It was a loud, noisy, busy Monday at Dolphins camp today, as the team returned from their five day hiatus ahead of Sunday's showdown with the Packers.
The big story of the day revolved around defensive lineman Derrick Shelby, who was suspended indefinitely by the team following his arrest early Saturday for trespassing and resisting arrest without violence. Dolphins coaches love Shelby, as do his teammates, so this is a tough pill to swallow for everybody involved.
Details are still murky, even with the official report being released earlier today. Shelby was arrested early Saturday morning outside a nightclub in downtown Fort Lauderdale. According to the report, Shelby was taken to the ground and tased three three times when he assumed a fighting stance against an officer. The report also says that the initial call was made because Shelby was allegedly touching women without their permission.
Shelby's mug shot can be seen in the photo above. The whole "without violence" thing seems fishy to me, no? Just a thought.
As I said, Shelby is a loved and respected member inside the Miami locker room. Jared Odrick, in particular, was a close friend.
“I saw the [headline] and I thought it was the Onion News reporting it, thinking it was fake,” Odrick told reporters this afternoon. “He’s such a smart guy. He’s knowledgable and he loves his job and loves working hard every day and coming in and really setting a standard.”
"He’s just so talented and such a great individual to have as part of the organization and the community. I was very surprised."
In his press conference following practice, Joe Phibin weighed in as well.
"I think you heard me say often times that it’s important for everybody that represents the Miami Dolphins – players, staff members, to represent the organization the right way on and off the field,” Philbin said.
"Respect. Respect everybody, every road trip we take. We are ambassadors for the Miami Dolphins [and] the National Football League. Treat people the right way. It’s really as simple as that. We go on the road, we want the bus drivers to think, the stewardesses to think, the people at the field to think this is a class organization and guys do things the right way. Show respect to everybody. It’s a simple message."
BIG MAN SET FOR BIG RETURN
Now to the good news of the day, and there was plenty to go around.
For starters, it appears Mike Pouncey is ready to make his season debut on Sunday, as he practiced with the first team all day. However, according to Pouncey, where he makes his debut may still be up in the air.
"I think I'm going to make a big one obviously, I can't wait to get back out with the guys," Pouncey said. "Whatever position I'm playing I'll help the team."
What position is Pouncey referring to?
"Guard’s my position," he said. “I was kind of forced to play center when I got drafted. Guard’s been the position I’ve played my whole life. … Whatever position I’m playing, I’ll help the team. It’s coach [Joe] Philbin’s decision."
This is an interesting call Joe Philbin's going to have to make. If he chooses to put Pouncey at guard, he'll be replacing Dallas Thomas and sticking with Samson Satele at center. Satele has performed well there this season.
However, don't underestimate the power of Pouncey at center. He makes the calls, the reads, the audibles, all of it. And, he's a Pro Bowler there, folks. Don't forget that.
Tough call, but a good one to have to make.
MORE HELP ON THE WAY
Pouncey isn't the only Miami starter set to return this week. In fact, he's just the first in a long line of guys ready to return.
Randy Starks, for starters, appears to be back, healthy, and ready to go. He practiced in full today.
Safety Reshad Jones, along with Pouncey, is ready to make his debut on Sunday as well. Jones is coming off a four game suspension for violating the league's substance abuse policy. He took first team reps along with Jimmy Wilson today.
The surprise sight of the day was RB Knowshon Moreno, who practiced on a limited basis for the first time in nearly a month. Last week, Moreno told reporters it could be four more weeks until he was ready to return, but, as is usually the case with Moreno, it appears he may have been bluffing.
"It felt good to get out there on the field and just and just work out a little bit of the rust,” Moreno said. "I’m just taking it day by day, seeing how I feel the next couple of days and go from there."
Miami has the 6th ranked rushing attack in the NFL, and getting Moreno back sooner than expected would be huge for this offense going forward. We'll know more as Sunday draws closer.
FINNEGAN, GIBSON DON'T WORK
The other bad news on the day revolved around starters Brandon Gibson and Cortland Finnegan.
Finnegan was absent all together today for reasons unknown at this point.
Gibson, on the other hand, was present during practice, but was not active. He was seen jogging on the sidelines and didn't participate in team drills.
Alright. Enough news for you?
The bye week is over. 12 straight weeks of Dolphins football comin' at ya!
Better buckle up.
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