Dolphins working out receivers today – including Stallworth

This shouldn’t be surprising.  As a big time (and obvious) need of the Dolphins, news is that they are working out several receivers today, including Donte Stallworth.

They should have been doing this all off-season honestly, but let’s be real, anybody they are picking up off waivers right now isn’t going to make a huge splash this season as a play maker.  They are just trying to get warm bodies out there right now.  Not to sound pessimistic, but that’s where we’re at right now.

Hopefully they find someone who is serviceable for a year.

Ryan Tannehill – 2012 Fins Starting QB

 

A New Era begins.

 

Well fellow Fins lovers, we have been in this position before (far too many times).  A new Quarterback has been named for the up coming season for the Miami Dolphins, rookie Ryan Tannehill.  He has looked promising in the pre-season up to this point, and in my opinion has earned the starting spot for the Dolphins this camp.

You will see many articles come out talking about how many QB’s the Fins have gone through since Marino retired in 99.  It is hard to blame them since it is such an easy (and lazy) story to write in this situation.  As fans I think we should use a form of selective hearing.  You know, when your wife or girlfriend is attempting to talk for like an hour during a game?  When the media babbles on about will RT be the next Miami QB to add to the list, I think we need to just nod our heads and pretend to listen while focusing in on each and every game, saving our criticism until we see this thing play out.  You all know I have been a Matt Moore supporter because I think he played well last year and he has been a great team player with the other QB’s during camp this year.  He needed to jump out and look better than Tannehill to keep the position and he just hasn’t done that yet.

Ryan Tannehill looks tough out there and the game doesn’t seem “too big” for him.  He seems to have the respect of his teammates already and is proving to work really hard at his craft.  He has made mistakes, he has telegraphed some passes and he has some room to learn.  That is what we call a ROOKIE.  As this season progresses let’s all remind ourselves that this is his first year playing and to look at the roster he is working with.  Who knows, maybe he will surprise us and make some of these younger receivers look better?  One thing is for sure; from what I’ve seen so far he will be working hard and giving everything he’s got for the team, whether you originally wanted him here or not.

How much will you be backing Tannehill this year?  Will you jump ship and be cheering for him to be benched with his first bad game?  Let’s be smarter and more logical than the feeding frenzy media and show what classy fans the Miami Dolphins really have.

 

Moore or Tannehill? Your choice up till now?

With David Garrard temporarily out of the mix following knee surgery, it’s Matt Moore and Ryan Tannehill competing to take this team into the regular season. Both quarterbacks will split reps with the first team this week, with coach Joe Philbin saying he’ll “let things play out” before naming a starter for Friday’s preseason matchup against the Carolina Panthers.

I think both Moore and Tannehill looked pretty sharp in the first preseason game against the Bucs.   It will be interesting to see how this plays out.  To be honest I like both of them.  I think they both are gamers that will put it all on the line for their team.  But I must admit I was impressed with Tannehill’s presence in the pocket in his first NFL action in the game.  He did better than I thought he would in the fast paced real time NFL action he had never seen before.

What do you think of each of the QB’s performance in the the first pre-season game?

What will you be looking for in the 2nd game of the pre-season?  Do you like Moore or Tannehill better?

Honestly I liked how fast and proficient the offense looked throughout the game.  They need to perfect it, but it looked as if a transformed version of the phins offense of the past.

I like what I am seeing so far.

Garrard to have Surgery – Out 2 to 4 Weeks

Miami Dolphins quarterback David Garrard will undergo arthroscopic knee surgery, he said Friday in a text message.

Garrard later told FOX Sports insider and NFL Network contributor Jay Glazer that he will have the operation Saturday and that doctors believe he’ll be out two to four weeks.

“Nothing happened, just Father Time, wear and tear,” Garrard told Glazer. “They have to take out loose things floating around.”

Garrard, 34, was leading the Dolphins‘ three-way quarterback race. It now appears either veteran Matt Moore or rookie Ryan Tannehill will start at quarterback in the regular season.

The Dolphins play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in their preseason opener Friday night.

Moore was told he will start the game against the Buccaneers, according to The Palm Beach Post.

Tannehill Starting Strong in Dolphins Camp

Love him or hate him, Ryan Tannehill is directly connected to our current coaching staff and to the future success of the Miami Dolphins.  So the following information about him turning heads early in camp is a GOOD THING!

Per Ben Volin of the Palm Beach Post, it’s been “hard not to notice” how effective Tannehill has been throwing the football through a few days of training camp. Volin says Tannehill has shown “good velocity, accuracy, and anticipation.” Coach Joe Philbin relayed that Tannehill had 53 “competitive snaps” in Sunday’s practice — just a day after he signed his contract — and the rookie passer completed “over 40″ of his throws.

“For a rookie quarterback,” Philbin confirmed, “I think he’s doing very well.”

Throwing with the “accuracy and anticipation” observed by Volin is a key for Tannehill after his reportedly interception-filled OTA and minicamp season.

Whether the Dolphins give Tannehill a realistic look as the Week One starter remains to be seen. But his beginning to camp has been promising after missing time, and he offers Miami its best chance to elevate the performance of the players around the quarterback, with an ability to make strong-armed throws into tight windows and extend plays with athleticism.

Tannehill may not start on September 9 when the starters roll out for the first game, but there is a good chance he will be on the field this year.

AFC EAST: PREDICTIONS

Well, everyone else has done it, why not me?

NE Patriots –

Good schedule, not especially tough.  Texans, Ravens, and Broncos are  their biggest challenges, besides the usual mud wrestling of the AFC  East.  They upgraded a little, but who cares.  They’ve been on their  pedestal a while, and no one has the stuff to knock them off so far.   Don’t see a change quite yet.  13-3.

NY Jets – 

They’ve got everything you could ask for in a contender  except for one teensy tinsy thing … solid QB play.  Add a QB  competition and it could be even more dangerous.  I just don’t see  how they think Tebow helps Sanchez, except as a bench press spotter.   Should Sanchez throw a couple of picks, the Tebow chants will start.   Sanchez being the sensitive guy he is either turns it on out of  spite, and plays angry, or tanks.  I’m betting on tanking.  Tebow  takes over mid season and we have a strange new bird.  This mess  continues on through next off-season, and viola!  .. we have a Jets  tire fire.  For them to succeed, one of those two QBs needs to go.

I do agree that the Tebow package will pay dividends during games,  but guess what… it’s the same reason the Broncos won.  Yes, the  formation works when done correctly.  I just think the in-fighting  and media mess will kill any progress the Tebow package will create.

In the end the Jets could go full belly up, or win out of sheer  anger.  Really not sure which.

But you’re as good as your QB play, so since I think Sanchez is only  a step above average, I’ll go 9-7.

Miami Dolphins –

How good is Joe Philbin?  Hopefully amazing because  the Dolphins talent level isn’t.  But they’re also not the Sisters of  the Poor.  Solid pros on many levels, all capable of winning games,  and doing their job.  Just no stars.  Yes, yes, I know that the 1972  Dolphins had no stars on defense (they say).  Bush is probably the  poster boy and the defacto star, and he has the best chance of  putting up some serious #s.  He’ll be the busiest guy on the team.   Should Ocho and Naanee work out, then we have a viable WR corps that  can execute Philbin’s offense.  On a shearly professional standpoint,  the Fins have improved their system, and ability to run plays to beat  teams.  That in itself should get them a few more wins.

But the old adage holds true for me.  You’re as good as your QB.   Garrard looks poised to win the job, and yes Garrard has had some  good years.  But his career is still average, new system, and he’s old now, so  not improving.  Even though the 2012 Dolphins are going to look and  be much better than the 2011 Dolphins, their schedule is not easy, and  their record will not quite match the potential.

Either 7-9, or 8-8 is my prediction based on Philbin’s system being  executed well by adequate but not special players.  I do expect this  to drastically change upwards once we have QB solidity.  On the right  track, most definitely.

 

Buffalo Bills-

They made a big splash by adding mario Williams.  They have up-and-comers on offense like Stevie Johnson.   Their the new IT team, and confident and full of teenager-y excitement.  And yes, they have a lot of dangerous players, and are a solid team, that works really hard.

Well he Dolphins team last year worked really hard.  Next.

Going once again to the well …you’re as good as your QB, and Fitzgerald is Feidler.  Gives 100%, but that’s because anything less would not qualify for an NFL QB.  His limitations are the Bills limitations.  Admirable, but in the end, fatally flawed.

The good news for them is their schedule isn’t a monster.  Even though the Fins will be better than them, their record will be close.  I’ll go a solid 6-10.

Bad news for the rest of the league is when the Bills get their QB situation fixed, they’ll be multiple games better.

_______________________

**Overall, I expect the Fins and Bills to fix their QB questions within the next year or two.  Assuming the Jets waffle on Sanch-bow for a while, and Brady actually gets old … might be a power switch soon.

Sooo, I stuck my neck out here with my predictions.  Now it’s your turn.

 

Guest Writer:  Jeff Schanz