ESPN NFL

There are some notable inactives to report for Sunday's games involving AFC East teams.

For their must-win game against the Cleveland Browns in Sun Life Stadium, the Miami Dolphins have scratched receiver Brandon Marshall, linebacker Channing Crowder and cornerback Al Harris.

The absences of Crowder and Harris might be more significant than Marshall. The Dolphins won without him last week in Oakland, and quarterback Chad Henne played one of his best games.

Dolphins defensive end Phillip Merling is back from his Achilles injury and active for the first time this year.

For the Buffalo Bills' game at the Metrodome, guard Eric Wood, tight end Shawn Nelson and cornerback Terrence McGee are out, as expected.

Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson will play, but receivers Percy Harvin, Greg Lewis and Hank Baskett are out. So is right guard Steve Hutchinson. That might help Bills nose tackle Kyle Williams add to his sack total.

As NFC North blogger Kevin Seifert notes, the Vikings have just three receivers: Sidney Rice, Bernard Berrian and Greg Camarillo. Rookie quarterback Joe Webb could see some action as a target.

When the 11 o'clock news came on that night, Vonnie Holliday sat back with a smile on his face and relived the glorious moment.

He watched his teammates go bonkers in celebration. They jumped. They hugged. They raised their fists -- even a few index fingers -- in self salute.

The Miami Dolphins hadn't won just any game. They had won their first game. It was Week 15.

"I remember watching how crazy we were acting out there," said Holliday, the veteran defensive tackle. "I don't know if people could really appreciate it. If you weren't a part of that team or one of those guys who went out every day and worked as hard as we did to get it, you wouldn't understand it."

"That was just one win, but it was our Super Bowl."

The power of one victory is immense.

Members of that '07 Dolphins team know what the Buffalo Bills are going through this year -- and then some.

The Bills are the NFL's only winless team. They're 0-8 heading into Sunday's game against the Detroit Lions in Ralph Wilson Stadium.

The '07 Dolphins lost their first 13 games before they pulled out a dramatic victory, beating the Baltimore Ravens when undrafted quarterback Cleo Lemon connected with undrafted receiver Greg Camarillo for a 64-yard touchdown in sudden death. Camarillo hadn't scored a touchdown since high school.

That's how thin the Dolphins' margin for error was.

"That day, we made a play," said Lemon, now playing for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League. "It was a great moment. But as a professional you never want to have a season like that."

The '07 Dolphins lost six games by a field goal that year. The Bills have lost each of their past three games by three points, two of them in overtime.

Bills tight end David Martin tells his teammates how much a single "W" can wash away the pressure, the doubt, the feelings of inadequacy and the ridicule that builds with each passing defeat.

Martin played on the '07 Dolphins, too.

"One win would make a big difference," Martin said by phone Thursday from One Bills Drive. "We have a young team, and I'm sure right now it feels like we're doing all this for nothing. But one win will lift everybody's spirits.

"Every game you lose is heartbreaking. That first win in 2007 felt like the Super Bowl. That's what one win will do."

In speaking this week with some players from the '07 Dolphins, I heard them unapologetically compare winning their first game to the feeling of winning a championship. They insisted they weren't being hyperbolic.

I thought the best way to quantify achieving victory late in the season would be to ask somebody with a Stanford engineering degree. I put the question to Camarillo in algebraic terms.

If the value of any victory is "x," then what is the exponential value of a victory when a team is 0-8 or, in the '07 Dolphins' case, 0-13?

I'm not sure if Camarillo pulled out a pad of paper and a slide rule, but he paused for a few moments to weigh the equation.

"If you get it in your first five weeks, it's not that big," Camarillo said after Minnesota Vikings practice Wednesday afternoon. "When you're 0-8, it starts getting really bad. When you're 0-5, you still have time to get things rolling.

"That one win in our 14th game was the equivalent of winning 10 games. That win for us was as good as winning a playoff game."

At 0-8, Camarillo thought a victory might be worth five to the Bills.

Camarillo bemoaned that losing so many close games is mentally grueling. He sounded exhausted just talking about 2007.

Without inside knowledge of the Bills, Camarillo surmised how they're feeling right now. He said they're working hard each week, sacrificing and stressing over that first victory. To repeatedly come close and then have the game slip away on the final play -- or in the waning moments -- becomes torture.

"You go into each week actually thinking 'OK, this is going to be the week. We're going to get our victory this week,' " Camarillo said. "As the season wears on, you're still a professional. You might turn from thinking you're going to win to hoping you're going to win. But you're ready to compete.

"Then as soon as something goes wrong -- you're 0-8 and throw a pick six or fumble the ball -- you drop your head and say 'Oh, no. Here we go again.' It's that mentality that causes you to lose more games."

The '07 Dolphins dealt with greater pressure than this year's Bills are encountering. Imagine what it must've felt like to get so close to becoming the first team in NFL history to go 0-16 -- the Lions didn't pull their oh-fer until a season later -- when your franchise's claim to fame is being the only team to go undefeated and win the Super Bowl. Meanwhile, the New England Patriots were making their run at surpassing the '72 Dolphins' perfect season.

Miami was plagued by significant injuries in 2007. They lost their starting quarterback (Trent Green), best two running backs (Ronnie Brown, Ricky Williams), star linebacker (Zach Thomas) and several other starters to major injuries. They traded top receiver Chris Chambers. First-year head coach Cam Cameron seemed overmatched.

"Week in and week out ,you're the butt of the joke," said Holliday, a 13-year pro who's now in his first season with the Washington Redskins. "It gets frustrating.

"These guys are tremendous competitors, and everybody's watching. Every conversation you're having with your friends, your family, the media, the fans is about you losing. That gets very tiring."

Jay Leno already is using the Bills as a punch line in his monologues.

One victory would put an end to that. One win and the Bills go from being an obvious laughingstock to one of many, including the Dallas Cowboys, Carolina Panthers, San Francisco 49ers and others.

"If you're 1-9, they will stop talking about you and that 0-16 talk," Camarillo said. "As soon as you've won you're just a bad team. You're not the worst team."

In Western New York, however, there's an undercurrent of support for the Bills to avoid winning. Talk-radio shows, message boards and my e-mail inbox are inundated with aspirations of 0-16 to ensure the top pick in next April's draft.

For those who feel that way, know the players don't agree with you.

"If you're thinking about going 0-16, there's going to be some major changes on that team," Camarillo said. "Players aren't planning for next year because half the people won't be back."

Another recurring concept in my conversations for this story was the idea of momentum. The Dolphins didn't win again after stunning the Ravens in December 2007. They had only two more chances, though, and Cameron became a dead man coaching when Bill Parcells was hired to oversee football operations right about then.

"We have more pieces to the puzzle here," said Martin, comparing the teams. "I think when we get that first one we can string a few in a row and get that winning feeling around here."

Lemon is close friends with Bills cornerback Drayton Florence and gets the impression when speaking to his former San Diego Chargers and Jacksonville Jaguars teammate the Bills have their heads in the right place.

"These guys are fighting hard," Lemon said. "They just haven't been able to finish games and just seem to find a way to lose. Unlike us in 2007, they're healthy. They're making plays. If they can get just one win, they can easily turn it around and have a respectable season."

Even if the Bills can't win half of their remaining games and cobble together a 4-12 record, they still have something to look forward to every Sunday for the next two months.

One win at this stage won't earn the Bills any kind of trophy. But they probably will run around the field in jubilation like they'd just won the Super Bowl.

"I did feel like it, though," Holliday said with a laugh. "It felt really, really good."

When the Miami Dolphins won the AFC East title two years ago, their top three receivers' average annual salaries added up to $5.04 million.

How much has Miami adjusted its ledgers?

This year, that number for Miami's top three receivers is $14.77 million.

The Dolphins last week rewarded slot receiver Davone Bess with a three-year contract extension that begins next year and pays him an average of $3.01 million through 2013.

Bess' extension gives the Dolphins two receivers in the NFL's top 37 highest-paid, according to NFL Players Association data. The NFL ranks contracts by average dollars per year, which includes base salaries plus likely to be earned bonuses divided by the number of years on the contract.

Brandon Marshall is at the top of the NFL pay scale. The Dolphins gave him the league's richest average salary when they signed him to an offseason extension. Marshall is averaging $11.19 million through 2014.

Second-year pro Brian Hartline is averaging $563,744.

Two years ago, the Dolphins top three targets were within two receptions of each other on the final stat sheet. Ted Ginn was averaging $2.65 million, Greg Camarillo $1.92 million and Bess $470,000 as an undrafted rookie.

Bess certainly has outplayed his status as a league-minimum guy and now ranks 37th in average salary. He's among the highest-paid slot receivers, behind Michael Crabtree ($5.69 million), Devin Hester ($5.49 million), Wes Welker ($4.21 million), Justin Gage ($3.5 million) and Roscoe Parrish ($3.34 million). Of course, the term "slot receiver" is more dependent on the formation than the player.

In addition to his usual $470,000 base salary for this season, Bess received a $3 million signing bonus. His base salaries for coming years will be $1.01 million, $2.23 million and $2.63 million.

Bess grabbed a team-high 76 receptions last year for 758 yards and two touchdowns. Bess has 26 catches for 282 yards and two touchdowns through five games this season, putting him on pace for 83 catches, 902 yards and six touchdowns.

When it comes to running pass routes, Brandon Marshall claims Miami Dolphins teammate Davone Bess is elite.

Marshall doesn't merely mean on the Dolphins' roster or in the game today.

Marshall means of all-time, as in alongside Jerry Rice and Torry Holt and Marvin Harrison and Wes Welker and Steve Largent and Paul Warfield and Raymond Berry and ...

"In all of football," Marshall said of Bess, "he's one of the best route runners in all of football ever, not just in today's receivers. Ever."

While Marshall's assertion sounds quite hyperbolic, there's no denying Bess is one of the NFL's most underrated receivers. He wasn't drafted out of Hawaii in 2008 because he wasn't considered fast enough (40-yard dash in 4.7 seconds) or big enough (5-foot-10, 190 pounds).

"He plays big, man," Marshall said. "He's an all-around wide receiver."

Bess had to become a masterful route runner to make it in the pros. His meticulousness -- like Greg Camarillo for Miami before him -- is why Bess has been heavily involved in the Dolphins' offense since they signed him and why they traded Camarillo last month.

Bess' compact size actually helps him as a route runner more than the gazelles who lope up the sideline and rarely need to worry about gaining separation through craftiness or precision.

Bess has been one of the league's top third-down targets since last season. He's tied for second in the NFL in third-down receptions with 10 for 109 yards, one touchdown and eight first downs.

Marshall leads the league with 11 third-down receptions. Anquan Boldin is the only receiver with more third-down conversions than Bess.

In Week 4, Bess had one of his bigger games before heading into the bye. He made eight catches for 96 yards and a touchdown against the New England Patriots on Monday night.

"When you put in the tape, this guy's amazing, what he's able to make his body do," Marshall said of Bess. "He gets open almost every single play."

"The guy doesn't catch [76] balls last year just because. There's a reason for that, and he's on pace to probably catch almost 100 balls this year [84]. I'm excited for him, and I'm excited to be able to be on the other side and on the same side as him."

Probably thanks to Braylon Edwards' recent arrest for drunken driving, wide receiver Patrick Turner will get a shot to play against the Miami Dolphins, the team that cut him three weeks ago.

The New York Jets on Saturday promoted Turner from their practice squad to the active roster in time for Sunday night's game against the Dolphins in Sun Life Stadium.


Jets coach Rex Ryan likes to make captains of his players that are going against their former teams. Expect to see Turner at midfield for the opening coin flip.

The Jets previously announced Edwards will dress but won't start. They haven't revealed how long Edwards will watch from the sidelines. The addition of Turner to the active roster could indicate Edwards won't play much.

I had a chance to catch up with Turner on Monday at the Jets' training facility in Florham Park, N.J.

"I'm just working, having fun and trying to get better," Turner said, not knowing Edwards would be under arrest about 12 hours later. "I want to get on the field.

"I love being a Jet. I want to go out there and play hard, make plays."

Just last year, the Dolphins drafted Turner in the third round with visions of an attractive target for Chad Henne on third downs and in the red zone. Turner was the top receiver at USC for Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez.

But Turner barely could get on the field for Miami. He was deactivated for all but two games. He caught zero passes.

"I guess you could say they gave me a shot because they drafted me," Turner said of his brief stay with the Dolphins. "They made a decision.

"It was frustrating that whole year. Coach [Tony] Sparano did allude to it one time that he didn't give me a shot to get on the field. I didn't get too much playing time. On game day, I couldn't show what I could do, but I've moved on. There's nothing I can do about that."

Turner couldn't beat out Ted Ginn, Greg Camarillo, Davone Bess or fellow rookie Brian Hartline last year. Over the offseason, the Dolphins dealt Ginn but picked up superstar Brandon Marshall.

After evaluating their roster through the preseason, the Dolphins decided to keep undrafted rookies Marlon Moore and Roberto Wallace, which had to be influenced at least partly by money.

The Dolphins cut Turner and 2009 second-round pick Pat White on the same day.

"It came down to numbers," Turner said.

On Sunday night, Turner finally could record his first NFL numbers.

"I'm excited about this and the opportunity it presents," he said Monday, with no clue how quickly the opportunity would unfold.

Brett Favre said it once and then said it again for emphasis.

Greg Camarillo is one heck of a receiver.

"It makes you wonder why they traded him," Favre said of the Miami Dolphins, who sent Camarillo to the Vikings on Aug. 25 for defensive back Benny Sapp. "I do think he is everything that they said he would be and then some. ... He runs very good routes, seems to have great hands, very knowledgeable of the game.

"So, once again, I think he's everything that they said he was, and then some."

Camarillo didn't have to wait long to play his old team, an unlikely occurrence given he was dealt out of the conference. They'll play Sunday afternoon in the Metrodome. The quick turnaround, however, means Favre and Camarillo still are trying to get on the same page.

Favre threw Camarillo's way only twice in the season opener, but Camarillo made a terrific grab for 29 yards. Camarillo should be a bigger contributor Sunday and beyond with Favre's favorite target, Sidney Rice, out for at least half the season because of hip surgery.

"Getting on the same page in a short amount of time is always the trick," Favre said.

Camarillo wasn't busted up about the trade. It allows him to get on the field. He fell on Miami's depth chart with the acquisition of Brandon Marshall and younger targets Davone Bess and Brian Hartline emerging.

"It's a great opportunity,'' Camarillo told Miami Herald reporter Jeff Darlington. "To be honest with you, I don't know how much I would have played in Miami this year. So this is a fresh start for me, and it's an opportunity to see the field and get some action."

His Dolphins teammates didn't sound too thrilled to see Camarillo leave.

Camarillo is highly respected for his perseverance. He was a walk-on punter at Stanford who didn't score a touchdown in college, wasn't invited to the scouting combine and was released multiple times before making an active roster. His first touchdown since high school defeated the Baltimore Ravens in overtime and saved the Dolphins from a winless 2007 season. The Dolphins voted him their representative for the NFL Players Association.

"It really hurt a lot of us to see him leave," Dolphins running back Ricky Williams said on a conference call Wednesday. "He's money. It seems like every time we need a big play, we need a first down, the ball is in the air and it's going to him. You pretty much know it's a catch.

"He's a hard worker and a very intelligent guy, and he's just a great teammate."

With the NFL possibly headed for a lockout after the season, players have been walking onto the field before kickoff and raising their index fingers to indicate they are one.

The gesture has been met with opposition at stadiums around the league. Even in Western New York, a region with a high percentage of unionized employees, boos were audible before the Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills played in Ralph Wilson Stadium.

Dolphins running back Ricky Williams, an NFL Players Association team steward, doesn't view the salute as a union gesture, but as one for the football community.

"I think it's a wonderful thing we're doing, but unfortunately I don't think it's being covered correctly," Williams said on a conference call with Minnesota Vikings reporters in advance of Sunday's game at the Metrodome. "The idea behind it is really about solidarity and unity, and it's not only the players.

"I mean, ideally, we'd have people in the stands doing it, people that work in the stadium because if there is a lockout, which would be initiated by the owners, it's not only going to be us that suffer. It's going to be the people that work in the stadium. It's going to be the fans. It's going to be the hotels. It's going to be the economies of these cities.

"So it's not just about us. It's about pushing to have some kind of agreement."

The conference call provided Williams' first comments about the labor situation in his role as the Dolphins' union representative. He assumed the role when the Dolphins traded receiver Greg Camarillo to the Vikings before the season.

Williams predicted a new collective bargaining agreement would be hammered out before a lockout occurs.

"Personally I have a positive outlook," Williams said. "I think that we're going to come to an agreement. I hope that there's not going to be a lockout. I believe that we're being reasonable. There are certain things that are important to us and we're going to fight for, but I think when it comes down to it, there is going to be an agreement reached."

The Miami Dolphins will have to decide as a team whether they want to join the Buffalo Bills in a gesture of union solidarity before they play Sunday afternoon in Ralph Wilson Stadium.

But quarterback Chad Pennington, one of the Dolphins' most respected players and their former representative to the NFL Players Association, liked the symbolism he saw Thursday night in the Superdome.

In a demonstration of togetherness with a potential labor battle coming after the season, the Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints walked onto the field and raised their index fingers in unison.

"It's a gesture of unity and believing in the same thing and standing for a common goal," Pennington told me. "I don't really see a problem with it.

"But I think it should go team by team. If they think it's necessary and they feel they want to do it, then why not? Shoot, unfortunately, it's the position we're in."

Buffalo Bills player rep George Wilson said Friday afternoon he was inspired by what he saw Thursday night. Wilson wants to reprise the show of solidarity before Sunday's kickoff and said he would reach out to the Dolphins' representatives to make arrangements.

Pennington was the Dolphins union rep until this year, giving way to receiver Greg Camarillo. When the Dolphins traded Camarillo to the Minnesota Vikings two weeks ago, running back Ricky Williams assumed the role.

With all 32 teams wrapping up their preseason schedules Thursday night, here are a few quick hits from each AFC East game:

Detroit Lions 28, Buffalo Bills 23

• Trent Edwards was efficient in his one quarter, completing all four of his passes for 66 yards, including a 50-yard strike down the left sideline to Lee Evans.
• But because Edwards is so inconsistent and injury-prone, backup quarterback remains a big question mark. Ryan Fitzpatrick had the night off. Brian Brohm played less than two quarters and completed 7 of 15 passes for 78 yards and an interception that was tight end J.P. Foschi's fault.
• Bills kicker Rian Lindell is in midseason form. He nailed field goals from 47, 50 and 41 yards. Remember when former coach Dick Jauron shied from letting Lindell try long kicks?
• The Bills still have a tough decision to make at receiver. Chad Jackson had a game-high five catches for 59 yards, but hobbled off the field late. James Hardy, a 2008 second-round pick, was targeted seven times but made three catches for 23 yards in the second half.

New York Giants 20, New England Patriots 17

• Rookie tight end Rob Gronkowski is becoming a folk hero. He caught his fourth touchdown of the preseason, a 5-yard toss from Tom Brady on their first drive. The touchdown wasn't as eye-popping as Gronkowski's first two, but he did have a defender hanging on him.
• New England's first-team defense looked shaky again. Eli Manning marched right through them, going 86 yards on nine plays for a touchdown to open the game. The Giants' starters picked up two more easy first downs on the second possession before punting.
• Running back Laurence Maroney finally got some action after being a bystander the previous two games: nine carries for 32 yards. Uninspiring. For the record, Fred Taylor started the game.
• Rookie Devin McCourty bounced back from an awful performance in the previous game, and that's a good sign with veteran Leigh Bodden sidelined for the season. McCourty played only two series but made three tackles and had a pass defensed.

New York Jets 21, Philadelphia Eagles 17

• Rookie running back Joe McKnight had a rough preseason. He lost his third fumble, and this one was returned 64 yards for an Eagles touchdown. Rex Ryan said McKnight will make the roster and be deactivated until he proves himself in practice.
• Had the Jets not used a fourth-round draft choice on McKnight, he'd be gone. He was outplayed by Chauncey Washington and Danny Woodhead. Washington ran 12 times for 56 yards, including a long of 22 yards. Woodhead had 12 carries for 45 yards and a 14-yard touchdown.
• Mark Brunell had an efficient game: 11-of-17 for 118 yards and touchdown passes to Santonio Holmes and Jeff Cumberland.
• Holmes had a busy night in what will be his last action for a month. He had four catches for 97 yards. His touchdown traveled 51 yards and came in the fourth quarter. Probably not fair to do to Philly reserves who won't be employed come Saturday. But Holmes will be out of commission while serving a four-game suspension.

Dallas Cowboys 27, Miami Dolphins 25

• The Dolphins had a nerve-racking sequence in the second quarter. Franchise left tackle Jake Long, my pick as the club's most indispensable player, got shaken up on a play when Chad Henne absorbed a blindside sack and fumbled. Four plays later, Sam Hurd beat cornerback Sean Smith for a 43-yard touchdown.
• Tyler Thigpen, not Pat White, received the prime mop-up duty after Henne and Chad Pennington took their turns. Thigpen did well. He was 10-of-18 for 160 yards and two touchdowns with one interception. He ran three times for 20 yards.
• Only 12 rushing attempts for Dolphins running backs, but 39 passes. Not sure what it means. Maybe coach Tony Sparano just wanted to let Pennington and Thigpen air it out. Maybe the Dolphins didn't want to waste their backs. But I doubt that ratio is a blueprint for the regular season.
• Tough decision coming at receiver, even after the Greg Camarillo trade. Patrick Turner (one catch for 29 yards) was a third-round pick last year, but hasn't produced as much as undrafted rookies Marlon Moore (4 catches, 31 yards and a touchdown) or Roberto Wallace (3 catches, 59 yards and a touchdown).

Notes from the Miami Dolphins' 16-6 preseason loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Friday night in Sun Life Stadium ...

• In the final dress rehearsal for Miami's starters -- unless coach Tony Sparano puts them on the field in next week's preseason finale out of principle -- the offense failed to generate much. The second-team wasn't any better. There has to be some uneasiness heading into the regular season.
• [+] Enlarge
  AP Photo/Wilfredo LeeChad Henne struggled Friday and ended the night going 10-of-23 with an interception.
  The Dolphins haven't been connecting with Brandon Marshall. He had another drop Friday night, giving him four in three games. He and quarterback Chad Henne don't always seem to be on the same page, but that's to be expected. Marshall missed offseason workouts because of hip surgery. They have two weeks to work it out.
• Marshall did make some nice plays and finished with three catches for 51 yards. But he was targeted eight times.
• The Dolphins' leading rushers? Receiver Marlon Moore gained 12 yards on an end around, and quarterback Chad Pennington scrambled once for 9. Ronnie Brown had eight carries for 9 yards. Ricky Williams had four carries for 5 yards.
• Dolphins inside linebacker Karlos Dansby makes coverage look easy. He's 6-foot-4 and 250 pounds, but he can run with tight ends and backs.
• Miami's best player was cornerback Vontae Davis, a fearless tackler. He finished with a game-high seven tackles, one for a loss, one forced fumble and three passes defensed.
• Problem is, teams have an attractive target on the other side of the field from Davis. Sean Smith usually is over there. Jason Allen got the start Friday because Smith violated a team rule. Roddy White beat Allen for an 18-yard touchdown in the first quarter and sprinted waaaaaaaaaaaaay behind Smith down the left sideline for what should have been a long touchdown, but Matt Ryan overthrew him.
• Second-year quarterback Pat White received his first meaningful snaps of the preseason and looked pretty good against the Falcons' backups. White entered with 8:04 left in the game. He completed all four of his passes for 27 yards and had a 5-yard run.
• Henne was razor sharp in last week's exhibition with the Jacksonville Jaguars but had a rough night against the Falcons. He was 10-of-23 for 123 yards and no touchdowns with an interception in the end zone. The Falcons sacked him only once, but applied plenty of pressure.
• Henne had two shots at a two-minute drill at the end of the first half. First possession started with 1:43 left, went three-and-out and took 30 seconds off the clock. Thanks to an interception, the Dolphins got it back with 66 seconds left. Henne hit Marshall for 26 yards and again for 20 yards to give Miami first-and-goal from the 7 with 13 seconds left. Henne threw a pass to Anthony Fasano that was deflected by a linebacker and intercepted.
• Another troubling stat: The Dolphins failed to convert six third downs and a fourth down before they finally moved the chains just before halftime. They converted one of nine third or fourth downs before Henne left in the third quarter.
• This week's trade of Greg Camarillo opened a roster spot for another receiver to make the club. Moore, an undrafted rookie from Fresno State, could be the beneficiary. He had another strong showing. Patrick Turner, a third-round pick last year, had one catch for 10 yards.
• Joey Haynos went down with a right foot injury in the second half and was carted off the field. The Dolphins remaining tight ends are Fasano, David Martin and John Nalbone. They waived Kory Sperry this week, and he was claimed by the Denver Broncos.
• Miami's special teams were a mixed bag. They didn't allow a blocked punt for the first time in the preseason, but they were too forgiving on returns. The Falcons averaged 27.7 yards on three kickoff returns (Eric Weems had a long of 36 yards). Weems averaged 15 yards on four punt returns.

"NFL Live" host Michael Smith and analysts Marcellus Wiley and Eric Allen broke down the matchups of Friday night's four preseason games, including the New York Jets versus Washington Redskins at the Meadowlands and the Miami Dolphins versus Atlanta Falcons in Sun Life Stadium.

Wiley said he wanted to see how Chad Henne looks in an important third preseason game.

"This is going to be a team that's in a tough division, the AFC East. They're flying under the radar right now. But it's important that a young Chad Henne develops some chemistry with someone outside of Brandon Marshall. They got rid of Greg Camarillo, traded him to the Minnesota Vikings. Now it's going to be about guys like Brian Hartline to establish that chemistry, because you know Brandon Marshall throughout the regular season's going to get double-teamed, and they're going roll coverage his way. So there's going to have to be another receiver to step up and take off that pressure."

Allen will focus on how the Jets' defensive backs continue to perform without Darrelle Revis.

"All eyes on the secondary for the New York Jets. Without their outstanding cornerback, Darrelle Revis, all eyes are on Kyle Wilson, a young rookie, and, of course, Antonio Cromartie, who's been showing flashes of greatness -- yes, greatness! -- like he showed in his first and second year in the league. He's doing an outstanding job of making guys be patient. He's doing a wonderful job of using his athleticism to break up balls. Both of these guys are doing a great job until 'the man' gets back."

Two years ago, Greg Camarillo was the Miami Dolphins' leading receiver.

He went into this season rated no higher than fourth.

With receiver depth to spare, the Dolphins sent the sure-handed Camarillo to go play with Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings, who were desperate after losing Sidney Rice for an extended period and have concerns over Percy Harvin's migraines.

"In the NFL, you have to be ready for trades at any time," Camarillo's agent, J.R. Rickert, wrote in a text. "This is a great opportunity for Greg to play with one of the best quarterbacks ever."

The Dolphins acquired cornerback Benny Sapp, the Vikings' nickelback who bolsters an inexperienced crew.

Camarillo was on a plane to Minnesota by Wednesday afternoon, although neither team has announced the trade.

"Yeah, it's crazy," Camarillo told Ken LaVicka of ESPN 760 in West Palm Beach, Fla. "I hate to be rude, but I don't have time for interviews. I have to move my whole life."

Camarillo is one of the NFL's great overachievers. He walked on as a punter at Stanford and badgered the coaching staff into letting him get more involved in team drills. He eventually switched to receiver, wasn't drafted and has passed through the waiver wire a few times. He spent time on the San Diego Chargers' practice squad before establishing himself as a reliable possession receiver for the Dolphins.

Camarillo became a fan favorite in December 2007, when his fourth career reception went 64 yards for an overtime touchdown to beat the Baltimore Ravens and avert an 0-16 season.

He was Chad Pennington's favorite target during their magical 2008 campaign. Camarillo had 55 receptions for 613 yards and two touchdowns when he suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 12.

But another undrafted player, Davone Bess, established himself as a worthy possession receiver himself and settled into the slot. The Dolphins drafted Brian Hartline and Patrick Turner last year and traded for Brandon Marshall this year.

Football Outsiders determined Camarillo had zero drops on 73 targets last season, the most chances of any player without a drop.

Sapp started seven regular-season games and both playoff games for the Vikings last season. The Vikings credited him with 55 tackles, three for losses and seven passes defensed. He didn't have any interceptions but forced two fumbles.

ESPN.com NFL Power Ranking (pre-camp): 13

DAVIE, Fla. -- The Miami Dolphins might be the best NFL team people don't notice.

They're often overlooked in the AFC East. The New England Patriots have at least tied for the division's best record in nine straight seasons, and the big-talking New York Jets, coming off an appearance in the conference title game, are a fashionable Super Bowl pick.

Miami shouldn't be discounted.

Head coach Tony Sparano, who dropped 55 pounds in the offseason, wants his players to be hungry. The theme of training camp is "Feed the Wolf," a slogan he put on T-shirts in response to the Dolphins sliding from 11-5 and a division championship to a losing record last year.

"I had a meeting with the group and kind of got into them a little bit during practice about 7-9 not being good enough and how this football team shouldn’t be fat," Sparano explained. "They should be starving.

"One of the things that we talk about is feeding the wolf with little successes every day. ... We feed the wolf when we do something good, and that's what our guys understand. Small successes will lead to bigger successes down the way."

So when it comes to the AFC East race, dare we call Miami a sheep in wolf's silk-screened clothing?

THREE HOT ISSUES

1. What will the Chad Henne-to-Brandon Marshall connection mean to the offense? The Dolphins have been all about the ground game since Bill Parcells and Sparano took over in 2008. Ronnie Brown, Ricky Williams, rugged offensive line, the Wildcat, possession receivers ... Run, run, run.

Last year, the Dolphins ranked fourth in run offense and 20th in pass offense. Henne threw the fewest touchdown passes of any quarterback with at least 400 attempts. Just five of those touchdowns went to wide receivers.

Marshall's arrival can change that dramatically. While the Dolphins will continue to rely on their ground game, Henne now has a go-to target on third-and-critical or in the red zone. Marshall's amazing talents are on display every day at camp. He has sensational hands, outleaps helpless defenders and can snatch any ball remotely in his area.

Don't expect Marshall to extend his streak to four seasons of at least 100 receptions, but his presence gives Henne the kind of target who opens up all sorts of possibilities the Dolphins haven't had in years.

2. Will unproven outside linebackers provide enough of a pass rush with Joey Porter and Jason Taylor out the door? The Dolphins' 44 sacks last season tied for third in the NFL. But four of their top six contributors, totaling 28 sacks, either are no longer on the team (Porter and Taylor), playing a new position (Randy Starks) or out for year (Phillip Merling).

The Dolphins are counting on Cameron Wake and rookie Koa Misi, a pair of tantalizing-but-unverified pass-rushers, to handle most of the workload. Starks has the most sacks of any returning player with seven. But he has been moved to nose tackle, a position where Pro Bowlers record one or two sacks a year.

Wake's 5.5 sacks were next on the list. By the looks of his performances in camp, he'll be a force on passing downs even if he can't stop the run as effectively as the Dolphins would prefer. Misi, a second-round draft choice, has handled first-team reps with aplomb.

3. What will the interior offensive line look like? The Dolphins should have the makings of a nasty offensive line, but the inner three positions aren't solidified.

The Dolphins have had trouble settling on a center. Two years ago, they signed free agent Jake Grove and traded away Samson Satele. Now Grove is alternating first-team reps with Joe Berger for a spot that's up for grabs.

At guard, incumbent Donald Thomas, third-round draft choice John Jerry and free-agent signee Richie Incognito are fighting -- in Incognito's case, literally -- for jobs.

Sparano, an O-line aficionado at his core, wants his center and guards to be more than maulers in the run game. They must be better pass protectors.

"People think the left tackle's the only guy that [pass blocks on an island]," Sparano said. "But that's not true when you're turning the protection away from one of them. So to identify who can really handle those one-on-one battles is going to be important for us. That to me is what has to get better."

BIGGEST SURPRISE

Ikaika Alama-Francis wasn't good enough to stick with the 0-16 Detroit Lions. He was their second-round draft choice in 2007, but they cut the young defensive end after two seasons. He was on the street for two months before the Dolphins signed him in November. Alama-Francis was a healthy scratch for all six games he was on the roster and an afterthought heading into the offseason.

But with three workouts left until the Dolphins broke for the summer, they switched him to outside linebacker. Alama-Francis weighed 290 when he joined the Dolphins in November. He's an explosive 275 now.

"He looks like a linebacker out there, moving around right now," Sparano said. "He's a handful in the rush. He sets the edge of the defense pretty well, strong guy and very, very smart. I like what he's done."

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT

Quarterback Pat White hasn't shown any obvious signs of development to contradict the general belief Miami wasted a second-round draft pick on him last year. White missed the first day of training camp because of unexplained personal reasons. One report, quoting a family member, suggested White wouldn't play this year. He arrived the next day, but he hasn't shown much.

White has gotten limited reps, buried behind Henne, Chad Pennington and Tyler Thigpen. When given the opportunity, White's passes are scattershot, albeit more accurate than last year.

Merling would have been the easy choice here had he made it to training camp. Before he could get there, he was charged with felony assault of his pregnant girlfriend and suffered a season-ending Achilles injury.

OBSERVATION DECK

• You can't comprehend the size of some players until you see them in person. Marshall and Karlos Dansby are two of those guys. We can lose perspective when we're inundated with athlete heights and weights that are often fudged, but Marshall (6-4, 230) and Dansby (6-4, 250) are monstrous for their positions.
• Starks' transition from defensive end to nose tackle has been interesting. He's small for the job at 6-foot-3 and 305 pounds, but his speed and athleticism have created problems for the Dolphins' O-line.
• Second-year receiver Patrick Turner is having an erratic summer. When I first laid eyes on him at rookie camp in 2009, I immediately was struck with how great his hands were. Turner made catching a football seem so effortless. He has been plagued by drops throughout this training camp, and when he does make a catch his teammates sound overly encouraging -- "Way to go, Pat!" -- to keep his confidence up. Turner was inactive for 14 games last year because he has no special-teams value. If the Dolphins can't trust him as a receiver, he'll have a hard time getting on the field.
• Free safety Chris Clemons, a fifth-round draft choice last year, has looked like he belongs. The position was viewed as a question mark when the Dolphins axed Gibril Wilson, but Clemons has had some bright moments.
• I'd be shocked if any star has signed more autographs in training camp than Marshall. After every open session, he slowly walks along the fence and puts his signature on every piece of memorabilia or scrap of paper thrust in front of him. Maybe he's doing his penance for past misdeeds, but Dolfans have no reason but to love him so far.
• Tough break for running back Kory Sheets, who suffered a season-ending right Achilles injury while returning a kickoff Wednesday. He had a nice shot to make the roster and made one of the most eye-popping plays I saw during my stay. On Monday night, he exploded through the offensive line and got into the second level with such speed, his teammates reflexively screamed "Whooooo!"
• Veteran cornerback Will Allen, rebounding from a knee injury, has been the team's nickelback. The Dolphins want sophomores Vontae Davis and Sean Smith to stay on the field. Although Allen would be a quality contributor, his contract could put him on the bubble. He has two years left on his contract with base salaries that total $10.7 million.
• Two years ago, Greg Camarillo was the Dolphins' best receiver. Now he looks like the fourth receiver behind Marshall, Brian Hartline and Davone Bess. That's a nice problem for Miami to have.
• Like the Buffalo Bills, the Dolphins aren't fooling around with extra legs in camp. They know Dan Carpenter will be their kicker and Brandon Fields will be their punter and aren't bothering to push them.
• Just talking out loud here because I realize frustrating receiver Ted Ginn had to go, but what if the Dolphins still had his speed to stretch the field with Marshall? That would have been a challenge for opposing defenses.

SportsNation put together one of those cool, click-and-drag ranker doohickeys.

This time, it wants you to rate the NFL's best passing attacks.

Only 15 teams are available to choose from, but the AFC East gets plenty of love with three candidates.

Here's a copy of the ballot I submitted with the overall poll ranking as of this posting and an explanation for each AFC East club:

1. Indianapolis Colts (1)

2. New Orleans Saints (2)

3. Houston Texans (3)

4. New England Patriots (4): Without the encouraging recent news of Wes Welker's recovery, I would have dropped them a couple pegs. Tom Brady's go-to guy likely won't be 100 percent by the opener, but he sounds far enough along to make an impact. Much like Joey Galloway last year, Torry Holt provides no guarantees opposite Randy Moss, but Brandon Tate or rookie Taylor Price could emerge, too.

5. San Diego Chargers (6)

6. Green Bay Packers (5)

7. Cincinnati Bengals (9)

8. Minnesota Vikings (8)

9. Dallas Cowboys (7)

10. New York Jets (13): Braylon Edwards, Santonio Holmes and Jerricho Cotchery are a formidable trio. The secret weapon is tight end Dustin Keller, who proved how dangerous he could be with a touchdown reception in all three playoff games. LaDainian Tomlinson provides a receiving threat Mark Sanchez didn't have out of the backfield last year.

11. Philadelphia Eagles (11)

12. Miami Dolphins (14): Brandon Marshall is better than any one receiver the Jets have, but the entire crew isn't as impressive. Brian Hartline showed promise last year, and the Dolphins have two valuable possession receivers in Davone Bess and Greg Camarillo. But their tight ends must be more productive.

13. Baltimore Ravens (10)

14. Washington Redskins (15)

15. Pittsburgh Steelers (12)

Buffalo Bills

After spending his entire 10-year career with the Bills, is linebacker Aaron Schobel ready to retire?

Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly thinks Trent Edwards should lead the team.

Miami Dolphins

Receiver Greg Camarillo, who comes from a family of professional educators, is serious about school. The former Stanford mechanical engineer major will be a judge on a panel that will award $220,000 in grants and scholarships to high school seniors and non-profit organizations.

New England Patriots

Seventh-round pick and defensive tackle Brandon Deaderick has inked a four-year deal with the Patriots. The 6-foot-6, 314-pound defensive tackle from Alabama is the sixth of 12 picks to sign with the team.

New York Jets

The Daily News reported Friday that cornerback Darrelle Revis was prepared to hold out through training camp if a new deal could not been reached. NFL.com, however, writes that his current contract may compel him to show up at the start of mandatory practices in August.

Is left tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson's contract extension really a long-term commitment?