Miami Dolphins linebackers battling

The Miami Dolphins concluded their 2nd practice of training camp and tomorrow will don pads for full contact. While the offense looked good in some areas and struggled along the offensive line, the linebackers are making news with their solid play.

A question mark coming into camp given the relatively young unit along with several un-drafted rookies, today the Dolphins got a good look at their revamped group. Chris McCain who has been penciled in as the starter joined Koa Misi and Jelani Jenkins on the first team unit but the coaches swapped some players in and out of the rotations.

McCain had two would-be sacks and a knocked down pass. He is dead set on proving that he can be a starter at this level and so far through OTA’s, mini-camp, and two days of training camp, is standing behind his words. McCain was in very good position several times and took some reps at defensive end as well. McCain looked good in spot duty last year but this is the first time he has the position on lock down. In other words it’s his to lose.

While Koa Misi enters his second season at middle linebacker, Kelvin Sheppard got reps with the first team unit and reports indicate that he looked very comfortable in that role. Sheppard has said that he is not simply looking to make the roster but wants to start. He is trying to push Misi and if he can play better than Misi in the middle, the Dolphins may move Misi back outside where he will then compete with McCain. This could become an interesting camp battle and make the entire unit better.

When asked about the Kelvin Sheppard and Koa Misi situation, Joe Philbin had this to say.

"(On how the linebacker groupings differ when LB Kelvin Sheppard is in the middle and when LB Koa Misi is the strong-side linebacker, and how that differs from LB Chris McCain when he is the strong side and Misi is the Mike) – “As you mentioned, this is the time where we want to create a competitive atmosphere at every single position, the job really of the coach is to put players in a position to be successful. We know all of those guys have some really outstanding traits and qualities and instincts and toughness and passion for the game. We looking to find the exact right combination of who works best with one another, who communicates best with one another, who has the most production when they’re out there. Obviously, playing linebacker in the running game is about getting off of blocks and making tackles. Starting tomorrow, I think that we will have some additional information, not all of the information we need, but I think the pads are going to really tell a lot as we move forward.”Un-drafted rookie Mike Hull took 2nd team reps at linebacker and looked comfortable in that spot. Hull has an outside chance of making the roster but of the three un-drafted rookies that include Jeff Luc and Zach Vigil, Hull may have the inside. The Dolphins will likely move the un-drafted guys in and out of the 2nd team unit to get a feel on who will play the best.(On what he saw from linebacker Kelvin Sheppard in the OTAs that leads him to believe he can be a starter) – “Again, it wasn’t necessarily that as much as we’ve liked the way he’s caught on to how we do things here, both from he’s fit into the locker room extremely well, we think he’s got an excellent grasp of the defensive scheme and so I think he’s just fit in well. He’s got good enthusiasm for the game, he seems to be a good communicator out there. We want to provide an opportunity to see if he’s the best guy.”It’s evident after only two days that the linebacker group once figuring to be a weak spot early on will be the exact opposite. Camp competition at the positing is only going to get more intense as the days of camp continue."