Despite numerous indications that a deal would go down, the Cincinnati Bengals once again have failed to trade for a new defensive tackle.

FOXSports.com has learned that Dewayne Robertson of the New York Jets, who met with Bengals officials at team headquarters on Monday, will not be traded to Cincinnati.

While they lost out on Robertson, Bengals upgraded their defensive line today by signing free-agent end Antwan Odom to a five-year, $29.5 million contract.

The deal includes $11.5 million in guaranteed money, a source told FOXSports.com.

The 26-year-old Odom is coming off his best NFL season, having recorded eight sacks last season with Tennessee. The Bengals were in the market for a new end after losing Justin Smith in free agency to San Francisco.

Robertson has two years remaining on the rookie deal he signed as the No. 4 pick of the 2003 draft. He is set to earn $1.5 million in base salary this season.

Robertson, who spoke Sunday night to Bengals coach Marvin Lewis, has been a poor fit in the 3-4 defensive scheme New York installed when Eric Mangini became head coach in 2006. Robertson, 26, would likely be better suited to play in a 4-3 system as a penetrating-style defensive tackle.

The Bengals thought they had an agreement Friday with Detroit to acquire defensive tackle Shaun Rogers. But a contractual issue nullified the deal, leading to the Lions instead agreeing to send Rogers to Cleveland for a third-round draft pick and cornerback Leigh Bodden.

Robertson became expendable in New York when the Jets acquired defensive tackle Kris Jenkins in a Friday trade with Carolina. A source said the new Jets contract Jenkins signed includes $9.5 million in guaranteed money and a $4.5 million roster bonus due in March. The total value of the five-year contract is $30.25 million with $18 million coming in the first three seasons, the source said.

Media reports have stated Jenkins was set to earn $20 million in guaranteed money from the Jets. 

 

 

 

Add Carlton Haselrig to the list of former NFL players venturing into the world of mixed martial arts.

 

Haselrig, who played with Pittsburgh (1990 to 1993) and the New York Jets (1995), is set to make his MMA debut April 19 in Atlantic City, N.J. Nicknamed “Don’t Blink,” Haselrig will be facing fellow 265-pound fighter Shane Ott in the main event of Battle Cage Extreme IV.

 

Haselrig, 42, remains the only six-time NCAA champion Greco-Roman wrestler (he won three titles on both the Division I and Division II levels). Despite not having played football collegiately, Haselrig was voted to the 1992 Pro Bowl just four seasons after being a 12th-round Steelers draft choice.

 

But drug and alcohol problems derailed Haselrig’s football career, leading to a 1995 NFL suspension while he was with the Jets. Haselrig also has gotten arrested on numerous occasions.

 

Johnny Morton, Michael Westbrook, Bob Sapp and Marcus Jones are other NFL players who have pursued MMA careers after leaving football. Sapp, a 1997 third-round draft pick by Chicago, has become a superstar in Japan although was knocked out last month in his U.S. MMA debut to Jan Nortje.

There are no guarantees Ricky Williams will be on Miami’s 2008 roster, but the Dolphins may soon have an opening for a new backup running back behind starter Ronnie Brown.

Jesse Chatman, who handled that role in 2007, is scheduled for a free-agent meeting Wednesday with the New York Jets.

Out of football for almost two seasons, Chatman resurrected his career last year by rushing for 515 yards and one touchdown. Chatman also started six games in place of the injured Brown (knee) before being maligned with ankle problems.

Williams started in place of the injured Chatman last November against Pittsburgh after being reinstated by the NFL following a 19-month drug suspension. Williams, though, suffered a torn pectoral muscle after just six carries in that game and missed the rest of the season.

Dolphins executive vice president Bill Parcells exercised a one-year option on Williams’ contract immediately after the season ended. The move insured Williams, 30, couldn’t opt out of his current deal and become a free agent.

Williams is now slated to earn a 2008 base salary of $730,000, which is the NFL-minimum base salary for a player with seven accredited seasons. It’s also a bargain if Williams can regain the form that made him one of the NFL’s top rushers before repeated drug suspensions derailed his football career.

The Dolphins selected Florida State running back Lorenzo Booker in the third round of last year’s draft. But Booker struggled for playing time as a rookie and, at 5-foot-11 and 191 pounds, may not have the size to handle an every-down role.

Coming off a torn anterior cruciate ligament, Brown is expected to return for the start of the regular season. Brown, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2005 draft, was enjoying his best NFL season before getting hurt.

New York’s interest in Chatman is curious simply because the team already has two solid running backs in Thomas Jones and Leon Washington. But Chatman also has value on special teams. 

The Buffalo Bills have interest in one of Atlanta’s top restricted free agents.

FOXSports.com has learned the Bills are scheduled to meet Monday with Falcons fullback Corey McIntyre.

While he wasn’t featured much on offense during two seasons with Atlanta, McIntyre has special teams value. The three-year veteran was a Falcons special teams captain in 2007.

The Falcons gave McIntyre a low RFA tender of $927,000 and have the right to match any offer he signs elsewhere. Because he was undrafted out of West Virginia, Buffalo wouldn’t have to surrender draft pick compensation if McIntyre were signed away. 

Miami has a new starting quarterback.

FOXSports.com has learned Oakland's Josh McCown has agreed to a two-year, $6.25 million contract with the Dolphins. McCown will receive a $2.5 million signing bonus.

The Dolphins were seeking to address the position after releasing Trent Green and, as FOXSports.com first reported, allowing Cleo Lemon to leave via free agency today to Jacksonville. Before the McCown signing, unproven 2007 second-round draft pick John Beck was the only notable quarterback on the roster.

McCown started nine games during an injury-plagued 2007 season with Oakland. While he posted pedestrian passing statistics, McCown was lauded for his leadership skills and willingness to play through pain.

McCown has 31 career starts in six NFL seasons.

The McCown signing is one of a flurry of roster moves Miami has made in Bill Parcells' first off-season heading football operations. Various media reports have the Dolphins signing four free agents — linebacker Reggie Torbor (New York Giants), guard Justin Smiley (San Francisco), defensive tackle Randy Starks (Tennessee) and wide receiver Ernest Wilfork (Jacksonville) — while also trading with Dallas for nose tackle Jason Ferguson. The Dolphins also entertained Arizona linebacker Calvin Pace on a free-agent visit.

Wide receiver Isaac Bruce is moving close to a reunion with his former head coach.

FOXSports.com has learned that Bruce is heading to San Francisco for a free-agent meeting with the 49ers, which recently hired Mike Martz as their offensive coordinator.

Bruce spent the past 14 seasons with St. Louis, including six (2000 to 2005) when Martz was head coach. The Rams released Bruce on Thursday to avoid paying him a $2 million roster bonus.

One of the most prolific wide receivers in NFL history, the 35-year-old Bruce has 942 career catches for 14,109 yards and 84 touchdowns.

Another free-agent wide receiver garnering interest is New Orleans’ Devery Henderson. FOXSports.com has learned that Tampa Bay will be hosting Henderson on a visit. A four-year NFL veteran, Henderson caught 20 passes for 409 yards and three touchdowns last season while making nine starts.

Henderson has the kind of big-play ability currently lacking in Tampa Bay’s wide receiver corps outside of Joey Galloway.

X: The Dallas Morning News reported that the Cowboys have traded defensive tackle Jason Ferguson to Miami. Dallas and the Dolphins will swap sixth-round picks in the 2007 draft, which moves the Cowboys to the top of the round. Dallas also will receive a 2009 sixth-round pick.

After missing almost all of last season with a torn biceps, Ferguson became expendable when Jay Ratliff and Tank Johnson played well in his place. The Dolphins were in need of a 3-4 nose tackle after releasing Keith Traylor. Ferguson also played under Dolphins executive vice president Bill Parcells in 2005 and 2006 when the latter was Cowboys coach.

X: Dolphins guard Rex Hadnot is visiting today with the Houston Texans. Hadnot, a 55-game Dolphins starter who played at the University of Houston, is believed to have become expendable in Miami after the club reportedly signed San Francisco guard Justin Smiley to a free-agent contract.

FOXSports.com has learned Jacksonville’s Marcus Stroud will be taking a visit to Buffalo, which could lead to a trade between the two teams for the defensive tackle’s services.

The Jaguars have given Stroud permission to shop himself in a trade. Stroud’s lofty salary (a team-high $6.3 million in 2008) and struggles to stay on the field have landed him on the trading block. Stroud has missed 12 games the past two seasons because of injuries and a steroid suspension.

Between 2003 and 2005, Stroud was one of the NFL’s best defensive tackles. He could help upgrade a Bills defense that ranked 25th against the run (124.6-yard average) last season.

FOXSports.com also has learned that Atlanta has expressed interest in Stroud. A deal would reunite Stroud with Atlanta head coach Mike Smith, who was his defensive coordinator in Jacksonville the past five seasons. The Falcons need defensive line help after releasing Rod Coleman earlier this month.

Don’t be surprised if Arizona linebacker Calvin Pace leaves South Florida as a member of the Miami Dolphins following a free-agent visit.

A league source told FOXSports.com that Miami is preparing to offer Pace the same kind of mega-deal that linebackers Adalius Thomas and Joey Porter received in free agency last off-season. New England and Miami signed Thomas and Porter respectively to five-year, $32 million contracts that included $20 million in guaranteed money.

Incidentally, Thomas and Porter never made the kind of impact in 2007 that was expected for the money paid.

While the 2003 first-round pick struggled as a 4-3 defensive end in his first four NFL seasons, Pace blossomed last year when moved to outside linebacker in Arizona’s new 3-4 scheme. Pace finished with career highs in tackles (98), sacks (6.5) and passes defensed (6).

By franchising fellow outside linebacker Karlos Dansby, Arizona was willing to let Pace test the market. Unless wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald can be signed to a new contract that lowers his salary cap number of roughly $16 million, Arizona appears likely to lose Pace and wideout Bryant Johnson in free agency.

X: San Francisco running back Maurice Hicks is planning to take a future free-agent visit to Minnesota, FOXSports.com has learned.

Hicks started five games for the 49ers in 2004 and 2005 and has primarily handled kick returns for the past two seasons.

Philadelphia and Houston also have expressed interest in Hicks, a source said.

X: Adam Caplan of scout.com reports that New Orleans will re-sign defensive tackle Brian Young and linebacker Mark Simoneau. Young is slated to receive a three-year, $12 million deal.

The New York Jets are the winners in the Kris Jenkins sweepstakes.

FOXSports.com has learned that Carolina traded the defensive tackle to the New York Jets for third- and fifth-round draft picks.

Although he has battled weight issues in the past, Jenkins should provide the big-bodied presence at nose tackle the team has sorely lacked since coach Eric Mangini instituted a 3-4 defensive scheme in 2006. Dewayne Robertson, who was manning the spot for New York, seems likely to get traded elsewhere. Robertson is better suited as a penetrating-style tackle in a 4-3 defensive scheme.

Jenkins had 38 tackles and 2.5 sacks last season while starting 15 of 16 games for Carolina. But that wasn’t good enough for the Panthers, who wanted to avoid having to pay Jenkins a $1 million roster bonus due next week.

Damione Lewis, who was re-signed earlier this month, is expected to replace Jenkins in the starting lineup.

FOXSports.com senior NFL writer Alex Marvez weighs in with NFL news and notes every Monday. Here are his thoughts on the weekend’s games.

GREENBELT, Md. -- Will New England's hopes for a perfect season soon be blowing in the wind?

We’ll find out after tonight’s game between the visiting Patriots and Baltimore Ravens.

The weather forecast calls for steady winds of 26 miles per hour throughout the game with gusts potentially reaching 50 mph. That could make what would be a mismatch under better conditions a much more competitive contest.

The throw-first Patriots may have to become more conservative with their offensive game plan, which would be fine with Baltimore. The Ravens have the NFL’s third-ranked run defense (77.9-yard average) and New England’s ground game isn’t nearly as dynamic as their passing attack.

Baltimore ranks No. 21 in both rushing and passing offense, but quarterback play is clearly the team's biggest problem. Such a weakness would be diminished if the Ravens can get New England mired in a game where both teams have to play close to the vest.

At this point, weather or sloppy field conditions might be the only thing that can stop the Patriots from going undefeated. Even the NFL’s worst team – Miami – had a chance to upset Pittsburgh last Monday night when Heinz Field turned into a soggy mosh pit.

The Patriots greatly improved their own playing surface by installing FieldTurf in November 2006 when it became clear grass wouldn’t cut it. But if a blizzard hits Gillette Stadium at the wrong time this January, the Patriots may be wishing they didn’t have home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

Here’s my two-cents on two topics: I’m predicting New England defeats Baltimore in a low-scoring contest – something like 17-13 -- and Miami (0-11) will end its winless ways with a Dec. 16 victory over the Ravens in South Florida. By then, Dolphins running back Jesse Chatman (ankle) should be healthy and rookie quarterback John Beck will have thrown his first touchdown pass (the scoreless streak now stands at 12 quarters). The Ravens (4-7) also could be in complete freefall and getting ready for a coaching change. Brian Billick’s squad already has lost five consecutive games and now plays New England and Indianapolis back-to-back.   

Late free safety Sean Taylor is so beloved by the Washington Redskins that both of his lockers are now encased in glass. The Redskins have given such treatment to his lockers at both Fed-Ex Field and the team’s practice headquarters.

The Redskins-Buffalo game on Sunday was clearly all about Taylor – and deservedly so. But overshadowed by the tributes was Buffalo’s continuing resiliency. The Bills started a beat-up defense, a rookie quarterback (Trent Edwards) and a running back (Fred Jackson) from a Division III college (Coe). No matter. They still staged a comeback victory on the road.  If Buffalo (6-6) can win its next two games against visiting Miami and Dec. 16 in Cleveland (7-5), a wild-card berth isn’t out of the question. But even if they fall short, Bills coach #### Jauron has done a fantastic job getting maximum effort from a roster that – on paper – shouldn’t be winning games.

I’ll end with this final thought from Redskins tackle Chris Samuels on Taylor’s death.

“We’ve got to get a hold of our youth and our best to lead these kids in the right direction, ” said Samuels, referring to the four defendants between the ages of 17 and 20 charged with Taylor’s killing. “Parents, role models have to do a better job. I’ve got to get out this summer and do some things in the community. I’ve already started my (charity) foundation, getting out in the Southeast and talking to the kids. We just need a lot of people to stand up because this is such a tragedy. Sean didn’t have to die, you know?”

 

FOXSports.com senior NFL writer Alex Marvez weighs in with NFL news and notes every Monday. Here are some final thoughts on New England’s 24-20 victory over Indianapolis.

So when can we do this again?

Not only did Sunday’s New England-Indianapolis game live up to the pre-game hype, you were left wanting more. The rematch should come in the AFC Championship game.

If it does, here are some things that will be different:

Peyton Manning should have a full complement of targets. Colts coach Tony Dungy said Friday that wide receiver Marvin Harrison (knee) would play if this were the postseason. Dungy was clearly thinking long-term when Harrison was declared inactive.

The in-game loss of rookie wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez (thumb) further crippled Indianapolis’ receiver corps. After rolling up 187 first-half yards, running back Joseph Addai was limited to 49 in the final two quarters. The Patriots also kept wide receiver Reggie Wayne (five catches for 62 yards) in check and took away tight end Dallas Clark (2-15) with frequent use of an extra defensive back. On Indianapolis’ final possession, two of Manning’s three passes were intended for wide receiver Aaron Moorehead and tight end Bryan Fletcher. Neither of those players would be targeted during such a critical time if Harrison and Gonzalez were healthy.

The Patriots will find a way to get outside linebacker Adalius Thomas more involved. New England didn’t give Thomas a five-year, $32 million contract to serve as a situational player. Yet that’s exactly what happened Sunday, as one of the Patriots’ best pass-rushers was barely used. The company line is that New England’s use of a four-man defensive front in its nickel package limited Thomas’ snaps. Conspiracy theorists will believe Thomas ran afoul of Bill Belichick by spending Friday night partying with the Jacksonville Jaguars.  

Belichick will show some class. Ok, maybe not. Belichick’s anti-social behavior during post-game handshakes is taking on a life of its own. This time, Belichick gave Dungy a half-hearted handshake before quickly walking off while the Colts coach was trying to tell him something. This might have been Belichick’s way of expressing that he wasn’t happy Dungy gave his two cents on the Spygate scandal. Or maybe Belichick was upset New England didn’t have a chance to run up the score.

Inside the Colts locker room, it was clear Dungy had stressed this wasn’t the postseason and Indianapolis (7-1) still has half a season remaining before the playoffs begin.

"Nobody’s perfect," Colts cornerback Marlin Jackson said. "We’ve just got to learn from this. We’ve got a lot of games left and would like to meet them again."

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady also tried to keep the victory and New England’s perfect start in perspective.

"I can pick about 20 plays out there where we had weaknesses," Brady said. "The thing is we’re  9-0 and it really doesn’t matter. What matters is in January. I think this was a great step in preparation for games down the road."

Hopefully, one of them will be Patriots-Colts.

FOXSports.com senior NFL writer Alex Marvez weighs in with NFL news and notes every Monday. Here are some final tidbits stemming from the league’s first international regular-season game Sunday in London.

They’re successful businessmen in pigskin and pizza respectively, but Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and Papa John’s President/CEO Nigel Travis share the same belief of how football’s popularity can grow in the United Kingdom.  

And it isn’t necessarily through the NFL.  

"Arena football could be the way," said the British-born Travis, who now lives in Louisville, Ky. "You need the right product and it takes a long time to do anything, but I think it would build over time."  

 Like Travis, Jones touted the merits of that gridiron hybrid while attending a global sports economics conference in London preceding Sunday’s New York Giants-Miami Dolphins game. Jones owns the Dallas Desperados of the Arena Football League.  

Said Jones: "There are fewer players. There are much less economics involved. You can play in indoor arenas. But you can still get some of the skills of football [like] blocking, tackling and throwing."  

Now entering its 20th season, the AFL is still trying to grow beyond being a niche entity in the U.S. The same can be said of the NFL in the United Kingdom. An AFL expansion into Great Britain – which, along with markets in Mexico and Canada, is being discussed internally – could find a receptive audience, especially in the NFL’s offseason. It also would further football’s grass-roots movement in England. 

“It’s conceivable that the AFL could be the world's only trans-Atlantic league within the next five years,” an AFL spokesman said.

Jones has an even larger view of arena football’s potential future.  

"I’m involved with an arena team for one reason and one reason only," he said. "I thought that it had a chance to be an Olympic event."  

Sure that sounds far-fetched. But 10 years ago, who could have imagined the NFL playing a regular-season game overseas?  

Don’t be surprised if the NFL returns to London next year with San Francisco as one of the participants. Like the Dan Marino-led Dolphins, the 49ers are popular because the league began airing on British television in the mid-1980s during Joe Montana’s heyday. Sky Sports even aired Sunday’s San Francisco-New Orleans game following the Giants’ 13-10 victory.

Should the NFL again cross the pond, one area that must be addressed is Wembley Stadium’s field condition. The turf, which is groomed for soccer, came up in divots during Sunday’s rain and helped lead to a sloppy game.  

"The footing contributed to the inability to make plays on either side," Giants coach Tom Coughlin said Monday. "It’s too bad."  

The potential of an NFL expansion franchise in London was bandied about last week, but Jones doesn’t buy it.  

"I see no sentiment for expanded franchises in the NFL. None," Jones said. "We aren’t even considering it for Los Angeles. I don’t see that. But as you look down the road and some of the possibilities, playing a regular-season game -- a meaningful game toward getting to the Super Bowl -- I think that’s the way we’re doing it to create interest from time to time."  

Playing in London helped a Scotsman. Coughlin said he is sticking with Scottish-born kicker Lawrence Tynes, who connected on one of two field goals and an extra point Sunday. Tynes entered on the hot seat, but Coughlin isn’t inclined to make a change after New York’s 6-2 start.  

Attending NFL games in the U.S. gets pricier each year, but they’re still a bargain compared to Sunday’s contest at Wembley. Besides individual tickets priced between $90 and $180, concessions included $10 cheeseburgers, $14 fish-and-chips and large sodas for $5.80. For the average fan, that doesn’t leave much left to purchase $7 pints of ale.  

FOXSports.com senior NFL writer Alex Marvez weighs in with NFL news and notes  every Monday

* Know why Joey Porter hasn’t made an impact with Miami?

He needs help from three others to beat a left tackle.

Porter’s disastrous 2007 season reached a new low Sunday. He was exposed as a thug by my FOX Sports colleague Jay Glazer, who unveiled a videotape showing Porter and his buddies jumping Cincinnati left tackle Levi Jones at a Las Vegas casino in March. Porter then floundered in a 41-31 loss to Cleveland, tallying a meager four tackles.

Porter ran his mouth beforehand by again picking on Browns tight end Kellen Winslow, who he slurred with a homosexual innuendo last season while playing for Pittsburgh. Winslow finished with five catches for 90 yards and asked reporters afterward, “Did he play today? I didn't see him.”

Before games against Dallas and Oakland, Porter called Cowboys running back Marion Barber “cocky” and guaranteed a win against the Raiders. Barber rushed for two touchdowns in a Cowboys rout, while Oakland cruised to a 35-17 victory. Porter made no impact plays in those games and hasn’t registered a sack in Miami’s 0-6 season.

Still, nothing was as humiliating as Glazer’s expose. Details of the Porter-Jones altercation were fuzzy because of a shoddy police investigation, as the two were reported to have fought in a valet parking area. Porter was fined $1,000 in May after pleading no contest to misdemeanor battery.

The NFL then fined Porter three game checks, which is the equivalent of roughly $141,000. But the punishment would probably have been more severe had the video footage surfaced earlier.

Having landed a five-year, $32 million contract with $20 million guaranteed, Porter is this season’s biggest free-agent bust (although Denver running back Travis Henry is a contender if suspended because of drug issues). Compounding the problem, Miami offered an Adalius Thomas-sized deal even though no other suitors were going to offer the same cash for a fading eight-year veteran.

The only positive from this: The season-finale between Miami and Cincinnati (1-4) now has additional meaning besides being a potential duel for the 2008 draft’s No. 1 pick.

* Another suspect Dolphins free-agent decision was allowing punter Donnie Jones to join St. Louis as a restricted free agent. Jones and San Francisco’s Andy Lee are tied for the NFL lead in gross average at 50.1 yards. Jones also has an impressive net average of 42.0.

In comparison, Miami rookie punter Brandon Fields has averages of 43.0 and 36.3.

“I just think it’s getting a fresh start and having some extra motivation being in a new place with a new staff,” said Jones, who clashed this off-season with Miami’s new kicking coach. “It’s a very good work environment and our special teams coach Al Roberts is a tremendous guy. He lets me go out and do my thing.”

* Dallas Cowboys executive Stephen Jones waited outside the locker room to congratulate New England owner Bob Kraft following the Patriots’ 48-27 victory.

“Y’all taught us a lesson,” Jones said.

A much less classy move came from another Jones. During a Sunday night pay-per-view wrestling match, suspended Tennessee cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones threw money into the ring to distract his team’s opponent. The move was meant to spoof Jones “making it rain” earlier this year at a Las Vegas strip club.

Considering a club manager was shot and paralyzed later that night after a blow-up with Jones’ entourage, how can anyone think this would be funny?

 

After Sunday’s 37-20 loss to Dallas, linebacker Joey Porter should know it was easier to back his words when playing for Pittsburgh rather than the downtrodden Miami Dolphins.

Porter talked some trash about Marion Barber to FOXSports.com before the game, calling him “cocky” and saying the Cowboys running back “thinks he’s a tough guy sometimes.” Porter also said he was “going to be looking for” Barber.

It didn’t take long for Porter to find him, as the two exchanged words on the field before the game. Porter also was penalized 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct on Barber’s first carry when ripping off his helmet on a tackle.

Barber was unfazed and proceeded to rush for 89 yards and two touchdowns on just 14 carries. Porter finished with a measly two tackles, which isn’t what the Dolphins expected when signing him to a five-year, $32 million contract this off-season.

Barber said afterward that he was unaware of Porter’s pre-game comments and had nothing further to add. But such a plea of ignorance sounds su####ious, especially when wide receiver Terrell Owens said he knew about Porter’s barbs.

“I think Marion handled that situation very nicely getting into the end zone twice,” Owens said. “Marion, by no means, is going to shy from anyone. His name should be ‘Marion the Barbarian’ because he has a nose and a knack for the goal line. If there is contact to be made, he's going to make it."

As for Porter, he was short with Dolphins media after a second consecutive loss.

“We are a better defense than we showed the last two weeks,” Porter said. “To have it happen like it did (against Dallas) … it’s kind of embarrassing.”

Questionable decisions

The list of suspect personnel moves made by Cam Cameron since he became Dolphins head coach in January continues to grow.

With a rebuilding team, Cameron should be trying to groom youngsters in backup roles. While rookies like starting center Samson Satele and returner/backup wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr. are playing, Cameron declared three promising draft picks and first-year players -- defensive tackle Paul Soliai, defensive end Rodrique Wright and running back Lorenzo Booker -- inactive against Dallas. Cameron instead used journeymen lacking the same potential to make a significant future impact.

 

Case in point: Receiving snaps ahead of Soliai was Steve Fifita, whose high-energy play is tempered by his diminutive size (he’s generously listed at 6-feet tall and 312 pounds on the Dolphins roster). Fifita doesn’t have the dimensions to man the nose tackle position in case 38-year-old Keith Traylor gets injured  --- which has happened each of the past two seasons -- and was enveloped by massive Cowboys right guard Leonard Davis during one unsuccessful Dolphins goal-line stand. At 6-foot-4 and 344 pounds, Soliai could physically handle the spot with more experience, but the opportunity to gain some was wasted Sunday.

 

Cameron may soon face a more crucial decision at quarterback if Trent Green doesn’t rebound from a sluggish start. Green matched his career high for interceptions Sunday with four and was high with too many throws, which is a bad sign from a 37-year-old quarterback already struggling to complete deep passes.

 

Cameron’s two other quarterback options are four-year veteran Cleo Lemon, a career reserve set to become an unrestricted free agent in the off-season, and rookie John Beck. Miami made Beck its “quarterback of the future” when selecting him in the second round after passing on Brady Quinn.

 

There would be additional bumps for Miami’s already struggling offense if Beck were given snaps now. But when the Dolphins are out of playoff contention – which could be as early as midseason judging by the team’s early performance and New England’s hot start – Cameron needs to get Beck on the field with an eye toward 2008.

 

There’s just no guarantee Cameron will do it.

 

Turning of the tide

 

Don’t underestimate the impact a 23-20 victory against Seattle could make on the Arizona Cardinals. Talent isn’t lacking in the desert so much as confidence, which Cardinals cornerback Eric Green confirmed after Arizona squandered yet another late-game lead in last Monday’s 20-17 loss to San Francisco.

 

“We just never finish,” Green lamented.

 

The Cardinals finally did thanks to Neil Rackers’ 42-yard field goal with one second remaining.

 

Lack of maturity

 

Having closely followed Cincinnati since my days as a Bengals beat writer in the mid-1990s, I’ve come to this conclusion: The franchise will generally play up or down to the level of competition being faced. The reasoning stems from an overall lack of maturity on a roster that annually fails to grasp consistency is key to ongoing success.

 

A 51-45 loss to Cleveland after forcing six turnovers in a season-opening victory over Baltimore further confirms my su####ion.

 

Feeling the heat

 

After Joey Harrington was sacked 13 times in Atlanta’s first two games, I can understand Michael Vick wanting to avoid this type of punishment.