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Sports labor squabbles often are described as billionaires arguing with millionaires over money.

While that's a catchy rhyme that sums up fan frustration, the phrase is not entirely true.

Inspired by a blog entry from the minister of all things AFC South, Paul Kuharsky, I looked at NFL Players Association files to count up the number of AFC East players scheduled for $1 million base salaries in 2011.

Granted, up-front bonuses and incentives can make base salaries misleading. But base salaries are the only figures that create a common ground, player for player.

You'll see a vast majority of NFL players make much less than $1 million a year. Although many will make seven figures before they walk away from the game, careers are short and treacherous. They'll never see that kind of cash again for the rest of their lives.

That's why they're fighting for every dollar now.

Of the 226 players under contract in the AFC East, only 62 of them (27.4 percent) will make base salaries of $1 million or more.

The NFLPA hasn't acknowledged any franchise tags that have been signed. Those players are marked with an asterisk and not factored into the totals.

Buffalo Bills

• Receiver Lee Evans, $3.275 million
• Cornerback Terrence McGee, $3.2 million
• Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, $3.195 million
• Defensive end Spencer Johnson, $3 million
• Outside linebacker Shawne Merriman, $2.75 million
• Defensive end Dwan Edwards, $2.6 million
• Center Geoff Hangartner, $2.55 million
• Outside linebacker Chris Kelsay, $2 million
• Running back Fred Jackson, $1.75 million
• Defensive lineman Kyle Williams, $1.75 million
• Kicker Rian Lindell, $1.45 million
• Punter Brian Moorman, $1.425 million
• Cornerback Reggie Corner, $1.2 million
• Receiver Steve Johnson, $1.2 million
• Safety Bryan Scott, $1.15 million
• Linebacker Andra Davis, $1.1 million
• Receiver Roscoe Parrish, $1.025 million
• Safety George Wilson, $1.025 million
• Cornerback Leodis McKelvin, $1 million

Base salaries of $1 million or more: 19

Players under contract: 54

Percentage of roster making $1 million or more: 35.2

Miami Dolphins

• Nose tackle Paul Soliai, $12.47 million*
• Tackle Jake Long, $11.2 million
• Receiver Brandon Marshall, $6.5 million
• Tackle Vernon Carey, $4.15 million
• Safety Yeremiah Bell, $3.7 million
• Defensive end Randy Starks, $3.625 million
• Inside linebacker Karlos Dansby, $2.7 million
• Inside linebacker Channing Crowder, $2.5 million
• Tight end Anthony Fasano, $1.9 million
• Cornerback Benny Sapp, $1.9 million
• Inside linebacker Tim Dobbins, $1.7 million
• Cornerback Will Allen, $1.5 million
• Safety Tyrone Culver, $1.25 million
• Fullback Lousaka Polite, $1.25 million
• Receiver Davone Bess, $1.013 million
• Kicker Dan Carpenter, $1.005 million

Base salaries of $1 million or more: 15

Players under contract: 55

Percentage of roster making $1 million or more: 27.3

New England Patriots

• Quarterback Tom Brady, $5.75 million
• Cornerback Leigh Bodden, $3.9 million
• Tackle Nick Kaczur, $3.4 million
• Defensive end Ty Warren, $3.1 million
• Center Dan Koppen, $2.9 million
• Safety James Sanders, $2.8 million
• Tight end Alge Crumpler, $2.4 million
• Outside linebacker Tully Banta-Cain, $2.3 million
• Receiver Deion Branch, $2.2 million
• Receiver Wes Welker, $2.15 million
• Kicker Stephen Gostkowski, $1.7 million
• Cornerback Jonathan Wilhite, $1.2 million
• Offensive lineman Dan Connolly, $1.025 million
• Inside linebacker Gary Guyton, $1 million

Base salaries of $1 million or more: 14

Players under contract: 60

Percentage of roster making $1 million or more: 23.3

New York Jets

• Quarterback Mark Sanchez, $14.75 million
• Inside linebacker David Harris, $10.1 million*
• Cornerback Darrelle Revis, $6 million
• Tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson, $5.615 million
• Inside linebacker Bart Scott, $4.9 million
• Outside linebacker Calvin Pace, $3.855 million
• Outside linebacker Bryan Thomas, $3.2 million
• Guard Brandon Moore, $2.75 million
• Running back LaDainian Tomlinson, $2.425 million
• Center Nick Mangold, $2.26 million
• Defensive end Mike DeVito, $2.125 million
• Safety Jim Leonhard, $1.95 million
• Receiver Jerricho Cotchery, $1.8 million
• Defensive tackle Sione Pouha, $1.28 million
• Quarterback Mark Brunell, $1.25 million

Base salaries of $1 million or more: 14

Players under contract: 57

Percentage of roster making $1 million or more: 24.6

The Detroit Lions defeated the Miami Dolphins 34-27 in Sun Life Stadium.

What it means: The Dolphins blew a 10-point lead with about five minutes left in the game and lost to the feeblest road team of the past three years. The Dolphins finished the season 1-7 at home, tying the worst record in franchise history.

Home finale: Such a humiliating defeat to punctuate such a humiliating home schedule might mean the end for head coach Tony Sparano. Dolphins owner Stephen Ross predicted his team would reach the Super Bowl this year, indicating where his head was after offseason acquisitions such as receiver Brandon Marshall and inside linebacker Karlos Dansby. ... Running backs Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown might have walked off the field for the last time as Dolphins. Williams rushed 14 times for a game-high 71 yards. Brown had 12 carries for 37 yards and a touchdown.

Davone intervention: The football gods giveth, and they taketh away. With 31 seconds left in the first half, Dolphins receiver Davone Bess caught a touchdown pass that went through the hands of Lions defensive back Tye Hill. But earlier in the game, Bess fumbled on a punt return that set up a Lions field goal, and with a little more than two minutes left in a tie game, Bess fell down on a route, allowing Lions linebacker DeAndre Levy to intercept Chad Henne and return it 30 yards for the winning score.

Offensive implosion: The Dolphins amassed 425 yards and held the ball for nearly 15 minutes more than the Lions. Henne had a decent game until crunch time. The Dolphins led by 10 points with about five minutes left, but Henne threw his only two interceptions on third down in Dolphins territory inside the final four minutes. The first allowed the Lions to kick a game-tying field goal. The second left Sparano shaking his head.

Fins firsts: Popular fullback Lousaka Polite, who is virtually automatic in converting short-yardage third downs, finally scored his first NFL rushing touchdown in his seventh season. Mickey Shuler Jr., son of the former New York Jets tight end, caught his first NFL pass, a 28-yarder to set up a field goal.

What's next: The Dolphins will have the chance to punctuate their disappointing campaign with a victory against the New England Patriots in Gillette Stadium.

The Miami Dolphins were forced to start their third-string quarterback Thursday night against the Chicago Bears.

Tyler Thigpen revealed during the week he hadn't taken a single practice rep since the regular season began, and he had only three days to prepare for his first start in two years.

One might think the Dolphins would help him out by letting Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown take as many handoffs as possible.

Whoever would dare think such a thing turned out to be dead wrong. The Dolphins abandoned the run in a 16-0 loss at Sun Life Stadium. It was only the second home shutout in 40 years for Miami.

"You know, that was our game plan," Pro Bowl left tackle Jake Long said. "We wanted to come out and establish the run and then protect Tyler. We didn't do either of them."

Three quick nuggets that should disgust Dolfans:

• The Dolphins rushed for only 39 yards, their worst output since Tony Sparano became head coach.
• They have rushed for under 100 yards in each of their past eight home games, the longest current streak by any NFL team and the longest such streak in Dolphins history, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
• They tied a franchise record for fewest combined rushes by fullbacks and running backs with seven.

Seven rushing attempts? This from the team that was known for fielding one of the most punishing ground games in the NFL since Sparano took over in 2008.

Brown ran three times for 10 yards. Williams ran three times for 1 yard. Patrick Cobbs ran once for 1 yards. Lousaka Polite didn't have any carries.

Where did the other 27 rushing yards come from? Thigpen on six scrambles, preventing the Bears from adding to their sack total of six.

The only other times Miami running backs ran seven times were, as you would expect, during the Dan Marino era: in a 42-20 loss to the Washington Redskins in 1990 and in a 34-7 loss to the Bears in 1988.

Don Shula watched Thursday night's game from the Dolphins bench. Offensive coordinator Dan Henning calls plays from the booth. I wonder what Shula might've said to Henning had they been on the sideline together.

Sparano justified the low number of handoffs by pointing to the fact the Bears dominated time of possession at nearly 38 minutes, leaving the Dolphins with only 48 offensive plays.

The Dolphins also went into the game with a banged up offensive line and lost center Cory Procter to a knee injury early. That forced left guard Richie Incognito to handle snaps.

"We didn't get out of our way on offense," Sparano said. "We couldn't help ourselves there and really couldn't get off the field consistently on defense.

"So starting to talk about whether or not you didn't run the ball or throw the ball -- now, at one point you're down 16 points you've got to throw the ball."

BALTIMORE -- Halftime thoughts from M&T Bank Stadium, where the Miami Dolphins trail the Baltimore Ravens 13-10:

• The Dolphins demonstrated comically bad defensive pursuit and tackling on Willis McGahee's 32-yard screen catch for a score. It was the first time all season the Ravens scored a touchdown on their opening possession.
• Ronnie Brown's first two carries went between the tackles for 12 and 14 yards. He capped the drive with a 12-yard touchdown run on the Dolphins' first red zone play. Brown finished the drive with 45 yards, more than he had in all of Weeks 4 and 7 and 20 yards shy of all but two games this year.
• Brown's touchdown was his first since the season opener. It was the first touchdown Baltimore allowed on an opening drive this year.
• But Brown had just one more rushing attempt the entire first half -- for 2 yards in the second quarter.
• The Dolphins dodged an even bigger deficit after Ravens safety Lardarius Webb returned a Chad Henne interception to the 4-yard line. The Ravens had an atrocious series: McGahee run for minus-1, Paul Soliai sack for 10 yards, delay of game, Cameron Wake sack at the line of scrimmage, botched field goal hold. Zero points.
• On the Ravens' next possession, they managed to gain a first down at the Dolphins' 13-yard line. Offensive pass interference, a false start and Wake's second sack torpedoed any hope for a touchdown.
• Dolfans will have another Dan Henning call to debate. On third-and-goal from the 1 at the end of the half, rather than hand off to Brown or fullback Lousaka Polite, the Dolphins tried a play-action pass. Henne's pass to Anthony Fasano looked like it was thrown left-handed, and the Dolphins had to settle for a field goal.

MIAMI -- The Miami Dolphins and their fans have every right to be upset over the late call that went against them Sunday afternoon.

To say that was the reason they couldn't close out the Pittsburgh Steelers, however, would be erroneous.

With the help of a fortuitous ruling on a Ben Roethlisberger fumble Miami appeared to recover, Pittsburgh escaped Sun Life Stadium with a 23-22 victory.

"We will take it and exit stage left," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said.

The Dolphins seemed to snatch the game with 2:28 to play. They were clinging to a two-point lead against the driving Steelers when safety Chris Clemons knocked the ball from Roethlisberger's grasp at the goal line. Dolphins linebacker Ikaika Alama-Francis appeared to recover in the end zone, but video replays were inconclusive to referee Gene Steratore, and the Steelers retained possession.

Jeff Reed kicked an 18-yard field goal to give the Steelers a one-point triumph.

A Dolphins win would have been gargantuan. Given the Steelers' profile as one of the NFL's handful of elite teams, the Dolphins would've been mentioned as legitimate contenders.

Instead, the Dolphins returned to .500 and remained winless through three home games.

But Steratore's ruling wasn't the reason.

"It was a big play in the game, but it shouldn't have come down to that play," Dolphins head coach Tony Sparano said. "We had plenty of opportunities to win, but we didn't."

Not awarding Miami the fumble recovery is a convenient way to overlook a few issues that allowed the game to be decided by one bad break:

• Poor red zone offense.
• Poor two-minute offense.
• Poor third-down defense.

The Dolphins failed to score touchdowns despite starting their first possessions at the Steelers' 22- and 13-yard lines within the first 1:58 of the game.

Sparano bemoaned his offense's inability to get at least 10 points out of those glorious opportunities.

"We could be up 14-0 right off the bat," Dolphins left tackle Jake Long said. "But we didn't start fast enough. We've got to be better than that."

Each time, the Dolphins failed to convert a first down and didn't take any shots into the end zone. Ronnie Brown ran once for 1 yard. Ricky Williams ran three times for 0, 8 and 0 yards. Chad Henne threw two short incomplete passes.

"Field goals are great to have, but in this situation we needed touchdowns," Sparano said. "When you get down there with that many opportunities, you have to convert them into touchdowns. That's the bottom line."

Settling for a field goal would have been wonderful after Pittsburgh converted that controversial call into a late lead.

The Dolphins had 2:26 left to get Pro Bowl kicker Dan Carpenter within field-goal range, but gained 4 yards on four plays against an injury-ravaged defense.

Carpenter made five field goals in the game and has a robust leg. He has made field goals from 53 yards and 50 yards this year. The Dolphins' offense should have been able to move the ball, especially with outside linebacker Lamarr Woodley and defensive end Aaron Smith sidelined with injuries.

The Dolphins work on their two-minute offense every practice. Sparano usually puts them into situations with a minute less than they had Sunday.

The Dolphins were out of timeouts, but they had the two-minute warning, a strong-armed quarterback, star receiver Brandon Marshall and pair of quality running backs.

"We felt strongly in that situation we'd be able to get the ball down the field and have plenty of time on the clock," Sparano said.

In the rain, Brown ran up the middle for 2 yards on first down. Henne got off a snap right before the two-minute warning and threw a quick pass. But tight end Anthony Fasano dropped it to set up a tough third down while wasting a precious clock-stoppage.

On third-and-8, Henne tossed to fullback Lousaka Polite, who gained only 2 yards and was tackled inbounds. Amid a heavy Pittsburgh pass rush on fourth down, Henne frantically got the ball out of his hands, but the ugly pass hit the grass.

Miami's offense wasn't alone in its struggles.

Pittsburgh moved the chains on third-down plays of 16, 11 and 9 yards. On third-and-5 from Miami's 43-yard line on the decisive drive, Mewelde Moore gained 29 yards on a dump pass. One play later, Miami defensive lineman Tony McDaniel committed an unnecessary roughness penalty to give Pittsburgh first-and-goal from the 4.

Pittsburgh converted six of its 15 third downs.

Steratore had nothing to do with a lot of problems Miami had Sunday.

"If you lose, you lose," Dolphins inside linebacker Channing Crowder said. "You can make all the excuses, but our record's 3-3. There's not going to be an asterisk next to the third loss. Who cares? Good call, bad call, I don't know the rules. But we should've won. We never should have been in that situation. To put it in the ref's hands was our fault."

MIAMI -- The Pittsburgh Steelers caught a giant break late in the fourth quarter and edged past the Miami Dolphins 23-22 in Sun Life Stadium.

What it means: The Dolphins have a reason to complain after a controversial ending, but that won't erase their 0-3 record at home. A Dolphins victory would have propelled them into the conversation of best teams.

Play of the game: On third-and-goal from the 2 with 2:37 left in the game, Ben Roethlisberger scrambled toward the end zone. He was met at the goal line by Dolphins safety Chris Clemons and apparently fumbled. The play was ruled a touchdown. The Dolphins challenged. The play was overturned, but there was no video evidence the Dolphins recovered. Jeff Reed kicked an 18-yard field goal.

A less-controversial critical play: With the Dolphins up two points with about three minutes left, the Steelers had third-and-5 on the Dolphins' 43-yard line. Roethlisberger flipped a short pass to Mewelde Moore for a 29-yard gain. One play later, Dolphins defensive lineman Tony McDaniel commits unnecessary roughness to give the Steelers a first down on the doorstep.

Two-minute grill: The Dolphins had more than two minutes left and needed only a field goal against an injury-depleted defense, but they couldn't muster anything. Chad Henne passed three times before losing the ball on downs.

Worthy of debate: Dolphins fullback Lousaka Polite is virtually automatic when it comes to gaining 1 yard for a first down. On third-and-1 from the 50 early in the fourth quarter, the Dolphins handed to Ronnie Brown for no gain and then punted on fourth-and-inches.

Injury report: The Steelers lost three players during the game: right tackle Flozell Adams (ankle), defensive end Aaron Smith (arm) and linebacker Lamarr Woodley (hamstring).

What's next: The Dolphins visit the Cincinnati Bengals next Sunday.

When the Miami Dolphins find themselves 1 yard away from moving the chains on third or fourth down, the Sun Life Stadium crowd can tell the visiting defense exactly what's about to go down.

Dolfans will start chanting Lousaka Polite's name before he takes the handoff.

But they're not tipping off the opponents to information they didn't already know.

"I don't think the fans are telling Rex Ryan or [Bill] Belichick anything different," Dolphins head coach Tony Sparano said.

Polite has a reputation for being a sure thing in short-yardage situations. In Sunday night's loss to the New York Jets, he extended his streak of third- or fourth-and-1 conversions to 20.

ESPN.com researcher Vincent Masi harvested the databases and found nobody has come close to that kind of production since the start of the 2009 season, when Polite's streak began.

David Garrard is second with a dozen in a row. Brady Quinn has converted eight straight, but he's on the Denver Broncos' bench. Running back Lynell Hamilton has converted seven straight, but he won't get another chance until 2011. He's on injured reserve.

Sparano, a fastidious stat tracker, was pleasantly caught off guard Wednesday when a reporter said Polite's streak was at 19. Little did Sparano know Polite's efficiency was more impressive than that.

"That's a stat you should be chasing," Sparano said. "He prepares really well for that role. The other night in the game, everything on that play dictated [a handoff to Polite]. I mean, they were clearly geared up to try to stop that one handoff in the game with the way they built their defense, and Lou was smart enough to understand the weakness in the defense, and he gains, like, 4 yards on the play."

Sparano called Polite "a football rat" who's always thoroughly prepared for whatever the defense shows. Sparano suggested Polite's vigilance rubs off on his teammates in point-blank scenarios because he's so proven.

"When they know Lou is getting to ball in some of these situations the backside of the blocking scheme is starting to work a lot harder," Sparano said. "That's something that I've noticed. They think they're all alive. In other words, even though the play might be a four-hole or a five-hole play, he could bring the ball back to the other side in this situation [because they] don't want to be the reason why" the run failed.

But Sparano also pointed out the Dolphins passed on third-and-1 from the Jets' 11-yard line in the third quarter. Chad Henne found Brandon Marshall for what turned into a touchdown.

"If the pass was incomplete, you guys would be asking me why we didn't give it to Lou," Sparano said.

If you want to get a sense of what Miami Dolphins fullback Lousaka Polite is all about by watching him on the field, then you'll quickly come to the conclusion he does not live up to his name.

Polite's game is all about violence -- marrow-rattling blocks and sledgehammer runs.

But talk to Polite or those who benefit from his ruthless collisions and you'll get a different impression. The soft-spoken Polite is as agreeable as his surname implies.

Polite's all about harmony, teamwork, selflessness.

"He's very humble, very honest and a very hard worker," Ricky Williams said. "And he's so dependable."

Dolphins coach Tony Sparano recently called Polite "one of the most critical guys" on an offense that includes blossoming quarterback Chad Henne, star running backs Ronnie Brown and Williams, prolific receiver Brandon Marshall and franchise left tackle Jake Long.

But when I spoke to Polite about how much he means to the Dolphins, he repeatedly steered the conversation back to the team, declining to take any credit.

"The best thing about our team is we're very unselfish," Polite said. "We're all rooting for each other, no matter who's in there. That's important for a team. It's a long season, and we're all going to need each other."

Polite is one of the NFL's top fullbacks, a position that ranks slightly above holder on the anonymity gauge in today's game. What happened to the days of Jim Brown and Franco Harris anyway? Or even Larry Centers?

But when it comes to the jobs fullbacks must do in today's game, Polite is among the very best at them. He wasn't drafted and had been released five times before last season began, but by the end he was generating Pro Bowl buzz.

Polite has evolved into a quality blocker and was automatic in short-yardage situations. On third- or fourth-and-1, he converted all 16 of his carries for first downs.

"His role on the offense is very, very important," Sparano told Dolphins reporters this week. "Never mind what he does in some of the short-yardage situations. This guy is one of the people that you can really trust out there.

"Ricky and Ronnie would tell you they trust him because they know that he's going to help them get through the smoke. They just trust that the guy is going to be in the right place at the right time. ... As a football team you hope that you have more and more people that can trust each other like that group trusts Lousaka Polite."

Williams also appreciates that Polite can be so amenable. Williams explained a lot of fullbacks he has played with in the past can't diversify their approach, but Polite will cater to either Williams' or Brown's running styles.

"The way that I run, I like to get downhill as soon as possible," Williams said. "Some backs like to make people miss more. They trust and use their vision more.

"But the way I run, I say 'All you can do is get in the guy's way, Lou, because I'm going to be off your butt so fast you just need to get out of my way.' When I get the ball, there's never even a doubt in my mind he's going to be in the right place and that there's going to be a crease."

Polite rarely gets the glory. He has one career touchdown, a 12-yard catch and run for the Dallas Cowboys a half-decade ago. Fittingly, the toss from Drew Bledsoe was on a fourth-and-1 play.

Polite spent three years with the Cowboys, all under head coach Bill Parcells and with Sparano the run-game coordinator. Those relationships led Polite to the Dolphins.

He is the prototypical Parcells/Sparano player, a proud and effective grunt who does what he's told for the good of the team.

"I take pride when my number's called and my team is depending on me to deliver," Polite said. "I don't want to feel like I let them down. This is a role-based team. If they have something they want you to do, you have to do your best to get that job done."

Lousaka Polite is only 28 years old. Yet flecks of grey are emerging in the stubble along his rugged jaw.

He has been through the grind.

Polite was released five times before his fifth NFL season began. When he signed with the Miami Dolphins in October 2008, the transaction line looked like another stop on a trail of failure. In Week 7, he became the third fullback they used that year, and few fans had any clue who this journeyman was.

A season and half later, folks are talking about Polite going to the Pro Bowl. He was an alternate last season after gaining a reputation as one of the league's best short-yardage players, whether he was running or blocking.

"We brought him on the team, and the next thing you know this guy all of a sudden puts together a pretty darn good year for us," Dolphins coach Tony Sparano said.

"This guy's a pretty good fullback. He really is, and we're lucky to have him."

That lucky feeling is mutual.

Polite wasn't drafted out of Pitt, was repeatedly signed and dropped by the Dallas Cowboys and then the Chicago Bears before the desperate Dolphins signed him off his sofa.

"I got a few cracks," Polite told me last week at the Dolphins' training facility in Davie, Fla. "When you've been released as many times as I have, it's good fortune.

"Anybody that's successful in the world had to earn it some kind of way. Donald Trump is one of the richest men in the world. He's been bankrupt a few times. Just knowing you have what it takes to weather the storm -- whether it's today or a year for now -- you need to keep that feeling close to you. At the end of the day, it's about what you can do right now."

Polite was a first-down machine last year, converting all 16 of his third- or fourth-and-1 carries while also helping Ricky Williams rush for 1,000 yards.

AFC East blog readers voted him the division's top fullback ahead of the New York Jets' Tony Richardson, who blocked for his eighth 1,000-yard rusher since 2001.

"I just made it a point never to lose confidence," Polite said. "I prepared myself to understand things don't always go as planned. If you really, really want something, life will test you. You'll go through some things. I was willing to wait as long as I could, and thankfully it finally happened for me."

Polite said he didn't experience an "I've made it" moment last year. He still hasn't scored a rushing touchdown in 59 NFL games (he scored his lone receiving touchdown with the Cowboys five years ago).

Polite added his reward comes from being called upon to contribute in clutch situations.

"I know what it's been like on the outside looking in," Polite said. "I will never relax. I can't afford to relax. Hall of Famers have been cut before. None of us are exempt from that.

"If I don't perform this year, who cares about last year?"

The Miami Dolphins' top two receivers last year. The Buffalo Bills' best running back. The New England Patriots' leading receiver and right guard. The New York Jets' right guard, best inside linebacker and a safety.

None of them were drafted.

When Mr. Irrelevant was ceremoniously introduced Saturday in Radio City Music Hall and the 2010 NFL draft ended, draft rooms didn't go dark. That's when some of the best work takes place.

Scouts scan the long list of players who weren't among the 255 chosen ones and work the phones, trying to convince the best remaining prospects to sign as free agents.

Undrafted rookies are a critical element to building a team and should produce at least a couple of keepers every year.

"First, you improve your football team, but it's probably the most economical way to put players on your team," Buffalo Bills general manager Buddy Nix said. "There are a lot of good players out there.

"As all of us in here probably remember when there were 12 rounds and then there were 17 at one time. All of those players after seven rounds are still out there."

The AFC East is loaded with great examples.

Seven undrafted players started at least four games for division-champion New England last year: receiver Wes Welker, guards Stephen Neal and Dan Connolly, defensive lineman Mike Wright, inside linebacker Gary Guyton, outside linebacker Pierre Woods and safety Brandon McGowan.

The Dolphins relied on fullback Lousaka Polite, receivers Davone Bess and Greg Camarillo, tight end Joey Haynos and outside linebacker Cameron Wake, none of whom were drafted.

Bills running back Fred Jackson wasn't drafted, but he rushed for over 1,000 yards last year. Strong safety George Wilson evolved into a reliable starter.

The Jets fielded their share of draft-day oversights, including fullback Tony Richardson, right guard Brandon Moore, inside linebacker Bart Scott and safety Jim Leonhard.

That's a lot of quality players who weren't good enough to see their name crawl across the bottom of ESPN's draft telecast.

Still, they were found.

"These scouts bust their tails putting the board together on the back end of the draft board," Dolphins general manager Jeff Ireland said. "You have to trust what they see, and I am pretty involved in it as well because I have been there before and I want to know what we are signing for. It is a very important aspect of [the process]."

Imagine all those Jets scouting reports that would otherwise go to waste if not for undrafted free agents.

Perhaps no team has relied on them to fill out their 53-man roster, practice squad and training camp roster more than the Jets.

Two straight Aprils, they drafted the fewest prospects in the league -- three last year and four this time. They also drafted only four players in 2007.

"I'm banking on our scouting department that we're going to sign a couple players here in the next couple of hours that will have a good chance of making our team," Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum said Saturday night.

A week ago, I solicited your help to select the AFC East's best players at every position for 2009.

Your votes have been counted and your comments read at ESPN.com and on my Facebook page. I believe we've come up with a rock-solid All-AFC East team.

In almost every case, the player who received the most votes made the squad. So consider this the team you selected. The only time I had to make a call was to break a tie or for a position that generated scant attention.

I also exercised my right as AFC East blog czar to revoke a ballot for stupidity and only considered the votes of people who made an honest effort to field an entire ballot -- not just throw out a name or two of a player from their team. Anybody who submitted an idiotic selection -- Buffalo Bills rookie Andy Levitre at left guard over two Pro Bowlers? -- got their entire ballot killed on account of credibility.

The biggest debate involved fullbacks Tony Richardson and Lousaka Polite, for whom passionate Dolfans made a convincing case. The vote was close enough that my influence would have allowed me to pick Richardson for the All-AFC East team, but you Polite zealots wore me down.

The biggest surprises from my perspective:

• Dolphins running backs Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown received a combined four votes and finished third and fourth behind Thomas Jones and Fred Jackson. Based on the crush of support for Polite, you would think Williams and Brown would receive more votes through mere homerism. That's a credit to Dolfans and actually played a factor in my being won over on Polite. You voted with your heads.
• Response for Bills inside linebacker Paul Posluszny. New York Jets leading tackler David Harris had one of the spots locked up. I thought New England Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo, the NFL's top defensive rookie in 2008, would be the other. But Posluszny received almost twice as many votes as Mayo.

The close votes I made the final call:

• New England strong safety Brandon Meriweather over Miami's Yeremiah Bell in a tie vote.
• New England's Wes Welker, the only player to make the team at two positions, at punt returner over Jackson in a vote that had three players within two votes.
• Buffalo special-teamer John Wendling in a three-way tie with Miami's Jason Allen and New York's Larry Izzo.

The 2009 AP All-Pro team is out, and I can't find much fault with any of the AFC East selections or omissions.

Three New York Jets made either the first or second team. There were two New England Patriots, one Miami Dolphin and no Buffalo Bills.

Only three AFC East players made the first team:

• Wes Welker, Patriots receiver
• Nick Mangold, Jets center
• Darrelle Revis, Jets cornerback

Three more made the second team:

• Logan Mankins, Patriots guard
• Jake Long, Dolphins tackle
• David Harris, Jets inside linebacker

It was nice to see Harris get honored after failing to make the Pro Bowl. Harris was the leading tackler on the NFL's best defense.

The only exception I might have with the selections is the absence of Patriots defensive tackle Vince Wilfork, but it's hard to argue with Pat Williams and Jay Ratliff making the first team or Haloti Ngata and Darnell Dockett comprising the second team.

Sorry, Dolfans, but your cult hero, fullback Lousaka Polite, didn't get mentioned. The first-team fullback was Leonard Weaver. The second-team fullback was Le'Ron McClain.

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Five nuggets of knowledge about Week 17:

The more invisible Mark Sanchez is, the better he will be Sunday night. With a victory over the Bengals, the Jets are in the playoffs. The more Jets head coach Rex Ryan and offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer can limit Sanchez's impact, the better. The Jets must run well because if Sanchez needs to throw to keep them in the game or come from behind, then they're going to be in trouble. The Sunday night forecast for East Rutherford, N.J., is for temperatures in the low 20s with 15 mph winds. Those are less-than-ideal conditions, especially for an erratic, interception-prone rookie from Southern California.

The Jets can send their fans home intoxicated with a victory. As wrong as it was for the NFL to schedule the Jets at home for the Giants Stadium finale, at least the game will be meaningful. Because of the do-or-die implications for the Jets, the game was flexed to 8:20 p.m. for NBC's "Sunday Night Football." The combination of a late start and the significance of the farewell event have led the Jets to turn off the taps. No alcohol will be served inside the stadium to prevent fans from tearing the place apart in hopes of walking out with a souvenir.

The Patriots can afford to hang loose Sunday. The Patriots won 11 games last year and couldn't qualify for the playoffs. This year, they can sit on 10 wins if they choose and not worry one bit about what else happens around the league. The Patriots clinched the AFC East last week and have very little to play for Sunday against the Texans. The Patriots cannot earn a first-round postseason bye and know they'll play host a wild-card team in Gillette Stadium next weekend. Tom Brady has declared he prefers to play the whole game, but there's a chance he and some others might not even make the trip to Houston. They might remain at the facility and get an early jump on preparations for a playoff game that could take place Jan. 9.

It would take a monster day, but Bills running back Fred Jackson could reach 1,000 yards. Jackson's journey from Division III afterthought to NFL feature back is a remarkable one regardless of his final stat line. But a milestone season would be a nice finishing touch for one of the game's most underrated players. Jackson needs to rush for 150 yards against the Colts to hit quadruple digits. That's doable. Jackson rushed for a career-high 163 yards against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 2, and the Colts, who likely will be resting some key players, rank 21st in rushing defense.

Dolphins fullback Lousaka Polite didn't get snubbed for the Pro Bowl. Maybe it's appropriate Jimmy Buffett is involved with the front office because Dolfans have turned into Parrotheads, involuntarily chirping Polite's name for the Pro Bowl. Polite had a fine season, but to say he got robbed is silly. Dolfans and some local media members are the only ones complaining. Polite has been waived or cut five times in six NFL seasons. He'll need to do more than have one good season for his peers to consider him. Meanwhile, Jets fullback Tony Richardson was part of the NFL's No. 1 rushing offense and blocked for his eighth 1,000-yard rusher since 2001. Richardson didn't make it either, and I don't hear anybody screeching over that.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Miami Dolphins threw, threw and threw some more to stun the New England Patriots last week.

On Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Dolphins are ready to slog it out.

The slick field at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium has made crisp pass routes tough to execute, but the Dolphins had no trouble running their way to a 7-0 lead with 2:33 left in the first quarter.

The Dolphins went 67 yards on 13 plays, with Ricky Williams punching it in from a yard out. Fullback Lousaka Polite has been a key factor. He picked up two first downs, including one on a fourth-and-1 run.

Chad Henne, who threw 52 passes to beat the Patriots, handed off nine times on the drive. Three of Henne's four throws were on third downs.

Everybody is singing the praises of Miami Dolphins running back Ricky Williams for his three-touchdown performance Thursday night against the Carolina Panthers.

Williams ran for 119 yards and two touchdowns and caught two passes for 19 yards and a touchdown. In his long and sometimes spectacular career, it was his first game with rushing and receiving touchdowns.

Williams is 32 years old, but he recorded two 100-yard rushing games in a span of five days. Highly impressive.

But let's stop for a moment and acknowledge the performance of Dolphins fullback Lousaka Polite, who delivered several skeleton-rattling blocks to open lanes for Williams.

With the Dolphins' offensive line crumbling before them -- right tackle Vernon Carey, center Jake Grove, starting left guard Nate Garner and reserve Joe Berger all came off the field at some point, and usual left guard Justin Smiley played hurt -- Polite was the best hole-puncher on the field.

ESPN Stats & Information tracked every play and found 18 of Williams' 22 rushing attempts came out of a backfield set. He gained 107 of his yards, averaging 5.9 yards a pop, with Polite blocking for him.

Polite, a highly effective option in short-yardage situations, likely will be called upon to carry the ball more with Ronnie Brown out for the year with a broken foot. Polite had four attempts for 11 yards Thursday night, but he also fumbled for the first time in his career.

But do yourself a favor the next time you watch the Dolphins. Watch how he plays when he doesn't have the ball.