Running Back Battle

The battle at the running back position certainly is one of the most talked about subjects heading into OTA’s and training camp. It should be a spirited campaign. In my opinion, it is the most wide open position battle on either side of the ball. 

Lamar Miller enters camp as the presumed front-runner. The Dolphins thought enough of Miller that they did not try to resign Reggie Bush, nor did they make a big attempt to sign a veteran free agent running back, this off season.  Miller showed glimpses last year against Oakland and the Jets, early in the season, but as fans we saw little after that.  The Miami Herald’s Armando Salguero tweeted out in January when comparing Miller to Bush. ”…team thinks Lamar Miller, who's bigger and faster, could be better.” I’m excited about Miller this season. I was excited when the Fins moved up in last years draft to take him. I expect Miller to win the lead running back role and should get about 60% of the running back touches.

Daniel Thomas is supposed to be the power runner / short yardage back for the Fins. He has had 2 full seasons, and quite frankly, I don’t see it. Occasionally he shows glimpses, but they ‘re few and far between. He has battled injuries and fumbling problems.  He turns his back to the line of scrimmage way way way too much for me. (Did I mention he turns his back too much?).  Thomas is my bet for being the odd man out   He was not a Philbin selection. My bet is that Thomas does not make the final 53-man roster barring an injury to another back or dramatic improvement during training camp.

Jonas Gray is intriguing to me to say the least. His numbers steadily improved in college, and he seemed to have a nose for the end zone.  114 carries for 791 yards (6.9 Avg.), his senior year at Notre Dame, scoring 12 TD’s. A knee injury late in his senior year caused him to go undrafted.  At 5’10’’ and 225lbs, he needs to embrace his roll as the “big” back in the system. His biggest problem may be keeping healthy.

Marcus Thigpen is an absolute wildcard. He is obviously the Dolphins top kickoff and punt returner (especially PR since Bess has been traded) but is he more? He recently said he wants to be the #1 running back. There was plenty of talk last season about using him in the slot. Could Offensive coordinator Mike Sherman find multiple ways to use Thigpen, like Percy Harvin or Randall Cobb? (Or like many fans wanted Bush to be used like last season.) Maybe, occasionally lining Thigpen up in the backfield, or in the slot would give the defenses a little more to worry about.  With a year of experience under his belt, Philbin and company may trust him enough to use him in many ways, but as the feature back, who knows?

Mike Gillislee is the newest and latest running back in the Fins stable. Labeled as an exceptional pass blocker, immediately one considers him a third down back. He waited his time at Florida, and did not carry the load until his senior year, but carry the load he did.  He rushed for 1152 yards as a senior, scoring 10 rushing TD’s along the way.  How quickly Gillislee picks up his blocking assignments may determine how much of the field he will see this season.

It will be interesting to watch the running back battle unfold this summer.  I can’t wait!

Carl C. Crowley

@carlccrowley

Renovations never had a chance

Vote or no vote, the Miami Dolphins renovation proposal of Sun Life Stadium was never going to come into fruition. As time went by after House Representative Will Weatherford refused to put the proposal in front of the legislature, it came into light by Patricia  Mazzei and Marc Caputo of the Miami Herald that early voting polls showed that 34,780-57 percent- of the 60,678 voters were opposed to the stadium renovation. Though the tally was incomplete, it appeared that the city has grown tired of giving money to billionaire owners who should be funding their own stadiums and were still feeling the wounds left by Jeffrey Loria's 2 billion dollar, public funded ballpark. Stephen Ross has a right to be upset, he spent 10 million dollars to setup the referendum, but the message after these recent events is clear: if you want to enhance your stadium or just build a new one, open up your wallet and pay for it yourself. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.  

Miami Dolphins sign tailback Mike Gillislee

The Miami Dolphins have signed fifth round pick and former University of Florida running back Mike Gillislee.

According to reports,  Gillislee signed a  four-year deal worth 2.32 million, which includes a 162,800 signing bonus.

Gillislee rushed for 1152 yards with 10 rushing touchdowns for the Florida Gators in 2012. 

Gillislee is the fifth player from the Dolphins 2013 rookie class to sign. Tight end Dion Sims, linebacker Jelani Jenkins,  kicker Caleb Sturgis,  and cornerback Don Jones, signed their rookie contracts last week. 

The only rookies the Dolphins haven't signed are number 3 overall pick Dion Jordan, second-round pick Jamar Taylor and third-round picks Dallas Thomas, and Will Davis.

How the Rookies look in the NEW Uniforms

Pictures from the NFL Rookie Premier event

Loathe the non-believers not Stephen Ross

Greetings and Fins up! I have grown tired of the endless river of print on how very loathed Stephen Ross is in South Florida.  People have called him ignorant, because he was a NFL owner learning on the fly.  They called him arrogant because he made no apologies about playing hard ball with the local political parasites.  They called him a whining billionaire when he complained of a lack of local support and public funding.  I don’t loathe Stephen Ross. I loathe the negative Fin fans that still make such statements. 

What Mike Dee said of Ross is true; the billionaire real-estate tycoon bought the Dolphins and learned to run the franchise under fire.  He made his mistakes and the purpose here is not to relive them.  We all remember his flirtatious pursuit of Jim Harbaugh, and mishandling of Tony Sparano.  If he had inked Harbaugh, people would want him to be mayor with no mention of the field goal fist pumping fat boy Sparano. We recall that he failed to lure Jeff Fisher to Miami.  He also lost the Peyton Manning chase, and refused to appease the public as they called for the demise of Jeff Ireland.  Both Ross and Ireland have laid it all on the line in 2013.  Ross is working to provide a winner and build a legacy; Ireland is fighting for his job.  I think they both are winning. 

I cannot help but wonder how many Ross loathers loved Wayne Huizenga.  I am not encouraging anyone to dislike Wayne Huizenga.  However, his popularity is every bit as misplaced as the loathing of Steven Ross.  After all he never appeared in a super bowl, and he sat at the head of the table as Don Shula, and Dan Marino went by the way side.  His loyalty to a washed up Jimmie Johnson is quite comparable to the commitment Ross has made to Ireland.  Finally, he failed with Nick Saban and a last gasp effort with Bill Parcells.  The man did all he could to bring Miami a championship.  Nonetheless, I fail to see where he applied himself or his resources in any greater manner than Stephen Ross. 

Now, let’s move onto the problem.   According to Pro football talk 60,678 ballots were cast prior to the Sun Life Stadium renovation bill hitting the waist basket.  57 % of Miami-Dade residents voted “NO”.  (Here it comes again) Get some therapy!  If I read one more statement from a resident stating “I don’t believe in giving money to anyone who doesn’t need it”, I might lose it.  It cost 1 Billion dollars to build a quality NFL stadium at this point.  Do you realize the Dolphins franchise is only worth 1 Billion? Could you show me a venue built for professional sports that did not include public funding?  The sports industry moves billions through the economy and has a political presence, like all industry.  The Miami Dolphins invested nearly 10 million in their campaign to renovate Sun Life Stadium.  4.8 Million non refundable dollars went to the cost of an election that never fully occurred. If the bill had succeeded there would’ve been a 1 cent increase in the “Bed Tax” on hotel accommodations in Miami-Dade County.  Furthermore, The Dolphins asked for a sales tax rebate on items sold at Sun Life Stadium. That’s it? Yes, that’s it. Who is truly paying for this? The people who make it cost you an hour to step out and grab a gallon of milk.  Neither Stephen Ross nor Jeff Ireland is the problem; the negativity surrounding efforts of progress is the problem.  So here we are, Miami now mirrors Los Angeles.  Lots of Fun, Sun, endless options, and a fair weather fan base.  If you voted “NO”, you’re not the reason the franchise has become stagnant, but you are the reason South Florida no longer deserves an NFL franchise. 

“Put out the fire boys, don’t stop, don’t stop! Put out the fire on us”- The Cold War Kids

Jarrett Davis

Davisjarrett@gmail.com

Twitter: Jarrettd0716

Offense : 2012 recap and what to expect in 2013

As the Miami Dolphins free agent spending spree is all but done, I would like to express my thoughts of Ryan Tannehill in his rookie season and what my expectations are of him in his sophomore season. Some sports analysts and writers were not impressed with what they saw of Tannehill last season as he began very shaky, committing costly turnovers and not being able to drive the offense forward and throwing for only 12 touchdowns and his top receiver, Brian Hartline, had only caught 1 touchdown in spite of having over 1,000 receiving yards. Fans and outsiders may view this as a failure. But I, on the contrary, saw it as success. If the top offensive weapon on your team is Brian Hartline there is a problem. Hartline, a good receiver, is simply not elite talent and doesn't have the speed to be a legit deep ball receiver, which he was forced to do last year. Ireland had failed to surround Tannehill with a  true number 1 receiver as opposed to other QB's in his rookie class who walked into better situations ( Andrew Luck, Russell Wilson, for example). You are not going to win 10 or 11 games with Brian Hartline, Davone Bess, and Marlon Moore as your top 3 WR's. You need 1's and 2's to with the 3's and 4's (Thank you Mr. Ireland) and the lack of enough playmakers cost this team in 2012.  Our upcoming 2013 season, however, is the first season in which we may officially begin to judge Tannehill as the checkbook was opened and the top free agents on the offensive side of the ball, Mike Wallace, Dustin Keller, and Brandon Gibson will be wearing Dolphin uniforms next season. We have a deep ball threat now in Wallace who will be able to spread the field, something this offense lacked last season, an upgrade in the slot receiver position in  Gibson, and a very good possession receiver and route runner in Keller. I liked what Tannehill did last season with nothing to work with. Now he has the weapons to win, what happens next is up to him.

Mike Wallace Like's What He See's From His QB

 One of Ryan Tannehill’s new weapons is already giving him high praise after just a few practices. Mike Wallace, former Pittsburgh Steeler was acquired by Miami this off-season to help a young team get back into the playoffs.

Mike Wallace will be subject to a drastic change playing receiver in Miami. Tannehill, just a second year player doesn’t have the distinguished track record of 2 time Super Bowl champion “Big” Ben Roethlisberger who has 29,844 yards, 191 touchdowns in his career, but according to Wallace, Tannehill may have just as much ability.

 During the week Tannehill was giving high praise about Wallace, telling reporters that he asked Wallace to go “half speed” during practice. Tannehill was also quoted as saying, "He's the fastest guy I've ever thrown to. It's exciting,” It’s great to see these two get off to a great start before Training camp.

 After all the experience Mike Wallace had in Pittsburgh with Roethlisberger, questions were asked about how similar Tannehill is to Roethlisberger. Wallace said according to the Miami Herald, "They both know what we (receivers) like to do out there, so the chemistry is there already. Both have strong arms. Ryan has a cannon, and can really fling it."

 Mike Wallace had more to say giving praise about Tannehill, "The way it's going, it won't take long for Ryan to be one of the great quarterbacks. I feel like we can make a lot of big plays."

Ryan Tannehill may not be the next “Big Ben” but the some similarities are hard to ignore. Both were the third quarterback drafted in their classes.  In 2004 the draft order went Eli Manning, Phillip Rivers, and then Ben Roethlisberger. Last year’s quarterback class saw number one pick Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III (RG3) and then Miami picked up Ryan Tannehill. Last season, Tannehill threw for 3,294 yards, surprisingly more than his classmate and rookie of the year RG3.

David Winkworth

@Davito23