Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Dolphins coach awaits start of practice.
Coach: every session, every repetition important
Organized team activities don’t get many football fans excited. OTAs basically consist of players running around without pads and without contact during the spring.
But Dolphins coach Adam Gase will view things differently when his team takes the field today.
“I think every time we get out there it’s important,” he said. “We only get so many practices. You get 13 total practices counting minicamp, and then all of a sudden we’re into training camp. So everything we do is important, every [repetition] is important.
“We need to have a major focus on correcting our mistakes and not making them again. That’s kind of what got us a little bit last year.”
OTAs, which are voluntary, mark the start of Phase Three of the offseason program. Teams can conduct 11-on-11 and 7-on-7 drills, but 1-on-1 drills aren’t permitted. Teams get 10 OTA practices and three mandatory minicamp practices.
The Dolphins have OTAs scheduled for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, May 30-June 1, and June 5-8. All are at the team’s training facility in Davie. OTAs aren’t open to the public, and media will only be able to view select sessions.
The Dolphins started their offseason
program April 17, but up until this point they were limited largely to conditioning, weight lifting and classroom work.
Gase, looking to build on last year’s 10-6 record and Miami’s first playoff berth since the 2008 season, is cautiously optimistic about the work his players have put in since first reporting.
“I feel like we’re in a good spot,” he said. “Phase Two [of the offseason program] was a good three weeks worth of work.
“I feel like guys are in good shape, but now the anxiety level is going to go up a little it because now you’re going against the offense and defense, they practice against each other, and special teams. We’ll see kind of how our bodies respond and how fast we can play and how much we’ve actually learned from last year to this year.”
Quarterback Ryan Tannehill, whose 2016 season was cut short by two sprained ligaments in his left knee, will likely wear a brace or some other type of supportive device as practices begin, Gase said.
Center Mike Pouncey, whose season was reduced to five games due to a hip injury, will be brought along slowly, Gase said, but it’s unclear what that means relative to this week’s OTAs.
Defensively, the Dolphins are looking for big improvement from a unit that finished 29th in the NFL last season. First-year defensive coordinator Matt Burke has been charged with making his group better fundamentally, which, coaches have said, mostly means maintaining assignments and tackling better.
One of the keys to that is deciding how to use linebackers Lawrence Timmons, Kiko Alonso, Koa Misi and second-round pick Raekwon McMillan from Ohio State in their 4-3 scheme. Burke has suggested the outside linebackers might be interchangeable to a certain extent. It’s unclear who will man the middle, but Timmons, a standout inside linebacker for Pittsburgh previously, seems to be the early favorite.
On the defensive line, end Charles Harris, the first-round pick from Missouri, will try to find a home among a unit that includes Pro Bowl selection Cameron Wake and veterans Andre Branch and William Hayes.
In the secondary, safety Reshad Jones, who only played six games in 2016 due to a shoulder injury, said he’s been cleared to go full speed during OTAs, which should help as the unit tries to sort out its cornerback picture among Byron Maxwell, Xavien Howard, Bobby McCain, Tony Lippett, and rookie Cordrea Tankersley, the thirdround pick from Clemson.
Gase has talked excitedly during the offseason about how hard his players have worked. But he also said he’s eager to see whether they’ve retained knowledge and improved their play.
“I’ll be excited when Tuesday gets here,” the second-year head coach said. “I’ve really enjoyed watching our guys work the last five weeks, and it’ll be interesting to see our rookies out there, see how they kind of fit in.
“Just seeing our guys develop, it’s a pretty neat experience from Year 1 to Year 2.”