Cleaning out the notebook of all tidbits

The Dolphins practice week begins Wednesday so I'm going to make it a habit the rest of this season to share stuff I have in my notebook that didn't make any of my columns in the paper.

It's Tidbit time:

• When the depth chart comes out Wednesday, you likely see L.J. Shelton as the starting right tackle and that might be reason for the veteran to feel pretty good about himself. He shouldn't. When I congratulated Cam Cameron for milking passion and professionalism out of Shelton during a one-on-one interview Monday, Cameron told me, "We need to get more out of him than we have."
• The addition of Cory Lekkerkerker means the Dolphins now have in their midst a tackle with experience in Cameron's system and a player that the coach likes. This means the Dolphins have options now. They can keep Lekkerkerker at left tackle where he's currently the backup or they can give him a try at right tackle. If he's better than Vernon Carey on the left side, Miami can move Carey back to the right side. If Lekkerkerker is better than Shelton on the right side -- a more likely scenario -- then Shelton could be headed back to the bench.
• Same deal with Gene Mruczkowski at guard. Neither Chris Liwienski nor Rex Hadnot should get the idea they are set as the starters for the rest of the year.
• A quick congratulations to you, the readers and contributors of this blog, for making Dolphins Indepth the most popular sports blog at The Miami Herald. Last month alone, this blog had over 108,000 page views which was the best month it has had since its inception. Only Dave Barry's blog is more popular at The Herald. Again, thank you.
• Don Shula on his secret to developing young quarterbacks: “What you have to do is put them in as many game situations as you can on the practice field and then do the best job you can in the meetings to bring them up to speed so when they actually see it on the field, they're prepared. And they have to do a lot on their own. You have to demand they make a commitment to improving on their own time. They have to want to be the best. They have to put in the work on and off the field and show that they want to succeed and are capable of doing it."
• Remember that Shula had Dan Marino call his own plays in practice his rookie year. Why don't today's coaches try stuff like that?
• Trent Green on why he thinks he's a good leader: : “I feel like I can relate to just about everybody in the locker room. I’ve been in just about everybody’s position, from being a late-round draft pick, to being cut and on the street, to being traded for a first-rounder, signing as a free agent, being on injured reserve, coming back from injured reserve. There’s a long line of different things I’ve gone through in my career and so I feel like I can relate to everybody, and what their given situations are. And when you’re able to communicate that way, I think that just comes across. And then my personality is such that I’m not a standoffish guy, I feel like I’m comfortable talking to anybody. That’s part of the way my leadership comes across, and why I’m comfortable with it.”

The notebook is empty now folks. Be sure to listen to my radio show every weeknight 7-8 p.m., either on 790-AM in South Florida or online at 790theticket.com. You are free to call in with your comments.

And as always, you are free to post your thoughts now.