaid when he signed for $30 million, but if they were willing to pay him that much to improve the running game, and he did, why try and replace him now?

Richie Incognito: Despite coming to town with a notorious temper, which has already brought forth two minor altercations, many had high hopes for Incognito as the starter at right guard. Instead, he's spent the least amount of time with the first-team of any of the lineman who are in the mix to start. He was even moved to left guard a few days ago, which could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on the reasoning behind it.

Still though, most thought Incognito was a near lock to start, with the real competition going down on the left side. Who knows, though, maybe he's still a frontrunner to start, but is currently on the second-team because the coaches know what they are getting with him, and are trying to get a feel for the other three against the number one O-line.

Sean Smith: I hate to keep harping on this given some of his struggles have come matched up against Brandon Marshall, but being demoted to the second-team, and being replaced by Jason Allen can't be a good sign for a corner many thought would rise to elite status in the next few years. I still think that was just a motivational tactic, and Sean will figure this little slump out soon, but if Will Allen is indeed 100% you almost have to pair him with Vontae if things don't turn around quickly.

Brandon Marshall, Patrick Cobbs, and Will Allen get the day off
Some fans' hearts might have dropped when Brandon Marshall was not in uniform with his teammates this afternoon, but no worries, he was just getting a well-deserved day off. For about a week now, Marshall has lived up to the hype, in practice anyway, and has reportedly been dominate at times. Yes, it's important for him to establish a rhythm with his new quarterback, but a physical freak like Marshall doesn't really need the same reps the others do.

He could probably work out on his own, only show up for the games, and still be one of the better receivers in the league. Of course, that's not the ideal situation, but missing a session here and there and avoiding any risk of injury for the day is not going to alter the course of this football team. With Will Allen and Patrick Cobbs, though, this is probably just precautionary as both are returning from season-ending injuries.

Sean Smith de-moted
The second-year corner has had a few bumps in the road early on in camp, but that was expected given that he would be lining up against Brandon Marshall. Today, things got a little worse. Smith spent the majority of the workout on the second-team for the first time since winning a starting job in his rookie training camp. Perhaps, even more surprising was who got the nod ahead of him. Jason Allen-yes, the same Jason Allen who's coverage skills have rivaled that of Gibril Wilson- was paired with Vontae Davis on the first-team. Now, that would have likely been Will Allen had he not had the day off.

Let's get one thing straight, Jason Allen has zero chance of cracking the starting lineup this season. Well, outside of a plague of injuries to the position, anyway. Jason Allen is in no way, shape, or form a starting caliber cornerback, free safety, strong safety, or whatever other position he has played so far in his NFL career. That's why this has "subtle message to Smith" written all over it. Yes, he's had his struggles so far, but this is likely just a motivational tool to get him going and living up the promising potential he has.

If the poor play continues, however, Will Allen will have the inside position at stealing Smith's starting job, with Nolan Carroll eventually being next in line after that, based on the solid camp he's had so far.

Is it time to worry about the offensive line?
Heading into camp the consensus seemed to be that the competition along the interior of the line had more to do with their being a surplus of talent, not a lack thereof. Unfortunately, the more camp drags on, the latter appears to be more and more realistic. We expected to see competition and rotation, but not this. A combined seven players have lined up with the first-team at the the two guard spots and center. How exactly is this group supposed to develop chemistry?

Andrew Hartline lined up with the starters at center today, ahead of Jake Grove and Joe Berger. Have Grove and Berger really been that bad, or is this just another tactic to get them to step up their game? At this point, your guess is as good as mine. One thing is clear, though, the interior isn't coming along as well as the coaches were hoping it would. If it were, at least one player would have stepped up at one of positions, and would be on the verge of solidifying himself. Rookie John Jerry has spent the most time with the first-team, but he still seems to be on a tryout basis, essentially getting looks against the number ones on defense.

It's important to remember it's still early, however, and at this point in camp the defense is usually ahead of the offense. It's just a little frustrating that no one seems to be rising to the occasion. There's still plenty of time, so hopefully the continuous competition and grind eventually gets the most out of this group, and clear cut, quality starters emerge.

Henne struggling with touch
We haven't heard much about Chad Henne so far in camp. Nothing overly positive, nothing overwhelmingly negative. If there was one aspect of his game he was looking to improve the most during the offseason, it was probably his touch throws. Any improvement made wasn't on display this evening, though. Henne reportedly had an attempted screen pass knocked down by Koa Misi, had another intercepted by Jared Odrick, and had a dump-off pass taken back to the house by Reshad Jones. On the bright side, at least the rookies had a solid practice.

Sources: Sun-Sentinel, Miami Dolphins in Depth

Roster moves made
With two season ending injuries in two days and a player leaving the team, some cleaning up duty was in order. That consisted of the team reportedly placing linebacker A.J. Edds on the IR, placing running back Kory Sheets on the waived/injured list, placing receiver A.J. Wallace on the reserve/left squad list, and resigning cornerback Evan Ogelsby, who was recently cut.

The Dolphins risk losing Kory to another team as he goes through the waiver wire, but it's unlikely anyone will bite given he's an unproven back-up who wouldn't be able to contribute until 2011. That being said, expect the team to retain Sheets and place him on the IR with Edds. Who knows, maybe 2011 will be a better situation for him in Miami with either Ronnie, Ricky, or both possibly out of town, as they are currently in the last year of their contracts.

More rave reviews for Marshall
There are certain players that just stand out. Brandon Marshall fits the bill. He reportedly had another dominate practice tonight, and was nearly unstoppable on the jumpball fade to the corner of the endzone, scoring two touchdowns. Take a deep breath Dolfans, we still have a week and a half before we see Mr. Marshall in live action, and over a month before he suits up for a game that actually matters. Yes, it's hard to contain the excitement, but these reports will have to suffice for the time being.

Same for Cameron Wake?
Maybe Wake isn't the all-around player the Dolphins want him to be, but it's becoming evident that they may have an elite pass rusher here who could be on the verge of taking the league by storm.

Tonight, Wake reportedly "roasted" Vernon Carey, getting to the quarterback by turning the corner with dangerous speed. Once again, he's started every practice session so far in camp, and weakside linebacker doesn't seem to be the competition it was supposed to be. Which is fantastic in my book.

Maybe he doesn't defend the run or drop into coverage as well as we would like, but in a league that is increasingly becoming more and more pass happy, if you have a double-team commanding stud of a pass rusher you play him as much as possible. You don't just hand him a third-down role and give the Tom Brady's and Mark Sanchez's out there a pass on early downs.

Pencil Nolan Carroll and Patrick Turner in on your 53-man roster predictions
Over the last few days, both Nolan Carroll, a fifth-round corner out of Maryland, and Patick Turner have been turning heads at camp. Nolan has been making notable plays on the ball, whether it be pass breakups or interceptions, and Turner has been making outstanding catches left and right.

Now, before you jump back on the Turner bandwagon, remember back to last year's camp, when he also impressed pretty consistently but was a non-factor in the regular season. Still though, both players are making enough plays on a consistent basis to earn roster spots. Carroll is working in the dime package, where he will likely have to make due for this season with the three guys in front of him being Davis, Smith, and Will Allen, but could potentially be an ace special-teamer, as he has experience on both the punt and kickoff teams and has even been mentioned as a candidate for kick/punt return duties.

Patrick Turner would be the fifth receiver if this season started today, and if he can continue to make plays he will keep that role. Taurus Johnson appears to be his biggest threat at the moment, spending tonight as the first-team kick-returner, but the Dolphins will most likely give Patrick Cobbs Ted Ginn Jr.'s old job, given he's already a virtual lock on the final 53-man roster and has been solid as a returner in the past.

Sources: Omar Kelly, The Daily Dolphin 

Injury bug bites Dolphins again
A day after learning rookie linebacker A.J. Edds tore his ACL, breaking news says Kory Sheets appears to have suffered a serious leg injury. It's too early to confirm what happened to Kory this morning, but he reportedly was down for a several minutes as players and coaches circled around.

The Sun-Sentinel's Mike Berardino is speculating that it appeared to be his lower right leg, which could mean a broken leg or ankle, but would also optimistically open up the possibility for this just being a sprain. We will have to wait and see, but another tough day at Dolphins' camp if this is as serious as it sounds.

Update: Sources are confirming Sheets is out for the year with a torn Achilees' tendon. Tough break for a kid who had a solid opportunity to make the final roster, and had the potential to win the kick-return job.

Conflicting reports surface about first-team O-line
Of course, the shuffling along the interior of the offensive line is still an ongoing process, but there appears to be some confusion as to who lined up with the first-team today.

Mike Berardino reported that the starters at the guard spots remained the same from yesterday, with Donald Thomas on the left and John Jerry on the right. The Palm Beach Post's Brian Biggane on the other hand, tweeted that Richie Incognito got his first crack with the first-team at left guard, and was accompanied by Cory Procter on the other side.

I tend to want to believe Brian Biggane on this one because I'm still clinging to my high hopes for Incognito, but this sounds like Thomas and Jerry probably started the session as the starters, but conceded some of their first-team reps to Incognito and Procter later on.

The battle for starting center featured Joe Berger's at bat this morning, but that means Jake Grove will presumably take over those duties at 8 p.m. tonight.

Ryan Grice-Mullen returns to practice
After missing the last few days with a leg injury of his own, Ryan Grice-Mullen was back in action this morning. Once a sleeper to crack the final 53-man roster, Grice-Mullen has a lot of catching up to do after missing valuable reps and with Patrick Turner impressing lately.

If Kory Sheets is indeed out of an extended amount of time, though, winning the primary kick-return job may become a bit more realistic.

Sources: Mike Berardino, Armando Salguero, Brian Biggane,

Edds done for year with torn ACL, Micah Johnson added to camp roster
Some discouraging headlines were the talk of Dolphins' camp this morning. Fourth-round pick A.J. Edds reportedly tore his ACL, presumably in yesterday's workout where he was seen icing his knee, and will miss the entire 2010 season.

Obviously, with Karlos Dansby and Channing Crowder locked in as the starters at inside linebacker, losing Edds isn't a huge blow if those guys can stay healthy. But Edds had the opportunity to earn a job in the nickel package in camp, where his superb cover skills could have played a huge role in helping Mike Nolan's defense get off the field on third downs.

Well, the Dolphins will have to make due without him. Instead, guys like J.D. Folsom and seventh-round pick Austin Spitler will have to step up if Miami is going to have solid depth at the position. You would think one of them, or both of them depending on how many ILB's the Dolphins keep, would now be guaranteed a roster spot with Edds going down. But it didn't take long for the front office to squander up some competition. Enter former Kentucky linebacker Micah Johnson, who was thought to be a potential late-round sleeper heading into April's draft, but settled for an undrafted contract with the Giants, where he was later cut in June.

At 6'1, 258 pounds, Johnson is a capable run-stuffer, but likely lacks the speed to ever be an every-down player at this level. If he has a strong camp and preseason, though, and somehow finds a way to survive the final cuts, he could be serviceable in the goal-line formation.

O-line carousel continues
For the third staight practice Donald Thomas worked with the first-team at right guard and John Jerry at starting left-guard. Meanwhile, Jake Grove got the coveted reps, as the every other practice swap with Joe Berger continues. The change occurred on the second-team, where Richie Incognito moved over to the left side, after spending his entire stay in Miami so far on the right. It's tough to get a feel for how the interior of the line will eventually shape up, but as of now, the experiment goes on.

Favre retirement would benefit Dolphins
I hate to give Favre anymore attention then he is already getting, especially on a blog dedicated to the Miami Dolphins, but in reality, if Favre hangs it up, and that is a titanic IF, the Dolphins trip up to Minnesota in Week 2 would be considerably less daunting. Yes, the Vikings are a great team with or without No. 4, but being able to stack the box to stop Adrian Peterson would become a possibility without him. I think Tony Sparano said it best, though, when he told the South Florida media, "I'll believe it when I see it."

Sources: Sun-Sentinel, The Daily Dolphin