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Title: Commentary: New players import Cowboys' swagger to humble 'Fins Post by: DolFan619 on August 19, 2008, 01:29:47 am http://www.palmbeachpost.com/dolphins/content/sports/epaper/2008/08/18/a1c_stoda_0819.html
Commentary: New players import Cowboys' swagger to humble 'Fins By GREG STODA Palm Beach Post Staff Columnist Monday, August 18, 2008 DAVIE — The Dallas Cowboys are one of the penthouse franchises of the NFL. The Dolphins were, too, once upon a time. Now, though, they're something else, and the something else is something considerably different. There still is some "glamorous tradition" attached to Dolphins Inc., to quote newcomer linebacker Akin Ayodele, but the numbers don't lie. Dallas was 13-4 last season, including a first-round playoff loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion New York Giants, and is considered an NFC title contender this time around; Miami was 1-15 last season and isn't expected to be anything other than one of the dregs of the AFC again. It's no surprise that the Cowboys are featured this year on HBO's Hard Knocks training camp series and the Dolphins aren't. "I caught a peek of it," Ayodele said Monday after practice. "I'm not going to pay much attention to it. I'm in a new place trying to do new things." Ayodele is part of what he calls a "cluster" of former Cowboys on the roster - safety Keith Davis, tight end Anthony Fasano, defensive tackle Jason Ferguson and cornerbacks Nathan Jones and Joey Thomas are the others - which isn't exactly a coincidence. The incoming architects of the latest Dolphins reconstruction project (big boss Bill Parcells, head coach Tony Sparano and General Manager Jeff Ireland) are former Cowboy folks, all. "We know how to win, and we want that to rub off here," Ayodele said. "We reminisce a little about what we did in Dallas, but that's about it. We're trying to engulf ourselves in what needs to be done here." Which, of course, is a lot. Ayodele (101 tackles last season), Ferguson, who was injured most of last season, and Fasano (15 catches) have reasonable chances to start for Miami this season. "I got hurt the first game so, really, I didn't get to be a part of that 13-3 team," said the 33-year-old Ferguson, who is in his 12th pro season. "Coming here, (they're) showing me love. (The Cowboys) let me go because they think I'm too old, so I've got something to prove. "I knew I wasn't just going to come here and say, 'OK, we're rebuilding.' My coaches ain't about rebuilding. They want to win right now. Bill is not a cat that likes losing." True enough. But Parcells is a long way from Valley Ranch, and his Dolphins, who aren't to be confused with the Cowboys despite Miami's imports, are an even longer way from their glory days. How far? Well, it was Sparano who called Saturday's exhibition victory against Jacksonville an "important" one psychologically for his team. "We were 1-15," Sparano said. "I like to see 'em smile." And it was Ayodele who called the win against the Jaguars "huge" for the Dolphins, which, one assumes, is not something he'd be saying were he still wearing Cowboys clothes. (Nor would he be concerned about Dallas' current 0-2 practice record.) But Ayodele, who is 28 and entering his seventh NFL season, is someone worth listening to. He graduated from Purdue with a double major in sports psychology and law and society. In 2007, he spent his free time attending the NFL management and entrepreneurial program at the Harvard Business School. "We're working with different tools," Ayodele said of the Dolphins. "But it's a good mix of guys from what I've seen. There are young players willing to listen and veterans ready to lead. That's important. I've known Tony since my rookie season in Jacksonville, and anyone who knows Bill knows he has an understanding of what it takes to build a winner." Think of it as Miami's own lower-case version of hard knocks. |