Cap Space May Already Be Spoken For in Miami

There has been some serious buzz about the roughly $50m these SoFlo Sea Mammals will have under the 2013 salary cap. However, as the current team starts to do some damage on the playing field, the idea of keeping them largely intact becomes more crucial. Between Jake Long, Reggie Bush, Sean Smith, Randy Starks, and Brian Hartline the Dolphins have some work to do keeping our free agents in house.

Guys like Long don’t come along very often. We’ve got to be actively working on a deal that honors the value of a Pro Bowl left tackle, while also honoring the fact that toward the end of his contract Jake will be no spring chicken. As of press time the massive lineman is 27.

Reggie Bush has found himself a bit banged up this season, but do you feel comfortable with handing the reins over to Daniel Thomas and Lamar Miller at this point? All indications are that Reggie loves it in South Florida, and hopefully a reasonable deal can be struck to keep this good locker room presence, not to mention one of the top pass catching backs in the game, around Davie for a little while longer.

The Sean Smith situation worries us the most, and if it were our job we would lock him up yesterday. He’s the real deal, and other teams are certainly taking notice. Cornerbacks like Sean get paid in full, and if he hits the market we may be outbid for his services. Freakish size and great instincts, this kid is a touch matchup for any wideout in the game. He also just 25 years of age. How nice would it be to cement him into the lineup for the foreseeable future?

The versatile Randy Starks is one of those lunch pail guys who never seems to get enough credit. No doubt that Randy is one of the main reasons Miami has perhaps the most feared run defense in the league. Randy is about to turn 29, and it’s unlikely that another team will back the Brinks truck up to his house. Why mess with a good thing, when Starky can probably be re-upped with a reasonable, solid contract?

Brian Hartline is a nice guy to have around. Slippery with great hands, Brian is probably far enough removed from his Incredible Hulk performance in Arizona that he can be re-signed for solid possession receiver money. Still, it won’t be dirt cheap to keep him in Davie.

A couple of wild cards in all this? Our #1 wide receiver problem. In case you’re scoring at home we traded our undisputed Pro Bowl wideout to the Bears for two 3rd round picks. Sorry if that sounds judgmental, but it’s been our most glaring deficiency this season and it absolutely didn’t need to be. If we go out and grab a #1 wideout, whether in trade of free agency, said player is almost certainly going to want to be paid money for his services. Greg Jennings could be an interesting “discount” signing, given his health problems this season, his 30th birthday looming in the not so distant future, and his relationship with Joe “Crazylegs” Philbin.

Of course the bean counters will have to work overtime to lock up the above mentioned players as well as bag studly Kansas City wideout Dwayne Bowe. He’s is going to get paid big time this offseason, but given Dr. T’s emergence under center, and the crap shoot drafting a rookie wideout can be, it’s tempting.

The second wild card? The franchise tag. If we can’t work out a deal with Long, Smith or Bush, we could guarantee them a nice pay day and buy another season before saying adios or negotiating another deal.

Nice to have all that cap room, Just don’t count on a splashy payday for an incoming player. Free agency this offseason should mostly be about taking care of our own. And the way these Dolphins are playing, that ain’t necessarily a bad thing.

GO DOLPHINS, and feel free to follow us on Twitter @TheBottlenose –

Week 8 Stock Report: Sea Mammals Look to Jettison Jets

Dolphins Overall Worth (DOW) heading into stormy game against the Jets: 519.4 (+42.1)

RISERS

BRANDON FIELDS (NYSE: BFIELD) +1 1/2: A debut for the punter in our stock report. Why the hell not? If you’re going to punt six times in an afternoon, you want to average 53.8 yards. Well done, Brandon. If you deal in punter stocks, you could do a whole lot worse than Fields, who’s third in the league in yards per kick.

RYAN TANNEHILL (NASDAQ: TANN) +3: Ryan posted a career high rating against the Rams. Solid, not exactly spectacular, but effective. Even though he’s the least experienced of the rookie QBs bursting on the scene, the argument can be made that he’s shown the most maturity. Big game for Dr. T against the hated Jets, as we fight to avoid a season sweep. Shares of Tannehill continue to show strong long term value.

OLIVIER VERNON (NYSE: OVERN) +5 1/2: Vernon had been rather quiet for most of the season, then came up big for the SoFlo Sea Mammals with a pair of sacks against Saint Louis. Getting pressure opposite Cam Wake had been a problem, and for the first time the rookie Vernon looked like a solution. A stock to keep an eye on.

TUMBLERS

REGGIE BUSH (NYSE:BUSHY) -2 1/4: Reggie isn’t 100%. Obvious to us anyway. Reggie averaged 1.4ypc against the Rams, although he did catch the ball well. It’s not his fault really, as he was hurt weeks ago in an attempt to run out the clock before halftime (kneel the damned ball next time, Joe!). It would be a nice bit of poetry if Reggie could sting the Jets today, as he couldn’t finish the game against them in that early season heartbreaker.

JEFF IRELAND (NASDAQ:JIRE) -3: We admit it, we’re still not 100% done griping about the Brandon Marshall trade. Jettisoning The Beast has netted us Michael Egnew and a 3rd rounder to be named later. Thus far Marshall is on pace for about 1600 yards and 11TDs up in Chi-town. Meanwhile only two WRs even caught a pass against the Rams, with Marlon Moore our most productive at 46-yards. Every time we hear about WR being our offseason priority we’re reminded that we had one of the top 5 in the game already on the roster, that we had him under control through next season, and that we let him go for pennies on the dollar. Just our two cents.

SUMMARY: This game is massive if the Dolphins hope to contend for a wild card at season’s end. We’ve got the Colts, Titans and Bills on tap after this one, and a win against the Jests could start us on a very nice roll. Could be a little dicey to throw the ball up there with Sandy approaching (stay safe if you’re in her path), which puts even more importance on Reggie’s return to health. Hopefully the bye prepared him for a whale of a game.

GO DOLPHINS, and feel free to follow us on Twitter @thebottlenose

Week 6 Stock Report: Sea Mammals Showing Fight as Rams Arrive

Dolphins Overall Worth (DOW) after big win in Cincy: 477.3 (+49.1)

RISERS

RANDY STARKS (NYSE: RSTARK) +3: Starks may be the most unheralded damned-good D-linemen in the game. His interception, at point blank range of a ball with serious mustard on it, was a call back to the days of “Stick ‘Em”. Randy is an integral part of a unit that has been simply crushing the run. A solid stock.

SEAN SMITH (NASDAQ:SMIT) +4 1/2: Smith did about as well as can be expected against A.J. Green. That kid is a monster, and will make DBs look silly for the next decade. Green scored on a perfect pass from Dalton that we’re pretty sure would have been a score against any defender on Earth. Overall you had to be impressed with Sean, as we’ve been almost all year. Hopefully we’ll lock up this stock before he hits his prime in another team’s uniform.

RYAN TANNEHILL (NASDAQ: TANN) +5 1/3: Managed the game, hit on some big throws when needed. Dr. T’s maturity has surprised many. We think it was just underestimated to begin with. The knock on Tanny was inexperience. Does this kid seem flustered when he steps to the line and works through a Peyton-esque collection of audibles? Does he look like a wide-eyed rookie when he’s diagnosing what defenders are about to do, helping his blockers understand as well? Sky is the limit for this newcomer, who’s doing it without a legit #1 wideout (“Paging Dwayne Bowe. Dwayne Bowe you have a phone call on line two.”). Buy, buy, buy.

TUMBLERS

DAN CARPENTERS (NYSE:DCARP) -4: Carpenter’s becoming a mainstay on the tumbler list, sadly. Do we have to factor in a missed field goal every week?

STEPHEN ROSS (NYSE:SROSS) -4 1/2: Our suspicions were confirmed when Rams’ Head Coach Jeff Fisher explained this week that Ross’ commitment to Jeff Ireland was the main reason he didn’t end up coaching the SoFlo Sea Mammals. Hard to land a “big fish” candidate when you’re taking any discussion of a different GM off the table, or GM power for the candidate himself. Having Ireland ride shotgun for the coaching search made it, well, a much less “thorough” process. Gruden, Fisher, Cowher. These guys are going to do it their way, with their guys. We’re not saying we don’t like Philbin. For all we know he’s the next Shula. However, we are saying that Ross’ commitment to Jeff Ireland (who so far as we know has never won a personality contest) had us shopping for coaches in the bargain bin.

SUMMARY: So nice to actually finish in a close game. Also maddening how close we are to being 4-1. Still haunted by that play before half against the Jets, when we lost Reggie while just trying to run out the clock. A healthy Reggie could’ve won that second half for us, and if he wasn’t hobbled and on a pitch count over in Phoenix we might’ve left there with a win as well.

Looking forward, it’s the Rams, Jets, Colts, Titans, Bills and Seahawks up next. Rookie quarterback be damned, those are all winnable games. With a healthy ground game, continued tough D and efficient play from Dr. T, this “rebuilding year” could suddenly see us scrapping for a wild card.

GO DOLPHINS, and feel free to follow us on Twitter @thebottlenose

Week 5 Stock Report: Another Close Call Coming for Dolphins in Cincy?

Dolphins Overall Worth (DOW) after second overtime loss in a row: 428.2 (+7.1)

RISERS

SEAN SMITH (NASDAQ:SMIT) +3 1/3: Smith is a long, legit corner. Two picks against the Cardinals. Our pass defense has been very shaky, but it’s hard to pin very much of that on Sean. A solid DB stock. At only 25 years of age, hopefully we’ll lock him up. Otherwise we’ll have to fill two CB slots this offseason.

BRIAN HARTLINE (NYSE: BHART) +8 1/4: Holy Hartline, Batman! 253 yards for the fourth year possession wideout? This was one for the record books. He’s shown amazing hands and deceptive speed. We’re apparently working on an extension with him. Though he’s a valuable asset, we hope we aren’t throwing “#1 money” his way. He’s only topped 100 yards twice in his career, and this explosion is partly circumstance.

RYAN TANNEHILL (NASDAQ: TANN) +11 1/2: Would you look at that? When you finally invest highly in a quarterback you are rewarded. An amazing day slinging it in Arizona, even with a couple of mistakes. What an arm, and he’ll only improve with experience.

TUMBLERS

DAN CARPENTERS (NYSE:DCARP) -2 1/2: If this team is going to make a habit of being in close games, that makes Dan Carpenter’s misses even more glaring.

RICHARD MARSHALL (NYSE:MARSH) -4 1/2 Marshall’s return to Arizona was abysmal. We think getting a 2nd rounder for Vontae was a solid move, assuming that we were ready to move on. That being said, we can’t help but notice that the Colts have the 3rd best pass defense in all of football.

SUMMARY: Another crushing overtime loss. Trying to put a positive spin on this. If you’re going to have a crappy record, you want to be better than that record. The SoFlo Sea Mammals certainly are. This team is on pace for a 4-12 year. We’re better than that. A couple of key additions, coupled with the improvement of Dr. T and Miami will be in business. Not to mention we’re only a game out of this year’s wild card with plenty of football left to play. It’ll be nice to have Reggie back at full speed against a vulnerable Bengals run D. He’s been gimpy since that infamous clock-burning injury before halftime against the Jets. We can win today, but if we do it probably won’t be by much.

GO DOLPHINS, and feel free to follow us on Twitter @thebottlenose

Week 4 Stock Report: Is a Win in the Cards Following Close Call with Jets?

Dolphins Overall Worth (DOW) after heartbreaker vs the Jests: 421.1 (-52)

RISERS

JORVORSKIE LANE (NASDAQ:JVOR) +1 1/4: First career touchdown for the feel good story of the offseason. Great battering ram fullback, and he can kinda sorta catch a little bit to boot.
RYAN TANNEHILL (NASDAQ: TANN) +2: How can Tannehill’s stock rise with a stat line like his? Because he’s a rookie. And in his third game ever in the NFL, against our most hated rival, he hit on the big play that put us in a position for the game winning kick. It’s going to be nice to see this kid with a fully fleshed out receiving corps someday.

DAVONE BESS (NYSE: DBESS) +3 1/2: Great day against New York for this slot receiver jedi. Five catches for 86 yards, and he stepped up in the clutch. One of the top undrafted players in the NFL, and would serves as a great complement to a true #1.

TUMBLERS

DAN CARPENTERS (NYSE:DCARP) -7 1/2: Okay, so neither of those misses were short kicks. Still, great kickers come through in the clutch. This would have been a massive win against a division rival. Now we’re 1-2 heading into a suddenly tough matchup against the resurgent redbirds of Phoenix. Kicker stocks can go south faster than you can say “Scott Norwood”.

JOE PHILBIN (NASDAQ:PBIN) -8: Not a banner day for the first time head coach. If you’re dying to get to halftime, and not interested in trying to get down the field, kneel down. Don’t put your best player in jeopardy. A hard lesson for Joe, as we lost Reggie for the rest of the game. He was averaging six yards a clip before that. Philbin followed that up with poor non-usage of timeouts in what could have been our game-winning drive at the end of regulation. One or two of those could have gone a long way to settle our youngster QB down. Dr. T was 3 of his last 11 at that point, and it would have been smart to use a timeout or two. Instead the timeouts were used in a silly attempt to force a Jet punt without enough time on the clock. Wasted. A shaky stock for now, still looking to hit its stride.

SUMMARY: I’m sure we weren’t the only ones who felt a sense of dread for the entire second half of that one. It had the feel of a game we would find a way to lose. We did. I guess we’re used to things like this happening against the Jests. For a brief moment we thought we would pull it off. Worth pointing out that this ultimately went to overtime on the strength of a fake punt from the Jets’ own 25 in the second quarter. That turned a punt into a field goal. Kudos to Rex Ryan for making a ballsy call. Those win football games. We think our prospects for this weekend’s tilt with Arizona lie largely on whether Reggie Bush can actually play. Arizona is a feel good story, but the time is right for their wake-up call. It would be lovely if we could provide them with one.

GO DOLPHINS, and feel free to follow us on Twitter @thebottlenose

It’s Time for South Florida’s Favorite Game Show: ‘Pile-On Philbin’

Alright, we’ll play. To be fair there was plenty of blame to go around, and Danny Carpenter can’t be feeling too cozy right now. But, a few thoughts about the coaching in yesterday’s sickening game against the lousy, no good, kitten-murdering Jets.

*Balls win football games. Big, brass ones. Faking a punt from your own 25 is something a lot of coaches can’t even fathom. Rex Ryan, though we detest him with every fiber of our being, is a riverboat gambler. That call, in the second quarter, turned a punt into a field goal. Those three points were ultimately what sent this game into overtime. Jumbo cojones win more games than they lose. Don’t play to lose… You PLAY TO WIN THE GAME

*Your rookie quarterback is trying to win a game with under a minute left. It’s his first time in this situation. He’s three of his last eleven, and has only made it into long field goal range by grace of a pass interference penalty. It is a great luxury to have three timeouts left on the board. USE ONE. Settle him down. You’re on the Jets’ 23 with plenty of time on the clock. Hell, USE TWO. That’s why you have those handy little suckers. We used none. Three incompletions later we settled for the field goal, then tried unsuccessfully force a New York punt with timeouts that proved absolutely useless to us.

*Don’t run a play if you’re really just trying to run out the clock ’til halftime. Just don’t. Who are you trying to keep up appearances for? Admit that you can’t wait to get into the locker room. Don’t be ashamed. Fans understand the game. You sent your best player out for the rest of the afternoon and possibly longer. Daniel “A Tad Faster than Paul Soliai” Thomas would take over, with predictable results.

I apologize for ranting here, but my cat is tired of hearing about it. Kudos to Dr. T for hitting Hartline on that deep ball (Lord knows we threw that pass about 13 times yesterday) and putting us in a position to win the game, even if it was an off day in general.  Look for our Dolphins stock report mid-week. The DOW (Dolphins Overall Worth) has been volatile thus far.
GO DOLPHINS!

 

 

Week 3 Stock Report: Surging Sea Mammals Set Sights on Sanchez

Dolphins Overall Worth (DOW) after roasting the Raiders: 472.2 (+71)

RISERS

RYAN TANNEHILL (NASDAQ:TANN) +3 1/4: Dr. T looked very solid on Sunday, and it will be interesting to see what he can make happen against a much more serious Jets defense. Tanny looked great on the move, scoring once through the air and once on the ground. Rolling this kid out could be the key, as it puts more pressure on defenses, and avoids passes being tipped at the line. He’s a physical freak, and no use putting a square peg in a round hole. A stock on the rise, as he showed his earning potential for the first time in games that count.

PAUL SOLIAI (NYSE:PSOLI) +3 1/2: Darren McFadden is not a 2.0ypc back, but that’s all that was there for him against this Miami run defense. This all starts with the mountain in the middle. Good job locking him down this past offseason. A rock solid nose.

BRIAN HARTLINE (NASDAQ:HART) +4 1/2: What a performance by the newly returned Hartline. He played catch with Dr. T all day long. Sure hands, solid routes, a wispy mustache. What more could Dolfans ask for? Is he a #1? Nope. But if he can keep this up at least our passing game with have a pulse. An underrated asset.

REGGIE BUSH (NYSE: BUSHY) +8 1/4: A beastly, beastly performance by Reggie. He wanted to lead the league in rushing, and he ain’t far off, at least at this early stage of the year. He burned, he tapdanced, he sledgehammered. We discussed the idea of extending Reggie’s contract last week. Perhaps the Dolphins will discuss it too. Lamar Miller has talent sure, and Daniel Thomas has flashed from time to time. But what we saw on Sunday is special.

TUMBLERS

LEGEDU NAANEE (NYSE:LENAA) -2 1/2: It’s looking like Miami will serve as one of a handful of places this physically gifted receiver has gone and ultimately underwhelmed. Bess is balling. Hartline has come to play. But there’s still a black hole at WR1. Know who looked good over there? Rishard Matthews. Maybe he’ll get a look before it’s all said and done. Closest thing we saw to a playmaker in preseason.

SUMMARY: We beat someone. Better than that, we kinda stomped someone. What a second half by the Sea Mammals. How about that run defense? How about that run offense? Beating the Jets would be a massive statement. We don’t expect them to run on us, but our pass defense hasn’t exactly been shutting folks down. Keller’s out, but we expect Sanchez to have some success going to his wideouts. Interestingly enough, the Jets’ run D is in the bottom half of the league thus far. So if Reggie keeps up his hot streak, our D makes the New York offense one dimensional, and Dr. T plays another solid if unspectacular game under center, the Dolphins can win this one.

GO DOLPHINS, and feel free to follow us on Twitter @thebottlenose

Post Week 1 Stock Report: DOW Flops as Fins Filleted

Dolphins Overall Worth (DOW) after ten-gallon beatdown in Houston: 401.2

RISERS

RANDY STARKS (NYSE: STARKY) +2 1/2: In a day without much to smile about, Randy Starks logged two sacks. Starky is one of the more quiet but steady D-line stocks in the game, and well worth having in any portfolio.

MARCUS THIGPEN (NASDAQ: THIG) +3 3/4: About time we saw a dangerous return man back there for the Sea Mammals. You see how quickly we were rewarded for taking the safe but unspectacular Davone Bess off of punt returns? Special teams matter. Why waste those touches? In addition to the lovely punt return, Thigpen averaged over 27 ypr on kickoffs. A penny stock to watch.

REGGIE BUSH (NYSE: BUSHY) +4: A strong 4.9 yards per carry against an elite defense. Reggie was our leading receiver as well, and logged 115 total yards. I know Daniel Thomas and Lamar Miller are around, but if Reggie’s 27, and is doing everything right, might it not be the dumbest thing to sign him to a respectable but not bank-breaking extension? A valuable stock to own, especially with our wideout situation.

TUMBLERS

RYAN TANNEHILL (NASDAQ:TANN) -2: In his defense, two of those interceptions were tipped at the line and not thrown into coverage or anything. However, the youngster needs to learn to shuffle in the pocket better. Miami fans remember the master of such subtle sliding, Dan Marino. Just enough to clear the lane. Also, on a desperate fourth down play, you can’t make a throw with no chance of getting past the sticks. We’re not docking Dr. T too much for his first game. He had some hard luck, and did go for over 200yds with our #1 receiver now playing catch with Jay Cutler.

STEPHEN ROSS (NYSE: STROSS) -3: Ross’ bizarre non-firing of Sparano is in the history books now, but the perception of the operation in Davie remains weak. Notice that Peyton Manning only agreed to meet with Philbin? Ross’ allegiance to Jeff Ireland may have also cost us a higher-profile coach. Did Miami miss a chance to truly clean house from the top down, adding one of the big names out there in the coaching mix and letting that choice help name a GM he’s comfortable with? We may never know, but we get the sense Ross likes to hedge his bets. “I’m gonna kind of fire Tony…Okay this time I’m firing Tony, but I’m gonna keep the person who presided over this entire mess.”  Ross seems much more decisive when it comes to celebrity ownership decisions.

JEFF IRELAND (NASDAQ: JIRE) -5: Rumors are swirling that Jeff’s hold on his GM gig is weakening. He’s never inspired confidence exactly. Some hits, some misses. Some PR snafus. Plus he’s got all the charm of a 2×4. It’s worth pointing out that Jeff may not have had much say when Bill Parcells was around, before the Tuna yanked his golden parachute and got the hell out of Davie. But still, Ireland left Tanny with nothing resembling a #1 wideout, and I’m sure everyone noticed Brandon Marshall beating the crap out of DBs last weekend. As a Chicago Bear. Shares of JIRE are shaky.

SUMMARY: Do we really have to write this off as a rebuilding year? Too soon. Let’s not forget that the SoFlo Sea Mammals play Oakland, Arizona, St. Louis, Buffalo twice, Indianapolis, Seattle and Jacksonville. This actually shapes up as a big weekend for us. If we fall short against Oakland there will be plenty of talk about how it’s only the second game, and there’s plenty of season to go. But at the same time a loss would beg the question: If we can’t topple the Raiders, in Miami, who exactly can we beat?

GO DOLPHINS, and feel free to follow us on Twitter @thebottlenose

Gone-Tae! What does it all mean?

Vegas has the over under on Indianapolis wins at 5.5. This was a useless tidbit for the SoFlo Sea Mammals until today, when they traded cornerback Vontae Davis to the Baby Horses for a second round pick and a conditional sixth.

First? The positives. Vontae Davis wasn’t starting. If he truly had become the nickel corner, flipping him for what is potentially a top 40 pick in the upcoming draft is borderline miraculous. With Davis starting last season we had the 25th ranked pass defense in the NFL, so we weren’t shaking up some elite unit.

Another positive, and GM Jeff Ireland was quick to point this out, is that picks are ammunition for trades that could happen in the very near future. We now possess what could be a high first rounder, two high second rounders, and two thirds. So perhaps there will be a chance to add a key piece to the team, ideally at the wide receiver position, between now and the trade deadline? That might serve to lessen the sting of the Brandon Marshall trade, which in our minds still looms large with every dropped Tannehill pass.

Negatives? Well, although players seem to ultimately understand that this is business, it is also a fraternity. We saw players ask for a meeting with Joe Philbin after the jettisoning of short-time teammate Chad Johnson. Well Vontae Davis has been in the trenches with many of these guys for a while now. There are already murmurs in the locker room. Philbin is new. And Philbin, despite his mild manners, is not treading softly in Davie. There is potential to seriously fragment this locker room.

Another negative? We’ve all seen flashes from Davis. Plenty of talent. There was a time when many of us were certain that he, along with Sean Smith, would make for a top tandem in the league. Smith has been progressing. Davis, for whatever reason, has seemed to stall. A change of scenery could be all he needs, and we wouldn’t be surprised to see Vontae flourish in Indiana.

In summary, Joe Philbin has spoken softly but carried a big stick. He’s ruffled some feathers, and time will tell how that plays out. But even if we don’t use these picks to snag some magical #1 wideout, like disgruntled speedster Mike Wallace, Philbin has set himself up to add the type of young, talented players he wants in April. As it stands, five of the first roughly ninety players selected in the 2013 draft will be headed to Miami. Maybe three of the first forty.

It’s Joe’s right to try and make this into the team he wants. Only time will tell if that’s for better or for worse.

–

GO DOLPHINS, and feel free to follow us on Twitter @TheBottlenose

The Fibbing Fin: Dolphins to Start Ryan Tannehill at Both QB and WR

- DAVIE, FL

They say necessity is the mother of invention. Well the Miami Dolphins are pushing that to new heights, announcing Monday that rookie Ryan Tannehill will simultaneously start at both quarterback and wide receiver.

“I approached Mike Sherman with this Saturday night,” Joe Philbin explained. “The more I looked at the tape of our wideouts I felt that the best option was to have Ryan pass to himself.”

A game Sherman immediately set out to design plays that included the ball being strategically deflected back to Tannehill, the only way a quarterback can legally catch his own pass per NFL rules. “It’s crazy alright,” Sherman says. “Just crazy enough to work.”

The Dolphins began implementing Tannehill to Tannehill plays in today’s practice. However, the Dolphins may design several illegal passes, knowing the replacement officials will likely not recognize them as penalties.

Tannehill plans to put in two extra hours of practice per day, running patterns with himself. “I’m ready,” Tannehill said, heading out to the practice field. “I’m already developing great chemistry with myself.”

BS NEWSWIRE