Highlights from Dolphins coach Joe Philbin’s Monday news conference:
## On Ryan Tannehill: “There are a lot of things he needs to work on. That lull at the end of the second quarter. We hit a stretch he was a part of that he’s got to do better. There were a couple accuracy issues, a couple timing issues.
"The thing I like about him is let’s be honest – he’s had some tough stretches in both games – he battled back in the second half of both games and showed some resiliency. He threw the ball well on the move. He finished the run off for the touchdown run. He threw the ball accurately. Threw a real nice ball on third down to Brian Hartline, a real nice ball on the move to Davone Bess.
"It’s an added dimension – if you can move the quarterback around in the pocket, against great pass rushers, it’s a great benefit." Philbin said there were a couple times he "could have done a little better job" sliding his feet more in the pocket.
### On Reggie Bush: "Reggie has had good patience. He’s disciplined in his aiming points. He has shown the ability to break a tackle. Part of the paycheck you’re earning is how many guys can you make miss, how many tackles can you break? He showed all of that. Yesterday showed a blend of elusiveness and breaking a tackle. He has run the ball hard and physical. The guy is a hard worker.
On the 23-yard touchdown run, Philbin didn’t want him Bush bouncing outside. But Bush did anyway, with great results. How do you coach that? “No, no, no yes,” Philbin cracked. But seriously... “Runners have to trust their natural instincts.”
### On handling a victory, Philbin said: "I said to the staff an hour ago – the mood should be the same.... I told the team our message to the media should be: We’ve got a long way to go."
### On who stood out on the offensive line in run blocking: "Richie Incognito played a really good game, better than in Houston. We’ve been impressed with Mike Pouncey both weeks. There are a lot of pictures of him finishing plays, staying engaged on blockers. It’s hard to move a guy and stay on a guy. Defensive linemen are usually better athletes than offensive linemen. He plays the game the right way. Don’t want to give him too much [credit], or he’ll start getting a big head. Those two stood out yesterday."
### On Lamar Miller's debut (65 yards rushing on 10 carries): "Sometimes a young player plays too fast, a little anxious. I don’t think that was the case with Lamar. He had elusivness, wiggled through cracks. For a first time out there, he’s gotten off to a good start."
### On Brian Hartline excelling despite missing most of the offseason program and most of training camp: "I can’t say anything good, because then I’ll have nobody here for OTAs." Good line.
### On the Dolphins offense: "Overall, they controlled the line of scrimmage. You don’t usually get a 250-plus yard rushing game in the NFL. It’s hard to come by."
### He said he doesn't say too much to his coordinators during games: "I whined a little bit in the first half and they told me to keep quiet. If I have something to say, I usually walk back to the players [during TV timeouts]. You don’t need a lot of interference. I have total faith in the guys we have calling the game."
### I asked Philbin who has particularly excelled against the run besides Randy Starks and Paul Soliai. "Cam Wake has been playing the run very well," Philbin said. "He’s been playing with excellent effort. You might think of him as a specialist."
### On areas to improve: "We felt we need to tackle better. Our tackling is still not where it should be relative to the amount of time we spend on it."
### He credited offensive coordinator Mike Sherman for calling "an excellent game." Philbin cracked: "I’d love to tell you our coaching staff got a lot smarter in one week. I’m not sure that’s the case."
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