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The Cleveland Browns need a No. 1 wide receiver. The Cincinnati Bengals need a No. 2 one. And the Baltimore Ravens need a No. 3 target.

But all three did nothing to address these voids as the deep free-agent pool for wide receivers quickly evaporated. What's left? Brandon Lloyd (who could be headed for a reunion with Josh McDaniels in New England), a few second-tier wide receivers and a bunch that won't significantly improve a passing attack.

The Browns will have to look to the draft for a go-to receiver because there really isn't one left in free agency. To make matters worse, Mario Manningham said the Browns aren't even on his radar.

The Bengals' top options to pair with A.J. Green include Manningham, Laurent Robinson (scheduled to visit Jacksonville), Early Doucet, Deion Branch and Plaxico Burress. Cincinnati is looking for a more dependable No. 2 receiver than Jerome Simpson and Andre Caldwell, both of whom are free agents.

The Ravens likely want a No. 3 receiver who can also serve as a returner. Baltimore reportedly has shown interest in the Broncos' Eddie Royal and could go after the 49ers' Ted Ginn.

Here's a recap of what happened with wide receivers on Day 1 of free agency:

Vincent Jackson: Signed with Tampa Bay (five years, $55.5 million)

Marques Colston: Re-signed with New Orleans (five years, reportedly between $35 million and $40 million)

Reggie Wayne: Re-signed with Indianapolis (three years, $17.5 million)

Pierre Garcon: Signed with Washington Redskins (five years, $42.5 million)

Robert Meachem: Signed with San Diego (four years, $25.9 million)

A look at some news and notes on the first night of free agency:

BENGALS: Veteran cornerback Aaron Ross is scheduled to visit Cincinnati on Thursday, according to the Star-Ledger. Slant: Ross is a solid addition as the third corner but not a starting one. A first-round pick by the Giants in 2007, he struggled at times but he did start for two Super Bowl teams.

BROWNS: The team re-signed backup tight end Alex Smith to a one-year contract, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Slant: This is a strong move in terms of locker room chemistry. His fiery attitude is contagious.

RAVENS: Wide receiver/returner Eddie Royal, who I had as a good fit for the Ravens, is working on a deal with the Redskins, according to ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter. Slant: The fact that any team is closing in on Royal this fast shows you how aggressive the free-agent market is for wide receivers. Perhaps the Ravens look to another receiver/returner option in Ted Ginn.

STEELERS: The team won't be active because of cap limitations, but that hasn't stopped Steelers players from commenting on free agency. "With all these moves in the NFL! I must gotta say when my contract is up I never wanna leave the steelers!," offensive tackle Marcus Gilbert posted on Twitter. "Winning stability and a true fam." Slant: If Gilbert establishes himself as a left tackle, the Steelers need to save this tweet and bring it to negotiations when he becomes a free agent in 2015.

Kudos to NFC West colleague Mike Sando for eliciting a rare admission from the NFL regarding a call we discussed in our earlier Dirty Laundry post.

As you recall, referee Mike Carey's crew spotted the ball five yards away from where the San Francisco 49ers' Ted Ginn went out of bounds at the end of a critical punt return in the fourth quarter of the Detroit Lions' 25-19 loss.

Here is the NFL's statement: "The officiating crew incorrectly spotted the ball at the Detroit 35 instead of the 40 where Ted Ginn went out of bounds."

So there you go. I'm not sure that spot was the difference in the game, but it did put the 49ers five yards closer to their eventual game-winning touchdown.

The league didn't comment on the pair of possible illegal blocks that occurred on the play, which is not unusual. Those calls are subjective. Marking the line of scrimmage is an objective exercise, and it was simply a mistake.

Buffalo Bills general manager Buddy Nix recently said rare circumstances would be required to trade the club's third overall draft choice. He sounded fixed on making that pick, even though he has no idea how much it will cost him.

There's curiosity over what the New England Patriots will do with their abundance of draft assets. They have enough picks that they could trade up into the top 10. Yet they don't know how rich that territory will be.

We know the NFL draft will begin Thursday night. Unclear are the dollars it will take to sign those picks.

Rookie cost controls almost certainly will be part of the next collective bargaining agreement, but will that deal be hammered out before the 2011 season?

If not, then teams might operate under last year's rules. That would mean more outrageous guaranteed dollars to prospects who haven't snapped an NFL chinstrap. A league source calculated NFL teams have committed over $3.154 billion in guarantees to first-round draft choices since 2000.

The Associated Press reported the NFL's proposal for a rookie pay system -- made before the lockout -- included $300 million in diverted funds that instead would go to veteran contracts and player benefits and slow the rapid growth of guaranteed first-round money (up 233 percent since 2000).

First-round contracts would be capped at five years under the proposal. All other draft picks would be capped at four years. The player's maximum allowable salary would go down if he hadn't signed by training camp, a deterrent to holding out.

Buffalo News reporter Mark Gaughan recently estimated the Bills would save roughly $15 million on their No. 3 pick with rookie cost controls. That certainly would make another Aaron Maybinesque pick more digestible.

With all this in mind, let's examine how much guaranteed money AFC East clubs have spent on their first-round draft picks since 2000. Data provided from the aforementioned league source shows the Patriots have spent most efficiently, the New York Jets have spent the most total dollars and the Miami Dolphins have spent the most per player.

The Dolphins have drafted eight first-rounders since 2000 and spent an average of $12.043 million in guaranteed money. That figure ranks eighth among all NFL clubs, but those players averaged only 37 starts for Miami.

Only the Buffalo Bills averaged fewer starts from their first-rounders at 36.2, but the Bills rank 19th in average guaranteed dollars committed.

Left tackle Jake Long's mammoth contract inflates Miami's dollar figure. The top 2008 pick became the highest-paid offensive lineman in NFL history days before commissioner Roger Goodell said Long's name at Radio City Music Hall. Running back Ronnie Brown was rewarded with $19.5 million guaranteed as the second pick in 2005.

Those picks were successful, but the Dolphins also committed $13.865 million to receiver Ted Ginn, $9.016 million to cornerback Jason Allen and $7.133 million to defensive end Jared Odrick.

The Jets' massive guarantee total includes left tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson ($29.6 million), quarterback Mark Sanchez ($28 million), outside whatever Vernon Gholston ($21 million), cornerback Darrelle Revis ($14.7 million) and defensive tackle Dewayne Robertson ($14.7 million).

There are a couple royal busts in there, but the Jets still have spent relatively well. Despite picking in roughly the same average first-round slot as the Dolphins and Bills since 2000, the Jets have averaged nearly 61 starts per player.

The Bills' big-ticket items have been running back C.J. Spiller ($18.9 million), left tackle Mike Williams ($14.4 million) and Maybin ($10.9 million).

Buffalo's first-round picks ranked 19th in the NFL when it came to average guaranteed dollars.

The Patriots have committed eight figures in guaranteed money to only two of their 10 first-round selections since 2000 because of their penchant to trade back. Their average first-rounder is taken 20.7th overall.

Inside linebacker Jerod Mayo ($13.8 million) and defensive end Richard Seymour ($11 million) are the Patriots' lone top-10 picks under Bill Belichick and look like basement bargains compared to other names mentioned above.

Of the recurrent debates that take place in the AFC East blog comments, one of the more entertaining occurs when New York Jets and Miami Dolphins fans chirp about their head-to-head matchups.

Jets fans gloat because they've been to the AFC Championship game two years in a row. Dolfans counter with the fact the Jets have won once in their past five meetings.

It's a tough rivalry -- on and off the field.

"It's always going to be there," Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis said last week in Dolphins territory. "It always is because I guess it's just that chip on our shoulder, and you want to kick their butt."

The topic came up because Revis was in Pahokee, Fla., for a community event to benefit Baltimore Ravens receiver Anquan Boldin's hometown.

"It is a fun rivalry to be a part of," Revis said. "There's a lot of history with the Jets and the Dolphins, and I don't think it will ever die down. It doesn't matter if we're 0-14 or if they're 1-15 when we play those games. That's why they're so tough, and they always come down to six points or less because they're always tough games."

Revis' mathematical memory is sharp. The average margin of victory over the past three years has been 5.7 points. The Dolphins have outscored the Jets 132-126 in that span.

Jets head coach Rex Ryan lost both games against the Dolphins in his first year. Ted Ginn was the biggest problem, scoring on a long touchdown pass from Chad Henne in the first game and returning two kickoffs for touchdowns in the rematch at the Meadowlands.

The Jets won last year's first meeting by eight points in Sun Life Stadium, but the Dolphins won at the Meadowlands, a sloppy 10-6 contest.

That's life in the AFC East, Revis noted.

"I think it's one of the toughest [divisions] in the league," Revis said. "I mean, going up against Tom Brady twice, you've got to be on your A-plus game every time you play against him.

"But also to bring the Bills up to light and the Dolphins to light -- they're two great organizations, too, and we know you can win or lose one of those games. It doesn't matter. The Bills had a tough year last year, but you can see they competed and you want to win both of them, but you might only win one."

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.

When word got out the New York Jets would release defensive end Vernon Gholston, I solicited your nominees for the AFC East's biggest draft busts.

These disappointments received the most votes for each club:

Buffalo Bills

1. Defensive end Aaron Maybin (11th in 2009)
2. Tackle Mike Williams (fourth in 2002)
3. Quarterback J.P. Losman (22nd in 2004)
4. Defensive tackle John McCargo (26th in 2006)
5. Defensive end Erik Flowers (26th in 2000)

Comment: Sadly, Buffalo's list suggests readers don't remember the team before the Music City Miracle. Last year's strong safety, Donte Whitner, finished sixth. Epic busts Walt Patulski (first in 1972), Tony Hunter (12th in 1983) and Perry Tuttle (19th in 1982) received only one vote each. Nobody mentioned running back Terry Miller (fifth in 1978).

Miami Dolphins

1. Receiver Yatil Green (15th in 1997)
2. Receiver Ted Ginn (ninth in 2007)
3. Running back John Avery (29th in 1998)
4. Cornerback Jamar Fletcher (26th in 2001)
5. Receiver Randal Hill (23rd in 1991), Eric Kumerow (16th in 1988), running back Sammie Smith (ninth in 1989)

Comment: The Dolphins were the most nominated team in this exercise. They led with 16 nominees and the number of votes cast. Green didn't play in his rookie or sophomore seasons because of injuries and lasted eight games his third year. My pick would have been Kumerow, whose career consisted of three seasons, zero starts and five sacks.

New England Patriots

• Running back Laurence Maroney (21st in 2006)
• Receiver Chad Jackson (36th in 2006)
• Receiver Hart Lee Dykes (16th in 1989)
• Cornerback Chris Canty (29th in 1997)
• Offensive lineman Eugene Chung (13th in 1992), defensive end Kenneth Sims (first in 1982), linebacker Chris Singleton (eighth in 1990)

Comment: I was surprised Sims didn't receive more attention. He was the No. 1 choice ahead of Marcus Allen, Gerald Riggs, Mike Munchak, Jim McMahon and Chip Banks. Maroney received the most votes, but he also generated the most spirited debate because many readers disagreed he should be considered a bust. Jackson was a second-round pick, but the Patriots traded up 16 spots to get him.

New York Jets

1. Running back Blair Thomas (second in 1990)
2. Defensive end Vernon Gholston (sixth in 2008)
3. Tight end Kyle Brady (ninth in 1995)
4. Defensive tackle DeWayne Robertson (fourth in 2003)
5. Receiver Johnny "Lam" Jones (second in 1980)

Comment: There was a lot of material to work with here. I was satisfied readers emphasized the magnitude of the bust over the freshness of Gholston's release by voting for Thomas. The next running back off the board in 1990 was Emmitt Smith.

A couple of years back, when Dolfans envisioned their offense eventually switching from Chad Pennington to Chad Henne, it was easy to imagine a stronger downfield passing attack.

For whatever reason, that hasn't materialized.

Whether offensive coordinator Dan Henning refuses to stretch the field, the coaching staff doesn't have the faith in Henne to let him try or Henne has the opportunities and doesn't pull the trigger, the Dolphins have gone deep less than any other team.

An inability to score is one of the reasons the Dolphins demoted Henne on Wednesday and returned Pennington to the helm.

Pennington provides numerous assets, but arm strength never has been among them. He helped the Dolphins win the AFC East title in 2008 mostly with a menagerie of possession receivers (plus the underwhelming Ted Ginn) and a forceful ground game. But Pennington wasn't a threat to go deep.

Henne would be different, it was believed. When Pennington suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in Week 3 of the 2009 season, Henne took over and went 7-9 with Pennington's receivers.

Henne needed a go-to target to open up the passing attack and showcase that right arm. Henne even lobbied publicly for help, and the Dolphins traded for superstar Brandon Marshall.

So what? The terrible Carolina Panthers are the lone NFL team with fewer touchdowns this year. Marshall has one touchdown.

ESPN Stats & Information notes that 31 quarterbacks have attempted more throws that have traveled longer than 20 yards in the air than Henne has. He has completed four of 14 attempts of that distance. A dozen quarterbacks have thrown at least 30 such attempts.

A breakdown of Henne's attempts by distance shows how much the Dolphins have remained a dink-and-dunk passing team with Henne.

If that's the way the Dolphins insist upon operating, and defenses know it, then reinserting Pennington's leadership and decision-making could make a positive difference. The Dolphins are 4-4 and see their season getting away from them. Pennington could provide a spark.

For perspective, let's take a look at how other AFC East clubs have chosen to attack downfield.

The New York Jets aren't afraid to let Mark Sanchez throw bombs, and they have benefited greatly. Not only are the Jets scoring touchdowns, but those types of plays also create more space for running backs and underneath routes by loosening up defensive formations.

Even the winless Buffalo Bills go deep more often than the Dolphins. Ryan Fitzpatrick, a career backup, has 33 attempts of 21 yards or farther -- in just six games.

Based on this data, we can see the Dolphins won't miss Henne's big arm by taking him off the field.

But that's because it never was flexed in the first place.

After they dumped quarterback Trent Edwards and traded running back Marshawn Lynch in consecutive weeks, a lone member of the Buffalo Bills' 2007 draft class remained on the roster.

Just three years later, one keeper is a lousy return.

But consider how the rest of AFC East drafted in 2007.

Only six of 30 AFC East draftees from 2007 still are with the team that drafted them: two New York Jets, two Miami Dolphins, one New England Patriot and one Bill. (See chart below.)

The Jets were most effective. They drafted just four players. Their first two have been stars, and the last pick helped them acquire a standout receiver. They traded up to select star cornerback Darrelle Revis 14th overall and top inside linebacker David Harris 47th. Seventh-round pick Chansi Stuckey was sent to the Cleveland Browns in the trade that landed receiver Braylon Edwards.

The Patriots were the least efficient on nine picks, but they had only two selections inside the first four rounds. Their lone keeper was Pro Bowl safety Brandon Meriweather in the first round.

The Dolphins made 10 selections in what was the final draft class for general manager Randy Mueller and the only one for rookie head coach Cam Cameron. They famously misfired on ninth overall pick Ted Ginn, who was traded for a fifth-round pick this offseason, and second-round quarterback John Beck. Still around are defensive tackle Paul Soliai and punter Brandon Fields.

The last man standing from Buffalo's seven-man 2007 draft class is second-round linebacker Paul Posluszny.

So that's a 20 percent retention rate for the AFC East on all draftees and a 40 percent rate for those selected in the top three rounds.

With help from ESPN researcher Keith Hawkins and the Elias Sports Bureau, I wanted to find out how those percentages compared leaguewide.

Poorly, it turns out.

Of the 225 players chosen in other divisions that year, 100 have remained with the teams that drafted them. That's 44.4 percent overall, more than twice the AFC East rate.

When narrowing the field to players taken within the first three rounds, 89 prospects were absorbed into other divisions, and 54 have stuck, a success rate of 60.7 percent.

A few notes turned up by the research:

• The Dolphins are the only team that has gotten rid of their top four picks.
• Twenty-six teams have parted ways with at least one of their picks from the first three rounds.
• Of the 19 teams that had at least one pick in each of the first three rounds, only the Pittsburgh Steelers retained all of them (Lawrence Timmons, LaMarr Woodley, Matt Spaeth).

» NFC Final Word: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

Five nuggets of knowledge about Week 3:

The best way for the Dolphins to put up points on the Jets won't be the run game or the long ball. When thinking about what the Dolphins' offense can do best, two images come to mind: Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams pounding the ball and Chad Henne using his big arm. The best formula might be the short passing game. Since Jets head coach Rex Ryan took over and installed his defense, the Jets have allowed only 27.1 percent completions on passes longer than 15 yards, but 60.3 percent on passes 14 yards or shorter, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Henne took advantage last year in beating the Jets twice, completing 75 percent of his passes of 14 yards or shorter. He averaged 7.1 yards per attempt, gained 17 first downs and threw for a pair of touchdowns with no interceptions. On such throws against the Jets, Henne posted a 110.9 passer rating.

Nobody should be laughing about the Bills' chances to beat the Patriots. True enough, the Bills never have won in Gillette Stadium and have lost 13 straight to the Patriots regardless of venue. But let's not forget the Bills would've won in New England last year if not for a fluke play. Buffalo presents some tough matchups for New England. Ryan Fitzpatrick isn't Buffalo's franchise quarterback, but he's the right choice for this game. New England's secondary has been vulnerable, and, unlike Trent Edwards, Fitzpatrick will test those unproven cornerbacks. Buffalo's chief strength is its underrated pass defense. If the Bills can get some pressure on Tom Brady, especially with sergeant at arms Kevin Faulk out of the lineup, then they'll have a chance.

Sunday night could be a huge turnover game for Mark Sanchez. Young quarterbacks are erratic. Just when you think they have it figured out -- Sanchez had the best day of his career last week against New England -- they waver. Sanchez hasn't committed a turnover this season, but Miami has an opportunistic defense that must be passed against if New York wants to win. Miami extracted four turnovers out of Brett Favre last week. Granted, Favre has been prone to those kinds of games throughout his career, but Sanchez has shown that propensity as well. Sanchez will need to be on point.

Patriots outside linebacker Tully Banta-Cain is looking at Sunday's game like it's Christmas. When you look at Banta-Cain's stat line for last year, you can't help but be impressed. He led the Patriots with 10 sacks. But take a look at his game-by-game production. Seven of his sacks came on three days, leaving him with three sacks in his other 13 games. Banta-Cain amassed five of his sacks against the Bills, two in the season opener and three more in the rematch. He's off to a decent start this year with 1.5 sacks through two games.

As happy as Brady is to know Aaron Schobel won't be chasing him Sunday, the Jets have to be even more stoked Ted Ginn isn't with the Dolphins anymore. The Jets went to the playoffs last year, while the Dolphins watched on television. But the Dolphins did sweep the season series with monumental contributions from Ginn, whose last memory in South Florida will be of dropped passes and torturing the Jets. In the first game, which featured five lead changes in the fourth quarter, Ginn beat broken coverage for a 53-yard touchdown strike from Henne. In the rematch, Ginn set an NFL record by returning two kickoffs of at least 100 yards for touchdowns in a game the Jets lost by five points.

The Miami Dolphins have been a smash-mouth team since Bill Parcells assumed control and hired a head coach with handoff aminos in his genetic code, former offensive line coach Tony Sparano.

With their first draft choice, they grabbed left tackle Jake Long, and on that enormous slab -- with the benefit of running backs Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams -- they built a philosophy that allowed for a throwback ground attack called the Wildcat.

But what do we make of the Dolphins' offense moving forward?

They've known for nearly a year they would enter 2010 with big-armed quarterback Chad Henne as their starter. They added star receiver Brandon Marshall in April, creating wonder of what kind of offense the Dolphins will deploy.

I had the chance to ask Long how the Dolphins have evolved.

He claimed they haven't much.

"First and foremost, we want to run the ball," Long said. "As an offense, if we can run the ball and wear defenses down, that's a point of pride. That's an organizational goal with wanting to be dominant in the run game.

"Last year we were fourth in the league. This year we want to be first in running the ball. That's our No. 1 goal."

The Dolphins didn't demonstrate that attitude against the Dallas Cowboys in Thursday night's preseason finale. Perhaps emphasizing some particular elements of their offense in their last dress rehearsal, the Dolphins ran only 12 times with their running backs (quarterbacks Tyler Thigpen and Chad Pennington scrambled four times) while throwing 39 passes.

Last year, the Dolphins had 1,088 offensive snaps, most in the NFL.

They ran 509 times and passed 545 times.

So the Dolphins don't necessarily have to throw more, but they should expect to be more effective when they do now that they have Marshall. Their 6.2 yards per attempt tied for 24th in the league.

"We're working very hard up front to protect Chad," Long said. "If we do that, he can sling the ball. We got great receivers. We want to be a more balanced offense, and I think we can do that with the players we have."

Marshall's presence will help the run game for sure. He'll keep defenses more honest than the possession-dominant crew the Dolphins were working with. Their only legitimate downfield threat was Ted Ginn, but he played small and dropped enough passes to quell any fears within an opposing secondary.

"Defenses are going to watch out for him," Long said. "That'll maybe slow down blitzes a bit because they're going to have to watch him out on the edge, and one-on-one coverage he can definitely beat."

Long also admires the way Marshall blocks. In their preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars he blocked like a fiend to help pave the way on two touchdowns.

"He's a very unselfish guy," Long said. "To have him out there and not only be a great receiver, but to have him blocking and giving his body up when he doesn't have the ball is pretty impressive."

Brandon Marshall hasn't played an official down for the Miami Dolphins yet, but it sounds like he might have hit some sort of breaking point already.

Marshall dropped the only two passes thrown to him in Saturday night's preseason opener. He struggled again at Monday's practice.

Here's how Palm Beach Post reporter Ben Volin saw it:

Monday, his frustrations finally played out on the practice field. Toward the end of practice, after Marshall dropped a short pass in the end zone, he picked up the ball and punted it over the fence. He then spent the rest of the practice standing by himself on the sideline, though it is not clear if he was ordered to do so, or was just brooding by himself. Marshall also had two passes swatted away by Vontae Davis during one-on-one drills earlier in practice.

Maybe it's that No. 19 jersey.

Ken LaVicka of ESPN 760 in West Palm Beach interviewed veteran quarterback Chad Pennington after practice to get his perspective on how the team should help Marshall deal with his frustrations.

"Encourage him off the field and just let him work through it," Pennington said. "A lot of things going through his mind, and really probably the biggest thing is he's trying too hard. He wants to do so well. He's just trying too hard.

"So let him work his way through it, be there to pick him up when he needs it, but other than the drops, man, he's playing really good fundamental football. He's blocking well. He's taking the right steps. It'll come."

Some bullet-point thoughts on the Colts’ 37-17 preseason loss to San Francisco on Sunday afternoon.

Impressive:

• The starters on offense put together a smooth and efficient 89-yard touchdown drive on their first chance. Peyton Manning hit on 8 of 10 passes for 91 yards, and got to where people want him in these games -- to the sideline with a ball cap on.
• The front-line defense, minus some key guys who were held out, made plays. Philip Wheeler forced a fumble right out of the gate. Robert Mathis pushed rookie tackle Anthony Davis around. Jerraud Powers pounced on a tipped ball for an interception, and scared Ted Ginn into a drop.
• Rookie linebackers Pat Angerer and Kavell Conner were both very productive. Angerer had a couple sacks, and Conner was in on a lot of tackles. Barring injuries, there should not be room for them on defense. But they should be impact special teams guys.

Unimpressive:

• Curtis Painter was incredibly ineffective. Even with protection issues, his performance makes it impossible to say he’s improved on his rookie work. He was 9-for-19 for 64 yards with three interceptions. Yeesh. San Francisco third-stringer Nate Davis was more calm and collected than Painter and the Colts’ third quarterback, Tom Brandstater.
• Everyone was looking for a chance to assess new returners, but we’ll have to wait at least until Game 2. Kickoff returns by Brandon James and Sam Giguere looked like the same old deal, and James only had a chance to field one punt.
• Run defense in the second half against San Francisco’s bulky rookie Anthony Dixon was insufficient. He will head back to the Bay Area feeling very good about himself after 21 carries for 100 yards and a touchdown.

Unfortunate:

• Reserve safety and special teamer Jamie Silva went down with what looks to be a serious knee injury.

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.

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What's the worst call to have spoiled the result for an AFC East team?

In the past few weeks, Koman Coulibaly and Jim Joyce made two of the most infamous officiating blunders.

On a global stage, Coulibaly's no-goal gaffe might cost the U.S. soccer team a place in the knockout round of the World Cup. Joyce spoiled baseball history when he blew a call at first base on what should have completed a perfect game.

At least they're not alone in sports history. Plenty of other officials have made dubious calls that have changed the outcome of a big game.

The AFC East has seen its share. With help from my Facebook friends, I came up with a short list of controversial calls to consider.

We'll steer clear of the calls that helped an AFC East team win. So forget the Tuck Rule or Vinny Testaverde's phantom touchdown plunge. We're looking for heartbreak here.

With 52 seconds left in their 1976 playoff game, New England Patriots defensive lineman Ray Hamilton was called for a highly questionable roughing penalty on Oakland Raiders quarterback Ken Stabler. The Patriots were up by four points. The Raiders faced a third-and-18 from New England's 27-yard line. Stabler's pass was incomplete, but the flag gave the Raiders a first down, and they eventually punched into the end zone.

The Patriots defeated the Miami Dolphins in the Snow Plow Game in 1982. On a winter wonderland of a field, Patriots coach Ron Meyer ordered a plow onto the field to clear kicker John Smith's placement for a 33-yard field goal with 4:45 to play. Officials didn't prevent it. Final score: Patriots 3, Dolphins 0.

In 1998, a questionable fourth-down conversion immediately followed by a wild penalty in the end zone as time expired infuriated the Buffalo Bills so much they didn't line up for the extra point in a vexing loss to the Patriots. A Hail Mary pass interference gave New England the ball on Buffalo's 1-yard line. Down by four points, Drew Bledsoe tossed to Ben Coates for the touchdown.

Bills fans bemoan the Music City Miracle, one of the most controversial plays in NFL history. The Tennessee Titans pulled off what I believe was a perfect lateral to eliminate the Bills from the 1999 playoffs. Despite a video review that seemed to have more interpretations than a Salvador Dali painting, the touchdown stood. The Bills haven't returned to the postseason.

Last year, a Sports Illustrated photo showed Dolphins receiver Ted Ginn stripped New Orleans Saints safety Darren Sharper shy of the goal line. The ball bounded out of the end zone for what should have been a Dolphins' touchback, but a review upheld Sharper's pick-six, a critical play in a dramatic Saints' victory. Had the Dolphins won, it might have helped them get into the playoffs.

There are so many others to choose from. Please share your thoughts in the comments section.