November 16
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
columnist Ethan J. Skolnick
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His hands played a role in the Dolphins' victory, snatching three Chad Henne passes. But, as shirtless rookie Kory Kalani Kahauaele Sperry spoke, it was hard not to notice the handiwork of others. Sperry's arms, chest and torso are covered with tattoos, including several skulls and skeletons, as well as a signpost next to his naval that says "Trust No One." Sunday, the Dolphins trusted Sperry to make plays. With David Martin gone, John Nalbone slow to develop and regular starter Anthony Fasano hobbled by a hip injury, the Dolphins activated Sperry from their practice squad Saturday. They had signed the undrafted Colorado State product in September, after the San Diego Chargers released ..."
November 16
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
columnist Dave Hyde
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Chad Henne lost the game Sunday. He blew it. The coaches trusted him with a little more than a minute left, and he let everyone down by throwing the one pass he couldn't . "Disheartening,'' Henne called the interception. That's how the story would start today. It's how every phone call and any debate would go. It would flow into a discussion of a Bill Parcells quarterbacking tenet, the one that says you don't know about any quarterback until he blows a game, everyone doubts him, and he has to enter the huddle the next week and lead the team again. Henne didn't wait a week. He was back in the huddle 33 scoreboard seconds later, re-writing Sunday's story, re-energizing a dormant offense and ..."
November 16
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Watching Ronnie Brown hobble off the field late in the third quarter Sunday, Dolphins veteran Jason Ferguson feared the worst. "No, no, just … no," Ferguson, the big nose tackle, said when asked what went through his mind. Brown probably won't be able to play Thursday at Carolina, but for now it looks as though the Dolphins dodged a bullet with the injury to Brown's right ankle rather than his surgically repaired right knee. The Dolphins' leading rusher left the locker room on crutches after this 25-23 win against Tampa Bay, but Brown was not wearing a protective boot and suggested X-rays were negative. "I don't feel like it's too bad," Brown said. "Hopefully everything works out. I feel ..."
November 14
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Play time is over for the Miami Dolphins. Coach Tony Sparano saw to that this week by, let's say, suggesting players stop playing dominoes in the locker room and get their minds strictly on football. Sparano insists he didn't force the players to end the dominoes games, which often got fairly loud. "I just made a specific emphasis fun and games need to be out there on the field," Sparano said Friday. The Dolphins, of course, with their 3-5 record, are fighting to save their season in Sunday's 1 p.m. game against woeful Tampa Bay (1-7) at Land Shark Stadium. Sparano apparently thinks a stronger focus on football and game-related issues will help his team's performance."
November 14
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Study, steal, repeat. If you're an NFL coach, that doesn't make you a thief or unique. It's your duty, particularly if your team has a talent deficiency, to investigate any innovation that could give you a better shot to succeed. So what if someone else thought of it first? So Tony Sparano does that, sure. The Dolphins coach does it often enough that he deems himself "a pain in the neck" to his assistants. He watches tape of opponents, sees "all these teams doing a bunch of things," identifies interesting wrinkles that might "marry something that maybe we've done," and pesters his staff with them. But Sparano and his staff have done more than the NFL norm. They haven't merely borrowed a ..."