Tannehill Shines In Fins' First Scrimmage
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – It was just one scrimmage, but the early results from Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill should give Fins fans plenty of hope for the coming season.
Tannehill threw three touchdown passes in the Dolphins' first scrimmage of training camp and did it all while missing his top two wide receivers, Mike Wallace and Brian Hartline. Tannehill's touchdown passes went to tight ends Charles Clay and Dustin Keller along with running back Daniel Thomas.
Overall, Tannehill was 8-11 for 72 yards and three touchdowns. According to practice reports coming from Davie, Tannehill hasn't thrown an interception in any practice or scrimmage since last Tuesday.
"(The offense) did some good things," Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin said. "We did some good things in the red zone, some good things in the goal line and obviously we didn't get off to a great start, but it's good to see them (respond positively)."
While Tannehill shined, no official word was given on why both Wallace and Hartline were not in the lineup for the game. Fans tweeted out that Hartline appeared to pull up with a leg injury during warmups.
The passing game appeared to be in good hands with Tannehill at the controls, but the run game struggled mightily against the Dolphins' run defense. Presumptive starting running back Lamar Miller ran the ball five times for 12 yards and a touchdown, while rookie Mike Gillislee had six rushes for 22 yards and two catches for 21 yards.
Defensively, the Dolphins looked ready for the regular season in Monday's scrimmage. Rookie defensive end Dion Jordan scored a sack, but quarterbacks weren't tackled, and got into the backfield on another play.
Jordan is expected to be a situational pass rusher to start the season, primarily coming in on passing downs to go after the quarterback. As Jordan becomes more comfortable with the playbook and speed of the NFL, his playing time is expected to increase.
The Dolphins defense continued to pressure the quarterback with safety Reshad Jones and defensive end Olivier Vernon recording two sacks each. Safety Kelcie McCray also took a Matt Moore pass the other way for a touchdown.
"Some guys stepped up and made plays," Philbin said. "Obviously there was some sloppiness. We have to be a lot better in six days. That's not surprising. We will take a look at the tape and make the corrections and we will play better on Sunday."
Still, the biggest winner may have been the Miami Dolphins franchise as a whole. More than 22,000 people were in attendance at the first scrimmage and after several sub-par seasons, it appears the passion is quickly coming back for "Dolfans" across South Florida.
With the scrimmage in the books, the Dolphins will turn their attention to the Dallas Cowboys who the team plays in the annual Hall of Fame game in Canton, Ohio on Sunday.
The Fins should have an easier time with the Cowboys as Dallas' starting quarterback Tony Romo is not expected to play in Sunday's game. The Cowboys are expected to play Nick Stephens and Alex Tanney at quarterback in the Hall of Fame game.
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