Dolphins Training Camp: Observations From Practice #5
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DAVIE (CBSMiami) – The Miami Dolphins completed the 5th practice of their 2015 training camp on Tuesday at the team's practice facility in Davie.
The Dolphins will have two more practice sessions on Wednesday and Thursday before the annual intra-squad scrimmage that will take place on Friday at FIU Stadium.
Tuesday's practice wasn't the most exciting one, with much of the time on the field being dedicated to individual drills and special teams, though there was some time spent in the red zone and on two-minute drills.
To read the top extended quotes from Dolphins players and coaches following Tuesday's practice session, click here.
Here are some observations on both sides of the ball from practice number five.
OFFENSE
Wide receiver Kenny Stills was held out of team drills with a calf injury. He did work with the team in the practice bubble and was seen on the field during portions of practice, so the injury doesn't appear to be serious.
Billy Turner and Dallas Thomas started the day as the first team guards on the offensive line, but rotations continued at the position as they have throughout camp.
Ryan Tannehill had some very nice completions during 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills. He connected with Greg Jennings several times, including on a red zone touchdown. Jordan Cameron also had a good day catching Tannehill's throws as their chemistry continues to grow.
Lamar Miller continued to look very quick on the field, but he also showed why many people feel he has bulked up since last season. After catching a short pass from Tannehill, Miller took off down the field, running over Jordan Tripp en route to a gain of over 50 yards.
Matt Moore also had some nice throws, especially in the red zone. He connected with Rishard Matthews and Gerell Robinson for touchdowns and also had a nice throw to hit Matt Hazel in stride, leading to a long catch-and-run by the second-year wideout.
Rookie running back Jay Ajayi saw some time with the first team offense but it's clear he still has some work ahead of him. How he plays during the scrimmage and in preseason games will go a long way towards him securing a main role in Miami's offense.
DEFENSE
Safety Louis Delmas was back on the practice field on Tuesday after getting a day off on Sunday. Delmas is coming back from knee surgery but he appears to be able to do everything he could before the injury.
Chris McCain began practice working with the first team linebackers, flanked by Koa Misi and Jelani Jenkins. McCain and Kelvin Sheppard appear to be vying for a spot amongst the starters, though second-year LB Jordan Tripp also saw some time with the first team.
Jamar Taylor worked as the second starting cornerback opposite Brent Grimes. Taylor had a strong day defending, which is hopefully a sign of things to come.
In the 'no surprise here' department, Ndamukong Suh continued to dominate and disrupt the Dolphins offensive line. After practice he commented on the importance of him going all-out during practice to not only work on his game but to make the o-line better as well. "They're athletic, they can move, they challenge me as I hope I challenge them every single day in practice. At the end of the day, like I said, we want to push each other on both sides of the ball. I want to dominate Dallas [Thomas], I want to dominate Billy [Turner] at the end of the day. That's my job. That's what I was brought here for and that's my goal. Hopefully, I can get them better and they can make me better by pushing me as well, just like I expect [Mike] Pouncey to do the same thing."
Will Davis continues to show flashes that lead you to believe he is going to be a solid player in this league. He had a nice interception of Matt Moore during 7-on-7 and was strong in coverage for the most part. Second-year corner Sammy Seamster also had an interception on Tuesday.
Walk Aikens absolutely blew up Rishard Matthews during 11-on-11. Matthews had just made a nice leaping catch but when he came down Aikens was waiting. The hit caused Matthews to fumble, though replay may have shown that he never had full possession in the first place. This happened on the far field so it was difficult to tell.
On one of the final plays of the day, Ryan Tannehill tried to fit the ball in a small window to Jordan Cameron in the end zone but Cameron, the ball and Reshad Jones all came together at the same time causing the ball to bounce upwards. Koa Misi played Johnny-on-the-spot and plucked the ball out the air for the interception.
SPECIAL TEAMS
There was clearly an emphasis on special teams during Tuesday's practice. With the kicking duties continuing to rotate day-by-day, this one belonged to rookie kicker Andrew Franks and rookie punter Matt Darr.
Franks struggled early but finished the day very strong. He missed two of his first four kicks but was good on everything after, including a pair of booming field goals from 46 and 52 yards away that sailed through the uprights about 3/4 of the way up. The kid has some serious pop in his leg.
Darr also looked good, especially during a drill where he was punting the ball from midfield. He landed kicks inside the 5-yard line consistently, and they bounced away from the goal line instead of into the end zone.
Returning punts on Tuesday were LaMichael James, Jarvis Landry, Brent Grimes and Christion Jones.
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