For the past several weeks, rookie running back Kenyan Drake has found himself standing on the sidelines due to a hamstring injury he suffered, which opened the door for fellow running backs Isaiah Pead and Damien Williams to take extra snaps and show what they're made of.

But after all this time waiting around, Drake finally made it back to practice and will now get the opportunity to show what he can do in a game setting. Head coach Adam Gase made it clear he intends to get a good long look at the former Alabama speedster against the Titans.

"With the minimal practice snaps we’ve really had (with him), the little time he was out there we were feeling good about his progress compared to where we were at in spring." Gase said. "At least mentally, we were feeling lightyears better. (With) him not practicing as long as he has and (he hasn’t) really been hit in a real game yet, (so) this will be important for him.”

Drake, who was drafted in the third round of the 2016 NFL draft, has had issues with durability all throughout college. His hamstring previously bothered him before his senior year at Alabama, and he's had at least seven different injuries during his time in college. Despite this fact, Drake doesn't see it as a cause for concern.

“Football’s a tough sport,” Drake said. “People get hurt. It’s about how you come back from an injury. … Hamstring injuries are very lingering. The training staff will tell me whether to go 90 (percent) or go as fast as I can. I’m a competitor, so when I go out there, it’s instinct.”

Drake will need that instinct if he's going to dive head first into a game after having minimal time in practice, especially with the likes of Isaiah Pead still breathing down his neck, just waiting to jump at the chance to show that what he showed during the first two preseason games are better representatives of his skill than the third one.

Considering the fact that Gase thought highly enough of Drake that he felt he was worth being drafted in the third round despite his injury concerns, it's clear that the former Alabama running back will be getting every opportunity possible to prove himself on Thursday.

“Obviously I’d love to just see what he can do as far as routes go and what he can do in the pass game." Gase said. "But at the same time, he’s shown us in the run game that he’s very effective, at least in the limited snaps that we saw of him in practice. I think we’d like to see if we can get him going in a little bit of both but you never know how this game is going to play out. You’d like to get him touches in both areas of that part of the game.”

The Dolphins will no doubt go out of their way to give Kenyan Drake the ball against the Titans, but the rookie will have a lot of work to do to make up for lost time. Either way, Drake insists that no matter gets thrown at him, he's ready to play.

“It’s important for me just to get on the field in general, see the speed of the game,” Drake said. “Carries, special teams, no matter what the case is. I’m ready to play.”

This story was written by Luis Sung. Follow him on Twitter: @FLSportDebater

There is no greater feeling in the world for a man than to hold his newborn child in his arms for the first time and come to the realization that he is now a father. Although the newly-renovated Hard Rock Stadium is a little too big to be cradled in such a way, the Miami Dolphins organization is also feeling that same pride after finally completing their two and a half year long project.

"We had an eight month gestation period for this one," said Senior Vice President of Stadium Renovations Bill Senn with a laugh. "It feels great, it's come together very well. Contractors have worked with us, our housekeeping staff and all of our facility staff, they've put up with contractors crawling all over the place for the last eight months, we've finally given the building back to them so they can get it all cleaned up and they've done a phenomenal job getting it ready for football."

Tonight at 7, the Dolphins will officially debut Hard Rock Stadium to the fan base during the final preseason game against the Tennessee Titans, and while the game itself means nothing in the long run, this will be a huge step forward for the organization and its fans as they get to sample exactly what they have to look forward to enjoying in the future.

But it isn't just the fans who are excited about the team's new home, even the players who are going to be playing in can't wait for the opportunity to break in the brand new field and show what they can do in a whole new atmosphere. They were going to get the chance this past Monday, but lightning in the area shut down their practice.

“I haven’t seen it. You guys are going to see it before I see it so I’m excited to see it. We were going to see it today; we were going to practice down there, but (with) the rain, we had to move it back here." quarterback Ryan Tannehill said on Monday. "I’m excited to see it. I’m excited to play in it. From what I’ve seen and the guys that I’ve talked to that have been there said it’s really cool and should be a great venue.”

The stadium renovations started last year in what Miami called phase one, which included gutting the lower bowl of the stadium and rebuilding it brand new. But the big part of this project was during phase two, during which the canopy and four large HD jumbotrons were placed in each corner of the stadium.

Owner Stephen Ross spent over $500 million dollars to make this almost-new stadium a reality, and it was these renovations that were largely responsible for the Dolphins getting the opportunity to host the Super Bowl in 2020, which will be the first time they've done so since 2010, when the New Orleans Saints defeated the Indianapolis Colts.

Of course, Ross stated that he wants to do more than just host a Super Bowl, he wants his team to be playing in one.

“I want a Super Bowl winner,” Ross said. “That’s my legacy. That’s what I would love.”

That's now up to head coach Adam Gase and Executive Vice President of Football Operations Mike Tannenbaum to figure out, but they won't be alone in this endeavor, the stadium itself is going to be doing its part - however small - to give the team a competitive edge whenever Miami comes home to play inside it.

The way the canopy is built, the visiting team side will be exposed to the hot Florida sun on game day, while the home team will be sitting in the shade. Temperature measurements taken by the Dolphins showed that the difference between the two sides is up to 30 degrees, which makes a bigger difference than one might think.

Miami has also gone out of their way to make sure that the stadium will be louder than it's ever been when fans begin to shout and cheer, making it more reminiscent of other stadiums such as the Superdome in New Orleans.

"The video boards, the audio experience that comes out of the sound system is second to none." said Bill Senn. "It's going to be a loud football game, it's going to be great for our fans, great for the team, and it's truly - when you look at what we've done inside the bowl here, this does not look like the old stadium at all. It's totally transformed."

Pro Bowl defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh was one of the players in attendance for the naming rights announcement when they officially christened the stadium as Hard Rock Stadium, and he got to have his first look at his home for the next few seasons.

“It’s a beautiful stadium. I think the fans will be very excited about the Jumbotrons – obviously there are four amazing ones in there. Hard Rock Stadium is going to be a rocking place, in my opinion." he said. "I’m excited to get out on that football field. Like you said before, I was out there with the (naming rights) announcement and it is a pristine field – beautiful. I can’t thank enough our ownership and front office for all the work and time that they put into that. I’m excited to get out there and see it when we have a true home game against the Cleveland Browns.”

There's no doubt that Dolphins fans will have a brand new experience when they enter Hard Rock Stadium for the first time tonight when Miami goes up against the Tennessee Titans, but if there is one thing that Bill Senn hopes for besides the increased fan enjoyment, it's that credit goes where it's due when it comes to the several workers who made this vision a reality.

"The unfortunate reality is when our guests walk into this building, they won't understand the amount of work that went into this building." said Bill Senn. "They will not understand the amount of work that went into installing the shade canopy in a very, very short period of time. We put up our first piece of steel on February 11th this year, and we torqued our last bolt on August 9th.

"So when you think about putting up over 17,000 tons of steel in that short a period of time, it's truly amazing and it's really a testament to the men and women of the trades who put this all together for us."

With a new home and a new partnership to add on to the fan experience, there's only one thing left for the organization to do to make everything perfect, and that's put a winning football team on the field. They'll officially take their first step towards that at home tonight, in front of a crowd that has been thirsty for change for a very long time.

This story was written by Luis Sung. Follow him on Twitter: @FLSportDebater

It has come to this—the final preseason game.  Winner takes all. Well, maybe I’m being a bit melodramatic but you get the gist. After competing for the third quarterback spot all summer, the decision to keep either Brandon Doughty or Zac Dysert may very well come down to the Dolphins final preseason game this Thursday.

When asked, neither head coach Adam Gase nor Ryan Tannehill were willing to outright give one the edge over the other. Dysert, the fourth-year man out of Miami of Ohio has been on several teams' practice squads, battling to keep his dreams of being an NFL quarterback alive. Doughty, the local kid from Davie, Florida who went on to having a record setting college career at Western Kentucky also has dreams—of playing for the team he grew up rooting for.

Tannehill was asked about Dysert, whose experience in the offense gives him an immediate edge on Doughty: “He’s progressed a lot. He’s really playing well right now. I saw a lot of great things out of him this past game. There was a big third down there that sticks out in my mind. It was third-and-9 I think, or third-and-10. He went through his progressions, stood in the pocket, stepped up and made a great throw. Another play, he moved a little bit to his right and found a guy. He’s really done a good job.” 

Tannehill also noted that Dysert’s experience in Gase’s offense has helped: “He knows this offense; he’s been it, I guess, three years now. So he’s seen it, he knows what’s going on and he’s comfortable. He’s finally hitting a rhythm as far as his play goes so it’s fun to see.”

Dysert has also been an invaluable resource for Tannehill as he still works on mastering the nuances of head coach Adam Gase’s scheme: “On a few things. I think him just having prior knowledge of some concepts, like ‘What did you call it?’ or signals or ‘How did you see it?’ so it’s been nice to have him around."

Gase agrees that Dysert’s familiarity with the offense has translated to on the field performance: “He was with me last year for a week in Chicago, as well.” The Dolphins head coach has noticed that Dysert has somewhat gotten over the proverbial hump:  “I feel like the other day was a huge step for him. He did a really good job as far as running our offense, getting the ball out on time, getting completions, getting first downs. The whole week he had a different mentality and then he played like he practiced.”

But to think that Doughty is somehow handicapped by his lack of experience would be foolish. The seventh round pick has impressed both Tannehill and Gase, with Tannehill in particular taking notice of Doughty’s ability. Just don’t ask Tannehill to pronounce Doughty’s name: “I asked him because I don’t know what I called him at first, but I don’t think it was right. So I asked him, I was like, ‘How do you say your name?’ And he said ‘DOW-tee.’”

Tannehill has had no such trouble identifying what makes Doughty stand out on the field:  “He’s learning. He’s getting better and I think I’ve seen some flashes from the kid. It’s really exciting to see. He’s got some talent. Once he settles down and gets comfortable, he’ll be making plays for us.”

Whoever wins the battle, the next tough choice will be keeping three quarterbacks on the active 53-man roster or stashing them on the practice squad. Both have their risks. But with this decision looming, it will make Thursday’s final preseason game against the Titans much more compelling than usual.

This story was written by Richard Wilt. Follow him on Twitter: @richardactor71

When the Miami Dolphins used two picks in the 2016 NFL draft on wide receivers, a few fans, myself included, questioned the sanity of adding two players at a position where the team appeared to have plenty of depth.

Leonte Carroo from Rutgers was drafted in the third round, and Jakeem Grant from Texas Tech was added in the sixth round. When I questioned on Twitter why the team was adding backups when we had positions of need, I got reamed for suggesting that either of these guys would be backups.

Well, four months later, I just want to take a moment and humbly say, “Hey guess what, guys, I was right.”

With Jarvis Landry, Kenny Stills, and DeVante Parker holding down the starting spots, Carroo is battling for the prime backup spot with Griff Whalen, who has been having a great camp, while Grant appears destined for kick return duties. Rashawn Scott is the only other wide receiver currently on the roster.

As is the case with most rookies, the game is played much faster at the NFL level than they played in college. It takes a while for all rookies to acclimate to that speed, and pick up the nuances, especially at the wide receiver position, where players can take up to three years to fully grasp the concepts and complexity of offensive schemes.

Head coach Adam Gase has a firm grasp on what it takes to make the transition.

“It's one of those things where when we get in the classroom, they're good,” said Gase. “But then (on the field) when you start having to make some adjustments, sometimes (they) just draw a blank - whether it is a signal or a code word - and that's when it becomes tough because it's happening fast.”

While no one can deny that the two rookie wide receivers have the physical talent to play at the NFL level, the part that’s hard is the mental aspect. Learning the playbook, knowing the protections, and understanding audibles and key words can be intimidating enough for a new player, but putting them into practice can take even longer. And Gase says both rookies are picking up things fine in the classroom, especially Carroo.

“When you're in the classroom and there's no pressure of a guy lining up across from you, 'Hey, is he press? Is it cloud? What's going on as far as my adjustment?' There are a lot of adjustments that you have to make, but classroom-wise they're good.

“And then we're obviously always learning something (in practice) every day. There are probably one or two things that come up where they haven't run a certain concept or a certain route against a DB. That'll happen every once in a while, but that's why you practice. You try to get them to do as many things that they haven't done before. We're making strides though, because Carroo is about as sharp as they come and he works hard at it to make sure that he's ready to go.”

As for Grant, Gase is working to install plays that will utilize the diminutive, but deceptively powerful and fast rookie. Grant will likely open the season at Seattle returning punts and playing on special teams, but the plan is to incorporate him in the offense.

“I think we are comfortable in the role we have him in right now,” said Gase. “Obviously when we go up to Seattle, we'll finalize that. But he's done everything we've asked him to do; he's done it well. We just got to get him … to understand that we are not looking for just a specialist. We want a guy that can do both - returns and contribute on offense - and just be ready to go in there if needed.

“I think he's making strides. I know it's tough when you come to a completely different system than what he's used to. That's part of the growing pains of a rookie; but I think he is going in the (right) direction, and he is starting to make some steps now."

​This story was written by Eldon Jenson. Follow him on Twitter @EJFootball

NFL teams were required to reach the 75-man roster limit by 4:00 PM on Tuesday, and the Miami Dolphins decided to do that by placing defensive end Dion Jordan and linebacker Zach Vigil on the reserve/non-football injury, effectively keeping both players off the field until Week 7 at the earliest.

Jordan, who was drafted third overall in the 2013 NFL draft by the Dolphins, hasn't played since 2014 when he had 20 tackles and a sack in his ten games played. He was suspended in April 2015 for multiple violations of the NFL’s drug policy and was reinstated conditionally on July 29, provided he meets specific requirements, which mandate that Jordan must go through counseling and be re-evaluated before the start of the regular season.

But when Jordan arrived at the facility in late July, the Dolphins found out that Jordan had recently undergone knee surgery, which kept him out of the entirety of training camp. Miami is indicated that the plan for Jordan is to keep him at defensive end instead of trying to convert him to linebacker, but first he actually has to get on the field for it to matter.

Jordan is still returning the $3.35 million dollar signing bonus Miami gave him when he signed. That bonus is worth more than what Jordan will make in salary this season.

Zach Vigil was an undrafted free agent signed last season out of Utah State, and he started two games for the Dolphins at middle linebacker, making 18 tackles in 16 games. Vigil has missed the entirety of camp with a back injury.

This story was written by Luis Sung. Follow him on Twitter @FLSportDebater

There's been a battle to see who would emerge as the starter at right guard all throughout training camp and the preseason, whether it's Billy Turner, Jermon Bushrod or even the recently unseated left guard Dallas Thomas, who has moved over to the right to make room for Laremy Tunsil at left guard.

Unfortunately, according to Adam Gase, no one player has managed to make themselves stand out above the others, leaving the right guard position a question mark even with only one preseason game remaining.

“I think it’s been a little inconsistent." Gase said. "It’s like, we’ll have some really good snaps, but then we’ll have that one snap that’s just not good enough. Nobody has really separated themselves right now and we’re taking that evaluation into this last game."

Gase stated during a recent press conference that while most of the starters would be sitting during the final preseason game against the Tennessee Titans, there would still be some, such as Laremy Tunsil, who would be going in to get some more reps and practice before the beginning of the regular season.

These snaps will be crucial to see who - if anyone - will finally emerge as the starter at right guard. If that doesn't happen, then Gase is prepared to take more drastic measures.

"Once we get to the first regular season game, that’ll be for that game." Gase said. "You never know what’s going to happen. One guy could emerge himself after this game to where we can say, ‘This is the guy the whole game.’ Will we have guys rotating in and out? It could happen; it wouldn’t be the first time.”

The thought of a rotating offensive line is a scary prospect. It's hard to imagine things working out well if a certain lineman had to come in for running downs, while another lineman stayed in for passing downs. This would take away all unpredictability in the offense, and would instantly telegraph what the team is planning.

On the other hand, if the Dolphins decide to utilize this method, it's possible they could use it to their advantage by catching teams off guard and doing the opposite of what the lineman's specialty is.

Or maybe I'm just talking nonsense.

In either case, it would most certainly benefit Miami if some player - no matter who it is - manages to impress the coaching staff enough that they take the starting job at right guard for themselves. It would certainly make things a lot less complicated, and keep them from having to run a bunch of different schemes just based on who happens to be there.

​“The thing about mixing schemes up is you try to hang your hat on something." said Gase. "At least my experience has been, when you try to do a whole bunch of different things, that’s really when you don’t anything well."

This story was written by Luis Sung. Follow him on Twitter: @FLSportDebater

It wasn't that long ago that former Dolphins defensive tackle A.J. Francis decided to try and make a little extra money on the side by taking a job as an Uber driver, which was a source of great amusement for the Dolphins fan base.

But now, ironically enough, the Dolphins have now announced a new partnership with Uber to reinvent parking at the new stadium and bring a whole new dimension to tailgate parties.

​“We recognize that getting in and out of the stadium and traffic is one of the challenges we have with fans as we continue to compete with 60-inch high definition televisions,” Miami Dolphins President & CEO Tom Garfinkel said. “We are excited to partner with Uber in this innovative way and want to change our fans’ experiences of getting to and from these events while reimagining the tailgate experience.”

The multiyear partnership with Uber is a part of a movement to "compete" with the appeal of staying at home and watching the game on television instead of actually going to the game. With help from Uber, getting in and out of the stadium will now become that much easier, giving Uber users a walkway that leads to a dedicated Uber lot, making the drop-off and pick-up to and from the stadium much more efficient.

“There’s still no better experience than to be at the game,” Garfinkel said. “You want to be there when the big play happens or when the big game is won. It’s still better than being at home. … As (Uber CEO Travis Kalanick) spoke about the future of transportation, I wanted to make sure that we were ahead of it, that we were thinking five years down the road in renovating this wonderful Hard Rock Stadium to think about the future of transportation, not just where it is today.” 

But there's more to this partnership than transportation, the Dolphins are also looking to up the ante on tailgate experiences. They also announced an UberTailgate package, which will allow fans to not only have one of 20 designated grill areas - tent and grill included, but they also will have a store available where tailgaters can stock up on supplies for whatever they might need, whether it's serving ware, snacks, soda, beer, and even furniture.

The UberTailgate package will be available on September 25th, when the Dolphins host their first home game against the Cleveland Browns in their new home. Prices will range from $150 to $250 depending on the game. With this multiyear partnership, the Miami Dolphins are the first professional sports team to do anything like this.

With a newly renovated stadium and brand new projects meant to really push the fan experience to a whole new level, it seems that the Miami Dolphins front office has done everything in their power to give the fans the best experience possible. All that's left is to put a winning team on the field, and that job is up to head coach Adam Gase to accomplish. So far, all signs point to things getting better in Miami in all phases of the Dolphins fan experience, both on and off the field.

This story was written by Luis Sung. Follow him on Twitter: @FLSportDebater

The Miami Dolphins announced they have traded defensive end Chris McCain to the New Orleans Saints. The Dolphins will receive a conditional seventh round draft pick in exchange for the third-year player.

McCain, 6’5” and 236 pounds, was signed as an undrafted free agent after the 2014 NFL draft. He played in 18 games for the Dolphins, with no starts, and has seven career tackles and two sacks.

Saints coach Sean Payton said last week that the team needed to be better at rushing the passer, and McCain adds exactly that as his strength. He’ll likely be used in substitution packages in New Orleans, and will see the field more than he was projected to play with Miami, where the Dolphins are dealing with a logjam of defensive ends as final roster cuts approach next week. McCain was currently listed as third in the defensive end depth chart.

McCain is a fan favorite, endearing himself with his pre-game ritual of seeking out a young fan during warm-ups and giving them a once-in-a-lifetime experience of walking around the field to meet players on the team.

McCain tweeted his farewell, “Thank you Dolphins for a wonderful 2 ½ yrs. Love Florida, but God always has a plan. I’m very thankful for this opportunity. #whodat”

This story was written by Eldon Jenson. Follow him on Twitter @EJFootball

Early in the Miami Dolphins third preseason game, the Dolphins lined up in the red zone with four wide receivers bunched on the far left, and one lone tight end lined up split to the right, with one lone linebacker covering him. At the snap, Jordan Cameron cut under the linebacker right at the goal line, and quarterback Ryan Tannehill zipped a ball right at his helmet.

Touchdown Miami, right?

Umm, no.

The ball, although accurate, was thrown with enough juice on it, that it split Cameron’s hands, bounced off his facemask and fell incomplete. And for the second preseason game in a row, Cameron had dropped a sure touchdown. Fans watching at home shook their heads; all 43 fans in the stands mumbled to themselves. And surely the Dolphins coaches were concerned, right?

“That one today in the end zone was tough,” said head coach Adam Gase. “That was a high hitter. That guy (the linebacker) had really good leverage. But (Cameron) did what he was supposed to do: try to get in front of guys. He had a weird angle in the end zone.

“It happens; it’s the NFL. We had a couple other guys have some drops. When that ball comes in there, and it’s got some juice on it, sometimes it happens. We’ll move on to the next play. We’ll line it up and throw it again.”

And then Gase dropped this, “That was probably more on me than Jordan as far as play call.”

Say what?

“I would have called a different route,” Gase explained. “The guy lined up hard inside and (Ryan Tannehill) had no other option. We need to get to the point where those two guys can see that, and communicate that they need to go to a different route.”

And that, my friends, is the mark of a good coach in the makings. Rather than linger on the drop, rather than coming down on a player for not making the catch, Gase immediately saw the bigger picture and deduced what might have worked on that play instead; what might have been done to make the throw easier. And he steadfastly refused to criticize Cameron.

“He’s doing a lot of things right,” said Gase. “When you’re in a position where the ball is being thrown to you, everybody looks at one thing: whether you catch the ball or you drop the ball. Right now, he’s doing a lot right. We just need to clean up some of the things in the passing game. There were a couple other opportunities we may have had down the field with him. Ryan was smart with it and felt the coverage dropping back, and got it to the running back. There was a couple other times that (Cameron) broke free, and if they were any tighter on the underneath coverage … maybe we have a chance with an explosive (play) with him.”

Gase said he’s not going to get down on Cameron or Tannehill, and neither player seemed too concerned about it.

Said Tannehill, "He has had a couple of mistakes but we have all had some mistakes. It's the preseason and we are all working through those; that's just a visible one. We have all had our mistakes, but we’re still going to give him the ball and keep going back to him."

And Cameron, “"No, I don't even think about it. I think (the media) think about it more than I do. I've just got to play football and watch the ball in my hands. It's not something I'm concerned with."

"Tight end is not just catching the ball,” Cameron continued. “Obviously, I have to catch the ball. It's what I'm here to do; it's part of my job. But we do a lot of blocking, inside pass protecting. I feel like I have made a lot of strides in that regard, and I'm positive with those things. I think for me it's about being a complete tight end.

“I know the main things you see are a drop here. That's unacceptable, but it's not my whole job. I do other things too.”

​This story was written by Eldon Jenson. Follow him on Twitter @EJFootball. 

The Miami Dolphins are hosting an open practice at the newly christened Hard Rock Stadium on Monday afternoon at 1 P.M., and the first 2,000 fans to purchase tickets at Ticketmaster.com will be able to attend.

Tickets for Monday’s practice are $10 each and proceeds will benefit the Miami Dolphins foundation. Parking is free.

The Dolphins will play their first game at Hard Rock Stadium on Thursday at 7:00 P.M. when the Tennessee Titans come down to be the first visiting team to play in Miami's newly renovated and state of the art stadium.

Practice will be subject to change based on weather, so keep an eye on the weather reports to ensure you will be able to attend.

The Miami Dolphins are required to cut their roster down to 75 by August 30th, and they've gotten started by waiving 11 players and cutting it down to 78 total.

The players cut were linebacker Akil Blount, offensive linemen Ruben Carter and Vinston Painter, wide receivers Brandon Shippen, A.J. Cruz, Matt Hazel, long snapper Ryan DiSalvo, tight end Gabe Hughes, cornerbacks Al Louis-Jean, Brandon Harris, and kicker Marshall Koehn.

The biggest names on this list are wide receivers Matt Hazel and A.J. Cruz, both very talented and had different characteristics that made them valuable. Hazel has been overshadowed by others on the depth chart ever since he was drafted, and will probably land on a roster elsewhere, while Cruz was the main competitor with Jakeem Grant for returner duty.

Miami brought in competition for the long snapper position when they signed Ryan DiSalvo, but apparently he didn't do enough to warrant cutting veteran John Denney, who is owed $1,215,000 in 2016 and would have saved the Dolphins $1,115,000 if he was cut.

Al Louis-Jean and Brandon Harris were brought in during the middle of training camp to fill the void left by injured players Xavien Howard and Chimdi Chekwa, as well as Ifo Ekpre-Olomu who has since been released due to another ACL tear. Neither players were particularly impressive.

Miami still has three cuts to go before they reach the 75-player limit, stay tuned as we keep an eye on who will make the cut and won't.

This story was written by Luis Sung. Follow him on Twitter: @FLSportDebater

While the numbers look somewhat pedestrian, Ryan Tannehill and company had a very productive first half in the Dolphins' third preseason game against the Atlanta Falcons last night in Orlando. Tannehill didn’t throw for a touchdown in the game but the offense was effective and efficient, finding a rhythm from the very first offensive series.

Had it not been for a few dropped passes, a badly botched field goal and a fluke tipped interception, we might be talking more about how good the first team has looked these past two games.

Even Arian Foster got into a bit of a groove, catching a few passes out of the backfield; one of those on a key third down play, keeping the drive alive. His run at the goal line was vintage Foster, showing patience and excellent vision to cut back to his left and run into the end zone untouched for the first score of the game.

Tannehill ripped off a 22-yard run on a designed read option play, showing the athleticism he’s displayed since his rookie year—a trait past coaching staffs have been loath to exploit.

Tannehill is also the rare quarterback who excels throwing on the run. Gase and company understand this and appear to be including it in Tannehill’s arsenal—which should satisfy fans who watched in frustration as Tannehill was not used nearly enough in designed rollouts, for fear of cutting off half of the field.

Gase, with his innovative play calling, has an ability to scheme his players open, often setting up situations where a receiver is being covered by only one man, thus simplifying things for Tannehill as he continues to go through the process of mastering Gase’s complex offense.

Like Shula before him, coach Gase realizes that maximizing his player’s strengths and adjusting his system to them are the keys to winning football. Past coaches have been much more stubborn, insisting players fit into a particular system which often put the front offense and coaching staff at odds. Gase’s philosophy improves the team’s chance of success, thus empowering them and allowing them to play with confidence.

When asked about Tannehill’s performance, Gase said, “He’s doing what I’ve seen all training camp, all spring. Nothing is a surprise. It’s unfortunate we had a tipped ball pick, but that’s what happens when the defensive line gets tired and they just have to throw their hands up and hope they can do something. I thought he did a good job. His reads were good. He was very quick as far as getting the calls out and getting his guys lined up. He played at a great tempo."

We all know now how fractured Tannehill’s and ex-head coach Joe Philbin’s relationship had become—even to the point of Philbin asking the team to draft David Carr, even though Tannehill was only going into his second season as a pro. And we all remember the disaster of the week prior to a game in London where Philbin failed to endorse his signal caller, refusing to name Tannehill the starter for that game and forcing him to deal with the distraction for the entire week leading up to the game.

One of the most refreshing things about the head coach is his honesty—he doesn’t sugarcoat things—not with his players and certainly not with the media, often calling beat writers out when he doesn’t agree with something that has been said or written about his players. It’s no wonder the team has been buying into what the coach has been selling—he’s a leader of men who has the back of his players and Ryan Tannehill in particular has taken notice.

When asked about his relationship with coach Gase, Tannehill had this to say: “I’m really comfortable with coach Gase. It’s an open line of communication on what I’m seeing (and) what he is seeing and what we’re trying to accomplish. He did a good job tonight of getting us in a position to succeed, and that’s what you want. You want the coach to put you in a place where you can make a play, and he did that a lot and I’m excited (about) what he’s doing and what he continues to do.”

This year, it might even be possible for the quarterback to get past his first read before running for his life or being slammed into the turf because of protection issues. Tannehill dropped back 29 times in the first half and was not sacked once. The quarterback has taken notice: “It’s nice, the guys did a really good job giving me a pocket, giving me room to throw and getting the ball out fast into our play makers hands and giving them the opportunity to work.”

Not all things were rosy, however. The tight end position continues to be a concern, especially in light of how Gase has been able to maximize that position in both of his stops in Denver and Chicago. Former Pro Bowler Jordan Cameron’s performance has been especially head scratching, especially from a player who should be the perfect athlete to take advantage of Gase’s offense.

Tannehill, when asked about Cameron’s struggles said there’s still time to get in synch with his tight end and expressed confidence in Cameron’s ability to bounce back from his struggles: “He has had a couple of mistakes but we have all had some mistakes, It’s the pre-season and we are all working through those, that’s just a visible one we have all had our mistakes were still going to give him the ball and keep going back to him."

Newly converted center Anthony Steen had a good game—showing the ability to both call plays for the line as well as doing more than an adequate job blocking.  Tannehill also had praise for the young lineman and hinted that as he grows into the position can get even better.

“Steen did a good job. He’s got an opportunity when we lose Mike Pouncey, which is tough, but someone has to step up. That’s the nature of the game we play. Injuries are a part of the game and you have to have your second and third groups step up and replace them. He did a good job and kept our guys on the same page up front, and we got to continue to get better.”

This should comfort fans as losing Pouncey for extended stretches in past seasons has had a significant impact on the overall line play.

Sure, the offense has more work to do and it may take well into the regular season before Tannehill and company hit their stride; but fans can rest easy after watching the past few preseason games. The offense has gotten progressively better, Tannehill may actually have time to throw the football and a healthy Foster could be just what the running game needs.  Things might finally be looking up down in South Florida—which would be welcome news to this long suffering fan.

This story was written by Richard Wilt. Follow him on Twitter: @richardactor71

With the Dolphins coming off of a reasonably nice performance in a 17-6 win over the Atlanta Falcons on Friday, there are plenty of positive to emphasize this week. Here are ten thoughts after the win.
 
1. Everyone take note. I have never written this before and it's always possible that you will never see me write it again.
 
Jordan Phillips looked good Friday.
 
Like so many other things that we saw, Phillips' improvement in run defense was laudable. Starting last year and continuing into this preseason game, criticism of Phillips has been justifiably relentless. As the defensive tackle opposite Ndamukong Suh, Phillips has been the weak point in the run defense as time after time opponents have run away from Suh in his direction for big yardage.

His performances on the field seemed to contradict the sunshine and rainbows that head coach Adam Gase threw our way earlier in the week when addressing the play of Phillips.
 
"And then Jordan (Phillips) has done a good job. The one thing that I noticed about him from the Dallas game was he was really moving well once the plays kind of start happening and it was going sideline to sideline, he was trying to get to the ball. Even in practice, I’ve noticed that he’s been one of those guys finishing quite a bit down the field, trying to do what the coaches ask him as far as tagging off there at the end. For a big man like that to run 20, 30 yards down the field to tag off the runner and then come back and do another rep, that’s what you want to see out of that front. I know they preach it. You guys hear them yelling all the time on the field as far as chase the ball. I think he’s trying to do exactly what the coaches want.”
 
For the record, when your coach has to mention that you are making tackles 20 yards down field and not in the backfield for a loss, that’s not good, even when it’s in a lame attempt to be positive.
 
But it was all different on Friday where the Falcons rushed for just 2.1 yards per attempt. Phillips was penetrating into the backfield and disruptive, something that will be even critically important this year as the Dolphins transition to a wide-nine front.
 
If he continues to look like he did against Atlanta, kudos to him and kudos to the coaching staff for apparently helping him along - and this won’t be the last time I say that in regards to Friday’s performance.
 
2. As big of a factor as Phillips was, a major part of the improvement in the run defense was the play of the linebackers. As a group the linebackers, though athletic, have been far too passive in defending the run. Cameron Wake’s comments last week were to the point.
 
“You have to come downhill as a linebacker [in the run defense]. Stalemates don’t work. Sideways doesn’t work. You have to go and you have to impose your will on whoever it is – nine (technique), six (technique), four (technique), shade, linebacker – it doesn’t matter. In order to stop the run, you have to have a mentality of aggressiveness and aggressiveness is obviously moving forward, which… is penetration.”
 
And, again, that’s what we saw on Friday. Generally speaking, the linebackers did a marvelous job of attacking the line of scrimmage and the tackling as a whole was much improved.  Kiko Alonso and Koa Misi totaled seven tackles between them and five of them were solo. That needs to continue.
 
Again, I’d like to throw some credit the coaching staff’s way.  This was an adjustment over the mistakes made in previous games. It's early and those have to keep coming but I consider all of this to be a positive sign that the Dolphins might - maybe - have a staff that can help these players maximize their gifts.
 
3. As far as the pass rush goes, the good news is that Cam Wake looked like he was just fine to me. The 34-year old left defensive end was coming off of an achilles injury and, given his age, there was significant doubt about his ability to recover.
 
Friday went some way towards relieving that anxiety. Wake looked healthy and, even though he had no sacks and no tackles, he was a handful in limited play Friday night. I thought he got pressure and was disruptive. As long as that remains the case, it’s all good.
 
4. Unlike Cameron Wake, Mario Williams did not look good.  At all. Again.
 
Williams spent part of last season and the offseason throwing shade at Buffalo head coach Rex Ryan for “playing him out of position” last year at outside linebacker and many Miami fans and members of the media bought into it. But a look at the tape showed a degradation of skills that Williams’ lame excuses couldn’t cover up. Now the rubber is meeting the road and though it’s still the preseason, it’s not surprising that Williams continues to fail to get close to the quarterback snap after snap.
 
The Dolphins should not lack pass rush with Suh and Wake on the field. But given what we’ve seen so far, I wouldn’t count on Williams to produce anything but more excuses in the near future.
 
5. The cornerback position remains a concern for the Dolphins.
 
There were times when the coverage looked good and they did produce one interception and some near misses. But these were mostly due to changes in coverage that Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan simply failed to read correctly. Ryan wasn’t seeing the field well Friday night and he didn’t seem to see some of the Miami defensive backs. Perhaps we should give defensive coordinator Vance Joseph a little credit here.
 
But that aside, the cornerbacks looked bad in man coverage.  Tony Lippett continues to stand out as a weak link and Julio Jones did whatever he wanted no matter who was covering him.
 
I know that many hope that things will get dramatically better when Chris Culliver is ready to play and when Xavien Howard gets his feet under him. I’m sorry but I wouldn’t hold my breath. Culliver was awful last year and he graded out as the 110th best cornerback last year at PFF. Though he was much better before that, I don’t think that’s way off for 2015.
 
Howard is a complete unknown and he definitely had some serious flaws coming out of college including some grabby hands when he panicked in coverage and that could get him into some trouble in the NFL with penalties.
 
Bottom line, this position might well be a problem all year.
 
6. Despite running the ball for only 2.5 yards per carry, to my eye the Miami run blocking was dramatically improved Friday night. This was particularly true on the drive where Arian Foster ran pretty much wherever he wanted through and around an Atlanta front that was being dominated at the time. Foster practically walked into the end zone at the end of it.
 
The only pick that I have is that I’d like to see this more consistently over the course of the entire game. But that drive gave us a glimpse of what could be if the players manage to perform to the level of their talent.
 
7. Everyone loves Arian Foster. Everyone wants to see him succeed and for one drive Friday night he certainly did. But a close look at the way he’s running the ball still has me concerned.
 
Foster looks slow. You can cover it up with phrases like “smooth cuts” and you can rave about his vision and veteran savvy. But there’s no getting around that he was visibly inferior physically to every back on the field on both teams.
 
I’m not saying that this can’t be overcome or that Foster won’t contribute.  That was patently obvious based upon his production even to his biggest doubters and the offensive line did a wonderful job of blocking for him Friday. But the hallmark of a good back is the ability to make yardage on his own and there’s no getting around the fact that, other than one move that he put on an injured defender on the outside in space, Foster didn’t do much of that - or have to do much of it.
 
One thing that Foster does very, very well is catch the ball. He’s amongst the most natural pass catching running backs I’ve ever seen. That stands in stark contrast to both Jay Ajayi and Isaiah Pead. Especially Ajayi. Though he caught everything that came his way Friday, Ajayi looks like the tin man running routes out of the back field. 
 
What Ajayi did show was power and he definitely runs hard.  On some runs it was obvious that he was trying to be more patient. He broke one or two tackles and that’s also a good sign. But he’s probably never going to be anything more than an adequate pass catcher.
 
Particularly disappointing on Friday was the performance of Pead. To me, Pead was looking the best of all of the running backs and many were high on him despite the fact that he was playing mostly against backups. But to my eye, Pead showed almost nothing Friday night. I think he had opportunities to show what he could do and he didn’t perform.
 
Bottom line, the Dolphins run game looked better in spurts Friday night. But I still think running back is an issue. Adam Gase and offensive coordinator Clyde Christensen are going to have to use these guys carefully to play to their strengths while they’re out there.
 
8. Perhaps the best sign of all on Friday was that Ryan Tannehill continues to play well. The Dolphins put Tannehill on the move again the very first play of the game with a read option that busted loose for 22 yards.
 
Miami fans won’t want to hear this but don’t count on this happening more than occasionally over the course of a game.  Matt Moore’s concussion last week was a prime example of why coaches (and many quarterbacks) hate plays like this and though they’re willing to use them, neither this nor the planned rollouts are ever likely to be a staple of the offense.
 
Tannehill was reasonably accurate this game and though he did have the occasionally poorly placed ball, generally it was all pretty good. He’s ready to start the season. He had one interception that on a tipped ball that was simply a good play by defensive end Brooks Reed. It wasn’t his fault.
 
Tannehill also generally got good protection and that’s how it should be. The Atlanta pass rush looks to be amongst the worst in the league with the only legitimate threat that I saw being Vic Beasley. 
 
Atlanta had no sacks and they’ve had only five all preseason. And, it being the preseason, they did not try to blitz much to make up for the deficit. But that doesn’t mean that they didn’t do anything.
 
One reason I would like to take yet another opportunity to laud the coaching staff is the fine way that the offensive line handled Atlanta’s line stunts up front. This has been a definite weak point of this group and they did a fine job of smoothly reacting and exchanging defenders along the line to pick up wayward linemen coming around the outside.
 
9. Speaking of the offensive line, backup center Anthony Steen deserves mention in this space. Along with the rest of the line, Steen looked like he was well prepared for what came his way. His head was on a swivel and he did a reasonably good job of helping his line mates when he was uncovered. 
 
When he was covered or when he was called upon to block a pass rusher one-on-one, things got a little less stable. Steen was over powered on occasion and I wouldn’t exactly have called the pocket up the middle clean when Tannehill had to hold the ball for any length of time. But there were no free pass rushers and he didn’t give up a sack. 
 
He won’t be replacing Pro Bowl center Mike Pouncey any time soon but, generally speaking, I would say Steen was “good enough”.
 
10a. [Head shake] Jordan Cameron. Come on, man.
 
10b. There are a lot of nice things to say about the Dolphins offense but the bottom line concern is a big one. Only seven points in the first half.
 
The Dolphins have chosen to go with the short passing game with very few shots down field and that’s fine - as long as you execute and do so consistently. They just didn’t do that enough.
 
There weren’t an unreasonable number of penalties and there was only one turnover. So I can’t claim that they were shooting themselves in the foot that much. But if I’m Adam Gase the one thing I’m emphasizing to the offense leading up to their first game against Seattle is that they need to make positive yardage on every single play. Everything falls into place if they do that.
 
10c. Next up is the Tennessee Titans, who play against Oakland on national television Saturday night. Marcus Mariota and wide receiver Tajae Sharp have been stealing the show in Tennessee as they connected six times for 68 yards last game against the Panthers.
 
Tennessee has been emphasizing the run with what they are calling “exotic smash mouth” football. Though we won’t see much of the starters it will be of interest to see how the Dolphins backups do as they continue to try to stop the run against what could be a determined opponent. A player’s ability to demonstrate that he can do so may be the difference between making the roster and being left off come Tuesday (if not before).

This column was written by Tom Shannon. Follow him on Twitter: @bearingthenews

Although Miami Dolphins defensive end Cameron Wake didn’t start last night’s game against the Atlanta Falcons, he played a significant amount of time as a third down specialist in the first half of the Dolphins 17-6 victory. It was his first game action since last October, when he tore the Achilles tendon in his left leg in a game against the New England Patriots.

Wake typically starts and plays early downs, but head coach Adam Gase wanted to ease Wake back into things, and the plan going into this game was to use Wake on third downs and obvious passing downs, when Wake can use his world class edge cutting move to pressure the quarterback.

“That was kind of the plan,” said Gase. “I know we didn't give you guys everything this week as far as what we were going to do, but we wanted him to play on third down. We wanted him to get some rushes in and get back in the feel of the game. That was the plan going into this game.”

Gase said that eventually they want to see Wake playing early downs as well, but since this was the first time Wake has seen the field in ten months, they plan to ease him into that role. Gase also admitted that Wake isn’t quite all the way back to 100%.

Gase explained, “Every day, we're going to do more and more and get him to the point where he feels like its 100 percent, (where) we're back and we're ready to go a certain amount of snaps that we'll talk about throughout the season. The goal is to make sure he plays 16-plus games, and tonight was a good first step for us.”

As for Wake?

“It’s like riding a bike. It's good to be back out there, obviously, playing with the guys and getting a win.”

“It has been awhile since I've actually played in a lot of games,” said Wake. “So I'm taking all the things we've done in practice, all the rehab reps, and all the other stuff I've been doing, finally I'm just playing football, just having fun. You kind of forget all the other stuff by doing what you do best.”

Wake, a notorious workout warrior, has been working diligently to get back to 100%, and he admits he wants to be on the field for every play. But he’s well aware of the possibility of a setback, and the team’s desire to move cautiously as they work him back into the fulltime rotation. He’s close to 100%, but does he feel he’s there yet?

"Probably not,” Wake admits. “That's the truth. There's so much that you can do off the field. I've been working out, doing rehab, a lot of things. But the reality is, football is hard to replicate. You can't in the middle of the offseason, have two guys pushing on you. It just doesn't work that way. It’s coming. Obviously, I had a good step tonight in the right direction.

"I think for the most part, we've been working together from back in November. As far as my recovery and maximizing my skillset for the team … right now working my way back into full time, that's fine with me. Whatever is best for the team. You have to start thinking long term. Of course, I want to be out there for every snap, but is that going to be best come December and January? You got to be honest and smart, and all of us working together, our plan is really good, and so far it's working."

With the fourth and last preseason game looming next week, and roster cuts coming two days later, most veteran players aren’t expected to see game action against the Tennessee Titans. Wake doesn’t yet know if he will have one more opportunity to get some work in before the season opener in Seattle. But he doesn’t sound too concerned.

“It's possible, but again, the game is not the only time you get it. We have quite a few big hogs in there who I fight with every day.”

This story was written by Eldon Jenson. Follow him on Twitter @EJFootball

Barely a week removed from their poor overall performance against the Dallas Cowboys, the Miami Dolphins managed to show major improvement on both sides of the ball against the Atlanta Falcons in their 17-6 preseason victory.

Often considered the "dress rehearsal" game for the regular season, the third preseason game is traditionally meant to let the starting unit get more playing time than usual. But for Adam Gase, he essentially gave the units the same amount of time they had against the Cowboys: one half.

In that half, Ryan Tannehill put on an excellent performance, thanks to an even more stellar performance by the offensive line, which despite missing Mike Pouncey at center, was able to keep the oft-sacked quarterback on his feet for all 29 dropbacks he had.
​
Laremy Tunsil at left guard and Jermon Bushrod at right guard for the majority of the game did excellent in pass protection, although the run blocking was still rather subpar. Anthony Steen, though he wasn't perfect and did botch one snap, was solid overall and demonstrated that he could temporarily fill the void left behind by Pouncey.

Arian Foster flashed some of his old skill when he ran into the end zone on an excellent cut and found the perfect path to the end zone, to spite his final numbers rushing the football (five carries, 10 yards).

Kenny Stills is starting to show signs of being Tannehill's most reliable wide receiver, perhaps even more so than Jarvis Landry, who had another drop on an easy pass that should've had no business being dropped, especially by him. Stills also had slightly better numbers than Landry. While they both caught four passes, Stills had six more yards receiving and was targeted once more than Landry.

Tannehill has recently discussed how impressed he's been with Stills' development, and it's showing with how often Tannehill is willing to go to him. That connection will be key in the regular season, as it will open everything else up and keep defenses on their toes since they can't just focus on Landry every play.

It was the defensive side of the ball that had the most improvement. After getting gashed by the Dallas Cowboys, the Dolphins defense only allowed 31 total rushing yards on a combined 15 carries by the Falcons offense. The secondary on the other hand, still struggled somewhat, particularly Tony Lippett, who hasn't been able to step up as much as Miami hoped.

Thankfully, they still have Reshad Jones to bail them out of trouble. Jones intercepted Matt Ryan in the end zone and saved a would-be touchdown that would have put a lot more pressure on the Dolphins offense to retaliate with a score of their own.

The linebackers were also much improved against Atlanta. Koa Misi in particular was all over the place, making tackles and chasing down running backs and keeping them from getting very far. Kiko Alonso also had a much better game, finding gaps on blitzes and doing a good job in pass coverage.

Young players like Shamiel Gary, Mike Hull and Julius Warmsley were able to stand out on defense. Gary was able to force a fumble and made an excellent tackle in the box similarly to the way Reshad Jones would, and Warmsley has been arguably the best defensive tackle in the preseason besides Ndamukong Suh. Hull continues to quietly do his job, making tackles and keeping things from going bad.

Cameron Wake finally got his first game action since coming back from his achilles tear, and despite admitting that he still isn't 100 percent healthy, Wake was able to consistently get pressure on Matt Ryan on passing downs as a pass rush specialist.

There were a lot of good things to take away from the Falcons game, but caution should be advised. Atlanta is not exactly the strongest team right now, and while the performance was impressive, it should be taken with a grain of salt. The Falcons are not the Seahawks or Patriots, and that's when it will matter.

The Dolphins will have to cut their roster down to 75 by August 30th, which is four days away. Some players will have had their last chance to show their stuff in this game, and some will get one last chance before the regular season when Miami faces off against the Tennessee Titans. Games will start counting very soon, and the Dolphins need to be ready for their first real - and difficult test.

This story was written by Luis Sung. Follow him on Twitter: @FLSportDebater

​On this episode of PhinManiacs Live, the crew discusses the results of the game against the Dallas Cowboys and what they took away from it.

Then they will discuss the upcoming "dress rehearsal" game against the Atlanta Falcons, what they'll be looking for and what they expect to see.

Antwan V. Staley of Athlon Sports and the Palm Beach Post will be calling in to talk Dolphins and answer questions. If you missed our live show, you can watch it again through our YouTube below, or you can download it through iTunes, Stitcher or SoundCloud.

The Miami Dolphins and the Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality (RISE) are teaming up this season to recognize youth football players, coaches and parents who have demonstrated their commitment to being leaders on and off the field.

​Each week, the Dolphins youth programs team will select a High School Coach of the Week, High School Player of the Week, Youth Player of the Week, Student of the Week and Team Mom of the Week.

Each award recipient will be presented with a plaque on the field during a game, and receive acknowledgement of their accomplishment in the game program and through the Dolphins’ and RISE’s social media platforms. They also will receive a pair of tickets to a Miami Dolphins home game and a Dolphins/RISE T-shirt.

As a newly added component of the program and part of the Dolphins/RISE partnership, winners will be empowered to make a difference by participating in a RISE training program where they will learn how to use the unifying power of sport to promote the importance and benefits of unity, equality and inclusiveness as well as address racial tensions their teams, schools and communities might experience.

​Awardees also will be encouraged to take a pledge, committing to stand up to racial inequality and share how they plan to affect change by creating a “How I RISE” video message, which will be posted on RISEtoWIN.org.

Photo Credit: Miami Dolphins

One of the low spots (among oh so many) in the Miami Dolphins 2015 season came during a Thursday night game in late October against the New England Patriots. Late in the third quarter, defensive end Cameron Wake was rushing around the left edge when he suddenly and noticeably began favoring his left leg. He continued rushing towards quarterback Tom Brady for several seconds until the ball was thrown, then fell to the turf.

And didn’t get up.

Fans felt their heart cringe, as all were well aware that one of the league’s toughest players doesn’t stay down on the field unless something is seriously wrong.

And something was seriously wrong. Wake had ruptured his achilles tendon, and was lost for the season. And the Dolphins defensive woes, already in free fall, took yet another turn for the worst.

Fast forward ten months, and Wake’s recovery has gone well. He’s been running full speed since spring, and has participated fully since training camp opened last month. And although fully expected to play in Week 1 of the regular season, Wake has been held out of the preseason games so far. With this week’s game Thursday night against the Atlanta Falcons being the third preseason game, most of the starters are expected to see extensive action, possibly playing a series into the second half.

Whether or not Wake plays remains to be seen, as the team is approaching their defensive elder statesman with caution.

Head coach Adam Gase noted, “So what we are going to do is he's going to make sure he goes through warmups, he's going to get ready to go, and we're just going to see how he feels before the game. It's going to come down to really just him and myself, before the game saying, 'Hey, we're rolling or we're not.' I'm going to kind of put it on him just because he knows how he feels, and once he feels right, then we'll get him out there.”

Wake understands the situation, and while he is anxious to get to work, saying "I always need work. If you're not getting better, you're getting worse, and you need to retire," he is quick to point out that this is not a matter of him wanting to play and coaches wanting to hold him back.

“We're all working together,” Wake says. “It's not me and them. It's us. We're all on the same side working together to do what's best for everybody involved. We'll see what happens Thursday. It'll be a game-time decision and we'll take it from there.”

"I've been playing since July 27th,” Wake continued. “This is not really a new thing for me. I've been down this road a few times. I think more is made of it than it really is, actually. It's kind of funny.”

A noted workout warrior in the weight room, there is no question that Wake has been diligent in his rehab, and will be physically fine when he does take the field. But is he worried about the mental aspect of returning from such a devastating injury and trusting his achilles the next time he thrusts off of it?

"Football is a mental and physical game,” says Wake. “I've spoken about this before; the physical thing is not really new. Building muscle, running, playing football is not a new part. Just getting to the point where you're comfortable out there and not thinking about it, that's the only thing you've got to really worry about.

“I'm not necessarily worried about it, to be honest. I'll trust it when I need to trust it.”

When asked if the chemistry with his fellow defensive line mates, Ndamukong Suh and Mario Willimas, is a factor, Wake brushed that aside as well.

“If we were all a bunch of rookies, I think that would be one thing. But we all have a couple of (gray hairs) - I guess I've got the most. We've all been down this road. We've all played football - a lot of snaps. We've all had a lot of success. We've been playing together for quite a few snaps here in the past month or however long it's been. I think we've come together quite nicely, and I think when the real games start happening, that's when those questions will get answered.

"I want to see guys play to their potential - me included, if I play. Going out there and just being the aggressive, fast, dominant front that we should be. I think anything less than that, to me, is not acceptable.”

And as for any cracks about him being the oldest guy along the defensive front, Wake takes that right in stride as well, insisting that it doesn’t bother him that his age (34) is brought up every time his name is mentioned.

“Nope, not at all. I've been old for five years now. I just laugh at that comment. Eventually I guess they'll be right.”

This story was written by Eldon Jenson. Follow him on Twitter @EJFootball

The preseason is quickly coming to a close, and with the third preseason game coming very soon, there's going to be a lot of starters action to be seen as the third game is infamously known as the "dress rehearsal" game for the regular season.

So while it is still a good time to be evaluating backups and seeing what young players are made of, there will be an increased focus on the starting units as they prepare themselves for the long road ahead of a brand new season. Here are the top 5 things to watch for against the Falcons.

1. Anthony Steen at center

Under normal circumstances, this wouldn't even be something to bat an eyelash at. Steen worked his way up the depth chart and turned into the backup center to Mike Pouncey. Good for him. But unfortunately, the circumstances are anything but normal.

Pouncey suffered a hip injury against the Dallas Cowboys, and it could be more serious than the Dolphins initially thought. So now, Miami is calling on Anthony Steen to step up until Pouncey recovers, whenever that is. It will be important to watch how he does snapping the ball, making the calls at the line of scrimmage and blocking up front.

2. Run blocking

This is the biggest problem in the Dolphins offense at this point. The pass protection has shown major improvement with the insertion of Laremy Tunsil into the starting lineup, but there is still a major concern with the run blocking.

The only running backs who have been productive in the preseason so far are Isaiah Pead and Daniel Thomas, and the majority of the latter's stats came near the end of the game when the Dolphins are just trying to get it all over with. As for the starting three, Jay Ajayi, Arian Foster and Damien Williams, they have been largely ineffective and it's because there just haven't been any holes to run through.

The Falcons defense has question marks all over it, if there was ever an opportunity to test the running game, it's this one. They need to focus on running the ball.

3. Defense, all three phases

Every aspect of the defense needs to get better, and I do mean every aspect. Tackling, pass rush, coverage in the passing game, all of it was bad against the Dallas Cowboys. Granted, the Cowboys offensive line is the best in the NFL, so there can be some benefit of the doubt, but not much.

Kiko Alonso at middle linebacker can handle being in coverage, but he struggled to hit the proper gaps and couldn't make tackles when necessary. Tony Lippett found himself getting beat in the passing game and in the wrong position in run defense, Mario Williams and Ndamukong Suh were unable to get pressure on Tony Romo or Dak Prescott.

Things need to start looking up against the Falcons, or it could very well be a long season.

4. Cameron Wake, in or out

Adam Gase has said that it will be a game time decision whether or not Cameron Wake will play in the third preseason game. Wake has been protected by the coaching and medical staff all offseason as the star pass rusher recovers from a torn achilles tendon, and as good as he's looked in practice, he needs some game action.

5. Laremy Tunsil's continued development

As time has gone on, it's become more and more clear that Tunsil is the superior pass protector, but he needs to work on the run blocking part of playing left guard. He'll have a chance to work on that with a Falcons defense that has question marks on it.

Granted, this falls under the umbrella of the second thing to watch, but Tunsil in particular warrants continued observation.

This story was written by Luis Sung. Follow him on Twitter: @FLSportDebater

Among the many concerns fans have going into the third preseason (besides the entire defense of course) is the lack of a running game from the Dolphins' first team unit.

The oft-injured 4 time Pro Bowler Arian Foster is one of them. But when asked how much work he needs to be ready for the season, he stated confidently:

​“Thirty-seven reps.”

And when asked with bemusement by reporters how he came to that exact number, he replied with perhaps a touch of sarcasm:

“It's an algorithm.”

Now the exchange went on for a while longer, but the tone of the conversation was a verbal eye roll at all of the incessant questions about Foster’s performance in a few preseason games. In essence he was saying: Everyone just calm down—I’ve been doing this for a while remember? And not that long ago I was considered one of the best at it.

Two seasons can be like dog years for an NFL running back, particularly one facing the wrong side of thirty and two seasons cut short by significant injuries. So even though Foster may want “thirty seven” carries (joke or not) he more than likely won’t even come close to that before the Dolphins open on the road against Seattle.

Head coach Adam Gase has made it clear to anyone who will listen that he is taking extra precaution with Foster and that the veteran would benefit more from rest than taking unnecessary snaps in the preseason—that’s what the younger players are here for. Those younger players who haven’t proved much yet in the league.

Gase has been consistent with this message—when asked about it on Monday he said the same things he’s been saying to anyone who will listen. 

“We didn't have much to evaluate,” he said. “Whatever carries he had, there wasn't much there to try to create. He did a couple of things on his own. Hopefully we can take a long look at him this week. I don't want to overdo it with him. Obviously, his resume speaks for itself.”

The man does have a valid point—Foster does rank 10th among all active running backs with 6,109 rushing yards. Foster agreed with Gase’s take on what the preseason does for veterans such as himself.

“The preseason's about knocking the cobwebs off, getting back in the groove, seeing things you haven't seen in a while, just getting a feel for the game,” Foster said, who called these exhibition games "kind of a glorified practice.”

“You still go out there and treat it like a workday,” he added. “You never want to embarrass the logo on your helmet. Everybody has pride, but you have to keep things in perspective.”

It may be why Gase and company are much more philosophical about preseason games in general, eschewing the scores and focusing on what the preseason is really for—evaluation and getting ready for the regular season.

“You’ve got to get certain guys ready,” Gase said. “You’ve got to evaluate certain guys. The hardest part is, when you have to play a full game, a lot of things change in the second half.”

It may be hard for fans to believe things are actually going to be different—but make no mistake, coach Gase has a plan—and he doesn’t really care what it looks like to the outside eye. They have bigger things to be concerned with—playing in arguably the most hostile environment in the league and facing the “legion of boom.”

If losing a few preseason games helps the team pull out a victory in Seattle, then looking bad when the games don’t count will have been well worth it.

This story was written by Richard Wilt. Follow him on Twitter: @richardactor71

After spending most of training camp lining up with the second string offensive line, Miami Dolphins rookie Laremy Tunsil finally got some extended action as the starting left guard against Dallas, and according to many reports, including our own Luis Sung, he held his own.

But if you were to ask him, Tunsil still isn’t taking anything for granted.

“It was nice playing with those guys,” he said. “Playing with the ones was nice. But like I said, we never know with the positions. I don't know if I'll be starting or not. We are still rotating. I'll continue to work every day.”

Head coach Adam Gase chimed in this week and gave some insight into how the team is evaluating the offensive line, and Tunsil in particular.

“I think he did a pretty good job. We have a few things that we have to clean up with him.”

Not exactly a glowing review. But as is always the case with Gase, he showed that he has a good handle on the rookie’s development.

“When you look at him, pass pro is not going to be something that I think he's really going to have an issue with,” said Gase. “Sometimes in the run game, when you're in different parts of the field, there's different angles you have to take. Sometimes you have to come off quicker on some of the double teams. (When you're in the red zone, and a linebacker is two yards from you, and he hits it because it's a run, you've got to understand you can't be as thick on a defender on the defensive line. It's got to be hand and then move up to the second level, because it's coming quick. Just little things like that.”

“There are going to be errors, he continued. “It just has to be a quick process - if you make the mistake, you have to move on, and you can't let it happen again.”

Tunsil himself sees areas where he needs to improve as he transitions to guard from the left tackle spot that he’s played his entire collegiate career.

“Transferring from tackle to guard is going to be a process,” he says. “That's why I stay in the meeting room and listen to my coaches every day and try to get better.”

Tunsil has already found that practicing against a defensive line that includes All Pros Ndamukong Suh and Mario Williams is giving him an edge in games, saying, “Practice and a game is basically the same thing. In practice, you have a little more competition with the best - Suh over there, and you have Mario over there – so you're going against the best every day … Going against them, makes the games easier.

“It was nice, but we still got to get better and attack every day.”

As the Dolphins prepare to face the Atlanta Falcons Thursday night in the third preseason game, a game where the starters typically see extended time on the field, Tunsil is excited to build chemistry with his fellow lineman, not just in this game, but in every game as the preseason and regular season progresses.

“Building the chemistry with the ones is important. I'm looking forward to every game, and I'm looking forward to getting better.”

This story was written by Eldon Jenson. Follow him on Twitter @EJFootball

The Dolphins running back situation has to be a major focus for this game. The performance of Jay Ajayi hasn’t been stellar to this point and at least one run from Arian Foster was down right concerning last week. Either head coach Adam Gase knows something we don’t or he’s putting a brave face on the issue.

“We’re trying to evaluate that position. It seems like all of those guys are playing really well and that’s a good thing. The fact that we are complaining about running back depth, I’ll take that all day.”

I assure you, no one is complaining about depth. They’re worried that a team that wants to play multiple running backs doesn’t appear to have even one that is of starting quality.

Jay Ajayi is the young draft pick that the Dolphins have had a year to develop. Undoubtedly they’d like to see him take this job. Draft and develop - that’s the path to consistent success in the NFL.

But so far Ajayi has lacked the patience, vision and has not demonstrated the receiving skills of a good all around starting running back. He’s still young and he’s got a lot to learn. But playing running back isn’t brain surgery. It’s time for the Dolphins to see more out of Ajayi.

Arian Foster is another problem. He didn’t play against the Giants and with only 2 carries for -5 yards against the Cowboys, there is only limited set of plays to look at.

“We didn’t have much to evaluate,” Gase said of Foster’s performance. “The couple of carries that he had, there wasn’t much there. He tried to create a couple things on his own. Hopefully we can get him going a little bit this week. Obviously I don’t want to overdo it with him but I’m pretty sure, his resume speaks for itself.”

He did, indeed, try to make something happen on his own and, arguably, he should have. Given virtually an even head start at the line of scrimmage on the Dallas periphery, Foster failed to out run the defensive end and get around the edge on one run that he really should have been able to bounce outside. It was only one play. But for a player coming off of a ruptured Achilles tendon it was a bad sign.

Dolphin fans need to focus on Foster’s speed, quickness and, especially, his explosion. Clearly the Dolphins value him most as a pass catcher. His ability to separate from linebackers in coverage is therefore crucial to the success of their plans.

As far as his resume is concerned, the Dolphins are going to have to forget that. Except for where it accounts for veteran experience it should mean nothing and the fact that we’re hearing about it so often is also a concern.

Finally, there is Isaiah Pead, a guy who may be the best all around running back that the Dolphins have. Pead shows more of the physical characteristics of Ajayi with more of the veteran savvy of Foster. He runs with patience and with vision and he’s shown the ability to catch a pass.

"I’ve been here since springtime learning Coach Gase’s offense." Pead said. "It’s all about being patient and taking it one snap at a time and making reads. Not making cuts in your head. Take what you’ve got."

After doing extremely well against back ups, the odds seem to be in favor of Pead getting more first team snaps and it will be interesting to see if he can take advantage of the opportunity.  If he does, the Dolphins may have found an unexpected solution to a problem that Gase doesn’t seem willing to even admit that he has, yet.

This column was written by Tom Shannon. Follow him on Twitter: @bearingthenews

The journey that Kenny Stills took from New Orleans to Miami was an odd one. One moment he was catching deep passes from future Hall of Famer Drew Brees, and the next he's being traded to Miami for a much-maligned linebacker and a third round pick.

Upon arriving, Stills found himself being the almost forgotten member of the Dolphins offense under both Joe Philbin and Dan Campbell, being overlooked in favor of Jarvis Landry, the departed Rishard Matthews and Lamar Miller, and even tight end Jordan Cameron.

Stills was only able to catch 27 passes in 2015 as a member of the Miami Dolphins, for only 440 yards and three touchdowns, all of which were career lows for the young speedster.

But now the offense belongs to new head coach Adam Gase, who has been quoted as saying that he's had plans for Stills dating back as far as the coach's tenure as the Chicago Bears' offensive coordinator, and the Bears were unable to complete a trade with the Saints that would've sent Stills to Chicago instead.

But now that Gase is coaching in Miami, those plans he had are finally becoming a reality, and as a result, Stills' skill set is being featured in places where the average individual wouldn't expect, such as in the red zone.

“I think the speed makes a big difference as far as when he comes off the ball, he comes off with great stride length." said Adam Gase. "He doesn’t really dance around at the line of scrimmage. He’s getting vertical right away. He seems to get DBs that they get turned a lot of times, and he’s very quick at the top of his routes, and he’s catching the ball well.

​"When you put all of those things together – and being as detailed as he is in this offense and probably knowing it as good as anybody besides the quarterback – he’s a guy that is really putting himself in position to win a lot of the times. He’s getting open and the quarterback is seeing him.”

The quarterback is indeed seeing him, as he was the recipient of not one, not two, but three game changing plays against the Dallas Cowboys in the second preseason game, which - despite the huge 41-14 loss - shows that the offense can do well with the weapons at Tannehill's disposal, with Stills quickly becoming a favored target who's also beating a stereotype.

“I think he’s an all-around receiver." said Ryan Tannehill. "I think he has put a lot of time into growing his game and to becoming a complete receiver. I think he gets stereotyped a lot into, ‘He’s a pure speed guy. He’s a guy who’s going to take the top off and stretch you down the field.’ Obviously, he can do that. He’s one of the fastest guys in the league – definitely on our team – but he’s a complete receiver."

That complete receiver was the star of the Dolphins offense on Friday against the Cowboys, catching a 55-yard deep pass with Tannehill rolling out to his right, and two tough touchdown catches in the red zone, both of which had him battling it out with a defensive back in very tight coverage.

"The deep ball on the run was a great throw." said Stills. "The first touchdown was a great throw; the second one was a great throw. He was on the money. We’ve just got to continue to build on that and try to come out of these games with some wins. It’s the preseason. We’re all out there working, trying to get on the same page and clean up the little details. It wasn’t perfect but the series that we were in – I thought that we did alright, so we’ve just got to build on that next week."

With Stills starting to get more of the spotlight, teams will start to give a wider berth to guys like Jarvis Landry, who lead the team in receptions by double the amount of the player behind him (Landry's 110 to Lamar Miller's 47), and that will get the offense firing on all cylinders as teams won't be homed in on one specific player.

It's a contract year for Stills, and he's spent the entire offseason working on becoming a more balanced wide receiver, and so far it's paying off, as he's being used in situations where normally he wouldn't.

"He’s comfortable running the inside routes, third downs (and) obviously in the red zone (as) we saw." Tannehill said. "I’m excited about the progress he has made, the effort, the time he has put in over the course of the last year, really focusing on the details of the position and becoming a complete receiver.”

The Dolphins will play their third preseason game (often known as the dress rehearsal game) Thursday night in Orlando against the Atlanta Falcons. There, Stills will get a chance to show that his performance against the Cowboys was not a mere fluke, and there's more to him than just raw speed.

This story was written by Luis Sung. Follow him on Twitter: @FLSportDebater

In 2013, Julius Thomas, then the tight end for the Denver Broncos, caught 65 passes for 788 yards and 12 touchdowns. The next season, he missed three games, but still managed to catch 43 balls for close to 500 yards and another 12 touchdowns.

Last season, the tight ends for the Bears, Martellus Bennett and Zach Miller, combined for 87 catches for 878 yards and 8 touchdowns.

The common thread in all three of those very productive tight end seasons? Current Miami Dolphins head coach Adam Gase ran the offenses of all three of those teams. In almost every offense Gase has controlled, his tight ends have been highly involved, and especially so as the team nears and enters the red zone.

In the offseason, as rumors swirled that the Dolphins might part ways with tight end Jordan Cameron as a cost-cutting measure, and Cameron was being asked to restructure his contract - at that time he was scheduled to count $9.5 million against the cap – he received a phone call from Thomas, saying, “you HAVE to play for this guy!” That convinced Cameron to agree to a pay cut and re-sign with the team.

As quarterback Ryan Tannehill notes, the tight ends “have to be a full player - a complete player - and be able to run routes, not just tight end routes, not just corners and flats. They have to be able to run receiver routes as well, because we are going to put them on the outside and try to stress teams in that way."

Being able to block and pass catch is important in Gase’s offense.

"We definitely need both roles from our tight ends,” said Tannehill. “There's going to be a lot of situations where they're going to be pass blocking and run blocking, and then we're going to be putting them all the way on the outside and trying to create a mismatch out there.”

Coupled with Dion Sims and rookie Thomas Duarte, Cameron was expected to be a big part of the Dolphins game plans this year.

But for some reason, that hasn’t happened. Through two preseason games, the three tight ends have combined for just 5 catches for 35 yards and 1 touchdown, including one lone catch for 5 yards for Cameron. Against Dallas, Cameron dropped what would have been a touchdown pass from Tannehill.

It’s a given that preseason game plans are vanilla by nature. Gase certainly isn’t going to give away any offensive tendencies, and the team as a whole is far more concerned with finding out which players will stick at the bottom of the roster at the expense of getting the starters much quality playing time. As such, the lack of production from the tight ends, while seemingly odd, isn’t a concern. In fact, Tannehill has gone out of his way to praise Cameron.

"He's extremely athletic,” said Tannehill. “He's a talented guy. You like your matchups with him on safeties, definitely on linebackers. He's a guy we want to get rolling and be able to take advantage of mismatches."

As the Dolphins head into their third preseason game Thursday night against the Atlanta Falcons, the starters are expected to see extended playing time, possibly playing one series into the second half. And maybe, just maybe, fans will finally start to see the offense use the big guys out on the end of the line a bit more. In spite of the dropped ball in the endzone last week, Tannehill insists he’ll have no problem coming back to Cameron if the situation arises.

"It was one mistake in a season-long campaign,” Tannehill says of Cameron's dropped pass against Dallas. “You can't dwell on it. Obviously we want to make those plays, but he's going to make a lot of plays for us. He has to keep his head up, keep working, and he'll make it next time."

​This story was written by Eldon Jenson. Follow him on Twitter @EJFootball

When the Miami Dolphins drafted cornerback Xavien Howard in the second round of the 2016 NFL draft, the hope was that he would be able to compete for the starting job opposite veteran cornerback Byron Maxwell.

Unfortunately, the rookie had to undergo arthroscopic knee surgery before training camp began, which forced Howard into two months of rehab before finally being taken off of the physically unable to perform list this past Thursday. Now that he's on the active roster, the Dolphins are trying to bring him along slowly in practice to ensure he'll be ready for the regular season.

“We had him do individual. Conditioning and then going out there and practicing football, it’s just two different animals." said head coach Adam Gase. "It’s going to take a second for him to get back into the flow of things. When we start having him go against wide receivers, he’s going to have to get that feel back. It’s been since the spring and that’s a lot of time that has gone by."

Howard, while not particularly forthcoming with answers to questions from the media, did imply that he has been keeping up with the mental aspects of the defense while he rehabbed, and while he wouldn't be playing in the third preseason game this upcoming Thursday against the Atlanta Falcons, he does expect to play in the final preseason game the following week against the Tennessee Titans.

“I feel like I got better." Howard said. "My leg is better and it’s going to improve when I go out there.” 

And while Miami hopes to give the rookie the opportunity he's hoping for, Adam Gase isn't making any promises regarding the rookie's future status.

"Hopefully we can get him in a game before we hit the regular season." he said. "We just don’t know yet. We have to see how his body feels, we have to see how his legs feel, we have to see how his movement skills are. There’s a lot of little check marks we have to make before we throw him into a game.”

Howard's recovery could be crucial for the Dolphins' 2016 season, as Tony Lippett has been struggling with some fundamentals and veteran Chris Culliver is still on the PUP list and could be for some time. With all that in mind, Howard could very well be Miami's best chance at having a functional secondary.

This story was written by Luis Sung. Follow him on Twitter: @FLSportDebater