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http://www.miamiherald.com/616/story/568622.html

Dolphins buy into program

BY JEFF DARLINGTON
Miami Herald

He had never vomited like that. Then again, Dolphins cornerback Andre' Goodman can't really remember working like that, either.

There he was, about six weeks into coach Tony Sparano's offseason conditioning program, lugging a 100-pound bag of sand on his back across the length of a football field under the South Florida sun. Sweating. Suffering. Sweltering.

''That's the first time I've puked in the offseason ever,'' said Goodman, a seven-year NFL veteran. ``It got me, man. I felt defeated!''

Today, if only for a few weeks before training camp begins, Goodman can instead feel accomplished. The team's 12-week offseason training regimen -- which has caused longtime veterans to say they have never worked harder -- has officially ended.

Remember when Sparano first arrived in South Florida? When he publicly stressed to his players during his introductory news conference the importance of these months before the summer?

''It's something that is going to build unity, chemistry and build the character that we're looking for this football team,'' Sparano said in January.

Guess what: His players say it worked.

Running back Ricky Williams said it is the hardest he has been pushed to train. Right tackle Vernon Carey said the team ''learned how to compete.'' Defensive tackle Vonnie Holliday said, ``I didn't think I could, but I've gotten a little stronger and put on a little more muscle mass.''

If this is starting to sound like an infomercial, well, consider just about every player on the roster sold. Several players compared the workout program to their college days, when fundamental conditioning was often stressed.

TOUGH WORKOUTS

It is a different type of work than many NFL players are used to, with an emphasis on hard-nosed workouts that include more of the squat, the power clean and the bench press -- activities that emphasize bulk and strength.

''It feels like labor, like intense labor,'' Goodman said. ``The team has taken on the personalities of Coach [Bill] Parcells and Coach Sparano. It's hard-nosed. It's tough. It's blue-collar. I really love the mind-set of the team.''

And although all but one weekend was considered ''voluntary,'' the coaching staff's apparent emphasis on the importance of the program reached the ears of nearly everyone on the team. The hard work didn't keep many players away.

Safety Yeremiah Bell said he was most impressed by the consistent attendance during the offseason. No, defensive end Jason Taylor wasn't there. But he was one of the few.

''I'd say 90 percent of the guys [showed up everyday],'' Bell said. ``I don't like putting percents on things, but this is probably the most consistent I've seen us show up as a team during the offseason workouts and practice.''

SEEKING RESULTS

The hope is that good attendance during the past 12 weeks of voluntary workouts will result in a jump-start to training camp. By having better-conditioned players from the beginning, coaches hope the bar will be raised higher at an earlier point.

''I'm not saying we didn't know how to compete before, but we really emphasized competing, being tough and being disciplined,'' Carey said. ``That's what we worked on all offseason. We put a lot of work in so we can go out there and put a whole season together. That starts with the first game against the Jets. That's what we're working toward now.''

Linebacker Akin Ayodele, who played under Sparano last year in Dallas, said this year's training program isn't the same as it was with the Cowboys. Instead, he said, the program appears to be a compilation of what Sparano learned as an assistant under Parcells, Giants coach Tom Coughlin and Cowboys coach Wade Phillips.

So can the program be deemed a success? Not until the season. But if the early impression of players means anything, they expect this level of hard work to pay dividends.

''You're seeing guys working harder now than when they first started because they didn't know what to expect,'' Ayodele said. ``But it's been a good scene. It's good to have guys that want to put their time in. It's a good look for the team, and it's what to expect from training camp and in the season.''

So guys were puking during workouts.  Good.  They need to get their asses in shape to last four quarters. 

I remember that first game against Washington last season, the defense was sucking wind in the 4th quarter.