First Day of HBO’s Hardknocks With the Miami Dolphins

Today was the first day of t the long waited Hard Knocks on HBO featuring our beloved Miami Dolphins.  I have been waiting for this day like an addict waiting for a fix.  Being able to see inside the training camp of the Phins gives that extra insight to see what exactly is goin on.  Miami’s front office is always so tight lipped about the team that noone really knows what is going on until it hits the news.  Hard Knocks is giving us Phinphanatics an opportunity to see inside and see how thing really run.

So far I am impressed with the tempo and aggressive nature of Head Coach Joe Philbin.  As quiet and laid back as he seems off the field he is loud and fast on the field.  His up tempo and double run practices are great for the conditioning of the team which was severely lacking going into last season.  I remember the whole team heaving for air and breathing with their mouths wide open against that devastating loss to the New England Patriots.  This year I don’t see conditioning being a problem.  Actually I see alot of teams having trouble keeping up with the Phins in the Miami heat, so maybe we’ll win some more home games and bring the fans back to the stadium.

One major disappointment was Vontae Davis and his attitude.  Davis easily has the ability to be one of the top corner backs in the league.  A few years ago, Brett Farve commented on Davis saying,”I don’t know who 21 was but he was everywhere I wanted to throw the ball”.  Davis seemed to be tired and lazy in practice and getting beat by rookies for the deep ball.  It’s no surprise that Richard Marshall was given the one spot over him.  Obviously that’s not the final roster and only the first depth chart but hopefully it opens Davis’s eyes and he realizes that he has to fight for his spot and nothing is going to be given to him.  The competition at corner can only be a good thing for one of the worst secondaries around for the last couple of years.

A big surprise was David Garrard winning the starting job over favorite Matt Moore.  I do favor Moore because of the great effort that he put in last year but the best man must win the job.  Garrard’s experience is showing through and hopefully he is totally healthy and ready to play.  Being out fo the game for a year with the surgery is definitely going to make a difference when it comes to game time and true NFL speed and play become a factor.  The same can be said for Rookie Ryan Tannehill.  He may be throwing a good ball in practice but lets see how he preforms in the first preseason game and into the season.  It was only a few weeks ago when talk of interceptions in practice and problems throwing into traffic were surfacing.  Game time will tell us who is ready and who is not.

This off season was worst then most as far as anticipation.  With all the changes this off season, the moves that didn’t make any sense and new staff, everybody is eager to see exactly what is going on and what direction the team is going in.  So far the direction definitely looks great and the energy is a much needed change that can only be beneficial to the team at the very least in conditioning.  Looking forward to the next weeks, episode and talking to Reggie Bush.  Phins up.