Dave DeGuglielmo speaks for the first time since he took over for Pat Flaherty, the fired Dolphins offensive line coach

DAVIE — Dolphins offensive line coach Dave DeGuglielmo doesn’t want to grade left tackles, but he did not dispute that Laremy Tunsil is one of the best in the NFL.

“He's a very good football player,” DeGuglielmo said Tuesday. “I'm not going to rank guys. I haven't worked with all the guys. He's a tremendous athlete and a special player.”

As of Saturday, when Tunsil was traded to Houston, DeGuglielmo does not know who will start at left tackle for the Dolphins in Sunday’s home opener against the Ravens.

“Listen, he's a tremendous football player,” DeGuglielmo said of Tunsil. “There are changes all the time. If he sprained an ankle, it would be the same situation.”

Except that this is not at all like a sprained ankle. Tunsil isn’t coming back. And without Tunsil, Miami may be forced to start a player, Julien Davenport, who just arrived this past Sunday.

“When we line up on Sunday, there's going to be a left tackle,” DeGugliemo said.

DeGugliemo suggested that a writer, for example, could change jobs but would still be able to catch on pretty quickly to what needed to be done in a new location.

“You’re still a writer,” DeGuglielmo said. “It’s just you’ve got a new desk and a new phone number and you’ve got to figure out how to dial out. Is there a code or do I just dial 9? It’s the same — they’re professionals. This is what these men do for a living. This is a job. And I’ve had guys come in on Wednesdays and play that Sunday. That’s just the way it goes.”

This is DeGuglielmo’s third stint as Dolphins offensive line coach. He was hired by Brian Flores as a defensive analyst, with intent to diagnose the weaknesses of opposing opposing offensive lines.

“Well, when Brian called me, he asked me to come down and help me out, since I was sitting at home in Carmel, Ind., watching ”Big Valley“ everyday at 2 o'clock,” DeGuglielmo said. “This is what I do for a living. I'm around football. He thought he could use my experience as a football coach.”

But then one week into training camp, Flores fired offensive line coach Pat Flaherty and promoted DeGuglielmo, who has a reputation as a fiery, tough, demanding coach.

"I've been here three times,“ DeGuglielmo quipped. ”I really like it here. I'm like a stray dog. They keep feeding me and I keep coming back."

DeGuglielmo has a very challenging task. Whether Miami lines up with Davenport at left tackle and Jesse Davis at right tackle, or Davis at left tackle at Isaiah Prince at right tackle.

Whether undrafted rookie Shaq Calhoun or recently-acquired guard Evan Boehm starts at right guard. Expectations will be low for Miami’s offensive line this season.

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“I don't think it's any different than any other year,” DeGuglielmo said. “Every year is unique. Every year serves you up it's own set of problems. Think about (2017). A unique situation as well. My situation last year was unique. Every situation has problems. And they're exclusive. It also has benefits. It's hard to really say exactly how things will work out in the end, and that's the pleasure of the game. You work it. You work hard every day.”

In 2017, DeGugliemo was brought to Miami in-season, to replace Chris Foerster, who was let go after a video surfaced in which he was snorting a white powdery substance.

DeGuglielmo is clear about what he will ask of his linemen.

“I want them to be smart,” DeGuglielmo said. “I want them to be tough. And I want them to protect inside out. I want to make sure that the pocket is clean, so the quarterback can do his job... Really make a concerted effort to protect the people that are going to feed you. The running backs. The quarterback... We're Clydesdales, we pull the sled... be smart, that means studying, and be nasty.”

@schadjoe

jschad@pbpost.com