Reshad Jones Set to Make a Wise Move by Showing up To Work

 Voluntary conditioning sessions began yesterday. Almost everyone showed up and took part in this part of the off season program. There was one player who was missing though. Safety Reshad Jones who let the team in interceptions last year, and isn't happy with his contract situation. (An unwise business decision IMHO) The good news is that according to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald Jones had a change of heart  and will be present at OTAs. That change of heart is said to come from a promise that Dolphins management made to his agent Joe Segal.

  Jones holding out is actually surprising to me personally. He seems like a humble, hard working guy. Holding out feels out of character for Reshad. I believe he should come to work everyday, like he has been doing and the money will eventually come. Just ask Paul Soliai for example. Reshad is really good, but hasn't proven he is great just yet. If he sat out we would suffer a hit in the secondary, no doubt. On the other hand sitting out dosen't help his cause. From a business standpoint it will only make him look immature, and childish in the eyes of  other teams. In addition the NFL is a show me league where you need to prove you can be consistent and the tape doesn't lie. It could be said right now Reshad is a one year wonder playing for a contract. He is not only playing for the Miami Dolphins but all 32 teams. I'm sure if he would've sat out ( Unlikely) some team would still sign him to a long term contract next year. The difference is that by playing and proving to be consistent that contract can be worth up to twice as much. If he wants money he made a wise decision showing up.
A decision he made because of some assurances. Assurances that were made by GM Jeff Ireland.

  According to Salguero late last night Ireland was on the phone working hard to reach a resolution. After all this organization is very self conscious of their image.HC Joe Philbin hates answering questions about holdouts. He would rather focus on the guys that are present. As it should be. Jeff Ireland seems to have made a guarantee that if Jones shows up to camp he would open contract talks rather soon. I think he handled the situation ideally as it gives the organization time and space to work. The closer the season is the less likely Reshad is to hold out. This also gives Miami the opportunity to reassure them selves their player can show consistency and keep performing at the highest level before paying him big money.Personally if we go by last season Jones is worth the money. However I'm not ready to commit just yet.Do it for a while longer and I would be more than happy to open Rosse's checkbook. This is the stance the Fins are taking, and it worked as their player is showing up to work..

OTAs To Start Monday a Few Things To Look Out For

  We are finally edging closer to that time of the year we have all been waiting for. September the time of the year when everything turns from speculation and over analyzing it actual tackling, and 4th quarter comebacks. However we aren't there just yet. The good news is that at least now we are going to have somewhat irrelevant material in the grand scheme of things to obsess about, and read too much in to. On Monday the Miami Dolphins will begin the final phase of their off season starting with OTAs followed by around 9 other organized team activities leading us through to July. At any case here are a few things I will be on the lookout for on offense, defense, and special teams (Punters are people to).

 

  Stating the obvious let’s begin with offense. I want to see Mike Wallace run around in Dolphins gear and continue to build that chemistry with Ryan Tannehill. Now that we got that out of the way there is a few other things to watch out for on this side of the football. For instance, how is Jon Martin looking at first glance? He has been working to get stronger heading in to his second year. As it stands right now he is protecting the future of this franchise. (This is still subject to change). If Martin can’t protect there won’t be much of a future. Tanny will be on his backside and Wallace will get tired of running 10 yards down the field repeatedly. Next up is Dustin Keller's health. He along with Brent Grimes are on one year prove it deals. Dustin is a bit different from Grimes in that he has managed to stay healthy longer in his Carrier. If last year is an anomaly rather than a trend he is going to be that "seam thread" TE that's going to open up things on the outside. Running back is a heated competition and I want to see who looks hungrier, and in better shape of the 4 backs competing. Yes 4 Miller, Thomas, Gillislee, and Jonas Gray, who is a dark horse in this competition for me.

 

  On defense I honestly don't expect to see much from the CB position at this particular point in time. One of the things I will be looking out for is health. Guys like Richard Marshall, (who I think could move to safety) and Brent Grimes are coming back from injuries. I would like to hear about how their recovery and rehabs are going. I would also like to see how rookies like Will Davies, Don Jones, (my sleeper on defense to surprise us all) and Jamar Taylor continue to assimilate an NFL atmosphere.

 

  Now on to Rich Eisen's favorite unit. Special teams. It would be fitting to start with the kicking game right? I want to see how Dan Carpenter and Sturgis approach the competition. I doubt we will get any real insight as to who might have the upper hand. Generally the cheaper one, who isn't carried over from a previous staff, and didn't cost us two game winning field goals, last year does. Finally I want to see how this rookies handle whatever duties coach Rizzi gives them today. We all know how "special" special teams are for those guys who are on the fringes of the 53.

 

  Honestly I doubt we will draw many conclusions from the following days but we will certainly enjoy them, and make more of them than what they really are. After all it is the closest we have been to any real football in months.

Miami Dolphins vs San Diego Chargers from 1995

 

I found this on youtube and thought I should post it for everyone to enjoy! Hope everyone has a nice weekend!

Left Tackle Still a Question Mark For The Miami Dolphins

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My thoughts on the Dolphins Left Tackle position are relatively quite simple. As I think the situation really is. The off season started off with a lot of big signings. Mike Wallace Dustin Keller and Brandon Gibson all brought their talents to South Beach. The Miami Dolphins are touted by some as the off season winners. We all know that doesn't necessarily translate to wins in September or December. Just like a lot of talent came in, the first ever pick by GM Jeff Ireland is gone. Jake Long is now a ST Louis Ram. As to who broke up with who? We will never really know. To be honest it’s pretty irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. The facts are the facts. You can bend them, twist them, or mold them to your liking. That won’t change the reality that we are heading in to the season with one of the most important positions as the biggest question mark. I'm going to present to you both sides of the spectrum today. Jon Martin had a poor to average rookie season at LT. This is undeniable. Here is the thing though he did manage to keep Luck upright at Stanford right? That has to be worth something. As I just mentioned he comes from Stanford and according to everyone you ask he is extremely football smart. He has a great work ethic, and has been in California pulling trucks this off season. Martin is trying to get stronger; if he manages to do this he has all the other tools to be a very good LT. That been said it’s still a huge question mark going in to the season. A question mark I personally would prefer to have an answer to. That answer is a PROVEN LT. Since the off season started Miami has flirted with one or two players that might fit that category. One of those been Branden Albert who the Chiefs weren't willing to part ways with. I wasn't too sure he was worth a second round pick anyway. However it’s only May. I have a theory that many might or might not share. The Jaguars drafted Luke Joeckell number two overall. He wasn't drafted that high to sit on the bench or play RT in my opinion. So where does that leave Eugene Monroe? He might be available. If he could be had for a second I am more comfortable giving that up for a guy who is considered one of the top LT in the game than Branden Albert. All in all if you feel comfortable going with potential than Jon Martin is your cup of tea. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. With that said its only May and nothing is a fore gone conclusion

Why Tannehill Is Poised For a Breakout Year

  Ryan Tannehill had a rookie like rookie season make no mistake about this. He didn't wow a lot of people with 4th quarter comebacks (as a matter of fact he only had one against Seattle). Granted Dan Carpenter was at fault for this in a couple of occasions.Which is why Caleb Sturges is here, but that's a whole other story for another post. Ryan made a few mistakes and came up short in a couple of occasions in one or two games. Anyone who tries to sell you the opposite is a homer. However there is great cause to be very optimistic about the future. Here is why, Ryan didn't make the same mistakes twice.OK I'm not a football coach and I wont pretend to be, however you do not need to be one in order to notice this. You know when you really need to make a U turn and you are not allowed to make it. Yet you still make it because you checked for cops, none were coming. Even though the road is rather narrow you are an amazing driver and you can manage it?and in the end you get a ticket? OK lets not get of track with this analogy. My point is Tannehill believed in what he was doing, in what he saw out on the field even when what he saw led to mistakes. In one word he always appeared confident in his mental capacity and mid week preparation. Then he proved that this confidence was not only an appearance but a reality. Why? because he recognized what he saw, and what his mistake was. More importantly he didn't do it again.This is what gives me confidence in a quarterback who's knock was a lack of started games in college. This theory can go right out the window. In my humble opinion Tannehill is the exception to that notion telling us a quarterback must start a predetermined amount of games in college. As far as physical tools go I think he obviously has them.I'm of the thought process that he was limited last season. More then the lack of play makers to me, it was the way the pieces of the offense were utilized by this coaching staff. In addition to this protection wasn't very good, at best it was average. Weather you love him or hate him Jake Long not been here says a lot as to how this coaches feel about how we protected Tannehill last year. Here is my question though why not allow him to use his legs a bit more? why not move the pocket? All in all I think we can all agree Tannehill has the physical tools to be a top 10 QB in the NFL. This has never been in question. That's a positive sign and something to point out. What really tells me Tannehill is poised for a breakout season is his ability to absorb information quickly, and not set negative trends or make the same mistake twice. It should be a fun season ahead for everyone associated with the Miami Dolphins. We have a young promising QB with a lot of weapons such as Mike Wallace and a Dustin Keller. Hopefully Ryan could stay upright and exceed expectations.

Brent Grimes Is The Wild Card In This Defense

  Brent Omar Grimes was born in Philly in 1983. He is also 1 of the latest high profile acquisitions made by the Miami Dolphins this past off season. Grimes path to the NFL hasn't been an easy one. He has had to prove himself, time and time again. From very early on since his college days. Brent didn't go to a highly touted school or make a ton of noise on ESPN during his college career. He attended Shippensburg University actually. This is located in his home state of Pennsylvania in case you were wondering. He then went undrafted in 2006 by the Atlanta Falcons, but didn't play a snap for the Falcons. He actually went overseas to Germany and played for the Hamburg Sea  Devils of NFL Europe. Where he lef as a champion He left them to join the Falcons active Roster in 2007. His first two years were pretty average to be honest. In 2009 he had a breakout year. He managed to stay healthy played 16 games and racked up 6 interceptions. Not bad for an undrafted free agent out of Shippensburg University right? However here is what led him to the pro bowl in 2010. The fact that he was able to prove he can do it again. Grimes finished with 16 games played and 5 interceptions. Noticing a trend here? He does something that our Defense needs to go from good to great. The ability to hold on to the football. Bring in interceptions, and make game changing plays. Here is the thing though in the following seasons after that Grimes started to suffer some injuries. Most noticeably an Achilles injury. I could personally shed some light in to this because I had an Achilles tendon release performed on me. I can tell you that it is one of the most pain full places to suffer an injury. I can also tell you that it is extremely tough to recover from given the sensitivity of the area and all the nerves surrounding it. This is tough in particular for a zone cornerback like Brent Grimes which uses his instincts to break on the ball and make plays. As you can imagine it is probably not the most comfortable feeling putting pressure on a tender Achilles heel. This ruins timing, speed and overall movement. As we know football is a game of inches, and a split second could be the difference between getting burned, or taking one to the house. Grimes is a wild card because of the type of injury he is dealing with. However make no mistake about it; if healthy he is a perfect scheme fit which can take this defense to a whole new level. The fact that he signed a 1 year "prove it" deal with Miami is a good sign. A sign that he wants to prove something and believes he can prove whatever that is. Certainty is not a term we can associate with Grimes right now because of his health.Than again if he wanted certainty he would have taken that two year deal the browns were reportedly offering him right?

Im Expecting a Cam Wake Led Top 5 Defense

  My expectations for this secondary are simple. They derive from the concept of playing at a high level. Here is why, we have Paul Soliai, Jared Odrick, and Cam Wake as starters. However this is just the start. Of course it’s great to have a great starting D line. That is always a must as the 3 keys to winning football games in my opinion lie in, having a top 15 QB (preferably top 10) a strong Offensive line, and a powerful defensive line that can knock opposing quarterbacks on their behind. This accompanied by the fact that defense wins championships (This is of course debatable given the day and age of a passing NFL that we live in.) Last year we had a D line that was great on paper and performed at a very high level. All though they have room to improve, and left some key plays on the field. A lot of it had to do with injuries to a depleted secondary. Along with injuries came the underperformance of players like Nolan Carroll (Think Buffalo game), and Sean Smith (Think Arizona and Indy game). I cannot emphasize enough the magnitude of the mistakes made by the starting CBs of last year’s defense. You can make a clear argument that between them and Dan Carpenters misses we missed out on at least two wins. Those two wins could have meant playoffs. Back to my point though this year Kevin Coyle got two new pieces at CB in Jamar Taylor and Will Davis. This is key because they fit what he wants to do on defense. Granted it’s going to be competitive back there .With the likes of Richard Marshall, Brent Grimes, and Dmitri Patterson fighting for a spot. All in all I think our secondary will be able to hold on just a second longer covering opposing wrs. This will allow our O line which is now deeper with Jordan drafted, and Vernon coming back, to pressure QBS more. This in turn will lead to more sacks, and errant throws, which turn in to fumbles, and interceptions. We also got younger and athletic at LB with the additions of Ellerbe and Wheeler. This will bring flexibility to cover TE (Patriots) and further broaden the defensive schemes along with the play calling. Overall I think this defensive will be top 5 in every category, producing 3 plus sacks per game, and stuffing the run. I also believe that the number of interceptions will also be higher this year. Our safeties are strong as Reshad Jones is primed for a great year, and Chris Clemons came back on a one year deal.