The Miami Dolphins strapped up for the first time on Saturday — putting on full sets of pads for the first time this year. And the action did not disappoint, as the Dolphins ramped up the intensity and had their most competitive practice to date. The storylines for Miami are well documented at this point — the team is looking to cultivate competition across the board and let the cream rise to the top.
But Saturday’s practice sessions were more about shaking up the status quo. Here are three big storylines from Day 3 of the Miami Dolphins’ 2019 training camp.
The defense flexes with the pads on
The Dolphins’ defense has been much maligned — and rightfully so — after two woeful years under Adam Gase. But Brian Flores isn’t going to stand for bad defense. On the first padded practice, it seems as though his players are getting the message.
The Dolphins went to the red-zone for Saturdays’ contest and the defense smacked around the offense, controlling the line of scrimmage. The defense logged numerous interceptions on the day, the most notable of which being cornerback Eric Rowe’s interception of Ryan Fitzpatrick in the end zone.
Kalen Ballage is pushing Kenyan Drake for reps
Yikes. This is hardly the endorsement for Drake’s breakout season that many were hoping for. Ballage is an impressive physical talent — the second-year running back is a towering presence who can run with power and effectively catch the ball out of the backfield.
If Ballage legitimately pushes Drake, consider Drake as good as gone in Miami — this would be the third coaching staff since college that elected not to commit to Drake full-time despite all of his physical gifts.
Brian Flores is playing head games
The Dolphins have seen some surprising names running with the second team units already this spring — and that is no accident. Brian Flores is moving players around like the pieces of a chess board, trying to find the perfect buttons to push and unlock motivation for his key players.
Flores said as much yesterday — that he’s trying to motivate his players and he’s using all the tools at his disposal to do so. And now we know that Flores isn’t above giving a guy a demotion for a day or two.
