Miami Dolphins vs. Houston Texans: Miami's Week 1 Awards

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It comes as no surprise that the Miami Dolphins lost their 2012 season opener to the Houston Texans.

Despite the Dolphins' revamped coaching staff, the team's roster simply lacks the talent necessary to be considered anything close to a contender.

Naturally, all eyes were on rookie Ryan Tannehill as the organization continues to pray for an answer to the hole at quarterback that Dan Marino left over a decade ago.

Needless to say, he fell way short of filling Marino's shoes in his rookie debut.

With a strike in the loss column and Week 1 in the books, let's take a moment to look at the first week's awards for this Dolphins squad.

MVP: Reggie Bush

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There were very few bright spots in the Dolphins' first outing this year, making the battle for most valuable player a relatively clear-cut contest.

The defensive front line put on a solid showing against one of the best backs in the game in Arian Foster, holding him to just 79 yards on 26 carries.

However, the MVP award for this game has to go to Reggie Bush.

Bush ran for 69 yards on 14 carries while reeling in six catches for an additional 46 yards on Sunday.

He may not be on the pace that he was hoping for to claim the rushing title he wants so dearly, but against a very talented Texans defense, he gave the 'Phins just about all they could ask for.

With the lack of offensive weapons on this Dolphins team, they'd be foolish not to ensure Reggie 20 to 30 touches a game from here on out.

LVP: Ryan Tannehill

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Ryan Tannehill is the future of the Miami Dolphins.

That being said, he was hands down the biggest contributor to their loss on Sunday.

There were moments where Tannehill presented fans with a glimmer of hope and a flash of the future, but they were nothing more than just that.

His three interceptions and giant goose egg in the touchdown column ultimately justify his claim to the title of Least Valuable Player.

The 6'4", 222-pound rookie had numerous passes batted down by Houston's front line, with two of those tipped passes winding up in the hands of the opposition.

The offensive line can can do a better job of engaging their assignments and could have prevented some of these deflections, but at the end of the day, the blame always falls on the man pulling the trigger.

Top Rookie: Marcus Thigpen

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It'd be tough to give Tannehill the top rookie award with his three picks and inability to find the end zone.

Meanwhile, Jonathan Martin had his moments of weakness as well in his debut at right tackle.

But one man truly impressed me in his first-ever NFL game, so the award for the top rookie from Week 1 is going out to the one and only Marcus Thigpen.

Although Thigpen is technically listed as having a year of experience under his belt, he's never stepped foot on the field during a regular season game and has never even made a 53-man roster until this year.

In my mind, that makes him just as much a rookie as anyone else on this Dolphins roster.

Thigpen was absolutely electric on special teams Sunday, averaging 27.4 yards on five kickoff returns for a total of 137 yards on the day.

The highlight of his performance, however, came when he ran back a punt for 72 yards and the Dolphins' only touchdown of the game.

With over 200 yards in returns on the day, Thigpen has earned his spot as the top rookie for Week 1, as questionable as his rookie status may be.