Why I'm happy to be back covering the Dolphins

Thanks so much for checking back in with me after I had to pause this newsletter for some time due to a medical issue.

In early May I sustained a macula off retina detachment in my right eye that required surgery. Please don't take your eyes for granted. I've lost some vision I'll never regain.

I was so happy to return to practice and interviews with players and coaches for the start of training camp. I miss being around them and my friends and colleagues in media.

And I was happy to be able to see, once again, football players practicing football.

This will be my 9th season covering the Miami Dolphins (7th consecutive) and that run includes coaches Dave Wannstedt, Adam Gase, Brian Flores and Mike McDaniel.

McDaniel is one of a kind. And it really is a lot of fun. It's also educational, as McDaniel takes the time to explain things and we can then pass that along to the fans.

It's not possible to overstate how fast the combination of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle are when on the field together. It's blur. Blur. Blur. Blur.

As Hill says, defenses should be "scared s***less."

Leave it to Hill. He has a way with words.

His confidence is infectious. His support of Tua is helpful.

This is good roster, folks. A really good roster. This team should absolutely be in the playoff mix into the final two or three weeks of the season.

And this is certainly the best Dolphins team I've covered since a return to the beat in 2016. Miami has a Top 10 defense and an offense improved at offensive line, wide receiver and running back.

It's fun to cover a team with a coach like McDaniel and a receiver like Hill. It's fun to cover a team that has a chance to be nationally-relevant.

Did you guys see we had a story about every single one of our Top 25 Miami Dolphins players countdown list? Please check it out.

Tua has looked OK at the start of training camp. We'll see where this all goes. And we all know that he's the biggest question mark. Miami will rise or fall in 2022 as Tua does.

I've been focusing on column-writing since my return. Please check out my early camp columns on Tua (and Tyreek Hill), Tua (and captaincy) and Tua (and Mike McDaniel's offensive play-calling approach).

Again, nothing is more important than breaking down every angle on where Tua stands.

That said, who are some less obvious players and storylines you'd like to read about? Would you tag me with your training camp request/s at @schadjoe on Twitter?

Thanks so much. This will also give me an idea about if folks are reading this letter.

Here are some stories from this week I thought you'd like.

Catch you next week!

- Joe

Joe Schad is a journalist at the Palm Beach Post part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at jschad@pbpost.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Why I'm happy to be back covering the Dolphins