"Adding Marques Douglas to the Dolphins' mix at defensive end met with approval from at least one prominent new teammate.

That would be Pro Bowl left tackle Jake Long, who had the unpleasant task of trying to keep Douglas blocked during both games against the Jets last season.

"The minute I saw on the Internet we'd signed him, I was happy," Long said. "He's a good player. Last year we had two games and we battled. We were in there a lot, one-on-one blocks. He's a strong guy, veteran, knows a lot of savvy tricks. He's a great player and he's going to help our defense."

At 33, Douglas is the second-oldest player on the team, trailing only Chad Pennington, 34. Entering his 10th full season in the league, Douglas has seen his share of tough assignments, none tougher than matching up against Long.

"One thing I'm glad about is I don't have to face Jake Long for two games anymore," said Douglas, who is working with the second team, behind rookie first-rounder Jared Odrick. "He can get me better in practice, and I can get him better also."

In two losses against the Dolphins last season, Douglas managed a sack and eight combined tackles. More importantly, he earned Long's respect.

The Dolphins signed Douglas to a two-year, $4.5 million contract on July 23 in the wake of Phillip Merling's season-ending Achilles' injury ."