One week from right now the Miami Dolphins will have officially begun the 2013 season. In-fact, they'll be about 13 hours removed from beginning it, as the team's first practice is scheduled to start at 8 am next Sunday morning.
That doesn't excite you? How about this:
Three weeks from RIGHT NOW, the Fins and Cowboys will be in the second quarter of the league's first preseason game in Canton, Ohio.
Still nothing!?
Well, how about this:
EIGHT Sunday's from now the Fins will either be 1-0, or 0-1, as they'll be just hours removed from their opening week game in Cleveland.
Essentially, this is the final Sunday until mid-February without football.
A round of applause goes out to everybody who withstood the five month offseason!
Now, with all this in mind, I'd like to begin a segment leading up to the start of training camp called "CompWatch." If you've followed this team at all since March, you know that there has been MAJOR overhaul since they last took the field in January.
Gone are the likes of, say, Reggie Bush, Davone Bess, Jake Long, Anthony Fasano, Karlos Dansby, Kevin Burnett, and Sean Smith. Names like, Mike Wallace, Lamar Miller, Brandon Gibson, Dustin Keller, Dannel Ellerbe, Phillip Wheeler, and Brent Grimes will be the new (and vastly improved) faces replacing those guys.
I think "MAJOR overhaul" may be understatement.
What I'm going to do for the next couple of weeks is highlight all the major camp competitions that you should be following throughout the four weeks of training camp.
And boy, is there competition.
Can somebody challenge Lamar Miller for the every down running back? Who's going to be the slot receiver? Is Richard Marshall's corner spot safe? Who in the world is protecting Ryan Tannehill? Can Dion Jordan overcome a late start to challenge Jared Odrick? Is Koa Misi your third linebacker? Who's going to kick the ball, Dan Carpenter or Caleb Sturgis?
Like I said, there is big time competition on this 2013 Dolphins squad.
So, to kick things off, this edition of CompWatch will feature one of the more intriguing battles in all of camp:
The Running Backs.
The Players: Lamar Miller, Daniel Thomas, Mike Gillislee, Marcus Thigpen, Jonas Gray.
The Heavyweight: The clear, heavy, heavy favorite here is Lamar Miller, the second year man out of Miami. Miller has been praised for his speed, even as recently as this week. It was reported that Miller is currently working out with 49ers RB Frank Gore, along with Pete Bommarito, who runs Bommarito Performance Systems.
"He's the fastest running back I've ever seen," Bommarito told the Miami Herald about Miller.
Added Gore, "he reminds me a lot of [Clinton] Portis."
Clearly, this kid has the chance to be something special. We saw glimpses of it last season (check out the Oakland game and the December Buffalo game). But the real question surrounding Miller is can he block for Ryan Tannehill? This is the one thing that limited him a season ago, and with Tannehill already losing All Pro Jake Long, Miller cannot afford this to be a problem this season.
Contenders: This is where the battle gets interesting. Listen, barring an injury or just a complete collapse from Miller, he's already penciled in to be the go to guy for Miami this season. They've invested a lot in the kid, and even let Reggie Bush go knowing they had Miller in their back pocket, so the second year man will be your starter this season.
However, Miller cannot and will not be in there on every single down, so, naturally, there will be a very important back up to Miller. I narrow this down to two people:
Daniel Thomas, and Mike Gillislee.
This will be the competition to watch all throughout camp. Thomas can be a presence in the redzone, especially with his size, but he's underperformed in his first two seasons, had injury problems, and, to be blunt, can't hang onto the ball worth a lick.
Enter the rookie. I've watched Gillislee play in many, many games being a Florida Gator fan, and I've got to say, I think the Fins got a major steal here. The kid
impressed all throughout OTA's and mini camp, and is coming off a stellar final season at Florida. He's quick, runs downhill, and has proven to be durable, as he carried the ball for an SEC high 244 times
a season ago.
Many people will crown Thomas as the second string RB behind Miller, but I'm not so sure. Don't be surprised to see a whole lot of Mike Gillislee this year.
The Dark horses: The final two backs to watch are Marcus Thigpen, and Jonas Gray. Thigpen proved to be a huge asset last year in the kick returning department (check Houstan and Buffalo), so figure to see him there regularly.
Gray is an intriguing case. The former Fighting Irish missed all last season with a torn ACL, but put up solid numbers in his final season at Notre Dame, carrying the ball 114 times for 812 yards with a team high 12 rushing touchdowns. Gray is the kind of one cut rusher that Joe Philbin likes, and he's got good size to him as well (5'9, 225), so if the kid stays healthy he'll make a strong push for the second or third running back position.
One in the books, many, many to go. Feels good to be back, Go Fins, and hang in there just a little bit longer.
Only eight to go!
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