The Dolphins got under a three day minicamp yesterday, which usually comes with very warm weather and a tone of speculation.  It’s always exciting see the boys heading down to Davie and hitting the practice field. The 3 day camp invites all media members so gives us a little insight on how this team is developing on the practice field. While some members of the media get more excited about certain players than other it is important not to read too much into every piece of information received as it is still very good to figure who is winning which off season positional battle. The roster will only most likely be settled after the 3^rd preseason game is over with so there is no need to make any rash decision rather you’re better off sitting back and just paying attention to what is going on.

There are three buzz items out there on the twitter universe that I would caution fans to overreact about as there is a lot of practice to go around still this off season.

1) The Dolphins QB battle

-          While David Garrard does appear to be in the lead right now, we can’t look too much into the fact he has got the majority of first team reps early on. As Philbin noted every QB will get a shot with each unit and all the QB will be given a shot to battle it out.

-          That being said for those in support of Garrard should be encouraged. Garrard does have the most NFL success behind him of the 3 options in Miami and RIGHT NOW appears to be the man in the lead.  Sun Sentinel reporter Omar Kelly is willing to go to war to prove to fans he believes Garrard will be the man week 1.

- Note today Moore took the snaps with the 1st unit and looked good in the process. It is way too early to declare a winner in this race but it is certainly far from over. That being said it does look like the rookie Tannehill is a bit behind the two vets however I wouldn't put too much stock in that. Tannehill obviously has a lot of work ahead of him being a rookie.

2) Chad Ochocino’s strong start

 

-          While Chad so far has impressed in his first few practices as a Dolphin it is still not a 100 % lock that Chad will make the team. Chad’s work ethic, leadership and likeability has probably made him the player that has impressed the most early on but that being said Chad will HAVE to impress should he want to crack this starting roster.

-          Early on it appears Chad is in good shape and wanting to contribute this year but you never know with Chad and it’s too early to assume he will automatically be going back to his Chad Johnson days of old as a pro bowl WR.

Chad tweeted today,

" I look good... I feel good... I can breathe again... I'm walking with my head high... not questioning myself... damn he's back.. #DadeCounty " 

-Side note on the WR position is that word is Davone Bess had a very solid today out there and that Hartline is still dealing with personal issues that has kept him from seeing the field. 

3) Excitement over individual plays

-          You will be hearing from the Dolphins beat, one player made a spectacular catch, or one player had a dominating sack. It is important to take a step back when reading these tweets. While you should be encouraged as the news is good but the thing the Dolphins coaching staff will be looking for this offseason will be the ability to consistently impress. Dolphin’s fans will be able to witness this first hand when the Hard Knocks HBO show debuts.

The offseason has slowed down quite a bit, however the excitement is almost ready to take place with training camp and the preseason coming up. That being said it’s time to have some fun, time for some over/under.

Reggie Bush –Over / under - 1,086 rushing yards.

1,086 is the number of rushing yards Reggie had last year in playing 15 games. Reggie has made it public that he thinks he is in the hunt for the rushing title this year. While I believe Reggie will play a lot more WR and open up the field this year, I still believe he will get the bulk of the carry. All the information, (drafting Lamar Miller, Thomas ready to make an impact) suggests to go under on this I don’t think it would be wise to doubt Reggie.

Reggie has come to the Dolphins and been one of the hardest workers on the team, for that reason I am going over but only slightly.

PFT recently put out an article saying that Reggie is ready to carry the load. See link below

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/06/15/reggie-bush-is-ready-for-a-lot-of-carries-in-miami/ 

OVER

Ryan Tannehill starts at QB – Over/ under – 3 Starts

This is really a tough one. While I don’t believe Tannehill starts week one, I think there is a solid chance that he gets to see the field this season. Tannehill is obviously familiar with the playbook and by the sight of the tweets from Tannehill and Ocho; he is trying to build a relationship with his receivers.

I am going to take a different route on this one and go with under on this one and say Tannehill starts 2 games this season.  I don’t think Philbin is the type of coach to give up on a season and feed his rookie QB to the wolves.

UNDER

Chad Ochocino– Over/ under has over 700 yards receiving

While Chad is no lock to make this roster, there is a chance that he is able to make an impact on the team this year. Ocho will provide leadership to this young core and is motivated to prove that he has something left in the tank.

This is probably the toughest over/under and while I like the Ocho signing, I am going to go under, he isn’t as young and talented as he use to be and the image of his less than impactful season in New England is still left in my mind.

UNDER

Cameron Wake – Over/Under 10 sacks

Wake had 8.5 sacks last season after piling up 14 the season before then. Now that Wake has signed the dotted line and has been paid, I believe he is the type of player to want to prove his worth. Wake was one of the top defensive ends last year in pressures, sacks and drawn holdings combined. Wake has proved he is an elite pass rusher and I believe he will find himself in Hawaii by the year’s end.

OVER

The Miami Dolphins – 7.5 Wins Over/Under

 

This is the current number that Vegas has for the Dolphins. Vegas as always knows their stuff, the dolphins don’t have elite talent but play very hard and will be motivated to succeed under their new head coach.

That being said I think the AFC is too strong for the Dolphins. With no starting QB set, and a offense that lacks weapons on the outside, I think the Dolphins are a year away from becoming potential playoff contenders. It will be a very interesting season but I believe the 6-7 win range is the most realistic one at this point.

It pains me to do this but: UNDER

Ochocinco is coming home !

 

Love him or hate, but Chad Ochocinco is now a Miami Dolphins. The very mediocre Dolphins receiving core gets a very interesting facelift!

While there will be sceptics, including myself who is not sure how I feel about the move but none the less the circus is coming to town. Chad certainly a character is a player who comes to work everyday, puts his all in his game and certainly now has a lot to prove after a year of falling off the face of the earth despite playing with the leagues best QB.

Ocho has all the talent in the world and he has been an elite receiver most of his career. With the weak receiving core Ocho will be given an opportunity that he still has a little bit left in the tank. Ocho most likely has enough experience and talent to secure a roster spot and wouldn’t even be surprising if Chad made his way into the starting line-up this year.

While Chad might be a diva receiver his work ethic can not be questioned. He should help develop a few of the Dolphins younger receivers develop their game will competing to make the starting roster.

Chad broke the news himself through OCNN ( his new network) that he had signed a one year deal with the Dolphins.

It will be very interesting to see how Chad meshes with this team but we will get to see it for ourselves as I am sure he will be a features part of Hard Knocks this year.

Well, there you have the Dolphins add another weapon, there is a potential for this to be a great success and there is a chance that Chad doesn’t even make the roster, time will tell, but it is exciting for Dolphins fans in the meanwhile.

Per PFT, Ochocino's one-year deal likely is worth $975,000, with a cap charge of only $540,000 under the CBA.  

RT @BenVolinPBP: Ocho also got $0 signing bonus and $0 guaranteed. But full $925k salary is guaranteed if he is on Week 1 roster 

Sun Sentinel Omar Kelly made a pretty bold tweet this afternoon about the Dolphins QB battle,

“It appears David Garrard is the man to beat for the starting QB spot. “

There had been rumblings that Garrard was the most impressive QB so far this offseason, that being said it is still very early in the QB battle and nothing is settled yet that is for sure.  That being said with Ryan Tannehill being the developmental guy in Miami, Garrard winning the QB position would definitely put Matt Moore on the roster bubble.

Moore who battled all last year to impress many might be left with the short end of the stick. It would be a sad parting; however that is how the business of the NFL works. One day you’re the starter the next you could be struggling to find work.

Garrard was working as the teams starter at today’s OTA.  Garrard has the most experience and success in the league which clearly gives him an advantage. Garrard also was a player that Ireland and Philbin brought in together which could speak to how they feel about him.

While like I noted it is still early, Garrard looks pretty good for a QB coming off a year of injuries. Right now Garrard does look like the favorite to start week 1. We shall see, Rome was not built in a day and the QB battle won’t be over in one. Reps will change every day, and as Philbin said today he plans on giving every guy a chance with every unit. 

On a side note it also appears that Hard Knocks has already started it’s filming.

He is 34, his play has significantly gone down his, his speed isn’t where it once was, and he is probably one of the most infamous wide receivers to ever play the game, yet I’m sure there is still a handful of Dolphins fans out there who wants Miami to sign Ochocino.

While his play has considerably dropped there are some out there who believe Chad still has a bit left in the tank. Not a benefactor of the Patriots scheme and a part of a trial that just went wrong, the Patriots cut Ocho this afternoon.

The Dolphins are Ochco’s childhood team and he definitely still has ties to South Florida. While it wouldn’t be shocking if the Dolphins decided to kick the tires here, I would implore them not too. An over the hill diva WR is not going to reap many benefits for the Dolphins.

Ocho also would not be the greatest influence for rookie QB Ryan Tannehill. That being said Ocho’s NFL career success can’t be ignored and with a very weak Dolphins receiving core, it makes the Dolphins a possible destination for the diva.  Ocho is now a free agent with the ability to sign where he pleases.

There is also talk that the addition of Ocho would bring added value to Hard Knocks which I believe would play absolutely ZERO of a factor in deciding if Ocho should be looked at.

Another free agent who was also released today Aaron Kampman (DE, OLB) interest me more. A player with a high motor and character who has struggled to stay healthy. If Kampman is given a look I think that if he would be able to stay healthy he could give the Dolphins pass rush a much needed boost.