"As running back tandems go, the Dolphins' duo of Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams is unusual, and not simply because they're closer friends than most men who are in competition for carries. They, unlike many other duos, are subtly rather than drastically different in style, which means that it usually doesn't matter much who takes the ball when, as much as that someone can take the Dolphins to victory.

"It's really just keeping them fresh," Tony Sparano said of the carry distribution.

Sunday, Brown was featured early, running hard and well. Williams was featured late, taking eight of the final nine carries after Brown ripped off a 17-yard run. Would Brown have finished off the Bills on the final drive, when Williams could not, falling a yard short after three rushes? Hard to say. That's on the blocking as well, and it didn't help that Buffalo was expecting run calls.

Yet the one drawback of the Dolphins' equitable arrangement is that Brown doesn't get a chance to keep proving what his historical statistics suggest: that he gets stronger as the game progresses."