Rookies Begin Their Journey As Miami Dolphins Minicamps Start Up

Published: 5^th May 12 1:34 pm

by Jeff Everette
jeffeverette

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Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

The first day of Rookie minicamps has passed, and the Miami Dolphins new group of talent has begun its NFL journey.

This is a new beginning for the Dolphins, just as it is for several teams around the NFL, and no player that took the field yesterday (i.e. 5/4/2012) had more eyes on him then the Dolphins’ first selection in the draft, Ryan Tannehill.

When talking to the media, Tannehill expressed his familiarity with the offensive system, having been the quarterback in practically the same system at Texas A&M, where Dolphins Offensive Coordinator, Mike Sherman, was his head coach. Tannehill claims that “80 to 85%” of the offense looked familiar to him, and that he felt it necessary to step up and be the leader for the other new guys.

The familiarity may be why Tannehill seemed to be so relaxed and in command during the mini-camp’s first day. According to the Miami Herald, he was seen correcting fellow rookies, guiding other players through the offensive sets, and assuming the command of the starting quarterback.

The 3^rd quarterback to be drafted, there are many who feel that Tannehill was over-hyped, and is not the franchise quarterback that Miami is banking on him to be, but none of the negativity seems to affect him. Instead, he wants to reinforce the quarterback position as being the leader of the team.

His familiarity with the offense has given him an early advantage against the other quarterbacks on the Dolphins roster, including last year’s starter Matt Moore. Coach Joe Philbin believes this will even out over time, leaving the starting position to be determined by each individual’s ball skills, i.e. accuracy, decision making, and play making ability.

Not everyone is satisfied with the steps Miami has taken to become a contender in the National Football League, but the process has just begun, and there are signs for hope in the Dolphins’ future.

Jeff Everette is a featured columnist for Rant Sports. You can follow him on twitter @jeverettesports, or his facebook page Jeff Everette- Rant Sports, for all of his latest articles, opinions, and rants.