Olivier Vernon Involved In Dolphins Minicamp Fight

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DAVIE — There's a reason why quarterbacks wear the red jerseys. Just like on a street light or stop sign, red means you are supposed to stop. But Reshad Jones ran the light and put David Garrard on the ground during a safety blitz.

Jake Long was so angered by what he saw during the 11-on-11 portion of practice the Dolphins' Pro Bowl left tackle walked from the sidelines and yelled out Jones' name. He then fired off an expletive-filled tirade that would sound like "don't [bleeping] touch the quarterback [bleep hole]" if it were cleaned up.

Jones responded with an expletive of his own..

And that snapshot of Wednesday's spirited practice was one of the tame moments during the Dolphins' second day of minicamp. The real action took place during the two skirmishes between the offensive and defensive linemen.

The first featured Richie Incognito, the team's resident tough guy, taking on Ryan Baker. The second was a ticked-off Long going after rookie pass rusher Olivier Vernon, or vice versa.

"These are the dog days of summer. It's us against the defense till we start playing preseason games. It gets testy out here," Incognito said. "It's like two brothers scrapping. We're out here pushing and shoving and having a good time.

"Defense things let's hunt the quarterback, but at the end of the day we're all fighting the same fight," Incognito said. "It's like when brothers fight. Mom and dad sit you down and you talk about it and it's done, till next time."

Coach Joe Philbin didn't mind the competitive spirit his players were exhibiting. However, he was concerned by the loss of composure. He plans to review the practice film to see which players escalated the situation to the point blows got thrown.

Philbin acknowledged he's concerned about the penalties and ejections altercations like what happened on Wednesday would draw.
"It happens," Philbin said. "You have to play hard and be smart."

Philbin plans to lecture his players on using "good judgment," but admits tempers' flaring is part of the minicamp process considering players are competing for jobs and roles.

"This time of year after you keep going against guys day in and day out you develop a dislike for each other," said offensive lineman Artis Hicks. "But once we leave this field we're all on the same team, brothers in the locker room."

-- I also have Olivier Vernon sacking Matt Moore. The rookie from UM has a productive day on Wednesday.

-- The very next play for Ryan Tannehill he was sacked by Olivier Vernon. Rookie on rookie crime.


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(sun-sentinel.com)
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