Report: Cleo Lemon to Start on Sunday (1 Viewer)

[PatsWillWin]

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/footbal...-dolphins-front

Cleo Lemon will start at quarterback for the Dolphins on Sunday in the season finale against the Indianapolis Colts, a source said Tuesday night.

Lemon will replace Joey Harrington, who was benched during Monday night's loss to the New York Jets and last week's loss to Buffalo.

After Harrington had directed his sixth consecutive scoreless quarter Monday, coach Nick Saban inserted Lemon to start the second half of a scoreless game.

After a slow start, Lemon engineered a 73-yard touchdown march, hitting tight end Randy McMichael four times, including a 7-yard touchdown, to give the Dolphins a 7-3 lead early in the fourth quarter.

"It felt good. I don't know what happened to the football," Lemon said of his first career touchdown.

Lemon, 11 of 16 for 104 yards with a 107.3 passer rating (one-tenth below Harrington's best rating of the season), seemed to click with McMichael and rookie receiver Derek Hagan.

Still, Lemon, a free agent this offseason, was disappointed in the 13-10 defeat.

"It was never about my personal success," Lemon said. "The more you play and the more people see you play the more opportunities that creates."

Acquired in a 2005 midseason trade with San Diego, Lemon threw his first pass in a regular-season game during the Dolphins' 21-0 loss at Buffalo on Dec. 17.

ESPN report a `mistake'

Although he hasn't played in nearly three months, Dolphins quarterback Daunte Culpepper found himself under siege during ESPN's broadcast Monday night.

During an interview with commentators Mike Tirico and Joe Theismann in the second quarter, outspoken Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young ripped Culpepper for "missing meetings" and for not being assertive enough.

"[He's] floundered a little bit physically, emotionally; I see he's missing meetings, he's not really focused," Young said. "I think it's about Daunte taking control of his professional career and taking it by the throat."

Culpepper, who was placed on injured reserve two weeks ago after a second surgery on his troublesome knee, apparently heard Young's comments while watching television from his stadium suite.

Culpepper then waited for Young outside the television booth for an unscheduled quarterbacks meeting at halftime and set the former 49ers star straight.

Afterward, a contrite Young showed off his scrambling ability, saying he made a "mistake" and believed that Culpepper hadn't been shirking his rehabilitation duties.

Young apologized to Culpepper and then Theismann clarified his statements on the air during the fourth quarter.

When Saban was told of Young's remarks, he said that he had excused Culpepper for missing a recent meeting so he could go "see his grandmother."

"He came back and did his rehab," Saban said. "So he's not done anything that he wasn't excused from."

Four-time Pro Bowl quarterback Boomer Esiason, on hand as Westwood One radio analyst, witnessed this bizarre press box scene in which Theismann, another former quarterback, briefly joined in.

"At the end of the day his whole game is about movement," Esiason said. "He's got to be able to move to protect himself, but if it's not there, you lose your confidence.

"For a quarterback, your confidence is the most important trait you can have. ... Next year, he'll be all right."

Jackson injures knee

Backup cornerback Eddie Jackson, who has eight special teams tackles, tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee after slipping on the wet turf during punt coverage in the second quarter and will need season-ending surgery.

"It's not nearly as bad as we thought," said Ray Savage, Jackson's agent. "He's a freak of nature and will be back at full strength by March."

Savage said that Jackson, a soon-to-be restricted free agent, would love to return to the Dolphins. ...

The shoulder injury sustained by starting cornerback Andre' Goodman in the first quarter isn't considered serious and will not require surgery. ...

At 6-9, Saban has been assured of his first losing season in his 13-year head-coaching career, including 11 at the college ranks.

 

[Jeff Pasquino]

Dynasty players care, as do 'phins fan.

thanks for the heads up.

 

[crushtang]

Not that the Colts are interested in stopping the run, but does this do anything to Ronnie Browns value this week?

 

[Bri]

I hope I can see him this weekend.

He looks good every time I get to see him. I hope he has a good game.

I hope as a free agent he can at least land a #2 QB job and not be buried on some team's depth chart.

I think he plays better than Patrick Ramsey, Aaron Rogers, and probably some other #2QBs out there.

 

[Sigmund Bloom]

Remember that the Fins actually gave up more for him than they gave up for Harrington.

 

[Cecil Lammey]

from a preseason 2005 Dark Phoenix:

Cleo Lemon, QB3 San Diego Chargers

6’2” 226 lbs. – Arkansas State – Undrafted Free Agent (2001)

Passing Stats Att Comp Yards TDS INT Att Yards TDS

Versus Minnesota 14 19 136 1 0 0 0 0

Cleo Lemon is a phenomenal athlete that was a devastating weapon at Arkansas State. He set all ASU passing and offensive yardage records while in college. He is a coaches son and is a very intelligent QB. He tossed a school record 49 TD’s while passing for 7,706 yards at Arkansas State.

Lemon’s greatest asset is his ability to scramble and make plays with his feet. He has a rocket arm and can make all the deep throws necessary to be productive at the pro level. His delivery is spot on, and his mechanics are very sound. He can move around well in the pocket, but is not a running QB. He feels the rush well, and anticipates pressure. His accuracy has been poor, but he is improving.

Cleo was signed to the Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2001. He was released shortly thereafter when he failed his physical because of a lingering knee injury. He bounced around for a while in the NFL, from the Ravens in 2002, to the Chargers in 2003. He did spend some time in NFLE with the Berlin Thunder where he backed up Tim Hasselbeck and Todd Husak. He spent the 2003 season on the Chargers practice squad, and was held as the 4th QB in 2004. It’s interesting to note that he was not put on the PS in 2004. The Chargers felt that Lemon would be signed by another team and they didn’t want to lose him. Doug Flutie was released in the off season and Lemon was promoted to 3rd string. The QB situation in San Diego bears watching. Obviously, the team loves what Lemon can do and are grooming him slowly. With Brees signing his one year franchise tender, Cleo could be promoted to 2nd string as early as next year. Many feel that if Brees has another solid year, the Chargers will trade Rivers thus making Lemon #2. Cleo Lemon is the perfect example of the long shot who’s working hard to make an impact.

 

[Bri]

Cecil, what's "Dark Phoenix"?

 

[Cecil Lammey]

Cecil, what's "Dark Phoenix"?

One of my weekly articles here at FBG's. In the preseason it covers the deep sleepers in the NFL.During the regular season I cover NCAA football. A must read for dynasty players, IMHO.

 

[Marc Levin]

Great info, JetsWillWin. Thanks!

Not a surprise to Dolphin fans and I am very interested in seeing how Lemon plays.

 

[trader jake]

Cleo Lemon to Start on Sunday, If anyone cares. At all.

I bet Joey Harrington cares. Of course nobody likes to get benched but Harrington is going to lose a lot of money due to playing incentives that are in his contract. I'm not saying that Joey Harrington is the second coming but Cleo Lemon? Please. Nick Saban tried to pull this same routine on Gus Frerotte before (then offensive coordinator) Scott Linehan stepped in.Classless move on Nick Saben's part imo. He's a great college coach but the guy isn't going to get it done in the NFL. His BS will wear thin if he sticks around in Miami instead of taking the cash grab at Alabama.

 

[Bri]

Classless move on Nick Saben's part imo. He's a great college coach but the guy isn't going to get it done in the NFL. His BS will wear thin if he sticks around in Miami instead of taking the cash grab at Alabama.

I'm not following yaI see it as those two have each been playing the last two games and now it's Lemon's turn. Before that, Joey played all of 7-8 games. BOTH are likely backups next year with Daunte's return.What's classless in getting his backups some playing time?BTW Yeah I somewhat ignored Lemon's free agency but, if he does re-sign it'd be as a backup to Daunte so...