Posted by Will Brinson

Brandon Marshall is a weird dude, expressing his anger at not getting a ton of catches by throwing the ball into the stands (and subsequently drawing a five-yard penalty) after making a catch. In a game that the Dolphins won.

But he won't be punished for being Brandon Marshall the tantrum -- coach Tony Sparano said he had a little "visit" with Marshall over the incident but won't punish Marshall for his actions.

"I think he was just caught up in the middle of the game," Sparano said.

As we mentioned on Monday morning, signs in Miami aren't pointing to "Brandon Marshall being super happy about life," especially considering he has one touchdown all year and Tyler Thigpen is now taking snaps for the Dolphins.

If Marshall is getting unhappy even when the Dolphins are winning (presumably because he's not amassing stats himself), things could get a little awkward in Miami a little quickly. And then all the excuses for Marshall's poor behavior in Denver will be null and void.

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Posted by Josh Katzowitz

-With his concussion suffered early during the Sunday night game, the streak of consecutive games made with at least one catch ended for Steelers WR Hines Ward. It ends at 186, the third-best streak in NFL history.

-Ravens K Billy Cundiff blasted three touchbacks Sunday. That gives him 25 on the season (a 58.1 percent success rate on his kickoffs), the top mark in the NFL. He’s already destroyed the club record (15 by Matt Stovall in 2007).

-Cowboys WR Dez Bryant had three catches for 104 yards, the most he’s ever produced in his career. Since Jon Kitna replaced the injured Tony Romo at QB four games ago, Bryant has 23 catches for 328 yards and four touchdowns.

-Seahawks WR Mike Williams had 11 catches for a career-high 145 yards in Seattle’s win against the Cardinals. He did it with a broken finger suffered in practice four days earlier.

-Chiefs QB Matt Cassel threw for 469 yards, the second-highest single-game total in Kansas City history (Elvis Grbac had 504 yards in 2000). The Chiefs still lost.

-For the first time since 1941, two brothers are NFL punters at the same time. Kansas City’s Dustin Colquitt faced Denver’s Britton Colquitt on Sunday, and Dustin’s average (43.3 yards) beat Britton’s average (41.0). The Chiefs still lost.

-When Manny Pacquiao destroyed Antonio Margarito in a unanimous decision in Dallas on Saturday, it was his second win of the year at Cowboys Stadium (he beat Joshua Clottey there in March). The Cowboys, meanwhile, have only one win at home this season.

-Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski caught five passes for 72 yards and three touchdowns in helping beat the Steelers. Which was a marked improvement over last week when he dropped passes, muffed up a kickoff return and fumbled deep in Browns territory to help hand Cleveland the win.

-Of the 50 passes tossed by Atlanta’s Matt Ryan, more than half (27) were targeted for either Roddy White or Michael Jenkins.

-From 2007-09, Bengals RB Cedric Benson combined for only three fumbles. This season alone, he’s got three.

-For the first time this season, Jets RB Shonn Greene outgained LaDainian Tomlinson on the ground. Greene had 72 yards on 20 carries, while Tomlinson carried the ball 18 times for 57 yards.

-The Jets dominated the time of possession vs. Cleveland (47:08 to 27:36) but needed until the very end of overtime to squeak out the win.

-Since his big coming-out party in Week 2 (17 carries, nine catches, 232 total yards, three TDs), Lions rookie RB Jahvid Best hasn’t scored a TD and has gained more than 50 yards on the ground just one time. On Sunday, he had 17 carries for 35 yards.

-Even with four players throwing the ball Sunday (Chad Pennington, Chad Henne, Tyler Thigpen and Brandon Marshall) the final passing stats for Miami were pretty good. The four combined to complete 24 of 37 passes for 323 yards, two touchdowns, one INT and a passer rating of 99.3.

-This is a stat that will make Pete Prisco gnash his teeth. In the past two games, Jaguars QB David Garrard has completed 41 of 52 passes for 602 yards, six touchdowns and zero interceptions. Two weeks ago, his passer rating was 157.8. On Sunday, it was 134.1.

-Chiefs WR Dwayne Bowe caught 13 passes for 186 yards and two scores. Much of that production, though, came in garbage time when the game was already lost.

-Mike Goodson became the first Panthers RB to rush for at least 100 yards this season. Not Jonathan Stewart, not DeAngelo Williams. Mike Goodson.

-Buccaneers RB LaGarrette Blount has only played in six games this season. In his past four, he’s rushed 65 times for 329 yards and three touchdowns.

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Posted by Josh Katzowitz

As we progress through the fourth quarter of the Miami-Tennessee game, six different players have taken snaps in the contest.

For the Titans, it’s been Kerry Collins and Vince Young, which we told you about here. For the Dolphin, it’s been Chad Pennington, Chad Henne (who hurt his knee toward the end of the third quarter), and RB Ronnie Brown. No. 6 was Miami’s emergency backup QB Tyler Thigpen.

Henne was hurt with less than a minute to play in the third quarter after his leg buckled on a sack, and because Miami would have to play Thigpen the rest of the game if he entered BEFORE the fourth quarter began, Miami ran offensive plays out of the Wildcat formation.

The first, a trick play that gave WR Brandon Marshall a shot down the field, resulted in an incomplete pass, but the other two were runs that gained a combined 36 yards.

As the fourth quarter began, Miami stayed in the Wildcat, but on the third snap of the quarter, Thigpen trotted out to the field. His pass was nearly intercepted, but K Dan Carpenter’s 42-yard field goal gave the Dolphins a 23-17 lead.

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Posted by Andy Benoit


Dolphins cornerback Nolan Carroll is the son of Florida's new Lieutenant Governor-elect, Jennifer Carroll.



A column mentioning that a player’s cellphone went off when Wade Phillips was giving a speech about discipline. (And apparently Phillips let it slide.)



Ross Tucker, a rising NFL analyst who offers fantastic insight, uses a firsthand experience he had as a Cowboy to argue for why Wade Phillips needs to be fired right now.



The Chargers added a desperately-needed wide receiver Thursday: veteran Kelley Washington. And, so far, all reports indicate that Washington has not yet suffered a hamstring injury. So he should be good to go Sunday. He can also help out those downtrodden special teams.



Donte’ Stallworth is turning into Socrates.



Neither Detmer brother, Ty nor Koy, made the NFL’s Top 100 Players of All-Time list.



Neither did Phil Dawson, though some believe he’s at least the greatest kicker in Browns history.



Packers LG Daryn Colledge could see his streak of 72 consecutive starts end this Sunday (he’s dealing with a back issue -- at least he was able to practice Friday). Packer fans might be saying, “72 straight starts? Ha! Big deal! We once had a quarterback here who started…you know what, never mind.”



The South Florida media enjoys the weekly Thursday visits with Brandon Marshall.



Believe it or not, but the Saints have not defeated the Panthers two times in a row in five years.



A great matchup this Sunday will be Jets underrated right guard Brandon Moore against Lions sensational rookie defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh.



Bruce Gradkowski is making progress with his shoulder, but Tom Cable is still going with Jason Campbell against the Chiefs this week.

Will this be the week Andy Reid suffers his first head coaching loss after a bye?



NFL Players recently voted James Harrison as the hardest hitter in the league. (It’s not known whether illegal hits were included or not included in the players’ decision.)


Niners LB Takeo Spikes and CB Shawntae Spencer had a heartfelt Q and A in front of the media recently.


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Posted by Will Brinson

Quickly: name one team who isn't interested in Randy Moss (or at least claiming him). Fine, you got me -- but the Vikings shouldn't count.

The Dolphins sure do, though, and according to Jeff Darlington of the Miami Herald, they're giving the possibility of putting in claim for Moss "serious consideration."

Darlington cites a source who says that, as well as the fact that any team would be "foolish" not at least think about it.

The Dolphins traded for Brandon Marshall in the offseason, and they have Davone Bess and Brian Hartline, so they're not exactly desperate for wideout help, but Moss' presence at the very least would turn Marshall into an even bigger monster for Chad Henne targets.

Plus, the combustible combination of Moss and Marshall would be fun to watch from a media perspective. But the bigger problem is that Miami sits at 18th in the waiver order, and would need everyone in front of them to pass on Moss.

That list includes the Seahawks (Mike Williams is their best option, and Pete Carroll likes doing crazy things), the Rams (the Vikings may pay St. Louis to claim him just because anyone who assumes the No. 1 wideout under the arches gets injured), and the Chargers (sure, Norv Turner and Randy Moss don't have a "great history" from Oakland, but Patrick Crayton is their best option until Vincent Jackson returns).

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Posted by Josh Katzowitz

Some arrived via free agency. Some were left on the garbage pile and only had one or two teams show interest. Some didn’t have much of a choice if they wanted to continue playing NFL football. And some were highly-touted rookies who commanded humongous signing bonuses and who have lived up to their end of the bargain.

Today, we spotlight the top-10 players who are performing brilliantly in their first year with a new team. We’re talking about rookies, we’re talking about free agents, we’re talking about those whose careers were left for dead.

All of the following have impacted their new teams in many ways and all have made the front offices who signed them seem clairvoyant in the process (though, in the case of a couple players, the decision to add them wasn’t exactly brain surgery). So, here’s to those who have found a new lease on life (or a new burgeoning career) with their new team.

10. Jason Babin, DE, Titans: The career-high sack total for Babin, a seven-year veteran, was five coming into this season – set in 2006 while in Houston. This year, through eight games, he’s got seven. So, what happened this season, especially after recording just 16 tackles and 2.5 sacks last year with the Eagles? According to Babin, it’s just been a matter of getting more playing time. OK, if you say so.

9. Colt McCoy, QB, Browns: Aside from any rookie QB not named Sam Bradford, McCoy has done pretty darn well as a first-year signal-caller. He’s only played the past two games for Cleveland, but he’s hitting 63.5 percent of his passes for a touchdown, two picks and a QB rating of 76.5. OK, he’s not great, but he’s been light years ahead of Jimmy Clausen and Max Hall. Plus, he’s coming off a win against the Saints.

8. Terrell Owens, WR, Bengals: You still have to take the good with the bad when it comes to Owens. He’s the kind of player who, often times, doesn’t put out special effort to knock down a bad pass so the opponent doesn’t pick it (this happened at least twice last week), but he’s also still the kind of player who can rack up a team-leading 45 catches for 629 yards and five touchdowns. Ultimately, it was probably the right move for Cincinnati to sign him. In three weeks, though, that might not be the case.

7. Maurkice Pouncey, C, Steelers: Pittsburgh’s first-round pick beat out Justin Hartwig at the beginning of the season for the starting center role, and Pouncey has performed well thus far. He’s really helped glue together a Steelers offensive line that had major questions raised about it coming into the season.

6. Dez Bryant, WR/PR, Cowboys: One of the bright spots in Dallas this year. We knew Bryant was going to be a good one, and he has not disappointed, catching 29 passes for 349 yards for three touchdowns (Roy Williams, by the way, is 22 for 327 and five, respectively). But he’s been downright electric while fielding kicks, returning two punts for touchdowns and averaging 16.5 yards per punt, second in the NFL for those who have at least 10 returns.

5. Thomas Jones/Ryan Torain/Peyton Hillis, RBs, Chiefs/Redskins/Browns: Yes, I’m cheating a bit here, listing three players in one spot, but that doesn’t take away from how well these guys have played – and how unexpected their production has been. The Jets figured they didn’t need Jones any more, but he’s rushed for 538 yards through seven games with the Chiefs. Torain has replaced Clinton Portis pretty well, and Hillis (460 yards, five touchdowns) has been the biggest surprise at all (he certainly has surprised Denver coach Josh McDaniels, who let go of Hillis after last season).

4. Brandon Marshall, WR, Dolphins: Marshall has typical diva receiver tendencies, but he’s been one of the best players in the league so far this season. After Marshall was traded away from Denver (ahem, McDaniels), he’s done nothing but produce in Miami, ranking fourth in the league with 47 catches for 588 yards. The one disappointing stat: he’s only recorded one touchdown.

3. Earl Thomas (Seahawks)/T.J. Ward/Ndamukong Suh, S/S/DT, Seahawks/Browns/Lion: Sigh, again I’m cheating. But considering all these first-year players are vying for defensive rookie of the year honors, it makes sense to lump them all together. Thomas has proven that he’s one of the most instinctual players in the league with four interceptions, tied for third-best in the NFL. Ward took some heat for the nasty hit he put on Cincinnati’s Jordan Shipley, but his big-hit ability has helped lead him to 60 tackles (fourth-most among safeties). And Suh is living up to his lofty billing, blowing up interior offensive linemen and recording 6.5 sacks. He’s going to be a monster for as long as he steps on the field.

2. Sam Bradford, QB, Rams: I’m not sure most of us could have expected Bradford, the No. 1 pick from last year’s Draft, to play so well a mere eight games into this pro career. He’s completed 58.6 percent of his passes for 1,674 yards, 11 touchdowns and eight interceptions. The numbers don’t look fantastic, but you have to take into account his poise and his savvy and the fact he doesn’t have a big-name receiver upon whom he can lean. Plus, he’s got the Rams, one of the worst NFL teams coming into the season, at the 4-4 mark. He has been pretty outstanding. Not bad considering he missed most of last year at Oklahoma with the shoulder injury.

1. LaDainian Tomlinson, RB, Jets: Somehow, Tomlinson has found the fountain of youth. It wasn’t in San Diego apparently. Perhaps it was in New Jersey the whole time. On the season, Tomlinson has gained 544 yards and five touchdowns and has taken Shonn Greene’s job away from him. He has been perhaps the most surprising player in the league this year. He’s definitely been the No. 1 new face.

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Posted by Josh Katzowitz

There’s been plenty of talk during the past day or so about how the Jets will match up CBs Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie on Green Bay’s WR corps. Considering Revis says he’s 100 percent healthy now, he’s set to be that quote-unquote No. 1 receiver.

Except that Antonio Cromartie has performed quite well in Revis’ absence and maybe isn’t willing to give up that cherished role (let’s face it, he will, because Revis is one of the top-two CBs in the game, but he wouldn’t necessarily have to, because he’s played so well).

Look at this list drawn up by the Newark Star-Ledger of the top receivers Cromartie has shut down while Revis has dealt with his hamstring injury.

Since Cromartie has been in that No. 1 role, he’s covered New England’s Randy Moss (after Revis had to leave the game at halftime because of his hamstring), Miami’s Brandon Marshall, Buffalo’s Lee Evans, Moss again (with the Vikings) and Denver’s Brandon Lloyd.

With Cromartie matched up against that WR quartet, the Jets CB has been pretty close to outstanding. The WRs are being targeted an average of 2.2 times per quarter for 1.4 catches and 18 yards. If you throw out the first time he met with Moss – simply to round off the statistics a little better – the opponent’s No. 1 WR is targeted nine times per game with 3.5 catches for 63.5 yards with only one touchdown in those four contests.

Aside from Marshall (eight catches, 148 yards), Cromartie has just about shut down the competition.

So, what will New York do now?

“We can do whatever we want,” coach Rex Ryan said. “We can play right and left. We can match Darrelle on the top guy. We can match Cromartie on the top guy. We’ll let (the Packers) try to figure it out.”

Except that there's no mystery in saying this: Cromartie has proven now he's now legimately a No. 1 guy too.

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Posted by Will Brinson

Brandon Marshall, on bye this week, made a little cameo on America's favorite presume show, "NFL Today" -- if you missed it, we've got video below, and either way you should watch, because he was pretty awesome.

Even better, he was very forthright about tons of topics -- he discussed Bill Parcells' possible retirement and the leadership change in Miami ("we all know who our leader is"), why he left Denver (saying Josh McDaniels' "philosophy was totally different" and that "He wanted to do some things that I guess I didn't fit in to") and stated that if Mike Shanahan was still in Denver, he and Jay Cutler would "absolutely" still be there.

He also talked about possibly playing for the Miami Heat, although you could tell that he was doing so mostly in jest. Which, you'll recall, is not how he discussed the possibility of him playing basketball before, even using the phrase "I'm serious."

Marshall touched on the Darrelle Revis/Antonio Cromartie trashing Randy Moss stuff, and said, to much laughter, that since Revis is busy training and nursing a sore hammy, he should probably shut his mouth and "let the legend live." Maybe most interesting, though, was his theory on why wide receivers are so, ahem, needing of attention and end up getting traded after wearing out their welcomes -- he believes that since they're "the only guys that can really ask for the ball," that changes how they're required to generate attention. It makes some sense, but what's so impressive about it all is that Marshall looks like a guy who could end up in a booth or on the television after he's done playing.

Provided he's not running an NBA team or something.