This past weekend in South Florida, the Dolphins celebrated Fins Weekend which included various activities, all for charity.  The events included a golf tournament, fishing tournament, and various banquet type soirees. This coming Monday, the Dolphins take the field for OTAs with a brand new 53 man roster and various undrafted free agents working to land a spot on the team. With so many fresh faces on the Dolphins team, it's no wonder that players on the Dolphins are using Fins Weekend as a team buidling event.

Last week the focus in media circles, centered on certain Dolphins playing fortune teller.  The week began with Brian Hartline setting the tone with talk of the Dolphins having the best receivers in the AFC East.  Hartline, as you remember re-signed with the Dolphins before free agency because of the potential of the Dolphins reeling in some big names the following week.   Later that week, Ryan Tannehill, first round pick in 2012, beamed about his work with Mike Wallace and how he can’t wait to get started and show what he can do with new offensive weapons.  Later in the week, Evan Silva of Roto World got into a tweet fight with angry Dolphin fans about his opinion of the Dolphins being that Jeff Ireland should have been fired after 4 losing seasons and no playoff appearances without Bill Parcells.  Let’s not remember who Evan Silva picked as a potential landing spot for Mike Wallace, Miami.

As the dust settled later in the week, one thing became clear in Miami: Ryan Tannehill must step up and be a leader.  Ireland, as smart as he is, removed the key vocal veterans from the locker room.  Karlos Dansby, Jake Long, Kevin Burnett, and Reggie Bush have signed with other teams.  It was Ireland who somewhat cleared the way for the young guns on the team to be the leaders for not only this year, but for years to come.  Why else would Ireland spend away Steve Ross’ money?

Enter quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who has the potential to lead in the huddle and in the locker room.  With past veterans not on this Dolphins team, Tannehill has to lead not only by example, but by action.  With expectations of the Dolphins rising faster than Steve Ross’ looming interest payments on loans used to purchase the team, Tannehill must be the calming presence in the huddle supporting two new receivers (Wallace and Gibson), a new right tackle (Tyson Clabo), a new tight end (Dustin Keller), and a new running back (newly drafted Mike Gillislee). 

I had the pleasure of doing a little Q&A session with my friend Adam Schefter. Schefter as everyone knows is the ESPN’s top insider and quite frankly the best in the bizz.

 Q1) What have you been hearing around the Dolphins stadium upgrade project?

Schefter: The NFL is very use to getting what it wants, it generally finds whatever solution it has to but they do not take no as an answer very often. The Dolphins will make the best viable business decision for the franchise, if that means moving the team to Palm Beach then so be it but if they feel that decision is best for the organization they will find a solution. I believe the Dolphins will find a way to get what they want in the end.

 Q2) Will Jonathan Martin be the week 1 starter at LT?

Schefter: I think that is the plan right but it might be a mistake to put it in ink. The thing is with Martin is that you don’t know if he will succeed at the position or not. Does he have pro bowl potential sure but he also has bust potential.

 From people around the league there are several people that believe Martin can play LT in this league and well however there also have been enough people who think the opposite which leaves me unsure. 

 The Dolphins wanted Jake Long back make no mistake, they went full force in their pursuit after him and I believe he was the team’s first option most likely because they didn’t trust Martin at LT. Long was the only real player the Dolphins really wanted and didn’t land. We will see if their plan B works out.

 Q3) One of the players the Dolphins didn’t land this offseason was Jared Cook, why did they lose out?

Schefter: I think the Dolphins had their price with Cook and didn’t want to spend a more then a certain amount. Cook was a player they wanted but didn’t feel they needed to have. I think they had a solid backup plan in Dustin Keller. Personally I don’t see a huge drop off from Keller to Cook so I think the Dolphins did well here.  

Q4) Do you think the Dolphins overspent this season?

 Schefter: Yes I do believe they did however it doesn’t really matter if they make the playoffs. The Dolphins paid a premium for the players they wanted and they made sure they got them however price really won’t matter if these players work out and the team can take the next step and makes the playoffs.

 Q5) What type of buzz have you heard in terms of the Dolphins draft?

 Schefter: Well, I am a fan of their 2^nd round pick, I think Taylor the CB from Boise will be a good player and that was a good pick. The draft however comes down to Dion Jordan vs. Lane Johnson. It might be unfair but that is going to be the metric of this draft. Most people thought they would go with the LT but instead they went with the pass rusher, some people are a fan of the moves others aren’t. If Jordan becomes the player the Dolphins think he will be then the draft will be a home run. The Dolphins basically envision Cam Wake and Jordan being similar to what Denver had in Miller and Dumervile.

 Q6) What is your overall take on the Dolphins and this offseason?

Schefter: It comes down to the QB, a lot of jobs ride on the potential of Ryan Tannehill. Many people around the league believe he has the tools but who knows, I am still undecided if Tannehill can take the steps to become a great QB. 

It’s not too difficult to project what the starting lineup is going to be at MOST positions for the Miami Dolphins. Once the draft ended, the dust settled and gave us an idea as to who is going to start and where they’ll line up. However, one position specifically has become increasingly difficult to gauge – running back. Let’s take a look at some of the options the Dolphins have in their backfield.

Lamar Miller

For now, Miller is the clear cut favorite to run away with the starting job. A 2012 fourth-round pick, he’s 5-foot-11, 212 pounds, and ran a 4.4 at the 2012 Combing, which led all running backs. He’s a home-run threat with explosive change-of-direction ability. He didn’t touch the ball often last year, but flashed tremendous talent when carrying the rock. He has elite straight-line speed, and his dense frame gives him three-down ability. General Manager Jeff Ireland has been gushing about this kid all Spring.  "Lamar really showed some great signs of really some explosive-play opportunity," Ireland said. "He kind of shoots out of the cannon when he hits the hole. He’s got very good hands. I thought he did a very good job in his pass protection, which keeps him on the field all three downs."

On April 27th when the Miami Dolphins selected cornerback Will Davis of Utah State, some fans groaned slightly about the pick in the third round.  While the Dolphins traded with the Green Bay Packers into the third round to get him, most fans had little or no idea who Will Davis was.

Davis came into the list of draf prospects ranked 124th by NFL.com and not high on most lists for the first few rounds due to his limited experience playing football.  While not well known playing at Utah State in the Mountain West Conference Davis has demonstrated an ability to overcome challenges.  

His first experience playing out of high school at Western Washington College was cut short due the school cancelling their football program entirely.

With no where to go, Davis landed softly on his feet in Cupertino, California where he showcased his talents against elite junior college players as a starter at De Anza College playing against the best of the best at Fresno City College and San Francisco City College.  Both programs have an enormous amount of talent to feed any big conference school.

With more hard work and determination Davis landed at Utah State for the 2011 season and never looked back.  In 13 games Davis amassed 35 tackles and six passes defensed.  In his final season at USU, Davis returned an interception for a touchdown and became a force in the Mountain West Conference. Let's not forget the Mountain West conference has a share of talents stemming from the rise of Boise State, Nevada's pistol offense, and the in-state competition between both BYU and Utah.  

The things that stand out most about Davis is he can play off the ball as well as use his hands to get positioning on a receiver.  He doesn't get grabby, which is a trait that coach Kevin Coyle will appreciate.

Will Davis has brought forth his A-game in college in the limited time he spent there, but his athleticism, versatility, and speed make him a valuable asset for this season and could be an interesting tandem with Jamar Taylor on the other side.  

As the team's roster takes shape before training camp, count on Davis to be the guy that maybe can take it to the house for six and won't shush the home crowd. 

The Miami Dolphins search to fill a void on the offensive line finally comes to an end with the addition of veteran Tyson Clabo on a one year, $3.5 million contract.

Clabo, 31, was released by the Falcons at the start of the offseason as a salary cap move which saved $4.5 million. The 6-foot-6, 329 pound tackle started 101 games for Atlanta, including the full 16 games in each of the past five seasons. In those past five years, Clabo was used strictly as a right tackle, however he does have experience playing on the left side as well. In 2012, he was rated as the fifth best right tackle in the NFL according to Pro Football Focus.

With the Dolphins, Clabo will remain on his natural side, the right, while second year player Jonathan Martin starts at left tackle which was his position coming out of college. Considering the current depth on the roster, the offensive line for the season opener is becoming much clearer barring any injuries.

Left Tackle: Jonathan Martin

Left Guard: Richie Incognito or Dallas Thomas

Center: Mike Pouncey

Right Guard: Lance Louis, John Jerry, or Richie Incognito

Right Tackle: Tyson Clabo

The two starting tackle positions along with center seem to be all but finalized. The competition at both guard spots will be an interesting storyline to follow when training camp begins.