2016 Miami Dolphins: Amazing Gase

pdaj

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Kiper's snap-shot grades are out:

http://espn.go.com/nfl/draft2016/insider/story/_/id/15230437/2016-nfl-draft-mel-kiper-grades-draft-class-every-nfl-team

Miami Dolphins: B+
Top needs: CB, RB, G, ILB, DL
Bizarre circumstances, great player. Let's just go with that for the short version of how the Dolphins ended up with arguably the single-best prospect in the draft all the way down at No. 13. Laremy Tunsil has so many natural gifts for the tackle position, it's just now a matter of where he plays. Left side? Right side? Either way, if he's on the field, Miami gets better. Not many people know Xavien Howard, but that's not much of a reach in Round 2 -- he was going to go there. From there, this was all about getting Ryan Tannehill and Adam Gase more weapons. Kenyan Drake is Reggie Bush-lite, Leonte Carroo is a productive threat who can make catches down the field, and Jakeem Grant is a jitterbug who is electric in space if you can get him the ball. Thomas Duarte is one to watch, a hybrid wideout-tight end split who could develop. The Dolphins didn't do much for their defense, but they sure as heck tried to help their QB and ended up with a major steal early in the process.

1/13
Laremy Tunsil, OT, Ole Miss
2/38
Xavien Howard, CB, Baylor
3/73
Kenyan Drake, RB, Alabama
3/86
Leonte Carroo, WR, Rutgers
6/186
Jakeem Grant, WR, Texas Tech
6/204
Jordan Lucas, S, Penn State
7/223
Brandon Doughty, QB, Western Kentucky
7/231
Thomas Duarte, WR, UCLA
 

pdaj

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Great news. I'm pretty stoked about the potential of this offense now that the offensive line has been significantly upgraded and several additional offensive weapons have been added. There's going to be some decent competition at the WR/TE spot.

For WR:

Landry
Parker
Stills
Carroo
Hazel
Whalen
Grant

For TE:

Cameron
Simms
Stoneburner
Duarte

Of course, this is a gigantic year for Tannehill in terms of determining his ability as a QB. It's year 5, Gase is pro-QB, and he'll now have time to throw.

I thought it was interesting that the Bears cut Slausen this weekend. Any chance Miami shows interest, or are they set with Turner/Bushrod/Douglis/Urbik batting for RG?
 

sodenj5

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Yea this is sort of they year of no excuses for Tannehill. They're going to put a brick wall in front of him and they have some major depth and talent at all the skill positions. If he falls on his face this year, I think they look for a QB in 2017. Gase and Tannenbaum aren't married to Tannehill. He wasn't their draft pick.

The defense does concern me still. They're counting on Maxwell returning to his Seattle form and Alonso returning to his Buffalo form for their to be a significant change in what they put out last year.

I'd be a liar if I said I wasn't excited to see what the offense does in training camp.
 

pdaj

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My hope is that, at the very least, a quality CB is cut loose, allowing Miami to add more established talent to that position. Perhaps similar circumstances allow for a LB to be added, as well. If not, we may be counting on a current or previously undrafted player to step up and emerge as a player. It wouldn't be the first time.
 

sodenj5

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With Brice McCain and Jamar Taylor gone, they'll have to add someone at some point. Maxwell, Howard, and Bobby McCain are likely the top 3. Lippett is still a project and the S/CB Lucas from Penn State is a depth guy/special teams player. Ifo Ekpre-Olomu can't be counted on anything other than being alive at this point.

I would say they need to add at least another guy. Leon Hall is still available. He could be a guy they bring in for a year or two.
 

pdaj

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I agree with you; someone has to be added. Hall had back surgery this off-season, sometime in January, so he certainly comes with some risk. He did play really well last year as a slot corner, however. Last I read he was asking for a ton of money. I'd love a 1-year deal.
 

DanoooME

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Yea this is sort of they year of no excuses for Tannehill. They're going to put a brick wall in front of him and they have some major depth and talent at all the skill positions. If he falls on his face this year, I think they look for a QB in 2017. Gase and Tannenbaum aren't married to Tannehill. He wasn't their draft pick.

The defense does concern me still. They're counting on Maxwell returning to his Seattle form and Alonso returning to his Buffalo form for their to be a significant change in what they put out last year.

I'd be a liar if I said I wasn't excited to see what the offense does in training camp.
What do they normally run for a defense in the secondary? He's definitely more a zone guy than a man guy.
 

sodenj5

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What do they normally run for a defense in the secondary? He's definitely more a zone guy than a man guy.
Well a lot of the early talk was they're going to run a scheme that's a lot of press man and cover 3, so they'll be asking him to play in a fashion much more like his Seattle days rather than his Philly days where they played a lot of off man. That's why there is optimism surrounding Maxwell and him returning to form.
 

DanoooME

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Well a lot of the early talk was they're going to run a scheme that's a lot of press man and cover 3, so they'll be asking him to play in a fashion much more like his Seattle days rather than his Philly days where they played a lot of off man. That's why there is optimism surrounding Maxwell and him returning to form.
That's playing right into his strengths so they should be all set on one side at least.
 

sodenj5

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http://www.thephinsider.com/2016/5/5/11595770/dion-jordan-updates-from-agent-trainer-seem-to-indicate-dolphins-de?utm_campaign=thephinsider&utm_content=chorus&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter

Dion Jordan's agent recently sent out a tweet that Jordan has been working out in preparation of a comeback. His trainer posted the first photo of Jordan in quite some time.

He has a long, long way to go to redeem himself, but at the very least, he seems to be preparing for a return.

No need to rehash Jordan's plummet to rock bottom, but if he takes his opportunity seriously, guys with his athleticism don't grow on trees. I expect zero from him, so anything he adds would be an unexpected bonus.
 

pdaj

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Interesting tidbit I heard on a Fins podcast the other day:

When Miami decided to draft Howard with their 2nd round pick, they called him to tell him. His response? "The Bears just called and told me the same thing." That's what lead to the trade to move up.
 

rymflaherty

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I happened to be reading some Dolphins draft analysis the other day and it led to a bit of an epiphany regarding the Carroo trade.

I know giving up the two future picks led to consternation on various sites I frequented after the draft, and my take crept toward the "good player don't love the trade" crowd, but it dawned on me that it really is a shrewd move that carries little risk.

You can make that trade every year for the rest of eternity, and unless the NFL decides to ban trades, you never would feel the repercussions.
And this doesn't even take into account the compensation situation next year which likely played into the situation.
If there was a guy you loved there this year, why not take him?
Next year maybe there isn't that same value there anyway, and if there is, then as I said....just make the trade again.
Granted you need a trade partner, but if you're going over-value with 2:1 future picks 3rd round and beyond, those deals seem to get done pretty easily.

That was just a random thought I had that did make me feel even better about the past draft and the FO strategy/conviction they had for players they were targeting during it.
 

sodenj5

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I happened to be reading some Dolphins draft analysis the other day and it led to a bit of an epiphany regarding the Carroo trade.

I know giving up the two future picks led to consternation on various sites I frequented after the draft, and my take crept toward the "good player don't love the trade" crowd, but it dawned on me that it really is a shrewd move that carries little risk.

You can make that trade every year for the rest of eternity, and unless the NFL decides to ban trades, you never would feel the repercussions.
And this doesn't even take into account the compensation situation next year which likely played into the situation.
If there was a guy you loved there this year, why not take him?
Next year maybe there isn't that same value there anyway, and if there is, then as I said....just make the trade again.
Granted you need a trade partner, but if you're going over-value with 2:1 future picks 3rd round and beyond, those deals seem to get done pretty easily.

That was just a random thought I had that did make me feel even better about the past draft and the FO strategy/conviction they had for players they were targeting during it.
I think the biggest factor was they were very likely to receive a 3rd and 4th rounder next after losing Miller and Vernon. They were pretty open about not wanting to sign any more FAs that would potentially jeopardize them receiving the comp picks until after the deadline passed.

They essentially cashed that check a year in advance by trading up and taking Caroo. He's a guy they liked and represented a good value at that point in the draft. Like you said, no guarantees that a guy like Caroo is sitting there next year. They made an aggressive move to get a guy they targeted.

I have no issues with how they went about the draft, especially when all of the stars aligned and Tunsil fell into their laps.

Like I said previously, if in a year or two, Tunsil is your starting LT, Caroo is a starting WR, Howard is a starting DB, and Drake is a returner/third down back, this draft is a home run. I don't think those are entirely unrealistic expectations. If you sprinkle in the fact that Alonso and Maxwell are tied into their first rounder, you could see a net of 5 or 6 starters out of this draft.

In fact, you're almost certainly going to see Alonso, Maxwell, Tunsil, and Howard all start in 2016.
 

sodenj5

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In case you didn't see it, Dion Jordan did an interview with USA Today and said he's applying for reinstatement Wednesday.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/dolphins/2016/05/30/dion-jordan-miami-dolphins/85155838/

Interesting to hear his side of things. Obviously, a lot of info was in the dark due to the league's drug policy. He says he tested positive for MDMA and weed. He says his diluted sample that got him suspended for a full year last year was because he didn't know he was being tested for alcohol and tried to flush it out of his system. (Sounds similar to what Josh Gordon said.)

He says he's been drug free for over two years and has been tested regularly for the last year without incident.

Again, I'm still not expecting anything from Jordan. At best he's the 4th or 5th DE or a 2nd or 3rd string LB, depending on where they try and play him. Maybe under a new regieme and new coordinator, he'll find his niche, but even when he was on the field, he wasn't exactly lighting people up like an Aldon Smith.

My personal opinion is they need to move him to LB and keep him there. The team needs more depth at LB, and it's where you can best utilize his abilities. He doesn't have any pass rushing moves. He isn't a DE. Let him play in space, use his athletic ability, and blitz him off the edge. I'm hoping Gase and Joseph are smart enough to figure that out.
 

Clears Cleaver

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so, nearly unanimous that Tunsil has been very disappointing so far performance-wise. Also, that the Alabama RB has been great. Gase has players respect, Alonso looks great, Phillips starting next to Suh. Maxwell ehhhh

reshad holding out. Tannehill taking too long in the pocket (nothing new)
 

sodenj5

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so, nearly unanimous that Tunsil has been very disappointing so far performance-wise. Also, that the Alabama RB has been great. Gase has players respect, Alonso looks great, Phillips starting next to Suh. Maxwell ehhhh

reshad holding out. Tannehill taking too long in the pocket (nothing new)
So I was thinking about Miami's guard woes the last day or two, and I think a big reason they've struggled is because they keep drafting tackles and moving them to guard. Billy Turner and Dallas Thomas were tackles in college. Tunsil was and will be a tackle eventually. I think the requirements for being a good guard and a good tackle are different.

A good tackle needs to be strong, but more importantly, needs to have good movement skills, needs to be able to handle speed rushers off the edge as well as power rushers. They need to be able to cover more ground, faster than a guard. I would say footwork, athleticism, and technique are all more important than sheer strength.

A guard guard needs to be able to move a 350 lb man in a very tight space. Yes, pulling guards need to have good technique and be somewhat athletic, but really, they need to be able to move the big men out of the way. Physicality and power are probably more important for a guard than a tackle.

I'm not saying you want a 400 lb brick wall at LG to toss DT's out of the way, but I think you need to have a stronger, stouter person at guard than at tackle.

The early reviews of Tunsil have been mixed likely because the guy is a prototypical left tackle. Even among the negative reviews, people have been saying he looks like he moves really well and he's very light on his feet for a man his size. All things you want in a great LT. Maybe not a perfect fit at LG. I think he'll have some growing pains there, but his natural ability will likely make him one of the five best lineman on the team, and make the O-Line better as a whole.

Also, keep in mind, no one is wearing pads yet. I'm not worried.
 

Kenny F'ing Powers

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so, nearly unanimous that Tunsil has been very disappointing so far performance-wise. Also, that the Alabama RB has been great. Gase has players respect, Alonso looks great, Phillips starting next to Suh. Maxwell ehhhh

reshad holding out. Tannehill taking too long in the pocket (nothing new)
Really? I've read otherwise. How has he looked bad?
 

sodenj5

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Just a cool note:

Wes Welker and Reggie Wayne have been hanging out at the Dolphins mini camp, speaking with the receivers and coaching them up on Gase's offense.

When asked about Welker, Gase said he kind of has an open door policy with him and he's welcome to show up.

On a team with an extremely young WR corps, I think it's cool to have a couple of vets around to give the young guys some pointers. Also, really cool to see Welker back in aqua, even if it's temporary/part-time.
 

pdaj

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I'm not the least bit concerned about this, as the pads haven't been put on yet. I'm sure Dallas Thomas looks like a great football player without pads on. Additionally, I'm fine with Gase not "handing" Tunsil the spot right from the jump. I think this is the right message to send.

Unless Thomas has been working out with Peyton this off-season (HGH), he'll be service a backup role this upcoming season.
 

Shelterdog

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I'm not the least bit concerned about this, as the pads haven't been put on yet. I'm sure Dallas Thomas looks like a great football player without pads on. Additionally, I'm fine with Gase not "handing" Tunsil the spot right from the jump. I think this is the right message to send.

Unless Thomas has been working out with Peyton this off-season (HGH), he'll be service a backup role this upcoming season.
But they did hand Tunsil the spot and he sucked so he got demoted. Holding Tunsil accountable to a high level of performance is all well and good but there's a distinct possibility that he's not ready to play guard yet (which makes some sense--he's a long athletic tackle and playing inside isn't really his game; it's not shocking that it's taking time for him to adjust).
 

sodenj5

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Arian Foster signs on a 1 year deal per Schefty
I'm a fan. Pretty much a no risk signing by Miami. If he comes in healthy, with something to prove, he's the 1a and Ajayi is the 1b. A savvy vet on the offense that does everything well, he's a good very good insurance policy in case Ajayi doesn't step it up.

Obviously a short term solution given the one year deal, but I think him sharing the load with Ajayi and even Drake getting some touches will be beneficial. He may no longer be able to hold up for 20 carries a game anymore, but he might give you 10-12 consistently.
 

Clears Cleaver

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No brainer assuming he can run. Gase loves to run the ball and nothing suggests that ajayi, Williams and the ala kid could handle 30 carries a game. And I have no idea what his career success rate is, but if foster is nothing but a guy who can consistently convert 3rd and 1 (something they sucked at).
 

dwainw

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Gloomy report from Beasly out of the Miami Herald yesterday. Kind of kills whatever buzz might have lingered from a solid draft. A lot of focus on last year's defensive woes without any notable improvement, specifically regarding the secondary and run defense.

Valid points, but setting those aside (or optimistically anticipating some measure of improvement on defense over last year), a point you can't overlook is the brutality of the schedule at both ends. On the road for 3 out of 4 to start the season, and for 2 out of 3 to end it (including @NYJ and @Buf in December). Hard to reasonably expect much better than 2 - 5 from those games combined. If that's the case, so goes the season. On the bright side, they get an unusually long stretch at home in Oct./Nov. around the bye week. Unfortunately, they could be in a position of essentially needing to win all 4 of those games, a tall order under any circumstances.
 

pdaj

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I feel like the Dolphins have been handed a difficult schedule over the last few seasons -- but every year, teams we expect to be good, aren't -- and vice versa. Depending on how things shake out with Gase, Tannehill, and the LB/CB groups, really, almost anything is possible. Here's Beasley's more optimistic article:

Five reasons the Miami Dolphins should be better in 2016

http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/nfl/miami-dolphins/article90572597.html

1. Coaching: Joe Philbin was fired a year too late, but Stephen Ross didn’t double down on his mistake, axing Philbin four games into the 2015 season.

And despite support in the locker room to keep interim Dan Campbell, the Dolphins hired Adam Gase, viewed by many as the best candidate available.

Under Philbin and later Campbell, the Dolphins were often out-schemed on Sundays. That shouldn’t be the case with Gase, who has gotten the most out of Peyton Manning, Jay Cutler and Tim Tebow in his still-young career. He’s now tasked with getting the most out of Ryan Tannehill.
 

Clears Cleaver

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Again, all that matters is Tannehill and maybe the hope that some of the rookies turn into starters. If Tannehill is no better under gase, then he is not the answer and they'll have to find a QB via FA or more likely through the draft.

A successful season:
1) Tannehill improves into a top 15 QB
2) One of the young CBs grabs the starting spot
3) Tunsil is effectively starting week 1
4) alonso returns to form and becomes leader on D
5) Phillips becomes starter next to Suh
6) the three running backs combine for 25+ touches a game
 

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I think the secondary concerns me the most, strictly from a talent/depth standpoint.

Howard was placed on the PUP list after having his knee scoped at the end of OTA's. Gase said yesterday that he's on the road to be ready by Week 1, but I have major concerns with throwing a rookie out there in Week 1 that has possibly missed a decent amount of training camp. That leaves Tony Lippet as the next man up, and starting a WR turned CB in Week 1 doesn't sound any more appealing until I hear some glowing reports about his play during camp. I still think they should look at bringing in another veteran as an insurance policy, in case Howard isn't ready to go, in case Lippet looks like a WR playing CB, in case they look like crap in general.

I think Miami has the talent at LB to be good, the problem is they have three big question marks from a health/durability standpoint. Jenkins, Alonso, and Misi are three good LBs, but how often will all three of them be healthy and on the field at the same time. I would bet on at least one of them missing some significant time due to injury.
 

sodenj5

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So, on the eve of training camp, here are the things I'm most interested in following:

  1. The offensive line. How does Tunsil do in his transition to guard and who claims the RG spot? Turner, Bushrod, Urbik, Thomas? Seems like the Dolphins may have some quality and depth in this unit for once.
  2. Ryan Tannehill's command of the new offense. It's basically going to come down to how quickly can he pick up the new offense and execute? I think Gase gives him as much freedom as he proves he can handle. They start slow and he opens it up to Tannehill as he proves himself. I honestly think it's more of a physical execution rather than a mental execution that needs to be seen from Tannehill. Everyone says the dude is bright and works his ass off, it's the consistency that has stopped him from elevating himself and the team to the next level. He needs to stop having so many highs and lows and just go out every week and play well. No more excuses this year. The offense is loaded with talent.
  3. The young receivers development. Really excited to see what Parker does with a full training camp. It sounded like Tannehill and Stills started clicking towards the end of OTAs. I really like Caroo, even though he likely won't see the field as much. This Miami be Miami's strongest unit on the team, and that says a lot considering the guys they have on the D-Line.
  4. The new defensive approach. Everyone has said they will be a more physical, attacking defense, which suits the D-Line talent well. Maxwell will be in a scheme he's familiar with. Alonso will be back at his 4-3 Mike position where he flourished in Buffalo, WIlliams will be back at his 4-3 DE position where he can attack the QB. The new defense should suit the strengths of these guys. I want to see how they perform in training camp.
  5. Adam Gase. This is really our first chance to get to see what he's all about and how he runs this team. I haven't heard a negative thing yet, but that's to be expected with a new coach that's been on the job for about 3 months.
 

dwainw

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So, on the eve of training camp, here are the things I'm most interested in following:
  1. Ryan Tannehill's command of the new offense. It's basically going to come down to how quickly can he pick up the new offense and execute? I think Gase gives him as much freedom as he proves he can handle. They start slow and he opens it up to Tannehill as he proves himself. I honestly think it's more of a physical execution rather than a mental execution that needs to be seen from Tannehill. Everyone says the dude is bright and works his ass off, it's the consistency that has stopped him from elevating himself and the team to the next level. He needs to stop having so many highs and lows and just go out every week and play well. No more excuses this year. The offense is loaded with talent.
Any thoughts or insight as to how the new system might offset Tanny's weaknesses such as pocket awareness? Or would receivers gaining separation more quickly be enough? Seems like that's a combination mental/physical attribute that, if anything, he's shown regression on.
 

Clears Cleaver

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and the media at practice saying Dallas Thomas outplayed Tunsil at guard today. yup. The statistically worst guard in the league outplayed the 10th pick in the draft today. Yes I know the caveats, new position, no pads, just a few practices....but that is a disasterous piece of news
 

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Peyton Manning and Wes Welker at Dolphins camp today.
 

Shelterdog

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and the media at practice saying Dallas Thomas outplayed Tunsil at guard today. yup. The statistically worst guard in the league outplayed the 10th pick in the draft today. Yes I know the caveats, new position, no pads, just a few practices....but that is a disasterous piece of news
pdaj says it'll be fine so don't worry.

A few commenters thought the way to go woould be Tunsil at LT and Albert at LG--as a crazy athletic, long lean power who lacks power and experience inside LT is just a more natural spot for tunsil Albert should be able to fit right in at this guard. I would hae been inclined to go that way as well but as a Pats fan I'm glad to see the Dolphins playing a super talent out of position.
 

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pdaj says it'll be fine so don't worry.

A few commenters thought the way to go woould be Tunsil at LT and Albert at LG--as a crazy athletic, long lean power who lacks power and experience inside LT is just a more natural spot for tunsil Albert should be able to fit right in at this guard. I would hae been inclined to go that way as well but as a Pats fan I'm glad to see the Dolphins playing a super talent out of position.
I originally advocated for kicking Albert inside and having Tunsil play LT. On paper, it still makes sense to me, but I like Gase's approach of making all of the rookies earn their spot so far.

Tunsil has started with the second team and has gotten some work with the 1's. It looks like they're saying, here's your competition. Play better than him and you'll start. If he can't outperform Dallas Thomas, he doesn't deserve to be on the field yet.

Unlike Clears, I'm still fully confident that Tunsil is a starter Week 1.
 

pdaj

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I originally advocated for kicking Albert inside and having Tunsil play LT. On paper, it still makes sense to me, but I like Gase's approach of making all of the rookies earn their spot so far.

Tunsil has started with the second team and has gotten some work with the 1's. It looks like they're saying, here's your competition. Play better than him and you'll start. If he can't outperform Dallas Thomas, he doesn't deserve to be on the field yet.

Unlike Clears, I'm still fully confident that Tunsil is a starter Week 1.
The last decade's been tough of Miami fans; for CC, it's clear to me that among the fans on this board, he's absorbed the most shrapnel. (Trust me, I get it.) I haven't been quite as traumatized, so I still tend to see the unclear, fact-limited media reports more positively. There's a lot of bullshit that gets written by the writers in the Miami area, especially during this portion of the off-season.

So, no, as I stated previously, I'm not concerned about our 1st round draft pick (and elite athlete) "struggling" with the initial move inside prior to padded practices. If this comes from Gase heading into the 3rd preseason game, I'll join CC's online "drink the purple koolaid" support group; but until then, I fully expect Tunsil to be the starter come Week 1. I'd put quite a bit of money on that.

In the meantime, I'll spend most of my worry on the Dolphins' secondary, as well as a Miami RB group (Foster/Ajayai/Drake) that haven't had the best luck staying on the field. That aside, I'm really excited about the potential of this Miami team. I think they're going to surprise this season, with 9 wins being a real possibility.
 

pdaj

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In other news ...

http://www.rotoworld.com/player/nfl/5762/brandon-spikes

Free agent ILB Brandon Spikes worked out for the Dolphins on Wednesday.
Spikes, 29 in September, spent all of last season out of the league after he was released by the Patriots following a June hit-and-run arrest. He was slapped with a four-game ban. With his troubles behind him, Spikes wants to get back to football. He's nothing more than a two-down thumper against the run, but the Dolphins are lacking depth at linebacker. Aug 3 - 10:42 AM
Source: Ian Rapoport on Twitter
 

mcaqua

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Its going to be interesting to see how the receiving targets shake out over the course of the season. Targeting Jarvis 160+ times last season was stupid and Tannehill needs to start developing some chemistry with the rest of this WR unit, Parker chief among them. Question, what's a reasonable expectation for Parker's production that you would consider a successful 2nd season?

I think Cameron's complete ineffectiveness, basically from the moment he signed in Miami, is quite an underrated subplot heading into this season. From all reports, he's been equally useless in camp. Not having a reliable option at that position is going to continue to hurt this offense moving forward.
 

sodenj5

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Its going to be interesting to see how the receiving targets shake out over the course of the season. Targeting Jarvis 160+ times last season was stupid and Tannehill needs to start developing some chemistry with the rest of this WR unit, Parker chief among them. Question, what's a reasonable expectation for Parker's production that you would consider a successful 2nd season?

I think Cameron's complete ineffectiveness, basically from the moment he signed in Miami, is quite an underrated subplot heading into this season. From all reports, he's been equally useless in camp. Not having a reliable option at that position is going to continue to hurt this offense moving forward.
I'm not 100% sold on the issue being Cameron sucking. I think some of the blame should fall on Tannehill's shoulders. The reason Landry sees 160 targets is because those are easy, high percentage completions. Cameron works the intermediate middle of the field where LBs and safeties lurk. Those passes are a lower percentage completion and present a greater risk of generating a turnover.

Even in practice, the reports are the Tannehill hasn't been aggressive and challenged the defense with his throws. He's throwing a lot of short, safe passes, just as he has most of his career. This is a secondary where Tony Lippett is currently a starter.

I'm not trying to sound the alarm or raise red flags, because we're on Week 3 of a brand new offensive install, but at some point, Tannehill has to make the big boy throws and rip passes down the seams and over LBs in coverage. Until that happens, defenses are going to sit on the short stuff until Tannehill can consistently prove that he can make the difficult throws to the middle of the field.
 

mcaqua

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I'm not 100% sold on the issue being Cameron sucking. I think some of the blame should fall on Tannehill's shoulders. The reason Landry sees 160 targets is because those are easy, high percentage completions. Cameron works the intermediate middle of the field where LBs and safeties lurk. Those passes are a lower percentage completion and present a greater risk of generating a turnover.
This is all well and good, but the point is that targeting Landry 160 times is not an efficient or effective use of perhaps your most talented skill player and, quite frankly, its going to get him hurt. That excess volume needs to be redistributed.

Its silly to sit here and partially or fully absolve Jordan Cameron of that horrific season he put forth last year because his QB isn't perfect. Charles Clay had no problem leveraging Ryan Tannehill into a new contract. Hell, Dion Sims has been more productive in the extremely limited opportunities he's had. And oh by the way, there's been absolutely no evidence to suggest Cameron has done a better job asserting himself into the offense this offseason.
 

sodenj5

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This is all well and good, but the point is that targeting Landry 160 times is not an efficient or effective use of perhaps your most talented skill player and, quite frankly, its going to get him hurt. That excess volume needs to be redistributed.

Its silly to sit here and partially or fully absolve Jordan Cameron of that horrific season he put forth last year because his QB isn't perfect. Charles Clay had no problem leveraging Ryan Tannehill into a new contract. Hell, Dion Sims has been more productive in the extremely limited opportunities he's had. And oh by the way, there's been absolutely no evidence to suggest Cameron has done a better job asserting himself into the offense this offseason.
I'm not trying to say that Cameron is an all-pro and all Tannehill has to do is throw him the ball. I'm just suggesting that I don't think it's as simple as he's flat out bad. I just think his strengths don't necessarily match up with Tannehill's strengths.

Clay and Tannehill were a very good match because Clay could catch a 5 yard pass out of the slot and turn it into a 10 yard gain. That's not what Cameron is good at. He's more of a seam threat TE for a more vertical offense.
 

Clears Cleaver

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This will be tannehill's last season as QB of Miami. He is just not good enough.

Edit: I think you can sense it in Gase's voice and interviews. He is realizing the problem is not just the porous Oline but the ability and decision making of the QB
 
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mcaqua

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I'm not trying to say that Cameron is an all-pro and all Tannehill has to do is throw him the ball. I'm just suggesting that I don't think it's as simple as he's flat out bad. I just think his strengths don't necessarily match up with Tannehill's strengths.

Clay and Tannehill were a very good match because Clay could catch a 5 yard pass out of the slot and turn it into a 10 yard gain. That's not what Cameron is good at. He's more of a seam threat TE for a more vertical offense.
Interesting counterpoint to your take:

Byron Maxwell noted the Dolphins quarterbacks aren't challenging corners down the field, though we saw a couple of deep balls today that were successful (Tannehill to Ajayi, Moore to Carroo). And Gase gave an interesting answer for why he's emphasizing shorter patterns

"The whole league is 10 yards and under," he said. "Maybe 1, 2 teams that do it [with longer passes] – Pittsburgh and Arizona. That’s where the passing game is [in the NFL]. The d-ends are too good [to repeatedly wait to set up longer throws]. If you want to have your quarterbacks get his brains beat out, go out and do it.... There is a time and place for it. There is a time and place to not get sacked 60 times a season."
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/sports-buzz/2016/08/ums-biggest-2016-needs-being-filled-lots-of-um-nuggets-dolphins-and-marlins-items.html
 

pdaj

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Well, it took only 1 preseason game for everyone and their next-door neighbor to call for Dallas Thomas to be cut, never mind benched. Tunsil's now running with the 1's, and all the beat guys are Twitter'ing with glee about his abilities. That was even faster than I thought.
 

sodenj5

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kind of cool.. even to a Pats fan:
Ian Rapoport ‏@RapSheet 12m12 minutes ago


The #Dolphins will officially announce their new stadium name — Hard Rock Stadium — at a news conference today at 2 pm.

per Rapp "The #Dolphins will officially announce their new stadium name — Hard Rock Stadium — at a news conference today at 2 pm."
Apparently the deal is for something like 18 years, which is cool because the stadium has been a bunch of things since I've been a fan... Joe Robbie, Pro Player, Land Shark, Dolphins Stadium, Sun Life.

The stadium is basically as close to a brand new, cutting edge stadium as you can possibly get besides blowing up the old one and putting a new one up in its place. New stadium, new identity, etc., etc.

Also a cool tidbit, Hard Rock is apparently owned by the Seminole Tribe of Florida, so a cool Florida tie-in with the team.

So when do we start with this: