Demoted Wilford doesn't want to be left in reserve

[DolFan619]

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/football/pro/dolphins/sfl-flspdolphins16sbaug16,0,1780206.story

Demoted Wilford doesn't want to be left in reserve

By Omar Kelly
South Florida Sun-Sentinel

August 16, 2008

Ernest Wilford towers over every cornerback who lines up across from him, yet the Dolphins' 6-foot-4 receiver has been lost in the shadows during training camp.

Wilford is the most experienced of the wideouts, but he has been invisible in an offense desperate for playmakers.

His minimal agility, limited quickness and recent habit of dropping passes during practices have caused the Dolphins' quarterback to shy away from throwing his way, and now he's lost his starting spot to Derek Hagan.

It's likely he'll be entering tonight's exhibition game against the Jaguars, his former team, as a reserve.

"It's still early, a long process," said Wilford, who caught 45 passes for the Jaguars last season, producing 518 yards and three touchdowns. "Right now you can't see the light at the end of the tunnel. We just have to continue to take it one day at a time, one practice at a time."

Wilford's struggles prompted coach Tony Sparano to sit down with him earlier this week for a talk. During their meeting Sparano encouraged Wilford, assuring the former Virginia Tech standout that he hadn't lost confidence in him.

Later on in the week Sparano singled out Wilford as one of the receivers he's noticed making more plays since Chad Pennington's arrival.

"Ernest has caught the ball the last couple of days and you start to feel him a little bit more," Sparano said on Wednesday.

Wilford said it was their talk that helped him start fresh.

"He definitely was making me know that he didn't forget about me. Although I haven't made a lot of plays this offseason he was letting me know he still had confidence in me," said Wilford, who received a $6 million signing bonus from the four-year deal he signed in February, which is worth $13 million. "The more opportunities that present themselves the more plays I'm going to make."

Wilford blames part of his slow start on the difficulty in learning the nuances of a new offense and the lack of familiarity with the quarterbacks, and vice versa. But he points out it shouldn't continue to be a challenge seeing as how he had to learn three offenses in his four seasons with the Jaguars and worked with three different starting quarterbacks.

"There has never been a doubt I can catch the ball. The only thing I ask for is opportunity," he said. "Opportunity is starting to present itself and the only thing I can continue to do is stay focused and stay confident."

Wilford plans to prove himself as a worthy and reliable target. And his size advantage should help get that accomplished.

"Guys with that kind of size bring a different dynamic to the game, and it causes problems to defenses when you are able to put the ball up high and he can be an instant mismatch," said quarterback Josh McCown, who has regularly worked with Wilford after practices this week.

"He's proven he can play based on the numbers he put up in the NFL the last couple of years. You love to have a guy like Ernest in the red area. If you put it away from the defender it's hard to get around those guys."

Injury report

Dolphins — DE Vonnie Holliday (hamstring), CB Michael Lehan (ankle), LB Charlie Anderson (hamstring) are out; LB Joey Porter (back) is questionable; Jaguars — WR Jerry Porter (hamstring), WR Reggie Williams (knee), DE Reggie Hayward (hamstring); DE Jeremy Mincey (wrist), S Chad Nkang (wrist), TE George Wrighster (knee) are all out.

[Brian Fein]

Don't wanna be a reserve?  play better!  you scrub.