Dolphins running back Jerome Messam has some major adjustments to make if he plans on sticking around South Beach.
Messam, who rushed for 1,057 yards and six touchdowns last season for the Canadian Football League's Edmonton Eskimos en route to winning the CFL's Most Outstanding Canadian award, signed with Miami in February.
The 6-foot-3, 245-pound tailback met with Jesse Agler of the Finsiders this week to discuss how his adjustment to being a Dolphin is going.
"Trying to get used to training in the hot sun and the humidity," Messam, while wearing a Toronto Maple Leafs hat, noted as being an obstacle he'll have to overcome. "... Guys said I haven't seen anything yet."
"They have kind of different concepts up north," Messam added. "But I'm grasping the playbook pretty well. There's a lot to digest with all the different plays and the signals we've got to learn. ... It's pretty different from up there, but I'm adjusting well."
One thing to Messam's advantage, however, is his pass-catching abilities. Because of the wider field, the CFL is very pass-happy, so the league's tailbacks see plenty of opportunities for catch-and-runs.
"I've always had good hands," Messam said. "I'm confident catching the ball with my hands, don't use my body. So whenever they need to use me to go out and run routes, I'm confident in my ability."
Messam will be competing for a spot in a running back corps consisting of Reggie Bush, second-year player Daniel Thomas and rookie Lamar Miller.
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