Upcoming minicamp will give Dolphins rookies the first chance to prove themselves
Welcome to Bulletin Board Material, the Miami Herald’s weekday roundup covering everything in the South Florida sports scene. A lot of news to recap. Let’s get right to it.
Dolphins rookie camp and Ross draft reaction
Friday will be the start of something new for some of the Miami Dolphins' newest faces.
For two days, Friday and Saturday, the Dolphins' rookies will get their first taste of what it's like to be in the NFL, their first chance to see how the Dolphins practice during rookie minicamp.
It will also be their first chance to prove the Dolphins made the right choice by taking them, either during the draft or afterward as undrafted free agents.
And for those top picks Miami made on the first two days - first-round pick Minkah Fitzpatrick, second-round pick Mike Gesicki and third-round pick Jerome Baker - the onus will be even higher because, well, the owner of their team wasn't 100 percent happy with the opening rounds of the draft.
According to our Armando Salguero, Ross implored on the Dolphins' executives when they were on the clock with the 11th overall pick to "think more strategically." Trading down for extra picks, for example. After all, the Dolphins came into that night with plenty of needs they still had to address.
Instead, the trio of executive president Mike Tannenbaum, general manager Chris Grier and coach Adam Gase kept with their plan and took the multi-faceted Fitzpatrick at No. 11. They addressed their tight end problem in Round 2 and took a speedy yet undersized weakside linebacker in the third round.
According to Salguero, Ross left the team's facility after the second night hoping the players his team just drafted would work out. His people told him they had a plan.
But the owner was not exactly enthusiastic or absolutely certain and sold on the picks.
"We'll see," Ross told Salguero. "Nobody knows for sure with this stuff."
Of those top picks, Fitzpatrick seems to be a lock to play somewhere on the defense. Safety is most likely but playing as a nickel corner or linebacker on passing downs to better help cover tight ends is also a possibility. Gesicki is a natural pass-catcher who needs to improve his pass-blocking skills. And Baker needs to prove that his production will outmatch his 6-foot-1, 229-pound frame.
The first glimpse of them and the rest of the rookies will come on Friday.
A look at the Dolphins' offense
Throughout free agency and the NFL Draft, the Miami Dolphins gave the offense a makeover at just about every spot.
Jarvis Landry has been replaced by two new faces.
A new offensive line has formed.
A veteran running back is playing for his hometown team and mentoring a pair of younger players at his position.
Here is a full breakdown, by position, of where the Dolphins stand on offense.
Home runs doom Marlins
The flags at Wrigley Field were blowing out ever-so-gently Monday when Don Mattingly was asked whether the "friendly confines" might not be so kind to Jarlin Garcia, who records a healthy share of his outs on fly balls.
"Let's hope," Mattingly said, "he gets the ball on the ground tonight."
For Garcia, there was no such luck.
Garcia, who was close to untouchable before Monday, was rocked for three home runs as the Cubs rolled to a 14-2 victory at Wrigley. Garcia's ERA shot up from 1.09 to 2.68 in one fell swoop as the Cubs snapped a five-game losing streak with a vengeance and handed the lefty his worst loss as a starter.
Remembering a magical night at Wrigley
Marlins coach Perry Hill goes through the same ritual every season when the Marlins play their one series at Wrigley Field. Just before batting practice, he walks down the left field line, takes out his camera, snaps a picture of one seat in particular — Aisle 4, Row 8, Seat 113 — and posts it on Instagram.
It was Steve Bartman’s seat.
“That’s where the drama started,” Hill said.
It’s been 15 years since Bartman got his hands on a foul ball in the top of the eighth inning in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series, with the Cubs five outs away from advancing to the World Series, when the fortunes of both the Marlins and Cubs changed in an instant.
More news and notes
▪ What we're hearing about the Miami Hurricanes defense heading into summer.
▪ Why one ESPN analyst disagrees with UCF's national championship claim.
▪ FIU baseball's future is bright thanks to its freshman class.
▪ Two FSU recruiting targets set their commitment dates.
This story was originally published May 8, 2018 at 8:43 AM with the headline "Upcoming minicamp will give Dolphins rookies the first chance to prove themselves."