Players like Taylor and Colombo didn’t have to play the role of spectator during Miami’s first five days of training camp practices as they were signed on Monday. So Monday night’s “Back To Football” practice at Sun Life Stadium and Wednesday afternoon’s practice were the only two they had to watch while Head Coach Tony Sparano and his staff tried to make do without them.
For Taylor, who is now in his third stint with the team that selected him in the third round of the 1997 NFL Draft, there shouldn’t have been much of an adjustment. The defense under defensive coordinator Mike Nolan is different from the last one he played on for the Dolphins in 2009, but the head coach is the same and many of the players are the same.
Running backs Lex Hilliard and Kory Sheets, along with offensive linemen Nate Garner and Lydon Murtha, had to be the most impatient during the waiting period. Not only are they returning veterans with accrued knowledge of Sparano’s practice regimen, but they also will be involved in heated competition at their positions.
“It is tough because it just made a long vacation even longer,” Hilliard said. “It’s frustrating sitting on the sideline watching other guys run around and fly around. With the long offseason that we had, you’ve got to get back on the field and get ready for the season, so I was eager to get back out there for sure.”
Sparano used the first week of camp to get a more comprehensive look at his drafted and undrafted rookies, knowing that those 10 players not in pads were experienced enough to dive right in when the time came. With a new offensive coordinator in Brian Daboll installing a brand new offense there was plenty to keep everyone busy, but having every available player practicing was invaluable.
“It’s the reason that we changed the practice, to have the possibility to get everybody out here,” Sparano said. “All of a sudden the competition jumps up another notch amongst the team and it really gives you a pretty good indicator in a couple of practices here of where you’ll see this football team start to grow.”
Even though these players are veterans and accustomed to adjusting on the fly, Sparano acknowledged that he and his staff plan to be diligent and cautious when it comes to the workload so as to avoid the threat of injury. Players that have missed time for whatever reason sometimes tend to try to do too much in order to remain competitive.
Competition is what excites the fans, of course, so the crowd that turned out for tonight’s practice had to be satisfied seeing a full squad on the field for the first time.
KIA A LATE ADDITION: Miami added one more free agent just before the night practice, offensive tackle Micah Kia. The 6-foot-5, 321-pound rookie played his college ball at UCLA ad started 20 of 46 games at three different positions, left tackle, right tackle and tight end. He is a native of Hawaii.
BUSH SETTLES ON NO. 22: It’s been one of the most talked about things of training camp so far – what number is Reggie Bush going to where? He didn’t have one when camp officially opened last Friday, sported the No. 4 on the second day of practice and then switched with quarterback Matt Moore to take his No. 8 on Wednesday.
After Wednesday’s practice, knowing that running backs cannot wear single digits, reporters asked Bush where he stood on the number issue. He said he was still working that out inside the locker room and was involved in “early negotiations,” but he would not identify the player.
Now we know it was Kory Sheets, who has taken the No. 23 formerly worn by Ronnie Brown. Bush’s first carry was a perfect example of why he was brought here as he sprinted 30 yards up the middle behind rookie center Mike Pouncey and veteran right guard Vernon Carey.
Pouncey changed his number from No. 63 to No. 51. After he was drafted Pouncey indicated he planned on wearing the same No. 53 as his twin brother, Pittsburgh Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey, but linebacker Austin Spitler is wearing that number. After linebacker Tim Dobbins was released on Monday, his No. 51 became available, hence the switch.
FINS TAKE A LOOK AT TIKI BARBER: Sparano confirmed this afternoon that he and his staff worked out former New York Giants running back Tiki Barber on Tuesday. Barber, 36, retired in 2006 after his 10th season in the league to pursue a career in television broadcasting, but he unretired in March and claimed he was ready for a comeback to the NFL.
“We worked him out and that’s what it was, it was a workout,” Sparano said. “Again, we’re just kicking tires, flipping over rocks and trying to do our homework that way and make sure that we’ve looked at everything. Tiki came in, worked out and did a nice job.”
NIGHT OWL OBSERVATIONS: Nothing was going to derail this first full-squad practice before a crowd of 2,135 and the return of Taylor in a Dolphin uniform, certainly not inclement weather. Storm clouds were threatening to move the session inside the bubble but they were blown to the north, and Taylor was welcomed with a loud round of applause from the standing room only crowd. He brought back memories during on 11-on-11 drills with a sack after beating Garner into the backfield. The bleachers were packed tight and the spillover crowd watched from the fence. … About 45 minutes in the positional drills were drawing cheers, especially as the receivers were running deep routes. … Apparently the heat brought out some of the intensity in the players as a scuffle broke out between rookie defensive tackle Frank Kearse and Joe Berger during one-on-one pass rushing drills. Kearse jumped offsides the first time and threw the ball at Berger and on the next snap Berger gave Kearse an extra shove to the ground and for about 10 seconds there was a scrum. … Later on during punt coverage drills, Vontae Davis and Marlon Moore went at it as Moore blocked Davis to the ground. Cooler heads prevailed though. … The defensive line was getting a good push all night, with Jared Odrick showing off his quickness and confirming he is fully healed from his leg injury. He and Randy Starks got in for a sack of Henne in the second go around of 11-on-11s. … Henne responded with a nice deep ball down the middle to tight end Antony Fasano. … Cameron Wake hasn’t lost a step as he blew by D.J. Jones for a sack of rookie Pat Devlin. … Final set of 11-on-11s, Henne opened with a rollout pass to Bush who stopped on a dime after the catch and took off down the sideline. … When practice ended the fans that stuck it out headed down to the fence lining the near field for autographs and quite a few players obliged. … Tomorrow’s practice has been moved from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and is open to the public.
