MIAMI (AP) -Practice had just begun when Bill Parcells rose from his sideline chair, walked onto the field and began a brief but animated exchange with Ricky Williams.
A pep talk? Advice about footwork? A tip on how to hit the next hole?
Williams said no, Parcells was merely shooting the breeze.
“He talks to me every once in a while, and usually it’s chitchat stuff – politics or baseball,” Williams said. “He knows a lot of stuff.”
One thing Parcells knows is how to run the ball, which the Miami Dolphins do better than anyone else. Thanks to the one-two punch of Ronnie Brown and Williams, the Miami Ground Machine leads the NFL in rushing with an average of 183.5 yards per game.
The Dolphins might even be good enough to run on Rex Ryan. They’ll try Monday night against his New York Jets, who have allowed only three offensive touchdowns this season.
“It’s probably not going to be for the meek on either side of the ball,” Dolphins coach Tony Sparano said.
The stakes in the standings will be substantial. Defending AFC East champion Miami (1-3), sabotaged early in the season by turnovers and a shaky secondary, wants to climb back into the race. The improved Jets (3-1) believe they have a shot at the division title and more, which is why they were willing to give up two draft choices and two players last week to acquire receiver Braylon Edwards.
“This conference isn’t big enough for too many bullies,” Dolphins linebacker Joey Porter said. “There can only be a certain amount of bullies on the playground at the same time. We still feel the AFC East goes through Miami, and they feel a different way. You have two bullies in the parking lot who are going to get down.”
Even with a first-place team, Miami couldn’t run on Ryan’s defense last year, when he was coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens. They beat the Dolphins in the regular season and again in the playoffs, holding Miami to 71 and 52 yards rushing, respectively.
“I would think he would look at what he did with Baltimore last year and figure that’s a good plan,” Miami offensive coordinator Dan Henning said.
Ryan is trying to mold a Ravens-style defense in New York, and the Dolphins will test his progress.
mes.”
The Jets’ defense ranks with the best in the league and will be upgraded by the return of outside linebacker Calvin Pace from a four-game suspension.
But they’ve been better against the pass than the run. Opponents are averaging 4.2 yards per carry and 100.3 per game on the ground.
A week ago, the Saints ran for 153 yards and beat the Jets 24-10.
“You have to give New Orleans credit,” Ryan said. “They were able to move the ball on us. We don’t like it.”
The Dolphins would love to further annoy Ryan.
“They have one of the most dynamic running games in the NFL,” Jets defensive end Marques Douglas said. “We’re going to need all hands on deck.”
Part of the challenge against the Dolphins is preparing for their many offensive variations. That includes the wildcat, which was instrumental in Miami’s improbable run to the playoffs last season.
Some call it a gimmick or a fad, but the package shows no signs of fading. This year, Brown and Williams have run from the formation a combined 28 times for 192 yards – 6.9 per play. The Dolphins’ other plays average 4.4.
Miami had no success with the wildcat last year against Ryan’s Ravens, who filled the gaps and didn’t allow the big holes the scheme often creates. It’s a fair bet the Jets have heard a lot about the wildcat from their coach in the past week.
lly makes it tough is that you’ve got two outstanding backs. Ronnie Brown’s the best back we’ve faced, and then Ricky Williams isn’t too shabby himself. That’s what really makes it challenging. It’s a good scheme. If you’re going to stop it, you’re going to have to bring a heck of a team with you.”
Whether in the wildcat or the base offense, Miami’s success with the ground game is especially impressive because its passing attack has been so feeble, with only two completions of 20 yards or more to wide receivers. The Dolphins have not attempted a single pass in the wildcat.
Quarterback Chad Henne will make his second NFL start, and he’ll likely hand off a lot. Brown ranks third in the league with 369 yards, and Williams is just shy of a 1,000-yard pace at 248. Then there’s Patrick Cobbs, averaging 7.4 yards per carry.
“Some of the best guys we have are in our backfield, and we try to lean on that,” Henning said. “That’s the philosophy of the head coach. He wants to be that type of team.”
Sparano got that from his mentor: Bill Parcells.
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