Training Camp Opens With Few Surprises

The biggest surprise that I awoke to this morning was my Internet being down.  So, of course I managed to miss the entire first practice of the 2012 Miami Dolphins training camp.  On the field, where the Dolphins reported yesterday and took their physical fitness test, a few surprises emerged.  Joe Philbin announced that none of the team had failed to pass the conditioning test.  Unlike in New England where RB Joseph Addai simply quit.

This morning however had some of the forums buzzing about the move of TE Will Yeatman to offensive tackle.  The Dolphins tackle position is a little deep so this may be a final push to see if Yeatman can be a multi-positional player.  Joe Philbin likes versatile and athletic lineman but Yeatman doesn’t exactly fit the big 300 pound tackles of today’s NFL.  Big?  Yes.  Tackle big?  Well, not yet.  What emerged here at this position is something that will be watched as training camp progresses.

While we are on the line of scrimmage, it appears that John Jerry is indeed a good candidate for the door as FA guard Artis Hicks opens camp at the RG position.  Jerry has been a huge failure at this point.  He was a Tony Sparano selection three years ago as I have heard several people claim that Sparano battled for the drafting of Jerry.  Maybe he will join his former coach in NY.

Officially, Chad Ochocinco is no more.  His name officially returned to Johnson at the time of his marriage.  Today he officially was listed by the Dolphins as Johnson.

So far at the “worst receiver corp in the league” as some in the media boast, the Dolphins receivers are not exactly changing that perception.  Clyde Gates blew past coverage on a deep route but dropped the ball.   Omar Kelly over at the Sun-Sentinel said that Brian Hartline doesn’t look like himself, saying he looks slower.  Un-drafted rookie Jeff Fuller has been the standout thus far, according again to Omar Kelly.

While Jeff Ireland and Ryan Tannehill stand face to face like Dr. Seusses’ North and South going Zax firmly standing on the “off-set” language clause, Matt Moore opened training camp with the first team.  The QB position will be a tested battle between incumbent starter Moore and long time veteran David Garrard.  Garrard, on paper is more apt to succeed in the West Coast Offense but Matt Moore may surprise as last year he did better outside of the pocket.  The QB battles will surely be something fans will watch on Hard Knocks.

According to Ben Volin of the Palm Beach Post, the rest of the starting offense aside from the normal non-battling starters looks like this:   Chad Johnson, Legedu Naanee, Davone Bess, RT Jonathan Martin and RG Artis Hicks.

Defensively, not much yet likely due to the fact that it’s a shells and shorts no pad practice.  While under the new CBA teams are limited in the number of full contact practices they can have, and a smart move by Philbin to keep the team out of those pads on day one, the defense is looking like this on this first day.

"On the first team defense, Koa Misi is working at Will linebacker, Kevin Burnett at Sam linebacker and Chris Clemons at free safety. The defensive line is (L to R): Jared Odrick, Randy Starks, Paul Soliai, Cam Wake. Misi is also getting a lot of work with the second team defense. – Ben Volin Palm Beach Post"

As of now, the team is back in the facility likely in team or position meetings or getting ready to eat lunch if they haven’t already.  Jeff Ireland spoke briefly with the media and made it clear that they want Ryan Tannehill in camp but that this is still ongoing.  The Dolphins are digging in deep on the off-set language issue.

Now that my internet is back up, I will be able to notify you in a more timely fashion of any news and changes in Miami.  In the meantime, check out our posts regarding our 2012 fantasy football leagues as well as our Miami Dolphins charity drive.