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Dolphins opting against on-field work during rookie minicamp

Ron Elkman/Sports Imagery / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Adam Gase is doing things differently in his first year at the helm in Miami.

As rookies around the league get set to arrive for their first minicamps as NFL players, the Dolphins' new head coach is planning classroom sessions in place of on-field workouts for his group.

From Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald:

Instead Dolphins rookies will spend all their time during this minicamp in classroom sessions learning how to be Miami Dolphins. That means they're going to get schooled on the schemes they're playing, their assignments, and everything football that involves the brain.

But they're also going to get a little polished up as people. They're going to get life labs to help them with nutrition, financial planning, sports science, and dealing with the media -- the last of which is a big part of their job believe it or not.

Salguero suggests the decision likely has a lot to do with the fact that rookies make the jump to the NFL coming off a rigorous pre-draft training schedule. From the time their respective college seasons come to an end, breaks are virtually nonexistent.

While the absence of on-field work will prevent Miami from holding tryouts for players beyond its eight draft picks and 10 undrafted free agents, perhaps the unique strategy will pay off in having fresher first-year players heading into and throughout the 2016 season.

Miami's rookie class is scheduled to arrive at the team facility Thursday, with the three-day minicamp taking place over the weekend.

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