After another tough loss for Dolphins fans on Thursday Night to the Cincinnati Bengals, it has to be evident to even the most optimistic observer that the Dolphins are among the league’s worst football teams four games into the season.  Here are ten thoughts coming off of the loss.
 
1. I’ll do something that not many people are doing this week and start off with a positive. The Dolphins much maligned run defense was excellent for most of the game. They had held the Bengals to just 42 yards on 18 carries for an average of 2.3 ypc in the first half. They finished the game with only 2.1 ypc. Particularly from halftime on the Dolphins defensive line dominated the run game, penetrating well into the backfield to disrupt the plays.

2. Which brings us to a related point. The disparity in time of possession in this game really told the story. The Dolphins held the ball for just 21:58 in the compared to the Bengals 38:02. When the disparity was 25:52 to 15:13 near the end of the third quarter, you had to figure that it was just a matter of time before the Dolphins defense finally wore down. But the truth is that, despite likely being very tired, they held up well to the end, their saving grace probably being that the Bengals had so little success running the ball. 

3. The defense also deserves kudos for their red zone effort. Over and over the Bengals drove deep into Dolphins territory only to have the defense stiffen and allow a field goal instead of a touchdown. The defense couldn’t get off the field and they allowed the Bengals to keep the ball for far too much time. And the Bengals were obviously missing their best red zone target in tight end Tyler Eifert but give the Dolphins their due. Their effort in the crunch kept the team within striking distance far longer than they should have been.

4. Somewhat disturbing, though hardly surprising, was the way that the Bengals receivers had their way with a poor Dolphins defensive backfield.  A.J. Green (10 catches, 173 yards) is going to get his catches no matter who covers him but C.J. Uzomah (4 catches, 45 yards) and Brandon LaFell (4 catches, 44 yards) both had big catches over the course of the game over Xavien Howard and Tony Lippett. The Bengals also attacked an ailing Dolphins linebacker corps with two of the three starters out by sending Giovanni Bernard out on routes for three big catches and 24 yards. 

Lippett was starting over Byron Maxwell, who was demoted for his effort the previous weeks, and didn’t have a good game. Particularly bad was his missed tackle on A.J. Green allowing him to dance in for the Bengals only touchdown. In fairness to Lippett, there were a number of missed tackles over the course of the night from almost everyone on the field.

The coaching staff will likely be much maligned for starting Lippett as Maxwell, though a mediocre player, is still better than Lippett right now.  But Lippett has youth on his side and the thinking may be that if they’re going to have average to below average play at the position, they might as well develop the younger draft pick for the future.
 
Whether Lippett is actually good enough to have a future as a starter is another issue for another day. For now, let’s just say that the decision to play Lippett wasn’t as bad as it may seem when put in perspective.

5. The Dolphins offense was, of course, a huge problem in this game. They struggled once again on third down (0 for 5 in the first half).

Quarterback Ryan Tannehill called the game “One of our worst performances” and I’d have to agree. The most disturbing aspect may be the fact that it wasn’t just one thing that was going wrong. Players were making mistakes all over the field. When this happens, it’s often a function of poor preparation and poor coaching. Players aren’t ready to play, mentally or physically.

This is particularly worrisome because Adam Gase tried to play tough guy last week, benching players like Maxwell and threatening others like Ja’Wuan James. The purpose was obviously to send a message that the team had to start concentrating and pick up their game after the problems that the team had against Cleveland last week. 
 
This is the problem with hiring a first time head coach. Many of the veteran coaches around the league nowadays try to keep an even keel and not react too much to performances week-to-week. Whatever Gase was trying to accomplish, it didn’t work. So the question is, now what does he do?

6. Having said that, maybe now Gase should go ahead and bench James the first opportunity he gets not to be tough but simply because he’s not good enough. James struggled with Carlos Dunlap in pass protection and allowed a critical strip sack of Tannehill that allowed the Bengals to kick yet another field goal right before halftime.

Right now there are injuries along the offensive line that are bad enough to, amongst other things, push Laremy Tunsil from guard to left tackle (where he performed well, by the way). Gase probably can’t afford to bench James, the disappointing former first round pick right now. But he’s been underwhelming and it may be time to consider the possibility that he’s not the best player at the position when everyone is healthy.

7. The play of Billy Turner at left guard is another reason why benching James isn’t possible right now. Turner was man handled up the middle by Geno Atkins on some critical downs, sacking Tannehill almost before he had time to set up in the pocket.

Admittedly Turner wasn’t the first and will be far from the last lineman to struggle with Atkins. But the Dolphins are really going to have to think hard about moving on from Turner and Jamil Douglas after this year. If their performance late last year didn’t prove it, performances like this do. They aren’t good enough to compete to start and, therefore, aren’t good enough to be adequate backups.

8. The Dolphins didn’t run the ball badly (13 rushes for 64 yards, 4.8 ypc). But playing from behind, they didn’t get a chance to run it enough. Jay Ajayi had a particularly good game running the ball (5.5 ypc) and he caught both balls thrown his way. 

But the passing game was disturbingly poor.

Many have attributed this failure in the passing game to the wide receivers not being able to get separation from the Bengals defensive backs and there’s little doubt that this was a factor. Many will also say that Tannehill didn’t get adequate protection but that’s not entirely true. The protection was sometimes very good, just inconsistent. Add this to Tannehill’s notoriously poor pocket presence leading to the strip sack near the end of the first half and the pass rush sometimes looked worse than it was.

Tannehill simply wasn’t sharp, dropping back and holding the ball rather than quickly getting rid of it as an Adam Gase offense would typically demand that you do. This might be attributed to the fact that the Bengals were doing a reasonably good job of disguising their coverages, especially early on.

We heard rumors all offseason that Tannehill was having a hard time getting up to speed on Gase’s offense, holding the ball significantly longer than, for instance, Matt Moore, in practice. You have to wonder if this apparent struggle with the Bengals backfield movement before the snap is a manifestation of that problem.

Either way, Tannehill is in a watershed year. Gase has to decide whether he is going to be the guy he stakes his head coaching career on. You have to doubt that he’s going to want to do that with a quarterback who can’t seem to put two good halves of football together. If Tannehill wants to be that guy, he’s going to have to be better and more consistent.

9. I was somewhat amused when Dolphins offensive coordinator Clyde Christenson had this interesting observation after being asked about Tannehill’s 17-yard run in the fourth quarter against the Patriots. Tannehill lowered his head and bowled over a defender: 
"I started holding my kidney and I said it's a reoccurring nightmare," he said.
 
Christensen is the former Indianapolis offensive coordinator who had the misfortune to have watched Andrew Luck sustain a kidney injury on a run.
 
I hear Dolphin fans say over and over again how foolish it is not to roll Tannehill out and have him throw on the run, where he is often more effective.  How many times do they have to watch quarterbacks like Matt Moore sustain concussions before they realize that just can’t happen regularly in the NFL?

10. Rumblings are starting to be heard amongst fans and media as justifiable criticism of Mike Tannenbaum for the dearth of talent on the Dolphins roster that he has built. One of the things that has stuck out to me is the lack of turnover on the bottom of the Dolphins roster.

Front offices run by veteran personnel men are characterized by a constant search for young, undiscovered talent that might not fit one team or system but which might fit very well with what their teams want to do. For instance, Cardinals general manager Steve Keim has worked over that roster in concert with coach Bruce Arians almost constantly churning the bottom of the roster. Keim comments on the matter are interesting.

“Ideally, what I would like to do is get in a situation where we are 48 to 49 strong in terms of our roster,” Keim said. “Then you are always trying to roll the back four or five players, trying to find the right mix because there are going to be guys that hit the waiver wire that you think upgrade your talent and you want to take shots with. You have to be active and aggressive because if you are not, you're going to miss out on some things. It doesn't hurt to bring guys in for a couple of weeks, give them a sniff and see what they can do.”

Tannenbaum isn’t a personnel man and doesn’t have this perspective.  Indeed, his philosophy seems to be to find risky veteran guys who have done it before rather than trying to plumb the depths of undiscovered talent.  The Dolphins have made no roster moves over the first month of the season that weren’t injury-related. Whether intended or not, the message being sent is that the roster is as good as its ever going to get right now.  I leave it to Dolphins fans to judge whether they think that should be the case.

10a. Next up is the Tennessee Titans at noon a week from Sunday. The game is one of four straight home game at Hard Rock Stadium. If the Dolphins can’t get themselves right during this home stand, it’s probably never going to happen and they are in for a rough year the rest of the way out.

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

​PhinManiacs Live returns as Luis Sung and Chad Ronnebaum sum up the last few weeks of Dolphins football as well as take any questions you may have for them.

Some topics will include the play of Ryan Tannehill and the status of NFL quarterbacking in general, the attitude and mindset of head coach Adam Gase, and the real struggles with the defense.

We encourage everyone to interact and join us as we do our live show, you can either join the chat on YouTube, tweet us at @PhinManiacs, or you can call in and give us your thoughts on-air by calling 954-376-5704. 

While the Miami Dolphins players were playing their home opener against the Cleveland Browns, the franchise was opening the stadium to a whole new set of fans that had a passion for art and an appetite for organic food, as they showed off their latest fan experience enhancement project for the first time.

The reveal was officially made this past Thursday, as the media attended an official press conference announcing the project and was also treated to a tour of the stadium showcasing all of the 18 art pieces made by artists representing ten different countries.

“The Hard Rock Stadium project is thrilling because of the uniqueness of its architectural form and becomes the perfect backdrop for this most ambitious project." said Goldman Global Arts (GGA) Co-Founder Jessica Goldman Srebnick. "The artistic story we are telling with the Dolphins at their stadium is a truly international one that reflects the energy of the Miami community and signifies the commitment of Stephen Ross and the Dolphins organization in creating a world class global venue.”

The artists who painted the murals hailed from Germany, Argentina, Australia, Spain, Chile, Portugal, Brazil, France, the United Kingdom and of course the United States of America, each of them specializing in their own particular style of art which was reflected in the work they did.

"A lot of my work is inspired by designs in nature, colors in nature." said Jen Stark, a United States street artist. "Usually when things have bright colors it's either an attractant or a repellent, like a bright berry that's either a delicious bite or a mushroom that has this crazy bright color that you want to stay away from. I think the colors and the vibrancy of Miami, like growing up here, I think that's seeped into my artwork."

While the majority of the artwork was meant to be non-sports related, the organization felt that at least one piece of art should be based on the embodiment of the Miami Dolphins spirit. And so, Portuguese street artist Alexandre Manuel Dias (otherwise known as Vhils) created a concrete likeness of Hall of Fame coach Don Shula, with his son Dave there at the unveiling in place of his father who was on vacation.

“Our family can’t thank Mr. Ross and Tom Garfinkel and everybody that’s a part of Hard Rock Stadium and the Miami Dolphins for including him, memorializing him in concrete, in the ’72 club, in the house that – Hard Rock Stadium that it’s called now, that he loves so much.”

But there was more than just art to show off, the Dolphins also held a food tasting that Thursday afternoon, showing some of the new food options that will be available to fans during home games this season, including the addition of South Florida staple and Dolphins family restaurant Shula Burger.

It joins an already impressive cast of vendors including concessionaire partner Centerplate as well as Bokampers MVP Club, Bru’s Room Sports Grill, Café Versailles, Cold Stone Creamery, Johnsonville, Michelle Bernstein’s Crumb on Parchment, Papa John’s, Sabra, Sloppy Joe’s and Sushi Maki.

In addition, Hard Rock Stadium will continue to offer two taps rooms boasting 16 South Florida craft beers along with 36 options that include five gluten free options and favorites like Blue Point IPA, Goose Island and Stella.

​But besides the addition of Shula Burger, the Miami Dolphins made history as they became the first U.S. sports team to add a vendor with a completely organic menu called Grown, founded by none other than Shannon Allen, wife of former NBA sharpshooter Ray Allen.

“This is a dream come true for me,” Shannon said. “I’ve been cheering Ray (Allen) on, supporting him and going to sports arenas for over 20 years, basically noshing on chicken fingers and fries with my five kids in tow … when you’re eating them four or five times a week, it can become a real problem.”

The problem in question presented itself approximately eight years ago when one of the Allen's sons - Walker - was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when he was just 17 months old. It was a scary prospect for them as they rushed Walker to the hospital one night, and that was where they found out about his diabetes.

And so began the long battle to bring Grown into existence.

“It took me eight years to get it open because everyone that I talked to said, ‘You’re insane.'” Shannon said. “‘Someone a lot smarter than you, with access to a lot more money than you have, with way better logistics and experience and a network would’ve figured this out a long time ago if it was possible. It’s impossible.’

“And I just couldn’t believe that, because I know how desperately I needed it in my own life as a mom with five kids, one with a serious medical condition, and before you know it, we were opening our doors and we had lines around the corner.”

The discussions to bring Grown to Hard Rock Stadium went well, and the food there will have those with healthier lifestyles raving with excitement. CEO Tom Garfinkel was bombarded with requests to bring a vendor like Grown into the Dolphins family, and now that wish has finally been granted.

“I live close to it (Grown) down in Coral Gables,” Garfinkel said. “And my wife got to know Shannon a little bit, and the community of people down there just love the food, and we’d gotten a lot of requests from fans about healthy food options in the stadium. So we had a conversation, talked about bringing them and they were excited about it.”

The Dolphins have always been dedicated to doing everything they can to enhance the fan experience, but even Garfinkel was willing to admit that perhaps the best way to enhance the fan experience is to put a winning football team on the field. Given everything that the organization has done to make the stadium experience great, all that's left is to do just that.

Adam Gase and the team snuck away with a win in overtime in their home opener, but they still have a long way to go before they earn the trust of the fan base. That is Gase's next - and perhaps only - project as of now.

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

In the mostly quiet locker room after the game, a casual observer would have a hard time realizing that the Miami Dolphins had just beaten the Cleveland Browns in an overtime game. As players stripped off their tape and armor, and showered off the grit and grime of the battlefield, there was no joviality, no claps on the back, no congratulations of a game well played.

Because it wasn’t well played.

At all.

There were certainly a few moments to cheer, beginning with Devante Parker’s leaping endzone catch for the team’s first touchdown. But as the television commentators immediately pointed out, that was the first touchdown scored in the first half by the Dolphins this season.

Yep, even the small victories, the little things that actually went right were muted on this day when the Dolphins squeaked out a 30-24 win over a Browns team that was led by a third-string rookie quarterback making his first NFL start. The Browns were also missing nearly half of their starters to injury, and their kicker was literally signed off the street just two days ago.

Ironically, that kicker was the sole reason the Dolphins even had a chance in this game, missing three field goals, including a potential game-winner that sailed to the left as time expired in regulation.

Yes, the game was won because the other team’s kicker had a worse day than the Dolphins.

Passes sailed wide. An interception was returned for a touchdown. Opponent wide receivers, including a former quarterback-turned-wide-receiver, seemed to be running uncovered time after time. The heralded Dolphins defensive front was mauled at the line of scrimmage, allowing 169 rushing yards.

Dolphins fans all across the country sunk their faces into their hands, shook their heads, and sighed. This wasn’t the team we expected to see. But it wasn’t just the fans that were frustrated. Head coach Adam Gase had just won his first NFL game, and couldn’t have been less thrilled.

“We need to play better,” said Gase. “I just want us to execute better. I want us to play with some consistency. We come out here in our first game home to showcase to our own fans what we're all about, and offensively we're out there flopping around. It irritated me ... We're too up and down on offense."

In fact, late in the game television cameras caught Gase on the sideline shaking his head and looking dejected in the closing minutes, and his body language didn’t change when the team gained new life on the Browns missed field goal attempt. When Gase was later asked if he was surprised that the Browns elected to kick off in the overtime period, his response was telling.

“The way we were playing offensively, it was probably a good idea.”

“We didn’t play well,” agreed safety Rashad Jones. “We have to do a better job tackling.”

Defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh added, “It's a terrible way to win, but we'll take it, for sure. We didn't play as well as I'd hoped, especially on the defensive side of the ball.”

“It was ugly,” said quarterback Ryan Tannehill. “We didn't play well at times today, but we stuck together and found a way to get a win. Sometimes that's the way it's going to be. It's going to be ugly, it's not going to be pretty; but if you find a way to get a win, that's really all the matters.

“Obviously, we have a lot of stuff to get cleaned up. Offensively, we didn't come out and execute. We left a lot of plays on the field, just with poor execution, and we have to get that cleaned up immediately. We're three games in now and we're too far in to be having the kinds of mistakes that we're having. We have to be cleaner, we have to be better, and we have to be better right now.”

“I don’t think we deserved to win,” added Tannehill. “But we’ll take it.”

Now the question is how well the Dolphins can put this game behind them and move onto the next game, which is coming up fast on a short week, as the Dolphins will fly to Cincinnati this week for a Thursday night showdown with another 1-2 team in the Bengals.

Miami Herald reporter Armando Salquero reports that after the game, in his private office, Gase was angry. As well he should be. After three games of inconsistency on offense and lackluster play on defense, Gase should be livid. In fact, Gase pulled starting right tackle Ja’Wuan James off the field for the Dolphins drive in overtime. Angry about mistakes, both mental and physical, that simply shouldn’t be happening three games into the season, you can bet he will be making sure players know that other jobs are on the line as well.

While he maintains a public sense of calm and control, and points out the leadership and work ethics of Rashad Jones and Jarvis Landry, he also not-all-that-subtlety insinuated that he’d like to see others put forth the same effort as those two.

Gase and the rest of his staff know that ugly wins like Sunday’s are not good enough. While the public message is, as Cameron Wake said, “You rub a little ‘W’ on it, and it makes you feel better,” you can rest assured that message isn’t what’s being said in the locker room. Coaches and players alike know that if this team wants to reverse a decade and a half of mediocrity, it starts with playing the game the right way, executing plays in games with the same effort and consistency as in practice, and playing the game to win.

As that ever-hated team up north always says, “Do your job.”

And do it right.

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

After playing relatively well in the team's first two games of the season, the Dolphins lost. However, despite that, there was real hope that head coach Adam Gase had the offense, and quarterback Ryan Tannehill in particular, playing better. There was a real sense of improvement.
 
Who would have known that after the team's first victory, all of that would be erased. Once again, the offense failed to string together a consistent effort, while the defense yet again had trouble containing a team's second (or third) option at quarterback.
 
And head coach Adam Gase was clearly irritated—perhaps more irritated than the team's efforts in the Dolphins' first two games. Had it not been for three missed field goals, by the kicker (signed by the Browns literally hours before Sunday's game), the team would be 0-3 and in dire straights. 
 
To make matters worse, the Dolphins will have a short week to prepare as they face the Cincinnati Bengals this Thursday.
 
Despite Gase's first win as a head football coach, he was in no mood to celebrate. When asked about it Gase's response reflected his mood: "It’s just another game.” 
 
Gase was equally cryptic when asked about the team's poor performance in general and what possible solutions there may be: “Yes. But I don’t have a great answer for you right now until I go back and take a look at the film, which I’ll probably have to do tonight. I’ll get to correcting the mistakes that we’re making and adjusting to get ready for Cincinnati.”
 
The truth, though the head coach will never admit it, is poor roster construction, the result of years of bad drafts, regime and coaching changes and no clear direction for the once-proud franchise.
 
There were bright spots—and some of them came from the team's younger players. Jarvis Landry, Kenyan Drake and Devante Parker on offense, with Xavien Howard doing a solid job on defense. Second year running back Jay Ajayi redeemed himself, running for the winning score in overtime.
 
Ryan Tannehill, in typical fashion, had his usual up and down performance. The fifth year quarterback does just enough good to give loyalists hope and just enough bad to frustrate the rest. All of this adds up to—you guessed it, an average player. Patience is in short supply for the much-maligned signal caller.
 
However, plenty of blame can go around for the offense's inconsistent effort—no consistent running game, poor run blocking and allowing pressures/sacks at the times when protection is needed the most. Case in point; the second of Tannehill's two interceptions came after pressure allowed a Browns defender to hit Tannehill's arm as he was releasing the ball.
 
Fast forward to the fourth quarter, when on a critical late drive, Ja'Wuan James allowed a sack, causing a fumble which the Browns recovered. When the Dolphins went back out on offense, James was benched in favor of Billy Turner.
 
Give Tannehill credit—he takes blame for his mistakes. And he never throws the rest of the team under the bus for theirs.
 
When asked about the team's offensive performance, Tannehill stressed that things need to get better—and in a hurry:  "We left a lot of plays on the field, just with poor execution, and we have to get that cleaned up, immediately. We’re three games in now and we’re too far in to be having the kinds of mistakes that we’re having. We have to be cleaner, we have to be better and we have to be better right now. "
 
I believe Gase is the right man for the job-but it is clear this roster is at least a draft or two away from producing a playoff-caliber team.
 
In other words, get ready.  Because things might get much worse before they get better.

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

As the Miami Dolphins prepare for their much anticipated and long overdue home opener this weekend in newly-christened Hard Rock Stadium, they are hoping to continue the offensive game plan that saw them come back and come oh-so-close to erasing a 31-3 deficit last weekend with three second half touchdowns.

If that happens, the Cleveland Browns are in for a long day.

But as much as fans want to see those offensive fireworks continue, the team is mindful of how they got into the bad situation in the first place. Head coach Adam Gase pointed out this week that those same downfield plays were there in the first half against the New England Patriots, but the execution fell short.

“For the most part, that's kind of what we've been,” said head coach Adam Gase. “If you're not in rhythm, if you don't get it going really quick, then all of a sudden you start having three-and-outs, and you're looking up and you're like, 'Well, we burned 30 seconds off the clock,' and now you're putting the other side of the ball in jeopardy.”

In last week’s game, by the time the Dolphins got within striking distance in the fourth quarter, the defense was worn down, having spent the majority of the first half on the field due to the offense having three straight three-and-out possessions. And the players understand how, if that time of possession is unbalanced, it affects one side of the ball in a negative way.

“We can't be an 'almost' team, or a second half team,” said wide receiver Jarvis Landry. “We can't leave the defense out there for 50 plays in the first half, and we only get 15, and expect them to stop people - after they've been out there for 75 plays - on the last drive. We can't put it in their hands. We have to complement each other."

And a good way to get that started against Cleveland this week? A fast start. Getting first downs early. Keeping drives alive.

"You just want to find a way to get that first, first down” said Gase. “You want to make sure you're getting completions. A lot of those plays that we had in the second half were down the field throws and intermediate throws. It shortens up the drive quite a bit. But at the same time, you just better make sure you're executing, you're getting the first down and then you're getting points on the board.”

“If you're getting points on the board, the time of possession really is irrelevant because it's going to be tough for the other team to keep up with you,” Gase continued. “We just have to find a way, when we do huddle, when we do slow it down a little bit, just clean up a few of our details, keep the mentality of playing fast when the play starts. That's going to be the biggest key for us."

Is it realistic to expect the Dolphins to come out with guns blazing this weekend?

"Yes,” says offensive coordinator Clyde Christensen. “I really think it is. I think that's what we've based the thing on. I think for the last whatever number of years that I've been in this offense, one of the neat things is that you're never out of a game. That would be one characteristic of Coach Gase in Denver and I think myself in Indy. You're never out of it because that's what you do - two-minute offense, getting up-tempo.

“That's the ideal thing. All of a sudden you get into a rhythm in that first half, and you play with a lead, and give our defense a chance to play with a lead, which would be a pleasant change to be up 17-0, to be up 14-3.”

After trailing all but a few minutes of the first two games, but still coming close against two top-notch opponents, starting a game with a lead would be a welcome change. The players know they let some good opportunities slip through their fingers, but as a whole, they are banded together and looking to improve in each of the next 14 games.

"The last two weeks, we've played tough opponents, and you give them credit for that,” said Landry. “But at the same time, we've shot ourselves in the foot with turnovers and a couple of three and outs. It's things like that. We have to find a way to get that first, first down, and move the ball effectively and play the first half like we played the second half."

And Landry sees that happening this week.

“We're a building group. We're building more and more chemistry every game.”

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

Managing your money is an important aspect of life, whether you're an athlete making millions or an average individual working the nine to five. So that's why BankUnited has formed the 4 Downs for Finance initiative to teach young athletes the importance of saving money and using it wisely.

​So Tuesday afternoon, BankUnited gathered the Miramar High School football team before practice to give a lecture on the importance of saving money and how doing so can benefit them in the future.

But what they didn't know was that they were about to be visited by a very special guest, one who a lot of the players on the Miramar Patriots idolize and look up to as players themselves. Hoots and hollers from over 65 players rang out throughout the library they were seated in, when none other than Dolphins wide receiver Jarvis Landry walked through the side doors to greet them.

Landry, 23, spoke of how he learned a lot about financial literacy during his time at LSU, citing how once you're in college, suddenly you're on your own and the budget gets much tighter, so he needed to learn a lot about how to handle his money.

"One of the best things to look at, you look at the (ESPN's) 30 for 30, and all these players that go broke after a certain amount of years, these players that didn't have any financial literacy or even knew what a financial advisor was," said Landry. "Just to have the opportunity to come back and spread that knowledge to these guys that may be in that position one day is something that means everything to me."

The Dolphins star wide receiver spoke of how as soon as he signed his rookie contract, the importance of financial literacy was magnified for him, and he was fortunate enough to get advice from his agent who he says legitimately cares about the players he represents.

BankUnited has been a proud partner of the Miami Dolphins for years now, and the 4 Downs for Finance program has given many, many athletes the knowledge they'll need as they move forward from high school to college, and perhaps even beyond that. According to coach Pierre Senatus, that's a very distinct possibility. Stephen Gordon, an offensive lineman who won two tickets to the Dolphins home opener on Sunday in a raffle that was held, received high praise.

"He's definitely a collegiate player," Senatus said. "Steve's a hardworking young man, he's really developing his skillset, and we happen to have a very talented offensive line, so he's biding his time and waiting for his time, he's super talented."

4 Downs for Finance will continue throughout the season to teach students the importance of financial literacy, with Jarvis Landry doing his part to pass along his knowledge every step of the way.

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

For Miami Dolphins fans, Sunday’s game put them through a full gamut of emotions, from utter despair at the beginning, to hope in the second half, to resigned disappointment at the end. Things felt pretty much the same for the players as well.

“I'm disappointed,” said a resolute Cameron Wake. “This league is not a league where you can spot points. You can't go out there and start slow and then kick it on. We played well at times, but that's not going to get it done in this league, especially as tough a game that those guys played on the other side.

“You can't go out there and play catch up. It would've been nice to play the way we played in the second half in the first half … but that didn't happen."

When the Dolphins found themselves down 24-0 midway through the second quarter, most fans hung their heads and settled in for what was sure to be a long day. Against a team that was without their starting quarterback or starting tight end, plus had three first-time starters on the offensive line, this wasn’t how anyone expected the game to begin.

But as Wake points out, players don’t typically look at second-stringers as lessor players, and the Dolphins weren’t all that surprised by New England quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo’s stellar play.

“No, it's the NFL,” says Wake. “I don't know anybody in this league who's not confident or you wouldn't be in this league. Everybody in this league should have pride or else you probably wouldn't be taking snaps. So, whether it's him or the fourth-string quarterback, anybody that puts on a jersey on Sunday, I would expect that you would have a certain level of pride about yourself, so that's not going to be surprising to anybody.

"(Garoppolo is) a football player like any other. I think people - generally - people fail to realize how small the difference is between a number one, and a two, and a three, and a four. This is the NFL; everybody here is the best in the world. So, I don't know (why) people think that the number two guy is going to be a bum. That would be silly. I don't think our number two guy at any positon is a bum, and it's probably the same thing across the board of any team that's in this league. To expect that he would've come out and laid an egg, I don't understand that."

With a disheartening start to the game, and even after falling behind 31-3 in the third quarter, it was encouraging to see the players stay positive.

“We just kept fighting,” said safety Reshad Jones. “And we were fighting against a good football team in their home. We just put our head down and kept fighting.”

“We didn't quit,” Jones emphasized. “This team (the Patriots) could put 50 points on you any time they get a chance. We were down 24-0, and it shows the kind of guys we have in this locker room. (The Patriots) made plays and you have to give credit to them. They ran their offense and they made plays. We didn't make enough plays early on and it took us until the third quarter to wake up."

Center Anthony Steen chimed in, “We just went to a no huddle, speed tempo, and it really got us into gear. We got in a rhythm and moved the ball. I really don't know (the reason for the slow start) … A lot of teams would have given up, but our team didn't.”

And quarterback Ryan Tannehill caught on fire. After completing just one of four passes for 4 yards in the first quarter, Tannehill finished with 389 passing yards and two touchdowns, and added in another 35 yards rushing, including a bruising 17-yard run up the middle late in the game.

"He was awesome,” said tight end Jordan Cameron of Tannehill. “He definitely had control in the huddle. He was making plays, and we were moving fast, and got the ball rolling. You got to see what we are capable of doing in the second half.”
But it turned out to be too little too late, as the Dolphins left a tuckered out defense on the field far too long, and couldn’t stop New England from driving the length of the field. Although the ensuing field goal was pushed wide right, the Patriots chewed time off the clock and forced Miami to use all their time outs, and when the Dolphins finally got the ball back, they simply ran out of time.

As the Dolphins look towards their next game, the home opener against the Cleveland Browns, Tannehill knows what needs to happen if the Dolphins want to avoid an 0-3 start.

“We want to get off to a good start, establish our home field advantage, and get a win,” said Tannehill. “We've had to fly across the country and play a tough team on the road and now at New England. We've had a tough go.”

But Tannehill says the players are staying positive. They aren’t happy with the outcome of this game, but they look forward to improving in the next game and hopefully righting the ship.

“We've had our opportunities, and we're right there,” said Tannehill. “There's no panic. Obviously, we're disappointed and upset about how we let this one get away, but we're right there. There's no panic. We've just got to keep working, keep our heads on, keep grinding and we'll be in good shape next week.”

As for head coach Adam Gase, he’ll review tape on Monday and then begin working on the game plan for the next game. As usual he took full responsibility for the outcome, but reminded folks that the NFL is a marathon, not a sprint.

“We have 14 (games) left, he said. “Go thru the tape Monday, go back to work Wednesday. We played two good football teams, so (we’ll) come back, figure out a way to get better, clean some things up. We’ve got to start faster, but this is the NFL, man. This is what it is about, it's hard.”

Could there be changes on the horizon, as the Dolphins try to find ways to kickstart things, and get off to a faster start? Possibly, as Gase did throw out one ominous message in his post-game press conference.

“The tape don't lie,” said Gase. “We will find out who played hard. And some of the guys that didn't, we’ll move on.”

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

It was the hope of the Dolphins front office (and of course fans) that the hiring of head coach Adam Gase would do wonders for the offense and fix the seemingly unsolvable problems regarding Miami's inability to move the ball.

In 2015, the Dolphins couldn't seem to move the ball on a regular basis, and the defense was constantly exhausted because the offense couldn't stay on the field. Well, now they seem to have solved the issues in the second half, as this marks the second week in a row where Miami has made adjustments for the second half and the offense has come to life.

But the biggest issue still remains. Slow starts mean that the team is constantly playing from behind, which is precisely what happened Sunday when the New England Patriots jumped to a 21-0 lead with their first three possessions of the game. The defense was bad to be sure, but the offense once again looked anemic starting off and couldn't find a way to answer back, and that affects everything else.

"I really don’t know [the reason for the slow start]." said center Anthony Steen. "It may be one of those things where we need to train harder or come out and start practice faster, I don’t know. A lot of teams would have given up but our team didn’t. We came back and had a chance to win. It says a lot about our team. This is the first time I’ve played here and it was a tough game and a tough loss.”

Miami is now 0-2 on the season, with both games being a lot closer than they feel they should be because they somehow get the offense to start moving in the second half after adjustments have been made. But if the Dolphins want to win, they need to get going early on, not when it's already too late.

"There were several issues." said quarterback Ryan Tannehill. "A couple times we started to get going. We had a turn over and third and inches that we didn't get on the sneak. I’d have to go back and think about what happened on all of those drives, but we just couldn't get anything going. [We] couldn't move the football.

​"We’re putting our defense back on the field after long drives and that’s tough. You stay on the field for a 10-play drive and then [we] got three-and-out that’s tough on the defense and as an offense we have to do a better job of getting a better start – a fast start – putting points on the board early and giving our defense a break."

It's possible that the defense's struggles can be attributed to the fact that the Dolphins are always playing from behind and can't be as aggressive as they would like. Not that that's an excuse for being unable to stop what they know is coming. But the fact remains that defenses can go full attack mode when playing with a lead, which is what Miami's defense really needs since they are built to rush the passer.

Once they start playing from behind, and the offense fails to answer back and even things up, then everything only gets worse from there.

"After they came down on that first drive, looking for us to respond on offense and we didn’t." said head coach Adam Gase. "You know and then we don’t respond on defense. And then, on the next drive, we got a third and short and make a bad decision as far as quarterback sneaking it. You know, we don’t get it.

"These three, four and outs, just put so much pressure on our defense to figure out a way to slow everything down and then the plays start piling up. And by the time, on offense, that we start fighting back, getting some points, now we have drained our defense of anything that they would have left."

The defense is a serious issue, that much is clear, but the offense isn't helping matters by making them play without a lead so they can do what they're built to do. With Mario Williams, Ndamukong Suh, Jordan Phillips and Cameron Wake (who at this point is a pass-rush specialist only), the defense would be at their best when they have an early lead to play with and the opposing offense is forced to go into passing mode.

Adam Gase needs to figure out why the Dolphins have been struggling to get started early on, and he needs to do it soon, or his first season as a head coach will be over before it even really has a chance to get started. Only 12 percent of teams that have started seasons 0-2 have gone on to make the playoffs. Those are very bad odds for a rookie head coach looking to make a change in the culture.

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

​1. After performing very well last week, the Miami defensive line crashed back down to earth against a much better New England offensive line. In particular, it was thought that Mario Williams, after performing very well against Seattle, would be a difference maker in this game if he recovered from a concussion in time.
 
But in the end, Williams disappeared and looked much more like the player that we saw during the preseason and during the season before that in 2015. If Williams got close to the quarterback in the first half, I didn’t see it. And he wasn’t alone by a long shot. Cameron Wake was nowhere to be seen most of the time and Jordan Phillips was Jordan Phillips.
 
Having said all of that, in fairness the Patriots did a very nice job, particularly in the first half, of limiting the Miami pass rush with quick passes that made it very hard to get to Jimmy Garoppolo and Jacoby Brissett. But there were also ample opportunities where the Patriots threw deep and when they came, the defensive line had a very difficult time getting there. 
 
It’s a long season and some ups and downs might be expected.  But it’s reasonable to doubt that this unit is going to be better than it was last year, even with the presence of Ndamukong Suh.
 
2. Of interest to me was the Miami run defense which, statistically, wasn’t bad (4.2 yds per carry). However, the statistics are deceiving. The Patriots were frequently running on second and third and short and they had a disturbing habit of getting just enough for a first down, thus extending drives.
 
And LeGarrette Blount seemed to have an awful lot of nice carries while Brissett was adjusting to the game in the second and third quarter. Also somewhat concerning was the fact that Miami was once again unable to finish by stopping the Patriots from running off quite a bit of clock with six minutes left in the game and a difference of only seven points.
 
In any case, it’s no wonder that the first half time of possession was so lopsided with Miami having the ball only nine minutes to New England’s 21. The Patriots did a marvelous job of controlling the ball and the Dolphins defense is going to have to stiffen in such situations if they are going to get off the field while the game is still in hand.
 
3. Having said all of that, the biggest problems for the defense were in the backfield. They threw every type of coverage at the Patriots, who simply handled whatever came their way with aplomb. They found mismatches in man coverage (e.g. Kiko Alonso covering Martellus Bennett on the second Patriots touchdown) and it was evident that the Dolphins were under manned. When they blitzed, it got picked up and they got burned. When they dropped into zone, the receivers found every seam and soft spot.
 
Not a single defensive back played well, including, unfortunately, Xavien Howard, who at least has the excuse of being a rookie. Howard also had a hands to the face penalty that negated a Cameron Wake sack.
 
This seems to me to be the spot where the Dolphins must improve the most to compete with the NFL’s best. They need to be able to cover the Julian Edelman’s of the league or they’re simply going to struggle.
 
4. I’m going to cut the offense a break here. They really didn’t have much of a chance to get going in the first half in part because the defense simply couldn’t get off the field. It’s true that they didn’t take much advantage of the chances they got to do something with the ball and they flat out didn’t execute for most of the half. But their opportunities, especially in the first quarter, really were limited.
 
Arian Foster shared snaps with both Kenyan Drake and Jay Ajayi. We may see more and more of Drake as they get him work to try to develop him. I’ll give Ajayi credit, he looks to me like he’s trying to be more patient at times when he runs. He also managed to catch four passes (to my great surprise, Arian Foster had no receptions). Ajayi didn’t have much success in the end but who did?
 
It was somewhat surprising that last week’s second running back off the bench, Damien Williams, didn’t see the field.
 
Ryan Tannehill had a rough first half as well and wasn’t particularly accurate.
 
One positive was the offensive line, which I thought wasn’t bad in protection for most of the day. Unfortunately, they were the only thing that was really positive until the Patriots went to a much more conservative offense with a big lead and a rookie quarterback in the second half. 
 
To their credit, the offense took advantage of that and Jarvis Landry (10 rec, 137 yds) in particular made a good day of it.  The much maligned Jordan Cameron (5 rec, 49 yds, 1 TD) ended up having a reasonably good day as well (despite another drop). And DeVante Parker made some nice plays. But it was too little too late in the end.
 
5. There is, however, one negative aspect of the offensive performance that has to be emphasized. Again.
 
The Dolphins were concerned last week about their poor third down efficiency (three conversions of 13 attempts) and they claimed that one goal this week was to solve this issue. It looked to me like they had limited success.
 
The Dolphins were only 1 of 5 on third down in the first half as they fell behind big. I hesitate to suggest that they solved it in the second half (they finished with 5 of 10) because the Patriots held a big lead and though they showed some aggressive looks, the coverage was looser in the second half defensively. 
 
This is an issue that will continue to be watched closely.
 
6. Another huge issue, was it so often is, was the Miami turnovers. The Dolphins lost the ball an unacceptable four times to the Patriots one. Fumbles by Jay Ajayi and Jarvis Landry hurt the Dolphins badly as did a Ryan Tannehill interception, the second might be forgiven as it came when Tannehill was trying to make a play to tie the game in the final minute.
 
Particularly damaging was the Landry fumble which came right after the Dolphins only recovery and, therefore, kept a desperate offense from taking advantage.
 
You aren’t going to win many games against good teams, especially good teams like the Patriots, if you don’t win the turnover battle.
 
7. Both teams should be upset over the number of penalties in this game. Miami’s statistics in this respect weren’t horrible (5 for 49 yds) but they can do better. New England head coach Bill Belichick, on the other hand, is likely to be more unhappy with his team’s stats. Seven penalties for 65 yds were unacceptable and were enough to be the potential difference between winning and losing in games where they are down to their third string quarterback. 
 
I’m sure the Patriots will be spending some of the very precise time they have in this short week emphasizing that this needs to be cleaned up.
 
8. You had to figure that Martellus Bennett wasn’t going to be down with the Patriots offense for long. Bennett barely got the ball last week against Arizona and was used mostly to block.  But he came alive on Sunday with 5 rec for 114 yds.
 
He’s not Rob Gronkowski, but he’s a tough match up nevertheless. When the Patriots get both of them on the field they’re going to be a nightmare.
 
9. Adam Gase has already faced a number of challenges as Dolphins head coach. He’s got a talented receiver in DeVante Parker who apparently doesn’t like to practice. Though I’ve frequently labeled him “Adam Sunshine” for his blindly positive comments to the media in the face of less than positive play from some of his players, Gase took the right track with Parker by calling him out publicly. Parker has responded well (verbally) to the jabs.
 
"Everything he said publicly he told me privately,'' Parker said. "It was good. He's showing he cares. He's telling me what I need to do to be better. I love it."
 
Similarly, when running back Jay Ajayi apparently responded poorly to losing the top running back job in the last preseason game - and deservedly I might add. He “did something in the building — away from the football field — that made a lot of people upset.” Gase left him behind rather than take him to Seattle.
 
“I think he has been really good,” Gase said about the player’s work this week. “He has been really engaged in meetings. I know he has done a great job … He has done a very good job at practice. We’re heading in the right direction in that area.”
 
Whether these moves translate to improved action on the part of these players will only be seen over time but they were probably the right moves.
 
I made the point repeatedly in the offseason that Gase is a first time head coach with a first time defensive coordinator (Vance Joseph). That’s a lot of things being done for the first time by the two most important coaches on the staff. 
 
I won’t call Gase a good head coach, yet. There’s a lot more that goes into it and he really hasn’t faced much adversity yet.  He’s still in his honeymoon period and isn’t being criticized too harshly for field decisions yet. We also still can’t say much about the coaching staff he hired. We will really only be able to judge him over a long period of time. But having said that, at least as far as it goes, so far so good.

10a. There are probably an awful lot of general managers out there right now that need a “Jimmy Garoppolo tracker.” That’s why I was surprised by the suggestion this week that the Patriots made a mistake in drafting him. For instance, the Dolphins took wide receiver Jarvis Landry right behind the Patriots choice of Garoppolo and Landry has, indeed been a good, productive player while Garoppolo has been sitting the bench. Nevertheless, the view that the Patriots would be better off with Landry is short sighted. The Patriots might very possibly get multiple first round picks in a trade after Garoppolo performed extremely well the first two games of the season.

If he returns from his shoulder injury to play well in the next two games, they almost certainly will. Meanwhile Jacoby Brissett may be on his way to developing into a quarterback who is just as good.

Personally, I think teams should draft a quarterback every year. I’ve heard a lot of nonsense from teams that refuse to draft quarterbacks when they get the opportunity about not reaching to get one. Well, tell that to the Patriots.  They invested a second round pick in a quarterback they didn’t need and spent a couple years developing him. It’s now paying off, just as it did when the Packers drafted Aaron Rogers when they didn’t need him. It’s an investment that ultimately will pay off fivefold (at least) if you manage to develop one.

​Bottom line, the value for the player and the position is set by the market. If you are consistently evaluating players below that value, you are the one who is undervaluing the position because you are the one who refuses to pay the going rate. 
10b. The (relative to the rest of the NFL) poor TV ratings for last week’s Miami game against the Seattle Seahawks very much surprised me. The game drew a disappointing 14.9 rating in Miami-Fort Lauderdale, meaning that 14.9 percent of local homes with TV sets (about 244,000 homes). This was a very favorable 4 P.M. match up against one of the league’s best franchises. Indeed, most of the nation saw it.
 
Last season, Dolphins averaged a 16.9 rating, worst among the 28 markets with only one NFL team. But that’s more understandable. They weren’t good and most people believed the coaching situation made the teams prospects somewhat hopeless, particularly in the last half of the season.
 
This year is different with a young, dynamic head coach in Adam Gase and more than a few promising young players that should be fun to watch as they develop. The team has gone out and signed the best defensive lineman in the game in Ndamukong Suh and appears determined to do what it takes to win.
 
A team with the Dolphins’ storied history and promising prospects - in the long-term if not the short-term - shouldn’t be near the bottom of the league in television ratings.
 
10c. The Miami offense will have a prime opportunity to recover next week against the Cleveland Browns, possibly the worst defensive unit in the league. The Browns went up 20-0 on the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday before surrendering 25 straight points to lose the game.
 
To make matters worse, the Browns already lost their starting quarterback in the first game of the season and back up Josh McCown stayed in the game against Baltimore despite an injured left shoulder. 
 
The dreadful Browns were also hurt by a missed field goal and three costly penalties in the fourth quarter.
 
This is the kind of game teams with competitive aspirations have to win. Look for the Dolphins to get very healthy at home next week against this team. If they don’t, it could be a sign that bad trouble is ahead for them.

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

Once again, the Dolphins found a way to come close but not close enough as they fell to the New England Patriots by a score of 31-24. Ryan Tannehill threw two touchdowns in the second half while rookie Kenyan Drake ran in for his first career rushing touchdown to bring the score within one touchdown, but on the last play of the game, Tannehill threw a deep pass into the end zone to DeVante Parker, which was intercepted to officially end the game.

Despite the struggles by the offense in the first half, the bigger story here is the defense's inability - once again - to stop opposing offenses. New England marched down the field and easily scored touchdowns on their first three possessions, quickly running up the score to 24-0 before second half even started.

The tide began to turn when New England's backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo left the game with an injury to his throwing shoulder after a hit by linebacker Kiko Alonso. He never returned and forced rookie Jacoby Brissett to come into the game and take over.

Granted, he wasn't asked to do much once he was in, nor was it necessary as running back LeGarrette Blount ran for 123 yards on 29 carries and exposed the problems Miami has had defending the run over the past two seasons. The Patriots only scored one touchdown in the second half after a fumble by running back Jay Ajayi, but it was enough to put the game out of reach.

To his credit, Ryan Tannehill was largely responsible for the Dolphins making the comeback in the first place, at one point he was 20 of 21 for 248 yards and of course the two touchdowns before he finally ran out of magic and threw the game-ending interception that Parker couldn't quite get to.

Of course, there will be people who say that Tannehill's stats mean nothing, since the Patriots had a 21 point lead at halftime and their defense had pretty much taken the rest of the game off, letting Miami's QB pad his stats once again and make himself look better than he is.

Against any other team, that might be a plausible theory. But this is the New England Patriots. They don't take their foot off the gas pedal just because they're up big, when an opponent is down, they step on their throats and go in for the kill, humiliating them if at all possible. Holding back isn't their style.

However, any complaints regarding the offense's inability to get going early are completely and totally valid. Getting off to slow starts has plagued the Dolphins since last season, and there's no indication as of yet that that's going to change. But, there is good news regarding the second half.

Second half adjustments were pretty strong, and one can only presume that Adam Gase had a lot to do with it. The playcalling was better and the tempo was faster. Unfortunately, costly mistakes by Ajayi and Jarvis Landry created problems and made things difficult to keep momentum.

To make a long story short, the biggest problem right now with the Dolphins is that they can't seem to play good football for the full four quarters, and they can't seem to stay out of their own way. That's the challenge that Adam Gase has ahead of him.

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

When former Miami Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor retired at the end of the 2011 season, most pundits acknowledged that it was just a matter of time before Taylor would be in the NFL’s Hall of Fame. And now that the requisite five years have passed, Taylor has indeed been nominated in his first year of eligibility to be inducted into Pro Football’s Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

Official results were released Wednesday evening, and Taylor was officially placed on the list of 94 initial nominees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2017.

Taylor played both defensive end and linebacker in his 15-year career, with 13 of those seasons as a member of the Miami Dolphins. He spent one year as a member of the Washington Redskins (2008) and another with the New York Jets (2010).
Taylor, 42, was nominated to six Pro Bowls in his career (2000, 2002, 2004–2007), and won the AFC Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2006. He was a four-time First or Second Team All-Pro (2000–2002, 2006), a two-time NFL Alumni Association Defensive Lineman of the Year (2005, 2006), and the NFL Alumni Association Pass Rusher of the Year in 2000.

He also won the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award in 2009, which is the only award that recognizes both on and off the field prowess. Taylor founded the Jason Taylor Foundation back in 2004, which focuses on improved health care, education and quality of life for children in South Florida communities.

Taylor is currently ranked sixth all time in career sacks, with a total of 139.5 in his career, along with 46 forced fumbles and 29 fumble recoveries, eight interceptions, and three safeties.

Taylor is joined on the list of nominees by his brother-in-law and former longtime teammate Zach Thomas, coach Jimmy Johnson - who drafted both players - and former Dolphins and Steelers linebacker Joey Porter, who is also in his first year of eligibility.

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

When the Miami Dolphins left Seattle last week with a 12-10 loss, much was said about Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson’s poise as he took the Seahawks down the field for a game-winning touchdown as time wound down. The Dolphins had hounded Wilson all game long, but with defensive end Mario Williams suffering a concussion and missing the final drive, Wilson finally found time to get the ball downfield and win the ballgame.

This week the Dolphins won’t get a break, as they face a quarterback who also had a game-winning drive last week in New England’s Jimmy Garoppolo, who had a nearly flawless debut as a starter, leading the Patriots to a 23-21 road win over the Arizona Cardinals.

Head coach Adam Gase noticed.

“Getting that win under his belt was probably very good for him,” said Gase. “That's a tough defense to go and play at their place. It's different for a quarterback the first time when it's an actual, full, real game with the coordinator and trying to get used to that. He handled it well. He looked very poised. Obviously, he played very well, and he helped put those guys in position to win. The guys, obviously, rallied around him. There were so many guys playing well, and that takes a lot off the quarterback."

One member of the Dolphins defense says that while Garoppolo’s success was impressive, it was simply a result of not making mistakes.

“Garoppolo’s a very poised young man,” said defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. “Obviously he has had a lot of work underneath that system, and he understands what he needs to get done. He doesn't want to go out there and make any mistakes. And he went out there and accomplished that, in my opinion. I think that's one of the reasons why they came out with a win.”

With Tom Brady suspended for three more weeks, the Patriots hope Garoppolo continues to be mistake-free. Suh doesn’t see a lot of difference between the Brady-led Patriots and this team, but does notice one area where the Patriots seem to be focusing more.

“I think they are focusing on the run game,” said Suh. “I think that's something that is important for us to notice. At the same time, I think LeGarrette Blount is doing a great job and playing well at a high level, which is obviously good for them. (I'm) not saying he hasn't done that in the past. I've gone against him many times and I'm obviously looking forward to going against him again."

Last week’s game was a defensive slugfest, and while this week should see more scoring, Suh and Gase both acknowledge that the Dolphins chances to win this week revolve around disrupting the Patriots offense, and putting pressure on Garoppolo.

Said Suh, “At the end of the day, we have to make sure we go in there and get him rattled, get him moving around, get him off his spot, and make him uncomfortable.”

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

The Dolphins have been busy making roster moves in the wake of the Week 1 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. They have placed defensive tackle Earl Mitchell on injured reserve after he re-aggravated his calf injury against the Seahawks, waived rookie quarterback Brandon Doughty, and signed veteran linebacker Donald Butler and defensive tackle Chris Jones.

Jones was a standout during Dolphins training camp but he disappeared in the preseason, allowing Julius Warmsley to overtake him and earn the roster spot that presumably would have belonged to him otherwise. With Mitchell on IR, Jones steps right back in where he left off and can come in and play at any given moment.

Mitchell has been starting in Miami for the past two seasons, but his play can only be best described as solid. His numbers are nothing to write home about, he's only accounted for 56 tackles and two sacks and a deflected pass as a member of the Dolphins, and now that he's on IR, there's no telling if he'll be able to contribute in the future.

Miami can choose to reactivate Mitchell after six weeks provided they don't decide to take someone else off of injured reserve first. New NFL rules arrange it so that the player to come off IR no longer has to be designated ahead of time, giving teams much more flexibility.

Butler was signed after the Dolphins held a workout on Tuesday including Butler, A.J. Hawk and Nate Irving. Butler was cut by the San Diego Chargers after a down year in 2015 and also because of the unique way his contract was structured, making him expendable.

A former starter in San Diego, Butler as contributed 373 tackles, seven sacks, three interceptions and five forced fumbles in his career, but he had been relegated to a bench role with the Chargers and was cut before the beginning of the new league year in 2016. The Cardinals then picked him up for training camp but he was unable to earn a spot on their 53-man roster.

He gives Miami some much needed depth at linebacker, especially if he can somehow find a way to return to the form he had before he suffered an elbow injury and was considered worthy of the large extension San Diego gave him.

Doughty was waived to make room for Chris Jones, and assuming he clears waivers, he's a prime candidate to land on the practice squad. Adam Gase obviously saw enough from training camp and preseason to give him a roster spot, so there's no doubt he'll be placed on the squad.

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

Miami Dolphins players including punter Matt Darr and his wife, Lauren, long snapper John Denney, tight end MarQueis Gray and his wife, Alison, defensive end Dion Jordan, wide receiver Kenny Stills and defensive tackle Julius Warmsley, along with cheerleaders and mascot T.D., distributed backpacks to students from Title I schools in Broward and Miami-Dade County schools who were selected by their principals.

“Our players, cheerleaders and staff had a great time interacting with students in the community and always look forward to this annual event,” Miami Dolphins Senior Vice President of Communications & Community Affairs Jason Jenkins said. “One of our main pillars is education and we hope that these much-needed supplies will push these kids to a successful school year."

One hundred students from Sterling Elementary, Glades Middle School, Phillis Wheatley Elementary and Gertrude K. Edelman/Sabal Palm Elementary School enjoyed dinner, received a Dolphins T-shirt and had a chance to play games alongside the Dolphins players.

​“The fact that the organization would take time out during football season to spend time with our students and give us the opportunity to engage in activity is incredible,” Phillis Wheatley Elementary Principal Cathy Williams said. “To go away with supplies and a book bag with an emblem of the Dolphins so they can remember forever is just an experience for them.”

Photo/Video Credit: Miami Dolphins

Late in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game, Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill called a draw play from the two yard line, saw an opening, and dived for the go-ahead touchdown to momentarily give the Dolphins a 10-6 lead. That play highlighted a 7 play, 86 yard drive in a game where the Dolphins spent most of the afternoon struggling against a top-notch Seattle defense.

As it turns out, some of the plays on that drive were calls that Tannehill had wanted to try earlier in the game, and he had talked to head coach Adam Gase about them on the sidelines. When it came down to that final drive, Gase finally relented.

“I’ve seen enough film where I’ve seen him have drives at the end of the game,” said Gase. “Atlanta game 2013, New England. I guess I see things different than everybody else says. I wasn’t surprised by it.”

Gase is referring to a 2013 game against the Atlanta Falcons, where Tannehill orchestrated a 13-play, 75-yard drive culminating with the game-winning touchdown pass to Dion Sims with 38 seconds left. In the 2014 season opener, Tannehill led the offense to 23 second half points in a 33-20 win over the New England Patriots.

While it didn’t surprise Gase that Tannehill saw some things that could work, he wasn’t ready to try those suggestion until late in the game. And Gase admitted afterwards that he regrets waiting so long.

“I was mad at myself, because I should have went to what we ended up going to earlier in the game, he says. “I kept talking myself out of it. He kept pressing me to get to that stuff, basically that drive that set up those plays. And I kept talking myself out of it.

“And finally, once I listened to him, we marched the ball down the field.”

In the future, we can expect to see Gase and Tannehill having more conversations on the sidelines, but Gase now realizes that Tannehill not only provides him with an extra set of eyes on the field, in the heat of the battle, but also gives him additional input on playcalls that can work against what Tannehill is seeing.

It was a great lesson to me,” said Gase. “When he says go to something, we’re going to go to it.”

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

There will be a lot of hand wringing in Dolphins land over the one that got away in Seattle. But all in all there was a lot to like about the Dolphins performance in the Northwest and there’s a lot to be encouraged about. Here are two thoughts on the game and about the NFL in general after Sunday’s game.

1. We’ve heard over and over again about how bad the Seattle offensive line is. And it is bad, no doubt about it:

a. Left tackle Bradley Sowell had not started a game since 2013.
b. Left guard Mark Glowinski had one career start before Sunday.
c. Justin Britt had never played center before this year.
d. No one’s known what was going on a right tackle all summer.

It’s a mess. Just like it was last year.

And we’ve heard all summer how good the Dolphins defensive line was going to be this year. And, despite the lack of evidence in the preseason, to an extent you had to believe it. Ndamukong Suh is the best defensive tackle in the league and I’m willing to believe that Cameron Wake will be a great guy to have in there on passing downs all year.

But before yesterday, the Dolphins defense was pretty porous with Mario Williams, Jordan Phillips and Earl Mitchell all failing to show up during the preseason. Williams in particular was a disappointment.

So now that the games count, these guys needed to show up. And to their credit, for the most part they did. Virtually everyone got pressure on Russell Wilson from Cameron Wake to Suh totaling three sacks and nine quarterback hits.

That was a comfort. Because if they couldn’t do it Sunday, they never were going to.

2. Another very encouraging sign was the penetration that the Dolphins defensive line got against the run. This was something that was also missing during the preseason and it was badly needed against a Seattle team that might have the best backfield from top to bottom in the country. Thomas Rawls, rookie C.J. Prosise, and the very under-rated Christine Michael are all strong runners that promise to perform well this year. The Dolphins limited them to 112 yards on 32 rushing attempts, an average of only 3.5 yards per carry.

Penetrating against the run and attacking downhill with the front seven is the only way that the Dolphins can turn it around and improve the run defense. To my eye, they stepped up Sunday.

3. Even with some of the mistakes that they made, the Seattle defense was very impressive against a Miami offense that is improved.

What is so striking is how aggressive and especially how fast the Seahawks play. The only way to really beat a defense like that is to go with a lot of misdirection - counter plays, traps, etc…

Unfortunately these aren’t big parts of the Adam Gase offense. But one thing that the Dolphins executed well, especially early, was the screen pass. Gase has a wonderful feel for when to call such plays and he was an artist on Sunday with the timing of some of his calls.

​We may see more of these kinds of plays against a less than disciplined Seattle defense more and more as the season goes on.

4. The most noticeable thing about the Dolphins offensive performance was the play of Ryan Tannehill. There were a lot of things wrong on Sunday and the bottom line is that they didn’t score enough points. But Tannehill definitely wasn’t one of the problems.

Tannehill has looked about as sharp as I’ve ever seen him in the preseason and it looks like he’s going to carry that accuracy and good decision making into the regular season. The go ahead fourth quarter drive was masterful on his part.

That’s all excellent news. Because if there’s one thing that everyone knows about the NFL, it’s a quarterback’s league.
 
5. Another encouraging sign was the play of Arian Foster.

There’s just very little doubt about the fact that Foster is physically limited and those hoping that he’ll return to the form he had in 2014 are fooling themselves. But he’s been very effective in making up for it with good vision and some quick cut backs. His experience is carrying him through in a way that is somewhat surprising, given how slow he looks in terms of his straight ahead speed.

Once Foster gets into space, he’s very elusive and he spent much of the first half yesterday making a lot of yards on his own - which is, of course, how good running backs are judged. It’s one of the things that makes him such an excellent receiver.

It would help if someone else stepped up to get Foster off the field more. Perhaps Damien Williams, who also had a good game, will see more time. 

But in any case if Foster stays healthy, I’d say that the Dolphins may be more at least adequate at the position.
 
6. Perhaps the most encouraging thing of all about the game was the fact that the Dolphins flat out looked better coached as a team than Seattle did.
 
Seattle didn’t really play a very good game and the players made a lot of mistakes that we aren’t used to seeing from them.  There were blown coverages, missed tackles, and Wilson was occasionally not on the same page as the receivers. And the two turnovers that they gave up to Miami’s zero could have been a big difference in the game.
 
Unfortunately the Dolphins didn’t do a good job of capitalizing on much of this. A terrible first half Kenny Stills drop after Seattle completely blew the coverage on him comes to mind as a typical example. The blocked field goal from 17 yards out after a fumble recovery by Kiko Alonso, a result of a Laremy Tunsil rookie mistake on the offensive line, was a terrible blow. 

And, of course, the fact that the offensive line couldn’t hold up against a simple four man rush to avoid giving up a sack of Tannehill in the end zone at the end of the game was a disappointment (though in fairness, the whole stadium knew they had to pass).
 
The Dolphins didn’t play badly as a team and they did some very encouraging things against a tough team in a tough place to play. But it’s obvious that they need to learn to finish in these situations. If they do that, they could have a bright season ahead.
 
7. Like most people I’ve talked to, most of you are probably getting sick of seeing commercials pushing Skip Bayless’s move to FOX Sports. Bayless is undoubtedly getting big money to make this move because he’s “controversial” which in my mind means that he’s an irresponsible “journalist” who says things more to get attention than to contribute reasonable opinions on the issues of the day. When he was still writing for the Chicago Tribune, he was the only man in America whose name told you what to do with his column.
 
So for those of you who, like me, have not been big fans of Bayless, I’ll provide some comfort by saying that I think this is the first step on the road to obscurity for him.
 
Does anyone remember Jay Mariotti? That's what I thought.
 
Mariotti, another “controversial” personality, moved from the Chicago Sun-Times to AOL some years ago now. And that was the end of him. Because it's one thing to be in front of people in their morning paper every day. It's another to ask them to go somewhere out of the way to read a guy they never really liked to begin with.
 
Bayless doesn’t realize it but he’s in the same boat. It's one thing to be on ESPN, a network that sports fans flip on in the morning out of habit. It's another thing altogether to be on a channel people ordinarily go out of their way to turn on. I can’t imagine that anyone but the most casual sports fan would ever do that for Bayless. And they're all watching Good Morning America or something.
 
So say goodbye, Skip. With any luck, those commercials will be the last we see of you.
 
8. My first thought when the Bears signed Pro Bowl guard Josh Sitton after he was released by the Green Bay Packers was, “Why didn’t the Dolphins call him?”  Well, the answer is that they might have.
 
In giving his reasons for signing with the Bears, Sitton, who is from Pensacola, Fla, seemed to imply that a team like the Dolphins might have been interested.
 
"It didn't have anything to do with sticking it to the Packers," said Sitton. "More familiar with the division, close to where I was. I like the weather up here. We had a few other teams interested. It's too damn hot in the South."
 
Miami is pretty close to home. And heaven knows it gets hot.
 
Sitton would have been a logical addition for a Dolphins team that doesn’t mind throwing money at a problem if they think it can help. And SItton would have been a huge upgrade over Jermon Bushrod.
 
9. In reviewing the offseason, particularly disappointing to me is how few of the Dolphins draft picks won jobs over veterans this summer.
 
The Dolphins spent last year developing draft pick Jay Ajayi only to see him lose out to Foster, a 30-year old veteran coming off of a torn Achilles tendon. Ajayi blew his shot in the last preseason game (if not before that), fumbling and dropping yet another pass. 

Almost as disappointing is the fact that Foster beat out third rounder Kenyan Drake, who was injured a good part of the summer and didn’t show enough in what little time he had to justify his draft status.  He didn’t play on Sunday over Williams.
 
Drake may eventually come on and he needs to. Third round picks need to turn into starters in the NFL if teams are going to get ahead of the game.
 
The situation at cornerback is almost as disappointing where Byron Maxwell is the Dolphins best at the position. Maxwell was consistently asked to play the opponents number one receiver last year and failed miserably. It looks like the Dolphins may repeat the Eagles mistake by asking him to do more than he’s capable of again. Why? Well, partly because Tony Lippett failed to develop. 
 
"Lippett really struggled; he’s got to learn to locate the football,” team employee Nat Moore said late in one Dolphins game broadcast.
 
Lippett was so bad this summer that second round pick Xavien Howard, who joined Drake in being out for much of the summer, “won” the job by default. Howard started Sunday and was solid. But one could hardly say that he earned it on a field that he barely saw all camp.
 
And finally there’s the case of Bushrod, a 32-year old offensive lineman with a bad back who had never played guard before this year. He beat out not one but two Dolphins draft picks, Dallas Thomas and Billy Turner. And, of course, Jamil Douglas didn’t even make the 53-man roster.
 
I’ve harped enough about Jordan Phillips’ failure to develop so I’ll just mention him and leave it at that.
 
So what’s my point? The NFL is a draft and develop league. You can’t win consistently unless you do that. No one wins long-term by buying free agent mercenaries, even at bargain basement prices. 
 
In fairness, Leonte Carroo got the start with DeVante Parker out and played reasonably well Sunday. Jakeem Grant fielded punts though they didn’t trust him to return balls inside the 20-yard line, giving that duty to Jarvis Landry. And Tunsil, despite some rookie mistakes in handling the line stunts that the Seahawks threw at him, was fine for his first NFL game. 
 
But overall the Dolphins need more from their draft classes. I don’t know if it’s the identification of talent by inadequate front office evaluation or the failure to develop it by incompetent coaches or both. All I know is that if this summer is any example, and in my opinion it has been, something has to change or the Dolphins are going to continue to be bottom feeders far more often than they will be winners.
 
10. Next up is the New England Patriots. Jimmy Garoppolo (24-for-33, 264 yards, 1 TD) handled his duties in place of the suspended Tom Brady reasonably well Sunday night. He went went 8-for-10 on third down and the Pats looked pretty good in beating one of the best teams in the league in the Arizona Cardinals, albeit on a missed late field goal.
 
The bad news for the Dolphins is that the Patriots look to have a pretty potent running game. They used tight end Martellus Bennett to effect and LeGarrette Blount is a mighty tough load to bring down. Julian Edelman added a lot to the passing game as well, rounding out a reasonably good offense.
 
But the good news is that the Dolphins may once again be playing against a crippled offensive line. The Patriots are banged up along the offensive front, particularly with Nate Solder out for the season with a torn bicep. Tight end Rob Gronkonski was also out Sunday with a hamstring issue and Rob Ninkovich is serving a suspension. 
 
So the Dolphins have an opportunity to catch the Patriots at less than their best.  Perhaps this time they’ll be able to finish and take advantage.

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

The first time time the Miami Dolphins wore orange jerseys was back in 2003, when they went up against the Washington Redskins and won by a close score of 24-23 and with two quarterbacks splitting the duties in Jay Fiedler and Brian Griese, son of former Dolphins legend Bob Griese.

​Then it reappeared one season later, only to disappear from existence until 2010 on a Sunday night when Chad Henne led the Dolphins against the Jets, but they lost 31-23 with Mark Sanchez throwing for three touchdowns, and that was the last time the orange jerseys were ever pulled out.

Until now.

Last season, the NFL unveiled their "Color Rush" uniforms on several Thursday night games, the most memorable of them all being when the New York Jets went up against the Buffalo Bills and it looked like the colors of Christmas were facing each other on the football field.

​Jets punter Ryan Quigley said of the all-green uniforms, “They were interesting. They were fun. They were different. [But] I can see why people like it. The all green was pretty funny. It looked like Peter Pan out there.”

Unfortunately, there were complaints regarding color blindness, that with the monochromatic colors, those who weren't able to see color couldn't differentiate between the green of the Jets and the red of the Bills. The NFL later released a statement regarding the problem.

"The Color Rush jerseys are a test for four games this season, the first of which was last night," the league said. "We did test the jerseys this summer on field and on television. The standard television test did not account for color blindness for fans at home that became apparent last night. We will enhance our testing to include a color blindness analysis to better address this issue in the future."

As the weeks went by, there were several unconfirmed leaks regarding the rest of the league's Color Rush jerseys to make fans suspect that the orange jerseys were returning, and now an official tweet by the NFL featuring all of the AFC East teams, and then another by the Dolphins official Twitter account, confirms that the orange jerseys will be making their long-awaited return.

​The Dolphins have only lost one game while decked out in orange, and that was the 2010 game when they lost to the Jets and it was the last time they were ever worn. Now thanks to Color Rush, Miami will once again be wearing full orange after years of waiting.

There is no doubt fans will be eagerly awaiting their debut on September 29th.

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

Miami Dolphins Wide Receiver Jarvis Landry and BankUnited, a proud corporate partner of the Miami Dolphins, are giving full-time Florida students ages 13 to 18 a chance to kick-start their own personal savings with a $1,000 grand prize for submitting the winning essay in the 4 Downs for Finance financial literacy contest, open now.

Full-time Florida high school students are encouraged to register online at www.4downsforfinance.com now through December 19th to access age-appropriate money tips throughout the football season, and submit an essay on a financial literacy topic. Everyone who enters will have a chance to win a football autographed by Landry and have his or her name read live on the radio during a game broadcast. One student will win a $1,000 cash prize and a visit with Landry.

“Together with Jarvis and the Miami Dolphins, it is our goal to inspire young people to take an interest in learning about finances early on,” said BankUnited President, Florida Region Thomas M. Cornish. “At an age when many students are beginning to earn their first paychecks, 4 Downs for Finance teaches them the importance of getting a head start on learning about money.”

For years, Dolphins fans have been begging for a head coach who is willing to bench a player if his performance and/or his attitude is worthy of such an action, and it's clear at this point that new head coach Adam Gase fits that description to a tee.

After failing to lock down the starting job during training camp and the preseason, second-year running back Jay Ajayi was reportedly unhappy with his demotion from the starter spot on the depth chart in favor of veteran Arian Foster, who is coming off of an achilles tear from the season before.

An anonymous player told the Miami Herald's Adam Beasley briefly discussed Ajayi situation, implying that the former Boise standout was disappointed that he wasn't named the starter over Foster.

“If you let it get the best of you, it shows,” the player said. “Let’s see what you’re made of.”

His potential for greatness is there, his production at Boise was what made him such a coveted draft prospect talent-wise, with only his injury history causing his stock to drop. However, Adam Gase has made it abundantly clear from the very start that players will have to earn their spots, and based on Ajayi's preseason performances, he didn't do enough, and Gase expected more.

“I was a little disappointed that he put the ball on the ground." Gase said after the final preseason game. "I feel like what he’s shown me in the spring and in training camp as far as being a guy that is reliable in the passing game. I don’t know the exact ball placement on second down – I’m not sure if it was behind him or if he dropped it – I know I have a lot of faith, even if the ball’s off target, he usually makes that play.

"I know it’s the fourth preseason (game). Everyone kind of looks at this game and shrugs their shoulders but any time you walk on that field it’s important. I would’ve liked to see him not – I don’t think we saw a ball on the ground the entire preseason as far with the running backs. To have that happen, I guess I expect better from him. I have higher standards for him.”

As a result, Gase has decided to leave Ajayi behind in Miami, making him a healthy scratch from Sunday's game. Foster, Damien Williams and presumably Kenyan Drake will have to find a way to pick up the slack.

If players want to play during Adam Gase's regime, they'll have to earn the right. Ajayi is the first one to fall victim to that philosophy, but only time will tell if he's also the last.

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

The Miami Dolphins players voted for the five players who will represent them as captains for the 2016 season. Two team captains each on offense and defense, plus one special teams captains were chosen to represent the team this year. Last year, captains were chosen on a game-by-game basis.

This year’s offensive team captains are quarterback Ryan Tannehill and center Mike Pouncey. The defensive captains are safety Rashad Jones and defensive end Cameron Wake. Safety Michael Thomas was chosen as the special teams captain.

“I get to wear the ‘C’ on my chest,” said an elated Thomas. “Anytime you get an honor like that from your peers, it’s humbling. It’s huge.”

The names chosen didn’t come as a surprise for most, including head coach Adam Gase, who said, “I think those five guys, at least in my experience here so far, stood out as leaders to me. Those are guys that are always approaching me. You see them working with younger guys.

“I guess I wasn't really surprised by who was voted in.”

The voting included more than just those five names, and that impressed Gase as well.

"The fact the we did have a good variety of people voted for ... is encouraging, because that means a lot of guys look up to guys, (more) than just those five,” said Gase.

Tannehill will serve as captain for the second time in his five year career. Wide receiver Jarvis Landry has noticed Tannehill becoming a more a more vocal leader, and stepping up his game in the last two years.

“I know it kind of sounds like I keep saying the same thing,” said Landry. “But every year I see this guy grow and for the last few years, (he's grown) more and more as a leader. It's something that this team needs, and he has stepped to the forefront … and it shows."

Landry also pointed out that there is a good mix with the leaders, with some being more vocal while others lead by their work ethic and example. And both types of leaders work for him.

“I've seen it both ways,” Landry explained. “I've seen it effective both ways. I've seen it in a negative way in some cases. I can speak for myself: I've been a leader by example more than vocal. I'm a passionate person, and I use that, let that feed what guys feed off of, and lead by doing the right things on and off the field. Guys really appreciate that, and they follow that.”

“I believe it’s probably the greatest honor you can get,” added Wake. “There are a lot of accolades out there from football. You talk about the Pro Bowl, you talk about All-Pro, Player of the Week, a lot of those type things regarding your performance on the field. But when you have somebody who you spend ten hours a day with for seven, eight, nine months out of the year, those are the people who really know you.

“They really know what the general fan doesn’t see, what the media doesn’t see, what the coaches don’t even see. To have guys really kind of believe in you and put you in the position to say, ‘hey, this is the kind of guy that we want to represent us as a whole,’ I feel like that’s the best honor you can get. Because it’s your peers, the guys you fight with, you train with, fight against, those kind of guys.

“To get their opinion of you, obviously unbiased, to have that be bestowed upon you is truly an honor, and I feel like that’s as high as it gets.”

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

When Brent Grimes was cut earlier in the offseason, the Dolphins lacked a go-to number one cornerback. Enter the Kiko Alonso/Byron Maxwell trade. The team is confident that Maxwell, who fits the prototypical mold of cornerback that new defensive coordinator Vance Joseph prefers, is primed for big things with his new team. That starts with a road game against the team who drafted him—the Seattle Seahawks.

Russell Wilson, drafted the same year as Ryan Tannehill, poses a unique challenge. Both an efficient quarterback whether it be inside or outside the pocket, the Seahawks field general has already been to two Super Bowls in his young career. Maxwell spoke earlier this week what it was like going against Wilson in practice and what to expect on game day.

“Practice is totally different than a game. ‘Russ’, I don’t want to say he’s a gamer, but the things he can do don’t necessarily show up in practice because he can escape and that’s a big part of his game. He’s a special player as far as that." he said. "Really, practice can’t really tell you what he can do. It’s going to be the first experience for me too, having to go against him. I was on the other side cheering for him. It’s going to be fun, though. I know he’s a competitor.”

When head coach Adam Gase was asked, he was in agreement with Maxwell, stating that sometimes familiarity is overrated and can at times be a liability.

“Probably a little bit but sometimes that can hurt you too because you start overanalyzing everything. Then you start getting all, ‘Well, look out for this and then if he does this and you start…’ It goes overboard. Sometimes players being able to study guys on their own, coming to their own conclusion, that’s sometimes a better way to go about it because you just don’t want to put things in your head and then all of sudden it’s not what you thought.”

Maxwell stressed being disciplined is the first step when attempting to neutralize Seattle’s signal caller:

“You have to be disciplined with your eyes. Your eyes can’t be in the backfield because he can escape and you have to know the play is going to be extended. You just have to make sure you’re on that and be disciplined. The ball is coming your way. He has a big arm. He has a great arm and can make all of the throws."

Almost as much has been written about the Seahawks “12th Man” homemade advantage as has been written about the team itself.  Maxwell, however, sees things a little differently.

“Well, when we’re on the field, it’s going to be quiet because (Seattle’s) offense is out (there). (For our) offense, I wouldn’t tell them to worry about. It’s an away game. It’s an NFL away game. It’s going to be hard and you have to play.” 

Recent history bears this out, as the Seahawks went 5-3 in regular season home games last year.  They are tough, but beatable.

Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph stresses how important it was getting a player of Maxwell’s caliber, especially after letting go of Brent Grimes this offseason: “He’s added a No. 1 corner for us. We didn’t have one before he got here after we let (Brent) Grimes go. He’s added a No. 1 corner for us (and) so far, so good. When he came in, he was about 205, maybe 210 (pounds). Now he’s down to 194 (pounds and) that’s helped his game. He’s running better. He looks quick out there. Having a guy who has played corner at a high level, that helps you, especially when you’re playing with a rookie opposite him.”

The Dolphins have a brutal four game stretch to start the season. Even though the odds-makers have the Dolphins at a 10 ½ point underdog, an opening week victory this Sunday would go a long way of reversing the trend of poor September showings for the team.

If the Dolphins pull off the upset, it would go a long way in boosting the team’s confidence as the Adam Gase era gets underway.

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

​The Miami Dolphins and the Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality (RISE) recognize the week one youth football players, coaches and parent who have demonstrated their commitment to being leaders on and off the field:
 

• High School Player of the Week: Junior stand out Jaquan Beaver from Booker T. Washington. He is a 6’0, 190-pound outside linebacker with a knack for rushing the passer. He is currently a 3-star recruit. In last week’s win over Monsignor Pace, Beaver recorded nine tackles, three sacks and an interception return for a touchdown. 
  
  
  
• High School Coach of the Week: Tim “Ice” Harris from Booker T. Washington High School. He is currently 3-0 and knocked off two of the top teams in the country two weeks in a row, in beating American Heritage 27-7 and St. Thomas Aquinas 27-23. This past week Booker T. won 28-6 over Monsignor Pace. Coach Harris spends a lot of time mentoring his athletes through his character development programs year round, making sure his athletes are prepared on and off the playing field.
  
  
  
• Youth Player of the Week: Nick Vattiato of the Florida Youth Football League's Ft. Lauderdale Hurricanes 13U. Nick was 14 of 21 for 245 yards and has four touchdowns. His team defeated the Miami Gardens Bulldogs. Vattiato also attended Dolphins Academy in the past.
  
  ​
• Team Mom of the Week: Marchelle Greene. She is from the Florida Youth Football League and is the Team Mom for the 12U Fort Lauderdale Hurricanes. Greene’s son Tedarien Jackson committed suicide last year. He was on the Hurricanes 11U. Greene adopted the Hurricanes as if they were her own and she has moved up with the team to 12U this season.

 
Each award recipient will be presented with a plaque on the field during the Sept. 25 Dolphins home game at Hard Rock Stadium against the Cleveland Browns, 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.  

For the past seven seasons, Cameron Wake has been the stalwart of the defense for the Miami Dolphins, starting 85 games in that time, including the past 54 regular season games he’s played in.

Although Wake is still one of the premier edge rushers in the NFL, he’s 34 this year and coming off of a devastating ruptured Achilles tendon suffered last October. Even Wake admits he’s not quite 100% recovered, and the Dolphins covered their bases in the offseason by signing Jason Jones, who has started all 31 games in which he played for the Detroit Lions.

That signing signaled that the Dolphins were looking to rotate players at the defensive end position, but this week defensive coordinator Vance Joseph made the team’s plans public.

“You keep guys fresh,” said Joseph. “Especially big guys. You want them to play hard and always going 100 percent. But when they get tired, it's tough to lean on 300-pound guys all game and play 65 snaps. So having a rotation helps those guys at the end of the game (to) be fresh enough to finish the game off.

“So with Cameron not playing a lot of first and second down reps, when the game is on the line, he can finish it for us."
Wake is most effective on obvious passing downs, where he can use his incredibly low angle off the edge to get around the outside and pressure the quarterback.

​In order to keep him fresh for that role later in games, the Dolphins will start Jones opposite of Mario Williams and bring in Wake on passing downs. But Joseph stressed that this doesn’t mean we won’t see Wake on early downs, just that the focus will be on keeping Wake fresh.

“In our first and second down package, which is obviously more run and mixed play-action pass, Jason Jones will be the starting end along with Mario Williams,” said Joseph. “Cam will be used some on first and second down, but mostly in pass rush situations.”

"If we chose to, he could be a starter on every down,” Joseph continued. “But I think, just keeping him healthy and allowing him to be a dominant pass rusher, taking some downs off of him makes us better, and allows him to be fresher for 16 weeks."

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

While most people spend Labor Day at the beach or doing some other vacation-oriented activity, former Dolphins star defensive end Jason Taylor and his foundation headed up to an Old Navy store in Davie, Fla. to give over 60 students a whole new wardrobe through the annual 'Cool Gear for the School Year' event.

With a $300 dollar budget for each kid in hand, celebrity shoppers ranging from Olympic gold medalists to current and former Miami Dolphins players paired up with one or more of the 60 students and helped them get ready for the brand new school year.

"So far me and Shawn, we've been trying to look for all his favorite colors." said Dolphins safety Michael Thomas. "He likes blue, he likes red, so any shirts, any shorts that have his favorite color we got that, but you can never have too many socks or too many pairs of drawers so we made sure to get those too."

Thomas, alongside fellow teammates Jordan Cameron, Thomas Duarte, Matt Darr, John Denney, Dion Jordan, Koa Misi, Cameron Wake and Mike Pouncey, went around the store helping the young kids find everything they would need to kick off a new year, whether it was clothes, backpacks or any other necessities.

Of course, when shopping with Miami Dolphins players, there's always a little incentive to sport some Dolphins gear as well.

"See, I didn't want to push him you know? To each his own," said Cameron Wake of his shopper. "But he actually grabbed some Dolphin gear, he got a couple t-shirts, a hat, so he was ready for Sundays and to make sure he cheers on the home team."

The home team in question has long been affiliated with the Jason Taylor Foundation, and has been a huge part of the organization's work in the community, supporting one of their own in Jason Taylor, who not only is the franchise's reigning sack leader, but he won the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award in 2007 for not only his presence on the football field, but for the work he did off the field, which he continues to this day.

"I think things like this are priceless." Taylor said. "Having been on the other side of the tracks so to speak growing up, understanding the importance of feeling good about yourself and having some new gear for the school year and all that, it's big. We enjoy it, I think Old Navy's enjoyed it for the past twelve years, and they've been a fantastic partner. I go shopping maybe twice a year, and this is one of them."

​Taylor's former teammates came out in force, along with some other alumni who have been connected to the franchise for many years more. Former Dolphins wide receiver Wes Welker made an appearance, as did fullback Lousaka Polite - along with his daughter - and together they made sure their young shopper had everything that would be needed for a new school year. Meanwhile, Channing Crowder and Joe Rose kept the laughs coming all night long with their inexhaustible senses of humor.

A good time was had by all, but what must never be forgotten is the impact that an event like this has on kids who need a helping hand. The Jason Taylor Foundation purchased over $18,000 dollars worth of clothing and school supplies in a little over an hour, and those kids will be going to school this semester with their heads held high.

What could be better than that?

Taylor may not be terrorizing quarterbacks on the football field anymore, but his impact is still being felt within South Florida, even if it isn't quite as visible in the public eye as it used to be. There's still plenty more to do this year, especially with football season coming up, and you can be sure that the foundation is nowhere near through changing the lives of kids all over South Florida.

"Showing that you care, showing some love, put your arm around somebody, helping them out, it's very fulfilling for me." Taylor said. "The best is always seeing the kids smile."

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