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Tuesday update: Dolphins sign LB and safety and audition cornerbacks

Some quick hits:

### The Dolphins signed two former Dolphins: safety Jonathon Amaya and linebacker Mike Rivera and cut offensive lineman Ray Feinga and safety Troy Nolan.

Amaya played as a reserve for the Dolphins in 2010 and was dealt to the Saints in the Reggie Bush during the 2011 offseason. He had 10 tackles on defense but got most of his work on special teams for the Saints last season and was cut in August.

Rivera spent the 2011 offseason with the Dolphins and played in two games for the Patriots this season before being cut Sept. 18. He is considered an above-average special teams player.

The Dolphins also brought in a few cornerbacks for tryouts Tuesday, including veterans Alphonso Smith, Aaron Berry and Morgan Trent, sources said.

Smith had eight interceptions the past two two years but was cut by the Lions on Aug. 31.

Berry was cut by the Lions in July after two arrests this summer - one for simple assault and one for suspicion of DUI. He played in 12 games for the Lions over the past two years and faces a three game NFL suspenion once he joins a team (for violating the league's personal conduct penalty).

Trent, who has started three games in three years, was waived by the Redskins in August.

The Dolphins so far have not needed to use their fourth cornerback, R.J. Stanford, on defense. Nolan was used sparingly on defense before he was cut.

### Please see our newest post on the left side of this blog, with more Dolphins tidbits (including on cornerbacks and Charles Clay and an update on Reggie Bush from Tuesday night).

### Yes, there's a lot to be encouraged about with Ryan Tannehill: the arm, the poise, his ability to lead the Dolphins to a game-tying field goal at the end of regulation Sunday and engineer a drive ending in a missed field goal that would have won the game in overtime.

But a lot of the positives cannot be measured statistically. From a numerical standpoint, the harsh reality is this:

Tannehill ranks 32nd and last among NFL quarterbacks in QB rating, at 58.3. The rest of the bottom five: Josh Freeman (71.4), Michael Vick (66.3), Brandon Weeden (60.7) and Jay Cutler (58.6). Matt Ryan is first at 114.0.

Because Tannehill's growth is so critical to Jeff Ireland's future, it's puzzling why Ireland hasn't surrounded him with better receivers. Tannehill has been victimized by 11 dropped passes, second-most in the league behind Drew Brees, according to Pro Football Focus. That obviously hurts his QB rating.

### Here's where Tannehill ranks in other categories: He's 28th in completion percentage at 52.9. (Mark Sanchez is last at 50.5). He's 26th in yards, 22nd in fourth-quarter passer rating (76.5) and 26th in third-down passer rating (65.0).

### With three sacks in three games, the Dolphins rank ahead of only Jacksonville in sacks per pass play. Seven NFL players have more sacks than the entire Dolphins team, led by Clay Matthews (six).  The Dolphins, as you'll recall, selected Vontae Davis one spot ahead of Matthews in the 2009 draft. 

"We missed a few obviously," defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle said of the lack of sacks. "Yesterday we had a couple of opportunities off the edges where Mark Sanchez was able to spin out, and that has historically been one of the things that Sanchez has done. He's not a running quarterback, but he's got some elusiveness in the pocket.

"I think that the opposing quarterbacks are very aware of our rushers, particularly Wake coming off the edge. We’ve got to create more sacks no question about it, but the one positive that I’m, seeing is that the completion percentage, although we’ve given up a lot of yards in terms of total yardage over the three games; I’m not happy about that, I’m disappointed about that. But the completion percentage is like 52%, and I think it’s third best in the league in terms of quarterback completion ratio. So the pressure that we’re generating is causing guys to throw the ball away, to make some errant throws and things of that nature."

Cam Wake had 13 quarterback "hurries" but no sacks this season. Jared Odrick and Olivier Vernon shared Miami's only sack Sunday; Randy Starks has the Dolphins' other two this season.

### The Dolphins are allowing the fourth-most passing yards per game in the league, and Sanchez on Sunday joined Vinny Testaverde as the only Jets quarterback to throw for at least 300 yards in a win against the Dolphins in the past 19 years.

### The Jets' Calvin Pace raised eyebrows when he said this about Reggie Bush after Sunday's game, per The New York Daily News: "We had to put him on out. We didn't see him again."

When Pace spoke to reporters Monday, he opened with a statement in which clarified: "I wasn't trying to say it as if we were trying to hurt him. We aren't running any bounty system or anything like that."

### The Heat auditioned former UM guard Jack McClinton on Monday and reportedly will work out former San Diego State power forward Malcolm Thomas this week. Thomas appeared in three games for the Spurs last season. Juwan Howard and Nigerian national team swingman Chamberlain Oguchi also continue to work with the Heat, hoping to land the two remaining spots on the training camp roster. Miami has 18 under contract and can bring 20 to camp.

### UM's Ben Jones played 53 snaps Saturday and Seantrel Henderson played 12. But both did enough, coaches say, to pull even with Miami's starting tackles: Ereck Flowers and Malcolm Bunche. So Monday's depth chart has Bunche/Henderson as an "either/or" at left tackle, and Flowers/Jones as an "either/or" at right tackle.

Philbin explains decisions in Monday press conference; Reggie Bush news; Heath Bell rips Guillen

Highlights from Dolphins coach Joe Philbin’s Monday news conference:

### He said he told his coaching staff Monday that "It’s easy to say Dan Carpenter should have made the kick. [But] we still have the same problems [regardless].”

### On the Dolphins’ play calling late in the fourth quarter and overtime: “I don’t think the calls were bad. There are always calls you want to have back.

“We had first and 10 at the 35. We ran the ball on first and 10. Got a couple yards. Threw it on second down. They played a specific coverage; we took a shot. Would it have been better if we had completed a 7 or 8 yard crossing route? Absolutely. We thought we had a good call. We weren’t able to get a first down and get an easier kick for Dan [Carpenter]."

### Asked if he has over-ruled his coordinators much this season, Philbin said, “Maybe here and there, but not much.” He then mentioned two offensive plays he has over-ruled, but no specifics on when they happened.

### Of Reggie Bush’s injury, Philbin said: “I don’t think it really changed the game a whole lot. I would argue that’s as deep a position” as the Dolphins have.

### Philbin said of Daniel Thomas: “You can’t fumble the ball. Two in three games is too much. You can’t fumble the ball and play running back in this league.” But he said Thomas “did some good things” in pass protection.

### I asked Philbin why he played Thomas ahead of Lamar Miller in the fourth quarter and overtime. “Some of it was protection related. Daniel, pass protection wise, gives us a little more bigger [back].” And Philbin said the Dolphins’ philosophy is “less substitution, more faster pace," as opposed to switching between Thomas and Miller during the same series.

 ### Miller was to blame for miscommunication on a botched play with Tannehill.  "That’s a wasted play," Philbin said. "Every snap is important. I don’t know that will inhibit him from getting more snaps. This is week three – now the next game we don’t want to see him going the wrong way or him and the quarterback not being on the same page. The guy has shown some real positive qualities."

### On the offensive line: "We did well. Pass protection was good. Two quarterback hits. Anytime you have zero sacks, you have to feel good. Some of the run blocking was good – we have room for improvement there."

### Philbin, on what he would like his offense's identity to be: "Protect the football, No. 1. We’re not there right now. That’s the first thing we’re off the boat on. Second thing is we would love to be an explosive offense that can make big plays. We’ve been excellent in the running game, not as good in the passing game. Then the other stuff is have balance, let’s have flexibility, let’s be multiple formation wise. But that’s all kind of fluff."

### Defensively, Philbin said the Dolphins had "too many penalities. Eleven penalties is too much.  The penalty situation was unacceptable."

### Anthony Armstrong got the third-most receiver snaps, behind Brian Hartline and Davone Bess. Asked if he has claimed the No. 3 receiver job, Philbin said, "Some of it is based on weekly performance in practice. We’re not locked and loaded" there.

### Though Cam Wake has no sacks this season, "The kid is playing his tail off," Philbin said. "He's playing fast and hard."

### Bush was injured on a first and 10 from the Dolphins' 20 with 36 seconds left in the first half. Should the Dolphins have taken a knee there?

Philbin said he has "struggled with that a couple times this year." The question, he said, is: "Do you have faith in your players to execute base play in your offense or do you want to take a knee?" He said it could be argued that he has made some mistakes in those decisions.

 ### Also: An MRI showed Reggie Bush's knee had no structural damage. The Dolphins hope he will ready to play Sunday at Arizona. "Received some great news today! Praise the Lord," Bush said on Twitter Monday morning.

### Marlins closer Heath Bell, who lost his closer's job a couple months ago and thought he would get it back, said on his weekly segment with WQAM's Dan Sileo on Monday: "It's hard to respect a guy that doesn't tell you the truth or doesn't tell you face to face.... We need a guy that leads us that everybody respects and looks up to."

Bell confronted Guillen earlier this season, claiming the manager did not have his back. Guillen obivously disagreed.

This offseason, the Marlins will try to trade Bell, who has two years and $18 million left on his contract.