On Tuesday afternoon, between 5-7 pm, the Finsiders will announce their Most Improved Dolphins Player of the Year and viewers will have a chance to cast their vote during the show. Read More
An enlightening chapter in Miami Dolphins history came to a close tonight as the final episode of “Hard Knocks” premiered on HBO. Read More
Dolphins rookie quarterback Ryan Tannehill made his first career NFL preseason start on Friday against Carolina, playing the entire first half in a 23-17 loss.
Here are my five key takeaways from last night’s game:
- QB Position Still Undecided: Coach Joe Philbin has reiterated a desire to name a starter by the third week of the preseason, but the Dolphins’ quarterback picture remains murky.
Very fairly, the big question for tomorrow night’s preseason game at Carolina is: Who will be the Dolphins’ starting quarterback?
We don’t know the answer yet, but it could certainly go either way. Below are reasons why it could either be Matt Moore or Ryan Tannehill…
The case for Matt Moore…
…He’s the veteran who led the Fins to a 6-3 record in their last nine games in 2011.
After Friday night’s preseason-opening 20-7 loss to Tampa Bay, the Dolphins returned to the practice field to kick off another week of training camp.
Because of David Garrard’s knee injury, when they broke into their two-pronged version of team drills, each of the three remaining quarterbacks–Matt Moore, Ryan Tannehill and Pat Devlin–received additional reps.
In case you missed it, here’s a complete roundup of Dolphins.com’s coverage of the 12th day of training camp practices:
- Day 16 Notebook: Thunder And Lightning Livens Up Practice; Other Notes
- Plenty To Learn From First Preseason Game
- VIDEO: Joe Philbin Press Conference, 8/12
- VIDEO: Mike Sherman Media Availability
- VIDEO: Roberto Wallace Media Availability
- VIDEO: Davone Bess Media Availability
- VIDEO: Sean Smith Media Availability
- VIDEO: Legedu Naanee Media Availability
- VIDEO: Jason Trusnik Media Availability
- VIDEO: Finsiders TV, 8/12/12
Two days after the team’s first scrimmage of training camp 2012, coach Joe Philbin released his first depth chart of the season.
While there are obviously many things that will change between now and Week 1 at Houston, this piece of paper certainly gives us a decent idea of where the coaching staff’s heads are at.
Starting where most fans are most interested, David Garrard is listed as the starting quarterback.
Once Ryan Tannehill signed his contract and arrived at training camp, full focus could be diverted back to his on-field progression.
Specifically, how would the two-day absence affect his standing in the quarterback rotation?
Even if expectations were tempered a bit, nonetheless his performance in team drills would be heavily scrutinized.
The consensus? So far, so good.
Since he’s returned, Tannehill has split reps with David Garrard, Matt Moore and Pat Devlin, almost exclusively facing a mix of defensive reserves.
Finally, we arrive to the most important position on the football field, the quarterback! There is little question that the play of the quarterback determines the success of the offense and his play usually decides the outcome of most wins and losses. Training Camp 2012 for the Miami Dolphins will hopefully decide whom the triggerman will be moving forward for Miami.
There is no doubt that the position of quarterback will be the topic of discussion when the Miami Dolphins take to the practice field in mid-May. Every movement will be scrutinized going into summer organized team activities and mini-camp workouts until someone claims the starting position. Veteran quarterbacks Matt Moore and David Garrard will try and separate from each other, while rookie first round draft choice Ryan Tannehill tries to prove why he’s worthy of a serious look immediately.
The quarterback position is always a hot topic of conversation, especially during this time of the year. The National Football League has become a sport where this position is one of supreme importance, and if you’re a team that dosen’t have a difference maker at the position, your franchise will be left behind! Only one of 12 playoff quarterbacks had a passer rating below 80 (Tim Tebow at 72.9), and the elite single-callers were well over 100 (Aaron Rodgers 122.5, Drew Brees 110.6 and Tom Brady 105.6).
