"For the past two days, Dolphins left tackle Jake Long has been missing from Miami's practice field, an absence that's about as difficult to overlook as waking up to find an empty driveway where your car was parked the night before.

Here's the good news for Miami: Nobody kidnapped Long -- even if the team isn't publicly saying what's wrong. A source said Long's left knee is bothering him, which has led to the decision to rest him so he'll be ready to practice next week.

``Obviously, he's been playing a little injured,'' said Henne, referencing Long's place on the injury report the past few weeks. ``But with everything he's gone through, he has played really well.''

He has actually played like a Pro Bowler, which beyond any other reason, means Miami's bye week couldn't have come at a better time. Forget about any of the philosophical opinions about when a bye best suits a team.

Here's reason No. 1: Getting Long healthy.

The Dolphins are heavily invested in Long's ability right now, most notably because of his talent and leadership. But also, in a very real but less optimistic way, because the NFL Gods only know what would happen to Miami's season without him.

``Jake is a big part of this team,'' guard Richie Incognito said."