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“I’m excited. It’s a position I want to play, obviously,” said the 6-foot-5 Martin, who bulked up considerably since the end of his rookie campaign. “I’m excited for the challenge, I’m excited for the opportunity so I’m going to try to make the most of it during these OTAs and do whatever I can to help this team win.”

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“He’s more fluid over there,” Pouncey said. “You can tell when he’s kick sliding that way he’s more comfortable being in a left-handed stance. Obviously, he wanted to play over there last year but he was forced to play the right side and I think he’s going to do a great job.”

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“He looks good. I think he’s getting back to what he played in college and he’s comfortable there,” said Tannehill, who like Martin started all 16 games as a rookie. “He got to finish out the year there, and now he’s been working all offseason on that side, so I’m comfortable with him there and I think he’s comfortable as well.”

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No. 7: Ryan Tannehill, Miami Dolphins
It's the little things about Tannehill that impress. He's not afraid to throw the ball into windows. (Pass interference often was his best play.) He changes plays at the line of scrimmage like a veteran. He usually makes quick decisions. Those traits got obscured for a variety of reasons last season, but Dolphins fans have every right to be thrilled about their quarterback selection. General manager Jeff Ireland got this one right.

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It wouldn't shock me if Tannehill wound up eventually passing one or two of the big-name young quarterbacks in front of him. I don't see any big reason why Tannehill can't evolve into a top-five NFL quarterback. Spots on the bandwagon still are available.

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The decisions made during the one OTA practice the media watched this week were quick, and the passes were more precise.

A dig to Dustin Keller delivered right on the back shoulder of a linebacker.

A quick hitch to Mike Wallace arrived swiftly.

Tannehill noticed Brian Hartline had gotten behind the starting safeties during 11-on-11 drills and floated a deep ball to last year's leading receiver, allowing him to catch it in stride, putting Hartline in a foot race to the end zone just like the one they teamed up for in last year's record-setting performance against the Cardinals.

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Back then he was being sacked every fourth throw, and was spraying the ball all over the field to long shot receivers he wasn't familiar with.

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"Last year at this time my head was spinning. I was just trying to figure out how things worked. I didn't really know how the day went, how the offseason went, how practices went," Tannehill said. "So being in it a year, I am completely comfortable. Now I can go out and focus on all the little things that go into the game."

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http://espn.go.com/blog/afceast/post...egacy-in-miami

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“The sky is the limit,” Ellerbe said of Miami’s potential. “I haven’t been around here long enough to see exactly what’s going on. But from what I see in the film room and the statistics the coaches are putting up in the first week of OTAs, I feel like the sky is the limit for us. ... It’s a lot of good things we have to build on around here.”

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Dustin Keller said he declined a long-term deal from the Dolphins in favor of a one-year contract.
Keller's one-year pact is worth $4.25M. It's unclear how much the Dolphins were offering annually on a long-term deal, but the ex-Jet apparently didn't like it. "My worth wasn't where I think it was at," he said. "So I took a gamble on myself and said I'm better than everyone thinks I am. This is where I want to be longterm. But I want to prove to them I'm better than last year."

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Cutting two games off the preseason -- either by expanding the playoffs or moving to an 18-game schedule -- is still being discussed, commissioner Roger Goodell said Tuesday at the NFL's spring owners meetings in Boston.

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7× Pro Bowl 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006)
5× First-team All-Pro (1998, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2006)
2× Second-team All-Pro (2001, 2005)
2× NFL Alumni Linebacker of the Year (1998, 2006)
NFL 2000s All-Decade Team
More tackles than any linebacker currently in the Hall of Fame
He is also one of three players to record one hundred or more tackles in each of his first ten seasons in the NFL.

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Games played
184

Games started

182

Tackles

1,720

Quarterback sacks

20.5

Interceptions

17

Forced Fumbles

17

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8× Pro Bowl (2000-2003, 2005-2006, 2010-2011)
5× All-Pro (2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2010)
Brian Piccolo Award (2007)
Ed Block Courage Award (2011)
AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year (2005)
Football Digest Defensive Player of the Year (2001)
NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year (2000)
NFL 2000s All-Decade Team

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Games Started: 182


Tackles

1,353


Quarterback sacks

41.5

Interceptions

22

Forced Fumbles

12

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“Consistency; a guy that can have some all-purpose value. You know, can he play on first, second or third down. Whereas the defenses are at a point where they make a lot of their calls based on what jersey numbers are in the game. So the better multiple dimensional that our guys can be, they can catch, they can run, they can block, I think the better that is for the offense and the tougher it is for the defense. So somebody that’s got some versatility, consistency. Obviously we want to create more explosive plays running the football this year; part of that is breaking tackles so elusiveness obviously has something to do with it. We’re looking for as many good, all-around football players as we can possibly get. If we have to slot a guy into the game who can only do one thing, there’s value in that, but again the other side of the ball probably has some things that can counter that because they look tendencies. ‘Hey, every time player x is in the game they run the ball 87% of the time.’ So, when you strap it up you’re going to be in an uphill battle. So those types of things. We are really looking for consistency. Versatility, somebody we can depend on, and then somebody, quite frankly, that can break some tackles.”

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