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Here is a memo to the Miami Dolphins: Avoid drafting quarterbacks in the second round this year.

I'm not very superstitious, but I know a trend when I see one. For Miami, picking three quarterbacks in the second round since 2007 has been nothing short of disastrous.

Lets start in '07 with the first second-round pick: John Beck. This was former Dolphins head coach Cam Cameron's quarterback of the future. Beck was taken in the second round (No. 40 overall) out of BYU and showed nothing in his two years in Miami. He threw one touchdown, three interceptions and had a 62.0 passer rating before being traded to Baltimore, where Cameron landed after getting fired in Miami after one season.

The next year, new head coach Tony Sparano was looking for his long-term solution at quarterback. In '08 the Dolphins selected Chad Henne in the second round (No. 57 overall). Sparano backed Henne all the way to the bitter end, when Sparano was fired in 2011 and Henne suffered a season-ending injury. Henne will be let go by Miami this offseason.

Finally, in '09 Miami drafted Pat White in the second round (No. 44 overall) with hopes of adding a dynamic element to the Wildcat offense. The Dolphins were criticized for this pick, because it was clear that White would struggle in the NFL as a conventional quarterback. His only potential impact would be for gimmick plays, and Miami wasted a second-round choice on that possibility. White made just five pass attempts in his one year in the NFL.

It's no secret the Dolphins will look at free-agent options first, such as Peyton Manning and Matt Flynn. But when it comes to the draft, they should avoid second-round quarterbacks. They simply don't pan out in Miami.

» NFC Draft Watch: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

Each Thursday leading up to the NFL draft (April 28-30), the ESPN.com NFL blog network will take a division-by-division look at key aspects of the draft. Today's topic: schemes and themes.

Buffalo Bills

The Bills went through a defensive overhaul last year under new head coach Chan Gailey and coordinator George Edwards. They morphed from Dick Jauron's 4-3 Tampa 2 scheme to a traditional 3-4 set. The Bills drafted accordingly, but as the season wore on and they failed to stop the run -- they ranked dead last in the league in rushing yards allowed per carry and per game -- they sunk back into a 4-3 mindset and frequently added another defender to the line. They've also hired Dave Wannstedt as assistant head coach and linebackers assistant. Wannstedt is a 4-3 devotee. All of this adds up to the Bills being interested in the best available defenders they can find, regardless of whether or not they fit into a preconceived scheme.

Miami Dolphins

Rightly or wrongly, the Dolphins' offensive identity the past three seasons has been the Wildcat. Those days would appear to be over. Offensive coordinator Dan Henning and quarterbacks coach David Lee (the man who introduced the Wildcat) are gone. Wildcat trigger man Ronnie Brown and speed-motion back Ricky Williams don't have contracts, and both could be on other teams. The one player the Dolphins drafted specifically to enhance the Wildcat, quarterback Pat White, was released after one season. Miami's new offensive identity has yet to be determined under new offensive coordinator Brian Daboll. Nobody can say for sure what he'll be looking for, but the run game must be strengthened. Head coach Tony Sparano said this week the Dolphins will remain a power rushing team. Brown and/or Williams will need to be replaced, and reliable interior linemen must be found.

New England Patriots

The Patriots are the NFL's most flexible club entering the draft. They own two picks in each of the first three rounds and in three of the top 33 slots. Bill Belichick can go any direction he chooses and certainly will have his staff working the phones for trade possibilities. The Patriots have a rich history of trading back to accumulate more picks, but they might be more open to trading up this year. They have decent youth on the roster, so when you consider the possibility of adding six more players drafted no later than the third round -- plus their picks in the fourth, fifth and sixth rounds -- you have to wonder if there will be room for them all on the 53-man roster. The glut of picks also allows the Patriots to select the best available player and not fret about specific needs with any given pick.

New York Jets

The Jets made it to the AFC Championship Game again and will draft 30th. Head coach Rex Ryan has playfully groused about the late position and the fact the Jets will have to rummage for the best player still on the board. The Jets drafted cornerback Kyle Wilson 29th last year and immediately named him the team's starting nickelback and punt returner. That didn't work out. Wilson started six games, made 19 tackles, defensed five passes and returned 15 punts. While that negative experience could entice the Jets to return to their usual ways and move up in the draft for a prospect they truly covet -- as they did with cornerback Darrelle Revis, linebacker David Harris and quarterback Mark Sanchez -- an inability to trade players until there's a new collective bargaining agreement might make that difficult.

This week's edition of "Draft Watch" dealt with each club's best and worst picks of the past five years.

Some readers disagreed with two of my busts.

The first two comments pertained to my selection of defensive lineman John McCargo as the Buffalo Bills' worst pick.

Scottiewags wrote: "McCargo is not and will never be worse than Aaron Maybin."

Dgnfcnorthaz later added: "Maybin has been so invisible that Graham must have forgotten who he is."

Another reader contended I erred in calling quarterback Pat White the Miami Dolphins' worst pick over wide receiver Ted Ginn.

I considered both Maybin and Ginn as the biggest busts of the past half-decade, but I decided against them. I'll spell out why they were chosen.

As much as Maybin disgusts Bills fans, he has been in the NFL only two seasons. He has had two defensive coordinators and needed to learn two totally different schemes. He entered the league as an end, which he played at Penn State, and then last year switched to standup outside linebacker.

I'm willing to give Maybin another season before I can judge him against McCargo, a veteran with a fuller body of -- for lack of a better noun -- "work."

Maybin already has as many starts in two seasons as McCargo has in his career -- one. Maybin has played 27 games, eight more than McCargo has played the past three combined.

McCargo was a healthy scratch for 15 games last year. He's a veteran who can’t get on the field. Maybin played 11 games last year as a 22-year-old.

Ginn, meanwhile, is a knee-jerk response because he's such a pariah to Dolfans. But Ginn was a weapon defenses needed to account for on a weekly basis. He wasn't very effective, but opponents certainly had to game plan for him.

Ginn generated some highlights for the Dolphins. He led them with 56 catches and 790 yards in 2008. He was a scintillating return man, taking two kickoffs for touchdowns at the Meadowlands in 2009. Plus, the Dolphins were able to get draft compensation out of him.

White played one indigestible season and got cut. Ten months later, he retired from professional baseball. In less than two years after the Dolphins drafted White, he had failed at two sports. Ginn's still in the NFL.

But disagreement is what makes these kinds of conversations so much fun. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section. I'll jump in later for some discussion.

» NFC Draft Watch: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

Each Thursday leading up to the NFL draft (April 28-30), the ESPN.com NFL blog network will take a division-by-division look at key aspects of the draft. Today's topic: draft rewind -- examining the past five drafts.

Buffalo Bills

Best choice: Defensive lineman Kyle Williams. Only three players in the Bills' past five draft classes have gone to a Pro Bowl. Two of them, Williams and safety Jairus Byrd, still are on the team. Williams was a 2006 fifth-round pick who has emerged as one of the NFL's top interior pass-rushers.

Worst choice: Defensive end John McCargo. The Bills traded up to select McCargo 26th overall in 2006. He has started one game since then. He was a healthy scratch for 15 games last year. The Bills tried to deal him to the Indianapolis Colts in 2009, but he failed his physical and was sent back.

Bubble player: Left tackle Demetrius Bell. On the surface, a starting left tackle from the seventh round sounds like a steal. But when you consider the Bills have banked on Bell and avoided drafting other tackles early enough to compete with him for three years, then you'd expect Bell to be an obvious franchise player. He has been OK, but far from a clear-cut solution.

Miami Dolphins

Best choice: Left tackle Jake Long. There's not much to discuss here aside from wondering how the Dolphins would be different had they drafted Matt Ryan No. 1 in 2008 instead. But Long undoubtedly has been their best draft choice of the past five years. He's an elite blocker and protector. He has been chosen for three Pro Bowls in three seasons.

Worst choice: Quarterback Pat White. The most regrettable pick of the Bill Parcells-Jeff Ireland regime was White at 44th overall in 2009. Not even former general manager Randy Mueller's fateful 2007 draft -- two of 10 picks still on the roster -- had a dud like White, who was cut after one season and retired from baseball seven months later.

Bubble player: Defensive end Jared Odrick. Last year's first-round draft choice is in a tough spot. Odrick played one game because of a hairline leg fracture. While the rookie was out, the Dolphins' three-man defensive front was cemented. Right end Randy Starks went to the Pro Bowl, while some thought left end Kendall Langford had the better season. And don't expect Starks to return to nose tackle to make way for Odrick. The Dolphins placed their franchise tag on nose tackle Paul Soliai.

New England Patriots

Best choice: Inside linebacker Jerod Mayo. Since the Patriots drafted Mayo 10th in 2008, he has led them in tackles all three years, won The Associated Press Defensive Rookie of the Year Award, has been defensive captain the past two seasons, was named first-team All-Pro last year and went to the Pro Bowl.

Worst choice: Wide receiver Chad Jackson. The Patriots traded with the Green Bay Packers to move up 16 spots and select Jackson 36th overall in 2006. Who did the Packers get with the 52nd pick? Greg Jennings. Injuries and lack of commitment forced Jackson out of New England after two seasons and 13 catches.

Bubble player: Safety Brandon Meriweather. For the most part, Meriweather has been successful. The 24th pick in 2007 has been to a pair of Pro Bowls. But how they voted him a starter last year is a mystery. Bill Belichick removed him from the starting lineup for three games because of disappointing play. That plus Meriweather's presence at a recent multiple shooting in his hometown raises questions about which way his career is going.

New York Jets

Best choice: Cornerback Darrelle Revis. The Jets not only drafted him 14th in 2007, but also spent second- and fifth-round picks to move up 11 spots for the chance. He quickly established himself as an elite lockdown cornerback. As long as he stays healthy, he should remain in the conversation for defensive player of the year for a while.

Worst choice: Defensive end Vernon Gholston. He's one of the biggest busts in franchise history. The Jets used the sixth pick of the 2008 draft on a player they thought would terrorize quarterbacks. The Jets cut him after three seasons and zero sacks.

Bubble player: Running back Shonn Greene. The Jets traded up to make Greene, the reigning Doak Walker Award winner at the time, the first pick on the second day of the 2009 draft. Greene has been solid, but he has played a supporting role to Thomas Jones and then LaDainian Tomlinson. Will 2011 be the season he takes over the lead?

The dateline on the Associated Press story is Surprise, Ariz.

And who'd a thunk it?

In the span of less than two years, second-round draft choice Pat White not only couldn't stick with the Miami Dolphins, but also has dropped an entirely different sport.

White didn't show up for spring training with the Kansas City Royals and has informed the team he's retiring from baseball.

The Dolphins had big expectations when they drafted White 44th overall out of West Virginia in 2009. He was a dual-threat quarterback, brought in to augment their chic Wildcat offense. Only he wasn't a strong enough runner or an accurate enough passer in the NFL.

White played 13 games his rookie season. He ran 21 times for 81 yards. Take out his longest attempt of 33 yards and he averaged 2.4 yards a carry. White didn’t complete any of his five pass attempts and was sacked once.

White's 2010 training camp began mysteriously. He showed up a day late. The South Florida Sun-Sentinel spoke to White's brother, who informed the paper he was dealing with a serious off-field issue that never came to light.

The Dolphins waived White as part of their final cuts, opting not to keep a fourth quarterback in addition to Chad Henne, Chad Pennington and Tyler Thigpen.

White turned to baseball, with the Royals assigning him to their Fall Instructional League.

He'd been selected in the Major League Baseball draft four times: fourth round by the Los Angeles Angels in 2006, 24th round by the Angels in 2007, seventh round by the Cincinnati Reds in 2008 and the 48th round by the New York Yankees in 2009.

The Miami Dolphins have been a lost franchise when it comes to quarterback.

Since Dan Marino's retirement, they've drafted duds (John Beck, Pat White), passed on studs (Drew Brees, Matt Ryan) and chased scuds (Daunte Culpepper, Trent Green).

Monday on the AFC East blog, I wondered where the Dolphins would be had they chosen Ryan first overall in 2008 instead of left tackle Jake Long.

Luis DeLoureiro of NFLStatsAnalysis.net also examined the Dolphins' ongoing quarterback woes for a piece on "The Fifth Down" blog at NYTimes.com.

Chad Henne certainly hasn't looked like the answer. The Dolphins this upcoming offseason probably will resume their decade-long search for the most important player on their roster.

DeLoureiro noted the Dolphins are one of only seven NFL teams to have avoided drafting a quarterback in the first round since 1998. The others are the New England Patriots, Carolina Panthers, Dallas Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs, New Orleans Saints and Seattle Seahawks. All except the Dolphins and Panthers have their man identified.

Counting on Tom Brady- or Tony Romo-type luck isn't a sound organizational strategy.

DeLoureiro pointed out the Dolphins used second-round picks on quarterbacks in four straight drafts, trading for Culpepper and then selecting Beck, Henne and White.

A dozen quarterbacks have been drafted in the second round since 2001. Henne and Jimmy Clausen are the only two starting for the teams that took them. Kordell Stewart and Jake Plummer are the only two second-round quarterbacks to have a degree of success since 1990.

DeLoureiro wrote:

For almost 20 years, Dan Marino was the face of the Dolphins. Although he didn’t win a title, he broke just about every significant single-season and career passing record. One would think that, more than anyone, the Dolphins would understand the value of a franchise quarterback. But the team has opted to avoid the risk involved with first-round quarterbacks. Unfortunately, they have also lost out on the reward that comes with first-round quarterbacks.

Miami quarterback Tyler Thigpen, suddenly the Dolphins' starter, isn't the average third-stringer.

Thigpen will make his 12th career start Thursday night, when the Dolphins host the Chicago Bears in Sun Life Stadium.

He started 11 games for the Kansas City Chiefs two seasons ago. Although he usually was listed as the Dolphins' third quarterback last year, he really was the top backup to Chad Henne, while rookie Pat White was kept active for supposed Wildcattiness.

The Dolphins' front office identified Thigpen as a player it wanted last year and traded for him after Chad Pennington went down with a season-ending shoulder injury in Week 3.

Some within the organization have compared Thigpen to a quarterback they worked with in Dallas.

ESPN's Chris Mortensen noted "there has been a belief in the organization" Thigpen's long-shot background and improvisational skills remind head coach Tony Sparano and quarterbacks coach David Lee -- former Dallas Cowboys offensive assistants -- of Tony Romo.

Romo was undrafted out of Eastern Illinois in 2003. Thigpen was a seventh-round draft choice from Coastal Carolina in 2007.

"Thigpen's an athletic guy, has got some moxie, plays with instinct, is prone to mistakes like Tony Romo was early in his career," Mortensen said. "I think Tyler Thigpen was the best third-string quarterback in football, if you can say that. I think he's good enough to start in this league."

Bill Parcells was Romo's first head coach in Dallas and was in charge of Miami's football operations when it traded for Thigpen. Dolphins general manager Jeff Ireland also came from the Cowboys.

Buffalo Bills head coach Chan Gailey was Thigpen's offensive coordinator with the Chiefs in 2008. Thigpen completed 54.8 percent of his passes for 2,608 yards and 18 touchdowns with 12 interceptions.

"What we asked him to do at Kansas City, he handled extremely well," Gailey said this week. "He's a very good athlete to start with. He can run the ball as well as throw it. He's fearless. He doesn't mind throwing it in a crowd, expecting the guy to make a play for him.

"So I like Tyler. I think Tyler will do well, unfortunately."

The Miami Dolphins didn't show much faith in Tyler Thigpen.

One play after the Tennessee Titans cut the Dolphins' lead to 20-17, quarterback Chad Henne went down with a knee injury. Henne went into the game as the backup. Chad Pennington started, but left the game with a shoulder injury after just two snaps.

That left Thigpen, the third-string quarterback, to lock down the victory.

But one play after Henne got hurt, running back Ronnie Brown took the snap and pitched to Brandon Marshall, who threw it deep.

Yes, there were third-QB rules in place, but the Dolphins snapped to Brown five straight plays, including first- and second-down plays to start the fourth quarter, before yielding to Thigpen.

Thigpen was OK. He completed four of his six attempts for 64 yards and a touchdown to help the Dolphins win 29-17.

But can he carry the Dolphins for seven weeks?

Multiple reports state Henne and Pennington are done for the season. That leaves the job to Thigpen. The Dolphins can't bring back Pat White either. He's under contract to the Kansas City Royals.

Josina Anderson of Denver's Fox affiliate tweeted the Dolphins have reached out to JaMarcus Russell to bring him in for a tryout. Russell might be the greatest draft bust in NFL history, but the Dolphins still are in the playoff hunt and desperate.

I contacted Tom Martinez, Tom Brady's personal throwing coach, who worked with Russell before the Oakland Raiders drafted the Louisiana State star first overall in 2007. I wanted to see if Martinez has been working with Russell. Martinez hasn't, but has been in touch with Russell's representatives.

"All the info I've heard is very good," Martinez said. "I understand he's in great shape and running a lot. He's always going to be a big man, but I hear he's in really, really great shape and has turned the corner."

Russell would be a great reclamation story if he has gotten his act together.

"He obviously has a lot more talent than a lot of guys who are seconds or thirds in the NFL but cannot play," Martinez said. "He can play."

Check here for a full list of roster moves.

Biggest surprise: The Dolphins' decision to release tight end David Martin isn't surprising on account of his ability, but because of the depth chart. Joey Haynos is out with a foot injury, leaving incumbent starter Anthony Fasano and the unconvincing John Nalbone. The Dolphins also cut guard Donald Thomas, who was good enough to be their opening-day starter as a rookie in 2008 and again last year. Thomas played all 16 games last year and started 12. But the Dolphins have been trying to find the correct combination for the interior offensive line since Bill Parcells arrived at the end of the 2007 season. They signed free agents Richie Incognito and Cory Procter, drafted John Jerry in the third round and just traded for Pat McQuistan from the Dallas Cowboys. Thomas couldn't beat out any of them.

No-brainers: Based on 2008 draft status, it's notable that the Dolphins already have given up on quarterback Pat White (second round) and receiver Patrick Turner (third round). But they didn't belong. Neither of them ever showed they belonged in the NFL. White was drafted to enhance the Wildcat package, but he couldn't throw. Turner was deactivated for all but two games last year and was outplayed by undrafted rookies this summer.

What's next: Miami has no glaring needs, but they could stand to improve at a number of positions. General manager Jeff Ireland will be scavenging for what he call "acorns" that have fallen out of other teams' trees. Areas to look at will be the pass rush and, as always, interior O-line.

Maybe Pat White should have switched back to baseball after all.

The Miami Dolphins swung from their heels and whiffed when they drafted West Virginia's scrambling quarterback in the second round last year. They admitted their mistake Saturday, when they released White.

The Dolphins will keep Tyler Thigpen to serve with Chad Pennington as Chad Henne's backups.

White played in 13 games as a gadget to complement the Wildcat package. He was ineffective and never showed an ability to throw against NFL defenses. He ran 21 times for 81 yards and didn't complete any of his five pass attempts. He also was sacked once.

He was virtually invisible in the preseason. In the preseason opener, he handed off once and then knelt out the clock. He didn't play at all in the second and fourth games. In the third game, he completed all four of his passes for 27 yards, got sacked once and had a 5-yard rush.

Over the offseason, with rumors circulating the Dolphins might try him at wide receiver, White tweeted he rather would return to baseball.

White was selected in the Major League Baseball draft four times: fourth round by the Los Angeles Angels in 2006, 24th round by the Angels in 2007, seventh round by the Cincinnati Reds in 2008 and the 48th round by the New York Yankees in 2009.

White's training camp began mysteriously, when he reported a day late. The South Florida Sun-Sentinel interviewed his brother and reported White would be placed on the physically unable to perform list and miss all of camp -- perhaps the entire season -- with "a non-football related issue that is described as serious."

White showed up the next day.

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.

Some thoughts from the Miami Dolphins' lightning-delayed 27-26 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Saturday night:

• Chad Henne was nothing short of great. Henne, despite drops by Ricky Williams and Brandon Marshall, completed 11 of 14 passes for 151 yards and two touchdowns to tight end Anthony Fasano. Dolphins coach Tony Sparano should be ecstatic after Henne's lukewarm preseason debut.
• Fasano is a player who could use a little mojo. He seemed to have a breakthrough season of sorts in 2008 with 34 receptions for 454 yards and a team-high seven receiving touchdowns. He had an erratic 2009, catching 31 passes for 339 yards and two touchdowns.
• Great baseball players have a way of impacting games in the field when they're slumping at the plate. Marshall showed he can make a difference even when he's having trouble with drops with sensational downfield blocking on two touchdowns.
• Chad Pennington's recovery from reconstructive shoulder surgery appears nearly complete. Saturday was a psychological milestone for him. He played one series and connected on three of his four attempts for 54 yards and a touchdown. His longest completion was a fluttering jump ball to Marshall for 37 yards down the left sideline. Vintage Pennington -- and vintage Marshall.
• Bad news for backup quarterback Pat White. He didn't take a snap. So in two games he has handed off once and knelt down twice to run out the clock. What on earth can the Dolphins do with him?
• Nose tackles aren't supposed to get sacks. Then again, nose tackles aren't supposed to be as fast as Randy Starks. He shot up the middle to drop Luke McCown for a 10-yard loss in the second quarter. The Dolphins are going with an undersized player there in place of the retired Jason Ferguson.
• The Dolphins' pass defense has to be a concern. Maybe the biggest concern through two preseason games. First-team quarterbacks Josh Freeman and David Garrard went a combined 10 of 12 for 132 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions.
• Another worry: the backup offensive line. Tyler Thigpen, who's fairly mobile, was sacked four times.
• Yet another worry: penalties. The Dolphins have committed 14 for 117 yards through two preseason games. Only five teams have been flagged more frequently, and two of them have played three games.
• Rookie cornerback Nolan Carroll continued his strong preseason. He has been impressive on defense, and on Saturday night averaged 25 yards on four kickoff returns.
• Brandon Fields went into 2010 with zero punt blocks in 61 games, including the preseason, regular season and playoffs. So it's disconcerting he has had a punt blocked in back-to-back games. Saturday night's was in the end zone for a safety on Miami's first possession. Special teams coordinator John Bonamego better fix protection.
• Jason Allen is a bust as a defensive back and certainly hasn't been worth the 16th overall pick the Dolphins used on him in 2006. But he might be the best special-teams player in the AFC East. He forced a fumble on the free kick following the safety.

Even with veteran Chad Pennington not getting a single snap Saturday night, the Miami Dolphins couldn't find the time to give quarterback Pat White any meaningful action.

Chad Henne started and Tyler Thigpen played almost three quarters' worth of their preseason opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. One handoff and two kneeldowns to run out the clock was all the Dolphins asked White to do.

It's logical to assume the Dolphins have seen all they care to from White, a second-round draft choice last year.

But head coach Tony Sparano insisted Monday the Dolphins still view White as a quarterback and have no plans to use him at another position.

"I'm not getting any closer to wanting to trying him in any place other than the one he's in right now," Sparano said, according to Miami Herald columnist Armando Salguero. "From my end, I've seen improvement in the last week -- clear improvement in the last week -- out of Pat throwing the football.

"So that part of it, I have no other agenda than to try to continue to develop that player as a quarterback on our team and see him make the same kind of improvement this week that he made last week."

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.