DAVIE, Fla. -- Wednesday marked the final official day of training camp for the Miami Dolphins. It also marked the practice with the most fights.
The Dolphins had three altercations between the offense and defense that interrupted practice. They had only two training-camp fights in the previous three weeks.
Cornerback Bobby McCain was involved in the first two fights on Wednesday. First, Pro Bowl receiver Jarvis Landry caught a first-down pass on the sideline over McCain and showed up the cornerback by not finishing the play and talking to McCain. The second-year player didn’t like it and bad-mouthed Landry back to the huddle. That was enough for Landry to take swings at McCain and the two needed to be separated.
A couple minutes later, a still-heated McCain got into it with fellow receiver Kenny Stills on the opposite sideline, and both offensive and defensive players converged. McCain was pulled from practice drills for a few minutes, and defensive coordinator Vance Joseph and veteran cornerback Byron Maxwell both talked to McCain to calm him down.
Both Stills and Landry later came over in practice to embrace McCain and put the incidents behind them.
“Just competitive spirits, getting fiery a little bit and showing a little team love to each other,” Landry said afterwards. “It’s over with. What happens between the lines [stays] between the lines. Nothing personal. No hard feelings. It’s just team love.”
The third fight involved Dolphins guard Jermon Bushrod and defensive lineman Deandre Coleman. Head coach Adam Gase wasn’t too concerned about the three scraps.
“It’s football, it happens,” Gase said. “No one got hurt. I don’t want that to happen every day, but it’s going to happen every once in a while.”
Here are some other notes from Wednesday’s practice:
The Dolphins had arguably their best offensive practice of training camp. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill was sharp with good first-down throws to Landry and Stills. Tannehill also hit tight end Dominique Jones for a touchdown down the seam. Backup quarterback Brandon Doughty also was effective on the second-team offense, perhaps providing momentum for the group before Friday’s preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys.
Gase said he hasn’t determined his starting guards for this week but will probably do so in the next 24 hours. This week, first-round pick Laremy Tunsil received the most first-team work at left guard over Dallas Thomas. But both will get plenty of playing time.
Running back Arian Foster had a veteran rest day Wednesday. But he’s expected to make his debut against Dallas.
