Last season, Vontae Davis claimed that he was one-half of the NFL’s best cornerback tandem. Today, the Dolphins traded the 24-year-old to the Indianapolis Colts for a second and a conditional sixth round draft pick, according to Jay Glazer of Fox Sports.

“We appreciate all the contributions Vontae has made to the Dolphins since we drafted him in 2009 and we want to wish him the best of success in Indianapolis,” said GM Jeff Ireland in a press release.

Davis, drafted 25th overall in 2009, had started 36 games of 44 games for Miami over three seasons, racking up 143 tackles, nine interceptions — including a team-high four in 2011 — and one sack, but never seemed to get on the right track with the new coaching staff, who questioned his maturity and conditioning. Davis had already lost his starting job to free agent pickup Richard Marshall, and the Hard Knocks cameras showed Coach Joe Philbin pulling No. 21 aside for his unprofessional behavior during training camp.

Having already dealt Brandon Marshall for a pair of third-round picks and released Chad Johnson during the offseason, the front office and coaching staff have shown a commitment to high character, but have also done little to replace three of their most skilled players on the field in the short-term (Terrell Owens, anyone?) while starting a rookie quarterback who has been up-and-down in the preseason.

While picking up future assets is essential for a rebuilding team, in Davis, the Dolphins are giving up on another young player with Pro Bowl-caliber talent, while also losing significant depth at cornerback, where Marshall, Sean Smith and Nolan Carroll are the only players with veteran experience.

After losing their first seven games to begin last season, there might be a sense of déjà vu in South Florida in 2012.

Best of luck to Davis, who will get a chance to face his former team in Week 9 at Indianapolis.

On Friday, the Miami Dolphins hosted a live chat with cornerback Sean Smith — the second call of the offseason exclusively for the fan websites invited by the team to attend the annual Web Weekend.

Smith, the 61st overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, has started 40 of the 47 games games he’s played during his three seasons in Miami, coming up with three interceptions. Last season, No. 24 tied for second on the team with a career-high two picks and registered 51 tackles. Make sure to follow Smith on Twitter: @SeanSMITH24.

Over the course of the 10-minute call, the 6-foot-3 CB discussed the impact of new defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle on the secondary, his new role as a mentor and leader, and, like Richie Incognito last week, told DolfansNYC that he takes great pride in seeing fans clad in aqua-and-orange in New York New Jersey and other opposing stadiums.

“It means a lot, because we definitely appreciate the fan support,” said Smith. “Whenever you’re on the road, you’re always the villain — you’re getting booed no matter what you do — so it’s always good to have that one section you can look up to (where) you get the fans screaming in aqua-and-orange.

“When you can only hear your crowd at their place, you know you’re doing something right.”

With long-time veteran Yeremiah Bell no longer on the team, Smith told us he has taken on the role of mentor to not only the younger players, but some of his more-established teammates.

“I’m always trying to pull guys to the side, whether it (is) the young guys, or the older guys like Vontae (Davis) and Richard Marshall,” he said. “We’re always out there trying to help each other get better.”

Smith explained that he doesn’t just want to give himself the title of being the leader of the secondary, but rather earn it on the field.

“I just go out there and do my job the best way I can and try to show the guys the right way to do things,” he said.

Smith also touched on numerous key topics, including his offseason routine, his expectations for the up-and-coming Phins wide receivers, and adjustments to the new defensive scheme.
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This morning, the Miami Dolphins hosted a live chat — exclusively for the fan websites invited by the team to attend the annual Web Weekend — with left guard Richie Incognito.

Entering his eighth NFL season (third with Miami), Incognito, a third-round draft pick by the St. Louis Rams in 2005 out of Nebraska, has started all 31 games he’s played for the Dolphins. Make sure to follow him on Twitter: @68Incognito.

During the call, No. 68 touched on everything from playing for new head coach Joe Philbin in the new west coast offense to his favorite beer (Coors Light), and also told DolfansNYC what it means to him to see aqua-and-orange represented in opposing stadiums.

“That’s great, and it’s a really unique deal for the Miami Dolphins — everywhere we go, there’s always aqua-and-orange in the stands and there’s always a strong following and that’s really special to us,” he said. “I like playing on the road, I like going into hostile territory, and I like (having an) “us against the world” mentality. So it’s really cool to see fans up there, especially when we score and the whole stadium’s quiet and you see the aqua-and-orange up there rocking. It’s always a delight to see the fans out at visiting games.”

During the offseason, Incognito, who owns an event planning business, took classes at the Harvard Business School as part of the NFL Business Management and Entrepreneurial Program, which he feels will allow him to remain competitive in a new field once he hangs up his cleats.

“The Harvard experience was great — it was just geared for NFL players and they really gave us the tools to move forward with confidence in the business world,” he said. “I’m a small business owner myself, and it’s kind of hard to take care of the business while I’m on the field, so I have to trust people to help me run it while I’m busy with football.

“Harvard gave me great confidence moving forward, and it actually inspired me — I’m actually going to go for my MBA once I get done playing.”

During the 15-minute call, Incognito also offered plenty of insight on his expectations for the upcoming season after concluding the third day of training camp.
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Miami Dolphins fourth-year wide receiver Brian Hartline, as well as CEO Mike Dee, held a conference call with the team’s season ticket holders tonight, and DolfansNYC had the chance to listen in on their thoughts and expectations with the 2012 season on the horizon.

Over the course of his career, Hartline has caught 109 passes for 1,670 yards and five touchdown passes in 44 games (23 starts). The Ohio State product’s 15.32 yards per catch ranks 15th among all WRs with at least 100 receptions over the last three seasons, ahead of Miles Austin, Hakeem Nicks and Andre Johnson.

During the 40-minute call, Hartline discussed a wide array of topics, including the unique way in which he mastered tip-toeing the NFL sidelines and which Dolphin he’d pick in the first round of a fantasy football draft.

*No. 82, who recently underwent an appendectomy, stopped short of calling himself 100 percent ready to go, but said his rehab from the surgery has gone well.

“I’m feeling pretty good. I think 100 percent is  kind of a lost thing at this stage,” he said. “(I’m) healthy from all of the offseason fun. Life just happens sometimes.”

*Hartline expressed confidence in the team’s coaching staff, including offensive coordinator Mike Sherman, and explained the West Coast offense relies on quarterbacks and wide receivers being on the same page.

“There’s a lot going on — there’s a lot on the table for the quarterbacks, like usual,” he said. “I think our job is really to try and make it easier for the quarterbacks. Timing is big. They’ve got enough going on — they expect us to be in certain spots at a certain time.”

*Asked about his daily routine, Hartline said he typically works out in the morning, keeps his mind focused on improving and tries to eat healthy “from time to time.”

“I”m pretty much a normal guy,” he said. “(I’m) just tying not to be normal on Sundays.”

*Hartline reiterated several times that he anticipates carrying a large role on offense and being used all over the field, and revealed his personal goals are to be a veteran leader on a young team and to hit a major milestone.

“Most of my personal goals revolve around the team,” he said. “I firmly believe that if you win football games, you play at a high level, the rest of it takes care of itself.

“With that being said, I want to be a 1,000 yard receiver — that’s my goal.”

*Hartline believes that other teams with rookie quarterbacks are not as fortunate as the Dolphins, who have two talented veterans capable of carrying the load until Ryan Tannehill is ready, but confirmed that if the eighth overall pick shines in training camp, it won’t be long until he is named the starter.

“You’re going to play the best guy, and if (Tannehill) really does separate himself and he’s the best guy, then he’s going to play the game,” he said.

*Hartline said the coaches have a very difficult decision to make on the Week 1 starter, which he expects to come towards the end of training camp in order to give the players a chance to work on their timing and communication.

*Hartline acknowledged that while the NFL is a team sport, he has taken some of the criticism the Dolphins WRs have faced in the media on a personal level, and believes the underrated corps will change the negative perception.

“I know what I think of our guys, and I’m impressed with where we’ve come to where we’re at now,” he said. “Definitely, I feel like this  is the best overall group we’ve had.

“I’m not living under a rock and I understand people like the flashy names and numbers, but I think there’s more involved to that than just personnel. Our room is ready and excited.”

*Hartline said that Chad Ochocinco Johnson brings knowledge, experience and familiarity with a lot of defenses, and will help the young receivers react to different schemes.

*When he was asked which player, other than himself, he would choose in the first round of a fantasy football league, Hartline jokingly (I think) asked if Jake Long produces a lot of points, before saying Charles Clay, Anthony Fasano and Davone Bess would be his picks and that Reggie Bush “will be very important with catching the ball out of the backfield.”

*Hartline said the two players who have the most break-out potential are fellow WRs Julius Pruitt and Roberto Wallace.

*Hartline declined to reveal whether he would be one of the main subjects on the “Hard Knocks” cameras, but said he is “excited to see what it’s going to be like.”

*One of Hartline’s most interesting answers came when he was asked about how he learned to tip-toe the sidelines and make his patented spectacular down-the-field catches.
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