ESPN NFL

DAVIE, Fla. -- Two weeks into the season, Miami Dolphins ridicule had resumed. The wait-and-see grace period was over.

New football operations department, new general manager, new head coach, half a new roster ... the Dolphins didn't look any different than the version that went 1-15 last year.

	Scott Cunningham/Getty Images
	Rookie tackle Jake Long and the rest of the Dolphins O-line showed a new side against the Patriots in Week 3.

Derision was spread thickly and impartially. But the place it stung most of all in the Dolphins locker room was among the offensive linemen. Their running attack was nil. Sacks were plentiful.

"People were ragging on the O-line pretty bad," rookie left tackle Jake Long said.

Rags to rushes was the line's theme last week. The Dolphins exploded in Week 3 with a 38-13 frolic over the New England Patriots in Gillette Stadium.

Most of the attention was trained on the captivating single-wing Wildcat offense the Dolphins unveiled. But the offensive line controlled the game regardless of the formation.

"They had something to prove in the game, no doubt about it," said Dolphins head coach Tony Sparano, a long-time offensive line assistant. "You take criticism for a couple weeks about not running the ball, offensive linemen take that personally, offensive line coaches take that personally. And they should."

In one afternoon's work, against one of the NFL's best front sevens and arguably the most fearsome defensive line, Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams each tripled his rushing yardage output for the season.

Brown ran 17 times for 113 yards and four touchdowns. Williams ran 16 times for 98 yards.

"Did anybody give us any chance, really, to play like that?" left guard Justin Smiley said. "Everybody in our room did. We know what we're capable of doing and how we're capable of playing, but the first two weeks we didn't execute. Last week we went into the game hitting on all cylinders, and we dominated."

Domination isn't a word Dolfans are used to hearing in their favor, but their revamped offensive line was in total command against the Patriots.

The Dolphins linemen don't view their performance as one good afternoon but as a coming-of-age performance for a group still learning to play together. They'll have a chance to back up their performance Sunday against the San Diego Chargers, who rank 13th in rushing defense but third in third-down efficiency.

"We were as good as an offense can play," Smiley said. "We set the bar awfully high. That's what's expected of us now.

"So now there's no excuse every week. We have to go out there and play like that."

Only second-year center Samson Satele is in the same position as 2007. Smiley, from the San Francisco 49ers, was the Dolphins' top free-agent signing. Long was the No. 1 draft choice. Right tackle Vernon Carey lined up on the other side last year. The Dolphins signed right guard Ike Ndukwe off the Baltimore Ravens practice squad before the season finale.

Carey, who is 27 years old, is the oldest offensive lineman. He and Smiley are in their fifth seasons, making them the unit's most experienced. All five starting linemen have only 127 career starts combined.

By comparison, Jets guard Alan Faneca has 157 career starts and Jets tackle Damien Woody has 124. The three-man Patriots defensive line the Dolphins went against last week have 217 career starts among them.

"I go against them every day," Dolphins outside linebacker Joey Porter said of the Dolphins O-linemen. "They're a young group. In time, around Week 8, Week 9 they'll be able to prove how good they really are."

Suffice to say, with Bill Parcells running Miami's football operations, establishing a redoubtable offensive line was a high priority. Sparano was Parcells' offensive line coach with the Dallas Cowboys. The Dolphins brought in Mike Maser, who has coached NFL offensive lines for 14 years.

But Miami's running game was a joke through the first two games.

Brown and Williams had grand plans to rush for 1,000 yards apiece, but 19 backs, including four rookies, had more yards than the 121 yards the Dolphins mustered as a team -- and that figure included a couple receiver reverses and a quarterback scramble.

So much for smashmouth, right? You wondered if Sparano would rather get caught singing Smashmouth songs into his hairbrush in front of the bathroom mirror than call a run play on third and 3.

From an offensive lineman's perspective, mocking a team's ground game is tantamount to questioning his manhood. But the Dolphins had no one to blame but themselves.

"We weren't running the ball like we wanted to," Long said. "Everybody was talking, and that was the big thing: 'Why can't this offensive line open up holes?'

"We took that personally and put it on ourselves and took the blame."

Then they went out and bulldozed the vaunted Patriots defense, gashing their renowned defensive front in earnest.

Miami befuddled New England with the Wildcat package only six times. Take out those unusual plays and Miami still had 342 net yards, didn't allow a sack and gave Chad Pennington enough time to complete 17 of 20 passes.

"Whether that be good or bad, that's the way it is now," Smiley said. "Now people know we can play that way. There's no gimmicks. It's the way things have taken shape.

"Obviously, a lot of people were down on us, but with good reason. We weren't playing up to expectations. We're showing our capabilities now."

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Graham

New England Patriots

• Boston Globe cohorts Mike Reiss and Christopher L. Gasper team up to report Tom Brady has chosen a doctor in Los Angeles for knee surgery, and it will be done soon.
• The Patriots could be a sack-happy bunch against the 49ers, Gasper writes.
• Christopher Price of Metro Boston News writes the Patriots should know how to defense a Mike Martz offense.
• Boston Herald reporter Karen Guregian writes the 49ers could present "the perfect get-back-on-the-horse proposition for the Pats."
  

Buffalo Bills

• Buffalo News columnist Jerry Sullivan says the Bills have made him downright giddy. I know Sully. That's not easy
• Allen Wilson of the Buffalo News breaks down Sunday's victory over the Rams.
• Rochester Democrat & Chronicle reporter Sal Maiorana points out linebacker Paul Posluszny is playing like a vet after just 6 1/2 games.
• Democrat & Chronicle teammates Leo Roth and Maiorana discuss what the Bills must do to keep it going.
• David Staba of Buffalo Artvoice takes a look at what 4-0 has meant in Bills history.

Miami Dolphins

• Miami Herald columnist Armando Salguero checks in with Ricky Williams to find out how the running back spent his bye week.
• Palm Beach Post reporter Brian Biggane notes the Dolphins haven't won two straight games since November 2006.
• South Florida Sun-Sentinel reporter Omar Kelly looks into how the Dolphins have stayed so healthy thus far.
  

New York Jets

• Associated Press reporter Dennis Waszak Jr. details Jets safety Eric Smith's helmet-to-helmet hit on Cardinals receiver Anquan Boldin and the NFL's response.
• New York Daily News reporter Rich Cimini notes the Jets are victorious heading into a bye for the first time in four years.
• Mark Cannizzaro from the New York Post writes Brett Favre is twice as good as the Jets previous two quarterbacks put together.
• Cannizzaro grades out the Jets' performance against the Cardinals.
• Running back Jesse Chatman is back after serving a four-game suspension, and to make room the Jets cut punter Ben Graham.
  

The New York Jets released a statement regarding the NFL's decision to suspend safety Eric Smith one game and fine him $50,000 for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Arizona receiver Anquan Boldin in the final moments of Sunday's victory over the Arizona Cardinals.

The statement accurately points out the collision was exacerbated by Jets safety Kerry Rhodes unintentionally forcing Boldin into Smith's path with a shot from behind.

"We respect and support the league's emphasis on player safety. Knowing Eric, we are confident that he did not intend to injure Anquan Boldin. Anquan was hit from behind by another player that accelerated the collision with Eric. Our thoughts are with Anquan and we hope that he has a healthy recovery."

The Buffalo Bills have swapped fullbacks.

Two NFL sources informed me the Bills have signed fullback Corey McIntyre and released Darian Barnes, who had been gaining local popularity for his big hits and entertaining interviews as a recurring guest on the Jim Rome Show.

Barnes injured his right foot in Week 3. He practiced last week but was inactive for Sunday's victory over the St. Louis Rams.

Barnes had zero carries and two receptions for 34 yards. He is a seven-year journeyman who previously played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Dallas Cowboys, Miami Dolphins and New York Jets.

McIntyre has played one season each with the Cleveland Browns, New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons, where he was special teams captain last year. The Falcons released him at the end of training camp.

The West Virginia grad is a pure blocking fullback. In 33 NFL games, including one start, McIntyre has no rushing attempts and one catch.

A sprained left knee will keep Buffalo Bills cornerback and kick returner Terrence McGee out of Sunday's road game against the Arizona Cardinals, an NFL source with knowledge of the injury has informed ESPN.com.

The impact of McGee's injury will be lessened by Buffalo's bye in Week 6. He might be able to return to play the San Diego Chargers in Week 7, the source said.

An MRI on Monday confirmed there was no serious structural damage, but the former Pro Bowler was having difficulty moving when he arrived to the Bills facility.

"He's uncomfortable today and not getting around very well," Bills head coach Dick Jauron told reporters Monday afternoon before results of the test were known. "We'll just have to see where this one goes."

McGee was hurt in the first quarter of Sunday's victory over the St. Louis Rams when he got rolled up during a pileup.

McGee is Buffalo's best cornerback and kickoff returner. Arizona has the NFL's fifth-ranked offense and fourth-ranked passing offense. Arizona ranks 10th in points per game.

Rookie Leodis McKelvin, the 11th overall draft pick, will be the likely replacement. He saw his most significant NFL action Sunday after McGee left the game. Ashton Youboty also should see additional time in McGee's absence.

"I would say we'll make any personnel decisions later in the week, but we like both of those guys, obviously," Jauron said. "We've talked about them a lot as the year went on. We'll see what happens, but no personnel things until later in the week."

DAVIE, Fla. -- Miami Dolphins linebacker Joey Porter can't call out Wall Street. He can't bellow about Freddie Mac being a chump like Matt Cassel.

	Stew Milne/US Presswire
	Dolphins linebacker Joey Porter isn't afraid to play dirty when it comes to his money.

On a day the Dow Jones plummeted 778 points and the House rejected a controversial $700 billion bailout plan, Porter could come up with only one solution for America's financial crisis.

Grab a shovel.

"I'm about to go dig a hole in my back yard and put it in my back yard where I can see it," Porter said Monday. "I don't like this stock stuff. I don't like not being able [to rely on] this bond and that bond. Everything's funny. I don't trust nothing."

Porter is in the second year of a five-year, $32 million contract that includes $20 million guaranteed.

The 31-year-old from Bakersfield, Calif., has been glued to the financial reports, trying to get an idea of how much he'll have left in his portfolio.

"I can't do nothing but watch," Porter said. "We're in a crisis right now. The money's definitely getting funny. So I gotta watch mine with a close eye.

"I try not to worry about it. That's my financial advisor's job to take care of that, but ... We're in a crisis right now. I'm just trying to hold on. At the end of the day, hopefully, he'll tell me I'm not broke."

McGee

The Buffalo Bills hadn't planned on sending cornerback Terrence McGee for an MRI on his sprained left knee, but apparently they didn't totally like what they saw this morning and are having him undergo the test as a precaution.

The Bills labeled the injury as mild, and with a Week 6 bye McGee wasn't expected to miss much time -- if any.

McGee, also a Pro Bowl kick returner, is Buffalo's top cornerback. He suffered the injury while attempting to make a tackle in the first quarter of Sunday's come-from-behind win over the St. Louis Rams. He was replaced by rookie Leodis McKelvin, the 11th overall draft pick.

The Buffalo Bills have two more wins than anybody else in the AFC East. They're one of only two 4-0 clubs.

But after the Bills, what can we make of the AFC East? Where do you rank the New England Patriots, New York Jets and Miami Dolphins?

When I played prep football -- back when Portage County League referees used to examine my Neumann receiving gloves because they'd never seen such a thing -- the Ohio High School Athletic Association had a computerized points system rank the teams.

They use a revamped version these days, but the one I was familiar with rewarded primary points for defeating your opponent (depending on its division) and secondary points for all of the teams your opponent beat (based on their divisions).

So a victory over an unbeaten team wouldn't mean much if it played a schedule of cupcakes.

The OHSAA computer's processor would short circuit if it had to calculate the AFC East rankings.

The Bills won't play a divisional game until Week 8, but the Patriots, Jets and Dolphins all have faced one another. Each is 1-1 in the division.

The Patriots beat the Jets, who beat the Dolphins, who beat Patriots.

The Jets on Sunday trounced the Arizona Cardinals, 56-35. Two weeks earlier, the Cardinals walloped the Dolphins by 21 points.

And let's throw one more stat in there: The Bills' four victims have a combined record of 4-11.

How would you rank the AFC East through Week 4?

Buffalo Bills

• ESPN.com's Jeffri Chadiha reminds us it's not how you start, but how you finish.
• Buffalo News columnist Jerry Sullivan writes the Bills "pulled together, maintained their composure, and made the plays, both big and small, to pull off another comeback win."
• Mark Gaughan of the Buffalo News writes the Bills needed to taste their own blood before they woke up.
• Sal Maiorana of the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle grades out the Bills by position.
• The Toronto Star's Garth Woolsey weighs in on Sunday's comeback victory.
  

• New York Daily News columnist Gary Myers writes the Jets "would have lost all credibility" had they lost to the Cardinals at home.
• New York Post columnist Steve Serby writes about Brett Favre's magical, six-touchdown day.
• USA Today's Tom Pedulla details the developing relationship between Laveranues Coles and the Jets.
• Johnette Howard of Newsday finally saw the Jets' offseason moves come together.
• Newsday reporter Erik Boland grades out the Jets by position.
  

• The Naples Daily News carries the sad tale of Dolphins lineman Kirk Barton on the anniversary of his best friend's death.
• Miami Herald columnist Armando Salguero tries to recall the last time the Dolphins out-coached another team before beating the Patriots in Week 3.
• Palm Beach Post reporter Brian Biggane takes a look at the emergence of tight end Anthony Fasano.
• The South Florida Sun-Sentinel's Harvey Fialkov wonders if the Wildcat's success will encourage other teams to try the single-wing offense.

New England Patriots

• Mike Reiss of the Boston Globe writes that a bye usually translates into a victory the following weekend for Bill Belichick.
• Boston Herald writer Karen Guregian crunches the Patriots' offensive numbers, and they're not pretty.

There are a few ways to judge a receiver's best game -- most catches, most yards, most touchdowns, an attractive combination of the three.

New York Jets receiver Laveranues Coles has enjoyed several big days, but Sunday's likely will rank near the top when he looks back on his stellar career.

Coles caught a career-high three touchdown passes -- all in the second quarter -- in a 56-35 romp over the Arizona Cardinals in the Meadowlands. Brett Favre threw six TD passes, a personal best for him, in the second-highest scoring game in Jets history.

Coles finished with eight catches for 105 yards. His career-highs are 12 receptions and 180 yards.

Much was written about Coles' displeasure of the Jets' decision to eighty-six his good friend, Chad Pennington, to make room for Favre. Coles wouldn't speak to the media for days, fueling speculation he and Favre weren't getting along.

Coles and Favre enjoyed exuberant embraces on Sunday.

Favre	Coles

"After dealing with injuries and then the big circus with Brett coming into town it's been tough," Coles said with a laugh. "I've taken it on the chin. I know there have been some things said about me, like not bei
ng happy about him coming here. But none of that is true.

"I'm excited about having the opportunity to play football with a legend. I say it all the time: There's nothing I could do to enhance his career, but there's a lot he can do to enhance mine with everything he brings to the table."

Favre noted it took so long to develop chemistry with Coles in particular because Coles' nagging thigh injury limited their reps together through training camp. Coles went into the game with 10 catches and one touchdown through three games.

"I can't tell you how many people within this organization have told me -- week in and week out -- if you just throw the ball to L.C., he'll make a play," Favre said. "I didn't go out there [Sunday] and say 'I'm just going to throw it to L.C.'

"The guy's a playmaker. Our communication has been great regardless of what people may think. We talk about more things than we have actually gone out and practiced. So I think it's a work in progress, but I think he's a heck of a player. You've got to find a way to get him the ball."

Buffalo Bills cornerback and kick returner Terrence McGee may miss Sunday's game against the Arizona Cardinals, but the team isn't considering his sprained left knee serious enough to shelve him beyond their Week 6 bye, an NFL source has informed ESPN.com.

McGee was rolled into after making a tackle in the first quarter of Sunday's victory over the St. Louis Rams. He was replaced by rookie Leodis McKelvin. The 11th-overall draft pick performed admirably in his first significant action.

Although Bills coach Dick Jauron after the game was ambiguous about McGee's status, the sprain was categorized as mild, and the club didn't take any special precautions (splint, air cast, etc.) on the way home from St. Louis.

No MRI was planned on McGee's knee this morning, although the Bills might change their minds if they detect excessive swelling when players report to the training facility.

The Bills might keep McGee in street clothes for Sunday just to make sure the Pro Bowler recovers fully for the second half of the season. The Bills play all six of their AFC East games over the final 10 weeks.

Jauron is expected to provide an update when he meets with reporters at 12:30 p.m.

The good folks at the Elias Sports Bureau crunched the gaudy numbers from Sunday's 56-35 New York Jets victory over the Arizona Cardinals and came up with some interesting notes.

Here are two of my favorites:

• The Jets and Cardinals combined to score 91 points despite a scoreless first quarter. Theirs was the highest-scoring game in NFL history in which neither team scored in the first quarter.
• The Jets scored all of their points in the second (34) and fourth (22) quarters. Their 56-point output was the highest in modern NFL history (since 1933) from a team that failed to score in two of the four quarters.
  

Favre, Rodgers with 3 INTs ESPN research provides a look at Brett Favre's and Aaron Rodgers' win-loss records with 3 INTs. Games W-L Brett Favre 34 8-26 Aaron Rodgers 1 0-1

As ESPN research points out, on an afternoon Brett Favre accomplished a feat for the first time in his illustrious career, his Green Bay Packers replacement managed to do something Favre did frequently.

Favre threw a career-high six touchdowns Sunday to propel the New York Jets past the Arizona Cardinals 56-35 in the Meadowlands. His successor in Green Bay, Aaron Rodgers, threw three interceptions for the first time in his nascent career.

Favre has thrown three or more interceptions an amazing 34 times. Maybe even more incredible is that Favre has eight career victories when throwing three or more picks.

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Graham

Perhaps Buffalo Bills head coach Dick Jauron should wake up his players early on game days and stage an intra-squad scrimmage a couple hours before kickoff. That way, maybe they won't sleepwalk through the first half anymore.

The Bills remained undefeated with Sunday afternoon's 31-14 victory over the St. Louis Rams in the Edward Jones Dome. For the third week in a row, the Bills needed to come alive in the second half.

But there's something to be said for a team that picks up steam as the game evolves. It speaks to coaching adjustments, and it indicates a relentless mind-set among the players.

The Bills received contributions up and down the roster again. The turnaround came when Fred Jackson broke off a 22-yard touchdown run to pull the Bills within a point in the third quarter, and cornerback Jabari Greer returned an interception 33 yards for a touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter to give them a permanent lead.

Here's a stat that shows how far the Bills have come since last year:

Over their past three games, the Bills have scored 55 fourth-quarter points. They called off the dogs in their opening-day rout of the Seattle Seahawks.

The Bills scored only 64 points in the fourth quarter last year. In 10 of their 16 games, they failed to score at all in the fourth quarter.

Quarterback Trent Edwards had a pedestrian first half, but in the second half he went 7 of 8 for 88 yards and a touchdown. He completed all three of his fourth-quarter passes for 66 yards, including a 39-yard TD hookup with Lee Evans to put the game out of reach.

Edwards in the fourth quarter this year: 27 of 35 for 349 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions.

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Graham

A troubling trend has developed for the Buffalo Bills. To win this afternoon in the Edwards Jones Dome, they will need to come from behind in the second half for a third straight game. They trail the St. Louis Rams,14-6, at halftime.

The Bills have 30 minutes to preserve their unblemished record and distance themselves farther from their AFC East brethren. The New York Jets (2-2) went nuts against the Arizona Cardinals, while the New England Patriots (2-1) and Miami Dolphins (1-2) are on byes.

Buffalo's offense has looked shaky. Trent Edwards completed only 8 of 17 passes for 109 yards with one interception. He was sacked four times. Marshawn Lynch had eight carries for 18 yards but did have four catches for 24 yards.