How Dolphins track what players are doing. And Tua picks number, contacts teammates.

A six-pack of Miami Dolphins notes on a Tuesday:

▪ With NFL teams not permitted to meet because of the coronavirus pandemic, there is a Big Brother element to the offseason program being conducted by the Miami Dolphins and several other NFL teams.

According to someone briefed on the situation, players have been given a workload app to download, from which the Dolphins get information about which players have done the workouts.

And that’s particularly important to several players who have workout bonuses riding on their completion of the program.

A different player, offensive lineman Jesse Davis, told the CBS affiliate in Lewiston, Idaho:

“We have the whole morning to do workouts and get that done. And that’s tracked through a heart rate monitor and an app. That’s our own little thing, make sure we’re doing something.

“It’s weird doing this on our own. You’ve got to hold yourself accountable, use the program, make sure you’re following on track. If not, they are going to see it.”

Defensive tackle Davon Godchaux, appearing on WSVN-Fox 7 on Sunday night, said: “As long as you maintain being active, you’ll be good” for the season.

The Dolphins’ afternoon video-conference sessions with players have focused on teaching the Dolphins system. Brian Flores has indicated there would be offense, defense and special teams meetings incorporated into those Zoom sessions.

“We just started meetings on Monday [April 27] through Zoom, which is totally bizarre,” Davis said. “When coach is teaching and they have a question from a player, it’s kind of hard to pinpoint who asked that question.”

Godchaux said Flores reached out to team captains to discuss the Zoom sessions. “They’re great,” Godchaux said.

▪ Dolphins rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has picked a number: 1.

Tua, who announced his number on social media on Tuesday night, couldn’t wear his number at Alabama (13) because that jersey number is retired by the Dolphins in honor of Dan Marino.

Only four Dolphins players have worn No. 1 in a regular season game: kicker Garo Yepremian, kicker Tony Franklin, punter Matt Turk and kicker Cody Parkey. As colleague Armando Salguero noted, Warren Moon and Cam Newton are the best quarterbacks to wear No. 1.

We’re told Tua reached out by text message to multiple new Dolphins teammates, including the wide receivers, essentially introducing himself and conveying that he’s looking forward to working with them.

Tua taking the initiative to begin interaction with teammates isn’t a surprise.

As ESPN’s Rece Davis noted, when Tagovailoa was at Alabama, he “went into various departments -- business, administration, compliance -- and thanked them for all they do for him. He’s a different kind of guy.”

▪ Dolphins Hall of Fame quarterback Bob Griese, who calls the team’s games on radio with Jimmy Cefalo and Joe Rose, said Monday that he expects the Dolphins to show Tua some tapes of Marino so Tua can learn how to get rid of the ball when in trouble instead of taking a hit.

Count Jesse Davis among those excited to have Tua on the team.

“He’s the most accurate quarterback in college history or something like that and it will be great to have him in the room,” Davis said. “It will be great to joke with him a little bit.”

And Godchaux said: “I love that [Tua] pick. Hopefully he can come in and help us win some games.”

▪ Oddshark.com and CBSsports.com both put the Dolphins’ over/under at six wins.

And betonline.com has the Dolphins and Jets at 600-to-1 to win the AFC - the longest odds in the conference.

Pro Football Focus suspects the six-win over/under is too low, noting “the Dolphins won five games a season ago despite fielding what was easily the worst roster in the NFL in terms of PFF WAR [wins over replacement]. They are in a weak division, with six games alone against teams like the Jets, Bills and Patriots.”

▪ Other Dolphins rookie draft pick numbers: Austin Jackson 73, Noah Igbinoghene 46, Robert Hunt 68, Jason Strowbridge 58, Curtis Weaver 96, Raekwon Davis 98, Solomon Kindley 66, Malcolm Perry 10, Brandon Jones 45, Blake Ferguson 50.

▪ Quick stuff: Davis, on the uncertainty of the season ahead: “If we had to play in empty stadiums, we will. The NFL has a good plan in place. We only know so much. Hopefully, this thing turns and we get back to normal.”...

Davis on Tom Brady’s departure from New England to Tampa Bay: “It definitely makes it [the AFC East] a little more wide open than what it was. Tom Brady is such a good player. [But] New England, you can’t count them out. They’ve always got something up their sleeve.”...

Davis told the Lewiston, Idaho TV reporter Armen Araradian that he leaves his house once or twice a week to get groceries when his produce runs out. He has taken up country music on the guitar to fill free time…. Tight end Dion Sims, who spent the first four years of his career with Miami after being drafted in the fourth round in 2013, quietly retired in the past few days. He played for the Chicago Bears in 2017 and ‘18 but was out of the league last season.

FROM THIS WEEK

Here’s my piece on Don Shula funeral arrangements and what the family wants the public to know.

Here’s my conversation with six former Miami Dolphins players about what it was like to play for Don Shula.

Here’s my piece on Albert Wilson’s pay cut, plus Larry Csonka, John Offerdahl, Richmond Webb and others weighing in on Shula.

Here’s my piece on how the Dolphins are preparing for the possibility of games without fans or just a few fans.

Here’s my UM piece from Tuesday with lots of notes.