Dolphins training camp: Philbin 'Nobody has earned anything yet'

(Opening statement) - "I thought the guys really came out and really gave good effort. I talked to them yesterday about starting the practice a little bit faster. I thought the ending was good. We tried to practice a situation where the first-team offense was behind by 10 points with eight minutes to go in the game and our first-team defense came out, they were down by three and had to stop the second-team offense. We'll watch the tape, but we ended up winning the game 24-20, so that's always good."

(On how DE Terrence Fede has grown from a year ago) - "He's just a lot more confident I think in everything that he's doing. I think the adjustment that he had to make coming from what I used call 1-AA football to the NFL is significant. He handled it well then too, but I just think he's stronger, he's more confident in the scheme, in the system that we're running and the techniques that we're using. I think he's just well ahead of where he was."

(On if DE Terrence Fede's role can be bigger) - "Yeah. We have him on some things with special teams as well. He can do a lot of different things. He's a good athlete, he moves well, he's got good size and strength. Yeah, he's doing some good things. Obviously, we'll learn more when we get into the games."

(On defensive line coach Terrell Williams being new and if he thinks it would be hard to walk into a room with DT Ndamukong Suh and DE Cameron Wake and say, ‘I'm going to coach these guys') - "I'd be pretty excited if I were the defensive line coach. Terrell's really been a great addition to our staff. I liked the job that he did with the players that he had in Oakland. He was a good coach in college football as well. He's fit into the fiber of this staff, chemistry well. He's doing a great job. He's really excited about the group he's working with."

(On his impression of CB Brice McCain in training camp and if there's anything in particular that he's liked) - "Just his competitiveness I like. The guy plays hard every snap. You see him and Jarvis (Landry) kind of maybe having some combative, jawing a little bit and having some fun. I think the number one thing that certainly stands out to me is the competitiveness."

(On G Dallas Thomas not practicing today and if G Jamil Douglas started in his place at left guard) - "I think we still mixed some guys around a little bit, but he got a lot of them. We've moved him around I think the other day to right guard, we played him a little bit. Now that Dallas didn't practice, we moved him back to left (guard). Nobody has earned anything yet, so we want to kind of send that message."

(On many of the field goal attempts in practice coming from 46 and 52 yards, and if there is any particular reason for those lengths)  - "I know they do a lot of other, they do a lot of closer work I think in different periods. I think in the team periods we usually keep them relatively consistent. I don't know that there, I'll have to go back. It's not something I'm absolutely certain on. I thought one time or two we might have put it on the 23, which would have made it a 41. I'll go back and check my facts."

(On WR Jarvis Landry making a long catch today and his thoughts on him being more of a deep threat) - "I think he's got a chance to do that. He's lined up in a variety of spots. He's done some things outside. I think his natural home base is still inside, but he certainly has shown the ability, he's a real quality route runner. He can run different routes that you want on the outside. The beauty of him is he doesn't slow down when he's coming out of cuts. So if he can get on top of the DB (defensive back), he doesn't waste any time whatsoever. That's really, to me, is what makes him effective."

(On if there is any one area he wants to see most during the team scrimmage on Friday) - "The big thing that I look at is how quickly we can, simple things - like how fast we can get lined up, what kind of communication do we have in our back end in the secondary, can the young guys get thrown into a situation, in the two-minute drill, and function as a team. So I look mostly at that kind of stuff, teamwork kind of things - are we getting the plays in on time, are we getting to the line of scrimmage at times, are shifts and motions crisp, are we making the right adjustments in coverage checks. And then we're going to do some tackling, I want to see our guys. I'm mostly concerned about the stuff in space, can we get guys in space down on the ground. Those are what I'm really looking forward to."

(On so much emphasis being placed on the defensive line this offseason and if he feels like they did enough to address the linebacker and secondary positions) - "Again, we looked to improve the football team all different angles, all different positions, every single position. We always make decisions that are in the best interest of the club. I like the group of guys that we have, that we're working with. I like the makeup of the defense and I think we're making good progress here on the field."

(On if a strong defensive line can possibly make up for deficiencies in other areas) - "I believe in strong offensive line play and strong defensive line play. You have to be good on both sides of the ball. It is a primary focus and it's going to be."

(On when he would like to have competitions settled) - "As I've said, I'd love to go into the third preseason game, that week we're going to simulate a game week, how we're going to prepare for the Redskins and Jacksonville and everybody else. I'd love to have everything lined up by then. That might not be realistic. Some guys may be practicing a lot, we might get a freak injury here and that might slow things down. So there's a lot of factors, but if you had to say in a perfect world, I think that would be great, but if it's not, it's not."