A dozen notes from OTAs

Barry Jackson making a rare (in fact, unprecedented) foray into Armando's blog to post a practice update from Tuesday. As usual, I have a lot of Dolphins notes in my Sports Buzz blog - which can be found on the Dolphins page to the right of this blog and on the sports home page - so I encourage you to check that out today and often.

The current Sports Buzz blog post has all the details about why Philbin told me (privately) that a three-way QB battle will be tricky for him, as well as what Philbin and the quarterbacks said publicly today, including their comments about Steve Ross' expectation that Matt Moore will start. It also will have reaction to Miami's up-tempo offense.

A dozen other notes:

### Moore and David Garrard took most of the snaps with the offensive starters, with Ryan Tannehill working mostly with backups. Lydon Murtha was first-team right tackle (Jonathan Martin - who agreed to a contract Tuesday afternoon - is still at Stanford taking classes) and John Jerry was first-team right guard. Joe Philbin and Jeff Ireland want to give Jerry an extended look at guard, after Jerry moved around last year between guard and tackle. Right guard is clearly his job to lose.

### Artis Hicks said he is playing tackle exclusively, behind Murtha and Jake Long. Ryan Cook is Mike Pouncey's backup center; he earned $1 million for 15 snaps last year (good work if you can get it).

### Three veterans told me in the past two weeks that Julius Pruitt has been especially impressive among the unproven receivers.  Pruitt didn't do anything notable Tuesday. Undrafted Jeff Fuller caught a slant from Tannehill.

Rookie B.J. Cunningham ran for a touchdown when he caught a Jimmy Wilson deflection. Roberto Wallace got outfought for a deep ball by Sean Smith, who picked if off. But Wallace also made a nice catch on a nifty roll-out by Matt Moore. Rookie Rishard Matthews failed to hold onto a deep, catchable ball from Ryan Tannehill and dropped a Tannehill pass on a slant.

### Expect to see Lamar Miller line up in the slot at times. He can do quite a bit of damage as a receiver because of his speed and elusiveness, and this staff knows that and will take advantage of that. Miller was as impressive as any player Tuesday. By the way, we're told that UM coach Al Golden told Ireland before the draft that if he picked Miller and Olivier Vernon, he would be getting two first-round talents a year early.

### The first-team defense, now with a 4-3 base, included Cameron Wake and Jared Odrick at end (Odrick was in ex-Dolphin Kendall Langford's spot), Paul Soliai and Randy Starks at tackle, Karlos Dansby at middle linebacker (he says he will be very good there), Kevin Burnett and Koa Misi flip-flopping between the other two linebacker spots; Chris Clemons and Reshad Jones at safety; and Sean Smith and Richard Marshall at cornerback.

Jamaal Westerman, Tony McDaniel and Olivier Vernon also worked into the defensive line rotation.

### Vontae Davis was very limited because of an injury that he suggested was not too serious. Former CFL fullback Jerome Messam also sat out after knee surgery, but he's hopeful of being back for training camp. Undrafted Notre Dame running back Jonas Gray also sat out.

### Not only was the entire practice up-tempo offensively, but the team portion began with Moore, Tannehill and Garrard also taking two plays in a frantic, no-huddle offense. Clay dropped one of Tanehill's passes in that sequence but looked very good otherwise.

### Undrafted Missouri defensive end Jacquies Smith stood out by getting pressure on the quarterback several times. He would have sacked Tannehill on one play if sacks were allowed. Ireland said recently that Arkansas State safety Kelcie McCray was an undrafted player who stood out to him at rookie mini-camp, but he enters OTAs with at least five veterans ahead of him, for now.

### All rookies were in attendance except Martin, Oregon linebacker Josh Kaddu and undrafted Portland State tackle Dustin Waldron.They're all still taking classes.

### Add Plaxico Burress to the list of receivers who would love to audition for the Dolphins. But Miami has shown no interest in the likes of Burress, Roy Williams and Braylon Edwards. Ireland said he "could be done" at receiver, but isn't certain. If the rookies don't develop this summer, Ireland might add a veteran.

### Former Packers Al Harris and Marco Rivera were Joe Philbin's guests at practice.

### Reggie Bush was used on some punt returns, as were Davone Bess (the incumbent), Miller, Matthews, Clyde Gates and Marcus Thigpen.

Please check out my currently-posted Buzz blog for all the QB news from today (and other Dolphins notes not covered here) and also check out David J. Neal's story on Miller and Vernon, which will be posted later.

--- BARRY JACKSON

Comments

[Bill]

4-12 next season

[JS_in_LA]

I really can't figure out if it's pride, hubris, spite, or just plain idiocy that prompts Ireland to claim he may be done at receiver.

No, we haven't seen his world-beating corps go against an NFL D yet, but - really? Expectations high for this current group?

Well, proof is in the pudding. We'll see once the season starts.

[Dolfan Rick]

Great post Barry. Lots of great info. It really sounds like the making of a good team. Fingers crossed!

[Phins78]

They're rebuilding, again. But at least it's just the offense this time because the defense was a solid top ten D last year. If they could just find a play making safety we would be solid. Hopefully one of the kids is ready to step up.

[Phins78]

Defense could easily be top 5 with the expected improvement of our cb position and a safety who can grab some interceptions.

[Myles]

Bill...u r a douche.

[Dolfan Rick]

If Odrick can stay healthy it could be a breakout season for him at DE. If the world really smiles on us for a change and Vernon contributes with some QB pressure our secondary could be much improved.

[oscar canosa]

Is Armando still in Honolulu?

[Penguin]

Nice to get such a hefty amount of Dolphins news. Thanks, Barry!

[Ron Son]

Dont expect much out of this defense with Mike Nolan gone.

[BOYCOTT IS ON]

BOYCOTT THE FINS UNTIL IRELAND IS FIRED! WE’RE TIRED OF THE LOSING AND WE’RE NOT GONNA TAKE IT ANYMORE! HELP MAKE A CHANGE!

[inimounts]

I love how plaxico burress had basically as many tds as our wr core in its ENTIRETY not named marshall, and of course he's gone, but we won't even try to sign him, but why not give a nickel cb that doesn't get picks six mill....
Lovely. The only thing keeping me goin right now is Lamar miller
And Vernon actually being drafted by us (though still escapes me how we had so many chances but didn't draft tommy streeter, only hope
Is he will be cut by an over packed ravens core but doubtful. Next graham.

[basques are of a holy bloodline]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euUzRKuGwm8

spread the word...justice

[Matthew]

Ireland is wise to wait at WR. We have a lot of options, and the only way to see if we have the guys we need is to get them reps. A Burris or and Braylon Edwards is going to want to come in and do things their way; this group is a moldable collection of kids and over-achievers. That may be a better fit for Philban at this point.

We need a true #1 receiver to pull a lot of double-teams, and it wouldn't be a surprise if that's our 1st or 2nd round target next year, but for now...this is a group with a lot of potential.

[Dfins006]

Stop Crying!!!!

[borninduhe]

I read at least 3 different recievers droppnig a Tannehill pass. This was an issue for him at A&M. Is there an concern he throws a bad ball?

[TGH]

Marlins win, Heat win, Dolphins still suk.

[Scotty]

I read at least 3 different recievers droppnig a Tannehill pass. This was an issue for him at A&M. Is there an concern he throws a bad ball?
Posted by: borninduhe | May 22, 2012 at 10:52 PM

--

We have the WORST receiving corp the NFL has ever seen. Friggin pathetic.

[Ron Son]

Hey Scotty, we should never have traded Marshall. We cant replace him. Idiot Ireland thought he was getting suspended over that NY incident and panicked.

[Sammo]

Glad brandon is gone. Too many times he cut off his route and get his qb picked off. Then rant at the qb for not reading his mind like miss cleo. The new offense is about route running and self sacrifice for the team, two things we know marshall chalked up short.

[George Takei's Weapon of Mass destuction.]

They're rebuilding, again. But at least it's just the offense this time because the defense was a solid top ten D last year. If they could just find a play making safety we would be solid. Hopefully one of the kids is ready to step up.
Posted by: Phins78 | May 22, 2012 at 08:56 PM

I guess Phins 78 missed the first part of the season huh?
OHHHHH My.

[mauricio]

wow such haters blogging BIM!!!!!! I personally think we are gonna suprise some people this year watch gates all he needs is a shot ..the dude runs 4.3 hopefully hell be able to catch consistently.look at our schedule it looks favorable .Reggie will do well and dont forget dANIEL THOMAS AND MILLER ..THESE OFFENSIVE GURUS WILL MAKE IT RAIN IN THE POINTS DEPATMENT BECAUSE OF THIS FAST BREAK ATTACK TEAMS WILL WEAR DOWN ESPECIALLY AT HOME IN THE MIAMI HEAT NO PUN INTENDED...GO PHINS

[Bernardette the Hygienic and Physically Fit Lesbian]

Still concerned with safety and OLB, but the rest of the defense really has a lot of youth and talent.

[Rob in OC]

The Fins seem to be shaping into a Philbin based Green Bay mold of selfless players more than the "I" and "Me" types like BM.

I don't exactly believe the "Magic" scheme theory is going to have Bess and Hartline running free but I do think both will re-emerge with better numbers without Marshall. That said, I think Reggie Bush, Miller, Clay and Egnew will be gobbling up some of the production left on the table due to BM's departure.

I love the idea of a fast break type OFF and hope it signals to each and every team that when you come to Miami you will have to be in supreme shape. I hated the fact that we looked more tired than the opponent a number of times last year.

Gotta love Tannehill's bravado in saying that we sped things up but it needs to be quicker! Kudos to the kid for forcing the issue. Get your track shoes on gents...the Miami Cheetahs are coming. lol

Cheers,

[Rob in OC]

Agreed with Bernardette... Safety scares me.

For the things he didn't do well...YB had game in and was a force vs the run. I don't get a sense that any of the safeties we had were in his league vs the run... I hope we get some much better play vs the Pass to make up for it.

Cheers,

[you]

3-13 next season

[DC Dolfan]

Good morning fine people. Good to be back amongst friends (tongue in cheek).

3-13, 13-3, anything is possible at this point of the year. Will everything being new, it's best to just observe and see how it plays out. I do like what I'm hearing though. Like Philbin's style. Like the rookie excitement. LOVE the QB competition.

It's a fun time to be a Dolphins fan. Always is before Week 1. That's when the rubber meets the road and we see how effective leadership has been in organizing a real professional team. Special note from DC: RG3 is the real deal. That is all.

[michael]

8-8 improving next year,
11-5 the year after !!!
GO DOLPHINS FOREVER!!
DOLPHIN FANS ARE THE WORST THATS A FACT...
NYDOLFAN

[ericatl]

I do have to agree with Ireland with this current group? Yes we will be done!! Done with earning this 1st round pick for 2013!!!

[JackSparrow]

"But, not everything was perfect for the Dolphins quarterbacks today. Tannehill was reportedly slow in his drops, as well as his decision making. Today's practice was the first time Tannehill got to experience the speed of an NFL defense."

http://www.thephinsider.com/2012/5/22/3037884/miami-dolphins-ota-day-1-report

I asked you a month ago to report accurately about the QB competition Mando. Here you are leaving out crucial information.

HOW IS HE SLOW ON THE DROP? I thought he knew 80% of the playbook?

[DC Dolfan]

Jack, it's Barry Jackson reporting, not Mando. Also, it's beginning of OTA's. The kid is a rookie. Can't we allow ANY time for him to get acclimated to the NFL? Or are we expecting all our players to be fully developed by the time they've been drafted?

In every report I've read where they said Tannehill knows the playbook, it was reported he'll need time to develop. So I think you may be selectively choosing the information you retain (respectfully).

[Poizen]

Has Marc Columbo made it out of his 3 point stance to get to Dallas so he can retire? Ok I'm done now.

Don't like reading about the drops. It's early. Football is way to far away right now!

[JackSparrow]

Time to develop? He was drafted #8! We could have gotten better value at #8.

Personally, I don't think Tannehill will ever start unless Moore AND Garrard get hurt. Its going to be very hard for Tannehill to unseat Moore as the starter.

If Philbin and Sherman are so great then Moore should shine. Especially going 6-3 down the stretch last year. And if Moore shines this year he will be very hard to unseat in future years.

[Poizen]

Jack, it is really a transition thing for most QB's. The NFL game is much faster. Many college QB's are used to getting the snap and surveying the field as they move back in their drop. In doing so they are slower to get to the point of their drop.

In the NFL because of the size af most of the lineman your best visual vantage point is from your drop point. It is a EXTREMLY hard transition if you were not doing it in college already, and it is a "bad habit many college kids have. Not sure if that helps or not.

[DC Dolfan]

Also Jack, there are a lot of elite QBs playing today that needed time to develop (i.e. Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Drew Brees). You may ultimately be right about Tannehill, but let's give the kid at LEAST a couple of years before we put the nail in his coffin.

[Mark]

Tannehill is a LONG way from being an NFL QB. Heck, he lost 6 games as a college senior.

[pujo]

Almost every pass that was dropped by a receiver came from Tannehill. He had the same issue at Texas.Does he throw a bad ball?

[Professor Lou]

I have to agree with Jack about Matt Moore. Philbin is a quarterback's head coach and he likes to develop their talent and make them stronger at the position.
Philbin can take Moore and build on his success from the end of last year and take him to another level altogether.
I said on Ohio's blog that the one thing that seperates Moore from the competition is how he has to fight to earn everything he gets and how that gives him the advantage over the other guys in camp. If the fight gets tougher he will fight harder and that will only make him better. There's no quit in him.
Tannehill may know the playbook somewhat better but, when it comes down to it, he's not ready yet and when Moore gets the opportunity and starts winning games for the team this year it's going to be tough for Philbin to get him out of the starting lineup.
The last think is it seems to be a forgone conclusion that the quarterback search has ended with Tannehill being drafted. Nothing could be further from the truth as this point because NOBODY knows what Tannehill will do when he's on the field until he plays. He could be a huge bust but it seems to be a forgone conclusion by a lot of fans that things will change as soon as he starts. I hope everyone is right about that but only time will tell.

[Ron Son]

pujo,

We have the worst WR's in the league. Expect lots of drops and mistakes from the receivers.

[Professor Lou]

The one comment that puzzles me from yesterday's OTA's is Volin's "Play of the Day". Tannehill throws a pass that is tipped by Wilson and Cunningham makes a one-handed, juggling catch and takes it to the house.
Ok, Cunningham made a nice catch but it almost sounds like Tannehill had something to do with it and it's nothing more than a "look what I found" kind of play. That kind of innacuracy in his passes is what plagued him the most in college.

[Allan]

Joe Philbin = Cam Cameron II

[Professor Lou]

Ron Son,
Hartline and Bess are two of the most sure-handed wide receivers in the league. Matthews, whom I feel will be starting, is also very sure-handed. So, what's the gripe?

[Professor Lou]

Matthews has one of the smoothest breaks I've ever seen. Watch him run an out and you'll see what I mean. He's there on second and the next he's gone. He gets the db turned and then he makes his break and the db has no chance.

[Professor Lou]

Allan,
Far from it. Philbin isn't putting up with any nonsense and Cameron never whipped his guys into shape like Philbin is doing now. It makes sense that he keeps the tempo up because they will only be in better condition come the season. It's tough to keep up with someone who's conditioned to keep going and going and doesn't tire easily; especially on the football field.

[OSO]

Only a fool would argue with the likes of some of these bloggers whose only focus is to see the negative side of everything, exaggerate for effect, and be simply unreasonable.

Don't waste your time with JackSparrow and a few others. It's useless.

[OSO]

Most bloggers have no reference point, have no memory, and have no clue how things are very much the same for all other teams.

The constant expectation for all higher round draft picks to come out game one and perform like probowlers just because they were drafted high is just plain stupidity, and a reflection on their own ignorance.

[OSO]

The cumulative value of most opinions here are are about as valuable as used toilet paper, in reality.

[dolfdan13]

Blog seems more peaceful today. No Armando, No trolls.

It's going to be a good day.

[Gary Stevens]

Dolfdan -- the fact that Barry Jackson gave us a lot of actual news to chew on helps repel the trolls.

Gone are the days of Armando posting about his stakeout of the Dolphins Gift shop after hearing reports that they were selling Jets gear.

[jaison]

i don't think they have any interest in a bell type safety. if we need safeties to make plays against the run then our 4-3 defense is failing big time!! the want guy who can run, cover and tackle WR's and TE's not RB's getting handed the ball.

i much prefer the cincy type defense over the mike nolan blitz defense. too often they didn't get to the QB and hung the secondary out to dry!!

[Ohio Dolfan]

I'm interested in them trying Clyde Gates as a punt returner. If he could learn a few skills in the returning game and his speed could do the rest, that could be interesting.

Just make sure he doesn't fumble in those situations.

[Professor Lou]

Ohio,
I'm interested to see if Thigpen could do anything back there, either on kicks or punts, but Miller will probably be the guy on kicks. I know Thigpen's a long shot but I'm loving the speed on this team. There's so much of it it's uncanny. Too bad Messam is down for awhile because I was excited to see him in preseason.
Anyway, Gates better get some hands this year, otherwise I think he may end up somewhere else because I'm thinking Marlon Moore and Rishard Matthews are going to make it hard for him to get on the field as a receiver. He may only get in to return kicks and punts.

[Ohio Dolfan]

Lou,

But he made up the cool slogan.......BELIEVE IN MIAMI :)

[eel]

I see Ohio is back disrespecting Armando's request not to link his blog to his name.

What a selfish, low class, parasite.

[eel]

Guys if you need to score some tail, just visit Ohio's wife while he is not around. He approves of leaching off others.

[Ohio Dolfan]

No love for Prof Lou Mr. FYI? Just me? You might hurt his feelings ignoring him like that

[eel]

Why is Ohio even here? He disrespects Armando who specifically asked him not to link his blog. He has his own blog and can chat with the odin groupies there.

[eel]

It's an every man for himself society. Step on others for your own gain. Sad. Those folks will never know the feeling of accomplishment that comes with taking the high road.

[Ohio Dolfan]

haha.........the guy who is talking about my wife is now talking about taking the high road.

Ironic

[Rob M]

Dolphins next 3 seasons:

2-14
6-10
5-11

Philbin gets fired. Tannehill gets released. We hire another former O-line coach. Ireland gets a contract extension. And.....repeat.