On this week's edition of PhinManiacs Live, we discuss the results of the game against the Atlanta Falcons, what we liked and what we didn't like. 

We'll also discuss the recent improvement of offensive lineman Dallas Thomas, and our special guest for the show Ian Wharton (@NFLFilmStudy) will give his analysis and we'll discuss just what we should be looking at when we evaluate Thomas, among other topics.

Then we'll talk about the list of cut players, and see if there was anyone on the list that we weren't expecting to see gone so soon, or if there was someone on the roster we felt should have been cut instead.

FInally we'll discuss the recent comments made by quarterback Ryan Tannehill, regarding his discontent with the performance of the offense. What does this mean for the offense going forward, and what do these comments tell us about Tannehill himself?

Join us here to find out where the discussion goes tonight, and make sure to tweet us @PhinManiacs to ask questions!

When one thinks of the Miami Dolphins defensive line the names that come to mind are generally Ndamukong Suh, Cameron Wake and Olivier Vernon, but often overlooked is defensive tackle Earl Mitchell. Mitchell, who has had the luxury of playing next to guys like JJ Watt, Mario Williams and Wake throughout his five year career, is often slated as the third or fourth option on the defensive line, but that is not to his detriment. 

Mitchell is often left drawing single coverage and has made millions by taking advantage of those situations, and Sunday night’s third preseason game against the Atlanta Falcons was no different.

Mitchell had an extremely productive game tallying two tackles for loss and one big sack on Matt Ryan in only 14 defensive snaps. Falcons projected starter at guard James Stone was annihilated by Mitchell on multiple occasions. With Suh in the line-up, Mitchell can play more freely, often lining up in the 3-technique (lined up in front of the guard’s outside shoulder) whereas last year he was needed to help fortify the middle of the defense. 

Thanks to these new opportunities, we will see bigger numbers from Mitchell this season, and that was blatantly obvious against the Falcons. Suh and Wake might not have their statistically best years this season, but players like Mitchell, Olivier Vernon and Jordan Phillips will greatly benefit from their newly found freedom along the line.

Some of the Dolphins players are starting to take notice of Mitchell’s level of play and hard work. 

“I think he might be one of one of the most underrated, unknown guys probably on the team.” Said Dolphins’ DE Cameron Wake. “He’s a guy who can rush the passer, he stops against the run. He doesn’t say much, doesn’t make a lot of fuss, but he’s just as hardworking as anybody I’ve ever been around and I think he’s going to have a big year.” 

Wake wasn’t the only defensive lineman to gush about Earl Mitchell. 

“Earl is a guy that will get his opportunities to play all three downs.” Said defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. “As I talk to him, I understand his background. As we get to know each other, I see that he’s a guy that will take opportunities when we give to him and will make plays.” 

Drawing praise from two players who rank in the top five of their positions in the NFL is a great sign when talking about Mitchell’s growth and recent production.

It is easy to overlook Earl Mitchell with the loads of talent on the Dolphins’ defensive line, but at only 27 years old and improving consistently year to year, the Dolphins have a real gem on the line who will help make this line a dominant force in the NFL. Keep an eye out for Mitchell as this Dolphins defense continues to maul offenses week in and week out.

This story was written by Efrain Ramos. Follow him on Twitter: @EfrainRamos

Teams around the NFL are currently in the process of purging their rosters, and the Miami Dolphins have officially joined that party, as they released 11 players late Sunday afternoon. The players released are as follows:

DT Calvin Barnett 
G Bryant Browning 
WR LaRon Byrd 
WR Kevin Cone 
DE Ray Drew 
WR Tyler McDonald
DE Kendall Montgomery
TE Gerell Robinson
CB Sammy Seamster
S Phillip Thomas
C/G J.D. Walton

While none of these names are overly surprising, the biggest ones are WR LaRon Byrd and TE Gerell Robinson. Robinson in particular.

The former Bronco came into Miami and through training camp, was projected to become the Dolphins third tight end. He only made two catches for 61 yards, but one of those catches was a 56-yard catch and run for a touchdown. Something that neither Tim Semisch nor Jake Stoneburner - Robinson's competition - can say for themselves.

As for Byrd, he was doing rather well in training camp, but he only caught two passes for 51 yards during the preseason. His main competition - Matt Hazel - has put up much better numbers, which likely led to Byrd becoming expendable.

The PhinManiacs will be keeping an eye on roster moves as they come, so make sure to stay tuned here for all the latest transactions.

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

Per Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald, a league source has said that the Miami Dolphins have released veteran center J.D. Walton, who was signed back in March 19th. Walton's release saves the Dolphins $775,000 and creates $250,000 in dead money according to Overthecap.

Walton, who was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the third round back in the 2010 NFL draft, has started every game he's ever played, including his first two years with the Broncos and last season with the New York Giants.

Walton was presumably brought in to be the backup center to starter Mike Pouncey, but his performance has been sub-par all throughout camp and preseason, and he's been competing with fellow offensive linemen Sam Brenner and Jacques McClendon for a roster spot.

The release of Walton would indicate that the Dolphins are comfortable with Brenner as the backup center, but should things go awry, free agent lineman Samson Satele is still available after not being brought back from the 2014 season. Satele did a serviceable job at center for the Dolphins last season, and in a pinch, would likely do so again.

Walton is the first cut of many more to come, as the Dolphins (along with the rest of the NFL teams) will have to cut their rosters down to 75 by Tuesday, September 1st. We shall see who else fails to make the cut. Stay tuned to see who else will be leaving the Dolphins.

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

Ryan Tannehill and the Miami Dolphins are pursuing a high level of success this preseason and being "good" is not good enough. The Dolphins offense has produced a scoring drive in every game in which they have played, which has totaled to about four quarters combined. 

In Saturday's preseason home opener the Dolphins' starters stalled on their first two drives, but put together a masterful offensive push on their third. Tannehill ended the night with 15-19 for 145 yards and one touchdown, but that was not enough for him. 

“I was frustrated and I thought we didn’t play clean." Tannehill said after Saturday nights game. "We moved the ball I felt like when we didn’t kick ourselves in the foot. We had penalties, we had negative plays, it’s tough to put drives together when you have those and I expect better out of our offense.”

Tannehill clearly wants this team to perform above expectations and he is counting on excellence from the entire unit. If the Dolphins continue this standard of success they will begin to build a winning culture in the organization which it has been lacking for so long. 

This desire to constantly become better has been showing in the preseason, especially in Tannehill's passing. Through three games he has been completing 80% of his passes for three touchdowns and no interceptions. 

“Well it’s a good start." said Tannehill when asked about his high level of play this preseason. "I think guys are getting open and making plays for me down the field and I’m making good decisions getting the ball out in the right spot. Obviously there are plays that I don’t do perfectly and I want to complete, but I feel like we’re trending in the right direction right now and we have to build on what we’ve done in this preseason.”

The start of the Dolphins season is 14 days away and their self-critical attitude is promising. In order for teams to be great they must constantly build on their success and never be satisfied with mediocrity, which is exactly what the Dolphins are doing. The pieces are in place for a successful season, and the Dolphins are going into it with the right attitude. 

This story was written by Efrain Ramos. Follow him on Twitter: @EfrainRamos

At some point, players just get tired of hearing it. The constant berating, the continuous outcries about how terrible you are, the comments about how it's a miracle your quarterback isn't dead yet because of how badly you suck. This offseason, Dallas Thomas has gone above and beyond to make sure that never happens again.

The biggest reason that fans didn't want quarterback Ryan Tannehill to play in the game against the Falcons was that both Branden Albert and Jason Fox - the team's two main left tackles at this point - were down with injuries. That left Thomas as the next man up, and needless to say, the idea of Dallas Thomas at the most important spot on the line was a scary one.

But Thomas was determined to silence his critics, and against the Falcons, he put on an admirable performance and was able to prove that he is not the same man who could get beat by any lineman that wanted him out of his way, even while protecting Tannehill's blindside.

“I feel good about myself,” Thomas said after the game Saturday. “I’ve always believed in myself. I knew I could get the job done. It just takes time. Nobody’s perfect coming in to this. I know how some people feel. You know. But it’s a process. You can’t always rush it. Sometimes you’ve got to go through the process to get yourself right.”

He certainly looked right for the most part, but that doesn't mean he was perfect. There were a couple of plays where Thomas slipped back into old habits, and head coach Joe Philbin - while still apparently pleased with Thomas' overall play - acknowledged that Thomas still has work to do.

“I thought it was okay. I don’t think it was great." Philbin said of Thomas' performance. "I thought he [Thomas] did some really nice things. Obviously I think everybody in the stadium saw the block that he made on the screen where you saw his athleticism. In fairness to Dallas, he’s been playing…90 percent his reps have been at left guard. I thought he did okay.”

If you ask me, Thomas did better than okay. With the exception of a couple of mistakes here and there, which is actually much better than even I - one who has recently taken to defending Thomas - was expecting, the third-year offensive lineman held his own and once again showed that his improvement is not a fluke, and he clearly had fun doing it.

“Last game was the real fun,” he said. “I don’t think you guys all watched the film. I was throwing people around in that game.”

The excitement is understandable. After spending so many years being pushed around by other players, it's now Thomas' turn to do the pushing, and he was visibly pleased with himself after the performance he put forth Saturday.

“I’m mad I didn’t knock him down but he felt something,” Thomas said. “Everyone came to me like ‘Damn, good block, when you hit him you spinned around and he didn’t know where he was at!’ And then I came back and hit him again. It felt good.”

Obviously, the move to left tackle was more out of necessity than anything else, and the plan is still to have him be the starter at left guard when the regular season starts. Thomas has come out and said he hasn't enjoyed the constant moving around he's done, but if nothing else, he's happy that he got the chance to go out there and have yet another opportunity to change his reputation in the eyes of all his critics. An opportunity he clearly capitalized on.

“You can’t look at it as being frustrated,” Thomas said. “You’ve got to look at it as an opportunity to show your value, what you’re worth. I felt like I went out there and showed what I was worth.”

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

Now that the game against the Falcons is over, along with the dress rehearsal, it's time to take a moment and analyze just what needs to be taken away from this victory.

There was a very brief scare in the first quarter when center Mike Pouncey jogged off the field after an awkward play, but he returned shortly after, and then the next drive he was removed, presumably to protect him for the regular season. His official status was "questionable" to return for the game, but that's the usual designation. We shall see what the official diagnosis is soon as Pouncey has an MRI scheduled in the morning. He says he'll be fine though.

It was a rough game to watch in the second half as usual, but nevertheless the Dolphins were able to come away with a 13-9 victory over the Falcons instead of completely collapsing once the backups emerged. So what did I take away from this win? Let's just have a look.

Once again, Dallas Thomas managed to step up and keep his mistakes to a minimum. Protecting Ryan Tannehill's blindside wound up being the least of the Dolphins worries as Thomas was able to keep his opponents at bay in pass protection. Fans were worried he would fail horribly, but he did a lot better than anyone expected.


No one wants to believe it, but Dallas Thomas has made major improvements this training camp and preseason, and for some reason, it's come on really recently. Maybe it's just as simple as the lightbulb coming on for the former third-round draft pick, or maybe it's the ton of work he's put in over the offseason finally coming to the surface. Either way, it's encouraging.

If Thomas keeps this up, then he could very well fill in at tackle in a pinch after all, which greatly helps the depth issue on the offensive line. It'll take a regular season performance to get fans to finally buy into Thomas, or at least, that's the hope. Maybe they never will. Nevertheless, Thomas should keep it up.

This may not seem like much of a takeaway, but after going up against the supposedly high-powered Falcons offense, the starting defensive line only allowed the Falcons to have a field goal, and that was only because long snapper John Denney made a mistake and the punter Matt Darr had to fall on the ball before something even worse happened.


With Ndamukong Suh eating up the double teams in the middle, defensive tackle Earl Mitchell was able to create havoc and sack Matt Ryan, and defensive end Cameron Wake got a sack on Matt Ryan as well. This whole defensive line will be helping each other create problems for other teams, and we got a really good look at what they could do Saturday night.

The starting offensive line consisted of Dallas Thomas at left tackle, rookie Jamil Douglas at left guard, Mike Pouncey (who eventually got replaced by J.D. Walton) at center, Billy Turner at right guard, and Ja'Wuan James at right tackle. All mentions of Thomas being improved aside, the offensive line was nowhere near as good as it could have been.


Despite having four out of five starters out of the lineup (Thomas at left tackle doesn't count since he's supposed to start at guard), Ryan Tannehill went 15 for 19 with 145 yards and a touchdown that he threw to Rishard Matthews on a quick slant.

Jarvis Landry and Lamar Miller gave the young quarterback a lot of help with YAC, and this game was proof that even if the offensive line isn't particularly great, the offense can work the way Lazor draws it up. They only managed to score one touchdown, but the drives were hindered by drops (that we'll assume was caused by the rain) that really messed things up.

There are some folks upset by the fact that Tannehill didn't try to take more chances, but that's just the way Tannehill plays. He gets the ball out quickly and lets his receivers do the work. If more chances are to be taken, more time in the pocket is needed. Until then, the offense will be able to function just fine with short passes. We'll see what they do when they go to Washington to face off against the Redskins.

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

The Winners

Defensive Line – Both and 1st and 2nd team overwhelmed Atlanta’s offensive line. They are scary good. Earl Mitchell was eating, getting single team blocking beside Suh.

Ryan Tannehill – He looks very comfortable and once again tore a team apart using his multiple skill players. Most notably Lamar Miller and Jarvis Landry

Zach Vigil – Was a tackling machine with the backups and showed solid speed.

A.J. Francis – Has quietly had a solid preseason. I think he has probably solidified his roster spot as a backup DT.

Dallas Thomas – He was tasked with playing the most difficult position on the line making everyone cry out for Tannehill’s safety. However, he did not get Tannehill killed. Swapping around like that is not easy. I was impressed on how he did enough to get the job done.

Josh Freeman – In limited playing time he looked sharp and moved the team. Is it enough to survive the first cut?

Andrew Franks- He nailed a 51-yard field goal and was perfect on the night. That was the biggest pressure kick of the preseason. The kicker battle is too close to call.

Matt Hazel/Rishard Mathews – Both looked solid as they have all preseason. Will Miami be able to keep 6 WRs?

The Losers 

Matt Moore – Has been trending on this list. Had a horrible display of pocket presence and lost the football giving Atlanta points in the first half. Then had his arm hit to throw an INT in the 2nd half, not what you expect from your veteran backup.

Chris McCain – He was given extensive playing time late in the game and was not overly impressive rushing the passer. I would expect him to be extremely disruptive in that situation.

Anthony Johnson – He did not make any obvious mistakes but he was pretty invisible. I think it is unlikely he is going to make the team at this stage.

Mike Pouncey – He hurt his knee early in the game and then came back into the game. The early assumption is it's a mild sprain, however, I personally thought it was foolish for him to re-enter the game on it in the preseason. He knows better.

Mike Gillislee – Similar to Anthony Johnson, he did not do anything wrong. However, I did not see him do anything to convince the team to keep him. With Ajayi now back, I am not sure he survives the first wave of cuts.

This story was written by Chad Ronnebaum. Follow him on Twitter: @Gofins4SB

The Dolphins have gotten off to a pretty rough start this preseason, finishing their first two games with a record of 0-2 against the Chicago Bears and the Carolina Panthers.

However, when you take into account that the starting players have greatly outplayed their opponents' starters, it would indicate that the Dolphins current record is not an accurate picture of what the team's regular season success will be.

The third game of the preseason is usually treated by teams as a sort of dress rehearsal, and it's currently unknown whether or not the Dolphins plan on treating it this way, especially with the storm coming. But for the sake of this story, we'll assume the starters will play a full half, as is customary. With that said, here are five things to watch for.

Going up against the sorry Bears offense with Jay Cutler at quarterback and the wide receiver starved Panthers offense is not a true challenge for a defense that's projected to be in the top ten defenses for 2015, some have even gone as far as to say that it will be the best in the NFL. Such is the impact of the signing of Ndamukong Suh.


But the Falcons have a good quarterback and weapons that are very dangerous in wide receivers Julio Jones and Roddy White. It will be interesting to see whether or not the Dolphins defense will be able to shut down a team that actually has their offense as a strength as opposed to a weakness.

Will the Dolphins banged up secondary be able to hold off Jones and White? Will the defensive line be able to continue its domination of every offensive line they've met thus far and apply pressure to Matt Ryan? Suh has wanted more playing time, and he's likely about to get it.

There's been a lot of hype about Ryan Tannehill's improvement this offseason, and through the first two preseason games, the hype appears to be more than just hype. It seems to be real. Through the four drives that Tannehill has led, three of them have gone for touchdowns. He's also thrown 22 passes and had 18 of them be completed. That's really sharp.


Now, Tannehill needs to keep that sharpness going. He's already been forced to work with a less than stellar offensive line this preseason since left tackle Branden Albert is still recovering from his injury, and now that Jason Fox is down with a concussion, that leaves the possibility of Dallas Thomas being at left tackle, a possibility that leaves a very sour taste in the mouths of fans.

But this is potentially a good chance for Tannehill to have a real test of his abilities. Against the Falcons, there isn't a lot of danger for him to be beat down since the Falcons have a rather weak defense. Nevertheless, there is a danger, and Tannehill will have a chance to show he can function even when his pocket isn't necessarily holding up. If he can, there should be a big reason to be encouraged.

Linebacker Koa Misi returned to practice very recently, and as a result, he was inserted right back into the starting lineup - predictably at SLB in place of Chris McCain. The return of Misi makes the other two starters Jelani Jenkins at WLB and Kelvin Sheppard taking charge in the middle, for better or worse.


Coverage has been a real issue for the linebacker corps all throughout training camp and preseason, and part of that is because Sheppard and McCain have weaknesses in that department. The return of Misi will help that out, and we'll see how much it will against the high-powered Falcons offense.

As of right now, it appears that there is little to no depth on the Miami Dolphins offensive line, particularly at the left and right tackle positions. So here's the question: how bad will the pass protection and run blocking be with Dallas Thomas at left tackle and (probably) Jamil Douglas at left guard once more.


It's this lack of depth on the line that has caused fans to want so desperately for Ryan Tannehill to stay off the field and let Matt Moore play in the "dress rehearsal" game instead. But if there was ever a chance for the young players to prove that they have potential to improve, it's now. Some players sink when thrown into the deep end, and some manage to swim.

For now, let's just see if they can at least tread water.

The starters have yet to put together a bad performance this preseason, and there's very little indication (besides the offensive line) that the starters will stop doing so. The biggest issue is not the starting lineup, it's the depth of the team. I just mentioned the overall depth of the offensive line, but the depth has issues for the rest of the team as well.


The secondary is in danger with Jamar Taylor seemingly always injured, and Zack Bowman and Will Davis have had several struggles on the boundary. The linebackers are also in flux with Jordan Tripp's ankle keeping him from getting any practice.

Both losses for the Dolphins have come due to the failure of the second and third team players to beat the other team's second and third team players. If these fringe players want a roster spot, they'll have to start making plays, and fast.

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

With the knowledge that both tackles Branden Albert and Jason Fox will not be available for the Dolphins first home preseason game, there are several different factors that should be looked into regarding whether or not quarterback Ryan Tannehill should even bother suiting up for the third preseason game against the Atlanta Falcons.

So we took to Twitter and decided to ask the fans, should Ryan Tannehill play in the Falcons game for a game that essentially means nothing? Why, or why not? Here are some of the responses.

The majority of the responses stated that Tannehill should indeed play against the Falcons, regardless of the fact that the tackles and guards will be backups instead of the starters (not counting Mike Pouncey and Ja'Wuan James). The idea is that Tannehill needs to continue building chemistry and work on playing when he doesn't have all his pieces in place.

The other opinion though is that Tannehill shouldn't even get onto the field because the possibility that he might get hurt in a meaningless game is too great. And these people would rather the Dolphins take the route the Green Bay Packers are taking with Aaron Rodgers. Let the backup QBs take the lumps and save Tannehill for the regular season.

So what's your opinion on the matter?

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

Have you ever heard the line about trusting the process? I mean you are reading a football blog, dedicated to one team, which is run by fans, so obviously you have heard that clichéd old line. As I have mentioned in this space before though, these things work their way into the vernacular for a reason, they are usually true in some way. The Miami Dolphins have a process, finally, and they trust it.

Many fans are breathing heavy with fear about injury. The stalled starts by DeVante Parker and Branden Albert, the season long loss of Louis Delmas, the concussion to Albert’s backup Jason Fox, and the sure knowledge that if something happens to Ryan Tannehill the season is over before it begins have sent many into a panic. 

The Dolphins, to their credit, have barely reacted at all. They have installed a program that is based around internal growth and development. They have created a process for filling in those holes and now they are seeing the dividends.

It is important to trust the process, especially if you are going to invest in expensive players to mix into your homegrown youth. I know the malleable nature of the NBA salary cap or the non-existence of one in baseball gives many, mostly casual, fans a sense that the NFL works in a similar way, but it does not. The NFL operates with a hard cap. Simply put, your team must operate under that cap, there are no other options.

There is however one way to create more space the following year. That is to rollover any unused cap from the season prior. Which is what the Dolphins must do with the almost $11 Million dollars they are currently under the cap and why they should consider cutting Zack Bowman and C.J. Mosley as well. That would bring their rollover to almost $13 Million and leave them operating just under the projected $152 Million cap once the rollover is adjusted in and the Rookie holds are accounted for in 2016.

Thinking about the future is part of the process. Which is why Dallas Thomas, if he really is the best option at Left Tackle will play as the blindside protector for Ryan Tannehill. Does this represent a slightly higher, though impossible to predict, chance that Tannehill will take a hit? Sure, let’s say it does, it also represents the last real chance for the starters to practice at full speed against other starters. 

If you don’t think walking through most parts of any production, at least once, is important then I have no arguments that will sway you. However, if you can see the value in making sure the communication lines are clear, that protocols are clear, that you are making the most efficient use of that 15 minutes between halves, or seeing your starters run a 4 or 2 minute offense. Well, that is preparing for the future.

The process can only work if you stick to it. This is of course true of any process, any system, maybe your core operation can sustain one or two deviations, but if you are always tinkering with it, it breaks down. Breaking down, isn’t that something that the Dolphins have done enough times in the last decade plus almost another decade. In any of that time you never heard about cheap ownership, just about the flawed teams and team constructions. 

Looking back though it seems that, for a lot of those years since Shula left, there was a lack of process or vision. Right now, the team you are looking at is the product of two offseasons of Dennis Hickey’s process and, like it or not it, is coalescing into the vision we first heard about when Joe Philbin arrived 4 years ago. A mobile QB who can make all the throws, a 6 deep receiver group, a zone blocking offensive line, and a defense that is/will be stocked with young talented players.  While maybe not all of those things are filled perfectly, they are headed in that direction.

Do you know why I feel actually good about this season? Not like last season where I knew they were not ready yet, but wanted them to be. I thought they were a 9-7 team, I said so, but I predicted 11-5, because I write for a Fan Blog and this is for fun. No what I feel is nothing like that. I am not hoping for anything this season. 

I have expectations, not of the record or even the playoffs, if you recall the last time Miami went New England did not, with an 11-5 record. I just don’t look at any game this season and shrug it off, like we all did last year at Denver, a game they should have won.

I expect the Miami Dolphins to beat the teams they are supposed to, then I expect them to win most of the coin flips, and finally I expect them to be in with a chance to win every game against favorites. I have these expectations because I see the process unfolding and the results are encouraging, the possibilities are exciting. 

For Dolphins fans it is not the silliness of a whose better, Ryan Tannehill or Andrew Luck, debate. It is that somehow that debate made its way into the national conversation. If that does not represent a massive change in the way the media is beginning to view this team, I am not sure what it signs you are looking for.

The process dictates that Tannehill plays tomorrow. It mandates that the team was never signing Evan Mathis. It allows for DeVante Parker to be ready for the regular season. It has set this team up to be in the best condition it has been in for many years. The process has put the 2015 team in a position for success and it has done so without mortgaging the future. 

This column was written by Ryan Winters. Follow him on Twitter: @WintersNFL

Just when the Dolphins fanbase was finally getting used to the idea of Dallas Thomas playing at left guard, reports came out that due to the concussion suffered by tackle Jason Fox, it was more than likely that Thomas would wind up getting some snaps at left tackle, and practice reports confirmed this suspicion. 

It didn't take long for all hell to break loose.

There was already a very vocal outcry that the Dolphins franchise quarterback shouldn't even sniff the field for this game, mainly with the reasoning that if Tannehill happened to get injured, the season would be over. This line of thinking seems to border on paranoid, but nevertheless it does have its merits.

That particular line of thinking was multiplied tenfold when it was revealed that Dallas Thomas was the likely candidate to take over for the injured Fox against the Atlanta Falcons, and immediately the fanbase - in essence - called for Matt Moore to be the proverbial sacrificial lamb and let him play with the ones instead of Tannehill.

Again, the concerns regarding Thomas at tackle are valid ones. The former third round pick has had major struggles when lined up at tackle, to the point where he was graded by PFF as one of the worst offensive linemen in all of football last season.

Despite these concerns however, head coach Joe Philbin has insisted that he will consider all possibilities when looking to see who will play left tackle during Saturday's game.

“We’ve got a couple of options, we’re going to practice tomorrow, tomorrow’s not just a day where we walk-through things, we’ve got a little bit of a practice and we’ll get a better feel," Philbin said. "but a lot guys obviously have played tackle, Ja’Wuan James has played tackle, Dallas Thomas has played tackle in NFL games, (Jeff) Linkenbach has played tackle in NFL games and we’ve (Aundrey) Walker and (Donald) Hawkins have played left tackle. We’ve got a number of guys that that we’ll take a look at and we’ll see how everybody is, talk to the medical people and go from there.”

The most likely option at this point is indeed Thomas, who has made improvements to his game since being locked in at left guard. Now that he's being switched back to tackle, there's fear that those improvements will go down the drain.

"It can be, if you let it." Thomas said when asked if making the switch would be disruptive from a team standpoint. "If you look at it like 'aww man I've been doing so good, now I gotta go out here', you can't be like that. You're a team, you gotta do what's best for the team, whatever happens you gotta keep pushing no matter what."

Thomas has not done nearly as well at tackle as he has at guard according to reports, but it's clear that Thomas is determined to prove himself, and who knows? Maybe he'll surprise us again.

“He’s a good athlete. I think back, one of the things that intrigued us when we watched his college film was his position flexibility." Joe Philbin said. "He’s a guy that moves well enough, he’s athletic, he gets out of his stance pretty well and we think he’s had a good camp.”

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

The Miami Dolphins and hospitality provider Centerplate today announced the new in-stadium food and beverage offerings that will greet fans when Sun Life Stadium re-opens for the 2015 season, following phase one of a multi-year renovation that will enhance the fan experience and make the facility a global entertainment destination.

“We’re excited to continue serving fresh, local and diverse options for our fans,” Miami Dolphins Concessions & Retail Management Director Ben Metzger said. “The renovation brings a new stadium to fans, and we feel the food and beverage experience will directly compliment that enhanced game day experience.”

Representing South Florida’s vibrant restaurant scene is a number of local restaurants with a new presence in the stadium. Joining the prestigious line up of brands working with Centerplate to serve fans local and fresh flavors on game days are:

• Bodega Taqueria y Tequila (Sections 142A, 329, 345A),
  
• Café Versailles (Sections 119A, 242A, 347),
  
• Goya (Offered pre-game on the Grand Plaza)
  
• Kosher Central (Section 111),
  
• Paradise Cups (Section 154), and
  
• Sloppy Joe’s Bar, A Key West Tradition (Sections 106, 144A, 317A) 
  

Additionally, Centerplate welcomes back Sushi Maki (Sections  126 and 245), Bru’s Room (Sections 101 and 303), Bokampers MVP Club (located in the East End Zone on the Mezzanine Level (for ticketed Members only)), Cold Stone Creamery (at Sweet Cream locations and Cold Stone Creamery carts throughout the stadium), BurgerFi (Sections 114A, 134, 350), Johnsonville Sausage (122, 150, 321) and Papa John’s (Sections 107, 122, 142, 150, 308, 327, 336, 355) to enhance the game day experience. Award-winning chef Michelle Bernstein also re-joins the line-up on the Club and Suite level, with sandwiches, salads and bakery recipes from Crumb on Parchment (Section 217 and suite menus).

“We are extremely excited about the great local products, variety of flavors and high quality ingredients we’re bringing to fans this year,” said Kevin Mitchell, Centerplate General Manager at Sun Life Stadium. “The renovations have provided us with an opportunity to upgrade equipment, work with fresh product and develop brands that fans have been asking for. This is just the beginning, and we’re looking forward to new introductions as the regular season opens.”

These eleven vendors compliment the diversity of offerings developed by Centerplate just for fans at Sun Life, which include:

• South Beach Haute Dog (Sections 101, 114, 117, 129, 135), offers foot-long and stadium dogs
• Miami Chicken (Sections 117A and 319), featuring country-style fried chicken, chicken and biscuits, sandwiches, hand-cut fries and chilled watermelon.
• Edgewater Grill (Sections 122A, 150A, 319A, 347A), serves up ½ pound premium Angus beef burgers and fries, grilled chicken sandwiches and vegan Field Roast burgers.
• 305 Grille (Sections 130, 317, 332, 345), carries the Joy Burger (topped with fresh avocado and tomato), the fried pork sandwich with apple chutney, and the Cuban 305, another Sun Life Stadium original—a Cuban sandwich-style burrito with ham, cheese, mustard, black beans and rice, pressed then fried for a crisp shell.
• Everglades BBQ (Sections 104, 132, 317B, 347B) a Sun Life Stadium original, returns with its award-winning house-smoked barbecue, nachos and tailgate favorites.
• Republic Seafood offers fresh Dungeness crab on grilled garlic sourdough and a packed lobster roll (Section 313).
  
• Marketplace Burger (Section 341) is the destination for real burger lovers, serving up the headlining hand-formed ½ pound Angus beef burger on a toasted bun.
  
• SOBE Fresh, offers lighter alternatives with salads and flatbreads (Section 147A).
  
• Sweet Cream (Sections 119, 140, 318) offers Cold Stone Creamery ice cream, soft serve sundaes, waffle cones, souvenir cups and assorted sweets.
  
• Tap Room (Sections 117 and 147) will feature 16 Florida craft beers on tap, plus up to an additional 36  varieties of local, regional and national craft beers and ciders in bottles.

The Evan Mathis watch reached the point where it really became Evan Mathis Fever. Despite all the moves that the Miami Dolphins made over the offseason - the signings of Ndamukong Suh, Greg Jennings and Jordan Cameron, the drafting of DeVante Parker, etc. - Dolphins fans were still convinced that the Dolphins would be 8-8 at best all over again without Mathis.

I understand these people, I do. I really do. But just because the Dolphins apparently lost(?) out on the Evan Mathis sweepstakes does not mean that the Dolphins are doomed to once again be mediocre in 2015. It does not negate all of the other moves that the Dolphins made.

Everyone was super excited when the Dolphins signed Suh, and people were already making playoff predictions. Granted, some of them were made in jest, but there were several sincere comments made regarding how with the Dolphins new D-line, they would be able to finally get over the hump.

The confidence continued to build, the hype continued to grow, Jordan Cameron was brought in to be Tannehill's redzone target, Greg Jennings was brought in to be a savvy veteran route runner and the locker room cancers were removed, the offense began to fit together like a puzzle. It was all coming together at last.

Then, Mathis was released from the Eagles, and everyone went rabid all over again. They saw an opportunity to make the team better, give the team a better overall chance to not only make the playoffs but potentially compete in them. That in itself isn't wrong. What is wrong, however, is suddenly getting the idea that Mathis was the key to the success of the team.

Did the Dolphins lose Ndamukong Suh? No.

Did the Dolphins lose Jordan Cameron? No.

Did the Dolphins lose Ryan Tannehill? No.

"THAT'S WHAT WE'RE WORRIED ABOUT!"

Yes, I understand. The concern is valid, it's more than valid actually. Tannehill's been sacked 139 times since since he came into the league. It's a problem, I totally get it...but the Dolphins have been just barely edged out of the postseason for the past three years, and that was without the obvious upgrades.

If you're worried about the possibility of Tannehill getting hurt, then I totally understand. But if you're worried that the Dolphins just won't be good enough, then that's just plain crazy. The same people who were excited about this upcoming season are now doom and gloom because Mathis signed with Denver instead of Miami. Talk about bipolar.

Let's just do the rundown, ok? Branden Albert is on the right track and seems like he'll be ready to play again very soon. That in itself should get people to breathe a sigh of relief. If he manages to get back on the field by Week 1, then good for him. I'd prefer he rested until Week 3, but that's just me.

Mike Pouncey is fully healthy and back at center where he belongs, and the new contract - instead of inflating his ego - has had the opposite effect and humbled him into becoming a true leader on this Dolphins squad, and his play on the field is showing that he's clearly back to form.

Ja'Wuan James is also back where he belongs: firmly rooted at right tackle where he was good enough to quickly earn the favor of the fanbase and effectively lock down the right tackle position. That issue is no longer an issue.

"But the interior!"

Yep, I'm getting to that. If there are true unknowns on this offensive line, it's the guard play. I totally get that. But here's the thing, I - and several other members of the media - have been reporting over the past couple of weeks that left guard Dallas Thomas has looked much better than he ever has before. And when I say much, I mean MUCH. It's almost night and day.

If there's anyone who's had to have a slice of humble pie when it comes to Dallas Thomas, it's me. I predicted when I heard that Thomas was going to be given the first shot at winning the starting job at left guard,  that Thomas would quickly lose that job and rookie Jamil Douglas would easily overtake him.

I was wrong.

It's taken a while, but apparently being nailed down at one spot and getting most - if not all - of his reps at left guard rather than being moved all over the line has allowed Thomas to finally get a handle on what he's doing, and his play has reflected that against the Chicago Bears and the Carolina Panthers. Naturally he still has a lot of trust to build, but he's laying a foundation and I'm starting to be ok with the idea of him at left guard.

So the only real question is right guard. Billy Turner's aggressive, mauler style of blocking has been more of a hindrance than an asset so far, something I was also wrong in predicting. He's technically a rookie this season since he was practically redshirted in 2014 due to a turf toe injury, and there's speculation that he's hurt again which is affecting his play.

The other option is once again Douglas, who is getting the same opportunity as Turner at right guard - because of Thomas' increased level of play at left guard no less. So assuming Thomas' play isn't a fluke, that leaves only one spot as a question mark.

Listen guys, I totally understand that concern. The depth on the offensive line is a problem, particularly at tackle, no doubt. But Tannehill's offense - with backup Jason Fox at left tackle - has scored three touchdowns in four drives during the preseason. And yes, I know preseason games don't count, but it's not like everyone out there is jogging. They're playing like it's real, since a lot of players are playing for their NFL lives.

I get they haven't faced a team like Buffalo or New York yet, but not every team is the Bills and Jets, and their offenses leave a lot to be desired, because they don't really have a quarterback. The Dolphins clearly do, on top of a potentially great defense.

Enjoy this season, there's a lot to be excited about. This is the best Dolphins squad that we've had in a long time, and not just because of talent, but because it fits like the puzzle it's supposed to. There are very few pieces that seem to "not fit" and there are no players - to our knowledge anyway - creating a stink in the locker room just because they feel like it. That helps.

Evan Mathis would have helped this year, but he would have caused issues in the future since the salary cap would've been really hard to work around and still re-sign core players. Now the Dolphins have a chance to do that, and still compete this season with what they have,

Evan Mathis is a Denver Bronco, for better or worse. Now we can move on with our lives and remind ourselves of what got us excited for the 2015 season.

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

When Reshad Jones entered the National Football League in 2010 as a fifth round pick out of Georgia, not many expected him to become an impact player within a few years. As a fifth round pick, the odds are already stacked against you and it takes determination, drive and perseverance to rise to the top. Slowly working his way into the lineup starting in 2010 and improving each year, Jones is ready to take the next step and become one of the best safeties in the NFL.

That includes working on his craft more than ever this offseason and it hasn't gone unnoticed by the coaching staff, especially head coach Joe Philbin. 

“Early in the game the other day, he gets guys on the ground. He’s a good tackler, that showed up on film the other night, that’s number one. He’s a guy that we can bring down into the box and he can be effective, but he’s also got good range, so he doesn’t have to be always the guy that comes down and plays in the box. So I think he’s got versatility, too.” 

However, as any NFL head coach would do, Philbin said that there is also room for improvement with Jones and he looks forward to seeing it happen over the course of the 2015 season.

"We still want more playmaking out of our defense. We talked to the team about we’re, our turnover ratio after two games is poor. There’s no other way to say it. Getting takeaways, creating takeaways is something we want to continue to emphasize and get production in it in games.”

Ryan Tannehill, who goes up against Jones in practice on a daily basis, knows just how good he is. Additionally, Tannehill has noticed an overall improvement in Jones, even from last season.

“Reshad’s a good player. I think he’s playing really well right now, he’s playing fast and he’s always been a good player for our team. I think this year I’m seeing him make more plays, even in simple one-on-one drills with the receivers where he’s covering like a corner and playing safety as fast as I’ve ever seen him play. I’m really excited the way he’s playing right now and how he’s going to help our run defense. He’s the whole package.”

With Louis Delmas out for the year and now Walt Aikens likely to start next to Jones, it will be more important now that Jones steps up and takes his game to the next level. If he continues doing what he has been so far this off-season and pre-season, that shouldn't be too much of a problem.

This story was written by Matthew Cannata. Follow him on Twitter: @FinsInsider

With a high number of players tearing their ACL or sufering another season-ending injury during the 2015 pre-season, there have been many calls to either get rid of pre-season or for coaches to sit their star players throughout the remainder of the pre-season games. 

In just one week, we saw three players within days tear their ACL - Kelvin Benjamin, Louis Delmas and Jordy Nelson. Add that with other players who have lost their season in what some call a meaningless pre-season game and you can start understanding concerns others may have. 

This debate raged even further when Baltimore Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs took a legal, but controversial, shot at Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford's knees. Ryan Tannehill was asked about this and he believes that the NFL needs to do a better job of clearing up the grey area when it comes time to going low on a player.

“As a quarterback, you hate to see that. Obviously in the rules there, there is something we have to figure out league-wide, but as a quarterback you hate to see another guy get a shot taken at his knees like that literally just after he 
handed the ball off. You can see a guy like Peyton Manning doing the exact same handoff and no one is taking a shot at his knees. There is some grey area there that I think needs to be cleared up.” 

Tannehill knows there is a lot going on throughout the course of a play so it might be easy for referees to miss a few things here and there. That's why he makes sure that his awareness is high and that he makes a clear signal to the referee that he no longer has the ball. 

“My eyes are always up and if I ever feel like someone is taking a shot at me, then I’ll show my hands to make it clear I don’t have the ball and then you can no longer be hit. It’s something that we’ve covered here and talk about because we do run the zone-read and do some run fakes, but we’re also taught that if a guy is coming at you and you don’t have the ball, show your hands so you clearly don’t have the ball and then they can’t take a shot at you.”

The quarterback is the most protected position in the NFL and for good reason. They are often the face of the franchise and a season-ending injury to a quarterback can derail an entire season before it begins. Expect more rules to protect quaterbacks to come forward in the future as the game gets more popular and the contracts become higher and higher.

This story was written by Matthew Cannata. Follow him on Twitter: @FinsInsider

In 2004 Hurricane Ivan was on course to hit South Beach at the same time as the Miami Dolphins home opener against the Tennessee Titans. The game was moved to Saturday in order to avoid the storm. The Dolphins might be going through this situation again as Tropical Storm Erika is on course to make contact with South Florida this weekend, around the same time as the Dolphins preseason game against the Atlanta Falcons.

The storm may be fizzled out by then, but the NFL is monitoring the situation, "[The NFL has] been in touch with both clubs…” said NFL spokesman Michael Signora, “…and will continue to monitor the situation throughout the week."

If any action is taken it would most likely be to move the game to earlier in the day in order to get the game started before the effects of the storm reaches inland. Kickoff in Miami is slated to start at 7:00PM EST, but there is some uncertainty when it comes to how this storm will develop. Weather.com reports that Erika's future track and intensity beyond Puerto Rico (who have been suffering from a recent drought) is highly uncertain, and may involve a track near the Bahamas this weekend and possibly parts of the Southeast U.S. coast next week.

We will continue to monitor the situation so check back with PhinManiacs.com to stay updated on Tropical Storm Erika and how it will affect Saturday night’s game.

This story was written by Efrain Ramos. Follow him on twitter @EfrainRamos

On this week's edition of the PhinManiacs Podcast, we discuss the results of the game against the Carolina Panthers, what we liked and what we didn't like. 

We also discuss the recent report from Drew Rosenhaus that has come out that Evan Mathis will be signing with a team by the end of the week (and of course we now know what team he's with).

Also a topic on this show will be the season-ending injury to the Dolphins starting safety Louis Delmas; what will be the consequences of this and who will be the next man up?

We also spent some time discussing the idea of potentially trading Rishard Matthews, whether the Dolphins should or shouldn't do something like that.

All this and more on the PhinManiacs Podcast.

Analysts for this show:

Luis D. Sung - @FLSportDebater
Chad Ronnebaum - @Gofins4SB
Efrain Ramos - @EfrainRamos
Matthew Cannata - @FinsInsider
Chris Early - @TheEarl007
Keith Beebe - @kmb8488

Continuing the series for the Miami Dolphins Cheerleader Swimsuit Calendar, we introduce you to Miami Dolphins Cheerleader Macy, who has been unveiled as Miss March 2016. Macy is a fourth year veteran and team captain. 

This marks her 3rd year on the calendar shoot, as she was Miss December 2014 and Miss December 2015. Macy currently resides in Palm Beach Gardens. She is featured here in DESPI Swimwear and Lavish Jewelry.

I got in touch with Macy to ask her some questions, and here is what she told me. Also included below is a short 15-second video of Macy.

LS: When did you decide that you wanted to be a cheerleader and what made you feel that way?

Macy: I feel like being a cheerleader for the Miami Dolphins has always been in God's plan for me. My whole life I have loved dance and cheerleading. Growing up I had switched back and forth from ballet to cheer, then poms, competition cheer, jazz class, kick team, hip hop … you name it. And for dancers I guess you could say I kind of jumped around, but for the MDC I feel like I have the perfect combination of all styles to help me be the best I can on this team. 

When I entered hairdressing I stopped teaching/taking any dance classes because I wanted to focus on my new craft, but after a little while the yearning to dance arose again. It was 2011 and my family relocated to Florida, I did everything I needed to do, found a new job, gym, and was enjoying the beach, but something was missing: dance. So I did my research, and when I learned of the Dolphins Cheerleaders I lit up inside. 

The MDC were everything I wanted to be: glamorous, talented, football loving, positive role models and amazing athletes. And the rest is history, I worked extremely hard from that day until the next audition day to earn my spot on a team that would change my life forever. 

LS: What has being a Dolphins cheerleader meant to you?

Macy: Being a Dolphins Cheerleader has meant the world to me, it's like having that "pinch me am I dreaming?" moment permanently. It means that I'm part of something that's bigger than myself, and that I'm so blessed to even be that small part. Every practice, game and performance I get to live out my passion not only for myself but with a group of women who share the same one. 

It means that I'm a role model, and not just for the youngsters I know personally, but for girls everywhere who've ever seen or encountered us, in the past or yet to come. That's one of the big ones for me, to touch the life of a little cheerleader/dancer, and show them that anything is possible is such a gift that I will always keep with me. 

LS: Has being a Dolphins cheerleader influenced your life, and if so, how?

Macy: Being a Dolphins Cheerleader has definitely influenced my life, I'd say down to the bone. I had no idea how much this experience could move me. Cheering here has taught me how to be a professional out in this world, how to speak to and in front of people, how to work as a team, how to show respect to peers, when and where to speak your mind, and that's just a few. 

One of the best influences though I think is the one that shows us how to go after our dreams, that anything is possible, if you want it and work hard enough for it. Why shouldn't we treat everything we do like a special occasion, and that it’s a once and a lifetime opportunity? Everyone I meet now I show the enthusiasm I have when we meet fans of the team, how awesome is that?! 

LS: What does being chosen as one of the girls for the Swimsuit Calendar mean to you?

Being chosen as a Swimsuit Calendar girl is so wonderfully overwhelming! Before becoming an MDC I had never modeled or taken any professional pictures, so to see the result of all the hard work that goes into those photo shoots is just breathtaking. To have your face belong to a month in a calendar that is so iconic and carries such a legacy is the neatest feeling in the world. 

One of my favorite parts about looking at our pictures is the back story behind them, workouts, makeup, laughs, swimsuits, lighting, locations; things that no one but the ones who were there would know. To see your picture in the calendar makes you feel so honored and blessed that people want to hang your picture up for a whole 30 days. (Haha) 

LS: What is your favorite part of being a Dolphins cheerleader? (What do you look forward to the most?)

Macy: My favorite part about being a Dolphins Cheerleader is all of it, honestly. But, if I really have to pick something I would have to say game day. It's our main event, what we came here to be a part of. Before you try out you don't really know about all the other awesome stuff we do, you just know you want to be out there on the sidelines. I love the fans, their excitement for the season, for the game, meeting us, we have the best Dolfans ever. 

Game day has it all going on, we have appearances, we sign autographs, we dance and entertain the crowd, it's where our history is made, and I love that I'm a part of that. So many people we meet remember their first Dolphins game, or that time they got a group picture with us and it’s all included under the game day umbrella. 

LS: Besides being a cheerleader, do you happen to have any other hobbies or occupations?

Macy: Besides being a cheerleader (which truly is full time commitment) I have lots going on my personal life. Five days a week I work behind the chair as a hairdresser, doing color, cuts, extensions and more. I really love the creative aspect of it and maybe that feeds my dancer side as well. I love that I'm trained in hair because there’s always bound to be a hair emergency in the cheerleader locker room. 

Any other free time I have I try to hang out with my family as much as possible, I'm the oldest of 5 kids so there's always someone to go to the beach or ride bikes with. Of course I have to squeeze in gym time, practicing our dances and staying conditioned, I try to get outside when doing that stuff to enjoy the sun and fresh air. In the offseason I like to have a little more fun and go dirt biking, it's fun to go fast and ride the tracks, we really make a day of it. I love anything with speed and competition so motocross fits the bill. 

LS: What do you envision yourself doing when your cheerleading career ends?

Macy: In one direction I'd love to further my hairdressing career and either advance to becoming a platform artist or owning my own salon, or both! Who knows? One wonderful thing I've taken from cheerleading is that I can do anything my heart desires, if I want it bad enough. 

I'd also love to pop in on special events and style the cheerleaders for pictures or fashion shows, I love making others feel glam and gorgeous. On the other hand I definitely want to stay involved with dance, whether it's with my own self continuing to dance or teaching classes to children, I know I’ll always keep it close to me. 

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

Follow Macy on Twitter: @MDC_Macy

It's been a long and hard road, filled with pain and trials that only someone who's recovered from the injury before can attest to, but for the first time all offseason, the Miami Dolphins star left tackle Branden Albert returned to practice at full speed on Tuesday.

“I’m back doing everything,” Albert said before practice began on Tuesday. “I’m not going inside (to rehab). I’m doing everything with the team.”

Albert, who had torn both his ACL and his MCL on Week 10 of last season against the Detroit Lions, has battled long hard after his surgery for nine months, slowly progressing and getting his legs back under him so he could return to practice full time after merely taking a few individual drills during practices and then going back inside to rehab.

The Pro Bowl left tackle never got put onto the physically unable to perform list, but he was extremely limited during practices and for a time was beginning to worry fans regarding his status for the regular season. 

However, with the return of Albert to full-speed practice, there is once again hope that he'll be ready to go when the season starts, which is what Albert is still aiming for.

“I’m very happy; it's been a long time coming,” Albert said. “But I’ll be real happy when I return on the field on Sundays (for the regular season).”

Needless to say, someone who's excited to see Albert back on the field is quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who has been sacked 139 times since his rookie year began.

“It’s great. I was giving him a hard time in the weight room earlier today, but excited to have him back out there." Tannehill said. "It's been great just to see him kind of work his way back over the past weeks and to have him out there full-time today is going to be great.”

Of course, going full speed doesn't mean that he got a full workload. The Dolphins seem to be doing the wise thing with their star left tackle and taking it slow with him.

"He looked good." said head coach Joe Philbin. "He didn’t get the same amount of reps as Mike Pouncey got, but he got in there and he competed.”

This was yet another huge step in Albert's recovery, and given how important he is to the line's success, taking it slow is the best thing for Albert to do. Even if he doesn't make it in time to play in Week 1, he really shouldn't be needed until Week 3 when the Dolphins face the Buffalo Bills.

When Albert gets back onto the field and can play in games, the offensive line will have the most important part of their lineup back, and then fans will be able to relax a little bit with the knowledge that their quarterback's blindside is well protected.

We brought him here for a reason. He had a great career while he was in Kansas City, but that’s why we wanted to bring him here." Tannehill said. "He lived up to that last year while he was on the field and unfortunately he had the injury, but he’s been battling his way back all offseason, in here working. I was in here February and March in the building, and he’s in here grinding away. I respected his grind that he’s had this whole year and I’m excited for him to be able to get back out.”

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

Life is good if you’re a member of the Miami Dolphins defense; particularly if you play on the Dolphins defensive line.

The Dolphins wrapped up their joint practices with the Carolina Panthers in Spartanburg on Saturday night with a preseason loss. But the final score didn’t reflect the continued dominance of the line of scrimmage by the Dolphins defensive line. 

By the end of the first quarter quarterback Cam Newton and the Panthers had only managed six yards of offense compared to the Dolphins 116 yards. When the Panthers’ first unit did make it to the goal line the Dolphins’ defense stopped them four times in a row; turning them over on downs.

Newton realizes how good it is to be a member of the Dolphins front four. He approached Dolphins defensive tackle Ndamukong  Suh during one of the joint practices and told him, “Life is good for you.” When asked about it Suh said,

“Life is good for me?” Suh said laughing, “I don’t know about that…there’s more to accomplish.”

From a fan’s perspective Suh and the defense have accomplished a lot so far. They’ve been as dominant as ever in the first two preseason contests. But according to Suh there’s still work to do.

“We’ve got a lot of film to watch, but I think that we did a pretty good job for the most part, at least for the defensive line I can speak that we were re-setting the line of scrimmage in their backfield in a handful of the plays.”

Resetting the line of scrimmage is going to be crucial when facing the likes of Tom Brady, Joe Flacco, Philip Rivers, Tony Romo, and Andrew Luck. All are top tier quarterbacks on the Dolphins’ schedule this year.

“I think we got a lot of growth at the end of the day to continue to come together and gel as a group. I’m excited. We came out here and accomplished some good things.”

Life hasn’t been too good for Newton and the Panthers. They lost their star wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin to a season ending knee injury during one of the practices with the Dolphins. There were also reports that the Panthers coaching staff asked the Dolphins to scale back the pass rush because it was too much. Maybe Newton’s back-and-forth with Suh was Newton’s way of venting his frustration. Maybe it was just trash talk. Suh said,

“Did I expect the chatter? No, he just came up to me, so it was a good conversation and left it at that.”

Everything is good, including life, when you’re on the Dolphins defensive line with Suh. 

This story was written by Carlos A. Hernandez. Follow him on Twitter: @LosDez

In the latest version of the AFC East Roundtable, Steve Saslow of Bills Daily, Ian Logue of PatsFans.com, Luis Sung of PhinManiacs and Matt Barbato of Jet Fuel discuss the players they want to see play well in the important third preseason game.

Steve Saslow: The Offensive starter for the Bills to watch during Saturday’s preseason game against the Steelers is Matt Cassel. The QB competition is still a three horse race with Rex Ryan indicating that all three of them will get time with the first unit. Cassel is still the leader with Tyrod Taylor on his heels and EJ Manuel in third place. Cassel didn’t play last week as the coaching staff wanted an extended look at Taylor and Manuel. All that did was bunch things up even more.
 
They know what they have in Cassel and if he gives them a solid performance without making mistakes that will go a long way in him winning the job.
 
On defense the one starter to watch is rookie CB Ronald Darby. He has had an up and down summer which is to be expected from a rookie but he was forced into the starting job when Leodis McKelvin went down with a setback from offseason ankle surgery. McKelvin is due back at some point but until then Darby is the starter. He had two interceptions last week and will look to build on the confidence gained from that performance.

Ian Logue: Heading into this week's game all eyes will likely be on newly added receiver Reggie Wayne, who the Patriots signed on Monday following the loss of receivers Brandon Gibson and Brian Tyms, who are both likely headed to IR. The 36-year old will be competing for one of the final remaining spots behind Julian Edelman, Brandon LaFell and Danny Amendola, and it's going to be interesting to get a first-hand look at his speed and quickness, especially considering that up until now he had still been without a team.

Defensively one player to watch is going to be defensive back Logan Ryan, who has struggled in recent weeks and really needs to finally put together a good outing.  He gave up several big plays in Saturday night's win over the Saints and has been off to a frustrating start so far this preseason.  

Ryan has shown so much potential and has looked good at times during practice, but through two games it hasn't quite worked out the way he probably hoped.  The third preseason game is generally one of the more important ones on both sides of the football, and it's going to be critical for Ryan to show he can start turning things around as the Patriots continue trying to solidify their situation at corner opposite Malcolm Butler.

Luis Sung: If there's one starting offensive player I can safely say absolutely needs to have a good game in the third preseason game against the Atlanta Falcons, it's current left guard Dallas Thomas. After spending the first two years of his career being absolutely hated by the Dolphins fanbase, Thomas has finally been allowed to stand pat at left guard instead of being moved all over the line and stunting his growth.

As a result, Thomas has suddenly come on strong and significantly improved to the point where I have been forced to admit that I was wrong about Thomas' ineptitude. He can be a good player when given the chance to just play in a specific position instead of trying to make him a utility guy, but in order to gain everyone's trust, he needs to maintain his current level of play.

As for defense, the only choice I can really definitively say needs to have a good game is incumbent starting safety Walt Aikens. Due to the injury that ended the season of Louis Delmas, Aikens is being given the chance to prove he can fill Delmas' shoes. I don't know if he can dance like Delmas, but he definitely has all the physical tools he needs to play safety.

Aikens had a few struggles against the Panthers, but for the most part he showed the potential he had been showing all camp long. Unfortunately, he now needs to step up and play earlier than the Dolphins were hoping. He needs to have a good game against the Falcons to give fans confidence that Aikens can fill in.

Matt Barbato: The offensive starter who needs to play well in Saturday night's game against the Giants is Eric Decker. The sixth year wideout has been quiet thus far in the preseason and has caught only two passes for 16 yards in two exhibition games. 

Decker is now the second receiver in the offense with Brandon Marshall in town. However, Decker thrived as the second receiver in Denver where he played alongside Demaryius Thomas. Decker as somewhat disappointing as the featured receiver in the offense and needs to have a productive game against the Giants. The Giants secondary isn't anything special and Decker should have a good performance. 

Defensively, many Jets fans need to see Antonio Cromartie play well Saturday night. He's been picked on in his limited time on the field during the preseason and has had trouble tackling after the catch. Cromartie has also struggled in practice. 

It's hard to say Cromartie is regressing after a small sample size during camp and preseason action, but Cromartie should be on the field for at least a couple quarters Saturday night. His performance against the Giants could be indicative of what we can expect from Cromartie going forward.

On this week's edition of PhinManiacs Live, we discuss the results of the game against the Carolina Panthers, what we liked and what we didn't like. 

We'll also discuss the recent report from Drew Rosenhaus that has come out that Evan Mathis will be signing with a team by the end of the week. 

Also a topic on tonight's show will be the season-ending injury to the Dolphins starting safety Louis Delmas; what will be the consequences of this and who will be the next man up?

FInally we'll collaborate all of our takeaways from the first two preseason games and start speculating on what we actually expect from the Dolphins when the regular season rolls around.

 Join us here to find out where the discussion goes tonight, and make sure to tweet us @PhinManiacs to ask questions!