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Title: Dolphins' Ronnie Brown passes first test: Taking a hit Post by: DolFan619 on August 11, 2008, 07:48:43 am http://www.palmbeachpost.com/dolphins/content/sports/epaper/2008/08/10/0810dolphins.html
Dolphins' Ronnie Brown passes first test: Taking a hit By BEN VOLIN Palm Beach Post Staff Writer Sunday, August 10, 2008 MIAMI GARDENS — A wall of Tampa Bay defenders met Ronnie Brown at the line of scrimmage Saturday night, dropping him for no gain. It was just what coach Tony Sparano wanted to see for his star running back, who is nine months removed from reconstructive knee surgery. "I think him getting tackled was a big part of the plan," Sparano said after Saturday's 17-6 exhibition loss at Dolphin Stadium. "A big part of that injury, as we talked about during the week, is mental." Despite rushing for just 4 yards on three carries, Brown said he passed the first mental test. "That first carry, it was kind of like, 'OK, phew, that's the next step,' " said Brown, who played for the first time since he was injured Oct. 21. "Coming out, I was surprised. It was like, 'Hold on, where's the soreness at?' But that was just the first step to getting ready for the season." The Dolphins' running game didn't shine Saturday, totaling 61 yards on 15 carries, even though the first-team line played the entire first half. Ricky Williams woke up the crowd with 31 yards on five carries. Tackle Vernon Carey and rookie guard Donald Thomas opened up several sizable holes for Williams on the right side. The Dolphin Stadium crowd cheered loudest for Williams when he entered the game and when he ripped off two runs that totaled 21 yards. He declined to make much of his performance after playing only one game last season. "It's the best first game of the pre-season I've ever had," Williams said sarcastically. The Dolphins called 15 rushing plays compared with 32 pass attempts. Miami held the ball for less than 24 minutes. The Dolphins didn't run much behind starting left tackle Jake Long, the first overall pick in the draft. In the first half, seven of the Dolphins' nine rushing plays went to the right side, for an average of 5 yards per carry. Only two running plays were called to the left side. One was a rush by Brown for no gain, and the other was a sweep left to Williams, who was forced to cut back to the right after the blocking broke down. Williams turned a busted play into a 9-yard gain. Long said he felt comfortable on the field but said he has "a lot of things to work on." Long also committed a false-start penalty in the second quarter. He committed just two penalties in his four years at Michigan. "I don't know what I was doing," Long said while laughing. "It was weird, I just lost the count in my head and just jumped." Rookie sixth-round pick Jalen Parmele ran for 18 yards on four carries in the second half. Patrick Cobbs had a 14-yard run but it was called back by a penalty. Fellow rookie Lex Hilliard, competing against the other two for a final roster spot, had just one carry for three yards. |