Tag Archive for: Miami Dolphins

Allen Hurns signing story

Dolphins sign WR Allen Hurns to one-year, $3 million dollar deal

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Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, after a successful tryout, the Miami Dolphins are signing veteran wide receiver Allen Hurns to a one-year, $3 million dollar contract.

This comes only days after the Dallas Cowboys released Hurns after he refused to take a pay cut and chose to test the free agent market.

“I’m good,” Hurns said during an interview with NFL Network. “Just wished they did this earlier, they asked me for a pay cut Monday, couple days before camp.”

Hurns, 27, spent the offseason recovering from a serious ankle injury he suffered in the Wild Card round of the playoffs last season against the Seattle Seahawks. Hurns is ready to play, and he’s a productive wide receiver when healthy.

“No limitations,” Hurns said. “I was set to be full go for camp, so I’m ready.”

Now, Hurns will be dressing in aqua and orange instead of Cowboy colors. He joins a crowded WR room that includes Kenny Stills, Albert Wilson, Jakeem Grant, DeVante Parker, Brice Butler, Isaiah Ford, and more.

“We saw a player who we thought was a good player,” said head coach Brian Flores during a press conference. “Could add some value to our roster, and that’s kinda how we’ll do business moving forward. If there’s a good player out there we feel like adds value to our team, we’ll try to add that player … that was the case here.”

Listed at 6’3″, 201 pounds, Hurns can line up outside and on the slot, adding more versatility. Hurns originally signed with the Jaguars as an undrafted free agent in 2014. He has a career total 209 receptions for 2,964 yards and 23 touchdowns. 2015 was his best year, where he eclipsed 1,000 yards receiving, catching passes from Blake Bortles.

While Allen Hurns doesn’t necessarily bring something new to the table, he’s another solid option to compete in camp. The offense Miami has in mind thrives on players being versatile. More players who can do it all gives offensive coordinator Chad O’Shea more wiggle room. As training camp continues, Hurns will get a chance to prove he can be a top performer. His first practice starts immediately.

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Dolphins QB Ryan Fitzpatrick focusing on himself amid camp competition

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Dolphins QB Ryan Fitzpatrick is in a very unique situation at this stage in his career. On the one hand, he’s in Miami to be the starter for the 2019 season. He signed his contract expecting that to be the case.

On the other hand, Fitzpatrick is expected to take young players under his wing. That’s what 15-year veterans should do. The Dolphins traded for QB Josh Rosen during the draft. Rosen is only a second-year player and has a lot of learning to do still. Fitzpatrick’s knowledge and experience would be invaluable to a young QB still figuring out the nuances of the NFL.

But Rosen is also Fitzpatrick’s main competition in training camp. Whatever knowledge he passes onto Rosen will technically be used against him as they both compete for the starting job. So how is Fitzpatrick handling this situation?

He’s focusing on improving his own game.

“I’m just trying to be the best version of me that I can be. That really is it.” Fitzpatrick said Thursday. “There are so many things that I’ve just continued to get better at in my game. Knowing who I am as a player and working on my deficiencies, communication is something I try to pride myself on. Just the communication with the guys and making sure we’re on the same page.”

So Fitzpatrick is still gunning for the starting job. So far, he’s doing an excellent job, as Fitzpatrick has outperformed Rosen in nearly every practice they’ve had together prior to training camp. He continued that trend on day one of camp.

But does this mean Fitzpatrick is leaving Rosen to fend for himself? Is he forgoing his veteran duties and forcing the young player to stumble along with no guidance?

The answer, simply, is no. However, he’s taking a more demonstrative approach than anything.

“We spend so much time together – me, Josh and Jake (Rudock) and (Assistant Quarterbacks Coach) Jerry (Schuplinski) in that room as well.” He said. “There’s a lot of stuff that we’ll discuss in that room and some of it is me and my experience and maybe, as a quarterback, you develop scars, bad plays, things that you want to try to avoid.

“A lot of what I do is just offer information and if people want to take the information and go with it, they can. There’s been a lot of situations that I’ve been in – good ones and bad ones – that I try to share with them and pass on. Again, one of my things with that is to work as hard as I can and focus on me, and then hopefully that rubs off on everybody.”

It’s a very delicate balancing act Ryan Fitzpatrick is doing. He wants to help Rosen. He also wants to be the starter. At 36 years old, realistically he doesn’t have much football left. It makes sense that wants to spend his last years actually playing the game he loves. He doesn’t want to sit on the sidelines.

“I hate just giving the same answer but I enjoy being out here and playing football, and try to take advantage of every rep I get.” He said. “I know in this league it’s hard to come by opportunities and you just do the best you can and take advantage of each one that you get.”

So far, he’s on track to get exactly what he wants.

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Dolphins LT Laremy Tunsil expresses desire to stay in Miami

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It’s quickly becoming evident that Dolphins left tackle Laremy Tunsil is a rising star. He rarely allows sacks, he’s improving in the run game, and he’s still under contract for the next two seasons thanks to the NFL’s fifth-year option. However, it would be wise for Miami to lock him up before it gets to that point.

True, Tunsil is not the kind of person who will show up to camp in an armored truck to express his desire to get paid. That distinction lays solely on the shoulder of Jaguars defensive back Jalen Ramsey.

But this does not mean that leaving Tunsil without a long-term contract is a smart move. Tunsil would earn a pretty penny on the free agent market, and the longer he goes without a new contract, the more expensive he projects to be.

This is precisely why the Dolphins made an excellent move locking up star cornerback Xavien Howard before his contract ran out. As a core member of the team, Howard is expected to be a staple of the defense for years to come. And while he’s the highest paid corner in football right now, that easily could change in 2020. Young stars Trae Waynes and Marcus Peters are set to be free agents in 2020. Between the two of them, they’re bound to command at least as much as Howard, if not more. If they had signed first, it would have increased Howard’s price by default.

Fortunately, Tunsil seems focused on football now that camp is in session.

“That’s not a concern for me right now.” He said Thursday after practice. “I’m trying to be the best that I can be and help the team any way I can, and just keep it going day-by-day.”

Day by day, he’s proving to everyone he’s worth the title of franchise left tackle, in spite of certain assumptions. NFL Network’s Brian Baldinger recently called Tunsil the best young left tackle in football. High praise, given how many excellent left tackles there are in the league.

But does Tunsil want to be paid like he’s the best?

“Day-by-day, man.” He said. “We’ll see. I’m going to let my actions talk.”

Noncommittal to be sure, but that’s to be expected from the low-key Tunsil. One thing he did say though is that he would love to remain in Miami for the rest of his career.

“I would love that.” He said. “I would love to be with one organization for the rest of my career. That’s just a goal for everybody. Nobody wants to leave.”

The stability of staying with one organization for a whole career is a rarity to be sure. With any luck, Tunsil will get his wish. Which means the Dolphins, who want to keep Laremy Tunsil for a long time, will get theirs as well.

Quickie Miami Dolphins Camp Notes (Day 1)

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DAY 1

– Hot day for sure, but not muggy. It’s bearable.
– Full house for the media. Haven’t seen this many media members since Flores was hired. Even Greg Cote is here. Standing room only.
– Brian Flores availability runs 10 minutes late.
– Flores remarks’ was basically boiler plate stuff, but he did make some news by saying he had no timetable for determining who the starter at Quarterback will be.
– TJ McDonald, Dwayne Allen, Cordrea Tankersley, Mike Hull on the PUP. Will not participate. Albert Wilson limited.
– More News? Flores alludes to the Captains being chosen by coaches this year.
– Availability ends, Flores came in after a workout, and made good work of his press time. Growing into job.
– Stills and Grant warm up together. Parker joins the group.
– Practice kicks off for first time in forever with individual warmups, then move into some goal line work, then a team stretch.
– 1st Team OL is: Tunsil, Reed, Kilgore, Davis, Mills.
– DeVante Parker is bigger. Looks different this year. Yeah, I know…*drink*
– Laremy Tunsil, and Chris Reed really look the part. Stout, slim, solid athletes. High hopes for Reed, Just pay Laremy already.
– Oh, there goes Jakeem Grant. Day 1 of camp might as well be the Super Bowl for him. Effort will never be a problem with him.
– On effort…Preston Williams. Kinda lackadaisical. Takes it easy in warm ups. Would like to see a stronger sense of urgency.
– Both QB’s display remarkable touch throwing the fade in drills. A skill that was lost under past signal callers.
– Jakeem Grant puts Jomal Wiltz in the “popcorn machine”. goes out, in, out, spins….Wiltz does the Macarena…TD Grant.
– Wiltz is getting plenty of reps, and you can see why they would like him. Plays low. Twitchy.
– It’s July! Mike Gesicki MOSSES Bobby McCain.
– Jalen Davis on the boundary alert. Jalen Davis gets beat bad by Jakeem Grant.
– Parker makes the catch of the day on a deep in-cut from Ryan Fitzpatrick.
– Fitzpatrick deep ball to Preston Williams,incomplete, but a perfect ball. Williams tangles his feet with Eric Rowe.
– Eric Rowe seems to start camp as the top boundary Corner opposite of Xavien Howard.
– Josh Rosen has the worst rep of the day. Sails a swing pass over Ballage’ head into the sideline.
– Parker beats Rowe and Fitzpatrick seems to have a favorite receiver early on.
– Last year, Mike Gesicki abused Reshad Jones on goal line drills. This year, Reshad wins the two battles they had.
– Josh Rosen Red Zone interception. *drink*
– Isaiah Prince works at RG and RT.
– Rosen makes his first good throw late in practice. a perfect dime to the back of the end zone into a void in the zone. Nick O’Leary TD.

 

Practice MVP: Jakeem Grant, Ryan Fitzpatrick
Struggled: Jomal Wiltz, Josh Rosen, Eric Rowe.

 

Alfredo Arteaga (@UptownReport) is one-third of the trio that does the Three Yards Per Carry (@3YardsPerCarry) podcast.

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Dolphins release LB Jayrone Elliott, place T.J. McDonald on PUP

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Prior to the first day that training camp is open to the public, the Miami Dolphins made two surprising roster moves. Star AAF pass rusher Jayrone Elliott was waived, and veteran safety T.J. McDonald was added to the physically unable to perform (PUP) list.

The move to waive Elliott is particularly surprising. Miami gave the young pass rusher one of the largest signing bonuses of any AAF signee. Elliott racked up 7.5 sacks in eight games while in the AAF, and with the Dolphins short on pass rushers, one has to wonder what the mindset behind the move is. Miami’s front office is well aware that Elliott is something of a one-trick pony, but he is good at that trick. He was always a dark horse, but it’s surprising that he didn’t even make it to camp.

This may indicate that the Dolphins are looking for players who offer more versatility. As head coach Brian Flores comes from New England, players who resemble the likes of Trey Flowers may receive priority. Bulkier types who are strong and good with their hands. Elliott did not project as such.

With Jayrone Elliott gone, perhaps the Dolphins are exploring other options for pass rusher. Veteran Nick Perry is still available on the open market, as well as recently released DT Mike Daniels. Either player could boost Miami’s defensive line.

Safety T.J. McDonald was placed on the PUP list due to an undisclosed injury. Though it is not expected to be serious, it is somewhat sudden to hear that McDonald won’t be on the field for the start of camp. This will give extra opportunities for some younger players though. Maurice Smith, another dark horse, has flashed talent numerous times but there’s never been space for him on the roster. With McDonald out for the foreseeable future, this gives Smith a chance to display his continuing development.

Already training camp is proving to be eventful, and it hasn’t even begun.

Dolphins assistant head coach Jim Caldwell taking leave of absence

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The Miami Dolphins will be missing one of their most experienced and high profile coaches for the 2019 season, as assistant head coach/quarterbacks coach Jim Caldwell is taking a leave of absence to address health issues.

A statement was released by the Dolphins on Saturday morning regarding Caldwell’s status.

“I will be stepping back due to some medical complications that require my full attention,” Caldwell said. “I want to thank Stephen Ross, Chris Grier, Coach Flores and the rest of the organization for the support they have given me and my family.”

Head coach Brian Flores offered his own sentiments within the statement.

“Our focus is on Jim’s health and supporting him in every way that we can,” He said. “With his knowledge and experience, Jim has been an invaluable member to our coaching staff and will continue to serve as a sounding board for me throughout the season.”

Caldwell will still serve as a consultant to head coach Brian Flores, but not having him physically there will have an impact. Caldwell is one of the first coaches Flores added to his staff, bringing him on board on Feb. 8, 2019. His experience as an NFL head coach was projected to be invaluable to Flores, a rookie head coach who is only just starting to learn what it means to be a head coach in this league.

Not having proven, experienced people behind him is likely part of what led former Dolphins head coach Adam Gase to make the mistakes he did. Flores was smart to hire Caldwell to be his right hand man.  He brought with him 17 years of coaching experience, with two stints as a head coach for the Indianapolis Colts from 2009-11 and the Detroit Lions from 2014-17. In that time, Caldwell put together a 62-50 (.554) regular-season record, four playoff berths, two 11-win seasons and one conference championship. He also won a Super Bowl as the offensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens during the 2012 season.

On top of being the assistant head coach, Caldwell was also tasked with coaching the quarterbacks, as he’s had experience coaching the likes of Joe Flacco, Matthew Stafford, and of course Peyton Manning, who spoke to Michael Rothstein of ESPN back in 2015 about Caldwell’s stressing of fundamentals and how everything had a specific purpose.

“The discipline of having that routine really made an impact on me,” Manning said. “I really felt like I just sort of took a step up during the years that he was my quarterbacks coach.”

The hope was that Caldwell would have a significant impact on the next young QB who stepped foot in the building. In this case, Josh Rosen was that young QB, and Miami is hoping he turns out to be worth his initial top ten pick draft status. Now, however, it will be up to seven-year veteran Jerry Schuplinski to fill that void, who spent his previous six seasons in the league with the New England Patriots, starting his role as assistant QB coach in 2016 for Tom Brady.

Caldwell’s absence will hurt the team, but true to form, the Miami Dolphins have made it clear that they care about the people working for them. With any luck, the 64-year old Caldwell will overcome his unspecified health issues and be able to return to the sidelines in no time. Until then, Caldwell will have the support of the team as he rests and recovers from whatever ails him.

Dolphins DT Kendrick Norton has arm amputated after catastrophic car crash

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Tragedy has struck as former University of Miami standout and current Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Kendrick Norton’s career is likely over before it had a chance to begin. An overnight Thursday car accident found Norton hospitalized with what was described as a “catastrophic arm injury.” The injury was so severe that doctors amputated his left arm on the scene of the accident in order to remove him from the car.

As of now, according to NFL sources, the 22-year old Norton is still at Ryder’s Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital and is in critical condition. Fortunately, though Norton’s career in the NFL is almost certainly over, his life is not expected to be in danger.

His agent confirmed the news over Twitter at 11:07 A.M.

Per the Miami Herald, a close friend of Norton’s family stated that the car was cut off and ended up flipping in a multiple car crash near the intersection of the Dolphin Expressway (State Road 836) and the Palmetto Expressway (State Road 826).

Florida Highway Patrol Lt. Alex Camacho states that at approximately 1:18 A.M., Norton was driving a black 2017 Ford F250 when it rolled over onto its roof after colliding with a concrete barrier for unknown (or unconfirmed) reasons. The other car involved in the crash was a grey 2015 Maserati, which received only minor damage. Its driver, Jessie Pena, was not injured. There was, however, a second passenger in Norton’s truck, who was also injured in the crash and taken to the trauma center. Only Norton’s injuries were deemed critical, and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue brought a surgeon onto the scene.

The Dolphins released a statement stating they are aware of the tragic incident.

Norton is a former 2018 seventh-round draft pick of the Carolina Panthers, and Miami picked him up off of the Panthers practice squad on December 19 of last year. The 6-foot-3, 314 pound defensive lineman was set to compete for a spot on the Dolphins 53-man roster during the upcoming training camp after being inactive for the remainder of the 2018 season. But now, all that can be hoped for is that Norton will soon be released from the hospital, prepared to cope with the new trials ahead of him.

As a part of the Miami Hurricanes, Norton received honorable mention All-ACC honors at the conclusion of the 2017 season. During his three-year career with the Hurricanes, he played in 37 games, starting 25 out of the 26 games he played as a sophomore and junior. He compiled a grand total of 45 tackles, 18 of them for a loss, and five sacks.

More details will be added as they’re revealed.

Featured image for Dolphins Bed GiveawayLuis Sung

Dolphins give away 100 beds during Hope to Dream Sleepover

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Having a good night’s sleep is crucial for any athlete, which is why it’s fitting that the Miami Dolphins partnered with Ashley HomeStore to host their third annual Hope to Dream sleepover. There, they surprised 100 underprivileged with kids with brand new beds that they’ll be getting the best possible sleep with for years to come.

“It’s a big deal,” said Dolphins pass rusher Charles Harris, who was one of the players in attendance for the sleepover. “You can’t sleep, you’re gonna be tired the next day, you’re gonna be restless, you might have aches and pains, everything like that. As a kid, it’s a little less, but as we all know, father time catches up with everybody. So as you get older, you start to see the little aches and pains become a bigger deal, so to have a good bed to come home to is always great.”

Harris was joined by teammates Davon Godchaux, Bobby McCain, and rookie Christian Wilkins, who added clout and a real sense of fun to the evening. With them, the 100 kids in attendance got to enjoy games and other activities with their favorite Dolphins players and cheerleaders, capping the evening off with a movie before going to sleep on their brand new Tempur-Pedic beds.

As the largest furniture retailer in the United States, Ashley HomeStore has made it its mission to give the underprivileged youth of America a good place to rest their heads at night. They dedicate a portion of the proceeds from each mattress sale to its Hope to Dream program, which has donated over 80,000 new beds to children in need since its inception in 2010.

With the Dolphins’ Football Unites program being all about leveling the playing field, that made them the ideal partners to host the sleepover.

“We’ve always been partners in the community, with their charity events, and this was just an idea Ashley’s been doing for a while, and we thought of a perfect partnership with the Dolphins.” President of City Furniture, the South Florida licensee for Ashley HomeStore, Andrew Koenig said. “You’ve got the dome, you’ve got the players, you got the big, cool excitement that kids get to see the locker room. Combine it all together and it’s a really fun night for the kids. They’re sleeping here tonight, and the Dolphins are huge in the community and giving back and so are we, so it’s really a good partnership.”

But the most heartwarming moment of the night was when the kids got to see their beds for the first time, as it’d been kept a secret up until the big reveal. Some kids were shocked into silence, many of them also gave out cries of joy as they rushed towards their beds, elated that they were their property to take home.

“I was like, ‘wait, what?’ I was so surprised that I wanted to jump all the way to, like, the sky, all the way to the sky.” said Martine LaFortune, who will be turning nine years old on June 30. “It means really a lot to me. This is the first company that gave me and my brother a bed. I’m sad that my brother didn’t come, because he would’ve had lots of fun but that’s fine, at least he’s gonna be surprised by the bed that he has.”

Though the team is currently working on becoming a force on the football field again, one thing that has never changed is the franchise’s dedication to making South Florida a better place. Year in and year out, they lead the way and set the example for other NFL (and even non-NFL) teams to follow. Now, as the NFL celebrates its 100th anniversary, the NFL invites fans, players, clubs and employees to join Huddle for 100, an effort to inspire one million people to volunteer 100 minutes of their time to make meaningful contributions to their communities.

So as Miami pushes forth their #DolphinsHuddlefor100, you can be sure that this year, they’ll be kicking their community presence into overdrive. This is only the beginning of what the Dolphins have in store.

Reshad Jones

The Reshad Jones situation is getting frostier

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One of the things that’s become apparent about new Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores, during his increasingly comfortable press conferences, is that he can be direct without necessarily calling anyone out.

He was calm and in control again prior to Wednesday’s last OTA day, including when he was asked about the one proven player who is still not here:

Former Pro Bowl safety Reshad Jones.

Jones is clearly not happy about something, though what that is depends on who you talk to. And it’s apparent that he’s not a long-term part of the Dolphins’ plan, as they try to rebuild this thing nearly from scratch, with the exception of the mega-deal cornerback Xavien Howard got and the one that left tackle Laremy Tunsil is likely to get.

In the meantime, the Dolphins have Bobby McCain working at safety rather than cornerback and Minkah Fitzpatrick is shuttling between positions in the new defense.

Flores has been preaching competition at every position — and as we discussed on a podcast we will be releasing later Wednesday, it will be interesting to see how that applies to the quarterback spot if Ryan Fitzpatrick clearly outplays Josh Rosen, when it makes more sense from a big picture perspective to play Rosen.

But this answer about Jones and whether he would get his old spot back?

Also interesting.

Message?

Kind of.

Flores comes from New England, where he learned under Bill Belichick for a decade and a half.

Belichick doesn’t tolerate distractions of any kind.

Jones is the first test case.

Let’s see if he shows at the mandatory minicamp next week.

 

 

New York is already done with Adam Gase

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That didn’t take long.

The best thing that happened to the Dolphins this offseason wasn’t promoting Chris Grier.

It wasn’t hiring Brian Flores.

It wasn’t drafting Christian Wilkins.

It wasn’t acquiring Josh Rosen.

It was Adam Gase somehow — after a colossal failure here — landing with a division rival, the New York Jets.

Gase was never good with the media in front of the cameras in Davie/Miami, preferring to work them behind the scenes. He fidgeted. He didn’t look most reporters in the eyes. He made excuse after excuse.

We predicted that his smartest-guy-in-football act wouldn’t fly in a tougher media market.

Now he’s in the toughest, and New York/New Jersey has already had enough.

Even the Gase cheerleaders (Manish Mehta wrote a collosally misguided puff piece when Gase was hired) have had it already, as Gase has seemed to push out GM Mike Maccagnan, already appeared to alienate the team’s prized acquisition (Le’Veon Bell) and made a series of odd moves.

This is looking like a Rich Kotite situation.

Mehta, most of all, has done a remarkable turnaround, a spin move that even Bell couldn’t execute on the field.

This is what he wrote upon the Gase hire:

“Why Adam Gase is a Brilliant Coaching Hire.” 

 

Guessing Maccagnan must have been Mehta’s source.

Just a guess.

Anyway, here’s more:

 

 

 

And our favorite: