Notes and thoughts after another day of Dolphins’ OTA practices on Wednesday:
• On a day that Billy Turner alleged that “anyone that knows football and knows our offensive line knows that we have the potential to be the best offensive line in football,” that group of linemen continued to have some problems with pass protection.
Laremy Tunsil, the projected starter at left guard, is also getting work at tackle and was beaten at least three times on pass rush moves today, by Chris Jones and Chris McCain and Farrington Huguenin.
• Xavien Howard isn’t going to be handed the starting cornerback job opposite Byron Maxwell. Both Howard and Tony Lippett are getting a fair shot to win the job. Neither was awful or extraordinary today.
• The right guard job remains a tossup among Turner, Dallas Thomas, Kraig Urbik and Jamil Douglas, with Jermon Bushrod joining the mix in training camp. (Bushrod remains limited because of shoulder surgery).
Turner said he’s splitting his time 50/50 between guard and tackle: "I've been all over the place. I've been at right guard with the first group, and I've been at right tackle (with the first group). I've been at right guard with the second group and I've been at right tackle (with the second group). I've been on ... During (the voluntary veterans) minicamp, I was on both sides of the ball, and I think I'm a little more on the right side as OTAs are shaping out and moving along here.”
• Jakeem Grant, Kenyan Drake, Bobby McCain, Tyler Patmon, Isaiah Pead and AJ Cruz all got work on kickoff returns… Pead dropped two passes out of the backfield.
Adam Gase, on Grant’s speed: "It's impressive. I know a lot of defensive guys have made comments about how quick and how fast he is. It's almost like we have to temple him down a little bit, because ... You guys probably saw today (that) when we do some routes versus air, he can get a little bit out of control. It's learning how to run certain routes at the right tempo. It's almost like the illusion you're running full speed, but you're not really, and you're under control and you can stop on a dime. That's where we need to get him."
• Marshall Koehn, competing with incumbent Andrew Franks for the kicking job, missed his last two field goal attempts today after a strong start.
• Griff Whalen, who made several catches today, has a chance to stick as a fifth or sixth receiver. I asked him about his plant-based diet, an approach he has followed for two years.
Here’s how he explained his rationale for not eating meat: "It's been a little over two years now. For me it was ... growing up I didn't know anything about like nutrition or eating healthy or anything like that. Through college and then the first couple of years after I graduated, I'm kind of that underdog role. I'm looking for anything I can do to give myself an advantage.
“Whether it's training, diet, anything like that. So it was just kind of through a long process of researching nutrition and learning how important that is to training. It doesn't matter how hard you train, there's a certain limit to how much you can do on the field or in the weight room. After a point, nutrition plays a huge part in how quickly you can recover, how hard you can push yourself the next day, back-to-back days and stuff like that. I feel like it's helped me tremendously and given me a big edge, in that regard."
So what are typical meals? "Breakfast is like an oatmeal, fruit, and whatever else I want to throw into it. And then lunch and dinner, a rice and bean kind of dish is pretty typical. Lots of veggies. A salad. I make a lot of smoothies because I can just throw greens and fruit and stuff in there. But rice and beans or lentils, stuff like that is pretty common for me."
• A lot’s at stake for Kenny Stills, who’s going into a contract year. But "I'm not really thinking about a contract year," he said. "It's another year for me. I was disappointed with the way things went for myself individually last year, and as a team last year, and all I can do is try and be better every year."
Gase believes Stills is a good fit for this offense, and Stills said "there's a lot of things that come into being a receiver in this offense and I think he believes that I can do that. I believe I can do all those things and so that's why he seems to think I'm a good fit… It takes a smart, good route-running, fast" receiver.
• Cam Wake worked in team drills today, as he continues his comeback from a ruptured Achilles. “Cam Wake, he's not really a normal human,” Turner said.
• Rex Ryan went off on Mario Williams in the Monday Morning Quarterback this week, apparently unhappy that Williams expressed displeasure about playing out of position and being used some in pass coverage with the Bills last season.
“With some of the comments (he made), do I wish him well? Not really,” Ryan said. “But, he’s on Miami. If he would have gone somewhere else, maybe. He’s a good kid, but I am used to some mean motherf—ers that play out there.
“The Terrell Suggs, Jarrett Johnsons of the world. I screwed them, too — I had them drop (into coverage), too. Not one of them bitched. Von Miller (dropped into coverage) in the Super Bowl. Why? Because that’s what’s asked of him. That’s what his job is. Your job is to play. Coaches spend a hell of a lot more time studying tape and everything else. They are trying to put the team in the best position to be successful, not an individual.”
• Gase believes there’s more that can be culled from Dion Sims: "I think it does come down to consistency. I know that's kind of a repeat line right there, but he has the skill set that you want. There are not a lot of tight ends that you can say (are) an in-line blocker, can play the move position, can catch the ball, can run routes, has good speed and can do a good job in both pass protection and the run game. He has all that ability. It's about doing it week-in, week-out for the entire season."
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/spor...s-the-dolphin-with-the-unusual-diet-rex-.html
• On a day that Billy Turner alleged that “anyone that knows football and knows our offensive line knows that we have the potential to be the best offensive line in football,” that group of linemen continued to have some problems with pass protection.
Laremy Tunsil, the projected starter at left guard, is also getting work at tackle and was beaten at least three times on pass rush moves today, by Chris Jones and Chris McCain and Farrington Huguenin.
• Xavien Howard isn’t going to be handed the starting cornerback job opposite Byron Maxwell. Both Howard and Tony Lippett are getting a fair shot to win the job. Neither was awful or extraordinary today.
• The right guard job remains a tossup among Turner, Dallas Thomas, Kraig Urbik and Jamil Douglas, with Jermon Bushrod joining the mix in training camp. (Bushrod remains limited because of shoulder surgery).
Turner said he’s splitting his time 50/50 between guard and tackle: "I've been all over the place. I've been at right guard with the first group, and I've been at right tackle (with the first group). I've been at right guard with the second group and I've been at right tackle (with the second group). I've been on ... During (the voluntary veterans) minicamp, I was on both sides of the ball, and I think I'm a little more on the right side as OTAs are shaping out and moving along here.”
• Jakeem Grant, Kenyan Drake, Bobby McCain, Tyler Patmon, Isaiah Pead and AJ Cruz all got work on kickoff returns… Pead dropped two passes out of the backfield.
Adam Gase, on Grant’s speed: "It's impressive. I know a lot of defensive guys have made comments about how quick and how fast he is. It's almost like we have to temple him down a little bit, because ... You guys probably saw today (that) when we do some routes versus air, he can get a little bit out of control. It's learning how to run certain routes at the right tempo. It's almost like the illusion you're running full speed, but you're not really, and you're under control and you can stop on a dime. That's where we need to get him."
• Marshall Koehn, competing with incumbent Andrew Franks for the kicking job, missed his last two field goal attempts today after a strong start.
• Griff Whalen, who made several catches today, has a chance to stick as a fifth or sixth receiver. I asked him about his plant-based diet, an approach he has followed for two years.
Here’s how he explained his rationale for not eating meat: "It's been a little over two years now. For me it was ... growing up I didn't know anything about like nutrition or eating healthy or anything like that. Through college and then the first couple of years after I graduated, I'm kind of that underdog role. I'm looking for anything I can do to give myself an advantage.
“Whether it's training, diet, anything like that. So it was just kind of through a long process of researching nutrition and learning how important that is to training. It doesn't matter how hard you train, there's a certain limit to how much you can do on the field or in the weight room. After a point, nutrition plays a huge part in how quickly you can recover, how hard you can push yourself the next day, back-to-back days and stuff like that. I feel like it's helped me tremendously and given me a big edge, in that regard."
So what are typical meals? "Breakfast is like an oatmeal, fruit, and whatever else I want to throw into it. And then lunch and dinner, a rice and bean kind of dish is pretty typical. Lots of veggies. A salad. I make a lot of smoothies because I can just throw greens and fruit and stuff in there. But rice and beans or lentils, stuff like that is pretty common for me."
• A lot’s at stake for Kenny Stills, who’s going into a contract year. But "I'm not really thinking about a contract year," he said. "It's another year for me. I was disappointed with the way things went for myself individually last year, and as a team last year, and all I can do is try and be better every year."
Gase believes Stills is a good fit for this offense, and Stills said "there's a lot of things that come into being a receiver in this offense and I think he believes that I can do that. I believe I can do all those things and so that's why he seems to think I'm a good fit… It takes a smart, good route-running, fast" receiver.
• Cam Wake worked in team drills today, as he continues his comeback from a ruptured Achilles. “Cam Wake, he's not really a normal human,” Turner said.
• Rex Ryan went off on Mario Williams in the Monday Morning Quarterback this week, apparently unhappy that Williams expressed displeasure about playing out of position and being used some in pass coverage with the Bills last season.
“With some of the comments (he made), do I wish him well? Not really,” Ryan said. “But, he’s on Miami. If he would have gone somewhere else, maybe. He’s a good kid, but I am used to some mean motherf—ers that play out there.
“The Terrell Suggs, Jarrett Johnsons of the world. I screwed them, too — I had them drop (into coverage), too. Not one of them bitched. Von Miller (dropped into coverage) in the Super Bowl. Why? Because that’s what’s asked of him. That’s what his job is. Your job is to play. Coaches spend a hell of a lot more time studying tape and everything else. They are trying to put the team in the best position to be successful, not an individual.”
• Gase believes there’s more that can be culled from Dion Sims: "I think it does come down to consistency. I know that's kind of a repeat line right there, but he has the skill set that you want. There are not a lot of tight ends that you can say (are) an in-line blocker, can play the move position, can catch the ball, can run routes, has good speed and can do a good job in both pass protection and the run game. He has all that ability. It's about doing it week-in, week-out for the entire season."
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/spor...s-the-dolphin-with-the-unusual-diet-rex-.html
