This morning Sebastian M. Christensen mentioned that David Garrard is the early favorite.  If you read Spanish, then this link is worth the read and echoes the sentiments exactly of who is on the fence with Garrard, Moore, and that Tannehill is clearly not ready as evidenced by his minicamp performances. 

http://espndeportes.espn.go.com/blogs/index?entryID=1557161&name=sebastian_martinez_christensen&cc=3888

This offseason for a Miami Dolphin fan has been filled with a bevy of emotions.  First, there was the entire Peyton Manning fiasco ending with a good amount of animosity directed toward Jeff Ireland and Owner Steve Ross for not landing Manning.

Enter David Garrard, a free agency signing that seemed to be the major news in Miami, although it wasn't.  Then the Dolphins drafted considerably well and took a chance on quarterback Ryan Tannehill to be the future of the franchise in the first round.

Let's back up a couple of years and recall that the Miami Dolphins under Parcells, Ireland, and Sparano went into training camp with Josh McCown as the starter.  As soon as he hit the field, the Dolphins were the favorite to finish dead last in the NFL at 0-16.  However, Brett Favre happened and then the Jets got Favre and released Chad Pennington. 

Fast forward to 2012, Garrard ends up in Miami as the starter with Moore the back up and Tannehill waiting in the wings. 

Garrard clearly gives the Dolphins that Pennington type potential to be a competitive force in the AFC.  He first and foremost is a quarterback and he has that "kill" gene that Omar Kelly of the Sun-Sentinel talks about.  Have you seen the games he's one with Jacksonville?  Game against the Texans with Mike Thomas making a winning touchdown catch.  A run for a first down v. Pittsburgh in the playoffs that showed his toughness.  In addition, Garrard gets rid of the ball quickly and in this new offense, he will thrive in two and three step drops and receivers will benefit in everything he does.  Garrard is a tough QB provided his surgically repaired back holds up...for one season or more. 

Am I shocked?  Not a bit.  Can Garrard lead this season? Yes!!! 

Garrard is the most proven quarterback of all quarterbacks competing for the starting gig. He has playoff experience and has won games.  Hard fought games.  He digs deep. Not to mention, Garrard was picked by Ireland because he's the model quarterback for this season.  If anyone is going to learn from Garrard it's Tannehill.  I don't see Moore fitting this team anymore than McCown did back in 2008. 

Bottomline, it will eventually be Tannehill's team.  You don't give a guy 15 million in a signing bonus to have him carry a clipboard!

Today the Miami Dolphins promoted Brian Gaine to Assistant GM and will work jointly with Jeff Ireland.  This position in the NFL varies as many roles seem to change based on the upper management.  Sometimes the assistant GM works with college scouting and NFL scouting.  Gaine, a former practice squad tight end in 1996 has moved up in the ranks.

However, Ireland called the promotion of Brian Gaine a "Very deserving promotion."  Ireland praised Gaine's "attention to detail and professionalism" that has led to his growth and development.

It is not yet known what this promotion means for the Dolphins front office.  At this point, one is left to speculate that either Brian Gaine is another man in Ireland's corner or it could be a scenario where Brian Gaine has been promoted and will be groomed to eventually take over as GM should Ireland depart or get fired in the future. 

Brian Gaine participated in selection process of free agents and has been the director of player personnel for the Dolphins.

Remember, and this according to Pro Football Talk, Gaine interviewed for the GM position of the St. Louis Rams earlier this offseason.

So, while this move does not exactly excite the Miami Dolphins fan base, the Dolphins (Steve Ross) is perhaps finding a way to keep good people in the organization.

(Photo Credit: MiamiDolphins.com)

- @DolphinMick on Twitter

Just this morning, as reported by Adam Schefter of ESPN Percy Harvin could be available via trade with the Minnesota Vikings.  In hindsight this seems like many teams in the NFL will want to trade for the playmaker slot receiver.  Not so fast if you are a Dolphin fan.  Here are 5 reasons why the Dolphins should steer clear of Percy Harvin.

1.) Percy Harvin is not a team player.  Harvin truly is about himself only and how many chances he gets to score touchdowns.  I don't think I've seen Harvin block for anyone nor have we seen him win many games when the game is on the line. 

2.) Migraines.  Harvin has a problem with Migraines.  Not just a problem, but it's an epidemic.  He misses practice due to migraines.  He misses games due to migraines.

3.)  Past trouble with drug use.  This is a biggie for Miami because they don't need another guy who has a history of drug use in college, that could have carried it over to the NFL.  Harvin missed considerable time at Florida because of injury and he was also benched by Urban Meyer because of apparent drug use.  Miami does not need another Ricky Williams distraction.

4.) He's fast and quick, but the Dolphins have Reggie Bush.  Speed kills yes, but ask the Raiders if that ever worked out for Super Bowl wins.  I don't see Harvin as a fit.  It's like putting Tebow out there when you already have a QB...oh wait the Jets are trying that now.

5.) The Dolphins do not need to hold another Florida Gator Day.  No more Gators on the roster to give Mike Dee any great marketing ideas.

So there you have it.  5 reasons that spell trouble for Miami. 

UPDATED : Note that the Vikings GM did say that he has no intentions of trading Harvin. 

Happy 3 Day Minicamp!

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