Nic Grigsby

The Miami Dolphins found running back Larry Johnson expendable, releasing him yesterday. But the team has apparently opted to keep five running backs in house by signing undrafted free agent Richard Medlin to the practice squad.

Medlin joined fellow undrafted rookie Nic Grigsby as one of two running backs on the team's eight-man practice squad. He replaces seventh-round rookie nose tackle Frank Kearse, who was signed to the Carolina Panthers' active roster Monday.

As a member of the practice squad, Medlin will make roughly $5,700 a week. He will not be eligible to play in games but will participate in practice and team meetings. He can be signed to the Dolphins' active roster if they choose, or he can sign to another NFL team's active roster at any time just as Kearse did.

The Dolphins now have a full eight-man practice squad and 53-man roster after the additions of Nate Jones and Igor Olshansky yesterday.

Background

A Raleigh, N.C. native, Medlin walked on at Division II Fayetteville State in 2007 and earned his way into a featured role in the team's backfield. He led the Broncos in rushing three of his four seasons, amassing a total of 2,721 yards and 28 touchdowns on the ground. Medlin also excelled as a returner, earning CIAA Special Teams Player of the Year honors after averaging 41.7 yards per kickoff return and taking three back for scores.

Measuring in at 5-foot-11 and 205 pounds, Medlin was routinely clocked in the 4.6s in the 40-yard dash during pre-draft workouts. He was not selected in the 2011 NFL draft but was signed by the New England Patriots as a rookie free agent on Aug. 3.

Medlin faced an uphill battle to make the Patriots' roster with two drafted rookies—Shane Vereen and Stevan Ridley—joining returning veterans BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Danny Woodhead. Medlin rushed for 66 yards on 20 carries while adding 39 yards on six receptions, scoring two touchdowns in the preseason finale before being waived during final cuts on Sept. 3.

In Miami, Medlin will wear former Dolphins running back Patrick Cobbs' old number 38. He will work at running back in practice and will also get a look on special teams, potentially as a returner and certainly in coverage.

Analysis

Medlin certainly isn't a player who is going to jump out at you on paper. He doesn't have particularly impressive measurables or physical attributes and his collegiate production at the Division II level was solid but not dominant. His return numbers are indeed impressive, but he doesn't seem to have the speed to carry that success over to the pro level.

What the Dolphins are getting in Medlin is another body at running back for practice purposes, and a much cheaper one than Johnson would have been. It makes sense for the team to keep five total backs between the active roster and practice squad, considering Lex Hilliard also doubles as a fullback and Reggie Bush may be moved around more than we've seen the first two weeks of the season.

For every Arian Foster there are a thousand running backs who  don't ever succeed in the pros;and Medlin will certainly have his hands full just making an active roster. He just doesn't seem to have much upside on offensive due to his lack of physical tools.

Moving away from all the negatively and reality checks for a second, it is worth noting that Medlin is regarded as smart, mature player and an extremely hard worker. He won't be Ronnie Brown or Ricky Williams, but he does have the chance to be just like another former Patriots undrafted running back that wore number 38 for the Dolphins if he can make an impact on special teams.

As always, check out the updated projected depth chart reflecting these transactions here.

Discuss this article on the forum here!

Chris J. Nelson majored in journalism at Georgia State University and currently works for Turner Sports in Atlanta. He operates his own Miami Dolphins website, The Miami Dolphins Spotlight, and he can be followed on Twitter here.

The Arizona Wildcats made another mark in the Pac-10 conference by finishing tonight’s game 6-1.  Matt Scott had no problem filling in for the injured Nick Foles (knee).  Scott was able to keep his team focused and make some big plays.  He threw an outstanding 18-of-22 completions, totaling 233 yards, to beat the Washington Huskies 44-14 on Saturday night.

The Huskies were coming off from a huge win over Oregon State in a double overtime 35-34 score.  They were 3-3 before tonight’s matchup.

Arizona’s Wildcats were looking to pile up the wins after a 24-7 win over Washington State last week.

Huskies QB Jake Locker threw for 183 yards, had a touchdown during the opening drive and lost 26 yards over 6 carries before being replaced by Keith Price.   Price had little to add.  He threw for 9 yards on 1-of-4 completions.

Keola Antolin finished the game with 114 yards on 14 carries. Juron Criner caught eight passes for 108 yards to give Arizona its best start since opening the 1998 season 6-1.

Arizona logged an impressive 470 offensive yards and a season high 237 rushing yards.  The defense dominated the line of scrimmage.

In a post game interview, coach Mike Stoops’ stated "This certainly was a good overall team win for us. We had a great week of preparation. We challenged the offensive line to be more physical, to protect the quarterback better. Everyone really responded positively this week. They knew they wanted to do a better job this week, and we were a lot more diversified.

Matt Scott did an outstanding job, going 18-for-22. We've had a ridiculous throwing percentage for this time of the season. I give a lot of credit to him, our offensive line, and the coaching staff. They all did very well in getting prepared for this game tonight. I'm pleased to see that Matt responded well on the field, even with the loss of his position."

Stoops’ went on to remind the team, “Don’t think you have arrived. You are ranked 6-1 and 3-1 in the Pac-10.  You have not arrived yet.”

UCLA will host the Wildcats next week.  The Bruins look to rally for a win after being defeated 60-13 by the Oregon Ducks.

Last year the Arizona Wildcats traveled to Kinnick Stadium only to come up short against the Iowa Hawkeyes before they headed back to the West Coast to begin Pac-10 play.

This year the #9 Hawkeyes fly south to take on the #24 Wildcats at Arizona Stadium, drawing the same buzz around Tucson as the Oregon game did in 2009.

For the Wildcats to avoid a loss like last year to the Hawkeyes there is one player they will have to focus on, sophomore running back Adam Robinson.

Last year Robinson kept the Arizona defense on their heels, rushing for 101 yards and scoring twice.  Like many Big Ten schools, they look to the running game first which is exactly what Arizona’s defense must do also.

And that all starts with the defensive line of Arizona, led by defensive ends Ricky Elmore and Brooks Reed. 

Accompanied by defensive tackles, redshirt freshman Sione Tuihalamaka and redshirt senior Lolomana Mikaele, Arizona’s front four is going to have to get their hands on the big linemen from Iowa in order to allow the linebackers to make plays on Robinson.  The more the offensive linemen make it to the second level for the Hawkeyes, the more space Robinson will have to run, and the more pressure that will be put on the Wildcat’s inexperienced linebackers.

With Marvin McNutt and Derrell Johnson-Koulianos starting at receiver for the Hawkeyes, the Wildcats should be packing the line and allowing Trevin Wade and the rest of the secondary to control the Iowa pass catchers.

The Wildcats need to focus on taking away the running game from the Hawkeyes and forcing Iowa quarterback Ricky Stanzi to throw, something he has not done a whole lot of this season.

If this game turns into a shootout, Arizona will have the upper hand.

Arizona quarterback Nick “Sunshine” Foles and the Wildcat receiving core are used to shootouts against talented teams, such as games against Oregon State, Stanford, and Oregon last year.

Foles, like in many other games this season, will be the deciding factor on offense for Arizona.

Last year, Foles came in against Iowa during the 4^th quarter in relief for Matt Scott, where he only threw 11 times and was able to lead the Wildcats to a touchdown.  On Saturday, the Hawkeyes are going to get Foles for the entire game instead of just one quarter.

This will be the first true test for the Wildcat’s offense this season, and if tackle Adam Grant and the rest of the offensive line can give Foles enough time to throw, he will surely find Juron Criner and the other Wildcat receivers.

Be prepared to see rushes by Nic Grigsby and Greg Nwoko, a great cruiser and bruiser combo for Arizona in the backfield.  But if the game comes down to the final minutes, it will have to be Foles that shines.

If the Wildcats can continue their defensive dominance and if the offense can give Foles enough time to find the open receivers, they will have a great chance at pulling off the biggest non-conference game at Arizona Stadium in recent memory.

*AP Top 25 Poll

The big college football game on Saturday night is the game between the ninth-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes and the 24th-ranked Wildcats of Arizona.  BetMania has the latest college football odds for this game and the Hawkeyes are listed as two point road favorites. The small line is an indication of just how close this game could be.

Iowa Hawkeyes: The Hawkeyes are 2-0 on the season and have an outstanding offense that is powered by a big bruising line and a top tier quarterback.  Adam Robinson powers the ground game and has put up 256 yards and four touchdowns in the first two games. Jewel Hampton is a great compliment to Robinson and in the last game against Iowa St he managed 84 yards and a score. The offense has looked very good in the first two games and it is led by quarterback Ricky Stanzi. Stanzi is a quality signal caller who spreads the ball around and provides leadership on the field. He has connected on over 70 percent of his passes and thrown for 433 yards with three touchdown passes in two games this year. Head Coach Kirk Ferentz is one of the best in the country and will have his team ready to play.

Arizona Wildcats: Arizona will be seeking a 3-0 start to the season and revenge after losing last year to Iowa 27-17. Head coach Mike Stoops has constructed an explosive offense at Arizona and they will get a big test going against the Iowa stout defense.

Nick Foles is the quarterback of the offense and has been the starter ever since he came in for the second half of the game against Iowa last year.  He has started the season on fire hitting over 83 percent of his passes and throwing for 574 yards and three touchdowns. Arizona has a good passing offense but don’t dismiss the running game. Nic Grigsby is the best playmaker that the Wildcats have. He has gained 160 yards in two games and found pay dirt early and often with five touchdowns on the season.

On defense Arizona has been very good and has yet to allow an offensive touchdown to date, however they will encounter a much stronger opponent in Iowa this weekend.

Game Time Prediction: This game will be interesting because Iowa will have to travel far and deal with a hostile crowd. They were successful in the last meeting but have not fared well overall finishing just 3-7 against the spread (ATS) in the last ten games against the Pac-10.

Last year, Arizona kept the game respectable on the road in Iowa City, this year they are at home and the Wildcats have been a tough beat at home as they have gone 11-2 ATS in the last 13 games.  This game will be fun to watch and look for a well contested match between two very good teams. The edge is to the home team looking to get revenge getting points. This game is close but the Wildcats win late.

Final: Arizona 20 Iowa 17

College Football Previews

Cincinnati at North Carolina St

California at Nevada

 Arkansas at Georgia

Matt Regaw is a B/R Featured Columnist and the founder of BookieBlitz.com, your one-stop shop for sports articles, previews, and predictions. Feel Free to contact Matt at mregaw@gmail.com

The Arizona Wildcats started their much anticipated 2010 season with a bang. 

Quarterback Nick Foles threw two touchdowns and ran for another, wide receiver Juron Criner showed that he hasn’t lost a step from his outstanding sophomore season, and the Wildcat defense held the Toledo Rockets to under 200 offensive yards, shutting them out.

Yes, the Wildcats played well, but there are aspects of their game that need to be fixed before they start Pac-10 play.

Even though Foles and the Wildcat offense played well, one thing they were missing for most of the game was a deep threat.

The overwhelming majority of the Wildcats passing game consisted of check-downs and short routes.  Even though there is nothing wrong with a six-yard passing play, to get it done in the Pac-10, you need to be able to stretch the field.

Of Foles’ 32 completions, only seven of them were over 15 yards, with just two of those coming in the first half.

If the Wildcats want to compete in an explosive Pac-10, the passing game will need to get off to a better start in the first half.  A passing game that can throw deep down field is also important when playing from behind late in a game, something the Wildcats will surely encounter against a much improved conference.

With the Pac-10 only getting better, the Wildcat coaching staff will have to pay close attention to their linebacking core to figure out who will be the right fit come September 25, the date of the ‘Cats Pac-10 opener.  On Friday, the Arizona linebackers lacked sideline-to-sideline speed, something that will be a crutch come conference play.

Against Toledo, it wasn’t a big deal. But when they have to chase down the likes of Oregon State's Jacquizz Rodgers or Washington’s Jake Locker, it could prove difficult.

While Arizona linebackers Derek Earls, Jake Fischer, and Paul Vassallo held their own against Toledo quarterback Austin Danton and the Toledo offense, keep in mind, it was the Toledo offense.  The same Toledo offense that went 5-7 in 2009, has an unproven starting sophomore quarterback, and plays in a conference with teams such as Eastern Michigan and Ball State, not quite the same competition as USC and Oregon.

With two games left until the Wildcats start Pac-10 play, they will need to fix these issues if they are to start their quest for a Rose Bowl appearance.