HBO Hard Knocks 2012: 3 Reasons Dolphins Edition Is Worth Watching

The Miami Dolphins are certainly not the sexiest choice for the popular HBO series Hard Knocks, but there are still plenty of reasons that will make this edition worth watching. 

This is a team that finished off last season by winning six of their last nine, yet that strong finish was not enough for them to overcome their terrible 0-7 start. As a result, Hard Knocks is going to feature a team in transition. 

The Dolphins will feature, among other things, a first-year coach, and a first-round rookie QB battling for playing time. So keep that in mind and the following before deciding this year's version of the series is or is not worth watching. 

Reggie Bush

Reggie Bush has had a screwy career. He arrived to the league with high expectations, and he would add to that with flashes of amazing. But for the most part, he had settled into a role as a specialist, not a No. 1 back. 

But last year, his first with Miami, he showed he can be a No. 1 back as he went for 1,086 yards and six touchdowns on 216 carries in 15 games. 

Now he is back to dealing with high expectations again. It will be interesting to see what that success did to his intensity. Will he still be hungry to prove himself, or will the chip on his shoulder be gone? 

QB Battle

Ryan Tannehill was taken with the eighth overall pick in this year's draft. The guy has boatloads of talent, which is still relatively raw. After all, he spent his first two years at Texas A&M playing wide receiver. 

Tannehill will likely be competing for the backup job here, as it would be foolish to insert him as a starter with his lack of experience. 

It looks like newly acquired David Garrard has emerged as the favorite to start, which is fascinating in its own right as Garrard wasn't even in the league last year. 

Miami still has Matt Moore, who can't be too happy about Miami searching so hard for someone to replace him as he spearheaded their late-season charge last year. 

The Debut of Joe Philbin 

The most interesting thing about this year's Hard Knocks is that it will give us all a chance to see how first year NFL head coach Joe Philbin is making the adjustment from coordinator to head honcho. 

Philbin is coming off of an insanely successful run as the offensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers, but now he is running the whole show and has to learn how to do this right there in front of all the HBO cameras for the world to see.