Tannehill and Battle to Start at QB Sure to Be Featured on HBO's 'Hard Knocks'

After numerous teams were reported to not be interested in being the subject of this year's edition of Hard Knocks, the reality show set in an NFL training camp, the identity of the team under the spotlight was revealed today.

NFL.com reports that the Miami Dolphins will be featured on the series.

Not that the Dolphins were the first choice. Seattle, Atlanta, Denver, Houston, San Francisco and Washington had all declined an offer or expressed a lack of interest before being offered the spot, according to NFL.com.

The Dolphins have no shortage of compelling storylines, including a new head coach overhauling the way the team tries to win football games on both sides of the ball, but no plot will be more interesting than the battle to start at quarterback between Matt Moore, David Garrard and No. 8 overall pick Ryan Tannehill.

Of course, that is if they aren't upstaged by his wife, Lauren.

The rookie-centric storylines aren't limited to Tannehill and his attempt to justify his top-10 pick right away:

• Second-round offensive tackle Jonathan Martin will try to start from day one at right tackle, a position he hasn't played since high school.
• Third-round pick and former Miami Hurricane defensive end Olivier Vernon will have a shot at playing time early if he can translate his significant physical potential into the production that didn't come in college.
• Third-round tight end Michael Egnew will attempt to end the string of failed receiving tight ends from Missouri after Martin Rucker and Chase Coffman have failed to do anything of note in the NFL.
• Fourth-round running back Lamar Miller (another former Hurricane) has a terrific stage to show the other 31 teams why they shouldn't have let him surprisingly fall to the draft's third day.
• Sixth-round wide receiver B.J. Cunningham and seventh-round wide receiver Rishard Matthews can earn significant playing time right away in a very thin wide receiver corps.
• Undrafted free agent wide receiver Jeff Fuller can redeem himself after some had him as high as the first round going into the 2011 season. He is also reunited with his college quarterback Tannehill and head coach, Mike Sherman, who is the Dolphins' offensive coordinator. Fuller repeatedly let them down with drops last year.

Maybe HBO would have preferred another team, but few will have as many excellent rookie angles to play up as a team in the middle of a transition akin to changing the direction of one of the many cruise ships that stop in Miami.