November 20
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
columnist Dave Hyde
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Here's why Ricky Williams might be the most amazing story in football right now: He's doing things he never did before. No one expected that from him. Not at 32, in his second football act, after all the miles and all the stories. But Thursday night, in the 24-17 victory against Carolina, the Dolphins offense wasn't just Run, Ricky, Run. It started with this: Catch, Ricky, Catch. Asked to be a feature back in a competitive season for first time since he wore dreadlocks, Williams caught a 14-yard pass for the Dolphins' first touchdown. He then ran a 1-yard touchdown out of the Wildcat formation for the second touchdown. He'd never done this before, by the way. Never run for and caught a ..."
November 20
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Lex Hilliard had waited a long time for his opportunity to contribute on offense, so what was one more play? The Dolphins' second-year tailback's first run Thursday night, a 13-yard trot up the gut of Carolina's defense, was erased by a holding call on center Jake Grove. No worries, because the very next pass, a 6-yard dumpoff from quarterback Chad Henne, came Hilliard's way, providing his first statistical contribution to the offense during the regular season. He followed up his first NFL catch with and 18-yard run that set up the Dolphins' first touchdown. Hilliard inherited a larger role against Carolina because of Ronnie Brown's foot injury, which landed the team's leading runner on ..."
November 20
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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OK, so maybe this wasn't "Porter's House," the weekly segment Joey Porter tapes for the league-run television arm. But the man with the self-described alter ego called "Peezy" still set the early tone Thursday night on the NFL Network. Clearly invigorated by his one-game benching four days earlier, the veteran linebacker keyed a strong Dolphins pass rush that produced four sacks and a much-needed 24-17 win over the Carolina Panthers. "Joey kind of got it started," said Dolphins coach Tony Sparano, who made the decision to sit Porter down for reasons still not fully explained. "I was pleased with the pass rush. We needed it." On an evening filled with smack talk and vicious hits, the ..."
November 19
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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The new place is called Proof, set in a swanky Ocean Drive hotel, and the Tuesday night scene was one specific to South Beach: short-skirted waitresses strutting off for wee kiwi sangria so that the patrons can wash down their "lick it like a lollipop" Thai wings. The surprise wasn't necessarily that you would find Ricky Williams in such a spot. The surprise, considering how he has sometimes shunned the spotlight in recent years, was that you would find him with the assistance of an invitation promising his presence. Yet there he was, as advertised, Tuesday, at a restaurant where he helped pick the menu. And there he will be, in the Thursday night spotlight, once again the main entrée in ..."
November 18
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Miami Dolphins running back Ronnie Brown will miss Thursday night's game against the Carolina Panthers, according to coach Tony Sparano. "Ronnie Brown is out for this game," he said. "He will go see a specialist and we'll see. It's more of a foot injury." The Dolphins also could be without several other starters. Tight end Anthony Fasano sat out Tuesday's practice nursing the hip injury that kept him out of Sunday's 25-23 win over Tampa Bay, and while starting left guard Justin Smiley is working on a limited basis, Nate Garner, his replacement in Sunday's game, remains with the starting unit. Smiley, who is nursing a shoulder injury he suffered on Nov. 8th in the loss to the Patriots, sat ..."
November 16
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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It didn't take the Carolina Panthers long to find the soft spot in the Falcons' defense Sunday. They exposed the left cornerback position early and often, and it helped set the tone for the Panthers' 28-19 win at Bank of America Stadium. Much-maligned quarterback Jake Delhomme directed three first-half scoring drives with touchdown passes of 4 and 1 yards to Steve Smith, and wound up completing 15 of 24 for 195 yards. "I think Jake had a very good game," Falcons coach Mike Smith said. "They managed the game very well on their side of the ball. They were able to run the ball, throw the ball, get the ball out of his hands very quickly. "Each and every week, it's about the matchup. We ..."
November 16
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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No one can mistake the Atlanta Falcons for road warriors. They even switched up travel arrangements for Sunday's big NFC South matchup with the Carolina Panthers and took buses up I-85. But no matter what the travel mode -- bus, plane, skateboard -- the Falcons continue to misfire on the road. Literally and figuratively, they kicked away several opportunities to take control of the game before falling to the Panthers, 28-19, before 73,329 fans at Bank America Stadium. "We are not sustaining the level of play that we need to be successful," Falcons coach Mike Smith said. With quarterback Matt Ryan throwing two key interceptions, Jason Elam missing another critical chip shot and the lost of ..."