During their turn on HBO's "Hard Knocks" series, the Miami Dolphins will give the whole world an up-close look at their training camp. The NFL and NFL Players Association, however, might want to take a sneak peek following Wednesday's fight-filled minicamp practice that almost surely crossed the permissible contact threshold.
Dolphins safety Reshad Jones, who is competing for the starting free safety job, knocked quarterback David Garrard to the ground during a blitz, according to Omar Kelly of the Sun-Sentinel. That hit prompted an angry reaction from left tackle Jake Long, who would later spar with rookie defensive end Olivier Vernon. Left guard Richie Incognito, whose hot head belies his surname and earned him a ticket out of St. Louis, also was involved in a dust-up with defensive lineman Ryan Baker.
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Head coach Joe Philbin liked the competitiveness his players showed, but he chastised their lack of discipline.
"That can be a critical time in a game," Philbin said, according to Ben Volin of the Palm Beach Post. "You have to be able to keep your poise and play.
"It's great to be tough, it's great to be physical. I (told) the defensive staff I want them to watch the film and tell me what they think happened. It's 15 yards, loss of down, clock, all those things. So yeah, there was good competitiveness, but you've got to be smart."
With two fights and a quarterback getting knocked to the ground during a minicamp practice, the league and union will almost certainly join the Dolphins' defensive staff in reviewing the film and offering up their opinions to the first-year head coach. The Dolphins wrap-up their minicamp, and offseason program, on Thursday, but the NFL and NFLPA could dock the club future OTA dates, and issue fines to both Philbin and the team, if Wednesday's incidents were deemed to have crossed the line.
