Dolphins Rookie Camp Gives Tannehill First Look At Playbook
By Brian Miller
The Miami Dolphins rookie mini-camp opened today and Ryan Tannehill is confident he will grasp the playbook. According to Tannehill, the Dolphins offensive playbook is 65-70% the same as it was at Texas A&M.
I tend to not put a lot of stock into rookie mini-camps simply for the fact that they are nothing more than a fancy get together. Training camp is when it matters and that’s when we get to see how players are progressing as an entire unit and a team. Still there are benefits to the camps. The players get a feel for what to expect with the NFL.
Today, many members of the media were entitled to watch the practice and while Jonathan Martin is making his official turn from LT to RT, the show started, stopped, and revolved around Ryan T.
Jeff Darlington of NFL Network was impressed with the throws that Tannehill made but of course this is in mini-camps. There were approximately 22 offensive players in attendance and 21 defensive players.
For Ryan T., the fact that he knows the playbook isn’t going to land him a starting spot on the roster. He needs to get game speed and develop that “pressure” sense. He will need to get the timing down with the receivers and get acclimated to the rigors of NFL practices. However, the good news is that Tannehill knows a large portion of the playbook and thus cuts down the learning curve in one area allowing him to concentrate on others.
Below is a list of the undrafted rookies that the Dolphins signed. They also invited a few players in for a tryout including the son of former Miami Dolphin Jim Mandich.
Pittsburgh defensive tackle Chase Alecxih, BYU center Terence Brown, Oregon State linebacker Cam Collins, Temple guard Derek Dennis, Texas A&M receiver Jeff Fuller, Notre Dame running back Jonas Gray, Maryland defensive back Trenton Hughes, Arizona State linebacker Shelly Lyons, Arkansas State safety Kelcie McCray, Penn State receiver Derek Moye, Boise State defensive end Jarrell Root, UMass guard Josh Samuda, Syracuse defensive back Kevyn Scott, Utah defensive end Derrick Shelby, Missouri defensive end Jacquies Smith, and Portland State tackle Dustin Waldron.