Chiefs cut Thomas; next stop: Miami?

Last week, a rumor circulated saying former Miami Dolphins linebacker Zach Thomas was set to retire.

Agent Drew Rosehaus denied it, but it may become a reality sooner than Thomas thinks. Sunday, the seven-time Pro Bowler was cut by Kansas City after failing to appear in any preseason games.

The question is: What now? Does Thomas hang up his cleats, and hope to one day hear his name called for the Hall of Fame?

Or, does he decide on one more regular season run, perhaps with the Dolphins?

Miami made its final 12 roster cuts over the weekend, with the most prominent names released being wide receiver Brandon London, defensive tackle Rodrique Wright and offensive lineman Nate Garner. Tight end David Martin was also placed on injured reserve.

But if you take a close look at the roster, you'll notice the Dolphins are only carrying three inside linebackers: Channing Crowder, Akin Ayodele and Reggie Torbor.

Crowder is the starter at Mike inside linebacker, Ayodele is the Mo inside linebacker, and Torbor backs up Ayodele.

Ayodele is also Crowder's backup, which means an injury to him would be especially devastating to the team.

Provided Thomas has fully recovered from an undisclosed injury -- and Rosenhaus said he was close to returning to the field last week -- wouldn't he fit right in at his old position, backing up and mentoring Crowder as he did when the former Gator first entered the league?

Thomas was cut last year by the Dolphins, in one of the first big moves in the Bill Parcells-Tony Sparano era.

But, if Parcells and Sparano were willing to take back Jason Taylor this year after the soap opera that played out last preseason, wouldn't they be willing to take back Thomas, who was still a functional player after tallying 65 tackles and 29 assists with the Cowboys in 2008?

And you know Thomas would like to return to the team he started his career with, especially with the Dolphins becoming winners again.

It would be the perfect ending to a great career, and he and brother-in-law Taylor could ride into the NFL sunset together.

Will it happen, though? At this point, it's pure conjecture. It would be a great story, to be sure. And judging from the Dolphins depth chart, perhaps a necessary move as well.

Smith starring
One thing is certain as the Dolphins prepare for opening day against Atlanta, rookie Sean Smith will be the starting cornerback. Smith topped a good preseason with an outstanding one-handed interception against the New Orleans Saints last Thursday, in Miami's 10-7 win.

The play has already hit You Tube, and it cemented Smith's place as the most intriguing rookie on the team this year. It was the second interception in three preseason games for the former Utah star, who started college as a wide receiver.

At 6-foot-3, 214 pounds, Smith is exactly the type of big, athletic corner the Dolphins need, now that they have to tangle with Terrell Owens and Randy Moss twice a year.

Also, with the current trend in the NFL towards big receivers, Smith may be the first in a wave of big corners defensive coordinators will look to in an attempt to stem the tide.

SI picks Dolphins second
The current NFL preview issue of Sports Illustrated picks the Dolphins to finish second in the AFC East, behind the New England Patriots.

Peter King projects the Dolphins will finish 8-8 and out of the playoff picture, while New England will go 13-3 and win Super Bowl XLIV.

I'll have my own prognostication later in the week, but I've written before that the Dolphins could have a better team and finish with a worse record by virtue of their tough schedule.

Williams re-signs
Ricky Williams re-signed with the Dolphins for one year, $4.35 million. That's a substantial raise from the $3.4 million he's scheduled to make this year as Ronnie Brown's backup.

Williams plans on retiring after next year to pursue a career in holistic medicine. Williams, 32, averaged 4.1 yards per carry last year, and gained 659 yards rushing. He also caught 29 passes for 219 yards and scored five combined TDs.

If he does decide to retire after next year, it's safe to say Dolphins fans will have mixed emotions, and wonder what might have been.

Williams only had four 1,000-yard seasons, with his apex coming in 2002, his first year with the Dolphins. That year, Williams set a team record with 1,853 rushing yards, and he scored 16 TDs, another Dolphins record for running backs.

The following season, he had another big year with 1,372 yards and nine TDs.

But carrying the load took its toll, and Willliams famously "retired" prior to the start of the 2004 season, taking with him all hopes for a Dolphins Super Bowl run, and eventuially costing Dave Wannstedt his job as head coach.

Williams was burned out and needed to recharge, and in doing so may have cost himself a chance at true greatness on the football field.

His career will always provide one of the great "what ifs" in Dolphins history.

(Photo: Yahoo Images)

Dolphins D faces stiff test

They've been bend-but-don't break the entire preseason, but Thursday night the Dolphins defense must play at a high level to contain the red-hot Drew Brees and his New Orleans Saints offense.

Brees is coming off a season in which he passed for the second-most yards in history, joining Dolphins Hall-of-Famer Dan Marino as the only qwuarterbacks to top 5,000 yards in a season.

And last week against the hapless Oakland Raiders, Brees put on a passing clinic, hitting on 14-of-17 throws for 179 yards and two TDs in one half of action.

In three games, Brees has tossed four TDs, no interceptions, and has an astounding QB rating of 132.7.

The Saints rang up a 38-0 halftime lead on the way to a 45-7 blowout.

The overall numbers from the game are staggering, even for preseason.

The Saints tallied an incredible 31 first downs and 536 yards of total offense -- without starting running backs Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush.

According to the Saints Web site, Thomas will not play due to a sprained MCL, while Bush is questionable with a calf injury.

Still, as the Saints proved last week, they have plenty of weapons in their offensive repertoire.

Third receiver Robert Meachem caught a 71-yard pass, and Devery Henderson added three catches for 69 yards, including a 40-yard TD. There was also a Jeremy Shockey sighting, as the tight end caught four passes for 48 yards on the day.

New Orleans is 3-0 and ranks first in the league in preseason in points per game (33), total yards (424) and most surprisingly, the Saints are second in rushing, averaging 163.7 yards per game.

Defensively, the Saints have been shockingly stingy, ranking third in the NFL allowing an average of only 9.3 points per game. The Dolphins are right behind the Saints with a 10.7 average.

With Will Smith and new addition Paul Spicer beefing up the defensive line, the Saints have ranked first in rush defense, holding opponents to 70.7 yards per game.

That will make it tough on a Dolphins running game that has yet to heat up this preseason. Miami ranks 14th in the league with an average of 112.7 yards per game.

The first unit has especially struggled, as Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown have combined for 33 carries for 123 yards and no TDs, as the offensive line has not been able to open any holes inside.

The problems haven't been confined running the ball, as Miami ranks 24th in points (16.3), and 29th in total yards (276.7) and passing (164).

Thursday, the Dolphins will have to step up the tempo to keep pace with the Saints' high octane attack.

The Dolphins defense has been solid overall, though Byron Leftwich had a good day throwing the football last week, and it would have been better had he not missed three open receivers.

Rookie corners Sean Smith and Vontae Davis should again be on the hot seat Thursday, and fans will get a better idea of how ready they are for the regular season in this final tune-up.

The starters don't figure to play much for either team, but the Dolphins' first unit defense will still have its hands full.

Also, the Miami special teams must improve against the Saints, particularly on punt returns, where the Fins are giving up an average of 12.3 yards per runback.

These are just some of the things to watch Thursday.

(Photo: Yahoo images)

Dolphins sharp in win over Panthers

After the offense struggled Monday in a 12-9 win over Jacksonville, the Dolphins regrouped in a 27-17 win over the Carolina Panthers Saturday night at Land Shark Stadium.

Chad Pennington and Chad Henne were both razor sharp; Pennington especially so in limited action.

The former New York Jet completed 8-of-11 passes for 105 yards and a 28-yard touchdown pass to Ronnie Brown.

Henne played most of the second half, hitting on 10-of-16 passes for 75 yards, including a 2-yard scoring toss to running back Joe Kowalewski that clinched the game with 3:03 to play.

The offense, which was held to 257 yards against the Jags, gained 312 yards of total offense against Carolina.

Brown looked fully recovered from his ACL tear two years ago, running seven times for 31 yards, and he displayed some nifty moves, spinning off defenders and showing more elusiveness than he did last season.

Ricky Williams added 21 yards on just three carries and Patrick Cobbs gained 24 yards on five carries as the offensive line, which did not block well against the Jags, pounded the Panthers for 141 yards rushing.

"I was happy," Coach Tony Sparano said in his postgame press conference. "I was pleased with what Ronnie and Ricky were able to do."

The running star of the second half was Miami's fourth-string running back, Lex Hilliard, who had a second straight good game with nine carries for a game-high 52 yards, including a 39-yard TD run that was the finest of the game.

The rookie from Montana hit the hole hard and showed a surprising burst.

"Lex has done a nice job," Sparano said. "He's a big back who runs like a big back."

Pat White completed 2-of-3 passes for just four yards in limited action in the second quarter, and he ran twice for 11 yards. But the big surprise was that White wasn't involved in the Dolphins' five "Wildcat" plays.

Midway through the first quarter, the Dolphins unveiled the offensive formation that swept the league last year, as Brown lined up in the shotgun and ran for two yards on the first play.

The second time the Dolphins ran the "Wildcat," Brown faked to Williams up the middle, turned and faked to Cobbs coming around the end, then kept it for no gain.

But in the second quarter, the Dolphins ran the "Wildcat" three times in four plays to much greater success.

Williams took the handoff from Brown on a sweep and gained 11 yards and a first down.

Two plays later, Brown kept the ball and ran up the middle for five and another first down.

But the Dolphins saved the biggest play for last, as Brown handed to Williams coming around the end, and he tossed the ball back to Pennington, who lofted a 38-yard pass to Cobbs to the Carolina 10-yardline.

"We ran the same four plays that every team in the league knows we have," Sparano said. "It's good homework for us to see how they defend us."

Connor Barth ended the drive with a 22-yard field goal that put Miami ahead 10-7.

The running backs also dominated on the receiving end, as Cobbs led Miami with four catches for 56 yards, and Brown added 43 yards on three receptions. Rookie Patrick Turner was Miami's leading receiver with three catches for 25 yards.

Defense shines
But while the offense rang up yards and points, the Dolphins defense held the Panthers to 244 yards of total offense.

Last year, Carolina was third in the NFL with an average of 152 rushing yards per game, but Saturday, the Dolphins front line stymied the Panthers, holding their talented backs to 98 yards rushing.

DeAngelo Williams, who rushed for 1,515 yards, gained 40 on eight carries. But that was a misleading stat, as Miami held Williams to 14 yards on seven carries. The big one came in the first quarter, when Williams was seemingly stopped behind the line of scrimmage, broke a tackle, broke another in the secondary, and scored on a 26-yard run to tie the game at 7-7.

Cornerback Vontae Davis, whistled for three penalties last week, rebounded with three tackles and an assist, and several passes defended.

"I liked what Vontae did," Sparano said. "We shouldn't have judged him on a couple of plays. He was active and made some nice tackles."

Davis played most of the game, since rookie Sean Smith and veteran Jason Allen were out with flu-like symptoms. Test results are pending, but Sparano said Smith should be back in practice Monday.

Defensive end Cameron Wake also made his presence felt with a big hit on Panthers quarterback Jake McCown on third-and-3 on a pass that was ruled incomplete.

Special teams struggle
While the offense and defense played well, the special teams were not very good, particularly in the first half.

Returner Chris Williams, who was a bright spot in the Jacksonville game, had just two yards on three returns, and he made the biggest mistake of the game when a ball bounced off his facemask at the Miami 10, and Carolina recovered at the 14.

That led to a Decori Birmingham 2-yard TD run that gave the Panthers a 14-10 halftime lead.

Williams got an earful from Sparano on the sidelines, and was replaced in the second half by Davone Bess and rookie Brian Hartline, who managed to hold onto the ball for the remainder of the game.

Williams wasn't the only special teams performer to struggle, as the Panthers took advantage of poor kick coverage to post a 14-yard average on punt returns, as well as an average of 20 yards a kick return, including two the Panthers nearly broke for scores.

Punter Brandon Fields was the best special teams player for the Dolphins, averaging 45.4 yards a kick, including a boomer that Carolina fumbled and Miami recovered at the Panthers 14-yardline.

That led to Henne's clinching TD pass to Kowalewski.

Overall, the Dolphins could have gotten an A, but the spotty special teams bring them down to a B.

Again, Miami only has a five-day layoff before taking the field, this time Thursday at 8 p.m. at Tampa Bay.

The cornerback position should be one to watch, with Davis and Smith each having one good game so far. If Smith is fully recovered, Thursday could go a long way towards deciding who will start next to Will Allen on opening day.

Also, no player has emerged from the logjam at wide receiver, with eight different wideouts getting playing time Saturday. That group will be pared to five, though Anthony Armstrong did himself no favors Saturday when he dropped a perfect third down pass from Henne that would have given the Dolphins a first down across midfield.

Right now, he's probably the wideout most likely to go, but really, no receiver has been very impressive this preseason, so Sparano has some difficult decisions ahead.

I'll check back later with any new developments.